Home Revolutions

Sharing the Harvest

2011-11-22T05:42:00.000+10:00

We had some friends round for dinner and they brought us some wonderful

fruits (and vegies) of their labour!

Yum!

In the Kitchen This Week

2011-11-21T05:41:00.000+10:00

Monday
Random Recipe - Chinese Chicken Hotpot with steamed veg
from Donna Hay's No Time To Cook p96

Tuesday
Roasted Red Capsicum with buckwheat pasta from here

Wednesday
boys - eggs
adults - chilli con carne (we've been trying to have this for three weeks now, plans always keep changing. This week definitely!)

Thursday
GF pizza, no idea on toppings yet

Friday
Sweet potato and chickpea red curry with brown rice and steamed veg

Saturday
BBQ

Sunday
GF bean burritos

An Easy Weekday Dinner

2011-11-18T05:56:00.000+10:00

This
+
this
+
buckwheat pasta
=
quick, yummy dinner after a busy day out and about.

A New Experience

2011-11-17T05:35:00.000+10:00

Baby Oliver is now 5 1/2 months. Oh, where does the time go? He is rolling like a fiend and doing all that pre-crawling stuff, getting up on his hands and knees, working his arms and legs but only going backwards! Adorable!

He's also started to show signs that he's ready to move from a diet of purely breastmilk to introducing solids. His head control is great, he's almost sitting independently and he's showing so much interest in our food and drink that it's hard to keep him from grabbing whatever is on my fork!

So now we're entering the world of solids! We're going to go down the road of baby-led solids, not bothering with purees and mash just giving him little tastes of the family food and some specifically steamed fingers of vegies. We'll still offer cereal (starting with iron-fortified organic rice cereal) for breakfast, just because I think cereal and a healthy breakfast is a good habit to get into early.

Baby-led solids has so many benefits but oh so much mess!

Another Adjustment

2011-11-15T05:49:00.000+10:00

It seems like life has been all about adjustments lately.

Some big, some not so big.

One of the not so big ones is this:

For the first time in my life I'm not hanging out washing on a Hills Hoist.

It's brought up all sorts of dilemmas. Where do I start hanging? Should I start at one end and work my way down one line line and then the next? Or should I start at one end and peg on each line?

Oh, these are indeed the big issues!

In the Kitchen this Week

2011-11-14T05:33:00.000+10:00

I'll post more about it soon but we're making the transition from a wheat-based diet to one that is wheat-free, attempting to be gluten free.

Monday:
Roasted pumpkin risotto

Tuesday:
Buckwheat pasta with bolognese sauce

Wednesday:
boys- eggs and toast
adults- chilli con carne (we didn't end up having it last week)

Thursday:
Pumpkin soup with cheesey muffins

Friday:
gluten-free pizza

Saturday:
BBQ

Sunday:
Random Recipe - Eggplant Parmigiana from Rose Elliot's Classic Vegetarian p74

Extras:
gluten-free bluberry muffins, gluten-free bread, chicken stock, muesli, yoghurt, ricotta

Rocket Pesto

2011-11-11T05:24:00.000+10:00

We got a massive bunch of rocket in our F&V box recently and I knew the boys wouldn't like it as salad leaves too spicy Mummy! so I turned it into the yummiest pesto! With brazil nuts instead of pine nuts it wasn't exactly traditional, but what does that matter!

1 bunch (2 firmly packed cups) rocket
1/2 cupbrazil nuts
1 cup olive oil
120g parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Whiz everything up in a blender of food processor until it reaches your desired chunkiness!

Enjoy as dip, salad dressing, a sandwich spread, stirred through pasta. Your imagination is the limit!

Starting Early

2011-11-09T07:36:00.000+10:00

It's been a while but I'm joining in with Wordless Wednesday at Faith, Hope & a Whole Lotta Love.

Back to Menu Planning!

2011-11-07T05:27:00.000+10:00

not that I ever stopped, but back to sharing it with everyone!

Happening in the kitchen this week is:

Monday:
Broccoli casserole with steamed veg

Tuesday:
Zucchini slice with salad

Wednesday:
Boys - eggs and veg
Grown ups - chilli con carne

Thursday:
BBQ

Friday:
Mushroom risotto

Saturday:
Chickpea casserole (requested by Archie, no idea what I'll actually make though)

Sunday:
no idea yet!

Extras:
Bread, yoghurt, chicken stock, beef stock

Organic Homemade Ricotta

2011-11-05T05:54:00.000+10:00

The day before its 'sell by' date the organic milk at our local grocery gets reduced to a ridiculously cheap price. Being the food hoarder that I am I buy every bottle that is reduced (sometimes three or four 2l bottles) and use it straight away for cooking or freeze it to use later.

Making ricotta is a great way to use up a large quantity of milk to give a different product that is so versatile. A sweet dip for fruit when mixed with honey, a topping on pizza, a filling in filo pastries, the uses are endless!

Here's my recipe using just milk and vinegar. Too easy!

2l organic, non-homogenised milk
3 tbls white vinegar or lemon juice

Heat milk slowly to 97C or just below boiling point if you don't have a jam thermometer.
Remover from heat and stir through vinegar or lemon juice.
Sit, without stirring for 15 minutes
Strain through a muslin cloth for 30 minutes or until it's as firm as you desire.

I don't salt my ricotta as I like to have the option to use it for sweet or savoury.

Around our Suburban Garden

2011-11-04T05:40:00.002+10:00

One of the biggest adjustments we've had to make after the move back to suburbia is giving up the dream of growing the majority of our own food. Even though we are renting a great house with the perfect backyard for us, it's still not the same, you know?

Anyway, we're doing what we can. There were already not one, but three (!!!) lemon trees so that is a bonus! There is a tank so we can water when there hasn't been rain for a while and there are a few garden beds that we are planting out in between the existing ornamentals.

A capsicum seedling among the ornamentals

Potted carrots, hopefully growing straight!

We're planning pots, pots and more pots!

Baby-Led Attachment After A Caesar Is Possible!!!

2011-11-02T06:02:00.039+10:00

There is a lot of negativity within the health community about breastfeeding after c-sections. While I understand the generalities of why there is this negativity (ie baby removed from mum immediately after birth, baby and mum missing out on many important hormones, scar pain, immobility from anesthesia, recovering from all the drugs for mum and baby just to name a few) I wanted to write a positive post about breastfeeding after a c-section.

Knowing that I would be having a third c-section and having done Baby-led attachment with Archie, prepared me to use the same approach after Oliver's birth. It really is the most effective way to get breastfeeding off to the right start and makes every feed after that so much more relaxed. Along with lots and lots of skin to skin time, co-sleeping and true demand feeding it helps really establish proper attachment for those important first feeds. Not to mention wonderful bonding time for mum and babe, getting all those great hormones flowing, so important after a c-section birth!

Oliver, a few hours old, enjoying skin-to-skin time

after another breast crawl.

Here is a video of a baby doing the "breast crawl" when only a few minutes old. It is truly amazing how a wee baby, perceived to be so helpless, can find their way to their mother's milk.

It can be hard in the hospital environment to stand up for your baby and what is best for them. For Oliver's first breast crawl we had a midwife standing over us wanting to get her hands in there and "help" him. We had to say quite a few times that "No thankyou, he's fine. He'll get there." And he did, without any interfering hands. In saying that though, the hospital were very supportive of my desire for lots of skin-to-skin time. In fact, because we both had trouble keeping our temperature stable after surgery it was actively encouraged (not that I needed encouragement!) so the first two days after his birth we spent almost every waking moment in bed, skin-to-skin!

As with a natural birth, the key to having a positive c-section is preparation and confidence. Know what you want, discuss it throughout your pregnancy with your doctor or midwife, firmly but gently stand your ground on the important issues. After all, you only get one chance at giving your wee babe the best arrival you can!

Making a Sheepish Return to the Blog World

2011-11-01T05:52:00.002+10:00

Well, it's been a while! Sorry, but life has been full!

After a couple of months staying with my parents we're now in our own place and back to regular programming. We are adjusting to life back in the 'big smoke', adjusting to life in suburbia where going for a walk means counting buses instead of cows, adjusting to having a normal sized backyard, adjusting to town water!!!

But there are positives, lots of positives. More time with extended family (the boys are loving having Nan and Pop over for dinner!), being able to walk down to the shops to get that forgotten little something as opposed to getting everyone in (and out, and then back in) the car.

The boys are continuing to grow and develop at ridiculous rates. Elliot absolutely loves his new kindy and is making lots of lovely new friends. Archie hasn't taken the adjustment as smoothly as Elliot has. I suppose that happens when you're 2! Oliver is now 5 months, and just a delight. Feeding like a champ, sleeping well and doing all the lovely things a 5 month old should do.

I'm really looking forward to getting back into the blog world!

Much love,
Vic xx

Boy, It's a Responsibility!

2011-06-21T06:40:00.019+10:00

Elliot's morning job list. Archie also gets in and gets his jobs done too!

As the Mum of boys, I have an awareness of my responsibility to raise them to be good men. Men that treat women well, men that will make good partners and husbands, men that pull their weight around the house. While that is all years and years away I strongly believe in planting the seeds of this responsibility early. Children are much more capable than many people give them credit for. If you scaffold and guide them, if you make it possible for them to succeed then they will generally rise to the challenge.

El's self-made bed, complete with pj's under his pillow and baby asleep and tucked in.

A few months before Kindy was due to start this year I started to talk to Elliot about jobs that he needed to do in the mornings to get ready to go out. Together we came up with a list. At first he needed help with everything on the list. Luckily for me he's a lover of a routine so it took him oh, about a day to remember everything on the list! Over time the list has been added to, amended and changed to suit our changing circumstances. Elliot has also changed in that he now completes the list independently (apart from cleaning his teeth, I have a turn after he's had a turn). He even makes his bed and Archie's bed, usually as part of a surprise for me which also involves choosing clothes and getting himself dressed.

Archie's bed after Elliot has made it. Sideways quilt, rumpled blankets and all!

Sure, he often has his clothes inside out, back to front or completely mismatching. The beds are always rumpled and lumpy but I wouldn't have it any other way. He's showing me he's capable and responsible. He's proud of his success in doing these 'grown up' tasks.

In the Kitchen this Week

2011-06-20T05:26:00.001+10:00

As we will be moving in a few short weeks we're eating from the freezer and pantry. We're planning on putting everything in storage and staying with my parent's until we find a new place in Brisbane. So we need empty fridges, freezers and pantries.

Along with eating from the freezer and pantry, we've had lots of friends drop meals around to help us out with new baby Oliver. We've been so spoilt, having yummy homemade meals delivered, soups, stews, pies even cassava cake and ice cream! Yum!

But, by me, nothing exciting is cooking, nothing exciting is being planned, no cookbooks are being consulted.

Every morning I've been standing at an open pantry or freezer and surveying the offerings. We've been eating lots of pasta, lots of tinned lentils in soup or sauces, usually with tinned tomatoes too!
Hopefully soon I'll be able to be back in the kitchen, planning and cooking up a storm!

Just Something I Love

2011-06-16T04:45:00.001+10:00

Some pretty flowers, a surprise from the boys when they went shopping with Daddy.

A couple of cross stitches by my Mum.

One of the clocks we received as a wedding present.

Some op-shopped canisters.

A teapot given to Matt by his late Grandma.

I love this wall in my kitchen.

My Little Fashionistas!

2011-06-15T05:01:00.001+10:00

Don't forget to check out more Wordless Wednesdays!

Oliver's Arrival

2011-06-14T05:10:00.002+10:00

So our dear wee Oliver has made his grand entrance into the world. Settle in for a read, you may want to get a cuppa now. I do have a tendancy to waffle!

You may remember that I had been hoping his birth would be a Maternally Assisted Caesarean (MAC) as I'm a huge natural birth advocate, but have only had caesars! A Maternally Assisted Caesarean was going to be the closest thing I'd get to being involved in his birth but alas and alack, he had different plans!

After much negotiation with my Doctor we'd agreed on what would and wouldn't happen, how things would go, who would be involved in terms of aneathestists, paediatricians, midwives etc. As his arrival was going to be a planned c-section, we knew who all these people were going to be and so my Doctor had been talking with them in advance. The delivery was booked for a Monday morning, the day after my due date.

