Simply Comfortable Mom on the Street: Tara Pfeifer
Whether she’s training for a half marathon or working as a school counselor, Simply Comfortable Mom on the Street Tara Pfeifer embraces life in her present season with exuberance and style.
Meet Tara
Tara is full of a contagious energy that draws people in, creating space in a life that seems to overflow. Living with her husband, Kyle, and daughter Brynlie (11 months) in Norfolk, VA, she leans hard into nurturing her family, counseling students, building friendships, and planning adventures that celebrate the simple joys of being alive. An avid athlete through high school and college she now focuses her fitness on running and is somehow even able to use hard training days for fostering relationships and cultivating gratitude.
Simply Comfortable Style
Which three words best describe your style? Easy, Comfortable, Simple!!!
What are your favorite places to shop? I love shopping at TJ Maxx, Old Navy, JCREW Outlet/Mercantile, Loft, and Target.
Who’s your favorite style icon? Anyone and everyone that shows up on Pinterest boards.
What’s your best style advice? “Don’t try too hard!” A few years ago, I did a “fast” where I only wore 7 articles of clothing the entire month. So I, essentially wore the same outfit every other day. On the last day of the month, I received a compliment on my outfit and this was the same outfit I had worn every other day to the same place! When I told the truth to the person who gave me the compliment, she was shocked.
What article of clothing/accessory would you not want to live without? My apple watch. I feel naked without my watch on my wrist. I use it to check messages, check my activity level, time my runs, oh and check the time…:)
Which trend would you want to see make a comeback? Birkenstocks clogs! I started wearing them last fall when my feet were swollen from being pregnant and could not really fit in anything else. The clogs were so comfortable. I would love for them to make a comeback.
What should NEVER make a comeback? Bell-bottom jeans.
What fashion/style did you love at the time, but now cringe when you see old photos? I cringe at my middle school Etnies Days. I was a wanna-be skater girl and it was very popular/trendy at the time. Now, I definitely cringe when I see myself in photos with my hot pink Etnies with big shoelaces from Hot Topic….
What’s your best style secret? Keep it comfortable and simple – for me, I am bound to get a stain on anything I wear anyway so I can’t be too worried about it.
Stilettos or flats? Flats, for SURE.
Family Togetherness
What’s your favorite way to spend time with your family?
One of our favorite things to do as a family is run. My husband and I have always been big runners – it was actually something we did together to help us stay connected through dating long distance for 4 years. We sign up for races and we train for them.
Now that we have Brynlie, it has been so much fun including her on our runs as we train. I run with her every day as part of our morning routine. She loves getting strapped into the BOB running stroller (that we found for free, thank you Next Door App) and exploring Norfolk! The time on my run is an opportunity for me to get exercise but it also helps me clear my mental space and enjoy being outside.
I want to add, pregnancy & postpartum life definitely impacted my running experience. At 10 weeks pregnant, I ran a half marathon and it felt really fun and easy. But, at 14 weeks pregnant, I fell on a run. and I was really scared that it could happen again. So, I stopped running and decided to just walk every morning instead. At my 6 week postpartum appointment, I was so ready to get back into running that when my midwife cleared me for exercise, as soon as we got home from our appointment, I put my tennis shoes on and we went for a 2 mile run with Brynlie in tow. It felt amazing (and very slow). But I was so grateful to get back into running.
Simple Comfortable Parenting
Best parenting advice: My best advice would be DO NOT COMPARE. A very wise friend once told me “comparison is the thief of joy” and that truth has been very real in my experience of parenthood thus far. I never want to compare myself to anyone else’s family because every situation is different. Something that works for one family, might not work for my family and that is okay.
Parenting true confession: True confession, I was so sure I wanted to be a full-time working Mom, but then I changed my mind. I was a Full-Time School Counselor and I was devastated to leave my job in the hands of substitute during maternity leave. So I planned out every lesson and created a 60 page packet so my sub know everything to do. I was so nervous that she was going to mess something up. But when I had Brynlie, my perspective shifted. Through a lot of prayer we came to a place where I could be a part-time School Counselor during the following school year and this schedule feels remarkably right for this season.
Simple Comfortable Family
What’s been your best family vacation? Our best family vacation as a family of three so far has definitely been to Disney World. We traveled to Orlando in June, 2019 and we spent 1 full day at Magic Kingdom. My husband and I are huge fans of Disney World and have actually run three full marathons there and are training for the Disney World Half Marathon in January 2020. But on this last trip, we were just excited to introduce our daughter to one of our favorite places. We also really enjoyed exploring Disney Springs, City Walk, and relaxing at the resort by the pool.
What’s your go-to family dinner? Our go-to family dinner is definitely grilled chicken, grilled veggies, and rice. It is easy to cook and yummy to eat. Also, I am very thankful for a husband who loves to cook and use the grill.
What’s your favorite family restaurant? Our favorite restaurant is Chick-fil-A. We probably go to Chick-fil-A at least once a week! There are a variety of options, it’s kid-friendly and Brynlie really seems to enjoy being there! 🙂
Simply Comfortable Life
What’s your favorite show to binge-watch? Definitely Friends. It is just the best, enough said.
If you could pick anyone to star as you in a movie based on your life, who would it be? Jennifer Aniston, for sure.
What’s your favorite beach-read? I am a sucker for the cheesy, romance novels! They are just so hard to put down.
What’s the best song to dance to when nobody’s watching? “I Want to Dance with Somebody” (Ben Rector’s version!!) 🙂
If you could go shopping with anyone from history, living or deceased, who would it be? Probably my mom. My mom loves going shopping and we always have so much fun together when we are shopping for clothes.
What’s at the top of your travel bucket list? I would to visit Italy, Greece, and Croatia. Two years ago, I went to London for a day, and it was not enough time. I would love to go back and explore London some more…
What’s your favorite way to unwind at the end of a long day? I absolutely love sitting on the couch with my husband, drinking a glass of wine, eating chocolate covered strawberries and watching one of my favorite shows (Friends, Great British Baking Show, or The Bachelor).
Your Simply Comfortable Style
Tara embraces ordinary goodness every single day. We love her no-fuss style and the simple beauty that radiates from living a life that she loves. Keep running hard and loving your people, Tara!
And for more fun and stylish moms, be sure to check out FamilyApp’s Mom on the Street Channel!
