Shoe Addiction? : Peak into a Mama's Closet

22 Pairs of shoes.  That includes all flip flops and slippers.  That's not bad for a woman, right??

Yup, I keep my shoes and handbags on a bookshelf.

The polka dot and black lace ones I don't wear often, but they sure do make me happy to look at!  Like works of art!

How many pairs of shoes do you have?  Do you wear them all??

The Maxi Dress : A Mom's Miracle Outfit

Today was one of those days where I just had to tell myself, "Just put some clothes on and get out of the house."  It was one of those days where if I didn't force myself to get out, I wouldn't get anything done.  Enter: The Miraculous Maxi Dress.

It's SO easy!  You don't have to try to match tops with bottoms.  'Cause it's a dress!

All I did was tuck my cardigan / wrap into my belt.  DONE.

The empire waist hides mummy tummy / muffin top / love handles.  And as an added bonus, strapless with a cardigan makes for easy nursing access.  SCORE!!

What are your tricks for easy nursing?

Got the dress from Walmart last year, but they have some great ones this year too!  Cardigan is from Maurices last year.  Here are some alternatives.  Belt is from Amazon.  By the way, a woven belt is AWESOME!!  They'll fit around your waist AND your hips.  Get one in a neutral or metallic for maximum usage.  Jewelry is Premier Designs of course.  :)

L { My Baby Girl} & Some Encouragement for Moms

It's been much longer than I intended between posts.  Any of you other bloggers have advice for self-portraits?  I always have to wait until I have a friend who can take pictures for me, which isn't always when I'd like them.  Anyway, there will be another fashion blog soon with advice for mommies soon.  In the mean time let me distract you with pictures of my cute baby girl L.

OH LOOK!!  A CUTE BABY!!

RUN GIRL!

Watching the sun set (for like, a millisecond).

Ladies, I also wanna share this story.  Sometimes we feel really bad about our post baby bodies.  And that's normal.  We just need a fresh perspective sometimes.

Casual Outfit for Nursing Moms

I'm officially declaring this post a judgement free zone, k?   I've never worn a headscarf before, so this is new to me.  My hubby's been trying to get me to wear one for a long time, but it wasn't until recently when I discovered Tiffany Hendra of sancuaryofstyle that I decided I should at least give it a try.

Actually, this whole outfit is pretty much inspired by Tiffany.  She advised me that this tunic top with a low slung belt would be flattering to my post-baby belly.  Thanks Tiff!!  What she may not have even thought of (or maybe she did, she's pretty awesome) is that the buttons on the top of this shirt make it PERFECT for nursing S (my 2 month old baby boy).

My sandals are wedges and SO comfortable, even when carrying my giant purse / diaper bag and S in his car seat.  You moms know how heavy and bulky those can get!  Well, if ya gotta be a pack mule, at least be a sexy one, right?

What I haven't figured out yet is how to keep the scarf from sliding around on my head.  I tried having the front of it down further on my head, but it just made me feel like a pirate or biker chick or something, which is very not me. But having it up like this made it keep sliding off.  Any of you rock a headscarf?  How do you keep it on?

And of course I have to show off my jewelry and ombre nails :)

My shoes are from Maurices, as is my scarf (no longer available).  The tunic (similar, but check your local store for TONS of options) is from H&M.  Belt (no longer available) from Kohl's.  Jeans from Walmart.  And jewelry is Premier Designs.

Ombre Nails for Moms of Little Ones

The Ombre trend has been around for a few seasons now, and this summer is no different.  Hair, clothes, accessories.  You name it, it's been done.  And until now I haven't really been into it, mostly because I haven't found the trend in any colors that I like to wear.  Until now!

I won this months issue of Glamour Magazine at our jewelry lady training on Tuesday evening, and in it I found this:

 

An ombre nail tutorial featuring Covergirl New Outlast nail gloss!

"Oh cool! That looks pretty easy," I thought.  So since I'm trying to be more adventurous with my style I decided to try it with colors I already have.  I used Essie "Nothing Else Metals" #943 and Nicole by OPI "Grant My Wish" #336.

