Sometimes I mourn my before-kids life and wish I could have it back for just a day or two. There was a time when literally all I had to worry about was what I was going to wear. Or how I was going to lose 15 pounds. Those were my problems. I took them very seriously. 

I wasn’t shallow, I was just young. I didn’t appreciate myself enough, which is a shame. If I could have my 23-year-old self back, I would not look at her critically and wish she was thinner. I would appreciate her, just as she is.

Which brings me to my next point — when I am 43, I will most likely look back on this time in my life and wish I had appreciated my 33-year-old self more … instead of getting hung up on all the spider veins that seemingly multiply with each pregnancy or the cellulite that never ends or the fact that I can’t keep up with anything in my life or get my weight down to a certain point. 

I think my older, wiser self would tell me I’ve done a good job. That I’m doing a good job. She would tell me to relax. She would say http://www.babycenter.com can SUCK IT for their stupid articles that say “Congratulations! You’re 20 weeks into your pregnancy! You likely have gained about 10 pounds by now.“ No, Babycenter. I gained 10 pounds over the holidays alone. I hate you and your articles. 

Today I have decided to embrace life as it is and enjoy it, because most of us don’t appreciate ourselves enough — and we will regret it later down the road. So my message for today is … 

YOU ARE AWESOME, AND SO AM I.