A Practical Mom Outfit

One of the only drawbacks about nursing is how it limits your wardrobe options. I miss being able to wear all my dresses. I've been grabbing my jean skirt a lot lately as an alternative.

Speaking of skirts, I'm on the lookout at my local thrift stores for a natural waist full midi skirt (which I will more than likely hem to my knee for a more flattering look), but so far haven't had any luck. You would think such a classic item would be easy to thrift.

I might just have to double up coupons and rewards and see what Gap has to offer in the skirt department.

We have been having such a fun summer. I've been full of energy lately and am determined to plan every free day with some sort of summer outing. After the severe winter we had, I'm taking every advantage of this nice weather. I wish summer would never end. 

T-shirt - Gap - $1

Cardigan - LOFT via Goodwill - $2

Skirt - Gap - $17

Espadrilles - Nine West - gifted

Minimalism

I had a personal goal of trying to make a mini adventure out of each summer weekend in the few weekends we have left. I had hoped we could rent a canoe and go paddling down our river this past Saturday, but rain and practical things like getting groceries got in my way. Friday, however, we did make it to both a friend's pond, and a relative's pond (all in one day, mind you). I have some pictures to post from that. Maybe not as adventurous as renting a canoe for the river, but just as eventful and enjoyable.

Saturday was spent running errands and shopping. Running errands with three kids always turns into a day long ordeal. It was fun, but took up every inch of the day. I came home with a new iPhone 5s, a laptop cover, a Ninja blender, groceries, new dress shoes for Chris, and a new basketball for CJ.

I've been wanting to try the white on white look all summer long, but just couldn't find the right day for it. As a mom of three, you really have to pick and choose which day you can survive an all white outfit. I chose to wear it on a trip out to a local historical village/museum with a friend. For the record, I made it all day with nary a stain. A feat that I don't take lightly. Perhaps I might dare to wear all white again.

It was a cool day with a cool breeze, so the booties made perfect sense, another trend I've been wanting to try (booties in the summer). Of course the black boots needed a black purse and black cuff bracelet to balance it out.

Now I'm itching to try out a panama hat. I tried one on at Target this past weekend and fell in love. It was full price, though. I'm snatching it up as soon as it goes on clearance.

Jeans - Gap - 58 cents (got them on clearance, plus 40% off the clearance price, plus used a $10 reward)

Booties - DSW - $27

White t-shirt - Everlane - $15

Cuff bracelet and Bulova watch - gifted

Black leather bag - thrifted for $3

Kimonos and Cuts

Today I went to the salon to get my haircut . . . with all three of my children. All three of whom sat very quietly and sweetly in the waiting area while I got my hairs did. I'm so proud of those munchkins and so grateful that I was able to get a trim without having to work my schedule around Chris being home to watch the kids!

This kimono is a hand-me-down that was given to me while I was pregnant with Capri. I don't think I ever ended up actually wearing it during the pregnancy, although I imagined I would have. I like the loose oversized look over this white tee. It was only 50 degrees this morning (I know right, this is JULY!) so I wanted a little something extra over my shoulders even though it's warming  up here quite nicely now. 

The kids and I are going to go for a 30-minute hike walk around a river in the woods at a nearby park just before heading to take CJ to karate this afternoon. I'm leaving the kimono behind, throwing my hair in a pony, and switching out the espadrilles for sneaks. Love versatile outfits like this.

I've been working a few hours here and there from home again for the company my husband works for. Just some data entry work, nothing special. I'm trying to get into the "3- hours-a-day-of-studying" rhythm for when law school starts in January. So far so good, but we aren't homeschooling right now so perhaps I'm being a little too optimistic.

I'm so excited about going back to school! I found my old syllabi for first and second year two nights ago. Pouring over those pages and all the memories came rushing back. Maybe not memories of the actual curriculum and vocabulary, but memories of those days, what life was like then, and the people in my life at that time. All good memories.

Speaking of school, we have only a couple of weeks left before I have to make sure my lesson plans are in order and my notification to homeschool is sent to our local superintendent. I don't plan to start school as early as we did last year since I don't have to worry about taking a week off for a baby or anything, but I still want to start a week earlier than the schools, which means we'll be going back pretty early in August. Maybe right after the Fair. Good times!

Kimono - hand-me-down

White tee - Everlane - $15

Jeans - Gap - $1.50 (because of rewards and coupons)

Espadrilles - Target - $8

Sunnies - Banana Republic - $17

Take Me Out To the Ballgame

Remember this post? I thought I found my dream diaper bag on eBay when I found this Vince Camuto "Parker" leather satchel for only $59. When it arrived I realized that it looked more used than I hoped it would, and perhaps I should have just waited to find something better, or just found a faux leather bag that fit my specifications for half the price. Nevertheless, it has a lot more room than my previous bag, and it's a lot easier to find things. The only thing I have against it is that it looks old.

This bag has been so easy to carry around, and it certainly doesn't look like a diaper bag. If it looked brand new, it would be perfect!

These camo pants are one of the steals I snagged at Gap a couple of weeks ago.

