What The Heck Do I Pack for LATISM? ¡Ayúdame!

By this time next week I'll be en route to Houston, Texas for the LATISM 2012 Conference. I am beyond excited.

And I am extremely honored to be fully sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. 

Johnson & Johnson has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. My mom always purchased J&J products. And now that I'm a mom, it's the brand I trust for my own family. But it's only since I've started blogging that I've learned that Johnson & Johnson really is a company who cares. They care about their employees, their costumers and the global community. I'm looking forward to learning more about their give back initiatives and sharing with you.

But before I can do that...I need to pack. And while I'm excited to be going, I'm not so excited about trying to figure out what to wear. It's Houston, so it's warm. And it's only for a few days...

But there's the LATISM Gala Awards and the Pijama Party. And that's where I'm stumped.

I mean...have you been to a Latino party? We are a people - especially the ladies - who like to Dress to the Nines.*

I'm not really a fancy girl (though, I can fake it pretty well).

The last thing I want to be is underdressed is for the Awards. But I also need to be practical. It can't be anything that needs ironing (I don't do ironing). And it needs to be something pretty that I will feel comfortable in (i.e. something that hides the bulge around my belly). I've pretty much described absolutely nothing in my closet right about now. I refuse to spend money on something that I will most likely not wear again. I'm also determined to lose weight and refuse to go up another size (which is why I am squeezing into my clothes and spending most of my day sucking in my gut).

As for the Pijama Party...WTH? I don't think I own a pair of pj's that I would or could wear out in public. I may need to buy pj's. But at least I'll know I'll wear the pj's again.

Then of course J&J offered me a polo shirt to wear for one of the days. Which is fine but this probably means, I'll need to wear jeans. And did I mention I put on weight and that I'm having trouble fitting into my pants? So whenever I wear pants I usually wear a shirt that hides the muffin top. I'm crossing my fingers that the polo is super stretchy. 

Sure there's other stuff that goes into prepping for a blog conference other than what to wear. But I'll let my amiga Ruby of Growing Up Blaxican tell you how best to prep - click HERE. 

 
* just a little trivia: the term "dress to the nines" comes from England when sailing ships were used. As the ship would come into the harbor all sails would be flying, all nine of them. And all the sailors would be dressed in dress uniforms lined up on either side of the ship. The modern connotation is to have put on your finest clothing and jewelry, almost as if you were being visited by royalty.