Tag: minimal mom

What I Actually Wore as a Mom on a European Vacation

DAY BY DAY!  Finally put together a collage of my daily outfits from the trip literally 6 months ago, I’m hoping to fine tune what I actually am comfortable in and will wear!  Expanding on my previous post which was done before the trip (click here).  As you see through these photos, you may notice a few clothing items show up numerous times.. a couple only once.  Can you spot them?

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Did you notice that the whole last week I wore the same nearly outfit every day????

BOTTOM LINE: Here is a list of items I would pack again. Layering of course is key!

  1. Shoes:
    1. Dansko ballet flats: (black flat milled full grain)
    2. White walking sneakers (not Olu Kai, would get Adidas or Puma)*
    3. Running Shoes
  2. Accessories:
    1. Waypoint Scarf
    2. Large Carryall Personal Item Bag
    3. Travelon Purse
  3. 1 Dress:
    1. Gray Sheath Dress OR Floral Dress
  4. 4 Tops (5 if you count workout outfit):
    1. Heather Long Sleeve Top
    2. White V neck
    3. Thank a Pollinator Tee (PAJAMA)
    4. Long sleeve black merino
  5. Outerwear:
    1. Pleather Black Jacket (comfortable for airplane ride also)
    2. THIN Raincoat (the REI one I brought was quite bulky)
  6. Bottoms:
    1. Gray skinny Jeans: (similar, same brand:)
    2. Black Leggings 
    3. Lulu lemon Track Pants (PAJAMA)
  7. 1 Workout Outfit:
    1. Top
    2. Shorts
    3. Bra
    4. Hydration backpack
  8. HONORABLE MENTION:
    1. LilleBaby Carrier (borrowed from a friend)
    2. Scrubba laundry Bag
    3. City Select Lux double stroller ($$$ but worth it)
      1. Note:  Would not recommend if you plan to use the metro frequently.  For that, advise small umbrella style, have heard good things about Pockit
      2. Was fantastic on all cobblestone streets (Bruges, Paris, all museums), on trails around Orval Brewery, and priceless for airport travel.  Youngest kid will actually nap in this!  I was able to get RIGHT UP  to the Mona Lisa because the French guards saw my stroller and directed me to a special line!

The embroidered button down and denim chambray shirt did not travel well, they both got very wrinkly.  The black tank I ran with I didn’t need, could have used just a t shirt.  I also packed a swimsuit, I wore it once.  Would not bring again on this type of trip.

*I wish I could get rid of a pair of shoes, if I had to give up one, it’d be the white shoes.  The black Danskos were just super comfy and can be dressed up or down and dedicated running shoes are very important to me.

Other lessons learned:

Made this super quick video which reinforces some points and goes into the Essential Oil Diffuser which I also wrote a blog on!

 

European Capsule Wardrobe for Moms

UPDATE:  After making the video the weather forecast changed, so I added:

  • A long-ish Raincoat (invaluable)
  • Long Sleeve Sleep shirt (used once)
  • Switched pajama shorts to track pants

VERDICT:  Wore every item, however Probably didn’t need:

  • Blush V neck (one white shirt was good enough)
  • Denim button down
  • Gray sheath dress
  • (only took one scarf, though I considered two.  One was plenty)

FAVORITE OUTFIT: Stella & Dot Gray Long Sleeve Shirt with Gray skinny jeans, Black ballet flats and Pleather drapey jacket.  On cold days, layer with v neck tee and scarf. 

BEST PURSE EVER I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION: Black Crossbody Travelon 

People are so inspiring if you know where to look!  These days of social media are wonderful and awful.  I try to keep it positive, and have joined some facebook groups to get tips to travel with kids.  Let’s face it… kids add a level of stress that is sometimes difficult to navigate with travel!

So in preparing myself for our upcoming France and Belgium trip, I began researching how to minimize luggage.  Luggage is such a stressor!  How to minimize???? In these FB groups, I got tons of tips about One Bag Travel.  Whoah.  Really?  ONE BAG?

Now, I won’t be having one bag.  I’ll have one carry on rolling bag and the personal item bag.  But at least nothing checked! (I don’t think…. we still have to bring car seats so…) Tons of these moms however have done it.  Tons of these moms have shared their capsule wardrobe.

I felt like I got so many good tips I thought I’d share what I found for our trip to get a mix of travel-friendly clothes to mix and match while in weather ranging from 50-80 degrees with possibly some rain thrown in the mix (aka, my Capsule Wardrobe!)

In the video I say something about only having the jeans as bottoms.  You may also notice I have leggings.  The leggings are for airplane and workout use only.  Athleisure is a no-no unfortunately, but on the plane and while exercising it’s perfectly appropriate.  Scroll past the video for a list of most of items and all the way down to my checklist for clothes.  Also click the description below in YouTube for links.  Hope this helps for your next trip!:

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