My (surprisingly cute) Mom Uniform
I hereby give you permission to not worry about what you're going to wear every single day, not to worry about what someone will think if they see you wearing the same outfit two times in a row, and to look cute, and be ready to work out when you suddenly get a minute. BOOM!
Now, I am someone who LOVES clothing. Looooooove it. I regularly wrestle with the idea that the wearing of costly apparel and fine twined linens is akin to (selfish) pride and a symptom of a separation of our hearts from God (putting out hearts on the vain things of the world). But luckily, I am cheap, and the following makes sense.
Hyrum shared an article with me, maybe 8 months ago about a woman who wears the same outfit every day to work, so she doesn't have to think about it anymore. She wears different things after work when she goes out, she is still herself, and her personality has taken no hits at at all.
Then, a few months ago, my sister in law mentioned in conversation that while her dad was a mission president in Texas, he conducted an experiment in which he wore the same suit (kept it clean, obviously) every day for a month, to see if anyone said anything. No one said anything. Then he asked someone about it, and they hadn't noticed. This was validating since I had been wearing the same outfit almost every day for about 6 weeks (keeping it reasonably clean).
Here's the thing: I do the same basic thing every day, and my clothing presents challenges. At the time that I adopted the uniform policy last summer, it was HOT, I was breastfeeding like 17 times a day, I hadn't lost my baby weight, and my kids spit, drool, smear, vomit, and splash stuff on me all the time. How many clothes am I supposed to buy and destroy while in this phase? I hate waste, so I chose some comfortable, attractive, durable, inexpensive walmart shorts, that matched my cute, comfortable, wrinkle-free, cool, button-down shirt that can be washed 1000 times, and never look different, and can be soaking wet and you can't really tell, and wore it every day. Here are the best pictures I have of it:
I felt like I looked pretty cute, and when I mentioned to people that I wore my shirt every day, they ALL said: "Really? I hadn't noticed. That shirt is so cute." BOOM!
Now I wear a dress and leggings that are warmer, pretty cute, and I usually throw on my TOMS wedges, and a pretty scarf if I'm going to go somewhere, and it looks like I'm trying. Well, I am, I just tried this morning instead of for 30 minutes before I came here to X place where I need to look like something other than MotherOfToddlers. I'm not breastfeeding any more so I don't need the button down feature, but there are lots of shirt dresses (here, here, here, here) that would totally work for this.
Now what about this business about being able to work out when you all of the sudden get a minute? I do not endorse wearing workout clothes every single day, because believe it or not, they actually aren't that durable. They're made for High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), not for All Day Every Day Wet and Sticking Training (ADEDWST). See what I did there?
Being ready to work out at a moments notice is about strategy, and loosening up on your ideals for a workout. I work out at home, and my current uniform is a dress and leggings, and I almost always wear a sports bra because it doesn't really change the look of my dress. My dress is a ballet dress (ie, tent dress)(get a similar one here, and here) that my body always looks the same in, is trendy, has the cute elbow patch details which make me feel like its an outfit somehow, and I can wipe anything off of it with a damp washcloth. Oh, and? I can work out in it just fine. Now, I am not a big sweater, and I don't do crossfit in my dress, but I get a good burn, and I feel good, and sleep well, so its a win. Also, if I want to work a little harder like today, I'm already wearing my sports bra (and I just work out with videos in my family room), so I just pull off the dress and work out in my leggings and sports top.
All my uniform pieces are $20 or less, and in the case of my current uniform, $20 for the whole shabang.
BOOM!
So if someone mentions that that's what you've been wearing for the last 5 days? Just say, "Oh, yes. This is my uniform. Isn't that brilliant?"
So that's one of my strategies for making things simpler. Feeling good. <3 br="">
Now, I am someone who LOVES clothing. Looooooove it. I regularly wrestle with the idea that the wearing of costly apparel and fine twined linens is akin to (selfish) pride and a symptom of a separation of our hearts from God (putting out hearts on the vain things of the world). But luckily, I am cheap, and the following makes sense.
Hyrum shared an article with me, maybe 8 months ago about a woman who wears the same outfit every day to work, so she doesn't have to think about it anymore. She wears different things after work when she goes out, she is still herself, and her personality has taken no hits at at all.
Then, a few months ago, my sister in law mentioned in conversation that while her dad was a mission president in Texas, he conducted an experiment in which he wore the same suit (kept it clean, obviously) every day for a month, to see if anyone said anything. No one said anything. Then he asked someone about it, and they hadn't noticed. This was validating since I had been wearing the same outfit almost every day for about 6 weeks (keeping it reasonably clean).
Here's the thing: I do the same basic thing every day, and my clothing presents challenges. At the time that I adopted the uniform policy last summer, it was HOT, I was breastfeeding like 17 times a day, I hadn't lost my baby weight, and my kids spit, drool, smear, vomit, and splash stuff on me all the time. How many clothes am I supposed to buy and destroy while in this phase? I hate waste, so I chose some comfortable, attractive, durable, inexpensive walmart shorts, that matched my cute, comfortable, wrinkle-free, cool, button-down shirt that can be washed 1000 times, and never look different, and can be soaking wet and you can't really tell, and wore it every day. Here are the best pictures I have of it:
 |
| Lagoon :) |
I felt like I looked pretty cute, and when I mentioned to people that I wore my shirt every day, they ALL said: "Really? I hadn't noticed. That shirt is so cute." BOOM!
 |
| My photographer is 3, so... |
Now what about this business about being able to work out when you all of the sudden get a minute? I do not endorse wearing workout clothes every single day, because believe it or not, they actually aren't that durable. They're made for High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), not for All Day Every Day Wet and Sticking Training (ADEDWST). See what I did there?
 |
| Teething Necklace- not adorable, but it works. |
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| Gem: "Woman, what are you doing? Where is my snack?" |
Being ready to work out at a moments notice is about strategy, and loosening up on your ideals for a workout. I work out at home, and my current uniform is a dress and leggings, and I almost always wear a sports bra because it doesn't really change the look of my dress. My dress is a ballet dress (ie, tent dress)(get a similar one here, and here) that my body always looks the same in, is trendy, has the cute elbow patch details which make me feel like its an outfit somehow, and I can wipe anything off of it with a damp washcloth. Oh, and? I can work out in it just fine. Now, I am not a big sweater, and I don't do crossfit in my dress, but I get a good burn, and I feel good, and sleep well, so its a win. Also, if I want to work a little harder like today, I'm already wearing my sports bra (and I just work out with videos in my family room), so I just pull off the dress and work out in my leggings and sports top.
All my uniform pieces are $20 or less, and in the case of my current uniform, $20 for the whole shabang.
BOOM!
So if someone mentions that that's what you've been wearing for the last 5 days? Just say, "Oh, yes. This is my uniform. Isn't that brilliant?"
So that's one of my strategies for making things simpler. Feeling good. <3 br="">
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