Welcome to OOTD with Mother Haggard!
Ahh, those lazy, hazy days of summer.
The sun is shining, the birds are singing and your thighs are chafing because you thought it’d be fine to wear denim shorts on a ten minute walk to the grocery store. (…It’s never fine.)
This OOTD is perfect for drinking lemonade by the pool, or for waking up every day at 5:30AM with a toddler towering over you saying, “Playground? Playground? Go? Now?”
Today’s Look: “Sweaty Playground”
With influences from the athleisure aesthetic, this OOTD keeps things light and sporty.
This will help you start your playground visit with a bit of energy, a touch of optimism and also a healthy dose of fear because your toddler chanted, “PLAYGROUND, PLAYGROUND, PLAYGROUND” the entire stroller ride to the park and is now in a manic frenzy.
“This is going to be great,” you whisper to yourself upon arriving at the playground at 7:37AM.
A single bead of sweat has already formed on your brow.
A spandex-polyester blend gym pant allows you to move with both confidence and elegance, even when you’re trapped yet again between the yellow slide and the tiny kitchen, and the spinny propeller may have just ruptured your appendix.
A surprise pop of color in our footwear keeps this OOTD looking funky fresh.
A flexible rubber sole adds some much-needed pep to your step and allows you to literally chase your toddler around the playground while attempting to apply sunscreen.
“The Mamas on the bus say, ‘Put on your sunscreen, put on your sunscreen, put on your sunscreen.’ The Mamas on the bus say, ‘I know you don’t like sunscreen, but we have to wear it. Please just be still? Just for a sec? Okay, just one more arm. Almost done. Please stop screaming. Almost done. I know, honey. I know you don’t like it. See, Mama wears it, too! Sunscreen is fun! No more screaming. We’re going to go home if you don’t stop screaming. Okay, now just the back of the neck—okay fine JUST FORGET IT.'”
Vintage band tees? Not just for grunge anymore!
A Queen concert tee brings just the right amount of cool to your outfit, helping to offset the fact that you just got stuck going down the blue slide and had to ask little Mason’s dad to help un-wedge your hips. It’s fine. It’s fine. You’re fine.
Gym pants with an intriguing pattern allow you to transition from a dinner date to the club the playground to the grocery store with ease.
This may be my finest work yet, you muse to yourself, holding a piece of sidewalk chalk shaped like a dog from Paw Patrol.
The subtle blending of the green with the yellow, the gentle hints of chiaroscuro—“HEY NO WE DON’T LICK CHALK. NO. NO.”
Your toddler’s neon orange sippy cup of lukewarm water completes this OOTD.
It’s the only accessory you need when begging your child to please come play in the shade instead of the blinding sun.
“Please, honey? Just for a few minutes? Mama’s seeing visions again. No? You like it there? Okay. Danny Tanner and I will just keep running through these cold sprinklers, then.”
What’s YOUR outfit of choice when visiting the playground in the extreme heat, day after day…after day…after day?
Ma Hag: Coming to a sweaty playground near you.
So what I really like about this OOTD is how you’ve captured the reality of applying sunscreen to a writhing, unhelpful small human. It’s true that applying sunscreen to an alligator would be easier, but alligators don’t require sun protection. Also, I really appreciated your chalk art, but was curious about which paw patrol puppy you were using as your muse? I really hope it was Rubble. He just cracks me up. Thanks for keeping it comfy and funky fresh!
Trying to apply sunscreen to an angry toddler is pretty much my life now. It is all I do. I am never not trying to apply sunscreen to a toddler.
THANK YOU for appreciating my chalk art! No one at the playground ever does. It’s like, have these kids never heard of Cubism?! UGH!
I just want to leave the laugh-crying face emoji here! I just can’t even come up with good enough words to comment :’D
Haha, thanks Brittany! I’m so happy you enjoyed all of these pictures of me sweating on the playground (sometimes I get so TIRED of typing that sentence, ya know?!?). Here’s hoping you’re not sweating as much as I am this summer! 🙂
Oh, your pictures alone are hilarious! I love how you capture the harshness and difficulties of taking a toddler to the park in a hysterical way. I myself have many days of sweating in the blistering heat at the park just to make my toddler happy. Great post. Keep them coming!
Liz Talton | Pitter Patter Of Baby Feet
Thanks so much, Liz! It really CAN be difficult at the playground! Sometimes I like to test myself to see how long my thighs can last as I squat next to my toddler to look at the rock/blade of grass/actual piece of garbage before they give out. I’m up to six seconds! So much sweat. Glad to hear you are sweating right along with me!
You’ve truly captured the essence of playground fun in a way which is not only realistic but also stylish. Rock on mama …. rock on.
Hi Amanda! Why, thank you! So glad you enjoyed the look. I was debating whether I should go with my pleather leggings but in the end, I went with the old gym pants. I think it was the right choice, based on the current runway trend of old gym pants. 😉 Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Ma H, I actually thought that seeing Danny Tanner running through sprinklers was one of the signs of the Apocalypse! Thank goodness it’s merely the result of dehydration and sunstroke caused by too many hours on the playground. You may have been passing out, but that Queen t-shirt at least makes it all look Rock n Roll! And I’m sure that either Freddie or Bowie wore a pair of turquoise gym pants on stage at some point!
I’m not convinced that it’s NOT one of the signs of the Apocalypse. Danny Tanner has started visiting me in my dreams. He keeps telling me to not give up on my one-time dream to join Riverdance. I’m so conflicted. Should I listen to him? Or should I just start drinking water and eating food that’s not made entirely of sugar and trying to sleep more than three hours a night?! I don’t know. I think I’m going to go for it. Danny thinks I’ve got what it takes.
Also, while on the playground yesterday, a fox ran in front of us, just mere feet away! It was carrying a dead bunny in its mouth. And this, unfortunately, was not an apparition. Thank goodness I had on my gym pants so I could bolt outta there.