Random thoughts by a random Mama

My close friends can testify that I have a brain that never seems to stop.  {It's exhausting.}  In recent weeks, I've been ruminating on the state of body image in this country and the world.  This happened, I think, for a couple of reason.  First, there are the seemingly endless posts on Facebook about this diet or that weight loss regime . . . all in the name of becoming smaller. 

Then there is the fact that somehow along the way I realized I'm raising a stunningly gorgeous daughter who, if trends continue, is going to be a curvy Ugandan woman way too soon.

But perhaps most importantly is the fact that in the last three years I've gone from an easy size four {don't hate} to a tight 8/10.  I think about this fact while I'm running on the treadmill, facing a magazine rack full of images from US Magazine, Women's Health, Vogue, Glamour, People, and all of the rest of them.  ALL of them {even the purported health magazines} featuring women who are size zero, or air brushed to be so.  Here's a scary fact:  "According to a study from the University of  Central Florida, nearly 50% of girls aged three to six were already concerned about their weight." 

Three to six year olds???  Ugh.  Our society's focus . . . OUR focus . . . on our bodies -- rather than on HEALTH -- is frightening.  Indeed, here in my "new" body size, I find myself healthier than I've been in decades.  I run five days a week . . . I even lift weights now.  And yet the scale says something new and something I don't really like, if I'm honest.  {Random thoughts on honesty, below}

I recently read an article about these very issues.  The article speaks to the fact that our children don't know we are {overweight} {too short} {to tall} {too thin} {too whatever} until we tell them.  WE are teaching our children about the societal obsession with body image and WE can go a long way to stopping it.  My favorite quote from the article was this: 

"Let us honor and respect our bodies for what they do instead of despising them for how they appear.  Focus on living healthy and active lives, let our weight fall where it may, and consign our body hatred in the past where it belongs.  When I looked at that photo of you in the white bathing suit all those years ago, my innocent young eyes saw the truth.  I saw unconditional love, beauty, and wisdom.  I saw my Mom." 

You can read the entire article here.

Let's challenge ourselves, friends and family to raise a generation of children (girls and boys who will marry our girls) who believe their moms are beautiful and who also know that whatever body God gave them, they are gorgeous inside and out.  Nothing short of a huge challenge to me . . .

In other news, I'm also weary of the "make yourself appear perfect for the public" thing that permeates social media.  For.the.love.  NONE of us are perfect, least of all me.  I have some seriously gorgeous children {who I did not create} but we have some life-sized issues in our home that are embarrassing, or worse.  I'll give you one {embarrassing} example of how God is workin' me over:

I don't always know how to handle my rambunctious, over-exuberant, crazy son Seth.  The result of that can be yelling.  Lots and lots of yelling.  By me.  OF COURSE I don't want to be a yeller.  I despise yelling.  We're working on it.  {Read:  I am working on it with God}  But lest you get the idea that my filtered images on this blog or Instagram or {if I ever return to} Facebook are real life over here, they aren't.  We have the hard.  The really hard.  And much of it begins with ME.

And that's my over-thinking brain today.

My lovies





Heard Around Our 'Hood -- Zechariah Edition

Last night, I arrived home and started to cook dinner.

I had just done the week's grocery shopping and we didn't have much time before Seth's swimming lesson.  Zechariah and Leah joined me at the kitchen counter. 

 

Zechariah said, "Mom, maybe when Leah grows up, she can be a mommy.  And cook."

 

Haha.  Is that all mommys do, Zechariah?

 

"No, they go to work to make money to buy food, too."

 

Oh, okay.  Good to know my job.  {smirk}

 

A few hours later, while Seth was swimming, Leah asked Zechariah whether he wanted to be a mommy or a daddy when he grows up.

 

{Told ya I do both jobs.  HA.}

 

I *think* he chose daddy.  Not sure.

He also announced that he wants to be a baseball, football and soccer player.

Here's hopin'!

Brothers

I think it would be impossible for me to say too many times how much these boys love each other.  Yes, Zechariah occasionally gets tired of Seth.  Who wouldn't?  But for the most part, their relationship looks more like this:

 



The Cliff

I might have told Seth yesterday that if he didn't stop his {insert annoying behavior here}, I was going to jump off a cliff.

Strategic error on my part.

Since that time, 24 hours ago, we have repeatedly discussed what cliff, how I would get there, how long it would take, why I would do that, what would happen when I did, who they would stay with, the geologic formation of cliffs, . . .  need I go on?

The good news is that I've learned that if I jump off a cliff, they would cry.

The bad news?  All.the.rest.

Lesson learned.

The pool

The water was at least ten degrees warmer than the week before.

Maybe more.

Good thing since this was my first visit to the pool with three children.... alone.

Having the extra hands of another "grown up" is helpful.

Almost necessary.

And yet, we had a ball taking turns and learning patience and being brave and showing off.

We played games with Mommy's hands full of her three babies, arms clinging around each other in a tight circle.  Oh how I wish I had that picture.

Leah is the best technical swimmer.  She can float front and back with ease.  She pushes that big butt of hers right up to the sky and stretches her arms long.  Her coordination needs some work, but she's doing great.

Seth is.... well.... a giant, so he can touch the bottom in the areas where we swim.  That means, I worry least about him.  He also spends most of his time on the bottom of the pool, undoubtedly enjoying the sensation of the water over all of him.  His "real" top of the water swimming is disjointed and looks like you might think:  Like he can't see what swimming looks like.  Because he can't.

Then there is Zechariah.  Mr. competitive.  And determined.  His body is by far the most rigid as he struggles to get used to being in water over his head.  (This IS new)  And yet, he can stay on top of the water, appropriately move his arms, and kick his legs like a wild man.  He's hilarious to watch.  We spent time yesterday working on REACHING his arms out in long, slow motion, they otherwise being prone to be tight, bent, and toooo fast.  Such a strong, brave little man.

And three hours later, there was this.

Sometimes, that's the best you can do.

Immensely blessed.

Dreams Really Do Come True



Lake Boat.... River Boat.... FUN!

Some last shots from an exhausting long weekend!

 

An Unexpected Day OFF!

I didn't know until Wednesday that in addition to Thursday (the 4th) I also had Friday the fifth off from work.

Woot!!

The kids and I packed it full with train ride downtown, a long walk to Millennium Park where we saw the Bean and played in the fountains, ate lunch, and then headed off to Navy Pier.

From there, we took a boat ride on Lake Michigan and returned to catch a Water Taxi back to Union Station, cuz our legs just weren't havin' all that any more!

What a great {and exhausting} day!!