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SAA OLD SPICE

@saa.old.spice

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🐆 Leopard print lover growing in confidence
💛 SEN mum • Style lover • Advocate
📍Wear the outfit. Take up the space
🥰 Chunky but Funky! Retro not old!

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Let me introduce myself….

I’m Hayley. I’m 50.
And I’ve spent most of my life trying to fit in… or rather quietly disappearing into the background. I became a mum to Harrison in my late 20s and loved every minute
It was all I ever wanted to be

A few years in I found myself a single mum

and quickly learned my SEN mum journey was just beginning
with no roadmap, no manual and no real support, especially not around autism 15 years ago.

So I here I was winging it but
I coped.
I survived.
And I I loved with every part of me

Me and Harrison became our own little team.

I worked full time, kept a home and held everything together.
Mostly alone.
(But with a whole lot of love and support from my mum and dad who are still to this day my rocks)
Then life gave me a second chance.
I met Nick ❤️

Who quickly became part of our lives

And two years later we went on to have Carter.

Two weeks early by emergency c section

He was most definitely a mummy’s boy from the start and once again I was in my element

Carter is now 11, Autistic and ADHD.

he has taught me a whole new level of patience, perspective, and a depth of love I didn’t know existed

In 2024, I started working at SAA.
And something shifted.

I took off a mask I’d been wearing for years.
The one that kept me small.
The one that made me fit into boxes I hated.
The one that dressed “safe,” spoke quietly, and stayed in the background.

Slowly, something changed.
I met people who showed me that being your authentic self isn’t just okay…
it’s powerful.

So I opened the door to me.

For the first time in 50 years, I feel comfortable in my own skin.
I wear what I love. I take risks.
I speak my truth.
I show up loudly, honestly and colourfully.

And I’ve realised something beautiful:
I’m valued.
I’m funny.
I matter.
I belong.

This is the beginning of me in this tiny world of tiles.
But I’m here to be more me than I’ve ever been.

No blending in. No shrinking back.
And no masks (well maybe a few)

Just Hayley.
Fully present.
Fully real.
Fully in colour! #boymum #autismacceptance #50andfabulous #thisisme #masking by @saa.old.spice

A little November hello from my girl Dotty! 🐆💗

She’s loud, a little chaotic, loves leopard print obviously and has absolutely no intention of blending in.

Basically… she’s one of us. 🤣

Too much? NEVER enough! 💕 by @saa.old.spice

I asked ChatGPT to roast me. I wasn’t expecting a full character assassination, an identity crisis and what felt suspiciously like a psychological assessment. Anyway, apparently I’m exhausting. 😂😂😂😂 by @saa.old.spice

Yesterday I just threw on the basics and although there was nothing wrong with what I was wearing, I just didn’t feel me in it.

Today I’ve chucked on a bit of red, some leopard print and a few things that make me smile.

No less comfortable.
No more dressy.
No more practical.
Yet SO much more me! 🤣

It’s not about making more effort or dressing up every day. I just know what I like, and sometimes the basics just don’t hit the same.

Anyone else know exactly what I mean? 😂 by @saa.old.spice

Turns out, you can wear leopard print and STILL feel like a bloody clone. 🤪

Today, I threw on leggings and an oversized hoodie to do the food shop. It was cold, windy and absolutely not the weather for faffing about with an outfit.

I looked in the mirror and thought, yeah, that looks alright. I can get away with that. Plus I bloody love this hoodie 🥰

But something just felt… off.

I looked like everyone else. I felt like everyone else. And It just wasn’t ME. I think that’s what surprised me most.

Because even though I was wearing leopard print, I felt more out of my comfort zone than I do wearing the colours, clashing prints and outfits I used to think were too much.

It’s funny how things change, isn’t it?

I used to dress to blend in. To not draw attention to myself. To feel safe. Now, I feel more comfortable standing out than I do blending in. 🤷🏼‍♀️

And no, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with leggings and a hoodie. This isn’t about what anyone else wears. Don’t get me wrong, I can still do comfy and cute 🤪. But today, even though I looked alright, I just didn’t feel the vibe. It didn’t feel like ME.

Because looking alright and feeling like yourself aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Maybe finding your style isn’t just about discovering what you love wearing. Maybe it’s also about realising what no longer feels like you.

Anyone else ever put an outfit on and feel like you’re wearing somebody else’s personality? 🤣 by @saa.old.spice

How many of us have wardrobes bursting at the seams but still stand there every morning thinking we’ve got absolutely NOTHING to wear? 🤦‍♀️ 🙋🏼‍♀️

Before you head off shopping for yet another top you probably don’t need, try shopping your OWN wardrobe.

Pull out things you wouldn’t normally wear together. Try colours you think clash. Mix your patterns. Pair that dress with trainers, that casual sporty top with flashy trousers, throw a leopard print over something unexpected, or try that combination you’ve always thought was a bit too much.

Sometimes the problem isn’t that we haven’t got enough clothes. It’s that we’re stuck wearing them the same old way.

