How I wore it: successful first outing

People, today I had a good self-esteem day. And a lot of it may have had something to do with the fact that I wore my new Fluevogs for the first time today. I was planning to wear them and had a pretty good idea of what my outfit would entail, but - wouldn't you know it - that all changed this morning at 7 AM. I had been planning to wear my trust black jersey (non-maternity) dress with brightly colored tights and the new boots, but then decided to try on a maternity dress that my friend had given me. I thought that it, with tights and the new boots, would look kick-ass. Then I was too lazy to pull on tights, so I put on my old, trusty black leggings (which were so much more comfortable, Gawd, even without being for pregnant ladies!). Then the boots. Since it was cold, my favorite sweater. And this is what it turned into:

People, YES. These boots are made of so much win. When I first had them on, I was worried they looked out of place with my simple cotton dress. I asked my husband if it was too casual up-top and too witchy down below what with the pointy shoes, but he gave me the thumbs up. And I'm glad he did. I felt like an ass-kicking superhero all day today. I would look at the boots and coo. 

And they were so comfy! In the beginning, for, like, ten minutes, I was a little uncomfortable with the ankle zipper, but that soon gave way to happy comfy times. And since I subbed a colleague's class today, that means that I was jumping up and down between the white board and the desk more than usual. And I ran an errand after work. So, yeah, these boots totally made it. And the whole combination made me feel - I don't know - cool. My hair, although still mulleting and cowlicking, had a better day than usual. My boots were divine. My sweater was large and enveloping and artsy. It was a good self-esteem day. Don't you just love when all the elements of an outfit just work out like that and you feel like a million bucks? Those days are increasingly rarer for me, so I was super-happy. 

See? Maybe buying an eleventh pair of boots wasn't such a stupid idea!

Striped cardigan: Banana Republic, remixed

Blue dress: Old Navy Maternity, hand-me-down from a friend

Black leggings: HUE, by way of Lord and Taylor, remixed

Black boots: John Fluevog

How I wore it: boot deployment

So yesterday was Part II of The Biggest Weekend Ever at work. I ended up having twelve one-on-one conferences with parents (ten of them were in a row, I think), not to mention "informal" greeting of other parents while I was busy shoveling lunch down my face. It. Was. Magical. I didn't have hostile parents per se, but some interviews were less comfortable than others.

And since I anticipated having supremely uncomfortable and even hostile interviews, I decided to deploy my favorite babies for the first time this season:

Forgive the toolish positioning: this was the best of, like, ten photos

Because I was going to work (on a SATURDAY MORNING. When the alarm went off, it was like a sick joke!), I decided to fold the boots over so that their badassness would be less perceivable to the naked eye. I don't know if a school environment - however loose and hippie-ish it may be - might be the best place for OTK boots, y'know? The dress was another hand-me-down and I am a big fan. It makes me look fancier than I feel.

For some reason, I couldn't resist going matchy-matchy with my dress and boots. I wouldn't normally be so unsubtle, but I just had to make myself smile at 6:15 AM yesterday morning. 

Oh, who am I kidding.

I chose this outfit out days in advance. PLEASE.

Maroon dress: Motherhood Maternity, hand-me-down from a friend

Maroon boots: Frye Shirley OTKs, gift from husband, by way of endless.com, remised

How I wore it: making nice

Today was the first day of what my workplace has "playfully" named The Biggest Weekend Ever. That's because it's Parents Weekend!! What that means is that parents get to come to all of their cherubs' classes today (Friday) and they get to set up one-on-one interviews with all of their cherubs' teachers both today and tomorrow. So I had about seven interviews today, most of them concentrated into the one free block I had. Tomorrow I have eleven, starting at 8:30 AM. And while I usually do end up leaving lesson-planning for Sunday, this coming Sunday will be both lesson-planning AND rest day, so... yeah. Awesome. Maybe I'll just treat tomorrow as a work day and plan my lessons and then sleep all day on Sunday. We'll see.

