How We Wore It// Can Nursing Moms Still Wear their Favorite Shirts?!

Alright ladies and gents, are you ready for another "How we Wore it?" installment?  A few months ago Brooke emailed me wondering if I would ever want to participate in this fashion collaboration.  I said I ain't no fashion blogger, but yes!  (Our first post is here.)  I had so much fun the first go around that when Brooke invited me again I was like yah no duh.

The idea is several bloggers take a picture of a fashion blogger and we create our own look based off of that.  It doesn't need to mimic it- rather needs to show how we are inspired by the colors, patterns, textures, etc.  Also, inspired is a weird word to use for clothes.  But whatev.

This month's inspiration comes from Little Miss Fearless.  Ain't she purty?

And here's what I did with it...

Special thanks to Aubrey for snapping these pics.

Ummm... it was really windy if you couldn't tell that already.  And my shirt was mighty clingy.  And any time I do "fashion pics" I feel like a big doofus.  Okay I think that's all my disclaimers.

My favorite part about this month's outfit was the shoes.  Strappy sandal wedges are my shoe heaven.  I struggled a little bit with the floral part of it- I didn't know this, but turns out I have not one floral piece in my closet.  I guess I don't like no flowers.

If I'm being honest, I pretty much never wear the shirt I am wearing in this picture anymore.  That's because the neck is too high and it makes it a royal pain in the butt to nurse while I'm wearing that bad boy.  I have felt in a serious fashion rut since I had June and I think that might be part of the issue- I wear basically the same six shirts over and over because they make it convenient to nurse.  When I am at work I nurse in the daycare where there are student aids, so my nursing apparel needs pretty much be ninja style.  I know some people nurse up, meaning they pull their shirt up to nurse, but to me it is so much easier to pull down and just stick a blanket over your chest.  Which basically means I am wearing low cut, cleavage showing shirts every day.  I'm kind of over it.  Any of you nursing women out there figure out how to still wear all your favorite clothes while nursing your babes?

Here are the other ladies that joined in on this month's challenge.  Make sure to check them out and see how they styled the look.

Brooke at Silver Lining

Megan at And Here's to You, Mrs Robinson

Brooklyn at A Little Too Jolley

Laura at Sincerely, Laura

Aubrey at Dreaming About Someday

Kyla at FordOlogy

Kallie at Life Through a Lens

Kaycie at Redhead Memories 

Deidre at Deidre Emme

Confessions of a shopaholic

Hi.  My name is Bonnie and I am a shopaholic.

I've been in denial for years now.

When I moved away to college I promised my parents, "I'll be smart with my money.  I won't buy anything I don't need."  And that was kind of true, because we all know a woman needs 37 pairs of shoes.

When I was on a mission in Argentina we got one day off a week from missionary service.  A day to write home, to buy groceries, to do whatever activity we wanted.  I dragged my companion with me to go shopping almost every time.  Argentine clothes!  They're so cheap and so wonderful!

When Greg married me I told him he had scored big time- "I'm not one of those girls that shops a lot.  Trust me, I won't spend all of our money on blouses and jeans like most girls."  It was a lie.  A bold faced lie.

In August I spent about $100 on clothes for back to school.  I mean, hey, teachers need to buy clothes for going back to school too, right?!  Last week, when the shopping itch overcame me again I tried to fight it.  Tried to fight it, and tried to fight it.  But, you see, there's this pair of shoes that I absolutely must have, and how does anyone live without her favorite shoes?

If there's one thing I know for certain it's that no one likes to be an addict alone... So maybe I can curb my shopping obsession by sharing it with you all?  Ah, it sounds like a brilliant idea!

I introduce you to Spiegel.

The idea is that they take celebrity styles and fashion and make is affordable for everyone.  High fashion with low prices.  Richard Lowe is Spiegel's celebrity designer and creative director.  He has designed for big names like Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Madonna.  Below I've given you a couple of things that are on my must-have list.  If I can't have them, maybe you can have them and you can feed my shopping addiction.  Parasitical shopping- it's genius!  I suppose it would still be possible for me to live a happy life without buying everything on my wish list, but the shoes?  OH THE SHOES!  Happiness depends on me owning those shoes!

THE SHOES!  Ballet style espadrille

Mariana Necklace and Earring set

Sleeveless Shift Dress

Solid Pencil Skirt

Jabot Blouse

Jenna Cardigan

And now, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for sharing in my shopping addiction.  Everything is better with a friend, right?

This post is sponsored by Spiegel.

Peace, love, and fireworks

Two fashion posts in a row, by golly, what is going on?  Is this blog out of its freaking mind?

