One day in the middle of last week, I parked the car in the store parking lot, and as I walked around to get the boys out, I stopped and looked down at what I was wearing: a beige and white striped shirt with greenish khaki capris. The beiges didn’t even match. I completed my beige-blah ensemble with chipped fingernail polish and bright melon dollar flip flops.

Now how did this happen? And when did I get into beige? I appear to be suffering another episode of Mommy Style Amnesia (MSA).

MSA symptoms may include

• Temporary color blindness
• Inability to pair tops and bottoms that complement
• Wearing the same outfit three days in a row
• Hair that cannot escape a pony
• Outfits in the mirror may appear better than they actually are
• Mascara from the day before plus vaseline on lips is considered “makeup”

MSA seems to happen to me every few months or so. The boys are still small and we spend probably 85 percent of our time in the house. I could dress up in a ball gown and spend 3 hours on my hair and most days no one would know it. That leaves me little motivation to put in the effort. Thus begins my downward slide into an episode of Mommy Style Amnesia, where I actually forget how to dress.

So I’m back on the hunt for some mom-friendly outfit inspiration to cure my MSA.

Some of my everyday mom wardrobe criteria

• No items that require layers. If a shirt is sheer and needs a tank under it, forget it. I know if I’m in a hurry, I’ll pass it by in the closet rather than hunt down the right shirt to go underneath. (Also, I live in Florida and it’s just too hot!)
• No scoop necks. Whenever I wear scoop necks with the boys I regret it. Either I’m trying to keep them from pulling it down or holding the shirt close to my chest when I bend over (which is a lot). 
• Nothing too short. I don’t want to be worried about showing what I got when I’m bending over at the park or pulling down a dress as I try to sit and play dinosaurs.
• Nothing that requires a special bra. In the moment of choosing an outfit while someone is hollering at me from his highchair, I will never choose a top that requires a strapless bra. As cute as those tops are, I might as well buy a one that allows me to wear my run-of-the-mill strappy bra and covers the straps without me constantly adjusting. (Call me old fashioned, but I still can’t get into letting your bra straps hang out.)

When it’s date night or a girls’ night out, my little rules don’t apply. But if I’m shopping for everyday clothes, I follow these because otherwise I’ll be wasting money when they stay on the hanger in my closet.

This time around, I plan on buying a few new, basic neutral pieces and adding color with belts and shoes. I used the photos below for ideas for my Mom Style inspiration board, above.

Clothing credits from Mom Style inspiration board at top:

Striped top: Forever 21 | Floral tank: Forever 21 | Denim shirt: Target | Baseball tee: Amazon or similar Forever 21 | Green pants: American Eagle | Converse All Star shoes: DSW | Red flats: Shiekh Vienna | Earrings: Amazon | Watch: Target

For more style posts, go here.