Anyway, since today I was going to be both meeting parents one-on-one (although my tough interviews will be tomorrow) AND teaching in front of them, I decided to wear a dress that I bought way back at the end of the summer, but hadn't worn yet:

Since this dress has such rich, autumnal tones, I decided to let it shine by wearing my cognac boots (again!) with it and keeping the jewelry gold- (and garnet-) based and simple. I was a big fan of the dress, but I really wish I'd worn it with tights or leggings or what have you. This morning, I asked my husband if I could pull it off without tights (because, frankly? I'd prefer not to wear them. I get really hot and sweaty now and I don't like having things folded below my belly that I can't really control). He said that I absolutely could and that I looked great. 

Okay.

I'm never trusting that man again with this kind of decision because he obviously has an agenda. And while I'm thrilled that he still finds me desirable and attractive while I lumber about with all the grace and sexiness of a baby elephant, I should've trusted my instincts and worn tights. I was so self-conscious about my legs/thighs and hem all day long. This is a faux-wrap dress, people. Imagine how nervous some poor students or parents must've been when there was a slight breeze outdoors. It was okay, though. Apart from the times I was outdoors at work (which were relatively few) and a sketchy five-minute walk from the subway station to my house, I was perfectly safe from indecency. I was just nervous. And yanky and tuggy. Yeah, next time, there WILL BE TIGHTS.

Sheesh. At least I know what my personal comfort level is, right?

Dress: A Pea in the Pod

Modesty top (barely visible): Express, remixed

Boots: Steve Madden, remixed

How I wore it: Tuesday twofer

Hi, all! Wow, it's crazy how time gets away from me. Too bad a full-time job gets in the way of blogging, n'est-ce pas? Anyway, thanks for your kind words on my last post. It's a new week and I'm feeling better about life in general. Let's hope that it all lasts...

Anyway, yesterday's (Monday's) outfit was one I'd had in mind for quite a while and finally realized because the temperatures were perfect for it. There's still no real need for tights, but boots come in quite handy, and a cardigan was pretty necessary for the outdoors. It's my olive/taupe/grey-brown dress to the rescue!

I paired it with my super-beloved cognac Steve Madden boots (which I honestly can't remember wearing after March, but I'm sure I did at some point) and a bottle green cardigan to give a sort of autumn effect. To add to the autumnal palette, I added my Greek carnelian jewelry - and since I wanted al the jewelry bad-ass juju possible, I wore my Cycladic ring:

Caught in the act of adjusting my glasses. PRETENTIOUS.

I was quite happy with how the look turned out and, of course, to wear those boots. On Saturday, while strolling the streets of downtown Boston, I realized that almost every girl (and literally, their mother) was wearing tall boots - with tights, without tights, with dresses, with shorts, with leggings... boots. It's the time of the season, people, and I, for one, couldn't be happier.

In continuing with the boot theme today (Tuesday), I decided to go comfy with my new ponte pants (which I wore all weekend, too) and my grey Fryes, which is - so far - my go-to pair with these pants. But I paired it with something a little different from the last time:

Trying to artistically cover the big ol' gauze + cotton ball on my left arm from having my blood drawn today

On Sunday, my husband and I hung out with a friend who just had her second (and, she says, last) baby. She gave us about seven or eight bags of baby clothes, some of which contained a few nice maternity garments as well. I think this green number might really be a dress, but I wore and considered it as a tunic (or as a shortish dress with leggings) for today. I really enjoyed it.

And that's all on my end, folks! I was actively missing blogging, so I'm glad I could come through with a few looks for you. So tell me - what's been going on with you?

