Mom Style

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​I grew up in the 90's with a TV diet that informed me of what was "in" and "out” of style. I loved clothing, make-up, all things made by Ralph Lauren and Lacoste and had an epic polo collection.

<- see, I tell no lies

​One thing I never, ever, wanted to do was look like a mom. I distinctly remember the cast of “What Not to Wear” tearing apart a mom for her eclectic taste and I vowed to never, ever, turn into that mom.

After 4 kiddos, my philosophy on "looking like a mom" has changed quite a bit from my teenage years.

For starters, back then I had no appreciation for what my body could do. Of course, my size 2 self longed to be a size 0 and had no clue what real stretch marks looked like. After giving birth 4 times, I'm incredibly thankful that my body can grow a baby, gain and lose 40 pounds in a year, and then create food for that baby. That roller-coaster scale ride is exhausting and makes staying in clothes that fit a major challenge, yet I humbly accept for the reward at hand.

The second note to my clueless teenage self who criticized "mom styles" is that moms seldom have the time or the budget to shop for themselves. I spend most of my shopping minutes making sure my kids have what they need. My shoes from 12 years ago will work just fine without replacing them, my kids on the other hand have outgrown theirs in a matter of weeks and my son’s left knee has a way of poking through EVERY pair of pants he owns!
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The third part of “mom fashion” I never understood was the sheer lack of time I have to actually put clothes on and get out the door, nevertheless buy things for myself. I spend 20 minutes convincing my two year old that Dora the Explorer gave her a special toothbrush in a grand effort to persuade her to brush her teeth... which leaves me with 2 minutes to put my clothes on, load my kids in the car, and wrap up the “getting ready marathon” by brushing my hair at a traffic light. Impressing people along the way with my suave style doesn’t even have a moment to cross my mind!

When your three year old styles your hair, you rock it ^

​The final perk and downside of “mom style” I never realized is that the same t-shirts that makes you look like Pamela Anderson one day, can also make you look like a shlub a year later thanks to a wonderful mom perk of lactation. Nursing can produce the need for an entirely new collection of bras and shirts for convenience, modesty, and, well… so you don’t bust out of your other shirts [pun intended]!


But at the end of the day, whether pregnant, nursing, gaining the baby weight or losing it, I've learned to love my mom style because of the little eyes that watch me day in and day out.  Instead of a self-conscious teenager who worried about their dress and cared about the opinions of others, I'm happy to be a mom who embraces changes in their body and is free from worry about her appearance, and I hope the little feet following me will feel the freedom to do the same… which is why I don’t enforce a dress code, but that’s for another day!


Have a great week, and stay posted for our Singapore Math review coming up next!
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Alex