Mama Strut

Hey friends!! I am going to skip the vlog this week because I am pretty sure we all had enough of my rambling in the Scarf Tutorial :).

Today, I want to dedicate to the beautiful woman that essentially created Suburban Strut, Mama Strut...other  wise known as my beautiful mom :).

If you have read my About Me, you will know that I credit my mom for all my fashion sense and where it all began.  When I think about the basics of being a styling woman, I think about all the things I learned from my mom.  Raising three girls, you can only imagine the weight on her shoulders to raise three, strong confident women.  In honor of her birthday day today, I am going to enlighten y'all with a few things she taught us growing up:

1. Get up and get dressed everyday. I don't care how sick my mother is or how little she had to do that day, I have never seen her not dressed for the day. She always has said that you will feel so much better to get dressed and clean yourself up.  Even if you just put new fresh pajamas on,(make sure they match) you will feel like new.  This is so true in my life and I raise my kids the same way. I know it may sound ridiculous to get ready when you have nothing to get ready for or nowhere to go, but you will always feel better and you will still look presentable if someone pops in or you have to sign for the UPS guy :).  Try it, trust me.  
2. Your home and wardrobe is yours and do what you want!  Mom always preached to not worry about others think and just go with it. If I want to wear a piko top everyday because they are comfy and I like them, then she says do it.  If I want to buy every color of bubble necklace I find because they are my favorite necklace and want to wear them everyday, she says do it.  So many of us worry that someone will "notice" or think we are over doing a specific thing or trend- Mom (and I) says WHO CARES?  If it makes you feel good or beautiful, then by golly do it and hold your head high! The same goes with your home - if you love red and want every room red, then do it! You live there and you need to be happy there! Who cares if someone might think it is too much, you love it!  The same goes with if you are totally not into a trend and feel pressure to do it, DON'T do it. Be comfortable and do/wear what you know you love.
3. DO NOT WORRY!  This is a simple one. Mom would always get onto us for worrying and not turning it over the to Lord.  Plain and simple, mom has  the strongest faith of anyone I know.  She has always listened to us and our worries, but she is always the voice of reason to help us turn it over.
4. You are your kids' reputation. This is a new one for me over the last 9 years.  She has taught me that how you act, dress, speak, etc is a direct reflection on your kids.  She has taught me to stay involved with teachers and parents of friends of my children to ensure that they know our kids come from good people.  Also, how we act on facebook, blogging, etc is how people will view our kids being raised.  This also goes with how we dress and present ourselves.  We all know that when we see the parents of other children, we immediately begin assessing that situation and learning about them immediately.  It is fact and as much as we try not to judge, when it comes to our kids, we want to protect them from everything.  She has taught me to remember that in everything I say or do that someone could see or hear, to always remember that it directly impacts my kids. She is also quick to tell me, even now, when I screw up :). Suburban Strut was created with this heavily in mind.  How we dress is a direct reflection on ourselves as well as our families.  It is easy to ensure we are giving out a positive reflection, some of us just need a little help :)
5. Take the high road with mean girls. Oh Lord, this took me years to learn!
6. Even when you want to kick him in the balls (ok she NEVER said that), DO NOT fight with your husband! Bite your tongue and move on. It will blow his mind!  Another one that took awhile but was probably one of the smartest things she ever taught me.
7. Clothes are seasonal and be very mindful of that.
8. One can never have too many purses, shoes, necklaces, or crowns in their house.  
9. Dogs need to eat all the time and they always need water (this is just a funny joke with our family :))
10. Plan your outfits in advance for EVERY occasion.

Happy Birthday to the most influential woman in my life!! Thanks for always being there for me, Tara and Nicole, and now my three monkeys!  We love you so much Nonna!!!