Tuesday's Top Ten [Mommy Garb]

You might gasp at a mommy's wardrobe of choice, but the reasons behind what she wears might surprise you and keep you from passing judgement. I'm not saying mommy's need or should dress shabby, but the bleach stained pants she wears in her own home give clues as to what life is like in it. Here are 10 factors that contribute to a mommy's garb:

1. Comfort. When you chase children all day you want something that is going to be comfortable. Bra, underwear, shoes, hair style... it's all "designed" to take care of little ones and what they do in the course of a day (climb, eat, drool, sneeze, poop, play, eat, poop, eat, climb, sneeze...).
2. Messy? Who cares. You will probably not see a mommy dressed to the nine's and playing WITH her kids at the park (as one example) or a mommy in her Sunday best receiving chocolate covered kisses. There is nothing messier, smellier, more fun than sitting in the dirt, swinging on the swings, climbing the jungle gym, loving on, and making memories WITH your children. If you do that, you won't wear your best. Plus mommy's are always getting puked on, pooped on, peed on, bananas stick to everything, and blueberries leave the toughest stains. Not to mention the fact that there isn't a mess that she isn't responsible for cleaning up. All that mess and the stuff to clean it up with, just isn't worth the risk of ruining your best.
3. Not too hot. Not too cold. If a mommy's temp isn't "just right" she ain't happy. If she ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
4. Quick and Easy. It's just as easy to throw on a pair of jeans, nice shirt, and flats as it is sweat pants and a t-shirt, but on those days where you are cleaning your house or making bread and suddenly realize that you're out of a key ingredient, running to the grocery store with flour filled pockets is not out of the ordinary. The process of getting a child out of the house is an interesting one, I can only imagine that times two, or three, or four for that matter. When a mommy gets up in the morning to a screaming child, or needs to run to the store, she isn't thinking about "hmmmm... what should I wear to make myself look beautiful..." she's thinking about her families needs because that's her first priority. She's thinking, "quick and easy."
5. Uh-Oh's. I can't count how many times I'll be dressed and ready to go and then my daughter has an explosion RIGHT before I put her in her car seat. Or she spits up alllllll over my pants, jacket, shirt, scarf, whatever. Uh-Oh's are a normal part of the day and if you have to be somewhere by 10 and at 9:53 there's an Uh-Oh there is not time to think about outfit selection; and if mom's are anything like me, I avoid the mirror in moments like this. 
6. Time. There just isn't enough of it. I'll be in the middle of folding my last load of laundry, thinking it took "such-and-such" time until I look at the clock and realized that the time it took to give my child a task to keep her entertained, let the dogs out, keep her from eating the cracker she found in the couch cushion, deal with her tears over it, fold the laundry, look at the time and "gasp" - I'm running dangerously short on time. The time I thought I had is now reduced to seconds - changing a diaper, getting the diaper bag ready, and making myself presentable are done in a short amount of time and without a lot of thought on myself or my outfit of choice.
7. Spills. I am a naturally klutzy person so maybe this one is more on me than anyone else, but I swear that the moment I put on something nice, irony sweeps in and takes care of that. Sippy cups that claim they are spill proof - lie! Hot coffee loves dry clean only. The fruit my daughter wants every morning (blueberries) always find their way from her hands to my shirt. Clothing are a milk's best friend. The harder I try to prevent this, the messier it is, so I just accept the fact that whenever I put something on, spills will probably happen. Don't be surprised to find a mommy with a big wet spot on her pants. On that same note... don't be surprised if she doesn't seem overly worried about it. It's her norm.
8. Mommy's wear what they can sleep in, because they take it whenever they can get it. Sleep is NOT the norm (for a new mommy especially). If it's the middle of the day and a "sleeping opportunity" arises, they'll typically take it, and who wants to sleep in slacks and a button up shirt?!
9. Time #2. Let me explain why time warrants two entries: There isn't a lot of time to accomplish "me" tasks. Using the bathroom or showering (that used to be private, alone time) are now filled with little hands pulling away the shower curtain or opening the door. I usually wait until Bean is down for her nap before jumping in the shower, but depending on the length of her nap and how many cleaning chores I want to accomplish, this may or may not happen. My poor husband will walk through the door and I'll smile, "yay! I can shower!" But during the day, time may or may not allow the time to shower, so I will typically throw my hair in a pony tail and cover the mess with a hat.
10. Little Hands. Little hands love to grab, pull and yank. I avoided dangly earrings like the plague and I have yet to wear the necklace Kyle gave me for Valentine's day two years ago. I haven't worn makeup in months, (see #6 and 9 as partial culprits) but it never fails that as I'm carefully putting on eye liner my daughter will yank on my pant leg telling me how "pre-ahhhh" I am (total heart melting stuff) and the liner is now on the side of my face. Pieces of fashion once held dear are put on the side burner for the sake of keeping it from little hands. It's funny how those things I once held dear are not as dear as they once were. Little hands are much more precious.

I wouldn't trade "mommy garb" for all the dream Pinterest closets in the world. My sweat pants bearing bleach stains or the track and field coaching hats (which now serve as cover up) are blessings, because I have this amazing little person in my life. I love to join her on her adventures and my mommy garb reflects those adventures. Typically those adventures are messy.