There is a new standard in mom fashion

Have you ever felt like you make a miraculous fashion find, beauty trend or even home decor discovery, only to figure out not five minutes later that you are actually late to the party?  I'm still in that stage post pregnancy where I'm feeling very maternal.  I purchased and adorned myself with a super cute maxi dress (you know, the kind with the short skirt underneath the long sheer overlay?) because I am still working on squeezing into normal people jeans.  Only I was left to feel like I was wearing a giant moo moo.

This is how I feel ^^^.  Not the statuesque model.  The saying on the shirt.  I am milk and cookies.

I took the kids out to breakfast this morning.  As always, trying to make a conscience effort to not be the homely mother with the homely children, I threw on a cute strapless sundress (needing nursing convenience is another thorn in my fashion sensibility), a jean jacket and my favorite Havianas flip flops.  Pinned my hair up into a somewhat unmessy bun, threw on some mascara and lipgloss, did the understated jewelry of pearl earrings, and headed out the door with my circus.  Sitting and sipping my coffee, feeling very proud of myself for being so put together with a 9 week old baby, I glance around the restaurant.  Epiphany.  I have five mom clones sitting in a twenty foot radius of myself.  How and when did that happen?!  The parameters of mom clothes has changed.  There is obviously a more modern mom style, but who says I want to dress like a mom?

Needless to say, I am working on rediscovering myself outside the realm of being a walking talking incubator and current milk factory status.  I've spent hours upon hours scouring the internet, fashion magazines, and television trying to apply current trends to my own personal style.  I'm super excited about the resurrection of Doc Martens.  I will own this pair in leopard print.

My inner fourteen year old girl is very happy about what I'm seeing in the current trends.  Brandy Melville, Top Shop, and Wildfox Couture...shoot, if only I could have my fourteen year old body back.  Well, not really.  But alas, my post-carrying-four-babies-body will not be showcasing any crop tops, and I fear the comeback of high-waisted jeans will only result in the epitome of "mom jeans".

I can slap the perfect face of make up on, style my hair with the best of them, but my closet is floundering.

I know I cannot possibly be alone in this mess.  So, let's revolutionize the standard mom uniform together.  No more yoga pants outside of the gym, no more sloppy dresses (let's be honest, we secretly feel like we are wearing stylish nightgowns and getting away with it), and no more flip flops as every day wear.  If you are happy with the new age mom style, then just ignore me and go on with your happy self.  Because that's what this is truly about isn't it?  Being happy with yourself?  That's the only thing I constantly strive for in life.

*Images credited to asos.com, shoebuy.com and pinkolive.com

Essie Fall 2013 Collection: Deeper, Richer, Cozier

I don't know about you, but as much as I'm into all things hair and make up, I really drop the ball with my nails.  It takes a conscience effort to paint them and maintain them, especially with three little girls running around the house and a new infant to care for.  I find the difference between caring for the upkeep is finding an amazing color, and of course the formulation is the breaker.  Yes, I've sort of become an Essie snob.  I know there are many other amazing nail polish brands out there, but Essie's availability and right on the money price keeps me coming back time after time.

The fall 2013 collection from Essie is reminiscent of the color trends for the fall seen on the runways at New York fashion week.  Lots of deep hues of blue and gray with a few pops of rich red.  I for one can not wait for the fall season to come upon us.  I am more for the jewel tones than I am the fluorescents of summer.  Quite possibly the reason I gravitated to Naughty Nautical and The Girls Are Out from their Summer 2013 collection.  Without further ado, here they are, the Fall 2013 collection colors from Essie.

Cashmere Bathrobe is a cream polish in a beautiful shade of flannel gray.  Although it is listed as a cream polish, it does appear to have a bit of sparkle to it as to not be a completely true cream polish.

After School Boy Blazer is a cream polish in this rich deep navy.

For The Twill Of It is a shimmer polish in olive with iridescent shimmer of greens and purple.  I think this may be my favorite of the collection.  I have a bad shimmer habit that is hard to break!

The Lace Is On is a cream polish with a hint of sparkle in a vibrant fuchsia shade.  Its very reminiscent of the Summer 2013 color The Girls Are Out.  Just a little more sparkle.

Twin Sweater Set is a vibrant cream polish in a gorgeous ruby.

Vested Interest is a wooly, teal gray cream.

Overall, I'm impressed with the collections colors.  I can't wit to try a few out personally when the become available in August.  They are available for pre-order from select retailers now.  I can feel the color scheme inspiring some home decor and future DIY's!

