Tag Archives: babies

Chick Chat: Let’s Catch Up!

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Hey friends! 2016 has been a whirlwind and we’ve been busy, busy, busy! Seriously – how is it the end of September already? We wanted to take this opportunity to catch up with you guys – let you know what we’ve been up to and hopefully you’ll share a bit with us too.

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It’s been one big long year of change for me. As many of you know, my father passed away in February after a 10 month battle with leukemia, my office moved and job responsibilities shifted (again.) But earlier this month, our biggest change arrived- all 8 lbs. 1 oz. of him.

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On Sept. 7, my husband and I met the light of our lives, our son Joseph Luis. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of nursing, round the clock schedules and everything baby. We’re happily exhausted and feeling a bit more confident each day. I’m on maternity leave through the end of the year, and once cleared by the doctor, I’ll be easing my way back into a fitness regimen. Stay tuned as I explore this incredible new chapter in life.

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Life snapshot: Work, wedding planning, exercising, hosting football parties, choir, dogsitting all the time, playing with my cat, trying to eat healthy, sleeping… maybe. Basically, right now I feel like Leslie Knope, trying to do all the things at once and still have everyone like me at the end of the day. What my life requires at this moment is lists, boundaries, compartmentalization and coffee. Lots of coffee.

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Exercising and eating healthy (and sleep, I guess) help keep me feeling physically good and give me the energy to put in to all of my other endeavors. Wedding planning is going well, but I’m always looking for more ideas and ways to create a budget friendly celebration. I’ve had to step back from a few commitments in the last month or so because I realized that they 1. were causing me too much undue stress, and 2. were making things I loved way less fun.

Don’t keep that kind of negativity in your life, friends. Just don’t.

Setting boundaries and protecting your heart and happiness is easy to say and hard to do, but super important and something I’m working on getting better at. That’s the underlying focus of all the things I’ve got going on in life at the moment!

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My life has been dominated by one big thing, looking for a new home. There have been some changes in our neighborhood recently, so we’re cashing out our equity and downsizing to something that gives us more freedom to live. We want to work to live, not live to work just to pay for our stuff that we don’t use anyway. Since I don’t have children, the options are wide open. We’re even talking about buying a 5th wheel and living out of that while we sock away a few years of income. Just about everything is on the table!

Maybe this will be my backyard!

Maybe this will be my backyard!

After reading “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-up“, I’m on a mission to purge. You should totally read it too because it was life-changing. After reading it, I have the tools I need to par down my possessions and my life so I can focus on family, fitness, writing, and finishing my novel. Only good things are ahead!

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While Jenn has been busy considering a new home, my family and I are on the other side of… things? The fence? The grass? Is there a saying here that I’m forgetting?

Anyway, we’ve been finding our new routine in our new home. The summer felt like one big pool party (possibly because we have a pool in our yard now). Now my kids are getting their new school routines down while I figure out the best days to do laundry, go food shopping, volunteer, etc. I’m a type A to the extreme so I thrive with plans, lists (fist bump, Kyle!), and other things that make me feel like I’m in charge of it all.

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Training for a couple of upcoming 10ks and the Philly half marathon is going well. I’m injury free, thank goodness, and planning on staying that way. Really focusing on spending time with my family and trying to enjoy the moments that are going so fast and ignore the fact that my 11 year old is going to be taller than me very soon. Looking forward to all that fall has offer: crisp air, snuggly attitudes, and cute Target decorations!

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 Now that grad school is over and done with, I have effectively learned how to say no to additional responsibilities and freed up all kinds of time to do whatever I like…said no Cam ever.  Yeah, all that time I freed up graduating has now been officially assigned to work and soccer.  I have a 3/4 combination class, a new principal, and new math AND reading curriculum to learn.  My days are literally packed with preparing for the next lessons.  A combo class has forced me to plan and organize EVERYTHING or else I have 30 kids staring at me while I lose my shit.

