Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Good Weekend Update and a little frivolity

Last weekend was...really good. All the elements came together: work-outs each morning (gym class Saturday, short run in COLD weather Sunday), loads of outdoor time (both afternoons spent 2-3 hours at a park), social time (kids birthday party Saturday evening with parents I like, and play date Sunday afternoon with moms I really like, with kids from B's old pre-K), and got stuff done (bulbs planted, and the usual laundry/food prep). Some of it was out of my control: it just HAPPENED that we had scheduled events both days, the play date was actually rescheduled from 3 weeks prior (it is HARD to get scheduled coordinated, people are so BUSY---we were the only ones that basically said we could meet up any weekend) and the timing of the birthday party (4:30-6:30) happened to work so so great---dinner for me and the boys taken care of, and got home, exhausted, just in time for bedtime routine. Plus, G was on some sort of roll and got ALL the dinner cooking done Sunday morning (he made FOUR curries!) and also the prep for lunches. All I had to do was assemble lunches, which took less than an hour. I also had LOADS of solo kid time. I took them swimming Saturday AM, to the birthday party that evening, to the play date Sunday and some other time on Sunday while G worked on a project.

Because its me, and I like analyzing processes and planning and optimizing, of course, I'm trying to figure out how to recreate such a weekend. Some thoughts: 1) do more solo 2-kid stuff instead of the splitting up thing we tend to do. I don't even mind being the one on kid duty (its building karma for when I want it, I have nothing I really need/want to do on weekends currently); I like doing things as a family, but the kids just are better when its only one of us 2) plan a Saturday evening activity. Its almost luxurious  getting home and not having to worry about dinner or entertainment, and just get them off to bed. too bad most kid-friendly places close around 5, since winter is coming and we can't just hang at the park until bedtime and 3) have G do all the cooking (I kid...sort of...maybe we can alternate doing ALL the cooking every other weekend so one of us gets a total break).

On a completely unrelated topic, I've been feeling incredibly frumpy lately with my weekend attire. I tried to wear something nice on Saturday but...I don't really have anything nice that works for this weather and is weekend-casual. Summer is great, I have a little cohort of sundresses  that I just rotate through and a cute pair of sandals.  Then it gets more complicated. I have to pick tops, bottoms, layers, shoes. I want a go-to weekend uniform but I'm not sure what it should be. I own 2 pairs of jeans & I'm sick of both of them---both very skinny, one a stretchy and SO COMFY jegging style and another stiffer but still with stretch pair. I'm tired of that skinny jean look, but not sure what the new style is. The old bootcut style I wore for 15 years is not it---I saw it on some moms at the park and...no. Flares? Higher rise? I want some athletic-casual type shoes, that I can wear with socks. Ballet flats of course don't work for fall (did I mention it was COLD? I felt really sorry for the mom at the play date in ballet flats, but I looked frumptastic in my WORKOUT SNEAKERS and it was either that or socks with old toms...). I just can't get behind the Vans/Chucks...something similar but not quite those.

And what to wear on top that's fun and casual and also flattering (not clingy in the belly but not maternity-like or sack-like)? Not a plain sweater, not a striped long-sleeve shirt (I just got rid of a plethora of striped long sleeved shirts). Maybe I need to (I can't believe these words are being written by me...) GO SHOPPING and see whats out there.

(yes I know I'm on a shopping ban, I'm just...planning. I want to figure out 2-3 things I really want instead of just randomly buying things that "look pretty good" until the next thing comes along that "looks somewhat better" and I have a pile of things that are only ok. And maybe it'll be a 11 month ban. Because its not about punishment, but about mindful and responsible spending).

What do you wear on weekends? Any shopping tips for jeans/weekend casual-wear?

29 comments:

  1. I am terrible about weekend wear. I tend to wear random hand-me-downs, things that got too ratty to wear to work. They don't look good and I don't feel good in them. But I feel like if I'm spending money on clothes, they should be nice enough to wear to work. I need to work on this.

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    1. This is why I have no weekend clothes that I like! I actually bought a TON of work clothes and I'm SET for any work related event in any season, but the weekend wear is lacking!

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  2. Re: cold weather casual shoes, I love these toms desert boot wedges: http://www.toms.com/women/taupe-suede-womens-desert-wedges
    A little pricey, but very comfy and casual-cool. I even wear them to work sometimes. They have other colors too, but I like the taupe suede the best.

