Those magic changes....

Hellooo!!!
I'm back, after a very long break, and an awful lot of major life changes. It's been a traumatic, hectic, fantastic, hilarious, tragic, exciting, exhausting and surpsising few months here.

The first major change is that I am now a single mummy!
A lot of soul searching brought us to the realisation that although we have a great friendship, we no longer functioned as a couple so we have gone our seperate ways. Becoming single after 13 years has been a massive learning curve for me, the last time I was single, I was a teenager!
I'm getting there though, and at least I feel ready to be putting my feelings into words again.

The second major change is that I've just been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, which has put a few of the more important aspects of my life on hold, like work and of course my beloved pole dancing! I've been in lots of pain, but it seems to be getting under control now which is good.
In the meantime I've been concentrating on other things I love doing, especially cooking! Look out for my new blog, Dolly's Diner, coming soon!

Anyway, like the tree hugger that I am, I've taken these big scary life changes and turned them into opportunities for bigger and better things.
I'm a huge believer that when a crisis hits your life, it's simply clearing the way for something better to come in. All we have to do is embrace the change, let it happen and be grateful for the lessons that are being offered to us.
Easier said than done a lot of the time, but it's always good to remember that sometimes the worst things that happen to us often lead to the best of our blessings.

I'm going to be blogging about a number of different topics over the coming days, as well as starting on the new food blog. I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has anything they want to see, either food wise or life wise, please leave a comment!

Party Susie Tuesday - Greek theme

My kids are what can only be described as Fussy Eaters. Don't get me wrong, they're not the worst out there (I was a fussy eater as a kid, and ate nothing but tinned macaroni cheese until I was 11), but as a passionate and experimental cook, it can be very frustrating to make a dish that they won't even try!
One thing they are very good with is eating raw vegetables (we're still working on cooked ones), so whenever I feel like trying a new recipe, or cooking something they might not be keen on, I like to bring out the Party Susie and do a pick n mix tea. This means that they don't feel overwhelmed by a plateful of new stuff, but with a bit of luck they might try a little bit without pressure.


I decided to start doing a Party Susie night every tuesday if possible, and taking the opportunity to start subtly introducing a few new flavours.
Tonight's dinner was a kinda Greek theme, with lamb and apricot meatballs, paprika sweet potato wedges, tzatziki, and the usual favourites of carrot, cucumber, pepper and baby corn sticks, with strips of toasted pitta bread.

It was a really yummy dinner! I love doing things pick n mix style. I actually find that I eat less because I tend to just use a little side plate rather than filling up a big dinner plate, and the kids really enjoy having control over what goes on their plates!

I'll try to do a different Party Susie every tuesday, so if anyone has any ideas or really wants to see a particular theme, let me know!

Eggy ideas..

Well, have you all been dutifully blowing out your eggs for easter crafts? I hope so! If so, what have you been doing with the eggy insides? I love eggs, they're so versatile. We go through about 18 eggs a week, they're a real staple food in this house! I always buy free range, I like my animal welfare! Anyway, here are a few things I like to do with eggs... * fried/poached/boiled/scrambled eggs on toast * use them in a cake * fritatta * french toast/eggy bread * hard boiled eggs, smooshed up with butter and eaten on toast with cress on top * omlette * egg fried rice. I did a couple of these this week, so here are some super simple recipes if you're wondering what to do with your eggs... OMLETTE - beat 2 or 3 eggs per person and pour into a medium hot frying pan. Add grated cheddar and shredded ham on top, and cook until the bottom is set. Put the pan under the grill and allow to bubble until the top is set and the cheese is golden brown.

Yum! A super easy meal, good for breakfast with baked beans and toast, a lovely lunch or light supper when served with a salad and some crusty bread, or a substantial dinner served with potatoes and steamed veg.

There are endless combinations of things you can add to an omlette, it can be as simple as just a plain egg omlette or you could add any number of meats, cheeses and veg! One of my favourites is mushroom, cheese and chilli.

EGG FRIED RICE - another extremely versatile recipe with endless combinations! First of all, cook some rice, or use leftover cooked rice. If you don't have a rice cooker, I highly recommend them. makes cooking rice so easy, just chuck in a couple of cups of raw rice, add the water, switch on and forget it! It automatically switches off when the rice is ready and even keeps it hot for up to 12 hours.

