Just posted at: agirlnamedgay.blogspot.com

New Address

Hi all. I'm going to start posting on a new site:

agirlnamedgay.blogspot.com

Once I figure it out, I'm going to have this site feed directly into the other one, but I'm struggling with the tech side of it. Shocker. So if you want, just set your reader to that page.

xoxo gay

Dec 26

.......no more counting down. Unless we start all the way at 365..... 


As expected:


Dallin and Porter loved Christmas. (skateboard, shoes, jacket, umbrella)
Deeter took one look at the present Santa left him (a train track already set up) and never looked back, not even  to come open more presents.
Kaia slept through it all. (cabbage patch doll)


Not expected:


I learned this year to throw perceived notions out the window: I'll take sunny and 75 over a white Christmas. Every year.


I conceded to go to church on Christmas- should be an obvious, unfortunately it wasn't. Guess what? Loved it. Wish every Christmas would fall on Sunday. Felt good to eat my words.


Santa pulled through and brought magic.... magic eight balls. Magic worked in my favor. Dallin ended Christmas night very tired and......in tears. He had asked for an Ipod and headphones (???) and didn't get any. We sat cuddled on the couch and I was just letting him cry it out. He suddenly popped up. He grabbed his magic. "I'm going to ask my eight ball if I can have an Ipod and headphones." I let out a long breath, feeling pretty defeated, preparing for the next round of sobs. He gave a shake shake as he asked the question. An answer popped up: outlook is not good. "Well...I'm asking again. " So....he gave a shake shake as he asked the question. And an answer popped up: Definitely not. We both sat there bewildered, Dallin tensing up, me slowly relaxing. "I'm asking ONE MORE TIME." Shake shake. Question. Reply: I doubt it. 
And just like that the problem was resolved. Without me saying A SINGLE WORD.


And now.....the real vacation begins. No obligations, no mile-long to-do list, no school. Fingers crossed for no rain, no snotty attitudes, no sickness, and no whining.  Oh yeah, and lots of eating out, and going out with friends, and laughing, and........stairs. 

Strong Arm

I hear all kinds of unfair bargaining going on in my house. Most of the time I bite my tongue and let them develop their negotiating skills without any tutorial. But sometimes I just can't help myself. And this usually occurs by butting in and helping Porter 'know his rights' against the power of his older brother. 


I don't know whose been mentoring Porter, nor do I know if he knows he walked away with a killer deal but today I became aware of one of the most recent barters. Porter walked into my room wearing Dallin's shorts, asking me to help him. I said, "Oooohhh, did you ask Dallin if you could wear those?" Yes, boys have this issue as a point of conflict also believe it or not, and recently it's been more present in our home. It seems, though, the boys have next to squash it already. "Oh yea, we made a deal," Porter said. "I get to wear any of his clothes I want whenever I want. Except for his Colorado jersey {which conveniently Porter has a twinner one} and his Colorado bracelets.  And he gets to play my guitar everyday." Ummmmm, yes. The guitar he received when he was ONE year old. And in the past year has only been of interest to him for ONE day. Must have been the same ONE day Dallin took interest in it as well. And in exchange, Porter got a new wardrobe. It looks like we have a negotiator on our hands- he knows the secret....timing, timing, timing.


We're getting excited for this weekend...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I put it in the predictions folder last Friday {thanks for the concept, Jono} that I think Yosh has done well this year. He's real hit and miss. One year an all-edge brownie pan, the next year a trip to Paris. So you never know. Now I wish I could remember exactly what happened for me to add this note to the folder, but I can't remember anything specific. That might be for the better. Because then based on whether or not I'm right, I would be looking for clues next year to make a judgment call, but Yosh would know what I was or wasn't looking for, and then try to act or not act accordingly. Which would totally throw off the authenticity of my judgment. You get what I'm saying, right?


The kids are going to be in Christmas heaven {and completely self-entertained for hours, inducing mama heaven!} and I'm so ready to see their cute faces with looks of glee glued on!

Merry Christmas!

Where's the Magic?

Does the magic of Christmas really lie in your heart or lie to your heart?

If the magic of Christmas lies in your heart, then "The List" I received:

Christmas List

the Force

magic 

crystals

(Which I of course instantly translated to read:)

Christmas List

skateboard

shoes

jacket

......then the list I received will be accepted with absolutely no question. I am sure there is some connection between list 1 and 2 and since I believe, the kids will, too.  And we'll all be happy and satisfied. They won't pout like spoiled children because the requested list wasn't fulfilled to the tee. And I won't have to tell them that no there's really NO SUCH THING as the Force, magic, OR crystals (the magic kind at least.) And- heaven forbid- I have to tell them there's no such thing as....that one guy.  

But if the magic of Christmas lies to the heart, well then by golly, we are in full Christmas spirit over here at my house. Because it has turned me into a lying machine and I AM NOT A LIAR {except when door-to-door salesmen stop by, then one or two might slip out.} I have a real problem with this. I hate feeling like I'm feeding my kids a load of crap every time anything on the subject comes up. I'm avoiding eye contact, mumbling off unfinished sentences and doing everything short of running out of the house- screaming- with my arms raised in surrender. If they had just an ounce of innate lie detection, I would of been a goner a long time ago. Now don't go "Bah hum-buggin" me for all this. I have NOT let the cat out of the bag and I don't intend to. I'm all about the real meaning of Christmas, the idea of increased giving but my gosh there's gotta be some way to remedy my poor conscience and let her enjoy the Holiday too instead of being trodden down with guilt. In an attempt to relieve pressure, I've already reduced Santa down to the man who brings ONE gift. Shoot, I can't remember if he fills the stockings or not. I have about 3 days to figure out if that's him or us........ ONE gift from Santa. The rest from mom and dad. 

