Cooking rut

Yes Oprah, you are right. It is an amazing thing- getting dinner on the table every night. I listened to her speak- in amazement, about how incredible she thinks mums are; being able to whip up dinner every night, 'it's an incredible thing, its a miracle- something new every night! wow!' Yes it is incredible, I agree, but I wouldn't say 'it's something NEW every night'. I don't want to admit how many times I've cooked spaghetti bolognaise in the past fortnight...But the fact that I have now got two CANS of leggos spaghetti sauce (mince-meat included) in the cupboard is testament to the fact that I am in a serious cooking rut!

I do enjoy cooking and it is probably the household task that comes most naturally to me, but every now and then I need some major inspiration to keep me going. To keep the passion alive! It is hard work keeping passionate sometimes. I love how we can inspire each other though. I love how you can be feeling so flat and hopeless about something and then spend time with someone and suddenly have a whole new outlook on things. That is what happened tonight. I went and hung out at my friend Mia's place. We chatted and worked on our own little projects. Mine tonight was getting out of the cooking rut. I took a few cook books and began poring through them. I found lots of recipes I would love to eat, but not many I would love to make...You know, like lamb shanks and slow cooked legs of ham and fish laksas with a million ingredients. PLUS a lot of these gourmet looking recipes were probably not going to get my girls coming back for seconds. With a sigh, and wondering if I was ever going to get past spag bol I opened my recently purchased 'How to Eat' by Nigella Lawson. Yes, it's no secret that I love Nigella, but I had just put down another of her books that hadn't helped me much so I was a bit dubious. The book has ravingly good reviews about it being the cook-book of the decade and great reading as well as great cooking. I began to flip through.

I was finding myself a little turned off by the fact that there are no pictures of recipes, just annoying shots of partially unwrapped butter, solitary leeks, an unpeeled potatoe and perhaps my favourite; a half-opened (apparently empty) tin of sardines. Hello, I KNOW what a jar of uncooked rice looks like, It would be nice to see a picture of the risotto you are talking about here....Gah! Anyway, before I became overwhelmed by the frustration these photographs were stirring up in me, I stumbled upon the chapter 'feeding babies and small children'. And then I rediscovered why I love Nigella. Not only does she have great, no fuss recipes that are delicious, but the way she writes is so hilariously entertaining in its passion and uplifting in its honesty.

for example, here's a quote from page 457;

'You do need to be able to feed babies promptly. If you can prepare baby food in advance, freeze it and then microwave when needed, you reduce the time you are subjected to outraged, hunger-crazed screaming. But the practical advantage is the least of it. If you slave away cooking from scratch, trying to create some perfect morsel for you baby's edification, you will inevitably take it much harder when she spits it out in disgust or wipes it all over the walls. It isn't wise to put so much emotional pressure on either yourself or your children at mealtimes. If you slave and then freeze the product of your stove-bound slavery, the memory of the effort will inevitably recede and you won't take rejection so badly. This goes for feeding older children too.'

I was not only entertained as I read but I was also (as I had hoped) re-inspired to cook for my family. I found a number of recipes in this chapter that were perfect for the girls but would also be a welcome change for Shane and I as well. To name a few; Macaroni and cheese (from scratch), marinated drumsticks, fried rice with omelette, chicken patties, fruit crumble as well as some more good ideas for next week. Ok, so they aren't exotic but a change is a good as a holiday (even if the holiday is going camping in the backyard). More importantly I feel my creative juices flowing again and as I shopped, (I stopped at the supermarket on the way home) before I came up with some more ideas of my own that I want to try out this week. Yay!

So if you are like me this week- a house wife in a cooking rut. Or even if you aren't a housewife, Iwon't be prejudice, I would be happy to share my recipes with you and would also LOVE to hear your favourite thing to cook. What might be a cooking rut to you may be an exotic new venture for me, so do share!

Delayed Gratification

Well, I am writing to you now from the spacious desk in our new house. It has been a very long time since I last posted, this is largely due to my stubborn determination not to write again until we HAD actually moved. It was a very drawn out process with quite a few ups and downs and a few hard lessons along the way, but I will skip all that and just say - Yes! We have a new home! It is quite luxurious to have a spare bedroom, and suddenly more cupboard space than I am quite sure what to do with.

God has truly blessed us, not only with a home that more than provides for all our current needs - but also we are now very much in walking distance to Shane's school. It is literally 100m away and I can see the school parking lot from our balcony. For a one car family this is one awesome perk.

