Oh me, Oh my, those thighs....

This is a picture of what I look like after showering, doing my hair, putting on my makeup, etc.

As I am preparing myself for the day my husband often asks me this question, "Why do you do that? Just forget it for a day". My usual response is something akin to "Oh hush. This is what we, as women, do". And then I go about the rest of my day without really giving it a second thought.

So, why do I do this? Honestly, a lot of days I prefer not to. Some days I just walk around my house like this...

and I play with my babies, make cookies, do laundry, sing at the top of my lungs and I don't give a second thought to my appearance.

So, here's what we're discussing today. Women. Different types of women. Some are blonde, some are brunette. Some are super skinny, some have a little more to love. Some have straight teeth, some have crooked. Some have big eyes, some have wittle eyes. Some gain no weight during pregnancy, and some (like myself) blow up like a balloon. And it is all OKAY!!! The above picture is one from my birthday celebration a few weeks ago. The three women in the picture are (from left to right) myself, Alexis, and Carlie. We are all mothers. We all think differently, act differently, and yes, we all have different body types. Women today are bombarded by images of what society expects of us. And even when society isn't actually coming out and saying, "this is what you should look like" we all find ourselves suffering with these complexes and many of us think we need to be stick thin to accomplish beauty within ourselves.

But beauty is not solely how great someone's thighs look when they're exposed. It is not how well someone knows how to apply their makeup. It is not even how straight someone's smile is. Beauty is the core of love, friendship, and understanding that shines through from a person's soul. It is found in a generous person's eyes. It is found in a Great-Grandmother's smile of wisdom and humor. It is found in the loving arms of a Nana choosing to express gratitude for her many blessings. Every single person has the potential for beauty. The above picture is one of my family. Four generations of GORGEOUS women. Are we on the cover of Vogue Magazine? Negative. But we are loving, caring, funny, and smart women. Notice, we all come in different sizes. The little ones are fun size (wink wink). Pictured from left to right: My sister Rachael and her daughter Anna; Myself and Rachael's daughter Alicia; My grandmother Pat; My mother Stephanie and my daughter Kloey. Each person shines with their own beauty.

This beautiful woman is my Great-Grandmother Helen. She is 89 years old (I'm pretty sure). And she is beautiful. And this is me completely sans makeup after swimming. And I struggled with the idea of posting this on a blog about being beautiful. Because I have been brainwashed into believing that my outward appearance is an indicator of whether or not I am to be perceived as beautiful. Here is a list of all of the things that I struggle with when it comes to my outward womanly appearance:

• My nose is too big
• My teeth aren't perfectly straight or perfectly white
• My eyebrows grow in too quickly after I tweeze or wax
• I have acne spots and bumps
• My hair lays straight and limp most of the time
• I do not have very "girly" fingernails and most of the time I have no time to keep up with them
• I've had two babies...my boobs will never be the same again (it is true)
• My stomach is covered in stretch marks, faded ones, but they're very much there
• I have a pooch of flabby skin from birthing kiddos
• My butt is not your classic "look splendid and tiny in a bikini" butt. No no. It's pretty cushioned in that region.
• I do not have  a Brazilian Butt... I have a "I'm trying my hardest to perk this thing back up" butt
• There are stretch marks all over my thighs
• I am pasty white
• There are stretch marks on my calves
• My ankles aren't thin enough
• My hips are too wide
• I need to get rid of the fat on my back

Now, I weigh 120 pounds and I still have these complexes. My point being that it doesn't matter what you look like or what you wear, I am willing to bet that almost every single woman and girl in this country hates something about themselves. And why should we?!!!

EMBRACE WHO YOU ARE! Everything about yourself. Own those stretch marks, you certainly earned them. Try your hardest to be the healthiest and best that YOU can be. Do not compare yourselves to others because that only leads to envy, stress, heartache, and in some cases depression. You are uniquely you. Your body reacts to things differently than someone else's. You have different strengths than someone else. You have beauty on your outside and your inside. You just have to be willing to look beyond what the world expects and look to doing your best and giving your all in everything. Do this and you will most certainly be happy. Happiness is Beauty. Be generous, loving, and charitable. For these all reflect Beauty. Above all else, strive for inward beauty and outward health. I hope this doesn't sound like a jumbled mess. Much love!!!

(two beauties in my life; my mama and my Kloey)

Celebrate Women. Celebrate unique-ness. Celebrate beauty.