I miss my waist. // circle skirt love

I'm back, and I should totally be updating you about our trip and my reunion. But, instead, I'm obsessing over 1950s skirts with tiny waists - because, well, mine is currently missing.

Back when I got dressed up every morning (and going all the way back to high school and college), I used to wear a lot of skirt-plus-boot combos, especially vintage A-line or full wool plaid skirts in the fall, or printed cotton ones with flats in the spring. I've been living in jeans (and, in the winter, wrap sweaters) since Lorelei was born, but I'm determined to get back to my old stylish ways this fall even though I'll have a messy little newborn to cramp my style. My goal: a once-a-week "what I wore" post (either here or on instagram) featuring clothes other than yoga pants.

If you follow me on Etsy, you know I've been favoriting vintage skirts like crazy - and I compiled my favorites onto a Pinterest board for your online window shopping pleasure. Here, a few of my top picks (click on the images to go directly to the Etsy listings to purchase!):

Greedy Seagull, $48 

Female Hysteria, $52

Crush Vintage, $54

...and some cold-weather options:

Vint Condition Style, $28

Sticky Lipgloss Vintage, $36

Fringe Betty, $28

And a "just dreaming" find, unless I win the lottery:

Zest Vintage, $128

mom uniform: the wrap sweater

With all of this gray, cold, snowy weather we've been having, I've been living in a variation of the same outfit pretty much every day: skinny jeans, knee-high boots, and a wrap sweater, always clutching a giant mug of tea (I've been using one from John Derian's Target collection, pictured at the bottom of this article). I have a feeling a bunch of you are doing the same thing, so I trolled Etsy and came up with some awesome vintage finds, all for under $50 each. Click on the images to visit the listings directly - and happy shopping!

The Greedy Seagull, $48 

Carrington Vintage, $48 

 The Vintage Mistress, $34

And I found three gorgeous sweaters from the same Etsy shop; I think the blue eyelet is my favorite!

1919 Vintage, $42 

1919 Vintage, $49 

1919 Vintage, $42

the time I pretended to be a fashion blogger.

So, remember how I mentioned that I spent an entire day (well, almost) by myself last Sunday? It's a good thing, because the next 7 days were pretty much the worst ever. But more on that later. Instead, let's focus on the awesome part: the no-husband-no-kid-leisurely-lunch-hours-in-fitting-rooms-and-blasting-whatever-I-wanted-on-the-car-stereo part.

In fact, I'm feeling so good about that whole day that I'm going to show you all the silly pictures of myself I took in those fitting rooms, trying on clothes I knew I wouldn't buy (remember this?) and therefore not caring too much how they looked. I only regretted ordering the milkshake and the fries with my lunch a few times.

Going left to right, top to bottom, the first pic is me in my own clothes, Anthropologie in shots 2-9, Loft shots 10-11, Gap shot 12, and H&M the final three. If I were spending money on clothes right now, I would have bought the tops/sweaters in 2, 3, 5, and 15 in a heartbeat. It's fun to pretend.

In order to help ease the pain of leaving without any bags of clothes, I did buy myself a mug from a set of dishes at Anthro that I've been eyeing for a while now. I showed it in a picture last week, and it's been my constant companion since it arrived at home. $12 of pure happiness right there.

Seriously, though, I do not know how fashion bloggers manage to ever take any decent pictures of themselves. I guess you need a tripod and a remote, but when you're in a fitting room that doesn't work - they must just be a lot more talented than I am at posing gracefully while holding the camera. Don't you love my "artsy" over-the-shoulder shot? Classy.

Once I got tired of trying on clothes, I tried on shoes. I'm sparing you all the details of that adventure, but I do really like these. (I used to wear heels every single day - guess I'm finally resigning myself to being the "cute flats" girl mom.) And that, my friends, was the best afternoon I've had in longer than I care to remember.

an open letter to mini boden

Dear Boden USA,

While I love receiving your catalogs in the mail even though I never asked for them, it's starting to become a problem.

See, the pictures of all those darling little toddlers in cute clothes are too much to handle.

Seriously. I have an itchy trigger finger, and it is far too easy to suddenly have my online shopping bag filled with a dozen "my daughter totally NEEDS this!" items.

And don't even get me started on your adult-sized stuff.

Though my daughter and I would be very happy and willing to be real-life models for you any time you need. Just send a few items our way!

this is Lorelei's best "pretty please?" smile

Sincerely,
a mom on a budget

p.s. click on any photo to go directly to Boden's site for purchase -- don't say I didn't warn you!

round 'em up, cowboy.

Some links to love for your Friday:

Hot off the presses -- Brent's intimate look at being a stay-at-home-dad. So nice to get the perspective of Melissa's other half! (Also, I loved this post of hers recently, since it relates so much to what I've been thinking about.)

Oh, fashion bloggers -- this guy has you pegged.

A feminist takes on the brigade of Disney princesses.

A post on Postpartum Progress has The Feminist Breeder in a tizzy -- what do you think?

Two great giveaways: one for baby and one for you!

A humorous look at how hard it is to be a parent -- even for a few hours.

Until next week...

(Chrissy Deming Photography)

wedding fever.

