In my pre-Jake days, you know, those days when money cascaded from the sky like abundant white little snowflakes and my belly was as flat as, hm, I don’t know, a wooden board or something… well, back in those days, I used to indulge in Stitch fix twice a month. I’ve become a bit more selective these days, since I have a belly full of jelly and a wallet full of pennies. But, the shopping gods smiled upon me… on a whim, about a month ago, I scheduled myself a fix due to arrive right around my birthday (pi day!) and as luck would have it, Tom surprised me with a $50 gift card for Stitch Fix!

So, if you are new to Stitch Fix, let me tell you a bit about it. You fill out an extensive style/fit profile, and then people magically send you stuff that you can buy. That’s pretty much it. Interested? Follow my link, b/c I can get some free cash toward a future fix or something… —> Go here!!! Heather’s SF link!!

Anyhow, here is what I received! I only kept ONE item this time, but it’s still fun to try on all of this stuff in my own home, with my own pants/shoes/etc. A note: The black pants you see here I actually received in a fix a couple of months ago and I LOVE them. They are not a style I typically prefer (I’m all about wide leg pants) but I took a chance and I wear them all the time. For reference, they are the “Fia Cuffed Straight Trouser” from Tribal, in case you want to request them in a fix of your own.

I apologize in advance, but I tossed out the “style cards” so I can’t recall the details for many of these items!! Sorry!!

Jeez, as I review these pics I realize maybe I should up my Iron dosage because I am P A L E! Someone recommend a good bronzer, please! And remind me that pigtails make me look like a jackass. Thanks.

First up is this billow sleeve top. Its aight. Feels a bit tent-y to me. And I now know that I absolutely HATE billow sleeves. So annoying. It went back. Also a terrible color on me!!

I do know this second top is from the brand Daniel Rainn because it’s a brand I’ve gotten from SF before. I liked it. I didn’t keep it because 1) it was a little baggy, and I’m in the middle of a weight loss thing 2) It was… SIXTY EIGHT DOLLARS. Sorry. Nope. $68 for a top!?!? MAYBE for a stellar pair of jeans, or a timeless dress, but not for a little floral blouse that I could probably find (a similar one) at Marshalls for $16.99

So, they also sent me this navy blue cardigan because I specifically requested cardigans. It went back. It was way too big (as you can see in pic 2) but I actually prefer cardigans with buttons. I just feel like these drapey front sweaters are too hard to fold, and they end up pissing me off. But how nice are my pewter Tieks???

Next up is this knit dress. It was fine. I’d probably throw a sweater over it and call it a day, but it was a cotton knit, and I know that ultimately I’ll most definitely shrink this item in the wash. It went back.

But, Heather, you’re saying, it seems like you hate EVERYTHING. Well, I don’t HATE it, I’ve just decided to be really selective this year when choosing items to add to my wardrobe. But this last dress made it all worth it!! It is the “Arnett Faux Wrap Knit Dress” from Kaileigh (you can access your purchased items, so I’m able to give you the full info on this one!) and it was $54. I love the color, and I love that it is a FAUX wrap dress… because I am incapable of keeping an actual wrap dress closed. And I think this will fit even better when I lose a few pounds. PS – if you like my little sandal booties, they’re LC Lauren Conrad, from Kohls, and are surprisingly comfortable. As I mentioned in Five Truths, I generally cannot function in heels, but these are chunky and don’t cut at my toe.

So, thats it! Give it a go. I’ve already scheduled another for 3 weeks from now – hoping to score some pretty spring tops, some wide leg pants, and a white denim jacket! Happy shopping, friends!

xoxo – h

I really think I’m a minimalist at heart. Most of you know that I’m the ultimate purger. I just hate having extra stuff around. As I’ve shared before, I used to play a little psychopath game as a child… I’d be forced to choose only one toy keep forever, forsaking all others. Yeah, weird kid.

