My grandmother gave me this purple flower headband for Easter. THANKS, Grandma!

She also suggested that in order to make a better professional impression, I should "put some makeup on [my] FACE."

I've never been a huge make-up wearer, but I'm actually wearing some here. I guess maybe I should be a little bolder with the colors?

Dan pointed out last night that I hadn't really tried hard enough to become a style blogger for Ann Taylor LOFT.

"You haven't even emailed the company," he pointed out.

That's so true.

So, this morning I wrote an email and sent it to Public Relations/Media Inquiries people at LOFT. After I drafted and edited the whole thing, I realized I'd have to cut it to 1000 characters.

This is probably good because, as any fashion blogger will tell you, less is more. Unless less means no boots, scarves, necklaces, skirts or dresses. Or make up. Or actual sense of style. Anyway.

Here's what I sent:

I’m a 32 year-old working mother of two. My day job is teaching English at a suburban high school. I love coffee, minivans, Guitar Hero, and LOFT. I always imagined that I’d magically become more fashionable and put-together as I got older. However, for those of us who are more challenged by style, it takes a conscious effort. For me, that effort has been absolutely inspired by LOFT.

I’m interested in writing some LOFT-sponsored posts, wherein I’d wear LOFT pieces and write about them.

My blog, Word Savvy (http://thesavvymom.blogspot.com), has consistently growing traffic. I participate in cooperative blogging challenges that increase traffic and interactivity. My writing is funny, open, self-aware, and sometimes flip.

Here are some representative posts I’ve written about style challenges:

From before my LOFT days: http://bit.ly/ighZqc, http://bit.ly/fYn9Mk

And here are some posts that include the word “fashion”: http://bit.ly/eiIuyB

Let me know what you think! Thanks!


So far, I've just gotten a response from a robot saying that they'd research my inquiry and get back to me within 3 to 5 business days. I think we can agree that this is truly an interesting experiment in new media communication.

You'll notice I didn't reveal to LOFT that Dan is actually a funnier writer than I am. But then again, he won't be modeling spring pieces on Pronto Pup.

I'm so totally going to be blogging again!

It's that magic time of year called MEA BREAK, when all teachers across Minnesota sort of kind of get their lives back after the first frantic weeks of school.

Here are some highlights of the first weeks:

First, I've really been dressing better, thanks to my favorite store Ann Taylor LOFT. I have not, however, been accessorizing; so I'm really only 1 for 2 on my back-to-school fashion goals.

Second, we had a chemical spill at school and had an unexpected day off, on which I cleaned my closet and went to lunch with my sister, who's still home from Senegal thank the Lord.

Third, I'm teaching unmotivated seniors in an elective, which is a new adventure. Some of these seniors display a shocking level of laziness. Seniors, it's only October! The slide doesn't start until March! Also this class is about YouTube, for frick's sake!

A couple of years ago, Oprah gave me some instructions on how to clean out my closet. She said, throw it away if it doesn't fit, isn't flattering, or doesn't reflect the image you want to project.

For some reason, as I was entering the second trimester of my last pregnancy, I suddenly remembered this advice and took it to mean I should get rid of everything I own except a couple of pairs of pants (now too big - thank you, breastfeeding!), a few fading t-shirts (now too small - darn you, breastfeeding!) and a green cable-knit sweater (see photo below by the Obama sign).

Since then, I also have watched a couple episodes of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style on which the guru pronounced my Dansko clogs "the homeliest shoes in the world," and decried cable-knit sweaters as dowdy and bulky.

Dammit! I'm hopeless! And experts have confirmed this!

So, I guess it isn't that surprising that when Dan thought, because he could see the inside-out logo on the rolled-up cuff of the green sweater at church this morning (ok, yes, it's both too big and unflattering), that I'd simply put the whole thing on in the dark.

"Oh, hon," he said, gently, "is your shirt inside-out?"

Not, "Ha ha, what a funny anomaly! You dressed inappropriately!" But, rather, "Oh, how sad. You've done it yet again."

Last night, Dan was working at the dining room table, and I was tending to my second-born.

"Mr. Masculine and I are going up to bed," I told him eventually.

"Okay," he said, not looking up from his computer. "Why is he 'Mr. Masculine?'"

"Uh, he's wearing a yellow-striped suit that says 'Snuggle Time.'"

"'Snuggle Time'?"

"Yep."