Mother, Mother!

 Last night I was at a party and I asked another mother what she was doing for Mother's Day. She said, "Nothing. I just want to lie around and do nothing and be alone." "Exactly!", I replied. "That's what I really want for Mother's Day- a day without my kids!"

Ironic, no?

Of course, I didn't get that. I got a day without two of my kids, which really defeats the purpose if you ask me...
But,  I had a good day nonetheless. Yummy brunch cooked by my BFF and Bad Advice Giver, hanging out with my painless family (her family), and a little window thrift-shopping.

Then I came back home to the place where I literally became a mother; Charlie, Leo, and HaHa were all born downstairs in our humble abode!

I thank my kids, and Richard, for making me a mom. I can't imagine life without this complicated and celebrated role! Although,  I wouldn't mind a kid-free day every now and then!!!



Happy Mother's Day to all y'all moms out there! I hope you had a wonderful day!!!

HaHa Style 2!

HaHa has been my comic relief during this trying time. She truly is a hilarious little bean. Take this moment, for example:

Richard and I are watching T.V. in the back room. HaHa has been asleep for a few hours, but she has since awoken and found her way down to us. She climbs in between Richard and me and begins to snuggle. It just so happens that as soon as HaHa sits down, a commercial comes on. We don't let the kids watch commercials, so I tell Richard to "pause it". However, Richard hesitates because it is the commercial for The Green Lantern and he can't resist. HaHa's eyes widen and I tell Richard again to "pause it". Richard protests and I give him some options. I say, "You can pause it and watch it later ,OR, you can take HaHa back upstairs and put her to bed". Without missing a beat we hear our little HaHa say, "Or you can leave me alone!" Richard and I crack up and HaHa is very pleased with herself. (The re-telling of this moment doesn't really do it justice, but I promise it was funny at the time!)




Three more HaHa self-styled outfits. All clothes hand-me-downs from Auntie Kimberly and the lovely Lourdes!!! Thank you for the wonderful clothes ladies!!! Actually, The blue leggings and striped legging were gifts. The necklace is mine!

That's my girl!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

I am in the midst of some life-changing, very painful, but potentially liberating stuff. I can't really talk about it here, but I've been thinking about it ad naseam.

Literally.

I'm still not sure how things will turn out, but a very wise and lovely woman told me to listen to my body. She said that while our minds can rationalize and talk us into or out of anything, our bodies let us know how we really feel. Really.  She's very smart.  I will be paying attention to my visceral responses in the weeks to come...

Leo had a class presentation on Friday, so I threw together this outfit. I recently received this lovely and delicate blouse from my friend The Freshmaker. She gives me the most awesome cast-offs! Thank you, Freshy! The yellow is so spring-y and light!


Outfit:

Camisole: Goodwill. Express.

Shirt: Hand-me-down. Banana Republic.

Pants: Cousin hand-me-down. Gap.

Jacket: Goodwill. Theory.

Shoes: Mossimo.

HaHa Style!

HaHa has already developed a very strong sense of personal style. This comes as no surprise. She has a strong sense of many things...

Tonight she put a shower cap on and said, "I'm a cooker, mama!" I really love that she and Leo call me mama. It's very sweet.

 Here are three outfits that HaHa put together on her own, shoes included. She is really digging her gold sandals right now. She calls them her "Sparkle shoes."

I wish that I could write about some of HaHa's evening antics, but I can't do them justice right now...

I am too, too tired right now! Everything HaHa is wearing is handed down except for the Cheongsam and the striped leggings. Those were gifts. Her flower headband was made by my oh, so talented cousin, Taylor!


That's it for edition one of HaHa style. I gotta get some shut eye!

7 Ways!

I went to my 20 year high school reunion and it was quite lovely. Sweet and sentimental. Taking that walk down memory lane was quite fun, and it was truly great to see everyone.

As I said I would, I wore my Seven Ways Dress. I got many a compliment on it, and I was quite comfortable in it. It really is a gem.
Thank you, Aunt D!

Richard says I have to post twice a week now, so I was thinking of having a weekly post that is dedicated to HaHa's fashion. She has a very strong sense of personal style, and is very particular about what combination of items she wants to rock. Look for HaHa's closet on Wendesday. I will post up several of her outfits from the last few weeks. They are very, very, cute, and the majority of them are hand-me-downs!

I hope Easter was full of eggs, chocolate, and love for everyone. We spent the day at Pan-Pacific Park, and a good time was had by all!!!

Hippity-Hop! Hoppity-Hip!