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    1. Oh and the "new" jeans are mid-to-high rise flares (think 70s). Slouchy "boyfriend" style is still in as well.

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    2. I've been eyeing those toms for years! They don't strike me as walk-for-miles shoes though, and I'm looking for something that'll get me miles on the weekend plus double as my work commuting shoes.
      So...what shoes go with the mid-to-high rise flares? I've seen plenty of the jeans on blogs or store catalogs but haven't spotting many in-the-wild sightings of real people with real footwear!

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    3. Personally, I walk miles in the Toms wedges, but YMMV (literally ;) )
      Shoes for flares depends on the inseam - if they're perfect length, I wear converse/vans/other slip on "smart casual" tennis shoes or ballet flats. For longer lengths, clogs are great (goes w/the 70s vibe). I think even danskos would be ok (you'll only see a bit of the shoe because the flare covers most of it).
      I second those below suggesting browsing catalogues for ideas - Jcrew, madewell, anthropologie are good

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  3. My go-to shoes are Keen mary janes. I tend to wear jeans or cords and plain knit tops...old navy/gap style.

    I am interested in your observation that weekends go better for you with one parent on kid duty and one parent doing other things...wonder why that's easier on the kids? But whatever works!!!

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    1. I don't know. It just works. It may have to do with OUR attitude? I think I'm more tolerant when I'm on my own, and also more flexible to the kids' agenda. With another adult, its one more opinion in the mix. Also, my kids just seem to realize that I am outnumbered and take pity on me or something. this is ONLY when we are out and about solo. NOT in the house, I HATE being stuck in the house with the kids alone. They don't hold back!

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  4. Dressing up for me on the weekends means wearing a (funny) t-shirt instead of a sleeping shirt! If I have to be seen by someone I know and whose opinion may matter, then I wear a work-week shirt with jeans (which are skinny jeans and I hate them, but I also haven't seen anything that wasn't a skinny jean as being in yet, so I wait) instead of khakis. So not much help for you!

    And now that it's cold I've switched from walking sandals to hiking boots. I am queen of the frump! All must bow before my rumpled ways!

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  5. I am laughing my ass off at feeling frumpy at the park. I know EXACTLY what park you're talking about.

    So, I just bought a new jacket from REI that is fashionable and warm. It's specifically for weather that is about 50-60 degrees. It is slim fitting. I wear it with the skinny jeans (or, frankly, work pants -- not scrubs). For shoes -- you know I'm going to tell you to buy those boots. ;-)

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    1. I might add that I've been known to go to that park in my pajamas. Frumpiness? Oh yeah -- I own it.

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    2. We could totally have a pajama party at the playground.

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    3. actually I wasn't talking about any specific park (we went to an obscure park on the other side of town last weekend to meet friends and spent saturday at rittenhouse)---more just general weekend from the park/museum/casual dinner/meet friends type attire. I'm totally OK with taking my kids to the park wearing the workout clothes I was already in...but when we have plans for a birthday party or something, I want to actually be dressed in real clothes!

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    4. oh i'm going to buy those boots. but those are supposed to be crazy warm. I'm looking for something transitional...that I can wear when its too cold for sandals and too warm for boots. shoes you can wear with socks that aren't your typical running new balance/Nike sneaks.

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  6. I always feel frumpy at our park. To be fair I'm often in workout wear...

    I have madewell high rise jeans I love , but they are skinny style. Get a j Crew or Boden catalog and picture yourself in weekend outfits ... Lots of inspiration there!

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    1. Good idea on the catalogs though Boden is a bit more formal looking to me, generally. I LOVE their dresses/skirts and work-type tops, but haven't had much luck with pants (they are SOOO long, maybe I should try the petites, though petites in most brands of pants look weirdly short on me)

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  7. I wear mostly jeans or cords on weekends & a striped or solid knit top. When I lived somewhere it actually got cold, I liked a wool sweater over a button down. I like a straight or a skinny style for jeans. I think boyfriend jeans are flattering on no one. I have a pair of high waist flares but I never wear them because I am not sure what shoes to wear.

    For shoes, if it's cold but not wet, I wear birkenstock or dansko clogs. I have my eye on a pair of leather superga sneakers.

