Thanks for my boots.

You may remember this from my big New Year's Resolution to spend time outside with my kids: last winter, after 15 years of living in a cold climate, I bought myself some warm boots that are also easy to walk in.

Super flattering shot, I know.

In past years I had tried rainboots with multiple layers of socks--that was not ideal. I have also done the "walk really fast on your tiptoes and try not to get your shoes wet" approach. Finally I did a Great Zappos Boots Experiment wherein I tried about 5 or 6 different brands of boots. I really wanted duck boots from L.L. Bean (they have some super sweet colors now--navy with pink or green trim) but you have to order those way in advance, like months or a year in advance. Anyway I ended up going with these guys, which are Keens, and I have been super happy with them. They're sort of a middle ground where they're really warm in snow but also very walkable; not as heavy (or as expensive) (or quite as warm) as Sorels. They feel a little like hiking boots. Sherpa-lined hiking boots.

So that's my little review of my boots, which I am super thankful for, and which I wore today to rake leaves and put up my Christmas lights, in my PJs, and I'm actually looking forward to winter so that I can wear my not-very-stylish but comfy and warm boots every day again. Side note, don't worry, I won't spend an entire post tomorrow being thankful for socks, but I AM also very thankful for warm wool socks.

Toddling

I wanted to send a pic of Polly in this dress to my mom, who sent her the dress. But Polly (newly awake from her nap) was not happy about being put down.

I realize the photos are blurry but I don't mind. Looking back at moments like these with my sweet tiny 17-lb babe (who toddles all over the house now, like she owns the place) just makes me happy to be alive. Life is good.

Keep the grumps away with this one weird trick.

Maybe this was already obvious to everyone but me. But it turns out that you can't stay grumpy with a Santa hat on. It just feels wrong, so when the grumpy feelings come, you reach up and flip that fuzzy pom pom and remember that it's Christmas. As soon as I discovered this for myself, Ida and I went to Michael's and picked out Santa hats for everyone else in the family. So far, so good.

"Buy stuff. A little too much. Mostly crap."

I just finished reading Overdressed: The SHOCKINGLY High Cost of Cheap Fashion. I added the all-caps to SHOCKINGLY because I feel that most uses of the word SHOCKINGLY require a (tongue-in-cheek) all-caps. Though it may not seem like it based on some of my habits, I am already converted to the author's point of view: that we should buy well-made stuff and much less of it, and make what we can. And basically stay out of places like Forever 21, H&M, Uniqlo, and Target.

I was drawn to the argument in part because of my current interest in the Real Food movement and Michael Pollan ("Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants"). I am always a little late to these parties. Anyway, I definitely am good with the "much less of it" part of the fashion book, but I am so reluctant to pull the trigger on big purchases even though I know it's supposed to pay off later. It's ingrained in me NOT to spend money on things like shoes. By the same token, I am biologically attracted to synthetic fabrics that fray and pill. These (above) are my beloved plastic Target sandals that have just about bitten the dust. These lasted me exactly one summer of almost-daily wear. Maybe if they had been worth more than $12 they would have lasted longer. Or is it just a function of sandals? I don't know. My Saltwaters have seen more use but are in perfect shape. I could also try to find well-made shoes at a thrift store or on Ebay. I'm a teeny bit skeezed out by used shoes, however; plus that is a lot of work.

All I know is, every time I make a serious vow to "use it up, wear it out, make it do or go without" (I have made this vow a handful of times in my married life with moderate success for a few months each time), after X amount of days or weeks I go to pick something up at Target like toothpaste, and an hour after that, I go home at least $50 poorer and with some crummy article of clothing that will pill after one wash and a plastic tchotchke that looks cheap after a week of hanging on my wall. Let's not forget the various prettily packaged cleaning products, hair products, or paper products that beguile me. All so good for the planet. It's OK as long as they're labeled "organic"--right?

Actually I am much less concerned about my carbon footprint or outsourced manufacturing than I am about what my spending habits mean for me and my family. Not only do I want to cut back on spending, I also don't want my kids to grow up thinking everything is disposable or that junk is OK as long as it's cheap. I'm getting better though. Yesterday I returned 2 (unnecessary) Target purchases, then took a direct U-turn from the customer service desk back to the parking lot. Didn't even side-eye the $1 aisle. This time I left $50 richer and with no junk. And NO Pizza Hut personal pizzas, to my kids' resounding defeat and chagrin. Then we had vegetables for dinner. Well, I did anyway. Baby steps.

Summer Sunday

Our last summer Sunday!

Lars officially started walking last week. He has been walking for about 2 months now but only a few steps at a time. Suddenly it clicked and now he walks everywhere he goes. So in keeping with my mostly-unofficial policy of putting ties on my boys once they learn how to walk, yesterday was his first day in a tie. He wore it like a champ.