Get your wok really hot, with a little splash or oil, preferably sesame oil. Add a couple of handfuls of frozen peas and stir until they are cooked, then add your cooked rice and stir quickly. Move your rice and peas over to one side of the pan, and add 2 eggs, beaten with 1tsp sesame oil. Leave this to cook for a minute or so, stirring gently to scramble them, without mixing into the rice yet.

When the eggs are set, break up and mix into the rice and peas. Add a splash or soy sauce, and you're good to go!

Perfect egg fried rice, delicious! This is an absolute favourite in my house, and I love experimenting with different things to add to it. It's a great way to use up leftover cooked meat

such as chicken or ham, and you can also add chopped vegatables like peppers or tomatoes.

Today, I did a pick n mix style dinner - lots of bowls on the table with stir fried peppers, mushrooms, chillies and garlic, onions and chopped gammon steak. The kids love helping themselves and "making" their own dinner.

Hope you're making the most of your eggs!

Easter egg fun - empty eggshells!

The kids and I decided to do some easter crafts today. We really wanted to use some empty eggshells, both to decorate and hang from an easter tree, like this one at Attic 24, and to paint faces on and fill with cress seeds to make cress heads . Well, the cress heads can be done with scooped out boiled eggs, so that's no problem, but for the painted eggs, we need empty but complete shells. To do this, you have to blow the eggs out. How do we do such a thing? First, you need an egg and a sharp needle... Use the needle to gently poke a small hole in the top and in the bottom of the egg. Wiggle the needle from side to side to make the hole slightly bigger, and jab the needle around inside the egg a few times to break up the yolk...

Hold the egg over a bowl and blow gently into the top hole, so that the egg comes out of the bottom hole. This action will make your kids giggle about how the egg looks like it's peeing! You'll end up with a nice bowl of scrambly egg, stay tuned for ideas on how to use this in delicious recipes...

You'll end up with a nice empty egg with little holes in it...

Fill a jug or bowl with water and some kind of sterilising solution, you could use a few drops of bleach, I used sterilising tablets. Hold the eggs in the water until they fill up, this sterilises the inside of the shell. If you're impatient, like me, you could suck the water into the egg until it's almost full (but not completely, you don't want a mouthful of bleach!).

Leave for a few hours, then blow out the water and dry the egg. Ta da! Nice empty eggshells for painting. We're going to tie string into ours once they're painted and hang them up. the kids had a ball!

This too shall pass

This time last year, I was in a Very Bad Place. I was more stressed than I ever thought possible, juggling a busy job and erratic working hours with spending time with the kids, keeping on top of the house, facing a sprialling debt crisis, coping with three dogs and of course, visiting my dad in hospital. This was the most stressful thing of all, we knew he was getting worse and every day brought a new setback. Most days, he'd be barely conscious and looking ghastly, and on the rare occasion he was awake, he'd usually be so full of morphine, he'd be hallucinating and screaming at us to eff off. It was a truly horrible time in my life, and over the following months, it only got worse. We faced the worst nightmare and watched my dad die, honestly the worst experience of my entire life. We then went through the stress of selling the house, wondering why the house wouldn't sell and eventually having to empty the thing! I went into a bit of a self destruct, working myself into the ground to keep my mind off things. I will never understand why, but I chose this time to take on a new job, in a hospice, looking after dying people. I managed to stay for 8 months, but I really struggled to enjoy it, it was just way too soon. I also had no social life and almost no contact with friends at this time, so I ended up in a really dark place - lonely, isolated, desperate and very very sad. Anyway, why am I telling you all this? Because this week, I feel like I've finally come out of the dark place and life is actually good again! We've handed over the old house, so the months of clearing and moving are over! I've also started a new job, back at a wonderful place I worked in years ago, caring for adults with disabilities. The staff are brilliant, I love the job and feel genuinely happy there. The kids are happy and settled, enjoying the freedom of living here with lots of other kids nearby to play with. Mum is doing well, she's even booked a holiday to Germany by herself, which makes me so proud! So basically, life is good again. It was such a horrible time, and I honestly went through moments when I felt like I'd never be genuinely happy again, but it's so true that no matter how bad things get, it will always pass eventually. juts ride the storm and you will see the sun again. I lost my brother 14 years ago. He was also in a very bad place and saw no way out, and he took his own life. I think about him all the time, and it makes me so sad to think that whatever seemed insurmountable to him at the time would be ancient history by now. Life will always have ups and downs, and there will always be times when things seem hopeless, but there is always a way out, and the sun will always rise again.

