Seems like everyone is gearing up getting their kids ready for school with new clothing purchases and backpacks galore. But I’m protesting. Why? Because it’s not fair that only the kids should get the new stuff for Fall. I want back to school clothes for myself! The eldest is starting at a fancy new school and I’ve outfitted him plenty in comfy but cute Appaman tops, City Threads pants, Geox sneaks and Old Navy t-shirts. The baby gets his hand-me-downs.
As for me, because my eldest is starting at that aforementioned fancy new school, I figure I better look good, too, during school drop-off and pick-up. It also doesn’t help that I’m now completely under the hypo-fashion spell of Amy Tara Koch, to whom sweatpants are like kryptonite. She totally critiqued (in a good way) my mom outfit when I interviewed her last week for Chicago Parent and now I’m a woman obsessed with Bumping Up my mommy wardrobe. Last year, I reveled in my maternity lululemon challenge. It was fun and stretchy, but now that I’m back to my fighting weight I’ve got to up the ante. I’m screwed.
Thus, I’ve been obsessively scouring the internet for pieces that make me look something in between A Real Housewife, and well, a real housewife. Herewith, a list of my coveted items for Fall:
1) Dark grey or black jeggings (for your neophytes these are JEAN leggings): I didn’t quite understand the jegging craze last year, but now that I’ve seen them in action (and on me), I’m hooked. I’m debating between these two:
J Brand 901 Legging in Pitch (photo courtesy of J Brand)
And…
Gap Jean Legging but not in this hideous medium wash – it’s a dark grey, but it wouldn’t copy to my blog! (photo courtesy of Amazon)
2) Some sort of olive-colored cargo pant. I caved and got the J Brand ones in gray off eBay for this summer, but what I really want for Fall are these amazing looking stretchy cargo-cords from Current/ Elliott. It’s what Private Benjamin would wear after training camp. Or, me, after the gym.
Photo courtesy of Saks.com
And what else am I going to wear with all my new skinny pants other than ankle boots? Because nothing says the anti-sweat like some motorcycle boots:
Via Spiga Olga Boot (photo courtesy of Lori’s Shoes)
Or release my inner urban cowgirl with these:
Frye Carson Shortie (photo courtesy of Zappos, but FYI I found them cheaper on Endless!)
As for what’s on top, I’d rather splurge on pants and shoes that will last more than one season and buy some wear and tear tops from Zara, H&M, even Target (shhh). But I’m all about the long cardigan with the skinny pants and I’m loving the one I recently bought…
Open Front Cardigan by Splendid (photo courtesy of Nordstrom)
And if you really want to go all out, you’ll go out and buy yourself a military-inspired coat like I just saw in a Burberry ad in Vanity Fair. Amazingly, I had the foresight to buy a coat just like it a few years back by Marc by Marc Jacobs when I was more flush with cash. (Oh, weren’t we all!). Good knockoffs by Juicy, too.
My sad, old, but in style Marc by Marc Jacobs military coat. Needs a pressing. (photo courtesy of my crappy Blackberry)
So, what are y’all buying for Fall? Next up… accessories! And, watch for a fashion challenge come September. I vow to amp up my mommy wardrobe for 30 days straight! As soon as the heat drops and there’s no threat of my legs sticking together when I walk.
(BTW, this blog was NOT sponsored, but if anyone out there wants to throw in some free jeans, by all means.)
My internal monologue is constantly conflicted:
About whether or not I should take on more “work” right now. (Mind says yes, body says no.)
About what television I’m going to buy tomorrow. (Panasonic or Samsung?)
Wondering if it will be too much to leave my son at school for naptime because we all had a very tiring weekend. (I reaaaaalllly need him to stay.)
About how I’m going to clean up the mess that is my house during remodeling. (Hire out, I think.)
About whether or not I should call the doctor because the baby isn’t rolling over yet or if I should wait until he’s officially seven months. (Neurotic jewish mother nonsense.)
About what I should wear for above mentioned “work” meeting. (Nothing looks good in 90 degree heat.)
About if I should grow out my hair or leave it. (???!!???)
Whether or not I should waste all my babysitter hours on volunteer stuff at my son’s school or just drag the baby along. (I hate dragging the baby and I hate spending money on sitters.)
What I should do with all the memorabilia I just moved out of my parents’ house. Keep it? Throw it out? (Who needs 5 years worth of camp letters?)
On if “boyfriend” style jeans will really look good on me. (Leaning towards no.)
Any votes? What’s your internal monologue saying now?
I’ve struggled in the past with review blogging, putting giveaways on my main blog and being altogether hokey with promotions (oh, and complying with a certain organization called the FTC.) But I love deals and giveaways and promotions, so I decided to create a special space on my blog for all these things: SMM Steals and Deals. Check back often for my hand-picked special steals and deals from local folks and people I know!
My first giveaway is a copy of the book, P.S. I Hate It Here, a compilation of hilarious letters from kids’ at camp by North Shore author Diane Falanga. Details of the contest can be found here.
This is one of my favorite posts by my good friend Wired Momma. What the h is wrong with being a typical wife? According to her, nada. I think she nails it when she talks about how it’s easy to be a wife when we choose to leave our careers on our own terms. For those of us lucky enough to have a choice of whether or not we want to work, when we can exit when we please, it’s rather easy to embrace a typical wifely role. We have the freedom to be a wife/ mom on our own terms.
But then, it’s easy to forget that some of us out there don’t have this choice or struggle with the choice.
And, it’s also easy to forget sometimes that for us to be happy being a wife means that someone else has had to give up something.
The husband. The husband who makes it all possible for the “happy housewife” to exist.
But why would the media ever want to cover that angle?
Caitlin made me laugh when she brought everything but the Wii on vacation with her on a family trip. It’s so true.
I’ve done much of the same on my vacation, although I am blogging right now from my husband’s netbook. (I can’t bear the thought of my Mac Book going through security at the airport.)
For my son, I downloaded every conceivable Little Einsteins show, iTouch for kids app and unwrapped the early birthday present from Grandma – a Leapster 2 plus several games.
We’ve gone skiing, and so, I can’t possibly go down the mountain without my still and Flip cameras. (Mind you, the tech-heavy pockets only add insult to already puffed out long-underwear-clad hips.)
But what I’m really loving about my heavy vacation is that everyone in Snowmass seems to be on Twitter. In two days I’ve already added two new Aspen friends/companies to my Twitter account. From my BlackBerry on the Big Burn lift I can ask what the conditions are like on the top of the mountain and get someone to tell me if there are long lines for lunch.
In theory.
So far, I haven’t gotten immediate responses, so I’m not sure how I should dress for the weather tomorrow.
Maybe that’s just the lassez-faire ski-town Twitter attitude.
Or, perhaps, it’s just a sign that I should turn off the Tweets and just pay attention to my ski turns.
by selfmademom on February 16, 2010 · 1 comment
Son: “Mommy, why did such and such (name witheld) leave our class earlier this year?”
Me: “Well, she quit.”
Son: “What’s quitting?”
Me: “Hmmm… (realizing I probably shouldn’t use that term loosely around an almost four-year-old.) It’s when you decide not to do something anymore. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. Like, remember I used to work? Remember I showed you my office downtown? But then I quit my job to stay home.”
Son: “Yeah… you quit because you wanted to be a mommy. And be around kids.”
Me: “Yeah, something like that.”
If only it were so cut and dry, right?
