*I stole this from a friends blog and I LOVE IT!, I'm not sure exactly who the quote is from but I had to pass along :)*
"We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror, I will think, 'Good grief, look how smart I am!'"

I had to throw in this picture, its clear back from my wedding day taken by 2 tiny blonds who I call my sisters.
you can only see mine and Amys butts here, and boy can we show them! Lucy and Liz hid theirs and my sister in laws all have little butts...ha guess they're just not as smart as us! ;)
I love the last line because all of us "Blauer girls" have been blessed with what has been deemed the "Blauer Butt!" Our buts are big, and bubble shaped, and just might jiggle a little...ok a lot when we walk, so I'll take it if having a big butt means I'm smart :)! Butt...;) in all seriousness obviously its good to be healthy and eat a balanced diet and to stay active. I know all of this and I've worked really hard on doing those things, especially in this last year. I'll be danged if i'm going to miss out kiddy cone dates with my girls though, and movie time with big bowls of caramel popcorn. If I miss a work out night, to relax and spend time with Derek then so what! If I add a few calories to my day enjoying a treat with the girls then so what! I've told Derek one of the most important things in raising our girls is that they become strong confident women. As my daughters grow and develop into woman I hope as their bodies change, that they're confidence will be unshaken. I want their confidence to lay in the fact that they are smart, and talented and most of all amazing daughters of God. I hope as they gain that "freshman 15,20 or 30 whatever it be" or as they look at themselves in the mirror after having childeren that they'll be able to see past their physical "imperfections as the world likes to brand them" and see what I as their mom sees, and more importantly the beauty God has so perfectly created in them. I spent so much time even in highschool wishing I was skinnier and like all of us now I think heck I'd kill for that high school body! I've already spent so much time wishing away this stretch mark, or wishing these bigger, and that smaller, and I'm young, I have a long time ahead of me and I need to learn to love my body like I hope my girls will always love themselves. I'm thankful everyday for my girls healthy beautiful bodies and I hope they'll always take good care of themselves but if they can learn to see the whole entire picture when looking in the mirror, if they can learn to see themselves as God sees them, then one of my many jobs as a mother will be accomplished! In the meantime, I might work out tonight...I might snuggle with Derek and eat sweedish fish, guess we'll see!