School Supply Shopping...oh, how I love thee!

Does anyone else love school supply shopping? As I've noted, my oldest daughter starts Kindergarten this fall. We meet in early June to do her pre-assessment with her school and we then get her school supply list! While part of me is dreading the cost since I've heard horror stories, the other part is looking forward to it!

I remember getting my school supply list every year. We would set out to get them and the excitement would start. Would I get a trapper keeper this year? What kind of pencils would I buy? Oh, my, erasable pens!!! And let's not forget the look of a new spiral notebook with clean sheets and wonderful smelling, crisp paper!

I asked my husband if he remembered and enjoyed school supply shopping. He looked at me blankly and said, "I guess not since I don't really remember it." I told my daughter that I was excited to go shopping and she told me, "I will probably like it since you did, Mom!" Perhaps I'm part of a special, nerdy breed that loves the newness of supplies before they are corrupted by school work. If so, I hope my daughter learns to love it as much as I did.

May 2015 Stitch Fix Review

It has been a while since I've written a Stitch Fix review, though I've continued to get fixes every month. I continue to love the service. My regular stylist Connie was out on maternity leave, but I'm happy to say she's back! Fiona did a great job in her absence, but I missed Connie! This month when I got my Stitch Fix e-mail and took my sneak peak, I knew immediately that she was back. 

I'm reviewing a bit differently than I usually do...mainly because it's late and I didn't feel like taking pictures of the cards individually. Hopefully, you can see the pictures well enough.

Let's start with the style cards:

Sweet Rain Casanova Henley Blouse

    

Connie suggested that I pair it with a black pencil skirt. I liked it! However, when I took this picture, I had just come home from work (spoiler, I kept it!).  The skirt looks wrinkled and what the heck is that white fluff on my skirt?? I decided to change and take another picture (after nagging my poor husband who was my photographer). 

I paired it this time with my Margaret M pull-on jeans. I left it untucked, but left the sleeves rolled up (though they are a bit sloppy). I like it with jeans, too. I think next time I'll try it with red pants or maybe even a red pencil skirt.

Market & Spruce Lawford Knit Top

Connie knows that I love stripes. This shirt is a very soft knit, but a bit see through, so I paired it with a black tank underneath. I'm a bit ambivalent about the leather detailing at the top, but my hubby really likes it. I llike that it's soft and despite being knit, doesn't stick to all of the areas I don't want to show lol. So, in case you haven't already guessed, I'm keeping it.

41Hawthorn Angela Quilted Detailed Blouse

This was a good choice given that I have other blouses in this style that I like. I also love the color of it. However, the fit on this blouse is a bit off-it's too big! It makes me look wide and my hubby did not like how it hangs on me, so to speak. I'm sad to be sending it back, especially given the detailing on the back.

Isn't the quilting pretty? Of course, now that I'm seeing this picture, I wonder, what the heck is on the back of my pants?

It simply has too much fabric. I don't want to look pregnant when I'm not!

Market & Spruce Juli Lasercut Detail Blouse

I absolutely love polka dots. I am also quite fond of blue. Unfortunately, this shirt is a bit big on me. It has some really cute cutouts on the bottom of it.

See the diamonds on bottom? And, yes, the polka dots are pink! So sad it's going back. It's just a bit too big.

It's too big in the front and under my arms. Sigh.

Collective Concepts Gabriel Tie Waist Dress

This is the piece I was least excited about when I took my online sneak peak. I didn't love the pattern on it and it looked too short for work. When I tried it on, it just felt "meh" to me. It's okay, but special. And, it's definitely too short for work. My hubby also didn't like the placement of the waist on me. So, back it's going.

If you are keeping count, you will notice I only kept 2 pieces. I still consider it a successfull fix because I think 4 out of the 5 pieces were ones I might have kept, had they fit right. I am also very excited that my regular stylist is back and I can't wait to see what she sends me next month!

Mother's Day...and why I'm now going to all school activities

My oldest daughter just turned 5. She's been in daycare since about 5 months of age. Initially, she was in a daycare that was located at my job. I loved the convenience of her being on site and I frequently visited her during the day to play. Right before she turned 2, our site notified us it had to close. I was sad. I loved having her so close.

We found a new place, but unfortunately, the convenience of having her on site was gone. We like our new place and they frequently have parent-child events. Of course, it's not so easy to go now in the middle of the day to visit my girls. We do usually go to weekend or weeknight events.

In my oldest daughter's class, they announced a Mom event for Mother's Day. My daughter told me, "Mom, you never go to school stuff." It hit me that even though I go to the after work things, the day things that are smack during work hours, well, I don't always go to them. I realized that the during the day events were very important to her. So, I told her I would go. She was so excited!

Yesterday was the event. She talked about it all morning before we got to school and was so excited to have me there. I've now made a pledge to try and go to all events. I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can go. I want her to know that she's important. I didn't realize before how important these events were to her, which is sort of silly. I had a great time and even brought my younger daughter over to her class. I often tell people that being a parent is the toughest job there is. Good thing that having children is worth it.