I wore this to my son's baseball game last week. Of course I had to wear my baseball t-shirt to a baseball game, right?

Click the links below to shop the outfit:

Baseball t-shirt - Asos - $20

Camo pants - Gap - $8

Converse - DSW - $20

Bag - Vince Camuto via eBay - $59

Sunnies - Banana Republic - $17

And here's my little baseball player.

He was so cute trying to hit the ball!

He had a great little fan section.

The girls may have been a little distracted.

For the past couple of months I've been scheduling posts and getting them all done ahead of time. I do most of my blogging in the evenings. As of this post, I have nothing more scheduled until a guest post in a few weeks. It feels weird to have nothing scheduled for tomorrow. The reason for getting to this point is that I have found myself a little sidetracked from putting together outfits right now. I've been spending a lot of time getting chores done and gearing up for some upcoming trips. Instead of creating a new look, I've been reaching for the tried and true. Maybe it was just this week and after this I'll get back into creating new outfits. Either way, there may be a few pauses on the blog for this month as I get used to our summer vacation schedule and get caught up with scheduled posts again.

Hope you have a great week - Happy Monday!

He Loves Me

Sometimes nothing goes the way you expect it.

I had a couple of those days this week. As in yesterday and the day before that.

My husband was scheduled to go to Columbus for a work event and the children and I were invited to tag along. We found out last minute that we were going to leave a day earlier than planned, which was going to cut into my school schedule for CJ. I packed his school, just in case, but decided we would go on a school field trip to the Capitol - tour the statehouse and visit the statehouse museum while my husband attended and lead meetings and prepared for and spoke at the event. I live in a small town, so any visit to a bigger city is exciting for me. I purpose to try out local restaurants and make it to the city's landmarks. 

We arrived in Columbus Monday night and found Tuesday morning that our car had been vandalized. As in our catalytic converter had been sawed off! I wasn't about to traipse around town by myself with three little children and a car that sounded like a semi-truck, let alone drive around a car with serious safety issues. 

We dragged our feet back to our hotel room only to discover that baby Capri had a fever. Two days sitting in a hotel with two rambunctious children and a feverish infant is not what I had in mind for this trip. I was visibly upset about this, but kept my complaints to facial expressions only. Oh how holy am I.

On our very loud drive home yesterday afternoon, we stopped at Starbucks for some much needed fuel. My husband came back with not only my requested cappuccino, but with these flowers. He is the one who worked till all hours of the night for the past two days without any pain meds while he is still recovering from shoulder surgery, and yet instead of complaining himself, he brought me flowers and thanked me for my support of his work this week. I felt ashamed for having such selfish thoughts but so loved by Chris's expression of loving me more than himself.

Isn't that just how God works sometimes? While He is working over time to provide for us, we are complaining that it's not enough. Life happens and we pout that it wasn't what we wanted even though we are safe, provided for, and loved. His compassion even in our weakness is awesome.

I am a blessed woman.

And in other news, this outfit has been my go to travel uniform for the past two road trips. I suggest to accessorize it with fresh cut flowers.

Baseball tee - ASOS - I paid $22, but it's on sale for $17!

Jeans - H&M - $2.50

Converse - DSW - $25

Hat - Old Navy - $1

Colorblocking

I had fun pairing these three colors together. I wore this outfit a couple of weeks ago on a bright, warm, sunny day, so I blended right in with the scenery.

Get the look yourself (links below) - entire outfit for under $70!

T-shirt - Gap - $3 - On sale for $20 at J.Crew

Skirt - Old Navy - $6 - Cute striped one at Target for only $15

Bag - Dooney & Bourke - hand-me-down - Similar for $9

Bracelets and Bulova watch - gifted

Shoes - Michael Antonio - $9 - Similar for $25

Classy Girls Wear Marilyn

 Can't help it. I'm a fan of Marilyn Monroe. I love her old Hollywood glamour style and love that she was proud of her curves. Plus, I love bleached platinum blond hair. So there you have it.

 Check out my ombre hair in this photo. I didn't even do this on purpose. I just haven't re-colored my hair. Oh wait, is that how the ombre trend started? Hmmm...

Marilyn t-shirt - Goodwill - $2

Jacket - Old Navy via Goodwill - $5

Skirt - Target - $5

Boots - Steve Madden via DSW - $27

Picks from Land's End

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I was on an impromptu trip for five days, and I've been sick since getting home and not up to outfit posts or creative thinking. I'm still feeling icky, wearing jeans, t-shirts, and my Uggs...but I'm dreaming of some spring basics since receiving the latest Land's End catalog.

I usually only buy swimsuits from Land's End. Their suits are modest (for my standards), good quality, and I find them on clearance as low as $3.97. You can't beat that! But their latest catalog showcased this lovely dress that I really want. It's $99, so hopefully this fall it will go down in price and I can snag it for myself. Isn't it adorable?

I've also been looking for the perfect white and striped tees for the spring. They would be perfect tucked into maxi skirts, or worn over colored denim. I always forget to invest in basic white t-shirts. They should be the foundation of any spring and summer wardrobe. Here are my favorites from Land's End - all under $25.