5 strategies for responding to or preventing body shaming
Let’s talk about how to deal when our loved ones participate in body shaming, either of themselves or of others. What do you do when you are determined to be positive about yourself and love your body, but the others around you bad-talk their own bodies or those of others?
11 fin-tastic fashion pieces inspired by sharks
Since that guy I married was attacked by a shark, we are constantly being sent shark-related products with messages like “thought of you,” or “have you seen this!?” And the answer is always “Yes!” I have seen all the shark things. So let me share with you some of my favorites when it comes to fashion…
I thought I lost my faith until I found it in my kids
It happened when I was 18. I was going to an all-girls Catholic college, and one morning — a particularly chilly late-autumn morning in Massachusetts — I looked up at the chapel, and I couldn’t feel him. He was gone. It took a bit of adjusting. For 18 years I’d believed in him. To just stop, well, it was jarring.
The Shark Attackiversary: We use a brush with death as an excuse to throw a yearly party
In 2007 that guy I married was attacked by a tiger shark and survived! So every year, on the date of said attack, we throw Aaron a “Shark Attackiversary” party. It’s much like a birthday party, except we celebrate the day Aaron didn’t die instead of the day he was born. Since then I’ve really fallen in love with the idea of throwing a party that celebrates a traumatic life experience that you’ve overcome.
I’m proud of my stretch marks: body confidence after having two kids
Thanks to my son, I’ve now got a better understanding of who I am and why I should be proud of it. You won’t hear me tell my boys that I’m fat, or unhappy with my body because I’ve truly learned the value of self image. I still watch what I eat and exercise, but it’s not to change my physical self. It’s to stay fit and healthy so I can keep up with these boys.
I’ve ALWAYS been firmly in the “no kids” camp
I’ve always been firmly in the “no kids” camp. When I was 12, my mom took me to meet her gynecologist who became my gynecologist. When I was 16, this gynecologist and I made a deal that if I still didn’t want kids when I turned 25 he would tie my tubes. My long-term first boyfriend and I got pregnant at 17 and we decided to have an abortion. He was going away to school in another state. I could not raise a child alone. It was for the best. Neither of us regret this decision. He’s now happily married with two kids. I’m also happily married. Yay!
Meal Planning to save money, time, and cut back on take-out
My husband and I realized we had a bit of an addiction to convenience food and take-out, and it was costing us more than we were happy about. I did what any reasonable woman of the world with an internet connection would do and I went to Pinterest. After a couple different meal planning experiments, I’ve found a way to kick our take-out addiction!
Have you transitioned from working full-time to full-time student?
I’ve been in my current career for almost seven years. Due to several factors, I’m thinking about going back to school to get my PhD and hopefully become a professor someday. Due to the program I want, it’s not possible for me to continue working in my field AND go back to school. Any advice out there for those who’ve made the transition?