Hello
I’m Susie, Mum of 3 lively, spirited kids, with a new bag business, a house that requires ‘work’ and a husband who calmly deals with our daily dramas!! We try to be nice to each other and have fun – but not always possible – We like outdoor activities, hanging with our friends and havin a laugh! Simple really.
A bit more about me…..
Having spent a number of years in London working as a Buyer & Product Developer it was time for a change…. So we travelled the world with our then two year old son, finally settling in Devon, where I grew up. Two more children and life is busy, slightly overwhelming at times but never dull!
My work….
My true love is bags. My collection is extensive. All are leather and all are timeless pieces. As a Mum I still want to carry a stylish leather bag but it needs to be hardwearing and functional. After many years of…. not quite having the time…. I have finally set up my company!! ‘two&eight’ bags. Website under construction but check out my Tumblr site if you’re interested.
Gluten Free…
So, just over a year ago now another little hurdle was put in our way. My son was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. My Dad had been ill for a number of years with doctors being unable to diagnose the cause of his sickness, lethargy and weight loss. Finally….. they tested for Coeliac disease. Hallelujah – they had found the cause – he removed gluten from his diet and the symptoms all but disappeared. 6 months later my poor little boy began to suffer excruciating stomach pain, joint ache and lacked energy…. You guessed it. He also has the disease. Removing Gluten from a child’s diet is more than a challenge but I faced it head on and here we are. (Read my Gluten Free and Sugar Free posts.)
So, just over a year ago now another little hurdle was put in our way. My son was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. My Dad had been ill for a number of years with doctors being unable to diagnose the cause of his sickness, lethargy and weight loss. Finally….. they tested for Coeliac disease. Hallelujah – they had found the cause – he removed gluten from his diet and the symptoms all but disappeared. 6 months later my poor little boy began to suffer excruciating stomach pain, joint ache and lacked energy…. You guessed it. He also has the disease. Removing Gluten from a child’s diet is more than a challenge but I faced it head on and here we are. (Read my Gluten Free and Sugar Free posts.)
Sugar Free & The Blog….
A year on…. Having managed to overhaul our diet and remove all gluten containing products from my sons diet (and ours mostly) I realised that I had substituted with many sugar-laden foods! My skin and my sons was not good, I felt sluggish and often irritable. We were all eating a lot of fruit, dried fruit, homemade cake and biscuits etc. Good right?! Well actually not. Even these high levels of ‘natural’ sugars were having an adverse effect on our bodies but I was not aware of this until I chanced upon a book – Whilst visiting one of my oldest and dearest friend in Australia I picked up a book, which was lying around their house. Written, in fact, by her fiancés sister. ‘I quit Sugar (by Sarah Wilson). http://www.iquitsugar.com Two pages in and I was gripped.
A year on…. Having managed to overhaul our diet and remove all gluten containing products from my sons diet (and ours mostly) I realised that I had substituted with many sugar-laden foods! My skin and my sons was not good, I felt sluggish and often irritable. We were all eating a lot of fruit, dried fruit, homemade cake and biscuits etc. Good right?! Well actually not. Even these high levels of ‘natural’ sugars were having an adverse effect on our bodies but I was not aware of this until I chanced upon a book – Whilst visiting one of my oldest and dearest friend in Australia I picked up a book, which was lying around their house. Written, in fact, by her fiancés sister. ‘I quit Sugar (by Sarah Wilson). http://www.iquitsugar.com Two pages in and I was gripped.
I found it hard to find interesting and fun (sugar and Gluten free) food that the kids could eat and most websites and books were very uninspiring. Hopefully my blog posts will help any parent facing a life without Gluten or/and sugar in their diets and that of their kids navigate their way smoothly through the minefield of information available. My philosophy in life is ‘Simplify’. We often try to do too much and over complicate.. Keeping things simple reduces stress, saves money and creates more time (to have fun, i hope). This applies to my cooking also. I like recipes with minimal ingredients, simple methods and short (ish) cooking times, oh and i don’t use fancy (and hard to find) ingredients!
This blog only documents our experiences. I have no formal health or scienticfic dietry training but do make an effort to educate myself. Just sayin…
I love all feedback, comments and advice so please contact me.
Thanks for taking the time to read. x