A day of simple pleasures

I've had a busy day today. Hell, who am I kidding - every day is busy! The kids are on Easter holidays, which is great because the weather so far has been lovely, and we've made the most of it with lots of fresh air and exercise. We're also pretty skint at the moment, I've just started my new job and don't get my first pay until next month, so holiday entertainment has to be either free or really cheap! Here's what we did today... I have a big induction workbook to complete for my new job, so while the kids played on the computer this morning, I got going on that: We had lunch, then went off to meet some friends at a lovely local rare breeds farm. The kids had a ball feeding all the animals from the big bag of apples and carrots we brought;

We got home and had a yummy dinner (Jools' pasta), then the kids ran outside to play football while we tidied up;

The library was open until 7.30pm, so Daisy and I sneaked off at 7pm to choose some new books;

The kids got into jammies and settled down to watch a DVD, so I decided to make a yummy pudding for the grown ups to eat while watching TV. I used up some cooking apples and made an apple sponge;

Which was very good served hot with ice cream!

It's been a really lovely day, and the kids are loving the fresh air and freedom of the school holidays. I'm working tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully we can get out and do some running around before I start work!

Daisy and I started to plant a few seeds yesterday - lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and strawberries. Tomorrow, we plan to plant 3 kinds of peppers and some sunflowers. I'd love to spend some time next week clearing out the garden and preparing to plant some summer veg. I've never been able to grow anything successfully before, so wish us luck that this year we'll get a bumper crop and cure my fear of gardening!

A beautiful family walk!

Yesterday, it was a lovely day, so we decided to blow away the cobwebs with a long family walk at Dunnottar Castle. It's a beautiful ruined castle just 10 minutes' drive from us, and we love it there. It's so full of fascintaing history - William Wallace, Mary - Queen of Scots, the Marquis of Montrose and the future King Charles II have all had links with the castle, and there are plaques all over, telling the rich history. One of the first things we saw was this face-like shape on a wall, isn't it cool? The kids thought it looked angry, I think it looks quite happy... Shortly after we arrived, it started raining, but the sun came out almost immediately, and made a beautiful rainbow which looked like it was coming right out from the sea...

There are tons of little rooms, with various hidey holes. This was once a bread oven!

The castle is built on top of a cliff, so that the inhabitants could have easily seen enemies approaching from the sea.

It's a truly beautiful setting, absolutely breathtaking. It's not the most easily accessible, you have to walk right down to the bottom of the cliff, and then up a fairly steep staircase cut into the rock, but it's well worth the walk!

Happy New Month! April already...

Can you believe it??? Well, the 1st of April has finally arrived. This is a big day for us, because we handed over our old house today! It's been such a long slog, getting the old house emptied. The thing is, we didn't pack up one house into a big van, then take it to an empty house to unpack. We had one house that was full to the brim, and moved into another house that was full to the brim. It's been 5 long months of sorting, decluttering, taking things away and making space for other stuff. We've never had an empty space for more than a couple of hours, before going back to the old house, coming back and filling it up again! Every single weekend has been taken up with taking carloads of rubbish to the tip, delivering unwanted furniture to friends and trying to tidy up again between times. Whenever we've moved something into this house, it's never been as simple as that, we've had to move something else out of the way first! Basically, we've had to get rid of the entire contents of a three bedroom house. That is a LOT of stuff. Scary, when you think about how many thousands of pounds worth of stuff I've given or thrown away. We all do it, though. We work all these hours and spend years throwing money at stuff to fill our houses with. At the end of the day, it's just stuff. From now on, I'm spending my money on experiences and memories, not things that will clutter up my home and never get used! Well, now that the house is gone, I can finally start concentrating on the home I'm in now! We still need to unpack a few boxes and do a lot of decorating, so the house will be a work in progress for quite some time. Which brings me on nicely to my goals for April! My goals for March didn't quite go to plan, getting the house emptied became my complete focus, so everything else went out of the window! Here's what I'd like to achieve this month... 1) Open a new bank account. Fresh start for my new home! 2) Exercise at least 5 days a week 3) Get everything unpacked and tidy! 4) Sell hubby's car. We don't need 2 cars anymore, I work locally, so I'll be walking or cycling. I think that'll do. What are your goals for April?

