What I Wore: Meaning Business

You guys, I really feel like I mean business when I wear power dresses like this one. 

I saw this dress and had to have it, but couldn't bear to pay full price (it was around $100 and I don't wear dresses enough to justify that). So imagine my smugness when I realized it was on sale for $29 and only available in my size. 

That means you've been living your life right, my friends. 

Dress: Paper Dolls via Dorothy Perkins (Of course it's sold out now, but I have a few Paper Doll dresses and they are so fun. I totally love this one and this one and this amazingness for plus sizes. Pencil dresses with a sleeve are my jam/unicorn, so when I find a brand that does them consistently, I become a psychotic groupie. 

Shoes: Windsor and a gift from my husband who enables me (similar and so pretty) (similar)

Earrings: Seriously, from a TJ Maxx or something in San Diego. (similar) (pretty and cheap just the way I like it heh heh heh.

Speaking of meaning business, you guys, I have a conundrum here and looking for some input. 

I'm self-employed and work in what mostly amounts to marketing. I'm a marketing writer, and companies hire me to do things like blogs, press releases, ebooks, articles, and other things that make them look fancy. I just finished rewriting an entire company's onboarding manual, which sounds boring to other people, but fills me with actual glee. GLEE. I love using my writing skillz (yes, with a 'z') but still getting to be an active participant in the corporate world. 

I LOVE my job. Love like you would not believe. I meet the most amazing people and get to be part of really great, young, hip teams (I work with a lot of startups who aren't ready to hire a full-time creative writer) and so I'm never willing to scale back. I'm busy all the time and deadlines rule my life, and I love every second of it.

When I started freelancing for work, I had no idea how things would snowball from being a little hobby business that brought in a little side money to an actual, viable career that takes up most of my time and energy.

That being said, some things have to slide when my work schedule is packed. Honestly, I use a paper planner and have deadlines scheduled out two weeks in advance and you've probably noticed that my blog has suffered a little bit.

But here's the thing. This blog is a hobby. It's a vanity project. I put up pictures of myself and write funny things and everyone pats me on the head and believe me, that's definitely fun. But when I started this blog, it was a creative outlet for when I was working in another part of marketing and not getting to write as much as I do now. In fact, I was on the training side of things and had to be on-call and at my computer all the time, so sure, a blog was a no brainer. I was bored and in front of a screen all day. But nowadays, sometimes posting just feels like another item on my to-do list and that's kind of an icky feeling. 

I'm not saying I'm scrapping this thing altogether. I love the visitors that come to the site and those who comment frequently are like, the lifeblood of a little blog like this (and you know who you are!) I do, however, need to lighten up the posting schedule a little bit, though. From now on, I'll be posting when I actually have something to say, which might not be three times a week, you know?

You can't be too sad. There's eleventy billion other fashion bloggers who do it better than I do. 

Instead of posting as regularly as before to this blog, I'll be opening a fashion-only Instagram account @nomoremomjeans and upload pics, outfits, snippets, and snark over there. You can always follow me @jae.curtis, but that's my personal account and you're more liable to get pictures of my kids and dog as you are shoes. I never post outfit pics to my personal account, but plan on doing that over @nomoremomjeans. So it's a start, right?

What do you guys think? Good compromise from now? I feel like I'll be able to post waaaaay more on IG since it takes two seconds. Also, every time I'm out shopping and see ugly things I feel like I want to share that special moment with you. So this should work. 

Again, you guys are the best readers evaaaaaar and I plan on doin' what I do, just not as frequently. That was a weird sentence to type. 

xo,
Jae 

What I Wore: Something Old, Something New

I was looking at this outfit and I realized that all the pieces I'm wearing are very old – except for the jacket, which is a new addition. And I bought a small and when I got home I realized it was a little oversized, so I endured an internal struggle over whether or not to send it back for a smaller size, but in the end, I decided I actually loved the oversized fit. As one of my friends pointed out, it's very Tori from Saved by the Bell and I'm not hatin' it. 