And that doesn't take away from the magic of Christmas at all. When else in the year do you have brownies and cookies and treats every time you turn around? And twinkling lights dancing to your Christmas playlist as you drive around the town admiring the adorably decorated houses? And gifts LOADED under the tree just for you? There's no way to disguise the magic of Christmas season. And just in case Santa is the underlying thread that ties all this together for the kids, I'm gonna keep my lips zipped, deal with a guilty conscience, and just dream of singing "The Magic of Christmas......lies in MOM and DAD."

If you're feeling chubby right now.....

....raise your hand. I know, me too. 


When was the last time you tried a new food- when visiting the Indian restaurant down the street, or the Thai one next door; it could be when traveling to a different country, continent, or whatever. Shoot, you don't even have to go to a different country. Travel down to the south and your body'll think it's somewhere out of this world. So will your ears. But the point is...the food. When was the last time you tried a new food... and the introduction didn't go off seamlessly? It left your stomach feeling a little torn up and probably even landed you in the bathroom with a 'come back for free all day' pass.


Well that's about how my poor body was feeling yesterday. And the foreign cuisine was..........apples, oranges, broccoli, grilled chicken....all kinds of crazy food.


I should've done this post a week ago for my own sake, because that's when the food comatose started. Because of the poor food choices. And the lack of self-control. And abundant sweets every time I turned around. And a strong commitment to never say never no.


So in no particular order, I'm reminding myself of a few of my secrets on how to feel good, look good, and still partake in everything edible....especially during the Holidays. 

A good friend introduced this book to me and it has become my only go-to health book. If you've ever had more than one conversation with me, chances are I've referred to this book. It preaches the principles of listening to your body and loving yourself and creating a healthy (not guilty) relationship between you and food. Take a glimpse at what's inside here if you want.
{I secretly wish I had a stack of this luscious read sitting around so I could gift it every chance I got.}


DON'T SKIP MEALS- ESP BREAKFAST
We know all meals are necessary and it's basically been drilled into our little minds from a young age how important breakfast is. Quite a few days during the last couple weeks, we've had a reoccurring scene. I don't eat breakfast- bc my stomach is hurting from the night before's poor choices. Somewhere between 11 and 12, I'm famished. Anything in my reach is inhaled with no thought for what, how much, etc. I need food and I need it now. And a lot of it. And then at 4:00....repeat.  If our bodies know they can count on all meals at more or less the same time of day, they are content, calm, secure, FUELED machines. We need to give our them a little bit of routine and dependability to work with so they don't FREAK OUT!



As my everyday mentality, I take the approach of concentrating on what to eat, instead of what not to eat. I eat veggies all day long. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks...veggies. I'm kinda exaggerating but only kind of. If I have the option of veggies, I take it every time. And I add in other fresh foods- chicken, almonds, yogurt, and sometimes even fruit (not my strong point). I focus on getting those things in my body and whatever hunger remains, I fill it with WHATEVER I WANT. Oreos, frozen yogurt, cookies, Root Beer floats...whatever sounds good at the time. S'mores with Reeses. I'm not lying. I eat it all. {Revert back to Intuitive Eating book. This will teach you to listen to your body and OBEY when it says STOP- YOU'RE FULL.}
I've never been good with commitment- such as committing to eat NONE of something or only 1 sweet/day- so this approach works great for me. Shoot, have your cake and eat it too!


GET YOUR WORK-OUT ON!
Exercise is good for the mind, body, and soul. Most people know that but if you don't, I'm not lying. "Exercise" is an open definition that can be custom to each individual. But do something that makes you feel good about yourself and feel strong and gets that heart a-pumping. SPOILER ALERT: Everytime you finish a good workout- whether 10 minutes or 2 hours- you walk away feeling empowered...like you-can-conquer-the-world empowered. Go move your body!
 {I've been dying to do a post targeted towards beginners. I need to get it done!}


So here's to getting back on track... Treating our bodies good so that they can actually enjoy the {smaller amounts of?!!} CRAP that we're putting into them!


If you're not wanting food to be your demise,
Fingers are crossed to maintain a similar size,
These are the tips that I strongly advise, 
That'll make you happy, healthy, and wise!
~a girl named Gay

8 years ago today, I married.......

..........a stranger. I remember calling my older brother to tell him I was getting married and his exasperated response was, "To who? Cesar?" {the guy I was dating before}. It'll remain a mystery if he really didn't know who my current boyfriend was or if he was making a point. But after 3 1/2 months of dating, 2 months of engagement...he was all mine. Thank goodness that the both of us apparently have a knack for picking strangers.... who would end up being an impeccable companion? I'll take it.


I was thinking back to "the beginning" and felt myself getting a little embarrassed at the immaturity of the relationship, our shallow understanding of the inclusive definition of marriage at the time. I recognized the progress we've made since then. I think in doing that, it sparked an 'ah-ha!' moment...it wasn't immaturity per se all those years ago, it was simply the starting line. If I looked back and didn't feel a comparative sense of immaturity and shallowness, THAT would be a problem. Because it would hint at a lack of growth. And that's really my goal in all of this...growth, slowly pressing forward toward a better me, a better us. So there's absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about! It's not so important our current stationary point on the graph, but rather the direction we're headed.  I think the path we're on has us moving upward and- with no comparison necessary- that leaves me satisfied.  That, and the fact...that he's definitely no longer a stranger.

{PS Doesn't it kinda look like Yosh is coming at me with a windpipe or something?!!}

{PSS You're not getting sick of this sweater yet, are you?}

 FORWARD MOVEMENT, PEOPLE...THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!
Of course we'll be celebrating. At home. With 4 kids. And cereal and milk. Unless one of us has a baby-sitter and surprise up their sleeve. I don't. But Yosh, you still got time...!
OH YEAH, AND HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!