Clothing Cheater

Well, I've started cheating. I kinda knew I would. Last night, when I went to get ready for bed and remembered that my one set of PJs was in the wash (downstairs) and I hadn't had the time to do laundry (like, this whole week), and it was just way too warm (thank Jesus) for my fleece jammies anyway, so I grabbed a cotton pair and called it a night.

Then, this morning, after two days of sweating to death, I grabbed a cardigan to get me through the morning and evening instead of wearing one of my sweaters. If you know me, you know I don't over heat EVER, so this is serious business.

The Lesson learned? Clothing fasts of this magnitude were not meant to be conducted during a change of season in a four-season climate.

Brainless

Crystal here.  Going into my second week with this experiment has shown me that I am perfectly comfortable wearing almost the same thing every. single. day.  Wow, totally didn't expect that.  In fact, my pile of approved clothes sits in a small pile right inside my bedroom door so I don't even have to really put my clothes away when I'm done wearing them for the day.  This also makes it quite brainless in picking out my outfit for the day.  The ease and convenience of  it all has me seriously considering planning out my monthly wardrobe like people plan out their monthly food menu.  Month of May?  Oh, yes, 3 pants, 4 shirts and a pair of pajamas.  June?  Shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops.  All. month. long.  Hmmmm...I thought this was supposed to be a sacrificial experiment.  Am I missing something or just reveling in the simplicity of it all?  Is there boredom there? Sure.  Am I sometimes tempted to choose something else?  Of course.  But this experiment is really catering to my overstimulated, overwhelmed, need-to-make-life-really-easy, don't-make-me-think-too-hard brain.  I blame it on the children.

Clothing - Christmas in March

I woke up celebrating this morning, despite the unfavorable amount of white stuff covering my crocuses. I have no printable comments to say about welcoming the first day of Spring with a blizzard. Rather, I realized I had two shirts off my approved list that never made it out of my bureau and therefore haven't been worn these past two weeks. EUREKA! I am so excited. I think I may be on to something and should consider gradually adding back articles of my clothing once this month's fast is complete. Talk about changing my attitude about what it is I have to wear. I've never been this emotional over a red turtleneck in my life.

Oh shoot. I think I just figured out that I am still missing the point.

Clothinng - 1 Week - Backfire

So after being at this for one week, there are a few thoughts swimming around in my brain.

1. I'm sick of wearing this stuff.

2. When this is over I need to go clothing shopping.

Rest assured I am just as aghast at that 2nd item as you may be. What? Go shopping?! Obviously I am missing the point. But here's the deal. I own one pair of jeans. I think I may be the only American who fits this category. ONE PAIR. And the pair I do have were hand-me-downs. I think a second pair might be in order. If for no other reason than I am realizing the serious "Go-to" potential of jeans. Don't know what to wear? Jeans. Going out on the town? Jeans and a dressy shirt with some bling. Staying home for the day? Jeans and a fleece pull over. They really are the be-all-end-all of a wardrobe. Who knew?

I also own one pair of yoga pants. Yoga pants are the yuppie-version of the pajama jean. Once again, you can pair them with anything. Plus, if you splurge and get the shinier, spandexier kind, you can get away with wearing them all the time, without looking like you are in your PJs or on the way to the gym, which is the only thing I use my current pair for. I am beginning to figure out how much I am missing in that setting that limitation. Seriously.

And the third item I have added to my shopping list is a good, personally fitted bra.  I went and watched a video about how to be properly fitted and the difference a quality bra can make.  So now I've had it with misshapen cups, falling down straps and bent-to-heck clasps. I think the last time I bought a bra was about a decade ago and was probably purchased at TJ Maxx.  It's time, Ladies.

I'm keeping my list handy for additional shopping inspiration as we head into our second week. Only our SECOND WEEK. This might turn into a more expensive experiment than I estimated.

Mutiny Against Excess Experiment (Crystal's Clothing)

This month, as you've probably read, we're diving into the book, Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess.  Since we're doing the Clothing month first, we've decided to share our allowable list of clothing for the month.  Some of us are doing other things such as only wearing clothes we haven't worn in more than a year,etc.  I'm really looking forward to hearing about others' experiences.  I started my "month" on Sunday this week and am on my second day.  Here's my rundown of clothing items I've chosen for my Seven experiment this month:

1. One pair of jeans
2. One pair of pajama jeans (should I be embarrassed about this? Hey, they're really comfy!)
3. A long-sleeve white shirt
4. A short-sleeve slate grey top (will usually be layered with #3 white shirt)
5. A long-sleeve navy top
6. A long-sleeve teal decorated top
7. One button-down "blouse"
8. My slippers (what I wear all day every day)
9. Black shoes
10. Green fleece zip-up jacket
11. Winter wool jacket
12. Gloves & scarf (can I combine these two things or is that cheating?)
13. One set of pajamas
14. A 'duster-type" sweater

