Workin’ for the Weekend | September Stylish Monday Link Up
The past month has literally flown by so quickly that my head is spinning. For this Stylish Monday group of fabulously fashionable women, we went from Back to Work styles in August to Workin’ for the Weekend in September. It really does sometimes feel like the work never ends regardless of the day of the week. As a blogger, a lot of my behind the scenes work happens on the weekends. It is the easiest time to coordinate with my husband/photographer and so my weekends are generally occupied with changing outfits and taking and editing photos. On a weekend with good weather, we will sometimes photograph 6-7 outfits so my weekend wardrobe tends to vary greatly in style and genre. However, I always plan for the final photo shoot of the day to be the casual weekend outfit that I will keep on after all the other outfits have been photographed.
I thought this post might be a fun time to share my daily working routine with you all. Now that the kids are back to school, I am able to stick to a more structured schedule with my own time working at home. I generally wake up between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. (although this past week was 3:00 a.m. every damn day…probably why I struggled with the tired all week long). I usually feel the mental crash around the time the children come home from school so that is when the work gets put away for the day. With a super early wake up routine, I generally go to bed with the boys around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m.
So here is a brief outline of my weekly routine…
4:30-5:30 a.m.: Wake Up
Wake-up until 6:30 a.m.: I sit on my couch sipping coffee while I answer emails, respond to blog comments, and join link parties. If I haven’t written my post for the day, I make sure to wake up early enough to write it and have it published by 7:00 a.m.
6:30-7:00 a.m.: The children start to make their way downstairs and I head upstairs to get showered and dressed for the day.
7:15 a.m.: Time to make breakfast for the kids and get them moving for the school day.
8:00 a.m.: I walk Ralph to school. Archie heads off to school at the same time with the girl next door. Now that Archie is in 5th grade at a new school, he doesn’t want mom bringing him or picking him up from school unless the weather is bad and I am in the car. So I will respect his wishes. Although I did enjoy the 2.5 mile round trip walk in the afternoon. I will have to find another way to motivate myself for walking during the day, I suppose.
8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: I settle in with my second pot of coffee and get to writing either blog posts or Medium articles.
1:30 p.m.: This is when I start getting hungry and generally make my breakfast soy protein and fruit shake. I have been on an intermittent fasting schedule for about a year now so I generally only eat between the hours of 1:30 and 8:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m.: I wrap up my blog work and start getting ready for the kids to come home.
2:45 p.m.: I leave to pick up Ralph at school (which is just a block and a half up the street). If the weather is nice, we stay at the playground until about 3:15 p.m. which is Archie’s dismissal time. His school is about 5 blocks away so Ralph and I try to get home before Archie or at least time it to intersect his walk on our way home from the playground.
3:30-4:30 p.m.: The kids and I talk about their day, empty out their backpacks, and repack everything for the next day. Since we only just finished the first week of school, there has been no homework yet. But I will allow the kids at least an hour after school to decompress and watch their iPads or play video games before they start their homework.
4:30-6:00 p.m.: Supervise homework while prepping dinner.
6:00-7:00 p.m.: Dinner.
7:00-8:30/9:00 p.m.: Evening relax time and showers for the kids.
8:30/9:00 p.m.: Bedtime…wake and repeat.
My weekend routine isn’t very different as I wake up at the same time and get straight to emails, comments, and link parties. Instead of school drop off, however, we usually all head out for some kind of photoshoot adventure. Or Jeff and I run out alone to local spots for photos while the kids chill at home.
And now my outfit…I picked up this adorable French terry tie dye tee shirt dress from Torrid over the summer and I have worn it a few times already. I love a comfortable tee shirt dress paired with sneakers for a cute and stylish weekend look. This dress is currently on sale for just $19.99, too. It looks great with or without the matching belt and I love the wide neck for the sexy little bit of shoulder bearing. Since I only wash my hair every 4th or 5th day, hats are definitely a huge part of my wardrobe for those last days before hair washing day. I kept my color palette neutral and added a gray distressed camouflage baseball cap that I recently found at Hobby Lobby for $5. My white eyelet Converse slip ons are really old…probably close to a decade old at this point.
