Always Be the Best Dressed Mom in the Room

I once had a girlfriend tell me “it’s always better to be overdressed than under dressed.”  Over the years I’ve had the chance to be both on many occasions, and thinking back – she’s absolutely right.  I much prefer being overdressed in any situation. 

As a SAHM who also homeschools, there are plenty of days we don’t ever leave the house.  And lots of (ok, a few) days I start off in workout gear.  But almost every single one of those days I put on real clothes (granted, sometimes after noon) and make some sort of effort on my face and hair.  Some days my husband is the only one who sees me.  And since he travels a lot for work, some days it’s only my kids who see me.  But I still make the effort.  Because, the truth is, I make the effort for me.

When I bother to get dressed and do something to my frizzy hair, I feel better about myself for several reasons. 

1. It’s nice to take 30 minutes to myself.  Thankfully my kids play well together now, so I can get a full 30-45 minutes to shower and get ready for the day.  That wasn’t always the case, but I’ve always made an effort to steal some time away every day, until they got used to it.  And now that I do get more time, that time is like the calm before the storm.  I might not get a full 5 minutes to myself the rest of the day, but since I already took time for myself, I feel recharged and ready to give 100%.
2. It does wonders for my self-esteem.  It can be as simple as wearing something clean and putting on some eyeliner, but I just feel better about myself when I make an effort.  Catching a glimpse in the mirror of myself pre-shower can be scary.  But hearing a compliment from my husband or kids on my outfit, can really turn my day around. 
3. It forces me to have nicer clothes in my closet.  Aka, clothes that fit.  It’s no secret that my weight fluctuates.  So when I make the effort to dress nicely (jeans or business casual) I have to make sure there is something in my closet that fits.  Moms are notorious for putting ourselves last and I am notorious for refusing to buy jeans in that larger size.  But if I’m dressing nicely every day, then I’m forced to buy myself something nice that fits.  TJ Maxx and Target are my go-to for nicer clothes that I can afford.  Jeans that don’t fit can ruin my random date-night.  But having clothes in my closet that fit properly, and I feel good in, just makes sense.
4. It’s a good example to my kids.  Having good self-esteem sets an excellent example for my kids.  I want them to see me put effort into how I look and being confident.   But also, waking up and getting dressed helps us to get a good start to our homeschool day.  When we set that intention, we seem to get more accomplished.  And it’s hard to convince them to get dressed if I’m still in my pajamas!

Any other SAHMs out there get dressed up every single day?  If not, why not give it a try and see how you feel?!  Maybe it’s not worth the effort.  But maybe, being the best dressed mom in the room (even if it is just your own living room) will make you feel like the Super Mom you really are!