Quick update

Hi all -

I haven't disappeared off the face of this earth, although it might so appear. My intentions were good: I still have an outfit shot from (sigh) twelve days ago to post. Winter vacation (and my maternity leave) began. I graded and wrote comments. I've gone Christmas shopping. My family's in town. My husband and I cooked. We packed a hospital bag. I'm past 37 weeks and now just waiting.

So there's been a lot of stuff going on and I haven't been reading blogs or commenting or commenting on my own or even looking at pretty pictures. But I'm around! It's just a little fetus/baby-crazy here and I need to sort of remind myself of my other interests soon...

Hope all of you are well and enjoying your winter holidays! I miss you, Style Nation!

How I wore it: krazy klown

What up, everyone? I would do my weekly apology for not writing more often, but, let's face it, we're all over it. I have exactly one month before my due date. The fact that I'm actually wearing anything other than pajamas is a minor miracle with how motivated I feel.

Thank GOODNESS that it's the last week of classes before winter break (and before my three-month maternity leave! Thank the heavens for private school two-week-long vacations in winter and spring). The kids are not so much motivated and the teachers are desperately trying to keep it together by pretending that we're totally motivated. But there's a chance that I might have investigated whether or not my 'Finding Nemo' DVD can be played in Spanish (it can! That's two classes taken care of!)...

I've been repeating a hell of amount of outfits recently, but today I inadvertently came upon an outfit combination that I actually kind of like. I also combined colors like a boss. Or a crazy person. You decide:

For some reason, this magenta-striped t-shirt seemed to call for my purple cardigan. Which in turned cried out for my amazing technicolor dream scarf. Dudes. Colors AND patterns mixed in the same outfit? I'm like a real fashion blogger! 

(I looked for my multicolored headband, but I couldn't find it. That would've taken this outfit up to an eleven.)

Guys, it's getting to the final countdown (good luck getting that song out of your head now. Just think of Will Arnett and thank me later) and I'm totally ready for it. I feel as if every time I go to my OB/GYN I get something else I have to freak out about (that always turns out to be a false alarm). Thankfully, both the baby and I are totally healthy. But I'm tired, slow, sometimes swollen, and big. Real big. The scale is at a number that it has never been at before, ever. And I know it's so shallow to be concerned about my baby weight, but I'm keeping it real. My other concern is that I'll never get into shape again. I miss running so much, especially with this relatively mild winter, but I just can't imagine building that stamina again. (Again, I know that everything will be fine and these are pretty obnoxious first world problems. Again, trying to keep it honest.)

Also, on another frivolous note? I'm growing out the hair, as you know... any tips? I'm all fluffy and unkempt. Any cute hair accessories you could recommend, people who have grown out their hair? I clearly have become more shallow since 2007, when I last grew it out. I have headbands, clips, and grips. Let's do this.

Scarf: Urban Outfitters, remixed

Purple cardigan: gift from my mom, via Lord and Taylors, remixed

Striped tee: Old Navy Maternity, remixed

Corduroy pants: A Pea in the Pod, remixed

Grey booties (still hate that word): Aldo, remixed

How I wore it: For You Blue (and, um, some other colors)

Dudes, I did not mean to drop off the face of the earth. You know how it is, though, right? You come home all tired and you maybe take a picture and you promise to put it into your computer, but then you have to do some corrections and then "30 Rock" reruns are on Comedy Central and next thing you know, you're falling into bed.

Right?

So that's what's been going on with me...

So on Tuesday of last week, it was November 29th. 2011. Does anyone know why that date might be important to me?

Anyone?

If you guessed that it's because it was the 10th anniversary of George Harrison's death, you got it. I've gone into my all-encompassing love of the Beatles, especially George, before, so I won't go into it. I just wanted to look pretty for it, so I wore a couple of new (and new-to-me) things for it:

Note: I do have a head. I just cut it off, because ... no.

The dress is a hand-me-down from my sister-in-law. And the necklace is the new Tiffany necklace that my parents bought me for completing my Ph.D. As you can see by the sad bandage on my left arm, I went to the doctor that day and EVERYONE mentioned my necklace. And one nurse complimented my boots. I felt like a badass pregnant lady, let me tell you. 

Isn't the maternity dress cute? I thought George would appreciate the paisley patterns. Since I wanted to wear my new necklace, I had all that figured out, but not the earrings. Until I had a "Eureka!" moment:

I know, right? So proud of myself.

