Forgettable…

Image credit.

Do you ever feel forgettable. As in you meet someone and when you see them again unless you’re with your husband or your dog (yes the dog) they don’t remember who you are. Don’t worry this isn’t a woe is me post, more of an observation.

I’ve met numerous people at the yacht club where hubby sails and while walking, often with hubby and Jack the dog, but when I’ve then seen these people without hubby or dog they wouldn’t have a clue who I am.

It got me wondering if maybe I’m just that type of forgettable person? Some people have defining features like gorgeous red curly hair, or are extremely tall, but I’m just pretty average.

There was even people at our wedding (friend’s of John’s) that when I’ve seen them without John they haven’t had a clue who I was!

I understand in some circumstances a quick meet and greet when you’re busy may mean that you’re not entirely concentrating, but I’d like to think that when I meet people I will remember them.

I can often be quite bad with names, and try to remember to tell myself to do that thing where you say it back to them, as in nice to meet you Liz, but of course that doesn’t always happen. But while I sometimes suck with names I never forget a face. And if I can’t remember your name or where I’ve met you I’ll still smile at you!

How do you remember new people that you’ve met? Do you ever feel forgettable?

Style me baby!

For me, visiting a Stylist was something other people did that I always wanted to do. I’d seen the Westfield ad’s, I’d watched Trinny & Susannah for years and desperately wished I was one of those daggy people they jumped on in the Newcastle Mall when they recently visited Oz.

I constantly whinged about having nothing to wear post baby (actually I did it pre baby too) and a couple of weeks ago I blogged about a frustrating shopping experience with hubby. You can read that HERE.

So as I continued to live in my safe mummy outfit of tracksuit pants and a comfy hoodie, a few days after I wrote my whingy no clothes blog, Prue, left a comment about how she’d gone to the Westfield stylist and how great it was. Right, I thought what the heck I’m going to do it! I jumped straight on the phone and booked a Stylist appointment for the following week.

Last week, on Friday I met my Stylist for a 1 hour shopping trip. How funny does that sound! ‘My Stylist!’ I felt like I was Victoria Beckham. You know, minus the gazillion dollar bank account, stick model figure, oh and the already super fashionable wardrobe. Anyway sorry I digress, enough about Posh and more about me and ‘my stylist’. Who by the way has a name, Sam, from Vibrant Concepts.

So last Friday morning I was quite excited about the impending afternoon. Except, except, oh fark what was I going to wear to meet the stylist?! And I had to make sure I straightened my hair. Couldn’t have the stylist thinking I was a total tracky pants wearing unruly hair bogan all the time!

So 4pm finally rolled around and I meet my Stylist at Westfield Kotara. Who by the way anyone can book too she isn’t just mine, I’m happy to share. So Sam starts out by telling me what style pants and tops suit by body. She told me I had great legs. I could have hugged her, handed over the money and gone home a happy girl right then and there. (By the way you fill out a form prior to your appointment re: day to day activities, budget etc).

After the quick style and shape run down, we hit the shops! Sam picked up things I never would have looked at twice, let alone actually tried on!

My requests were pretty simple. I’m a stay at home mum, who goes out on the weekends for maybe a breakfast or lunch with hubby and bub, and did things like groceries, play dates and mother’s group during the week. I’ve still got some baby belly left over and I didn’t know how to dress anymore without looking about 5 months pregnant. I also had a special request outfit, that I literally had nothing to wear too; an upcoming Director’s dinner for hubby’s work.

We ended up spending 1.5 hours together to make sure we nailed the dinner outfit as well as the casual stuff. Without getting into all the boring details of my body shape and why I bought what I bought, I ended up with the following pieces for about $470:

• 2 jumpers
• 3 jackets
• 1 coat
• 1 tunic dress
• 1 casual top for under jackets
• And 1 killer dress for the dinner, from, wait for it, wait for it…. Target! Yep, who woulda thought!

The Shopping Loot

We went to shops like Dotti and Glasson’s (which I’ve NEVER found anything in), SES (great cheap stuff that you can replace each year if it falls apart!) and Target, where I’ve never ventured into the ‘young section’ before. So basically for my shape, tops & comfy jackets are better than jumpers for winter.

Unfortunately we ran out of time, so on Saturday morning when Mum turned up and offered to watch Soph I ushered my lucky hubby into the car and dragged him to the shops to finish off my new wardrobe. I grabbed a few more casual type tops (like the basic ones from Cotton On) and Sam had recommended a pair of black jeans which I eventually found at Jeans West. Comfy non super skinny black jeans were a little harder to find than I expected and there may have been a few bottom lip, foot stamping moments in the process. Isn’t my husband just the luckiest guy!

So anyway, back to Friday. So as Sam and I hugged goodbye like we were old friends, I practically skipped to the car after the most successful shopping trip I’d ever had. I climbed into the car and let out a sigh. It was now time to go back to the reality of being a mum and a housewife. But at least now I was going to look damn good doing it!

P.s. Thank you Sam, if you could just hop into my handbag for every shopping trip now that would be great!

P.p.s I’ll post a the pick of the dinner dress when I’m all dressed up for the dinner!!

Baby Bonding

How could you not want to talk to this beautiful face?!

Even before your baby is born there’s quite a bit of bonding going on, and I’m not talking about with your baby. It’s with complete strangers. Yep people you’ve never met or people you’ve never talked to, or more specifically people that have never talked to you.

From about 14-22 weeks we were overseas travelling around Europe. My little baby bump was often a topic of conversation, but I wondered if it was also because we were tourists. But then when we got back to Oz it appeared that the random baby talk had nothing to do with being an Aussie in Europe!

By the time we recovered from our trip and got back to normal I was about 25 weeks and walking around Officeworks one day. A lady smiled at me. Now I’m 110% sure it was a smile at my baby bump. Had I not been pregnant she would have just walked straight past. Every time I did the groceries the checkout chicks and even the guys would ask how far along I was, did I know what flavour we were having and was it my first bub.

Some would then tell me how many kids they had. One even proceeded to tell me when I was about 8 months pregnant about her dramatic emergency c-section. I filed that under things I’d rather not know from a complete stranger.

Then once bub comes along… Well it only increases! Of course when you’ve got a little newbie anyone and everyone wants to know how old, ‘oh isn’t she cute’, cue all the aaaawwwww’s! But lately. Lately. Oh my goodness. Last week I was in the Good Guys buying my Nonna a coffee machine. While chatting to one of the guys that worked there another employee came up to me and said “Sorry to interrupt but your daughter has the most gorgeous hair I’ve ever seen”! This from a man in his 50′s gooing and gaaing over a baby!

Then not 5 minutes later while I was waiting for the final price on the coffee machine, another man came up to me, probably in his 50′s too and exclaimed to Sophie, “Well aren’t you just a big bundle of cuteness”! He looked at me and said don’t worry I’m a photographer and I can spot a gorgeous kid a mile away. He then proceeded to have a lovely chat with Sophie who of course put on that gorgeous smile and made all the right cute baby noises!

I can only imagine it’s going to get worse, but in a good way, as Sophie starts to talk and no doubt make herself the centre of attention, especially when sitting up in the trolley at the supermarket like Queen Sophie!

How did you find random baby bonding when you were pregnant? Does it still happen now with your kids? Or are you one of the random’s chatting to all the expectant and new mum’s?!!