January 26, 2014

Size up OOTD and some tips on a pump-at-work wardrobe


I bought this Tibi dress around this time last year because I knew it would be breastfeeding friendly and my pre-pregnancy sized version (in a different colorway, last worn here) didn't fit. I'm glad I found it on ebay for a good price in a size up from my other one because it has proved to be a useful piece for teaching. I appreciate the ease of an all-in-one "combo dress" because it looks as though it could be separates but I don't have to spend my day fussing over a tucked blouse.

Last weekend my friend Robina was visiting and wanted some advice about a pumping-friendly professional wardrobe. Although she's a seasoned breastfeeding mom, she is going to be doing some clinical rotations toward degrees in nursing and midwifery that will have her separated for long hours from her infant. She specifically was curious about the names of pumping-friendly dresses she could potentially track down via ebay. The first things I thought of were my Tucker for Target shirtdresses and this Tibi one.

Even with a private office and door that locks, it's nice to avoid having to totally disrobe in the middle of the day. So if a dress can unbutton in the front, ideally down to the waist, it is a keeper in my experience. Wrap and faux wrap dresses are also good options. And the added security of a full slip will make it easy to partially unwrap. Finally, I always keep a drapey cardigan handy, for quick and easy coverage as well as added warmth.

Outfit details:
Tibi dress (Anthropologie called it the Hudson and Houston dress many years back)
Hue tights
Tory Burch flats

January 15, 2014

Uniquely You: Modcloth + Consume or Consumed


I was contacted recently by ModCloth to see if I wanted to participate in their Uniquely You blogger challenge, where they select an item currently for sale on their site that bloggers are to style via Polyvore. I thought it sounded like fun so I agreed. The item chosen for this round of the challenge was the very aptly named In the Key of Chic dress. The dress is available in a range of prints (my favorite being the music notes print shown above) and in both straight and plus sizes, which makes it even better!



Although the red sash that comes with the dress adds a nice pop of color, I paired it instead with muted jewel tones which allow the print to really sing (pun intended!). Doing so also makes this fairly youthful (albeit lovely) statement piece feel a bit more professional and sophisticated (i.e. age appropriate for someone like me). Thanks for the opportunity, ModCloth!

January 14, 2014

New Term, New (albeit repeat) OOTD


I have my big pre-tenure review this semester (delayed by a year due to the tenure clock stoppage of my maternity leave) and submitted my giant portfolio of supporting materials yesterday. Three extra large binders, packed with evidence of my efforts over the last four years. It was overwhelming to take stock of what I'd done and (inevitably) reflect also on what I wish I had done. Although the review is now out of my hands, just submitting the materials brought me a sense of relief because doing so forced me to stop obsessing. Such comprehensive and high stakes assignments are the kind that never feel "finished," even when a deadline looms.

This deadline happened to overlap with the start of the Spring semester which made me busy doubly! But all is going surprisingly well, considering. I am halfway through my second week of teaching and feel optimistic that this will be a great semester. My students seem engaged and my brain is managing to function despite some post-holiday baby schedule upheaval and the wrath of consolidating naps. Thank goodness for caffeine!

Outfit details:
T-bags dress (similar style but different print here and here)
Calvin Klein open cardigan
Hella Tights tights (c/o... review to come soon!)
MBMJ flats

January 09, 2014

Holiday in St. Croix


When you manage to finish two doctoral degrees during the first year of being a parent, there's plenty of reason to celebrate. So Chris and I pooled our frequent flier miles, took advantage of the "anyone under 2 years old flies free" rule, and headed to the Caribbean as soon as the fall term ended.


After much debate we decided to go to St. Croix because it was still technically in the US, meaning we'd have one less hoop to jump through since Emilia wouldn't need a passport. It was beautiful! We rented a very reasonably priced villa on the eastern part of the island that had incredible views and a private pool.


We liked the ease of traveling to St. Croix. Unlike St. Lucia, the airport was relatively close to where we were staying so we didn't have a long commute by car after a long day of travels. And unlike St. Barths, St. Croix doesn't require any elaborate additional flight on a terrifyingly tiny plane or a ferry trip to get there. It's a lot cheaper than St. Barths because everything is priced in USD and although you find some inflated island pricing, things were mostly akin to prices you find in a major metropolitan area.


Traveling with Emilia obviously changes our ability to just explore aimlessly, without constraints. We wanted to follow her cues and ensure she could have some semblance of normalcy in schedule. Our villa had a high chair and crib so that helped (though we mostly co-slept). It was surprisingly baby-proofed actually, save for the pool.

Renting a car was necessary for us. But renting a car has been something we've done on every similar trip. With baby in tow, we found ourselves looking for beach spots with more amenities rather than seclusion. Our favorite was the resort beach of the Buccaneer, where we met a lovely family from Italy on vacation. The mom was also still nursing her baby and balancing a career with her role as a mother. It was nice to find so many commonalities with her. It was also great to see Emilia with her little beach friend.


As far as food goes, if you ever find yourself on the eastern part of St. Croix, be sure to check out the La Reine Chicken Shack. It was amazing. I wish we had ordered twice as many johnny cakes as we did. The chicken was incredible too. We also loved the Blue Water Café for both take out options and sit down dinners. They had decent coffee and were fairly close to our villa so we stopped by a few times. We had an amazing meal of local seafood at Duggan's Reef. They put lobster in everything but it still manages to be priced quite fairly. We also had delicious island roti from Singh's Fast Food Restaurant in downtown Christiansted. We didn't get to do any shopping while we traveled but that was just as well. I don't recall shopping much on our last island trip to St. Lucia and have no regrets. We ate and slept very well.

We were all super happy to get away and spend some uninterrupted time together. It was a fortunate thing to get to do and we didn't spend a ton of money to do it thanks to the nearly free flights. Finishing our degrees and surviving our first year of parenting were big deals and it was fun to really commemorate them! I hope we are as lucky in 2014!!

January 06, 2014

Happy New Year!! Happy (Belated) Holidays!

Today I go back to work and I have a big (pretenure) review portfolio due this week. So things have been very hectic around these parts. I hope you had a lovely holiday and very happy new year!! To the students and those who work in higher ed, have a fantastic winter/spring term! Thanks for continuing to read Consume or Consumed!

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