But seriously.  Aren't fashion posts just the weirdest?  Like hmmm... I wore clothes today.  Let's take pictures of the clothes and put them on the public internet so even the people I didn't see that day can see the clothes I wore.  It's weird, admit it.  I am just barely getting to the point where I am even 10% comfortable taking "fashion pictures".  The truth is I have never been great at dressing myself and mostly I just feel like a fraud.

BUT.  I do love dressing for the fourth of July.  I adore it.  Here's the problem.  Blue and red are colors that go fantastic together.  Especially bright red and navy blue.  They are just a stunning combination.  But if I wear them together any other day of the year I look like a giant walking advertisement for America.  So I can't.  Those beautiful colors are strictly forbidden to be worn together except for on one glorious day... THE FOURTH.

Shirt: Forever 21 (similar here), Skirt: Banana Republic (similar here), Necklace: c/o Very Jane, Sunglasses: H&M, Shoes: Target (Similar here)

Greg and I climbed up on that roof and watched those fireworks like it was nobody's business.  That's the kind of people we are.

Now answer me this: Is there anything in this world greater than the fourth of July?

For your weekend reading:

+ One year later, I still struggle with this goal to be more "real" in my writing.
+ Some of you girls are on the prowl, so I wrote a sweet little diddy about how to catch a husband.  You're welcome.
+ Last July I wrote this bad boy about Mormons.  It is to date my number one most viewed post.  And to think, it was all triggered by the Bachelorette!
+ I'm planning on hitting the sponsorship hard in July and August- get my blog some good exposure.  I wrote this last summer about blog sponsorship.  There is so much I could add to it now!
+ I cannot get enough of this sweet blog.  It is totally sincere and totally real.  She makes me want to eat healthy and be kind to others and have a baby.  NOW.  This week, her 6 tips for better instagrams was my favorite. (Not sponsored- I just totally love this blog.)

HOW TO BE HOT.

HOW TO LOOK HOT NO MATTER WHAT YOU'RE DOING

BY THE LIFE OF BON

I feel bad for anybody who doesn't look one hundred percent rocking 24/7.  I have the whole fashion thing down pat so I figured it's time to share my knowledge with the blogging world.  You all are clearly in need of an expert.  The Daybook, watch out, I'm taking over your reign as cutest fashion blogger ever!

In the above picture I am playing tennis with Hubs.  My outfit is very stylin as you can tell.  To copy this outfit you will need the following:

1.  A pair of ambiguous pants.  Are they long pants?  No... not quite.  Shorts?  No, not that either.  Capris?  Too baggy for that.  WHAT IN SAM'S HILL ARE THEY?  Guess we'll never know which makes them that much cuter!  Remember, the more confused people are by your look, the cuter it is!

(Answer:  They are Hubs' shorts.  And if you think it's pretty messed up that I have the same size of waist as Hubs, you are not alone.)

2. A big, brown, bulky belt.  None of these cute, skinny belts.  No cool colors like blue or orange- you will need just a big brown clunker.  This makes your waist look bigger than normal, which as we all know, is the perfect complement to any look.

3.  A shirt that is too tight for you.  Although you can't see it in this picture, a tight grey T-shirt is the best thing to wear when participating in any physical activity.  It allows for maximum under arm sweat stains that everyone can see when you raise your arms.  Tacos=the new trend in fashion.  Try to keep up, will you?

4.  Neon shoelaces.  The whole outfit should be a very blah, somber color EXCEPT the shoelaces.  Look for a gray or black outfit and then add a bit of neon to really confuse everybody who looks at you.  In my case I chose neon pink.  Neon green and neon blue are also great.  If you're really daring you can try polka dotted or striped shoelaces to really set you apart from the crowd.

5.  Don't forget the hair barrette clipped to your pocket and the alien looking sunglasses.  These accessories really complete the outfit.  Remember, confusion=cuteness.

There you have it, folks!  How to look like a million bucks no matter what you are up to.  I'm full of stylish advice and wisdom so make sure to check back often to see all my super cute looks!  Next week I might even show you the sweats, flip flops, and bandana that I wear when I wash my car. 

I HOPE YOU HAVE A MISERABLE FOURTH

Oh... sorry about that title.

I don't know what got over me.

What I mean to say is....


HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

This was us last year, chillaxing on the roof, watching fireworks, and loving life.

Ah, that Hubs!  Always making me laugh!

And in case you were wondering what I wore in Argentina on the Fourth of July, here it is, folks!  It doesn't get much cuter than this, does it?  Which makes me wonder, why don't I do a fashion blog?!?

I am grateful to live in America because of:

- Freedom of Religion
- Freedom of Speech
- Freedom to vote in my president
- Public education- to be a student of it and then a teacher of it
- Honest policeman, judges, and juries (for the most part)
and of course...
- Freedom to have a bloggy blog about whatever I want!