weekend – Diary of a Gay Dad. I am a full time dad to five young children.

Taking Control of your Wellness (Guest Post from Laura Pearson)

Want to Take Control of Your Wellness? Here Are 5 Tips for Health Advocacy Today

Advocating for your health is one of the most important things you can do. It will help you lead a happier, healthier life, but you’ll also find that your confidence skyrockets as you learn to speak up for yourself. If you’ve been looking to become your very own wellness ambassador, keep reading as Diary of a Gay Dad shares 5 essential tips for doing so today.

1. Stay Informed about Your Health

Read up on health and wellness topics that interest you, and ensure you understand any medical information or instructions from your doctor or health care team. If there’s something you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask questions. After all, the more you know about your health, the better equipped you’ll be to make informed decisions about your care.

2. Find the Right Support

A big part of being your health advocate is referring to the right professionals. Taking advantage of free preventative care under the Affordable Care Act is an excellent place to start. You should also find the right healthcare professional for your health goals and needs. LGBTQ+ families often have unique needs in healthcare and advocacy, and finding a professional who respects and supports your wellness will be critical to achieving your health goals.

3. Take Care of Your Mind and Emotional Wellbeing

Physical health is closely intertwined with mental and emotional health, so taking care of all aspects of ourselves is essential. Make sure to schedule time for activities that make you happy and help you relax, such as spending time with friends and family, reading, listening to music, or getting outside in nature. According to Everyday Health, taking care of your mental health will help you be your best self and better able to advocate for your own physical health.

4. Prioritize Prevention

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. So, in addition to staying informed and speaking up for yourself, another essential way to be an advocate for your own health is to prioritize prevention. This means making lifestyle choices that will help you stay healthy, such as eating a nutritious diet, regularly exercising, and getting enough sleep. It also means being proactive about your health by getting regular check-ups and screenings and taking steps to prevent injuries and illness, such as wearing a seatbelt and sunscreen.

5. Manage Your Records

Finally, being aware of your rights as a patient is essential. According to HIV Legal Network, this involves knowing your rights to privacy and confidentiality, understanding your right to informed consent, and being aware of your right to access your own medical records. It would help if you also were constantly maintaining your documents. This way, they will be ready for easy access and can be reviewed for errors after a visit or prescription. In addition, saving your health records as a PDF to your iPhone is a great way to access important files and documents on the go. When you do so, you won’t have to rely on WiFi to access your documents – just remember where you saved it, and you’ll be good to go!

Advocating for your health can seem daunting, but it’s important to remember that you have the right to be involved in your own care. By staying informed, speaking up, and taking care of yourself, you can be your best advocate and ensure you get the care and treatment you need.

Right Post Called Tail Towel

That was my reminder!

What on earth could it mean? I am now thinking?

I have failed to blog over this last month! A birthday befell me 4 weeks ago, then the tragic death of my older brother…

Though this post is not going to dwell on either of those things. I have just traveled the globe to be there for his goodbye service in Australia, (I live in the U.K.), and I have only just circumnavigated my way home, to John and the children. They all missed me, these last 8 days, as I indeed missed them.

You already know, I’m the guy who wrote, The Diary of a Gay Dad, don’t you?

Well, if not, here I am, Andi Webb. A two year diary blogger who took a break. One of those years ended up in paperback format, Thirteen Moons More, the successor to my first novel, Eighteen Moons. That was the story of how my partner John and I became parents! It only seemed fitting to write a second book on just how those two naive blokes, Andi and John panned out as parents.

Well, last year there was even a third book, Many Moons Before. It only took me 6 months to write, and then a couple of months in the editing. Thank you dear friend Bern for that. And that book was all about me, rather selfish huh? The prequel to parenting. I’ve sold around 25 copies! So, a big thank you to those who invested in reading my true life story. It’s a cracking story, a life well lived, or maybe not! You be the judge of that?

We can’t always be responsible for what befalls us, can we? It’s what we do to put things right that matters… or indeed embrace the good that touches our daily lives! Keep it close.

Okay, so what about this posts title, I hear you ask?

Haha… I had asked Alexa earlier, to remind me to ‘write post called tall tale’ or something suchlike!!! I forget now, tall tall, tail tall, or was it tail tail. I’m sure it really doesn’t matter as I have moved on already. And these last moments and thoughts don’t even seem to matter now as they may have a short while ago. Because I am my own life’s creator and commentator, aren’t I?