I think waiting for something, and working your way towards it creates an appreciation that you could never have otherwise. We lived in a very small home for 5 years, it certainly met all our needs but we were limited in what we could do and who we could host at our house. We waited. We waited til the timing was right and we felt led (or pushed!) to make a change, and even then there was a lot of waiting. Looking and wondering and asking and waiting. It is a very uncomfortable time for the soul. How we struggle with the unknowns in our life. How we can begin to doubt in God's provision. How marvellous to see him pull through and reveal his character and his goodness once again as we deep down knew he would. I am grateful for the difficulty, the pain of the unknown and all that it shows me in myself. Nothing like uncomfortable circumstances to show us what we are really made of.

In the scheme of things this was a very mild level of discomfort, it would probably be insulting to call it 'pain', but it was certainly a trial of sorts. Especially for me. I think the upheaval of house and home is far more unsettling to the wife than the husband. Especially when there are children involved. Talking to my mum about it, whilst in the midst of the process she had the image of a cat who has its kittens moved and how fretful the cat gets and how it will start picking up its kittens and carting them around trying to find a peaceful new home. We mums do get fretful over things, I hate to admit to being a fretter, to forgetting to trust in my heavenly father for doubting he had everything under control- its obvious that he did. He also allowed me just enough unknown to reveal the areas in me where I still doubt him, areas where I was sure my trust was rock solid- it isn't!

Through all of this though, it helps me be all the more appreciative and grateful for our current circumstances. To have a home again. We are quite settled in now. It is lovely to be able to spread out a bit. I am especially loving the freedom to be able to host people comfortably here, we have had more dinner guests in the past two weeks than we probably had in the last year. It is the beginning of a new season for us- we have been enlarged and are excited and how we can bless others with the blessing given to us.

Sigh. Sometimes I think my life is one great lesson in patience. I really am quite an impatient person it would be up there as one of my greatest weaknesses, I am sure. God seems to have a five pronged strategy in helping make me into a patient creature.

1) marry Shane (to clarify, this is not derogatory to Shane, we just operate differently...i like to rush...he doesn't)

2) have children

3) live in a hot humid climate

4) long waits in between seeing family

5) disciple young people

I see what He is up to.

Well, I seem to be coming to the end of this blog without having really tied in the fact that I wanted to somehow connect my delayed gratification with our house to our recent going-to-bed-without-getting-up success we had with Esther (by using a sticker chart and a tea set reward)....But somehow it didn't seem to happen...hmmm maybe next time. Anyway, the point of what I really wanted to get at was;

Delayed Gratificiation- so good for us all, at any age.

Moving time

Shane and I have almost been married for five years and these walls contain the first chapter of the story of our life together.

We have lived in this two bedroom apartment for almost four and a half years, and it has been lovely. So many times I have sat in the living room of our first home together and just felt fit to burst with pride and joy. To have our own home ( ok, rent our own home!) as small as it is, to look after it and the people who dwell within its walls; What a privilege! Yes I struggle to keep things looking neat and nice and in order, but I still take great pride in my home. I have loved living here. I love its retro tiles and high ceilings, the large bedrooms and the pretty back yard. The unique stone front fence, where I hid easter treats for Esther's first egg hunt. I like our little front steps and the memory of carrying home our two babies from hospital. First smiles, first steps, first sleep-through-the-nights again. Heavenly dry season nights and (losing it) hot, muggy wet season days- we survived without air-con!


We have slowly filled up every square inch of wall space of our once bare apartment with furniture. So many tears and so many moments of hilarity and happiness here. Memories of friends and family coming to stay, tenting in the backyard or camping on the living room floor. New born baths in the kitchen sink and baths in laundry tub, yummy creations in the kitchen, potty training disasters, a thousand time-outs, dinner parties (ok, only one of those) and birthdays, the family of rats living in our stove, the possums in our roof, the frogs in our toilet, the cockroaches in the corner...Good times!

And now it is time for us to move. I will certainly feel sad and sentimental when we walk out this door for the last time to call it our home, the only home our girls have known. The season we have had here has been sweet and I will be sorry to turn the page on this chapter- BUT I look forward with eager anticipation to our new abode- wherever that might be, I am trusting the God who has provided for us so generously to lead us where he wants us. Wherever that is we will flourish! I am so thankful to our heavenly father who looks after all our needs, so we don't have to worry. Wherever we are we are at home when he lives in our hearts. I am ready to move forward with him thanking him for what has been and what will be! To him be the glory!

So no time for this...

