The Blog
Well here we go. I am actually sitting down to write about my love of all things accessory. I am not a professional stylist. I worked in advertising and marketing for 11 years before having three children and becoming a stay-at-home Mom. I always loved dressing for work, and luckily for me, I could be a little creative with it because of the industry I was in. But then all the children came, and my focus became avoiding the spit up down my shirt and the dirty hand across my butt. Accessories, i.e., necklaces, dangly earrings and anything that required dry cleaning, were no longer my friends unless it was a date night. Even then, nothing was safe from the wet kiss goodbye or the “One last hug Mommy!”
Soon however, I had two middle school daughters who were interested in clothes, shoes and jewelry with a fervor. I proudly boasted how they took after me, my sisters, my Mom and Grandmother. A long line of accessory-loving women! What I didn’t take into account was their desire to do it their own way but also fit in with everyone at middle school. My love of accessories soon expanded to preteen girl things. Justice, Abercrombie and Claire’s were new stores that I visited all too regularly! Now with one daughter in college and one in high school, I feel like I have found a happy medium with each of them and myself. We collaborate, we shop, we plan, and we wear many of the same things! Our love of purses is great. Our love of a sneaker is even greater. A group of layered necklaces, YES! Sign us up. Multiple piercings of our ears … not so much but we’re still negotiating. If it keeps the tattoos away, then maybe.
Knowing my love for fashion, friends often ask me for advice on clothes, where to shop and how to fix a style dilemma. As I approached turning 50 and sending my first child off to college, I began to think a little more about myself and my interests. What do I enjoy that doesn’t revolve around my family? What talents do I have? This blog became one answer.
The Pivot
I wrote nine posts, got photos taken and had a logo designed. By my 50th birthday in April, I was going to step out of my comfortable box and start Oh by the Way!, blogging about fashion, raising teenagers and problem solving. Then the pandemic hit and I lost my mojo. Completely. It felt trivial. It felt unnecessary since all I was wearing was workout clothes and going from bedroom to kitchen to den. No more tournaments, no more date nights, no more in-store shopping. Inspiration was tucked in the back of my closet with my special occasion shoes. I found myself escaping into podcasts about self-care and how to properly say I’m sorry. My focus shifted to my high school senior and shoring up her mental health over the loss of her senior year.
But now I’m starting again. The pull to write this blog is still here, and it’s going in a direction of which I’m unclear. I’ve decided that maybe I needed this reset to make this blog about a bit more than shopping and problem solving. Maybe we can share some about how we are navigating our new normal. I’ll include ideas about what I’m reading or listening to. I’ll complain about my lack of motivation to exercise and you can help me get back on track. I’ll explain what it’s like to be 50 and how my body is evolving and what I’m doing or not doing about it.
Oh by the Way will still be about fashion and raising two daughters and a son. It will still have tips and tricks but may pivot occasionally in other directions, just as we have all had to pivot our lives in new ways. I’m excited to begin this dialogue. At the end of each blog, I’ll have a suggestion for something I’m currently interested in. It will come as a parting thought, which is how this blog was originally designed. I love trying new products, books, podcasts, etc. My friends often ask me about what I’m checking out and inevitably I forget to tell them until much later, when I remember again. Sound familiar to anyone who is close to my age?