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I’ve also sold my sole (ha ha, get it?) to soccer.  My guy is coaching so I’m splitting my time between playing Ms. Coach and carting my daughter to her practices, which are on the same nights at a park on the complete opposite side of town.  All this mommy stuff is putting the brakes on my fitness goals, though I did just finish a 6 week transform class where I lost 6% of my body weight and lots of inches.  So that was nice.  With Hawaii Ragnar just around the corner, there’s no time to slack off.  Looks like I’ll be hitting the field with the kids!
So, what’s the haps with you? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!

We’ll Make the Best of What’s Around

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Hey friends!

We’ve been doing a lot of celebrating here at Scoot a Doot lately and with good reason. Good things have been happening in our lives and there’s really nothing better than seeing your friends do well and succeed.

A few weeks ago we were all excited to hear the news that Kyle got engaged to her boyfriend (now fiance), Clay!

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At a Dave Matthews Band concert, no less!

We Chicks don’t get to see each other very often in person which is most unfortunate but three of us were actually able to get together this past weekend. Kyle lives in Virginia and I’m in NJ. Victoria’s local (to us) baby shower was her hometown of Lancaster, PA! Score!

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Celebrating with Kyle right after her big news and already in the midst of planning a wedding was awesome!

Then there is Victoria, who is expecting her little one! Guys, she is the most glowing pregnant lady ever.

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Thankfully she loves me and my hands because while I logically know the need for personal space, she was very gracious about letting me and our bestie, Kelly, lay our hands on her baby bump. A lot. Like, over and over and over.

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It was so good to be together with a portion of my tribe. The weekend was just what I needed: filled with love and laughter and cake! (And wine for those of us without child.)

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Twenty-five years of friendship equals many graduations, birthdays, a wedding shower, and now a much anticipated baby shower. It was truly so heartwarming to see all the beautiful and thoughtful gifts she received. The love that was felt in the room was strong.

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There are so many happy good things going on with us all right now and I’m loving every minute of it. Our distance can keep us apart a good majority of the year, when we are together it’s just as lovely as the last.

Tell me about the good stuff going on in your life right now! I’d love to hear it and celebrate your successes and triumphs with you.

Shiny (er, Sweaty), Happy, Person Running

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If you have young kids, then you know that the only thing they’re really consistent about is being inconsistent. My happy little dude, who has always been fine with our babysitter, and really, never met a stranger he didn’t like, is currently going through some terrible separation anxiety. He cries when my husband leaves for work, he wails when we drop the girls off at school. He sobs when I leave- even if he’s with his dad, or our sitter who’s been with us since before he was born. We’ve been sitting together in the crying room at church and the gym hasn’t been an option- as soon as we walk in the doors of a nursery, he shakes his head and says, “Nope.”

I know this will pass, and typically, I’m pretty patient and let the baby lead on these things, but- (of course there’s a “but”) I need to exercise. I was excited to finally start running again, and had fallen into a decent schedule of treadmill walk/running and cycling on a stationary bike when the nursery meltdowns began.

A week passed without any workouts and September 1st arrived- the beginning of our #journey2amillion. I knew I had to do something, so I dusted off the jogging stroller and my garmin, grabbed a hat and some pepper spray, and off we went. I ran and walked just over 3.5 miles that day, the most I had done since the Nike half. A day passed and I went out again. I continued the next week, running every other day. I switched up my intervals quickly and I don’t want to bore you with all the numbers, but I started out running 15 minutes at a time, and yesterday, I ran a full 30 minutes without stopping to walk.

Slightly happier to be in a stroller vs. gym nursery. He'd probably most like to run alongside me!

Slightly happier to be in a stroller vs. gym nursery. He’d probably most like to run alongside me!

I am so crazy happy to be running again. My legs feel lighter. My mind feels lighter. And the best part is, I’m running for a cause this month- for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Most of you probably already know that we’re logging miles (and wearing yellow) all month to raise awareness for childhood cancer.

#onwednesdayswewearyellow On Wednesdays, I also make a lot of jokes about dressing like Brenda Walsh.

