Category: Life/Advice

Why I blog…

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With Thanksgiving just a day away, I want to tell you all how thankful I am for your readership and continued support!  I so appreciate every time you read my blog posts, every click on my links, visits to my website, and follows on Instagram!  You have made my little blog a happy success, and I have all of you to thank for that!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing with you one of the things I enjoy most: that is, all things related to fashion: bargain shopping, style, clothes, shoes, beauty products, you name it!!

I have to tell you, it has been a scary process making this blog public and putting myself out there for the world to judge.  I thought: What will people think? Will they like what I write? Will they find my content interesting or even worth reading?

Then, I read Sheryl Sandberg’s recent book, Lean In.  Have you read it?  If not, keep reading for a chance to win your very own copy!  One of the things she mentions in the book is that as women, we are often afraid to ‘lean in’ and take chances.  To take steps that may scare us, but that can lead us to success.  So I decided, why not??  In the words of Sheryl Sandberg, “There is no perfect fit when you’re looking for the next big thing to do. You have to take opportunities and make an opportunity fit for you, rather than the other way around.”

And so began the adventure.  Sure, some of you may have read my blog posts, or even just noticed that I was posting on Facebook about frilly topics and wondered, “Why, with a doctorate, does she have the need to talk about such superficial, non-important things?!”  Well, my intention was dual-purposed:

1.  I enjoy fashion.  I do.  I love to see it on runways, in magazines, to wear it, to talk about it…I just truly enjoy it!  As a result, I have also always wanted to go to New York Fashion Week.  I learned, however, that to get invited to one of those shows, you either have to know someone in the business (I don’t), have a ton of money to buy tickets outright (according to my husband, we don’t, lol), OR be part of the press (aha!!)!!  And, guess, what??  If you’re a blogger, you are considered ‘press’!  So, I began a blog!!

2. Second, it is important to me for people to know that, as a woman – specifically a woman scientist – it is more than okay to like fashion; no, to love fashion, and that it in no way takes away from who I am as a researcher, as an intellectual, or as a professional.  It is simply an added bonus. 😉 Afterall, since when did being fashionable and being intelligent become mutually exclusive??  Perhaps even considered contradictory by some?  I am here to tell you, and show you, that they are not.

On most traditional fashion/lifestyle blogs, you will see pictures of women posing in amazing clothes, shoes, etc.  I LOVE to follow these blogs, and often wished that my blog would take on that form one day as well.  Then I realized, if that were to happen, my blog would no longer be MY blog, but merely a reflection of other blogs out there.

So, for this blog post, I wanted to present you with my vision.  To show you that intelligence can be a fashionable accessory – our BEST accessory.

To achieve this task, I recruited the very talented, young (literally, young…I’m talking high school student young!), Mariana Pimiento, to take my pictures.  We ‘leaned in’ together and this was the result.

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Stilettos and books…a fashionable combination, right? Shoes (Paris Hilton, pink soles, $25, Nordstrom Rack, Old).

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Wearing my signature ‘hair in a bun’, dressed in couture, while reading Baby Rothman.

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A true, blogger-style photo.  Dress (Tadashi Shoji, $30, PeppermintPark.com, old)/ Necklace (Paris market, gift from BFF, more info here) / Bag (Chanel Medallion Tote, $waylessthanretail, eBay.com) / Tights (Hue, Nordstrom Rack, old) / Earrings (Francesca’s Collections, $8, old).

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Same details as above. 🙂 Belt (Lotus Boutique, $10, old) and car (MBZ, 10 years old!).

A change of shoes...oxfords...the high-heeled version! Shoes (YSL, $waylessthanretail, eBay, old)

A change of shoes…oxfords…the high-heeled version! Shoes (YSL, $waylessthanretail, eBay, old)

Isn't this just a beautiful pair of shoes?! Fashion and books...a fabulous combination!

Isn’t this just a beautiful pair of shoes?! Fashion and books…a fabulous combination!

