do you deserve clothes that fit?

What do you think? Do you deserve clothes that fit? I’m going to assume that you answered yes to that question. If not, shoot me an email and let’s really talk. But even if you answered that yes, you deserve clothes that fit, have you actually purchased them for yourself? Or are you still telling yourself that you’ll get them when: you lose 5 pounds/you no longer have a two-year-old/you go back to work?

In the meantime, are you forced to keep wearing the things that don’t fit? How do they make you feel? Bad about yourself? Physically uncomfortable when something is digging into your flesh? Nothing like how you’d like to feel? 

I just got off of a mini-session with someone who’s followed me for years (wow, that feels icky to say, but she’s been someone with whom I’ve had conversations with on social media and who’s attended my workshops), so she knows my feelings and philosophies on clothes. And yet, she hasn’t put any of them into practice for herself (but of course her child has all the clothes he needs). 

Her body has changed after having a baby and managing a chronic illness. Any time she thought about buying new clothes, she’d just say "why bother?" She said she honestly didn’t have any clothes she liked. This has been the situation for FOUR YEARS. 

Here’s the *real* bombshell. 

You deserve to have clothes that fit you AND that you like. 

There was a time when just finding something that fit was hard, and I get that. But there are options in all budget ranges now. If you are settling for something just because it fits, but you feel pretty "meh" about it otherwise, YOU DESERVE MORE FROM YOUR CLOTHES. 

Of course, I know it also requires time, money, effort, and capacity to make sure you have this. I know it's not easy. But if you don’t have clothes that fit that you actually like, ask yourself whether you really think you deserve them or not.

P.S. Do your kids deserve clothes that fit or do you force them to wear stuff they’ve outgrown? Yeah, I thought so. I talked about this specifically in regards to moms on The Mom Hour Podcast recently. Check out the episode here, and here's another podcast I was on recently, We're Not Weighting, episode 79. 

P.P.S. The Making Space program went on sale to the early access list this morning. You can get a $50 discount by signing up before Friday and using the code WAITLIST. 

interview on "the mom hour" podcast

I did a little mini-session/interview with Meagan from The Mom Hour - listen right here or go to The Mom Hour page for more!

We talked about the issues many moms face with defining their style while their life is in transition.

Let me know what you think!

the search for a dignified diaper bag

I could have called this post "summer uniform: white+denim, part forever".
Can't stop, won't stop.

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 Forever 21 top, Gap jeans, Target scarf (similar), boots free from Avalon Exchange after trading in clothes (affordable similar and high quality similar versions)

This started out as an outfit post, but since I'm also using my diaper bag in this photo, I thought I'd write a bit about it. I wanted something that didn't scream "diaper bag", and nothing with cutesy prints on it. (pardon this tangent - why is everything that is to be used with babies bright colored and floral patterned? The baby is not going to be entertained by my nursing pillow, however it is going to sit out at my house a lot and I don't want to constantly look at pink and purple polka dots!! How about some nice solid colors?) That might beg the question, why not just use a normal purse or tote as a diaper bag? I did consider that, and sometimes I do just throw a diaper and some wipes into a smaller bag. However, I wanted some of the special features of a diaper bag: a changing pad, wipe-clean material, and many, many pockets. I went with the Skip Hop Versa diaper bag, and I love it.

Here's what I like about the Versa bag:

• The look - I chose black for versatility and I like the gold hardware and zippers which add a bit more style.
• A cross-body option is a must for having hands free. This one can be cross-body or a shoulder bag because of the adjustable strap.
• There are straps for attaching the bag to a stroller handle.
• The main inside pocket is very roomy and there is a zipper down the middle of the bag to expand it even more. You can see this in the manufacturer's photo. I usually keep it closed because the bag feels enormous when expanded.
• The changing pad is in its own zipper pocket on the back of the bag. In our Jeep diaper backpack, it floats in the main pocket and gets all scrunched up.
• On the front of the bag, there are open pockets for items that need to be easily accessible, like phone and keys.
• Also on the front of the bag, there are zippered pockets that are perfect for keeping bottles upright.
• On the inside of the bag, there are four additional pockets - I use one for diapers, one for wipes, one for my wallet, and one for burp cloths.

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Instead of trying to find something that my husband and I would both feel comfortable carrying (i.e. something that wouldn't look like a purse when he carried it), I got the bag with the look I liked and we registered for this Jeep backpack (thanks Kyle and Jennedy!) for when my husband will be carrying the bag. Mr. mindful closet loves it (another aside - my husband says he likes it when I mention him on the blog and call him Mr. mindful closet.. Here you go, honey. It's almost as funny as when I used to work with kids and they'd call him Mr. Gillespie. They didn't know that we have different last names.) We try to keep both bags fully stocked at all times so that it's not a huge pain to switch back and forth.

After checking out the Versa bag in person, I bought mine barely used on Ebay for about half the retail price. If you wanted to go through Bed, Bath, and Beyond, you could use those 20% off coupons that are always coming in the mail for a pretty great deal. P.S. Did you know you can use those Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons at Buy Buy Baby too? Keep that in mind for the next time you're buying a friend a gift off the registry there.

Anyone else have great tips for choosing a stylish diaper bag?

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