I've been wearing it and pushing people into lockers evvvvvverywhere lately. 

The other stuff though? They're just basics that made it through my latest round of closet purging. 

Jacket: Calvin Klein (here and on sale!)

Tee: Abound (here and still my favorite basic v-necks)

Skirt: F21 many moons ago. I can't remember the last time I shopped there. (similar and super cheap) (this might be this season's incarnation of mine)

Shoes: Steve Madden (similar)

Necklace: Cara via Nordstrom (mine is sold out but here's a pretty close dupe) (cheaper)

I cycle through clothes pretty fast (I know, you're shocked) so it's nice to have some old favorites still making the cut. It makes me feel good about my clothes-buying abilities. 

What I Wore: Recharged

I had two loooong naps over the weekend and I can't lie: It was glorious. Now I'm ready to tackle the week. Until Wednesday, when I will become very tired and require more naps. Funny how that works, right?

Seriously though, there's something to be said for a recharging weekend like that. We went out to dinner, took the kids to the arcade, rented a movie. When I was like, 19, I would have thought it was boring. Now I'm like "Pleaaaase can we just stay inside and watch a movie?" Putting the kids to bed and watching 22 Jump Street is basically my dream date now.

Anyway, this is what I wore on Saturday, which was ideal for both napping and eating. 

Top: Calvin Klein (here) (I also have this one in black and love it.) 

Jacket: Stoosh via Nordstrom (no longer available. I can't tell if it sold out fast or this brand just rotates through product really quickly) (similar) (super obsessed with this one)

Jeans: Calvin Klein (here)

Boots: Ardene - Canada (similar) (similar)

Bag: Coach (here) After a few weeks with this bag, I can say I'm definitely a fan. It's massive inside, so I can carry things like my Kindle, my obscene lip gloss collection, and an old-school planner. Yaaas. 

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will say that I got rid of the boots and wore moccasins to the arcade because come on, who wears heels to the arcade? My children would be happy to report, however, that they each came home with a pair of fuzzy dice, a dinosaur model, and a recorder for the low, low price of $20, my sanity, and about a gallon of hand sanitizer in the car.

The arcade is gross.

I just bundled the kids off to the bus, so now it's all work and Pandora from here on out. (Right now I'm listening to an instrumental version of Hotel California.)

Mondays really aren't so bad sometimes.

What I Wore: Black on Black

Yesterday, as I was cleaning up from breakfast, I sent my daughter to run up and have a quick shower before church. By the time I got upstairs, not only had she showered, she also drew herself a luxurious bath, using up all the hot water in the house.

So, because we had to sit around and wait for the water to warm up again for everyone's  shower, we were definitely late. And when I'm late, I default to monochromatic colors, and natural hair texture. When I blow dry my hair without a round brush, it grows to gospel country singer proportions and I have to get it under control. Still, it's way faster than the whole flat iron routine, even if we just called it a wash and skipped the first part of church anyway.

Eh, you win some, you lose some.

Top: Calvin Klein (here) (similar) (hahahaha)
Skirt: Freebird (similar) (similar)

Shoes: Steve Madden (similar) (so cute)

Watch 

So basically, this is great for any occasion where you think you're going to be late, but you're so late you decide to can it. 

I think we've all been there, right?

What I Wore: Back on Track

Yay I'm working on my fancy new computer. My techie brother-in-law came to set it all up on Friday night while his wife  and I gossiped, ate Cosmos popcorn (seriously you guys that stuff) and watched Brooklyn Nine-Nine so I feel like that was a fair trade-off. 

Also I vowed not to eat over my new keyboard and then remembered that vow after I was polishing off my second piece of toast this morning... over my keyboard. One day I'll learn. 

Speaking of food because it's 100 percent my favorite subject, I wore this outfit when we went to celebrate the New Year with copious amounts of food at Tucano's, which is one of those Brazilian BBQ places where they just carve meat onto your plate at regular intervals. Starting the year off with a belly full of steak just seemed right. 