The BEST pasta dish ever - fact.

I adore Jamie Oliver. He taught me to cook at the age of 20. I'd just left home and hadn't ever had a lot of interest in cooking, but I bought his first book and after the first dish, I was hooked!
I've got just about every book he's ever done, but my favourite by far is 30 Minute Meals.
This dish is adapted from the book, and it's a huge favourite in my house. Even my fussy son will clear his plate and ask for seconds!
Try it. Honestly, you'll love it. Oh, and buy the book, you'll never regret it!

JOOLS' PASTA

4 spring onions

1 carrot

1 stick of celery

1 fresh red chilli

1 pack of good quality sausages

1 tsp fennel seeeds

1 tsp dried oregano

500g dried penne (about 6 handfuls)

4 cloves garlic

4 tbsps balsamic vinegar

1 tin chopped tomatoes

basil and parmesan for garnish

Using the blade attatchment of a food processor, chop the spring onion, carrot, celery and chilli. Add the sausages, fennel seeds and oregano and pulse again until everything is well combined.

Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the mixture, keep stirring and breaking it up until well browned. Meanwhile, cook the penne in salted boiling water until tender.

Crush the garlic and add to the sausage mixture, add the balsamic vinegar and allow to bubble. Add the tomatoes and simmer while the pasta is cooking.

Once the pasta is ready, drain (reserving a cupful of cooking water) and add to the meat mixture, along with the reserved water. Stir well, spoon into bowls and top with grated or shaved parmesan, and scatter with torn basil leaves.

Enjoy! It's totally freaking delicious.

buy the book here!

On missing babies...

I miss babies. I'll admit it, I do.



I always wanted 4 children. I grew up in a big family, my parents adopted 3 of us, and fostered many more kids in between. The house was always full of kids, and at weekends we'd all descend on my grandparents, and their house would be full of aunties, uncles and cousins - adults all talking and laughing, kids all running around playing games. I adored it, all the mess, noise and chaos, and I always knew that was the kind of life I wanted.


My husband is a bit more sensible though, and he only ever wanted 2 kids, max. We were delighted when our second child was born, and being a girl, it meant that we had one of each, the perfect "gentleman's family". That was it, we were done.


I'm not really done, but I'm happy with my kids, and have to admit that parenthood isn't all fun and games, it's bloody hard work and my 2 kids keep me plenty busy!


Daisy starts school this August, and that's made me feel quite sad for the past year. I've been at home with a preschooler for almost 9 years now, and even on the toughest days, I've loved every second of it. I adore all the little milestones they reach, I love being the one they run to when they're proud of something, when they want to share a secret or need a cuddle.


I miss the baby stage so much. I miss that baby smell, the way they giggle, their chubby little bums and the way their big eyes get all droopy when they're trying (and failing) to stay awake!


I miss being pregnant, I miss having a baby fall asleep on my chest and I miss seeing their little faces all covered in food.
The trouble is, having another baby now just wouldn't really work. The age gap would be bigger than I'd like and our current circumstances don't really allow for it. We live with my mum now, who is 65 and doesn't keep the best health. She no longer has the energy or patience to live with a baby, even if she wouldn't be looking after it. We have 4 dogs and a cat, as well as the kids, and life is just busy enough without the added stress of a tiny baby.
I like how our life is just now. The kids are of an age where we can be more spontaneous, we can take off to a restaurant or the cinema at a moment's notice, and we don't have to think about running home for nappies, milk or buggies.
We can relax a bit at weekends because the kids play amongst themselves or go outside with their friends. We haven't been able to do that for 9 years, there's always been someone needing 1:1 attention, so that's a big novelty. I'll miss Daisy when she goes to school, but I'll have so much more free time to meet friends, read books or get myself a hobby.

I've come to the conclusion that I'll always miss babies. Even if I did have more babies, they grow up and I'd be back to missing them again! It's a sad thought that my baby days are done, but I've accepted that it's time to move on and embrace the benefits of having older kids. I can always look after other people's babies, anyway!

