Sister Weekend, LLC did the Manhattan thing on June 18 for the first time.
Selling is great, it’s what made us schlep our stuff to the big city.
But what I really love is the personal conversations I get to have with strangers.
I always come away from a festival filled with heartwarming, hilarious and sometimes heart breaking stories that our customers share.

There was the woman with a history of skin cancer dressed undercover in a pretty summer hat, long sleeves shirt and long pants. She loved our chichi shirt because it provides SPF 50 without having to slather on icky sticky suntan lotion.
And then there was the hilarious Amy spending the day with her adorable sister and wild momma. Amy bought our shirt because it doesn’t have to be ironed! She loves that when she is partying late on a week night she has can roll out of bed and into the boardroom.
Amy has inspired a new campaign for Sister Weekend, LLC. “The morning after shirt”.

There was the hot flash discussion with the Obstetrician/Gynocologist shopping with her husband who hasn’t been able to cool her internal inferno of heat with estrogen. Her husband lovingly recalled the tale of the hourly adjusting of the thermostat.

The last conversation of the day was with a young couple who were interested in our shirts for their auntie and grammy. She was a stunning smart and compassionate woman who works with drug addicted homeless people. And her boyfriend was wearing a t-shirt with a beautiful drawing of a curvy women who had hiked up her dress to reveal her enormous beautiful bare ass. I love him for wearing that shirt and loving curvy women. He told me he loved women who “keep it real”.

Then there are the conversations I have with the other vendors. I am always inspired when I chat with these talented innovative people who are out there following their dreams.

Oh, and a big shout out to those people who said, I will come by later and buy a shirt…and did- thank you!!!!!!!

Do you remember that 70’s commercial by Sy Sperling for the Hair Club for Men.

It was a testimonial from the President of the company declaring his belief and dedication to his business. It meant more to him than just a way to make money.

My name is Helene but my family calls me ChiChi and I am the president of Sister Weekend, LLC and I do love and wear my ChiChi Shirt.

My inspiration for ChiChi’s shirt and Sister Weekend, LLC was born out of a sweaty night of sleep. I would wake up boiling hot, covered in sweat. When the heat passed and my body would cool there I lay in cold wet pajamas glued to my skin. I would get up and feel around for dry clothing in my dark room, change, climb back into bed and pray for sleep. In the morning I would find a pile of wet pajamas on the floor. Then it occurred to me- design clothing for women that keeps us cool in soft, comfy and flattering materials. Our fabric is specially designed to pull moisture away from the skin and dries quickly. This keeps you cool and comfortable anytime you’re wearing ChiChi’s Shirt; whether in bed, on the run, or just relaxing.

ChiChi’s Shirt is a sleep-shirt and so much more…

This is not your mother’s muumuu, it’s the new muu!

Hotter than ever…but now a lot more often.

Sister Weekend, LLC – Cool Clothes for Hot Women

When I look at my naked body in the mirror I can see a map of my life.
At first I only focus on the imperfections. Then as I look around at my curves I begin to notice special spots that remind me of some really good living.
The left side of my belly has stretch marks because during pregnancy my son would lay on that side. When I smile, I see lines around my eyes and lips. When I was in high school I decided that I was no longer going to smile to avoid wrinkling, that lasted for about a week. I can’t help it, my resting face is a smile.
At times, I have considered plastic surgery. I have been to a few different doctors for estimates but never go through with it. This decision is made for two specific reasons. Firstly, I have no tolerance for pain! And secondly, I once painted a single room in my home thinking that would give the house the sprucing up I desired but what actually happened is the rest of my house just looked older and more worn then before. So I do my best to shift my perspective and thinking to all the amazing living I have done in this body and then I feel grateful and happy.
And as my mother always says, “If you don’t get older, you die.”

 

It’s autumn, and as the light of day decreases the trees begin to conserve energy and stop sending out chlorophyll which turns the leaves green, without the chlorophyll we see the true color of the leaves.

I love the metaphor of this season.

I like to think of this time of year as nature encouraging us to reveal our true colors, embrace who you are, and allow others to see you. Be you, unapologetically!

 

So, I have been enjoying the comfort of my bra for the past few weeks but know that it’s time to buy new ones. I also know that I have be fitted properly because years ago Oprah Winfrey told us on National TV that ill-fitting undergarments effect how clothing fits, thanks Auntie Opie.

Being fitted properly is an odd experience, it means that the sales lady actually enters the fitting room with you and measures your boobs.

when I was a teenager I was an A cup, then in my late 20’s while I was nursing my son I was a double E cup, honestly I had no idea that bras even came in an EE cup, then when I lost weight I became a D cup. All that inflation and deflation means I need support.

My sales lady, Sara brings me 3 different bra styles. We are both standing in the dressing room and I have put on the first style. I tell her that I am concerned about spilling out over the cup. She tells me that a great way to see if the bra fits correctly is to bend over and simulate picking up a pencil off of the floor and then to stand up and extend my arm as if reaching for something on the top shelf, then put down my arm, stand up straight and look in the mirror to see if anything has shifted.

