Mom fashion.

UGHHHHHH. (that's how I express my frustration in writing.)

Yesterday, I spent about an hour shooting my dancing vlog for you guys, and then I got it on my computer and realized it's blurry. BLURRY. And in my world, blurry video is not acceptable. But I guess that's what happens when you have to shoot all your video on a crappy point-and-shoot camera. You get what you pay for.

So, I'm going to try again today and hopefully have it posted tomorrow morning. I know, you're more excited for this than Harry Potter!

Shirt: F. 21, skirt: Goodwill, belt: F. 21, shoes: Kohl's

I threw this outfit on yesterday morning and decided I like it. Not a risk I would have taken in the past, but the 30 for 30 Challenge is ALLLL about risks! Have you joined up yet? You don't have to have 30 items in your closet to participate -- the idea is to work with what you have to make 30 unique outfits. As long as your number of tops multiplied by your number of bottoms is greater than or equal to 30, you're good! (I guess I learned something in high school math after all.)

My awesome blog friend Meredith over at Yours, Mine and Ours (you have to check her out if you haven't yet) blogged about moms and fashion yesterday. She asked, "Is it less important, the same amount of important, or even more important for moms to have style?" I thought about this for a minute and came to some conclusions.

First, I don't think style and fashion are that important in the grand scheme of things. It's fun to be stylish, but it's not crucial to life. God doesn't care if your clothes are vintage or designer or even if they fit well. But I do think that looking put-together can do wonders for a person.

When I was in college studying broadcast journalism, I appeared on camera quite frequently. I noticed on days when I was wearing an ill-fitting or ugly outfit, I was nervous to conduct my interviews. I looked distracted and unsure on camera. My creativity was stifled. But wouldn't you know it? All my best resume tape material was captured on days when I was wearing my favorite outfits, clothes I could be both confident and comfortable in. When I looked good, I was sure of myself. Instead of wondering how others perceived me, I was free to focus on my work and interviews. My mind was open to inspiration and ideas. Interesting, huh?

I've found that as a stay-at-home mom, it's easy to wind up in Frumpsville. There are many days when I know I'm not going to leave the house and I feel justified not getting dressed or fixing my hair and make-up. And you know, those are the days when I'm least productive and most depressed. It's pretty hard to muster up the energy and enthusiasm motherhood requires when you look, feel (and maybe even smell) like you just rolled out of bed. Heck, it's hard to muster up a bowl of cereal in those conditions.

I'm all for an occasional do-nothing pajama day. But I've noticed that when I feel better about myself, I do better. I think about Sundays, when I put on my best dressy clothing and go to church to worship God. Doing so helps me feel like the daughter of God I know I am. Why should the other days of my week be any less important? My whole life, everything I cherish most, is here in my home. I owe it to my precious children and wonderful husband to look presentable every day. I owe it to them to maintain my self-worth and confidence. They're my world and I don't ever want them to feel like I don't value my career as a mother.

So, to answer Meredith's question: Is style less important, just as important or more important for mothers? Well, I can't speak for style, but I can speak for self-esteem. And for mothers, it's ABSOLUTELY important.

If you need to look cute and get fixed up to feel good about yourself, please do it. If you need to exercise or have dancey-dance parties, knock yourself out. If you need to make crafts, decorate, bake, garden, volunteer, teach, create, build, work -- DO it! The world needs more mothers who know their self-worth, more mothers who know how to escape feeling rotten all the time. Mothers who use their energy not to pity themselves, but to teach, empower and enrich future generations.

Motherhood does not mean you have to spend your life as a scrub. Don't feel guilty about looking cute. Obviously, you shouldn't spend too much time or money on hobbies and interests -- other things are more important. But please, don't forget to put your own oxygen mask on first. Your family is counting on you!

And also, you don't have to have a lot of money to pursue your interests. Like the 30 for 30 Challenge suggests, work with what you've got. True expression of talent isn't about how much money you can spend. It's about making something out of nearly nothing, using only the skills God gave you.