Stalled Style

Being three might be frustrating, but it has its advantages.

She dresses herself, and I try to invoke the mommy veto very, very sparingly.

If there’s going to be a battle each morning in our house, I’d rather it be about the merits of eggs versus candy for breakfast instead of the striped or the heart socks with the flowered pants.

Even with all of the crazy combinations she manages to put together, by throwing her hair into some pigtails or a cute little braid (her favorite), she ends up looking cute and quirky and like she’s having fun getting dressed each day.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of being three, and getting dressed each day poses some challenges for me. I’ve spent the last four years being pregnant or nursing or losing baby weight or some combination of those things, and my wardrobe reflects that.

Now I’m facing the sometimes overwhelming task of trying to find some sort of clothing combination that makes sense for both my lifestyle and my appreciation of fashion.

I’ve spent the last few summers in skirts and sundresses, but this summer shorts are back with a vengeance on the pages of fashion magazines. I’ve spent a great part of my adult life refusing to wear shorts, but I have to admit there’s some appealing about throwing on a pair for a day at the park instead of worrying about flashing the playground while following Dylan up the slide for the fiftieth time.

It’s time to get rid of my diaper bag, and several friends have recommended cute backpacks for the transition. I just can’t bring myself to do that with all of the fabulous satchels and totes out there right now, but I’m having a tough time making a decision about that, too!

Don’t forget shoes; a girl can never have too many shoes, except when she’s relying on actual money to pay for them and not a fairy godmother.

Oh, and a great pair of jeans that can somehow make the pancake at the top of my legs look more like a tush without costing hundreds of dollars.

 Sigh…where are Stacy and Clinton with their style advice (and their $5000 bank card) when you need them?

she explained to me that the shirt matched, because the dress has green and so does the shirt

the capris have pink and so does the bunny's skirt

pink shoes, because she only has one non-pink pair

black socks?

even she couldn't explain that one

Finding Balance

Thanks to some holiday baking and Thanksgiving dinner obligations, coupled with massive amounts of laundry and the arrival of chillier weather, our formally on-the-go little team has been relatively homebound.  The last couple of weeks we've been spending a lot more time at home, leaving mostly for errands (hello, Target!) and grandma's house.

Maybe it's the cooler weather, but we've settled into homebody status without much protest.  Abbey is growing into a little crafter, loving glue and sequins and colorful balls of puff that she piles into "caterpillar houses" before leaving them on the floor to be found by her scavenger of a little brother.  Speaking of Dylan, he is generally content to play peek-a-boo or patty-cake or to slam the doors of Abbey's little kitchen or my slightly larger one.

Yet there's the part of me that craves the hustle and bustle of our summer and fall schedule, rushing around, sliding another activity into my tattered planner.  With so many truly wonderful resources in our area, I love finding another gem, another adventure.  I've seen Abbey slowly become more comfortable venturing into new situations, and I imagine it has something to do with the variety of people and places she's been exposed to over the past year.

The scales rock slowly back and forth, homebodies to social butterflies.  I haven't even been home with them a full year, and I'm still working to find a way to balance that scale.  Both sides of the coin have their advantages, and it's my job to help Abbey and Dylan experience the beauty of both.

Needed: Fashion Intervention

Abbey dresses herself most days. Well, she can’t actually put on all of her clothes, but she picks them out. Now, some of what she picks is a little more colorful than I would choose for her, but she definitely has opinions about what she likes and her own developing sense of style.

I wish I could say the same for myself.

This might seem like a shallow problem to have, but I am having a rough time transitioning to a SAHM wardrobe. Trying to figure out a way to look stylish, yet comfortable, is proving to be more difficult than I thought. I know I need to buy some new things, but I find myself waffling between classic and trendy choices. Too boring? Too young? Too already-out-of-fashion? The upcoming fall and winter months are making it even more difficult. At least this summer I could throw on a skirt and t-shirt and look (relatively) decent.

To compound the issue, I know I need to focus on buying the most versatile pieces possible, because it’s not like I have an unlimited budget to work with here.

For the first time in a long time, I don’t have to worry about a prescribed dress code when buying my clothes, and I was a little shocked to find out that I’m not exactly sure what my “style” is at the moment. Hopefully I can figure it out soon, because the cold weather is moving in, and I don’t know what to wear!

every outfit needs a little bit of pink

oversized shirts (or dresses), leggings, and boots have been a favorite lately

she almost looks like she's toting around a latte in this picture!

so happy to be walking to the park

another favorite - skirts

ruffles don't hurt, either