Ain't No Mom Jeans

Mom Street Style - Halloween Edition

Getting all geared up for Halloween?  Denver Mamas, I'll be thinking of you this weekend, and I hope you're heading over to Old South Gaylord St.  My fav.

Um.  It does get kinda crazy, though.  A little secret?  I have beer in that cup.  (Shhh...we kept it stashed in the trunk.) We were accosted by parents the entire time, wondering where the beer tent was, LOL.  This year they are adding a pet parade.  (M!  How cute would Henry and Obi be?)  The pic above is obviously from 2 years ago (when I attempted the owl costume)...last year I was too pregnant to move and R refused to dress up.  

But this is my year, so to speak.  I'm not a huge costume person (M has all the good ideas in this department), but I do remember feeling like a party pooper with no semblance of a costume.  My friend Amanda did it perfectly:

Isn't she cute?  So of course I blatently copied her.

 

Found on Etsy, of course.

However, Raines is currently saying that he wants to be Hercules this year.  Yeah, yeah...we've heard it before.  After last year we're not holding our breath.  We'll just wait until the day minute it's time to costume, and figure it out.  But the kid does seem serious.  He's assigned us all costumes.  Mike must be Pegasus (um...any ideas, crafty mamas?), I must be a princess wearing this dress specifically, and little P must wear Raines' old lion costume.  

But if R backs out on the big day, I'll just wear a cute little mask. I know Mike is dying to wear the Spiderman one anyway (he's a comic geek, Spiderman especially) and we'll go explore one of the cool-sounding events that Philly Parent Circle has featured. Any recommendations, Philly Mamas?

Happy Halloween!  We'd love to see what you're wearing this Halloween....so feel free to upload some cute costume pics (of you, the kiddos, both...) onto our Facebook page....

xo,

S

ps.  Seriously - any help on the Pegasus front would be very much appreciated, LOL!

Hey, Crewcuts Baby. So Nice To Meet You. (My Husband Will Hate You.)

I once bought a cashmere sweater for Raines.  This was, of course, before he was born.  I brought home this teeny-tiny adorable bundle of softness, in a perfect lamb-soft gray.  Aaahhh...so sweet.

It was also $125.

My husband took one look and was like, "Babe! Have you lost your mind??"  And I was all, "look at how cute!  How soft!  Warm!  It'll keep him warm!!"  And he was like "Not just NO but H*LL NO" and really, he was right.  Raines would've spit-up/pooped/chewed it, for the total of the 8 minutes that it would've fit him.

There are many things babies need.  Cashmere isn't one of them.

J.Crew, obviously, disagrees.  They just launched a baby line as part of Crewcuts and it includes....a teeny-tiny adorable bundle of softness, in a (slightly darker version) of lamb-soft gray.

Ahhhh...how nostalgic for me.  In related news, is the recession over?

But in addition to all of the cashmere ridiculousness, they include these onsies, which, in organic cotton and retailing for $17.95, may be my new favorites.  

I just can't get enough of babies in stripes.  

And OOOO...look at this one!

Fahbulous.  And only....$88?  Sigh.  Why, J.Crew, why?  Why can't something this simple be done by, say, Gerber, for example?  And only be, like, $20?  Heck....even $40 might be do-able.  But $88?  Even if I wanted to (and honestly, even if we were bazillionaires), I couldn't sell my husband on an $88 romper.  Or a $125 cashmere baby sweater.  (Unless...these were the only two pieces of clothing that we ever purchased for the baby...so every day he'd either wear one or the other...maybe...NO. STOP IT SHANA.  JUST NO.) 

(BTW....I was too embarrassed to return the cashmere baby sweater, because I had had all of this "help" picking it out.  So Mike returned it for me.  And YES - they knew exactly who bought it.  But Mike got the sense he wasn't the only husband to storm back into the shop returning cashmere baby sweaters. Snort.)

Has anyone found well-priced, yet sohpisticated baby clothes?  One would think it would cost MORE for companies to add the tacky puppy decals that come on a $6 Gerber onsie, but NOOOOOO.  We end up paying a premium for plain, and even more for some cool, sophisticated details.  BOO!

xo,

S

Easy Styling Tip: Throw on a Comfy Blazer (Not a Real One...a Soft One)

I read somewhere recently that a good blazer should be one of the cornerstone pieces in every woman's wardrobe.

My original thought?  Eh.  Underwhelmed.

