The power of protein

In recent decades, conventional wisdom has suggested eating a lower fat, higher carbohydrate diet for health and lose weight. The food pyramid above clearly emphasizes that carbs should be the bulk of your daily diet. On the flipside, there were the high protein, zero carb brigade who claimed that their way was the only way to successfully lose weight, such as Atkins and the Zone. These were often accompanied by higher fat, especially saturated fat.

I think the reality probably lies somewhere in the middle, and as usual, moderation is the key. However, I do think there is quite a lot of positives to increasing the amount of protein in your diet. There is a lot of research out there that shows that high protein foods, especially lean meat and low-fat dairy, are a key factor in not only losing weight, but successfully maintaining a healthy weight. As part of having my Best Year this year, I have increased the amount of protein I am eating.

So firstly, what are some benefits to adding high quality protein to your diet?

• Protein is low in calories, but nutrient dense - protein and carbs have the same amount of calories per gram, but protein sources provides some very important nutrient sources that carbohydrate sources are often short of, such as iron, zinc and vitamin B12. Replacing some of your carbs sources with protein sources will not significantly affect the calorie count, but will diversify the nutrients you are eating. For example, instead of a bowl of cereal for breakfast, create a breakfast parfait with some non-fat Greek yoghurt, half as much cereal as you would have had, and fruit. Yummy and filling!
• Weight loss - a major study found that diets that were made up of 25-30% of calories from protein, as opposed to 12-15% (fat was the same), lost more weight. In particular, they lost more fat, especially the highly dangerous abdominal fat.
• Keeps you satisfied - in general, high-quality protein sources keep you fuller for longer, due to the slower effect on blood sugar compared to carbs. This is even more the case if you are replacing highly processed carbs such as white bread, white rice, and sugary foods, which cause dramatic rises and falls in blood sugar levels. This usually results in cravings and hunger later in the day.

Secondly, what are good quality protein sources?

• Lean meats, including beef and pork
• Poultry (removing skin)
• Fish and shellfish
  
• Low fat dairy
• Legumes such as lentils, and beans
• Nuts and seeds (limit these to small amounts as these are high in fats)
• Eggs (the whites contain the protein, but no fat)
  
• Soy products such as tofu and tempeh

Lastly, how can you increase protein in your diet?

• The easiest way is to try and include some protein in every meal and snack.
  
• For example, add a poached egg to breakfast, some left over roast meat to your salad at lunch, and a tin of tuna to your mac and cheese at dinner.
  
• For snacks, add a small amount of protein such as a tub of yoghurt with some fruit, almond butter with apple slices, or hommous and veggies.
  

Kitchen Command Center

The kitchen is always a hot spot for clutter, assorted junk, and assorted papers, some of it important. So creating a Command Center is a wonderful way of corralling it all together and organising it so that things are easily accessible by everyone in the family. The pic above is my Command Center, which I have located on my kitchen bench. Within the Command Center, I've created separate areas with different functions; there is a cleaning supplies section to the left hand side, a calendar and stationery section in the middle, and a memo section to the right.

The memo section is a large magnetic board that has a roll of note paper, my menu planning pad and my shopping list. I also have various magnets with important phone numbers. The menu planning pad and shopping list are both important parts of keeping me organised easily. By planning out menus for the week, I save money by not buying groceries that go to waste, as well as minimising the need for takeouts. The shopping list next to it is also great; as I finish things, I can tick them straight off on the list. Again, this saves me from buying unnecessary items, or doubling up on items that I already have.

I only plan 5 meals during the week, and the plan is not set in stone. That way, we can still go out of we feel like it, or drop into my MIL's for a meal.



Next to my calendar is my cleaning caddy that holds brushes, rags and various natural cleaning supplies. I mostly use the all purpose cleaner, but I also have furniture spray, window spray and stainless steel spray in there for when its needed.Lastly, below the calendar is my stationery section. The green pot holds stamps, elastic bands and staples, while the cups hold scissors, pens, markers and screwdrivers. The little white dish is where I put my rings when I am cleaning or cooking, while the white rectangle dish holds a letter opener. I also have antibacterial gel and orange oil there as well.

