The Mommy Look

Last weekend, I went shopping all by myself. A treasured moment without work, child or chores. (Granted I was at Target but it was still pure freedom.) I had a great productive hour or so and found plenty of great looking fall duds. While I was in the dressing room and then again at the check out – both employees (who I really don’t think got a good look at me) immediately said, Shopping on your own today?

Which of course makes me think, How mommy do I look?

I have friends who are my age but do not have children – I asked them if they are asked this. No, they tell me. (Accompanied with a horrified look that makes me take this situation even more seriously.)

Now, I’m terribly proud to be a mom. Stella came to me after 2 ½ long years of being shoved through the wretched fertility machine. Sometimes I see her car seat and just swell with pride – I have a car seat in my car! I am really a mommy!

But looking like a mommy, hmmm, I don’t know. Have I let myself go?

For my 40^th birthday, my mother – who I will tell you is nearly 80 and not know for great presents – gave me a housecoat. An honest to God housecoat. A zip up the front, flower appliqué over the heart, pair of roomy, sewn on pockets, house coat. My husband’s mouth dropped open and even I was surprised at the sheer awfulness of this gift. Unintended awfulness, of course. She explained that it’s so nice to have something comfortable to move around the house in whereas I saw it as, Well, you’ve completely given up on yourself so here’s a little something to wear to the grocery store to advertise it to the world at large.

Chatting with my mommy friends, they have said my mommy badge was probably showing from the determined, I’m-on-a-tight-timeline look on my face. Or the Pull Up and snack bag hanging out of my purse/pseudo diaper bag. Could be. And does it even matter? At the end of the day, I spent one glorious hour and since I was at Target - only $300 on six dresses, a wrap sweater and a top that make me feel fabulous. Woman, wife, mommy, worker bee – I think I’m gonna look damn good this winter.

PS – Check out the Anna Sui collection at Target. Gorgeous stuff that fashionable and still comfortable. Also, the Merino sweater dresses are killer. Perfect for looking good during a day long meeting or coming off a plane and having to head straight to a meeting. J