Lasoo Shopping and Reviews Blog

Bra shopping can be stressful at the best of times. Working out the right size, shape, style and colour can send any woman into an indecisive frenzy.

For me, in all honesty I could probably do without a bra. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’ve got great, perky boobs, but when God was handing out decent pairs of knockers I must have been too busy picking fluff from my navel in a corner somewhere because I got the left-overs.

And there wasn’t much left.

At all!!

So that being said, I’m really not a big spender when it comes to the bra stakes. Give me a $250 pair of running shoes and that’s a different story, but my ‘girls’ can manage okay being ‘housed’ in a modest $15 Target bra.

Given that the ‘girls’ haven’t been treated to a new ‘place of abode’ for a little while, a recent bra sale at Target sparked my interest. Knowing my already reasonably-priced bra was just about to become a bra-plus-a-coffee-and-a-doughnut, I was excited!!

Buuuut…….when I noticed the sale, I was at the shops with two grumpy and tired two and three year olds.

Oh and it was lunchtime…..and I hadn’t quite gotten around to feeding them yet…..apart from a couple of doughnuts…..

………..so of course I went ahead and shopped anyway with two hungry, cranky, sugered-up kids………..mistake. Big mistake.

So I may have learnt a couple of things since that particular day. It’s a war out there and you have to go in prepared.

7 tips for bra-shopping with kids (if you must)

1. Plan your shopping trip: Know you’re going bra shopping so you can not only psych yourself but so you can thoroughly sedate brief the kids prior.

Know where the bra section is and head straight there. Having to search from one end of the store to the other cuts into your precious time whilst the kids are still intrigued by the bright lights and headless mannequins.

2. Know the size, shape, colour, contour, material of the bra you want: Knowing what you want makes it easier to find. Once you’ve found the make and model of your boob-storage-facility, try it on and then get the hell out of there. Extra moments spent pondering the filigree on the lace-work plunges you further into dangerous impatient/bored/pissed-off-kid territory.

3. Bad things happen in change rooms with kids: Regardless of whether or not you know your size, you’re still going to have to try the thing on. But be warned, taking too long in a change room with the kids may lead to ‘bloggable moments’. You’ll either find your kid chewing on one of the rejected bras you’ve dumped on the floor OR you’ll end up dragging him by the feet back under the change room door (because they just don’t make the cubicles impenetrable for toddlers).

4. Be decisive: Going back for a second look at the rack once you’ve made a choice is fraught with danger. The increasing tone, volume and velocity of whingey moans and complaints will soon transform your leisurely shop into something likened to boot camp for fatties - you’ll find yourself running, sweating and swearing trying to get the hell away from the smaller person that’s yelling abuse at you!

5. NEVER RELEASE THE HOUNDS: Regardless of sweet smiles and promises of good behaviour- NEVER RELEASE A CHILD FROM THE CONFINES OF THE TROLLEY/PRAM OR OTHER AVAILABLE RESTRAINING DEVICE. Otherwise you may end up frantically pushing an empty pram through Target whilst draped with half a dozen cheap bras, screaming threats at the top of your lungs that if your children don’t return by the time you count to three they will have their trampoline and Wiggles privileges removed.

6. No matter how many staff and security you engage to locate offspring if you do happen to ‘misplace’ them, little old ladies are the best at spotting small feet sticking out of clothing racks. And dressing gown racks are especially good hiding places for small children. Believe me!

7. If you do happen to bra shop at the wrong time with the wrong people whilst making the wrong decisions - if anything, just bloody make sure you walk away from that store with at least one discounted bra (oh and the correct type and number of children)!!

Yep, bra-shopping with little kids is a cinch. No really…..

Have you ever tried clothes shopping with kids?

If you’re looking for specials and sales on bras, clothes…..or pretty much anything else you can think of jump on over to Lasoo for all the latest catalogues from your fave stores.

Disclaimer: no children were injured, maimed or otherwise during the making of this blog post…..but I sure as hell thought about it…….

This is a guest post from Lasoo friend and amazing blogger- CRAP MAMMA.

Mother’s Day 2012 is on the 13th of May and it is  is the perfect time to lavish your mum with attention and thank her for being there for you throughout the year. Flowers and chocolates might make classic gifts, but why not mix it up a little and give her a present she’s sure not to forget?

Here’s our pick of inspired and creative Mother’s Day gifts.

Experience the difference

Has your mum enthused about watching a sunrise from a hot air balloon? Flowers might wilt but a RedBalloon voucher promises the kind of thrills and experiences sure to linger in her memory.

Sweep her away

If your mum never gets a break, it might be time for her to pack her suitcase. How about buying her a vacation somewhere exotic or a luxury getaway somewhere a little more local?

Art with heart

Art supplies or photography equipment make great gifts for creative mums and will remind her to put the daily grind on hold for a while and follow her passions.

A glossy escape

Make Mother’s Day last all year with a subscription to your mum’s favourite magazine – a simple present that will pay off every month.

Motivate your Mum

Supporting her in her resolutions is a great way to show you care. Buying her something to help her with her fitness goals is a fun and practical gift.

