My New Mantra

I went to Time Our for Women this past weekend (a conference specifically geared toward LDS women). I won't go on and on about how much I loved it. I want to share one quote that just stuck with me. I think it sums up the conference and should really be every woman's new motto. In fact, I might get crafty and make a plaque or something so I can read it every day.

The quote goes like this:
"You are who you are, you might as well enjoy it." ~Marjorie Hinckley


My new goal? To enjoy being ME!

Shakin' My Groove Thing

I've discovered the Holy Grail of exercise classes.

It's music, dancing, aerobic, and quite the workout.

It's Zumba. (Yes, I realize I'm a little late jumping on the bandwagon, but better late than never, right?)

Seriously the most fun I have ever had working out. I wasn't even that good at it. In fact I am that person that is off-beat, off-count, and looks like I have no rhythm. But the point is that I loved it.

I've determined that if this does not get rid of my pregnant-looking belly then I don't know what will.

If you love dancing, miss the thrill of being sexy, and are dying for a fun way to get your body back then I totally recommend Zumba.

And really, I looked and felt like a dork. It took me completely out of my element but I was enjoying myself.

Click here for a video.

Too sexy!

To run with Whitney's theme in the past couple of posts, I wanted to bring up sexiness. One of the things I miss the most is that feeling of being sexy. Remember what it was like to be at the store with your girlfriends picking up something as mundane as milk, but knowing you look hot doing it and that the group of guys who are getting eggs have stopped to look at you and your girlfriends?

Yeah, I barely remember myself. I now go to the store hoping I don't find snot on my butt (isn't it lovely when your toddler is just at that right height to wipe his nose on your bum?), smelling like spit-up, and feeling grody from all of the slobber, stickiness, and food that has been wiped on me throughout the day. I'm lucky to look half-way decent let alone sexy!

But then I get in my car. See, there is something special about being behind the wheel of a car. The power, the speed, the radio blaring. The fact that you are going just fast enough so that people see there is a cute girl behind the wheel, but not that she has pee on her shirt (oh, and if I roll my windows down it makes my hair look "wind-teased"). Stopping at a light and a cute guy pulls up next to you smiles and nods and you realize - he hasn't seen the kids in the backseat! I'm just a random twenty-five year old girl who, yes, will drag-race you to the next light. (Did I mention I have a bit of a lead foot?)

Ah yes, the car is the one place, that no matter what, I can feel sexy. What really makes me feel sexy is my husband. He loves to let me drive and whenever I pick him up from work he can't help but comment "You look sexy" and then give me light kisses on my neck.

So, tell me, are there times you feel sexy?

We Are Golden Muffins

So, I was planning on ranting about the provocative Hot Mormon Muffins calendar. The "Hot Mormon Muffins: A Taste of Motherhood" calendar features 12 women who claim membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in vintage pinup picture poses. Each month also has a muffin recipe.


I was going to go on and on about the offensive way the calender's creator, Chad Hardy (the brain behind the controversial Men on a Mission calendar), is supposedly breaking down stereotypical barriers by parading about women who claim to be Mormon in next-to-nothing. I considered discussing all the different ways this is offensive to me, an actual Latter-day Saint mother, and how it drags the morals and reputation of the Church through the mud. Believe you me, I was planning on going on for quite some time.

...but then I figured y'all have already heard my opinion on the over-abundance of sex in the media, especially regarding women, and figured I'd leave the ranting to you in the comments. So, I threw that idea out the the window and instead, decided to share one of my very favorite songs and videos ever, We Are Golden by Mika (thanks Megan!).

I love basically anything by Mika, but this one in particular makes me smile. It takes me right back to the heady highs and lower-than-lows of the angst-ridden teenage years. Who doesn't remember dancing around the house with the music blasting? Whenever I turn this song on, I can't help but bounce around like I'm 16 again, much to my children's eternal amusement. I hope you love it even one iota as much as I do. Enjoy!

The Perfect Mother

Have you noticed there is this insane pressure to be the perfect mother? No wait - not just the prefect mother but the perfect woman? We should all have perfectly toned bodies, great hair, beautiful make-up, clothes that are in style, we should be able to cook and cook nutritiously (because heaven forbid anything pre-processed touch our child's lips!), keep a clean, organized house, work part-time or volunteer or have some interest outside of the house, be educated, well-read, musically or artistically talented, a great wife and supporter of our husbands, and have a house that looks like a million bucks but really you hardly spent a dime on it. Then there is our children. They should be perfectly cleaned and groomed, be able to read and write by the time they are one, involved in a multiple number of sports, music lessons, dance lessons, art lessons, they should start prepping for the SAT by the time they are four, never act-up in public, never say/do anything naughty, and always be polite little angels.

Are you laughing yet? Yah right - that's not very realistic?! Right? Right - but how come we find we are always defending ourselves? I hear my friends do this and I do this a lot. "Oh, sorry the house is a mess, it's just one of those days" or "please excuse the mess" or "I promise, my kid doesn't eat chicken nuggets everyday" or "I need to work-out, it's just tough right now."

Well, I'm rebelling. I don't work-out because I don't want to. My son eats french fries because he likes them and I let him. My house is always in a state of mild messiness - it's just a fact of life. I buy stuff for myself; it makes me feel good. I let my child learn by play - he's only going to be one once, why pressure him unnecessarily?

I propose we stop defending ourselves. We are all human. Take a page out of your child's book and just be yourself. You don't find your child defending his/herself, do you? Repeat after me:

I will be confident in who I am.
I will accept myself and my fellow Moms just the way they are.
I will not defend myself against an unrealistic expectation.
I will be understanding and not judge my fellow Moms.

Who's with me?!