Fall Fashion and College Week!!!

Hey, y'all. I hope you are all off to a great start back to school! I know the reality of late nights and early mornings came way too fast! Nothing a little Starbucks can't fix.  Tonight is the first slow night I have had in probably two months and it's all kinds of wonderful. I got to enjoy some time as a wife and mommy which is always the best!

Since I had some requests for a fashion post, I thought tonight would be a great night! I have some great Fall Finds for around $30 and under. I put together 4 outfits using the various pieces!

I do want to explain that the filter on the 2nd outfit looks quite funny. The shirt under the vest is actually a denim chambray shirt and not nearly what it looks like in the picture!

The first piece I want to chat about is the white top in the first and third pic. Y'all...this shirt is heaven. Untucked, it covers everything I want to cover up as a Mom of 2 kiddos...haha. It's long enough to wear with leggings and would be cozy with a long cardigan, leggings, and boots! I tucked it in for a more professional look in the third picture and I can't begin to tell you how soft the material is. You can find it HERE. I will say when I bought it, it was less than $30 when Nordstrom had their big sale but it's only around $42 now and so worth it!

The second item is this super fun, statement necklace which I wore in every pic. I bought it online at Nordstrom for ......get this...$12.98 and FREE shipping. This is a great piece to add a little style to a plain tee and jeans or to glam it up. You can find it HERE!

I wore these cozy, taupe booties in 3 of the 4 pics and they are so versatile. You can wear them with jeans or a dress. I spent less than $30 on these babies and look forward to wearing them this Fall. You can find them HERE.

Last, a Fall must have is a green vest whether a moto vest (like mine) or a military vest...they look great with everything. You can wear it over a dress with some boots or over a chambray shirt with fun, colored jeans. I think I am actually going to order this one because I love the style!! You can find it HERE! The one I am wearing in the pic is no longer available.

I hope to start posting more fashion posts that are budget friendly! I love fashion but my hubby and I are both educators so I try to stick to sales!!!

Now, on to college week. Many of you may be gearing up to pump your student about college! Since I am not directly planning college week this year, I don't have too many ideas to share but if you click below, it will take you to my past posts on college week!

College Week Post One

College Week Post Two

I would love for you to comment about your favorite thing you do during college week!! Have a great week and don't forget to take time for YOU!!!

FREEBIE and a What's In My Bag Video

Hey, friends. I have been back to school for a bit now and am going 90 miles a minute. I hope you all are still enjoying your summer and are relaxing by the pool. I have a quick post for you today.

On Facebook, I shared that if you like and comment with things you want to see on The Stylish School Counselor, I would give my feelings foldable for FREE!!!  I am so excited about all of the great ideas and resources you would like to see....and as promised here is your feelings foldable freebie. You can access it here to download.  FREE FEELINGS FOLDABLE

This would be great to use in a small group or after a guidance lesson on feelings. I used feeling words similar to the feeling words in the Inside Out movie so that kids could relate although this doesn't infringe on copyright because those are feeling words, right?

Here is an example of a completed one. I had them draw faces on the circles to represent those feelings and underneath they can draw or write what makes them feel that way. It's super simple and you can just copy these off fast in black and white!

Also, if you missed my "What's in My Bag" video, you can check it out HERE. Is it a little awkward? Yes. Then again...that's kinda who I am! Haha.

I shared my back to school basics I carry in my bag. In case you are all wondering the bag is from Barrington Gifts which you can check out HERE!. It's all kinds of goodness!! They have super cute customizable bags. You can choose the pattern, color, and even add a monogram. I went with a classic, year round choice but there were a lot of fun ones I was crushin' on. I got the St. Anne Tote which is their best selling bag. To create your own, go to the site then to Shop Women's and Create Your Own. My specific bag is under Create Your Own Fall.

This one may be next on my list!!! It's a fun pop of color but also still classic.

I have a lot to do with your amazing Facebook comments, so I am going to get started. Have a great weekend.