I mean, I love a good blazer, but I chose to pass on my longtime favorite: the gorgeous navy J.Crew schoolboy blazer.  Why?  Well, because it was constricting.  The second I had it on, I wanted to rip it right off again.  And considering that the vast majority of my days include picking up an injured toddler (seriously - every. day. he scrapes or bruises something) and carrying around a bowling-ball heavy baby...no thanks.  

Blazers, I decided, were not for me.  And probably not for most moms while engaged in the baby/toddler boggle.

But then I found this little number, the Habit Jacket by Gentle Fawn.  It's really just a little polyester blazer, but is done in a herringbone fabric with a faux-suede trim...and  manages to pull together even the most thoughtless of outfits.  And it's stretchy.  Which means that rolling the sleeves is easy and comfortable, and that I can pick up babies, kiss booboos, and be an impromptu climbing gym while looking put-together. 

I'm in love.

Reader Question(s): A Gorgeous "Uniform" For All of Your Upcoming Weddings and Parties (Even Holiday Parties!)

Gang, we gotten several reader questions about upcoming parties and events.  Some of you will be attending outdoor weddings, some of are dreading the office holiday party, and one of you just wanted to know when it's OK to wear tall leather boots to a fancy event.

(photo credit: This gorgeous pic of my dear friends Josh & Amber was taken by Denver-based Laura Dombroski Photography.)

So.  Here's a Fall wedding formula, one that can easily take you through the whole holiday season (even the dreaded office party).

 

Mom Street Style - Kristen's Shorts 'n Polka Dotted Fall Pumpkin Patch Outfit

We try and keep up with our Mom Street Style submissions.  But sometimes we get behind.  And sometimes we get so behind that I've hung onto a pic for almost a year, just to make sure we're not showing Mom Street Style flip-flops in February.  

But I cracked up when Kristen's email hit our inbox a few days ago.  Shorts and flip-flops?  And it's almost November?  Clearly, despite my wanting very badly cold Fall weather (and hotcocoafuzzysweaters andboots) ...we're not the only ones feeling the heat.  Goodness, even in NY this past weekend (our fun little family train trip) it was downright hot during the day. 

Kristen wrote: 

Hi ladies! I'm a 30-yr-old full-time working mom of Wynn (15 months) and a huge fan of your blog!

I thought I might have made you proud during our trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend. I had a few challenges: I wanted my outfit to reflect the Fall season, but it's still 85* here. And of course, it had to be suitable for chasing a toddler around. Enter a flowy, forgiving blouse (Old Navy), crisp cuffed black shorts (bebe), and a toddler-friendly piece of jewelry -- a coral and gold cuff (local boutique). Add some stylish flip-flops (Tory Burch) and I was ready to chase Wynn through the petting zoo!

Thanks for always posting such great inspiration. I'm gonna read as long as you write!

Love,
Kristen

 

Kristen, you look ah-mazing.  We are so, so proud.  Yay, you!!  And MAN - Old Navy (of all places!!) has been killing it with their flowy tops this fall (I wrote about my favorite here). And let's all take a moment to sigh in bliss over shorts and flowy tops mom-i-forms.  Ahhhhh....

I know, I know - I'm a horribly predictable shorts-lover.  I can't help it.  Like Gaga, I was born this way.

And Kirsten, you were obviously born fabulous.  Thanks for writing in!

Ummm...BTW, Kristen is in FL, so I'm not sure if they ever get sweater-weather, but this outfit sure is reflective of the crazy Fall we've all been having.  For those of you who are actually experiencing a cooler Fall (or want to rock an outfit like this into winter), this outfit would look amazing with tights, boots, a chunky scarf and parka.  I'm thinking something like this...

 

Wintershorts by aintnomomjeans featuring motorcycle boots

 

 

And YES - I love black and navy together.  

xo,

S

Reader Question: Styling Cropped Cargo Pants Into Fall?

 

Reader Question:

How would you style cropped cargo pants into fall?  I've been wearing the heck out of a pair of olive cropped cargo pants  this summer. They were from Hot Mama in the spring, and no pics available anymore on their site, but they look sort of like Joie's Generette Pant (pictured).

 

Over the summer, these pants have been a staple of my "momiform," work mainly with a black or a green J crew tank top and some black flat sandals with little leather flowers to girlie up this otherwise somewhat tough look. 

 

Here in Minneapolis there's a chill in the air already, and a girl needs a bit more coverage for the morning coffee/playground/grocery stroll.

