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When it comes to fashion, I say, “to each her own.” After all, someone was the first to wear capris, someone came up with the sleeveless sweater, and someone dared to wear a skirt that stopped at the knee. But when it’s our children who come up with “fashion-forward” ideas, what are we to do? I ask because my 5-year-old son has recently decided he doesn’t want to wear matching shoes. One day it’s a blue sneaker on one foot, a white one on the other. Another day it’s two different color sandals. In general I feel like if the shoes fit, which they do, why does it matter that they coordinate? But there is a piece of me that worries that the other kids will make fun of him. And then there’s my 3-year-old daughter who loves her raincoat so much, she wants to wear it every single day, even when it’s sunny and 80 degrees. It’s the raincoat or a temper tantrum, and frankly, the raincoat is a lot easier to deal with. So for now, it’s mismatched shoes and a slicker every single day. And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll wonder who was the first to consider wearing two different shoes on a daily basis.
I would call myself a “girly girl.” I like make-up, I like to go shopping (although, these days I prefer internet shopping to going to the store), I love to hang out with girlfriends. One of the things I miss about college is having friends to share clothes with. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I’m sharing my closet with my 2 ½ year-old daughter! Commuter Girl doesn’t really like to play dress-up. I got her an amazing princess dress last year that she has hardly touched. But, she LOVES to walk around the house in my shoes. She has one particular pair the she is fond of – I guess they fit her little feet the best. She wears them around the house all night. Last week she put them on and said, “Bye Mommy. I goin’ to check e-mail and go to work.” Adorable, but here’s the problem: they are my only pair of spring heels that are work appropriate. Last week I was rushing to get out the door (what else is new?!) and was slowed down by a complete meltdown because I was wearing HER shoes. So, aside from adding a few extra minutes to my morning routine to allow for meltdowns and still being able to get on the road and beat the morning traffic, I think I’ll buy some new spring shoes. Sounds like a good excuse for a little shopping.
This summer at a baby shower, I received what I have to admit I thought was the most bizarre gift: a pair of rainbow striped baby leg warmers. The gift was shipped in from a friend who wasn’t able to attend, so there was no explanation. It was the middle of the summer, and visions of Flashdance ran through my head. But then winter came, and we popped NewGirl in the Baby Bjorn only to watch her pants ride up her legs exposing those little baby ankles to the elements. The blanket wouldn’t stay tight around the Bjorn, and then I remembered, tucked away in the back of a drawer, those little leg warmers.
And – oh what a feeling – NewGirl might have been able to pose as a stand in for an early ‘80’s fashion magazine, but they were easy to get on and off and she was warm. This holiday season, I bought five pairs. One went in NewGirl’s stocking (after all, if she’s going to have leg warmers, they may as well be in fashion colors); one went to a friend whose toddler won’t wear mittens (think, arm/hand warmers); and the rest are going to friends as shower and holiday gifts. My new rule this holiday season: if the baby gift seems too weird, too dated and too obscure to be true, keep it in the back of the drawer for at least six months before giving it the heave-ho. It may just be your next saving grace.
Neither of my kids has lost a tooth yet, so our home has yet to be paid a nocturnal visit by the Tooth Fairy. In her place, it seems the Growth Fairy has been stopping by every few weeks. I have the following evidence to support this claim: 1. Yesterday, my daughter had a closet full of dresses; far more dresses, in fact, than any 2-year-old should rightfully have. This morning, I tried three different dresses on her, none of which closed properly. I put her in the first thing I could find that didn’t have buttons or a zipper…a blue floral number resembling a 1920s men’s bathing suit. It wasn’t a good look, let’s just say that. But it was stretchy and it fit, sort of. 2. My son prefers the surfer-type shorts that hit just above the knee. Somehow, in the space of a couple of days, all his shorts have become Daisy Dukes. It’s not cute. Their maxis have become minis, their t-shirts are now crop tops. He’s sprouting vertically, while she’s growing horizontally. Their diets haven’t changed and with the beautiful weather they’re getting more exercise than ever. It must be the Growth Fairy, but I don’t mind…as long as she keeps her visits to the children and stays away from me.
Our workplace is fairly casual. You’ll almost never see anyone in a suit, and most folks are in jeans on Fridays. In fact, I’d say that — all in a good way — many probably tend to push the lower limits of “business casual” on a regular basis. Personally, I try to strike a balance between sufficiently professional and comfortable most of the time.
I will never be accused of being a fashionista — quite far from it. But despite all the flexibility we have in the style department, I still am having my own internal debate. Can I wear sneakers — even hip ones — on a day when I’m meeting with our executive team, a client, or vendor? I’ve had a relatively comfortable pregnancy, but I think all the abuse my body is taking has settled itself right in my feet. I can’t even fit into my least fashionable and most comfortable pre-pregnancy shoes without wincing anymore. I also can’t bring myself to spend hundreds of dollars on comfortable, more professional, yet super-ugly shoes.
What do you think? Do I break down and shell out the dough, or can I wear cute and comfortable sneaks?
Whose body is this anyway? Nobody told me that all of the rumors about how much your body changes after having a baby are really true. It took me 8 months to finally find pants that would fit for more than one week. And we won’t even discuss how many times I’ve had to go to the intimates department to be “re-measured.”
What am I dreading most? Warm weather. I don’t really like to wear shorts a lot, but now I don’t know if I can even wear a short skirt…I have calluses on my knees. CommuterGirl is crawling everywhere, “running” on all fours, I find myself crawling all over the house — playing peek-a-boo, climbing the stairs after her, trying to get the ball she threw “to” me. Look for the mother that wears nothing but capris even when it is 115 degrees outside, and you’ll know it’s me.
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