Inside Out Toys and the HUGE Nordstrom Sale!

Hey y'all. I promised a lot of things this week and looked at my planner and realized it was Thursday. I knew I had to start my checklist as soon as possible. Here's the game plan...because I absolutely do love plans. Today I am talkin' all about toys that would be an awesome addition to any counselor's collection and the ever-so famous Nordstrom sale going on now!

I had a request to do a What's In My Bag: Back to School Edition video so I will have that up this weekend along with a Freebie. So keep checkin' because there will be lots of new posts.

So, my hubby and I brought our kiddos to see Inside and Out and ...oh my word...I swear a counselor had to have created that movie. It was pretty perfect. We talked to our kids about the movie and it was amazing to see how the kids understood emotions and the importance of ALL emotions on a whole new level. I love that this is a big movie that a lot of kids have seen or will see. Our kids are loving all of the marketing aka buying toys from the movie being out. Ella REALLY wanted a set to play with. She loves collecting sets of figures from movies.

My husband found this great set at Disney.com. This is really a quality set. "Fear" is included but was in the bag still. These would be great for individual counseling, counseling with English Language Learners, or any type of play therapy. When I worked at my last elementary campus, I heavily relied on figures and puppets. We had 90% ELL's (spanish speaking and refugees from over 5 countries) and we got through some huge language barriers with items like these. It was amazing to build such cool relationships with the kids without speaking the same language. This set was about $20 and is now sold out. I think they will be restocking it. You can find a similar set HERE.

Here are a few items that would be great to add to your counseling resources!

Mixed Emotions Book Set: HERE

Driven By Emotions Chapter Book: HERE This would be great to let more experienced readers "check out."

Magnet Set: HERE These would be great to hang things with or to create games with!

I also would recommend purchasing the figure sets. These are great to add to your play therapy resources. When I first started counseling, everyone used the really beautiful, expensive play therapy people and items. I have had pretty good luck with figure sets from Disney (I am in no way advertising for them...hehe). You can usually get them 2/$20. My kids love them!

You can see a variety of sets HERE. 


Now, to switch gears....the Nordstrom Sale. Y'all. I don't know where to start. This sale is a preview of all the new fall items...but it's on SALE! I am highlighting some of my purchases.
It was hard to purchase a pea coat when it's 100 degrees out but when I got it in and saw how beautiful it was....I knew it was a great buy. Below are my interesting purchases...haha...I also bought shoes for my kiddos and other little items for them for back to school.

I tried to buy simple, good quality items that I can mix and match in the Fall.
Roll Tab Sleeve Tunic HERE 
Kendra Scott "Rae" Necklace HERE
Double Breasted Pea Coat HERE

I have some other things on my "I adore you list" that would be great for work! They may be sitting in my cart now and I may be pressing proceed to checkout. My items came fast and things are selling out like crazy, y'all. I have a Nordstrom card so I had early access but the sale is open to everyone tomorrow, so get ready!

I am off to get some rest, I am teaching the last day of VBS tomorrow and then I go back to work on Monday! Be on the lookout for the freebie and video. Hope y'all are having a GREAT summer!

Summer Wear to Work

Back to work can be exciting but not so much on your pocket. If you're like me, you worry about buying new clothes for your kiddos and yourself. Lately, I have been trying to purchase items that can be carried through the seasons. Andrea over at JyJCounselor and I teamed up to bring you some ideas on wearing your summer clothes back to school!!! If you haven't checked out her blog...it is a must!! She is a beautiful person inside and out and let me just say...I want to invade her closet!!! She is too cute!!! And I want to say how awesome the blogging world is because I found a new friend all the way from Texas to North Carolina...now that is awesome. So here ya' go!!!