If you are like me and nail polish lasts forever, or until you throw it out because it gets thick and goopy, there is a mini set available in four of the six colors:  For The Twill Of It, Cashmere Bathrobe, The Lace Is On, and Vested Interest.  The mini set is 0.16 oz each and retails for $17 USD compared to the 0.5 oz in a full size bottle that retails for $8 USD.

Which color are you most excited to try?

*Images credited to MakeUpForAll and Nordstrom.com

**I've not been paid or compensated for this preview.  These are all my own words and opinions.

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Trendsetting Bows

Bows seem to be the trend right now.  From giant bows for the hair to tiny polymer bows such as this meant for jewelry.  Another throwback to my childhood.  I was the bow queen.  I felt naked without adorning my giant hair bow.  Are there any other trends from your childhood that have made a comeback, or that you would like to see make a comeback?

Project in the works

Look forward to a lot of new content soon!

And this chick is going to be my sidekick.  Super stoked about that!

Trying to Mend

The newest member or our family is now just over two weeks old.  I've contemplated for the past week on whether or not to write this down, but in the end feel like maybe it will be good to come back to and read in the future.  The internal struggle if I should allow people to see and feel the emotional roller coaster that is my current life, or keep it to myself.  Maybe I have hopes on the therapeutic value of writing it down, that it can heal the crack in my heart I've been working on mending.

I am the mother of four amazing girls.  I am the wife of an amazing man.  Yes, he is in the military and is deployed.  And yes, I spent weeks 10 through 39 of my fourth pregnancy co-parenting our other three through a computer screen.  Yes, it was hard.  No, I do not need nor want anyone to imagine being in my shoes.  We are fortunate that he was given R&R.  We are fortunate that it sort of coincided with my due date.  We are fortunate that I was able to give birth with my best friend standing next to my bedside.

But, no one warned me how hard it would be when it was all over.  I spent an entire day googling military spouse blogs and searching to the end of the internet looking for some emotional respite, to find someone who had previously written down the things I was feeling in that moment of time.  Let's just say that anything related to recovery from R&R had a different connotation to it than I was looking for.  It just made me feel more alone.

So here it is.  The private piece of us that should probably just be for us, but I've decided to write down.  The night before he left....  The night before he left we spent at the beach with the kids, trying to allow them some familial normalcy.  Once we returned to our house, I pulled out my camera and I took probably a hundred bad, low light photos of my husband snuggling on the couch with the kids and the baby laying in her chair nearby.  As he tucked the older two in bed, I curled up on the couch and cried, knowing it would be the last time they would hug him for another five months.  I briefly contained myself for the Boom's sake, because she cries when I cry.  We are sort of emotionally synced.  Him and I discussed on whether or not to let her sleep in bed with us, and I decided it was best to keep her in her bed or I'd have a sleeping buddy for the rest of the year.  I delivered her to her bed and then began sobbing again, all the way back to my bedroom with the baby in arm.  I gently placed her in her crib, crawled into bed in my sweats and hoodie next to him, and bawled like a baby.  I knew when I woke up in the morning, that spot next to me would be empty.  He kissed my forehead and held my hand until I wore myself out crying to the point of exhaustion.  When I woke up the next morning with the baby, he was gone.  He snuck out of the house and had my dad take him to the airport.  He couldn't handle breaking my heart any further than it already was.  Luckily my parents were here, so that he could sneak out.  And also so I could stay in bed and be depressed until the afternoon.

The doctors and nurses warned me that postpartum depression usually had an onset 7-10 days after birth.  All I could think was, great, just in time for him to leave again and then the latter would be just in time for my parents to return home.  Just in time for me to be alone with all four girls.  I can honestly say I don't have a touch of the baby blues, at least not yet.  I'm not depressed.  I love my little girl(s).  I just miss my husband.

I get to talk to him daily.  I get to see his face through the computer thanks to technology.  This doesn't replace his presence in our home.  I find myself feeling very stretched in the past week.  Stretched every day.  I go to bed at night wondering what challenge lay ahead the next day.  How many times will I be caught nursing Everlee, while Addison runs past me screaming she needs to potty.  How many times I will have to put the task of wiping her rear end on one of my bigger girls because I simply am one person.  How many times I will feel guilty for not being able to do it all.  But I am just one person.  One person with a tiny crack in her heart, waiting for her best friend to come home.