Day 17 The more people I talk to the more people I see, the more I mourn for this world. I don’t think I know a person that is not crazy busy and stressed out, never having time for what matters: the people in their lives. My husband looked at me this morning and said I looked tired and stressed and that as an anniversary gift he would give me a night away in a hotel. I replied no. I don’t want a night away, what I want is for my house to be organized, my laundry to be done and my kids to be happy. Then after that time away with my husband and my kids, not alone, nope; I could not relax knowing I would be coming home to a whole world of crazy.
Let’s go back to the part when I said the word laundry. Now I have pretty much gotten my laundry under control, but it is the others in the house that are causing the piles. I was wondering why my son kept saying he never had any clothes, until I went to his room to find said clothes and behold, there in his closet was an over-full hamper. I guess he missed it when I was directing the children in a very loud tone to bring their hampers downstairs. It’s not the putting it in the machine that frustrates me, it’s the time it takes for the folding. Because it is a constant thorn in my side and I am all into lessening stress and minimizing lately, I have decided to try the 2U laundry service: they will give me a discount because of my skincare business. So we will see if the $30 a bag (which they say holds 4-6 loads) is worth it for me to solve some of my stress and aggravation. Next Wednesday is my first pickup. So I will keep you posted on how that all shakes out. The last time I had a laundry service was when I was single living in NYC, and I dragged a huge bag across the street only to have to frantically scrabble home by the time it closed to pick up my laundry. Many times I would end up going back to work after my laundry pick-up. I was on a strict budget and hanging out in the laundromat did not align with my (cost per hour time spent initiative). Once Tim and I got married, we had laundry in the super creepy Silence of the Lambs-ish basement in our Upper West Side apartment building. I would throw my laundry in the machine, shove the quarters in and book it up to my apartment as fast as possible. Honestly, I was not worried about someone stealing my wet laundry; I cared more about the certain that (just moments away) of a psycho’s attempt on my life. Now that I think of it, that is probably one of the reasons why I basically wore a uniform to work that year. The less laundry the better. Unfortunately, I can no longer blame my laundry woes on a creepy basement. My Dad, Tim and I outfitted our current laundry room with cabinets, shelves, a new laundry sink, a work table, etc., thinking, “now I will love to do laundry.” Didn’t happen. Next course of action taken – on to the service.
Working with my static wardrobe, I realized today that I have instated a new course of action in picking my clothes and determining if they need to be laundered: The Look Test (any stains I did not realize) and The Smell Test (does it smell bad or at least beyond my standards – I have a peculiarly sensitive nose, so this is a hard test to pass). If we sat in Chick-Fil-A the night before with the kids eating dinner, my tee shirt is not going to pass The Smell Test.
I was talking with a new Mom yesterday on my way to pick the kids up from school and she said, “I am just standing here trying to decide what to wear, because I just have to get out of these sweat pants.” I tried to explain that is why I am trying out the static wardrobe, because I don’t have to stand there labor I guess over what to wear. She said “yeah, but I would feel like I looked like a slob wearing the same thing every day. ” That is the exact reason, why you pick static wardrobe pieces that you like, that you feel good in, that are not too casual (yoga pants) but also not too dressy. That you can slip in and out of almost any situation unnoticed. I used to have a bad habit of over dressing, because I love clothes and love to dress-up, and while we all know the fear of dressing down too much, you can also easily feel awkward if you dress up too much. Picking a good middle-of-the-road outfit that can go either way is the key. Then you never feel awkward and never feel like a slob. Because really it is rare that you are with the same exact people every day, and if you see people every week for a meeting they are not there to make sure you change your outfit each week. (Unless you’re a wardrobe stylist and that, in essence, is asking people to stare at what you’re wearing.) The reality is that it’s an easy and casual conversation to have … people who notice and say something are pretty much going to give you props at some level if you put it all together thoughtfully and can talk to what you’re doing and why with a bit of confidence.
Tip of the Day: Pick your pieces well, and thoughtfully. You don’t need a lot to look good or feel good. It’s worth investing the time and money to get those staples just right, so that you aren’t questioning yourself later on.
Update on My Rent the Runway Prep: I did jump in and after spending way too much time on their website trying to pick the perfect pieces to start with, I chose a shirt, a romper and a dress. I started my prep early, because I am considering another cheat day and you have to account for all the days of shipping, so it does take time.
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