My Wardrobe Is Boring

Capsule Wardrobe.
The words that had this fashion-impaired, rushed in the mornings mama daydreaming of looking cute/professional/put together/fun every day without having to spend a ton of time doing it.

Turns out, it's kinda hard.  And I'm still not good at fashion.  But the minimalist in me thoroughly enjoys the fewer clothes on my side of the closet and the organizationally obsessed in me likes that most of my clothes now go together.

Most capsule wardrobe suggestions and "how to's" online just didn't work for me.  The 30 item or less wardrobe so many fashionistas brag about is typically seasonal or for specific lifestyles that just didn't work for me. 
I'm not a professional, so the pants suit, a skirt that matches the set and a few tank tops doesn't work for me, especially because as I wrote this I can see the yogurt stain on my shoulder from my toddler out of the corner of my eye.
I am also not business casual.  I walk to work or walk my son every single day.  Those cute heels that "every wardrobe needs" just doesn't work for me.  I can count three times in the past few years where heels would have been nice to have.  Otherwise, flats is where it's at, baby.
I live in Nebraska.  This week alone it has been 105 degrees, there have been rainstorms and I have run in a wind that was cool enough that if I hadn't been doing a physical activity I may have considered a light jacket.  Most wardrobes I find are for one season, and while that is fine, all seasons can hit me in a week here.  So I need to keep all seasons clothing available.  Meaning if I were to do 30 pieces per season, my closet would be fuller than it has ever been, which takes away from the whole minimalism aspect.

So, for interested parties who have read this far, this is how I have done my "capsule" wardrobe.  I again repeat that I am not fashionable in the least.  My clothes are boring at best and I'm sure there are plenty of people who look at my every day attire and could critique the heck out of what I wear.  But, I'm not here to win a prize for cutest part time music store employee/mom, I'm just sharing how my wardrobe simplifies my life.

To get started, I sat down and asked a bunch of questions.

1. How often do I want to do laundry and how many times can I wear things before they need washed?  I based my entire number of items off of this.  I didn't want to be doing laundry every
day so my wardrobe was "simpler", because that would be a pain, a waste of water and not at all simpler.

2. What do I do in a day, what kind of clothes work for that?  I walk every day and spend a majority of my time at home on the floor with a little boy playing cars.  I cook, clean house, help customers, etc.  Again, heels aren't working for me.  Neither are short skirts or other clothing that is difficult to move in.

3. What styles do I like?  There are plenty of styles of shirt to choose from, but I know the kinds I like.  What neckline do I think is flattering on me?  do I like long tops?  Tight or loose fitting?  What are things I like about certain pants?  I only allow things that I like what I look like in my closet. I'm my biggest critique (ask my husband, I'm pretty terrible to myself) so if I don't like what I look like, it either won't get worn or I will feel gross all day.  Might as well be something I think I look good in every day.

4. Along those lines, what do I like to wear when I don't feel good about myself?  Let's be real, at least for girls, we can look in the mirror one day and think we are hot stuff and the next day wonder why we're so bloated and gross.  I do my best to find clothes that I feel comfortable in, even on those days (so no super tight tops for me!).

5. What is my favorite neutral color? GRAY.  Many of my clothes are gray.  My main pair of shoes, most shirts, some bottoms.  Gray.

6. What are two or three colors that go with the neutral color that I look good in and like?  For me, burgundy and navy.  If it isn't gray, it's one of these two.  There is only one exception to this (a lighter blue tank top that was supposed to be navy, isn't, but still felt great wearing it) in my day to day clothing.  Boring? Most likely.  Easy to put together? YES.

After all that, for me, I listed everything that I own that fit these guidelines-- and ditched the rest.  It worked out to about 5 cool temperature tops and bottoms and 5 cold weather tops and bottoms, or close to it.

Please note; This list does not include two types of clothing--work out gear (of which I have 2 of every kind of seasonal item [2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs winter leggings, that sort of thing]) and lounge wear, because I don't wear sweatpants every day (at least, not in public...).

My last and final question is do I feel good about it.  Is it quality (am I going to have to replace this item often?), does it hold it's shape/fit well, and most importantly, does it hold my values. 
Yes, I care about where my clothes come from.  I want my wardrobe to be as ethical as possible-- I don't want to give into slave labor or poor environmental choices when there are plenty of other options out there.  Pact, Threads 4 Thought, Prana, Patagonia, Columbia, North Face, Allen Allen... there are plenty of companies that make it a priority to provide clothing that last and that don't exploit.  This doesn't mean that a few don't slip in... Silver jeans fit me best and I am not sure about their policies.  And I have a skirt from Old Navy that I have owned for at least 6 years if not more that is still in good shape so I'm going to wear that puppy until it falls apart.  A lot of my athletic gear, which has held up surprisingly well, is of the cheap Wal*Mart/Old Navy variety.

So if you have ever found yourself wondering why you see me wearing the same clothes over and over again, this is why.  I might be boring, I may not be the cutest person in town, but since making this change I have never found an instance where I had "nothing to wear" or couldn't easily pick out a top and bottom to go together.

A Day In The Life

Everybody's day starts and ends differently... and every day is a bit different, too.  My life looks a lot different than the lives of even my closest friends and family.  Our daily routines are a big part of who we are because they are what we do.  All. The. Time.
My life is not glamorous, exciting, or the kind of picture perfect where I could give lifestyle advice (I always wondered how much confidence it would take to start a lifestyle blog).  It's just my life.  And other than the occasional bump in the road, (or adoption wait... ahem), or random circumstance, I'm pretty cool with the life I live.  With many areas capable of improvement, of course.
In any case, I have always found the routines and day to day lives of others interesting.  Yet, when we visit each other or spend time together or on social media, we are often not privy to the day to day activities.  For instance, when you visit family for a week, the house is often more organized than usual and the meals and activities are often more tailored to the visitors instead of being a typical week.