Let’s just say I get tired of clothes pretty quickly. With a few exceptions, I tend to wear an item 3-4 times and then into eBay it goes! So, for me, I first had to figure out what would even make me want to hang onto certain items long term, as the heart of a true capsule wardrobe is meant to consist of the classic “you” pieces that you’d reach for time and again, day after day, year after year.

Yay, a good soul search!

So I sat myself down and thought about what I really love to wear. And what I’ve worn but don’t particularly even like. Kind of like, if they were to make a Heather Barbie, what would she look like?

Here’s what I found out about myself…

I hate sleeves. I hate showing any part of my leg. I cannot do heels. Period end of story.

My daytime work wardrobe consists of the following formula: pants + sleeveless blouse + cardigan. My casual wardrobe consists of the following formula: maxi skirts/jeans/khakis + tank. When I stray from the formula I fidget, I pull at my clothes, and I’m just generally annoyed.

And so this is what I did: I got rid of nearly everything that didn’t fit into one of these categories. Extreme? A bit. But really, it was freeing. Of course I did hang onto a handful of long sleeve sweaters and a few Carly dresses, but other than that, I purged the hell out of my closet. Need numbers? Ok. I kept 5 pairs of dress pants, 6 pairs of casual pants/jeans, 4 skirts, 29 blouses and just the sweaters pictured below. The three jackets below, but one might be making an eBay appearance this week.Two purses, my Tieks, plus 4 pairs of boots and 4 sandals. Pjs, a few leggings/workout things and 1 pair of sneakers. Yes, I have more tops than you’d expect, but these are my only tops for allllll of the seasons. I don’t rotate my clothes in and out every season. What you see here is what you get. I also have a stack of pre-pregnancy pants, but thats a whole separate issue.

Anyhow, that’s where I am today with my closet, but I’m already looking to prune it a bit further…

I don’t know about all of y’alllll but I’ve spent many precious hours trying to be that gal that Ive assumed society wants me to be. You know, that twenty first century highly curated Facebook Instagram Pinterest Girl-power Feminist FTWM SAHM PTWM Snapchat I’m not a regular mom I’m a cool mom completely artificial archetypal Anthropologie woman. Well, its 11:12 on a Monday evening and I’m here to tell you this:

No more! I’m coming out, coming clean, throwing that window open like I’m damn Mrs. Mallard.

God I hope someone knows that reference. And FYI, I do love Anthropologie. Anyhow, here are my 5 confessions. 5 truths. 5 facades behind which I shall no longer hide! Read on. Be my judge, jury and executioner, friend.

1) I can’t walk in heels. I don’t mean 4 inch sky high stilettos… I mean that I will fall down dead with a broken ankle in 1.5 inch baby kitten heels. So, I make no apology about my Tieks habit. They’re saving my life every single day.

2) I hate smoothies. Guys, I tried, but if I’m gonna drink my calories it’s going to be in the form of either a milkshake or liquor. I guess I just like chewing. Add Açaí bowls and tea to this list.

3) I just don’t think The Office is funny. I wanted to love it, but it was painfully hack. Tried the British Office but I seriously couldn’t understand 75% of the dialogue.

4) I can’t hold my liquor. I’d say “anymore” or blame it on my age, but truth be told, I’ve always been a lightweight. Now I have to plan for a half day of vomiting if I intend on having more than one drink.

5) I will never feel ok with my body in a bathing suit. Ever. Even when I was a size 4 for 15 minutes in my twenties I wouldn’t gallivant around in a swimsuit… so, now being old as hell and having birthed a giant baby I’m considering what them there Mormons and fundamentalist Christians call a “modesty suit” – google it. You’ll piss yourself a little bit.

Oh, one more thing. Diet Dr Pepper is pretty fantastic. Carry on, friends.

H

Sometimes I talk to myself.

In fact, some of my best conversations have occurred completely inside of my own head. I fancy myself pretty entertaining, and usually I amuse myself. But too often I do something else. Something that I’d bet my bottom dollar that you also partake in. This is a serious statement because if you check my wallet at this present moment I think I’m literally down to my bottom dollar.