Diamonds are forever

Cast budget-consciousness aside and buy your mum a piece of diamond jewellery. A thoughtful option that never gets old.

What’s the best way to teach kids to love eating vegetables? By showing them exactly how they got on that plate. Stephanie Alexander couldn’t agree more. The celebrity chef started something of a revolution when she established the Kitchen Garden Program in Collingwood College, Melbourne back in 2001.

The program saw eight to twelve-year-old children build their own vegie gardens and home kitchens, inspiring healthy eating and a love of seasonal vegetables along the way. Alexander won fans and hearts with her hands-on approach – her model graced children’s food education programs from Bondi to Coober Pedy. The school holidays are the perfect chance to channel some of Alexander’s gardening magic. Here’s how to get started:

Make sure your kids choose the vegies they love

It’s important that your budding gardeners choose vegetables they actually like to eat – this will give them a sense of ownership. If they choose something that’s difficult to grow, offer them a similar option.

Sow the seed

Once you purchase the seeds, you can plant them in a tray or in a simple paper cup. If you choose the latter, encourage your children to write the name of their vegetable along with their own name on the cup.

Keep enthusiasm levels high

Kids can lose their patience while waiting for their seeds to germinate – keep them distracted with fun projects such as decorating planters and making garden markers from scratch.

A very cute video was the doing the rounds on social media and email late last month. The clip was of a Canadian two-year-old named Makena singing along to UK songstress Adele’s hit tune ‘Someone Like You’. Her mum filmed the clip and uploaded it to YouTube. Not long after it had millions of views and was appearing on news sites around the world.

It’s early days but little Makena may yet follow in the footsteps of young Brits Sophia Grace and her cousin Rosie, who garnered millions of fans after their mums shared a video of them in ballerina tutus singing, rapping and dancing along to American singer Nikki Minaj’s ‘Super Bass’. Not long after, Ellen DeGeneres invited them onto her TV show to perform and meet Minaj, and the cute little duo have since appeared on the show more than a few times.

It’s fair to say that most parents spend the first few years of their child’s life keenly taking photos and filming their ‘firsts’: riding a bike, ballet concerts, footy games, school plays and, yes, perhaps even singing along to one of their favourite songs.

You could even let them express their own creativity and shop for a camera made especially for kids!

Do your children have any favourite tunes they sing along to? Tell us what they are – we’d love to know!

Watch the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSNxrEa3Usw

With Mother’s day just around the corner my mind conjures thoughts of lovingly prepared, hand-made gifts by children at their respective schools and daycares.

Cards, poems, paintings all personally made with fingerprints and smudges, unrecognisable drawings and scrawly writing.

And Mums and Grandmas worldwide will love every last scrap of them…. At least for a month or so (or by the time the kids have forgotten about them or the household dog/toddler has ripped the artwork off the fridge and eaten it!!).

Whilst those things are all very nice and sweet and touchy-feely highly-heart-weighted kinda stuff…….but let’s face it, there are a couple of other gifts that may be just that little bit more value for Mums on our special ‘day of days’ including…

1. A full night of sleep uninterrupted by small-footed-kicks, ‘Muuuuuum’s or midnight requests for water, milk or monster-eradication;

2. A day where Mum is waited upon hand and foot. Where she doesn’t have to wipe dried Weetbix from cupboards, scrape poo off undies or remove un-insertable objects from bodily orifices;

3. A day where everyone wipes their own bum…….competently…….VERY competently; and

4. A day of the kids speaking no louder than 50 decibels and even then, anything that comes out of their mouth is nice and calm and doesn’t begin with ‘Mum can I……’…… (unless of course than sentence ends with ‘massage your feet’ or ‘get you a coffee/wine/block of chocolate’!!

Now I’m sad to say that the chances of any of the above happening (even if but for a day) is slim to NEVER. However for my husband who will be purchasing presents from my children here’s a couple of ideas for that VERY special person in your life who cooks/cleans/wipes bums/irons/gets up to kids in the middle of the night….need I go on…..hint, hint…..

1. Something that can keep my mind heavily occupied and drown out the screams, cries and ‘Muuums’ for at least a short period of time…..ummm something like an iPad or a new laptop might just do the trick.

2. Alternately you might wish to buy me some new threads or get me some beauty stuff so I can at least leave the house with clothes, hair, nails and skin free of snot, poo and food stains…..ready for the brunch you’ve planned to take me to……just sayin’….

Aside from all the lovely hand-made kid stuff, what would be your ultimate Mother’s day gift??

This is a guest post from our amazing guest blogger: www.crapmamma.com

Gotye the artist of the song ‘Somebody that I used to know’ (released  6 July 2011) has become the first Australian act in 12years to top the American Billboard hot 100 singles chart.

The 31 year old Victorian singer’s real name is Wally de Backer and has a voice likened to ‘Sting’ and his style has been described as Indie Rock. He teamed up with ‘Kimbra’ in ‘Somebody that I use to know’ and wowed Australia’s radio waves with killer harmonies and a distinct xylophone solo at the beginning of the song.