This Kitchen Command Center has made a huge difference in the day to day running of our home. Things are easy to find, junk gets sorted into the bin straight away, and everything is finally organised!

PS: Off topic: Angie, could you please email me? I need your email to organise your Spell Quizzer license. Cheers!

Grobag First Duvet review

Regular readers may know that Stephen and Irini have both been co-sleeping with us and we have thoroughly enjoyed it, until recently. As both kids have been getting bigger, and Irini has been spending less and less time in her co-sleeper and more and more time in our bed proper, things have been getting tight and no one was getting a good night sleep any more.

Nick and I made the decision to remove the co-sleeper, turn it into a toddler bed near our bed, and, fingers crossed, seamlessly transition Stephen into it. To try and make things as easy as possible, I took Stephen shopping to pick out some new bedding. I had already decided for safety reasons that I wanted to use the Grobag First Bedding Set which has the duvet cover zipped onto the bottom fitted sheet, as well as an attached pillowcase, so that Stephen can't get his head under the pillow. I liked the fact that the duvet zips onto the sheet for two reasons; firstly, it will help stop him from falling out of bed, and secondly, it will keep the covers on him during the night.

Stephen didn't seem too keen at first, but he dutifully picked out the set with rockets and spacemen on it. When nighttime came, he was finally excited, and was demanding that hubby "zip me up, zip me up with the wockets". This has so far continued on for the week, with no backward glances (knock on wood). We are all certainly getting a better night's sleep, but there is a small part of me that is sad that my little man is growing up!

My birthday presents!

It was my birthday on Monday, and I got some wonderful presents from my family. From hubby, I got the most beautiful leather Oroton bag, like the ones in the pic without the fringing, in a lovely grey/taupe patent leather. The bag is large enough to double as a diaper bag, which is exactly what I wanted, and the colour is so versatile, it goes with pretty much anything.

From the kids, (via me, of course), I got a MomAgenda. My O2 phone recently gave up and I switched to a Blackberry (which I love), but I hate the calender. Now that I have kids, I find an electronic calender just doesn't cut it when there are so many activities, playgroups, Gymboree, birthday parties etc. So, back to the old-school methods. I chose the MomAgenda because 1) it looks great, and 2) it has a spot for my appointments and then separate spots for the kids appointments each day. I picked the refillable leather portfolio in storm grey (this is the exact same colour as my bag, a co-incidence, I swear!) rather than their original hardbound version, as I wanted to be able to refill it. As an extra special touch, I had my name embossed on it.

I was definitely spoiled this birthday!!

SpellQuizzer winner!

Again, I'm sorry I've been away for so long. Thankyou to everyone who emailed and commented to see if I was alright - everything is fine, but I have been suffering from migraines over the past two weeks, and the computer screen seemed to be the major culprit in bringing them on. Anyway, hopefully things are back on track now!

This is totally overdue, but the winner of the SpellQuizzer giveaway is comment number 3, Angie, from Angie's 4 Sons. By the way, if anyone knows how to insert the little screen from the random number generator, please give me a heads-up! I'm sure it's simple, but for the life of me, I can't figure it out. Angie, I'll be in contact soon with the log-in details etc. Congratulations, and I hope your four boys find it useful.

My new favourite kitchen gadget!

I wrote a while ago about my "must-have" kitchen gadgets, but I have to add another one! I recently bought a Sodastream (yep, the Sodastream many of you may remember from the 80's) and I am in love!

As part of my making this my best year, a few months ago I decided to ditch the diet soda completely. I have been reading enough studies to convince me that drinking diet soda does not help with weight loss, and in fact, may even hinder weight loss, since your body is expecting a sugar hit, and reacts accordingly. However, while flavoured waters were helping somewhat I still needed my fizz fix, and my sparkling water addiction was becoming expensive!

