Hi ladies! I'm really excited about today's post as this will be my first time collaborating with some other women whose blogs I've recently discovered. This collaboration was started by Kiana from
Glitter and Donuts and Madeline from
Caseyland, and as a way to inspire and connect with other mothers. I love these ladies' blogs because they are real, inspiring and so relatable. Click on one of their links if you would like to join their Mom Style Monday Collaboration.
I started my blog about a year ago, because, as a Mom, it is really easy to get caught in a "style rut". After becoming a stay at home mom when my oldest was born, almost 9 years ago, I pretty much stopped purchasing clothes for myself and when I did, I mainly gravitated towards yoga pants, tee shirts, sweatshirts etc. I had always loved fashion, but it didn't make sense to pour money into clothing that may get ruined, to wear shoes that were more difficult to run in, to wear a skirt when you may envision having to go do down a slide or two or to buy dresses that were difficult to nurse in. But, every Sunday, I felt I didn't have anything to wear to church and even birthday parties and family get togethers - I felt I didn't have a decent outfit to wear so I decided to start putting more thought and effort into my clothing purchases and I feel I now finally have a much more workable closet! I have learned that wanting to be practical and comfortable does not mean you have to completely sacrifice style. Also, I love looking at other style blogs, but so many of them share outfits that just aren't realistic in my opinion. They are still really fun to look at and are intended to be aspirational, but I felt the internet was lacking in giving ideas for what an ordinary stay at home mom could wear on a day to day basis, hence my blog was born!
When I heard the topic for this week, Girls Day Out, I knew I had to participate!! As a stay at home, homeschooling mom of four girls (and a boy on the way!), every time I go anywhere during the week, it's a girls day out! But I had been wanting to do something special with them lately. So many of our trips out of the house lately have consisted of going to the grocery store, dentist office, doctor appointments and running other errands. I really wanted to spend some time with them that was completely centered on them! Originally, I wanted to take the three older girls out, while I left my two year old at home with the babysitter during her nap. Our little Ellie bring us so much joy and is so funny, sweet and adorable, but let's be honest, two year olds are demanding! I thought it would be fun to take the girls out without having to race back for her nap, without them having to watch Frozen snippets in the car for the hundredth time and without having to wait an extra half hour for her to cooperate with simple tasks such as getting dressed and getting in the car! While I believe that all these little sacrifices they have to make for their siblings really teach them so many important life lessons are are so good for them in the long run, I did want to just spoil the older girls just for a few hours!! It ended up not working out getting a sitter so we brought Ellie Belle and we ended up having a really good time! We went to Jamba Juice and I let them all get their own smoothie (a big deal in our house!) and then to the library. I had a brief opportunity to read to/with my three older ones and even received some one on one with the baby while the others were searching for books. Surprisingly, Ellie did not even partake in her previous favorite library past time of ripping books of the bottom shelf and throwing them in a pile for no apparent reason, ha! She did start getting really sick of me taking her pictures, as you can see from the picture of her in the book return basket! That is her yelling, "Mama, stop!" at the top of her lungs in the middle of the library because she was kind of done. Nice. That was pretty much our cue to get going and get her back home for her nap. All in all, it was a great, relaxing day just enjoying my girls and giving them a little extra love!
I can't wait to see what these other ladies post about! I would have loved to plan something with my mom, sister and sister-in-laws or a group of girlfriends but sometimes that can be so hard to coordinate. Not to mention, I rarely even really plan nights/days out with my husband, so sometimes squeezing in some girl time can be difficult. I do think I need to make that more of a priority in my life. I often feel like I am doing a decent job as a mother, but it is so encompassing that I feel I am not as available as I'd like to be for my sisters and friends. How do you other ladies balance that? Do you schedule in phone calls? Girls nights on a regular basis? I would love to hear your thoughts!!
Check out what these other ladies planned for Girls Day Out here:
Thanks so much for reading!!
~ Rose
Outfit Details:
I love the Lou & Grey line from LOFT and when it occasionally goes on sale now for 50% off, I always try to pick up a basic piece. This "suede dress" is soo soft and the color is perfect for fall. I plan on pairing it with some deep purple or camel layers as it gets colder. Swing dresses are great, but I rarely wear them alone. For my body type, I feel I need to add a jacket or cardigan to add more shape to the look. So basically, you may want to try it with some layers before you give up on it! 
