a week of real pants

So this is kind of a strange post for me to do, since I am always taking pictures, but never in them, and all of a sudden I am posting a million pictures of myself. Let me explain. 

I was first inspired by this gal, who is adorable, has great style, and an amazing wardrobe. I decided that maybe I should start to actually attempt to put outfits together on a regular basis and not just a couple times a week (church and community group night, typically). Or at the very least, I should try to wear real pants everyday, rather than running or yoga pants. Also, I need to clean out my clothes closet so badly, but I am not sure of what to keep and what to toss.

Lately, I have made a lot of excuses for not truly getting dressed each day. Many of these excuses have to do with the weight from baby number three, which has been far more stubborn than the previous weight gains. Also, nursing makes many clothing options tricky, or flat out impossible. Then there is the issue of time. If there isn't enough time to do the dishes, should I really be spending time getting ready in the mornings? On top of all of this, I think I have always felt pretty incapable when it comes to fashion, make-up, hair, and all that other girly stuff that goes into appearance. But the truth is, I would like to be better at it. Maybe this could be a start. 

All that to say (and I could say more; this post has SO many disclaimers) here is my past week, in outfits:

Tuesday: It was overcast and a bit drizzly, so I opted for tights and layers. I ran errands (aka coffee shop and Costco) with Elle and Judah while James was at preschool, and later took the baby with me to meet a friend for happy hour at Edgefield. Pictures below are of me with my dinner date. In the first photo I am saying "What?! I am smiling! Take the picture!" to my poor husband who has been so patient to take a photo of me everyday. (He is good at many things, but I am generally the photographer in our family.)

Wednesday: stay-at-home day! I didn't leave my house until after seven at night to go for a run. For sure had slippers on the whole day, but at least real pants!

Thursday: Another busy day. Judah, Elle and I visited friends while James was at preschool, then we ended up hosting our community group in the evening. Our group took a break from our usual Bible study to work on projects for our church's upcoming VBS (in July). So it was basically a big pizza party while we did crafts and listened to records.

Friday: A friend and her baby came over for lunch. I stayed in slippers. 

                                      

Saturday: Lane went shooting in the morning, so I took the kids to run errands, to the park, and the library. I wore a messy bun with headband, jeans, t-shirt, and hoodie. Funny enough, I saw another mom at Target wearing basically the exact same outfit. Is this the errand-running-mom uniform?

Sunday: Church. I even wore a necklace.

Monday: A crazy-fun and busy day. I had a couple friends stop by, and ended up making mac'n'cheese for eight kiddos for lunch! Then we went to the park for the afternoon. When Lane came home we grilled and played bubbles after dinner. It was such a beautiful day!

Tuesday: Rain again. Grocery store and lots of playing at home.

 

... all in all, this was an interesting experiment for me. I realized a couple things about myself. The first is that I am so critical of my appearance. I am so quick to look at the pictures above and pick out every detail that is not perfect (and there are many). I also can see some styles that work, and some that just don't (I'm lookin' at you jean cut-offs, pink tank, and awkward thermal). Overall, I think that taking daily pictures could be really helpful, but I need to get a full length mirror so my poor husband doesn't have to keep taking them.

Thanks so much for reading and happy Wednesday friends!
Ashley