He's not going to wear a tie every Sunday until he's much older (after all he has the rest of his life to wear a tie), but I had to do it at least once. A chubby baby walking around wearing a tie is about as great as it sounds.

Also, Ida's flower pin. Ida who generally takes a stand against accessorizing whenever possible, agreed to a flower pin. It's a hairclip too but she preferred wearing it as a pin. I think I prefer it too actually.

Since I don't want to leave Theo out I'll point out that in this picture he is wearing a "real" tie which actually has to be tied. Left that up to Matt. I guess I will need to learn how to tie a tie sometime, huh.

School tomorrow!!!! Ack!!!

Sunday best

Ida and Lars are the lucky recipients of my sister Phoebe's awesome hand-me-downs, since her daughter Agnes is a year older than Ida and her son Sully is a year older than Lars. Here are a couple of my faves after church the other day. I took pictures since I realized both outfits will be outgrown soon.

Thanks, Phoebers!!!

These are all from Phoebe except Lars's adorable saddle-shoe socks which were a gift from Dawn. So thanks to Dawn too!

I have gotten so used to not buying kids' clothes that Theo has literally (litt'rally) been wearing the same pair of Sunday shoes for the past 3 years. Count 'em: 3. (they were big when I bought them and the leather stretched) OK I am cheating a little because he wears sandals to church during the summer. Otherwise, I am pretty impressed with myself. Or should I be ashamed? [shrug] Anyway it's probably time to get him some new ones but I kind of want to see if they can last until the weather gets warm enough for sandals. If you want some Sunday shoes for a little boy that will last, I have been quite impressed with his, which are from See Kai Run. I'll be honest, the 2 pairs of SKR shoes I got for Ida when she was a baby did NOT last. But, Theo's did. His exact ones aren't on sale anymore but they're kind of similar to this. The similarity is in the toe, and I think that soft leather was what made them so stretchy. I really need to take a picture and post it. They are looking a tiny bit haggard and I'm pretty sure they are now too small.

Speaking of which, as you may know I put Saltwater sandals on my kids in the summer time, for play and church. They are the perfect summer shoe and I wear mine all the time too. I wore them today, in fact (65 degrees out there). But I decided this past summer that maybe Theo was a little old for them. Maybe he had been for a while, but anyway. So I got him the Saltwater Sharks (the original, not the "Shark II") from a place called Sweet William and I highly recommend both the shoe and the store. I hope he will fit into them this summer too but I doubt it.

This is turning into a very rambly post when I initially meant to post the clothes for Phoebe. Thanks for outfitting Ida and Lars. Theo looks a little shabby next to them, but I think he's cool with that. Especially since he has plenty of clothes in his closet that are in fine shape but he picks the same 3 shirts to wear over and over.

Penguin PJs once again

I have several little "neutral" outfits that all 3 kids have worn--for instance, they all came home from the hospital in the same tiny white polka-dot zip-up PJs and a tiny white hat. Unfortunately although I do still have the outfit itself I don't think I have pictures of all 3 kids in that outfit. As far as I can tell I don't have photographic evidence for anything but the penguin PJs.

So far at each age Theo has consistently been the biggest, Ida the smallest and Lars somewhere in the middle. These photos are Theo - 4 weeks, Ida - 4 months, and Lars - 10 weeks.

Friday photo: Shoes

Here's another from Alisha's photo shoot. Theo loves his shoes and jeans and is refusing to make the transition to sandals and shorts. Ida on the other hand now has 3 pairs of Saltwaters to choose from (2 of which are Theo's hand-me-downs from when he was a year old!) and she loves it. Like me, she's definitely a sandal girl. And like me, she has definite ideas about what looks good on her and what she wants to wear. Rarely do I get to assemble outfits for her anymore. Theo's the same way. At least I still get to choose what goes into their dresser drawers in the first place.

The T, the blessed T

So, once upon a time I spent a lot of energy "real" shopping for clothes. (I do spend a little bit of energy "fake" shopping still, actually.) I don't know how long it has been since that time. I thought I would be depressed when this day came, like I had given up, but I'm not. Although if I did have some bucks burning a hole in my pocket I would stop by Boden and Loft and even Garnet Hill for some of their awesome basics...I'm just throwing those names around to point out how close I am obviously getting to my 30s. Embrace it, Lizer. But really, I can hardly stand how awesome Loft's jeans are and I love everything at Boden and I found The Perfect Outfit at Garnet Hill the other day. You can quote me on all of that. I'll own it.

Anyway, the most important staple of my summer uniform this year is a Mossimo pocket T-shirt from Target. I believe it is called "The Boyfriend T" and I love it. I have it in 3 colors and I rotate through them almost every day. A few of my standby favorites have been ruined by errant bleach in the past few months (RIP orange banded top from Forever 21; I really loved you), so I am almost exclusively with the pocket T now, rotating in 2 floral blouses that I am also obsessed with.