Stripes:

Dress: Old Navy, Cardigan: Gap leopard, Necklace: Francesca's

Scarf: Charming Charlie's, Shirt: Old Navy, Capris: JC Penney, Shoes: Target

Jacket: Kut from the Kloth, Tank: Old Navy, Pants: Express

Jacket: Nordstrom, Tank: Old Navy, Crop Skinny Jeans: Michael Kors

Maxi Skirts & Dresses:

Jacket: Kut from the Kloth, Dress: Groovy's

Jacket: Kut from the Kloth, Dress: Groovy's

Shirt: Old Navy, Necklace & Skirt: JCrew Factory, Belt & Shoes: Gap

Summer Dresses:

Dress & Belt: Old Navy, Shoes: Nine West

Dress: Gap, Scarf: World Market (& yes that's NYC Times Square, summer vacay)

Printed Pants/Capris:

Cardigan, Shirt & Necklace: JCrew, Capris: JC Penney, Shoes: Cole Haan

Shirt: JC Penney, Pants: Anthropologie, Shoes: Gap

Shirt: Banana Republic, Capris: Old Navy, Shoes: Gap

Lightweight Scarves:

Shirt & Scarf: Old Navy, Capris: JC Penney, Shoes: Nine West

Shirt: Old Navy, Skirt: Kohl's, Scarf: Nordstrom

Shirt, Scarf & Belt: Old Navy, Skirt: Thrifted, Shoes: Nine West

Cardigan: JCrew Factory, Shirt & Skirt: Old Navy, Belt, Scarf & Shoes: Gap

Statement Jewelry:

Statement Necklace: Kate Spade, Dress: Target

Necklace: Groovy's, Dress: Charming Charlie

Necklace: Groovy's, Dress: Old Navy, Cardigan: JC Penney

And there you have it!! We had so much fun and I look forward to many more posts with Andrea! So, all you need is a cute jacket, scarf, or cardigan to carry over many of your simple summer outfits to fall!!!

Also, before I go...I have another exciting thing I added to my TPT store. I have been getting a lot of messages about custom printables...so it is now an option. Here is one that I did today!

Check it out HERE!
If you're going back to work...have a great start to your year and if you're still on break...I so don't want to know...haha...but really...enjoy the rest of your time off!!!

Stylish School Counselor/Mommy: Summer Style

With summer break in full swing, we have already had so many playdates and many more to come! Other than wearing a bathing suit and cover up, I sat down tonight to think of some play date outfits I could wear. The problem with my closet is I have tons of dressy/work clothes and heels. I feel like I don't have many casual pieces.

The past few weeks, I have been keeping my eye out for simple pieces that look put together but that are comfortable for a day over at my BFF's, running around with kids and nieces and nephews, or for a day out shopping!!! I will warn you that I am not so good at taking outfit pics. Finally, I got desperate and asked Joey to take the last one. I will definitely need to work on this for future posts!! Haha!

Outfit #1

 Now before I give you the deets on this outfit...don't laugh. Well it is pretty funny.

Shirt (Kroger Marketplace): I got the shirt, half a gallon on organic fat free milk, and a small box of raisinets for $16. No joke! And yes I did buy clothes where I bought milk...haha! And this is a true story, Lauren can vouch for it because she was on the phone when I walked out and set the security alarm off....long story. #iamnotaconvict

Crop Pants (Michael Kors): I got them at TJ Maxx but you can find similar ones HERE

Necklace (Groovy's): I love this place and you can now shop online, it is a fabulous local boutique you can find HERE

Bracelets (Nordstrom): I love these and added the black one and another black and silver to my collection! They are currently on sale and when I went Monday their in store selection was slim. You can find them online HERE for the black and HERE for the white.

Wedges (Sam Edelman/Nordstrom): These are my new fav shoes and I want to get them in silver next. They are like flip flops but a little dressier with patent straps and they are wedges and not flats. They are great for dresses, crop pants, and shorts and are SOOO comfortable!!! You can find them HERE.

