AM~Erica's Love/Hate Relationship with the Comfort

So anyway...

I have a rule about fashion: If IT LOOKS ADORABLE, COVERS NECESSARY PLACES, delivers some umph, and is comfy, then it's perfect.

There are items of clothing that appear uncomfortable, but they really feel awesome on! Then there's the items of clothing that appear to be super comfy...but it is horrible on: maybe it doesn't fit right, or there's a scratchy seam, or it's been cut wrong. Then there are the items that are so comfy, they are just that: comfy.

There's an article of clothing that is ever popular right now & has been in the last few years. I have had some in my possession for the last several years. I used to get actual use out wearing this piece of clothing for how it was intended to be used. But not so much recently...

Back in the 1940's thru the early 1960's, the typical "modern" housewife seemed to look very much the same:

Of course I'm gonna use a pic of Lucy to illustrate my point!

The same type of circle skirt as/or a shirtdress, an apron & typically sensible shoes (heels or not). And it's always amazing to look at these pics since it was to help women feel pretty while doing their "wifely/motherly duties". Besides maybe some pockets & the apron, not sure how useful the whole outfit might have been.

Fast-forward to the mid 2000's to the present...

Nowadays, the typical "modern" housewife has a very different look:

It's not the circle skirt. It's not the apron. It's certainly not the sensible heels.

Actually, one of my very favorite comedians, Tim Hawkins, probably puts it best in this song:

Yes. This.

And the phenomenon began...and it's slightly contagious!

Now then...I have had about 6 or 7 pairs of yoga pants for several years. I still have most of them. I got my first pair to wear to teach dance in & to wear to work...because we were told that wearing a blazer with them to dress 'em up was completely acceptable. Remember that? Yeah...not so much...

But I did get other pairs, later, to actually wear to yoga class! I really did! And I loved wearing my yoga pants to yoga class.

Then we moved & I was spoiled with an awesome yoga instructor. (If anyone knows what happened to Brenda that used to teach yoga, water aerobics & spin at Legacy in Lee's Summit, please flag me down! I miss her!) I did, however, keep my yoga pants.

You know what? I still have them. I wear them when I lead in a dance ministry...or as pajamas sometimes. But I don't really wear them anywhere else. Not sure why. They are SO COMFY! And they are so easy to put on...and...well...everything Tim Hawkins sung about. Amm-i-rite?

I usually, as a SAHM, wear jeans, or I do try to look decently fashionable. I'm not a typical housewife or pastor's wife (read about some of that HERE), so I'm not usually dressed like one, either.

Then I figured out why I may not jump right into the easy-peasy go-to's...

Many mommies in yoga pants are always on the go! They have so many errands & kiddo things...then food to make, whether for the family, potluck or bake sale...
Then the extracurricular taxi time being put in...

Don't get me wrong...I have several of these things going, myself. But usually not all at once! Until...I put on my yoga pants!!

I'm not kidding! The days when I don't have time to put the effort into wiggling into jeans while dealing with buttons & zippers...I end up putting on the schedule-twising magnets!

When I wear my delightful yoga pants, that's when I have to make an extra trip to one school, then go to another school to get a sick kiddo, which means another trip or two to the store to get an extra OTC med that we didn't already have in the cabinet...then find out another kid is staying after school, so you gotta pick them up while trying to figure out if you can get home in time to get another kid off the bus...on top of squeezing in the errands you had hoped to take care of...but could only do 2 out of the 5 because of the twists & turns of the roller coaster day that you freed up to do by not dealing with the button & zipper of the jeans...cuz you...just...wanted...yoga pants on.

Forget it! I haven't done yoga in too long. I think I'm giving up on yoga pants. Even though I found me a new workout (read HERE for the reminder), it certainly doesn't need the stress of the yoga pants!

I'll save them for when I need to really move (like for dance ministry) or when I just need them for pajama bottoms. No more everyday wearing of yoga pants for me! I can't deal the stress!

...no matter how much my hubby likes seeing me in them...

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

Who is AM~Erica Becoming?

So anyway...

In the last few days, my hubby & I have been laughing about where our mindset is at nowadays. As time goes along, it's so interesting to figure out where we see our wants & needs...and what things actually get us excited. You know, if someone were to ask you to make a wish list (like for Christmas or birthday), your list probably looked much differently 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, and even 5 years ago.
Amm-i-rite?

Back in my days of office & early parenting, my sights were set on gift cards for work clothes & shoes, stuff to listen to music with, things that would help me teach dance...you get the idea. Being domestically challenged in oh-so-many ways, I would have no use for 50's housewife excitement over shiny appliances. They didn't make a lot of sense to me. Some might appear on a shared list between for my hubby & me, but you wouldn't see any on mine!

When some of the vintage/retro housewife stuff started becoming popular again, I was giggling at their crazy excitement in the old ads over things that would help them with housework!

See? They are ridiculously excited for these things!!! It's pure insanity!!!!! However...

