Live and Learn

I will be the first to admit, I've had my share of fashion "don'ts" in my lifetime.  If you were given the opportunity to look through one of my parents old photo albums, you would see numerous outfits that just didn't make the cut no matter the era.  I'm reminded of a certain bright pink and orange polka dot number I had in middle school.  Imagine leggings (hot pink/orange dots) and a matching shirt which was nothing short of a triangle shape....extremely wide at the bottom.  Luckily I was about 100 lbs (maybe less) at the time but it didn't make this outfit any less hideous.  Yet.....I wore it with pride! 

I think its safe to say, today I wouldn't attempt such a outrageous number but I'm definitely not afraid to try something new.  Just this week I had my weekly womens bible study.  Since I don't have too many opportunities to branch out and wear something "less momish," I took the chance and pieced together an outfit, that I have to admit, I wasn't too sure about when I walked out the door.  It consisted of jeggings, gray boots (to the knee), gray socks with hearts peeking above the boots, a short brown skirt (I bought from Goodwill for $3), a hurley striped shirt, yellow leather jacket, and a scarf.  Yes this does sound a bit extreme!   As I walked into Bible study, I imagined the women thinking to themselves....woah...thats a lot going on there (not in a good way).  But to my surprise, throughout the two hour study I had four women comment on my outfit and how much they loved it.  Then at preschool pick-up, even more moms mentioning my style.  Now before you think I'm getting a BIG head....believe me, this doesn't always happen.  I took a chance and it gave me a whole new outfit to add to my list of things to wear.  My point is, don't be afraid to wear something out of the ordinary.  Yes, you might get extra attention, but maybe that attention is something you need.  Whether you try a new type of jeans, or throw on a cute leather jacket instead of a sweatshirt, sometimes you need to break out of your daily sweat pants and sweatshirt to remind yourself of who you really are, or more importantly who you want to be.  :)

Side note for Moms or if you ever want to be a Mom!  Our children watch EVERYTHING we do and are in tune to EVERYTHING we say.  No matter their age, they are paying attention to the way we treat ourselves.  I, by nature, am very critical of myself.  I'm sarcastic and make fun of my shortcomings as a way of dealing with my imperfections.  One day a couple years ago, as I was making fun of myself for being "gross" looking.  My husband stopped me dead in my tracks and told me that I really needed to watch what I say about myself around the kids.  At first, I thought, who cares, they are young and boys.....they don't care or understand what I'm saying.  But then reality hit me.  My kids need to know that I have confidence in who I am, how I look and who I want to be.  I want to be a Mom that loves herself enough to show my kids that I think I'm pretty and they should think of themselves as good looking to.  What is your little girl or boy hearing/learning when you put yourself down?  Be confident (at least around your kids) about the way you look.  If your happy with yourself, don't change a thing!  If you want a little help, go get it!  Your children deserve a confident Mom, so you owe it to them to find a way to achieve that confidence!