The Wednesday before my due date was my Mum's birthday and she mentioned a few times throughout the day that if he decided to come today then she wouldn't mind sharing her birthday with him at all. My response was to roll my eyes and exclaim "He's so not coming early, I feel fine!!!" Ha! Just goes to show what I know!

That evening while making dinner I felt a tightening and made a comment to Mum that I may have just had a contraction. That was about 5:30pm and was followed by another tightening about 15 minutes later. At this time Matt was on the bus on his way home so I sent him a quick text message letting him know that something may be happening but I wasn't 100% sure. I got on with dinner but didn't have anything myself, I was feeling a bit funny in the tummy, plus if it was labour I didn't want to eat anything as you are supposed to be nil by mouth for 7 hours prior to surgery.

Matt got the boys bathed and into bed while Dad cleaned the kitchen and Mum and I started watching the tele and then bam, at 7:30pm a really strong, long contraction followed by another 10 minutes later, and then another and another! By 8pm I knew that this was the real deal so rang the hospital and the midwife said to come in. Matt was back after getting the boys settled so we finished packing the bag (I thought I had a few more days to get things ready!) and headed off leaving the boys in the safe hands of a very excited Nan and Pop! On the drive to the hospital the contractions were stronger and closer together but very typically they slowed down once we got the hospital. Luckily the midwives believed me that I was actually having strong contractions and after being hooked up to the monitor for a while she called the Doctor.

Unfortunately though, not my Doctor. It was her night off so one of her colleagues was called in. At that point I knew that my plans for an MAC were out the window as the birth would officially be classed as an "emergency" as I'd gone into spontaneous labour and MAC's are only considered for elective caesars. Plus, all the people that my Dr had been talking to were not on that night.

So Oliver's arrival was your traditional caesar. The Doctor and midwife delivered him, lowering the screen so Matt and I could get our first glimpse of our little man. Then he was taken over to the table where the paediatrician checked him over and gave him the OK, he was weighed and measured (2.9kg, 52cm). He was brought over to me all wrapped up for a quick cuddle before heading to recovery with Matt. They waited there while the Doctor delivered the placenta and finished up the procedure.

It really, aside from not being an MAC, was my ideal situation. I wanted the baby to choose his own birthday. I wanted to at least labour for a little bit (it was almost 6hrs from the first funny feeling to when he was born) so that the baby and I would both benefit from some of those wonderful labour hormones. I wanted him to be ready to come into the world instead of being told "you're coming now!"

Our wee babe entered the world pink and screaming and ready to feed! Just perfect!

He's Here!!!

2011-06-12T13:52:00.000+10:00

Just a quick one to let you know that our third baby boy, Oliver, has arrived! He's now 10 days old and is just divine. Feeding brilliantly, sleeping well, just being an adorable newborn really. The big boys are loving him, showering him with kisses and cuddles.

I'll be back soon to share his birth story. :)

Chicken Tractor Update

2011-06-02T05:27:00.000+10:00

I've posted before here about our chicken tractor and how fabulous it is, and it is. But there are also a couple of design flaws.

The first (and biggest in my opinion) is that the nesting box is on top of the roosts. You can see it in the picture in the above link. Now, not being all that knowledgeble in chicken husbandry even I knew that this was not the way things should be. Chickens like to roost in the highest possible place which means that all 6 of ours girls cram into the nesting box, jostling for a comfy place to sleep. This means that they generally are laying on the floor of the tractor, usually under the nesting box. This leads to design flaw #2.

Design flaw #2 is that when the girls lay on the floor they can't be reached from the top opening (over the nesting box) so the only way to get them is to crawl through the teeny tiny door, dodging the hanging water and feeder, and reaching through the roosts to get it. This is nigh-on impossible when in the last stages of pregnancy!!! Luckily I've got children to do the leg work for me, but this brings it's own problems. Elliot is good at manouvering through the cage and climbing through the roosts, but doesn't like getting the poo on him, and was completely freaked out when one egg had a really big bit of poo and muck on it. Archie on the other hand doesn't mind the poo, but is not so good at the manouvering and him going in usually ends up with him falling, tripping and doing other such clutzy things that mean he comes out covered in poo, straw, kitchen scraps and chicken food.

We certainly do things the hard way in our house!

A Pitiful Garden Update

2011-05-31T05:28:00.000+10:00

Since we made the decision to put the house on the market and move the garden has been neglected to say the least. Actually neglected doesn't even describe what has happened to the huge area we once had planted with heaps of edibles, some successful, some not.

We planted out two gardens using the chickens to prepare the soil for us and then our moving news came. We have kept tending those two areas (one with a mixed planting, one with potatoes) and the rest of the area has been mown and is regressing back to lawn.

I can't begin to explain how sad I feel when I look out and realise that all that potential is gone. I look through the seed box and wonder if there is any point starting a new planting when we could be gone soon. But what if we're not? But what if we are? Argh!!! The unknowns are killing me, so I'm being lazy and not bothering.

In the meantime, we're trying to save the last of the tomatoes from some pesky nocturnal animal that picks them just as they are starting to ripen, then nibbles them and leaves them around the yard for the dogs to play with.

Green tomato chutney anyone?

Meal Plan Monday

2011-05-30T09:54:00.000+10:00

We're staying at my parent's this week, awaiting the arrival of babe #3 next Monday. It was great to meal plan with 6 people instead of 4, although the boys did still pick their usuals of 'sausages' and 'eggs and toast'! It's great to be able to share the cooking too. I still try and cook as much as I can, just because Mum insists on doing all our washing while we're here! What a woman!

So this week looks like this:

Sunday:
BBQ with sausages, tamarind and lime chicken pieces, salad, creamy potato bake, salad and garlic bread

Monday:
Beef Burgandy with horseradish dumplings and steamed veg

Tuesday:
Mum's birthday dinner of Chinese takeaway and chocolate mudcake for dessert

Wednesday:
Pasta prima vera

Thursday:
Boys: eggs and toast
Adults: Chilli con carne

Friday:
Potato and leek soup

Happy menu planning!

The Fellowship of Women - Part 2

2011-05-27T07:38:00.001+10:00

Following on from this post about some special 'women's time' I'd shared recently, I thought I'd share some more special 'women's time' that I'd had.

Some of my local friends got together and organised a baby shower for me! It was so much fun and so nice to see everyone all at once. We don't all get together as often as we'd like (how much is that the story for most friendship groups?) so it was lovely to sit down with everyone and chat and play some very silly games and just have a morning (which turned into all day) of fun. I was completely blown away by the lengths they'd gone too, I was expecting us to just sit around and watch the kids play while we had a chat but one industrious couple (yes, the one man present was the Master of Ceremonies) devised all sorts of crazy antics for us.

The kids, big and little, had a great time! I love getting together with homeschooling friends, the bigger kids are so caring and considerate towards the littlies!

The first was your usual baby shower fare, everyone had to bring a photo of themselves as a baby and we had to work out who was who. Some were easy, some were tricky!

The second game was by far the funniest (and potentially most disgusting) "What's the baby eaten?". The couple had gotten about 8 disposable nappies and smeared them with all sorts of household items. The players had to sniff and smell the nappies to figure out what it was! Ick! We did get some funny photos though of all of us with our noses stuck into the nappies. They used all sorts of tricky things like vinegar, Vegemite, perfume, vanilla and eucalyptus oil.

Trying to figure out what was in the nappy. It was harder that it sounds!

I also got showered with gifts! A voucher to a lingerie shop in town to treat myself to a new maternity bra or two, some kids books and outfits, some chocolate and a lovely package from Pepper Place that I'll post more about once I've actually used them and have pics of them on the new babe!

I'm so blessed to have met these amazing women and formed such close friendships in the short two years that we've been here. I'm so going to miss them when we move!

Why You Shouldn't Believe Everything You See

2011-05-26T05:20:00.000+10:00

After a discussion with some friends about body/self image and the media's role in how we view ourselves we got onto the subject of photoshop. I have absolutely no photoshop experience so when one girl offered to 'do' some of us I jumped at the chance!!! I emailed away a pic of myself and she 'fixed' the image, getting rid of blemishes etc etc.

So here is the original:

And here is the photoshopped version.

Still looks like me (minus freckles, wrinkles and red spot under my eye), she worked on the lighting, teeth, eyes and a few other bits and pieces. I like that it's not too dramatic, but it really made me think. If this can be done so easily and seamlessly, how much 'fixing' is done to the images we are bombarded with daily?

It's no wonder women and younger and younger girls feel the need to buy the latest moisturiser, cream, cleanser or pill when they are comparing themselves to unrealistic and unobtainable images.

Puzzle-Mania

2011-05-25T05:10:00.007+10:00

Don't forget to head over to check out more Wordless Wednesdays here.

Another Short Week in the Kitchen

2011-05-23T06:34:00.001+10:00

Yet another short week as we are travelling again, this time not to return home until the baby has been born! Woohoo!

I've been trying to stock the freezer with meals, homemade bread and baked goodies so that once the wee babe is here I can focus less on the cooking and more on the baby, big boys and of course myself, recovering from a c-section.

So this short week looks like this:

Monday:
Pumpkin soup with homemade rye bread (with extra serves to go in the freezer)

Tuesday:
Steak, steamed veg and mashed potato

Wednesday:
Easy dinner - eggs and vegies!

Extras:
bread - wholemeal and rye for the freezer, berry and yoghurt muffins, yoghurt

The Fellowship of Women - Part 1

2011-05-19T05:48:00.002+10:00

Quite a few weeks ago I was so blessed to have been given a Blessingway by a wonderful group of women I've known in the online world for a few years now. I had the pleasure of meeting them all in real life and realising that we all get on in real life just as well as we do in cyberspace!!!

We spent the day out at a local dam, eating cheese, dips and crackers. Those of us not pregnant (ie everyone but me) shared some wine and local seafood. Most of us were child-free for the day which made it even more special!

A Blessingway is a celebration of womanhood, a time to reflect on the amazing gift that women have - the ability to create new life. We meditated, we sung a little, we shared, we cried and we joined ourselves with red yarn.

Please excuse the quality of the pic. I took it at night with my phone.

This was the most special part of the ceremony for me. With one long length of yarn passed between us we each wrapped it a couple of times around one of our wrists, each of the women present sharing their hopes for this babe and it's safe arrival. We then cut the yarn linking us and tied it to our wrists, to stay there until each woman hears of the baby's safe arrival.

I love looking down at my wrist and thinking of these beautiful women. I love thinking of all the strong women that have been there before me and the many, many women that will come after me. This business of pregnancy, birth and motherhood is so timeless, so precious, so sacred. I wouldn't be a man for all the money in the world!!!

Through the Eyes of Babes

2011-05-18T05:50:00.001+10:00

Elliot is loving taking pics with my phone lately and he just had to get a snap of his cereal at breaky the other morning. He was so excited, there was an E in his cereal!!!!

Another almost Wordless Wednesday

Back to the Meal Planning!

2011-05-16T05:40:00.000+10:00

So even though things have been ever so quiet on the blogging front for a while, things are never that quiet in my kitchen! Every week, week in and week out, I meal plan. It doesn't matter what is happening in our lives, where we are, what we're doing, there is always a meal plan. Sometimes written out, sometimes just in my head.

So, this is the plan for this week:

Monday:
Bean burritos

Tuesday:
Chicken schnitzels with mashed sweet potato and steamed veg

Wednesday:
Zucchini and pea risotto

Thursday and Friday:
two nights off! Yahoo!

Saturday:
Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sunday lunch:
Vegetarian Shepard's Pie with Sweet Potato topping, recipe from here

Extras:
Mini cheese muffins (for the freezer), wholemeal bread, labna (yoghurt cheese)

Celebrating in Style!

2011-05-12T04:57:00.001+10:00

Celebrating your birthday in style when you're four means

Going on a steam train ride with family

Spotting all sorts of exciting things out the window

Experiencing the wonder of going through a tunnel

Getting to ring the old bell

The excitment of presents wrapped in brown paper

Receiving exactly what you were wishing for, even when it's as simple as a much longed-for book.

Choosing your birthday cake (and Mummy being able to somewhat replicate it)

Waking up on your birthday morning to more pressies!

Helping to decorate patty cakes to take to Kindy to share.

I can't believe that 4 years ago he was just a babe in my arms.

What a reminder to cherish every moment!

36ish weeks!!!!

2011-05-11T05:07:00.004+10:00

Baby #3 at 36 weeks.

Taken by baby #1, who turns 4 today!

