Gripe, gripe, gripe and breaking the cycle, hopefully??

You know what I'm starting to realize? I sure do bitch and moan an awful lot! Seems like I'm forever complaining about one thing or another. I certainly don't mean to gripe about everything, it just tends to come out that way. Maybe I'm just trying to find something interesting to write about since my life is so utterly boring! Which I like BTW, no unexpected surprises with boring, but definitely not worth writing about on a daily basis. I guess I could call my blog "The Amazing Adventures Of Whiskers" or "The Life And Times Of A Third Grader" and only stick with safe, non-controversial topics, but that wouldn't be much fun, now would it? ;)

My baby is turning 8 soon (Sept. 2). I can't believe how big she's gotten! Seems likes she's grown a foot taller right before my eyes. It's not just that either, she looks more grown all of a sudden, like a big kid. She's lost that babyish look to her face and structure. She's also thinned out quite a bit. Lemme tell ya, she was one rolly polly baby! 9 lbs. 6 oz. at birth and always way above average in the weight/height charts up until just the last few years. Hmmm, wonder if that has anything to do with my newfound consciousness of healthier living? Gee, ya think? :) I promise, if I still lived like I used to, she would be turning just like I did, without question. That girl has got some serious attraction to food and sweets in particular, and would eat nothing but if given the opportunity. Sound familiar? Ought to, since I'm the one who gave her this particularly hard to manage trait. Poor thing! I know, all to well, the struggle she faces with that nasty little demon. But I think I'm really helping to get her started off on the right foot now. We talk a lot about being kind to our bodies and how much healthy eating and exercise benefits us. I really just want to break the fat girl cycle so she doesn't have to go through what I did. I know one thing for sure, she's in a much better place with her relationship to food than I was at her age! She at least has an idea of what normal portion sizes look like, and that a little bit goes a long way. I think I've taught her to appreciate treats for what they are; treats. And that there's nothing wrong with having them, as long as it's in moderation. We've also discussed the effects of taking a diet to the extreme in other ways, like people who don't eat enough or binge and purge. I think she fully understands that our bodies need fuel to survive, and that undereating is just as harmful as overeating. I just hope she holds that knowledge close to her as she approaches puberty, and becomes more aware of her body image. I am scared to death of her succumbing to the destructiveness of eating disorders. And I just hope, that by setting a healthy example, it's a road she never considers taking. Really, my ultimate dream is that she can be free of the hold that food addiction has had over me all my life. For her to not have to suffer with all that this horrible addiction entails, that alone would be worth every bit of the blood, sweat and tears it has taken to get me to where I am now.