And that's when I remembered the old Sodastream we used to have as kids...

Tell me you remember these, too, or am I really starting to show my age? Anyway, these still exist, the concept is the same, but they look much better. The only thing I miss is the old fashioned glass bottles - I really liked those.

The unit, with one bottle of gas, cost me AUD$70, and the refill gas bottles are $13. Each gas bottle makes about 40 litres of bubbly water. You can, or course, still buy all of the flavoured Sodastream syrups, but I love the water plain. For the kids, I sometimes add a little bit of regular or homemade cordial for a healthier soda.

This is so much healthier than drinking regular soda, and it is also so much better for the environment. The bottles are reusable, the gas bottles are refilled, rather than tossed, and there are no transportation costs for bottles and cans to be transported to your local store. This is definitely my new favourite kitchen gadget!

Buy Handmade This Christmas

I am passionate about supporting local businesses, and in particular, people running their own crafty businesses from home. So I wanted to encourage all of you to buy handmade products as gifts this Christmas. There are so many ways you can buy handmade presents, whether it is from local craft markets, Etsy.com, or MadeIt.com.au which is an Australian version of Etsy. How much nicer would it be to open up your wrapping paper this Christmas to find something lovingly handmade, rather than mass produced in a Chinese factory? Of course, it would be even better to make your own presents, but if you are like me and simply don't have the time, than take the next best option and buy hand made this Christmas!

My Idea of Heaven: homemade jam, bread and yoghurt

This is my idea of a heavenly breakfast: homemade toasted sourdough bread, homemade yoghurt cheese (quark) and homemade strawberry jam. This strawberry jam is from a Jamie Oliver cookbook and is the yummiest, most strawberriest jam that you will ever taste.

Quick Strawberry Jam from jamie at home

1kg (2lbs) strawberries, washed and hulled
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Put everything in a pot and crush roughly with potato masher. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.

I put this into freezer proof tupperware containers and store in the freezer. In the fridge, it will last about a week or so.

Mt Claremont Farmers Market

Farmers Markets have been popular in the US and on the east coast of Australia for quite a while now, but they are only just starting to take off here in the West of Oz. Lately, I have been making the early (early for me, anyway) trip to the Mt Claremont Farmers Market located at Mt Claremont Primary School. Even though it has been running since 2007, I have only recently started going. Since we own a Growers' Market, and I can get super fresh fruit and veg from local growers pretty much whenever I want, I never really saw the point in going. However, as well as amazingly fresh fruit and veg, they have so much more there!

On my weekly shopping list:

• Winterville Angus beef - straight from the farmer, and grown without hormones. This beef is so yummy, and since we eat beef about twice a week, I think switching to hormone free beef is important. And the best part - it is the same price as the stock standard beef I used to buy from the supermarket, and about half the price of the organic beef.
• Organic multigrain rye bread - my husband has never been a fan of rye bread, but even he loves this one. It is rich and dense and so, so yummy!
• Over The Moon dairy's organic jersey milk, butter and fetta - these products are more expensive than their supermarket counterparts but on par with the matching organics. These taste just the way milk and butter used to taste. The milk is almost yellow, and the butter IS a rich sunflower yellow, not the pale and insipid butter I have been using in the past. Their marinated fetta is sinfully delicious and I have had to stop buying it - I just eat too much! They also do two wonderful yoghurts (plain and honey), and some camembert and brie.

As well as great fresh and seasonal fruit and veg, there are jam and chutneys, pickles, nitrate-free bacon and ham, cookies, cakes, curry pastes and the list goes on. The best part is that as well as the regulars, there are lots of other stalls and you never know what you are going to find.

A great additional benefit of the market is that all proceeds from the stall hire fees and the gold coin donation for parking goes towards the school's Parents and Friends Association and so far, thousands of dollars have been raised for various projects around the school.