Top: Vince Camuto (here in red) (short sleeve) (plus)

Jacket: Target foreeeeever ago (similar) (similar)

Jeans: Calvin Klein (here)

Boots: Frye (here) (similar) (love this brand)

Necklace: Nordstrom (similar)

Now that it's 12 days into 2015 (and I had my steak fix) I got back to eating the way I normally do, when shortbread cookies, homemade caramels and meatballs aren't a constant distraction. I hate to be the typical "New Year, New You" person, but there is something to be said for hitting the reset button after giving yourself plenty of leeway over the holidays. 

Last April(ish) I acknowledged that I could no longer eat the diet of a teenage boy and over the course of three months (!!) got rid of 20 pounds and actually maintained for the rest of the year. Knowing how to eat and plan my workouts this time around, I feel soooo much better about getting back to my regular routine. 

On Wednesday, I'll talk a little about why I decided to make the change and how it was super easy and not restrictive at all, so check back then, k? It'll be fun and not preachy, I promise. 

What I Wore: Arrested Development

Let it be know that this is a post about stunted growth, and not about Arrested Development the show. Which I really loved. Until that Netflix-produced last season, which was terrible. But everything before that. I positively worship Lucille as a matriarch. And loose seals as antagonists.

And if you never watched, you'd have no idea what I'm talking about.

But, luckily, this post is just about me looking very short and clinging to things I thought were cool in like, 1999. Do you ever find yourself doing that? You loved something when you were younger, but for whatever reason it was off-limits, so you end up overdoing it as an adult? I have four brothers, so growing up I never shopped or did anything very girly. I played sports and shared clothes with one of my younger brothers. I wore a lot of backwards hats also and rode bikes.

I'm girlier now and am way on the other side of the shopping spectrum, which I suspect there's probably some psycho-babble about me making up for lost time as a kid or something like that.

But I still love dressing like a tomboy sometimes. And I'm still more comfortable around men than women. And I wear a lot of ball caps, but never backwards. But last time I rode a bike at my parents' house, I fell off of it in front of traffic. So I'll just stick to the clothes.

Top: Victoria's Secret (here) I've bought like, 90 of these recently because they're super comfy and I like the fit. Size down, though, this was an XS. And it was way cheaper in store (if you live in Utah County, the Riverwoods store is your best bet).

Pants: Calvin Klein (here) I'm taking one of my oldest friends shopping for her bday today and these jeans are on the top of the list. I'm on my 3rd pair. 

Shoes - can I call them kicks? They're totally kicks. Nike (here in gray)

Watch: XOXO (similar)

Studs: F21

I've been living in these Nikes over the break, just because they were so comfy and paired up with jeans and leather pants in the perfect tomboy way. What can I say? I've never matured past my 16-year-old self.

I also still giggle when people say "balls." 

What I Wore: Drizzly Christmas

Yay! Christmas is over and my house is totally wrecked, but I'm exactly where I want to be: Logging some special personal time with my computer and recapturing my usual routine. I'm not quite there yet, since the kids are still home, but it's some semblance of normalcy. As always, I love the holidaus, but I really super love normalcy. And being at my computer. And not interacting with other human beings except through email.

I swear I'm a really nice person.

The week before Christmas I was in full-throttle errand mode, but it was rainy and drizzly and generally awful the whole week. This hat saved me from having wet hair all week long, and for that, it's become a cherished addition to my closet. I am fiercely loyal to accessories that save me from frizz.

This was me headed out for a day of Costco-ing and erranding. While in the checkout lane at Costco, there was another mom with two kids about the same age as mine in front of me. She was like "Okay, so you have two, and I have two, and yet you're the only one out of the two of us actually dressed today." I laughed and told her "Hey, it's all relative. Any other day it could be the other way around!" She was actually adorable and I wanted to hang out with her if that wasn't totally weird.

Hat: Kate Landry (I went on a hat-trying-on rampage in the fall and this is the only one that actually looked decent on me. Dang you, heart-shaped face that looks weird in anything but trucker hats!!) (similar) (similar)

Top: Suzy Shier - Canada (similar) (plus)

Jeans: Calvin Klein (here)

Boots: White Mountain (here) Yup I basically wear these every day, everywhere. 

