Tailgating Tips from Broke-O

Unless you live under a rock (and by that I mean giant boulder), you know that it is full-on football season! In this house, that means football is the soundtrack to my life on Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. Four. Whole. Days. I like football! But, I also like… reality TV. So, this also means that I only have 3 precious days where I can control the television and catch up as quickly as possible on my really important shows like the Kardashians, Sister Wives, 19 Kids and Counting, etc. The husband does admittedly watch a few shows WITH me, which I appreciate. But this further complicates things, as we also only have those limited time slots to squeeze in Nashville, Chicago Fire, Parenthood, and Modern Family. As you can see, our TV schedule gets booked up pretty quickly! Luckily, Baby G likes all of these shows too so we “let” him stay up and watch them with us. He drives a tough bargain but you know, we want to be the cool parents.

So, when we’re not watching football with TV shows wedged in between (PS ask me if you need suggestions for your own TV viewing or summaries of this season’s events –maternity leave has really solidified my commitment to Scott Disick), we do actually leave the house and GO to the football games. As many of you know, we are loyal University of Washington alum and love supporting Husky Football! This year, the season has been extra eventful for us since we did a little thing called have a baby in the middle of it. That said, we did miss 2 games, but are proud to be back at it. Now, we have the best accessory of all – a teeny tiny Dawg Fan, Gavin! Obviously, we have had to adjust our tailgate tactics slightly to accommodate this little Husky. Here are my expert (that is a very loose term) tips for tailgating with a Mini:

      Hydrate: the diaper bag is also a PERFECT holder for a bottle of wine. Fits like a glove into those side pockets! Think of it like this – pack bottles for baby and a bottle for you. Everyone will be happy. (Be sure to buy a screw top bottle of wine - easier for travel!) Likewise, beer cans slide nicely into the ERGObaby front pack (check out this new cute gray one) when the babe is still small. The husband easily packed 2 in there + our son. We don’t consider any of this inappropriate. Space efficiency is dire when it comes to tailgating, so you do what you must.

Pack in advance: You will need to bring a minimum of a million more things with you for the babe, so I suggest packing your bag in advance to ensure you get all the necessities. Then, you can go back and eliminate some of the nonsense stuff you threw in there and lighten your load. Like don’t bring the whole lip gloss collection, but more like your top 2 favorites (this Chanel is my #1 right now). Oh did I say the baby needs a lot? You know what I mean.

Speaking of packing, bring someone to carry all that stuff: You must have a pack horse… aka husband… aka personal assistant? Whatever. Whoever. This cannot be done alone! Basically, one person takes the little Dawg and one person takes everything else. Teamwork at its prime.
     

Make a plan: What they say is true. You’re a little less spontaneous when you have a tiny human in tow. Personally, this is not a negative for me. I literally despise spontaneity. Ask the husband – he really appreciate this about me. Not. I can’t help it! I just really dislike spur of the moment plans and disorganization of any sort. So, I’m happy to make a plan and stick to it. And make sure everyone else does too. Let’s just say no one listened to me the first time around, and we learned the hard way this is necessary. Miles later and 2 sore backs and 4 sore feet, we realized we had overdone it just a tad.  I was even more disappointed when those guys who ride the bikes with the little carriages on the back told me it was going to cost $30 for a ride to our car! Even in my desperation, I couldn’t give a guy on a bike with a boombox thirty bucks. So, I suggest making a (flexible) timeline for your day with a general idea of where you want to be when. Share the plan with the packhorse and your day is smooth sailing.
      

       Last, remember layers: This is a tricky time of year with the weather, so dress in layers to be prepared. When in doubt, wear more. Some of my favorite cold weather tricks are tights under jeans or leggings, slipper socks inside my boots, handwarmers in my pockets and my shoes, don't be afraid of faux fur (for anyone! Check out gap.com for my vest and variations of Baby G's fuzzy bear suit) and obviously bring a blanket for your bleacher seats! For convenience purposes, you should definitely have a cross body bag too. This Rebecca Minkoff is perfect and just came out in great new colors. I love the soft grey - amazing neutral. (Can't get in time for football season - remember to ask Santa!) Remember – only 2 lip glosses in there, though. After all, you need room for the tickets! May the best team (and best dressed tailgater) win!

      

PS: A quick plug - I recently added a "subscribe" box to my blog and would love for you to do so. I value all of you fashionistas and want to make sure you are updated, pronto, with the happenings on here. Thanks for following my antics! I promise to keep 'em coming. 

Puddle jumping with Coco

Hellooooo, fashionistas! I've been so busy losing at fantasy football and freezing my tooshy off at college football games... I have barely had time to write! All I can say is that it is really hard to look good AND stay warm. Which is why... I made the genius decision to buy Chanel rainboots! Here are the top 3 reasons I gave to the husband as to why these were a VII (very important investment):

(Mine are the grey sisters to these pretties. Fab, right?)

• 1: I waited until it was actually pouring rain to bring these out. This showed the true necessity! Never show your VII until it is ready for use or better yet, already worn. When we are walking out the door into a rainstorm, even the most evil of husbands cannot deny a girl some dry feet! Likewise, we are out somewhere fancy... "Oh what's that, you love this dress? Funny! I just got it especially for tonight! Glad you like it!" (Little white lies never hurt.)

• 2: I will have them forever. I know I have used this line before... But really! Rubber boots! He can these beauties ever fail me or go out of style? To simplify things for our one-side-of-the-brain (the cheap side) husband friend, I compare these to his work boots. I don't even want to know how much those hideous things cost, or while we're at it, what kind of small fortune "we" own in Carharrt gear. Need a cardboard colored raincoat? We have that. Oh, do you need a cardboard coat with fake shearling on the inside? Got that too, and don't confuse it with it's twin that is for rain only. Cardboard colored overalls? Check! What about cardboard colored pants with all sorts of weird pockets on the side? Oh don't worry! We have these in THREE colors.

• 3: These just may sell me on nature. Or something close. The husband has been begging off and on for years for me to "contribute" to the "outdoors" around our house. (As if I am sitting inside eating Bon bons when he mows the lawn. First, no one eats Bon bons anymore. Second, I would rather take the calories in wine. And third, do you ever wonder how your clean clothes end up in your drawers? That's right -Bon Bon girl.) I have (rightfully) refused to help in the yard, except for the ultra important process of picking out colors schemes for the potted plants and flower beds. I mean, this does set the "tone" for the whole floral design of the yard. If this isn't helping, I don't know what is! Anyway, these boots just might, MIGHT get me into the great outdoors a little bit more. This year, when all the leaves started changing and everyone was all hyped up on fall, I wasn't exactly on the same page with the whole apple picking, pumpkin patching frenzy. However, I WAS onboard with boots season. Rainboots, leather boots, you name 'em, I couldn't wait to bring 'em out! Boots mean fall. Faux fur means winter. Save the pumpkins and the eggnog, and treat yourself to something that will keep you warmer for longer than a latte! Style - lasts a lifetime. Pumpkin pie - not so much, people!

On this rainy day, I am on my way. Who ever said Coco can't rake the leaves? Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves. I'll get on that as soon as Carharrt king makes me a plate of Bon bons..Instead, my feet will be cozy cute as I go shopping.

So, stay dry and warm, fashionistas! Bundle up and try not to go too broke-o on your next VII...