Maybe I won't make The Sartorialist but it makes getting dressed so very easy. All three of them go with all of my jeans, cutoffs and skirts. At $8 each they may come apart after 100 washes or so but I haven't gotten there yet. I recommend it to all. It will stand me in good stead, I think, until it gets cold and I can switch to rotating through my 3 turtlenecks and 2 cable-knit sweaters.

And, let's be honest, I wouldn't have made The Sartorialist even if he did frequent suburban DC parks and grocery stores. So there.

And, I think Sarah Agnes Prine would approve.

Matchy matchy blue squared

A week ago I broke my toe by running into a door at rather high velocity. It was embarrassing and stupid and very painful and completely avoidable. I probably shouldn't run indoors. (or, into doors.) I have been a real baby about it. My doctor told me exactly the same thing that WebMD did, which was to tape the toe to its neighbor, ice it frequently, take lots of ibuprofen, don't exercise for a month and never go barefoot, and wear hard-soled shoes like running shoes that will keep strain off my toes. By the second day, vanity, pain, and 75-degree weather were inhibiting me from wearing running shoes all day so I called and asked about other hard-soled options. She told me my choices were to spend $$ on a walking boot or to treat myself to a sturdy pair of sandals.

I already kinda wanted some of these, so when I ordered the kids' summer sandals, I got a pair for myself as well. In fact, I took it a step further and bought all 3 pairs in navy blue. Matt rolled his eyes when I showed him the pretty maids all in a row after they arrived in the mail. Is that way too embarrassing for my kids and I all to be wearing matching shoes? I think it's kind of funny, and also awesome.

Waffles and a new shirt

My favorite part of this picture, aside from the awesomeness that is Ida on tiptoe, is the tag hanging from her sleeve. I was going through the kids' clothes one afternoon in order to pack away the ones they've grown out of and rotate in the ones they are just growing into. Ida found this yet-unworn top (a gift from Aunt Katie) and insisted on putting it on over her clothes. Then I forgot about the tag and she wore it the rest of the day like that.

Then we made waffles.

For the suggestion box

Dear Forever 21 and Clothing Manufacturers Everywhere,

more specifically the people who write the stuff to go on the tags,

I think it would be best if you went into more detail on your tags' Care Instructions. If I had read on my new shirt's tag,

"Hand Wash Only, Because Even If You Wash It Separately on the Delicate/Slow/Cold Cycle, It Will to Your Dismay Lose Three Inches of Length, Though None of the Width,"

instead of merely, "Hand Wash," I would have taken you more seriously.

Sincerely,

A Disgruntled Customer

~

An aside: I really liked this shirt. Apparently enough to hunt down a photo of it on the Internet and write a blog post about it at 12:00 in the a.m. I don't think it photographs well though. My sister and nieces pointed out to me earlier this year that I wear a lot of stripes. After a brief shirt count in my closet I conceded the point. It is true. All I wear are turtlenecks, boatnecks, and stripes, and sometimes striped turtlenecks or striped boatnecks. Look, it works for me. Except, apparently, when it doesn't.

A second aside: Earlier this week I wrote an actual letter to a shoe company and signed it "A Disgruntled Customer." They sent me a free pair of shoes so I think it's probably the way to go from now on. Although somehow I just don't think Forever 21 employs a very generous customer service department, especially since it's my stupid fault the shirt shrank, as much as I'd like to blame it on the tag. Also, I don't think Forever 21 reads my blog.

The closet, the closet

I thought of this yesterday when I was writing about Uber Chic for Cheap but felt it deserved its own post: while we are on the subject of fashion blogs, I also love Cardigan Empire.

I don't know how people have time or energy to read tons of blogs, but I guess I kind of know, because I go in spurts. I will go days or even weeks without reading these random home design and fashion blogs and then one day I'll spend 2 hours scrolling through them all. I leave feeling inspired, and also my eyes are a little glazed over, but anyway, details.

I wanted to recommend in particular this post about Closet Analysis from Cardigan Empire. Having gotten rid of half of my clothes and half of my shoes earlier this year--yes, I did it--I have nothing but the highest praise for such an activity. It feels so good to make space in my closet and to find better homes for the clothes and shoes I just didn't wear enough because they didn't make me feel great. It feels even better to wear only clothes and shoes that fit properly and are not completely out of style yet.

Enjoy.

Shop the night away.

I love this blog I recently found, Uber Chic for Cheap. Mainly because of this from the author's profile: "I first considered writing this blog when another site was 'teaching' me how to buy an outfit for $200." I totally feel her on that. I love in magazines and TV shows where they have "budget" looks where each piece is $75+ and it's like this big mystery how to look good in a wardrobe worth "only" 10 thousand dollars. I mean, there's really nothing wrong with spending $200+ on an outfit, just don't call it "budget."