You know what I mean – right? I’m expecting a few comments today by the way! And I will answer all and any.

Why is it that popular bloggers or TikTok’ers ask you? ‘Just drop me the name of your town or city and I’ll give you a shoutout’!!! WTF!!! Am I that desperate to increase the volume of my comments on this blog and in particular, this specific post. It’s a seminal one, for me, that is!!! Maybe for you too… ummmh!!!

So, I ask myself, three real life novels into my career of writing… well, just what can I write about next?!?!? I have promised Dadda Gets Jammin’ and that title will surely come into being! It’s started of course, but as it’s relative to life being lived, I will be adding new chapters as and when! Julia Child took many years to compile her book after all.

The Diary of a Gay Dad (the teenage years) is of course, yet to happen. And the children are all for now, just happy children, going about their early school hood years! Completely bonkers at the weekends of course, but overall, just happy children…

I want, no, need a writing project outside of blogging, away from the 3 biographical stories.

On my journey home from Australia, which was over thirty hours from door to door by the way, I imagined that I had joined the ranks of fictional writers!!! Yes those who write and invest in their imaginations, and build worlds and situations. Possibly within unimaginable worlds from present, past or future…

Okay, my next novel is now my #wip (work in progress) and it’s title is going to be ‘Portal’. And this is the first time it has been spoken of, and it is truly now, down on paper, as to coin a phrase.

‘The full moon was cloistered by cloud’… (The first sentence!)

Well that’s it really! I have now officially joined the ranks of fictional writers out there! Hoorah! This is a good thing…

Also, if you are still reading these last paragraphs, please drop into comments any thoughts that you may have! this project is in need of your participation. I’m going to write this book having noted your feedback! Will this book be children’s fantasy fiction, something of the soul, science fiction, or completely something else?

I have reached this point now in this blog post and I am feeling completely jubilant! Firstly, to have recognised the processes and life situations that have led me here in my writing career, with 3 books written, and all available for you to read through Amazon (just search Andi Webb). That’s Andi with a ‘I’ by the way. And secondly, I now appreciate that the small seed sown here today in this new adventure, Portal, will now be given all of the nourishment it needs, in order to grow and flourish. A fourth novel – unconnected, wild and random…

I actively want you to help co-write this novel. To help within it’s conception, to guide what will be an amazing story. I want you to give a little piece of you. Or a bigger piece, that’s up to you.

I don’t think that there has ever been a writing project quite like this before?

I am, or rather, WE are about to build a whole new world together. And that makes me smile.

So how is your day going?

Do you see what I’ve done? I have invited you, the reader of this blog, to comment a third time!!! And I hope, for one reason or another you do!

Join me?

Daddy and Dadda’s Dinner

It has been a very long time since this blog has seen a post devoted to Daddy and Dadda’s Dinner!

And we have dined at home extremely well. Simple ingredients mostly, but maximum flavour for sure.

On Instagram there is even our own hashtag #daddyanddaddasdinner which will bring up the full feast of what is our lives in food.

I will attach the last 10 foodie pics from my iPhone library and give a few basic words explaining each.

Presentation is key when you see food, you really need to excite all of the senses, appearance, smell and taste are all as important!

Red Prawn with ratatouille, salmon and sautéed creamy potatoes

Crab Linguine made with the reserved liquor from our lunchtime Mussels and Frits

Chicken Tikka’s with homemade Masala Sauce and Naan Bread

Salmon and Oyster mushrooms, served with black pudding, mashed potatoes in a Savoy cabbage leaf and a white wine sauce

Lamb filet, garlic green beans and homemade dauphinois potatoes

Sea bass, scallops, Green beans and Mash

A Jersey Royal Terrine with steak, salmon, field mushrooms and petite pois ala Francaise

I think that should do for now. The first dish was Friday nights dinner! Those red prawns were excellent. Tonight we are going with Singapore noodles with prawn and a mushroom fried rice with Chinese five spice chicken! Bon Appetite Everyone!

The Dogs Dinner

In a couple of my earlier diary entries, I’ve told you all about our 2 Dalmatian dogs, Remus and Gracie. They really are part of our family, our first born.

