The Mirror in the Bedroom

House projects, house projects, house projects.

Ever since we've moved in we been working on the house. Putting a shelf in the bathroom so I have a place for my stuff, expanding the pantry, painting, and moving things around to find just the right spot.

My current project is our bedroom. We started off with this:

And we currently are at this:

But it's not done yet. I realized the greatest challenge with my bedroom styling and color is it's really small. It's enough space for us but it has extra challenges based on it's size. 

As I was trying to find solutions for the small feeling in our room that hit hard as soon as I painted it a darker color. I decided a solution was to put mirrored closet doors in. We ran to the hardware store, picked them up, and installed them that night...

Now, I have two LARGE mirrors in my bedroom. Every time I walk across my room I see myself.

To be honest, I used to be a huge fan of mirrors. I was thin, fashionable, and looked pretty amazing by our societies standards. Then I had kids and well... things aren't the same.

Photo Credit: Care.com

Carrying and delivering my son really changed my body and most of the time I ignore that fact. I have an image in my head of what I think I look like and I just go with that one... And then a mirror comes along or a photo, and I look different than I think I do.

There's a mirror in my bedroom and I'm going to see myself, all of myself, every day clothed and unclothed. So, I'm going to have to get used to it.

The first thing that I did to help me accept this different body that I guess I haven't fully got to know was treat her with grace. 

I listened to this podcast once that talked about how we often are critical of our bodies and refer to our bodies as "it" when really it's a part of us. Our bodies, minds, and souls are intertwined on this earth and we should talk about our bodies the way we would talk about a good friend.

She is beautiful.
She is strong.
She is loving.
She cares for her family well.
She is talented.
She is appreciated.

I thought about what my body enables me to do for my family. Hold my babies, kiss, hug, cuddle, cook, clean, carry, and so much more. 

Mamas, I know it's hard when our bodies change, but change is a part of life. Postpartum can be really tough when you don't fully recognize yourself in the mirror but you are you, beautiful you, that doesn't change as your outsides do. You are incredible and so is your body. Treat yourself with appreciation and grace.

Much love,
-Joy