5 Reasons To Look At Your Wedding Pictures

In honor of my anniversary last week, I'm posting some of wedding pictures—accented by my 5 Reasons To Look At Your Wedding Pictures!I hope it can remind all you LadyMamas out there—whether married for one year or 30!—to occasionally look through your album and relive the joy and meaning that was your wedding day! 

1. Get motivated. Whether it's to lose weight or some inspiration to plan a date night, perusing through wedding pictures makes me feel motivated again. It reminds me how things were on the most celebrated day of my life: the body that had the stamina to dance way into the night like a rockstar....the naive, unburdened and limitless love in our eyes. Opening the wedding album is like a little burst of a good self-help book!

2. Feel the love. Of course, the wedding is about you and your spouse. But look at how all your friends and family got dressed up, danced like crazy and showered you with joy. Looking at all the people that attended makes me realize that the people who know and love me create a great big circle of love, joy, care and support.

3. Show the kids. My son has a blast whenever he sees our wedding pictures. "Mama" and "Dada" together—the two people who love him the most— smiling away. I think he wonders why he doesn't see us looking like that on the average day. Maybe that's why he cracks up so hard.

4.  Look how far we've come. I see us as bride and groom and see how much we've changed and grown for each other these past three years. And mostly, how enriched our lives are since bringing our sons into the world. I mean, we were awesome then...but they've only upped our cool-factor.

5. Perspective. Our parents didn't splurge for a big celebration for nothing. They knew that having a beautiful and memorable celebration would always be something to center us, to guide us. No matter where life goes, and what challenges it brings, we have a remarkable beginning to look back to—and remind us that even when years pass since our wedding day, there is something beautiful and true to always return to.

If you're a bride, feel free to e-mail me about my photographer or florists. I will happily rave and provide further information! :) 

MimList: 5 things I promise to do today!

I have a lot of pressing things on my to-do list, but these are things that may easily get pushed aside if I don't type them up and broadcast them to my readers!

If you see me later today, ask me where I'm holding :)

5 Things I Promise To Do Today

1. Call Grandma. It's been one month since my Grandfather—her husband of almost 60 years—passed away. We spoke before Shabbat, but it was rushed and I told her we'd talk more at length during the week.

2. Make an effort to set my friend up. A young man that came over to my house last weekend may just be what my close friend is looking for. But who will ever know if I don't find out more about him, what he's looking for?

3. Have a normal lunch. Actually prepare something healthy, use a plate and...sit down!

4. Take more photos. For a feature I'm doing on Fashion-Isha! Stay tuned for my Autumn Fashion Inspirations!

5. Write a "MimList." (Check!)

MimList: 5 Reasons Every Mom Must Own A Black Dress

Mimi Hecht

Mimi Hecht is a stark contrast to the by-the-books, food pureeing, self-sacrificing supermom that many women feel pressured to live up to. Her articles like “The 10 Untruths about Motherhood” and “My Mama Manual” offer women an honest and humorous take on both the joys and hardships in trying to stay sane, stylish and spiritual in Motherland. Through her candor in addressing things like infertility, the high price of groceries or her mind-battle over circumcising her son, Mimi strives to inspire confidence in women and teach new moms to march to the beat of their own drum. To share her thoughts and celebrate all kinds of mothers, she started LADYMAMA a growing online community of modern-day Jewish women. Follow LadyMama on Facebook at facebook.com/JewishWomen

5 Reasons Every Mom Must Own A Black Dress

[ Stay tuned for Fashion-Isha's guest blog on some amazing black dress finds! ] 

1. Hide The Mess (it’s all over you!)
Black is the ultimate comeback to all the things your kids throw, spill and paint all over you. It’s a safety zone in the world of stained mom-wear. With a black dress, you can actually get dressed before the babysitter arrives without avoiding your kids like they’re a plague. If you get something on you, just wipe it down with some water and it blends right in. No one will ever see the spitup, marker and food that is truly all over you.

2. Mask The Bulge (come on, we all have one)
Whether you lost all your baby weight or not, chances are you’re still showing a little bulge where it counts. What better to hide it with than a slimming back dress? Oh and just a side note, when someone compliments you for looking so svelte, don’t say “Oh, no, it’s just the dress.” You were smart enough to wear it, so just take the compliment.

3. Leave The House (you can do it)
The complaints of “I have nothing to wear” start during pregnancy and may not end for a while - unless you have tons of time (and money!) to be shopping. If you just make sure to have that perfect black dress, it will become your best friend when it’s time to go out.  No more sad excuses. Get out of your pajamas and enjoy a night out!

4. Blend in (gasp!)
If the idea of not standing out scares you, this one is for you. While the days of catching every one’s eye with your wardrobe choice don’t have to be over, sometimes it’s good to leave the house without making that your focus. You’re a mom now and wearing a black dress says ‘I’m happy with my life” and “I can appreciate simplicity.” Plus, in a black dress, you make the rules and define yourself.  Now you decide how you’ll stand out - not your dress. Call it maturity, call it boring - it’s an important experience to have now that you’re a mom.