So here is a typical day of this average lady in eastern Nebraska.

Almost everyday, I'm up at 4:20 AM. 

Good morning, world.  Don't I look thrilled to be here?

That gives me 10 minutes to get dressed and check the weather before I head out for my morning run.  The length of run depends on the day and so does the wake up time.  The shorter the run, the more I sleep in the morning.  I try not to have such varied alarm clock time, but let's be honest, getting up at 4:20 when I could be getting up at 4:45... it's a no brainer-- but usually, the run is long enough I'm up at 4:20 anyway.
After my run, I follow with a workout, which again, varies by day.  Sometimes, it's a 50 minute workout with Jillian Michaels, other times it's a youtube video, other days it's listening to music while I make up my own routine. 
I get ready for the day after that with a quick shower, get dressed, etc.  If I have time, I throw laundry in to get it started, get the dishwasher ready to go and clean off any counters that weren't cleaned the night before.
at 7 AM I go get the kiddo.  I have gotten into the habit of turning on our Sonos speakers (shameless product plug...we have these at Lou Kraus Music.  They are awesome wireless speakers with a great sound that can be controlled from your computer/phone), one of which is in Josiah's room, with some really happy music before I walk in.  Then my boy is dancing in his crib and grinning ear to ear when I walk in.  Now THAT is how you start a day.

I feed little man breakfast and while he drinks his morning milk, I finish any chores in the kitchen area that need done and run a bath for him.   Usually, it's throwing a meal in the crockpot or dinner prep.
After he's cleaned up and just playing in the bath (what is it with kids and bath water?  He loves it!), I blow dry my hair and make silly faces at him, because I look hilarious holding my head upside down and my hair blowing everywhere.
He brushes his teeth, makes sure to check them out in the mirror, turns off the light and we get him dressed.
On days I work, we read a couple of books and then head out to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I leave him there, walk to work from their house and well... work.  I have lunch with Jim on these days and we watch a stupid show on Netflix typically and enjoy eating a meal without feeding half of it Josiah. After work, I walk back to my parents, pick up my son, go home and play until dinner. 
On days I'm home, we go for a walk with the stroller, sometimes with a dog.  The dogs still don't get the whole stroller thing, though, so not often.  We come back and read some books, play with cars (all. day. long.), listen to music, etc. 

Hahahahaha.

I get him out of the house once a day-- to the grocery store, my parents house, the music store, the coffee shop, or the library.  It gives me a break from feeling like I have to be entertaining, and the chores I want to do can't taunt me while my son is playing drums with my boss (or "Uncle Bob" as he is known at our house) at the music store.

*Won't let me caption the video... this isn't Uncle Bob, this is "Uncle Luis", who also works at the music store. *
We break these things up with a snack at 10:30, lunch at noon, a nap from 2-4:30, followed by another snack.

The day I take a picture at the library isn't a normal day, of course, but it's still a great place to be on Tuesday mornings!

Nap time happens in one of two very drastic ways.  Many times, it's when I go into hyper-get-it-done mode.  This is the time I fold laundry, clean the bathrooms, organize closets, clean out the fridge, organize the pantry, mop the floor, bake, meal prep for dinner, research something that I need to understand better (like activities for toddlers, etc.), give the dogs a bath, clean the car out, write music, practice (quietly!), etc.  I am slightly obsessive about a clean home... and I give lessons, so I have kids coming into my house a few days a week.  If I'm not in a get it done mode, it typically consists of grabbing a cup of lemon water and watching You Tube videos for two and a half hours.  Because I can.Or I crash on the couch. Because I can't help it.
Jim is usually home after nap time and if we don't all play together it's because I'm doing last minute dinner preparations or giving music lessons. We eat dinner at 6, hopefully followed by a quick Bible reading while I clear the table.  If the temperature is good, this is followed by a family stroller walk.  After a little more playing (with cars, most likely) it's bedtime routine for little man.  I usually am in my pajamas at this point, too, because who wants to wear regular clothes, right? 
Jim puts little man to sleep, so I get my clothes laid out for the next day, check email, etc.
We sneak downstairs with the dogs and watch an episode or two of a favorite show, talk, or do something together as a couple.  This often also includes the dogs, who take the opportunity to cuddle without being over-cuddled by a baby.
I'm off to bed, where I read the Bible for a bit. I fall asleep earlier than most but that's because I start over at 4:20 the next morning.
Saturdays are a similar schedule but Jim is around, which often means some more free time for me to do something a little more "self centered" (like practice instruments, write blog posts, run errands) or we go somewhere as a family.  Saturday night is date night, meaning we will either get a sitter and go out, or watch something more than a TV show after Josiah goes to bed. 
Sundays I get to sleep in!  I usually do some stretching in the AM and get ready before the baby wakes up, we go to church, eat lunch at home, nap time is more restful on Sundays and these are almost always the days I read or watch a movie.  I also try to organize the next week during nap time in my awesome planner (I love having a planner because I'm a nerd).  We don't do a typical dinner Sunday night, think popcorn, smoothies (or Jim does milkshakes), apples and peanut butter. 
 
So there is a look into my life.  This does not include the awesome times I visit with friends or get to do extra fun things.  It also doesn't include the hours of worry, prayer, and work that go into the second adoption.  Everyone's story is different and our daily routines are different.  Hope you enjoyed looking at mine.