It was kind of a Wordless Wednesday.

Fessing Up

2011-05-10T04:55:00.001+10:00

After my friend Kelly's recent post and link back to this blog about using bi-carb as deoderant I thought I'd better fess up.

I don't use deoderant. There we go, it's out there for the world to know. Only Matt, my mum and a couple of friends knew before today. I promise you I don't stink, well, no one has told me I do anyway!!!

I just got sick of trying every different brand out there and nothing working the way I thought they should, considering all the chemicals and nasties in them, not to mention the cost. Then I read (somewhere, can't remember now where) about using either straight bi-carb or mixing it with different flours, herbs, oils etc and I haven't looked back. It's probably been two years now and it really is just so easy, cheap and effective.

I keep it in a parmesan cheese shaker that I got from the grocery and then just shake a bit on after I shower. It seems to last for ages **warning: another confession coming up** if I haven't showered for a day or two, it's still fine.

So go on, give it a go. I dare you!!!

The Chickens are Laying!!!

2011-05-07T06:39:00.000+10:00

Well, at least one is, maybe two.

We returned from a day or two in Brisbane last Saturday to find an egg in the chicken coop! We've had one egg each day since then, with two the other day! One of the two though had a very thin, papery shell so we're thinking it was the first egg from another layer.

The boys are very excited to check the coop each morning even though we seem to have early-afternoon layers. Every time they check they return very disheartened with the response from Archie being "nothing cep a golf ball" (Matt put a golf ball in their nesting box thinking it'd inspire them.)

Then, when that elusive egg finally arrives he runs back to the house yelling "Chickens grewd an eeeegggggg!!!" at top note.

After waiting since Christmas, we're never been so thankful to see an egg! Now we just need the rest of the chooks to follow suit so we can stop buying eggs!

Making a Sheepish Return ...

2011-05-05T05:17:00.001+10:00

I've decided it's time to resume the blogging. Lots has been happening over the last couple of months, none of it overly interesting to read about on a blog! :)

In a nutshell, to catch you all up, Matt has taken a new job which sees us planning a return to Brisbane. I say planning because while we had originally thought we'd be there by now, we're not. Well, not all of us. Matt is working in Brisbane through the week while I am up here with the boys. He's coming home on weekends or we're all travelling down when I have Dr's appointments for the new baby. I think I'll be fine with this arrangement until the baby comes. After that I've got no idea. It's pretty tiring at the moment being 35 weeks pregnant with a 2 year old and an almost-4 year old. I've absolutely no idea how tiring it's going to be adding a newborn to the mix as well!

On the topic of the new baby! I've got less than 5 weeks to go! It has come around so fast that I just can't believe that in 5 weeks they'll be another little man in the house, another soul to meet and get to know. I'm now in the care of the obstetrician in Brisbane who delivered both the boys and she is just wonderful. She gets me and some of my 'things', I don't need to explain myself to her, she's just fabulous. I'll post in a while about how we're progressing with having a Maternally Assisted C-Section, but she is open to the idea in some form so that is positive.

Other than that, life is progressing along as usual! I'm trying to continue our lives as regularly as possible, while having to deal with some pretty big changes. I'm still cooking a lot. I'm still menu planning every single week. I'm still attempting to sew. I'm trying to knit more (I've had a pair of slippers on the go for a while now, poor El!). I'm trying to get to that home-duties nirvana of no washing needing to be folded or put away, though I'm not sure it even exists!

Just Popping In ...

2011-04-04T04:26:00.002+10:00

... amid the gazillion trips to Brisbane to look for a new house (no easy task after living in this beautiful home!) to remind you to head over to KK's to check out the second instalment of Real Mummas on Mondays. It's fair to say that this week's question had us all fairly stumped so I can't wait to read the other Mumma's responses!

Much love to you all, hopefully I'll have some clearer headspace soon to get back to regular posting.

Vic xx

A Teeny Tiny Update and a New Monday Read!!!

2011-03-28T05:41:00.000+10:00

Ok, so life in our house has gotten very crazy all of a sudden. I'll come back soon with a longer version of the story but the abridged edition is that Matt has accepted a fantastic promotion with his employer and we are making the move back to Brisbane. This decision has been very difficult for all of us and I've just not felt the urge to blog or talk about it anymore than I have to, so for this I'm sorry.

On a much lighter and more enjoyable note I've been asked to participate in a new Monday meme "Real Mummas on Mondays". A wonderful friend Kate King has set it up and it involves her asking a few Mummas a series of questions about ourselves and motherhood. It is promising to be very eye opening and very interesting and lots and lots of fun! I'm not sure how many weeks it'll run for but it's starting today! Head over to KK's place to read my answer to the first question!!!

Meal Plan Monday and Random Recipe Review

2011-03-07T05:15:00.001+10:00

Last week's Random Recipe was Pot-Roast Meatloaf from Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food (p161). If I had been as organised as I had planned to be it would have been better, but I was having a lazy day so skipped half the recipe! I was going to make the meatloaf earlier in the day and then just pop it in the oven when dinner time rolled around but I got caught up in other things so I had to do it after I picked Elliot up from Kindy. By the time dinnertime rolled around I really could not be bothered dirtying more dishes to make the tomato and chickpea sauce that went with it so we just had it as it was. I think the sauce would have made it, without it was just another boring meatloaf. Not bad, just nothing special. As we're not big meatloaf eaters at the best of times it definitely won't be on our list of regular meals.

Pot-Roast Meatloaf

1 medium onion, chopped finely

olive oil

1tsp groun cumin

1tsp ground coriander

12 Jacob's cream crackers*

2tsp dried oregano **

2 tsp Dijon mustard

500g minced beef

1 large egg

4 rashers of bacon ***

1. Fry the onion in a little olive oil with cumin and coriander until soft and fragrant. Put in a large bowl to cool.

2. Smash up crackers until fine **** and place in bowl with cooled onion mixture.

3. Add remaining ingredients except bacon and mix with hands until thoroughly combined. Shape into a log/meatloaf shape and rub with a little olive oil.

4. Place the meatloaf in a casserole dish or baking pan and then cook in a preheated 200C oven for 30 minutes.

5. Lay bacon over the top of the meatloaf and return to the oven until crispy - this took another 15 to 20 minutes.

* I subsituted these for a good handful of breadcrumbs

** I substituted oregano with some finely chopped rosemary from the garden

*** The original recipe called for 12 rashers but 4 were enough to cover my meatloaf

**** Omit this step if using breadcrumbs

What I'd do differently:

I'd definitely make the sauce that is in the recipe. It was a basic tomato sauce with some chilli, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar thrown in along with a tin of chickpeas.

On to the plan for this week! We're having a short week, heading to Brisbane for a long weekend so only three nights of cooking here and then I'll plan with Mum the meals for the weekend. Also, we're trying to eat the freezer and pantry down so apart from some fruit and veg from the markets on Thursday morning I won't need to grocery shop! Hurrah!

Monday:
Sausages, mashed sweet potato and steamed veg

Tuesday:
Marinated steak, steamed veg and some sort of potato side dish

Wednesday:
Pasta with lentil sauce

Don't forget to link up if you're menu planning this week!

A Bit of a Break

2011-03-04T13:18:00.000+10:00

Just a quick post today to let you all know that I'll be taking a bit of a break from the blog for a while. We've got some family stuff happening, nothing serious, Matt and I just have some thinking and chatting to do about what is going on.

I'll still be hosting the Meal Plan Monday link thingy because I will definitely still be meal planning!!! So pop in on Monday if you're planning to share what's happening in your kitchen.

Other than that I'll see you all on the flip side!

Take care and go gently,
Vic xx

My Creative Space

2011-03-03T08:18:00.000+10:00

I've not sewn or created anything crafty since finished Mia's apron. In fact, the other apron gift for our little friend is still sitting ~~in the sewing room~~ on the dining table along with a half packed up sewing machine. Life seems to have gotten in the way at the moment. I'm involved in starting up a Transition Town in our town (more info to come) and the kindy committee meetings have begun and the boys just seem to be going through a phase of being more demanding of my time.

Anway, it's a bit of a stretch but I still wanted to participate in My Creative Space this week so we've been creating a new flavour (for us) of ice cream .... HONEY!

This little man was so excited to make some ice cream!!!

Look at this amazingly thick cream! When I went to the dairy I spoke to the lady who makes the butter and cream and she said the thick cream (instead of the thin I usually get) makes much better ice cream and she is soooooo right!

When we went to the dairy to get milk yesterday Archie announced from the back seat that he'd like to make ice cream. Alas we don't have any vanilla so I bought some cream and tried to come up with something different to do, we're out of peppermint essence too so choc-mint was off the list. Then it hit me - honey!

I just omitted the sugar and vanilla and added 1/2 cup of honey. I used Iron Bark honey, it is really strongly flavoured so I thought it would go well with the richness of the cream but I think it's too much. Matt (not at all and ice cream person, odd man that he is) and the boys really liked it though. Plus I just wanted to use up a good chunk of the Iron Bark cause it is way too strong for me, I prefer a Macadamia or Brushbox but anyway, that is another post!

So the recipe looked like this:

Honey Ice Cream

1.5 cups milk

3 cups cream

1/2 cup honey

Warm the honey slightly to make it easier to mix with other ingredients

Mix together all ingredients and churn 25 - 30 minutes or until frozen like soft serve

Transfer to container and freeze until hard

Of course two boys wanted to help do the dishes!

Toddler Helping

2011-03-02T07:59:00.000+10:00

Joining in with Wordless Wednesday.

Daddy Play

2011-03-01T04:59:00.001+10:00

There are just some things that Mummies and Daddies see differently and I suppose that is one of the things that makes co-parenting so interesting.

The other day the boys (including Matt) were in the sandpit before dinner and I called out that it may be time for a bath soon. This was meant by muffled laughter from all of them! Hmmm, they were up to something, I knew it! I poked my head over the verandah to see three boys with face and body paint made from crushed up rocks! Matt was crushing the rocks and smearing it on the boys and also mixing it with some sand to make coloured sand. No way in the world it would have occured to me to do that if I saw two rocks just sitting there.

Needless to say, they had great fun and now the rocks are taking pride of place on the edge of the sandpit!

Meal Plan Monday

2011-02-28T05:54:00.005+10:00

Thanks to everyone who played along last Monday, there were some great ideas for family dinners!

Don't forget to link up if you're meal planning this week, I've extended the amount of time the link is open for, I'm still trying to get used to the new technology! :)

Our plan this week looks like this:

Monday:
Random Recipe - Pot-roast Meatloaf (Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food p161) with mashed sweet potato and steamed veg

Tuesday:
Butter chicken (slow cooker) with brown rice and steamed veg

Wednesday:
Pasta Prima Vera

Thursday:
Pork sausages, mashed potato and steamed veg

Friday:
Felafel with flat bread, salad and yoghurt sauce

Saturday:
Veg and noodle stir fry with boiled eggs

Sunday:
Some sort of roast, maybe chicken or beef

Extras:
wholemeal bread
mini cheese muffins for the freezer for morning teas
zucchini slice for the freezer for lunches
muesli (this has been on my list to make for about a month and I must do it this week!)

My Creative Space

2011-02-24T05:59:00.000+10:00

Here is the post I promised last week, a gift for a friend of ours who has just turned 6!!! It has now been received and used so I can put some pics up. I made Mia an apron, which is the most difficult (yet it wasn't really that difficult) thing I've sewn. Yep, I'm still very much a beginner!

A fancy wee apron with two pockets and personalised with a name panel that was my Mum's idea. Thanks Lynnie!

I didn't use a pattern, I just used an apron of Elliot's as a guide and made it bigger.

I got very adventurous, I top stitched in contrasting pink!

I also added a clip to make the neck strap adjustable.

I lined the back (recognise the fabric?) so I suppose it could be double sided,

but the pretty side is much prettier!

For more creative goodness head over to Kootoyoo!

My Baby Wearing Apprentice V2.0

2011-02-23T10:13:00.000+10:00

See V1.0 here.
Click here for more Wordless Wednesday pics!

The Downside to Homemade

2011-02-22T05:26:00.002+10:00

One of the downsides that I've found to not buying lots of packaged and processed food is the lack of reuseable containers.

Someone (read: a boy) has misplaced the container of paddle pop sticks that I use to label seeds when I plant them. Turning the house upside down I could not find anything suitable as a substitute, all I could think of was an ice cream container cut up, but since we've been making our own ice cream for over a year, all our old containers have been used and reused (and reused again) long ago.

