Why I’m going a year without buying new clothing

So I used to spend a lot of money on clothes. We lived in Clarenville, Newfoundland, where the only place to buy clothes was basically the Walmart. But like not even a good Walmart. So whenever we would go to the mainland, I would drop $400 (or more) on an outfit at Foriegn Affair in Halifax. At the time, I felt like I was investing in good quality pieces that I would have forever. Except that sometimes I didn’t even like that $150 shirt when I got it home. Or Jon would shrink it in the wash so it was only useful for a ten-year-old. Or the $350 pants would get a rip in the bum and I would chuck them out. 

I realized I don’t actually know what I like to wear. I know what I like. I love bright blouses and flat front khakis and polo shirts and crop tops and the perfect collared white shirt and chambray. But I don’t like wearing those things. So I needed to figure out what I actually liked wearing before I started spending money on clothes again. So that’s where I am now. In May of 2018, I turned 34 and decided to only buy used clothing for a full year. I have about three months left, and I’ve figured out so much. 

When I look at these picture (I have like no picture of me because I’m the mom) from the past year I can see a lot of repetition. Stuff I’ve figured out about my wardrobe:

1. I love huge thick cardigans. I have two that were gifts from my mom for the last two christmases, and I reach for them multiple times a week. Also I don’t need more of those. They last so long and I don’t wash them that much. 

2. I like jeans with holes in them. I know, it’s lame because I’m 35 (almost). But I just prefer my light wash super worn jeans. The problem with jeans like that is they do get worn out fast. I tear a hole in the bum of a pair of jeans a few times a year. So I need to buy these whenever I find a pair that fits. I need dark wash jeans for times when I need to look more dressed up, but if I get to choose, I will always go for the light jeans. 

3. Even though I have to wear dress clothes sometimes for work, I don’t like to wear them. Maybe someday I’ll find a dress pant style that I like on me, but generally, the dress clothes are the things in my closet that bring me no joy and I want to throw into the giveaway pile, but I need them once or twice a month for work stuff (I wear scrubs for work on regular days).

4. I don’t actually like wearing t-shirts with logos and pictures on them. This really surprised me. Ever since middle school, I have always worn vintage t-shirts from random charity events or weird touristy spots. But lately, I’m more interested in boring t-shirts with nothing on them. 

5. Related to number 4, I basically only want to wear navy blue, black, and white. All other colours I love, but I’m just not interested in wearing them. Oh, and grey. I like wearing grey too. So that will make shopping way easier. 

6. The only way I could do this no-new-clothes year is because I have an amazing used clothing store in my town. Pretty much every month, I find an entire cool outfit there for under $20. But I find that still, sometimes I bring home something I love, only to find that I don’t like wearing it. I will try it on a lot, but always change my mind and wear something else. 

7. I seem to have a couple uniforms that are honestly so boring but maybe I don’t care? Maybe I love to dress boring. Uniform 1: faded jeans, navy plain t-shirt, huge beige or grey cardigan. Uniform 2: black jeans, black or grey t-shirt or sweatshirt. And I exclusively wear one of 4 different pairs of turquoise earrings with said uniforms. 

8. I obviously made exceptions for underwear and socks. I finished nursing in August, so I had to buy a few new bras at that time. Also, I ditched a ton of my regular clothes that I had been wearing for the past year at that point because I realized I was only wearing them for ease of breastfeeding and I didn’t actually think they looked good on me. Also I changed sizes of all clothing dramatically at that time. This past year, I have kinda accepted that my body is different now and I’m never going back to my pre-second-baby body. I’m actually really happy with the way I look right now, but some of the clothes I used to wear are almost laughable now. I’m looking at you, collection of tiny minidresses in size 4. 

I will update when my year is up. I’m thinking about the smart clothing purchases I want to make at that time. Or maybe I will try to go another few months. 

Our Airbnb Christmas in Charlottetown

As per usual, we rented an Airbnb in Charlottetown for Christmas. We have been doing the Airbnb thing for a while when we go to PEI. Love it. The Airbnb thing has changed a lot in Charlottetown over the last few years. There are now so many options, and lots super super close to where Jon’s mom lives. This time I chose one based 100% on the fact that it was two minutes from Jon’s mom’s house. 

(A very blurry Christmas morning family selfie)

(A kinda sad Christmas tree)

(My three favourite people)

(Truck stop restaurant en route to the island)

This year we had more stuff than ever in our trunk. We brought all the Christmas presents and baby gear. We opted to go without a Christmas tree, but when we got to the Airbnb, Jon was like, we need a tree. So he took his mom’s faux plant, bought a bunch of decorations from the dollar store, and we had our tree. 