Well, I am writing a blog. I am also wondering what makes me think I have time to be doing this when I am preparing for a birthday party in 3 hours and packing for an overseas trip, departing tomorrow! Also beginning to question the logic of having a party today when the sanity meter in my head is already beginning to go akilter as it does in preparation for a major trip... Half the time I feel like there is not that much left to do, the other half of the time I am on near melt down... Weird! But I figure, I will get it all done somehow and I would like to document this moment as it is a significant day.

My baby girl is one! Hard to believe that this time last year I was cradling this gorgeous, fresh faced, darling girl in my arms for the first time. What a sweet addition to our family she is. Looking so like her big sister and yet such a distinct and delightful personality. It has truly been a joy watching her grow this last year. One thing that stands out probably the most about her is her smily-ness. She loves to smile and make people smile at her. She is a real charmer and, I believe, has melted the hearts of many, not least of all her own parents.

Its been really special to watch Esther and Charlotte as sisters, relating to one another. I especially love it when they are laughing at each other. I think that sound (especially as opposed to them both crying) is the most amazing and addictive sound in the world! I love their laughter. It's also beautiful to see how Esther loves her little sister and babys her. 'oh what a little sweetie heart, my darling baby girl' she will coo in a sickly sweet voice. I love it! So hilarious and lovely.

Hard to believe too, that it was only a year ago that I officially became a 'domestic goddess' as Shane wrote that on the birth forms and the government approved my occupation as such forever more. Inscribed permanently on Charlotte's birth certificate! Ha! It was interesting as what started out as a joke has turned into a life calling! Well I am only half serious, the whole domestic goddess is of course very tongue in cheek, but I do desire to be the best mum, and wife and housekeeper and woman of God that I can be. Domestic goddess is just scratching the surface!

I was really freaked out about looking after two children. Didn't know if I could cope. I was really emotional and fragile (and overtired!) for the first few weeks. I am sure many mums can emphathise with me here. It was during this time that I really began asking God to help me, in a desperete sort of way. I just knew I couldn't do it without his strength. I couldn't do justice to the awesome task of parenting without his supernatural help. So I asked, and he has answered me and continues to answer me whenever I ask. I ask for eyes to see beyond today, for hope and encouragement for enthusiasm, for love and patience. I ask that I might enjoy each day and enjoy my children. He is helping me do this, and it was really through becoming a parent of two I began to understand dependence on God. Charlotte's middle name is Faith and I think that is perfect. I pray that she will grow into a young woman who puts her trust in God and I thank him for trusting me to mother this beautiful little girl. Happy Birthday Charlotte!

Christy's top 10

This blog has been a long time coming, thanks for the faithful who are checking to see if I updated yet! I will try and get onto it sooner next time. I have been rolling this little list around in my head for awhile. I feel as though I have added one more string to my bow as a mum, when I discover some product or item that is so amazing that my quality of life goes up another notch (ok, maybe this is a slight exaggeration..!)

I wanted to share with you some of my favourite baby and toddler must-haves in the hope that you might discover for yourself something that will make your life a bit easier too, and also to ask the question...What is your top 10? Or maybe just top two or three? Let's share our knowledge and increase our domestic power!

In no particular order my top ten is....

1. Baby Bjorn. This is a baby carrier where the baby is strapped on the front either facing in or out. There is a picture of shane wearing one in a much earlier post, I think most people know what these are. I don't use mine heaps, but when I do I am always grateful for it. Babies seem to never cry when they are in these things (at least mine anyway). I had great success with this a couple of weeks ago when I went to target with the girls for about an hour. Charlotte didn't make a peep (except happy ones) the whole time she was in there and Esther was brilliant, looking around at all the toys and didn't seem to mind that she couldn't have any!! THAT was a good outing.

2. Paw Paw cream. Where would we be without PawPaw cream? This is hands down the best nappy-rash cure that I have used. It is also great for bug bites and a whole lot of other things. It also smells really good, which is a problem. The number of times Esther has got into this cream and rubbed it everywhere and eaten handfuls of it... Let's just say we have gotten through more than our fair share of tubs in the last three years. Despite the risks, its still worth it. We just have to keep it stashed out of sight!

3. 'Klipo' containers. This is a recent discovery, its simple really but I like it. They are little plastic containers, with one big advantage.. The lids are attached; A bit like soap dishes. They come in clear and see through blue or green and I think there are two sizes. Very handy if you, like me, seem to lose a lot of lids and then have a bunch of basically useless, lidless containers hanging around. I bought them at Woolies in the container isle (or with the lunchboxes and drink bottles?) an inexpensive way to a happier day.