Then when having breaky the other day it hit me ... a yoghurt container! I still haven't got the knack of making my own yoghurt without an Easy-yo packet (any tips welcome!) so we just buy a 1kg tub of natural yoghurt every week. As it was Elliot had already decided that that particular container was going to be used as the 'egg collection container' once the chickens start laying. It took some convincing that they wouldn't actually be laying for a few more weeks so I'm sure we'll have another container by then.

Does anyone have any tips? What do you do when you need to a certain something and have nothing to hand? If like me you make a lot of your own food from scratch, how do you do it?

A Big Menu Planning Post!

2011-02-21T05:20:00.001+10:00

After having a couple of readers suggest it, I've decided to start a linky thingy so others can join in with my meal planning fun. I'm not too techy though, so I hope I've done it right! So if you're meal planning this week, link up and join in! You may find some new "blogosphere" friends and you will probably find some great meal ideas!

We're having a short, yet very busy week this week. As the first week of 'Meal Plan Monday' link up it's a pretty poor show but you get that some weeks! We're away for a long weekend this coming weekend and on Wednesday I've got a late Dr's appointment and then an early evening at a friends place babysitting all with Matt being away in Brisbane for work for the day and not expected home til quite late. Crazy days!!!

Monday:
Chicken and zucchini risotto (using up the leftover chicken from the weekend's roast)

Tuesday:
Felafel with flat bread, salad and yoghurt dressing

Wednesday:
No idea, maybe we'll have dinner at our friends, maybe we'll have something easy at home like eggs and toast after a pop home and pop out again.

Extras:
Chicken stock (from bones from weekend's roast), wholemeal bread, some sort of baking for the freezer for morning teas, choc-mint ice cream

I'm so excited to see what everyone else is planning this week!

Meal Plan Monday Link-along!!!

2011-02-19T05:41:00.001+10:00

Just a quick post to let you know that on Monday I'll be starting a weekly link-up for all you menu planners out there. After having a couple of readers suggest it, I've decided to give it go so others can join in with my meal planning fun.

Anyway, if you're meal planning this week, link up and join in! You may find some new "blogosphere" friends and you will definitely find some great meal ideas!

See you here Monday!!!

My No Rubbish Lunchbox Challenge

2011-02-18T05:27:00.001+10:00

With Elliot going to Kindy this year 5 days a fortnight I spent a lot of the Christmas holidays searching for a suitable lunchbox for him. The Kindy handbook said that lunchboxes could go in the fridge but insulated bags needed to stay in their lockers for the day with an ice brick. I wanted his lunch in the fridge, summer here is just too hot to have food out for hours and hours. I struggled to find a lunchbox that would fit with our 'no rubbish' beliefs. I finally found the perfect lunchbox and I love it! And Elliot being a fan of everything having a place, he loves it too!

Unlike most Mum's I don't have the school food dilemma, Elliot will gladly eat the same thing everyday and likes that the 'right' thing goes in the 'right' part of his lunchbox.

So he everyday he takes a container of natural yoghurt with some frozen blueberries and passionfruit

and another container of dried fruit.

In the big part of his lunchbox he takes a sandwich

(this week he went all out and took some leftover zucchini slice!!!)

and on top some green beans or carrot sticks and a packaged cheese, which is the only packaged/processed food that we buy

In the last compartment are another couple of pieces of fruit and a mini muffin from the freezer.

The only thing I don't like is that there is nowhere big enough for a whole banana so he just takes half a banana one day and half the next day. Not that that is really a problem with the way banana prices are likely to go soon!

So there we have it! A cheap ($11) and easy to replace if it gets lost (we got it from the grocery shop) lunchbox that means no rubbish going into landfill, no commercial or processed food muddling his little mind and body, and a Mama that can sleep at night knowing her little man may be away from her through the day but at least he's still eating good food!

Oh, this is the 4th week of Kindy and we've already had to have a discussion about Coke! I just have to share this little story, it just shows how innocent and wonderful children are (when we let them be). Elliot came home from Kindy and our conversation around the dinner table went like this:

Elliot: "My friend xxxxx said his Daddy drinks Coke"
Mummy: "Oh, do you know what Coke is?"
Elliot: "Nope"
Daddy: "It's a sometimes drink that you have when you're older, like, 20"
Elliot: "Ok Daddy"
Mummy: "What did you say to xxxxx?"
Elliot: "I said, 'My Daddy drinks water'"

I do so love my beautiful little man!

My Creative Space

2011-02-17T14:26:00.000+10:00

I had a great post organised about my latest project but due to my procrastination in getting it to the Post Office I'm saving it for next week. It is a birthday present for a friend's daughter who celebrated her 6th birthday last week (I know, I know, late as usual!) and I don't want to give the surprise away by putting pics up here before she gets it! I posted it yesterday so hopefully it'll arrive soon!

The sewing bug has really hit and I just can't stop thinking about the next project! I'm currently working on another gift for a friend's 4th birthday. Very unoriginally, it is the same as Mia's but still ever so lovely. But as I sew, watch tele, make dinner, or drive, or anytime really I can't stop thinking about what to make next and how to do it.

There seems to be a boy epidemic around at the moment with 2 friends in town having boys in the past couple of weeks, us due with another boy in June and then another lot of friends due to have their first boy in July. I found this fabric during a 50% off sale with no idea what I was going to do with it but now I'm thinking bibs with a flannel backing. Or maybe an adorable floppy hat. Ok, maybe I'm still not sure but I am sure I couldn't leave it in the shop!

While at the op-shop yesterday I found these two pieces of fabric which I'm thinking I'll turn into shorts for the boys. At only 50c each they were too much of a bargain to leave at the shop too.

Oh my, I wonder if Matt knew what he was unleashing when he gave me Freida for my birthday last year!!!

More creative spaces here!

24 + 4

2011-02-16T05:23:00.002+10:00

Enjoy some more Wordless Wednesdays here.

It Found Me!

2011-02-15T05:53:00.014+10:00

As a Thank You for looking after their two dogs for a month while they were tripping around India my parents gave us two lovely chairs for the verandah. They are ever so comfy and a new favourite spot to have a quiet (or not so quiet) read in the afternoons. The only problem is that there are only two and the boys often claim them before I get a chance!

I've been scouring second hand, collectable and op shops for a suitable table to go with these chairs for a few weeks now (read this post) and finally the right piece found it's way home! We were driving through town, not planning to stop and it grabbed my eye in the window of a second hand shop! I quickly found a car park and got the boys out and into the shop to find it had a 'Sold' sticker on it. I was so disappointed, so bought myself a new marble rolling pin for my collection! :)

We continued wandering through the shop and as we were leaving I said to Elliot how disappointed I was that the little table was sold. We talked about the sticker and the word SOLD and he looked at it and said "No Mummy, it starts with a 'H'!" so I had another look and lo and behold it said "Hold"!!!!! I just glanced at it on the way past and misread it! So back to the lady we went and Elliot gave her our phone number so if the people changed their mind she could give us a ring. Later that afternoon she called and said they had changed their mind! Yay for us!

A lovely place to while away the afternoon!

I'm so grateful for my little man and his fantastic pre-reading skills!

Meal Plan Monday

2011-02-14T05:37:00.000+10:00

I couldn't find any dashi stock powder in town here needed for the Chicken Donburri that was the Random Recipe last week. I'll have to see if I can find some online or get some next time we go to the big smoke!

This week is is a short week for meal planning as we're unsure of our weekend plans. We may be away, we may have visitors!

Monday:
Lasagne (with another made for a family who've just welcomed their second baby boy!)

Tuesday:
Homemade pizza on wholemeal bases

Wednesday:
Zucchini slice with salad

Thursday:
Risoni with Sweet and Sour Capsicum - Random Recipe from Marie Clare Fresh p66

Extras:
Ice cream, yoghurt, muesli, banana cake and mini muffins

Passionfruit Ice Cream

2011-02-11T06:11:00.005+10:00

It's an exciting time in our house when the passionfruit lady is back at the markets! Hurrah! Unfortunately do to all the rain and flooding the only crop they've got at the moment is passionfruit, she told me last week that they lost over 15 acres of tomatoes and cucumbers in the recent flooding and three lots of earlier crops over the past 6 or so months.

This is why I love going to the farmers markets. I get to talk to and get to know the people who are producing our food. They know the boys, give them a free bit of this or that every now and then. Yes, we could get all our fruit and veg from the grocery but then we'd be giving our money to big corporations and the farmers that supplied them would be getting a pittance for all their hard work. I know that when we give the passionfruit lady $2.50 for a bag of passionfruit that all of that $2.50 is going to her, her hard working husband and their children that help them on the farm.

I now have two helpers in the kitchen!

These passionfruit were the first of their harvest and oh so delicious. We decided to add to that deliciousness by making passionfruit ice cream! It's just our basic ice cream recipe with the pulp from a few passionfruit stirred through and the vanilla omitted. I can't remember how many passionfruit and even if I could it wouldn't be accurate because it was a case of 'one spoon for the ice cream, one spoon for the boy helping'!

Don't you just love chubby toddler hands?

Our Basic Ice Cream Recipe

Makes 2 litres

1 cup white sugar

1.5 cups milk

3 cups cream

2tbls vanilla essence

Whisk together the sugar and milk to dissolve the milk.

Whisk in the cream and vanilla until combine.

Churn in the ice cream machine for about 30 minutes or frozen like soft serve.

Transfer to a 2L container and freeze.

Lick the paddle and scoop out the super frozen remnants with a plastic spatula!

My Creative Space

2011-02-10T05:35:00.001+10:00

One of our little friends turned two this week so I thought I'd make him a little something for his birthday. I needed it to be quick and simple as I am very much a beginner sewer! After a bit of googling I found this tutorial for a magnetic fishing game.

I made 3 spotty fish and 3 stripey fish for each game set.

Love some pinking shears!

Family crafting time

The boys just had to give it a test run!

With a quick drawstring bag and a handmade card we had a simple, fun birthday gift!

It was very quick and easy, so easy I got a bit carried away and made a set of fish for Archie for his upcoming birthday!

For more creations head over to Kootoyoo!

Why I should Always Cover the Cake!

2011-02-09T06:15:00.001+10:00

We made Carrot and Almond Cake the other day, to be iced with cream cheese icing. I put the cake out to cool and went to get the washing off the line leaving the boys playing happily inside.

Matt came home from work to find two boys "checking what it tasted like" according to Elliot.

Cheeky boys!!!

Hopefully the other Wordless Wednesday participants are a bit more interesting for you!

Baby wearing

2011-02-08T05:49:00.001+10:00

After my post about our fabulous new carrier I thought I'd do a post completely dedicated to my love of baby wearing!

Elliot at 6 months helping me with dinner in the kitchen of our old Brisbane house, pre-renovation. Please excuse my daggy yard clothes, we were renovating a house and yard!

Smiley Elliot!

Our baby carrier collection numbers 5 (4 different types)!!! We have a BubbaMoe sling, an Ergo, 2 large swathes of material for wrapping and now a pouch sling. You can't have too many carriers can you? I've only just stopped wearing Elliot in the Ergo, but if he asked again I'd give it a go. Archie still gets carried in the Ergo, but hasn't been in the BubbaMoe sling for a while.

Slings/carriers just make babies so portable and makes life so much easier!
Here is Archie at our friends' wedding at almost 4 months.

I've always been a big baby wearer, there are so many benefits for baby and many many advantages for Mum too. A friend once told me that babies carried a lot are more likely to have delayed development because they are never on the ground using their muscles. Well, both our boys walked by 10 months so there goes that theory!

Cutting some wicked moves on the dancefloor at the wedding!

Archie and Matt visiting Santa at our old neighbourhood Christmas party. It was Archie's first Christmas and he was 9 months old.

