Book Print Clothes for Fall (reviews)

Clichés be damned. If you make a fabric printed with a crowded bookshelf, I will want all of the things made with it. Another Anthro Blog posted about this Tommy Hilfiger Book Print Dress and although she didn't love it on herself, I thought it looked fantastic! I tracked one down in my local Macy's and wound up taking it home. Regarding the fit, I needed a large. I didn't want any gaps at the bust or hips that would necessitate pinning and the large fit the bill. I'd say it runs true to size.

The fabric is cotton and has a slight sheen to it, which makes it look a bit dressier. The skirt runs slightly narrow through the hips but the bust had plenty of room. The sleeves are roomy but not blousey. It even has subtle details that feel reminiscent of the Anthropologie of yore. The button placket is lined with a very attractive plaid in coordinating colors. The dress has pockets but they are stitched shut (which I prefer to keep in tact with a slimmer cut skirt). The shirttail hem is very subtle and includes the hemline equivalent of a buttoned epaulet on both sides.  I think it will be perfect for teaching especially once I add opaque tights. The background color is navy blue so it will look nice with brown boots. Be warned that some of the books have the letters "TH" or the words "Tommy Hilfiger." I doubt anyone will notice unless they are looking very closely.

A comment also on Another Anthro Blog discussed a Garnet Hill skirt in a similar book print. I was interested in both pieces because I've not bought much for my own wardrobe lately. I decided to order it since there were no options to see it in person nearby. The skirt has a smocked waist and flexible fit. I bought a medium which worked nicely. Not too poofy. Not too small. I would say it runs large (ala Anthropologie) though I am typically a medium in an a-line shape such as this. The skirt has pockets and is fully lined. Its books are logo-less with black background. They also are larger in scale than the Tommy ones. This skirt would be great for tall ladies because I had to hike it up to my natural waist for it to fall at my knee. But I decided to keep it. I will post an outfit featuring it this week and you can see a close up of the print below.

I love both of them and although I never pay full price, I decided to indulge. I justified this decision in a few ways. First of all, the retail prices are not far off from Anthropologie's sale ones. My mom had a $25 off coupon for Macys so that helped with the dress. I found a 25% off coupon for Garnet Hill via google. And over the last few months I've bought myself very little new clothing. Other than a dress from J. Crew Factory that I loved on Wardrobe Oxygen, these are my first new pieces since May.

Also in breastfeeding-friendly wardrobe news, this is not a book print but I love this Tommy Hilfiger charm bracelet print dress. It's on sale and it suits my on-campus and baby-related needs so I might grab it. I want to wear my Library Dress first and then decide if its worth owning in different patterns.

A Fall Jewelry Giveaway from Anjolee!

I am excited to announce a special fall giveaway from Anjolee! Fall has long been my favorite season. My mother as well as both of my siblings were born in fall. It is when I got married to Chris. It is also when I gave birth to Emilia.

I can't believe that I am coming up on her first birthday already! Time really flew. I've been amassing some jewelry pieces that feature her birthstone and am eager to give one away to a lucky reader. Anjolee was happy to help.

Anjolee specializes in fine diamond and gemstone jewelry. They have a wide selection of highly customizable pieces including many beautiful diamond pendants. To celebrate the color palette of changing leaves (and one of the birthstones of the season), Anjolee would like to give a reader of Consume or Consumed the chance to win a sterling silver necklace featuring a genuine citrine pendant, as pictured above.

There are many ways to enter. This giveaway is open only to US readers.

Edited to add: The giveaway has closed and for some reason I don't seem to have the option to display the winner drawn in the widget. The winner drawn was Julie who I have contacted and helped arrange for the retrieval of her prize. Thank you to everyone who entered. I will have another giveaway soon enough! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Half Day OOTD

The title of this entry is tongue in cheek because the day I wore the above ensemble was a 12+ hour one. I chose it because it was comfortable and because the elastic neckline of the dress made it super easy to pump in between meetings and teaching, especially when layered over one of my Rumina tanks. I'm thankful that on most days I out-produce what baby consumes when we're apart. She compensates for our separations by reverse cycling a bit. But my body doesn't seem to realize this. It's fine with me that I am overproducing because I've become something of a milk stockpiler. We're not at the point where I'm shopping for second freezers but my supply brings me comfort.