4. Justine Clarke, 'I like to sing' DVD. I reckon this is the best kids music DVD I have seen. Funky, clever, funny, full of colour and lots of dancing children! The songs are great fun to sing and I don't get sick of this nearly as quick as anything else! This is really worth investing in. Trust me. (Esther calls this DVD 'love it' ... that says it all doesn't it?)

5. Rafferty's Garden baby food. Cute, colourful packaging, RESEALABLE packs (yay!) and organic or something thats meant to make it better, PLUS it was the same price as Farex. I am talking the cereal stuff, the pastas and meal thingos are quite pricey, but the multigrain cereals etc. good value I reckon. Big fan of the resealable bag, as you can tell by my use of caps and now mentioning it twice..yup.

6. Peekaboo books. (Charlotte is featured with this book in the above snap) These have been a big hit with both kids and actually Esther still really enjoys them. Repetitive anticipation that the kiddies love. Big flaps that are easy for the kids to open themselves AND they are touch and feel...wooo. I am sure they are very educational as well. They are a real winner as far as baby books go. Love em! (ours are completely trashed, so if anyone wants to give one to Charlotte for her first birthday next week, that would be most welcome :)

7. Kinderkot. If you've seen this in action it speaks for itself. Awesomeness. It's a pop up tent that is a 'portacot' substitute. Let's face it, there is nothing much 'portable' about traditional 'portacots'. Big, heavy, awkward to carry, ESPECIALLY if one is pregnant and going upstairs, not a good combo (don't want to talk about it). This Kinderkot has really met a need in our lives. Lightweight at 3kgs. The carry bag (that could fit underneath a car seat) contains; the pop up tent, a self inflating mattress and a matching sleeping bag. It's genius. We have more than got ouor money's worht out of this baby (about $140). It was Esther's bed for quite a number of weeks when we went through the rocky stage of transferring from cot to bed (the ability to lock her in there with the use of a handy safety pin her in there was a godsend, let me tell you). Please don't call family services on us. Things would have been far worse for her if we didn't have the option and all got sleep deprived instead. She would be asleep in minutes when she knew there was no escape and we would transfer her to bed...Anyway this is all beside the point! It's primary use is for travel or at other people's places. Great little cosy spot that is familiar wherever they are. So easy to carry, set up and pack up. So good!

8. Sunbeam mini food processor. Ok I don't know if this is the right name for it. But it is like a hand blender with different attachments. So you can take off the blender and attach it to a mini food processor, there is also a whisk attachment (which I have never used...). This is such a handy gadget! Obviously great for blending baby food, but also great if you are a bit of a cook and are in need of a food processor but don't have the space in the kitchen or the $ for it. This is fantastic as it doesn't take up much space and is also 600w so it can blend ice!! Love that feature! I use this almost daily for either blending up food for Charlotte or making awesome frozen banana smoothies.

9. First cutlery set. This is a tradition that I am starting with my kids. For first Christmas or birthday to give them a children's cutlery set with their name engraved on it. I think its a great way to show everyone's 'place' in the family, that each is special and thought of. Also a great childhood keepsake for when they grow up and start their own family. (it's also handy to have the children's cutlery in small, metal form. You can't have enough mini eating implements around and the plastic variety just don't cut it in my books...pardon the pun).

10. Charlie and Lola Backpack. Ok, I have been sucked in. It's just so fun to buy this cutesy stuff. Look, I got this on special from; www.mooo.com.au - great website, and Esther loves it! It's just the right size for her little back and back when I bought it Charlie and Lola was about the only DVD we owned and we were watching it heaps. Very cute show. Very cute merchandise. Esther loves carrying around her backpack and taking it to playgroup and friends houses with a drink, snack and a spare pair of undies. I feel I am teaching her to take responsibility. Oh, I have also recently invested in a little Charlie and Lola suitcase on roller wheels. Gosh she loves it! Almost as much as me. It's number 10, thought I would share one of my motherly indulgences with you...We all have one or two right?

So there you go, that's my top ten list of baby and toddler must-haves, hope you enjoyed it, don't forget to tell me your favourites too!

Fresh Obsession!