Please tell me I'm not the only one who get's overwhelmingly broody sometimes!

It's March already - how did that happen???

Happy new month!

So, how did I get on with February's goals? I achieved NONE of them!!!

1) Empty loft OR garage - I got about 75% of my loft emptied, garage hasn't even been touched yet. However, I hand the keys over on 1st April, so both loft and garage WILL be emptied this month, no matter what!

2) Lost 8lbs - I'm still exactly the same weight I was last month. I lost 4lbs, then gained them back again! Must try harder.

3) Go to bed at 10pm at least twice a week - I don't think I got to bed before midnight once in the whole of february - FAIL!

4) Computer free weekends - computer said no.

Never mind! I'm sailing into March with good intentions (although I'm sure the road to Hell is paved with these...), and here are my mad March goals...

1) Get house completely emptied

2) Get below 9st. I'm currently 9st 7lbs.

3) Not buy ANYTHING apart from groceries. Even then, only essential ones.

4) Early nights. I have to do this in March! In bed by 10pm at least two nights a week. I promise!

Oh, and update the blog more often. I'm aware that there's a photobucket thingy floating around and I will remove it as soon as I figure out how!
I also have a long list of subjects I want to blog about, so I will write more often. And add photos, I have loads of photos to add!

I start my new job tomorrow, so will keep y'all updated. Wish me luck!

The Grocery Challenge - February

Oooh, I love a new challenge!

We've been living hand to mouth for way too long now, it's like we just got used to always having a negative bank balance and just spent without really thinking about it.
Now that the house is sold and we will probably have most of our debt cleared, I'd like to start being more careful with our money so we can have actual *gasp* savings!
The plan is to save my entire wage and just live off the hubby's. This is entirely doable, considering I've been a SAHM several times and we've managed to live off of one wage.
Our biggest challenge is to stop wasting so much money on groceries though. I don't even know how much money I spend in supermarkets, but I'd estimate it at around £600 per month.
I know prices have shot up lately, but that's ridiculous!
I'd like to get this figure down to around £300 per month, or even less. I'm a good cook, I can make something out of nothing, so there's no need for constant trips to the supermarket!
My challenge for February is to spend as little as possible on food, and start doing my grocery shopping online.
Here are my goals...

1) Do grocery shopping online, less temptation to stray from the list!
2) Use Tesco instead of Asda, then I get clubcard points!
3) Get meat from local butcher, it's cheaper and better quality
4) Buy all toileteries from Boots, get advantage points!
5) Batch cook and freeze things for lazy days, less temptation to nip out for something
6) STICK TO THE MEAL PLAN!!

Do you spend too much in supermarkets? If so, feel free to join the challenge!

Life's little surprises

We had a bit of a disappointment yesterday. The couple who'd offered on our house were never getting back to us, and I'd spent two whole days staring at my phone, willing it to ring. Isn't it so frustrating waiting for a phonecall? I hate it, I feel so powerless!
I finally caved and asked our solicitor to chase them up and find out what they were doing. It turned out they'd changed their minds and decided not to take it any further.
I was gutted, it was the only offer we'd had in the 8 months since the house went on the market and I really thought it was our big chance to sell.
Well, today was just a case of moving on and trying to forget about it. At 3pm though, we got a call completely out of the blue to say that another couple had made an offer!
Again, it wasn't quite enough of an offer, so we went back and asked for more. They came back and offered what we'd been hoping for, and we accepted!!!!
The house is under offer, yay! I'm absolutely delighted.
I never imagined that I'd be starting February with a new job and my house sold, it's amazing. It still hasn't quite sunk in!
The strangest part is, the couple want the completion date to be 1st April, which was the excact date we moved into the house 6 years ago! How odd that the house became ours on 1st April and will stop being ours on 1st April.
The good thing is, that gives us two whole months to get the loft and garage emptied, although I'll try to get the bulk done in February, I don't want to risk running late with it and being stressed out nearer the time.

Anyway, i just wanted to share that, It's the best possible thing that could have happened today and I wasn't even expecting it. One of life's happy little surprises :-)

Happy New Month! February Goals...

Can you believe it's February already???
It'll be christmas before we know it! *ducks*

Anyhoo, bearing in mind that Feb will be a busy month anyway, what with me starting a new job, here are my goals for the month ahead...