Outfit #2

Ignore the shoe and towel on the floor...Ella was playing dress up before me

I love this outfit for our library visits or the movies. In Texas, it is so stinkin' hot but when you dress accordingly, you freeze indoors! For me this is a great balance!

Jacket (Kut from the Kloth/Nordstrom): Pinterest Told Me To (the fabulous blog) is where I heard about this job and when she said it was a Must Have, I believed her!!! Joey bought it for me and I have worn it at least once a week since then. It is lightweight and looks cute layered with colored denim, shorts, maxis, dresses, etc. You can it HERE in a different color (I can't find the color I have on their site anymore). I think I may need the white one to wear in summer shown HERE!

Necklace and Tank: Groovy's

Shorts (Target): Oh my word. If they had my size in the others I would have bought every pattern and color of these shorts. They were $12!!!! They are now $19.99 which is still pretty cheap. They are HERE!

Flip Flops (Tory Burch): I love these flip flops and although I would normally not spend much on flip flops...they very comfy and I love the pattern and Tory Burch emblem...it adds a bit of luxe to super simple outfits and they are also perfect for the pool! You can find them HERE!

Outfit #3

I love how this is simple and neutral! I know I am posing funny but it was super awkward when I had asked Joey to take the picture...haha! I didn't know what to do with my hands!

Shirt: I honestly don't remember, I want to say I got it from Groovy's years ago but any gray tee would work!

Scarf (Nordtrom): I SO wish you could see this scarf up close. It has lace detailing and it is like a light, linen material. Perfect for summer! You can find it HERE and on SALE for $8.90 and they now have a coral color! I think I am ordering that one after this post! Nordstrom has FREE shipping so that is an amazing deal!!! It is a regular scarf and I had tied it to look like this!

Shorts (Loft): Love these shorts and the way they fit. I have super short, asian, elf legs! I tried bermuda shorts and much longer ones but they make my legs look even funnier. These are great because they don't make my legs look shorter than they are but they also are "mommy appropriate." You can find them HERE but I will say I bought mine 2 or 3 weeks ago on clearance for $15 so you may want to watch for a sale!

Shoes (TOMS): I bought these at Groovy's last year and I love them just as much now!! You can also find them on the TOMS site HERE in a variety of crochet colors!

Before you go, don't forget to check out my sister in law Lauren's Trendy Thursday post HERE and let me just say...that girl can SO rock a top knot!!! 


Also, a winner will be announced tomorrow for the beautiful Lia Sophia necklace giveaway. Click HERE to enter!!!

A Working Mommy!

Today I read a message a reader sent me. It was a little different than the usual messages I receive. It went a little like this....





Hi Melanie,

I admire that you are so passionate about your career and are able to have a family. I am at a school where someone is pregnant every year and hear about the struggles of having a baby at home and working. I cannot imagine myself not working even when I do have children. Would you consider writing a blog post on this subject. You are able to be a mom, counselor, and stylish at the same time.




Bless this reader's heart. I thought she was super sweet and I felt so bad that people at her school had put this negative association out there regarding being a working mom.


This post is going to be my personal opinion and experience. I won't say being a working mom is right or wrong. I believe you have to do what feels right to you and what works best for your family. I don't believe there is a definite right or wrong. As with anything....it depends on you and what you and your family need!!!


When I first graduated from college and began a job as a teacher, a lot had happened in a short time. From May 2006 until December 2006 (yes, that's 6 months) SIX HUGE things happened: I graduated college, got married, we bought a house, I started my first year teaching, I started grad school, and I got pregnant!!! To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. Getting pregnant wasn't part of our plan just yet (we were hoping to wait 3 years) but it was the biggest blessing imaginable.

 

Not working was never an idea that crossed my mind when I had Grayson (my son who is now 6). I taught all day and went to school at night. It was tough but I knew going to school was for a short time and I have an amazing hubby who supported me 100%. This brings me to my next point...a support system! A support system is so important for a working mother whether its a spouse, family member, or friend! This is what has helped me do all that I am able to do.

