For your viewing pleasure.

It's been a while since I've told you about the movies we've watched. 

We've seen several indie films recently and so why don't I just tell ya bout em'?

Last  night we watched this:

Awesome! 

It's just so refreshing to see real lives of real, good people. 

It drew out all those feelings I had as a 10 yr old who just knew that horses would be my best friend and I would be able to connect with them on deep levels. 

(I'm not the only one who went through a beloved horse phase, am I?)

In all honesty, I'm terrified of horses and that is because I've never really spent much time around them.

Another film we watched this last week was this:

It was surprisingly sweet. 

I was skeptic at first as there was an over abundance of "teenage boyhood" jokes. (please read between the lines here - this boy is literally out of control)

But there is hope and the movie takes a turn for the good just in time. 

"Ralph" (lead character) is actually quite a charming character and is easy to love. 

My husband (former collegiate track star) will tell you that it's radical and impossible for a boy who's 14 to run like "Ralph" does, but it makes the movie fun! I mean, the entire theme is about a miracle!

I didn't want to watch this movie. 

But after months and months of Netflix promising that we would like it I caved. 

 Clair Danes is awesome. 

This movie was delightful! I never in my wildest dreams thought I would enjoy watching a movie about a girl who loves cattle. But it was fascinating and I sure hope the world is listening to what she has to say. (Temple Grandin is a real person who is still advocating kind care of cattle and is a great beacon for those who have autism.)

And lastly:

Henry has been sick for several days this week and Little Bear is almost as soothing as chicken noodle soup. 

Definitely a family favorite. 

nothing to talk about

Guys. 

I have nothing fun to talk about...let alone blog about. 

Blech. 

What I can tell you is that I have now been 98% Paleo for 10 days. 

(I say 98% because I still eat too much fruit. Can't get over my sweet tooth and I talk myself into it by telling me how far I've come and how it's so much better to eat an apple with peanut butter than a cookie)

I will be 100% Paleo at some point. I say that because it is working. 

I feel so great! I can't believe it. 

I've never even had the gumption to stick to any kind of diet, but I always feel completely satisfied and hardly feel hungry! I still daydream about cookies and chocolate, but I think that will disappear soon.
The plan is this will be my life forever. 

I can feel it healing me and my seriously messed up digestive track. It seems conflicting because we've been taught for decades that meat and fat are the bad guys.
What I love about Robb Wolf's book is how he goes into very detailed science of why grains, legumes, and dairy are so hard on the digestive system and in response your entire body.
Sometimes it made my brain hurt, but it was a good pain.

I would love to have a Paleo friend. :)

Anyone wanna jump on the bandwagon with me?

I'll even let you borrow my book. 

You didn't sign up for this.

I never had any intentions for this blog to turn into a food and health sight. 

I didn't realize how often I blog about nutrition and health until my husband said,

"All you blog about anymore is healthy food. You should go back to school and become a Nutritionist". 

It took me back a little. I hadn't even realized I had become so obsessed with researching. 

But I have. 

Yesterday I got this book in the mail:

I can't wait to delve into it. 

Several months ago I read this book:

Pretty much the exact opposite of "The Paleo Solution".


On another slightly related subject:

My husband signed up to run a marathon in June, in Utah. He also has recruited half of his family and many friends from around the states (people he worked with on his deployment to Guantanamo Bay) will be flying in to run it with him. 

In an effort to NOT look like the fat, sick, lazy wife I really want to be able to get a hold of my food choices and possibly run the half marathon. 

The world seems to think RA victims who are on immune suppressents can't run half marathons. 

They are probably right. 

But as of this week, I'm ready to prove them wrong. 

First 3 workouts, done! 

Just in case you want to run along with me, here is the book I'm using as my guide and workout plan:

Sugar Attack

My body is under attack. 

I really feel this to be true, and, sadly it is currently losing.

You all know I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis about one year ago. 

5 weeks ago I started taking a prescription called methotrexate. 

I have to give this drug 6 months before I call it quits, because the rumor is that it will get better. 

But right now, it seems that the side effects of this pill are out weighing the benefits. 

3 weeks ago I was also diagnosed with PCOS. 

Another pill. 

Metformin. 