The following passage was found here, and it outlines just a few of the advantages succinctly.
Using a baby sling or wrap can make life easier for you and is good for your baby. Following are some of the advantages of "wearing" your baby (from The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears):

It's convenient. You can breastfeed discretely in a sling while working, getting things done around the house, shopping or eating in a restaurant. If you have a baby who wants to be held all the time, this is an easy way to meet her needs while doing other things.
It helps moms care for older siblings. Carrying your baby in a sling can give you the mobility to care for your older children.
It helps some babies to breastfeed better. Some babies, particularly those who are tense or tend to arch their backs, breastfeed better while moving. Also, babies who are slow to gain weight (for no apparent reason) have been known to gain better if carried in a sling for several hours a day, since proximity to mom encourages babies to eat more frequently.
It reduces crying and colic. A 1986 study of 99 mother-infant pairs (reported in Pediatrics) showed that carrying babies at least three hours a day reduces crying and fussing 43% during the day and 51% at night. Babies are happier because they have less need to cry, and parents enjoy their babies more as a result.
It enhances learning. Carried babies have enhanced visual and auditory alertness, and increased "quiet alertness" times. Carrying a baby promotes cognitive development and speech development, since babies are exposed to more experiences and conversations.
Carried babies are involved in their parents' world. They participate in life, rather than see it as a spectator.
Carrying your baby promotes bonding and enhances parents' feelings of competence. A higher frequency of feeding and touching stimulates mothering hormones, and frequent carrying encourages and speeds the development of a mutual reading of each other's cues.

My absolute favourite baby-wearing photo, me with both boys for a quick dash into the grocery. I'd promised El he could go in the Ergo but Archie was asleep in the car (and we HAD to go).

It was an interesting shopping experience, more for the looks and comments than the actual wearing, it wasn't uncomfortable!

A lady out the front made a passing comment that I needed a photo of that so I gave her my phone!

Elliot was 2.5 yrs, Archie was 8 months.

So why wouldn't you wear your baby? They're the ultimate accessory!

Random Recipe Review and Monday Menu Plan

2011-02-07T05:38:00.001+10:00

Last week's random recipe was Megadarra from The Australian Women's Weekly's Cook, p400. It is described in the book as 'a pilaf-style dish, often referred to as the poor man's food of the Middle East' which I got pretty excited about! It was tasty, not complicated or difficult to make and very wholesome and nutricious. And as an added bonus, Elliot devoured two servings! It was recommended to be served with a salad like tabbouleh or fattoush but I knew that wouldn't go down well with the boys so we had it with a side of steamed vegies and some Greek yoghurt. The recipe says that it serves 4, but they must be four incredibley hungry people because it fed the four of us (Matt and Elliot had seconds) with two serves (enough for Matt and I to share for dinner each) in the freezer.

Megadarra

2 cups brown lentils

1.5litres boiling water

3/4 cup white long grain rice

1.25 litres boiling water, extra

1.5 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp salt

Caramalised Onion

1/4 cup olive oil

4 large onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp white sugar

1/2 cup water

1. Place lentils and 1.5L water in a large saucepan, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, about 15 minutes or until lentils are just tender. Drain

2. Meanwhile, make caramalised onion. Cover to keep warm.

3. Combine rice, extra water and spices in medium saucepan. Add half of the caramelised onion; bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 12 minutes. Add lentils and salt; simmer uncovered about 3 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

4. Spoon megadarra into serving bowls and top with remaining caramelised onion.

Caramelised Onion: Heat oil in a large frying pan, cook onion and sugar, stirring for 5 minutes. Add half of the water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Add remaining water; simmer, stirring for about 5 minutes or until onion caramelised.

What I'd do differently next time:

It definitely needs the salt, don't be scared to add it!
I'd add some more spices, cumin for instance.
I'd use the specified brown lentils. I couldn't find brown and already had red so I just used them. The result was more porridge-y than pilaf-y, but still yummy.
I'd add more vegies to the Megadarra itself, spinach would be great.
My friend Emma who blogs here has also made it since we had it for dinner and she omitted the rice completely and said it was delish! She also added a bouqet garni and spinach.

So, on to the plan for this week. It looks like this:

Monday
Fried rice with chicken drumsticks

Tuesday
Pork sausages, steamed veg and mashed sweet potato

Wednesday
Vegie quiche and salad

Thursday
Chicken Donburri - Random Recipe from The Thrifty Kitchen, p81**

Friday
Italian lentils with cous cous

Saturday
BBQ

Sunday
Bean burritos

** If I can find all the ingredients. It is a Japanese dish that calls for dashi stock, made from dashi powder yet our two grocery stores and Asian grocer in town don't stock dashi powder. I'm going to have to see if I can get it online or have a friend in the big smoke send me some in the mail! If I can't get it in time for Thursday's dinner it'll definitely be on the list another week, it looks divine!

Some Op-Shop Finds

2011-02-04T05:28:00.000+10:00

In true op-shopping style, I went looking for one thing and came home with a few things I wasn't looking for! Oh well, we'll just have to go to some different shops another day and see if that perfect coffee/side table for our new verandah chairs just jumps out at me!

In the meantime we're having fun:

imagining with this steam train, which was only $2! Elliot was so excited when he asked the lady how much it was because I told him that if it is less than $10 we could get it. Hooray! Afterall, the thing we need around this house is more trains! :)

problem solving with some new puzzles

matching with this bingo game

I love the gamble that op-shopping is, some days it can be a gold mine, other days a huge disappointment. This trip was a gold mine!

My Creative Space

2011-02-03T06:12:00.011+10:00

I finally got the sewing machine out again and made Elliot some sheets for kindy.

My sewing room :)

As he is such a little individual, he chose some lovely bright green fabric with white polka dots, so there'll be no confusing which sheets are his!

This was only my second attempt at sewing since getting Freida for my birthday in October so it took a while, longer than one fitted sheet and a drawstring bag should have! I've made a resolution to sew a lot more, so watch this space while I learn a new skill!

Edit: After Elliot took his sheets on Monday he came home and told me that they don't fit! When I spoke to the teacher she looked at the book and realised there was a typo with the measurements! Apparently I was the only Mum to make sheets, everyone else just bought a fitted cot sheet, so I suppose that is what I'll do now, although he'll take the bought sheet in the green spotty drawstring bag. Any suggestions on what I can do with a fitted sheet that doesn't fit anything? :)

Hopefully all the other creations today haven't been subject to the same measurement errors!

The Sewing Bug Has Hit!

2011-02-02T14:26:00.000+10:00

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

My Pay it Forward:2011 Gift!!!

2011-02-01T05:32:00.000+10:00

Last week I received my Pay it Forward: 2011 gift from the wonderful Milky Mumma! As always, it was lovely to get a parcel in the post!

I received a wonderfully sewn pouch sling to use with the new baby (although Archie has been giving it a test run). It is very warm and snuggly, perfect for our winter bub-to-be.

How big does my wee man look! I can't believe he is going to be 2 in just over a month!

Where in the world does the time go?

Thanks Lu, I absolutely love love love my new pouch sling and Archie loved it too, the 'star sling' as we now call it. El also decided that it was his favourite because it has stars on it. I'm so grateful to be sharing this journey of motherhood with you! xx

Meal Plan Monday

2011-01-31T06:31:00.001+10:00

And I'm back to meal planning with a vengence! Yippee!

In our kitchen this week:

Monday:
Beef stroganoff, brown rice and steamed veg

Tuesday:
Vegetable and noodle stir fry

Wednesday:
Chilli con Carne

Thursday:
Megadarra - Random Recipe from AWW Cook, p 400

Baking and Extras:

Wholemeal bread, meusli, 3 cheese muffins

Planning a 'Different' Kind of Birth

2011-01-29T05:52:00.000+10:00

Settle in for a long read, I apologise in advance!

I am a massive natural birth advocate who has, due to circumstances beyond my control, never experienced a natural birth! I had a Caesarian for each of the boys for different reasons and it is something that while not technically 'regretting' it, I'll always wish things had turned out differently. But, I'm coming to peace with the fact that it is just part of my motherhood journey.

Due to having two previous Caesarians I wasn't really interested in attempting a natural birth again (for the record, I know VBA2C's have been done and I applaud those amazing women that have done it, but for me and my circumstances, not worth the risk), one of the main reasons being that we're now living in a regional area and the facilites at our local hospital would not have been favourable if something untoward had happened. Sure enough, during my first appointment with my Obstetrician he said that he wouldn't be comfortable supporting me through a VBA2C (Vaginal Birth After 2 Caesarians) so we'd book in for an 'elective' C-section. I was expecting this so negotiated with him to have the booking made as close to, if not after my due date to give the baby as much precious 'womb time' as possible (Most 'elective' C-sections are done at 38 weeks). He was fine with this and I was so impressed with his confidence in my opinions and thoughts. He listened and took copious notes!

A few weeks ago a friend gave me some information about Maternally Assisted Caesarians, in which the mother plays a key role in delivering her baby during a Caesarian section. She scrubs in and is kept sterile and after the Obstetrician delivers the head and shoulders, she reaches down with her sterile, gloved hands and delivers her baby the rest of the way and straight onto her chest for immediate skin-to-skin! How amazing! I knew as soon as I read the article that that would be my ideal birth situation, as the immediacy of skin-to-skin contact after birth is so important for mothers and babies and something I had missed out on with both of the boys.

After talking it through with my Doctor at my last appointment I was so encouraged (yet again) by his willingness to listen to my opinions and viewpoints. He seemed very keen to talk and read more about the procedure, which he'd not heard of. He was very supportive of immediate skin-to-skin and when I said that I was unsure of the hospital policy because our eldest children were born at a different hospital his response was 'stuff the policy, let's see what we can do!' I mean really, he could have knocked me over with a feather after that!

The appointment ended with him asking me to email him all my info, plus a birth/breastfeeding plan that we can go through at the next appointment. I'm beyond excited to even be discussing this with him, the possibilities are just too much to contemplate sometimes!

The Chicken Tractor

2011-01-28T06:30:00.000+10:00

We are housing our 6 chickens in a second hand chicken tractor. Matt is in the process of building a permanent coop, but you know how things are, it's taking a while. :)

Our wonderful tractor. So glad we were able to purchase one second hand from a friend. It was less than half the price of a new one and in excellent condition.

The plan is to have the orchard area fenced off so the chooks can free range while being safe from the dogs (there has already been an incident, but we won't go into that) and the permanent coop will have a little chicken door we can open from the inside to let them out into the orchard (once we cage the trees and build the fence of course).

The girls working over our horribly grassy and overgrown veg patch. The a-frame to the left is the half-built permanent coop with the orchard area behind waiting to be fenced.

Until then they are in the tractor being let out to roam around for a couple of hours in the afternoons once the dogs have been put away. We've moved the tractor onto the veg patch so they can get rid of all the grass and plant remnants and get it ready for more planting. Once they've done their bit we'll move them onto another section of overgrown veg patch and plant out where they were. We'll keep moving them around, following their progress through the garden with seedlings and directly sown seeds. Hopefully this will prove more successful than our last lot of vegie gardening which was an abysmal failure!

The area where the tractor was for about 2 weeks. Grass is gone and the soil has been turned over and full of valuable chook poo. We've now sheet mulched and are waiting for seedlings to be ready to transplant.

Who Needs Fancy Craft Activities?

2011-01-26T05:32:00.000+10:00

A pair of scissors and last year's calendar kept this boy happy for well over an hour.

All pieces were then dutifully picked up and kept for a collage activity later.

My not-quite Wordless Wednesday. Head over here to see some more.

We Survived!

2011-01-25T06:47:00.003+10:00

First day of Kindy done! No tears shed by either of us (I'm so glad I didn't make a scene!) and while the day was not 'wave goodbye to Mummy at the door, come at pick me up later' it was not as terrible as I was expecting.

All Elliot wanted to do was explore the fort and outdoor play area and then get stuck into the collage table. He wasn't such a fan of mat time and just wanted me to sit with him. He also sat as close to the edge of the mat as possible! He was hesitant about joining in, but once Mummy was a flippy floppy scarecrow he was fine! Archie and I left during Morning Tea time and came back about an hour or so later to see him playing on the fort (yet again!) with a couple of other little guys, chatting away, so that was heartwarming.

Another half-day today and then a few days off until proper hours start next week.

Feeling the Bloggy Love

2011-01-22T06:01:00.001+10:00

Over the past week or so I've gotten a few new followers! Yay!

Thankyou for stopping by and showing your interest but I have a request. Firstly though, an admission - I'm not the most technically-minded person on the planet and I'm having trouble finding the blogs of some of my followers. I click on their name and see their profile, but sometimes a blog isn't listed.

If you're a follower and I haven't visited your space, I'd really love to! Please leave a link in the comments section of this post and I'll pop on over.

If you are more technically minded than me, please tell me if this is my doing and how I can fix it.

