When cold days and professional development meet

Today was my first day back to work after winter break. Luckily, our school system arranged for today to be a day of professional development. It was a genius move. It's been so nice to ease back into the school year. 

Since I wasn't going to see students, and it's CRAZY cold here today, I decided to be as cozy as possible. As a general rule, I say that you should take every advantage you can of a professional development day, and one of those is definitely wearing something super comfortable. 

This sweater is something I picked up at Express a few days before Thanksgiving. They had a 50% sale, and I was looking for a few non-school pieces. I think I would still probably wear this on a Friday, but I bought it mainly for Saturday afternoon basketball watching, etc. 

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Here's the link. It says it's on sale now, and it comes in three colors, so you have lots of affordable options if you are looking for a cozy sweater. 

The jeans are my happiest winter break find. My mom had my name in the family gift swap, and I told her that all I really wanted for Christmas was a gift card so I could go hunting for some new jeans. She graciously provided that, and she and my dad even took me shopping so I could try on all the jeans. 

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I was fully prepared to go to every possible place until I found just the right pair. I was planning to just buy a few different cuts online and then take the unfortunate pairs back, but then I thought it might be better to just go to the store. Since I'd already looked online, I felt like I knew what I was looking for and was able to ask for specific cuts. I wanted to try on as many pairs as possible so I would know, for the future, which cuts worked best for me.  My thought was that this investment in an afternoon of jeans shopping would make future purchases much easier. And I think it paid off. This is what I discovered:
1. The Gap has my new favorite jeans.
2. The jeans at The Loft are not a good fit for my body type.
3. I still want a slice of cookie cake any time I'm at a mall-like setting, even though I know, objectively, that it's not that good.

I was really surprised (mostly about the jeans, but partly about the cookie). I figured the jeans at the Gap would fit much like the Banana Republic jeans I hadn't been as happy with, but I was wrong! They are high enough at the waist to make the work day easy. (I hate having to worry about pulling my shirt down to cover my waist or hiking my pants up all the time.) They are also less stretchy, and I think that's a good thing. They seem to hold their shape a bit better because they don't have stretchy material. I also like the cut--it seems that straight leg jeans are becoming a bit more popular, and I wanted a pair to see how they would fit with the things already in my wardrobe. 

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Here's the exact pair. I was so excited to find these and another pair at the first stop of the day. I still tried on a few more pairs at a few other places just to know how they fit, but these were definitely my winners of the day. 

When it comes to jeans, I think it's worth it to go try on a bunch when you have the time to visit several stores. Since jeans are such a commonly worn piece in most wardrobes, it makes sense to take the time to find a cut that works well for you. 

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And the shoes are new. They have a bit more of a point than it looks like here. I wanted something boot-ish that I could also wear in slightly warmer weather. Today was my first time wearing them, and I really like them. They are comfortable and, I think, cute. Here's the link to this pair, and they come in a few more colors. 

I hope this gives you a good option for a cozy outfit for a cold day. Here are my tips for the day:
1. Fully enjoy your days without students. Wear something that will make you more comfortable while you sit in a training. 
2. Look online before you go jeans shopping so you know what cuts stores sell. That way you know you are trying on all of the options instead of simply trying to grab what you see as you walk around. 
3. Take the time to find jeans you love--even if it means a serious time commitment. In the long run, you'll spend less time doing this once than constantly shopping for new jeans because you bought yet another pair that isn't exactly what you wanted. 

Hope this helps! Happy first day back! 

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