So for those of you in Perth, make sure you go and check it out:

Saturday mornings 8am -12pm (but for the best selection, get there before 10.30)

Mt Claremont Primary School
103 Alfred Rd, Mt Claremont

image source

Productive Parenting: Great site for preschoolers

I recently came across a wonderful parenting site called Productive Parenting. This site is aimed at parents of newborns to five-year-olds, and their goal is "to provide [parents] with fun and engaging ways to interact with your child on a daily basis." Membership is free, and once you sign up, you can customize the site for the children you have. I have signed up for the daily emails, and get one email for Irini and one for Stephen with different activities to try. Each activity is listed with the target age, materials needed, and what skills are being learned. All of the activities I have been sent so far are quick and easy, with materials easily found around the house. I really like being able to add in some new and different things to our day.

image source: istockphoto.com

Giveaway: SpellQuizzer program

Dan, the creator of SpellQuizzer, has given a 12 month license for the program to me to giveaway. Unfortunately, both my kids are too young to be able to give it a proper review, but after looking at the sight, I really like what I see, and think that it would be perfect when we do move onto spelling.

The idea behind SpellQuizzer is very simple; each week you enter your child's list of spelling words and make audio recordings of the words on the list. The software then quizzes the child by playing back the words (in your voice) and checking the spelling as your child types. It corrects any incorrectly spelt words, and then re-quizzes those ones. The idea is to set up the list once a week, and then have your child spend 5-10 minutes each day going over their list.

The software looks very easy to use - there are premade spelling lists if you don't want to prepare your own, and entering the lists is so easy that once your child is old enough, they would be able to enter their own lists, saving you even more time. There is even a failsafe feature that will alert you if they program thinks you are entering a word incorrectly. Because the concept is so simple, I think it would complement any curriculum that you are working with whether you are homeschooling or not.

Another great benefit is that it is a downloadable program; you don't need to be connected to the Internet to use it. This would be great for those older children who are liable to be distracted by the Internet.

To enter, leave a comment telling me what word you always have trouble spelling.

For extra entries, follow my blog, subscribe to my blog, or blog about this giveaway on your blog; leave a comment for each entry! Entry closes Wednesday 15 October.

Product Review: Benefit Makeup

Recently I received an unexpected package in the mail. It turns out that I had entered a competition a while ago, and while I didn't win the main prize, I won a selection of Benefit makeup goodies. In my package was Realness of Concealness, RosieTint and BadGirl mascara. I have never used Benefit products before, but I think I have found a new favourite! All three of the products have become the new basis of my 5 minute face. All I need to add is a swipe of gloss and a puff of powder and I am done.

Realness of Concealness is a little compact that Benefit calls its "mini fake-it kit" and I couldn't agree more. The kit contains

• Ooh la lift - used under the eyes, it helps to brighten and debag
• Lip Plump - self explanatory!
• High Beam - skin illuminator
• Lemon Aid - colour corrector and primer for your eyelids
• Boi-ing - concealer

Using just three of the products took my face from obviously tired, to looking totally refreshed, in just 30 seconds. A quick swipe of Ooh la lift under the eyes, with Boi-ing concealer patted over the top completely banished my undereye circles. Lemonaid, smoothed on the eyelids instead of eyeshadow, took away any redness and blotchiness. Every mother suffering from sleep deprivation needs to add this kit into their makeup bag.

PosieTint is a lip and cheek stain in a lovely shade of poppy pink. 3 little swipes on each cheek rubbed in quickly gave my cheeks that rosy glow that looks like it comes from within. Paint on your lips for a perky pink stain that lasts all day without drying out. I like to top it with some clear gloss or lipbalm for some shine.

Badgirl Lash mascara is good, but to be perfectly honest, not much different to most other mascaras out there. It is really black, and thickens and lengthens. But so do plenty of others for cheaper. However, I got it for free, and I do like it, so this will be my mascara for the next 3 months.

