Bouncin' around

I brought the kids to a bounce house with some friends today. My hair was pulled back in an attempt to look effortlessly chic.  Somehow by the end of our morning I looked more effort-less than chic.   Kind of like I had been bouncing around a wind tunnel instead of purely watching the lil' ones from the sidelines. This is why I prefer short hair, because it just gets pulled into a ponytail anyways. However, I awoke this morning to my daughter carefully stroking my hair and telling me how long and beautiful it is.  That, my friends, is the only reason I am growing it out - because my four year old is just so darn excited about it.  If I cut it now, I may scar her for life.

There was no bouncing to be had myself since I have enough of my own natural bounce going on.  There isn't a need to exasperate it by flailing myself around a giant inflatable. Plus, you'll notice I'm not wearing socks and you never want to find yourself walking around a giant kids bounce house with no socks.  Just sayin'. 

Daily Style File
Turtleneck:  Old Navy
Overcoat:  Urban Outfitters
Jeans:  Lucky Brand
Necklace:  Old Navy
Shoes:  JCPenney

I Wore It Where?
breakfast, bounce house

Sporty-ish

Today was one of those days that I was fully dressed and then decided to change.  Because I felt like wearing sneakers.  I'm not really sure what came over me.  I guess you could say I took my "running around" pretty seriously today.  Teeheehee. 

I recently found a little tear in my yoga pants that makes them unwearable (in the butt, no less.  And yes, I was in a public place when the tear was first discovered which is my lesson learned for wearing them in public).  Since those weren't an option for my sneaker day, leggings and a comfy skirt were the next best thing.  It's kind of sporty-ish.  Plus, my lack of hairstyle gave me a "just exercised" look to accompany my outfit.  

Daily Style File
T-shirt:  Old Navy
Vest:  Kensie via T.J.Maxx
Skirt:  Mossimo via Target
Leggings:  Mossimo via Target
Sneakers:  Puma

I Wore It Where?
preschool, errands

Dressed down

I have an affinity for dresses.  Especially when they are tulip shaped like this one. Maybe because it accentuates the curves and hides the flaws.  In the past I have worn this dress with heels, but since being a stay at home mom doesn't afford me too many options to wear stilettos, I decided to dress it down.  There's no use having it sit in my closet unworn.  Enter my boots and the jean jacket which is already making a reappearance from yesterday.  I'm telling you, I am totally serious about this Spring thing.  It needs to be here.  Now.  Or yesterday.

This dress is so comfy and versatile that not only did I do my usual routine but I also went on a late afternoon/early evening trail walk in it.  Like an in the woods trail.  Unpaved and everything.  I felt so outdoorsy.  Until I looked down and realized I was in a dress and boots.  And wearing a necklace and carrying my purse.  But, hey, everyone's idea of outdoorsy is different.  My daughter went on a last minute playdate before dinner so the hubs and I decided to embrace it and take our son on a little outdoor hike.  Or something like that.  Maybe next time I'll really let loose and leave my purse in the car.  At least I left my Starbucks there.

Daily Style File
Dress:  Iisli via T.J.Maxx Rent the Runway (Fall 2009)
Jacket:  INC (Winter 2005)
Necklace:  Gifted
Belt:  Anthropologie (Holiday 2011)
Boots:  One of 2 via Nordstrom


I Wore It Where?
preschool, errands, a hike (!!)
 

Snow day

It snowed here in North Carolina last night.  Now for many places, that isn't a big deal.  But, here, well here it meant my daughter woke up in total shock, amazement and delight that there was 1/4" of snow.  You read that correct:  a whopping 1/4", if even.  That didn't stop us from making a snowman, with what snow we could rake, yes - rake, and sweep, yup - sweep, into a pile to roll around some snowballs.  Seriously.  And you would have thought we built the Taj Mahal.  We topped the snowman off with blueberry eyes, a cherry tomato nose and a skittles mouth.  His arms were an old bubble wand and a skewer from her playhouse grill. That, my friends, was one wonky looking snowman.

Anyways, if you have already peeked at my outfit, you are probably wondering why I am wearing a jean jacket on a snowy day.  Well, that is because by the time I got dressed (mid-afternoon since weather advisories were in effect all morning and I made sure to abide the warnings and be lazy as long as possible), the snow had melted and it was 50 degrees outside.  And tomorrow and the rest of the week it is supposed to be high 50's - low 70's.  That is springtime in my mind, hence the jean jacket.  The scarf was thrown on to remind me it snowed in the morning.  And also to cover the black bra I mistakenly put on under my white t-shirt but was too lazy to change.  Hooray for lazy, snowy days!

 
I Wore It Where?
Target, Mom's Night

Feelin' feathery

I may or may not have worn almost this same exact outfit earlier in the week.  I stress almost because I wore a different tank top and headband.  Since I only wore it to an evening parent workshop it kind of doesn't count as wearing it.  That is my justification for reprising it today.  Regardless of how many times I remind myself that capri pants are not flattering on a short girl with curvy hips, I can't quit them.  I have at least stopped buying them. However, these ones have been in my closet for years and haven't made their way out.

