Winter Capsule Wardrobe Outfits

 I managed to ignore the blog again.  I'm sorry.  Life has felt as though it is going a million miles a minute.  I thought I would share what I have been wearing from my capsule wardrobe this winter.  I am looking forward to transitioning to a spring capsule wardrobe in April.  This wardrobe has been functional, but it could have been much smaller.  I have learned a few things about myself in this process that I hope to be able to apply to my next capsule wardrobe.

Sharing the Mental Load

I have always carried the mental load of caring for my children.  My husband is a great Dad and is willing to complete any task given to him, but he has never had to carry any of the mental load of raising our children. I have been feeling burnt out consistently over the past year so my husband and I discussed how I needed to move certain aspects of the mental load to his plate. 

 

One thing that we have been successful in moving to my husband's plate is my daughter's homework.  My oldest daughter and I had become trapped in a never-ending homework battle and it was proving to be detrimental to our relationship.  My husband took over the responsibility of helping her complete her homework and my relationship with my daughter improved dramatically.  She gives my husband a hard time, but she isn't as resistant to his direction.

Transitioning the mental load of my daughter's schoolwork to my husband has not been seamless.  We had to clearly communicate expectations and I had to resist jumping in when he and my daughter forgot something.  It is really difficult for me to not step in and just 'handle it', but if I keep doing that the mental load isn't truly leaving my plate.  

Removing the mental load of my daughter's homework from my plate has been so beneficial for me.  I feel less overwhelmed and I feel like my husband is doing his part to alleviate the stress that comes with managing our children's lives. I am excited to add a couple more aspects of our kids' lives to his his mental load and I look forward to the relief that it will bring to my own life.

Winter 2023 Capsule Wardrobe

 I am so excited to be back into a capsule wardrobe.  I have tried variations of this over the past couple years, but I have been largely unsuccessful due to an ever-changing body that I found difficult to dress.  Things have begun to settle out, so I am excited to figure out what works for me in this season of my life.  I am still breastfeeding, but my baby is now a toddler and requires far less feedings during the day.  This gives me the flexibility to choose clothes that aren't necessarily nursing friendly because I am not planning around breastfeeding anymore.

As a reminder, in this season of life I am a stay-at-home mom of 3 kids.  I live on the Canadian prairies where our temperatures get very cold.  I am basically dressing for warmth and comfort.  

My 2023 winter capsule wardrobe consists of 35 pieces and it includes my active wear and lounge wear.  I don't include my outerwear (winter jackets, toques/hats, mitts, boots, etc.) and I do not include my pajamas.

TOPS & DRESSES

PANTS & JEANS

ACTIVE & LOUNGE TOPS

(3 of these shirts were taken from my husband's side of the closet.)

ACTIVE & LOUNGE PANTS

I am excited to get dressed from this capsule wardrobe.  I feel like it has so much potential for functional outfits that get me (mostly) out of my sweats.  I have included a lot of lounge wear, but I do wear my lounge wear to clean my house.  I had the unfortunate mishap of bleaching (and destroying) one of my favourite sweaters a couple weeks ago, so I have learned my lesson.  Old t-shirts are now my go-to for when I am cleaning.  Happy Wednesday, friends!

New Year, Old Me

I decided that this year would be a year of coming back to myself.  2022 was consumed with taking care of my new baby, adjusting to life with 3 kids and being back to in-person schooling.  It was definitely a learning curve, but there was a lot of joy and sweetness in my life.  As our routines become slightly more predictable and as I learn the ropes of how to get 3 kids out of the door on time, I am ready to step out of survival mode and back into life.  While survival mode is something that I suspect will happen throughout 2023, I am hopeful it won't be my main mode.

My word of the year for 2023 is restore.  I want to re-establish good habits that have served me in my life.  I want to start taking better care of myself again.  I want to take time to do things that bring me joy and make me feel like myself.  I want to create capsule wardrobes again and write in this blog.

I have a few goals for the year.  The goals are as follows:

• Catch up on making our family photo books.  I am 5 years behind.  Enough said.

• Make time for intentional movement/strength training 3-5 days a week.  This is so important for my mental health, but I wasn't able to do this well in 2022.

• Share the mental load.  I carry almost all of the mental load associated with our 3 kids and (mostly due to some pretty rough sleep deprivation) I am becoming burnt out.  My husband is a perfectly capable father and can handle taking over some of this mental load.  He and I are discussing how to make this work.

• Have better sleep hygiene.  Every time I complain about one of my children's penchant for procrastinating bedtime, I know that I should just look in the mirror.  I like being up alone at night.  I like having time to myself where no one needs me.  I crave alone time.  I am also exhausted.  So. Very. Exhausted.  The kindest thing I can do for myself is get more sleep when I can.  I have set an alarm on my phone for 10:00 so that I get up and get ready for bed.  My phone will also stop allowing me to scroll at this time.  I plan to be in bed by 10:30.

What are your goals for 2023?  I hope you all have a gentle and peaceful 2023.