    Speaking of frump: I am currently postpartum so I am making do with maternity clothes & a limited number of things that fit. The fitted knit shirts I normally wear aren't too flattering these days & very few of my buttoning actually button...
    dr

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    1. Yes, that is my concern with the flares---the shoe situation. I agree re: boyfriend jeans. thanks for the superga reminder---those are the kind of shoes I'm looking for (but they are a bit pricy). oh the post-partum period is just one of those times I had to resign myself to the frump.

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  8. I like the reebok skywalk shoes which came out about a year ago and can now be found cheap (29.99 at Macy's). Hate skinny jeans, think only super thin supermodels look good in them. I have 10 yo lee just your fit--not made anymore--only jeans that have flattered/fit me well in a long time. Kind of flared but not ring a ding ding bell bottoms.

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    1. Correction--just checked my jeans--they are One True Fit.

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  9. I'm the other way round- I always feel super frumpy in summer when it is too hot for jeans. I like layers! And not feeling sweaty. I did just buy some silver saltwater sandals for summer though.

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  10. So happy to hear about your wonderful weekend. Yay!

    As for what to wear on the weekends... I've found myself spending most of Saturday (the day I walk with my friend in the morning and then do many (now many hours of) grocery shopping in my yoga pants with a tank top or t-shirt (it's still tank top and tshirt weather out here--SF's Indian Summers!) If I'm trying to wear real clothes I put on jeans and a "top" which is probably something that I got from Gap or Old Navy that I don't love but don't hate. I don't really know what else to wear on the weekends. When you figure it out, let us know... ;)

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    1. I need "tops" that I don't hate. ("love" would be even better). All my tops are also from old navy, mostly purchased on the super cheap, a few years ago (post-partum), so they don't fit quite right and have outlived their old navy lifespan.

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  11. Park fashion- it's tricky. If I am at the park and am going ot be running/climbing with my kids then it is nice workout wear with sneakers. (I own one of these outfits). If I am just standing around with other adults then, in the fall, its skinny jeans, Steve Madden Intyce boots and a striped top. Jacket or cardigan if needed. I have also been known to pull out the straight leg jeans (or even my bootcuts- gasp) with Sperry Top Sider Angelfish (natural color) and a solid color sweater or knit top.

    If I am at a kid event where I am doing a lot of walking (zoo, outdoor museum) then I do bootcut jeans with sneakers. Sneakers (real workout sneakers) and skinny jeans look weird to me. And if I am walking miles then I prefer real workout sneakers.

    I'm pretty sure it is all personal preference though.

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    1. yeah, I think the "park" got picked up by people unintentionally. I wear workout wear to the park regularly. More talking about general weekend-wear.I just...can't wear workout sneakers. I walk miles & miles in various other types of shoes, I've got a few flats that are extremely comfy, but don't look good with socks, hence the need for some non-sneaker sock-accommodating, non-boot shoes!

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  12. Three suggestions: 1) I hate wearing anything with a waist if I can help it, so I spend a lot of time in knit dresses, tights, and boots, even when I'm running after my two-year-old at the playground. Check out Garnet Hill -- they have sales and offer petite sizes. 2) That said, I am finding these Gap cords surprisingly comfortable! http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=1105690020802&cid=1043415&locale=en_US 3) Title Nine clothes -- expensive but worth it! Non-frumpy activewear. http://www.titlenine.com/?cvosrc=ppc.google.title%20ix%20clothing&cvo_campaign=BR_Search_TitleNine_GOOG&cvo_crid=88479622993&Matchtype=b&code=PPCGBT9&gclid=Cj0KEQjwkqKxBRCIrK_riNm13Z8BEiQAdzdVkHgl44_C9Wf68GGUsT07WtQo77cN_eJuVubN4o0szq0aAogE8P8HAQ

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    1. I did dresses/tights/boots for YEARS for the same reason, but I'm OK with pants/jeans now, and I'm tired of itchy tights by the weekend (I wear them a lot to work bc I have only a couple pairs of work pants, but loads of dresses/skirts)! thanks for the recs for title 9, seem similar to athleta, which has cute casual knit dresses.

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  13. Sorry, just saw your note about looking for boot alternatives. I think Title Nine is your best bet. I have huge and wide feet, so I go directly from sandals to boots each fall because the selection for me is very limited when it comes to cute shoes. :(

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  14. Some one just recommended j Jill cotton tops to me. I too have many old navy knits that have seen better days. I am hoping spending slightly more = last for more than 5 washes.

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