some things just shouldn't be blogged. this is one of them.

 boots: target. jeans: kohl's. shirt: gift. cardigan: loft. knee-high socks: smith's marketplace. belt: downeast basics (american eagle). earrings: hawaii. necklace: gift from sister.

Okay, not to alarm anyone, but let me just say this: I'm not feeling it today. This outfit is, pardon my French, crapola. And I knew it was such when I put it on. Why didn't I change, you ask me? (Why didn't she change? She looks terrible, you whisper to your neighbor.)

I don't know. I honestly just don't know. It's super rainy outside, so I wanted to cozy up today. Hence the cableknit sweater. Because, really, cozy + cableknit were twins separated at birth, I'm pretty sure. And I didn't want to tromp around in massive parking lot puddles in anything other than boots.

Annnnd, just to stick-it-to-the-man (poor guy; he didn't even do anything today), I put on this totally random nylon belt that has nothing to do with anything and would really rather be hanging in the closet with all its friends rather than be stuck with makeup-less ol' me all day.

I promise I'm not depressed, sick, tired, or mad. It's just one of those days where I look up at the universe, shrug my shoulders, and say, "You know what? I just don't care today." Everyone has a day like that now and again, don't they? Don't you? No? You make Cinderella look like a beastly non-morning person? Good for you and the mice you've adopted.

Happy Tuesday.

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More Forever 21...

Sunday. Snowday. Whatever.

boots & belt: kohl's. skirt: thrifted. sweater: american eagle. coverage tee & necklace: downeast basics. bracelets: don't recall.

This week, I'm grateful for:

- having enough random food in the house to throw together a decent meal or two without having to go grocery shopping. (Have I told you how much I don't love grocery shopping? Yes? Well, fine.)

- snowtime with kids. Including showing my 6-year-old what being "whitewashed" means...

- and his being a good learner. I'm still getting snow bits out of my left ear and nostril.

- family time in general.

- kissable 2-year-old cheeks. I wish I could freeze time. Or at least her kissy cheeks. But that would be gross and, therefore, counterproductive in the kissability. So.

- unexpected mail.

- a 4-year-old determined to earn herself a certain zhu-zhu pet and, thus, becoming my personal slave. (Note to self: Write Mr. Zhu-Zhu a letter of gratitude for selling such kid-covetable merch...)

- spring break. Sleeping in. Staying up late. Doing nothing productive but many things worthwhile.

- starburst jelly beans.

- easter egg hunts as pasttime in the living room.

- a husband who knows of all my faults and lameties but who pretends to know of none.

- parents coming back home from Sweden in fewer than 3 months.

- pencil sharpeners.

- kid shampoo+conditioner in one.

Happy Sunday, my friends.

a belt by any other name...would be just as non-functionally decorative

 boots, skirt, & belt: kohl's. sweater: don't recall (maybe kohl's as well?). watch: target. necklace: don't recall. tights: forever21.

It was bedtime when I snapped these photos. You can tell because the lighting's weird, and my daughter is in her pjs. Which, come to think of it, actually proves nothing, because we're in pjs a lot around here, day AND night. It's like in old movies when there's a scene that's supposed to be in the middle of the night, but it's super bright so you can't even tell. Noon?...or midnight?...

Speaking of old movies, I LOVE Pride & Prejudice. 5-hour BBC Colin Firth version, natch. And, sure, the book, too. Jane Austen was a master authoress (yep), if you ask me.

Speaking of books, I need to read more. Lately, I barely glance at the newspaper headlines. And do the sudoku. I used to be a crossword puzzle whiz. Now it's sudoku. What an enormous shift in my life, moving from a nerdy word-based thing to a nerdy number-based thing.

It's similar, although not identical, to eating a muffin that's really nothing more than a cupcake sans icing. But doesn't the word "muffin" sound just so much healthier? That's what I tell myself, too, as I reach for my third one...

Would you believe that when I sat down to do this post I had nothing to say? I mean, look at allllll the interesting and important things I spewed forth in this post! Aren't you so glad you stopped by, guys? Guys?...Hello?...hello?...hello?...

Happy Monday.

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More Luca Valentini...

belt askew on purpose...

 boots: target. jeans: kohl's. shirt: gap. cardigan: j.crew. scarf: smith's marketplace. belt: forever21. bracelet: hawaii.

So, my camera battery died a few minutes into today's outfit documentation. Which is why I ended up with a grand total of 8 photos. "But there are 9 shown above," you say. Actually, you probably don't say that because, really, who's counting. (Actually, you are, now, because I've brought it up. I'm awesome that way.) Yes, one of the photos above is double-dipped.

Which, coincidentally, is exactly how I like ice cream cones in that magic shell stuff, so it all works out.