Anyway, November came and went, and then December appeared. Here's what I wore yesterday:

Note: I'm not doing goofy "model-posing:" I was straightening out my hair issues. Oh, well.

That dress, which you've seen before, is becoming obscenely short (and let me not get into my issues with SHORT maternity dresses. The hell?!), so I wore it over leggings so that I wouldn't feel weird. I was hoping that my leggings and black socks would incorporate with each other better so that I'd have more of an "opaque tights" look (without actually wearing tights), but you can totally tell. Oh, well. I don't think black and bright red particularly go with this dress, but I still felt kind of cute. Until my husband told me that I reminded him of Minnie Mouse. Oh, well. I did get complimented in the bodega next door to my house (where I was making a totally necessary Cheetos run), so take THAT, husband. No one else made a comparison with Minnie! Whatever, she was a babe.

So, yeah. That's what's been going on. As my wardrobe becomes more and more constricted and I get more and more tired, I can't promise that I'll continue to be fashion-blogging with passion, but I'll keep trying, as much as I can. I've missed you, Style Nation. I apologize for not visiting blogs, leaving comments, or responding to my own comments. I'm still here! Just lazy.

Tuesday, November 29th:

Patterned dress: Motherhood Maternity, handed down by sister-in-law

Boots: Steve Madden, remixed

Necklace: Tiffany

Earrings: Chico's, remixed

Monday, December 5th:

Printed dress: A Pea in the Pod, remixed

Black leggings: Old Navy Maternity, remixed (?)

Red shoes: CL by Laundry, by way of DSW, remixed

New jewelry update

Ugh, short post tonight, y'all. I am TIRED. Coming back to school after a five-day weekend was pretty intense. I swear I saw real fear in my students' eyes when I attempted to teach them something (just as they saw the real fear in mine when I realized I had to teach them ... something).

Anyway, I wore two of the three things I received unexpectedly around Thanksgiving. Here they are:

You get crappy Photo Booth pictures because it's Monday

Here are the earrings my uncle and aunt sent from Buenos Aires. Pretty, no? I love the almost Moorish design of the metal (stainless steel, I believe) and the orange stone in the middle. Super-subtle, super-pretty.

You can see a chain hanging around my neck in the above picture. Because it was hard to get a real picture, I kind of tried to help:

So this is how the pendants look hanging from the necklace. But, as you can see, I'm holding the chain up pretty high. The charms themselves hit at around my belly button. They make an enchanting clinking sound when I walk. As I said before, this isn't really my usual style, but I'm so glad my husband bought me this necklace...

Anyway, I'm off to hit sleepy-time. Another long day tomorrow! And the next day! Until Saturday!

It's good to be a blogger

This has been one of those weeks where I've been really happy about my harmless little blogging habit. For one thing, I met up with my girl Kelly again for tea/pastries. It was such a fun few hours (Baby T was there, too!) and I know that I never would've had the opportunity to meet such a cool lady had it not been for our blogs. Yay for blogging!

Something else kind of nice happened this past week that had to do with blogging and I've been putting off writing about it for fear of not doing it justice. A little over a month ago, a nice lady from eShakti.com contacted me about reviewing a sample garment. We both agreed that it would be a challenge, due to my current condition, but the offer still stood and what can I say - I was curious; I've known about eShakti for a while now and I've never had something custom-made for me except for one salwar-kameez in Pune, so... I was game.

For those of you who don't know, eShakti is an online retailer which believes that every woman has the right to look her best. They offer sizes 0 to 26: you can choose to tweak the garment you choose to be made to your personal measurements (and even change the length of sleeves/hems around, if you so choose!) or you can just get the standard model. Isn't that awesome? I think it's an amazing store.

Now, I mostly drool over their dresses, but I've decided to put that aside until I'm more like my normal figure. I decided to be sensible and go with a cardigan (alas, it's no longer available online, so I can't link to it. Boo!). Well, after procuring a measuring tape for seamstresses, figuring out my measurements, and getting everything sorted, this week, my cardigan finally came and I was thrilled. I do have some reservations, though, but I think that was due to my own carelessness, rather than the company.

Whoah.

Stuff I wasn't too pleased about:

• I'm pretty sure the color was a little more turquoise online. I was slightly disappointed to receive a darker, more generic blue color.
• Some aspects of the cardigan don't seem to match what I remember asking for: I'm pretty sure I requested to have the cardigan made to hip-length. I know I have a long torso, but seeing that picture above, DAMN. That might be the shortest cardigan I own. And at this moment, being pregnant and depending a lot on leggings, this really limits the use I'll get from this. 
• I'm not a huge fan of the "bathrobe" effect that I get when you view me from the side. Again, though, that might be the nature of the 8-month-pregnant beast and most probably not the fault of the awesome company. 

