We officially have a 2- year old in our house! Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweet, independent and often times bossy, Claire!
Being a mom to a little girl has really change me and my views. As a female, it is extremely important for me to take care of myself, to love myself, and to respect my body so that she does the same to hers- this is what has driven my increased passion for health & fitness over the past couple of years. For me, it is more about the muscles I gain, the weight I am able to lose, and the pants I can fit into: it is about the confidence and emotional peace I get from a sweaty workout and fueling my body with healthy fuel. As a teenager and into my college years, I had extremely low self confidence- I don’t want her to ever feel like this. It is part of my job as her mother to do whatever I can to make sure my daughter feels good about herself on the inside and out– not just today as she turns 2, but forever.
In our house, I like to make birthdays extra special- so that is what we will do today! Claire already had a “Splash Bash” at the neighborhood pool with her friends. We did this early “just in case” her new brother or sister decided to make an early arrival. (Who was I fooling?) So today, we will make the day “all about Claire”: pancakes, the apple orchard, the park and pizza for dinner.
My husband and I bought an old, handmade wooden play kitchen off of a virtual garage sale site for her birthday gift. We spent a weekend refinishing it for her. She will also get two special books. The books come from a list of picture books that show strong, confident girls as characters and in the message. I started this for her first birthday and is something I plan to continue each year. We also bought her a new pair of “fast shoes” for her birthday.
Happy Birthday to my favorite little 2 year old munchkin… you know how to bring a smile to your Mommy’s face!
It may be all about birthdays this morning, but we can’t get away without a “Workout of the Week”. This workout I dug out of my fitness journal from right after I had Claire. I remember struggling through this workout just 15 days after I had her. I had written in my journal that I couldn’t do a lot of the exercises for the given amount of time. This just shows that with persistence and hard work, you can reach your fitness goals. No matter where you are in your fitness journey- try to do as much as you can.
What special things do you do for your munchkins on their birthdays?
What did you think of the WOW? How will you incorporate it into your week?
(Don’t forget: commenting on a blog post will enter you into the drawing for our very first giveaway at the end of the month!)