#onwednesdayswewearyellow On Wednesdays, I also make a lot of jokes about dressing like Brenda Walsh.

We’re doing good, and feeling good, and I’m feeling even better because not all of my miles are coming from walking or cycling. High fives all around!

I’ve also been taking yoga classes again. Do you have a regular yoga studio? I like to switch it up based on my needs. My Saturday morning class works because it’s an early morning power hour, so I don’t feel like I’m missing most of the morning. There’s an evening class at a different studio that I love for relaxation. And finally, a new hot yoga place opened in my city! This is a BIG DEAL because all of the other hot studios are at least 40 minutes away. They have classes later in the evening, which is perfect for me because I can get the kids into bed before I “Om.”

So, hooray for recovering from injuries! I’m grateful for consistent exercise, even if I’m surrounded by chaos.

The 90s are back. Whose closet would you raid- Brenda, Kelly, or Donna (Martin graduates)? How far do you drive for yoga? Check out our page for Alex’s Million Mile! There’s still time to join our team, or donate: http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1117658

Mother’s Day Gifts for the Mother Runner

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I love a good gift list. How else will I know what to buy unless someone on the internet tells me so? I kid, I kid. But I do love a gift list and I love Mother’s Day because it’s an opportunity for me to sleep in and demand brunch and get a pedicure- it’s pretty much the only day I can be somewhat selfish. (I say “somewhat” because I usually end up doing at least one load of laundry. Laundry is my life.) It’s a day for family, because I love my kids and husband the most, and without them, I wouldn’t be a mom. It’s a day when I give extra love to my mom and my mother-in-law, both of whom are wonderful moms and friends (and live close enough to babysit their grandchildren). It’s a day when I feel grateful for my mommy friends, for all the advice and support and laughs they’ve given to me on this crazy journey called motherhood.

Moms! My mil, my mom and me at a football game last fall.

Moms! My mil, my mom and me at a football game last fall.

I’m lucky to have some mommy friends who are also runners- both near and far. My first mommy friend is also my best running buddy and it’s only been two weeks since our last long run together, but if I have to be in the boot for a long time, I’m considering pulling a chair up to her treadmill so we can chat while she runs.

Sara and I with our little babes. And Santa. (this is the earliest pic I have of us moms with the girls.)

Sara and I with our little babes. And Santa. (this is the earliest pic I have of us with the girls.)

This gift list is for the mother runners and the runners and the moms who like to wear running clothes to do school drop off in the morning. I actually have some of this stuff already- I love love love it all. (those socks! I went to buy them last fall and they were sold out. So glad Pro Compression brought them back.)

Mother Runner Mother's Day

And this list is for my husband, who always reads my posts. (And you can’t be that surprised by the faux birks. I’m already sporting overalls. All I need is for Chick Jess to make the perfect 90s playlist.)

Mother's Day- Spring and Summer Fun

Happy Monday, my friends! And an early Happy Mother’s Day wish to all the moms, mommies-to-be, and mothers-at-heart.

Tell me how awesome your mom or mother-in-law is. Or how wonderful you are, mama. (Because you are! And really pretty too.)

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: A (mostly) Wordless Wednesday

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The Good-

I ran DC with Kyle, whom I hadn’t met in person before last weekend. We internet-knew one another, and she’s a running buddy of my Chicks, so I knew it would be a love-fest. We were both struggling with injured feet, so we took it easy and had great conversation. Best first date I’ve been on in years AND it ended with a blue box. (and later, a Bacon Bloody Mary. I mean, does it get any better?)

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The Bad-

Yesterday, I visited my podiatrist and got The Boot-

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I’m booted from any lower body exercise for an unknown number of weeks. I have an MRI today and once I meet with my doctor again, I’ll get the official word. It’s most likely a stress fracture, but I haven’t really had the chance to think about the implications of it yet (or cry. But I’m sure that’s coming.).

The Ugly-

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Sick baby. My poor guy has had a fever since Monday and he’s pretty miserable.

