Being an Adult is Hard Reason #34- Also, I am Lame

This weekend I had an unexpected free pass. Meaning, my husband took the girls to the ranch for the weekend. I was left with a quiet house and a free weekend. When I heard about my bonus free time, one of the first things I thought was "Woo hoo, I can finally go to Ikea." Sad. Sadder was when I went to Ikea and found every other person in the City of Houston, no, make that the entire county shopping for items. One reason I rarely go to Ikea is the feeling of being trapped in a labyrinth of cheap home stuff, but you can't turn back and you just have to push through to the end. This trip was no different, except I didn't find one item to buy. Sure, they had a few things I'm considering. But, I felt like if I made it through the maze with the million other people there, I should be rewarded with something-anything. Nada. Sad, lame, boring me.
Tell me you do something equally boring when you have some alone time. Please, make me feel better!

Friday Favorite- Shark Christmas Ornament

I am fascinated by sharks. I love learning about them, love Shark Week, love swimming with sharks. My parents know my obsessions with sharks and brought back the best souvenir ever, a shark ornament. Oh my Lord, I love it! The best ornament ever. Even better that they gave it to me on the first day of Shark Week. I believe they found it on Mauai. I can't wait to hang it on my tree. I love it so much that I've displayed it on my mantel from the minute I received it and I haven't taken it down yet. No, I don't collect sharks, but this HAD to be displayed.

Friday Favorite- Shark Christmas ornament.

Wardrobe Renovation

A few months ago, my friend Heidi asked me to go shopping with her and help her find new clothes. You don’t have to ask me twice. Heidi just had her second baby and is in a self-admitted clothing rut. She doesn’t necessarily fit into what she used to, but doesn’t have a clear direction of where she wants to go. Her needs may also change depending on whether she gets a promotion. As an aside Heidi is an FBI agent. Is that not the coolest job ever? She’s a wicked great shot, so watch out!

I suggested getting a few ideas out first before we go shopping. My "advice" got so long, I figured I would make it into a post instead of just an email. Everyone knows the basic list of what you need- trench, LBD, etc. Since I’m playing fashion stylist, my first piece of advice is

Know what you need and want BEFORE going shopping.
If you know what you need to buy before you go shopping, you will be less likely to buy pieces you never wear. This requires that you really think about your wardrobe. Look at the pieces you like to wear and feel fabulous in-what is the common thread. Are they all skirts? All in the same color family, is it the fit you like? Then build off of that. For instance, I prefer to wear skirts and dresses. I know I gravitate toward skirts and dresses, so I concentrate on finding pieces that will work with skirts and dresses. I also know that pencil skirts are the best fit for me. You might like A-line skirts or a skirt with a fuller or higher cut, try everything on to see what works best.

Know Your Uniform
When I met Tim Gunn, he mentioned uniforms and how they are sometimes a good thing. His uniform is a suit. Always. Mine is definitely a skirt or dress with pumps. Just like I love skirts and dresses, I also love shoes. There is usually one part of getting dressed that people like. Some enjoy accessories, some shoes, etc. Find your thing and emphasize that. In addition to skirts and dresses I love accessories-all accessories, especially belts and necklaces. So, I make sure I incorporate those into my daily outfits.

Find your Inspiration
There are celebrities and movie characters that we naturally gravitate to-Who are your models? Is there an actress or a TV show that you like? I go classic- Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, The Notebook, Mad Men. I like Jessica Alba’s style…Cut put pictures, magazines, catalogs, even color combinations that you are drawn to and post it in your closet like Susan suggests. That way you’ll be inspired when you get dressed.

Now that you know what you love and what you think works on you-Branch Out.
It’s time to get uncomfortable. This doesn't mean purchasing a pair of 5 inch heels, just go a bit outside your comfort zone. For example, Heidi does not like wearing skirts or dresses. You better believe that I am going to force her to purchase at least one dress. I suggest a nice jersey wrap dress like this one from Banana Republic- they are wonderful.

The wrap dress is perfect for work, but works equally well for parties, dates, and events. I also love dresses like this one and this one from Nordstrom that can be easily transitioned from day to night. And, by the way, fit beautifully. Heidi is not comfortable in a lot of pattern, so I think the addition of a patterned or colored (purple, green?) shoe and belt would really expand her wardrobe options.

Find a few pieces you like and play around
Women do not need Granimals. Find a few basic pieces and mix and match-that’s the fun part of fashion. Someone else may wear the wrap dress above with yellow tights. No way am I showing up to work with yellow tights, but a yellow cardigan or blazer with a black belt yes. Or, even a yellow necklace or scarf. Beware of the matchy-matchy. Keep your combination pieces separated in the closet so you are encouraged to wear in multiple ways. I shy away from buying suits because of the natural tendency to only wear that jacket with those bottoms.

Don’t buy all at once
You may feel like you are ready to buy, buy, buy! While good in theory and on TV, you may end up with too many trendy pieces and not enough substance. I suggest purchasing a few items to start with and slowly adding every month or 2 or 3, or more depending on what your budget allows.

I believe that when you are happy with the way you look, you are more confident and effective. I hope this has been helpful. Are there any additional shopping tools/tips you would give to a friend looking for a wardrobe revamp? Other great sites to look for wardrobe revamp advice: Corporette; Cupcakes and Cashmere; She's Still Got It; and Kate's I Take Pictures in the Bathroom.