Also I'm not wearing any accessories because it was like, the 23rd and I don't need an arm party to go to Costco. 

After our super drizzly pre-Christmas week, we promptly got about two feet of snow on Christmas Day, which was magical at first and now it's already like "Yeah you can stop being magical now." Good thing I moved to a state that is specifically known for its snow, right? 

Anyway, check back on Wednesday for the annual Christmas Dish and some resolutions for this year! For instance, I ate an entire loaf of Kneaders cinnamon bread on Christmas because, and I'm quoting myself talking to my husband here, "I'll regret it if I don't." So I resolve to not do that again. 

What I Wore: Making it Official

Ack! There's only three days until Christmas, people. I have a lot to do. I have to go to Costco today, for goodness sake. COSTCO. I have an unnatural fear of Costco as it is, so Costco during the holidays practically brings me to my knees.

So I'll make this short and sweet and then make myself scarce until things calm down.

I had my swearing-in ceremony on Friday for my citizenship and it was actually a pretty cool experience. No offense or anything, but I was less interested in swearing to bear arms for the United States, and way more interested in the people who were in the room with me. There were 35 naturalized citizens from 19 different countries, and the person officiating called out each country in turn, and all those from that country stood up. For Utah, the diversity was pretty astounding: There were people from Burma, Sudan, Vietnam, South Korea, Honduras, Russia... and three of us from Canada (for some reason, I thought there'd be more). I sat next to a man from Alberta and we chatted with our other seatmates, who were from Mexico and Vietnam, while we waited. By the time the ceremony was over, I honestly felt like they were all my new BFFs, despite age and language barriers.

I'm now the very proud owner of a handy naturalized citizen certificate, and a bunch of new friends that I met over the past couple of weeks. They separate the immigrants from their families for the ceremony, and there's a lot of waiting, so mostly you just sit and talk with the other people there. And everyone is super nice and friendly and humble, and really, isn't that just the kind of person you want immigrating here? I'm probably prouder to identify with that group of people than anything else. 

Also, the oath they make you take is very long and I think I screwed it up. Otherwise, it was very interesting and I'm very very glad I never have to deal with immigration ever again.

I wore this. For obvious reasons.

Top: PattyBoutik (here) (similar)

Pants: Calvin Klein (similar) (plus)

Scarf: David & Young (similar) (cheap)

Jacket: Guess...sorry I basically wear it every day (similar) (love this one!)

Boots: Frye (here and a pretty good price!) (these are super cute)

Aaaand one without the jacket so you can see the adorable buttons this shirt has down the side. I just tucked my scarf into the cowl of the top. It ended up being kiiiind of perfect. You know, if you were looking for outfit ideas for your naturalization ceremony. 

Man, this $15 David & Young scarf (I got it from Nordstrom a few years ago) has really come in handy. You know, if you're part of that strong ex-pat living in the United States market. 

Alright, I'm signing off for the holidays. Thanks to everyone's kind words during this whole weird process and thanks for being readers that I consider friends. Find me a blogger who a has a cooler reader base and I'll show you a liar. I win that contest forever and ever.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, guys! Check back next week and we'll dish about it all. 

xo,
Jae 

What I Wore: Early Bird

I would just like to take this moment to announce that I am officially done Christmas shopping. It might not sound like a big deal to people who are actually organized and have a plan, but for me, it's major. I was having lunch with friends last week and they were pointing out my weird way of Christmas shopping: I literally just throw things in my cart and sort through them when I get home. 

I also get really surprised when I order things online and then forget about them. On Saturday, my husband and I made our last big purchase and declared ourselves done, and then I went through my bank account and was like "OH CRAP I forgot we ordered snowboards for the kids." 

Of course, despite finishing Christmas shopping early on Saturday, I slept until 8:20 and was very late on Sunday. I can only do so much, you know? I was so glad I had an easy dress to throw on as I dashed around and shrieked at my family. 