I prefer to focus on the positive, so tell me something good that’s happening in your life. Little Dude still has enough energy to play peek-a-boo with the Elmo Calls app and it’s SO adorable.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things…

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Girls in Oiselle tanks and white satin sashes,
Taffy that sticks to my teeth, not eyelashes (because that would be weird),
Frigid cold air that does not feel like Spring,
These are a few of my favorite things!

(Okay, not the weather. Florida native here. I had a minor freakout last Sunday morning when Mer told me it was 28 degrees on the boardwalk in Atlantic City.)

It was a wonderful weekend of running and even more laughter, and now I’m home to my most favorite people and a mountain of laundry to fold. (Not a favorite, if you are taking notes.)

Since the AC half was already covered by Mer and Vic, I only want to tell you a tiny bit about my experience, and also share some other things I’m loving right this second:

First, the AC half. I know you are Meridith’s, but if she were willing to share you, we could be sister-wives. (Did I just imply that Mer is married to a race? I guess I did. I’m really tired, you guys.) I only ran once last week because of my shin pain, so I think rest, plus KT Tape, plus the oh-so-forgiving boardwalk helped me achieve a pretty sweet time for this race- I finished in 2 hours, 7 seconds, which is 11 minutes faster than my Princess 2014 time. (Still not a PR for me, blah blah blah. I get so tired of saying that. I get so tired of thinking it. But we runners love to focus on the numbers. Anyway, now that I’m thatclose to a sub-2, I am more than confident that a personal best will happen this fall.) Of course, if I hadn’t been texting my friends while running, I probably could’ve shaved off 8 seconds- but, no regrets.

The best part of this race was seeing our dear friend Anne finish her first half-marathon. The thing about a half-marathon, and running in general, really, is that no one can help you do it. You have to put in the time. You have to do the work. But when you finish? The accomplishment is all yours. Seeing a friend triumph like this is so powerful; for me, it feels as good as it does when I achieve my own goals. I’m lucky to have been there when a few friends crossed that half-marathon finish line for the first time, and the emotional impact hasn’t diminished. I guess I’m a marshmallow. Congrats, Anne!

While in NJ, we went to Target. As one does. Vic and I found these super cheap hoodies on clearance in the men’s section. This kept me so warm, post-race. Bonus- we were matchies.

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I love makeup. A lot. My favorite fun thing right now is this blue mascara from Butter London. I think there are a few other colors- I know there is purple and I’m definitely planning to buy that one. With this, I do a neutral face, and then coat my lashes in blue. It’s very noticeable in the sun and less so indoors and I just love it.

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How excited am I that OVERALLS are in style? Well, I’ll be honest. I’ve been waiting for this moment since 1999. Last Spring, I bought some short-alls because it was way too hot for long ones, but these Madewell overalls made their way into my closet recently and they are the best. More tapered than your 90s overall and I think you are supposed to wear them with cute flats or heels or booties and not birkenstocks (but those are back too, and you can’t see me right now but I’m wearing my EXCITED FACE.)

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I just finished taking another class on Conscious Discipline at my church and I cannot say enough good things about it. We’ve been working on implementing CD in our home for the past few years and it has helped all of us. Without getting too much into it, because this is a running blog, not a parenting blog, and I’m certainly not an expert- CD teaches emotional and social intelligence. You can read more here and here.

This book has finger plays, songs and games to increase your connection to your child- and their connections with each other. I’ve taught the girls a few things that they now do regularly with their brother and us, and we’ve also developed a goodbye ritual that the girls enjoy.

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One more book- The girls and I are currently reading Ramona the Brave. Last summer, we read the first two books in the series, in which Ramona is in preschool and then kindergarten, and now that my oldest will be a first grader soon, we decided to start the next book. I LOVE RAMONA. She’s so sassy and misunderstood and delightful. We still laugh about her singing the “dawnzer” song in kindergarten…you know, the dawnzer lee light.

BABIES. I’ve had more than a few friends have babies recently- three of them in the past three days! My instagram and Facebook feeds are filled with sweet, squishy newborn faces. Thank you, new mamas, for sharing your babies with me. I love seeing them!

