There was a time when getting dressed was just… getting dressed. I would pick an outfit, do my hair, grab my bag and leave the house. These days, getting dressed usually happens somewhere between making sure everyone has eaten breakfast, finding a missing shoe, packing snacks, checking backpacks, getting one kid where he needs to go, keeping up with a toddler, answering emails and realizing I have approximately five minutes before we need to be out the door.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that, there’s me.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how easy it is for your own style to get pushed to the bottom of the list when you become a mom. Especially in the seasons when your body is changing, your schedule revolves around everyone else, and comfort suddenly matters approximately 1,000 times more than it used to.
For a long time, my default was basically whatever was clean, comfortable and closest to me. And listen, there is absolutely nothing wrong with an oversized T-shirt and leggings. You will still find me wearing them regularly. But lately, I’ve been having fun with clothes again.
Not necessarily dressing up. Just getting dressed.
So I thought it would be fun to start documenting some of the outfits I actually wear throughout the week — between drop-off and pickup, errands and appointments, working from home, church, baseball, coffee runs and everything else that somehow gets squeezed into a regular week with three kids.
Welcome to my What I Wore This Week: Between Drop-Off + Pickup — Mom of Three Edition.
Finding My Style Again After Baby Number Three
This is actually about a little more than clothes for me.
Over the past year, I’ve talked a lot about getting back to myself after having my third baby. And one thing I’ve realized is that “getting back to me” doesn’t mean becoming the exact person I was before having kids.
I don’t think I want to be her. My life is different now. My body is different. My priorities are different. I’m in a completely different season of motherhood than I was even a few years ago. But I still want to feel like me inside of all of it. Clothes have surprisingly been one small piece of that.
There is something about putting on an outfit I actually like — even when my big plans for the day are school drop-off, Target and sitting at my laptop — that makes me feel a little more put together. I don’t need a special occasion to wear the skirt. I don’t need to wait until I’m a certain size to buy clothes I like. And I definitely don’t need to save my cute outfits for the handful of times a month when Jeremy and I actually have somewhere to go.
I can wear them on a random Wednesday.
And that’s kind of the point of this series.
Monday: Comfortable Is Still the Assignment
If there is one thing I refuse to give up in this season, it’s comfort.
Monday’s outfit was exactly the kind of outfit I reach for constantly: an oversized neutral tee, black biker shorts, sneakers and a crossbody bag.
Nothing complicated. Nothing that requires me to think too hard at 8 a.m.
This is the kind of outfit that can take me from school drop-off to grabbing coffee, running errands, getting some work done and heading right back out for pickup without changing anything.
I’ve also become a huge fan of crossbody bags because having both hands available is basically a requirement at this point. If I’m carrying Evie, holding someone’s water bottle and somehow also ending up with three things that don’t belong to me, the last thing I want is a purse falling off my shoulder.
It’s casual, functional and still feels pulled together.
Basically: peak mom uniform.
Tuesday: Jeans, But Make Them Comfortable
Tuesday was one of those outfits that made me remember why I actually like getting dressed.
I paired a cream textured top with distressed jeans and white sneakers. It’s incredibly simple, but the texture on the top makes it feel a little more interesting than a basic tee.
I’ve also realized that I don’t need a closet full of complicated pieces to feel like I have options. Give me good jeans, a few tops with different textures or details, comfortable shoes and some jewelry, and I can make a lot happen.
The white sneakers keep everything casual enough for daytime, which is important because I’m not trying to look like I’m headed to dinner at 9:30 in the morning.
I’m just trying to look cute while doing normal life.
Wednesday: The Outfit Formula I Keep Coming Back To
Wednesday was distressed jeans, my mauve tee and leopard slip-ons.
And this might be one of the easiest outfit formulas ever.
Basic top + jeans + fun shoe.
I love having one part of an otherwise simple outfit do a little more work. Leopard is basically a neutral in my book anyway, so these shoes work with way more than you’d think.
This is also exactly the type of outfit I want this series to be about. Nothing is overly styled. I’m not putting together outfits solely for a photo and then immediately changing afterward. These are clothes I’m actually wearing while living my normal life.