Dress: Tribal (similar)

Jacket: Guess (similar) (similar) I had rolled up my sleeves to keep them out of the way while I put something in the oven and forgot to roll them down again. Let's pretend it was on purpose. 

Boots (I had planned on heels and then we got like, six inches of snow) Dollhouse (here) (similar) (if you prefer a wedge)

Earrings: From my mama (similar)

My main goal was to get shopping done early this year so I had a week to unwind before Christmas kicks in, but I just looked at my calendar and it doesn't seem like it's going to happen. Plus, my husband routinely has an episode on December 23rd when he becomes convinced that we haven't gotten our kids enough and will go and get more. 

Ah, t'is the season! 

What I Wore: I'll Have a Faux Christmas

My family is all over the world right now: I have one brother holding down the fort in our hometown (watching the familial dogs, natch) one in Japan with his wife and her family, one in England for school (and complaining about the food) and one in Vancouver. And unfortunately, no one is going to be home for Christmas this year, so my parents came down to pre-game and throw a faux Christmas with my kids for the whole last week.

We used to call it "fake Christmas" but my mom didn't like it. 

It's funny, because I feel like it should be like, December 24th already: We've done all of our holiday traditions in one week so I'm confused. Yesterday, we did a full present exchange, complete with the part where I fall asleep on the couch while my mom cooks an enormous ham dinner. It was glorious. We've also seen lights at Temple Square, done a crazy amount of shopping and played with my kids' Zoomer Dinos (from Gigi and Poppy) for roughly eight hours yesterday. 

One of them nuzzled me and I've developed feelings for it. Her name is Zoe.

Anyway, this is what I wore for our day of faux Christmas merrymaking on Friday. We headed up to Salt Lake to shop at City Creek, have dinner and see the lights. And remind myself why I live in the middle of nowhere because I don't like people or public bathrooms.

It was blissfully balmy, which was new: Usually you're rubbing up against strangers in Temple Square in an effort to stay warm. I only wore a green military jacket over this at night; otherwise, I got to go coatless and it was lovely for December. 

Top: kensie (here and on sale!)  (I really wanted it in leopard but everything I own is leopard so my friend bought it instead and I can still love it from afar. That's a good friend.)

Pants: Calvin Klein (here). I lost a couple sizes and my beloved H&M leather pants don't fit anymore so I had to buy new ones because life without a pair of leather pants basically isn't worth living. Also these have an elastic waistband. AN ELASTIC WAISTBAND.

Shoes: Call it Spring (sold out, sad) (similar) (similar)

Necklace, yes I'm wearing it again I can't stop: Cara, via Nordstrom (here) (cheaper option)

Watch, on sale!! 

My parents go home tomorrow and I guess we'll go back to celebrating mainstream Christmas which is like, a hipster's nightmare. And THEN!! I have my citizenship interview this week, because nothing says holiday spirit like getting grilled on questions Americans don't even know the answers to. After the 10th, I'll either be primed to be American or being deported, so get ready for that.

Hey, I might be home for Christmas after all. 

What I Wore: Burnout

How was everyone's Thanksgiving week? I'm not gonna lie, I was in pure burnout mode last night. After five straight days of family festivities, all I wanted to do was hide in a quiet room and read a book by myself. Which I totally did, by the way. 

I also came down with a cold over the week, which means I have a man voice low enough to impress Barry White himself. I have three conference calls tomorrow and I can't wait for my client to be like "No, I needed to talk to Jae the woman." 

Shopping-wise, I did OK. I'm already Cyber Mondaying it up but I don't feel as prepped as I usually do at this point in time. My parents are flying in the day after tomorrow, so I plan on dragging my mom around to every store in the valley until I feel like I'm done. Or burned out. 