Today's weather is snowy and dark and beautiful and mildly depressing all at once. Sometimes I think Mother Nature is passive-agressive. Let's face it, there's tons of evidence, for example: graceful deer destroy tulip bulbs, lengthy summer sun exposure is simultaneously blissfuland cancer-causing, and the existence of mosquitoes in general is proof enough.

I chose everything I wore today because I wanted to be comfy and warm. And comfy. And warm. Annnd I've been missing my houndstooth scarf, frankly, and he's been missing me, so today was a perfect day for catching up. (He's had a bit of a cold but is feeling better, thanks.)

Happy Monday.

p.s. Do you ever do odd things when you get dressed, like move your belt buckle to the side, and then just stick with it because you either like it or forget about it? Yeah. Me too. Like today.

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More J.Crew...

gratitudiness

I honestly don't know what happened/where I was in the middle photo below. But I like it.

 boots & sweater: kohl's (I think). tights: gift. skirt & shirt: gap. earrings: hawaii.

Birthday girl struck the pose to show me what to do. Like her belt? She's killing me with the cuteness. 'Cept those shoes. Ohhhh, those shoes...the loves of her life...

This week, I'm grateful for:

- my kids. and how, in their world, transformers marry barbies, very (very) worn red sparkly shoes are still beautiful, and statements of fact ("charlie licked my FACE!") are hilarious and repeated as often as a good knock-knock joke. which means oft.en.

- disposable plastic tea-ware.

- sentences that begin with, "okay, mom, I'll try..."

- when things turn out to be easier/faster than I thought they'd be.

- soccer practice and a typically not-a-sports-guy kid thoroughly enjoying himself during said practice.

- a husband who bakes the birthday girl's cake. and is so proud of it (and rightly so) that he calls it "my precious." but tries to cover it up by pretending he's talking about me.
- prayer.

- concealer. seriously. the zit queen of the universe has waved her magic wand in my direction, and my face has, with open arms, welcomed her spell. stinking face. so. thanks, concealer.

- 13 four- to eight-year-old girls at a tea party.

- family. and heart-to-hearts with family members. and those conversations of nothingness that are just as important as the heart-to-hearts.

- the satisfaction of eating a perfectly crunchy apple. (and, fine, who am i kidding, a perfectly drool-worthy mint chocolate chip shake.)

- sleep.

- sleep.

- sleep.

Happy Sunday. 

just a little outfit I like to call: zebra in a rain forest.

 boots: (all together now) target. tights & necklace: don't recall. skirt: gap. tunic & belt: forever21. cardigan: the limited. bracelet: open jewelry market in hawaii.

So many style blogs out there have beautiful photos. The outfits are good, too, but the photography itself is straight-up eye candy. I'm very impressed.

And then...there's this blog. Self-timer, same exact backdrop every day. Sure, the poses are slightly modified on the daily, but all in all, the only thing that really changes around here is what I'm wearing. (And, FINE, the zit placement on my face. Blugh.) 

There are loads of cool photog sites in my town, and I've toyed with the idea of branching out. But I've decided against it for a few reasons: (1) As much as I love you all, I'm just too lazy to tote kids around to take some photos of myself. (2) I'm lazy. (3) I have kids. (4) Did I mention I'm lazy? "Lazy with Children"...sweet name for a TV show... 

It's just about all I can do to get these pics snapped in the morning whilst the kids dine on a fabulous homemade breakfast (homemade by a man named General Mills...ever heard of him?). I'm not making excuses, I'm just saying. That's why I photog, day in and day out, in this spot in my house: it's convenient and I can multitask while doing it. Bam. Done and done. Still in the Mother of the Year running.

But that's not to say these self-photo shoots run like clockwork every day. Even in this controlled environment, complications arise. Like this morning. But it's the cutest, most free-spirited little complication I've ever seen: 

Happy Thursday.

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More Lily White...

around the world in 80 days...or a blog post...

 boots & watch: target. tights: gift. dress: paris, france. shirt: downeast. scarf: sweden. belt: forever21.

An international outfit if I've ever had one--I found this simple linen dress in a boutique in Paris about 10 years ago, and I fell in love with it. Which is odd, because it's actually a shapeless sack that happens to wrinkle if I so much as breathe while wearing it. Other than that? The most comfortable item of clothing I own. (Note to self: Purchase, and wear, more sacks.)

So. I try not to breathe unnecessarily whilst in this dress, but it makes me lightheaded. But it DOES cut down on the intensity of hiccups I experience, so that's exciting.

Hey, don't roll your eyes at me. Sometimes we have to create our own fun, especially when we live in a cold, small town in the winter. Next up: tying your shoes with one hand. What can I say, I'm a party girl. Whoomp there it is.

(ahem) So. Parisian linen, Swedish scarf, boots that were probably made in China but I'm not sure. Now all I need to be really, truly happy is some Italian ice cream. Anyone?