Stuff I'm pleased with:

• The fit is pretty flawless, measuring issues on my part notwithstanding. This picture is the first time I've seen the cardigan from the back and I couldn't be more pleased. Love!
• The fabric is wonderful. It's a soft, subtle fleece that I can see myself enjoying for many years. 
• Contact with the company: the ease of ordering can't be beat, even when asking for a garment made to measure. Every time I had a question, Jennifer (the representative with whom I was in touch) wrote back immediately with patience and grace, even e-mailing me independently when my measurements didn't seem to make sense. Talk about your customer service.

So, although this cardigan wasn't exactly what I envisioned, I still really like it. Its overall look is pretty cute and it'll be a fun challenge to style it. I think I would've had more luck ordering it in a standard size and then making it work for me in my current condition, but at least I know that it'll be roomy enough for me if I ever return to my pre-pregnancy body. I mean, it's really cute, right?

I think that when I get back to a semblance of my old shape, I'll indulge in buying a dress from eShakti. No thoughts yet on whether it will be made to measure or standard size: I'll be a lot more careful with my measurements and my choices if I decide to customize it, but I know I'll get a good quality article of clothing whatever I choose. Thanks for this opportunity, eShakti!

*Note: eShakti.com contacted me to review a sample garment and sent it to me for free in exchange for the review. Apart from the sweater itself, I received no other compensation. 

Thankful and frivolous

People, it just turned midnight here, which means that it's officially Saturday and that my update comes eleven days after my last post. BOO. In my defense, though, a lot has been going on. Has it? Well, maybe a little.

ANYWAYS.

For my American readers, how was your Thanksgiving? Ours was lovely and I'm going to tell you about some of the highlights...

"We have so much to be thankful for," said my mother as we all raised our glasses of wine (or, in my case, ginger ale) to toast our meal. As I looked around the huge dinner table at my five-year-old niece and her four-month-old brother, I couldn't help but agree. My husband and I had had a tough week before Wednesday. Without going into too much detail, we had our first scare last weekend, which turned out to be a total ... I don't know ... false alarm? Well, it turned out to be nothing, either way, but we were fervently grateful that - as far as we know - we're bringing a healthy baby into the world. While I'm usually not one to, y'know, make a list about the things for which I'm thankful on Thanksgiving, this year was extra special.

And it didn't hurt that I got loot.

(Dudes. Can I ever not have a pure emotion tempered by common greed? Probably not.)

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the same day that we were told that everything was fine with the baby, my husband and I decided to take a walk, both to allay our cabin fever, but also to take the strain off my achy back, because - for some reason - my spine has decided to raise both its middle fingers to me. We ended up going to a nice neighborhood store which sells delightfully overpriced "cute" things. We bought a couple of onesies and my eye fell on a necklace that is totally not my style. But I loved it. Next thing I knew, my husband had bought it for me.

See? For one thing, it's a long necklace, which ... well, no. I don't really tend to wear those. But I fell weirdly in love with the little golden acorn and the (presumably?) maple leaf, so next thing I knew, the necklace was mine.

I'd planned to wear it during the Thanksgiving festivities the next day, but my necklines conspired against me. Anyway, at my brother's house during the festivities, my mom presented me with some stuff, including an article she had cut out about George Harrison, a magazine from my old university, etc... in a Tiffany bag. Which had a Tiffany box in it. Gleefully curious, I decided to postpone the craziness and pull out another small bag from the bigger bag, which was a gift sent from my aunt and uncle in Buenos Aires by way of my cousin, who had visited New York last month: new earrings!

Lovely, no? I can't wait to wear them out!

And then I decided to open the Tiffany box. And I nearly fell out of the sofa. My parents had remembered a wistful phone call I made a few months ago! 

Folks, meet my Ph.D. diploma. My parents got me this to celebrate me getting my doctorate (finally) in July. Although I'd been planning to ask for a necklace in this style for my 30th birthday, I decided not to because I'm soon gonna be in need of a new computer and I thought that would make a good joint Ph.D./Christmas/birthday present request. But my mom remembered and my parents went out and chose a cute size and model and bought it for me. Another long necklace in a mere 24-hour time span. 

How did I get so lucky?! 

