I used to love getting dressed up. Now that I'm a mom, I wear the same thing every day to save time.
By Meredith Mortensen, Parenting
"Eh, good enough," I sighed as I looked in the mirror at my mom look staring back at me. "Macey, grab your backpack and let's go." It was a normal morning in which I had already dressed and fed two kids, packed a lunch and prepared dinner in the slow cooker for that evening. I still had to drop my daughter off at school before I headed to work. I usually feel like I've already run a marathon before I even get to my desk to start my workday.
Mornings with kids are nutty, which is why I basically wear the same thing every day—a cozy sweater, skinny black pants or jeans, and boots—or what I call my mom look.
It's funny to think about how my style has evolved over the years. I was a tomboy growing up. My uniform consisted of sweatpants and T-shirts. Even in college, I wore track pants and hoodies regularly.
After graduation, I realized I couldn't get away with my sporty look in a professional environment. I started dressing for work, and I even started wearing make-up. I discovered that I felt better about myself if I took the time to invest in my appearance. My husband would tease me as I carefully selected my outfit for work the night before and took special care to accessorize. I developed an affinity for designer jeans and started wearing high heels. My new found passion for clothes even led me to dabble in styling. I shopped for people and helped them dress their specific body type.
After my daughter was born, I spent my maternity leave in yoga pants and nursing tank tops, thinking I'd get back to dressing up when I returned to work. I did, but I learned quickly that heels weren't going to cut it anymore, which led to a pretty cute collection of flats. With my one child, I still had some time to shop, and I felt like I did a reasonable job of maintaining some of my pre-kid style.
But that changed quickly after my son arrived. Free time was a thing of the past and so was sleep. I rarely wore anything other than workout gear during the first year of his life. I remember I once put on a pair of white jeans and a cute top to pick up my daughter from preschool, and another mom completely fawned over me. "Wow," she said. "You look adorable. You actually got dressed!"
I laughed because it was true. I have completely let my style go and deprioritized my appearance. No one would ever guess that I once had an interest in styling by the looks of me. I barely even wear cute flats, opting for running shoes to accompany my lazy look instead.
My appearance has become much less of a priority now that I'm a mom of two. I'm long overdue for a haircut, and it isn't because I love my long hair. I actually like it shorter, but making a haircut appointment gets bumped to the bottom of the list after other tedious tasks that take precedence, such as making doctor appointments and calling about gymnastics.
It isn't that I don't care about how I look anymore; I still do. It's that I have way less time to invest in my look right now, and I've accepted this. It's much easier to have a go-to look to fall back on in the morning. My "uniform" saves me time, which is so valuable these days. Maybe one day I'll return to my more stylish ways. Maybe I'll even select my outfit the night before and wear jewelry again. But for right now, I'll stick with my sweaters and boots.
See more at: Parenting
Mornings with kids are nutty, which is why I basically wear the same thing every day—a cozy sweater, skinny black pants or jeans, and boots—or what I call my mom look.
It's funny to think about how my style has evolved over the years. I was a tomboy growing up. My uniform consisted of sweatpants and T-shirts. Even in college, I wore track pants and hoodies regularly.
After graduation, I realized I couldn't get away with my sporty look in a professional environment. I started dressing for work, and I even started wearing make-up. I discovered that I felt better about myself if I took the time to invest in my appearance. My husband would tease me as I carefully selected my outfit for work the night before and took special care to accessorize. I developed an affinity for designer jeans and started wearing high heels. My new found passion for clothes even led me to dabble in styling. I shopped for people and helped them dress their specific body type.
After my daughter was born, I spent my maternity leave in yoga pants and nursing tank tops, thinking I'd get back to dressing up when I returned to work. I did, but I learned quickly that heels weren't going to cut it anymore, which led to a pretty cute collection of flats. With my one child, I still had some time to shop, and I felt like I did a reasonable job of maintaining some of my pre-kid style.
But that changed quickly after my son arrived. Free time was a thing of the past and so was sleep. I rarely wore anything other than workout gear during the first year of his life. I remember I once put on a pair of white jeans and a cute top to pick up my daughter from preschool, and another mom completely fawned over me. "Wow," she said. "You look adorable. You actually got dressed!"
I laughed because it was true. I have completely let my style go and deprioritized my appearance. No one would ever guess that I once had an interest in styling by the looks of me. I barely even wear cute flats, opting for running shoes to accompany my lazy look instead.
My appearance has become much less of a priority now that I'm a mom of two. I'm long overdue for a haircut, and it isn't because I love my long hair. I actually like it shorter, but making a haircut appointment gets bumped to the bottom of the list after other tedious tasks that take precedence, such as making doctor appointments and calling about gymnastics.
It isn't that I don't care about how I look anymore; I still do. It's that I have way less time to invest in my look right now, and I've accepted this. It's much easier to have a go-to look to fall back on in the morning. My "uniform" saves me time, which is so valuable these days. Maybe one day I'll return to my more stylish ways. Maybe I'll even select my outfit the night before and wear jewelry again. But for right now, I'll stick with my sweaters and boots.
See more at: Parenting
