Day 1

     I recently posted on Facebook that I was going to give up putting so much thought into other's perception of my physical appearance. I have recognized that pregnancy, childbirth, motherhood and sleepless nights have left me with permanent marks, scars, and dark circles. I received an overwhelmingly positive response from friends, so I decided to share the next 40 days publicly.
     Today I am beginning a journey where I hope to learn to appreciate myself for who I am at this moment in time. I will share a photo each day and write about the beauty that occurs in that snapshot. I want to love who I am now as opposed to lament who I am not. I want to redirect my energy into being strong, healthy and kind.
     So, for Lent I am giving up the past. I will never be 25 again, but I am 34 and I am going to live in this body, in this moment and take care of myself and the people around me.

This was taken on Wednesday during our nightly family dance party-more of these to come! Our favorite song right now is "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. My initial response to this picture was "I look like a hot mess"! The head scarf covers my frizzy hair, the shirt is on inside out and and I'm wearing baggy pajama pants.
Taking a new approach to this picture, I can see that my hair is frizzy because I didn't blow dry it after my shower- instead I cuddled my baby, who is in the midst of teething. My shirt is on inside-out because I rushed to get dressed to get in a short session of Pilates, which has helped me to regain core strength. My pants are baggy because I am healthfully losing the "baby weight". Most importantly, my sons are enjoying a musical moment with a carefree mom who was not thinking about sucking in her gut or posing for the camera. Instead, I sang along and made my boys smile. That's beautiful.