And here is how it turned out:
























Not bad.  Little more practice and it might actually look like it does in the magazine.  Haha!  Until then, looks good enough to wear in public.  Hmmm . . . what errand can I run to show off my new nails??

By the way, I totally did this after the kids went down for the night.  So moms, we can sport pretty nails too.  And can I just tell you how exited I am that my nails are this long!  They're never this long!  Also, it's really hard to take a picture of your own hand and make it look good.  Especially when you're left-handed and the "click button" is on the right.  That's right, I'm mastering right-handed picture taking.  BOOM.  So photographer friends, what's that button actually called?  Not a photographer, not a model.  Just a fashion loving mom with ideas.  The rest of the skills will have to be learned.

Fashions for Mom's of Little Ones

YAY!!  Finally a fashion blog post!!

Ok ladies, let's get real.  I'm a nursing mom.  I'm 5' 5" with a short torso and big boobs.  I have a baby boy who is 2 months old, and a baby girl who is 1 1/2.   Every woman has challenges when it comes to finding clothes that fit right.  And we can't blame the stores.  They have to sell what's going to fit most people.  So when a particular part of us doesn't fit the "most people" size, we gotta make do.  Therefore, you will notice that I have to alter a lot of my tops.  I'll do my best to let you know when that is so that if you want to purchase what I have, you'll know a little better if it'll fit you or not.  :)

Honestly, I spend most of my days in my PJs / sweats.  When you've got 2 under 2 (or pretty much any age of young kids), there's no point to getting dressed until you're ready to go out.  Why wash your clothes more than you need to right?  We already have enough laundry, thank you.  :)  But when I do get to dress up, you better believe I like to go all out!

So here is a picture of me at my jewelry lady training last night (sorry the pictures are blurry, forgot my camera so we had to use a phone cam) :

My girlfriends helped me to pose.  Yeah, I'm totally not a model, but that's ok!  It's the outfit that counts.  This pink crochet top is one of those that I had to alter.  I took it in at the hip and waist.  It was a really pretty drape cut, but I already have trouble with things looking too boxy, so I took it in a bit.

And the shoes?  I LOVE shoes!!  And who wouldn't love these?  Even just to look at!  They are, however, what I call my "sit down" shoes.  You know, the kind that one might wear to church, training, anywhere you'll be sitting.

The pink top and cami are from Maurices.  Jeans from Walmart.  (Hey, I'm a mom on a budget who didn't want to spend too much while her body's getting back into shape.)  Shoes from Charlotte Russe.  All my jewelry is Premier Designs.  :)  Jewelry Lady, remember?

What kinds of things do / did you moms like to wear while getting your body back into shape?

Go Tell It

This will be a fashion blog eventually, I swear!!  

But for this morning I HAVE to give a shout out to my little sister Clarissa Marie.  Why?  Because I've had this song stuck in my head all morning, so I thought you should too.  :)  She just had her 17th birthday. Yes!  She's only 17!  Amazing, huh?  :)

<3, Mandy

Father's Day

This is a very special blog post dedicated to two very special men.  

The first is my Daddy who raised 7 daughters (poor guy) and 3 sons.  My Daddy is so patient and such a good listener.  He's always fair and will hear you out.  Thank you, Daddy, for being there for us.


The second man in my life is my husband.  The man who gets up with my baby girl every morning. Yes, even Father's Day at 5:30AM.  The man who is my rock during my crazy, irrational, emotional, hormonal times, which seem to be occurring more and more.  The man who provides for me financially, emotionally, and spiritually.  The man who makes me smile.  Babe, sometimes it's like having a sleepover with your best friend.  <3 Muah!

Fresh Beginnings

Hello sisters,

I've decided to get a fresh start on my blog.  It's been almost a year since I had posted.  I now have 2 babies!  My daughter is a year and a half, and my son will be 2 months tomorrow.  I'm not sure if this will just be a fashion blog.  I'll probably just post things as I'm feeling them.   Hopefully there are some other moms out there who have gone through this stage of life or are going through this stage of life, and we can all be uplifting to each other.

Welcome back loves,

Mandy