Quite ironically, the fact that Remus had fathered Gracie (with a little coercion), was one of the elements that led John and I to the decision ourselves, to become parents! If Remus could manage it, why on earth couldn’t we (with a little coercion)?

Well, It didn’t take me too long in my return to diary writing to plug my now, first book, Eighteen Moons. You know, I have written three books at this stage. This first story is the story of how two blokes (John and me) went about becoming a family of seven, nine if you include Remus and Gracie. Available through Amazon, simply by searching Andi Webb, that’s Andi with an ‘I’… it really is the most amazing story, filled with a whole myriad of emotions! But we persevered against huge odds, and here we are, several years on, living my big crazy family life!

So, Now is the time to reacquaint you with our two rapscallion hounds! Both a little crazy, and both act like they are still pups of 6 months old. Especially Remus, he has a very dear heart and is 100% devoted to me, and the family.

He has always been my constant, my shadow. Always there, always beside me, always needing to know that I am there for him. And Gracie applies the same tactic more or less! A dog really is for life, aren’t they?

Right, back to the dogs dinner!

I have previously explained that our dogs are on a 23 and a half hour day. Their dinnertime was 4pm around 3 years ago. But given that they would whine for an hour before they got their food, daily. After a few months their dinner would be brought forward by 30 minutes… a few months would pass, and again, given the sheer amount of whining, another jump forward of 30 minutes.

When I stopped my regular diary updates in October of 2020, Remus and Gracie’s dinner was at midday, no longer 4pm!

Well, in this more recent time, they did whine, whine, whine!

Now guess when their dinner is, these spotty dogs of mine?

A month just past, it had settled at nine…

Okay, no more rhyming, I promise!

Today the dogs dinner is in fact as soon as I get up, be that 7am or 7.30 – unbearable really as they whine at the bedroom door for the longest time!

At present, they are snuggled up beside me on the sofa. Tara watching the television, Thor, Amritsar and Aaliyah drawing at the kitchen table and Caleb, well, Caleb is running around like a headless chicken as he often does!

Just a small story today, to ease myself back into the rhythm of diary writing. Thank you for reading, and wishing you all a lovely evening.

I wonder what the weekend has in store!

My Final Diary Entry, At Least For Now!

It is with some regret that on the 2nd anniversary of my diary blog diaryofagaydad.net, I have to explain, that after these past 24 months of sharing the ups and downs of parenthood, my musings on this forum have (for now) come to an end. I will of course leave the archive online and intact if you ever chose to relive the ups and the downs of 2 years of parenting five small children?

A message from a fellow blogger tonight that ‘I am bored’, has lead me to the conclusion that it is now time to step away!

No pictures, no finale, no fanfare, just goodbye for now my friends…

On other social media such as Facebook, I do not post often. But if you found any part of my blog something positive to muse over (btw predictive text just flashed up ‘pissup’ lol) just search ‘Andi Webb London’ and I will surely follow you back!

The other option is Instagram of course! http://www.instagram.com/mybigcrazyfamilylife

I am certainly considering ‘Diary of a a gay Dad, the teenage years’ though 4+ years away at this point! Another time altogether, maybe it will be a great time for us both to catchup once again.

Thank you for listening these last 2 years, thank you for being there and ultimately thank you for caring. I am very happy to know you.

And for those that I am not connected to on other social media platforms, good bye and take care.

First Fire of the Season

Late in the day and the rain has finally given up and moved on from its 300ml weekend downpour!

The children all presently spinning in a circle, dancing to ‘don’t leave me this way’ by The Communards. No, strike that, they are doing a conga train through the living room, kitchen and both hallways.

That’s one way of tiring them all out before bedtime I guess. Tara and Amritsar now screaming at each other as one pushed the other! Song finished now all left panting and out of breath!

Sunday family dinner of roast chicken finished and at this point, I’m thinking an early night for daddy and dadda! Which is very odd for me as I usually head for bed around midnight!

Roast Chicken, roast potatoes, glazed carrots, braised Savoy cabbage and broccoli

All now settled, if not slightly tired out! About to dress for bed! Wish us luck, won’t you. And best of luck if you have little ones. It’s not the easiest time of the day, is it? I hope you had a great weekend.