The Internet is Kind of Rad

I'm sure your reader is full of BlogHer updates. It sounds like a huge, fun, and educational conference. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go this year (but I'm excited about going to Bloggy Boot Camp in October and Mom 2.0 in April). Truthfully, I was a little bitter when everybody started tweeting about the fun they were having. But, then Backpacking Dad started tweeting about HomeHer10 and y'all, it was fun! It started as nothing more than a pretend/unconference for those of us stuck at home. Basically tweets about attending sessions on cleaning, dinner, and bath time instead of blog marketing and blog techniques, you know, real topics. Mochadad also started a fake conference for the male bloggers, BlogHim, which was an equally imaginary tongue in cheek "unconference." HomeHer was a Twitter joke, until sponsors came, and then there were tshirts and prizes, and all sorts of fun. It is amazing what the power of social media can accomplish. Just last week a powerful demonstration of social media came in the form of the Tweetathon Unmarketing held for Catherine's nephew Tanner. It was amazing to watch as thousands of people donated a little, a lot, a dollar until the total reached $25,000. I donated, and hope you did too. What really impressed me me was how quickly the Internet spread the word and raised over $25,000 for Tanner. I also watched on Twitter as Catherine tweeted about her journey (and Tanner and his mom) from Canada to New York. I'm sure there will be tons of places to get the actual events, but let's just say that the travel from Canada to NYC was all kinds of NOT Good that resulted in a broken wheelchair. I think Air Canada certainly learned the power of social media this weekend and fortunately made the trip back home to Canada amazing for Tanner and his family.

Some people don't understand the power of blogs, or why people are on Twitter. It's the connections. The stories, and Tanner's story is an excellent example of the power of the blogging and social media community. How awesome are these connections we make. How amazingly powerful this community can be. Just rad.

Love Bubbles Over

"Look, mommy, I made a heart."

I love how my kids remind me to step back and just Be. To appreciate the little things, like holding bubbles. That's what matters. I hope we all take time for more bubble baths, more hearts, and more Love. Happy Love Thursday everyone.

Texas Summer-The Heat is On

The summer is in full force. We are used to unbearably, oppressively hot summers in Houston. Fortunately earlier this summer was pretty rainy, so the heat wasn't too bad. Now? Now it is as hot as Hell. No hotter, like Hell times a grillion.* I've been thinking about one of our favorite spots to go in the Summer-a little piece of the Guadalupe River by our friends' ranch property. We 've spent time at this river spot wasting away many summer days before our girls were born. Now we take them to this spot to learn how to skip rocks and fish. Just looking at the shady trees and water make me feel a little cooler. Also, now I kind of want some BBQ. The heat is really messing with my mind!

*It's so hot that I am seriously considering cutting several inches of my hair just to get an extra degree or two cooler-and I look terrible with short hair.

I Like to Move It, Move It

Jen asked for music suggestions yesterday on twitter. Of course, I couldn't stay quiet because I think I have one of the best running/work-out playlists out there. Being the giving person I am, I decided to share some of my playlist with you. I should warn you that if you don't like being the person singing and dancing while you work out, this list may not be for you. I don't mind getting the crazy looks because they are just jealous that they don't have my awesome playlist. Hmph.


The best Running/Work-out playlist ever (at least I think so).


How Low- Ludacris (a/k/a the world's most perfect work-out song ever)
Outta Your Mind-Lil Jon feat LMFAO
Hot n Fun -NERD feat N. Furtado
Carry-Out- Timbaland feat. Justin Timberlake
Young Forever-Jay Z feat Mr. Hudson
Footloose- Kenny Loggins
Yeah- Usher
Shake Your Tailfeather- Nelly, Diddy, et al
What Them Girls Like- Ludacris
Run this Town- Jay-Z, Rihanna
Empire State of Mind- Jay-Z feat Alicia Keys
Knock You Down- Keri Hilson
Gold Digger- Kanye
Stronger- Kanye
Say Hey (I Love You)
Imma Be- Black Eye Peas
Lets' Get this Party Started- Black Eye Peas
Love Shack -B-52s
Britney Spears- All of It. Oh yes.
Jai Ho-Slumdog Soundtrack
Welcome to the Jungle
Lose Yourself- Eminem
My Name Is- Emimen
Funky Cold Medina-Tone Loc
It Takes Two- Rob Bass& DJ EZ Rock *(Thanks, Anonymous!)
Shot through The Heart- Bon Jovi
Living on a Prayer- Bon Jovi
Party in the USA- Miley Cyrus (Shut Up, it's good)
You Give Love a Bad Name-Bon Jovi
Walk this Way- Run DMC
Buttons- PCD feat Snoop Dogg
Whataya Want from Me- Adam Lambert
If I Had You- Adam Lambert
My Life Would Suck Without You- Kelly Clarkson
Telephone- Lady Gaga & Beyonce
Sexy Back- Justin Timberlake
Crazy in Love- Beyonce & Jay-Z
Irreplaceable- Beyonce


I didn't give you the whole list, but take a look at that list and tell me that those songs are not going to make you move it, move it. In fact, I'm grooving in my chair right now. You're just jealous!