The Airbnb had no real oven. There was just a toaster oven, which I managed to cook pretty much all our meals in. Those toaster ovens are kind of amazing! I made cookies, lasagna, meat pies, croissants, French fries, and also reheated stuff all in that little toaster oven.

We spent lots of time with Jon’s family, and had a few friends over at our little Airbnb too. Such a great Christmas holiday. 

Cohen is 5.5 years old

Our sweet guy is halfway between 5 and 6 years old. So crazy. Jon and I sometimes get little moments where we realize that Cohen is completely an individual and we are just here to help him through life. He needs us so much and yet not at all for the things he used to need us for. 

Some things about Cohen lately:

- He is very very into making things out of paper. Our shelves and drawers have become full of paper weapons, masks, parachutes, etc. I swear that he gets more use from tape, markers, scissors, and white paper than any of his toys.

- He also still loves Lego. He loves following complicated directions. If the lego is too simple, he doesn't even want to bother with it. Also loves wearing a tie to "look sharp."

- Halfway through kindergarten, and he is reading a little. It is so thrilling to see him sound out words and figure out what things say. There is nothing like it.

- He recently figured out how to snap his fingers, which he is extremely proud of.

- Best friends: Ben (who he recently had his first sleepover with). Graycie (his cousin but also his best friend). Ethan (a little guy from his class). He also tells me all the time that he is going to marry Madi from his class.

- Favourite foods: pizza and tacos. For all other foods, it is hit or miss. He loves the grilled cheese sandwiches they serve at school, but will not touch the ones we make at home. He loves to bring salami sandwiches for lunch at school.

- He got his hands on a book of engineering feats at the library a while back, and now he is extremely interested in visiting the tallest bridge in the world (in France). He also wants to visit the bridge that becomes a tunnel in Sweden. Seriously mind-blowing when your kid introduces you to something you have never even heard of. So Jon and I are actually trying to figure out how we can make a world bridge trip happen in a few years.

Will is 16 months old

My computer died and also I am so much busier now, so I don't update this blog that much. But lately I have been realizing that even though it's just for me and my family, I love looking back at old blog posts. So maybe I'll blog a little more now. Or maybe not. 

Some things about Will lately:

- He has a huge appetite. Yesterday he brought me a tin of oysters from the cupboard and demanded I open it. He ate every single one in like 5 minutes or less. He also loves sausage, watermelon, blueberries. He still gets a bottle of cold milk a few times a week, which is pretty cute. 

- He is such a climber. I find him on the vanity in the bathroom all the time, and on top of the kitchen table. My nerves!! He is truly fearless. 

- Will is super chatty but he isn't saying a ton of actual words I recognize. Words we think we have heard him say: cheese, ball, mom, dad, no. 

- Sleeping. I can't even begin. He is all over the place. Some nights he sleeps 6:30-5:30 straight through in his own room. Other nights he comes in with us at midnight. Other nights he is up for a few hours between 2 and 4 am. He naps once a day for an hour or two. 

- He is so into his brother. And his brother's stuff. His favourite things are whatever Cohen is playing with at any moment. 

PS: Cohen's 17 month update

Our annual Cavendish trip (2018)

Last month we took two weeks off from work, and spent a week in Cavendish for the fifth time (last year). Jon's family has been doing this trip for many, many years. My sister-in-law's parents started the tradition over thirty years ago! This year, there were twenty family members staying at the cottages, plus another ten or so relatives who live on PEI who would come hang out during the day.

These cottages are super popular in August, and we have to book basically as we are leaving for the following year. This year we got our fav one, with lots of space for our family of four and my sister's family as well. Will did NOT sleep well for the entire trip. Jon and I would take turns hanging out with him for an hour at a time in the middle of the night. Cohen and Graycie slept really well, and got up nice and early, excited for another day.

We did a morning at the Sandspit amusement park. The kids loved going on the train with the whole family. Cohen and Graycie were even more into the rides this year, which was cool to see.

My sister handled the food as usual. Every night we would set the picnic tables outside and all sit down for an early supper. After the kids were all finally in bed, the adults would gather around the fire and have a few drinks. I was sooo thrilled that my fav artist, Joel Plaskett was staying at the cottage down from us. One night Jon and I walked over and introduced ourselves. We had our very first date to a Joel Plaskett show over ten years ago! He was super nice and friendly. 

We spent tons of time hanging out on the lawn in front of our cottage. So relaxing.

The four little kids got along so well! Each year, they play together a little better, and we are able to let them do their own thing a bit more. The older cousins were also really great with our little guys. 

This year we opted out of the big Cavendish beach, and instead found our own little quiet beach in Rustico a few minutes down the road. With four little kids, we are pretty into a short walk from the car to the actual beach. We made some sweet sandcastles and jumped in the waves for a while. A few more pics....