Outfit:

Dress: This 7 ways dress was a gift from my wonderful Aunt Diane!

Tube top: Very old. A New York special.

Shoes: American Eagle.

Chickens, Children, and Clothes!

Now that I am not obligated to post daily, I think about posting more than I actually do it. I could go back to daily outfits, but it's too much commitment . Although, I am happy to report that I have NOT gone clothes shopping since my first couple of Goodwill trips. No retail clothing for me in 2011 so far! That said, I have been the recipient of some stellar "hand-me-downs", and 1 brand new Seven Ways Dress that was a gift from my very sweet and generous Aunt Diane. I have worn the dress at least three different ways, and I will certainly find many more ways to wear it! I consider it a worthwhile challenge. Actually, I think I'm going to wear it to my 20 year high school reunion this Saturday. I will post some pictures of the dress for sure!


I have still been trying to "mix it up" everyday, and think outside of my wardrobe box. I've been playing with my "new" old clothes, and having a great time!

The kids continue to amaze, confound, surprise, infuriate, and inspire me. I made it through spring break without harming myself, or them, so I am giving myself a "high five"! In truth, they are really delightful, and I am very lucky to have them in my life. They are abundant joy.


We also now have chickens in our backyard. 5 of them. I have been wanting chickens for a while now, and we received these chickens through a divorce. They are very cute, but they are a lot of work. (Sound like anyone you know?) I am still not sure about whether or not these visitors will become family members, but they are in a coop in our backyard for now!

Outfits:

Some of my outfits from the past few weeks. One of my very favorite items is a rad vintage Talbot's belt that my friend's mother gave me. This is the same friend's mom who gave me the clothes I donned in my Vegas post. Thank you again, Nancy!!! She also gave me the black skirt, pinstripe button down, and cream skirt shown here. Mustard sweater, blue shirt (top), and striped tee are all hand-me-downs from friends!

Also, Don't forget to send all of your pressing questions to the awesomely written column "BAD ADVICE FOR GOOD PEOPLE".


And, finally, I've included some photos of the kids because I've had some requests!!! Peace to you all! Thank you for stopping by!!!!

Rusty and Co.

HaHa talking on a mirror.

Siblings swing!

our new guests

Angels on Angel's Flight!

Cuties on a cart!

What Happens in Vegas...

This weekend, Richard and I stole away together alone overnight for the first time in seven and a half years! Well, for the first time for more than 14 hours... A few years back, 6, to be exact, we flew to Vegas to see Prince's closing show. We left at 6 in the evening the night of the concert, and flew back to L.A. at 6 a.m. the following morning. Leo was a baby, so I couldn't bring myself to stay overnight. I also think I was nursing at the time, and that was a huge factor. At any rate, Richard and I have never been away together from the kids overnight until this weekend. Crazy huh?

Actually, come to think of it, December was the first time I had been kid-free for more than a few hours since Charlie was born. I was away for THREE days. And, we all know how that turned out; HaHa hospitalized upon my return... Mom punished for abandoning children...

Anyway, back to Vegas. We went to celebrate the wedding of my lovely cousin Dee, who is half of the reason Richard and I met. The other half, Richard's dear friend Brian, welcomed his baby daughter to the world on the same day that Dee and her beloved Paul got hitched! Coincidence? 

We had so much fun at the wedding, and the reception lasted long enough to kick off Richard's birthday! It was a perfect first weekend away from the kids! And, my wedding outfit was comprised of hand-me-downs courtesy of one Nancy Bryan. Thank you, Nancy!

By the way, if any of you reader's have a burning question you should check out my friend's new site Bad Advice for Good People. Anonymous questions are welcome!

Congratulations Paul, Dee, Brian and Jill!!!

Outfit:

White Jacket: Macy's. I had been wanting a white jacket after I saw an outfit in Vogue, et voila!

Black dress: Banana Republic. The black lace peeking out is from a slip underneath.

Shoes: American Eagle.

Flower: My cousin gave this to me. It's from Anthropologie. The perfect accent!

Peep Out!

I have been sitting at my computer for awhile trying to figure out how I want to frame this post. I guess I am having some writer's block. I also worked all day, drove home with the children, had a visit with my visiting-from-Thailand-brother-in-law, went out to vote, and came back home to put the wild boys to bed while Richard ran out to vote with HaHa. So, I guess I'm tired. Go figure.

As I was sitting here, in front of my screen, I yawned and sighed a bit. HaHa looked me in the eye and said, "Wake up, Mommy." It made me laugh. She is really turning into a funny and charming person. She sings little ditties that she makes up, runs around in plastic heels, tells me every day that my cousin Taylor's cat Lola "scratched" her, and she is so, so, very sweet.