Monday's outfit:

Green cardigan: gift from my mother, via Lord and Taylor, remixed

Dress: Liz Lange Maternity for Target, remixed

Boots: Steve Madden, remixed

Carnelian earring/necklace set: gift from my aunt and uncle-in-law, from the store Byzantino in Athens, remixed

Silver ring: gift from my husband, from the Cycladic Museum of Art in Athens

Tuesday's outfit:

Green dress/tunic: hand-me-down from a friend, Motherhood Maternity

Black ponte pants: A Pea in the Pod, remixed

Grey boots: Frye Paige Huaraches, via endless.com, remixed

Treat. Yo. Self.

I have been watching the show 'Parks and Recreation' since it came out, but I became a real devotee last season (and am continuing to find it my favorite Thursday show this season, as well). This past Thursday's episode had a lot of moments that I liked, especially one with Ron Swanson that almost made me cry, but here is where I most laughed:

source

I love the idea of a day of indulgence, especially after many months of not treating myself due to my ever-changing shape. And today? My friends, that's exactly what my husband and I did: we treated ourselves.

Both the Greek and I had pretty shitty weeks (although they were so short...!), for each of us culminating in a supremely shitty day yesterday. It was the kind of day that for me, at least, made me question my dedication to my work and wonder if all these years I've been deceiving myself about being a semi-decent teacher. And it made me want to get off my ass and join higher education again (is it too late? What's that they say? "Publish or perish"? Hmm...) It was that bad. So this morning, when my husband told me, "Let's go buy your boots," I didn't demur or think of the price. I treated myself. And it felt gooood.

[I'd like to point out that, for the record, my husband bought himself some pretty awesome things as well, so we both finished the day poorer but happier. Oh, and we also bought pretty swaddling blankets for the baby! See? Good parents!]

So off we went to the Fluevog store in Boston and rocked out. I made a beeline straight to the boots with which I fell in love some days ago and asked to try them on. Since I'm usually a 10 but my other 'Vogs are a 10.5, the saleslady brought me both sizes. I couldn't even get the 10s on my feet, but the 10.5 were fine. They weren't SUPER-COMFY, though, and I walked around the store trying to figure out if they were worth it. My husband liked them a lot on sight, so he was no help. I was really liking them visually (and I'm not a pointy-toe kind of girl), but they just weren't as comfy as I've been told Fluevogs should be (and my yellow ones never REALLY were, let's be honest). Finally, concerned that I'd end up buying another pair of costly boots that didn't feel like slippers, I expressed my concern to the lady and said that I just felt a little compressed in the ankle area as well as the toes. She offered to bring an 11. Those fit like slippers. It felt like my feet were getting a hug. I brought them home.

Don't they look nice just hanging out by their shopping bag and my husband's dresser? I am in lurve.

Oh, we also finished the night at P. F. Changs. Life is good, my friends. Life is good. I have new boots, they're totally stylin' and necessary (remember: I didn't have black boots anymore!) and I am super-happy. While I've been really good about saving money and not indulging on myself, it felt pretty damn good to treat myself, too. Especially with fine leather goods.

Zipper detail on the back

How I wore it: John and John

Guys, I have to admit - I really like four-day weekends. Yup. Remember how I work in a hippie feel-goodery? Anyway, the first five-week unit of the year ended on Friday, which means I have a four-day weekend. This happens every five weeks. Granted, I have to write comments for each and every single one of my students, but...I can do it at home. It's been awesome. On the second day of my mini-break (i.e, "Sunday," i.e., yesterday), my husband and I even were able to go out and socialize with real people. You see, one of his students had his senior recital last night and was premiering a piece of my husband's, so I decided that was an excuse to go fancy and wear contacts. It would've been, after all, John Lennon's 71st birthday (and y'all know how I am about celebrating Beatles birthdays). I also decided to wear pretty shoes in celebration of the recital and of the late John's birthday. So I celebrated by wearing boots made by another John:

Natural!

It was fun to wear my beloved yellow Fluevogs again, although I was self-conscious as to whether or not they were smushing my legs too much (they weren't, for the record). My feet were a little more sore than usual after wearing them, but I also hadn't worn them easily since ... March? So, yeah. Since there wasn't so much walking, I thought I'd indulge a little and be "fun pregnant lady." They made me feel fabulous.