As much as I enjoy combining lots of unlikely elements to create a cohesive and fun fashion statement, I do also appreciate the ease of a cute dress for simple styling on the weekends. This outfit has combined only 6 things from my wardrobe (dress, lace bralette, sneakers, baseball cap, necklace, and earrings) and yet it is a complete and cohesive outfit perfect for the weekends, working or not!
What is your weekend style?
Now let’s check out my stylish friends and see what they wear for their weekend activities.
Stylish Monday is a monthly series published in collaboration with a group of 15 international fashion and lifestyle bloggers. It is another opportunity to be creative with our personal style as we join together each month with a style prompt or theme. We also host a link party where anyone is welcome to add their personal style posts. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the party.
Amy of Amy’s Creative Pursuits
“Weekends are all about church, family, and friends for me. This is an outfit I wore both to church in the morning and then later in the evening for an outdoor dining experience with my family in the hills of Buffalo County.”
Amy
Andy of Pearls and Pantsuits
“Since I have to dress up and show up for work during the week, the weekend is my time to dress down and stay comfy, which usually means a casual dress and sneakers for running my errands and puttering around the house. Comfort is key!”
Andy
Emma of Style Splash
“Comfort is key when it comes to weekend dressing for me. These loose-fitting trousers have an elasticated waistband so are super comfy, but it still looks like I’ve made the effort thanks to the leopard print. I live in trainers or flat sandals at weekends as I’m often shopping and running errands.”
Emma
Joy of Joyous Musings
“A fun weekend look…Florals are coming in strong for Fall! This blouse is so fabulous for $14.00! It can be worn casual or for business! I love it with my gold belt,and red denim jeans.”
Joy
Julie of Fashion Trends and Friends
“Weekend dressing can be a mixed bag depending on what I’m up to and where we’re going. I recently wore this look out to dinner and to see a band with my hubby on a date night. If we’re staying home, I’m typically in something much more casual like shorts and a tee or sweatpants and a sweatshirt depending on our Illinois weather.”
Julie
Lucy of Lucy Bertoldi
“I don’t really have a particular look for weekends…except that whatever I decide to wear must have some sort of fun or pizzazz to it. Dressing sets my mood-and I definitely need me some good dopamine styling! So here I am in my favourite jeans…the sparkle does it all for lighting me up whether it’s doing the regular Saturday runs, meeting up with a friend, or even a date night. This weekend leisure look is for running errands!”
Lucy
Nicole of High Latitude Style
“On weekends, I change my outfit several times a day. After breakfast in PJ and taking a shower, I put my old blue jeans on with a Tee, scarf or vest, to mow the lawn with a push mower or do some yard work. Then I change into a dress and sandals for shopping and running errands. In winter, shoveling the driveway, ice picking, and add a down coat and pom pom hat with gloves. For shopping, tall boots and tights plus a down coat or shearling with matching scarf, gloves and hat. However, when going out for dancing on a weekend I wear one of my dance dresses like this velvet beauty.”
Nicole
Nina of Sharing a Journey
“Everything you need to know about having a wonderful fall weekend–what to wear, what to do and a great recipe to enjoy.”
Nina
Suzanne of Ask Suzanne Bell
“When the weekend comes, I like to throw on a comfortable easy outfit that can take me from running errands to watching the kids events – all in one. If it’s hot, I’ll always opt for a relaxed fitting maxi dress. Otherwise it’s jeans or joggers like this pair by Electric Rose, paired with a tank, and ALWAYS a long cardigan. A weekend wardrobe essential (bonus for pockets!); I’m styling up long cardigans multiple ways, in today’s Style Post.”
Suzanne
And me!
“My weekend wardrobe doesn’t differ much from my weekday wardrobe but I do opt for comfort above all things on the weekends. A fun tee shirt dress, sneakers, and a baseball cap is an easy combination for most of my weekend activities.”
Shelbee
Featured Favorite (from last month’s Back to Work theme)
Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb shared her post, Styling a Vintage 70’s Shirt with Vintage Jewellery #IWillWearWhatILike. This is exactly how I would love to dress if I had work that I was actually going back to! I love the colors and all the vintage goodness!
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress and Lace Bralette-Torrid / Sneakers-Converse / Baseball Cap-Hobby Lobby / Necklace-Happiness Boutique / Earrings-Old
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
38 Comments
Kellyann Rohr
it’s fun to see your daily schedule. It is easier to have a schedule when the kids are in school. Is 5th grade middle school where you live? Nice that schools are so close to where you live.