Speaking of luck and Thanksgiving miracles, my husband agreed to show his face on this blog (not that he hadn't agreed before: it just hadn't come up) so that I could highlight a picture of us from yesterday. You'll see some old favorites on my part: leggings? Check. Grey boots? Check. Striped long cardi? Check. Spanish cape? Check.

Check it:

Photo taken by my dad via my husband's iPhone. Sorry for the small size: any bigger and we look blurry.

So in case you wanted to know what I was wearing while squealing over my new gifts, please refer to above. And in case you wanted to know how cute my husband is - well, there you go!

Anyway, my friends, I hope you're all doing well and enjoying your weekends. Lots more to write about in the coming week! 

How I wore it: it ain't easy being green

Last weekend, I received an order from Old Navy (maternity) and was proud of myself for wearing every single item on the same day. Yesterday (Monday) I decided to bust out the more colorful aspect of the order and blind my students' retinas. Check it:

Yay for bright colors and stumpifying jeans/mocs combos! The shirt would've been perfect, had the weather not warmed up again and my classrooms not been RIDICULOUSLY over warm. I sweat through it by the middle of the first block. Don't you love hearing those little details about me?

The other thing I did over the weekend was, as I said in the last entry, to finally get my hair trimmed. I told my hairdresser (Cheryl, my hair guru) that I wanted to grow my hair out, but had no preference over how it grew, as long as it grew. So she kept a lot of length, but got rid of a lot of bulk (and mullet! And cowlicks!). No one outside of my husband noticed except for one shy ninth-grade boy whose voice I rarely hear in Spanish class. Fourteen-year-old boys can be adorable, no? Anyway, I'm thrilled with the haircut and have been feeling much better about myself than I have in the recent past. 

Look at that lack of mullet and cowlicks! Look at those perfectly formed and non-crazily-curling sideburns! Cheryl is indeed a goddess.

Now I must be off. IFC is playing an 'Arrested Development' marathon - it's like they know us!

Hooded green tunic: Old Navy Maternity

Jeans: Maternity America, remixed

Moccasins: Minnetonka,, by way of Lord and Taylor, remixed

How I wore it: busy weekend

Dudes, I had such a busy weekend. Technically, I also had another four-day weekend, since we just finished our second (of seven) unit of the year. I wrote thirty comments and am not looking forward to doing it again in a scant five weeks. My husband also had a conference and concert that he spent the last few months organizing, so that was our weekend (or, if I may, the second half of my weekend. SMUG). Oh, and we had a house guest for the entirety of my long weekend. I need another weekend. Do you all feel sorry for me yet?

On Friday night, we had the conference to go to. I wanted to look nice but not too nice, because I wanted to save the fancy dress, fancy boots, and fancy contacts for the Saturday night concert (and, natch, I didn't get a picture of that). So I went with some new maternity leggings, an old favorite cold-weather dress, and my new Fluevogs:

Delighted after an evening of Xenakis.

I also got a haircut (FINALLY) a few hours before this picture was taken. I'll have a better shot of it tomorrow, I promise. Let's just say that I'm delighted to no longer have a mullet OR a million cowlicks. Also, looking at this picture has definitively proved to me what I've been suspecting: that my legs are a little swollen (OR I'm just gaining more weight than I thought. Could also be true). People, I live in constant fear of my feet permanently changing size. 

Would it be weird if I put my feet up on the desk WHILE teaching?

Charcoal dress: Banana Republic, remixed

Leggings: Old Navy Maternity

Boots: John Fluevog, remixed

How I wore it: semi-fancy Tuesday

Today I decided to wear one of my pretty maternity hand-me-downs again. The weather in the greater Boston area has been absolutely GORGEOUS, so I've been taking advantage of the opportunity to wear cute dresses without tights/leggings underneath. In fact, I wasn't wearing the cardigan you see below for most of the day, as it was TOO WARM:

If you clicked on the link from the last time I wore it, isn't there a noticeable difference in my girth?

There's not much to say about this. I didn't wear the burgundy Fryes this time because I wanted to keep it a little more staid for a normal school day. My cognac boots did fine. And they added some visual interest, along with the purple cardigan. 

I'm going through a little bit of a downward slump right now because, well, I keep growing bigger. And bigger. And I still have two more months of this, y'know? I just feel clumsy and cumbersome. It also doesn't help that I haven't had a haircut since late August and I'm just rocking the awkward hair stage right now. Fortunately, I have a haircut scheduled on Friday, so perhaps a trim might make me feel more myself. Although there's very little of me that makes me feel "like myself." Let me tell you, this baby better be cute.