Anyway. There's my recommendation to you for today. Check it out. Especially if you like shopping at stores that are meant for people younger than you, such as Forever 21 and Alloy. And I do...oh, I do. There's a Delia*s store at my local mall and I totally push my stroller through there like I'm not 10 years older than the salesgirls.

Me as Moab.

Have I blogged enough about David Gray? What, I haven't? New album y'all. (thanks Nicole for the heads up!)


David Gray, bless his raspy, angry, poetic, lovely soul, provided the soundtrack to my formative years. And in that vein, as a young mother of two I only recently realized that the upward climb of my formative years are behind me. It was probably when I decided earlier this year to get rid of half of my clothes. I successfully did so, because I realized I hated half of them. Then a visual came to mind.

Allow me to explain my outward life to you as though it were the choppy red mountains of southern Utah: I am reaching a style plateau in life. Although I think I catch on to some trends--though definitely not enough for a person who works at a fashion magazine--I am still wearing the same style of clothes I wore in my "single married" days (married but no kids) and still listening to much of the same music, because, as depressing as that is, who has time for these things. I am trapped in my pointed pumps, Hail to the Thief era, circa early-to-mid oughts. (is that what we call this decade that is almost over?)

I am bracing myself to catapult from this plateau because I am ready to be a hot mom who is not stuck in the year I got married, yet not trying too hard to be current for my age (rompers anyone?), and embrace the approaching fourth decade of my life. Is this why I am obsessed with getting new couches?

Also, I realized that during my time in said plateau, I have completely stopped listening to the radio or watching TV or seeing new movies, my hair has darkened to the point where you really might call it mouse-colored, and also I have developed somewhat of a Maryland accent?? Explain all of this to me. I still have 4 years left until I turn 30, that should count for something but I am feeling old all of a sudden.



(me actually in Moab! perfect for my metaphor. 2006. Bono shades.)

So, I think I want to stop buying cheap clothes that I hate a year later, and also stop relying on my sister and husband to find new music for me. But at the same time I can't turn my back on a classic. I have a tendency to gush whenever I talk about David Gray. Therefore, he deserves his own label on my blog. I'm just trying to prove how serious I am about DG, folks. Diggy for short--it's my own nickname for him that I just made up.

Rather than saying, "Eliza, you're not old and you don't wear fashions from 2004" which is the polite thing to say and I thank you for the sentiment, I am curious: how does a person--other than a person who embraces the Timeless persona, dressing like Audrey Hepburn all the time and only listening to opera--maybe I should look into that option actually--keep up with new clothes and music when the person has little time or money? Is plain old interest enough motivation? Perhaps do I need a guru? Food for thought. Go ahead, be my guru.

Baby clothes

Although I love dressing my toddler in clothes that all but match his dad's (haven't quite convinced Matt to sport red Saltwaters yet), I am not one for putting baby-sized adult clothes on tiny babies. I like my babies to be dressed like babies, not only because it's easier for me and more comfortable for them, but also because when else in life will they get to wear one-piece jersey knit rompers? The same goes for shoes. Why in the world does a baby who can't crawl need shoes in May?

However, sometimes I can't resist dressing Ida in an outfit that I would wear myself if it were ten times bigger. Because I admit, it's kind of funny. Or really funny.


My friend MacKenzie found these shoes for me. Although they are impossibly difficult to put on my squirming baby's feet, somehow Ida can remove them within minutes. But I still love them. And I'd definitely wear them if I had some in my size.

Hedgehog shirt

I love this funny hedgehog shirt from my favorite cheapola store, Crazy 8. Props to Phoebe for taking me on my maiden voyage.


That is all...you may go.

Penguin PJs

I love these little penguin PJs. Theo grew out of them by 4 weeks and Ida still fits into them at 4 months. Big boy, little girl.

Action shots.

Bonus post: Check it out

ELIZA Magazine's homepage URL, elizamagazine.com, now brings up a prompt to enter your name and e-mail address for free digital issues of ELIZA. Check it out y'all.





Look for yours truly's bio in the winter '09 issue.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you like about the mag and what would make it better.

Add the ELIZA Blog to your RSS feeds here.

(ELIZA Magazine images by Bootsy Holler)

Bonus post: ELIZA Magazine

This bonus post has nothing to do with birthdays...although yesterday was Joy's birthday (happy birthday if you read this!)

Wanted to spread the word that ELIZA's blog (ELIZA as in the magazine) is now RSS-ready. It's also in a new format...Wordpress maybe or Typepad, I don't remember. Anyway, it's easier to read, you can subscribe to it, and we now have a copyeditor manning each post. What more could you ask for?