Day 13 Landed on a Sunday. Usually Sundays are relaxed: fun but busy, going to Church and lunch (getting the family ready and out the door on time being the ‘busy’ part), and then resting and preparing for the week. This particular Sunday was pouring down rain, I still had one sick child and my husband was out of town on the church men’s retreat. So I decided on “home church” with the kids and a lounge day at home. This meant not putting on “real clothes” and staying in my super soft comfy peach PJs all day. Yep, I did it … it is seldom I stay in PJs all day even if I am not going out; this was certainly a surprise to my husband to come in from a weekend away only to see me at my computer in my PJs. These are certainly the times when I think lounge wear leggings and comfy clothes are a necessity. The rule follower in me for sure likes to have things in their place, in their time and in their space. I did though sneak out to a movie later that night with a girlfriend and yes, the Static Wardrobe was back in action: jean skirt, tee and sweater it was, with my white tennies (since it was monsoon-like weather here) and I did have to bust out my trusty rain coat. Everyone should have a nice raincoat on hand, unless you live in the desert. A neutral color like navy goes with everything and can easily transition for either dressy or casual.
I guess it had been a little while since I was at this not-new theater because the seats were crazy, electric recliners with a foot rest and all that raise at the touch of a button. I found it almost too easy with a cup holder, my feet up and popcorn in my lap … wow, talk about luxury. I also got a good view of my glaring white shoes. We got there a little early so we had time to chat and I discovered I had yet another friend who is trying to minimize, and thinking about minimizing her wardrobe purely for the simple ease of it. Mom after mom I talk to I hear a similar thread: I am just looking for solutions on how to still look good and not have to put extra brain power in, we need all the brain power we can get!
Even though I dogged on lounge wear yesterday, I will say there is absolutely a place for it. I spent a lot of time in China working with factories to bring my designs to life and have also had missionaries from china stay with us. I noticed they had out of the house clothes and home clothes (maybe this was for cleanliness as well as comfort, given how dirty the environment is there). I always thought it was an interesting concept. I totally agree with that mindset, and we have more or less instituted that approach in our own home. Especially shoes: off at the door! If you do feel you need to wear shoes in the house, they are going to be slippers. Like cats, inside shoes should stay inside, and the outside ones can go tramping all over God’s green earth but don’t bring that mess in our house! Many of the hotels where I stayed in Asia had a laundry basket or bag; you would put your garments outside your door to have your laundry done while you slept and a little tray at the end of your bed, for your folded PJs. That was so much fun and I felt like it was the epitome of luxury.
Home is exactly the place for your comfy clothes and leggings. My synopsis: feel comfy at home, look fabulous and maybe not be “the most” comfortable when you are out of the house. The caveat is if you’re like me and most of your work is from your computer and on video conference calls, then when you’re working at home when people are going to see you, you need to look presentable at least from the waist up.
Tip of the day: Start thinking about organizing your clothes.
1) Write down your activities ex: home, workout, business, play
2) Write down how many items of each you have
3) Write down how many you really need to get through a week with no laundry being done. Be strict on yourself but realistic ex: I work out 5 days a week, therefore 5 sports bras, 5 leggings, 5 tee shirts, because I only wear workout clothes once. But jeans for instance you really only need two pairs (I know, I know who am I to talk on jeans since I have about ten pairs (and that’s a conservative count), but I am working on it and yes paring down).
4) Then pick out your favorites in each category, sticking with your numbers of what you need.
5) Then get rid of the rest: garbage bags to Goodwill or garbage bag it and sell it. You will be happy to get it out of your sight and eliminate some clutter. Now if you are like me and you have some pieces with an emotional attachment or fashion archives, find a separate space for them, maybe a closet you don’t use or make a cedar closet in your garage, basement, or attic. Getting those items out of site will also help clear clutter in your brain.
I have started my brain storming for my next experiment. May is one of our busiest months with lots of standing things: birthdays, anniversary, mother’s day graduations, recital prep, end of school etc. Because of all these occasions (and you may remember from my earlier blog, I am an occasion shopper), I decided to do Rent the Runway. Each week in may I will have three pieces and we will see how it works … will it be fabulous or a head ache? We shall see!