Speaking of stockpiling, at some point I want to write about the fact that I've begun couponing (i.e. I coupon now, as a verb). Although it's made me pretty blasé about brand loyalty I'd be lying if I said it wasn't kind of exhilarating. It's no surprise that my desire for deals translates into the most practical (and arguably least glamorous) of venues. I'm not quite "extreme" about it due to time and logistical constraints. The extreme ones probably dedicate the equivalent of a full time job on clipping, organizing, and errand running). I admire their dedication but that's not in the cards for me. When I share via instagram, I usually tag my own ventures as #leftofcentercouponing since I'm fairly moderate compared to those with lots of time. What I do takes very little time thanks to printable coupons, store loyalty cards, and coupon match up blogs that do the bulk of the grunt work for you.  I've dedicated a modest amount of time but have still saved nice chunks of cash on household necessities and baby products because of it. I'll share more at some point. But the above haul cost me about .65 cents out of pocket.

As I indicated in my previous post, I am busy busy busy. I'm still trying to strike a balance. It would be nice if there were more hours in the day or if I didn't actually need to sleep ever.

Outfit Details:
Nanette Lepore dress (old.. bday gift from Chris)
Rumina hangs free pump and nurse tank layered underneath (c/o)
J.Crew Factory cardigan
Spanx tights
Chie Mihara flats
Kors watch; David Yurman necklace (graduation gift from in-laws)

Finding my way as a working mom

Lately, I feel like my September is the storm before the calm. Truth be told, I am most at home when the weather is cold and the leaves are crinkled, when my semester settles into a rhythm and my teaching schedule feels normal again. I stop lamenting that "normal" is no longer my summer break and in doing so I come to accept that everything is much busier and harried. Even though my "to-do" list doesn't necessarily shorten once this happens, I at least become less overwhelmed by it.

These days I'm spread a little thin. That shouldn't be surprising as this specific back-to-school cycle is the first in which I am adjusting to life as a working mom. Although I knew it was going to be hard, I didn't anticipate being hit by a baby with a 9 month sleep regression and (mild but still obvious) separation anxiety. Sleep deprivation makes me feel ineffective and unproductive. Not to mention irritable and tired! But there just isn't time to be unproductive at the moment.

Chris is trying to finish and defend his dissertation and I am trying to help him as much as he helped me. I am trying to complete a few grant applications and a book proposal over the next few weeks. I have a house to maintain. And I am back to my regular work schedule with a heavy teaching load and the usual service responsibilities. My summer class gave me a trial run of the work-life balancing act that so many women I know make look effortless. But that period was brief and I was only teaching one condensed session with very little service work. So I guess in reality I'm spread very thin at the moment.

On my commute home the other night I listened to Terry Gross interviewing Debora Spar about her new book, Wonder Women, which examines what Spar describes as a post-feminist internalization that in effect "privatized" feminism.  She says that rather than working toward the social changes that could help all of us, the trend instead sees women attempting to "have it all" individually, entailing a never ending quest for perfection. I haven't read the book yet but hearing her speak about it intrigued me. So I added it to my to do list... which continues to grow at a faster pace than I can manage. Still, the discussion was a nice reminder that perhaps I should try to cut myself some slack.

I know that I am doing the best that I can with constraints. I know that my work is not only important to me but necessary to the livelihood of my family. I know that Emilia is taken care of, comfortable, and happy, despite the teething, sleep regressions, and separation anxiety. I know that everything will be ok in part because it has to be. And thankfully, I have a lot of support on my side.

