Fall Mom Style + Mantilla Link-up

Apologies if this showed up in your newsfeed - I'm still figuring out polyvore!

Anyway, with the slightly declining temperatures (for a few days at least), I started to realize just how close fall is getting!  But the problem is, I really have no idea what I wear in the fall...

See, last fall I was about a million weeks pregnant and basically lived in the same maternity yoga pants and maxi skirt until I gave birth (and then I continued wearing the yoga pants and the maxi skirt for at least a month afterwards...).

Two weeks post-partum, still wearing that skirt...

And the fall before that, I think I mostly wore dress pants.  Now that pants are pretty much out of the equation (I'm holding on to a couple pairs that have always fit well, just in case), I really have to figure out what works with my situation - I think I've got the idea of layering down, thanks to advice from friends (although I still need to get some new leggings and tights).  But he *type* of skirt to get is tough, since the winter-weight skirts tend to feel either too frumpy or too fussy to wear at home (all those wool skirts are lovely, but there's only so much room for dry clean only in this house!).

So here's what I've got so far, from clothes I mostly already have:

Fall Mom Style by rosiehill425 featuring a merona skirt

 

I just got a great new (to me) J.Crew denim skirt from Twice and I'm hoping to get a couple more pieces there if possible - I love that they list the measurements of the clothing, because I have a much better idea of whether something will fit or not (If you sign up through my link you can get $10 off!).

The plum pencil skirt in the collage above is soooo attractive to me - such a perfect color for fall and winter, so I definitely need to find one that's long enough to work for me.  I find I need something at least just below the knee, or playing with the kids on the floor gets too difficult.  And since my color palette tends toward the blues and blues and some more blue, I definitely need to add a scarf or two to punch things up.  I'd like at least one versatile dress as well, so I'm keeping my eye on new arrivals at Twice to see if anything jumps out (shirt dresses, wrap dresses, and faux-wrap dresses are all nursing-friendly).

What I'd really like to do is see if I can avoid buying new clothing (except leggings and tights, since you can't really find those used), so I'm going to be hitting up some thrift stores after the kids are in bed to test the waters.  If I can add to my wardrobe without breaking the bank, maybe I'll save enough money to replace my falling-apart purse!

What are your favorite fall staples?  I know I'm excited for turtlenecks and boots!

Oh and here's today's outfit - it felt fall-ish in the morning but by the time Mass was over (9:30ish) I was way too hot!  I love this dress but the length is just too short for me to wear with kids because I keep thinking my butt is showing every time I switch positions!

Dress:  Target, years ago

Tights:  Target?  No idea...

Booties:  DSW

Scarf:  Forever 21

Oh and that veil...  It's hiding, but it's there - I pretty much have to wear my hair up so that it doesn't fall out completely, but the kids haven't managed to pull it off my head yet.  It's actually something extra that they can fiddle with, and anything that occupies them is gold!  

Andrew's been wanting me to veil for years, but I kept refusing because I said it would mess with my hair, or the kids would pull it out, or I couldn't find one I liked...  And then I realized these were stupid, prideful reasons to refuse something that my husband really wanted (and he's always been very quiet in his desire, so it's not like he forced me into it!).

How do I feel about it?  I don't really notice it most of the time, and I think it makes me feel a little less self-conscious about how the kids behave, because I know that nobody's thinking, "Oh they must be so terrible because they never come to Mass!"  Not the best reasons, I know, but I'm not the deepest thinker, let's be honest.

Linking up with Jenna and the lovely Brit who's guest hosting at Fine Linen & Purple this week - I love this guest hosting, great idea!  And Brit's is one of my favorite bloggers - her photos are so beautiful and her boys are SO cute and hilarious.  Definitely one of those bloggers that I would be friends with in real life!  Go check out her blog for some of the most beautiful little boys (with the most amazing eyes) you'll ever see!