Sunday (Mom) Styles

The day after a night of cry it out is never a good day.  Last night was day 2 of the 40th or so round of cry it out since he’s been about 6 months old. We never get far because it’s only been since winter we’ve tried and the entire house has been sick pretty much all winter. Obviously I’m not a total monster so I don’t want him to cry when he’s sick.  And I wasn’t going to do anything when we went on vacation.  So here we are again except now he’s 10 months old and can stand at the rail and reach for me while he sobs. It’s awful.  But even more awful is me waking up every 2-3 hours to feed him and waking up trying to function the next day.  I love that kid and his cries make me want to throw up but I cannot function this way. The first night wasn’t terrible.  It didn’t feel good to hear him cry but he only woke up twice and fell back asleep after about 22 minutes (going in to reassure after 3, 5, 7, and 7 minutes).  Last night wasn’t bad either – a few sounds early on and then one wake up but took just as long to go back to sleep. Who knows what will happen tonight?

The other obnoxious thing about this morning is that I drank regular coffee yesterday which I almost never do and I’ve noticed that when I do that I wake up even more tired the next day. So this morning on top of feeling exhausted because of the baby, I felt foggy because somehow that one jolt of caffeine (okay two jolts) was enough to make me NEED it again this morning.

I suggested that since we had no clean dishes we should go out for breakfast.  We did. This is what I wore:

Except this is me after returning home so I had taken off my lululemon cape which I had spilled coffee on and then gave to the baby as a blanket in the car.

This glorious picture was captured by my daughter. The baby was coming over to eat my shoes. Why are you wearing that hat? My son asked me. You look like a farmer!

The hat is from JCrew about 3 and a half years ago. I don’t have a link to the hat but I do have a picture of me wearing the hat three years ago.  Yes those are pigtails. No I was not in costume (Kind of seeing the farmer reference now…):

Blazer – The oversized blazer from Everlane. I love this blazer – can you tell? I should probably get another jacket so I don’t wear this one every. single. day.

Shirt – Dolman top from my first Stitch Fix box. Apparently I didn’t mention brands in that first review so I have no idea. I know it was a good deal and I wear it constantly.

Jacket – My varsity jacket from high school. For Volleyball. I have worn it a handful of times – always a little self-conscious of the mustard yellow sleeves.  But now I think it’s kind of awesome and it’s getting me excited for my 15 year reunion coming up!

Jeans – Joe’s The Charlie high rise skinny ankle in Tania

Shoes – No. 6 5″ pull on shearling clog boots on high heel in molasses/hazel. I got these shoes last year when I noticed a few moms wearing them at school. I liked them and being me immediately had to have them.  They took a LONG time to break in and I still wonder if I shouldn’t have sized up even more. As it is I can only wear them barefoot or with stockings. Still they have broken in at this point and I live in them all winter on not wet or snowy days when it’s too cold to wear flats.

Bag – The Somerset mini backpack. My latest go-to bag fits a few odds and ends for the kids, my phone, wallet, small notebook, bottle of water, and whatever random things I grab on the way out. I am tempted – very tempted – to get the larger size too.  That way I wouldn’t also need to carry a diaper bag. At this point, great as my diaper bag is, I don’t need the pull-out changing pad (the kid’s getting changed on the floor or seat of the minivan) or the multiple pockets to hold various baby accoutrements. I’m not quite ready to get rid of the diaper bag…it’s just that I’ve been carrying one or another for the past 5 and a half years…

I realize that the last time I did a Sunday Mom Styles I laid out all my clothes so nicely and took pictures.  I just didn’t have time or energy to do that tonight.  I’m frankly impressed I had time or energy to do anything aside from sit on my tush and watch Divorce.

And now I’m going to sit on my tush and watch Divorce.

Until next time.

What’s In My Kitchen

Some days are rough. We woke up yesterday to a broken sump pump and a flooded basement. It was the second time in less than 10 months. Several days ago I aggravated a herniated disc that I originally got almost 3 years ago after the birth of my third child. I went to the doctor and it will be fine with physical therapy but it still feels like a constant throbbing in my back. Last night my daughter spiked a fever of 104 and the doctor confirmed today that she has the flu (type A). So I suppose when it rains it pours. Happily we have a wonderful nanny (superwoman. legit.) and my parents are close and we have friends who drive over with extra sump pumps and stand on wobbly ladders threading hoses through basement windows.  We are lucky in that way.