As I was reaching down “picking up the pencil” I began to shimmy while talking to Sara. I told her I wanted to see if I would spill over doing this move. She asked me if I need to shimmy often? She asked me what kind of work I do where I would need to shimmy.

Ok, good point, I never shimmy in the course of my day and I also don’t swing from a pole.

After picking up the pencil, a quick shimmy and a reach for the top shelf I find out that my boobies remained in place. P.S. now I have 2 new slightly uncomfortable bras but my breasticals are high and perky, like they were during the 1980’s. Oh, and by the way I have decided that I need to incorporate a shimmy into my everyday life because it makes me laugh and reminds me of the humorous time I spent with Sara.

Growing up in the 1960’s and 70’s the “muumuu” aka the “housedress” was what your mother wore at home. One of my precious muumuu memories was watching my mother get ready to walk me and my sister to school. My mom would hike up her muumuu, secure it with a diaper pin, then button up her stylish turquoise raincoat over the muumuu. I remember my beautiful mother with her jet black hair, set perfectly each week at the beauty parlor and that fashionable raincoat. When I designed the chichi shirt I had a priority list: it needed to be soft and comfortable, it had to dry quickly when I was sweating, and it had to be flattering. I wanted the chichi shirt to be used like the muumuu but more stylish so you could step outside the house and not feel like you needed my mother’s turquoise raincoat to cover it. I sleep in my chichi shirt and in the morning put on leggings and a bra and take the dog for a walk, and I don’t feel the need to hide under a jacket because I am fully dressed and feel comfortable. I love hearing my customers reminisce about their muumuu memories. It’s the connection that I make with my customers that I most adore about my company. I love providing a quality product and the sentimental conversation it inspires.

This is not your mother’s muumuu, it’s the new muu!

I grew up in Forest Hills, New York. In 1973, I was 6 years old and my life changed drastically. That year my parents divorced, my grandfather died and so did our family dog. I remember overhearing my 1^st grade teacher tell my mother, “Helene used to be very interactive with classmates and participate in class but now she just stares out the window.” I can remember sitting at my desk in class and staring out the window at that beautiful weeping willow tree blowing in the wind. I feel peace and experience healing when I am in nature. My most vivid memories of childhood have nature as the main character. I love how sunlight filters through the trees and how shadows create their own special world. I developed a certain way of coping with life’s challenges by shutting people out of my life which in turn shut down the potential for people to support me. My blog is a way to emerge into the world. I brought Sister Weekend, LLC and the chichi shirt into the market place to share a great product that I personally love and this emergence in the world requires me to disclose and share my process. I now choose to acknowledge and display my authentic genuine self and I encourage you to do the same… be brave, break through your fears and remember you are not alone…

 

Approaching your life from a perspective of gratitude will increase your joy and happiness. Studies show that taking time each evening to write down 3 things you are grateful for will actually create a physiological change of chemicals in your brain which results in a more fulfilled life experience. I started my list two weeks ago. I bought a little spiral notebook, scented markers and stickers to decorate each page. Making the list takes less than 2 minutes. What I can report is that the details of my life, previously shared are still the same but my perspective has shifted and I am experiencing more laughter, joy and happiness. Included on my grateful list today are 2 amazing and talented women who helped to transform my vision into a tangible item and continue to help Sister Weekend, LLC move forward. Thank you Takeyce and Tetyana.

 

This past year has been challenging and I misplaced my sparkle and now I have made a commitment to find my sparkle, my joy and my happiness. I used to think that happiness and joy was a passive event but now I realize that I have to pursue it actively each and every day. It has to be on the top of my to-do list. Studies show that smiling at yourself in the mirror for 5 minutes every day helps to change the physiology and chemicals in your brain that trigger joy and happiness, it will also make you feel like a freakin’ idiot, I do it anyway. I actually set a timer and then I look at myself in the mirror and smile, and I feel stupid and my smile looks forced, so then I change the angle of my head and put my hand on my hip and now I am feeling like a total nut case and that makes me laugh and then I see a smile that is genuine, I plan on doing this every day because it is helping me to find my sparkle. Life happens, sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it feels so challenging and the only control I have over my life is my reaction to it. I wish you a smiley day, even if it only lasts for 5 minutes.

 

Going home after being on vacation sucks and inspires mixed emotions.

…And there it is, right where I left it. Some great things like my dog Shayna. The pet nanny took good care of her and I am greeted with howling, barking and tons of kisses but when I sit down to pet her she turns her back and won’t look at me. Poor puppy, she is also experiencing mixed emotions. She is glad to see me, but angry I left her. My mixed emotions are a bit more complex. There is a week’s worth of mail that needs sorting, unpacking, and tons of laundry, and I don’t want to do any of it. And then there are the emotional bags that I tried, somewhat successfully, to leave at home. My life is good. I launched Sister Weekend, LLC after 8 years of just thinking about it and 2 years of planning. I am able to see the many blessings in my life, but this past year has been emotionally painful because of a strained relationship with someone who is very important to me. My existence is a balance of joy and pain. Being able to hold such conflicting emotions at the same time is bizarre, and new to me.