As we’re still waiting for most of the winter collections to hit the stores, there don’t seem to be many new clothes around to get excited about. So, seeing as quite a few of you have been in touch recently to say how helpful you find it to see what I wear day in day out, I thought I’d try and achieve a photo every day this week. As I mentioned in my last post, the shorter days are making it much harder but this is a recap of a week of Midlifechic.

Saturday – a pizza and cinema date

You may remember that Mr MC was in his home ‘toon’ of Newcastle last weekend watching the rugby world cup matches so I had a relaxing time with my remaining boys. On Saturday night we went out for a pizza and then on to the cinema to see Pan. I was glad I’d made a bit of an effort because a gaggle of girls from the middle one’s form were sitting behind us – I was very touched when they invited him to join them and he thanked them and replied that he’d come with his mum. Bless him – read on to see why it was good that he’d added some brownie points to his mum bank!

style for women over 40

Dorothy Perkins faux leather biker jacket; Johnnie B boat necked t-shirt; Boden high rise super skinny jeans; Jigsaw Milly shoes; Jigsaw scarf (sold out in red but other colours here); Whistles Fleet tote

Sunday – blowing the cobwebs away

The youngest and I took Gary for a windy walk along the salt marshes. The weather has suddenly turned from Indian summer to autumn so it’s been good to layer up in knitwear. As always, the youngest couldn’t resist a spot of bog hopping and fell in so he had a shivering walk back looking like a swamp creature.

casual style for women over 40

Rachelwears poncho; Rachelwears merino and alpaca jumper; TopShop chambray shirt; Uniqlo ultra stretch ankle zip charcoal grey jeans; Clarks biker boots

Monday – working from home

I’m still not achieving my Mondays off but I get so much more done when I work from home.

casual style for women over 40

Boden jumper; Boden high rise super skinny jeans in eggplant; Boden scallop points; Accessorize necklace

My gentle, dreamy middle son has kept me on my toes this week. He’s very different to his two goal orientated brothers and his mind is always either absorbed in an online conversation with his chums or just generally elsewhere. On Monday night, he rolled up at the bus station after school to find the buses were in chaos but he noticed one that had ‘The Royal Hotel’ on the front. He texted me to let me know and I pointed out that although we have a Royal Hotel in our village, so do a lot of other places. I waited with a sense of foreboding. After the 30 minute point when I knew he should be home, I tried calling him but as usual there was minimal mobile signal so our slow text conversation went like this:

Me: ‘where are you’

Son: ‘idk’

Me: ‘what’s out of the window’

Son: ‘idk’

Me: ‘what do you mean idk’

Son: ‘all dark – can’t see’

Me: ‘ when did you last go through a village?’

Son: ‘idk’

Me: ‘must be something outside’

Son: ‘fields & stuff – wait – a place’

Me: ‘what place?’

Son: ‘ village’

Me: ‘what’s it called’

Son: ‘dunno, gone past’

Me: ‘ask someone on bus where you are’

Son: ‘no-one here, all got off’

(My anxiety now ramps up a level)

Me: ‘ask driver’

Son: ‘can’t’

Me: ‘why not’

Son: ‘sign says don’t talk to driver’

Me: ‘talk to driver’

Son: ‘he’ll be mad’

Me: ‘I’ll be madder’

Son: ‘k’

I wait….

Son: ‘ says we’re nearly in (a village 30 minutes away on the border of the next county)’

Me [sighing]: ‘get off bus – dad coming, let us know when you’re off’

Mr MC sets off.  After 20 minutes I try to call both Mr MC and the son repeatedly, both are in no signal zones – wretched countryside.Another 20 minutes later my phone finally rings.

Son: ‘it’s ok Mum, I stayed on the bus and I’m now in xxxxx (a village 10 minutes from home)

I call Mr MC who having reached the original village has a phone signal and is frantically looking for our son. I won’t relay exactly what he said – I know you’ll get the gist. My phone rings again. It’s the eldest calling from university.

