It’s that time of year again, when some of us are inspired to make the coming year, a better one. Some of us are tired of setting lofty goals only to see ourselves fail come February. Well, it’s easy to be critical of the New Year’s Resolution, but at Kosher Casual, we salute the effort and intention! Therefore, we’ve put together some ideas on how to help you achieve your New Year’s Resolutions.
Choose ONE resolution. There are so many ways each and every one can “improve”, but the best way to climb the mountain is to just choose one mountain. This year prioritize your goals and identify the one that is most frustrating and most achievable, the one that drives you the craziest.
If you didn’t choose a New Year’s Resolution, it’s not too late! Just because New Year’s Eve has come and gone, doesn’t mean the chance at self-improvement has too. Take some time and make that difference starting immediately.
Stay away from previous “resolutions”. This year tackle something new, something that won’t make it easy to fall into the same habit of giving up. Choose something that can change your life today and will encourage you to take on previous resolutions once you’ve achieved and devoured this one.
A New Year’s Resolution is personal. Don’t base your goal on what your friends, coworkers and family are doing. This resolution is about you, so dig deep and get personal.
Outline the steps. Make this resolution attainable by setting time-based steps. Create levels of growth and focus on one part at a time. Often, when you can visualize the entire path, reaching the finish line is more feasible.
Share your resolution. Tell your friends and family what your resolution is so as to make yourself accountable. By offering this information to your everyday peers, they can help to encourage and keep you on track.
Remind yourself why you’re doing this. Add mental reminders a part of your morning routine. Wakeup, brush your teeth, tell the girl in the mirror that today is the day! If morning groggy head gets in the way, get sticky notes and add them to your path through the house.
Add a reward system. Remember those new pointy flats you wanted so badly, well, their yours if you get halfway to destination resolution
Pick up the pencil and make it concrete. Writing out your plans and goals will make it more real and help you focus on each step without getting overwhelmed by the overall goal.
Finally, expect to falter. Allow yourself setbacks and don’t let them throw you off the deep-end. When you allow yourself to be human and recognize that it’s part of the process, you are less likely to quit.
So whether you’re finally going to tackle that nail biting habit or make journaling a regular part of your day, know that we’re rooting for you!
Happy New Year from the Kosher Casual Team!
* In the event your New Year’s resolution has anything to do with fitness, check out our line of modest workout gear! Skirts with leggings attached at different lengths and color combinations, see it here.
Black Friday is once again upon us and everyone likes to get a good deal. Many people will hold off on a big purchase until Black Friday to get the “best” deal. At Kosher Casual, we are on board for the action as well, but from the other side of the checkout counter, the seller’s side!
We wanted to share some tips we have learned over the years to help you get the best deals and walk away happy.
#1 Take advantage of retailers with online stores
This tip is fairly obvious because the biggest benefit is the ability to avoid the chaos of waiting in line, digging through racks or shelves. Getting to the store after finally finding a parking spot, just to learn the product you came for is out of stock! Some retailers even offer Black Friday discounts online a few days before Black Friday. This leads us to our next tip…
#2 When you have an item at discount in your shopping cart, buy it!
Do not hesitate or wait until Friday if you are already seeing a discount in your cart, there is a strong likelihood that the item you want could sell out. So do not wait days to buy, if the site says Black Friday discount, it’s likely that the prices won’t go down much more.
#3 Plan accordingly using a retailers website
This tip is for items that are only available at in-store sales. In order to make the most out of Black Friday, it is best to prioritize the items you plan to buy on Black Friday. Use a retailer website to organize by store hours and locations. Choose the items that you absolutely need and get those first, Black Friday is not the day to roam or browse your favorite stores.
#4 Shop with a friend
By bringing a friend along, you can help each other accomplish more. Perhaps there is a long line in one store, one person can stand in line while the other checks out items that were lower on the priority list. More importantly than that, Black Friday shopping can be exhausting and frustrating, bringing a friend can help you both laugh off the quirky situations that come with big sales.
#5 Don’t go to Walmart 😉
This one does not need so much explanation so I’ll just leave you with this…
Before these days of modest fashion, modest dressers found lots of obstacles to dressing modestly and fashionably. Today, there are so many great clothing lines that either choose to make modest clothing by design or create modest items in
their general collection that coincidentally flow with the fashion trends. These trends have helped the modest modern dresser, but there will always be certain issues the modern, modest woman will have to deal with.
Here are some of our most annoying or funny challenges that we find in dressing modestly. We would love to hear some of your daily hurdles in dressing modestly!
One small piece of the storm surrounding Harvey Weinstein has been a resurgence of the question of whether modest clothing prevents rape. Mayim Bialik brought the issue back to the limelight when she wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times. In it, she implied that she had never been assaulted because “I dress modestly. I don’t act flirtatiously with men as a policy.” (She later retracted that implication on Twitter.)
It shouldn’t need saying, but modest clothing doesn’t reduce sexual assault. If it did, there wouldn’t be any assaults against burka-wearing Muslim women or long-skirted and cloaked Jewish women.