I decided to give you a glimpse into the reality of our situation.  When this is what used to be your basement:

This is what becomes of your kitchen (descriptions in captions):

A collection of unrelated items: cup of pencils (all sharpened), a book no one in this house is reading or has read, tzedakah box, lint roller, first aid items, headband, Pottery Barn Kids dollhouse furniture I got on clearance a couple of years ago and never opened, bath fizz, a non-working stoplight alarm clock, mixer from the 70s I couldn’t let my parents get rid of, a pull-up, cream, party hat, formula portioned out from our trip to Disney, some saltines and the only thing that truly belongs – the toaster.

And here on the center island you’ll find another collection of unrelated items: my bag (I LOVE it), a stack of magazines I still haven’t read and keeps getting bigger, crafts from school, “green” and hopefully effective disinfectant (ahem, flu), water bottle, pencil sharpener, daffodils from Trader Joe’s, nail polish (blue and red for my son, pink for my daughter), hamantaschen, vitamins, mail, measuring cups, a nightlight I took out of my son’s room a week ago that still needs a new lightbulb, a valentine, some thimbles from my youth.

Here is my baby-feeding corner so it makes sense it would have things like an iPad, random wires, Trendsend box (I. am. addicted. to. subscription. boxes.), some legos, produce, bagels, a clock we don’t use anymore, and finally the formula and my pump.

And the other baby feeding section of the kitchen: thirty thousand bottles and pump accessories, pacifiers we haven’t used in 6 months, some nebulizer accessories, and our cookbook stand.

This isn’t nearly as bad as it sometimes is. I won’t elaborate on this one – dirty dishes and garbage.

And here is our play area. The kids are now confined to this spot. They are either in school or on this mat. 

And our greenery (and pinkery)

 

I’m just kidding of course. It’s not the flood or the flu or the sore back that turned this kitchen into a complete disaster area. This is what my kitchen looks like 80% of the time unless I know you’re coming and then I’ve spent a good amount of time throwing everything into the guest room. As I sit here I realize I forgot to take a picture of the toy storage baskets, kitchen table (surprisingly clean!) and high chairs (not at all clean and I’m not even pretending they will be until tomorrow morning.)

Listen, I’ve got a crew in the basement cutting 2 feet of drywall around the perimeter and a messy house.  But I’ve got 4 cute kids sleeping upstairs.  They don’t care if the house is messy and they think the basement thing is an adventure.  I can’t complain so I won’t.

 

Reviews on Tues: Trunk Club

I am in serious trouble. I enjoyed Stitch Fix. I thought it was entertaining to get a box of clothes in the mail. I basically liked the clothes that were sent to me and ended up keeping one shirt. Trunk Club is a whole new ballgame.

Trunk Club is a Nordstrom company so the clothes are all brands you would find at a Nordstrom store.  I love Nordstrom. When you sign up to receive a trunk you fill out a profile and take a quiz which informs your stylist as to your likes and dislikes, styles you would wear and would never wear, what you need the clothes for, your sizes, etc.  I was able to choose from a few options to indicate that this trunk was for a “wardrobe refresh.” I also sent a message saying specifically that I have many basics and casual clothes and that I was looking for items to fill in – something with color, something trendy, something that I wouldn’t necessarily think to buy, and something I can wear on the town (rather than in the minivan).

A few days after I ordered my trunk I got a message with the items that would be delivered to me. This is different from Stitch Fix which simply mailed out 5 items.  I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of getting the message ahead of time – after all – part of the fun of the whole thing is the surprise of opening up the box. After I saw the message I quickly changed my tune. First of all I didn’t realize there would be so many items in the trunk – 11! And I was able to decline more than half which were either not my style or something I just didn’t need.  I was specific when I declined each item as to the reason so that my stylist can understand what I’m looking for better. A few days later when I received notification that the trunk had shipped I was able to see what had been included in the end and I was excited – it all looked much better.

So yesterday. The trunk arrived and I was SO excited.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me when it comes to this stuff – I’m like a 12 year old at an *NSYNC concert 20 years ago (No idea who the 12 year olds are giddy over these days…) – I ran into the kitchen with my box and my husband was there to capture the moment:

The kids were upstairs having a bath so I had just enough time to open the box before they came down. First you see this:

Then you see this:

I even got as far as doing this:

and then the kids were downstairs screaming about who was the best listener during bath/who gets to choose the show/what’s for dinner/whatever.

