Cleaning Out Your Closet

One of the biggest challenges with trying to dress well with kids is that sometimes, you just don't feel like you have the time to put yourself together and get out the door. You're running off to carpool, hurrying out to work or trying to squeeze in a trip to the gym and the way you look just happens to take a backseat for the day. So you end up heading out in your trusty tee and jeans combo, with barely enough time to slip on your flip flops as you run out to the car.

Yeah, well, I don't buy that. For the same amount of time that it takes to throw on crappy clothes, you could have put something easy and effortless together. I know the idea of putting a real, live OUTFIT together can be daunting at first, but if you stock your closet with the right items, you shouldn't have a problem. Consider the following examples:

Oh hey, typical and boring mom uniform. How's it going? You seemed like a good idea at 9am, but now you feel frumpy and lame when you have to make a dash into a store, or heaven forbid, stop to idly gossip with the other moms in the pickup line. I KNOW, I'VE BEEN THERE. So how long does it take you to put on something like this? All of three minutes? You throw on yesterday's jeans, fish a t-shirt out of your husband's closet and slide on your trust foam footwear. Now consider this:

Cream Lace Top, 29 GBP
Old Navy Womens The Diva Boot-Cut Jeans, $30
Women's AE Leopard Ballet Flat (Leopard), $30
Drawstring Hobo Bag with Coin Purse, $32
ASOS Mixed Chain Pendant Necklace, $20

My! How effortless and put together you look, mom. This outfit would have taken no more extra time to put together. You still have jeans, but this time they're darker wash and with a more flattering cut. Dark jeans literally match anything which make them SO EASY in the morning.The shirt? It should be a staple in your closet. Flattering, interesting tops that don't need any more adornment than a few chains or a pair of earrings. Although, I think earrings can be too jarring first thing in the morning, so keep them low key. A pair of flats updates a look where flip flops would have looked childish, and a non-mommish yet super roomy bag finishes it off. DONE!

Anyway, what I'm saying is if you have the right items in your closet, there's not an excuse for heading out the door looking sad, even if you're short on time. It may take some practice and a little shopping, but purging your closet may be the key to looking better.

Take a look at your closet. Now is as good a time as any to get rid of stuff that isn't doing you any favors. Consider donating or tossing the following:

-Anything that doesn't fit. Yes, I know you want to lose ten pounds, but that doesn't mean the jeans you wore in high school are in style. Let it go.
-Anything that you don't feel confident or attractive in. Don't know if you like it? Put it on and snap a digi photo. You'll find out real fast which clothes are keepers and which are kickers. Ask your husband too. You'll be surprised at how vocal he is about your favorite sweater. Every so often my husband dispenses helpful fashion advice, like "You should wear more pink." I own exactly one pink shirt. Time to go shopping.
-Any comfort items that you're keeping just because they're easy to throw on or it looked good once upon a time/10 lbs ago/when you were in 8th grade. Get rid of your 9am safety net and MAKE yourself try something new.
-Anything barfed on, peed on, pooped on, stained with food or otherwise destroyed. It's gross.

Paring your wardrobe back to better fitting staples may seem like a big step, especially if you had a previously well-stocked, albeit lame, closet. But you'll find that when you remove the safety of your old standbys you're forced into making better clothing choices on the fly.

Seriously, if you doubt me, set a timer tomorrow while you pick out something casual, yet presentable tomorrow. I guarantee that you can choose something the fits better and is more interesting in the same amount of time it would have taken you to fish your husband's college sweatshirt out of the laundry pile.

Trust me.