Putting all of this on truly takes less that 5 minutes and requires no tools except fingers; I've packed these into a little makeup pouch so I can do my face on the go on those rushed mornings. I may not have one first prize in the competition, but I still struck gold!

image source:

istockphoto.com
benefit cosmetics

31 Days to Healthier Kids

As parents, our children's health is one of our main concerns. Sparkpeople (a really wonderful site for every member of the family) has come up with a calender for October called 31 days to Healthier Kids. The calender contains 31 quick and easy tips that any family can incorporate. Go here to download the full calender.

Congratulations to Becca (comment #6) who was the winner of the Miche Bag competition. Unfortunately, Becca hasn't given me her email address, so Becca, please email me your postal address within 5 days so I can send out your prize. If I haven't heard from you by then, I will redraw and select a new winner.

Recipe: Best Tasting Chocolate Syrup, Ever!

Last night, out of nowhere, I had a real urge for a Chocolate Egg Cream Soda. Which would be fine, except we didn't have any chocolate syrup. So I dug out my mum's recipe for the best tasting chocolate syrup ever, which can be made in about 5-10 minutes, and less than 20 minutes later, I was drinking in the deliciousness that is a Chocolate Egg Cream!

Chocolate Syrup

1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups water
4 cups sugar
dash of salt
dash of vanilla essence

Mix the cocoa and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until cocoa is dissolved. Add in sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and vanilla, and pour into hot sterilised glass bottles. Store in fridge for a few months (not that it ever lasts that long!). Makes about 1 L.

Chocolate Egg Cream Soda

3 tbs chocolate syrup
1/2 c icy cold milk
2/3 c soda water
1 scoop icecream (optional)

Gently stir together milk and syrup in a large glass. From a reasonable height, pour in the soda water to create a nice frothy head. Drop in the scoop of icecream if using. Drink in the bliss!

Giveaway: Miche Bag

MicheBag recently gave me the opportunity to try their revolutionary MicheBag, as well as giving a set away to one of my readers. The MicheBag company is run by two young moms from Utah, and was created when Michelle, one of the moms, spilt something on the outside of the bag, and thought how great it would be if you only had to replace the outside of your bag and not the whole thing. Thus, the MicheBag was created; a base bag, and detachable outer shells that snap on and off in seconds.

Replacing a damaged outer is not the only benefit. For busy moms, it means that you can change your handbag to match your outfit in just seconds, instead of the drama that is usually incurred as we transfer the copious contents of our bag from one to another. The concept is also quite frugal, as you only need to purchase additional outer shells to get a whole new look, instead of a whole new bag.

MicheBag sent me a black base, and two shells:

The Lydia shell ($29.95) is a bright coral orange cord, and would be perfect to brighten up winter outfits. I found this one the most useful, as it had two outer pockets at each end of the bag, which I found useful to hold the baby bottles.

The Cori shell ($24.99) is a silver/black faux crocodile, and would be great for dressier outfits. It has a really sleek and simple feel, but the metallic silver embossed croc adds another dimension. Again, this bag is perfect for the upcoming fall/winter season and will really tie in with the greys and jewel tones of the season.

I loved the concept, but unfortunately, this won't be able to replace my baby bag just yet! Also, I am more of a believer in investing in one or two longlasting leather totes that go with everything rather than faux leather (so please, MicheBag, come up with some leather shells!). However, the bags and the shells are really well made and if you like swicthing up your bag all the time, you will love the MicheBag.

And now for the giveaway! I have one black base and 2 shells to give away thanks to MicheBag.

To enter, take a look at http://www.michebag.com and leave a comment telling me which shell is your favourite.

For extra entries, follow my blog, subscribe to my blog, or blog about this giveaway on your blog; leave a comment for each entry! Entry closes Monday 28 September.

