Lost (and found) in Translation

Today's post features a cute little comic top with some delightfully imperfect English.  With wide-eyed blondies exclaiming, "I do not want friends to eat at home!"  how could I not love this top?  While the print and colors are adorable it's the lost-in-translation word bubbles that really stole my heart.  Yes, I love it all the more for its imperfectness.  

On the subject of imperfection, I've just spent the past hour or so going through old blog posts and "fixing" them.  When I started this blog I wasn't very savvy at using blogger and tried to figure everything out on my own.  I was also so very shy about my own posts that once I'd written and posted them, I couldn't bear to go look at them.  

As a result, there were lots of little errors like photos pushing text into weird shapes or large gaps of blank space.  I expected to be hopelessly embarrassed by looking back.  Instead, and apart from all the little errors, I was very pleased with how the blog looked years ago.

I was pleased with my own sense of style back then and instead of feeling embarrassed I was flooded with the memories of how much I enjoyed putting those outfits together, taking photos, painstakingly editing them to have a digital background (I'm afraid I did it the hardest way possible), and writing up little posts to go with them.

I tend to go down memory lane and get stuck there feeling quite blue over the past.  This time I didn't.  Though I did make myself stop just shy of the posts that came right before a very painful time in my life.  I knew I wouldn't be able to look at those, so I didn't, but there were many others that reminded me of happy times and I didn't mind letting myself linger over those.

Much like my quirky little top, my past and my blogging skills have not been perfect.  But, I choose to not only forgive myself for my failings, but love my life and all it has been even more because it hasn't been perfect, because even though it has never been a fairy tale, it's also never been dull.

Shopping Info: Top and skirt from: SHEIN

Funny Girl

Right about now, I was hoping to do a post about healthy habits and sticking to your New Year's goals, buuuut...........I haven't exactly been able to start, let alone stick to, any new or renewed healthy habits this year.

If it were up to me, I would move the beginning of our calendar year to March 1^st.  The reason is quite simply that January and February are the very worst time for new beginnings.  Whether it's a new exercise regime or a commitment to changing old habits, I think the success rate for all things would be much higher at the start of spring than at the tail end winter.  January and February are always marked by what seems like a succession of foul weather, (sleet, snow, and the like) followed by illness after illness.  How can any new, healthy habits succeed against so many interruptions?  The answer is—they very often don't.  

Personally, this year has seemed extra difficult.  We've had so many sick days.  First a cold, then I threw my back out during a very easy weight training session, then being snowed in, then icy roads kept us home, then the flu....I've barely had a "normal" week this year so far, let alone the ability to implement my improved and more committed fitness regimen and healthy eating system.  I always make a little deal with myself whenever I make a New Year's resolution or any kind of attempt at starting something new—be realistic.  If I've had a severe cold for a week that's kept me in bed, followed by caring for sick children for a week, followed by the flu for a week, followed by caring for children sick with the flu for a week, chances are I have a pretty good excuse for not getting up at dawn to exercise each day.  

Rather than getting frustrated with myself or being too harsh, I'm realistic.  I wait a bit, rest a bit, and start fresh the following week.  There are always going to be things that come up unexpectedly and threaten to shatter our focus and best efforts at change.  The best way to deal with this is to plan on it.  Plan to be patient with yourself and your circumstances.  Plan to be kind with situations that are out of your control.  Plan to be persistent and keep going again as soon as you're able.

So, I'm finally fully recovered from a cold and the flu and so is everyone in my household, plus the weather is getting warmer and sunnier each day, and I think it's time that I started working on those fitness and cooking goals I set myself over two months ago.  For today, I'm still keeping it simple with something colorful and whimsical that just makes me feel good to wear it and it's To Be Continued on those New Year's Resolutions.........

Shopping Info: Top from: SHEIN, blue skirt by Forever XXI from ThredUp, Flats from Ebay