DRESS FOR THE DAY YOU WANT TO HAVE

Typical SAHM garb:

Yoga pants or leggings.

Comfy sweater/sweatshirt.

Flats.

Messy Bun.

Minimal makeup.

ALLLLLL THE DRY SHAMPOO.

Mayyyyybe skinny jeans on a good day.

I had fallen into the habit of not getting myself ready in the morning. I “nobly” spent my mornings doing more important things.

Excuses.

I found myself texting my husband when I got to his office with a protein shake, “I’m here. Can you come out to the parking lot?”  Y’all know why. All those girls working at his office looked amazeballs. And I didn’t want them to see my handsome husband’s wife looking like Oscar the grouch.

And I felt like crap about it! 70% of the time I never went on to “get ready” even later in the day because I felt like I wouldn’t see anyone who cared. But then I would get jealous of the cute moms with their actual styled hair and cute little outfits in the preschool pickup line.

Hmmmmm. This is silly, I would think. I should just get ready in the mornings.

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite bloggers, Crystal Paine, challenged her readers to “dress for the day you want to have.”

That was basically exactly what I was NOT doing.

It hit me in a new way that if I wanted to feel put together, productive, confident, and serious about the work I do as a writer/speaker/entrepreneur/MOMMY, I needed to spend a little time getting myself ready in the mornings.

It is a ridiculously minimal time sacrifice:

1. Throw on something cute. (4 minutes tops)
2. Add an accessory. (1 minute)
3. STILL USE ALL THE DRY SHAMPOO. Tease that hair up and make it look fresh! (3 minutes —The QCMB put together a guide on how to wash your hair less but still make it look good!)
4. Slide on some makeup while the kids watch Netflix. (4-5 minutes)
5. Slip on some high heeled boots. (1 minute)

BOOM! Now if I happen to run into the hot preschool moms at Target, I no longer slip by hoping they don’t recognize me. I mean, you never know when JK Rowling or Justin Timberlake or insert your fav celeb here will come to the Quad Cities and shop at Aldi, you know?!

I’ve been getting healthier on the inside too by eating better and working out again, and I almost feel like an entirely different person. I’m no longer an exercising-mom poser in my workout clothes! I signed up for a half marathon and I’m following a plan with some friends. These decisions are changing my life.

(And actually leading me down a career path I never would have foreseen. I’m studying to become a health coach because I want to help people find the best version of themselves, too. It’s way too important not to share.)

I’ve spent a little money trying to create a capsule wardrobe and it’s like,  fun to pick out my outfits in the morning. What the what?! This is coming from a girl to whom fashion does not come intuitively.

Hear me girls: If you want to keep wearing yoga pants, I GET IT! They’re comfy, practical, and some of you make them look so stinking adorable it’s not even funny!

But for me, I’m getting roughly 2050 more things done each day. And I feel 20449 times better doing them.

The way you present yourself changes the way you feel about the value you bring to the world!

Let’s make time to take care of ourselves, moms. Our jobs are vitally important to the world and I think we should feel as BA as we are.

Disclosure: I still have I-forgot-to-set-my-alarm days where I wear throw my hair up and basically wear my pajamas and slink away from the hot moms, okay? So don’t hold me accountable.