cross your eyes, then stare at my outfit. how many lines do you see?

 shoes: cato brand. skirt & bracelet: don't recall. shirt: thrifted. belt: husband's. so helpful, I know.

I love french toast. Like, really, love it. Preferred method: a bit of butter and some maple syrup atop a steaming piece of french toast. My older brothers used to strategize breakfast for maximum acceptable sugar consumption, floating their first french toast in a pool of syrup (we're talking the deep end of a pool here, people) and then powdered-sugaring the next one, which would also be treading syrup. 

Sugar overload? You betcha. (And you wonder why I can't kick my pnut m&m addiction...) Too much of a good thing? Probably. Makes my stomach hurt a little when I think about it now.

But that's kind of how I felt in this ensemble. The sugar particles of my french toast yesteryear became the lines/stripes/plaid overload of today's ensemble. (A beautiful and deep metaphor, right? Go ahead a wipe a tear...) 

Regardless, and on a fairly unrelated note, I think every woman needs a lacy/crocheted peeptoe wedge in her life. And, sure, a pound of pnut melt-in-your-mouths within arm's reach.

Happy Monday!

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Sir Mix-A-Lot (wait, does anyone seriously remember that?)

Woah. Funky lighting alert. Nothing else is funky, though. Just the lighting. Yep.

 shoes: american eagle outfitters. jeans: kohl's. shirt: vintage. cardigan: gap. scarf: gift from sweden. belt: thrifted (american eagle). watch: target.

It doesn't look the best in these photos, but for the record: This is one of my favorite outfits. Ever.

Hey guys. Not only is today a perfect day for wearing two types of stripes, floral, polka dots, AND metallic (it said so in my horoscope. practically.), but it's also Friend Friday! Today's topic is one of my favorites: Fitness & Fashion.

1. Do you keep some kind of fitness routine? Why? Yep. I run. Because I like to eat but my metabolism is turning granny on me, I like my husband to be bigger than me (not an easy task, if you know my husb), and I feel better about myself when I exercise. Not necessarily in that order, but that's how the fingers typed it, so that's how it will remain. 

  

2. Has working out, maybe training for a marathon or something of that nature, helped with your own perception of body image? Absolutely. I've become less obsessed with how I look (as in, the size of my legs, the bulge of my belly, etc.) because I'm doing what I can to be healthy. I'll never be a waif, but I've decided this: A body that does what I put mine through is a body worth respecting.

3. When you are hitting the gym or just going out for a long walk what do you wear? Is it about functionality or fashion? Eh, I don't give one single brain cell of thought about what I wear unless it involves weather-related decisions...but I don't go to gyms, I just run outside. I don't even put makeup on, do my hair, or anything. What I'm trying to say is...y'know all those Bigfoot sightings? They were probably just me, out for a winter jog.

4. Do you feel there is a cultural perception of what you ‘should’ be doing for your own physical fitness? Maybe there used to be. Like, when my mom was in school, they had to wear skirts to gym class and wasn't allowed to do the stuff the boys were doing. I think that, these days, so many fitness options are available that it's all about choosing what works for you to get/stay fit.

5.  Dream big… what would be your ultimate fitness goal. Run a certain 100-mile race with my sister. She's already done it twice; I paced her for a snort 14-mile leg of it one time, and now I want to do it. Our family is convinced we are both missing a marble or two...and we can't exactly argue. Meh.

Happy Friday!

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H is for high-waist and hypocrite. meh.

 shoes: steve madden. pants & shirt: thrifted. belt: forever21. turquoise bracelet: Burntsiena Designs. all other jewelry: don't recall. flower hairclip: downeast basics.

Photos taken by my 6- and 5-year-old kids. Enough said. 

High-waist it up, dudes. And pleats to boot. Two things I deplore in mens pantswear, yet I throw these babies on with gusto and wear them happily. Some would call that hypocritical. Some also say that p-nut m&ms shouldn't be consumed on the daily and that getting four Jane Austen movies from the library would be borderline "obsessive." Ooops. Stitch me up a red-letter H, I guess.

