Self-portrait, today of me in my first pair of leggings
- Tight jeans are more flattering than baggy ones.
- Leggings are AWESOME.
- Brow waxing? Kind of amazing.
- Brazilians? Painful. On par with childbirth.
- Coldplay? Fantastic.
- Adele? Transcendent.
- Charlie Bit my Finger? Hilarious.
- The Old Spice guy? Even better.
I’ve also learned that:
- I can’t talk on the phone while anyone else is talking in the room.
- I’m highly sensitive.
- It’s okay to leave the party when it gets too crazy.
- Affirmations work and if I just call them “mantras” I can totally tolerate them.
- My thighs were actually great in high school.
And most importantly:
- There is nothing wrong with me.
- I didn’t do anything wrong.
- I am totally lovable.
What have you learned lately?
p.s. Boot lovers! The boots are by miz mooz and are SUPER duper on sale!
44 Comments
i need to remember to bust out leggings and dresses more often. the ARE super comfy, and i seem to always forget that.
love this list, love everything about that photo!
oh my. i love your list… “my thighs were actually awesome in highschool”… totally fantastic…
things i learned “late”…
– drawing in the morning is AMAZING…
– i can have and want beautiful love and partnership in my life
– i can’t live my life based on some one else’s wants
How to ask for help!
Still working on: how to receive it graciously ?
That outfit it adorable. And you are TOTALLY lovable. xox
So I’m curious how you totally Vulcan mindmelded me from a distance. But – I haven’t listened to Coldplay yet, and I’m still askerid of leggings, so maybe it’s just coincidence? ?
What a list! I love it.
Things I have learned lately:
That I am loved so very much even when I’m not feeling the best.
That I’m much too hard on myself.
That saving money is not just a nice perk, but a true necessity.
That I need more colour in my life.
i love your list. i will take note-to-self about the Brazilian.
things i have learned late:
– this is my life. (i know it seems super duper simple but hey..)
– i am great. just as i am.
– that i might never feel fully confident about “the right thing to do” as a parent.
haha you’re so awesome, andrea!! i love this list~~LOL!!! i just wanna come squeeze you with joy!
-my body trumps any other form of wisdom
-i love sex so much and that’s WONDERFUL not shameful
-i’m divine
-and so is everyone else
-mumford & sons are the most sincere from-my-own-heart music ever
-kanye west is actually brilliant
-i get to choose the experience i want to have
-everything already chosen
-i live in this paradox, like it or not
-messes don’t stress me out
-my body is meant for dresses of every color
-everything had to be how it was
-everything has to be how it is
-everything will be how it will be
thanks for the space to list some existential simplicities!! i adore you, sweet mama!!
OH I needed this!
I have learned:
That entire lists can contain ONLY FUN to-do’s
That I am a teacher (I never knew that until I DID it)
That sharing again, isn’t scary
That 31 is the perfect age to start being yourself.
Whenever I see someone living in California with ungroomed eyebrows, I always assume they are making that choice on purpose!
I have recently learned it is best to ask and risk rejection than never ask at all.
I also learned Ho Hos are just as delicious at age 37 as they were at age 7 even though they are filled with things that are very very bad for you.
Love your style!
I’m highly sensitive too! And so is my son. Knowing this has changed a lot in our lives.
I’m learning what it means to be strong, that eating well really affects the way I feel and that I truly dislike our hot and sticky summers here in Brazil (sorry for everybody who is freezing up North, but it’s true!).
Oh, and even though I’m brazilian I never had the guts to have a Brazilian, so kudos for you! ?
What a great list!
Here’s what I’ve learned:
*I’m the boss of me.
*No one is keeping score.
*I want to be around people who make me feel good, and I should be that person to others.
Love this post. I love dresses/tunics + leggings. That’s my t-shirt and jeans, and I am comfortable that way.
Things I learned late:
* it’s okay to have dresses+leggings be my t-shirt+jeans
* dreams come true
* i am enough – i will probably have to learn this again tomorrow
* plucking my eyebrows doesn’t make me a bad feminist
These are all such fabulous things to learn ?
Have a magnificent weekend!
That I can actually live the dreams I have, not just think about them.
Other people’s crazy has nothing to do with me.
When other people attach their crazy to me, I don’t have to accept it — because it still has nothing to do with me!
Love this post so much!
Hmm… let’s see:
– Clothes that are trendy are not necessarily evil (as my teenage self used to think)… if they look good on you, make them yours!
– Although I was a total goody-goody and a teacher’s pet as a kid, other kids thought I was cool (and NOW they tell me!?).
– It is NEVER too late to make this day count, even if in a small way. Don’t go to bed grumpy.
I can totally live with “mantra” and I just bought my first pair of skinny leg jeans. I love this list!
So many things! But also, I kind of find that I sometimes learn things and then forget them and relearn them.
-Crayons. WHOA. So much fun.
-Doing nothing at all every so often is basically the fountain of youth.
-In order to succeed at meditation, all you gotta do is *try* to meditate.
So many tiny epiphanies! Yay.