So what does this all have to do with peeping out?! Nothing. I realized recently that not blogging keeps me from being on top of the awesome blogs I follow. I'm not on the computer as much, so I forget to check in. These bloggers are my peeps, and I love them so!

Outfits:

These outfits hail from January 18th and 19th, respectively. They also hail from clothes I bought for other people that didn't work out for them.

Jumpsuit: This was a Salvation Army find that I got for my Fresh Friend, and it was 50% off (so it was all of 3 bucks!) It didn't fit her well, so I tucked it away and tried it on after the new year!

Striped tee: Pollyanna hand-me-down.

Star shirt: This shirt was for Pollyanna, but she didn't want it. I got it at the same Salvation Army sale. It was going to go to the last clothing swap, but I tried it on and decided to keep it!

Polka- dot skirt: I got this from S.A., along with a few other items, for Sheena, the woman who did The Uniform Project. She, (or her people), never got back to me.

Yellow sweater: This is a post-New Year's hand-me-down from, yet again, my Fresh Friend. H&M.

My HaHa girl!

Today!

 I have been putting off posting for a number of reasons, and a lot has happened since my last post. Of course it has. It's life, right? Some things I can talk about, and some things are far too profound to discuss on a blog about not shopping.

First of all, the day I finished my job as a long term first grade substitute teacher, I came down with strep. Of course, I did not know that I had strep until four days into my illness, but it was strep, and it was horrible. It started when I was cleaning up five months of papers and lessons and other stuff that had ended up on my desk. I had not wanted to clean up, as my last day had been so emotional, but I needed to move my stuff because the other teacher was coming in on the weekend, and she needed a clean slate.

As I was filing papers, and replacing staples, and moving all about the classroom, I started to feel wonky. At first I tried to dismiss it, but by the time I gathered the boys and got into the car, I was positively feverish. Luckily, my mom and my aunt were at my house with HaHa, so after I made dinner I took a burning hot bath and crawled into bed.

I stayed there the whole weekend, lost six pounds from sweating, and only got out of bed on Monday because I knew that the pain in my throat was too horrible to be anything but strep, even though Richard was mocking me and calling me dramatic.

At any rate, being sick and missing my class were just two of the things that derailed my follow up posts.

I still have not bought any clothes in retail, and I have not been Goodwill shopping since my first couple of trips.  I went to a clothing swap where I got rid of over a dozen items, and brought home only two.

I did but a new pair of Earth sandals because I wanted a walking shoe. I lost one of my Fit Flops. These Earth shoes are pretty ugly, but now that my daily posting is over, and I'm a full-time SAHM , I don't need to look my best. I can go back to my mom jeans and bon-bons!

Today's Outfit:

Yellow sweater and green scarf : Fresh friend hand-me-down from last weekend. As I have said many times before, I am very lucky to have stylish and generous friends!

Grey sweater: Clothing swap!

Jeans: Goodwill.

Shoes: My new Earth monstrosities!

The shirt in the photo with the kids was also a newly handed down item! This was a few days post strep and I had a giant cold sore which is why I'm making a weird expression.

P.S. Forgive my shaky composition, it's been awhile.

P.S.S. This post is dedicated to the lovely Pollyanna, my posting coach!

Gifts!

After Richard's sneaky surprise post, I was at a loss for how to proceed with my own posting. Garment Bag Outfits? Goodwill finds? Dressing without drama?

And, of course, by drama I mean the preoccupation with not repeating outfits, and, having to photograph said outfits daily...

So, now I have no obligations. At least in blogging I don't. And this leaves me in a bit of a quandary.

To Post? Or not to post?

How 'bout post? Briefly.

I have received many gifts since the end of my year of no-shopping, no swapping, new outfit every day.

Here is a "new" outfit comprised of two handed-down garments.

A lovely seventies style peasant dress, and an incredibly warm and awesome coat!

Shout out to the two ladies who passed these on!

Oh! I can't forget to mention the nearly-new Seychelles flats I nabbed at the G.W.!

And my collar! This was an accidental gift taken by me and made by a very talented friend! Love it!

Thanks to all for my "new" rags! And thank you, Richard, stealth blogger, for the last post!

Collateral Damage!!!

Hi all. This is Richard.

Shelayna has slowed her posting schedule, so I thought I'd stop in and talk about what has been going on since she completed her project.

Here is a picture of our bedroom from this afternoon.