50% off abcteach

If you are homeschooling, or wanting to supplement your child's schooling, then Homeschool Buyer's Co-op has come up with a great group buy for abcteach, an online resource for PreK - 8. They have over 35 000 printable worksheets, activities and games, as well as custom worksheet generators. An annual membership is usually $40, but if your purchase through the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op (you need to join, but its free), it is going for $20 until the end of September.

I just bought my membership, and I can't wait to start using all the resources!

Winner of the Rembrandt Giveaway

I admit it, I have been a terrible blogger lately and to be honest, I don't really know why. Anyway, the winner of the Rembrandt Whitening Kit is comment #7, so the package will be winging its way out there shortly.

Stay tuned, because not only do I promise to be a better blogger (really!), I have another great giveaway coming up.

Updating your wardrobe

Now is that horrible time of year when all of the stores are featuring clothes for the wrong season. If you are in the northern hemisphere, fall/winter fashion has started to arrive despite summer's heat, and here in Oz, lovely and light spring/summer clothes are calling my name even though it feels like it is almost cold enough to start snowing! For some reason, this time of year always send me into fits of "I have nothing to wear" as I survey my closet full of the current season's clothes. Maybe I am bored after a long winter, I don't know, but it happens every year. The solution for me is to update my wardrobe with a few select pieces that can be transitioned from winter to summer with ease, letting me have my fill of the new, as well as energizing the old.

Winter to summer by chicmummy featuring Alexis Bittar jewelry

Last week, I bought two items from Witchery; a grey tencel pair of cropped tie leg pants that hint at the harem trend while still being wearable, and a navy and grey silk race back tank. Last night for my niece's birthday, I paired it with my grey blazer, black peep toe booties, and a statement necklace. I looked and felt current, as well as excited rather than bored, even though all the additional pieces were things I already had (the booties are nearly a decade old!). Come summer I can lose the jacket, and switch up the accessories, and I have a light weight summer outfit.

When updating your wardrobe, it is also important to make sure that the items you are buying can be worn with quite a few other things you already have, so that they don't become orphans. In this case, the silk top will add a luxe vibe to jeans or denim cut off shorts, while the pants will look great as a casual outfit with a graphic print tee or a white tank.

So when you get those catalogues in the mail or the email in your inbox, don't trash them, but look at them for inspiration so that you can refresh and update your wardrobe and get out of the fashion doldrums.

Giveaway: Rembrandt Whitening Products

Rembrandt recently gave me the opportunity to review some of their products, as well as graciously giving me their new 2hr whitening kit to giveaway to one of my lucky readers.

I decided to try the Form Fit Whitening Strips ($24.99), as they only needed to be on for 30 minutes a day, for 5-7 days, which totally fits in to my (and the kids') busy schedule. This kit contains two strips per day, one for the upper teeth, and one for the lower teeth. You simply rinse your mouth with water, stick on the strips, and wait for 30 minutes before removing. In five days, your teeth are visibly whiter but for even more, there are enough strips for 7 days. I used them for all 7 days, and noticed that my teeth were significantly whiter. Using a teeth whitening chart from a friend of mine, after 7 days, my teeth were 3 shades lighter. This was not noticeably whiter in the "Extreme Makeover" sense, but it was enough that friends and family were making comments such as "how well I looked", and "you look great, have you had a hair cut?". My sister-in-law, who is particularly observant when it comes to appearances, noticed straight away, saying "when did you get time to get your teeth whitened?!".

There are only two draw backs:

• you need fairly straight teeth for it to work well. My top teeth are perfectly straight and the strips went on easily and stayed on. My bottom two middle teeth are quite crooked, and the strips had trouble staying stuck on.
  

• they only cover the front teeth (to your canine teeth). I have a wide smile, so I would have liked them better if they covered one more tooth.

The positives:

• so easy - 1 minute to apply, 30 minutes of wearing, 1 minute to remove, all at home

• very comfortable to wear

• no yucky taste - they are supposedly mint flavoured, but really, they tasted of nothing while on, and just a faint mint taste once removed

• visible whitening in 5-7 days

I will definitely use these again, in 6 months time as Rembrandt recommends.

