Wow, y’all…thanks for all of the support shown on my last post. You really make a girl feel loved and supported by her tribe. I was surprised how emotional it was for me to take everything I’ve been feeling for the past few months and put it out there for the world to see. So seriously, thank you. Now, let’s get to a little more lighthearted topic for a bit!

Let’s be honest here….some days #momlife is hard, some days it’s amazing, and it is ALWAYS busy. When you’re on the go 24/7, staying on top of trends is difficult enough. Executing them and taking the time to look good in them is another thing entirely. Trust me, I run a fashion business and yet half the time you’ll find me running my errands in my workout gear. And I do love my workout gear….I mean, how can you go wrong in yoga pants?? Comfy…check! Can chase after the kids without fear of ripping any seams…check! Makes the butt look amazing…check! So yeah, the fact that #athleisure is still trending so hard is definitely in our favor, haute mamas.

 

But, there are times where even “casual” calls for a little more pulled-together look. Our next go to? Jeans and a tee, right? Or shorts once it hits May and you’re in the South like me. So how do we take that jeans-and-tee kind of look, and add just the right amount of trendy to cement our cool mom status for another season? A few key pieces will make that happen effortlessly. Enter the graphic tee. It’s the way to say exactly what you’re thinking without causing a scene. While all the *ahem*….youngsters…are throwing around their “bye Felicia’s” we don’t have to stoop to that. Let your tee do the talking…

Shop the looks here (some styles not identical):

Haute Mama Tank

Bright Mesh Sports Bra

Cropped Leggings

Bold Running Shoes

Adios Tee

Black and White Aztec Printed Shorts

Rosegold Slip-on Shoes

 

xo,

Monica

Disclaimer: its not so haute. But, as all of us strong #hautemamas do, you take life’s challenges and allow them to make you stronger. I’ve actually been debating back and forth whether or not to share about all of this publicly. I’m not usually one to shy away from sharing my life…the good, the bad, and the crazy….but this is a highly personal topic. It has taken some time for me to even wrap my head around it myself. It’s something that I literally knew nothing about though, like didn’t even know it existed, until several months back…and I’m hoping that sharing my experiences over the coming months might somehow help someone out there look a little deeper into their family history and be able to make some wise choices about the future.

Last Fall, my aunt was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Completely out of the blue and with little-to-no symptoms, we were all pretty shocked by this diagnosis. During the next few months of doctors looking into our family history, it was determined that it would be a good idea for close relatives to have some genetic testing done. Apparently, there are several genes (genetic mutations, to be exact) that can lead to a very elevated risk of developing certain types of cancers. These genes end up running down the family tree, and the children of someone with the genetic mutation run a 50% risk of also having the gene. Pretty scary odds, especially to someone like me, who was learning all of this for the first time and never realized there was even much of a family history with cancer.

My mom was the next one to find out she also had this gene, brca1. This meant that I would have a 50/50 chance of having it too. After a discussion with my doctor, it was quickly determined that I should go ahead and have the testing done as well…after all, knowledge is power. The test itself is quite easy, just a simple blood draw. It takes about a month to get the results, and during that time, I didn’t really feel super worried about it…I had easily convinced myself that I was just going to be in the 50% that didn’t have to worry about it at all. So, when my doctor called one random day about a month later to let me know that I do indeed also have the brca1 gene, to say I was surprised would be an understatement. If knowledge is power, then sometimes ignorance is bliss.

After several chats with my doctor, a blur of plans and appointments were made: breast and ovary screenings, meetings with genetic counselors, and discussions with surgeons for preventive procedures. That was the point where my emotions and anxiety finally overwhelmed me. All of this new information had to be processed so quickly…and though my doctors have truly been so helpful and supportive, at times it felt like I was suddenly at imminent risk. The doctors handle this gene with as much concern as they should…after all, a quick Google search of brca1 will leave you with daunting information about just how incredibly high the risks are with this gene compared to the average population. So naturally, it took some time to wrap my head around the fact that I wasn’t suddenly “sick” and in fact, am no less “healthy” than the day before I found out I had the gene….or any other part of my life for that matter, since it was a gene I was born with. After a 3D mammogram, a breast MRI, and ultrasounds of pretty much all of my lady parts (its been a fun couple of months, let me tell ya! ugh), I was able to rest a little easier knowing that I’m healthy right now. I’m able to fully focus on prevention at this point, and that in itself isn’t exactly a breeze.

I have made the decision that I am approaching all of this with a positive mindset and a grateful heart. I’ll be totally transparent…there have already been many days where I’ve failed at this, and allowed fears and “life’s not fair” thoughts to creep in. I have to check my attitude and remember that things like facing preventive surgeries in the months/years ahead isn’t anything compared to the “life’s not fair” that my aunt has had to deal with in actually having the cancer. She has handled it with such grace, and with reminders to all of us females on her side of the family that hopefully her experiences will allow each of us to tackle this risk before it has a chance to become anything more than a risk. I am grateful that God has allowed us to have this knowledge (though some days feel like blissfully ignorant would be the easier option) because now I have the ability to act. I will take every opportunity to eliminate risk. For me, this means I will be choosing to have a bilateral mastectomy sometime this year and to have my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed sometime within the next year or two. There are definitely people who view this as jumping to extremes, but after discussions with my husband and my doctors, I know this is the right choice for me. I have faith that God is the one who holds my future in His hands, and I also believe that He provides us with information and opportunities to take action when necessary. I’ll be taking action, and I’ll be sharing my journey with you as I go. After all, I’ve got these two cuties to love on till I’m 110 or so  😉

 

The cold shoulder trend is alive and well. So very alive and well in fact, that this season you will be hard-pressed to find many tops or dresses that DON’T have some sort of shoulder cut out. So go and brush your shoulders off…this is one trend you want to embrace fully 😉

 

In terms of “showing some skin” the cold-shoulder look still leaves plenty to the imagination. And unlike the typical excuses of “I don’t like my legs/arms/tummy” that some of us haute mamas can use to avoid many of the trends, there’s really no hiding from the fact that basically everyone has showoff-able shoulders. The look is subtly sexy too.

 

While an exposed shoulder is super easy to pull off, it’s a bold look in terms of exuding a level of feminine confidence. There’s something a bit fierce about it.

 

So go…shop…find yourself a cold-shoulder look {or ten} to rock this season. I promise you’ll love this trend as much as I do!