From Tracie: Embracing My Body

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Embracing My Body

Do you look in the mirror and see all the things that you don't like about your body? Do you you immediately focus in on that zit, or those thighs, or your stomach....not the stomach!  Do you give those thoughts life by voicing them, to yourself and others, "I hate my stomach....my thighs are huge.....if only I could look like her"?  Do you think that affects you? Does it affect your kids, your daughters? It sure does!

I have definitely been in that place before. Criticizing everything about myself. Unhappy with every part of me. Unsatisfied about how clothes fit (or didn't fit). One day I was visiting a family member for a wedding. While we were getting ready, I noticed we were both standing in front of the mirror unhappily adjusting out clothes, leaning in close to inspect unsee-able marks and spots on our faces and complaining about all our "problem areas"......and then I looked over and saw my daughter standing there watching us. What an example.

Mary the Mommyologist wants to break this negative cycle of hating our bodies. Enter in the Embrace Your Body Week. It is a time to point out all the things you like and even love about your body. Celebrate your body and your beauty!

Here is what I love about MY body.....



Did y'all get that? (I know I talked super fast-it was my first vlog and it felt like I was talking forever! Next time I will slow down.)

  • I love my toes. 
  • I love my hair, it is long and beautiful and I especially love all the silver hairs I'm getting. I'm embracing the grey and embracing wisdom. 
  • I love my eyebrows. 
  • I love my stretch marks. In one way they are one of the most feminine things about me. They are a visible reminder of a time when life grew inside me. They aren't scars....they are more like medals of honor. I feel the same about my C-Section "medal", but thought it would be best not to show that to the world, even though I think it is beautiful! 
*sidenote-It was fun to make this video with my daughter. She giggled and laughed (especially when I talked about the other camera turning me blue!) And I told her she could say one thing she loved about herself (not specifically about her body, but whatever she wanted to say) and she told me that she was the director and throughly enjoyed telling me to "move a bit to the left" and "talk louder" and saying "action!".

What do you love about your body? Share it with me here, or better yet, make your own vlog, or take some pictures and link up with Mary the Mommyologist and share it with everyone!

41 comments:

  1. I LOVE THIS and I love you and HI Katarina doll baby... I know I need to make mine..

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  2. What a wonderful post! I think you are one hot mama!

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  3. beautiful!! i'm so happy to have found your blog..i'm just starting on my journey of healing and i can already tell your blog will be an amazing source of strength. i can't wait to follow your adventures

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  4. This was so great and you are so cute! LOVE your sweet southern accent :)
    And your daughter's toothless smile is just precious!
    Great post and what a wonderful way to build daughters with self-esteem.

    ps Thank you so much for your loving words, support and prayers. SO so appreciated.
    Oh, and the book is finally on it's way!

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  5. Ok first, AWWWWWWW!!! Your little girl makes ME want a little girl and until about 20 seconds ago, I was super thrilled having only boys :o)

    I love this post! You are beautiful and you have a lot to embrace!

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  6. Tracie, I love it, girlfriend! You are totally embracing everything that women are so hard on themselves about and that's beautiful.

    P.S. I'm totally jealous that you don't have to touch your eyebrows though. It surely is painful!!

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  7. I loved your video! You look great! I am trying to grow my hair out long, too. It would help if I would stop getting it cut. :)
    Your daughter is adorable! Tell her to keep up her artwork and she'll get better all the time! :)

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  8. I like my silver hairs, too.

    I also like my hourglass shape, even the two-hour one I sport now.

    And I love my green eyes!

    Beautiful post.

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  9. How cute are you!!! I love seeing people actually talk & hear their voice... & love it caues you are a "hand talker" too... I totally cant talk unless my hands are moving!

    Love this idea... love you are standing there saying things you love about yourself in FRONT of your daughter... & the end of the video with her was just ADORABLE!!!! You just set the example right there for her...

    Love your outlook too on grey hair!!! I just got my "wisdom" colored 2 days ago! haha!!!

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  10. OMG, I am clapping after watching your vlog!!! I LOVE that you brought your daughter in...what a little beauty she is!

    You are AWESOME on camera. You should really do vlogs more often because the camera loves you! You had me laughing and smiling through the whole thing!

    I love that you showed your stretch marks on TV! It is SO true that they are a reminder of the beautiful children we've brought into this world...something that moms often forget!

    I hope you realize how many women you are inspiring with this post!!! You ROCK!!!

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  11. What a wonderful post. I never thought of stretch marks and a csection scar(I have both)being medals of honor. Thank you so much for a positive outlook!

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  12. Perfect. Truly perfect! LOVED your daughter's involvement and response :) That's what it's all about, isn't it?!

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  13. Awesome job :) I have noticed my 3 yr old look in the mirror and say I fat I felt 2 inches tall so im def working on this! I think my c-section medal is a perfect reminder of my having my child im not ashamed of it at all :)

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  14. I love my huge mouth that can entertain others with my rolling lips trick. I never cease to amaze people with it. I do believe it is my one true unique talent.