I love french terry, so comfortable and soft. My weekend looks vary, if anything I am probably more dressed up on the weekends because we go out!
Thanks for the link up and hope you have a great day!
xo,
Kellyann
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Kellyann! It is so much easier to keep a schedule during the school year. Now I just need to get myself motivated to be productive during those hours! In our school district, K-4 is in the elementary school, 5-6 is in the intermediate school, 7-8 is in the middle school, and 9-12 in the high school. The elementary school is a block and half up the street and the other three schools are in the same complex about 4 blocks away. It used to confuse me because where I grew up, the middle school was 5-8 and the intermediate school was specifically a special education and special needs school.
The French terry of this dress is so super soft, it feels like jammies when I wear it. I reach for this cute dress more for comfort than anything! I hope you have a marvelous Monday and a fabulous week, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
Our morning routines are very similar with getting up early and commenting on blogs.
Jennifer
Curated By Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
It is my favorite thing to do while drinking coffee! I also have a few friends who like text during coffee hours so I do that as well. I hope you have an amazing week ahead, Jennifer!
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
Wow! You spend so much on your blog. I always wondered how you found the time to comment, write so many posts, and link up so early. Now i know. So you don’t do any house or garden work or have any other hobbies, or did you just not include them in your average day? Anyhow, cute outfit. It looks so comfy and something I would wear on a weekend.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Amy! I didn’t include all the normal daily housework like food prep and cleanup, laundry, making beds, etc. As for the big cleaning days, my husband usually does all of it on Saturdays. It is his weekend routine and he enjoys it so I just let him! Haha. Plus he does the cleaning way better than I do. He and the boys do most of the yard work and gardening as well, but I try to mow the lawn most of the time because I enjoy it. I do engage in relaxing hobbies and activities like walking, daily yoga, reading, coloring, watching tv but I don’t really schedule them in. I just sort of do them when I am feeling compelled! While I do get my yoga in nearly every day, I don’t set a time for it. I do it when I start feeling mentally blocked during the day. I hope you have an amazing week ahead!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
You wake up so early! My goodness. It’s the middle of the night! But lovely to read how your days are. The dress is gorgeous and you wear it so well! It looks very very good on you.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Nancy! It really is the middle of the night when I wake up sometimes! But I get so stressed trying to go back to sleep that it makes more sense to just get up and get on with it! Are you back from your holiday now? Have a lovely week!
xoxo
Shelbee
mireille
I love this fun dress! This look so comfortable and that print is really perfect: love that it is black and white. I always enjoy reading about other people’s routine. I feel like nothing has been routine yet this year but as my brother and family are going for the next few weeks and will only be back for a few days, I can get back to planning my days better. No routine tends to create stress in me and I am hoping to get the boys more outdoors as the weather cools. School pick up takes a lot of time in the afternoon and they tend to stay indoors while waiting for me to get back home.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Mireille! I find it interesting to read other people’s daily routines, too! Having no routine totally stresses me out. And while I love to take breaks from routine to relax and do recreational activities, I need to get back on it fairly quickly or else I start freaking out! Routine and structure with a bit of flexibility has served me well all these years. I have had to recalculate my school pick up time for at least an hour because Ralph always wants to play at the playground after school so I do indulge him and I sit out there and enjoy the fresh air. It will be too cold for all that soon in these parts! I hope you have a marvelous week, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Ellie
What a fun weekend look! Love it styled with sneakers! My legs always look stumpy when I try to style skirts or dresses with sneakers thanks to my petite frame 🙁 Wish I could bring myself to photograph multiple outfits in one day, but I just don’t have the patients to do so. It would be so helpful and getting blog posts organized and scheduled! But I guess that’s why I am only a part time blogger.
Your wake up time is so early!! I’m currently getting up by 7am. Definitely feel like I could use at least another hour in the mornings but it just isn’t happening! I too skip breakfast. Coffee usually keeps me from getting hungry. I’ve never done any diets or fastings, but for some reason after I quit my daytime job years ago I’ve developed a habit of not eating anything until lunchtime.
Thanks for the linkup!