Lastly, I love that I’m going to see my chicks in less than three weeks. DC, here we come! I hope you have enough cheese.

Talky! Do you text during races? How do I break myself of this habit? Best thing you’ve bought at Target recently? Overalls are amazing, right? What are you reading? By the way, The Sound of Music is always on my list of favorite things.

Mother Runner Giveaway Winner and Spring Break Fun

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Hey runner friends! Last week, I told you about the Mother Runner event in Orlando, and how I purchased some pretty sweet goodies for one of you. This morning, I picked a winner-

Congrats to Nicole, who won via Facebook entry! Check your email, Nicole, so I can send you your prize! Thank you to all who entered.

It’s Spring Break here in the Babbles house and our days have been packed with fun, fun, and more fun. This mother runner is very tired, but I adore having all of my babes at home with me. Here are some of the things we’re enjoying this week:

The Disney Infinity game. We all have our favorites, and Rapunzel is mine. (Shocking.)
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Movie Mornings in our pajamas. We don’t watch tv during the school week, so the opportunity to watch tv while eating breakfast is a welcome change for these littles. (Did Disney pick a good week for the Frozen dvd release or what?)

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Speaking of Frozen, of course we picked up our dvd yesterday! We stood in a pretty long line at the Disney Store, where I also bought this adorable coffee mug-

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The bowling alley and arcade, and time with their Uncle and soon-to-be Aunt. These girls love air hockey!

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These crayons. My older girl and I sat for over an hour and colored with them. The glide on the paper like an oil pastel, and then once you brush with water, you get the watercolor effect AND they sparkle brighter than Edward Cullen.

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I also love that nail polish (Deborah Lippmann She Bop) and the treadmill, because that’s the only way I’m getting to run this week. One thing we don’t love is sleeping in. The kids are all still a little off from the time change. Or they’re just early morning people like their mother.

Anyway- Happy Spring Break if you’re on one, and Happy Wednesday if you aren’t. Time to go pack lunches for today’s outing.

Any Disney Infinity players out there? Favorite Frozen character? Favorite arcade game? Favorite Spring Break activity? Talky!

Can I Place an Order for Pick-Up?

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve uttered those words, or its close relative, “Can I place an order for delivery?” It’s more than I’d like to admit, but here’s the truth: my family eats out a lot. And by a lot I mean we eat out for dinner at least three times a week. The weekends are pretty much all about eating out.

I have many excuses for why I reach for the phone more often than I reach for a spatula. They include, but are not limited to:

  • I’m lazy
  • I’m tired
  • It’s a day that ends in -y
  • I’m hungry RIGHT NOW
  • I’m not a great cook
  • Mister Jess is a pretty good cook, but he’s tired
  • We have no dishwasher and our sink is small
  • We have an oven but it sets off the smoke alarm. Every. Time.
  • We have no counter space in the kitchen
  • We barely HAVE a kitchen
  • Bug is hungry RIGHT NOW
  • That place serves breakfast all day
  • The place next to the place has donuts. Built-in dessert.
  • The fridge is full but nothing looks good
  • It’s the weekend and weekends are for eating out, duh
  • I could go on
  • But you get the point

I try to make good choices for Bug and thankfully there are many places around us that serve delicious, organic, at least semi-healthy meals. But at the same time, I have friends with kids who manage to put food that didn’t come from a container on the table every night. This leads to one of my least favorite emotions: Mommy Guilt. I have it about a lot of things fleetingly, but this is one that sticks around. I make sure he gets his fruits and veggies and good protein. Am I a terrible mom because I buy him pancakes rather than making them?

But here’s the thing: I don’t know how I can fit the life I need to live into the life I have. There are only so many hours in the day and when our days – and especially our evenings – are dictated by child-led timelines and a bedtime of 7pm (Bug’s, not ours. I wish), it’s so much easier to pick something up on the way home. It’s one less thing I need to worry about, one thing I can check off the never-ending list of To Dos.

