My friend just shared a post on Facebook about “Mom Jeans”… and it got me to thinking about how many of us moms have this thought that we have to sacrifice, put ourselves last on the list and we have to give things up… because, well, that’s what moms do.

But, that’s so untrue!

Turning ourselves into martyrs means we treat our families like some kind of cause that we are burdened with carrying.

That’s not what my family is… yours?

Allow Yourself to Look Great

Part of my drive behind Pretty Hard Work is the “pretty” part. And that means accepting the challenge to allow yourself to look pretty, feel pretty and be a pretty person. Martyr moms in mom jeans aren’t accepting that challenge.. can you?

For me, accepting this challenge has made me happier, it’s made me feel better and I think that makes me be more of the mom that I want to be.

I love when my boys tell me that I look pretty. I love when my hubby tells me that my butt looks good in my jeans. It’s not  where I find my self worth, nor do I believe that the “pretty” is what they really value in me – it’s just really nice to hear  - and why not? I don’t owe them “ugly” – I’m not a martyr mom.

The Martyr Mom’s Wardrobe

Clothes (among other things!) are a tell-tale sign of the martyr mom.

You know her… she’s the one in an ill-fitting t-shirt, grubby tennis shoes and of course, mom jeans.

You may have even heard her say, “I don’t have time to dress like that….” when she sees another mom who is put together. Or, “My kids come first…”, when she feels uncomfortable after being caught looking at another mom’s clothes.

Listen… it doesn’t take any longer to buy and put on fashionable clothes – and it’s not even more expensive.

Also, are you really blaming your kids for your inability to put on a stylish, clean outfit?

Get Out of the Mom Jeans

Back to the blog post I mentioned that started this. Rachel at GraspingForObjectivity.com put together a funny and honest post about mom jeans.

She shows pictures of women in a “scientific” (wink wink!) study of how your butt and your front look in mom jeans – compared to how they look in stylish jeans.

Hop on over to Rachel’s site to see the mom jeans post.

Finding Your Style

Getting out of the mom jeans is the first step to being a martyr mom drop out.  But then, you’ve got to decide what to get into. So, here is an easy to follow (and fun) tip for finding your style and start dressing like you matter:

Jump onto Pinterest (if you need an invite, leave me a comment below and I’ll send you one!).

Keep an eye out for outfits that you like. Have an opinion! If you like it, pin it.

Here’s one I found and pinned… so mom-friendly!

Pin the things you like a few times throughout a week and then go back and look through your pins. You’ll probably see some similar elements throughout your pins. What is it? Do most of the outfits have a little jacket or sweater, or maybe you pinned a lot of dresses… find that theme.

Then, give it a try.

If you’ve got the funds, find a few key pieces at your local mall. These will be one or two bottoms (non mom jeans!) and the tops, jackets or dresses that you pinned.

If you don’t have a lot of funds – pick up those few key pieces cheap. Discount stores and consignment shops are a good place to go. Stick to solid, neutral colors and you can wear them over and over again.

Lastly, wear the stuff!

Tell yourself that you’re not allowed to wear the mom jeans anymore. Put the t-shirts and dirty tennies aside for gardening, painting and playing in the yard.

Take the challenge and let me know how great you feel! read more →