Looking Pulled Together Even When Life Isn't

Every year I have this sense of anticipation as summer comes. This feeling that I want us to have the most wonderful, relaxing summer, this feeling that I want to go to all the places and do all the things with my kids.

Then comes that overwhelming feeling about having to get them out the door. About having to get them to the playground and the beach and the amusement park. Having to pack up all the things and the lunches and the towels and water bottles. And that’s just the kids. I also need to get myself together. I need to, god forbid, but on a bathing suit and I need to do it all in under 5 minutes or any hope of actually getting to any of those places vanishes.

Getting out the door in the summer is not easy. It always seems to require more things than I can remember, not to mention the prep of having to put sunscreen on the kids and still manage to have myself looking somewhat pulled together.

Half the time the kids are ready and I’m still running around looking for my shoes and for something to throw on, on top of my swimsuit. And it has been years since I had a beach cover up that I like. A beach cover up that I could play on the beach with my kids in and still feel stylish. I don’t want to be on the beach wearing an old tee-shirt or wearing something that resembles a moo moo.

This week the temperature suddenly hit 90, seriously on Monday I was begging a friend for a sweatshirt and by Thursday I was rummaging through my summer clothes in search of something to wear to meet my friend to walk on the boardwalk and maybe take Grace on the beach. Plus I was running late and had to drop Jack off at school. I didn’t really have time to be bothered with fashion or finding out if my summer clothes still fit.

I quickly put on my Ripskirt Hawaii with a tank top and headed out the door. The skirt was easy to throw on, because it velcro’s together and it went perfectly with one of my favorite tank tops. I had gone from “what am I going to wear” to “this outfit is pretty cute” in a matter of moments.

Even though the skirt is black I wasn’t hot in it and the material is lightweight. The Ripskirt Hawaii is long enough to provide adequate coverage on the beach but not too long that it makes a short girl like me look shorter (a frequent problem when I wear skirts).

The Ripskirt Hawaii paired perfectly with my walk on the boardwalk or a day at the beach with kids and I will definitely be wearing it to go paddleboarding this summer because it is a great skirt for an active lifestyle.

Now I have one piece in my wardrobe that I can easily throw on and feel pulled together, even when life isn’t.