Now, let me say that every job I have ever had I loved. Now don't get me wrong there were days I would "vent" to my husband but every job I have had has brought me immense joy. Anything where I get to be a part of kids' lives and have a chance to make a difference is AMAZING!! I think that is another huge aspect...I love my job....I love what I do.

 

When I had Ella (my daughter who is now almost 4), that was a bit more difficult. I had two now and my time was definitely split. I felt like it was harder to keep up. I won't lie, there were days I would cry and want to just stay home but once I realized that God had put me where I need to be, it became easier. I found joy in being a teacher/counselor and I found joy in being a mommy. Some people feel that you can't truly be a good mom while working and I think that is simply not true. Again, it goes back to what you feel works best for you and your family. I have friends who stay at home and couldn't see it any other way and it works for them.


I would have to say that I could outline things that have helped me, I definitely don't think I am perfect and I KNOW I have tons to work on each day to be a better wife, counselor, and mom but these are the things that help me.

-Have a support system.
Whether it's a spouse, friend, cousin, whoever that can be there to help out!!

-Love what you do!
We can choose HAPPINESS. I choose to find the joy in my job and it makes being a working mommy so much easier.

-Be organized!!!
I jot everything down on my calendar. Whether it is a 504 meeting, group counseling session, swimming lessons, or birthday parties. Every bit of info goes down on my planner. My husband and I try to "meet" each week and go over schedules and things happening that week. We also write it down on one central calendar in the house. This helps balancing work and home! I also try to organize our house in a way that helps everything run in a routine manner.

My HAPPY place

-Enjoy YOU time!
Whether it's reading a good book at Starbucks, getting a pedicure, shopping with a friend, or even driving around the neighborhood listening to some of your favorite songs...you need time for you!!! I feel like I can be my best when I have had some rest and relaxation and this is where that handy support system comes in to watch the kiddos!

-Balance time with kids and that special person
My husband and I try to balance time with each kiddo and with each other. With two kids, we try to make sure they have just mommy time and just daddy time and that they get to do things with each one of us without their sibling. They love this and it's neat to see how different they act when it's just them. It doesn't have to be anything big or expensive. It could be a trip to Lowe's or pedicures with Mommy....or a visit to Starbucks to get a cake pop and chat. My husband and I also try to make it a priority to have time with just us. Date nights can be hard so we make sure to spend time together when the kids go to bed. That may be watching funny You Tube videos and talking about our day, just talking, or watching a movie. I have noticed that when we don't have that time together....we seem a little more tense so that's definitely a priority.


-Find the joy in the little things
Being a working mommy means finding joy in the little things. I may not be able to stay at home and cuddle and watch movies all day but I can enjoy time after work playing outside or having a picnic and knowing when to put work aside and focus on them. It's these little moments that are sometimes the best memories.

And last...how am I stylish? I don't know about all that. It was a catchy name and I love fashion...haha. I have always loved heels, dresses, makeup, and jewelry and when I became a mom that was no different. I believe that a mommy can still be fashionable!!! It's important for me to feel good about myself and to set an example of having good self esteem for daughter.
I wear pretty affordable and comfortable things (you may beg to differ on the heels). I just try to add jewelry to jazz up outfits or accessories like scarves or a cute jacket or belt to make a simple outfit look put together.

I also purchase higher end items to add to my clearance finds to balance out my look. For example, the other day I wore a $12 dress with $75 wedges, a $4 bracelet, and a Michael Kors purse...so it's all about balance!!! : )

The outfit above was a white shirt I got for $3.99 at Old Navy, $88 Seven Jeans, $4.99 wedges, $18 necklace from Groovy's, $30 bracelet from Norsdtrom...see all about balance! : )

I hope this post has helped someone out there. I am a hot mess most of the time...no lie...but I love my job and my family...and somehow with a positive outlook it all comes together and just works!