Last week I got a stomach bug that lingered for 10 days or so. 

My daughter also got the bug, but was only effected for about 36 hours. 

Now I have another internal infection that is making me want to pull my hair out. 

This all sounds so depressing. 

It is!

But I have an idea of where I need to begin to get the healing process of my body jump started:

I am declaring war on 

SUGAR. 

I have had a love affair with sugar all my life. 

I've known for a while that sugar is slowly killing me.

It truly is poison!

I've never had the determination or the gumption to take major effort to quit sugar until now. 

I'm convinced it's ruining my life.

You'd have to be an ostrich with your head in the ground, or in complete denial (where I've been for the last few years) to deny the horrible effects of sugar. It seems to be the root of all things physically negative. It's been strongly linked to:

depression

heart disease

diabetes (obviously)

PCOS

autoimmune disorders

weight gain (obviously)

and more! 

I've read this book and really like her ideas:

{Click HERE for link}

I am certain that I will have to slow the process down for my personal success. I am just SO addicted. 

For instance, I've been trying to go just 24 hours without a treat and I just can't make it without shoving a handful of peanut butter m&m's down my throat. The 3 o'clock hour and stressful moments are my weakest points. 

I've been using the calorie counter/food diary at Lance Armstrong's websight to help. 

It's awesome! It has every food in their system and breaks down ALL the nutritional values for you. 

Even when I thought those m&m's were the only sugar I was eating I was shocked to see that I had downed over 150 grams of sugar in a day!

**********************************

Eventually I would like to be living the Paleo Diet. 

Some people will call me crazy, but I just have to go with my gut on this one (pun intended). 

Cutting out grains completely will be a major accomplishment. Especially with a husband and kids who are not so convinced. That's okay for now. For now, I'm just starting with sugar and myself. Maybe next year I'll tackle all packaged foods. Then move onto grains. 

 2012 = Chablis' war on sugar

A video post

Several days ago my sister sent me a text asking to take a lot of videos of our Christmas moments and email them to her so she could make a video. 

Hmmm, 

I slacked off and didn't really get much recorded. 

But she did what she could with what I gave her and mixed it with the Trinnaman Christmas back in Utah. It almost feels like we were all together. 

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

And just because this is awesome. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again,

I may have given birth to spiderman. 

He's goin' for that bowl of stocking candy on top of the fridge. 

Notice his disappointment when he fails. 

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this boy. 

Dinner Date.

I had more fun last night than I've had in a loooonnng time! 

Hurray for awesome friends!

A night at the Nutcracker

Our trip to the St. Louis Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker was fantastic!

It was unfortunate that Lydia was not entertained in the least bit. 

She did like dressing up, and the atmosphere, but she was a pain in the neck during the performance! 

I guess Lydia won't be going to the theater any time soon. 

Gracie was completely enchanted. She was on the edge of her seat the entire time. I couldn't stop her from dancing and twirling in the hallways during intermission. 

I guess there is a reason why Lydia quit her dance classes after 3 weeks and Gracie wishes she could go to class everyday. 

It was magical for me! I constantly had chills going up my back and when the principal (playing the sugarplum fairy) was performing. I may have found my chin quivering and eyes filling up with tears. She was absolutely breathtaking. 

Visions of a sugarplum fairy

I can't wait!

I got tickets for me to take my girls to see the Nutcracker Ballet tomorrow night.

They have no idea.

*squeee!*

I'm so stinkin' excited. 

This will be their very first experience with the professional theater.

Counting down the hours. 

Every Night...

these two are tucked into bed separately. 

And EVERY NIGHT they end up like this:

Last night I suggested to Lydia that she just bring her pillow over so she doesn't steal Henry's. 

After getting them tucked in, together, Lydia giggles and says, 

"It's like we're married!"

MakeOver!

What do you think of my make-over? It was time for a clean sweep. I've changed, my life has changed, therefore, my blog needed a change. It feels clean. A round of applause for my famous sister Gentri!

**My husband has pointed out to me that the first words on my last post are brian fog...as opposed to brain fog. Just another example of my fleeting brain (spelled it right that time!)**

Morning time with Chablis

Brian fog is a real problem people. 

