Say Yes to A Dress!

While the weather here in the upper Midwest is frightful, I find dreaming of spring and summer trends delightful.  I am sure many of you are going on warm weather vacations this time of year and are on the hunt for some amazing finds to take with.  So today, I am turning to Littlest for some style inspiration.  If there is one piece of clothing Littlest loves to rock, it is a dress. Day or night, rain or shine, that girl will throw on a dress for any and every occasion (unless mean old mom makes her wear something more weather or event appropriate).  I often find myself channeling my inner Littlest when getting dressed and throwing one on myself!  So with Littlest in mind, here are some of my favorite (and versatile) dresses for spring:

 

Mosaic Tube Maxi Dress by Susana Monaco

OMG.  I love Susana Monaco.  She is an amazing designer.  The fabrics she chooses feel amazing and are so flattering.  Susana takes the time to design dresses which accent the best that the female form has to offer.  This maxi dress is no exception.  I have seen it on a variety of body shapes and it has rocked them all (including mine, wow!).  Plus, I love the black and white print, completely on trend for spring.  I would love the chance to dress it up with a statement necklace and great heels but can imagine flip flops, simple jewelry and a hat to make it more casual.

 

Cross Gather Tank Dress by Susana Monaco

Another win from Susana Monaco!  When this dress came into the store, I had to try it on  Holy snapper!  I felt like a goddess in it, thanks to the response of my fabulous co-workers who declared Hubby should be upset if I DON’T buy the dress.  This dress fits snug, hugging every curve in your body while smoothing and slimming at the same time.  Yes, it feels like putting a rubber band on at first, but it is well worth the effort.  This dress may have to make an appearance at several events I have in the future like the NKOTB concert or my trip to San Diego for Comic Con in July.  (Yes, I just referenced NKOTB and Comic Con in the same sentence, I am well aware I am a huge nerd.)

 

ChaCha Dress by Charlotte Tarantola

Sure, it is called the ChaCha dress, but I have dubbed it “The Hotness Dress” at work, because it shows the hotness in every woman who puts it on.  It is a rarity to find another dress which can fit and flatter so many different body types, but this dress does just that.  The ChaCha dress comes in a variety of colors from cherry red (above) to black to leopard print.  Rawr.

Since I bought this dress in navy  almost two years ago, it is one of my favorite pieces in my closet.  I have worn this dress to weddings, out for drinks with friends and running errands around town.  Like with anything else, it is all about how you style it.  Plus, it is comfy and low-maintenance, wash, dry and go.  Wrinkles schminkles.  It doesn’t matter.  The designer, Charlotte Tarantola, only designs items which make her smile.  You can’t beat that philosophy when it comes to fashion.  Her line always makes me smile too.

And finally…..

Since I love the idea of dressing things up or down, I would be remiss if I did not show you one of my favorite things to pair with a great spring or summer dress….the jean jacket. 

Robin Denim Jacket by AG

This jacket is steadily rising to the top of my must have list for spring.  It is so darn soft and stretchy.  It molds to your body, like a great pair of jeans does (but I would expect no less from a brand like AG).  It is important to recognize how necessary a jean jacket is as a finishing piece for almost any outfit.  As someone who has tried to make due with a less than stellar quality and fitting denim jacket, believe me when I say it is worth making the investment to buy a great denim jacket, not just any denim jacket.  It is a garment which you will wear year after year.  Just don’t ask Littlest her opinion on this one.  She is still into sporting her sister’s worn out Old Navy hoodies over almost everything.  The force is strong with that one but she still has a lot to learn from her mom.

 

Now, I know a lot of moms seem to think it is hard to wear a dress when you are a mom with kids. Sure, sometimes it is. But sometimes you need to go out wearing something that shows you are still you.  Being a mom doesn’t mean you can’t show your legs or curves.  It doesn’t mean you can’t still feel good about yourself or (God forbid) feel sexy in your own skin and clothes.  So just do it.  Say YES to a dress!

Raising a Fashionista

Almost two years ago, I came down stairs one morning, dressed and ready to go to work at Hot Mama.  Biggest was sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying breakfast.  I asked her a simple question, “How does mommy look today?”  She cocked her little head, looked me up and down and in her sassy little 3 year old voice, “Huh uh.  No.  Go upstairs and change.  But keep the boots, because I like those.”  I just knew in that moment I was either screwed or blessed.  And then I went upstairs and changed everything except my boots. 