1) Empty either my loft OR my garage at the old house. Unless of course, the house sells, in which case I'll have to empty both...

2) Lose 8lb. I did it last month, no reason why I can't do it this month!

3) Go to bed before 10pm at least 2 nights per week. I WILL do it this month!

4) Computer free weekends. I spend way too much time on the computer, it's always on! For the month of February, I vow to stay away from the computer from friday morning until monday morning. More quality time with the family and less distractions!

I think that'll do, don't you?

What do you hope to achieve in February?

The best laid plans - resolutions roundup!

Like I said in the last post, i like plans. I like to know what's happening and what I want to achieve.
that being said, I'm pretty good at going with the flow, because I'm well aware that unexpected things can crop up and life doesn't always go according to plan.

This is why I don't freak out if I don't achieve my monthly goals - they're just a guideline, something to aim toward. I've always been a fan of working towards something. I think I'd find it physically inpossible to just bumble along from day to day without some kind of direction!

My goals for January (and the results) are as follows...

1) Start pole dancing lessons.

This has been a HUGE success! I adore my pole class. It's not actually dancing at all, mostly acrobatics and strength training. It's so addictive that I ordered my own pole and it should be here any day! I will definitely give pole training it's very own post very soon!

2) Learn the basics of my sewing machine, make an apron.

umm...I haven't done any of this. Simply no time, honest! This will become clear when I explain the unexpected stuff that cropped up.

3) Lose 5lb

I lost 8lb! I joined Weight Watchers online and between that and pole class, I've been losing weight pretty steadily.

4) Read 2 whole books, go to bed before 10pm 2 nights per week.

umm...no. I do try to get into reading, but often I'm so tired by bedtime, I lack the concentration to follow a long book. i tend to read cookbooks in bed instead! The early bedtimes have been a big fail, and I will definitely make that a goal for february.

Okay, so out of 4 goals, I achieved 2. Having said that, a couple of unexpected things cropped up that I didn't expect!

I hadn't been planning to change jobs, but a very desirable job came up in a local sheltered housing complex for adults with learning disabilities. I applied and got it! I've since given notice at my current job and finished there, so a very unexpected achievement for January!

Also, I had two unexpected viewers at my old house this month, which meant having to do a massive amount of cleaning, tidying, packing and taking things to the skip. I've succeeded in virtually emptying my whole house this month and tidying up the garden. A lot of work, but well worth it! We got an offer on the house last week, which was slightly lower than we'd have liked, so we're waiting to hear if they are willing to offer more. definitely a good achievement for January.

Ooh, and I've also become really into painting my nails. The online forum I'm part of has a thread called Nails of the Day, and it's really interesting to see what everyone does with their nails. I am not very good at taking care of myself, so even taking a few minutes every few days to paint my nails is a huge achievement.

So yeah, January has been a very busy month, I've done a lot of good stuff!
What are you proud of this month?

A whole new approach to meal planning

Do you plan your meals?

I know for some people, the very thought of planning a whole week's worth of dinners would just be ridiculous. I mean, it's monday, how do you know what you'll want to eat on thursday?

For us, though, it works. It has to really, we all work shifts, the kids have various clubs and things, it would be total chaos if we didn't have some kind of plan.

I need to know what we plan to eat that week, it just helps me to know what I need to take out of the freezer, and it saves us from wasting good food. It's also helpful when you're trying to eat healthily, you're less tempted to get a takeaway if there's already all the ingredients for a nice meal ready to go.

How to plan your meals though? People have lots of different ways - some use spreadsheets, some use just a scrap of paper, some use a whiteboard. For some people it may be just a list of simple oven dinners, for others it might be a series of elaborate recipes! Whatever works for you.

This is my meal planner...

It's a hardback, A4 sized notebook, with a ribbon for keeping your page. I like using a dedicated book because as the year goes on, it acts as a sort of kitchen diary, you can look back and remember what you've been eating.

How many times have you made something delicious and thought "I must make this again sometime", only to completely forget what you made or how you made it? This way, I can remember what we had and when.

I also write in the book and page number if it's from a cookbook. When you own over 200 cookbooks, it's easy to forget where a good recipe came from!

See those gold stars? That's for recipes which have been a success. My kids are very fussy, I really struggle to find dinners that they will both eat and enjoy, so if they've liked something, it gets a gold star.

