My children attended an outdoor adventure club this summer and came home with these on the final day. They have been on display in my kitchen ever since. Today i thought i would frame them as they remind me of the great (and diverse) qualities my children possess (and sometimes i really do need reminding!!).
So simple, but a beautiful present for someone close to you. x
‘Simplify’. This is the statement i have decided to adopt.
Life is hectic and fast paced, so much to do, buy and see…. No time to breathe, pause or just enjoy the moment?! Modern life enables us to have everything on demand. We can buy things with a click of a button, visit anywhere in the world and have exposure to so many new experiences. All fantastic you think but this creates a want, a ‘need’ for more, often leaving us stressed out and dissatisfied. That is how i feel anyway.
I think with Christmas looming, kids endlessly reminding me of their long present list and the culinary excess that comes with it, I am feeling slightly overwhelmed. Loosing sight of the things that really matter; people and time spent with them. So this year we are ‘Keeping It Simple”!
SIMPLE – my new rules….
Christmas will be fun!
xXx
These old roof slates have been sitting on our drive for over a year! Didn’t want to throw them away. In fact, i used one to chalk up a drinks menu for a recent party. That go me thinking…. I have wanted a blackboard in the kitchen for some time but never found ‘the right thing’. Why buy one when you can make one?!
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3
1. Clean slates
2. Paint with blackboard paint
3. Attach rope though existing holes (where slate had been attached to roof).
I have decorated mine with a bit of white paint, but not necessary. As you can see, i have three. One for each child.
I plan to Christmasify them with a bit of gold paint. Will post pics when done! Probably on 24th Dec knowing me!
Not sure the other members of my family are so happy with the new additions to our kitchen. Keep leaving ’em chores and reminders!
“Mum, ever since you came back from Australia you have been feeding us weird food…. I’m not sure i like it.”
This was my sons’ comment to me the other day. The child who suffers from Coeliacs Disease. The one who will benefit most from our diet overhaul and the one who is resisting! For those that have not read any of my other posts i will recap….. A couple of months ago i visited a friend in Australia where a chanced upon a book called ‘i quit sugar’, written by her fiancés sister. The more i read, the more i realised that even though my family were adhering to a Gluten Free diet, where i cooked most meals from scratch, i had compensated for the things they were missing out on by providing them with sugary treats and encouraging them to snack on a lot of dried fruit. All ok in moderation…… but the sugar levels (esp fructose) were stacking up and the effect were showing! So why are these natural fruits sugars bad i hear you ask? Not sure… would have been my answer a few weeks ago but now i can tell you – Click to for an explanation – What is Fructose? About 6 weeks ago i removed sugar from my diet completely, which left me grumpy, tired and irritable. I think i have come out the other side. It has been hard going but definitely worth it. I no longer suffer stomach bloating, my skin is clearer and i do not get that mid afternoon energy crash and fogginess. I have taken a much more moderate approach with the kids. My cooking at home is Gluten and Sugar free but i am not strict when visiting other peoples houses or at parties etc. That would be far too much hard work for me and upsetting for the kids! I’m all for keeping things simple!
So, picture my day. Saturday morning 6.30am. Already been woken by each of my children during the night. Sun just rising and the kids already bickering. Settle them in front of TV and sneak back to bed for an hour. Two cups of coffee down, an early morning yoga class and i’m ready to tackle the day. Grey and stormy outside and a house full of kids…. definitely a day for cooking and plenty of tiny taste testers on hand! Still focusing on breakfast recipes. High protein, low sugar, for a good start to the day. Also been thinking about breakfast options for ‘on the go’. If you are anything like us, morning is a rush and breakfast doesn’t always get the time it deserves. My daughter isn’t really ready to eat for a while after she gets up and often ends up snacking in the car on the way to preschool. I want to improve on the ‘fall back’ peanut butter sandwich! With the Granola a success, i have moved on to thinking about Granola Bars and now that the mornings are getting colder, something warm inside their tummies first thing really helps, so a – quick cooked breakfast – seems like a good idea. Cooking whilst surrounded by four wild kids and with a couple of ‘little helpers’ was not an easy task. It came with some success but was unfortunately matched by a level of failure! Lets start with the good – Ham n Eggs – Breakfast Muffin. Recipe in next post. Btw – managed to make a few meals and treats this weekend that my son approved of. Not sure if his tastes are changing and he is not craving the sugar as much of if my ‘Sugar Free’ cooking skills are improving?! Been meaning to mention photography and images – This is the element of my blog that is causing me some anguish. Have absolutely no understanding of my camera and how to take a ‘good shot’. The ideas are there but finding it hard to get results. Am trying to learn fast. Watching youtube videos and reading round the subject of product photography, so bear with me…. please. Images will improve. Promise. x
Snippets of Summer
This is how we roll….
Nice Pear!
It wasn’t all sunshine…. there were definitely showers too.
Guess who?
Camping Trip….. early morning walk on the beach.
All aboard the Box Train
No way back…..
The day after the night before!
We had lots of fun this summer. Felt privileged to live by the coast. Time to embrace Autumn. Lovin being in the kitchen… cooking up a storm!!