I've been reading the posts going around lately about moms learning to live their "mom-bods" and while it has encouraged me to embrace my new "mom shorts" and "mom swim suit", I didn't get my mom-bod the way you did.

You see, my kids are adopted. All 5 of them. I didn't carry them in my stomach, they showed up at my door. All at once. My extra 40 pounds I'm carrying came from secondary trauma... and eating everything in sight after they went to bed.

I want to be a good example for my daughters so I tried not to be dramatic each time I had to buy bigger pants. After all, my self worth has nothing to do with the tag in my clothes. And, I remind myself that my extra 40 even allows me to fit in better with the other moms I desperately need to connect with. Even if my pounds didn't come the way theirs did.

What a great opportunity we have as moms to model confidence for our girls. My 3 girls are watching me as I take healthy steps to gain control over my weight and my emotions. They have seen my victories and my setbacks. We eat healthy as a family and we exercise as a family. We also stress eat and binge watch "The Beverly Hillbillies" as a family.

At the end of the day, the goal is authenticity and pride in who they are on the inside. And I've found, if I focus on that, even on days my pants feel a little tight, it's a little easier to hold my head up high and be proud of my "mom-bod."