Does this dress make me look fat? No, it's the fat that makes you look fat.

Our street as we start our walk

Yesterday was the first day of my walks.  I took the kids and we went walking for about 3 hours.  It was so lovely outside.  A tad hot in the sun, and I got a little burnt, but totally worth it.  I'm feeling better already! (Not really, I'm sore as heck!)  We walked from our house up to Prospect Ave, which is this street full of little shops and restaurants.  I love browsing them, but I really miss The Velvet Freeze.  It was a little restaurant that had the best tamales.  My grandma used to take me there when I was little.  We'd also go to the Ben Franklin to get a toy or something else fun!  I miss that place, and my grandma.  As much as I loved her she was one of the first people who insinuated that I was fat.  Chunky or chubby, is how they used to say it.  I always thought "am I peanut butter?"  When I was about 12 I went over to my grandma's house to get some fun hand-me-downs from Aunt Zannie( my young, fun Aunt).  There were bags of clothes.  It was heaven for me!  She always had on the most fun stuff and I couldn't wait.  My favorite thing in the bag was a black knit jumper/dress with a ruffle around the waist.  I tried it on very excitedly...only to have my grandma say it was too tight and made me look chunky and that I should let my younger cousin have it.  That definitely wasn't the first time I realized I was overweight, but it paved the way for the rest of my life.  Guess what size I wore?  7.  At that point I figured I was so horribly fat that it wouldn't matter anymore.  I was way wrong.  On my 16th birthday my parents took me out for dinner.  We were having a good time and talking about what we wanted when we grew up.  My mom actually said to me that she never wanted a fat daughter.  No wonder I have issues.  I wonder that if none of that would have been said, would I be a different person?  I might have been a healthier person.  But I'll never know now.  It's in the past.  But look to your children, they learn about the world from you.  If your 3 year old daughter hears you talk about how fat you are and blah,blah, blah.  She will grow up thinking she's always fat.  When you hate your hair, eyes, insert body part here________, she learns to hate that part too.  As a child I barely remember my mom eating anything.  We had a breakfast bar that had 4 seats.  That was her excuse for not eating with us.  To this day my mom still thinks she's horribly fat.  I think she's in a 5, maybe?  At our dinner table it was a race to finish and get seconds, because they're weren't enough seconds for everybody.  At my house now, there is rarely any seconds.  I only make enough food for everyone to have a regular portion.   Food is not there to be gorged upon, it is fuel for your body.  It allows you to run and jump, and ride bikes.  Your children will eat what you do.  It might be a struggle at first, but eventually they will eat.  And I promise they will not starve to death in the process.The bottom line is that we are the best role models for our children. They only act how they are taught and it is never too young to learn how to be comfortable in your body, and to have a healthy relationship with food.  Sometimes I wish I had been taught that as a child.  Here's some other pictures from our walk together.  (I let Reilly have the camera.)

Little Store off Prospect

The Peoria Heights Water tower

The beautiful sky above our home