Oh, so fabulous

I have been seeing a lot of news reports lately about all of the stars who are oh-so "Fabulous after 40". Jennifer Aniston probably leads the pack, along with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger, who both celebrated their 40th this year.

Here's my friend, Jen, showing off her perfection in this tiny, sparkly dress.


I think it's kind of cool that these female stars are proving that their careers don't have to end at 40. They haven't been relegated to the roles of the moms of teen-agers. They still play the hip, hot, happening leads roles on the movie screen. Many of them do look better than ever.

But, I wonder? Would they be quite so perfect without their personal trainers? Or if they had been pregnant and given birth once, not to mention two, three, four or even five times. I give Zeta-Jones credit for maintaining her good looks after childbirth. But does she have a nanny who gets up in the middle of the night, changes the diapers and stands in the preschool line?

How many of them keep their healthy glow because their chefs are cooking meals made from all-organic food? And what about their skin? I'm sure those frequent exfoliations at the spa don't hurt?

About the same day I spotted Jen in her sparkly dress, THIS photo of ME was released.


My son captured all of my fabulousness when we visited my daughter's preschool class. I love how he zoomed in on my prego-ness.


Here I am being attacked by the preschoolers who wanted to get hands-on with the book I brought for Alayna's birthday. I betcha that doesn't happen to Jen very often.

When I saw my photo next to Jen's, I was tempted at first to compare myself to her. But I don't want to make her feel bad.

It's not her fault that she probably doesn't have to come up with a meal plan for a family of five each day. It's not her fault she doesn't get to hang out in the preschool line. She can't help it that she has never developed a laundry system as innovative as mine.

She would probably love cleaning the toilet if she ever tried. Even more, she would love teaching her 9- and 7-year-old boys to clean up all of the extra mess they left in and around the toilet. And she would love the extra challenge of doing it while keeping her nails beautiful.

I've been thinking about all of the 40-year-olds I know. Many of them don't own sparkly silver dresses, like Jen.

They volunteer at school. They serve in their church. They keep their households running smoothly around one or more children. They have endured pregnancies. They have adopted. They have spent many nights awake with crying babies, puking children or waiting for their new drivers to come home from a date.

They have grown wiser through the experiences. They have great stories to tell. They are loved in a way one can only experience when it comes from a devoted husband, a needy newborn or a sensitive 9-year-old.

And, yes. They are fabulous inside and out!

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