Fridays Link-Up

link up with us here!

Happy Friday! My fabulous office lets us work from home and take a half day before most holiday weekends, so I have the pleasure of catching up on some Bravo while dispensing legal advice this Friday. The squeals from my toddler who is counting the minutes until I can log off from work are emanating up the staircase, making it hard to concentrate (but in a very pleasant way).

Happy Labor Day weekend!

Its OK Thursday

Its OK....

To have wine for dinner and skip the gym, at least once each week

To want summer to end so that you can wear tweed and that new J.Crew blazer you got (on sale)!

That Campbell's Tomato Soup is the most commonly purchased item at the grocery store, right behind Kraft Singles

To insist against his screaming that your toddler brush his teeth after his bath, only to give in and allow him to eat Pepperidge Farm Goldfish before bed

To miss watching The Hills on MTV and wish they would do a Throwback Thursday sometime soon

A Few New

Since Target has replaced Bloomingdales for me in terms of quick shopping trips during lunch time, its no surprise I've been able to find some pretty amazing things at the chain (which used to make me feel sad and long for my days living in NYC, down the block from all the shopping I could ever desire). But this week, while checking off school supplies from my toddler's very labor intensive preschool list, I also picked up a few things to satisfy my sweet tooth for fall fashion.

This belt was less than $20, and look every bit as good as the Michael Kors option I had been eyeing since last year.

This dress was less than $30, and actually looks great on with a blazer and heels for work.

And no trip to Target would be complete without a little something for my little toddler. This vest is so cute, I wish it came in my size!

Making Choices

Every day, we are faced with many choices. Some easy (which Lean Cuisine to pack for lunch? Hazelnut or vanilla coffee?) and some more difficult (how do you properly cite an unpublished case from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania?)

Most nights, my work day ends promptly at 5:30 (rare for a lawyer, let alone one with a 'Director' title, I know). I arrive home at 6:00, and have about 60 minutes to cuddle, bathe, snuggle, discipline, and negotiate with my toddler. He goes blissfully to sleep and then I'm faced with the decision of going to the gym, or watching one of the many seasons of Real Housewives I store on DVR like a fat kid hoards chocolate. I can usually make it to the gym 2 times a week, which I have set as a reasonable goal that I am satisfied by achieving at least 50% of the time. But most nights, the thought of even changing into gym clothes seems too daunting and I opt for the couch and Cabernet. Cleaning my toddler's toys up on a nightly basis burns at least a  few calories, and all that bending and lifting when he whines for momma has to add to the daily burn total. And on the days he is particularly feisty and refuses to brush his teeth, the forcible act of accomplishing that task morning and night has to shed almost a pound over the course of a week.

Aging Out

I was born in the 80's. So no, I am not 'old'. However, I have a 2 year old, I have a full time job, and I have a husband. At the end of most weeks, all of these things make me feel on the older side of young. But putting aside the emotional age we acquire when we approach our 10 year college reunion, there is also the physical age that we encroach upon at which time, wearing certain things is just no longer acceptable.

Case in point: hot pink pants. Yes, they are from J.Crew. And yes, they were not purchased very long ago. But I put them on with a conservative black and white silk top, and looked in the mirror as I've done many times before. On this particular morning, I thought to myself, hmm, this is not quite OK. It could be that in my new(ish) office building, on many occasions I pass an impossibly chic woman, a few years my senior, dressed in neutral tones with fitted jackets and amazing shoes almost daily and feel like a bloated troll even walking by her in the hallway. Or maybe its because I've seen too many back to school ads featuring brightly colored bottoms and a parade of elementary school girls skipping gleefully while holding backpacks. But whatever the reason, I've decided that all the brightly colored pants I once loved have to go. Just in time for some fall purging and Salvation Army donations too.