This helps with planning future meals - I can flick through the book and see at a glance which meals are likely to go down well. Again, because I write down books and page numbers, it's easy to go straight to the right recipe.

How do I get to the planning stage in the first place? I'm pretty organised about food. All my tins are on one shelf, spices on another, jars on another, etc. I buy meat in bulk, so the freezer is pretty much always stocked with things like mince, chicken and stewing steak.

I always have a good supply of stuff like tinned tomatoes, beans, various spices etc, so I can make any number of meals.

Once a week, I look at what I have, what we're all doing that week and what needs using up, and base my meals around that. I'll flick through a few cookbooks for inspiration, and include a few gold star meals from previous weeks.

I tend to use post its on my cookbooks to mark pages of things I want to try, so I'll usually try to include one or two new recipes a week.

It's good to have a plan. I like being able to look in the book before I go to bed and know what to take out of the freezer for the next day. I like the fact that I no longer do that dazed wander in the supermarket, mind blank, desperately trying to think of what I need. I know what we're eating, I know what's in the house, and I know what needs to be bought. Job done.

A Woman Of No Importance

I am a devoted slave to my children. I suppose that's exactly the way it should be. I'm always there for them, to soothe scraped knees, to cuddle away nightmares, to cook countless meals, to read stories, to provide whatever they need, whenever they need it.
My kids adore me, I know they do. I'm the first person they want to see when they wake up and the last person they want to have holding them before they drift off to sleep.
But how do my kids see me? In their little minds, am I anything more to them than just a provider of toys and dinner? Do they see me as a person in my own right, with feelings and needs of my own?
Probably not, I don't remember seeing my mum as her own person when I was their age. It didn't mean I appreciated her any less, but to be perfectly honest, I don't think I fully appreciated the sacrifices my mum made for us until I became a mother myself.

However, I do think it's important to have a life of your own, even when your kids are little. I think if you treat yourself as nothing more than a devoted slave, then why shouldn't your kids see you that way?
I want to start showing my kids that there's more to me than just what I can provide as a mother. If I spend all my time running around after them and never do anything good for myself, how will they ever learn to treat me as anything other than a slave?
My motto until now has been to treat others as I'd like to be treated. Now though, I think I should start treating myself the way I'd like others to treat me.
A good friend once said to me "What you put up with, you volunteer for"
That is so true. If you put up with being no more than a servant to others, the really, you've volunteered for it, because we all have a choice.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying for one minute that I'm treated badly by my kids or anyone else. What I'm saying is that the one person who treats me like a slave is myself. By not delegating, by not asking for help, by taking on far more than I should.
The lesson for todaay is, if your kids are demanding, if you feel over worked and overwhelmed, and if you feel like a woman of no importance, look deep inside yourself and ask if you treat yourself any better. And if you don't, it's time to start.

It's a new dawn, it's a new day...

....it's a new year for me.....and I'm feeling good!

Well, there's been a bit of radio silence from me on here for a week or two, but I have been flat out trying to get us settled into mum's house and prepare for xmas and new year at the same time!
It's been a really exhausting couple of weeks, every minute of every day has been completely filled with work, taking care of the kids, walking the dogs, cooking, cleaning, packing, unpacking, moving, shovelling snow, pulling sledges, pushing cars, shopping, argh!
I nearly reached breaking point last night, just the whole emotion of it being the end of such a difficult year mixed with the tiredness and stress of the past two weeks (well, whole year, actually), and I struggled to keep myself together for a little bit!
Anyhoo, that's it now - the festivities are done with and I for one will be very glad to pack away all the decorations and start getting back to a normal routine.

Let's have some new year's resolutions, shall we?

1) Learn pole dancing
2) Learn to sew and make clothes and toys
3) Lose 2 stone
4) Treat myself better. Stop taking on too much and spend more time relaxing.

I'll set myself monthly goals so they don't get lost with everything else that's going on, and I can keep track of how I'm getting on.

Here are my goals for January;

1) Start pole dancing lessons
2) learn the basics of working my sewing machine, make an apron.
3) Lose 5lb
4) Read 2 whole books, go to bed before 10pm 2 nights per week.

Will do another post on this at the end of January and we'll see how I get on!

Happy New Year!