That's right...The Braces are officially OFF. Check out those shiny bones of mine. No longer do I have to worry about whether or not I will be able to get my lip back over my braces when I laugh, or ask my fellow servers at Chang's if "I'm good" before greeting a table. My tongue has also had a lot of rest since it isn't fishing out random assortments of food intertwined in my brackets....AND I think I made record timing with the floss tonight. 

All is well here at the Cirac residence.

Please jaw, stay put.

Although I am a die hard BEATLES fan, I had have no reluctancy to say: the Stones album EXILE on MAIN STREET is an album to end all albums.
When this Album first came out in 1972, it was not received well and had mixed reviews. As it is with most artists, later, the Album was revered by some as the greatest album in rock history, and most definitely the Stones at best. The Album was composed in France, As the Stones were kicked out of England for tax issues, hence the name "Exile on Main Street".
 Just recently they re-did a bunch of unfinished tracks that never made it to the album- the extended tracks are AMAZING...THIS one in particular, although it isn't done justice without speakers.




XOXO- Stephy

 Pg 140: "It's not only that, Alvah. It's not you alone. If I found a job, a project, an idea or a person I wanted- I'd have to depend on the whole world. Everything has strings leading to everything else. We're all so tied together. We're all in a net, the net is waiting, and we're pushed into it by one single desire. You want a thing and it's precious to you. Do you know who is standing ready to tear it out of your hands? You can't know, it may be so involved and so far away, but someone is ready, and you're afraid of them all. And you cringe and you crawl and you beg and you accept them- just so they'll let you keep it. And look at whom you come to accept."....(141) "I take the only desire one can really permit oneself. Freedom, Alvah, freedom."

As someone who has dieted the majority of my life and read up on/ tried just about every way there is to loose weight, I can say that this book Women, Food and God was a breath of FRESH AIR. I will never, ever, EVER go on a diet again. Most women have an emotional connection with food, and often times use it as a sedative to get through hard times, discomfort or to disconnect. The theory Geneen Roth presents in this book is the Idea that if we become aware of ourselves and are living in each present moment- owning up to any emotions we might have, whether positive or negative, we will learn to listen to our bodies and eat only when we are hungry, stop when we are full, and actually enjoy how wonderful food really is. IMAGINE THAT. Such a simple Idea, yet surprisingly  difficult.
 The first week I did it I lost 5 lbs.  I ate what I really wanted- but only when I was hungry and stopped when I was full (which by the way comes really fast). Unfortunately  I got back into my old habits of mindless eating and.. back to square one. It takes time to master thats for sure, but I believe its' an endeavor that will be worth my while. 
I tutor children at an Elementary school and supervise them at lunch. I always watch in fascination as they unwrap their AMAZING lunches (We are talking PB & J sandwhiches, oreos, chips, twinkies, cheese, crackers, juice- everything you have ever wanted to have packed in a lunch)and not even halfway through(often times before they have even opened their cookies or eaten more than one chip) they are zipping up their lunch boxes and off to enjoy LIFE on the playground, while I am wondering to myself how I can get my hands on that left over Ding Dong. Bottom line: Kids listen to their bodies, they are present in their bodies, they live each moment to it's fullest and as a result they are HEALTHY. So forget what your parents told you about "finishing everything on your plate"(that has obviously gotten America NOWHERE) and stop depriving your body on fad diets and grapefruit juice cleanses. Be nice to yourself and eat when your body (not your mind) really truly wants- because it will tell you. 


Also read the book, because she tells it all way better than I do- Oprah is my witness.

xoxo- Stephy

CREAM- Ultimate band of the 60's, if you don't have this in your album collection by now, you are missing OUT. Can't go wrong with Eric Clapton. 

                          

Putting together a Blog is HARD- All this HTML junk. I still can't figure out how to get one simple stripe/line across the top of my page... So hats off to all of you with gorgeous blogs, you are in the right generation. Cheers to my first post EVER!  xoxo - Stephy