Mantra instead of affirmations! Love it!
I love your list! The bottom is so true but I’ve known that about you for years now ?
I would like to add that going for the laser brazilian – 10000 times better AND after 6-ish times you don’t have to do it anymore!
I want to learn some of the things on your list.
What I’ve learned recently? I don’t have to let other people’s moods affect my own. I can let them be angry, sad, depressed, etc…and I can be something else. Even if they live with me. Even if I love them. Even if I gave birth to them. I don’t have to feel it, just because they do.
Yay! Love those last three. You’re awesome Andrea!
love this list.
where did you get your leggings?
i learned:
the hair i think looks good on others doesn’t look good on me. my hair looks good on me.
Forever 21! Eight dollars people. ?
Yes yes yes!
You look amazing, Andrea! Love the outfit.
Love your list!
Things I’ve learned lately:
– It’s okay to do things differently than others.
– 33 is just awesome!
– taking care of myself is as important as taking care of others
– what I do matters
Have an awesome weekend and thank you for today’s inspiration.
A smile for you: http://youtu.be/aTl9YakdhHk
(so much more my life than Old Spice Guy… sigh)
Love your list- and I agree about the leggings. I only recently discovered the joy that is leggings. ?
Also wanted to pass along a nomination for Versatile Blogger.
http://baileygardnerfamily.blogspot.com/2012/03/nominated.html
My wife always gives me crap when I don’t wear my skinny jeans, but the baggy ones are so comfortable!
For some reason leggings make my legs itch and the hair on my lady bits is strong enough to make a hemp rope that could hoist the Titanic from her resting spot 5000 leagues under. Just try ripping that stuff out and my head’ll go with it.
I love this list! I have skinny jeans and leggings and I’m so afraid to wear them. HA! I can’t talk on the phone while others are talking either. I love the last three on your list. ?
A few things I’ve been learning lately:
– ergonomics = important to avoid horrendous back pain
– most of us parents have been unwittingly limiting our kids’ creativity
– imperfection and risk are ingredients for growth
Thanks for sharing your list. It’s great to know that learning goes on forever and that it’s okay to have to learn and re-learn and practice until we get it. Cheers!
Your eyebrows look wonderful!
I’ve learned:
– skirts are just as easy to wear as shorts and they’re way more flattering on me.
– perfection has been holding me back. so has trying to find the “right” solution before I move forward with anything.
– I’m sensitive too.
– writing is therapy for me, and I’m happiest if I do it every day.
– I really do get to choose how I feel and think, but sometimes it’s hard. I’m learning not to beat myself up when I’m having a bad day.
– Affirmations work for me too, and I’m learning not to think that they’re somehow only for “pathetic” people (where did that idea even come from?)
Thanks for sharing your list, Andrea! Still in love with your sexy boots!
that spiritual practice, whatever you deem it, is the answer. always.
and coldplay —-> yes! this one made me laugh and smile. just YES!
you are BEAUTIFUL!
I’ve just discovered you via DesignMom. I already booked mark you when I was 1/2 way through your first section. Spot on, funny and true! I look forward to returning.
Stumbled across this post and immediately thought “I have to follow this blog!” Fantastic list.
I LOVE this list. Actually my thighs were still a problemo in high school. It’s funny, though I haven’t tried the leggings thing I GET it. I think they would work for me, too. You always wear such funky boots, Andrea. Where do you get them from? Travels?
Boot lovers! These are by mizmooz and are SUPER duper on sale: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004V7WX08?ie=UTF8&tag=superherodesi-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004V7WX08
Love these! I’m with ya on it!! And, I didn’t even know they made leggings for grown-ups?! Gotta get on that! By the way, I have to say thank-you for “just let it be simple”. That mantra has been with me each day when I need it most since you shared it. I swear! A day hasn’t gone by where I haven’t had a moment of reflection and repeated that mantra in my head. It’s been such a big help, especially when I’m starting to feel stress when dealing with my 13month old. ? thank-you, thank-you!!!
Andrea
how succinct and how mostly i think.. yeah..thats me too.. except for the last bit..
i love legins.. tight jeans were my favs last year.. but not yet this year..my legs were pretty cool in high school.. and i do love the youtube charlie bit my finger..
for me i’ve learnt.. family is the most important thing.. what i can do for and give to my family is my priority and it really counts.. and i’ve learnt.. i wasn’t such a bad mum after all..
I just discovered you and so so happy I did!
I love Coldplay too and leggings! I have also learned..
to let the dishes sit and laugh with my kids
enjoy my husband instead of nagging
feel good in my choices even when it makes others unhappy
love my body
Looking forward to enjoying your blog!
That sometimes patience is a bad thing. Or that sometimes it’s good to be impatient.
That I’m allowed to want what I want- if I want to write, to dance, to walk, have time alone…and how to listen a little better for what I am wanting.
That I can be eccentric if I want/need to be.
That putting on loud happy music in the middle of small child meltdowns distracts them out if it.
To just lay down on the floor for 5 minutes when it all just feels like too much.
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