When hubby & I went to Best Buy the other day, we walked by the large appliances. And we slowed down at some fancy-schmancy washers & dryers...and then we found something like this:

Isn't it so amazing?? We were like kids in a candy store & drooling over this one. Not that we could even afford it right now, nor would it fit in our kitchen unless we got REALLY creative, it makes me think it should be advertised like this:

Yeah...all space-age-y & stuffs!

But that's us dreaming right now. See? Excited over a refrigerator that looks like it could blast off into space at any moment! It's so weird...and glorious!

At the same time, with my favorite time of year setting upon us, Autumn is the perfect time to break out the ol' lazy cooker for some yummy & wholesome dinners. And, even though it still works just fine, our lazy cooker was a wedding gift for us back in 1996. It's round, simple...and pink. With us starting to finally use the thing quite a bit more last year (I think we could count on 1 hand how many times it was probably used before then using 10 fingers & have some digits leftover), the more we are gonna use it, the worse it is that there's a handle falling off & stuff. So I've been "dreaming" of a new lazy cooker: a fancy-schmancy lazy cooker! An oval one with buttons & lights...you know, all space-age-y & stuffs!

My hubby found one on sale at Target, so we went to check it out. We didn't get the one we found on sale, but instead, I got excited over this outer-space gem:

I want to say that I love this lazy cooker. OK-OK-OK...so I've only used it once when I made chicken & noodles (my recipe HERE). And my hubby has only used it once. But whatever! I'm gonna follow this amazing piece of appliance into the future, baby!!! To infinity & beyond! Amm-i-rite??

And I was so excited about this purchase that I proclaimed to my hubby, "Well, I guess I can take that new lazy cooker off my Christmas list!" And? I wasn't kidding.

WHO AM I??? I'm not gonna say what else I have on my wish list, but I feel ridiculously like those stupid ads featuring over-the-top housewives about their household item wants. Oh wait...and sometimes I look like 'em, too! (case-in-point HERE)

*FACE PALM*

Well...if it makes any difference...I am still very domestically challenged...and you definitely will never see me iron or asking for one...

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Wants to Celebrate Festively, Simply & Nostagically

So anyway...

If you haven't figured out that Christmas time has set in, you must be living the hermit life under PATRICK STAR'S rock. But seriously...have you noticed?

Well, it is everywhere. There is no way around it. Like a game of dodgeball: you can duck, you can dodge, but you will be hit with it. Like a big game of Dodge-snow-ball, you get hit with it & it gets everywhere!!

So here we are, dealing with it the best we can...planning, dealing, shopping, prepping, stressing...to make sure the whole Christmas fantasy is perfect & that we can do it all within about 3-4 weeks. And when I say "do it all," I'm talking about our usual routine along with the other 5874.369375 (I'm pretty sure that's an accurate number) things that we want to do on top of that to help get us in that Christmas spirit. Amm-i-rite? The hustle & bustle is what we brace for...and just let it happen!

Guess what! It turns out that marketeering (I don't know if that's even a real word, but I'm using it as such) is taking advantage of that, and has been the last several years. Do you want to know how? Do ya...? Well...DO YA??? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway...

Nostalgia, people. Seriously. They are tugging at our nostalgic & sentimental heartstrings by bringing back our childhood products, memories & decorations in hopes we will buy them so our kiddos (who may or may not even care) can have that same feeling and experience we did. Sneaky & tricky, amm-i-rite?

You know those times when you come across some of those things (toys, treats, decor, etc.), you stop, and you take a deep sigh of remembrance back to a simpler time? Yeah...that's it. That's what they are getting from you. And they seem to be doing a pretty good job of it. From Lincoln Logs to Power Rangers & comic book heros...and the ever favorites of Barbie & Easy Bake Oven. There's the resurgence of tinsel trees, real trees, big bulbs & tinsel stars. It's everywhere!

In a land of crazy-busy & the technology infestation, we long for some simpler times. We see pictures & cartoons from the 50's & before in wonder of what that time might really be like [again]. But because of technology, we have things like Pinterest to give us ideas on MAJOR 50'S HOUSEWIFE throwbacks & ruining my reputation.

But that's beside the point. There is a sense of accomplishment that comes with it.
(Oh man...what am I saying? Who is this person pretending to be me??)

However, we are using some of it to our advantage, especially during this crazy holiday season. In all the hustle & bustle, we (the hubby & I) decided we would try to figure out some simpler family times to help get us into the spirit, while creating some memories & hopefully building some traditions!

We started a tradition about 5 years ago of seeing Santa at Bass Pro. Some of you may be scratching your heads at that one...others know exactly what I'm talking about! It has become so popular, you need to get a reservation pass to make sure there's time & to insure you won't wait in line with your kiddos for 3 hours to see some creepy guy & just to pay $30 for 2 tiny pics.

Here's a sneak peak of the kiddos with one of the most amazing Santa's EVER!!!! (Like...I think it was REALLY Santa. Don't roll your eyes at me...I'm serious!)