Two years later, nothing has changed.  She is opinionated as ever regarding my attire, Hubby’s attire, and especially her own attire.  We often hear comments such as “Dad, is that what you are wearing to work today?”  or “Mom, when you wear your work clothes, you look awesome.  Today, you look like junk.”  Yes, these things actually come out of her mouth.   

Biggest is a girl who is obsessed with headbands and her footie pajamas.  She will only wear skinny jeans, which absolutely must say skinny jeans on them, and she loves the color purple.  Biggest helps me pick my jewelry, shoes, even my underwear daily.  She loves to style people.

Now, maybe this is my fault.  Kids learn by example, as a parent I know this.  So maybe she learned to make strong decisions because she was watching me and Hubby (who lets me style him constantly, within what he views as reason).  Or maybe I have let her wear my lip gloss too many times.  Maybe I shouldn’t have bought her a purse or new earrings for Christmas.  Or maybe I should not be indulging in her fashion whims as much as I do. 

But then I think to myself, no that is wrong.  Biggest simply is a girl who knows her own mind, knows what she likes.  Why would I squash her independence?  What is so wrong with her making her own choices?  Sure she has some strong opinions about the style of others, but why can’t she have opinions about her own style?  While we need to work on her oral filter, you can help but admire her passion for fashion.

So as always, you get down with your stylish self, Biggest!  Mom loves it now and always. And when I am old, gray and no longer styling myself, I will lean on you to take care of it for me.

On me:

True Grit Thermal Raglan via Hot Mama

Earrings via Hot Mama

On Biggest:

Dress via Gap

Family Photo via  Dietrich Gesk Photography

Taking Back the Bathroom.

When we bought our house, I was adamant about wanting a big master bathroom with a soaking tub.  It was to be my sanctuary, my place to get away from it all. And then they came.  Those people.  Those little people.  The ones who splash and scream and haul every single toy they own into my beautiful bathroom and leave it there.  The kidlets entered my bathroom and didn’t want to leave. 

Yes, they have their own bathroom, they always have. Why they don’t want to use it is beyond me. Most people would love to have their own bathroom.  Kids today just don’t appreciate what we give them!

As a mom, I have resigned myself to the fact that anytime I want to use the toilet, I will have an audience.  If the door is closed, the audience will enter it without asking or knocking.  If the door is locked, they will pound on it while yelling things like “What are you doing" or even better “Are you pooping”.  I think this is the reason men sit in the bathroom so long.  It is so the kids forget they are there! 

In regards to showering, I am now used to having an audience for that too.  Every morning, small faces press themselves against the glass while I shampoo my hair.  They hide in my closet and ask me questions I can’t hear over the rush of water, forcing me to stick my head out into the cold air only to learn they are asking random questions such as what shoes am I planning to wear to work, when is Daddy getting up or can they leave the bathroom to go get their lovey (blanket) from their own room.  Um….do I really need to answer these things mid-shower?

But these are things I have learned to live with.  They were not the worst thing the kidlets could do in my bathroom.  The worst was when they invaded my tub.

Call me selfish but that is MY tub.  It is big, and deep, everything I could want in a tub.  One day, Biggest and Littlest realized the same thing.  They wanted to take their baths in it too.  And so my sanctuary quickly was overcome by old bath toys, Barbies with the eyes wearing off from frequent submersion (not creepy at all), children’s soaps and shampoo.  Every night, water dripped from the walls and puddled up on the floor and small children’s toys somehow “surprised” me in the tub…until last week.

Last week, I took my bathroom back.  Hubby helped me boot the kidlets out.  We moved all the toys, soaps, towels, and other miscellaneous objects back to their bathroom.  Of course, Biggest and Littlest protested.  They loved the chance to swim in Mom’s tub.  We gave them the excuse it was because their splashing would ruin the beautiful print we just put above the bathtub, but we all know that isn’t true.  Mom just wanted her bathroom back. 

Now the only thing cluttering up the end of the tub is a couple of candles, instead of an enormous plastic container with all their junk in it.  The tiles surrounding the tub are now clean and dry every time I want to take a bath.  All I need to do now is to stock up on vino and bubble supplies.  Bliss!

 

Maybe someday I will be able to pee in private as well…

Stay Home Day.