‘Mum, I thought you should know, the numpty’s got the wrong bus and he’s stuck in the middle of nowhere – it’s all over Facebook……’

Tuesday – an afternoon with students

You may remember that until I started my new job I sometimes used to give lectures on marketing at Lancaster University Management School. I miss doing it but I’ve managed to keep the relationship going and I’ve been able to marry my two worlds by briefing a group of students with some some live projects for their final year theses. I spent the afternoon with them on Wednesday and returned home invigorated by their intelligent enthusiasm…

… invigorated that was until the bedroom started to fill with thick smoke whilst I was getting changed. Bearing in mind that our bedroom is two floors up I was alarmed – the middle one had arrived home late again and so I had asked him to finish making his own supper. He’s doing Food Tech for GCSE and all he had to do was microwave some IKEA meatballs to add to the rest of the meal I’d prepared. He had glanced at the instructions and seen a number 15 (actually a serving suggestion for the number of meatballs to cook) so he’d put them in the microwave on full power for 15 minutes whilst he wandered off for a FaceTime chat. When I rushed into the kitchen and opened the door, the plastic microwave pan was a smoking, billowing, molten mess.

work style for women over 40

Hush jumpsuit; Whistles blazer; Jigsaw Milly shoes; Claudia Bradby necklace

Wednesday – just back from the office

Sometimes it can be a rest going to the office! I was on a mission to get organised this week so on Wednesday I inflicted the spreadsheets that I’d prepared on Monday on my team in a bid to get on top of our never ending workload. I’m looking relieved but I suspect they weren’t when they went home!

work style for women over 40

Whistles bodycon dress; Rachelwears merino cardigan; Boden scarf; Boden shoes; Garnet necklace a gift from Mr MC

Thursday – an early start

It was 6am – my face says it all! I was going to a brand building lecture straight after work and knew there wouldn’t be another chance for a photo so I had to do it first thing. I know I look tired.

work style for women over 40

IDLF @ Uniqlo chalk striped blazer; IDLF @ Uniqlo merino knit; Jigsaw London fit tailored trousers; Jigsaw Milly shoes; Accessorize scarf

A busy day followed with the upside that the eldest joined me for the lecture – it was so lovely to lay my hands on him again and sense just how happy he his. I can confidently say that he’s enjoying every minute although I did have to nudge him when he nodded off during the lecture at one point – he’d been out with his rugby team until 6am that morning and then up for a 9am lecture! We went for a quick Chinese meal on campus and he told me all about his adventures (and I tried very hard not to blink). He explained why he was sporting a black eye, what his rugby initiation had involved and various other episodes of high jinks. He’s definitely living life to the full, as he kept saying ‘I’m loving life mum, just loving it.’

When I got home the middle son was full of doom and gloom. I almost didn’t dare confront the latest episode because by his face it looked as though it was something really bad. This is how the conversation went:

Me: ‘has something bad happened?’

Son: ‘yes it’s been a bad week’

Me: ‘do you want to talk about it?’

Son: ‘there’s nothing you can do’

Me: (heart thumping) ‘tell me’

Son: ‘you know how sir moved me up from the bottom group to the top in Games last week?’

Me: ‘ yes, we talked about that, it’s a good thing’

Son: ‘no it isn’t, I have to run really fast and do stuff’

Me: ‘well you’re obviously good at it if they moved you up’

Son: ‘I know but it’s tiring’

Me: ‘so what’s happened now – have they moved you down again?’

Son: ‘no, they’ve gone and picked me for the rugby team – so now I’ve got to go training 2 nights a week as well – and play on Saturdays, it’s not fair’

I sat for a while and marvelled at the differences between my three precious sons!

Friday – blog day

So here we are, the end of a pretty normal week in our house as we steer our boys on their various paths to independence.

casual style for women over 40

Great Plains jersey roll neck; Boden Cambridge skirt; Boden scallop points; Boden necklace

We’re off out with my sister and brother-in-law tonight to celebrate my sister’s birthday. I think I might dress down in jeans but wear these shoes that I bought earlier in the week – is it bad that my first piece of Christmas shopping is for myself?

party shoes for women over 40

Boden shoes

Have great week everyone and keep in touch.

Disclosure: the Claudia Bradby necklace and RachelWears knitwear were pieces that were gifted last year. All other items have been chosen and paid for personally.