I want to be healthy. I need the food I eat to fuel my fitness, especially once I get full-swing into my half marathon training. I just don’t know how to balance it all out. I need your help, Scoot readers!

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So, tell me: is there an easier method to all of this that I’m missing? A way to capture the ease of take-out without actually taking out? Or should I just come to terms with the fact that we are a take-out family and try to make the best food choices I can when we do order it up?

My Year in Pictures

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To say this year has been an active one for me is a bit of an understatement. My 2012 ended with a newborn baby- my third- and I began 2013 with some pretty specific fitness aspirations.

First, I wanted to fit into my jeans again. (Is that really a fitness goal? Well, I wanted to fit into my running shorts again too. That counts, right?) I wanted run a half marathon before the end of the year and I wanted to train smarter and more broadly- to begin lifting weights and try different kinds of cardio instead of just running.

I’ve done the postpartum return to fitness before, obviously, but never with this much determination. Never with specific goals (Okay, with each babe, I have wanted to fit into my pants again. But it was super easy with the first two kids and really hard work this time around. I’ve been told it’s because I’m over 30 now. Sigh.).

At first, I walked a lot. Once I got the all clear from my doctor (6 weeks post-baby), I eased back into running on the treadmill and began working out with a trainer. I also tried barre workouts, zumba and returned to my favorite hot yoga class. When summer arrived and the baby grew bored of sitting at the gym with me, I began running in the early mornings with Sara- we ran longer and faster; each of us chasing our own goals.

By fall, I had some sweet definition in my arms. My pants fit again too- it took 10 whole months- and I was ready to tackle that half-marathon. Timing is everything, and I was grateful that this year was Vic’s year to run the NYC marathon because that meant she could run with me for Wine and Dine. I could have run it alone, of course, but it made it easier to have a friend cheering me along for those 13.1 miles.

I decided to do the run streak during this holiday season because I thought it would be fun (“Isn’t this fun?” is basically my motto for all things fitness.) and I love a challenge. Some days have been awful. Just yesterday, I sent Meri the following text: “I don’t want to run. I’m so tempted to stay in my jams and drink coffee all day.” Like any good, bossy friend, she told me to just get it done. Most days have been wonderful though, and while I don’t think I could ever be an every day runner, I’m glad I ended the year with all this running.

I’m excited to see what next year holds for me. I have three races on the calendar already- the Glass Slipper challenge and the Nike Women’s half in DC, and there are a few more I really want to run.

I’ve been thinking about my goals a lot lately, but since I’m not quite ready to commit to them here, I thought I would share some of my favorite fitness photos from the past year.

My first post-baby run. My warm-up walk included a nursing session.

My first post-baby run. My warm-up walk included a nursing session.

My view from the treadmill.

My view from the treadmill.

J and I attempted a monthlong wall-sit challenge. Yeah...we didn't complete it. But I got this cute picture!

J and I attempted a monthlong wall-sit challenge. Yeah…we didn’t complete it. But I got this cute picture!

The boy was totally tired of the gym at this stage. This was my last workout with him present. (which meant the beginning of very early mornings)

The boy was totally tired of the gym at this stage. This was my last workout with him present. (which meant the beginning of very early mornings)

Sara and I after hot yoga.

Sara and I after hot yoga.

The Bob got some love during the second half of the year.

The Bob got some love during the second half of the year.

My first postpartum race- the UCF 5 miler and 2 miler (I did both for the bling)

My first postpartum race- the UCF 5 miler and 2 miler (I did both for the bling)

Back at Wine and Dine again, and happy I got to run with my friend.

Back at Wine and Dine again, and happy I got to run with my friend.

Still working out with Trainer Jen. She makes me do all sorts of crazy things.

Still working out with Trainer Jen. She makes me do all sorts of crazy things.

Run streak! A long run last weekend with my friend, Dorothy.

Run streak! A long run last weekend with my friend, Dorothy.

