Mission #59, Day 1--Denim on Denim--Two Tone

Denim on denim is a summer thing, I've heard.  Which I have never really got because it seems kind of . . . warm.  Denim is generally a heavier material.  But nonetheless it is a thing and it is the focus of this week's Mission Week.

We are devoting a whole week to the denim on denim trend because, as we are all aware, it can go very wrong very easily.  One easy way to get it right is by mixing the tones of your denim.  Here I went with black denim pants and a dark wash denim blazer.

You'll notice a few things in these photos: for one, yes, that is snow in these photos.  Granted, they were taken several weeks ago but we did get snow in May this year.  Not totally unheard of, but a bummer nonetheless.  Since it is technically still spring (and the weather here reflects that--trust), let's just pretend that it is rain mmmkay?

You might also notice (if you read the clothing credits at the end) that these jeans are maternity.  This is not a pregnancy announcement (if all goes as planned, I will not have any more of those).  Rather, I still do not fit into my non-maternity black jeans.  Yes friends one year after Reilly's arrival and I am still 10-15 pounds (depending on the day) shy of my pre-pregnancy weight.

In fact, you can tell in a lot of these photos that I have a belly pudge that I didn't used to.  Every pregnancy it is the same story--I gain an insane amount of weight (54 pounds in Reilly's case) and it takes me an eternity to lose it.  This time I tried to thwart that by doing yoga and eating healthy throughout, but it was no use--the weight was coming no matter what I did.

For a very, very, very long time I beat myself up about it and if I'm being 100% honest I still do.  It doesn't feel good to not fit into your old clothes or notice a silhouette in the shower that you didn't used to have.  This is made even harder when you are older and have four children and are a style blogger who photographs and posts pictures of yourself and your body on the reg.  And harder still when it seems like every other blogger--no matter the age or amount of other children--seem to just bounce back to their pre-pregnancy bodies with ease.  I know that they work hard to get where they are, but I have too--healthy diet and (up until a few months ago) a LOT of exercise.  So it gets frustrating.  But what does help is knowing that I am healthy and my kids are healthy.  Also, we are done with snow at this point.  So it can only go up from here right?

Black Jeans-Old Navy (maternity)

White Shirt-thrifted

Denim Blazer-thrifted

Grey Purse-thrifted

Black Booties-Old Navy

Earrings-DIY and gifted

Necklace-vintage from Grandma