But that is neither here nor there.

What I’m talking about is self-criticism. I do it. You do it. Don’t even pretend you don’t. Even the most confident among us has a momentarily lapse of self-deprecation. It happens. But why does it happen? I’ve been thinking on this subject a lot lately, and I think I’ve had a semi-epiphany about it.

Like many of you, most of my self-criticism concerns my weight. I’ve often said that not a day has gone by in my adult life when I haven’t obsessed over money or calories. In fact, I can’t remember a time in my life when I was even consistently “ok” with my body, and believe me, I’ve been chunky, skinny and everything in between. I’ve always had a knack for feeling good for a second, and then immediately following up that feeling with, “oh but if only I was…” and fill in the blank. A little thinner. A little less thunder-thighed. A little less ham-like-armed. Blah blah blah. If you’re like me, and I sort of hope you’re not, you probably can’t even enjoy a fantastic meal at a restaurant without thinking either “well, I certainly can’t get on the scale tomorrow” or possibly “I guess if we’re going out to dinner I’ll eat sparingly throughout the day to compensate.” But I think you all are, because when I reached out on my Facebook and asked for photos that you all felt good about, I was met with so much self-loathing and self-criticism, and that made me so sad.

It has to stop. And so, friends, today I’ve decided to cut myself a break.

That’s right. Give me a break already, Heather. Size 4 size 14, I’ll probably never been 100% ok with the gal I see in the mirror, but you know what? I think I’m becoming comfortable with that idea. I’ve been obsessing for over two years trying to lose the last 18 baby pounds (ps – don’t gain 65+ pounds when you’re pregnant. All of those egg sandwich bagels SEEM like a great idea, but they will hang around long after your kid is begging you to crack raw eggs with a hammer on the floor of your living room) And I do think I’ll do it, eventually. I hope so.

But right now, I’m giving myself permission to accept, and dare I say even LIKE, my body during the process. Am I trying to kick my Taco Bell habit and eat healthier? Of course. Am I hoping to incorporate some exercise into my life? I guess, but I just hate it. I know that until I do these things my old jeans will sit in my closet and stare at me mockingly, but right now I’m ok with going at my own pace and telling those jeans to check their attitude at the door.

I grew a kid in my body, and they cut him out of my abdomen with a knife. I think. I don’t know, I was pretty incoherent for that whole thing. I work like 8908 jobs. I’m busy. I’m tired. I’m so many things all the time, all day long, all week-long, all month-long, and I’m so so so exhausted sometimes. And I know you are too. You’re moms, you’re step moms, you’re single, you’re married, you’re divorced, you’re pet moms, you’re hard workers, you’re doing all of the things that make the world go ’round. And you know what? Its ok if it’s taking us a little bit longer to get there. Size 2, size 22, size 42, you have to find some beauty when you look in the mirror. It’s there – I promise. Other people see it, so stop all of your “I’m so fat” “I’m so ugly” “look at my wrinkles” and cut yourself a break, for God’s sake.

Success isn’t about achieving a specific end result. It’s every step you take along the way the moment you decide you are going to be successful. It doesn’t matter if it takes you two months or two years. It’s a journey. Be a little kinder to yourself as you find your way down the path.

Here I am pre-Jake, 36 weeks pregnant, and two weeks ago. And I think I’m ok with it. I’m trying so hard to appreciate my body for what it can do, not for what I think it’s supposed to look like.

And how about all of my beautiful friends, who, either happily or reluctantly, shared these fantastic images of themselves? Beautiful, every single one of them – and I bet, if you turn down that little voice inside of your head that keeps putting you down, that you are too. xoxo – H

Well hello there. Yup. Its that time of year again. I’m forced to pay $18 to renew my domain name and I’m suddenly inspired to start writing again and get my money’s worth. I just purchased a desk for myself, so who knows. Perhaps The Lit Kitty will see a renaissance. You never know.