And now for the fun part - the giveaway! I am giving one lucky reader Rembrandt's new 2 hour whitening kit that whitens, as the name suggests, in just 2 hours. How perfect would that be for the school reunion, or the last minute dinner invitation?

To enter, take a look at http://www.rembrandtwhitening.com/collection.jsp and leave a comment telling me what product you would purchase and why.

For extra entries, follow my blog, subscribe to my blog, or blog about this giveaway on your blog; leave a comment for each entry! Entry closes Monday 7 September.

Our Homeschool Schoolroom

In Australia, our school year begins in February, and in the past, all children would start school the year they turn four. A while ago, this system changed in Western Australia, and children turning four after July 1 of that year start school the following year. This is probably not a bad idea in theory, but I know that Stephen would have been ready to start school next year, so I have decided to homeschool him for PreK and K starting from September.

Since we moved into our house, the backroom has been a blackhole for everything we cannot find a place for, which is a real shame since it is one of the nicest rooms in the house. It is big, full of light, and looks out onto our backyard and pool. I decided that this would be the perfect school room for Stephen and craft room for me. And here it is:

This is one wall of the room, and is filled with Besta bookshelves from Ikea. This contains mostly cookbooks, reference books and craft supplies for both myself and the kids. All of Stephen and Irini's picture books are kept in shelves in their room.

I am going to follow Sue Patrick's Workbox system for organising our day, so here is the workbox set up at the moment. Stephen is not yet 3, so I am starting with 6 workboxes, and I can expand to 10 workboxes as we go along. I am using Sue's numbers at the moment, but I am planning to make my own up that are more fun.

Because Irini is only 16 months and gets into *everything* I cannot have all of Stephen's school necessities out on his table, so I have corralled them all together, and they are stored on the shelves with his workboxes. In the box, I have chunky crayons, twistable crayons, triangular pencils, markers, and safety scissors. Stored in the craft shelves are finger paints, tempera paints, and watercolour pens as well as various brushes and rollers.

This will be the spot for my poster center. Following Sue Patrick's advice, I have made this poster interactive by buying a second copy of the poster, cutting it up into various parts (in this case, the numerals, the words, and the individual items) which Stephen will then match and stick on to the intact poster. I am starting with numbers, but i will be adding more as I find some good ones.

This is our reading nook for reading aloud initially, and hopefully in the future, for Stephen and Irini to enjoy buy themselves as well. I have had this chair since Stephen was born, and have nursed both Stephen and Irini in it. The quilt was the first quilt I ever made, for Stephen before he was born. Everything I made then was green since I didn't know what I was having!

This will be Stephen's work area to start with (regular readers will remember seeing this in the playroom) until he needs a child size desk and chair. Since most of the activities at this stage are more puzzles and games than full on school work, I think this will be fine for now.

Lastly, this is my work area. The bookcase on the right holds all of my curriculum books, workbooks and other homeschool bits and pieces. I am trying out using a fit ball instead of a chair, to strengthen my core while I am working.

So, the room is organised. All that is left is to plan out my first week, and then get started!!

Winner of the Homeschool Curriculum Cleanout

The first number drawn was number 30, PisecoMom from Mind Games, who wanted the 2000 games book. The second number drawn was number 6, Nikki, who fortunately wanted the 365 activities book, which worked out well. Thank you to everyone for entering, and stay tuned for some more (non-homeschooling) giveaways over the next couple of weeks.

Curriculum Clean-Out Giveaway

Homeschool Creations recently started their wonderful Curriculum Clean-out where various homeschoolers are giving away unused/gently used curriculum materials. To join in the fun, I am giving away two books:

Both of these books have fantastic ideas for educational games and activities for your younger children. The first entry randomly drawn will have the choice of book, and the second entry randomly drawn will receive the other one. There are three ways to enter:

1. leave a comment letting me know which one you would like if you win.
2. follow me and leave a comment letting me know. if you already are a follower, let me know!
3. blog about this giveaway and leave a comment letting me know.

