As a mom raising a large family of 6 boys, I spent a large portion of my thirties and forties tending to fights and spills. Gone were the days of Dior and Hermes, in were the days of car pooling and LL Bean. My fashion motto for my kids was comfort and durable, subsequently that became my fashion look for myself as well. And who could blame me? I had a bunch of wild boys tearing up the walls of my house.
Nowadays, and more importantly, thankfully, my kids are all grown up and out of my hair and I can finally enjoy some peace and quiet alone with my husband. In the winter time, during most evenings, you can find me curled up by our roaring fireplace sipping a nice tall glass of wine or two dressed in a cute girly t shirt with my ugg slippers nearby. Yes, a middle aged woman can wear cute t's and uggs. Maybe my boys wore me down, but now I find that t-shirts are my apparel of choice.
And come summer time, my husband and I can finally take peaceful vacations alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids but after raising 6 unruly boys, a girl is entitled to some vacation time.
Last year we vacationed in North Carolina's Outer Banks and I spent the majority of my time on the beach. Now I know warning bells are probably going off in your heads: with all the skin care warnings out there how dare I be hanging out on the beach. Aren’t I concerned about age spots and wrinkles? My answer to that is you have to know how to equip yourself properly. If you have the right tools, you can still get your Vitamin D the natural way, instead of popping a pill.
Allow me to paint a picture for myself on the beach. I lay out in a lawn chair under a huge umbrella. My head gear consisted of a large brimmed straw hat, oversized sunglasses, and lots of sunscreen slabbed onto my face and neck. Can anyone say Katherine Hepburn in African Queen? The only thing missing was the netting over my face. But my husband and I are thinking of taking our next vacation to Bora Bora, so I may give it a try there. My apparel of choice was a loose fitting t shirt and long sarong to cover up my bathing suit. You can go with a short sleeved t shirt or a long sleeved t shirt depending on how much coverage you want to get. And a girl must never forget her tote bag. Mine was of the super sized kind big enough to hold all the essentials: including a large bottle of sunscreen (spf of 50 is the minimum requirement,) change of t shirt in case I took a dip in the ocean, (yes, even in the ocean the sun is still shining), an ipod, chap stick with spf for my lips, and of course the requisite Danielle Steel steamy romance novel. Whoever said you can’t be a hip middle aged woman obviously has never had the pleasure of meeting me.