I've never been one to have baby fever like many women seem to even after (or more so after?) having babies of their own, but every year at the start of wedding season I get awfully nostalgic for all the hustle and bustle of planning my own wedding 7 years ago (right at the dawn of digital photos, so mine were all taken on film -- someday I'll scan them and share!). I'm feeling particularly that way this year because my baby brother is tying the knot!

Aren't they cute? He and his lovely bride-to-be will be getting married this summer after dating for 9 years and our own little soon-to-be-toddler will be scooting down the aisle as their flower girl.

I loved my wedding and wouldn't have wanted it any other way. BUT...if I were getting married this summer, here's what I might do: a garden-party brunch wedding!

(All images from Etsy sellers -- top to bottom: strawberrykoi, houseofistria, beccaandlouise, LittleSparrowPress, visualingual, Fairyfolk Weddings [bottom two])

what's cuter than a baby in a spring dress?

Nothing!

I'm still reeling from our crazy weekend of seders, birthday parties, Easter bunnies, and a surprise visit from my sister-in-law and her husband last night (they're expecting a little boy in September! Whee!). But I did want to show you what I got in my Easter basket this year -- not as cute as that little baby playing in the grass, but it made mama happy:

(Thanks, mom -- you know the way to this girl's heart is through her shoes!)

Back tomorrow with my usual wordy Wednesday post. Happy Tuesday, all!

Friday round up.

Five things you should definitely take a look at this Friday:

1. I've had chalkboard paint on the brain lately because I'm thinking it'd be fun to have in our kitchen. Robyn must have read my mind (like she did the day she pinned this recipe on her Pinterest board), because she just posted this awesome tutorial, plus a giveaway from her amazingly cool shop.

2. Suzanne shared this website I'd never seen before -- new obsession.

3. L got a million compliments on her new suit at swimming lessons this week! It was a lot easier to get her ready for class by putting the top on her at home and just changing into the bottoms (plus swim diaper) at the pool -- I'm a convert.

4. Once the outdoor pool is open for the season, I'll be making use of this list of safe(r) sunscreens for babies.

5. These complaints written in the margins of medieval manuscripts are too funny, and remind me of my favorite Billy Collins poem! (Thanks, Megan.)

Our peanut is 10 months tomorrow -- I can barely believe it. Hoping she'll celebrate by deciding to sleep more than an hour at a time during the night, but if this past week is any indication, I shouldn't hold my breath.

Happy weekend, all!

beach baby.

Our vacation to Florida was a little slice of heaven.

Our little peanut is such a bad traveler that I was dreading our trip for weeks ahead of time -- and you know what? She was just as terrible on the plane as I thought she'd be. Poor thing can't sleep on the go, so a 20 minute nap after falling asleep crying on my shoulder was all she had the day we left. But she's a resilient little trooper and bounced right back -- and she loved every minute that she was awake (which was most of the minutes in the day).

The beach -- how I've missed it! I haven't been to see my in-laws since before I was pregnant (they've been here lots of times, though), and it was wonderful to be back on that sunny, sandy shore and to share it with my daughter, who didn't seem to mind that the water lapping at her toes was pretty icy.

The free babysitting, homecooked meals prepared by someone other than me, and long afternoons by the pool with a good book in hand didn't hurt either.

We still haven't come any closer to accomplishing my goal of taking a trip, just the three of us, to somewhere other than our parents' homes, but the older L gets the more I feel like we can do it -- even if it involves air travel.

Did you ever read Joanna's post about traveling with a baby? She published it the day my water broke; I remember reading it that morning and bookmarking it, hoping that someday we'd be brave enough to leave the house with our precious, fragile newborn-to-be. :) We're hoping to try tip #5 (a home rental rather than a hotel) this summer, and #10 (shipping diapers to your destination) is such a great way to save space in your luggage! We haven't tried #4, but I think we might next time...

It was fun to get L out of her winter weather clothing and show off her chubby baby legs again. Plus, sunhats are awfully cute for framing pinchable cheeks.

As for me, I had to invest in something to cover my part now that my hair is short -- thank goodness for cheap finds at Target since I pretty much hate wearing hats, which is why I didn't own one to use in the first place. And breaking out my own summer gear made me feel like I had just gone shopping (which, as you know, I've sworn off doing for a while). In case you were wondering, Old Navy doesn't have that exact dress anymore, but you can find similar styles here and here.

Thank goodness for balmy weather when we returned -- it helped to ease the transition back to real life. But I'm longing for summer in a way I didn't think was possible when out of the classroom!

if I had $100.

Do any of you agree with me that fall fashion is so much better than spring? The fabrics, the colors, the layers...and as cute as any model might look in them, I'm just not a shorts girl.

(image 1, 2)

But it's always nice to daydream about sheer dresses, open-toe wedges, and bare arms after being bundled up in my heaviest winter coat for umpteen months. So here's what I'd splurge on, if I were spending an afternoon shopping for myself this spring:

The top from this Polyvore set -- I've already got the bag, jeans, and shoes (well, similar at least) to complete the look.

This sweater, in case it gets chilly.

A shamrock shake while I still can.

(image)

This album, which comes out today.

(image)

$22 + $15 + about $3 + about $12 with my BN discount + a spa pedicure at my favorite local salon = $100

In case you have missed my other "if I had $100" posts, click here and here -- and I'd love to know what you'd be spending a sudden windfall on!