Ellie
Ellibelle’s Corner
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Ellie, thanks so much for this lovely comment and for sharing part of your day and dining routine! I have some dresses that don’t work with sneakers and now I am trying to figure what it is that makes those dresses not work. It must be the length. If you are petite, you might have to shorten the dress hemline to elongate your legs to avoid the stumpy factor. Or maybe a wedge sneaker would do the trick, too.
As far as the intermittent fasting, one problem I have been having is that all the coffee that I drink on an empty stomach tends to make me queasy and sometimes anxious. Just this week, I am trying something different. I am starting with a cup of hot lemon water before I get to the coffee. I did feel more energized for longer hours yesterday, but I am not sure yet if that’s what helped. I am trying all sorts of new things in my diet to improve my health. I am sure I will share more about it as I go!
I hope your week is off to a fabulous start!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lizzie
It was fun getting a peek into your day! I work better in the morning so ours look similar with the blog stuff. I save my more mundane tasks (editing, etc) for afternoon when I don’t have as much enegery. I love seeing how every schedules their day 🙂 6-7 outfits – WOW!! You’re a rockstar!! I used to do that many too but now I’ve got it down to 2-4 depending on what I’m doing lol!!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Lizzie! I also find the daily routines of others to be rather fascinating! I have always been a morning person so I have always done my better brain work in the early part of the day. When I get tired, it all shuts down and I can barely make a coherent sentence come out of me. We get 6-7 outfits on a good weekend! Other weekends when we have things going on, we might only get 1-3 photoshoots in. This past weekend, I only did 2. I hope you are having a great start to the week, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Suzanne
So i figured you spent alot of time on your blog (it’s such an amazing creative space!), but wow, this is impressive – when do you rest my friend? I love how we both choose tie dye! Your dress is so fun, I would totally wear that whole look!
xx
Suzanne
http://www.AskSuzanneBell.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Suzanne! Oh, I get lots of rest! I spend much time stoned and wandering around my house aimlessly or binge watching Netflix or something like that. I get most of my blog work done in the early hours of the day. But most everything I do is at a leisurely pace and on my own timeline which eliminates stress which helps me to always feel rested anyway! I hope you have a magnificent week, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I tend to be an early riser too and go to bed around 8:30/9:00 also. I used to enjoy a nice slow wake up to my day and blog/ comptuer work right until 7 or even 7:30 but now with driving Alec to school I’m trying to get better about getting up and dressed and ready first since I can always tackle the computer work after I drop him off. My weekend outfits don’t change much from my weekday outfits unless we’re planning a long hike and then it’s comfy athletic clothes all the way.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Joanne, thanks for sharing your daily routine! I do like to be dressed and ready to roll before we walk out the door for school, too. That’s why I put the computer away as soon as the kids are awake and we are get through the morning routine together. The mornings actually are not chaotic at all as I have trained my kids to also be early risers. There is nothing worse than starting your day feeling rushed and I have at least instilled that in my kids! And mostly, my daily style is the same 7 days a week unless I am doing a photoshoot, of course. Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
heather noire
Such a great sense of style. I love the colour and style selection.
http://www.bauchlefashion.com/2021/09/the-corduroy-2021-shopping-guide-where.html
http://www.instagram.com/heathernoire89
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Heather!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha B
I’m almost the opposite of others. Since retiring, I find I dress down during the week and dress up Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. How do you find the intermittent fasting? I’ve considered it, but I wonder if I can really go that long without eating. In any case, it’s working beautifully for you! You are gorgeous, but you always have been!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marsha, thank you so very much, my friend! I love that you use the weekends for your dress up days! I rarely go anywhere to get dressed up for! As for the intermittent fasting, I started in the middle of the pandemic when my anxiety was at a super high. My stomach would be so nervous for the morning hours that I couldn’t eat until past noon. That lasted for a few weeks until I got the anxiety better controlled, but by that point I had already trained my body to not be hungry until later in the day. I do start to get hunger pangs between 11:00 and noon and I will drink a bottle of water to hold it off for another hour or two. I am not overly strict about it though. Like if I am feeling really hungry to the point that it’s giving me a headache or making me feel ill, I will eat something when I am inside the fasting timeframe. But mostly, it hasn’t been too difficult to maintain.
xoxo
Shelbee
Sheila (of Ephemera)
I love your fun dress, Shelbee! I also read your schedule with interest (gak! 3am??), as we fellow bloggers know how much time it takes to create outfits, shoot them, edit pics, write posts, add pics…need I go on? Ha!