Top: Adrienne (local boutique) I'm obsessed with this green! (similar) (similar)

Skirt: Arden B. (from like, three Christmases ago) (cute and cheap!) (plus omg so cute)

Shoes: Steve Madden can you tell they're blue? (similar) (similar)

Necklace, which I bought Saturday and am super excited about (here)

I looked polished and put-together yesterday, but never fear: Burnout has a way of finding me in my husband's pajama pants, a bun and glasses come Monday morning. I just need to get my hermit on for a couple of days and I'll be fine.

Tis the season, right? 

What I Wore: Snow Leopard

My husband's an architect, right? So sometimes, I tag along when he has to go meet with clients on consults or whatever. Not all the time, because that would be weird and clingy, but on Friday night he had to go meet with someone about restoring an old cabin like, 90 miles away so I went with.

We met the guy and then followed him up to his place. We drove. And drove. And drove to somewhere I didn't even know existed. Then I started to become worried that the guy was an axe murderer. And it was snowy and cold and we'd get stuck at his cabin and he'd put us in his freezer or something.

I'm typing this now, so obviously it didn't happen. In fact, he was a very nice man and not an axe murderer at all, despite the fact that he did pick up a hatchet near his fireplace to move it over and I was worried for a second there.

Also, it was COLD. I was very happy to be wearing a fat leopard scarf that I could burrow into while my husband was talking about support beams and other riveting stuff.

Top: Kensie (similar) (similar) (plus)

Jacket: Absolutely & Faith (similar) (cute and cheap!)

Pants: Calvin Klein (sold out of the other ones but I love these too)

Boots: Frye (here) (pretty!) (cheap)

Scarf: Croft & Barrow (from my friend, T) (similar) (similar)

Studs: F21

 This week I'm happy to not have been chopped into bitty pieces, but also stressed about the craziness coming up. Thanksgiving, amiright? Posting will be light around here, but I'll put up some greatest hits on what to wear and how to shop this week, k? YAY! Happy Thanksgiving week! 

What I Wore: Back to Black

Aaaand just like that, the color is gone. We'll have to settle for a pop of leopard this time around. 

This was also the picture that left me scrabbling for a hair appointment because I could see how bad my roots were. I cut off a few inches and am back to buttery fake-blonde gloriousness, as seen here. Sorry, this picture is like, four days old. 

Tee: Abound (via Nordstrom Rack - I practically buy these in bulk) (here) (plus)

Blazer: F21 (pretty darn similar - mine is old) (similar) (plus)

Pants: Calvin Klein (here) (similar) (plus)

Shoes: Mossimo (similar) (similar) (omg I can't stop)

Earrings: F21 (similar)

This is probably the last of the cute heels for a while: We were the gracious recipients of like, four inches of snow today, so it's going to have to be boots for awhile. 

I am not ready for this. 

What I Wore: Seeing Red

I've noticed that my last like, seven outfits were some form of black, white and gray, so I felt like I needed a little color. Honestly, I just don't wear a ton of color lately: It's transitioning into colder months and I just feel like darker colors have been a no-brainer. Still, there's something to be said for red, right?

This skirt has been a favorite (worn here and here) and has magically fit me in a range of different sizes thanks to tons of stretch. I've literally been a different size each time I've worn this skirt on the blog, so let's all say a silent prayer of gratitude for Spandex.

Also: Secret way to make your legs look uber long in skirts? Wear opaque tights with same-color shoes. Does the same thing nude shoes do to bare legs. My sister in law was like "What the heck did you do to look so tall in that skirt?" I'm a sneaky sonofagun.

Top: H&M (similar) (in black) (short sleeve) (similar)

Skirt: Tailor & Stylist, which no longer exists. That's awkward. It has a bow on the bum. That's awesome. (similar) (cute panels!) (digging this leather) (plus)

Tights: F21 (similar) (similar) (plus)

Shoes: Guess (similar, limited size) (these would be so cute too)

Earrings: F21 (similar) (want) (cheap!)

My kids wanted in on the action too, this time. And they didn't look like hobos, so I acquiesced.

This was the only nice one. The rest looked like this.

Andrew might be officially too big for me to hold in pictures. Or at all. 