Teen Boy, Lil Guy (with Meany Chin - will show up in a future post), Santa & Teen Girl at Bass Pro

Just to watch him talking with the kiddos was entrancing. Hubby & I were giddy my his magicality (I don't know if that's even a real word, but I'm using it as such)! And I will tell you that we had quite the creepy obstacle to deal with to get to see this guy. We had to endure the demonic talking taxidermy caribou. Please allow me to share part of that experience with you...

Aren't you glad I shared. Very creepy. If you squint & tilt your head, you might be able to make out that this thing is talking about Facebook. You're welcome for not capturing the creepy, scary laugh. I still shiver. *shivers* Just like that! Nightmares & night terrors could result from this thing.

Another friend (the one who warned me about it) & I decided this must be...
"Damien the Demonic Reindeer, who had developed a taste for blood; and if you come upon him...children, you'd better run!"

Thanks, Bill...collaboration at it's finest!

But we do love this tradition. The set up is amazing! Well...except for the new reindeer addition.

We always work in seeing the lights of Christmas in the Park at Longview Lake. That is coming up very, very soon...YEA!!

A thing we started this year (and hopefully it will continue) is that everyone in the house draws a number; then that's the order we go in to choose a Christmas movie to watch & a [favorite] Christmas treat to enjoy during the movie! So far we've had:

1. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" with peppermint hot chocolate

2. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" with fudge & egg nog

3. "Elf" with super soft frosted sugar cookies

Because of the numbers in our house right now, we still have 4 more to cover. After that, we plan on catching up on the down week before Christmas. What fun this has been!

We wanted to do Christmas dinner playlists, but time has sadly not leant to that too well. But we will hold out for that one in the future. We also didn't get to have a Christmas open house to show off our trees due to family living dynamics at the moment. So...we really want to do that next year, too.

Another thing my hubby & I do is wrap gifts together. He wraps & I decorate with the ribbons, bows & tags! We are quite the team...

The adorable decorating duo

Just a portion of the decorating duo's creations...thanks to fun with Instagram to show them off

I am also planning on making some Christmas candies & goodies that I remember from my childhood. There was one I especially wanted to find. My grandmother stopped making her goodies about 15 years ago. Ever since I can remember, I would eat these candies that remind me of peanut butter fudge with a chocolate topping. Almost like a Reece's fudge. But I asked & no one seemed to know what I was talking about. But it JUST hit me a few days ago that I must've eaten all of them before anyone else could see them. D'oh! *face palm*

In this time of tradition & nostalgia, I've noticed my style leaning that way, too. The 40's & 50's have been very influential in my style the last few weeks, in a festive sense. (see pic above with hubby)

We are still in the midst of working in all of our church involvement & family get-togethers, too.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...amm-i-rite?

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

Back to the 50's With You, AM~Erica

So anyway...

If you are not aware, things changed in our household recently. There is a whole bunch of us here! I mean, we already had a lot of kiddos (or so it seems with 3 at home), but we have gained some additional bodies temporarily.

This post has absolutely nothing to do with the recent elections & how people feel/felt about a particular candidate...but instead it's about the reality in our house right now. And. Just. Wow. Because I'm modern gal who is all about moving things forward & girl power stuffs & equality stuffs...just...sometimes...

OK...I have never been a June Cleaver type chic, and have totally prided myself in that. But in the last very few years, I've been scaring myself. And? It has family almost laughing AT me in bewilderment. OK...they really are laughing. I've been baking, cooking (see the whole "finding new menu dishes" thing in LAST NIGHT'S POST), and asking for kitchen appliances as gift ideas. What is wrong with me??? And I do stay home right now. So that probably doesn't help matters at all with this particular situation reputation. But it is good with the overall running of the house...for us.

However, I do have very modern conveniences I can use to help out, but still. It's weird.

Now, I'm not full-out, hardcore 50's housewife. I can fake my way thru a lot of it. And I have found Pinterest & Cozi on the interwebs to help me out, too. Oh...and a microwave. *snort*

I already felt like I was running around like crazy & dodging peeps within the walls of my household. Then...they moved in with us due to life circumstances: stepdaughter, her man & their itty-bitty.

I am not kidding when I say there's a lot of people to dodge around here. Twice yesterday, the subject came up as several of us couldn't get around each other in the same room. Don't get me wrong, we have a roomy house! We are very blessed & thankful to be in it...it's just interesting when a couple more adults are added to 2 adults (relative term), 2 teens & a kid already here. Add a baby to the mix & there is chaos!

Back to my point...
With the chaos happening, everything builds up & gets behind quickly. All of a sudden, dishes need to be done twice a day, the cooking & meal set up takes much longer, the laundry schedule is crazy, people want more baking done...WHEW!!

This is how it's starting to feel 

OK...I do NOT iron, but this is how I end up feeling by day's end

I can get a sense for how it was for the housewives of the 50's. I have a crazy appreciation for what you all did. I'm still not sure exactly how you did AND looked fabulous. For me, this is what it is:

Well, I am happy we are in a place that we can help out family. But I guess I should go get one of my aprons & spend some time in the kitchen...
Wat'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis? I am NOT like June Cleaver!

*face palm*

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

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