Its also another time of year again, for me. Its the hot ass awful long sweating mess yucko summertime. Yup, I hate it. And in the midst of this weather inferno is a special date. That date is July 4th. Do you know why its special?

Nope, its not because I have a special penchant for our founding fathers (side note – a coworker once told me that she thought Alexander Hamilton was the “hottest” of all the founding fathers based on the picture of him on our money. Not sure why I’m sharing this. It just always stayed with me)

And it sure isn’t because I love the beach and fireworks, because if you know me at all you know that I hate the sand and I find fireworks just irritating.

Its because July 4th marks the official switch from “summer fashion” to “back to school fashion.” I LOVE this change. After July 4th I can’t even begin to wrap my head around purchasing more summer clothes. Its bad enough I have to suffer through these thigh sweat months as it is. By July I’m already looking toward fall. I’m beyond ready.

I’ve mentioned before that I was always the girl fully decked out in “cold weather” clothes on the first day of school, even if the temps still topped 90 degrees. Now, while I’m a bit more reasonable these days, I like to choose my late summer purchases by thinking about how I can wear them now while its still Satan’s favorite season, but also how I’ll be able to wear them in the fall when it is gloriously cool.

GUESS WHAT GUYS!?? LULAROE IS PERFECT FOR THIS. Let me tell you all about it. I’ve made some sets below with stuff from my closet (sorry – it ain’t for sale!)

Are you sick of this pic yet? I’m not because my hair and make up are on point this day. You can see that I’m attempting to beat the heat by throwing a little blue tank top over this lovely maxi skirt. I look so damn fantastic that I may even forget about the heat. For a moment.

In the second pic I’m wearing the very same skirt, but I’ve styled it for fall with a denim jacket and booties, and I’ve stylishly situated myself in front of a random screen door with plants. Nothing says fall like a rustic porch & screen door.

Do you love Carly? I do, too. You know this. I wear her all summer long with little sandals and some big jewelry because it’s just so damn easy. In fact, I think I wore this exact outfit last week. Well, without the little purse. That’s actually a makeup case, but its adorable.

For cooler months I’ll take this exact Carly (its one of my favorites) and I’ll throw it over some leggings with boots & a denim jacket. Now I suddenly want to pick apples.

I pretty much live in tank tops all summer because my armpits need to roam free. Its for all of our benefit. Its a good bet that you’ll find me in an outfit like this on most days (in fact, I have on this very shirt at this very moment)

I wear my tank tops all year round because I just find it to be more comfortable beneath a cardigan. I’ll throw on this white tank with a denim blue Sarah, jeans and some fantastic Tieks on a cool fall day.

Green is one of my favorite colors for all of the seasons. I just grabbed this Perfect T for myself last week and I think the bright Kelly green color is so pretty for the summer with a denim pencil skirt, a chunky necklace and my tangerine Tieks for a day at the office.

And I’ll keep on wearing this top right through the fall with a pair of tweed pants, a neutral Sarah & booties. Side note  – I got these pants for $1 at a yardsale and they are one of my proudest purchases.

So, ladies… it may be unbearably hot outside, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t fondly think about the chilly days ahead and plan our purchases!

Hi friends! I just renewed my URL so its about time for my once-every-three-decades blog post! I always aspire to write more often but… you know.  But today I’m going to talk to you about why I became a Lularoe A+ Super shopper cult member… and not just b/c I sell it. In fact, I wont even mention that (until the end… b/c, like, I sell it guys. Of course if you’re going to buy it I want it to be from me)…

But let me talk to you about why I started buying Lularoe because I come into this blog post knowing full well that 1) many of you do NOT do the leggings thang 2) many of you, for reasons unknown, have some weird hatred for the company. To each, her own, of course… but I’ll try to share with you why *I* grew to love Lularoe. Maybe you’ll still hate it. Whatever, yo.