So. Jumping-off point for today's ensemble was these pants, which I haven't worn since I thrifted them a couple of months ago in a fit of glee and a dance of joy in the aisle of D.I. (taking my chances that the security cameras, if any, were turned away from that particular spot in the store at that particular moment). Needed a fitted shirt to balance the voluminous-ness of the pants. Throw on some wedges (because it's spring...kind of) and random jewelry. Done and done.

As for the hair you see above: I dunno, guys. Not sold on it, although it was pretty easy to do, and it's off my neck without being in a ponytail. Man, I need a haircut. Bad. For every hair root in my scalp, there are about 18 split ends. Which is so pretty, I know. What can I say, I'm that kind of girl.

Know what else kinda girl I am? The kind who makes her kids eat their vegetables at dinner then sneaks ice cream with her husband after said kids' bedtime. Heh. Judge me.

Happy Thursday.

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because I'm the mom, that's why...

shoes: converse brand. socks: smith's marketplace. skirt: gap. shirt & belt: thrifted. cardigan: old navy. watch: target. earrings: hawaii. necklace: don't recall. balloon: dollar store on valentine's day.

It is with full understanding that I'll probably be shunned by the fashion purists of the world (all of whom flock to this blog on the daily to adjust their own style decisions. Natch.), but I couldn't help myself: Red chucks it was, and had to be. They make no sense here, and I recognize that. The beautiful thing, though, is that they fit right in, because in all actuality, NOTHING makes sense in this ensemble. Some days are just like that, at least for me.

Mysterious, no?

No? Just plain weird? Drat. I've always wanted to be that woman-with-a-hint-of-a-what's-her-story?-aura. Okay, that's a lie. I've never wanted to be that woman. I've mostly wanted to be the woman who is able to eat like a horse and end up losing weight. Got myself an O-fer.

Instead, I guess I'll settle for being the woman I actually am: an active mommy who enjoys doing pleasantly unexpected things like baking cookies at dinnertime (check), reading 4 stories at bedtime instead of 2 (check), and wearing red converse with a floral pencil skirt and uber-bright sweater (check-check).

Oh, and for the record, I would've nixed the knee-highs in lieu of bare legs to simplify this a bit, but it's still too blasted cold for that. So. I figured another faux paux (sp?) couldn't hurt...this one's on the house.

pssst...Purists? See y'all tomorrow, right guys?....ladies?...oh esteemed ones?...aw nuts.

Happy happy Thursday!

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I'm going to make this quick because it's Saturday. And, frankly, you have better things to do than read this all day. The same may or may not be true for myself. But either which way...

For me, Saturday has waaaaaay more emphasis on comfort and function than anything else. And I don't think I'm too weird to feel that way. So I wanted to keep things neutral and blend in...not trying to start an attention-grabbing "my sweats are better than your sweats" contest. (Although, truth be told, I defy you to come up with more comfy sweats than mine, which are actually my husband's, but they're also mine because I'm a firm believer and frequent proclaimer to him that "what's yours is mine and mine is yours" especially when it comes to his comfy sweats. And sometimes his socks. And maybe the munchies that he brings down to the couch. And pretty much everything that he's got that I might want. Heh. Wife of the Year, baby. Right here.)

AAAAAANYwee. I started with the grey sweater this morning, because it fits the bill for neutral, comfortable, and functional. And it's warm. But the neck is a little blah, so I threw on a basic button-up underneath. I wanted to wear old jeans today because...because old jeans are like a woman's best friend.

Here's the dilemma, though. These old jeans, which were calling out to me today from the depths of my closet, are bootcut, and I wasn't in the mood for that. But I ignored myself and just did a big ol' comfy-cuff at the ankle. And some canvas houndstooth slipons. Add a bright yellow nylon belt because it felt kind of industrial. Like a toolbelt. And, hey, you never know when you'll be passing by a construction site where they need some help with something and you'll be totally qualified and capable because, hey, check out the heavy-duty belt.

Add some great messy braids (braids because my hair's too short for a cute topknot bun and messy because that's how they're going to look in 3 hours so I may as well make it look like I'm going for the look on purpose) and neutral bracelets because, actually, I really DON'T want to help out at any construction site today. I'm a girl, dangit. See these bracelets?

Happy Saturday.