I'd Settle for a Slowdown...

I have watched my two older boys hit milestone after milestone and couldn't be more proud. Birthdays have come and gone, school's started, bikes conquered, and I faced each with a smile and pure joy. No tears.. not one. I always wondered if there was something wrong with me. I didn't even cry when they were born for goodness sake. I know that crying doesn't mean you care more… I just never understood the blubbering parent as the nurse handed them their tiny human or sobbed as they watched their child walk into their first day of school. Enter my Ariana Jo. She broke me. When my baby girl was first born at 34 weeks it was a rough birth. My flight to my dream vacation went crashing down. Meaning my epidural failed me when I hit a 6. I like to think of epidurals as a nice little spa date. You get to finally enjoy a piece of your third trimester and be waited on hand and foot. Not giving a crap about who walks in and out that door. You are COMFORTABLE. Nuff said. Having a baby natural was not my plan. Maybe it would have been different had I been anticipating the fury that was about to be unleashed on my lower region. Have you ever had a bowling ball boulder its way through your pelvic bone? I have. And she was beautiful. After a bunch of "OH MY FREAKIN HECKS", (Yes I literally yelled that multiple times. True blue Mormon here folks) and one push she was here. They handed her to me and I bawled. I'm talking like..snot dripping, can't get a word out, bawling. People were calling me and I couldn't even calm down enough to take the phone. She had taken my "keep cool" world and blown it to smithereens. She topped me off and my cup was overflowing. She has had this affect on me ever since that day. Fast forward to now, my sweet baby girl that I feel has been with me for much longer than a year, is turning one this week and I am struggling. I don't know if it is because she is my last child, or because every time I look at those piercing blue eyes I see a tiny me. I have found myself doing daily life happenings and I'll start to feel the waterworks coming. The near thought of her turning one sends me into a emotional wreck. What happened to me? I made it just fine through two other 1st birthdays. Why is this crippling me as she reaches her 1 year mark? My baby is growing up and there is nothing I can do about it. It's a funny thing to be closing the baby chapter. Of course we will have fun with the new ones, but to think that I will never have the rush of heading to the hospital as I know it's time to meet my child is weird. It's hard to wrap my head around it. And to be quite honest, it's hard to close this chapter. But I know that 3 is our magic number and that 4 would turn me into a bat S#!@ crazy mother. Sometimes I already feel like that now. This little miss is having an Audrey Hepburn party for her big day. Stay tuned for that post probably next week. I went overboard on her party... It's in my blood. When I turned 10 my mother had a maypole at my party and crowned me as princess Sheena. What do ya do :) 

 Headband// DIY

Bracelet// DIY

Gray Ruffle Tee// Crazy 8

Boyfriend Jeans// H&M

White Sandals// Walmart

-Sheena

Crossing the Path of Tiles + A Little WIW

I remember as a little girl walking past the "Junior" section in department stores and being excited for the day I could explore the next stage of fashion. That day came soon enough and I have been shopping the sale racks and taking risks ever since. 

Not being able to buy whatever I wanted, from wherever I wanted, made me have to creatively expand my closet on my own. In high school my friends and I would seriously shop at the Kids Abercrombie & Fitch and buy their larges just so we could afford the brand. I'll have to do a whole other post on my sale shopping tricks. 

Anyway, back to my point. 

A little while back while browsing the junior section at a major department store, I got to thinking...

Should I be shopping over here? 

Should I probably be shopping over in the "Women's" section?

Are people wondering what I am doing buying clothes targeted for girls 10 yrs younger than I?

Now that I think about it, I have shown up to church wearing the same things as the young women :/

 I walked over to the "Women's Section" and looked around. First of all… How come clothes targeted for "women" are double the price of "juniors"? Do they assume that since I am older that I have double the money? Wouldn't it be just the opposite because my parents no longer take me "back to school" shopping? 

( Even though I totally tried to talk my Dad into that last year to no avail ;) )

Just because I make more, I now have BILLS! You know.. Mo' Money Mo' Problems.

I kept looking. 

I looove some of those higher end clothes. They are beautiful. But I need more bang for my buck. I would rather have 5 shirts that don't quite last me as long giving me more outfits than having one shirt that after buying I can't afford pants to go with it. Know what I'm saying sisters? At least until I can afford to buy 5 of those shirts.

Still looking…

Nothing. Anything that did appeal to me was way more than I would pay for an item and the rest was just not… well, it wasn't "me". 

So when is it that we are supposed to graduate to the next step in life of fashion? When is it time to cross the path of tiles over to the section with the overhang that displays "WOMEN'S"? The answer?

Whenever you want. 

When it comes to fashion the best thing you can do is be YOU. All while keeping in mind what works best for your body type, shop what appeals to YOU. No matter what section/department that is. Including the "Men's". The fabulous thing about fashion is that it has no judgment or boundaries. It is up to you personally to discover what is appropriate for you and what you are comfortable with. It is a matter of taste. A matter of shopping within your means. Will I ever leave the "junior" section? The answer is ...probably. When? Who knows. And that's perfectly fine.

Choosing my own fashion means I get to wear these cute boyfriend jeans that my husband absolutely hates because they look like "boy" pants ha ha. 

( Literally while shopping with him the other day he asks,

"Are those pants supposed to be that loose?" )

Shop where you want ladies. Wear what you want. Use us bloggers as an inspiration, not an idol. See a blogger wearing something that you love that is out of your means? Find an alternative. There ALWAYS is and alternative. As long as you feel confident and comfortable, then you should strut your outfit with said confidence. No matter the brand. No matter the price. No matter the department.

I am loving Graphic Tees these days! There is nothing like a good T shirt. How appropriate is this "Selfie" tee by AE? It is so so so soft! 

Believe it or not… this is my first time trying out boyfriend jeans. I think they are so cute on other women, I was just afraid of looking frumpy if I wore them. Well, I tried them and the verdict is… 

I L-O-V-E them. I will probably only wear them with heels though. I am already on the shorter side so I need them to elongate my legs while rocking this style. I really like this boyfriend fit, but I sill want to look and feel like a woman. 

And of course my most favorite diaper bag ever. Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack. Typically these bags are about $180, but if you are patient and shop around, you can usually get them for half off.  One recommendation though… If you decide to go with a PPB, make sure not to by the cloth material kind. It snags and isn't as easy to clean. Other than that, this bag is a must have for mommas!

"Love Thy Selfie" Shirt// American Eagle HERE

Boyfriend Jeans// American Eagle HERE

Necklace// American Eagle HERE

Rose Gold Watch// JANE.com

Green Pumps// Rue 21

Diaper Bag// Petunia Pickle Bottom