So, I’ll put this out there… I don’t really like leggings either. Guys, I’m pear. I’m SUPER pear.  Jeez, I wrote a whole post on my obsession with how my lower half looked in JEANS… (see here!) and you think that I’m confident enough to parade around with kittens splayed across my hine? I get that many of you love the leggings and you collect them in the way that 8 year old me hoarded My Little Ponies. Because they were cute and pretty and I just had to have them ALL. I am more than happy to sell you ALL of the leggings (Yassss!) but my LLR obsession goes by another name.

And that name is… (whisper, whisper)

Carly.

She’s my girl. But let me tell you why. I’m not a dress girl and I never have been. Pants, Jeans… those were my thing. Until… DUN DUN DUN… I gained 64 pounds during my pregnancy with the peanut man.  Sidenote: DON’T GAIN 64 POUNDS WHILE YOU’RE PREGNANT. It will cling to your abdomen, thighs, and, weirdly enough, upper arms like a slug to the sidewalk. Ew, what a gross reference. But you get it. I enjoyed all of those bagels and fettuccini alfredo dinners, but, hot damn, its a year later and I’m still 23 pounds over my pre-banana man weight. And I did/do NOT feel good about it.

As a working mom, I HAVE to look somewhat presentable when I leave the house. My post-partum body was a real challenge – I’d lost about 40 of the pregnancy pounds, so I couldn’t (nor did I WANT to) continue wearing my maternity clothes. As I was still SO far away from my “goal weight” I didn’t really want to invest in clothing that I’d only be able wear (hopefully) for a short period of time.

Enter: Carly.

I’ve never been one for a t-shirt dress. In my experience I always like them the first time I wear one, but then after 1 washing its stupid-short and clingly around the c-section pooch. Not good. But I took the Carly leap because I kept dreaming about all of the pretty Carly photos that I’d pinned. It did not disappoint.

Let me tell you how Carly is not only getting me through this transitional body phase, but how she also helped my mental state during this period of fragility. I’m a little dramatic. Carly isn’t just a tshirt dress – its just better. The way it drapes, the high-low hem, the A-line shape… its just GOOD. I feel like the Carly does, of course, cover up that doughy belly pooch and my ham thighs, but not in a “this is a dress that is two sizes too big” sort of way. It just sort of transforms your body. I honestly feel like I look 10 pounds thinner in a Carly. Perhaps you disagree, but I’d ask you not to burst my bubble. I throw it on and I feel, I guess the best way to describe it is, put together. I’ve worn it in the winter with leggings (I use them like tights) and a cardigan… and I throw them on now with flip flops and a chunky necklace. And I feel pretty damn good when I’m wearing one. Oh, and mentally… you have to size down so being able to fit into a size XS right now is really just… lovely.

Give it a go, ladies. Don’t like leggings? Don’t like crazy patterns? How about a solid grey Carly dress? Yeah, I thought so. I’m pretty sure that if you say no to something like a solid black or blue t-shirt dress you’re some sort of a weirdo communist. Just saying.

So, if you want some, join our group! Or don’t. You know. Either way.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/lularoekarenheather

Shopping for (flattering, stylish) clothes post-partum is a trying event. And I mean it’s an all out tears-angry-rant-I-hate-dressing-room-mirrors-insert-curse-words here type of outing.

Right now I *literally* have one pair of pants that fits… and, yet, I’ve been back to work since peanut man was only 5 weeks old, so I NEED some presentable clothing. The 6 stretchy maxi-skirts that I’ve been rotating since month 5 of my pregnancy are getting pilled and boring… and my OTHER pair of pants, well, lets just say I wore them out (i.e. they were so threadbare from constant use that I split an eight inch hole right up the arse… and I didn’t even notice I’d done it until I sat down on a toilet in public and saw the floor through the back of my pants. God only knows how long I’d really been walking around with my bloomers on display. But I digress.)

In addition to my need for work clothes, next month is my son’s Christening… and I need a dress or some sort of outfit for that.

