the most comfortable travel outfit
My Nana - my mom's mom- was from London. She used to tell us how when she came to the United States as a young bride, she was horrified at how people would dress in public, to run errands, and especially when traveling. She firmly believed that one should look put together when out and about because it would be respectful to others.
My own mom, having been raised by my Nana, would make sure all six of us girls were dressed, with our hair done neatly whenever we left the house. When we went to the airport, it was almost as if we were dressing to go to church. Air travel, she would lecture us, should be an event. We should dress to impress.
Those lessons have stuck with me into adulthood. I'm often thankful for the advent of maxi dresses, the sweatpants of the dress family, so I would have something comfortable and cute for traveling or running errands. However, when I started traveling with my young children, I knew I needed something simple and comfortable for travel. While my love for maxi dresses has never faded, they can sometimes be a bit fussy when carrying a child or bending over to pick one up. There can be a lot of adjusting, pulling at the neckline, or tripping over the hemline for us short girls.
When going anywhere with a preschooler, a toddler, and a nursing baby, you need an outfit that will be comfortable, that provides coverage and is flexible in the event of chasing after a runaway child. It has to work with a baby carrier strapped over it, and it also must be flattering. I still want to look put together and cute as a mom!
I ordered this PInkBlush shirt before I was supposed to leave for my trip to Phoenix a few weeks ago, which ended up being canceled. It would have made the perfect airport shirt! However, when my husband asked if I wanted to check out the manatees at Blue Spring State Park with the kids that weekend, I knew that shirt would also make a great road trip with kids outfit.
So we hit the road that Saturday and the shirt was exactly what I was hoping for! It was comfortable in the car, it was nursing-friendly and discreet once we arrived, and I still looked put-together and sporty chic for a day at one of Florida's most famous state parks.
While I definitely can be a bit more relaxed about what I let my kids wear out in public, or what the state of my hair is when running errands, I still love the lessons I learned from my Nana and my mom. I think there's something to respecting one another enough to put in an effort and look nice when you're outside of your own home.
That balance can be difficult to strike as a mom since our sizes and shapes are constantly changing with pregnancy, breastfeeding, weight loss, weight gain, changing hormones, etc, etc. It's difficult to find clothes that fit and are flattering through these different stages.
That's why I love PInkBlush so much! They have become my go-to online boutique for tops that are comfortable and cute during this stage of motherhood. That combination is so hard to find with all the frumpy or too-form-fitting options out there for moms. We haven't given up on our style, but we don't want to look like we've never had kids.
Here are a few more pictures of our time at Blue Spring State Park. There were over 180 manatees that day, and we couldn't get enough of watching them huddle together in the crystal clear water.