On my coffee table, often yes, fashion magazines and nerdy, scientific books and journals. ;)

On my coffee table, often yes, fashion magazines and nerdy, scientific books and journals. 😉

A  few last thoughts to close. This blog, as well as related content on Instagram and Twitter, are a reflection of my life, and the things that interest me as a woman – a mother, a wife, a scientist, a ‘fashionista’, and a newbie blogger. Thus far, it has provided a fun, creative outlet; a hobby that doesn’t require leaving the house, and that I can work on after the kids have gone to bed.  Further, writing this blog appears to even be helping my scientific writing!  Score!!  I do hope that you will continue to join me as I venture on this journey, where fashion and smarts harmoniously co-exist.  It has been a fun ride thus far!!

Finally, to reward my readers for getting through this super wordy blog post – but to also stay true to my mission, and keep you smart and informed – I am giving away a copy of the book Lean In!  Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything crazy!  Simply, comment on this post with your thoughts on my blog in general, what you thought of this particular blog post, or anything else that you may fancy!  A winner will be selected at random, one week from today.  Good luck to you all and thanks again for reading!!

Stay Chic!

marianaA lover of fashion from a young age, Maria Pimiento began her business at the age of 15.  Her favorite things to shoot include, fashion runways and editorials.  She also loves to travel and take road trips with family!  Born in Medellin, Colombia, Mariana enjoys photographing people of diverse backgrounds.  Mariana captures the essence of beauty through film.  Sneak peak of photos on Instagram and on her personal website.  Make sure to also check out her Youtube channel, The Mstudio, as well as her latest project, ProjectBare!

Me, who?

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Once upon a time, I would make plans for the weekend.  Outings on Friday nights, sleep in Saturday morning (until noon sometimes!!), perhaps a second outing Saturday night, and a day of doing absolutely nothing on Sunday.  I would return to school/work re-energized and ready to tackle the week ahead of me.

Cut to, now.  My weekends consist of catching up on laundry, cleaning, kid birthday parties, sports practices and games, grocery shopping, catching up on leftover work from the week…the list is endless.  A postpartum woman also often takes on an additional load of responsibilities.  Nursing day and night, pumping at work, bottles to wash, hormones running amok, hairloss (yes, that’s right, hairloss!!), a body that stubbornly refuses to return to normal, and an endless sense of guilt and imperfection.  Am I feeding the right foods?  Am I raising my kid(s) properly?  Am I doing what’s best for my kid(s)??  Am I a good mom??

Amidst the chaos that is motherhood, very rarely does a mother stop to wonder, what about me?  But when she does – at least when I did – be prepared to open the flood gates; the overwhelming emotion that comes with reminiscing about times now past, years now lost, and a youth and beauty now aged, is reason enough for even the sanest of women to lose it a little.

Today, I wondered, what about me?  My body is slowly becoming increasingly foreign.  Pregnancy and birth change a woman’s body in ways she never imagined.  The time to workout is becoming less and less, so one’s body becomes more and more…soft??  Sigh.  I look at pictures now and wonder, will it ever be the same again?  Um, with surgery maybe??  Sigh, again.

My husband says, ‘you need to make time for yourself’.  Are we – mothers – then too giving of ourselves and time?  Do we, mothers, consciously make ourselves out to be the victims?  Who knows.  As far as I can tell, the to-do list in my life is endless.  But my husband is right (wait, did I just say that??).  Perhaps there are things that can go by the wayside sometimes, right?  My kid(s) can go a night without a bath.  The dishes can be left overnight without washing.  Pick the toys up off the floor and makes the beds?  What?  Why?  The toys will be played with again tomorrow, and the bed slept in again the next night, right?

Worry not, this is by no means a pity-party post.  More so, it is a reminder that although life has changed, and time is less abundant, that sometimes…you just need to stop.  Take the time to rediscover the new you and make amends with this version of yourself.  Embrace this new phase of life and make the time to take care of, well, you.

So, I herein declare this day the start of the me-time phase of my life.  To help me become a better mother, a better wife, and a better version of me.  Anyone want to join me?  Me-time can get a little lonely; I’ll need some girlfriends to join me during my me-time from time to time.

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When two become one…

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Hi, Friends!

I took a little bit of a blogging-hiatus this past week.  I have a good excuse though!  My little family and I took a *much* needed vacay! Also, remember that countdown on my blog??  Well, the day finally arrived and my little sister got married!!  Amazing how quickly time goes by…

On the day of her wedding, I was asked to give a speech.  True to my procrastinating nature, I waited until the very last minute to put a speech together.  It didn’t really matter though, since script or no script, I have no doubt that the tears that were shed during my time on the mic would have interrupted even the best of speeches!