Thankfully my own upbringing involved a working, educator mom. It really helps to remind myself that my mom did this with an even more demanding schedule that required her to work out of the home five days a week. It helps to remember that she and my dad were able to balance things, raising (not one, but) three kids, while maintaining a really loving, happy marriage. It really helps to have my family's support and encouragement. I am incredibly lucky to have a husband who is very adept with a bedtime routine (without the benefit/crutch of nursing) and who loves to cook. He cooks more than I do and when I come home exhausted after my long teaching days, he always has a warm meal waiting for me. Talk about supportive!

I reflect often on my mom's (and really both of my parents') example, trying to model myself after it. If I'm feeling especially down, I remind myself that I am modeling this role for my own daughter and for the women students I mentor, advise, and teach. I don't want to let anyone down by being a negative caricature of new motherhood, rife with anxieties and "baby brain." And I'm probably overly self-conscious of the alleged "baby brain" drain, due to harsh self-criticism. After all, I had enough brain power to finish my doctorate this summer. That has to count for something!

Still, this is hard. It's hard to leave her. It's hard not to let my curiosity about what she is doing, how she is doing, if she is taking the bottle/napping/crying/etc. distract me from what I need to be doing.

I am especially relieved and lucky that Emilia is being taken care of by my sister on the days when I go to campus. I'm sure she would have been fine in daycare if we had gone that route. I see the babies in my moms' group enrolled in daycare and thriving. But family help brings a peace of mind that is priceless. Chris and I wanted to start a family while we lived near our loved ones for a bunch of reasons. And this is one of them! Emilia adores Katie and Katie adores Emilia. It's amazing to see them grow so close because of this arrangement. After my grandmother passed away, my Aunt Patty (my mom's sister) took care of me and my brother (before my sister was born) while my mom worked. And I feel such a strong bond to my aunt because of it. I am sure that Katie and Emilia and I will all be even closer because of this time together. Thanks to my sister, my baby and I have yet to suffer tearful goodbyes even though both of us are experiencing pangs of separation anxiety.

I keep reminding myself of how lucky I am in those harder moments. I need to remember that everything that is new feels hard and stressful at first, until it eventually becomes normal. If anyone has any secrets to managing things or just words of commiseration, I'd love to hear them!

Lunchtime Carousel OOTD

Last week on one of my work-from-home days Chris suggested I bring the baby and meet him for lunch in Oakland. I hadn't yet tried the new Cuban food at Conflict Kitchen and the weather was beautiful so it seemed like the perfect plan. We met in Schenley Plaza and ate outside. While there, he took Emilia on the carousel. I skipped the ride to take photos and video for our families.

Since Emilia's birth I've been documenting a photo and a video (almost) each (and every) day and sending them via email to our parents and siblings. I call it "The Daily Baby" and liken it to a visual newsletter to keep our nearest and dearest abreast of her happenings, both mundane and milestone. Some of our extended relatives also receive forwarded copies of especially exciting or adorable installments (if our parents decide to send them along or if our extended family request updates). The Daily Baby has proved to be an amazing way to give Emilia's larger family a stronger sense of attachment to her and by extension to us.

It is easiest just to upload video to my private youtube and send everything from my phone so I wind up favoring a camera that is not my best. But I still think it will be nice to have all of the footage and photos for myself one day. I know too well already why so many seasoned parents have warned me that time moves too fast. I can't believe she is already nine months old! And yet when I think about my semester's start this time last year, it's also hard to fathom. It feels so long ago, almost from another lifetime.

Anyway, I decided to wear something colorful and comfortable. It wasn't breastfeeding friendly but our visit was only for lunch, Emilia is eating some solids (so I can gave her some of my lunch to try plus she goes longer in between nursing these days), and I also knew that in a pinch we could hide out to nurse in Chris's private office (with a door that locks).

Details:
Orla Kiely + Uniqlo dress
Spanx tights
MBMJ mouse flats
Marc Jacobs Mercer bag