Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day to Me

Saturday afternoon I drove to the mall to pick up some Valentine's Day goodies for the girls. After I picked out their gifts, I wandered into a clothing store. I found a couple of cute items and headed for the dressing room.

As I began to try on the clothes, I did not recognize the figure standing in front of me in the mirror. Saggy parts where there shouldn't be abounded. Parts that should be full and voluptuous simply withered. Needless to say, nothing fit right and I headed for the door.

Sunday I decided that I was going to do more decluttering and organizing, since that always seems to help me feel better. This time my objective was to clean out my closet. I resolved to give away anything that didn't fit or I had not worn in a year. I started with the dresses and tried each one on. Miss H thought it was fun to watch Mommy play dress up and with each dress she told me how beautiful or gorgeous I looked. That girl knows how to make her Mama smile.

I held nothing back. If it didn't fit and wasn't within one size of what I am currently wearing, out it went. I filled a huge box with clothes to donate and I have several fancy dresses that I am going to try to sell on consignment. But there are also LOTS of clothes that I know I can get into with a little work.

I know that I am never going to get back into the clothes that I was wearing before having kids. My body is just different. However, there is much room for improvement. I know what I need to do. I need to exercise. I need to get into the gym and actually do cardio, not just walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes reading my Nook. I need to get back to Body Pump and Yoga, and maybe even Zumba if nobody is watching.

This Valentine's Day I am reminding myself that I am important too. It is important for me to take care of myself so that I can take care of my family. I have to love myself, and loving myself means making sure that my body is fit and full of energy. Happy Valentine's Day, Erin. Now go get your booty to the gym!

6 comments:

KLZ said...

You are very important!! Happy valentines my newly organized friend!!

EMM said...

Good for you! It's so hard for me to pull out clothes that don't fit because I live with the fantasy that someday I'll get back into them. The truth is, even if I lose 20 pounds, like you said- my body is different now after the Munchkin. I need to let go and start over. Great post!

Liz said...

Oh no! This type of realization isn't the ideal way to spend Valentine's Day! But kudos to you for doing it and being realistic about your plans and goals.

Kmama said...

Good for you! Happy Valentine's Day!

Diane said...

Happy Valentine's Day! And you should definitely do zumba and not worry about who's watching. Zumba class is my favorite part of the week.

Liz Mays said...

That is so great that you're going to refocus on you. You're totally worth it!