the mom dress - perfect for back to school

Mom friends - can you even believe it's once again time to send the kids back to school?!

It's been a whirlwind of a summer from listing our fifth house for sale, to packing and moving into our sixth house. We're still partially living out of boxes, and I've yet to order, let alone send out change of address cards. So I'm hardly ready for the busy-ness that comes with a school schedule, but come Monday morning I'm going to have to be ready.

For me the hardest part of a new school year is getting back into our early morning routine. Being that I work from home there's no need to get myself "work ready" but I've found that living in yoga pants is no good for my productivity. I made a deal with myself a few years ago that I'd only wear workout clothes to school drop off on days when I'm actually planning to work out (or planning a major diy project). That has not only made me commit to my exercise routine, but has also forced me to get my morning outfit act together. And by getting myself ready before school drop off I have more hours in my day to devote to getting things done.

While I've always been a jeans girl, I've found that the "mom dress" has become my personal favorite early morning rig. What is a "mom dress" you ask? It's an easy to wear, goes with everything, machine washable, doesn't need to be ironed, doesn't cost a million dollars, and feels like you're wearing pajamas dress. For me - it's the perfect early morning dress and it typically fools people into thinking you've got it all together. When the reality is your hair was supposed to get washed two days ago. But no one notices the dirty hair because you're wearing a dress. It's kind of a magic trick friends.

midi dress (in black & grey), neutral loafer , watch (also love this one!), tote (similar & super cute!)

As a girl that's never been a morning person, what I love most about a mom dress is that there's no outfit coordinating involved. Just put on the dress, throw on some shoes, grab your watch and tote and you're set. I mean, if you want to get all dolled up you could totally add a necklace or scarf, but it's not really necessary.

I'm all about making my morning routine simple and chaos free. That's the plan at least. What is your favorite early morning mom outfit? And for the working moms that have to get office ready, I'd love for you to share tips on how you make your morning "get yourself ready" routine less stressful. I think every mom struggles to get themselves and their kids ready and out the door on time. It's nice to know we're not alone in the trenches.

*Thanks to Daniel Wellington for sponsoring this post. They have the most stylish, yet affordable watches, and they're offering Our Fifth House readers 15% off with promo code OURFIFTHHOUSE until August 30th! Moms deserve back to school goodies too! ;)

Here's a little collection of great "mom dresses" and most are under $40!