What a fun theme! I like how everyoen is so different. My weekends always include one brunch out, and sometimes a party, but often just chilling and playing boardgames, doing some crafternoon activity or watching football (now that we are in that season).
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sheila! That is a lovely compliment especially because I know you are not that fond of tie dye! Apparently, you are not very fond of 3 am wake ups either! Haha. I have always been an early riser but now in premenopause, the super early days come more frequently and it is so annoying. I was up at 4:40 am this morning with all kinds of morning anxiety for no reason other than hormones. I love your crafternoon idea for weekends! And football is where it’s at this time of year! Most of our weekends center around football as well now. I hope you have a fabulous week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Rena
Shelbee,
It sounds like you’ve got your routine worked out fairly well. And your weekend look is fabulous. For me, there is little difference between a weekday and the weekend since both my husband and I are retired (and there are no littles to care for).
Rena
http://www.finewhateverblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Rena, thanks so much! I do like to have a routine to keep some structure during the days for myself. Otherwise, I would wander around aimlessly stoned all day and accomplish nothing! Haha. My weekend and weekday wear is very much the same as well since I really only go from home to school to an occasional photoshoot and home again with maybe a grocery or mall trip in between. I hope you are having a great start to the week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Mike
Thanks for sharing your daily routine, Shelbee! It sounds like quite a full day for you! I like how much you are involved with your kids (respecting their wishes, yet making sure that they remain responsible, like making sure that they are doing their homework and limiting their “screen time”). You’re such a good mother to them!
I really like this idea. Maybe I’ll post my routine on my blog at some point.
Great outfit by the way! Perfect for a casual weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Mike! I try to limit the kids’ screen time! Haha. Right now they haven’t had any homework, so they have been on their electronics more than normal for school days! But trying is about the best we can do when it comes parenting! It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had. I hope you have a magnificent week ahead!
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
I love your tie dye dress! The pattern is fabulous! Gosh, you get up early! I’m definitely more of an owl than a lark. I’ve never liked early mornings!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Emma! I have always been a lark and never an owl! Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Claire
Such a beautiful dress, Shelbee. Love it. Thanks for linking up
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Claire!
xoxo
Shelbee
Julie Augustyn
Hi Shelbee!
I’m up with you at 4:30 during my work week! I also do best with a daily structure and routine. I think it helps me be more accomplished. I do like the occassion day of having nothing schedule and no where to be. Those are few and far between! My schedule gets a little more relaxed in the summer when I’m off of work.
I love your tie dye shirt dress! It’s so cute and has so many potential styling options! I think shirt dresses can be super casual and can even be dressed up!
I love your idea of a collaboration once we find the perfect white cowgirl boots! I’m on the hunt but no luck as of yet. Let me know if you find a pair you can’t live without!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Julie, thanks so much! I love being up much earlier than the rest of the world. It definitely makes me feel more accomplished each day when I get a huge chunk of work done before anyone else gets out of bed! And I agree about the versatility of tee shirt dresses. Also, my husband’s favorite outfit combination is a tee shirt dress with sneakers. It gets him every time! Haha. I am going to start shopping around for some white cowboy boots this week, I think. I did a collaboration with Country Outfitter a few years back and they have a pretty extensive collection of really fun cowboy boots so I will probably start there. Then maybe price compare with Amazon. I will keep you posted, for sure!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Looking so very fun and relaxed. Very nice. Love the tie-dye
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Patrick! Have a fabulous day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
OMG! I love that dress and how you’ve styled it! Fabulous. With the chaos surrounding the move a routine sounds really awesome. But it will be awhile yet. My hope is to be more deliberate about passions, so I’m giving a hard look at things like Instagram, which provides little value and is a huge energy suck. Mulling.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, my friend! This dress is so cozy and perfect for just chilling at home. I usually take the belt off for that and just let it all hang loose. I find the mundane and annoying process of cleaning out and packing to move to be a great opportunity for mulling on all sorts of things! I am sure you will gain all sorts of clarity on different things by the time you are settled into your new home. Then you go from there! What a fabulous new adventure for you!
xoxo
Shelbee