Haha. I kid. I'm already besotted with her. 

Although I'd love it if she stopped kicking her mom's ribcage, MMKAY?

Purple cardigan: gift from mom, by way of Lord and Taylor, remixed

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

Cognac boots: Steve Madden, remixed

How I wore it: slouchy

A weekend update! How novel and refreshing! I usually use my Saturday and Sundays as an excuse to do nothing and hibernate a little between each busy week. However, between last week's four-workday extravaganza (we had a freak snowstorm over Halloween weekend that WRECKED the power in a lot of MA suburbs, including the town where my school is located) and this week's THREE-day extravaganza (end of the second unit, which means I get to spend another four days grading - but in my house), I figured I could actually leave the apartment over this weekend.

Plus, my husband and I had an appointment at the hospital to take one of those all-day baby-preparation classes. Since I didn't really know what to expect for this nine-hour marathon, I decided to dress in a more casual version of my new favorite outfit:

Usually, I like to wear warmer colors with any boot that color (despite the obvious comparisons to Robin Hood / Peter Pan, a green top would've looked more natural to my eye, but maybe that's just me), but that blue top is so comfy and casual  and my suede fringed boots so soft and my beloved striped cardigan so cozy that I couldn't resist putting it all together and pretending that I was still asleep even while listening to a way too chipper nurse at 9 in the morning. 

Since I was already decking my feet out in suede, I decided to also pack my softest and slouchiest purse, one that y'all have never met:

Meet my thirtieth birthday present from my husband. You see, over the summer, he was agonizing because he hadn't yet gotten me a birthday present. Well, after all our travels throughout Greece, my awesome Pan Am bag died and I desperately needed a new carry-on for our flight back to the States. While we were killing time and looking for stuff at the Agios Dimitrios mall in Athens, I fell in love with this Zara bag (for men) and it became my husband's present to me. It's a total workhorse because it's huge and it's the only bag I trust on Fridays/Mondays, when I take all my stuff home with me from school to plan lessons over the weekend and then take it all back to school to live at my office again. 

Plus, since I was wearing black and blue and suede, I thought it only right to carry a black, blue, and suede bag with me. 

No one really noticed or appreciated it. That's okay. I was proud of myself...

Striped cardigan: Banana Republic, remixed

Blue dress/tunic: hand-me-down from a friend, by way of Old Navy Maternity, remixed

Leggings: HUE, via Lord and Taylor (Boston), remixed

Boots: Steve Madden, via Lord and Taylor (New York), remixed

Bag: Zara (Athens)

How I wore it: the usual

If you've been reading this blog for a time, you know that I quite maxi dresses. And you know that I love wearing them all year long. Just because I'm almost thirty weeks pregnant (tomorrow!) doesn't mean I'm gonna change. And why not wear a similar look that I liked from early this year?!

I wore a similar autumnal look with this same maxi dress and boots a few weeks ago, but I've been really gravitating toward burgundy recently, so my maroon sweater and red shell necklace seemed like obvious choices - making the whole effect similar, but with some crucial (I hope) differences. 

And that's me! Happy almost-Friday!

Cardigan: gift from mom, via Lord and Taylor, remixed

Grey dress: Old Navy Maternity, remixed

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

How I wore it: sniping husband's clothes

Internet! I missed you so much! I haven't updated in FOREVER and sometimes that happens and sometimes I have to chaperone Halloween dances and sometimes I come home late and am so tired that I just put on my PJs, eat, take a shower, and go to sleep. So, yeah. Sorry.

Today I was a little uninspired. I had a nice idea for an outfit, but I kind of changed it around when I got on the most important element: my husband's button-down. I don't know. I've been wanting to get my hands on this shirt for almost a year and I finally buckled down and wore it today. Over a tank top and jeans:

Perhaps not the most chic of outfits, but certainly comfortable and cozy. Maybe I should shop more in his closet. 

(Unfortunately, the length of the jeans and the height of my booties conspired so that the jeans kept on inadvertently tucking themselves into the booties. Not what I wanted, but I'm at a stage where I don't so much want to bend over to fix things a lot. Oh, well.)

Anyways, there's a lot going on and I'm sorry for not keeping you posted. I miss you, Style Nation! How's life?

Button-down: husband's

Tank top: Old Navy Maternity

Jeans: Maternity America, remixed

Grey booties: Aldo, remixed

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