Keeping Your Winter Style Fresh {when you're feeling anything but!}

{mama: dress - Zara Girls, cardi - Gap, boots - Free People (half off at Besselli in GB)

mini: dress, tights and shoes - Zara Kids, bow - Target

cousin Adorlee joined us for our style pics today!}

Just yesterday I was writing how lovely January has been, a calm and relaxing change from the end of last year. But today I've changed my tune! I'm bored. Blah!

It has nothing to do with the busy-ness of life and the list of to-do's, which have picked up significantly since I last wrote. No more carefree chill sessions lounging in the sunshine with my littles. Nope, now I'm back into the epic juggling act of scheduling in work hours amongst the quality, focused-on-only-you-my-sweets mama time. Scarlet has taken to grabbing my chin with her little hand and holding it tightly while she talks to me. That way she can ensure my absolute attention to her. She's learned fast, sweet girl. In fact, now that I think of it, I do the same thing to the boys! I remember reading it when I was a newer mom raising a couple of little boys and feeling overwhelmed at the idea of handling it cleverly. And this book said that boys just don't hear you when you talk to them (which is exactly what my father-in-law, a marriage speaker, says about men!) and that if you really want them to hear what you're saying, you must get them to look you in the eye, etc, etc. And whether you think that's silly or not, it's certainly the case for the men in my home! So I hold their faces if I really need them to hear me, gently, with the same loving touch that she gives to me. 

It's sweet when you see your kids imitate you ... and it's the good kind. Horrible when they've picked up the bad though. Note to self: remember to model for them behavior that I am happy for them to imitate. 

But over and above the crazy life of mothering and doing everything and more, I'm bored with clothes and excited for the sugary pales that always sweep through with the excitement of Valentines and Easter. Bring it on! I neeeeed some pale pink in my life again. 

For this occasion we wore our finest .... pre-spring dresses. Yep. Pre-spring thankyouverymuch.  Cause just plain ol' spring isn't enough for us, plus we like to wear it way before the season actually hits. This little lady is lucky enough to not have hand me downs to wear, like her dear brothers, and so she gets a few new things as she grows out of the old. Not having to wear hand me downs is a very good deal I think. Hah! ;)

So we opened up this box of delicious new clothes from Zara Kids a few days ago and "ooh-ed" and "ah-ed" as we pulled every piece out. I love the way Zara packages their clothing. Like a gorgeous little present, with everything folded and placed in the most happy way as if to say, "TADA!" It really is a clever way of sending goodies in the mail to starry eyed customers. Well done Zara. This order held a couple of pants as all her leggings are getting mighty tight and then a couple of cute dresses and some rockstar shoes.  

And every once in a while this mommy gets to throw a little something into the box. Just a slip and a click and oops, look what happened! I was just lucky that it was in the girl's section and so half the price. This dress has a beautiful silky floral fabric that feels very Johnny Was to me (an unbelievable brand of boho silks but sooooo expensive!) And I knew by the style and cut that the larger junior size could fit.

So for now, in the dead of a freezing winter, we are pre-springing it in our pretty dresses plus a few added layers to cozy them up until the temps allow us to wear them the way they were intended. We will love our clothes daily, without being at the mercy of weather! Yes! There!