Today was my day off.  Strangely enough, it was my third in a row.  Having accomplished errands on Saturday and cleaned the house on Sunday, today was a day free from chores or tasks to accomplish.  Today, Biggest had off from school for Martin Luther King Day.  And being it was a wind-chill of 25 degrees below zero, I had the crazy idea to keep Littlest home from daycare today too.  So it was just me and the kidlets, trapped inside a house by dangerously cold weather.  What were we going to do?

Let’s be honest.  I am not one of those moms who has a bag full of tricks to keep the kids entertained.  My sister in law, for example, can somehow manage to wrangle not only her two boys, but my two girls and keep them entertained for hours with activities like painting birdhouses, going to pumpkin patches (3 in one day…), or making home made ice cream for sundaes.  It makes my head spin what she can do with our kids. I am just happy if I don’t have to resort to yelling more than a few times in one day.

So today, we had a jammie day.  I agreed to let the kidlets have a Disney movie fest.  I ordered pizza for lunch, mostly because I really, really wanted a pop and was not willing to leave the house, especially with two kids in tow, in these frigid temps.  But the part of the day that made me the most proud?  We actually did a craft.

For Christmas, my other sister in law gave the kidlets a big pile of crafting kits.  We got Shrinky Dinks, painting activities, princess crown kits, you name it. I am pretty sure I threatened to send the kidlets to her house for the weekend with every single craft kit, ready to play.  Hubby is much better with these types of activities than I am.  All I see is the mess waiting to happen, whereas he sees the entertainment for him and the kids.   Yes, I know, I should see the memories not the mess but that is not how I am hard wired. So today, when Biggest dragged out the plaster magnet painting kit, I tried not to panic. 

I ignored the visions of the girls smearing paint all over my floors, the kitchen table, themselves, the dogs…and just put down paper and let them go at it.  The girls had a blast.  They painted all their magnets in harmony, even mostly agreeing who got to paint what magnet.   Biggest even attempted to paint a special magnet for me, although she miscalculated the amount of space she had to write out “Mom” in black paint.  I may be referred to as Mo from here on out.

Their behavior was so astonishing.  It is like they knew I was nervous and put forth the effort to keep things under control. Or maybe they are always like that….nah, I doubt it. I think I caught them on a rare, well behaved day.  Or maybe the body snatchers finally got them.

In the end, we all won.  The girls got to have fun and paint their magnets.  I got to keep my house clean and enjoy the memories.  I even have some souvenirs to remember the day by!

Sisters.

This weekend, we made a big change in our household.  We put Biggest and Littlest in the same room.  With bunk beds.  Now, it is not that we don’t have enough bedrooms for them to have their own rooms.  We absolutely do.  We just thought it would be good for them to share their room for a while, because both Hubby and I had to do it when we were younger.  My sister and I shared a room for a few years.  We are both still alive.  We still talk to each other. 

Of course, in our heads it will be like a scene from “White Christmas”, with Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen, dancing around and singing happily. The will grow up closer and stronger because of it.  They will do everything together, being best friends forever.  That is how it works, right? 

Ok.  I know.  This is not reality.  In reality, it will look something more like this:

Or worse:

So until we know the impact of the move to one room, we won’t bother to move any other major furniture, like dressers, from room to room.  Our plans for the current empty room can wait until we know for certain its fate.  Of course, our plans for that room include turning into the new playroom.  After all, it does have a door we can close….but whatever.

Spring (Denim) Fever!

I love cold weather.  Anyone who knows me will tell you that hot is not my favorite temperature outside.  But since I work in retail, I am usually several months ahead of where I should be, seasonal dressing-wise.  Yes, I know it is mid-January, but I am craving some new denim.  Having been lucky enough to have had a sneak peak at the spring Joe’s Jeans, the wait for them to arrive is starting to drive me crazy.  It has happened already.  I have spring (denim) fever!
But now the wait is coming to an end!  The first of the spring goodies has begun to show up at Hot Mama.  Thank God!  The wait has been worth it.  So here are some of my current favorites for spring from Joes Jeans, AG, and Paige Premium Denim!

Joes Jeans

You know I love my Joes Jeans.  So, this is not technically new, but I am loving the Joes Skinny in their vintage wash (Gerri).  We had these in the store towards the end of last year and they absolutely flew out the door.  We have been waiting, waiting, waiting for a replenishment.  Distressing and sandblasting are going to be amazing for spring and I can’t (and won’t) wait to start wearing them.  Picture rolling these up and wearing them as a crop!

