I hope you had a great Mother's Day! My daughters gave me a foot massage while I read Victoria Magazine. Does it get better than that?
Life with four young children is never dull and often physically exhausting. Sometimes I walk past a mirror in the evening and just have to laugh at how disheveled I look. Has that ever happened to you?
I tried an experiment this past week... I filmed myself at the beginning and the end of the day. Raw. Realistic. You will see messy hair, smudged makeup and stains, but most important, you will see real life. The real life of a mother of four young children. I know that this is just a phase in my life and that it won't always be this way. I won't always be dead tired at the end of the evening with messy hair because my toddler likes to rub my head before he goes to bed :)
It won't always be this way, so I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts. Even though my days are long and exhausting, this is deeply satisfying work. I hope you enjoy this twist on my outfit of the week video.
Here are my morning and evening pictures, coupled with links to the outfits I'm wearing on those days.
Grey cardigan, Lands' End seafoam fit and flare dress, demi-camisole, Okabashi slippers.
Red floral blouse (linking similar), jeans (these run big and stretch... I'm looking for new jeans), Sam Edelman sandals
Garnet Hill sweater, denim skirt, fleece-lined tights, Trench (linking similar), rain boots (linking similar)
floral maxi dress (please note: I found the exact one I have on Amazon!), white leggings, Sam Edelman sandals
Also mentioned in today's video: my rebounder, the nail polish I'm wearing (use code JenniferS for 25% off), Ambleside schools (atmosphere sets affections).
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Comment of the Week
On last week's laundry post, Anon writes, "Here's a discovery I made after a laundry pod failed to dissolve and hardened into a lump of plastic after a trip through the dryer. I tried a number of things to get it out of my clothes, but finally resorted to Dawn dishwashing liquid. It worked! Then I tried it as a last resort on some old stains that seemed beyond hope. It worked on those, too.
Just put it on the stain, let it sit for a few minutes, then wash the item in your regular detergent in the washing machine.
I'd love to know if this trick works for others. The idea came to me because this is how to get tempera paint out of clothing (a tip from kindergarten days)."
Hi Anon, thank you for that tip. I'm sure that will come in handy for many people!
Thank you for watching today's video. I hope it gave you a laugh and also gave you some encouragement. You are not in this alone. We are all in it together— messy hair at the end of the day and all!
Love,
Jennifer
See you in my next video for The Chic Assignment Check-in! I would love to know... what do you look like at the end of the day? Tag me with your photos #dailyconnoisseur or #jenniferlscott
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13 comments:
A few of your posts baffle me. What ever happened to cultivating an air of mystery? I hope you are not just running out of material for a blog, and then filling it with too much private information.
Hi Anon, if you plan to leave a negative comment, I ask that you also leave your name as well. It's much braver on your part that way. This video was to encourage women who are going through a tough and exhausting season of life. I'm sorry you were disappointed. ~Jennifer
Hi Jennifer. I love your blog and books! You’re the best. Sorry for the negative comment above. Some people don’t get it. I’m also a stay at home mom with four little kids. I’m six/seven months pregnant with my fifth. I love the idea of a small wardrobe, and I have been trying to follow that. My current pregnancy wardrobe is small and dull - everything is grey, navy, or black. I would love to add more colour. I have trouble finding good maternity clothes. Can you recommend any brands or online stores? That would be wonderful if you could. Thank you Jennifer!
The negative commenter makes me think of the Roosevelt quote Brene Brown loves so much:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
Thanks for putting yourself out there, Jennifer! You are making a difference and many of us admire you and look forward to your posts. Please keep being brave and don't worry about those who are not "in the arena."
Thank you for your video and for your "realness"! I'm so sorry about the negative commenter. Not a good way to start the morning. :) As a mom of all teenagers now, I do remember the early years as so physically exhausting. I'm also like you in that I get inwardly stressed about things and tense up my neck and shoulders and sometimes end up pinching a nerve in my neck. I've been trying to do little relaxation exercises in my neck and shoulder to help counter that. I so love to see Moms that enjoy parenting and their children even though it's difficult and exhausting. Thanks for sharing your life with us!
Brittany, Thank you! I found that wearing color while pregnant really boosted my mood. For high quality maternity clothes, I loved Seraphine. I also found some great deals on zulily for maternity brands that are normally very pricey.
Anon- thank you for sharing that Roosevelt quote. It's amazing! I appreciate your encouragement very much.
Karen- I can totally relate. Thank you so much for writing.
Hi Jennifer thanks for inspiring all the young mums to enjoy the season with their children as it does fly by.Dear Brittany sometimes an inexpensive brightly colored scarf in the tones that suit you to throw on as you leave home works to boost your mood
I too use Dawn dishwashing liquid for stains! I figure if it gets oil off of baby ducklings, I'm good to go!
Kim
I've been following your books and blog for years, but rarely comment - however, I just had to comment on this one! When I first started following you, I had one small child who was in preschool; now I have two and I homeschool as well. In these different seasons, you have always been such an encouragement to me to still "look presentable always" and carry myself with purpose and grace through a day. In particular, I often think of your words of encouragement that the way we present ourselves each day is part of making an impression and memories of ourselves for our children, even if no one else sees us in a day. This post in particular is an awesome encouragement that that may not always look like perfection in this season of life, and that that's ok. I appreciate your realness and encouragement!
Jennifer, you are inspiration and my life has improved in so many ways thanks to your blog and books. The main thing that strikes me from your before and after photos is your hair and lips - messier hair and no lipstick at the end of the day. I recall in your books that you enjoy lunch as "an enjoyable interlude halfway through the day. Maybe you could make it a habit at lunch time to brush out your hair and reapply lipstick and voila you are all set for the 2nd half of the day. I know I am guilty of just brushing my hair in the morning and applying some make-up and doing nothing else the rest of the day. I will now make a point of having an appearance refresh at lunch time, making sure my hair is brushed and lipstick reapplied to once again try to look chic and presentable. Thank you Jennifer, as a result of your honest post I have reflected on my own appearance throughout the day and decided how I can improve it.
I, too, enjoy Ambleside, even though a grandmother. It diverts me from constant news. It is important for me to not be ignorant as to what is happening in the world. But with some new awful, daily, it becomes draining. For that reason, I may just listen to NPR for a "readers digest version" or bbc radio, or read Wall St Journal--all -while setting a timer limiting how long I deal with the awful. Otherwise I can loose track of the time spent in a non productive capacity.
I appreciated this segment, Madame chic . For me, a truly challenging part of aging is knowing I have to parcel out my energy to make it last. This afternoon I clean a doctor's house with a friend. My own house is a mess, which I dislike, but I cannot manage both, energy wise. Tomorrow I am a chaperone for a granddaughter's field trip. As a result I will just heat a frozen dinner, this evening. Not the tastiest but the granddaughter is excited for me to come on the field trip. Priorities as a senior are necessary or one cannot manage to do the important events.
Your post makes me think of the James Dobson quote, " A man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child". A woman never looks so beautiful as when she's messy from loving a child! I love the fact that your hair is messy because your son likes to rub it when you put him to sleep. You are a beautiful example of loving motherhood, Jennifer - thank you for sharing!
Rosalie
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