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  15. You showed your stretch marks?? LOL! I LOVE it! Almost as good as me shaking my booty for ya in I'm too sexy,,right?

    I LOVE your vlog!
    Sorry it has taken me nearly ALL day to visit..I am NOT at home, and I have been pretty busy visiting family and such before school starts!
    i love ya tracie!
    And your daughter is way cute!
    Thanks for joining!!

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  16. Great job! I'm so impressed with you for embracing yourself totally! I could not do the stretch mark show, I'm still too shy!

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  17. Oh.my.freaking.heavens. Katarina is so beautiful...I think she should be a model...not one of those crazy heroine-using anaorexic models, but a true-to-life glamour girl :)

    And can I just say how I MISS hearing your voice...and miss telling you to slow down so I can understand what you're saying?!?! I love you!!!!

    PS- Get a ticket for you and your family to come to Disney for a day when we're having girls weekend there in December...

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  18. on my desktop now where the volume is working! yay! you are so brave and awesome to show your stretch marks---I couldn't do it. I also love that you love your grey hair---I've been plucking/coloring mine!!!

    Katarina is so cute and it was a wonderful idea to include her in this since our young girls are so impressionable and vulnerable....seems like you are doing a FANTASTIC job. your vlog was awesome!

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  19. From Diana (Georgia)
    more!more!

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  20. awe what a great post!!!
    thanks so much for your visit to my blog!!!
    i'm following back!!:)
    Aimee

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  21. Thanks for coming by! I wrote a post about the skirt since it's a popular question: http://elizabethallred.blogspot.com/2010/08/skirt.html

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  22. I love the way you described your stretch marks...like medals of honor. Fantastic! I wish all women would look at them that way. It is so empowering!

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  23. Hi, Tracie! I noticed you were my newest follower, so I decided to pop over for a visit and follow you back :) The vlog is cute, and I am so glad you love your grey. I have plucked mine out for years... when I was a youth director, one of my teens,a guy no less, caught me doing it on a camping trip and freaked out because I was plucking out my wisdom!

    Your daughter is adorable...I found myself especially endeared to her because I am an art teacher :)

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  24. What a great vlog! You are beautiful and I absolutely love that you got your daughter in on the action. Kudos to you for showing your stretch marks. I consider mine a badge of honor too.

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  25. GREAT POST! Hmmm...I love my big blue eyes, my cupid lips, my tiny waist and the hourglass look it creates to my body... my fortitude, my loyalty and devotion to those that deserve it, my creativity and I am learning to love more about myself as each day and year goes by, but it is a work in progress.

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  26. I think you did a great job! You're very expressive! (That's a compliment.)

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  27. Very cool post! I always like my eyes. :-)

    Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!

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  28. OMG'sh are you on Youtube? Let me know. I also really like the set up of your blog. Can you give me some tips :)

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  29. Good for you! Love your toes. I don't really like mine. And, I don't mind stretch marks either. Wouldn't it be strange to NOT have them??

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  30. This was cute. Good job! Your daughter is adorable :)

    Even though I recently decided to start eating healthy and exercise (haven't done so in three years, I think), beforehand, I realized that even though I was about 10 pounds overweight, I really thought I looked just fine. (I started exercising and eating right because I want to get strong and feel good. It's working!)

    I have only recently embraced my wrinkles on my face; they are genuine and natural. I guess that might sound kind of dumb, but in a world where plastic surgery/botox seem to becoming acceptable, I think being natural is more beautiful.

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  31. This is fantastic. I love that your daughter is getting such an amazing message...believe me, it matters.

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  32. I LOVE your vlog! I personally hate my silver hair, in fact, going to color it on Wednesday, WOO HOO! But, you are so upbeat...love that and your daughter...DARLING! Love that she has no front teeth!!

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  33. You are beautiful and wonderful! I also love my grey hair and always have - great to find another woman who feels that way! And hooray to Katarina, too - being a good artist is a wonderful thing to love about yourself.

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  34. This is such a good idea! Aren't we forever putting ourselves down or comparing?

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  35. You are beautiful. I never thought about my stretch marks and my c-section scar like that. They truly are reminders of the precious gems we brought into the world. Thanks for reminding me.

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  36. Beautiful post! As for me, and my body ... I'm working on it! But I like that it has been strong enough to sustain me through years of abuse and that it is working with me now to find my way to good health!

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  37. I loved your vlog! The part about the grey hairs made me laugh. But then I remembered I don't have any! I also love that you included your daughter.

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  38. I don't know how I missed this when it was originally posted, but I love this post so much I cried. Partly because you are hilarious and partly because I just realized how much I beat myself up over the very things that make me beautiful. Thank you for the delivery of a message I desperately needed to hear today! HUGS!!!

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  39. Freckles! My nan had loads of them and I loved her loads and everytime I see a freckle I'm reminded of my nan and how much I love her. I wish I had as many as she did!

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  40. I love lots of things from toes to head

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