 

My favorite shoe for fall - the lace up combat-ish boot - comes off as too literal with the army green cargoes. Sneaks with socks seem a bit dowdy, and there is too much fabric at the legs to tuck into my favorite knee high motorcycle boots without looking like a member of a WW2 German motorbike brigade.

 

But, these pants are comfortable, washable, and crazy flattering. How would you style them to get another couple months of wear?

 

- Abby in Minneapolis

Answer:

Abby - great question!  This is a tricky styling situation!  As you mentioned, these pants are too wide for tucking into boots....and the weather is too cold to go without socks.  (Which I mention only because these pants would look adorable with ballet flats, oxfords or loafers sans socks.  Of course.) 

So.  You want to wear these pants, into the Fall, with warm footwear options.  Gotcha.

Now, I don't have a pair of pants exactly like these, but for this tricky styling situation, I didn't want to rely on a Polyvore collage.  So I "spoofed" your pants by rolling up a slouchy pair of straight-leg khakis.  The color obviously, is different, but I think the overall effect is the same.  Here's what worked for me:

Scary Style – Mom & Baby Halloween Costumes You’ll Wear Again

Wahahahahah. . . in the spirit of the season, we thought we’d jump on board with the Rookie Moms Halloween Carnival.  The Moms challenged other bloggers to come up with costume ideas that would re-use items they already own or make use of items that could easily be re-purposed.  It just so happens that last year, I dressed the entire fam in a coordinating ensemble of mainly re-used clothing items to fit a last-minute western theme.  It all started with young Huck wanting to wear his cowboy dress-up costume, and while the prospect of three cowboys and a saloon (read brothel) mom was more to Hub’s taste, I thought we should push the theme a little further, because a.) Trampy Halloween costumes are sad enough, but on a mom. . . even worse, and b.) As a second child myself, I wanted to carve a unique, non-sidekick Halloween persona for Little Lou (and he wound up stealing the show!). 

How Sleep Trained Us

Brief historical overview of my feelings about "sleep training" (a phrase which I have since come to hate):

Before I Had A Baby: "Oh yes, I will sleep train, my baby will cry it out, I must preserve my night time or I will go insane!"

Shortly After Having A Baby: "I could never, in a million trillion zillion years, listen to my baby cry or fuss in her crib without me because my heart will simply break of sadness! I can live on less sleep than any other human organism if I have to!"

Eight Months Later: "We might have to try and sort of maybe kind of work on her sleeping habits a teeny bit because me and my boobies need some sleep more sleep never enough sleep I'm tired."

Today: "What we're doing is working...but we're not doing anything...and sometimes it doesn't work. Awww crap she won't be a baby forever bring me a caffeinated beverage."

After I had the baby, I was really shocked at how quickly people started asking things like "how does she sleep?" "is she a good sleeper?' "is she sleeping through the night yet?" And in all those questions, both consciously and subconsciously, people were judging. Rating. Assessing. My answers to those questions, I began to realize, supposedly revealed the personality of my baby, the style of my parenting, my mettle as a mother.

There are, I think, a few babies that sleep so much and so easily and nothing ever happens to change that and their mother likes to talk about it all the time so much never stopping:  'Oh little Jo-Jo is such a good sleeper, I just made sure to do x, y and z from day one and that was all I had to do and now I am always well rested and on the ball!'

Maybe those babies are as rare as an ivory-billed woodpecker, or perhaps they are more like...

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Thank you! xoxo

Mom Street Style - Alex's Much Needed Date Night (and Vintage Shawl)

Readers, Alexandra sent in these pics of herself right before a much-needed date night (ummm...I need one too).

I love the eclectic look here - the combination of patterns, the modern wedges and vintage shawl.  It's just fresh, fun, and pretty.  Perfect for date night!  

I'm totally sold on the idea of throwing a vintage shawl on over a simple tank to make an outfit more interesting.  Of course, I'd throw one on over distressed skinny jeans and cage heels....but that's just me.  The point is that this idea can be translated so many different ways.  And check out the back...

Thanks Alex, you gorgeous mama!!

xo,

S

Alex writes a humor & personal narrative mommy blog at Before The Baby Wakes. She is the mother of two. One who is 3 & one who is 36. She’s exploring herself & motherhood one sarcastic minute at a time. Follow her on Twitter & Facebook.

 

Voting ends Saturday...gulp.  

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