Tired of Looking Like a Mommy?

In my various employment adventures I have been forced to wear a uniform. My high school gig at All-A-Dollar required khaki pants and a white shirt. I worked at Old Navy back when all the staff wore those blue Tshirts with the ON logo on them. When I worked at the wedding video company, I had to wear a dress every.single.day-- in case there was some catastrophe and I had to go help at an actual wedding. (It happened more than once, so it's good I was prepared.) My post-college job as a social worker didn't have a specific dress code, but since I still looked like I was in high school, I always wore professional clothes so I didn't get detention for skipping class when I was on the job.

Then I became a mother. And what, my friends, is the appropriate attire for mothering?

So, for the last six years I have worn jeans and a T shirt pretty much every day. I like to kid myself into thinking I'm going out on a limb if the shirt is striped or has a V neck, but in reality, it's always just jeans and a T shirt. Kind of blah, huh?

A friend of a friend is doing some fashion challenge for the month of November where she picked 30 items in her closet and is just trying to rearrange them into different outfits all month long, not repeating once. I was in shock. I pretty much wear the same thing every day. I resolved to do better, to go out on a limb.

I bought skinny jeans. I tried on leggings, though I couldn't get over how huge they made my feet look so I didn't purchase them. I bought a cool hat. I was on my way to a total transformation-- a real fashionista!

Then I went into DownEast while I was at the mall the other day. I beelined for the clearance section and I found this amazing dress.

Only it was black. It's so pretty, all satin-y and flowy and has that cute flower thing under the chest. Loved it. So, even though it didn't make any sense, I tried it on. And I loved it even more. Isn't it fabulous when you actually like what you see when you try something on? 

Here was the best part

Ten bucks! That's it? For this gorgeous dress that made me feel like a princess? Sold!
There was a moment of debate when the sales lady told me that all clearance are final sales. Cannot return, which I am known to do. I have absolutely nowhere to wear this dress. It would be great if I were going to Homecoming again, but I'm not. It would be great if I were going on a cruise, but I'm not. It would be great if my husband's firm had some swanky holiday party that necessitates a fancy dress, but it doesn't.
And yet. I felt like a princess. Not like a tired, cranky, frumpy, dowdy, been-wearing-Tshirts-for-six-years-and-you-sure-can-tell Mom.
So I bought it. My girls are thrilled, we're going to have a dress up party all together. That got me thinking-- what if all the other mommies I know feel the same way? What if you all  are wishing for some occasion to really dress up? Wasn't part of the fun of high school dances just getting ready? Knowing you were looking a-maz-ing? Feeling the satiny fabric against your skin, hearing the skirt swoosh as you walked? Don't you wish you could do it again?
Well, let's! Let's have a fancy mommy dress up day. We could go out to dinner somewhere nice (or not), or we could just meet at my house and eat chocolate fountain until we pass out. I promise that if you'll ignore my outie bellybutton courtesy of Baby #3 I will ignore your muffin top. Let's just dress up and have fun. You know you want to.

(Seriously, if you want to, leave a comment. I'll plan something)

PS-- The DownEast website has lots of fabulous dresses on clearance right now. In case you *cough* aren't exactly the same size as whatever formal you have lurking in your closet.