Ahoy Mate!

Seem to have accumulated a lot of nautical themed and colored pieces this season.
I should have done a skirt outfit today since I am with my husband (which means less bending and running and picking up kids) and we are not going anywhere that is going to involve sitting on the floor. But I was too cold in the morning for our 7:30 AM breakfast at Broken Yolk that I went with this ensemble instead.

Also, have you noticed the face lift I gave to the home page. Changed the colors a bit and added a slide show and some fun lists. I am looking for a cool image to display on top but have not found any yet. Work in progress...

Anyway, back to the outfit. I am now fanatic about dressing in layers because I am always cold in the am and late afternoon and hot in between. I will post at the bottom two action photos where you see in mid day I ditch the jacket and the scarf. The pants are super comfy, thin material that looks like denim but it is not. The tee has little rolled up cuffs held with tiny buttons. Cute tiny details. And these shoes are pretty comfy despite the wedge heel. I love how the tote adds some color, patter and overall fun to the outfit. Of course I only got to use it first part of the morning when I only had my son. Later in the day with both kids I only use my diaper bag and trusted coach wallet purse I wear across my body.

My mom took the photos right in front of our neighborhood restaurant we had breakfast at.

Denim look slacks - F21 - $23

Red Tee - $12

White Cardigan - Banana Republic - Mom bought it from a thrift store - $15

Red Scarf - Charlotte Rousse - $10

Wedge Sneakers - Roxy - $60 (very old)

White with rose gold watch - Michael Kors - Nordstrom Rack - $60

Purse - Gucci- Ebay used item (old) - $100

Activities: Breakfast with Mom and Step dad out with kids, took son to dance class, met hubby and daughter at the park and visited parents for a little while (all before lunch and naps). In the afternoon went to Coronado Ferry Landing for some beach fun with the kids. Dinner at home followed by a short trip down the road for frozen yogurt! Yumm!

Here I am with my daughter. The one on the left is in the morning right after breakfast. The one on the left is in the afternoon at the beach. My son is in the background by the water. He could not be stopped from his water play to pose for any photo.  She is on her 2nd outfit of course. Crawling and white leggings only lasted an hour or so...

TIP OF THE DAY: If you are going to browse fashion magazines choose ones that have realistic clothes that you can afford and wear. Vogue and Elle are great mags but my gosh, the outfits are not only outrageous due to mega designer names but also makes me wonder who is wearing these where? I do like looking at photos and what great clothes I can't afford are being made by top designers. But when it comes to truly getting ideas and inspiriation I turn to mags like Lucky, People 'Style Watch' and In Style. Allure is OK as well. Do you have a favorite magazine?

Animal Instinct

I can't beleive I am wearing my old maternity top again! Granted it is not really a maternity top but the cut worked great for me when I was pregnant.  I realize now, I can just tuck it in and continue to wear it. Today I was a good girl and wore a tank underneath so it was more comfy to move around without worrying about flashing somebody. I like to pair animal prints with un expected colors like this light lime green pants. This is also a great example of using my old work clothes as these were work slacks once upon a time. To add some interest and sparkle I decided to go with a bronze glitter belt, gold flats (another 'need a dressy shoe without heels' purchase during my first pregnancy) and my new bib necklace. I looked everywhere for the right bib necklace. And what I mean by 'looked' is of coursed 'searched online' as that is the only way I can shop since the only time I have is after kids go to bed. After googling 'bib necklaces' and looking at  huge selections I found one at a great price and saw it was at Kohl's. I had recently gone there to purchase some clothes for my son and had a $10 coupon too. So, I was ectstatic when I found this one on sale. I like that it has both silver and gold but it is not to sparkly like the ones wth actual stones. I have great plans for it.

Ah, I wish I had more time and someone to help me with the photos. By the time I put together the outfit, get everyone dressed, snacks and lunch packed and house tidied up, I have about 5 minutes I can spare for photos. So they are always rushed and fast and never that good. But, oh well...
If and when my daughter naps I have more time but she is 14 mos old now and getting ready to drop that morning nap I so depended upon.

Zebra Print Top - Express - Hand me down from mom who got it from my sister
Black tank underneath - Closet - $4
Green Pants - Ann Taylor - $80
Gold Shoes - Dolce Vita - $100
Bronze belt - F21 - $5
Bib Necklace - Kohl's - $12 (after my coupon)

Today's Activities: Kid concert (Hullabaloo) outdoors followed by picnic style lunch with another mommy and kids outside. Since it took my son 1 hour 45 minutes to fall a sleep for his nap he didn't wake up until late afternoon. All we had time to do was grocery shop at costco in the afternoon. But, two sets of grandparents came to visit back to back so they had fun.

TIP OF THE DAY:
Just because you wear dressier clothes during the day does not mean you have to act differently or constantly worry about your nice clothes. Also, do not worry about what others think or the fact that you are dressier than most etc... Just have confidence in yourself and your outfit and act natural and normal.