I’ve definitely been guilty of playing it safe over the years. Black, navy, leggings, oversized baggy tops… rinse and repeat.

Now though, I’m much more likely to think, ooo why the hell not? 🤣

Will every outfit work? Probably not. Do I occasionally look in the mirror and wonder what on earth I’ve done? Hell yeah 😂

But that’s half the fun of fashion, isn’t it?

We’re in our 40s and 50s. We don’t need permission to experiment, wear colour, clash prints or dress in a way that makes us feel bloody brilliant.

What if it doesn’t work? Well just take it off and try something else. It’s not that deep. 🤣🐆 by @saa.old.spice

Buying birthday presents for a nearly 12yo who gives you absolutely NO CLUES is a whole different level of stress. 😩

So, Carter’s birthday was on Tuesday, and here’s what I was dealing with…

We bought him a mobile phone for secondary school. He hadn’t even asked for one and they have to lock them away in a pouch all day. But peer pressure is 💩

The fact he hadn’t asked for one, combined with feeling like he needed more to open, meant I PANICKED BIG TIME! Some bits I’d ordered online hadn’t arrived by Monday, so off I went to find something. ANYTHING. 🫣

Panic-bought pyjamas he’s probably never going to wear because apparently being naked at 12 is a whole vibe. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣

Then a man bag and wallet to keep his phone in… IF WE EVER DECIDE TO LEAVE THE HOUSE. 🤣🤷🏼‍♀️

He’s always loved dinosaurs, but owns approximately every dinosaur ever discovered. He doesn’t play with them anymore, but obviously we’re definitely not getting rid of them, so I didn’t want to add to that kingdom. 🦕🦖

Sport? Hell no.
Going out? Not if he can help it.
Ask him what he wants? “Dunno.”

Arghhhhhhh……

Honestly, trying to find presents for a child who’s perfectly happy in his own little world is HARD.

You just want to buy them something that makes their face light up, but when they don’t give you a single clue, you’re basically throwing money at random objects and hoping for the best.

Thankfully, he absolutely LOVED his phone. PHEW. 🙌🏼

So the birthday-present gods came through in the end. The pyjamas? Well, that’s another story. 🫣🤣

Fellow SEN parents, please tell me I’m not alone in finding this so bloody difficult?! by @saa.old.spice

🙌🏼 I’m Her…! 🙌🏼 by @saa.old.spice

I’ve not posted in bloody ages so naturally I’m easing myself back in with a Primark haul. 🤪 🛍️

The cold weather is creeping in and apparently my solution is to buy more tops because clearly I don’t own enough already. Well not many with longer sleeves - that’s my excuse🤣

Here’s a few recent purchases that I’m loving. Easy to throw on, easy to layer and just enough colour to stop me disappearing into the usual autumn sea of multiple shades of black!

Yes, I know it’s only October but I’m already planning my outfits around how bloody cold I’m going to be, because this morning I actually wore socks and I hate socks!!!!

Anyway, here’s what I bought.

Which one’s your favourite? 👀 by @saa.old.spice

Coming away from ChatGPT doing me dirty… 🤣

I thought I’d try something completely different to redeem “himself” and ask “him” to give me a mascot based on my personality.

To be honest I think he’s nailed it. 😂

Apparently it’s a leopard. No 💩 Sherlock. 🤣

A leopard with attitude, oversized sunglasses, a pink cowboy boot and absolutely ZERO interest in blending into the background. I can’t even argue with it. 😂

The colour.
The leopard print.
The slight hint of chaos.
The “I’ll wear what I bloody well like” energy…

Yep. That’s me. 🤪

So apparently my mascot’s name is Dotty.
I’m not entirely convinced about the name, but the tagline…

“Too much? Never enough.”

Now THAT I’ll take. 😂🫶🏼

So, meet Dotty…
my new spirit animal. 🐆💗 by @saa.old.spice

When ChatGPT does you dirty! 🤣

So I followed the trending prompts and basically asked “him” to show me what I’d look like at 70, keeping all my features realistic…

Now I’m either going to age VERY slowly, or I already look 70 because I can’t see a significant difference! 🫣🤪🤣

Be honest, can you?! 😂 by @saa.old.spice

Girls, you spoke and I acted… 😂

Remember that ochre jumper with the square shoulders that was too big, (so I had to tuck the band under) but I absolutely LOVED it… and apparently, so did you lot?!

Well, I tried to click & collect it and it was SOLD OUT. 😭

BUT… today I shot back in and found it in a medium. WAHOOOO! 🙌🏼

Bit then… when I got to the till, it was only £7 instead of £16.

Well, that would’ve been rude to leave it behind, wouldn’t it?! 😂

So basically… I got the jumper I wanted, in the right size, AND saved £9.

Honestly, I’d like to thank you all for your support during this difficult time. 😂👏🏼
The people spoke. I listened. And quite frankly… I absolutely smashed it. 🤣💁🏼‍♀️ However I’m now wondering if the bigger one tucked looks better FML 🤦🏼‍♀️ by @saa.old.spice