A week ago now, my life changed...I discovered the joys of groceries delivered. Wow! Don't underestimate the delight such a simple thing could bring you. I was enlightened to this service recently by a friend and I finally got online, shopping list beside the computer. Ticked the boxes of the items I wanted as I sat in the air conditioned comfort of my home and noted the stark contrast and great benefits of this system. No children in tow to keep happy and high on biscuits. No overwhelming array of items all vying for my attention. No temptation to try the latest product and thus blow out the weekly budget (again!) no wondering down one aisle and then the next and then back again in my consistently inefficient shopping style. No waiting in line, no loading onto the conveyer belt, no carrying bags, no drive home, no unloading from the car... Really, there is no question, it just makes good sense! A day and a half after my order was placed, my home delivery arrived at my door! Three boxes of grocery goodness. This particular service specialises in fresh fruit and veg (hence the name 'fresh obsession') which is a bit hard to come by here as we don't have any local ' fruit and veg' stores. I also seem to regularly struggle to decide which veggies I want at the supermarket as few are appealing and all are so expensive. Somehow doing it online simplifies it and encourages me to 'stock up' on all these fresh and competititively priced vegies. Another great thing is that delivery is free if your order exceeds $65, which mine easily did. It is great!

Before you start celebrating with me the fact that I won't ever set foot in a supermarket again, I have to tell you that it won't completely eliminate shopping at the supermarket. The pantry items they have on offer are pretty limited and fresh milk is exorbitantly priced. But, it does mean the trips will be less frequent, shorter and I won't be burdened with as much to carry to and from. I actually kind of enjoy the shopping part of going to the supermarket; it is more the logisitics of loading and unloading, the frustration of constantly forgetting my green bags and how much time it always seemsto take that I am looking forward to saying goodbye to.

I encourage other mums everywhere to investigate similar services, it can make your life so much easier giving you more time in your week, is surprisingly economical (especially when you take out all the usual impulse buys!) as well as giving you that smugly satisfied feeling that you are a mum ahead of the game!

My Girls

We had come to find our pleasures in new ways-in spilled applesauce and tiny nose prints on window-panes and the soft symphony of bare feet padding down the hallway at dawn. Even on the worst days, we usually managed to find something to smile over, knowing by now what every parent sooner or later figures out; that these wondrous days of early parenthood-of diapered bottoms and first teeth and incomprehensible jabber-are but a brilliant, brief flash in the vastness of an otherwise ordinary lifetime. John Grogan 'Marley and me'

I recently watched the movie 'Marley and me' and found it a delightful, heartwarming and refreshingly 'family' movie. I am now reading the book the movie was based on and enjoying it equally as much. The quote above was taken from the chapter I just read. Its a lovely thing to be re-inspired about parenting, because truly it IS a wondrous thing. Last night Shane and I watched a Louie Giglio presentation where he talks about the amazing vastness of the universe but finishes with talking about the miracle of life in the womb and how incredible the journey from conception to birth is. It truly is a miracle. The wonder and awe of new life can quickly be overwhelmed by the increasing demands of parenting. It has its ups and downs, we all know that.

I am a writer. You might have noticed, but I dont' mean it in an artsy self identification kind of way. I just mean I like to write, although it really moves behind liking to a sort of compulsion. I used to write a journal. I mean- I used to WRITE EVERYDAY, for like, 15 years! I stopped journaling daily about 6 months into marriage. It would seem that my whole 'going to bed' routine got severely mucked about and I no longer had the same capacity to leave the light on for hours reading and writing. More than that, I came to a point where I felt guilty, actually guilty, if I hadn't recorded the days events. It was like I had assignments hanging over my head.

I really had a fear of forgetting life. Forgetting the things that matter, I have this desire to know how I spent each day. I hated (and still do somewhat) the idea of having no idea what I did two months ago on Wed 26th, for example. For a long time if I ever wondered; 'hmm what did i DO that day?' - I could just go and look it up. (However I didn't find that necessary very often... )Anyway, back to my point; I was feeling guilty and under compulsion and it didn't feel right. I thought it might be best to lay my pen and journalling down for a season.

So I have, and I have been ok with that, it has been quite liberating. Although, in one way I think 'gosh my life is more interesting than ever, I should be writing about it now'. But honestly I can't do that every day. There are enough things left undone at the end of each day as it is I am not about to add in another voluntary one! So perhaps the season of journaling every event of every day is over now, but I still want to write, to record things that happen that are important.

I don't want to forget the good things God has done for us. I want there to be some record. I cannot think of anything more precious and amazing to write about then my two little miracles. No, they weren't medical miracles- just the usual, run of the mill, pregnancy and birth story you could hear from anyone. But of course, there is nothing run of the mill or ordinary about a life that has God's fingerprints all over it. My girls are extraordinary, mini miracles from God. They are a gift. A gift for me and Shane to love, watch over, cherish, nurture, teach, bathe, dress, feed, discipline. It's an all absorbing life calling that is messy and exhausting and heartbreakingly beautiful. I am so grateful to be a mum.