White sleeveless shirt with pink cardigan. When it gets hot – take off the sweater. Add a scarf or necklace to dress this up.
When picking clothes for summer, this is what I take into consideration:
1. I’m busy. No time to iron. No time to hand wash. No time to hang dry. No time to mend badly constructed clothing. I need wash and wear.
2. I’m hot. No. Not that kind of hot. Sweaty, hot-flash hot. I need light and cool.
3. I’ve got a pouch in the front, and I’m not even a kangaroo. I had nine kids (no, not a rabbit either), and after number 8 I had diastasis recti. Plus, I like chocolate.
4. Even with vein removal surgery (twice) I still have varicose vein issues plus surgery cut scars. ALSO several pre-cancerous mole removal punch scars. Dark round things here and there. Polka dot legs.
So these are the totally awesome things I need to work with when I choose clothes.
My Summer Mom-Body Uniform
It’s simple. I wear jeans every day. Yes, all through the summer. Jeans are slimming, cover my spotted, striped, splotched legs, wash and wear well, and I can dress them up or down depending on what I wear on top. When I found a good fitting pair last year, I bought three of them in various shades.
Dark blue, black, or white is good for dressing up. I have a pair of sandal clogs that give me height and are comfortable but look dressy. Washed denim is a casual look, perfect for pairing with flats.
Sleeveless pink shirt. I add a white cardigan sometimes. This is a good color to draw attention to your face.
I’m Norwegian. I love living in MN where the weather is mostly cool. I abhor heat, and if I lived down south I would simply melt into nothing with shrieks of protest like the wicked witch of the west. I don’t spend a lot of time outside when it is over 80 degrees. So while jeans work well for me in my air conditioned refuge, they might not work for you. I do have a pair of THESE in Oyster for super hot days, and they even roll up with a button to make capris. But you won’t find me in shorts anymore. Not in public, anyway.
So what about on top? After searching for years (and I’m not kidding) I think I found shirt Nirvana. They are Eddie Bauer shirts made in their Travex line. The material is light and airy, has an UPF of 50, washes beautifully, dries beautifully, and never needs ironing. Their mountain shirts come in a short sleeve HERE or a sleeveless HERE. (I got mine on sale.) The only bad thing is the limited (like, only three? Hello EB – get creative, please) number of color options.
These shirts look casual on their own, but dressier with a summer cardigan and necklace or scarf. (Cardigans are a must-have in MN where it can be 40 degrees in the morning and 80 by 3:00 p.m.) They are longer than most shirts, but not too long. They have a nicely curved hem (straight hems are boxy looking and make people like me look wider than we are) that is flattering on any shape. They are cut slightly curved in at the waist, again avoiding the boxy look of other shirts. They are generous in the front, leaving ample space for my pouch to hide underneath. They don’t cling to your body shape (which would reveal that pouch), but rather hang down barely skirting the fat underneath.
Short sleeved blue shirt. I also wear this with a white cardigan sometimes. I’ve got blue eyes, so this is one of my “signature” colors.
It couldn’t get more perfect, which is why I wear these every day. It might seem boring, but it only takes me two seconds to get dressed. “Hmmm…what should I wear? How about the only shirt that’s clean right now? (I only have three.) Decision made.”
My Precocious Toddler’s Uniform
This is the life of a mom with toddlers. But what about the toddlers? I’ve got a 3-yo who discovered his crotch a couple of months ago. (I’m not trying to be vulgar here – how do you explain this kind of thing, for Pete’s sake?) It all started when I introduced him to the potty – which is another blog post. Suffice it to say, he didn’t take much to the pot, but he certainly has been in awe of the “tail” in front. So much so, I’ve had to put him in clothes he can’t pull down or stick his hands in.
When it was warmer, I just had him wear his winter pj’s every day and turned them backward so they zipped up the back. But what about summer?
I found a cute one piece bathing suit that’s perfect. He wears this whenever it isn’t being washed. It was too costly for me to buy several of them, so I found a zippered summer pj HERE and cut off the arms and legs. He wears this backwards too. It’s a bit odd, I realize, but it works.
I’m pretty sure we’ll have graduated from these clothing options by the time he is 16.
Pretty sure.
P.S. One of my summer goals is to learn how to take better pictures of my kids. Want to learn with me? Get a FREE guide to photo composition HERE. I hope to post more of what I’m learning in the weeks ahead.
If people have the time to watch the course and can find it in their library system, The Great Courses (I think they used to be called The Teaching Company, so I search the library under both names) has a photography DVD course by a National Geographic photographer.
(Typing this while my little girl is again looking at your picture saying she threw up at your house….ahhhh, memories.)
I have a 3 year old boy too. That is TOO funny!
(+ I do love your uniform. Did you get rid of all your other clothes?…I like the idea, but it’s a big leap : ))
No – I have other clothes, but mostly for the colder months. I seriously had nothing to wear this summer. NOTHING. And wearing nothing is not a good life choice.
Thank goodness I found these, huh?
Yes, if you have a 3 yo boy – you can probably relate!
Yes, definitely can relate. While I haven’t had to resort to a one piece (yet), I have wondered how ‘normal’ is is!
LOVE the pink!!!!!!!!! CUTE pics of your boy!!!!!
You would hate my weather. The average summer day is 100 degrees, but it gets hotter.
My friend came from Idaho yesterday , and it was like 106. We could not afford to get our a/c up high enough for her to be cool.
I cannot fathom how you all survive. The only good thing ya’ll have going for you is your accent. But couldn’t you keep that and move North? Anyone down there – you have to come up here for a visit, because I’m staying put.
Actually, I am in California, but I can say Y’all!
We’ve got a pretty good drought going on here to add to the heat, but thankfully good swimming available as well. I’m hearing a rumor that they think our drought will be ended like Texas… Really quick with a lot of rain.
I hope you feel comfortable enough to wear some shorts or a nice bathing suit on the hot days. We’ve all got scars of one kind or another. For years, I spent way too much time trying to find bathing suits that covered a strawberry hematoma birthmark on my back. Then, one day, it occurred to me that I saw kids at the pool who seemed ashamed of their scars and tried to keep them covered up. So I bought a suit that left my birthmark visible. No one died. If anyone stared, I didn’t see them. Eventually, we seemed to start a “scars – are – us” club for people with visible scarring. Tons of fun learning how each of us got how we are.
Ooh, and I totally forgot. You might like some of the shirts at Duluth Trading Company. They can be expensive, but they breathe, have a two-inch longer torso, and are nearly indestructible. I took mine on a trip to a field station in the mountains of Puerto Rico and have used them on the farm and they work so well.
Thank you for the recommendation! Oh my, was I drooling. I love the longer fit. I have a longer torso anyway. Are you in MN? I am – there’s a store just a few miles from me. I don’t know why I’ve never heard of it or been there before. That tells you what my shopping habits are like. I’m learning though – thanks to people who are kind enough to clue me in. Thank you again! (I am truly loving their leather bags. Have you looked at those? Beautiful.)
That’s a healthy approach to the problem!