So, speaking of Johns... I've fallen in love again. And this time it's with a pair of Fluevogs, which I'd kind of written off as I just love Fryes so much more. But LOOK AT THESE:

taken from the Fluevog site, linked below

I may have uttered an 'Animaniacs'-inspired "Helloooooooooooooooo, NURSE!" at these when I saw them on the site (impressive, considering I haven't seen the show in fifteen years). Anyway, these are the Presence Intuit boots in black. I am so in love that it's not even funny. Argentine leather, people! These boots are my heritage. They also come in luscious grey, but I have beloved grey boots and... no black leather boots. Can you believe that? My husband, the rat bastard, who has been really good about discouraging me from buying anything expensive (because of the baby) and/or shoe/clothes-related (because of my potential/changing size(s)), took one look at these and said, "Those are really nice. You don't have black boots, do you? And your feet haven't changed size. You have money in the bank, you have a paycheck. You should buy them." Damn him. So now I'm all doubting my good intentions of not buying anything sartorial for myself until after the baby is born. That being said, I do want to check these out at the store. Maybe I'll hate the pointy toe on. Or maybe I'll fall in love so hard that I'll pay the $375 without balking and run. 

... Thoughts?

Taupe dress: Liz Lange maternity for Target, remixed

Yellow boots: John Fluevog, remixed

How I wore it: boots are back!

You get another twofer, folks, as sometimes I'm too lazy to write a blog post because I'm busy falling asleep on the couch while something awesome on TV is playing. That's just how I roll. 

I had a pretty tough week at work this week. Not in terms of actual work (the schedule is not what you would call "strenuous"), but just with a certain class. Basically I only teach two classes: the one that I thought would be awesome is actually terrible and the one I thought would be boring is actually awesome. So at least I do have an awesome class. The bad class? Well, it's going to be tough seeing them each and every day until winter break, but I have my work cut out for me with them and I'm excited to see if I can change it into a kick-ass class.

Anyway. As I was saying, I had a bit of a tough week at work. And I was pretty down. So on Thursday, I decided to deploy the skinniest of pants that are not actually leggings, as well as some wardrobe favorites:

Yes, I know it's virtually an exact copy as this outfit.

The other day, taking advantage of a coupon I had, I decided to purchase these pants from A Pea in the Pod; after years of hearing about the wonders of ponte pants, I couldn't resist getting some for myself. Well, they're pretty leggings-ish. With my boots, the cute zipper detail remained hidden, so I couldn't really "prove" that they weren't leggings in this outfit. I remember that some of the ladies of Academichic (RIP) were talking about the wear of ponte pants in a work/teaching environment - I can't find the exact post I'm thinking of, but here's one by E that also gives you food for thought. Anyway. I was pretty self-conscious about wearing these to work - granted, I've seen my colleagues wear very similar outfits and my shirt was always over my butt, but I was a little worried about the, well, the exposure of the thighs and the highlighting of the very pregnant torso I'm sporting above them. That being said, I've never been more comfortable at work in my life. I think in the colder weather, when my cardigans and sweaters are longer and more voluminous, I'll be more comfortable with these ponte pants. Until then? Not so sure if I'll be wearing them professionally. 

Yesterday (Friday), the weather seemed to cool down a fair amount, so I decided that I couldn't take it anymore and brought out my favorite cardigan ever. Paired with my most comfiest and first-acquired of maternity dresses and some caramel-colored boots, I was a happy, cozy camper:

D. O. R. K.

I will admit to being a little warm later in the day, when the temperatures hit 60, but in the morning and early afternoon, I definitely snuggled pretty happily into my sweater. I cannot wait until it's back in general rotation. 

I also cannot wait to bust out my other fun boots at work. So far, my students have only seen my rain boots, the grey Fryes above and the Greek ones above (not to mention the grey booties): they have so many more to see!!! 