Just as proof that it's an actual symptomatic condition of RA I found an article. 

If  you so desire, you may go HERE to read it. 

I'm sure none of you will care to read it, but I wanted PROOF that I'm not just nuts. 

Mornings are not my best time of the day. 

This a.m. while the girls were eating cereal and I was managing to throw together lunches for the two we had a conversation that went like this:

Gracie and Lydia were fighting over who got to look at the back of the cereal box. 

So, I took the box away and put it out of the way. 

Gracie then stomped her foot and let out a squeal of frustration. 

I turned to her and said,

"That is un.....(inappropriate was the word I was searching for) COOL!

If you two can't figure out how to treat each other and the the cereal box....(kindly is the word I would have used, but alas) LIGHTLY then you can't have the box at all."

The girls could see the hesitation in my face as I tried to form coherent sentences. 

Not my proudest moment as a mother. 

We managed to read a page of the scriptures and say our prayers before I declared, 

"Now go and grab your cat...I mean jocket....whatever, you know what I mean."

Coat or jacket Chablis. Pick one and run with it.

A new attitude

Several weeks ago I wrote a post, late at night because I couldn't fall asleep and I was feeling sorry for myself. The following morning I felt uneasy about it, so quickly deleted it. Some of you may have still read it through Google Reader. 


It went a little something like this: 


Warning: this post contains personal whinery and has no pictures. Viewer discretion is advised.

I've been thinking.

Bad. I know. (why don't you just be smart and STOP thinking, Chablis)

Here comes the serious part:
My personal, inner self life is crashing and crumbling. You may be thinking, "Oh no! Something serious has happened! Did her husband die? Are her children sick?" No. My life is wonderful. More wonderful than I deserve. You see, I have a very bad case of "keeping up with the Jones'" in a sort of sense. I don't have any idea where I got this notion inside of me but it goes something like this:

"If I don't have all the external stuff all together, meaning, if I don't look pretty and my house doesn't make an impression on people, and if my children aren't dressed well, and I'm not being creative and strutting my hostess skills around and baking and cooking for the neighborhood, then...well...what the heck do I have to give to others so that they'll like me?"

There are too many external forces binding me up to be able to uphold all of these social checkpoints I have in my head. RA is a big binder. My lack of financial and caloric restraint are also finding their stringy ways around my hands as well.

I'm finding I can't keep up the important spiritual aspects, prioritizing of my family and such, AND all the other stuff too and make it all work. Something's gotta give.

I suppose you could say I'm being forced into a redirection of my energies. I'm not sure how to go about my new life without all the busy-ness (aka: shopping at Target) and "prettiness". I'm pretty sure I'm being flagged down from above in an effort to grow in my testimony and redirect my focus into my children. I know this, but can I do it?  

I'm not sure where to go from here, and I'm not sure how this blog may suffer (heaven knows it's been suffering for the last year). A part of me wants to just get rid of the blog to end it's poor suffering and help me keep focus. Another part of me can't quite let it go.


Silly, right? I think it's an all too common theme for women. Especially stay-at-home-moms. And you all  can vouch for my excessive complaining and whining about my RA. 


Well, I've changed my attitude. Thanks to some help from a few fabulous books written by Carol Tuttle. I AM enough. I am happy and I love my family and my friends. I am blessed with a fabulous body that does what I need it to.  


There are a certain few people whom I adore, but never felt good enough for. I'm so happy these people are so talented and blessed. I don't need their affirmations to be whole. I love me because God created me, and he doesn't make mistakes!


My blogging has suffered for a long time. I used to blog because I felt I needed the support and affirmations from the comments. I used to find things to blog about that would bring positive comments to lift me up. But I've realized that this was a very unhealthy relationship with blogging which is why I've disabled the comments. 


I have no idea where my new found attitude will take me with blogging. I may forget about it completely. Of course, I will never stop looking at all of your dear blogs! I LOVE them. Who knows if I'll have anything interesting to blog about and who knows if I care to plug it in, even if I do have something interesting! It doesn't matter because I don't assess my worth through this blog anymore. 


I love you all! Thank you for your support and love. Especially to those of you who took the time to email me from concern for the changes on the blog! I am so grateful for you.