After dressing up everyday for coming up to 2 months now and not wearing any sweats or yoga pants I am realizing I feel just as comfy and act just as I would in more casual clothes. I never worry about my clothes during the day. I put them on, look in the mirror before going out but that is about it. All day long I never have time to even think about them. I sit on grass, kneel down in sand and dirt, lug kids, stroller, bags, pretty much do everything just as I would if I was wearing sweats and sneakers.  Hence when someone compliments me I almost have to look down to see what was I wearing again. But it is nice to know that I don't look like I feel which is SUPER HAPPY but also tired, exhausted, a bit stressed and overwhelmed at times.

Here is a photo of us today during the outdoor concert. My son who screams bloody murder when I try to get him to wear sunglasses (we live in SD and it is hard to function without sunglasses) demanded he wears them after seeing a pretty little girl next to us wear them! Go figure. My daughter is on the right chewing on a rattle as usual. Also note my black with pink trim juicy diaper bag in the background. :)

Pretty at the Play

So, today is a two day outfit...  The title goes with my night outfit...

Day outfit is on the left. These shorts are a new purchase. I call these the mommy lenght shorts. They are at least 3 inches longer than all the shorts in my closet. Since it is not hot hot yet, I can get away with wearing a long sleeve blouse topped with a vest. The shirt and the shorts by themselves are too preppy, but the vest adds interest and the chain decorated denim sandals brings style to the whole outfit. This necklace has been sitting in my jewelry cabinet forever. Never wore it before. It is a bazaar purchase from Turkey.  I felt it went great with this outfit. Simple but cute.

Today's Activities: Outdoor Mommy and Me Toddler class which included an egg hunt in the morning. In the afternoon my wonderful mom and step dad took the kids to music class and park so I can get manicure and pedicure which I needed so badly.

Shirt - Gap - $20

Vest - Forever 21 - $24

Khaki Shorts - JCrew - $40

Denim Sandals - Steve Madden - $80

Necklace - from Turkey (can't remember but I am sure it was cheap)

Here is the Night Outfit...

This dress is a great base to any layering outfit. It is flowy and timeless. The colors of the design seems to go with everything from a yellow, orange or purple cardigan to black blazer jacket or a utility shirt. Unfortunately I couldn't get the belt and shoe combo's to work with any of that so went with the same navy vest from this morning. The coral belt is a great color, it looks brown when worn with brown shoes, or red when worn with red shoes. Ah, and these shoes. I absolutely love these shoes. I have a few pairs like this where the shoe is a piece of art. The flowers are hand stiched over the cork wedge heels. They are about 7 years old but look brand new. Which is what happens when you have as many shoes as I do. When I topped off the outfit with a classic khaki trench, the linen color of the shoes really complimented the coat.
Since the outfit has a lot going on with layers and design on dress and shoes I went very simple with jewelry. This cascading bird necklace is one of those purchases where in a style magazine in small font they list what the model is wearing with websites of where the items are sold. Unfortunatley I do not remember the website but I love the necklace. It is very subtle and interesting.

Dress - Anthropologie - $80 on sale
Vest - F21 - $24
Belt - Anthropologie - $30
Shoes - Betsey Johnson - VS catalog - $200
Necklace - website I can't remember - approx $40
Trench Coat - Banana Republic - $100 on sale (10 or so years ago)
Purse - Chloe - Nordstroms - lets not even talk about the price, it is a much older purchase at full price which is too high too admit.


Activity: Out with best friend, $5 Margs and $2 tacos at a happy hour in a cozy mexican cantina followed by Sweeney Todd play at a small production theater. She got the tickets from Goldstar for $11 per person. $30 total for a night out is not bad at all....

TIP OF THE DAY:
If you are a type of person who likes to dress in style but likes to shop from discount, thrift and second hand stores, you need to know what is in style so you can search and find those items in such stores. These stores carry too many items some in style and some not. If you have a good handle on what is in now you can find great deals. You can also be the type who buys what looks good and what they like regardless of fashion, which is cool too.  I go with what is in style and looks good on me and suits my current lifestyle. 

My goal is to have a list on my website with a list of what is 'in' right now with hopefully links to some magazine sources. I just need the time to do that. But a short list of what is 'in' now:
1.  Denim clothes - from dresses, to skirts to shoes and purses
2. Fringe - Purses and shoes with fringe detail, fringe necklaces
3. Mini skirts in full or A-line style
4. Rose colored metal - shoes or jewelry or purses
5. Clear - in jewelry, shoes or purses
6. Tribal or Flowery Patterns and mixing patterns
7. stripes
8. Silky shorts
9. For the bold ones out there:  80's neon colors!
The list goes on but I must go to sleep as my little night walker will start his routine of 'I am up for no reason just need to be tucked back to bed' , which will repeat every 3-4 hours until 7 AM when we give up.