I’d normally HATE to spend any money on clothing when I’m so far away from my happy weight (32 pounds down, 28 to go! Ugh. Do NOT gain 60 pounds during your pregnancy. That is my advice to you.) But as it turns out, I had $50 of referral credit hanging around in my Stitch Fix account, so I decided to give it a go even though I am still much larger than ideal.

I asked for 1) stretchy maxi dresses or skirts 2) a dress for the Christening, which could be maxi or knee-length 3) LOOSE fitting sleeveless tops for work. I also noted that I did NOT want to receive any pants in this fix…And here is how the fix went down:

Here are a picture of my styling cards and the note from my stylist. I felt as if she (Tracy) really took time to read my requests and browse my Pinterest this time around. On the surface I liked all 5 items, but here is my commentary on how I felt about them after I’d tried them on:

I’ve blogged about Stitch Fix in the past, but if you’re new to SF, let me summarize what it is for you. Here is a snippet from an older post:

Here is what you do. First you follow my referral link, because you love me and I’ll get $25 credit for every person who signs up via my link, here: Follow me to Stitch Fix

You pay $20. You fill out a massive style profile. Your likes. Your dislikes. Your measurements. How you like your clothing to fit. You look at pictures. You do an ink blot test. You include all kinds of links, like to your Pinterest page (this is imperative!!!), or your blog (like me!) choose to have a single fix or auto delivery (you can do monthly, bi-monthly, etc) And then you get assigned a personal stylist. This person picks out 5 items that they think you’ll like based on what you’ve written. Free shipping/Free returns. You try the items on, if you like, you buy. If not, you send them all back without penalty. If you do buy an item, the $20 that you spent for the service is deducted from the cost.

First up was this maxi dress from Market & Spruce. If you know me, then you know I’m a sucker for nautical and/or stripes. I wanted to love this dress. I threw it on with my little yellow cardigan, and a necklace that I received in a previous fix, but, alas, as you can see in photo #2 it really clung to my C-section pooch. So, back it went.

Tracy also sent me a second maxi dress by Mystree. I had hoped to like this dress, but in a weird twist it was way too big. I had to put on giant platform sandals and I would probably still trip over the hem and break my leg if I wore this. A shame, because I really liked the back of the dress. I figured that if it was too big on me now, it would really be swimming 28 pounds from now. So, back it went. Damn.

I always request tops in yellow. I guess I just like it. Anyhow, Tracy sent me this top from Daniel Rainn. It seemed a little Amish on its own, so I styled it with my denim pencil from Loft (which is still absurdly tight) and a cream sweater. It was just ok. I have mental issues w/purchasing this particular brand from Stitch Fix at retail prices because I often see tops from the same brand in Marshalls for $14.99. In any event, as you can see, it’s just sorta blah on me. Back it went.

Next up is this teal sleeveless top from Papermoon. I took the photos of this blouse like a jerk, but I had already shipped it back when I noticed how blurry it was. Anyhow, the top is lace and the bottom is a gauze type material. This is one of my favorite colors, but the top seemed so 2000’s to me. Very dated. Like, I would have worn this to the Nutty Irishman in my bar fly days and thought I was hot to trot. So, it went back.

At this point you’re probably thinking that this fix was a total bust. Fear not! I’ve saved the best for last. I’d pinned this shirt months ago several times and had been hoping against hope to see it in a fix. And lo and behold, here it is! This orange and cream top (from Collective Concepts) is what my husband would call a “Heather shirt.” In fact, when I showed him, he said, verbatim, “that’s a you-shirt.” I styled it w/a black maxi (for today) and skinnies, boots and a sweater (for November)… I hope you appreciate the picture I took in the skinnies because they were so tight that I probably cut off circulation to the entire lower half of my body.

I’ll probably hold off on ordering another Fix until I’ve lost the rest of the baby weight, but this top was a nice little pick-me-up while I’m on my way there. And now, here’s a photo of my cute banana boy. Enjoy.