26 Jun 2013

I'm Laughing at You



Sometimes, you just gotta laugh. Or you go crazy. Or maybe me laughing at this in the middle of the street is a little crazy. Well, I'm probably still sleep-deprived, so there's a lot of crazy flying around here at the moment.

It's cold. So I put Ivy in little hats. Ivy hates hats. When she's in the pram they annoy her so she rubs her head side to side and it goes over her face. Then she gets mad. It's hilarious. Look at that cranky face! (And those chubby cheeks! She's storing nuts for the winter.)

Es ♥

Theme Weeks

Do you ever get the same thing happening to you all week? At work it might be the same request from different clients. Or hanging out with friends on different occasions, but they all talk about quitting their job. Sometimes my weeks have themes like this. I find it's the universe's way of telling me something and making damn sure I get the message! At work, it would be a run of practitioners calling me about their patient, and my theme weeks would be copper-toxicity in older women with autoimmune conditions, or heavy metals in kids from the country. It was little lessons for me, so that I could recognise the same pattern in other patients and be able to help their practitioners more. Hence a week would be 'copper-crazies' or 'mental-mercuries' and that would be the theme.

On the home front, it's usually a bit less clear, but often the people I catch up with will talk about the same thing, even though they don't know each other and we meet of different days. This week it's been about babies. Duh. But the theme has been overwhelmingly clear - to realise that this is the hardest thing I might ever do, and to enjoy this time away from work without guilt. Easier said than done! But both friends I saw this week have older babies and they really wished they'd been kinder to themselves, and put less pressure on their lives. I've been working since I was 15 and this is the first extended time off I have had since then. There is a lot of weirdness around that, like I should be going to seminars, reading articles, planning my next career move (which I have of course, I'm a Virgo). But I am trying my darnedest to just 'be'. Feed Ivy, clothe Ivy, get her sleeping (not such an easy task during the day!) and just enjoy her. It'll never be like this again. With the next baby, there will be 2 kids, and by all accounts, that's just chaos!

So the theme this week is to relax, roll with the punches, watch and learn from the baby with all her changes and just appreciate that we are in a position where I don't have to work right now. I am super lucky.

Es ♥

P.S. Little Miss slept through the night last night! I know it's likely to be a one-off at the moment, but still, HOORAY! I woke up with the first plane going over and 6am and had to run into her room to see what the heck was going on! Typical new-parent behaviour :)

18 Jun 2013

Spelt Bread

Baking bread at home is just the best! I have a few tried and true recipes and I just love that smell of bread in the oven. 

Baking bread is pretty easy - for me, it's about making the time for it to rise, etc. I have a basic bread recipe that I bake in the crock-pot (super easy, I use this recipe from Simply So Good (the writing is quite amusing), which is great for when people come over. 

This is my second attempt at spelt bread! I used this Spelt Loaf Recipe and it's been working really well. Just gotta factor in the rise times which means it can take an hour and a half or so from go to eat.  


My only issue is that bread is so cheap these days, is it really worth it? Well, if you're into health then I think it is. Baking you're own bread means you control what goes into it (less salt, less preservatives, more grains etc) and you can choose healthy flour options. Spelt is still a wheat flour, but it's an older grain historically, so it's easier to digest for many people a bit sensitive to wheat. It's not gluten-free though, so no good for coeliacs.

As to value, spelt loaf from the grocer is around $7-8. Now my bag of organic spelt flour cost me $7 and I used nearly all of it, not to mention the yeast etc. So, it works out about the same price. But I love baking, so it's worth it. Just need to find a cheaper flour option, like buying in bulk, then we're in business!

Es ♥



16 Jun 2013

Who's Your Daddy?

So many newborns look like their dads, whether they're boys or girls. Why is that? Perhaps it's nature's way of proving paternity? Ha!

Es xxx




12 Jun 2013

Peer Pressure!

What is it about doing a food trend that seems to invite such pressure? Or meddling mockery?! You take a break from something for a month, tell people you're doing it, and suddenly everyone wants to tell you why it's stupid or try to tempt you. I've been guilty of it for sure. When people do Oc-Sober or the like I'm in there with a "you'll just binge later on!" or offer them a glass of wine "come on its only a little one". But it's not about giving up forever or going cold turkey because you think it'll be the answer to all your woes. Obviously it's not. It's just a circuit breaker. A chance to examine why we do these things and how we can better handle them going forward. 

Have I eaten sugar in this, my sugar-free June? Yup. A bit. But have the cravings for buckets of chocolate subsided? Sure have. And have I stopped baking cookies for the sake of it? Indeed. So, already I'm considering it a win. Kinda. 

Xx

11 Jun 2013

How the days just, go.

They fly by. They blend together, and all I can recall at any one time is 'how many naps has she had so far?' and 'which boob did I last feed her from?'

The days are (mostly) good really. I try to do either an outing, some tv watching, book reading, or seeing a friend, but there are basic, normal things that just slip by me. For example, I say I'll call someone on the weekend and then suddenly it's Tuesday and I haven't done it. I mean, there were obviously times over that weekend that were free to call, but maybe baby was unsettled and I was listening out for a cry, or I was just so weary that all I could do was sleep or zombie-out  in front of the box. 

Honestly, a lot of the time I just forget. Like a switch that went on after she was born, I have a limited functioning capacity. Once I've got baby fed, sleeping, changed or washed it's like there's nothing else I need to do. Sure, I do washing, eating and the odd catch-up, but things slip by me all the time. I used to be able to do so many things in one day!! 

Should I be worried? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I sure hope it's temporary! And if not, well, when she grows up I'll start allocating her jobs to do when I forget them...

Xx

3 Jun 2013

The Great Gatsby


Love love loved it! Ah Baz, you've done it again (as long as we can forget about 'Australia'). Beautiful costumes, jaw-dropping sets and really true to the book. Only drawback? We saw it in 3D and I thought that made some of the sets look a bit fake. Which they were I guess, but I didn't want to see it so obviously! Anyway, we all gave it 4/5. Go see it.

Es ♥

Sugar-Free June Has Begun

Hooray! Two days down, 28 to go... yikes.

So far, it's not been as bad as I thought; maybe my addiction wasn't so serious? Or maybe it's only been the weekend (where I was busy and distracted)!
The real test is this week when I'm not being watched.... suddenly a sneaky brownie, ice cream or bag a lollies could just slip into my tummy!!

It's OK, I'm armed with fruit, yoghurt, soup and lots of things to keep me busy. However, those Mini Magnums in the freezer might be a problem...