Kick Boxorama!

Every time I do a super lame post, I have to remind myself that I'm only human. I haven't been doing this blogging thing that long, and, out of 365 days, at least 30 of my outfits are probably going to stink up the joint. That said, when I look at yesterday's outfit, coupled with my bad pictures and writing, I think: "What if this is the first time someone is looking at this blog?" I have to hope they poke around the site and find some of my more thoughtful posts and cuter outfits. I also have to keep reminding myself that the purpose of this project is to wear 365 different outfits created with clothes I already own. It is not to be on the cutting edge of fashion, or to invent new trends. I am simply challenging myself to mix it up and be more creative. I am also trying to show that thrift store clothes can be stylish and versatile, and that I don't need anything new even though temptation abounds! Lots of people have offered me clothes, but I have to refuse this year. Nothing new, even if new is used.

This morning I got up at 6 a.m. to go to a Kickboxing Bootcamp class at Seido Karate Hollywood Dojo. I almost talked myself out of it at 5:55 because I love sleeping and I don't get enough of it. However, I also don't get enough exercise and I am turning 37 in four days. It is time to start improving my bad habits. I am old enough to know better!

Outfit:

After my return from the gym, I had to get ready quickly because we had a birthday party to attend. I kept on my exercise tank (Yikes!) and threw on these jeans. They are a little on the snug side, so I decided I needed something to cover my more out of shape parts. I also started off with a black sweater underneath, but it was hot when we got to the Zoo (where the party was), so I quickly took it off.

 Magenta Dress/Shirt: Thrift store. I got this in High School. I am not sure if it is one piece of a two- piece dress, or what, but it is designed by New Leaf  California!

Black tank: Champion.

Jeans: From friend. Express.

Shoes: Airwalk.



A kick boxing move from this morning. Not sure if I am cut out for it!

Bicycle Blues!

Today, Ayiko and I were supposed to go on a bike ride with an L.A. group called Black Kids On Bikes. Having used a bicycle as my primary form of transportation up until I had kids, I was excited to gather with a group of bicycle loving folk. I rode my bike until I was 6 months pregnant with Charlie, and I learned to drive a little while after that. I got my first driver's license at the ripe old age of 31, a rare occurrence for a California native. I really did do it for the environment, but any carbon points I may have gotten for not driving for 30 years, I have used up by having 3 kids.

Now, not using my bicycle as often as I would like means that I was not fully prepared for the ride today. My bike clearly had some issues, so I decided to use Richard's, which we shared for commuting to and from work for a while. I would ride to Santa Monica, leave the bike at his office, pick up the car and the kids, and he would ride the bike home. It was great fun and exercise, but it was nipped in the bud when I got a bronchial infection, and then, soon after my illness, I discovered I was pregnant.

Ayiko, was also not aware of the fact that she had a bad inner tube, so, once we were finally ready to cycle off into the sun, we realized we were not going very far. We called the skate shop Planet Maple where the black kids were meeting and they referred us to a place called Mike's Bike Shop. I had never been there, and I figured it would be a good idea to support a local business. It's a cute little shop and the owner Mike really knows his stuff. I learned this when I watched him discuss how he figured out that the bike a guy brought in to have serviced was a pre-war Schwinn from Ace Hardware in Chicago. Mike also told the man that there were no bicycle shops back then, people got their bikes at the hardware store. Interestingly, the man who brought in the special bike was the awesome photographer William Hawkes.

Since we couldn't ride, we decided to partake in one of our other favorite pastimes: Eating. We walked to the corner to chow at the ever-satisfying CJ's Cafe. It was perfect and Ayiko bumped into someone she knew. I also bumped into someone I knew as we were walking. At times, L.A. can be very a very small city!

Outfit:

I actually changed my pants from my bike riding pants because I didn't want to "waste" a biking outfit. As far as outfits go, this is pretty lame, but I added the necklace so I wouldn't feel so gauche. However, it is Sunday, which is the day of rest. On Sunday I give myself permission to take a break from fashions' rule, while still not repeating any outfits!

Tank: Champion. Target.

Pants: From Cousin. Old Navy.

Shoes: Fit Flops.