I have not included my underwear, socks or the camisoles I wear for nursing purposes.  Because I nurse and have a toddler, I find that I need extra layers and my clothes don't stay clean very long due to sticky fingers, stains, etc. (which is why I've chosen maybe one or two tops more than usual).  I almost didn't include a scarf, however since most of my tops are nothing like turtlenecks (again because of nursing), I'm allowing myself the warmth of a scarf when I step outside.  I've also decided against jewelry and am only leaving my crummy stainless steel studs in my ears (so they don't close!).  I'm sure I'll have my own questions as I go along as to what is or is not allowed.  I'm looking forward to seeing what this experiment will teach me.

Clothing - Day Two

Came up with two questions today.

Do hair accessories count as a banned item?

What about my winter robe?

Not trying to be legalistic, but I've been in a minor tizzy about these two all day.

(Written while wrapped up in my robe with my hair in two buns held by hair elastics.)

Clothing - Day One

I almost forgot today was the start of Seven. I was so excited to embrace a pajama day when I saw the snow flying outside. Hmmmm. A day of staying in the house, warm and snuggly in my footie jammies for the WHOLE DAY. YES!

But the jammies I was wearing weren't on my approved list.

I got dressed.

Which is probably a good thing, because then I went to my chiropractic adjustment and later we're hosting house church. I guess red footie pajamas aren't really doctor visits or worship and fellowship attire.

1st Month of Seven = Clothing

Reading through the Clothing chapter of “7,” reminded me of some key cultural differences between us Northern gals and our sisters to the south of us. For some reason, despite our need to be prepared for temperatures which range from below zero to over 90 and humidity which fluctuates just the same, I still think we have a tendency to accumulate a mite bit less in this category. Unless long underwear collections count. For many of us, paring down on our clothing for a month may at first glance appear to be a gentle easing into this mutiny against the excess of our lives, but I want to remind us that by comparison to the rest of the world, we still live with far more articles in our closets than we need and could use a few weeks of reflection on this fact. Therefore, be careful you don’t take it too easy on yourself as you develop your plan of attack for March. To help you get the ideas rolling, I’ve copied down Jen’s regimen and additional suggestions from her workbook. Be sure to enter your comment below, being as specific as necessary about your perimeters for our clothing fast. Include any questions you have for the KGG Council so we can all be ready to get going this weekend!

Jen’s Approach: Choose Seven items of clothing for one month:

The articles she chose (obviously, we would choose what fits our own needs most):

1. One pair of jeans, dark wash, kind of plain
2. One long-sleeved solid black T-shirt, fitted
3. One short-sleeved black “Haiti relief” T-shirt with white print
4. One short sleeved gray “Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop” T-shirt with yellow print
5. One pair of gray drawstring knit Capri pants
6. One long silk darn brown dress shirt (my “speaker shirt”)
7. Shoes: Cowboy boots and tennis shoes

She adds these comments:

 "Shoes counted as one item. However I only rotated through two pairs of shoes. I had to reconcile my stay home life with my Conference Speaker life, and I’m sorry, but I wasn’t wearing nice cowboy boots with my yoga pants to the park. Underwear didn’t count. It just didn’t, OK?   I also omitted all jewelry for the month (except my wedding ring) and accessories. TEAR."

(See? The fact that she is this detailed about what clothing she picked reveals she’s not from around here. And where are the pajama pants for her Wal-mart trips? Sheesh.)

Alternative Ideas (from her workbook or my head)

• Grab a small bag, like a reusable grocery bag. Whatever fits in there, including shoes is what you have for the month. Shut your closet and live out of that bag.
• Seven clothes too easy? Count undergarments and shoes as one item
• Wear the same outfit for seven days, but change accessories. You would need four outfits to get through the month.
• Choose seven items to wear every day for each week, but find a way to wear them differently – one outfit, seven ways.
• Reduce your toiletries to only seven items, including make-up.
• Give yourself a seven-minute time limit on getting ready each morning after you shower.
• Wear only clothes you haven’t warn in over a year, even shoes.
• Put away your "comfort clothes" for the month and do your best Doris Day impression. See if anyone notices you've stopped looking like you just stepped out of bed each day!

It’s totally up to you whether to include the rest of your family on this month! 

Now it’s your turn. Comment below on what YOU will be doing! Include any questions you might have for us to resolve together. Be ready to BEGIN this Friday!