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12 Weeks to Halloween

In 12 weeks it will be Halloween.

mean girls

Personally I missed the Girl World generation of dressing up for Halloween. As a teenager I used Halloween as an opportunity to wear my favorite overalls and looked for a costume to indulge my love of comfortable clothing. Halloween has changed as times have changed.

When I was new to parenting, Halloween was an opportunity to showcase my parenting style, that I dubbed “lazy-creative”.  I promised  my oldest that this ensemble would help her achieve a new level of social status among the other trick-o-treaters.  I called it “package that fell off the truck”. Smart phones were not around during this time and our lives were private.  I was content to be a costume designer, make a wonderful meal, eat candy all while I wore my stretchy pants on Halloween night.  There were no smartphones to document my choices.

maddie

Now, with camera phones and social media, Halloween is a time to post great pictures. Just like any other event, people want to share  their lives with the world.  Some people go all out with the family costume or theme costume.  Some just love to get those timeless shots on Facebook or Instagram, so they can hold onto that moment in time. And now as Facebook shares those memories we are reminded of those cute costumes and adorable kids.

In 12 weeks it will be Halloween and the smart phones will be coming out.  I want to challenge you to find a new level of success in 12 weeks.  When you hand out Halloween candy this year, avoid temptation because you have never felt so good. I want you to add new clothes to your wardrobe that only emphasizes the hard work that you will be putting in over the next 12 weeks.  So join me as I prepare to dress up this Halloween as my best self.  Even if you won’t be sporting this Wonder Woman costume, you could if  you were was so inclined.

womens-wonder-lady-costume

 

Going unfiltered in Philadelphia

As a mom of a 16, 18 and 20 year old,  I encourage my girls to go unfiltered. It is hard to look at yourself and yet it is easy to look at others and form opinions…maybe even pass some judgement.  I have been thinking about social media and the world we create through a perfectly positioned camera lens.  We change filters and alter images to create the best image.    

When did miniature golf become an opportunity to do you hair and wear your best summer outfits?  I am fascinated by the mini golfers who hold up the line trying to get the best photo doing the most boring activity in this world.  

I recently sat with a friend as we discussed how online dating and social media has transformed our relationships and interactions. I encourage you to take a peek at Tinder, OKCupid, Facebook and even look at Snapchat, Instagram, Linkedin and the multiple other social media platforms.  The world has changed since *69 was a big deal.  I am not dismissing the importance of *69 because it was a BIG deal. I could no longer call the boys I like and hang up… it was an upsetting invention for an awkward teenager.   

We are always changing because of this fast paced new world.  We are judged so quickly and yet we are more than our best selfie or profile picture.  It is impossible to hide or be anonymous in this new world.  

I am sharing my  unfiltered selfies. This past year,  I had the pleasure of visiting my second daughter in Philadelphia and felt the blessings of this life.  I ran along the route that I watched in the Rocky movies years ago.  I ran along boathouse row and up the museum steps past the Rocky statue and, after I made it back to the hotel, I took my own selfies.IMG_2598

 

I encourage you to judge every detail of my photo. I want you to judge my before selfie that I took in October of 2014, May 2013 and my new ones from this year.  While you judge my hat or my bad hair, I want you to keep in mind there is more to me than these photos.

I am in my 40’s.  Nothing has been easy. My body has been both a gift and curse. I have heard from people that I am “just big boned”, “small boned”, too skinny, too fat, weak, strong, sick, healthy, fast and slow.  You name it and I have heard it.  I am a woman with 40+ years of experience and have heard many opinions of what “beautiful” is. Sometimes I can fit that mold, and other times I miss the target.

The good news is that, I am in my 40’s and I have my own opinion. I am passing judgement on my own selfies.  

I will be celebrating my 21st anniversary of motherhood this year. My body survived 3 high risk pregnancies.  My body carried me to the NICU at Children’s Hospital in Boston every day for 2 months. And my body gave me the three most precious gifts in this world.  

My body has also betrayed me multiple times, but somehow we have finally established an amicable working relationship. I am sure I will be betrayed in the future and we will have to establish new rules.

Today was  a gift that I will never get back, and I am thrilled that I took advantage of it.

I get to pass judgment because I know my journey was not easy.  There was a time that I was so busy getting the wind knocked out of me that getting back up was reflex and not a choice.  So today, I will celebrate my choice to find my best self.  Today, I will thank the road that brought me to those legs, abs, and arms.  I am strong because of hard work. 
And today I will take this body and run with it-so please, pass judgment!