Happy Monday.

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More Lauren Ralph Lauren...

he's got plans...and he might just maybe figure out how to use 'em

boots: target. tights & faux pearls: don't recall. skirt: gap. shirt: thrifted. cardigan: rue21. flower clip & polka dot sash: downeast outfitters.

Every week, my son's 1st grade teacher sends home his past week's completed schoolwork. Last night's was a typical compilation of oversized jaggedy penmanship and sloppy abstract coloring.

[Editor's note: My son's strengths are many, but fine-motor-skills-requiring schoolwork is not one of them. Which is fine. I have a brilliant, successful 41-year-old brother whose current handwriting looks like a 9-year-old's, so I'm not losing sleep over here.]

So. Glancing through the schoolwork, I come across a page that made me laugh. Out loud. It started with the printed words, "I need my teeth..." followed by three lines for the student to fill in the blanks about why they do, indeed, need their teeth. My son's reasons were as follows: (ahem)

(1) to smile. (yep)

(2) to chew. (absolutely)

(3) to atrakt a mate.

There you have it, folks. A 6-year-old on the fast-track to dental-dom and wedded bliss.

Happy Tuesday!

p.s. It's polka dot day on everybody, everywhere. I forgot and wore polka dots yesterday. Heh. Silly me. So today's look featured the sash that came with yesterday's shirt. Nice save, right? (Answer: Yes. Very nice.)

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More Asos...

...but what if the shoe DOESN'T fit?

 boots: target. socks: smith's marketplace. skirt: gap. shirt: pocket's. belt & hairthing: f21.

This outfit isn't much to speak of. Not lots going on, other than the fact that I busted out wearing one of Pocket's workshirts. The good news is, I'm about 99.9% sure that the engineers down at his work aren't following this blog, so they'll never know. And if they ARE reading this, the fact that I'm wearing my husband's shirt becomes one of the least of our worries, now, doesn't it.

Today's jumping-off point: this grey wool skirt. It's well over 10 years old. And it's supposed to be a pencil-skirt-that-wraps number, but I can only wear it at my hips, making my bottom half look larger than I actually am. In keeping with the bigger-is-apparently-better theme of today, I thought I'd throw on one of Pocket's shirts and waddle myself around the house. Which, for the record, is kinda fun to do on occasion. Waddle, that is. 'Cept instead of bread crumbs, I'm throwing myself fruity tootsie rolls and catching them quite adeptly, if I do say so myself. Quack.

To balance out the masculine, I overcompensated with some bling-shine-boom: a sequinilicious (yep) skinny belt, an enormous jewel-encrusted-jeweled hairthing, and diamond stud earrings. Which are real. A surprise gift from xoPocketxo himself. And I l.o.v.e. them--perfect size, shape, and stone. Thankyouverymuch.

I considered adding tights today but didn't. Maybe I subconsciously wanted to show off my neon-translucent legs? Yeah, probably that. I just felt like socks today...but only socks that yelled "supersize me!" at the manufacturing plant. Which these obviously did. And I admire them for that.

Then I got cold and added a cardigan and took three more pics. The end.

Happy Wednesday!

[Addendum: If you'd like to check it out, I'm featured today on Jill's fabulous blog, Spoils of Wear. Thanks, Jill!]

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womens boyfriend button-up

i feel like i'm forgetting something...

it's my birthday today. addie's helping me with this post. she's sporting her favorite kitty pjs and her not-favorite-but-moderately-clean bib. i think i should include her everyday. she's stinking cute.

boots: target. jeans: bullhead brand (?). belt: forever 21. vneck: old navy. cardigan: the limited. scarf & necklace: no idea. hair thing: smiths marketplace.

Can you guess how old I am? I'll give you a hint: it's subtly displayed in one of the cheesy photos above. Got it? Yep, 31. I'm strangely not really affected by birthdays. I don't go through this "wow, I'm getting sooooo oooooold" phase, I don't spend a lot of time in reflection about where my life has been and/or is headed, and I don't worry about wrinkles and grey hairs. Which I don't think I have yet, but the only reason why is (a) I don't consider smile lines wrinkles, and (b) my hair is a strange mix of colors in which grey, even if it's present, is overshadowed and outnumbered.

Probably, I'm just not mature enough to spend time in arbitrary deep thought when there's fun to be had with my favorite people.

Oooh, but one thing that IS obvious about my getting older is my wandering brain. Actually, sometimes it's not even wandering. It's shut down completely, on bed rest with only a catheter to funnel the random bits of information that have been known, on occasion, to spew forth.

[Editor's note: Eww. My apologies for the analogy. Normally I wouldn't allow such lapses in publishing judgment, but it IS her birthday after all. And she's kind of a diva on her birthday. Breaks all sorts of rules this time of year, as you witnessed first-hand yesterday.]