5. Have Fun With Everything Else (go all out)
With the blank canvas of your perfect black dress, you can now have fun with some long-neglected areas....like makeup, hair and jewelry! Take advantage of not having to work with certain colors and styles to match your outfit. Get vavoom with your hair, chunky funky with your jewelry and be a bit brave with your makeup. Go all out with your, well, femaleness! And for those moms who need the reminder: don’t forget to shave your legs. We all know it's been a while.

10 Reasons To Love Being a Jewish Woman

By Mimi Hecht

10 Reasons To Love Being a Jewish Woman

1. Any time a man attempts to interfere in our role, we simply say “No, no, no. That’s my territory! God said so. Just look it up.” 

2. There are enormous stereotypes that validate all the guilt we live with. 

3. We actually make our kids Jewish. So there’s one dependable thing they are and always will be...simply because we are their mother. 

4. There are an abundance of places, events and privileges that are “For Women Only.” And I mean more than that one-hour at the JCC swimming pool. From socials to lectures, we are a part of a truly connected and celebrated elite club. 

5. The Mikvah system forces us to have that spa-like deep cleaning we would otherwise never find time or energy for. The good thing is, it’s the kind of appointment nobody can make us reschedule. 

6. At the end of every week, we host dinner parties to show off all our prowess in the kitchen. It’s called Shabbat, and even though it’s not exactly a Day of Rest for us, we still love it.

7. Every Friday night, our men sing a song praising us as “Women of Valour.” They look at us and smile in love and appreciation. Even if the song is more of a metaphor and, um, actually addressed to God, we still get to enjoy the hullabaloo. 

8. We have awesome role models in our Biblical matriarchs. Sarah had four doors on each side of her tent to draw in guests of all kinds. Rivkah maintained her identity while being raised in an immoral environment. With heroes like that, we’re practically a lost cause. But at least an inspired lost cause. 

9. For the Orthodox amongst us, when we get married, everyone incessantly compliments our hair. It’s almost like by the very fact that it’s not our own real tresses, we must look “uhhmaayyyyzeeng.” It certainly makes all the sheitel-trauma worth it as we “wig-gle” our way to our ideal look. 

10. And finally, we love how our religion is always revealing the spirituality in everything we do. We can’t light a candle, talk to our husbands or cook for Shabbos without it being Larger Than Life. We constantly feel like superhumans. Or better yet, Goddesses. Ya, that’s right, Goddesses.

Do you relate to this list?
What do YOU love about being a Jewish woman? Comment with your additions!

MimList: 10 Things I Recently Did That I Excused With "I'm Pregnant!'

By Mimi Hecht

10 Things I Recently Did That I Excused with "I'm Pregnant!"

I hate to be a complain freak, or irrational, or mindless or stubborn. But, alas, I'm pregnant. Now isn't that an excuse for everything? Here are my latest excuses - true happenings from a second-time-expecting, constantly-excusing and totally pregnant-brained LadyMama. 

1. I took my heels off and walked around without shoes at my brothers fancy engagement party. Ouch! I'm pregnant! 

2. I finished most of the Belgium waffle I was meant to share with four other people. I'm pregnant! And embarrassed. 

3. I went to bed at 9:30. I'm pregnant! Or aging. Okay, both. 

4. I tried on a diamond ring at a Jeweler and was walking out wearing it until someone reminded me. I'm so sorry, I'm pregnant! 

5. I didn't wear a coat when I went out in freezing weather. Don't look at me like that! I'm pregnant and overheating! 

6. I refused to carry my own child. I was with my mother and brother, who happily obliged. I'm pregnant! I'm carrying enough! 

7. I left a family party early without spending time to say goodbye to everyone. I'm pregnant, give me a break! Just get me home! 

8.  I dropped something and made someone else pick it up. Okay, change that sentence to the more active, "I drop things and make people pick it up." Like, all the time. Since entering the seventh month. I'm pregnant, can't you see?! 

9. I tried on something out of the dressing room. And I don't mean a pair of sunglasses. I mean a dress. I'm pregnant and not going in there! Hello! Claustrophobia! 

10. I wore a ridiculous amount of makeup to meet a friend for coffee. Do you even know what it takes to look good and refreshed these days? I'm pregnant! 

If you listen to the above circumstances, the word "pregnant" can be interchanged with "Uncomfortable," "Fat," "Tired," "Scatterbrained" and even, well, "Ugly." Don't you so want to be pregnant now? Ha! But the truth is, the wonderful world of pregnancy truly does entirely consume all facets of our emotional, mental and spiritual being. The least we deserve is to be able to use it as an excuse for all sorts of completely abnormal and utterly inexcusable behavior.