Thanks again for reading,
much love,
Vic xx

My Safe Little World

2011-01-21T06:12:00.000+10:00

This Friday marks the end of my safe little world of having my boys home with me. Next week Elliot enters the big wide world of Kindy. Here in Queensland, that is the year before full-time school. A part-time, non-compulsory year at a private or community Kindy.

He will be doing a five day fortnight from 9 - 2:30. This is his first time away from me without being in the care of a close family member or friend and I'm a little nervous. I'm not nervous about the care he will receive while at Kindy. His teacher is amazing, her ideals are very much in line with mine when it comes to Early Childhood Education, she runs a fully play-based curriculum, completely child-led and child-centred. She is passionate and dedicated and just a warm, caring personality.

I'm nervous for all the things he'll be exposed to that will be out of my control. Things the other kids will say, things the other kids will do. I'm nervous about him needing me and me not being there. I'm nervous about his sweet little innocent personality being walked over by more dominant children. I'm nervous about other people not getting his funny little quirks that are just par for the course around our house.

Despite my well-hidden reservations, he is so excited. I know he'll relish the routine of Kindy, he's already practiced packing his bag and he's picked out his clothes for his first day. He's practiced telling his teacher that "I have special suncream in my bag that is just for me because the other suncream might make my face go funny" (he's allergic to regular suncream and his face comes out in hives!)

So Monday is going to be a big day in our house. I'm hoping I'll be brave, but I can't promise anything!

Basil Pesto

2011-01-20T06:00:00.001+10:00

100g basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

75g pine nuts

75g finely grated parmesan cheese

200ml olive oil

Process basil, garlic and nuts until finely chopped.
Add cheese and with motor running add oil through liquid spout.

Homegrown basil and homegrown garlic. So easy and so yummy with pasta!

This made a thick, dip-like pesto. To make it more saucey simple add more olive oil. This quantity made plenty for our dinner and lots more for the freezer.

Meet the Girls

2011-01-19T05:19:00.001+10:00

Don't forget to check out the other pics here.

An Island of Pink in a Sea of Blue

2011-01-18T05:38:00.004+10:00

I mentioned last week amid the flood crisis that we had our 20 week scan with the baby. Everything was fine, bub is looking good, everything in the right places and all that. We dropped the boys at a friend's place for the morning so that Matt could come too (Thanks Saminda! xx).

Despite my objections, I promised Matt that we would find out the sex of the baby. And I really did need to keep this promise as I reneged on a similar promised when I was pregnant with Archie! During Elliot's pregnancy I had promised Matt that if we didn't find out with the first, we'd find out with the rest. Well, I'd told him all of Archie's pregnancy up until the scan that yes, we'd find out. Then, on the drive to the scan I just couldn't do it. I felt so bad for him because he really wanted to find out but I just couldn't. I absolutely couldn't break my promise to him again!

So, as by the pretty obvious title :) we're expecting a baby boy! We are very excited, the thought of parenting a girl after two boys was pretty daunting. I'm excited that they'll all be growing up relatively close in age, give or take two years between each one. I'm relieved we don't have to go out shopping for a whole new wardrobe of pink! I'm not a girly girl and I cringe when I walk through the girl's clothes sections in the shops, so many frills and lace and pink everywhere! Not that I'm anti-pink, I'm just not a fan of those super sugary girly girl clothes. A teeny part of me is disappointed that if this is the last baby for us I'll miss out on those mother daughter moments that are so special and unique.

But, I am preparing myself for a mothering life that is full of noise, fun, activity, energy, early mornings, train tracks around the house, cheekiness, adorableness, laughter, mess, running instead of walking, yelling instead of speaking quietly and food. Oh the food. They eat so much now, Lord help me when there are three teenage boys to feed! Luckily, the kitchen is my favourite place to be, cooking for my family! :)

Image found here.

Strip Washing Cloth Nappies

2011-01-17T06:00:00.004+10:00

I thought I'd take advantage of all the rain we've been having to give our cloth nappy stash a strip wash. Strip washing removes any built-up washing powder residue, increases absorbency and leaves nappies smelling wonderfully fresh (which ours mostly do anyway because I only line dry them). The built up residue can also lead to skin irritation in some bubs. It was never a problem for Elliot, but Archie has been suffering from a bit of nappy rash lately so hopefully this strip wash will sort it out.

To strip wash the nappies you just need to put them through a hot water wash cycle with no powder or detergent. The water will probably be sudsy from all the residual powder being washed out. After the initial wash cycle you just need to keep rinsing until the water runs clean. On our machine it took one more rinse and spin cycle. Then hang them on the line in the sun to dry. Easy peasy!

Some people say to put a bit of vinegar in the final rinse stage to make sure there's no residue left but I don't use vinegar on our nappies. It can destroy the PUL (waterproof) lining and the elastic. A cloth nappy stash is such an investment I'm not taking any chances with it!

Doing Our Bit

2011-01-14T05:43:00.000+10:00

Along with donating cash here, the boys and I helped get some goods together to send across our town's swollen river. One suburb and a few smaller communities further out of town are still cut off with no shops or supplies.

Another friend did all the organising, we just rocked up and helped load things onto utes. I think it was a good experience for Elliot to help him understand that there are lots of people that are much worse off than us, very close to home. He's only 3, so obviously has no idea of the devestation that has happened. He now though knows what a flood is, understands that they can be very dangerous and to stay away from water over roads or water that isn't normally there. He's also started playing 'floods' with his toys, one car rescuing another from flood water or cars and trains not being able to cross bridges or roads because there is water over them. For me, he's seen enough and has enough understanding. I don't want to traumatise him by going into all the details, but he's learning from this real-life experience.

Loading up the ute to be driven down to SES boat at the river. I'm on the right with Archie in the Ergo. Seriously don't know how I'd get stuff done without my Ergo!

Cheeky boys in the ute.

He is also starting to understand about food and what a precious commodity it is, although we've always been very open about where our food comes from. He sees the cows that give us milk. He knows that when we eat chicken it was once a chicken. He knows that vegies grow in the ground and what most plants look like.
When we went to the shops a couple of days ago to get some fruit and veg, the shelves were bare. He wanted zucchini, but there weren't any, he wanted to get beans and broccoli and capsicum and all the things we usually eat. I explained that we can't just have what we feel like at the moment, we have to make do with what we've got. He seems to be ok with it so far but who knows how long we'll have to ration for?

We have one more meal's worth of fresh veg and then it'll be onto freezer and pantry meals. As a real vegie boy, I'm anticipating more questions from him! But if not eating fresh vegies for a while is as bad as it gets for us we've been extremely lucky.

Bel at Spiral Garden is donating 50% of all orders to the Red Cross Flood Appeal. Also Pip at Meet Me At Mike's has an extensive list of other ways people can help.

My Not-Very-Creative Space

2011-01-13T06:00:00.010+10:00

I'm just not in the right mind at the moment to be undertaking crafting. There is just too much stuff going on with the floods for me to concentrate on anything too taxing. Even our 20 week scan with the new baby yesterday didn't really lighten the mood. The news was all good, I'll post a bit more about it when I'm feeling a bit more chipper, but it just feels wrong to be posting about our happiness when so many are going through inconceivable heartbreak.

So in keeping with the Thursday theme of My Creative Space, I can announce my 5 recipients for Pay it Forward: 2011. I've no idea what to make for any of them, but one recipient will be moving into their dream home later in the year, so I'm thinking something 'housey' for her, another is a recently new mum (for the third time) so I'm thinking something 'just for her' for her and that is as far as I've gotten!

Two of my recipients aren't bloggers and they are:
* My mum - Lynne
* My dear friend and old neighbour - Kelly

The other three are bloggers and they are:
*Bec from Timber and Tin - dear friend and old neighbour
*LJ from With My Own Two Hands - an old Internet friend. We've been on this journey of parenting together since we were each pregnant at the same time with our eldest children.
*Amy from The Clip Cafe - a new blogger friend who is enviably crafty and creative

My goal is to have everything made and sent before the new bub arrives in June! For some real creativeness head over to Kootoyoo!

Please also remember to give anything you can spare to the flood appeal. Every cent is going to be needed.

Flood Relief Appeal

2011-01-12T06:00:00.001+10:00

As I already posted about, our town was hit by the Queensland floods on Saturday. The waters have receded slightly but are going to peak again over the coming days. We are cut off from all supplies as the flooding intensifies south and there is talk of petrol rationing.

However inconvenient the flooding has been in our town, we have seen nothing like the devestation seen in other regional areas, Toowoomba in particular. Lives have been lost, people are still missing, homes are destroyed, businesses and livelihoods wiped out. Brisbane, our state's capital city and our home town is now in the path of flood water. It is very likely to be bad and we have a number of friends that have homes that may be affected.

I urge you all to help if you can, to give what you can spare. Every bit helps. The Queensland Government has set up an appeal and you can donate here.

Sending everyone affected by these horrible times much love and strength. xx

Natural Learning

2011-01-11T06:00:00.001+10:00

Elliot reached a massive milestone at the end of last week, he wrote his name for the first time ever! And it is legible! He wrote it completely from memory. See what you think!

I'm really not a big pusher when it comes to the boys' "education" for want of a better word. Being a teacher I've seen many kids being pushed into doing things before they're ready and it just ends in disaster. Better to just let them embrace each new thing when they're interested and go from there. We are very lucky that Elliot just seems to have a real interest in numbers and letters (numbers in particular) and he has a great memory. He loves jigsaw puzzles and things that have method and order. Anything sporty on the other hand, good luck! :)

So after he wrote his name he then went on to write Archie, Daddy, Matt and all the numbers from 1 to 20. I wrote them and then he copied them. He did want to write Mummy and Vicki too but I could see he was getting to his limit so suggested he go and have a play and come back in a few minutes. So in typical Elliot style he went and read some books!

I am so proud of him. I know he'll do brilliantly at Kindy next year but I am going to miss him. :(

Edit: Thanks to Helen who reminded me that El actually goes to kindy this year. In two weeks! Argh!!! But that is a whole post of it's own :(

Meal Plan Monday

2011-01-10T06:00:00.001+10:00

So here is our plan for this week, subject of course to flood waters and what's in the shops.

Because of my food hoarding ways we're actually ok with most foods except fresh fruit and veg and eggs, which the boys eat at an alarming rate that is difficult to keep up with at the best of times. We have 20kg of wholemeal flour in the shed so we can make as much bread, pasta, muffins, biscuits or baked goods as we need. I also keep a fully stocked pantry of tinned lentils (as well as dried), tomatoes, chickpeas, tuna, kidney beans etc plus a chest freezer full of nuts, seeds, oats, different flours and small amounts of homemade stock and meat. The house freezer is full of frozen homecooked meals, frozen berries, butter, frozen peas (from the shops) and a few bits and pieces of who knows what hiding at the back! That is actually the first time I've typed all that out and really, I think we'll be fine! Especially because we can still get into town and the shops!

Monday:
Chicken curry with brown rice and steamed veg

Tuesday:
Fried rice

Wednesday:
No idea yet, will so how the mood takes me!

Thursday:
Prawn laksa (if I can get prawns)

Friday:
veg and noodle stirfry with boiled eggs

Saturday:
Pork sausages with mashed potato and steamed veg

Sunday:
Broccoli casserole

Don't forget to sign up for this year's game of Pay it Forward. I'd love to send some handmade gifts out there!

Cut Off

2011-01-09T06:27:00.003+10:00

Well our town is now affected by the floods devastating so much of our state. Yesterday morning the main bridge into town went under, later in the afternoon a smaller bridge went under and the water level is continuing to rise. They are estimating it to peak sometime today.

Our place is unaffected by flood waters, but we have friends who's houses are flood prone and we're hoping and praying they're ok. One family in particular are isolated between the river and flood water so they haven't been able to get out since about lunchtime yesterday.

Let's just hope that it peaks where they are predicting and there will be little damage to property. Let's also hope that the rain eases for a while!

Pay it Forward: 2011

2011-01-08T05:54:00.000+10:00

I promise something handmade to the FIRST 5 people who leave a comment here. However, to be eligible, you must repost this message, offering something handmade to 5 other people. The rules are that it must be handmade by you, and it must be sent to your 5 giftees sometime in 2011. Ready, set, GO!

The wonderful MilkyMumma posted this and I'm joining in.

I encourage you to join in too!

The Summer of Water

2011-01-07T06:00:00.001+10:00

This summer will be remembered as the summer of water.