This is a huge achievement for an Australian artist as the last Aussie act to achieve this was Savage Garden in 2000.

Check out his music on Lasoo:  http://www.lasoo.com.au/search/gotye.html

Kermit might have told us that it’s not easy being green, but he left out that it’s even harder when you’re caught up in the daily grind. It’s a good thing that Earth Day 2012 is around the corner, reminding us that small acts of eco-awareness can make a huge impact on the planet.

The first-ever Earth Day kicked off in 1970 and sparked a global revolution. Over one billion people in 192 countries have since been involved in the yearly green-friendly festivities.

In the last forty years, the Earth Day Network has helped pass landmark laws such as the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act and led campaigns on issues ranging from climate change and deforestation to cleaner drinking water and saving whales.

This April 22, you can get in on the Earth Day action by attending an event in your city, pledging your support to a campaign such as Arts for the Earth or taking part in A Billion Acts of Green, an initiative that inspires simple acts to cut down carbon emissions and support sustainability.

Here are some ways to inject some eco-love into your life:

· Replace old incandescent lamps by investing in an LED alternative. The greenest lighting option around can also spell massive savings for your electricity bills.

· Ditch your current skincare range for one that doesn’t rely on harsh toxins and chemicals. Embracing green-friendly beauty products is good for your skin and even better for the environment.

· Can’t quite cope with a four-minute shower? Install a water saving shower head for a guilt-free start to your morning.

School holidays were a challenging time for me when I was young.  It was great having no homework, no uniform, no school bell… but also it was really challenging to fight the boredom.

My brother and I would spend hours building cubby houses out of bed sheets, umbrellas and pegs, forming elaborate tunnels and openings. The highlight was being allowed to eat lunch or dinner under the colourful canopy of our labour.

These days, many kids spend their school holidays playing computer games , or watching movies and TV. There is nothing wrong with this in moderation but there needs to be an opportunity to inspire imagination, creativity and self expression. For we know that when we allow this to come out, something amazing can happen.

In Los Angeles, there is a young boy who did just that. Combining his passion for games, an opportunity to use old cardboard boxes from his dad’s automotive business and imagination- he built his own arcade.

A Short film was made about Caine and his arcade and now his Arcade is famous around the world- inspiring people to follow their dreams and to use the opportunities before them. There has even been a scholarship fund for Caine set up should he choose to go to college.

Just goes to show what a little imagination can do…

What are your kid’s up to these school holidays?

Watch the full short film on Vimeo here:

http://vimeo.com/nirvan/cainesarcade

Can you believe the April school holidays are here already? That means getting creative when it comes to keeping the kids happy and busy. Here’s our advice on how to mix things up this autumn school break:

Plan ahead

Do some research and find out what’s happening in your area. Local libraries, galleries, shopping centres and cultural venues quite often run free or inexpensive activities and events for kids and families over the school break. Councils and state governments quite often have online school holiday guides like VictoriaOnline and NSW’s Go Play to help you plan ahead. As do newspapers like South East Queensland’s Courier Mail.

Crafty kids

Set up a crafts afternoon for the kids.  Deck out an art-friendly area of your choice with pencils, crayons, paint, paper and other crafty bits and pieces, like felt, coloured paper, string, cotton wool, egg cartons etc. Need inspiration? Kidspot has an online gallery with over 200 colouring pages, and Kaboose has a range of fun craft ideas.

Get back to nature

Too often kids spend their whole school holidays indoors – whether it’s watching TV, playing games, at shopping centres or at the movies. Why not get out of town? Go bushwalking at the nearest national park or camping for a weekend. Head to the zoo for the day, take a drive out to the country or visit a local farm. It will make a great change from the everyday and will also be a good reminder of the importance and beauty of nature and wildlife.

Kitchen session

Invest in a cooking book for kids like What Shall We Cook Today? and Cook with Dora. There’s lots of fun (and perhaps a little mess!) to be had creating all kinds of meals and sweet treats in the kitchen. Most kids love the process of cooking, and especially tasting the end result.

Perhaps it started with Beyonce and Jay-Z naming their new baby girl after the pretty primary colour, but fashion is having a love affair with all things blue this season. From flashes of electric blue from Victoria Beckham and elegant cobalt blue with Stella McCartney to Paul Smith’s petrol blues, the autumn-winter 2011/12 collections were awash with blue in shades of every kind. And the best part is it’s a colour anyone can wear well.

Want to get the blues? The fashion ones, that is. Start by choosing the shade that works with your style best. Pale glacial and sky blues add a soft and pretty element, while navy and deep blues are a touch more sombre and elegant. Those looking to brighten up their wardrobes should opt for shades like azure and turquoise.

Those wanting to go all-out on the blue trend should play with statement pieces like a jumpsuit, dress, winter coat or pants. Meanwhile, flirty touches of blue in collars, sunglasses, tights and accessories like handbags and shoes are a less invested way to rock the look.

For some off-duty fun, take your makeup cues from the A/W2012 catwalks, where Chanel painted their models’ cuticles in pretty sky blue and Antipodium painted eyes in icy shades of blue.