He's sitting on my lap right now. 

Alright, I wore some color. Now it's probably going to back to black for a while. It's November, what do you expect? 

What I Wore: Measurable Goals

Yay! Halloween is over and now I shall commence doing everything I can to not jump the gun and start playing Christmas music. I told my husband I could only realistically hold off until the 15th. Measurable goals, people. 

The last couple of weeks have been uber busy on the mom side of things. I like to compartmentalize everything: Mom and family stuff is separate from work stuff, which is separate from friend stuff. And usually, through careful planning, I can totally keep them separate and functioning on their own withing losing my mind. But sometimes all that stuff sort of collides and I have to do all three at the same time. On the day I wore this, I had a work call, parent-teacher conference and girl's night with friends, so I went with casual/polished and called it good. 

Top: Victoria's Secret (here) (similar fit) Seriously every time I go into VS I walk out with two of their casual tees. Super comfy and a little sloppy, they're what I wear like 87 percent of the time. Also, size the freak down if you're buying these. They're oversized. 

Jeans: H&M (here) (similar) (plus)

Shoes: Madden Girl (similar) (similar)

Necklace, watch: Nordstrom (awesome) (yaaas) (watch here) (omg they have it in black I'm dead)

That day was psychotic, but at least I was comfortable and reasonably well-dressed and my hair was clean, which like, matters. Trying to retain some semblance of a professional career along with a social life while being a mom is so FUN right? Low standards and measurable goals: It's where it's at. 

What I Wore: Tricky Tricky

I'm not even going to lie: This jacket makes me feel like Run DMC and I like it. I went through a pretty heavy old school hop hop phase in high school, thanks to a break dancing brother who would blast it as we drove to school in out Plymouth Sundancer, affectionately named "The Ratmobile." He had a CD called "Back in Tha Day" (yes, spelled that way) and it was like, Tone Loc and Biz Markie and I would steal it from his room when he wasn't around. My two BFFs and I made a choreographed dance to "It's Like That" and I'm not ashamed to admit that I still remember it in its entirety.

What can I say? Old habits die hard. Today, my favorite Pandora station is "Hip Hop BBQ" and I'm inexplicably drawn to stuff like this 90s-ish bomber. My friend Jody had to talk me into it a little because I was like "Wait, can adults with children and mortgage wear this?" and she said yes and you know, path of least resistance and whatnot.

Jacket: Sugarlips (similar) (similar) (uber cheap) (plus) I'm totally having a love affair with bomber jackets this fall. I have this one, a plain black one and my floral kensie one and I just ordered another one (with a scroll pattern I die) because I'm a moderate person in general. 

Tank: c/o modbod and pretty sure you don't need a link for a plain black tank

Jeans: Calvin Klein (here) (similar) (plus)

Boots: Call it Spring Milada oh these have gotten a workout. And I think they officially stopped selling them now, so sadface. (love these) (similar) (similar)

Leather bracelet, because you know, it's so impactful: Marc by Marc Jacobs (this season's version)

If you squint, my boots look a little like high tops so basically I'm a Fly Girl at this point. Off to do the running man. 

What I Wore: Secondhand Cool

As the daughter of a biker, I blame him for my love of all things leather. Like, I'm not cool enough to ride my own motorcycle, but I have like, secondhand biker cred because I grew up around them. Also, sometimes my dad would drive me to school on the bike and I would get SO MAD because he would make me wear a helmet and it messed up my perfect high school hair.

Top: H&M (here) Let me point out that these tops are under $10 and they look good on everyone. Case in point: I was shopping with a group of like, 8 girls and we ALL bought one. I also have it in black and they fit pretty generously -- I buy an XS in these. Seriously. I keep an eye out for new patterns because they're so easy to just throw on without looking like a standard issue T-shirt.
Jacket: Guess (similar) (similar) (yaaass plus) I pat myself on the back for buying this jacket a few years ago. It has served me well. 

Pants: H&M (here) (similar) (plus)
Boots: Dollhouse (here) (similar) (low heel)

This boot/jeans combo is so cool it deserves a close-up. Like... I can't even. 