And, yes, those are feathers in my hair.  I'm not usually the type of person to wear fowl, but I've seen lots of pictures of fashionable ladies wearing them and wanted to give it a try.  It makes me feel like I should be going somewhere much more fancy than to the pediatrician's office. If I happen to start speaking in a British accent then you'll know it is just me pretending to be distinguished and we can blame it on my headdress.

Daily Style File
Turtleneck:  Mossimo via Target (Fall 2011)
Tank:  Lily White via Nordstrom
Pants:  Theory via Off Saks Fifth Avenue
Shoes:  Mossimo via Target (Winter 2012)

I Wore It Where?
pediatrician's office    

Layers

Every time I wear this dress, something feels a little off about it.  It is proportionally more baggy in the waist than the hips.  (FYI - I am blaming it more on the design of the dress than the shape of my body.)  So, there is lots of adjusting going on.  That issue is now compounded by the fact that I recently shrunk it in the wash.  Oops.  It also lost the luster the fabric used to have.  Darn. Laundry just isn't my forte.  I get sidetracked and then end up shoving everything from the washer into the dryer and forgetting all the items I made a mental note to take special care of. 

Last time I wore it, I wore a belt to help flatten out some of the bagginess in the waist.  Today I decided to layer a sweater on top.  And necklaces.  There is not much I can do about the length and width that shrunk.  Grrr.  I hate it when I ruin perfectly good clothes.

Since I really like the royal blue color and don't have much else like it in my closet, I am trying to make it work.  This may be this dress's last hurrah though.  Or maybe there is an app Spanx for that.

Daily Style File
Dress:  Gap (Spring 2009)
Sweater:  Gap
Leggings:  Old Navy (Spring 2011)
Necklace:  Simply Vera by Vera Wang for Kohl's (Fall 2009) 
Boots:  Nine West Vintage America via Belk (Fall 2011)
 
I Wore It Where?
preschool, kindermusik

I heart hearts

I've been sick.  For over a week.  And not sic like cool.  Sick like no voice, no sleep, crazy headaches, and a major test of my patience.  And parenting skills.

It's Valentine's Day today and my voice is finally back.  The raspy-but-definitely-not-sexy sound is gone.  My energy is back too, but that could be due to the Valentine's chocolates Girl Scout cookies I made the mistake of buying.

I am not usually an advocate of theme dressing, unless you are under the age of 14.  However, once you have kids, you suddenly see some justification for wearing heart pins and holiday sweaters.  Okay, maybe not heart pins and holiday sweaters, but at least a heart blouse.  You also find justification for using a heart shaped cookie cutter to make themed lunches.  As you can imagine, my daughter's lunch was cut into hearts today.  Every. single. item.  Including the strawberries. I couldn't help myself.  So, I spread the love to my clothes as well and broke down and wore a subtle heart-emblazoned cami.  With a turtleneck, of course.  Because you all know I heart turtlenecks.  The rest of the outfit is pretty basic and not really romantic. But, neither is coughing up a lung for the past week, so let's take what we can get.  Progress is progress.

Have a lovely Valentine's day!

Daily Style File
Turtleneck:  Mossimo via Target (Fall 2011)
Cami:  Happening in the Present via Nordstrom (Summer 2011)
Jeans:  True Religion
Necklace:  Anthropologie (Winter 2010)
Shoes:  Mossimo Supply Co. via Target (Winter 2012) 

I Wore It Where?
preschool, errands 

Colorblocking

I had colorblocking on the brain today.  It seems to be a trend that just keeps going and everytime I think it is over, I see more colorblocked items pop up.  I received a catalog yesterday and all the cover models were wearing colorblocked outfits, so that makes it still ok to wear.  I can't tell if there are any particular rules for this trend, so I just went with what I felt like.  Once I took the pictures, however, I realized that perhaps my color combo could easily be confused with some collegiate colors.  Have no fear, the colors don't mean anything.  In fact, I am rarely correct on what sports are played in what season, so what colors are associated with what school is way way out of what my brain is capable of processing.

By the time I took this picture, I had cream cheese smeared across my skirt and something splattered on my boots (milk, maybe?).  However, I had finally removed the dry toothpaste that I found around my mouth - but only after I dropped my daughter at preschool and ran some errands that involved me getting assistance from the salespeople.  Ugh.  I have to remember to look more closely in the mirror before leaving the house.

My favorite part of my outfit today is the back of my shirt.  My only complaint is that I somehow hooked my purse on the strings while trying to get my son into the car - which invariably set off a chain of events that may or may not have involved me hopping around the parking lot with my purse hanging off of me while muttering curse words to myself and swatting the air like some lunatic.

Happy February, everyone!

Daily Style File
Shirt:  Lush via T.J.Maxx (Winter 2011)
Skirt:  Forever 21 (Fall 2011)
Boots:   Nine West Vintage America via Belk (Fall 2011)

I Wore It Where?
preschool, music class, errands