So, I take to this very public forum to share some of the things that I wish I would have said:

-Marriage is an amazing adventure.  There is no truer test of patience, character, understanding, sharing…the list is endless.  Know that no two people are perfect with regard to any of these virtues.  You won’t always be the perfect partner, but what will matter is that you try; that for the rest of your life, you make an effort to be the best version of you.  Be happy with who you are, who you are with your partner, and the rest will fall into place.

-Don’t let others influence how you see or feel about your partner.  You chose your partner with your heart and mind, possibly entirely with your heart, and not at all with your mind. 🙂  Regardless, YOU chose that person.  YOU had your reasons.  Remember them every time anyone makes you doubt your choice.

-Never stop dating.  This I tell you from experience.  My hubby and I got busy with work, kids, life, etc. over the years.  This past week, we took our first solo vacation (kids stayed with my parents) in nearly 10 years!!  I cannot express how nice it was to spend time alone, away from home, and reconnect.  We realized we had stopped dating.  We had started to think of each other merely as partners, mother and father, roommates, even.  Not thinking of each other as man and woman…two individuals who could still lust after each other; who could still date; who at one point in time, could think of nothing else but each other.  Take the time to go back to the ‘butterfly’s in the stomach’ phase of your relationship…it will make all the difference.

-Yes, you are married.  Yes, you will initially want to spend every waking moment with your new partner in life.  But, also, yes…you do still have friends.  Don’t forget about them. Much like experts recommend that one put their spouse before children, as one day, the kids will leave the nest, and you will be left with each other…hopefully not as strangers, but still in love and very much friends, I recommend that you don’t forget about your friends.  I am guilty of this…  That said, continue to call/text/FB/etc your friends with the same frequency (or as close to it) as you did before your marriage.  One day, you won’t want to spend every waking moment with your partner (Trust me, it will happen…even if you can’t fathom the thought…it will happen!), and you will want/need friends to be there for you.  You need to nurture those friendships and not let them fall to the way-side.

-Don’t lose sight of who you are.  I am still working on this one.  I used to ballroom dance…still, it has been a year or two since I took my last lesson.  Kids and work have made it hard to maintain this hobby.  My hubby knows how much I enjoy it though, so he’s supportive of my activity; despite the fact that he doesn’t ballroom dance himself.  So, whether you dance, run, hang out with friends…whatever your hobby may be or whatever it is that you feel defines you, stay true to it and fight to maintain it moving forward in your marriage.

-Leave jealousy out of your marriage.  Ugh, I wasted so much of my younger years as an insecure, jealous girlfriend/fiancée/wife.  It is not worth it.  I don’t know what happened when I had my first child, but all the jealousy went out the window.  I don’t think I have ever enjoyed my relationship more!  Trust, be confident, and leave the jealousy out of it.

-Don’t make comparisons.  Every marriage is different.  Every husband and wife is different from other husbands and wives.  What works in one marriage may not necessarily work in another.  Do what makes the two of you better, and remember that the goal is to be happy.  The goal is not to be better than the Joneses.

-Be your partner’s biggest supporter.  At the end of the day, you want each other to succeed.  Each one of you will have bad days.  Be there for the lows.  Yes, sometimes your partner’s lows may be infuriating, frustrating, possibly even disappointing.  Be there.  As humans, we are flawed, and we all make mistakes.  Try to be understanding, try to keep perspective.  Often, you will find that the lows are what lead to the highs.  I often think that my support during the bad times, during the ‘lows’, is what has led my hubby to his best ‘highs’…to his greatest successes.  Just, be there.

Above all else, do you.  Be confident that the choices you make are what is best for you and your new partnership.  I am no expert, nor is this list comprehensive of all that you should consider when entering a new partnership…a marriage.  They are kernels of wisdom from one who has nearly 10 years of marriage under her belt.  Take what works for you, and leave the rest for others to consider.  Remember always, “The value of free advice is often what you pay for it.”

Congratulations baby sister…may life bring your marriage much happiness, love, and success!

susie bride