In other news, I'm becoming increasingly more uncomfortable as my belly size increases. Sleeping has become a little tougher and sometimes, weighed down by exhaustion and a limited wardrobe, I just don't feel like myself. I know exactly where this comes from, too. This morning I weighed myself and I weighed almost as much as I did when I decided to start losing weight last year. Consciously I know that I'm pregnant and that it's gonna get bigger before it gets smaller (I mean, there are still 14 weeks till my due date), but I've had a complicated relationship with weight and body image since I was elementary school and, with the added emotion of having someone else to care for inside me, I feel as if I haven't done enough for the health of my baby. I've overindulged a few times with unhealthy treats. I really haven't remained active due to the overwhelming exhaustion I'm constantly feeling. I'm not trying to whine too much (too late?) and I can guarantee that all those thoughts go out the window when I feel her kick when I'm on the phone to my parents or when my husband sings to her. It's a complicated and exciting time in my life and the body with which I've had a complicated and exciting relationship my whole life is just showing the other cool stuff it can do. I just need to take each day at a time and do the best I can do day by day. I'm just sayin' that it ain't always easy. 

So... anyone up for a long walk today? I might not be in the mood for running (or elliptical-ing, or stationary biking, or anything else that shows I haven't been in a gym since late August), but a walk on my old favorite running path with plenty of water and Lady Gaga in my iPod doesn't sound that bad...

Thursday:

Striped top: A Pea in the Pod, remixed

Black ponte pants: A Pea in the Pod

Grey boots: Frye Paige Huaraches, by way of endless.com, remixed

Friday:

Striped cardigan: Banana Republic, remixed

Grey dress: Old Navy Maternity, remixed

Boots: gift from my husband from a shoe store on Ermou Street, Athens, remixed

How I wore it: catching up

As little as I like to repeat shoes twice in a row, yesterday's rainy weather made me pull out my clunky rain boots again. But I paired them with a pretty dress and pearl jewelry. I'm ... not sure if the final result was a stunning victory:

I loved the look of this empire-waisted jersey dress on my pregnant body, but I wasn't sure if it went well with my tougher rubber rain boats. I also felt quite uncomfortable with my bare legs - could it be that my last job sold me on the stockings?!

[Usually I would've worn more matching boots, but I slipped and fell on the slippery cafeteria floor the first day of rain of the school year, so I promised myself that I'd only wear rubber soles on wet days.]

Today I decided to step up the casual and wear an outfit that made me just feel like a cool pregnant lady, although I don't know if its result was as neat-o as it was in my head:

What up, cowlick?!

These jeans didn't really go well with the hoof-like proportions of the grey booties, but until I found that out by photographing myself, I felt pretty sassy. Next time I might just tuck the booties beneath the jeans, which are straight-legged and not skinny. Curses!

I've been incredibly tired these last few days and I don't know if my body's just starting to slow down a little more or if I just need more sleep... Intriguing... But on that note, it's time for sleep again.

Tuesday:

Modesty top: Express, remixed

Red dress: Gap, remixed

Rain boots: Steve Madden, remixed

Wednesday:

Black cardigan: Ann Taylor Loft, remixed

Black tank: Old Navy Maternity, remixed

Jeans: Maternity American, via Gilt Groupe, remixed

Grey booties: Aldo, remixed

How I wore it: quick note

Ugh. Forgot to post earlier. Am about to go to sleep. Am attempting another post in this truncated style. Rainy day but also sunny today. Wore boots - maybe overkill?

Am feeling more and more like an apple on legs, but am getting into the happy, dreamy stage, too. 

Oh, this shirt? First item worn on blog donated by the lovely Kelly. Thanks, Kelly!

Must sleep. Good night! Happy Monday!

Striped tee: Gap Maternity, donated by Kelly

Denim skirt: Old Navy Maternity, remixed

Blue boots: Steve Madden, remixed