If I’m sharing an outfit with you, I want it to be something another mom could look at and think, Okay, I could actually wear that.
Thursday: Sometimes We Wear the Skirt
Thursday was probably my favorite outfit of the week. I wore the same mauve-toned tee but paired it with a long floral skirt, black sandals and a tortoiseshell claw clip. This is also proof that rewearing clothes is very much happening over here.
I actually love finding completely different ways to style the same basics rather than feeling like I constantly need something new. The tee looks completely different with the floral skirt than it does with distressed jeans, but both outfits still feel like me.
And this outfit is exactly what I mean when I say I’m letting myself wear the clothes.
For years, I think I subconsciously categorized things into “everyday clothes” and “cute clothes.” The cute clothes were saved for church, dinner, events, trips or some imaginary future occasion.
Why?
If I want to wear a flowy floral skirt on a Thursday afternoon, I can wear the skirt.
Motherhood doesn’t have to mean permanently living in workout clothes — unless, of course, you WANT to permanently live in workout clothes, in which case I fully support that too.
Getting Dressed for the Life I Actually Have
I think this is the biggest shift I’m making with my closet right now. I’m not shopping for some imaginary version of my life. I don’t need a closet full of fancy dresses. I also don’t want every single thing I own to be athleisure.
I need clothes for my actual life.
I need things I can wear to school drop-off and pickup. I need outfits that work for running around Tampa with the kids. I need something comfortable enough for working from home but cute enough that I don’t feel like I’m wearing pajamas all day. I need church outfits, date-night outfits and plenty of things that can transition between all of those.
Most importantly, I need clothes that fit me right now.
That has been a big one.
I’ve spent enough time telling myself I’ll buy something when I lose weight, wear something when it fits differently, or save something until I feel more confident.
I’m over that.
My body deserves clothes that fit it today.
And if you’ve been doing the same thing — squeezing into something that makes you miserable or refusing to buy the next size because you’re determined the current one is temporary — consider this your permission to stop.
A number on a tag has never made an outfit cute.
How you feel wearing it matters so much more.
My Current Mom-Style Formula
The more I’ve paid attention to what I actually wear, the more I’ve realized I have a pretty clear formula.
I like neutrals mixed with warmer colors. I like comfortable jeans, oversized tees, easy skirts, sneakers and sandals. I love throwing in leopard print or a floral pattern. I’m almost always wearing layered necklaces. And if my hair isn’t down, there’s a very good chance it’s going into a claw clip.
Nothing revolutionary.
But it feels like me.
And I think that’s what personal style is supposed to be anyway. Not wearing whatever the internet decided is trending that week, but slowly figuring out which pieces make you feel comfortable, confident and like yourself.
More “What I Wore This Week” Coming Soon
I’m really excited to keep this little series going because it feels like such a fun snapshot of this season of life.
Some weeks might have five genuinely cute outfits.
Some weeks you’re probably going to get four variations of an oversized T-shirt.
That’s real life.
I also want to start sharing where everything is from, which pieces I keep reaching for, what was actually worth the money and different ways I’m styling things already hanging in my closet.
And maybe that’s what I love most about this.
This isn’t a makeover.
I’m not trying to completely reinvent myself or become someone with a perfectly curated wardrobe overnight.
I’m just making a little more room for myself again.
Getting dressed.
Trying something different.
Wearing the skirt on a regular Thursday.
Finding clothes that fit the body I have today.
And remembering that even in the middle of drop-offs, pickups, diapers, baseball schedules, laundry piles, work deadlines and raising three little people, I’m still allowed to have things that are just fun for me.
Sometimes that thing can be as simple as putting together an outfit I really love.
I’ll be sharing the full week of outfits over on Instagram too, including each day’s outfit and all the little details. Once the post is live, I’ll add it right here so you can see the entire week and find everything in one place.
And if you’re in a season of figuring out your style again too, stick around. I have a feeling there are going to be a lot more drop-off + pickup outfits around here.