For our little family, for positive reasons, our tanks are overflowing and have been for months, the boys have been able to play with water unchecked by a Mum who is a self-confessed water miser.

The overflow from our tanks. We've got our very own water feature!

As I type this the rain has been beating down steadily for yet another day and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. The boys have been loving playing in the rain and puddles and having deep, deep baths every night. It is raining so much at the moment that it doesn't matter how much water we use, we can't keep up! It is completely out of character for me to be so reckless with water use, but being on tank water only and seeing all our precious water spill out of the tank overflow and down into the bush has made me relax a little. I still think about it every time I turn on the tap, but then I have a little converstation in my head about how it's raining outside and the tanks are full, so it's ok to press the full flush button for just a wee! :)

How much fun is riding bikes in the rain?

For many thousands around our state though, this summer will not be remembered with fond memories. Many towns are battling with rising flood waters, with homes inundated, with businesses destroyed. This summer will be remembered with tears and heartache. We are pretty safe from flooding here, but the town we live near is very prone to flooding and the bridge into it was closed as a precaution just after Christmas.

Please keep all those affected by the floods in your thoughts and prayers. There has been so much heartache already and the rain continues to fall.

Special Time

2011-01-06T12:44:00.000+10:00

A month or so ago I had a disastrous morning a the beach with the boys, just horrid. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to take a 3 year old and a rambunctious 19 month old to the beach by myself! Elliot just wanted to be in the water with me and Archie kept taking off up the beach and running away! Argh! After an hour or so I'd had enough so packed us all up and came home. Poor El was so upset, he just wanted to stay and dig in the sand and play in the water but I just couldn't do it any longer. You know those mothering moments when you've just had enough? It was one of those moments.

I promised Elliot on the drive home that one day just the two of us would go back to the beach and we'd make a day of it. Well, today was that day!

He was so excited! It was such a lovely day. We swam in the ocean, chased waves, we dug holes and let the waves fill them up, used our shoes as cars and made roads and hills and attempted a tunnel. We had Fish and Chips for lunch then a big play in the park. The poor wee man was so exhausted he fell asleep in the car on the way home, still in his swimmers!

Elliot and I haven't had too much 'just us' time since Archie was born and it was lovely to connect with him and just have fun! I'm so thankful that Matt is still on holidays!

Happy Birthday Matt!

2011-01-05T06:00:00.006+10:00

Yesterday we celebrated Matt's birthday! We had a quiet day at home and doing a few (boy-ey) errands in town. We went and looked at chainsaws and ramps to get the mower or scooter onto the trailer, we filled gas bottles for the BBQ, we went to the rural supply store. You know, all the fun things!

Elliot and I working on Daddy's cake. I had to buy plain flour especially for the cake! We don't normally have it in the house! But, what the birthday boy wants the birthday boy gets. :)

It wasn't all fun and games for Matt though. He started the day with a quick dash down the driveway to get the bin out after the truck came early! We missed it on our side but luckily the driver stopped for it on the other side of the street, but we were nervous! It was pretty full after Christmas, plus we were away for the last collection and forgot the time before that! He also got a call for help from his brother who's ride-on mower was broken and he needed a had pusing it back up onto the trailer. Matt really owes him because his brother came over and mowed our yard on Monday (which looked like a jungle) because our mower is broken! Hence the need for ramps to get it on the trailer, so we can take it to get repaired!

Matt's parents gave him a Bunning voucher for his birthday and it all got spent on this climbing frame for the boys! What a father, giving the boys a gift for his birthday!

We finished the day wonderfully though with Matt's choice of dinner and birthday cake (he chose a BBQ and a Chocolate, Rum and Raisin Cheesecake) and lots of time relaxing on the verandah. Oh and a great, crazy family dance to Billy Ocean's Get Out of my Dreams. I absolutely love this song, probably because when I was a kid I won a copy of it on vinyl at roller skating! I was such a child of the 80's! ;)

Matt's special request was a BBQ for his birthday dinner, which he cooked himself! Funny man!

Hip Hip! Hooray!

Happy Birthday Mattie! xx

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-04T14:17:00.000+10:00

Oh my, how quickly time flies, another year already!

Last year turned out to be a great year for our little family. Some of the highlights have been:

Our dreams of land, animals, growing our own food and space for the boys to run and get dirty and make noise came true when we found our wonderful new home.
Continuing to live my dream of being at home with the children. I am so thankful every day for the choices Matt and I have made as a couple that allow us to give this wonderful opportunity to our children
We finally got chickens! This only just snuck into 2010, we picked them up on the 30th December!
Strengthening and building relationships with some wonderful women in our new town. Moving to a new place is pretty scary, but I've made such a great little group of friends. They are so supportive and thoughtful, all our children get on really well and they have been an invaluable part of my adjustment to moving away from my amazing Brisbane family and friends.
Watching my Mum take an amazing leap out of her comfort zone and travel around India! What a massive culture shock for her, but I'm so proud of her!
Finally, the most exciting part of 2010, becoming pregnant with our third child!

I'm so looking forward to all the possibilities of a new year and of course meeting our new baby in late May/Early June! Instead of a list of resolutions that are impossible to keep, this year I'm focusing (with the help of some wonderful womenfolk) on just one word. My word for 2011 is:

ACTION!!!!

Action for us to take leaps and do things, instead of just having great ideas.

Action around the house in terms of keeping on top of housework, laundry, yard work etc

Action in taking time out for myself when I feel myself needing it, not when it's too late and I've snapped.

Action with the boys and being present with them.

Action out in the yard, to continue working on our sustainability, adding infrastructure and building more on our plans.

Wishing you all a happy, joyous, productive and enjoyable start to 2011! May our enthusiasm now last all year!

My Creative Space

2010-12-02T07:33:00.004+10:00

My Creative Space this week has been to focus on Elliot's Creative Space!

When I was getting the Christmas boxes out of the shed on the weekend I couldn't help but have a rummage through all my old school boxes (in a former life I was a primary school teacher). I have roughly 10 or 12 big plastic storage tubs full of my old teaching supplies. Most will never again see the light of day unless of course in the unlikely event that the desire to teach returns. My life is full of boys and belly and home and cooking and (attempting to) garden that I can't imagine returning to paid work.

Two of the boxes contained art and craft supplies, glitter and all sorts of sparkly things, a whole shoebox full of scissors (!), pipe cleaners, buttons, you name it, it was there. I cleaned out one small, low cupboard of our old kitchen dresser so Elliot could help himself whenever the creative mood took him. Luckily the dresser has those old fashioned handles that you need to lift up and then pull, so sneaky Archie hasn't figured out how to open them.

Elliot was so excited when I showed him the boxes of stuff and once the cupboard was done he got to work straight away creating a space masterpiece, complete with cellophane rocket ships.

There is more grown up craft over at Kootoyoo. Check it out!

No Meal Plan Monday

2010-11-29T14:23:00.000+10:00

Unfortunately the Random Recipe of lamb biryani got pushed aside last week as we had one night of takeaway (shock horror!) and then last night was supposed to be Carols in the Park, but we skipped it cause of the weather. Not that it actually rained, but I just didn't feel like packing up a picnic and all the other paraphernalia to potentially have to leave after a bit due to a downpour. So we spent our Sunday afternoon and evening putting up the Christmas Tree and decorating the verandah with twinkly lights. Lovely.

I'm not planning any meals this week because it's going to be a short week as we are travelling down to Brisbane so that I can attend the graduation of some of my old students. They are moving on up to high school and are such a lovely group of kids I just couldn't miss it. I'm sure I will cry. I'll blame the pregnancy hormones but really I'm just a big sook, tearing up at the drop of a hat.

Have a lovely week everyone!

Pineapple and Cherry Upside Down Cake

2010-11-26T08:00:00.003+10:00

Made by Elliot. Inspired by Playschool

This was Elliot's idea so I just provided the ingredients and he led the way after watching them make this cake on an episode of Playschool.

This is one of his favourite episodes so Elliot has dictated the recipe for you, I've just typed his words.

1. Put brown sugar and melted butter in the cake tin. Then the pineapple and cherries. Make it look pretty with the cherries in the middle of the pineapple circles.

2. Get Mummy's big mixer and mix normal sugar and butter for ages and ages. Put the eggs in (but not the shells) and mix for ages longer.

3. Put in a bit of flour and a bit of milk and a bit of flour and a bit of milk and then some 'wanilla' and keep on mixing and mixing.

4. When the mixing is finished put it on top of the pineapple and cherry and put it in the oven. It's very hot!

5. We can't open it straight from the oven so you've got to wait. When Mummy says it's ok, flip it onto a plate and eat it!

My Creative Space

2010-11-25T06:00:00.001+10:00

Along with my on-going creation, this week I've been working on a beanie for our 4 year old niece for Christmas. I think it's going to be a bit big, I'll have to get El to model it once it's finished. She can always grow into it! I wanted something girly, just cause I don't get much excuse for girly, but not too girly. So a lovely creamy colour with a couple of soft purple stripes and trim is perfect!

It's a really simple pattern from a Lincraft pattern book. Knitted flat and then sewn up, with a simple knit edging and pom pom and braid details. Easy peasy and pretty quick too!

Head over here for other creations!

New Experiences

2010-11-24T05:40:00.000+10:00

Check out the other pics at Faith, Hope & a Whole Lotta Love. Happy Wordless Wednesday!

I'm Working on Something Special

2010-11-23T05:35:00.000+10:00

I am so blessed to be creating something unique and wonderful and amazing for the third time.

I'm working on Baby Number Three!

I love being pregnant and I have relatively easy pregnancies, although having two full-on toddlers at home full-time has been tiring to say the least. Over the past couple of months, the TV has definitely been my friend. Because Elliot isn't a day sleeper I'd put on Playschool for him when Archie went to sleep because it'd be the only chance I'd get to put my feet up and on more than one occasion Elliot has woken me up after a quick kip on the lounge to let me know that Playschool has finished and he's turned the tele off, can we please go and play now? Now that I'm past the first trimester I'm hoping that the fatigue has run its course and I'll be back to my usual self.

I'm so excited to meet this new bubba and introduce the boys to their new baby brother or sister (for the record, Elliot thinks sister).

I'm (to be perfectly honest) daunted by the idea of parenting three young children, two can be hard work some days! Elliot will have just turned 4 a couple of weeks before the new arrival arrives and Archie will be 2yrs and 2 months, so they'll still be young.

I'm so excited to have started another journey with another new person. A journey that will contain joy, tears, hope, fears, frustration, elation and just about every emotion in between.

This journey of motherhood sure is an interesting one!

Monday Meal Plan

2010-11-22T07:55:00.000+10:00

Well, this space has been really interesting over the past couple of weeks hasn't it! Hopefully I'll get back into my blogging groove this week and have some interesting (or not so interesting) things for you to read. But, because I'm a creature of habit and routine (when I get into one) I'm not going to explain my absence today. Today is Monday, Meal Plan Monday!

Everyone knows how my weekly meal plan is my saviour so I'm not going to bang on about it anymore. I'll just get on with sharing what will be on our table this week, including Matt's meals and our Random Recipe.

Monday
Pasta Primavera

Tuesday
Pork sausages with mashed sweet potato and steamed veg (Matt)

Wednesday
Chilli Con Carne (Matt)

Thursday
Stirfry veg and noodles with boiled egg

Friday
Lamb and spinach curry (slow cooker)

Saturday
Whatever takes our fancy!

Sunday
Lamb Biryani (Random Recipe)

Meal Plan Monday

2010-11-08T05:25:00.000+10:00

We're back again from a long weekend away and we planned our week's meals last night over dinner. I realised last night that since our move Matt's dinners have become somewhat non-existent, so he is cooking two meals this week.

The Random Recipe this week is from Darina Allen's Irish Traditional Cooking, another one of my many cookbooks I've never actually cooked from! The recipe that I'll be cooking is Pot Roasted Beef (p 107) so nothing overly new or exciting but we haven't had a roast for a while so carnivores Matt and Archie will be pleased! I've also planned to use some of the leftovers in a risotto for another dinner and also for sandwiches for Matt's lunches.