AG

Now normally, I don’t talk a lot about AG.  This is a denim line that does not normally work for my body type (short and keg-like with a flat tushie), so I sometimes don’t give it the credit the denim deserves.  But I must recognize, while it doesn’t work for me, it is ah-mazing for others, so I have to give it a couple of shout outs for spring.
First, I am adoring the Legging Ankle (color 18YDES).  This jean is so amazingly soft and stretchy it feels like denim yoga pants (as we all know, this is a concept I love).  I am huge fan of the heavier distressing, because it is adorable for a night out when added to a dressy top, your favorite Stella & Dot statement necklace (YUM!) and heels.  Or pair it with one of my favorite Prairie Underground hoodies  or a Junk Food T-shirt for a more casual look.  Yowzer!

Second, the Sateen Stilt in a gorgeous emerald green color (SRK) has got to be on my list of must-try-on-jeans.  Who doesn’t want to rock jeans in the Pantone color of the year?  Even better is the soft, velvety feel of this jean.  If Land O’Lakes made denim, instead of dairy products, they would make a jean like this, because they feel like butter.  You can’t help but wiggle around in these jeans, enjoying the luxurious feel.  Yum, yum, yum.

 

Paige Premium Denim

For those of you who remember, I love Paige.  Their Verdugo Skinny was on my “Dear Santa” list.  But now it is spring, and the Jimmy Jimmy Boyfriend is back again (not that I don’t wear it year round…).  This year, it is back in an amazingly lighter wash (Tigerlilly) which is perfect for the casual look I am looking forward to this spring.  One of my favorite things about this jean is it is slouchy without being sloppy.  Plus it fits a ton of different body types! Sometimes, I will roll mine a little extra and wear them as a crop in the summer.  I recently wore out my first pair  (OK, I fell on some ice and ripped the seat, but it was pretty funny at the time).  Looks like my next pair is just waiting for me at the store right now!


So what are we taking away from this?  Here are the trends as summarized by my girl, Ashley Coconut.  First, lighter washes with distressing and/or sandblasting.  Those who want a cleaner look do not have to go for distressing.  Those who love the distressing, we can all get crazy!  Second, show some ankle.  All the jeans shown above are already cropped, shown rolled, or can be rolled. 
The best part?  The styles shown above are just the tip of the iceberg for what is coming.  I don’t know about you, but I am psyched for spring.  Well….at the least for spring denim.

For Adrianne.  Great minds think alike.  :)

Obsessions

Like many kids, mine seem to find certain clothes obsessions.  With Littlest, it is dresses and skirts.  Trying to get that girl into a pair of jeans is next to impossible for me.  With Biggest, it is skinny jeans (which MUST say skinny jeans on them somewhere) and her Minnetonka Moccasin fringe boots.  Sometimes the two share obsessions (much like the stomach flu) and they both become fanatics over the same things, like footie pajamas. 

Often I wonder why they must be so obsessed with the same clothes, when they have a dressers stuffed full of cute clothes and jammies.  Then I realize that I am the same way!  It is like mother like daughter.  I have a closet full of great clothing but I seem to obsess over a few pieces.  So what am I currently obsessing over?  Here you go!

Prairie Underground.  Doesn’t matter what it is.  The more the merrier.  My newest is the Long Cloak Hoodie in Lipstick Red.  LOVING it with my Prairie Underground leggings.

 

Sorel Boots.  Yes, I could stop wearing them. I just don’t want to.  Besides, it was fun to prove Hubby wrong that they weren’t just for looks but were actually functional purchase.  He still doesn’t understand why I create outfits around them…..

Free People.  Doesn’t matter what.  Just anything Free People.  Even if the style or look doesn’t love me back.

PJ Salvage Pajamas.  First pair came from Hot Mama.  Second pair came from Santa for Christmas.  Next pair has to come to me soon, because two is not enough.  They are super soft and snuggly.  Plus, they are cute too!  I may have found my new go to lounge wear.  Yes, I promise to never wear them out in public, not matter how cute they are, even if they have wine bottles all over them.

Cat-eye liner.  Sometimes I am really good at applying it.  Other times, not so much.  Either way, it still is a smokin’ hot look.  Yes, even during the daytime.

So to Biggest and Littlest, I say go get crazy with your bad selves.  If you want to wear skinny jeans, footie jammies, and a dress, well then you do it (as long as it is weather appropriate and we don’t have a super important function to attend).  Mommy is OK with it.