One of the questions that plague me every morning is, “What am I going to wear?” Not only do I have to answer that question for myself and be out the door by 8:30AM, I have to answer it for my daughter too (and have her out the door as well).
Lately, my daughter has some strong opinions about her clothing options – short vs. long sleeves, capris vs. leggings. Many a morning includes intense negotiation of appropriate attire - not a great way to start the day at all. Taking a cue from the boy in my life (suit, shirt, tie, or blue shirt, khakis, no tie) I decided there needed to be a summer uniform for the girls too.
In keeping with my summer mantra (food, clothing, shelter, fun), I decided to tackle the summer wardrobe debate. Why was it easier to figure this out in the fall, I asked myself? Well, said I, because I have my fall go-to outfit: dark jeans, t-shirt, jacket, boots, and variations thereof. I needed a summer go-to outfit that would be as easy. Enter Old Navy and Ann Taylor Loft (my go-to stores). I decided that this would be the summer of khakis, tees, sandals and variations thereof. So far, morning outfit-picking has been easy, and I can focus time and energy on other priorities.
Next, I needed to come up with a similar system for my daughter. Enter Children’s Place (my go-to-store for her). They have this great line of matchables (same concept as Garanimals was when I was her age) and a monster sale to boot! I bought various items in her favorite colors and made a blue pile, a pink pile, and a purple pile. This system eliminated the “this-doesn’t-go-with-that” ritual morning pain point. She can’t wait to pick out her clothes, and announces with color-coordinated glee that it is a pink day or a purple day.
With these new systems in place, she and I are way more efficient (and pleasant) in the mornings, and we have more time to play, read, or have a spontaneous dance party. Granted, we look somewhat similar to the day before…but who cares, it’s summer, and we are having fun!
