Before I had kids getting dressed was a breeze. It involved very little forethought. Just two questions really. 1) “What’s the weather like?” and 2) “What do I feel like wearing today?” It really was quite simple.
Fast forward a few years and a few kids later and things have become decidedly more complicated. Where getting dressed once came down to a mere two questions, it now requires at least 21.
1. What will I be doing today?
2. Wait…child #2 and #3 have colds. Will this shirt show snot stains?
3. Does this shirt make me look too “mom’ish”?
4. Do these pants still button?
5. Do any of these things still fit?!
6. Can I pull a boob out of this shirt? (#nursingproblems)
7. Can I play on the floor in this?
8. Are my underwear showing?
9. Will this hide the peas my baby is inevitably going to spit on me?
10. Is muffin top happening right now?
11. This does not look like the inspiration on my Pinterest.
12. Can I wear a baby in this?
13. Is this top going to cover up my granny nursing bra?
14. I wore this yesterday, but didn’t the baby puke on my sleeve? I can’t remember. Does this smell like baby puke?
15. Can I chase a runaway toddler in this?
16. Can I carry a the aforementioned toddler in this…once I catch him and he throws a flailing tantrum?
17. Is this machine washable?
18. Are these shoes slip-ons? Ain’t nobody got time for laces after putting shoes on 3 other people.
19. Do these look enough like “real pants” to be worn in public?
20. Is this jewelry kid-proof?
21. Are people still wearing this?
The good news is that this outfit works for all of my criteria. 1) It’s comfy. I bought myself this dress as a Christmas present from my husband (thanks love!) and it’s the best. Perfectly loose; like wearing a muumuu, but infinitely more stylish. It unzips for easy nursing access and the zipper eliminates the need for jewelry that my baby would probably rip off and destroy. Because it’s a dress I don’t have to worry about finding “real pants”, because: tights. Paired with a cozy cardigan it’s perfect for cold weather. And these Lotta from Stockholm clogs are the best. I can slip them on without unbuckling and they instantly make an outfit look more pulled together, but they are still totally comfortable and I can still chase kids in them. I was debating between getting the low or high heel for awhile, because I was worried that the high heel might not be wearable for every day, but they are perfect. Unless you are a total high heel hater (or noob), you can totally wear these on the daily without tripping while in pack-mule-mama mode. And you will feel fancy and put-together, which is always a plus.
Basically this is my most perfect mama outfit. Stylish, stress-free and supremely comfortable (alliteration for the win).
What I’m wearing:
Dress: Madewell
Sweater: Hand-me-down from a friend
Tights: Fred Meyer’s yearly 1/2 price sock sale
Shoes: Lotta from Stockholm
Here’s to wearing clothes that don’t require the asking of 21+ questions!
xo
Lauren
I love this!!!!! My number one always seems to be how hot am I going to get chasing said three kids 🙂 Now I want that dress. miss you friend-we are in dire need of HH
This is great! Please do more of these posts! I have similar issues/criteria for getting dressed. You are doing this much more fashionably than me!
Also, what have you found to be Mom friendly jewelry? Anything beyond the silicone nursing necklaces?
What size did you get in the dress…this is perfect and on sale but not sure what size I would be.
Hi
I visited The link for the Madewell dress you mentioned in your blog but the discription says dryclean. Do you machine wash yours? Thanks
@Emma – I’ve never washed mine yet. I would just wash on a delicate cycle and air dry though.