After spending a morning with DC Metro Stylist Joyce Neave, I walked away with a new found appreciation for her profession.  As I shadowed Joyce during a session, I took meticulous notes as I wanted to report back to readers on every tidbit and tip that she shared.   As we dove into a morning of styling Joyce immediately starting offering advice on everything from bras to boots.  She joked that this is the type of conversation mothers use to have with their daughters.  As I thought back to my sweet Southern grandmother from Knoxville, TN I had to concur. While my grandmother passed away when I was young, my older sisters have regaled me with tales of Granny's wonderful cooking, her Southern potions for whatever ailed you and her tiny, but fabulous, boutique shop that she ran after raising my Father and Uncle Carter.  Many of her talents were surely the result of advice that her own mother handed down to her.  Alas, I was the product of a divorced single mother who worked endless hours as a nurse.  She also decided to become a vegetarian when I was about six.  Between the hospital uniform and the tofu du jour, I didn't exactly get surrounded with fashion or the perfect recipe for Steak Oscar. C'est la vie.

During a recent playdate, my neighbor and I went through our normal mini rants about what life had doled out that week.  As always, it was filled with a bit of lament about one topic or another.  As most mothers will agree, you love your kids but the job can be beyond tough!  As cranky kids signaled the end of our get together and conversation, we started to do the blitz of final thoughts and good-byes before all hell broke loose with the kids.   As my friend Heather picked up her son to head home she caught a glimpse of her shirt.  She just laughed and shook her head.   Her shirt showed the scars of "A day in the life of a mother". Paint, peanut butter, pen marks and a few yet-to-be identified substances were all visible to the naked eye.   The sad reality is neither of us registered the shirt stains or our unwashed hair during our playdate.  She groaned and said that it might be time to update the wardrobe.  Heather shared that her uniform of lifeless L.L. Bean t-shirts had worn out their welcome.  I laughed at the sentiment and agreed as I suffered from the same dilemma.   What to do? What to do?

I thought for a long moment and decided that I needed some help from a fashion expert.  Who better than the DC Metro Mommy fashion blogger, Joyce Neave from http://www.bethatmom.com/?  After one call Joyce graciously agreed to do a mommy makeover with my neighbor Heather as her muse.  Heather was totally open for the experience and I was beyond excited!  While Heather was getting the star treatment, I had a front row seat for all the action and inspiration.