Brands like ours certainly disprove Mayim’s implication that dressing modestly is less attractive. There are so many great fashion lines out there that put effort into making modest dressing women feel beautiful. Just cast an eye over the huge stable of fashion bloggers who pull together amazing outfits from the modest pieces that are in regular fashion stores.
But it’s possible that modest dressing can make a difference to sexual assault, just not the way you might think.
It’s not about the clothes.
It’s about the mindset.
Women who’ve chosen to dress modestly generally feel more self-confident. They project an aura of assertiveness, of feeling comfortable in their skin. Contrary to popular myth, modest-dressers are not just victims of patriarchal brainwashing, nor are they ashamed of their bodies or scared of being assaulted.
One example of the power of covering up comes from looking at how powerful women dress. Check out how much skin is shown by female CEOs, politicians and other important women. The more power you have, the less skin you show.
Psychologists hold that sexual assault isn’t about sex. It’s about power. Choosing to dress modestly takes back the power into women’s own hands.
Note that the key word here is choice. This fascinating video shows a Muslim woman liberated from ISIS in Raqqa ripping off the abaya she was forced to wear to reveal equally modest clothing beneath. She wasn’t objecting to wearing modest clothing; she objected to the modest clothing she was forced to wear. It’s the modest clothing we choose that empowers us.
Modest clothing sends a clear message that this woman is not a man’s plaything, eye candy or entertainment. The aura of confidence that surrounds modest dressing women might just deter a number of men who, like all bullies, feel free to cat-call, comment or grab at an easy target.
That moment when you grab one too many things in your hands, the first being your coffee, but also the closest to your nicely laundered white shirt! Or, you decide to just do the dishes quickly before running out to that meeting and that fateful splash on your silk blouse…
Those dreaded surprise stains are NOT created equally and therefore should not be treated equally. For anyone that still enjoys wearing white, here are some stain busting solutions for all the different kinds of stains imaginable.
Two important and general rules for ALL stains…
The earlier you catch the stain, the better! If you are out and don’t happen to carry around one of those Tide pens or Shout wipes, the best thing to do is wet the stain with water or an ice cube is better, just to keep it from completely setting into the fibers of your clothing. Be sure to dab as rubbing can also speed up the damage.
Secondly, when it does come time to wash the stained clothing item, check the wet laundry to be sure the stain is gone, putting the washed item with a stain in it will often ‘seal the deal’. Pretreat the stubborn stain and try it in the washing machine before drying.
It’s important to classify your stain into one of these categories so you can have the best chance at treating the stain. For the purpose of this article, the categories that stains fall into are dye stains, protein stains, combination stains, dairy product stains, fruit and fruit juice stains, grass stains, mud stains and of course…coffee stains.
Dye and coffee stains are best treated by running them under very cold water and then wash the item in the machine using the hottest setting that is still safe for the fabric. If that doesn’t work then try the dry cleaner and remember to do this all before drying the article of clothing.
Protein stains like vomit, sweat, and blood are best treated with an alkaline stain removal solution. Most detergents have alkaline components like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, and these are ideal for attacking these organic types’ stains.
Combination stains are things like makeup or sauces that may have components of both dye and protein stains. The best results come from spot treating with detergent directly on the stain, washing it out spot treating with a stain spray or stick and laundering in the wash as usual.
Dairy or rocky road ice cream 😉 stains are protein stains in nature because they are natural. Soak fresh stains in cold water and even agitate them if you can. If you are dealing with a dried stain, brush off any crusted matter and soak for several hours in a detergent or an enzyme presoak (which is least suggestable due to potential allergies). Launder in warm water and if the stain remains, soak for another 30 minutes and rewash.
Fruit stains are a dye stain but they also have the added component of sugar and if that is not removed completely you could end up with a dash of crème Brulee when added to the heat of the dryer. To ensure you’ve cleaned it thoroughly, wash it in the hottest water possible with detergent but AVOID soap based products as they can make the stain permanent. Old or set fruit stains may require a fabric safe form of bleach.
Grass stains are a dye stain and should, therefore, be treated with laundry product and cool water. Hot water can cause the stain to set and make it very difficult to remove! A laundry product with enzymes will also attack the stain but again, unless your laundry detergent has it included its best to avoid pure enzymes.
Mud stains are considered a protein stain and the most positive results come from letting the stain dry, removing the soil and soaking for 15 minutes in a solution of:
1 TBS white vinegar
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
1 quart of warm water
If the stain does not seem to budge, dab with rubbing alcohol and rinse multiple times with clear water. Wash in warm water and repeat if the stain does not come out.
Lastly, fighting the fateful coffee stains. Because coffee stains often come with dairy in it, you need to treat it as a dye stain with a protein stain combination. If the stain is fresh immediately rinse with cold water if you are able to remove and add laundry detergent, rub it with cold water. Afterwards, its best to soak for 30 minutes, with agitation every 5-10 minutes. Lastly, wash the clothing on the hottest setting possible and like every other item, be sure to check before throwing it in the dryer. If the stain has not left, repeat the steps above.
Happy cleaning and if you really want to be safe, borrow a bib from your nearest baby or toddler because the reality is life happens and all those stains and spills are proof we’re living.
