SPLAT!

1 Thing you will never see me do at the pool or beach this summer

1.       Run after my kids without a cover up on.

Nope! Not going to happen.

We have a pool in our town, which is beautiful.  What I like the most about it is the fact that nobody is walking around in skimpy bathing suits or acting inappropriately.  We live in a nice town with a nice pool and surrounded by nice people and families.  We wear our cover ups so that we aren’t running around with our mom parts jiggling as we chase our children.  Not a pretty sight, at least on my end.  Ha!  I would like to chase my children without trying to cover my as* as I run.  The pool isn’t deep enough even to get my cover-up wet.  It does get a little wet at times, but no big deal.  Better than the alternative.  I want to cross my legs at the edge of the pool, under the umbrella, with my feet dangling in the water, and my cover up wrapped securely and tightly around me.  Too much to ask?  I would LOVE it if I didn’t have to chase my kids around the pool, but I’m just thankful that I can do it without a messy situation.

Because, I don’t care who you are, if you have had a child…things aren’t the same.  Maybe you have bounced back quickly after having a baby and if so, good for you.  But, you can’t tell me that everything went back where it was before.  It just isn’t possible.  We’ve been stretched and pulled in every direction.  And now, we have the summer to show it off.  Blah!

I’m not talking about ‘baby fat,’ I’m talking about baby splat. 

That’s how I feel.  SPLAT!

I was wearing my sunglasses at the pool last weekend.  The problem is, in my head, everyone can see what I see; the darker version of reality.  But, then I take off my glasses and BAM, I see it all.  You know…marks, stretches, etc, etc... Can they see it too?  YUP!  Oh great.

Look, I’m half joking because thank goodness I don’t take myself too seriously.  It is what it is.  But at the same time, I am a woman and feel that, you know…a tad bit of insecurity?!  It’s there, shaking its head and jiggling its overstuffed belly, telling me to pull up a chair and have a Dove Bar.  No!  I.MUST.BE.STRONG!  It’s bathing suit season! 

It’s ok.  I know I’m not Mila Kunis.  I also know I’m not Jennifer Aniston.  But, they never had kids, right?  And they have all the time in the world to work on their physiques.  I don’t.  I have limited time.  I had 5 pregnancies, 2 kids, and stretch marks and lines that remind me that I have lived fully and not only for myself.  So, it’s ok.  I should be proud of it all.  So maybe I’ll take off my cover up at the pool at some point this summer.  But for now, I’ll lie on the couch, watch TV, eat an ice cream and dream about how I looked at 24 years old.