What races do you have scheduled for 2014? Do you set yearly goals? Share your favorite fitness photo from 2013 with us on Twitter or Instagram! #favefitphoto

The good, the bod, and the ugly

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A couple of months ago, Brooke wrote an awesome post about body issues and self-perception. It was something that I’d been thinking about a lot post-baby, for obvious reasons. This was part of the comment I left on her post:

This is very top of mind for me, for obvious reasons! I have been lamenting my post-baby body for months. I’m softer in a lot of places and my jeans are kind of tight right now, and when I sit down my belly flops over the waistband a bit. I have a nice little handful there where I didn’t before. It’s really hard getting used to a new body on top of getting used to a new human being who is yours forever.

I wish it wasn’t something I thought about so much, though. When I think about my body from a less critical place, I realize that I take it for granted. It has been good to me; it gets me from point A to point B (and C and D and…) every day. It is generally healthy and allows me to pick up my son and cuddle him and follow him around on all of his little crawly adventures. It saw me through the trauma/miracle that is childbirth! It has done nothing up to this point for me to look at it with anything but love and appreciation.

I know that when I’m scowling into my mirror, I am buying in to the media’s perception of what is beautiful or perfect. Hey, no one’s perfect, least of all me, but also the photoshopped-to-death celebrities in magazines. There’s really nothing wrong with a little cellulite or extra cushion. Are you healthy? GOOD. Count your lucky stars! This is the kind of stuff I have to tell myself so I’m not crying about the number on the scale. 

Fast forward to last month when I watched a documentary called Miss Representation, which explores how women are portrayed by the media and how that affects us in our everyday life. It was a total eye-opener. Not because I didn’t already know that the media’s representation of women is absolutely skewed, but because I saw so clearly the havoc it’s wreaking on us. According to one of the statistics shared in the documentary, 53% of 13-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies. That number increases to 78% when they reach 17. Insane, right?

The message that the media is putting out is that we’re only as good as our bodies and/or faces. And we’re listening. What’s worse, we’re believing.

But even as I became more aware of how I was buying into that idea, I still found myself nit-picking at my body. I’m sure my weekly consumption of People  and Us Weekly didn’t help. And by didn’t, I mean doesn’t because I cannot and will not quit them.

Every week I noticed there was at least one article about how quickly celebrities were getting their body back after baby, or how Kim Kardashian was holed up in her house and chained to her treadmill so that when she finally made her first post-baby appearance she would be acceptable.

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Don’t even get me started on the articles that came out after Kate Middleton gave birth. People were commenting that she had a baby bump one day after delivery.

Um, hello. She looks perfect.

Um, hello. She looks perfect.

So you get where I’m going with this. I was thinking a lot about my body and my relationship with it. I was aware of how effed up it was to have this constant inner dialogue of what was wrong with me and how I should/could fix myself, and yet I couldn’t stop.

Then a few weeks ago I got sick. It started out as a cold and morphed into a sinus infection, which then turned into bronchitis. I was miserable. As silly as it was, when I got into week two of still feeling totally crappy I started to forget what it felt like to be healthy. I thought to myself, “if I ever get over this (note: I am prone to dramatics), I will learn to love my body.” And, oh how I meant it.

Because when it comes down to it, this body is the only one I’ve got. It allows me to do anything I want and need to do. I’m able to climb the insane hills of San Francisco and chase after Bug on all of his adventures. I’m able to run and dance and full-body laugh. I don’t have to deal with chronic pain. It’s a blessing that most days the worst I can say about my body is that my thighs jiggle. Who gives a shit what some middle-aged white dude sitting in an ad agency office thinks I should look like? I am more than a face and a body.

Does that mean I’ll never lament over my imperfections again? Of course not. But now there will be an asterisk attached to that negative thought to serve as a reminder that I’m healthy and I’m happy. That’s the good stuff. I’ll take the cellulite along with it.

Thumbs up, bod!

Thumbs up, bod!

How do you feel about the media’s portrayal of women? Does it affect the way you see yourself? Do you know how awesome you are? Let’s chat in the comments!