I did a fashion show during dinner which I’ll take advantage of now since I’m pretty sure the four of them will burst into flames if I do that kind of thing when they’re older. I had a good time though so there’s that.  But I had to wait until this morning to try everything on in front of the mirror.  Here’s what I got:

Victor Silk Blouse rag & bone

Rumpled Satin Blouse Vince Camuto

Vanessa Zip Front Bouse rag & bone

Thatch Tank rag & bone

Ruffle Neck Blouse Wallis

Le Color High Waist Skinny Jeans FRAME

Classic Ex-Boyfriend Chambray Shirt Madewell

Paris Rocks Fringe Calfskin Suede Crossbody Bag Longchamp

Cherita Off the Shoulder Top Paige Denim + ‘Bridget 33’ Bootcut Jeans DL1961 + Cling Stretch Bootie Stuart Weitzman

I wish I knew how to behave when taking pictures of myself.  Do I smile? How do I position my feet? My legs? My arms? My hair? My eyes? Literally every part of my body I scrutinize before taking the picture and still these are the poses and facial expressions I end up with. I ask you.

Well it’s safe to say I’m screwed. I loved everything in the box. It is all right on target in terms of my style and what I asked for.  I could pick any one of these shirts to wear out to dinner, the bootcut jeans would be a great alternative to the skinny jeans I have, the boots are beautiful and fit like a glove.  I mean I don’t know when I’ve tried on shoes that went on easier and felt better to wear in recent history.  The black jeans with all the rips are not something I would typically try on but I have to admit I loved them.  My kids were like – wait a second – your jeans are broken.  And I was like – no that’s actually how they are supposed to be.  It’s called fashion.  They were like – they were MADE that way? But I digress. The bag – I LOVE the bag.  In fact that whole outfit I put together with the chambray top, black jeans and bag – I’m a little bit obsessed with it.

But I really studied each item and had to decide whether it was really worth it.  These brands – rag & bone, Paige Denim, Stuart Weitzman, Longchamp – I mean this stuff is not cheap.  If I bought the whole box I was looking at over $2500! I’m pretty sure I could go back in and alter my profile to receive things at a more reasonable price point (and, by the way, a few of the items were definitely reasonable) but I really wanted to get super nice things.  So I said okay, if I’m going to spend $350 on a shirt it better be the nicest shirt I’ve ever worn and also the most practical and flattering.  It should tick all the boxes.  And I found that with that criteria I was able to knock out a few things right away.  I love the rag & bone tops – the long sleeve silk one from the first picture is beautiful but just doesn’t fit right. The Zip Front blouse is so pretty and different but again – it just didn’t feel or look exactly right when I lifted my arms or put up my hair or any number of other actions I do to determine how the sleeves of any given shirt fit.

The Boots are beautiful but completely impractical.  I’m not buying black suede boots nearing the end of winter, right before the rainy season, for bust out retail.  And that’s the OTHER thing.  I love these boxes.  I think it’s so much fun to look through it all and try it on.  But if I’m going to buy a Madewell shirt, shouldn’t I just go to Madewell and wait for a sale?

The bootcut jeans are cute but too big and too long. The Bag is gorgeous but again – a suede bag? I’m afraid I’ll spill something or mark it up with pen or it’ll rub against my jeans and get discolored.

I forgot to take individual pictures of the ripped up jeans and the off the shoulder top.  The jeans I’ve already said I love and the shirt I really liked too.  My husband liked that shirt the most so that’s always a no-brainer.  Unless I thought something was totally heinous, if he tells me something is his favorite or he absolutely loves something I’m going to get it.

Final verdict:

Victor Silk Blouse – return

Rumpled Satin Blouse – return (loved but too big and too see-through)

Vanessa Zip Front Blouse – return

Thatch Tank – return (not worth the money)

Ruffle Neck Blouse – undecided (inexpensive and a pop of color but not super exciting)

Chambray shirt – probably keep

Le Color High Waist Skinny Jeans – Keep

Bootcut Jeans – return

Off the shoulder top – keep

Cling Stretch Boots – return

Crossbody bag – probably return

All in all I am very pleased with Trunk Club and definitely feel like the stylist “gets me” better that the Stitch Fix stylist.  Whereas Stitch Fix was just ever so slightly wrong in some nameless way everything in this trunk right to a T. The question is – should I continue to do it? Or should I just walk into Nordstrom and go shopping every few months?

What do you think? Am I making the right decision? (It’s not too late – I have another 3 days to decide!)