These are all of my clothes.

For some reason, a year of only wearing the clothes that are on her side of the closet has made Shelayna very introspective, and today she decided that I had too many clothes. Did I ask for this munificent behavior? No. Did I get it anyway? Yes.

Since I work in technology, my normal clothing is a polo shirt, and jeans. Dressing up means wearing a white button down shirt... and jeans. However, I do have some seldom worn clothes that I love - my suits, my party shirt (buttons optional), that sweatshirt I used to wear all the time in 1999. All of them went into the out pile. Now, I'm going to have to go clothes shopping for myself - something I really dislike. And I'm going to be really upset if I see my favorite patterned shirt on some homeless guy.

Even poor Jordan got pulled into this craziness, and was forced to do a fashion show of his old jeans.

Anyway, I'm significantly clothes poorer, and Shelayna has been to Goodwill twice this month. Maybe this is a subtle move to get more closet space?

Blog-Drawl!

So I have gone one full week without posting! It feels very strange. For the first few days after my last post I felt as if I had a phantom limb that had been lost at sea... (Does that image make sense?) Coming home after work, and not taking photos of my outfits was surreal. It was also otherworldly not getting dressed without thinking about repeating. It still feels weird sometimes.

I also went shopping for the first time in a year! At Goodwill! My Fresh friend gave me a Christmas gift o' cash in order to go shopping at the G.W., so, of course, I had to go. However, I Still haven't bought clothing in retail.

I got four things:
           A creme sweater with metallic thread.
           A cap-sleeve jacket that also has metallic thread.
           A pair of black cargo pants.
           A navy mock-turtleneck long-sleeved shirt with gold  sequins!

I wore the sweater with the jacket on my first day back to school, and I wore the sequin shirt with the cargo pants on another day. I also broke into the garment bag so generously bestowed upon me by my lovely friend's mother! I made an outfit from her hand-me-downs, including an awesome belt, that I thought was very cute! I did wear my own sweater with it though! I am thinking of maybe doing a "Garment bag" series of outfits.  I have included a few photos of the aforementioned outfits. You can tell me if they're cool or drool! There's also a photo of HaHa in a handed-down cape-let, and plastic heels she got for Christmas! So cute!

I hope the first week of January went swimmingly for you all!

Here's to a happy second week!

Happy New Year!!!

This was the dress I saved for New Year's eve, but forgot about! My aunt bought it for me at a yard sale from my neighbor across the street. It was five dollars! It had a bunch of gathering that I took out, and now it hangs a bit awkwardly. I safety-pinned it in the back, and put my trusty flower-brooch from my cousin over the pin to "hide" it! It makes for a "bustle-like" effect in the back that I rather like. I am sorry I did not wear it to dinner last night, but I had fun wearing it today!

Front

Back

I hope that you all enjoyed the first day of 2011. Please, please, let it be a sweet year!!!

The Last Outfits!

I wore two outfits today. One I put together in complete haste and was not happy with, and the other I was completely happy with. Both outfits were donned in order to enjoy meals. For brunch, we went to Roscoe's, and for New Year's Eve dinner I went to my amazing friends' Josh and Brady's.

As I was talking and toasting in the New Year with my mom, my aunt, my mother-in-law, HaHa and Richard, my aunt reminded me that I was supposed to wear this lace dress she gave me last year. The dress was from a yard sale my neighbors across the street were having. I put the dress on for Christmas, but decided that I should save it for New Year's, but of course, I forgot.

So, I may wear the dress tomorrow. It is still a "special" day right? First day of 2011.

I will have several follow up posts. Not sure how often they will come, but they will be posted.

One of these posts will be devoted to the contents of this garment bag I was given by the very sweet mother of my adorable friend. The bag came with a note that said "Do Not Open Before January 1". I also received some other "gifts" this week that I feel obliged to show. They are all very awesome!

Who knows, with the contents of the garment bag, and my other gifts, I may not have to shop in 2011 either!

Time will tell...

Happy, Happy, New Year to you all!!!










Outfits:

Day: Shirt: Cousin hand-me-down. Forever 21.

Dress: Friend Hand-me-down. Ann Taylor.

Dress: Goodwill.

Skirt: salvation Army.

Night: Sequin Jacket. One of my beloved friends gave this to me in high school. She had great taste.

Wife beater: Target. I got these when I was pregnant with Charlie. They were a pregnancy staple!

Pants: Express. These pants were bought for a friend's wedding.

Shoes: Thrift store. They have sequins, but they are not so comfortable for long wear. They may be in the "out" pile!