So, anyway. I plan on going sledding and playing in the snow and eating all sorts of scrumptious foods in very large quantities. So I wore black. It's slimming, right? [Editor's note: Ehhhh...slimming, maybe. An invisibility cloak? No.] Paired with a vertically striped sweater to elongate my frame (and to camoflauge the inevitable wideness-o-belly that will ensue today), I think it'll do the trick.

Seriously, you guys, can you tell I'm a little distracted today? And happy? Because it's Christmas Eve!! And we should all be doing something other than peering into our computer screens today.

Happy Friday.

Feelin' bloovy...

Before we commence, please pretty please tell me you're humming Simon & Garfunkel's great hit, based on the title of this post. Are you? Good. And also, did you get the pun intended with "bloo"? As in, the color. But I wanted to spell it kinda like groovy. I know. I'm asking so much of your mental synapses for a Monday morning. Forgive me.

And also forgive my sweet 4-year-old daughter, who was up all night last night [Editor's note: Sometimes people say "all night" when they really mean, say, a fairly inconvenient 2 hours. Like intermittently from 1-3 a.m. or something. This is not the case here. Please take me literally as you read my lips: Up. All. Night.] coughing and throwing up. Poor little lamb. And, let's be just brutally honest here, folks. Poor me.

Regardless, a girl's gotta get dressed for the day. Even if not until 10 a.m. because I was, and continue to be, just so very tiiiiiiiired [Editor's note: You can see it in my eyes in these photos, can't you. And I thought I was hiding it so well, too.]. I'm not sad or depressed or anything, but blue just fit my mood today.

So. When you wake up feeling like a color, and when you're so tired all you want to do is make sure you can take a nap in whatever it is you end up wearing, it's not that hard to choose an ensemble. Long sleeves under a big baggy tee for the staying-at-home nature of the day. A big soft striped O scarf, just to add a bit of visual interest to the outfit but still stay within the self-imposed color constraints. Comfy comfy jeans, hair up and out of the way, and a wide black belt at the hips. Not sure why the belt ended up on my hips as it did, but I kind of like it. Helps to prove the baggy-tee point, you know?

I'm extremely comfortable today. And I'm going to spend some time appreciating said comfort in a subconscious state. Right about.....now.

Happy Monday.

If not Hazmat, then Heidi...

I'm feeling a little vulnerable today. But...inspired by Addie's flowers and monotone ensemble and heartened by Carson's morning hug, I'll make it through the day.

To be honest, I'm not sure what today's jumping off point was. Actually, yes I do. I planned on wearing a hazmat suit, followed by a few bullet-proof vests and gas masks. Oh, and those heat-resistant gloves like they wore on the moon. Actually, those were probably cold-resistant, weren't they? What the heck, I'll take a pair of those, too.

"???" you ask. Well, I'll tell you: it's our turn to host about 12 kids (ages 2-7) tonight, as part of a rotating Date Night we do with friends. It's super fun but almost always crazy. A girl must be prepared for anything. Oooh, which reminds me. Better throw in an oxygen tank, too.

Sadly, although that would be my dream outfit for the day, I own none of those items. Logically, I dressed like Heidi instead. Logically.

I really wanted to wear this rose scarf my mom sent me from Sweden last month, but I didn't feel like wearing anything around my neck today. I wanted to keep things interesting but simple. And, since it's so pretty by itself, I wanted to keep everything else fairly monotone. Unforch, green monotone usually = leprechaun.

[Editor's note: I wasn't REALLY going for a St. Patty's Day look, but it just sort of happened. But, since we're here, I'm hoping the little green men are watching and, to thank me for subconsciously publicizing their holiday amidst the way-more-publicized Christmas season, will ship me a pot o' gold anyway.]

So. Green. Rose scarf triangle sash belty thing. Green skirt and shirt (what I wouldn't give for one of these slips from my friend Kaity's etsy shop). Big black belt to transition and also pull together the bottom half to the top half. Purple tights because I can. And will. And did. Black boots because it's cold outside and snowed about 5 inches last night. And, of course, some bracelets. Because my looooong monkey arms felt barren. And because I felt kinda nehked with minimal other accessories (no necklace or scarf, no collar, no earrings, no hairthings, no fingernail polish, heck not even braces on my teeth), and even though I wanted to go minimal, I still felt bare.

There you have it. Feeling vulnerable today because there's not much to hide behind, 'cept a cloak-o'-not-even-matching-green. Which, come to think of it, matching might be worse...

But I'm brave. And I'm wearing what I own and smiling about it. And moving on with my kid-centered life. And yet, if worse comes to worse, anyone have a hazmat suit I could borrow?...

Happy Wednesday.