This is 36

Maxi Dress: Evereve (on sale now!) // Knit Moto Jacket: Old Navy // Booties:  Hushpuppies // Bag: Dagne Dover Petite Tote in Warm Dust // Sunglasses: Loft 

My first birthday as a mother was yesterday. And while I didn't feel much different about it being my birthday, I felt different about me. So maybe it's being 36, maybe it's being a mom, or maybe it's just a new me but a lot has changed.

1. I don't really care what people think anymore. Really I feel like I have always prided myself on this characteristic of my personality but as of lately, I find myself doing things with only two motivations: Do I personally find value in it; and does it help me spend time with my family. Those are really the only two things that matter to me. This pretty much leaves me time to teach, clean my house like the neat freak I am, shop because I still love cute clothes, and spend time with my family.

2. I have lost my mind. I have noticed this since being pregnant that my memory has gotten worse but oh boy, after being a mother and going back to teaching and trying to remember things like changing class schedules or times for random school events, I'm wrecked. I feel like the minutia of the day's schedule at school is last on my list of actually committing to memory. Let's all just thank our lucky stars that I have a big whiteboard right in front of me with times for class periods all day. Also, sorry students, sometimes I just straight up blank on your names. They are in my brain somewhere. 

3. I'm not eating "perfectly." I used to be pretty hard core on the no sugar, no junk food, home-cooked lifestyle, and it was totally doable back when I had just myself to cook for (Andrew never cared much for my Whole 30 cooking) so it was pretty easy. Now I feel like I have cut myself some slack because I now realize that if I prep meals for breakfast and lunch all week that's pretty great, but dinner may end up being a Lara Bar, or a handful of chips, nothing at all, or literally whatever I can find in the house because I'm too busy taking care of Athena. I know I could try harder with that last "meal" in the day but honestly, it's just not as much of a priority anymore. I like getting my workout in at 6am, having a healthy breakfast and lunch, and letting life happen after that. I feel like that's the best kind of balance I can make happen as a working mom with a very active toddler.

4. I'm more forgiving of what I look like. I think part of the Whole 30 eating and tons of working out I used to be very strict about really did work for me. I liked it even. But now, I can't make it to hot yoga 3 times a week with Bar Method every day because I simply don't have time to recover from hot yoga, which means showering and blowing my hair back out. I like taking my Pilates class for the same reason I've always loved Barre classes. They are a great workout but you don't get  super sweaty and look destroyed afterwards. So maybe my hair is dirty and in a ponytail but I choose that over having to start this whole body from scratch daily.

5. I choose fashion based strictly on function and comfort. When I look back on some of the things I've willingly worn that were scratchy, tight, or just plain hard to move in, I cant believe I actually spent money on those things! There is simply no way I'd be wearing those things anymore. My rule of thumb now is if I can sit on the floor at school in it or play with Athena wearing it and it won't drive me crazy, it's worth my money. It's kind of a fun challenge to find functional, comfortable and stylish clothes that can be worn in a professional setting now too.

This jacket fits the bill for #5. It looks like suede but is the softest stretchy knit moto jacket. No tight arms and inability to bend your arms here! This Evereve dress allows me to look professional too but keeps me covered at school. It even has long sleeves too. And to top it all off, my new super-functional bag in my Dagne Dover collection, the Petite Tote in Warm Dust. They really killed it this season with their fall/winter colors and as per usual, the interior pockets are smart and easy to organize all your items. 

Where I've Been

Skirt // Hat (old Forever 21 but similar here) // Tank // Bag: Rebecca Minkoff clutch // Shoes: Cole Haan // Jean Jacket: Target (similar here)

I'm shocked and a little confused as to how a whole month has passed since I posted last. I swear I've been wearing outfits, cute ones even to work. Sadly life has gotten in the way. So much life.

Going back to work has actually been great, it's just when that gets amplified, that the stress levels go through the roof. In this last month Andrew fractured his foot so it's meant a lot more of jobs that he used to be able to do are now on me. Athena pretty much has been a different kind of sick (thanks daycare) every weekend for a month. And I've had a monster load of parent teacher conferences both before and after school every day for two weeks straight. I scheduled all these before Andrew broke his foot so the mornings have been chaotic and then staying after has been hard. I hate leaving Athena at daycare too long, even though she loves it. I miss her and miss getting in our time together. 

As you know I love squeezing in my 6am workout at Core Body Pilates on weekdays before work but some of those I had to cancel last minute due to an early rising Athena or just sheer exhaustion on my part, or the general need to take a shower and wash/dry my hair before going to work. It's funny how getting up at 5 can be the busiest time of my day. I love that time before work when I can do some things just for myself, but every now and then a girl has to sleep and recover from all the craziness.

Another recent development was that we bought our very first new car. We have been surviving on one car since we moved to Salt Lake but now with me back at work and Andrew having a broken foot, he is no longer able to bike to work or take Athena to school in the jogging stroller. We needed a solution, and quick. We planned on waiting till the snow came and forced him off his bike but this injury expedited the process. Andrew put in tons of research to find the best Mountain car for us and we finally landed on the Subaru Outback. Now that we have it, It feels so weird to drive a new car. I feel like I'm driving a rental car. I've never had my own car, let alone a new car, nor have I ever cared what car I had or what it looked like. Chicago traffic consequences have a way of training you to not want a nice car in the city and I was totally ok with that. We kept our banged-up city Prius and now that is our backup car. We went from a zero-car family to a two-car family in just a few years. 

Hopefully with parent-teacher conferences over and the new car here, life will slow down a little bit so thanks for being patient with me while we made it through this rough patch.