So this week the plan is:

Monday
Curried sausages with brown rice and steamed veg (Matt)

Tuesday
veg and rice noodle stir fry with boiled eggs

Wednesday
pot roasted beef with roasted root veg and steamed veg (Random Recipe Darina Allen's Irish Traditional Cooking p107)

Thursday
pasta primavera

Friday
risotto (with left over pot roast)

Saturday
BBQ (Matt)

Sunday
No idea, we'll see how the day takes us

I've Been Tagged

2010-11-06T08:37:00.001+10:00

Last week Catherine from A Time to Create tagged me with 8 'getting to know you' questions and it's taken me a while to get around to answering them! Oops!

1. What is one thing you cannot stand?
hmm, I've got a few. I can't stand hypocrisy. I can't stand people being rude or mean to their children. I can't stand bad manners. I can't stand it when Matt doesn't put the lid on the milk properly!!!!

2. If you could go back to your childhood what cartoon or TV show would you pick to be your favourite?
My brother and I absolutely loved The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Ooo, Astroboy was pretty good too, we'd play Astroboy and I'd make my younger brother dress up as Astroboy's sister Uraine while I got to be Astroboy! Good times, good times.

3. What is something you do or have done that would surprise a lot of people?
Almost all of my new friends (who I've made since moving 18 months ago) are really surprised that I used to be blonde. Super blonde, foils, the whole kit and kaboodle that involved 3 hours in the hairdresser on a Saturday morning every 6-8 weeks. And too much money to mention. I did love it though. Oh to have two incomes and that much spare time again!

4. Do you believe in ghosts?
I don't know. Sometimes.

5. When you go into a store what's your weakness? Something you just can't help buying more of.
Cookbooks. I have so many, almost 2 shelves of our bookshelves are cookbooks. I read them like novels. Absolutely can never have too many, and they are one of the few things that I'll buy for myself.

6. What's the funniest story you have on your significant other?
This one is tricky, there are a few! My favourite though is when we were living in Cairns and Matt had a job to do up in Cooktown (he works in property). Back then, Cooktown was really small, no street names and definitely no house numbers on any of the properties. We had a map of the property he was supposed to look at, but that was all. We followed the map (with me navigating, Matt driving) to the property, Matt got out and had a wander around and decided we were at the wrong place. I told him it was right, but we still had to drive around for another hour (maybe more, it was 9 years ago) looking for the property. We got completely befudddled and he eventually conceded that the first property was the right one so back we went. He still (9 years later) refuses to admit that I was right in the first place! Ugh, men and maps!!! Oh, he absolutely refused to stop and ask someone too!

7. What is your proudest moment being a parent?
I think it has to be whenever Elliot just turns around to Matt or I, or his Nan or Pop or uncle and gives them a big cudle and tells them he loves them, completely out of the blue. He does it quite often and it melts my heart every time.
Oh, there was also a time we were at the shops and a baby in a pram near us was crying and screaming and Elliot turned and asked me why the baby was crying. I said it may be tired or just upset about something and he replied "Oh, it's Mummy should give it a cuddle. Why doesn't she put it in the sling? That'd make it happy" I love my boys!

8. If you could go back and relive one day of your life which would you choose?
I've got two, the day each of the boys were born. For Elliot I'd be more demanding of his time with me in the recovery room after delivery, I'd stand up more for myself. For Archie, I'd wait longer before going into the hospital so his labour could have been really established and maybe have avoided another c-section. Oh the 20/20 vision of hindsight.

So there we go, a bit more about me!

Now, I'm tagging

Messyfish
The Clip Cafe
Gina at Clutterpunk
dillpickle unfinished

My Creative Space

2010-11-04T06:00:00.000+10:00

Elliot and I have been working on a joint project this week, stamped Thank You cards to send out for Archie's Baptism.

We bought blank white cards and a 'thank you' stamp which we used with a regular green ink pad. We then potato stamped a cross onto the cards with regular blue paint.

Simple, cheap, quick and a great craft project for toddlers too!

Check out more creative goodies at Kootoyoo.

Up in the Air I Fly!

2010-11-03T05:55:00.000+10:00

Head over to Faith, Hope & a Whole Lotta Love for more Wordless Wednesday pics.

Playing with our Food

2010-11-02T06:40:00.000+10:00

I have been so blessed with my boys that I haven't had to struggle to find healthy food that they will eat. Sure, Archie picks and chooses his vegies (he's going through a zucchini phase at the moment) and he's always been a big lover of meat and carbs. Elliot on the other hand, lives for vegies and cries if he can't actually see them on his plate (funny wee man that he is) but on the whole, I have two healthy, strong, growing boys who love good food.

This doesn't mean though, that we can't have fun with our food!

Over a year ago our town hosted a Children's Day in the Park where all the local Kindys and Pre-schools, Child care centres, ABA, and basically anything child related set up a stall and had activities for the kids. Despite the snakes and lizards, fire engines and police cars, painting and playdough Elliot's favourite stand was the Government's Health Department that were giving away 'apple slinkies'. Now, I had no idea what an apple slinky was, but thought it sounded fun so over we went. Well, was it ever fun! A fancy machine that cored and sliced the apple into a spiral! (They were giving away the apples, not the machines! LOL!) After he devoured the first one, he asked me for another, but being the altruistic girl I am I said that one was enough and we had to make sure there were enough for everyone else. Turns out they were donated lots of boxes of apples and they didn't have many takers! Well, after a friend who works for QLD Health told us that I had to limit Elliot to 4!!!

So after all that waffling, here is the point of this post, a while back, I found an apple slinky machine! Yippee! Both the boys love having apple slinkies and it actually has proved to be a useful appliance for grown ups too because it can peel the apple, I use it when making apple crumble or stewed apples. It makes the job so much quicker! All I do is run it through the maching, which cores, peels and spirals the apple, then I just cut it into quarters. Done and done!

My wonderful boy loves the 'green spaghetti'!

Who wouldn't love this?

Food has never been so fun!

Monday Meal Plan and Random Recipe Review

2010-11-01T06:00:00.002+10:00

Last week our Random Recipe was Maggie Beer's Lamb, Barley and Cinnamon Casserole from her wonderful book Maggie's Harvest. I absolutely love this book, I've read it cover to cover several times since I got it for Christmas last year from Matt and the boys. The cover is a beautiful fabric with embroidery and it is full of wonderful photography and sentimental stories of Maggie's journey in food. Oh, and heaps of gorgeous, seasonal recipes.

While I randomly chose from the 'Spring' section, the dish was really a very wintery one, but still very yummy. It was a bit of an all day affair because I made the chicken stock in the morning and as the casserole took 4 hours in the oven, it had to be in by 1:30 so we could eat at our regular nanna hour for the boys. The lamb and pork was deliciously melt in the mouth and the barley had soaked up all the juices and it was very much like a risotto. I was just about to type out the recipe but in the book Maggie mentioned she made it one the TV show, and all their recipes are on the web, so here is the recipe and a pic, a much better pic than I could have taken!

A short week this week:

Monday
Bean Burritos

Tuesday
Peppered porterhouse steak with mashed sweet potato and steamed veg

Wednesday
Steamed fish with brown rice and steamed veg

In The Light Of The Moon ...

2010-10-27T06:00:00.001+10:00

Thanks for stopping by. Why not check out some more Wordless Wednesday pics?

Sleep, Where For Art Thou?

2010-10-26T06:03:00.000+10:00

Over the three and a half years I've been on this parenting journey I think I've used just about every method of getting a baby or toddler to sleep there is. I have sung, rocked, danced, pushed the pram, bounced on a fit ball, driven, breastfed, patted bottoms, and even in one moment of desperation, control cried (all that ended up happening was both of us crying, and I swore I'd never do it again). All of this has taught me one thing. Babies (and toddlers and children) will sleep when they are ready to. All we can do is help them along the ride.

Elliot, now three and a half, has always been a good sleeper - once he's asleep! He is a deep and sound sleeper but not good at actually going to sleep. When he was a little over two he just said to me one day when we were having the sleep battle "But I just need people with me". What can you say to that? He has always needed and still does need someone (me, Daddy, Nanna, Pop) to be with him until he is asleep. Fortunately for me (cause I get him into bed and Matt does Archie) he seems to have found a solution, he goes to sleep in Mummy's and Daddy's bed on the condition that he's in there by himself. Later when we're ready to go to bed Matt will take him back into his room. If he wakes through the night, he simply brings himself back in with us and more often than not, neither Matt nor I realise he's there til the morning (or when we're up with Archie)!

Elliot (7 weeks) being nursed to sleep by Pop

Elliot (14 months) waking up with Nanna after a sleepover.

And on to Archie. For every bit that Elliot is a deep sleeper, Archie is a light sleeper. He has the same issues as El with needing people, so someone has always needed to put him to sleep but then he's awake. And then back to sleep, then awake, then back to sleep, rinse, repeat. For the first, hmmm, probably ten months of his life he fed every 1-2 hours around the clock, day and night. To say it was exhausting is an understatement because while sometimes he'd feed back to sleep, more often than not at night, he was awake. Sometimes cranky, sometimes just awake and wanting to play. It was through all of this that we seriously started co-sleeping because we were just too tired to do anything else and anyway, nothing else worked!!! But eventually (and I mean, in the last couple of months) he's just gotten into a little sleeping routine that works for all of us. Matt takes him to bed in the evening and they rock in the chair and sing songs. When he wakes the first time through the night he comes in with us. Some nights he has a feed back to sleep, some nights he has a feed and isn't asleep but puts himself back to sleep and some nights he's not interested in a feed and just fusses around giving us pats and kisses and then puts himself to sleep, usually on top of the covers with his feet in our faces. He is generally only up once or twice a night now which I'm just over the moon about considering where we've been on his sleep journey!

Archie (4 weeks) have a nap with Nanna *

Archie (5 weeks) sleeping in the sling which was a sleep lifesaver for both boys. *

I'm really pleased that both boys have found their own sleeping patterns because, as tiring as it has been, I can sit back and know that we listened to them and what they needed at the time. We respected them as little people and didn't impose unrealistic expectations which would have set us and them up for failure (aside from that one horrid moment of controlled crying, which failed dismally). We were willing to give them the time they needed.

* When going through all the baby photos for sleep pics, I realised that we don't have many of Archie. At first I put this down to being the second child, poor hard done by wee man he is, but then when I was talking to Matt about it he said "It's because he didn't sleep!"

Monday Menu Planning

2010-10-25T06:00:00.001+10:00

I truly do find menu planning so grounding. It is the one thing in my week I cannot go without. Floors not swept? Meh. Having to rifle through 3 baskets of washing to find one crumpled but clean outfit? Meh. Dinners and shopping not organised and planned, taking into account our busy days, home days, suiting everyone's tastes? Chaos ensues!!!!

After we've been away for a weekend at my parents, menu planning the coming week is the first thing I do on a Sunday night once the car is unpacked. It gets my mind back into home-mode, gets me thinking about what we have on through the week, what we've got in the pantry, fridge and freezer to use up, how I can extend the boys' tastes a bit without overdoing it. I love sitting with a blank page, days of the week ruled up and ready to be filled in. I love dividing our shopping up into our different stops through the week, markets for fresh fruit and veg, the butcher, the grocery, the bulk wholefoods shop in the next town if we're heading that way (which we are this week!!!!), the dairy.

Anyway, I know not everyone is a menu planner, I *ahem* even know some people that roll their eyes when I get my pen and ask the question "what will we have for dinners this week guys?" but, for little old me, it is truly my most favourite household chore.

If it can in fact be called a chore!

This week we're having:

Monday
Tuna Mornay Pasta Bake

Tuesday
Boys - boiled dippy eggs and wholemeal toast soldiers
Adults - Laksa

Wednesday
Lamb, Barley and Cinnamon Casserole from Maggie Beer's Maggie's Harvest p659 Random Recipe

Thursday
Homemade pizzas

Friday
Pork sausages with mashed potato and steamed veg

Saturday
Ratatouille with quinoa

Lazy Days

2010-10-21T11:20:00.000+10:00

I'm having trouble finding motivation to get stuff done at the moment, so this blog is very much reflecting my house at the moment.

All over the shop, forgotten about, needing more love and attention paid to it. The laundry is piling up, the floors are in desperate need of a sweep and as for cooking, well, let's just say I'm thankful for having a stock of yummy healthy meals in the freezer.

However, in all this humdrum-ness (if that even is a word!) I did see something this morning that made me smile as I cut watermelon for the boys.

I'm hoping that a weekend away will recharge me and have me return home refreshed and rejuvenated.

Wishing you all a happy and restful weekend! xx