Don't worry, I only wear cool clothes. I still do incredibly dorky things like play MarioKart on my pink DS and get nervous when talking to adults. Any cool that I get is totally secondhand from my biker dad.

Who has excellent hair, by the way. 

What I Wore: Running Late

Forgive the quality of pictures today. My photographer is 8 years old and we were late for school, but PRIORITIES. I was like "HURRY SNAP THE PICTURE OMG"

Thursdays are always nuts because I help out at the school and schedule changes aren't really my thing. But hey, at least I looked put together, right?

Top: Suzy Shier - Canada (similar) (so cute) Also I've worn this top like, six times and only realized the other day that it buttoned all the way open. I have been pulling it on over my head this whole time like a dang idiot. 

Pants: Calvin Klein (here)

Boots: Ardene (also in Canada I made my mom buy them for me because they were like $15)

(similar) (cute!) (I'm down with these)

And then just plain studs. I don't wear a lot of jewelry during the week. Also, it distracts the kindergartners, who will literally talk about anything to get out of gluing stuff to paper. 

Of course, now I'm running late for a different reason: I have work to do, but a friend called to go shopping and so again, priorities. Can everyone else's "late" be my "on time" please? 

What I Wore: Seeing Stripes

Stripes are a much maligned pattern in the fashion world, with every magazine and its mother (do magazines have mothers) swearing that they'll make you look wide. But regardless of what horizontal stripes will do to you (and that's debatable), diagonal stripes are always your friend. Somehow they manage to carve out the best version of your body, like real-life Photoshop. It's gotten to the point that I can't NOT buy something if it features diagonal stripes.

Dress: White House Black Market (here) (worn with an extender slip)

Shoes: Guess (similar) (similar)

Necklace: Aldo - a gift from one of my brothers, I can't remember if it was Dallin or Jonathan (and I apologize for that) (similar) (cheap!)

When I bought this dress, it was one of those shopping experiences where everyone in the store manages to become invested in whether or not you'll buy something. I felt like I was in a Saturn commercial in 1998. I had to have a sales associate zip it up because I couldn't reach and I couldn't find my mom (I'm 12, btw) and  then three other women in the fitting rooms felt like they needed to comment on the dress as well. To be honest, I don't like letting people down, so I would have bought the thing no matter how it looked. Luckily, I love what diagonal stripes do for me, so I was happy to bring it home. 

Crisis averted.

And don't worry – I eventually found my mom. 

What I Wore: Rain, Rain

Don't worry guys, I'm sufficiently calmed down from my picture day-related tantrum, thanks to a relaxed weekend. My husband took our son camping, so my daughter and I went out shopping and stayed up till like, 2 am watching Freaky Friday (see what I did there, though?) and sleeping in. Then, Saturday was rainy. Like, all day. My husband calls that "Toronto rain" because usually, Utah will get a psychotic 10-minute downpour and then be sunny for the rest of the day, unlike Toronto, where it will drizzle and rain all day until your hair is ruined. That was what it was like yesterday. 

Since it was rainy, there was nothing to do but nap while my husband and his dad installed our new range hood. And with that, our little kitchen makeover is officially finished, hallelujah. 

We also saw a movie and grabbed a bite to eat, all while running to and from the car because it didn't stop raining until like, midnight. 

Apparently, I dressed to match (and was pretty excited to finally wear some of my fall clothes).

Sweater: Calvin Klein (here) (similar) (similar)

Pants: Calvin Klein (here) (similar) (love these)

Boots: Frye (here) These boots were an investment, but I love them more every time I put them on. No regrets here. (similar) (pretty!)

Watch

This whole week is supposed to be cold and drizzly (yaaassssssss) so I might finally be able to take the tags off of my fall clothes, which excites me more than anything really should. Seriously, if I could set the thermostat for the entire world, it would be 65, partly cloudy and a smidge rainy. Hey, once a Torontonian, always a Torontonian.