Sunday 26 January 2014

Five ingredients, a whole bunch of recipes, clearing out the freezer and a new theme for 2014!

I thought I would fill you in on how the last few of our challenges went in 2013.

Back in October we had what was possibly the most revolutionary of all the months for me: five ingredient month. I didn't think I did particularly complicated cooking on a day to day basis but it was quite tricky to make things that simple. I did cheat a bit - the very first day, I just forgot the rules and added extra spices before realising that only salt, pepper and oil were "free" and at other times I was a little loose with the definition of "one ingredient" and did things like counting pieces of chicken and chicken stock as the same thing. However, even with these little tweaks it was still a remarkable month. G&E ate everything I put in front of them, even things they didn't like previously because they were simple. They also totally entered into the month and were very sad when the month ended. I have tried to maintain the simplicity but oddly it isn't always easy to make myself!

November was recipe book month. Or recipe magazine. But not recipe Internet. I had to use a recipe that was already in the house. Ideally ones I had wanted to try but hadn't had the chance. It took a few days but the kids entered into this theme too especially once I sat down with G and let him choose some of the recipes. After only about twelve days, we did decide to formally quit recipe month. We had tried a lot of nice things and added new recipes to our regular repertoire but using new recipes every day was proving a lot of work, expensive, wasteful and fattening!!

December...well, we didn't have much motivation for a theme in December or much time to see one through and so A created the very practical theme of clearing out the freezer. In advance of all the jollities and cooking and keeping and leftovers storage, we needed some space and so for the first twenty days of December the challenge was to use up one thing from the freezer a day. Think we managed it though I wouldn't swear to it!

We really enjoyed the majority of our themes for 2013 but were aware we were getting less enthused and so thought we would take a break for 2014 and do something different. So this year we are just picking random challenges each month rather than food related. This way, they are a challenge for A too where most of the food ones were really just challenges for me.

January has been read a chapter a day month (and that did not include any read we might do with G&E). It has been great being "forced" to pick up a book every day and have a reason to make it an priority. I have split my time between The Shadow of the Wind (yeah, I know I am pretty behind the times coming to this one...and a chapter a day hasn't got me very far through it yet but I love it), The Last Dance and other stories by Victoria Hislop (I have thoroughly enjoyed everything she has written and learnt a lot too!), The 24-7 Prayer Manual (inspiring) and An Ancient Future Prayer (about the Lord's Prayer. Some very interesting ideas but I keep not quite finishing it. And then I restart it again! Which perhaps works quite well as the first few chapters are seriously embedded now!).

February is going to be exercise every day month. We couldn't do it in January because it would have been heavily lopsided - A is still working a cycle ride away at the moment and he would have counted that as his exercise. But would have refused to count the forty plus minutes I walk every day taking the kids here and there and to the shops and so on and so on. In February, he starts to work forty miles away again and so is very keen for a kick up the backside to make sure he keeps up the exercise. And I won't feel quite so grumpy that my lifestyle doesn't count and his does as now neither of our lifestyles will count and we will both have to make special effort. Wish us luck!

Sunday 19 January 2014

Time

Hello...
Thanks for waiting, if indeed you have!

In the past few months, I have written a number of posts for this blog but they have all remained firmly in my head, fingers failing to reach the keyboard, "publish" key not tapped. This is for lots of reasons and I won't bore you with the majority of them. But here is one thing I have been thinking about a bit over the past few weeks.

Life gets easier pretty much constantly at the moment. G and E are increasingly able to do things for themselves - putting shoes on, coats on, getting dressed and undressed, using forks and spoons, finding the book/toy/DVD they want and so on and so on. I even have two mornings a week to myself. Of course there are days that are more difficult, caused by illness or tiredness or general crankiness or wet weather or a lack of adventure or too much adventure or... But the general trend is for an ever easier life than when they were teeny tiny or quite small or just a month ago.

However, I have significantly less spare time. When breast feeding a baby, especially without a toddler around, you can get quite a lot done. Replying to texts and emails, making a phone call, Internet shopping, writing a blog... Nothing that involves any great movement but still stuff that needs doing. Even a few months ago, I could get the odd email or text blasted off "on the side" while the kids were playing. At the moment, this just doesn't happen without expressly explaining to G&E that for the next two minutes, they will have to wait. They want my attention All The Time. There is always a question that needs answering, some Lego to build, a toy to mend, a story to read, ten more questions, a cup of milk to heat up (G has become a total fuss pot and only I know exactly how to heat his milk apparently. And he won't drink it cold. Or drink anything else.), seventeen more questions to answer, some biscuits to make because E has just decided that is The Thing this afternoon or maybe just a few more questions to answer. The point being that where a while ago, my presence was the necessary thing, now it is very much my attention and my mind that are required. 

Fundamentally this is a good thing. My kids are growing and taking an interest in everything. It is more interesting for me too. The days that dragged by with me bored to tears because the games were just so repetitive and my mind had left the building are, for now at least, behind us. It is more fun, more interesting and vastly more time consuming. And so I haven't replied to texts or emails or written any of the thank you letters that I should have because it just doesn't fit. Nor have I written a blog post. 

I am not complaining, it simply took me by surprise, this latest change in how my days are structured, what I can and cannot do and what does and doesn't end up taking my time. It will all change again, of that I am absolutely certain.

I wanted to drop by and try and get back in this habit because, frankly, I need to be a bit honest all over again. Winter is not my friend. Hopefully now I have broken the silence, I will be back to say a little more soon.

Til then. Cheerio!