Dear Ugly Sweats, I love you!

Dear Ugly Sweats,

I know that I have maligned you in blog posts before. Sometimes I like to deny that I even own you. I throw you on the floor of my closet, and rarely even place in in a drawer.  You do not even get washed on a regular basis. But please know that I love you. Thanks to you I can get my kids to school on time. Thanks to you I feel like a Super Mom this morning. I was able to get out of the house , get N to school with all his bags for Colonial day, and then walk D and B to class and purchase tickets for her talent show. (That is a lot of Mom points right there !)  With my husband traveling, I know that I can count on you to support me. You are all warm and fuzzy with an elastic waist band. I feel your love.

Yet our relationship is so complex. I hate to be seen wearing you. I hate the idea of "mom sweats"  Nothing like driving your mini van in your Mom sweats to get your self esteem to drop a few points. I feel like a "before" picture for a Mom make over . Sad to admit, but I do care what I look like. I try to put together outfits that hide my imperfections. I pride myself  on being a "stylish" mom by Palo Alto standards. (SV standards are far  lower than those in NY or LA. If you are showered and dressed you too can be a fashionista here!) I write for a style blog , and have an image to maintain. (ha!) At least I think I have an image to maintain. My kids hate you, and beg me to change before I am seen with them.

But I appreciate you.  There is a reason that we Moms wear sweats, and the those baseball hats. It is part of the not so glamorous side of motherhood. Sometimes I even have to get my hands dirty to do this job.By the ripe old age of forty, I should accept that I can not always have on a cardigan that matched my ballet flats. Time to grow up and embrace  you my ugly sweats once and for all.

An original post to Silicon Valley Moms Blog. When not in sweats driving a minivan, Pamela write about style   on SF Baystyle.