Entries close midnight 15th August.

Make sure you check out the rest of the great giveaways here!

Short break

As you may have noticed, posts have been a bit sporadic as I have been dealing with 2 sick littlies. Just as they are starting to get better, my computer crashed, and it won't be back until the middle of next week, so posting will most likely be non-existent until then! See you all in little while!

My "can't live without them" kitchen appliances

I think all of us have houses full of gadgets and appliances, many of which rarely, if ever, get used (my waffle iron springs to mind!!). But there are some kitchen appliances that make my life so much easier, they are used on an almost daily basis. These are my "can't live without them" kitchen appliances:Slow cooker/crock pot

• I love, love, love my slow cooker. In winter, it means I can have stews and soups and pot roasts ready without slaving by the stove, and in summer we can have cooked meals without heating up the kitchen. The best thing of all, though, is the ability to be cooking dinner while I am busy doing other things. Tuesdays used to be a nightmare for me; I don't get home until after 5.30 and getting dinner on the table was always a struggle. Since using the slowcooker, I simply prep the meal in the morning, switch it on, and then come home to a ready cooked meal.

Rice cooker

• We love rice, and eat it at least 3-4 times a week, but I always found cooking it messy and a pain. I invested in a rice cooker with a timer, and just like the slow cooker, this gives me great flexibility. Again, I can prep in the morning, set the timer, and the rice is taken care off. It takes longer to cook (about 50 minutes for brown rice) but given that I don't have to watch over it, and it has a keep warm function for 5 hours, I don't care! The pot is nonstick so a quick wash is all that is needed after dinner. You can also use your rice cooker to make soup and porridge as well.

Sandwich press/grill

• This is great for so many things. It makes wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches and toasted paninis for a quick dinner or lunch, and cooks steak or chops in half the time it takes in a regular grill. I line the grill with baking paper, which makes clean up a breeze.

Stick blender

• This was invaluable when making me own baby food, but I still use this on a daily basis. This makes light work of pureeing soups (no extra blender to clean) and, of course, is necessary to make my daily green smoothie. I can use it with its attachment as a mini food processor, to crush nuts, and to chop herbs.

Yoghurt maker

• I now have TWO yoghurt makers - one that makes 7 individual pots and one that makes a litre. We eat a lot of yogurt and home made is much more economical. It is great on its own, added to smoothies, or turned into yoghurt cheese. See this post for how to make yoghurt.
  

There were four in the bed...adventures in co-sleeping!

Stephen has been co-sleeping with us since he was about 3 months old. When he was first born, we had him sleeping next to us in a bassinet, but once he grew out of it and we moved him to his cot at the end of the bed, he would hardly get any sleep. We tried controlled crying for all of about 5 minutes, then discovered attachment parenting and the works of Dr Sears. So that we could all get some sleep, we chose to co-sleep and we never looked back!

Irini, on the other hand, was a different story. I had planned to have her co-sleeping with us once she outgrew the bassinet, even planning to buy an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper, but she made it very clear from early on that she did not want to sleep in our bed. After nursing her, instead of drifting off to sleep like other babies, she would start tossing and turning until I would return her to her bassinet (and then cot), where she would promptly fall fast asleep. So for the past 15 months, Irini has been happily sleeping in her cot in the room next to ours with no problems.

A month ago, Irini finally woke up to the fact that the other three of us had a nice cozy arrangement, and that she was being left out in the cold, literally! So instead of her regular peaceful dozing off to sleep, we were confronted with screaming, and leaning out of the cot with arms outstretched, crying "Mummy, Mummy" and when that wasn't working, "Baba, Baba (Daddy, Daddy)". Can you imaging anything more heart rending than going to bed and snuggling with your son, while listening to your daughter crying for you? So, of course, into bed she came.

While co-sleeping with three is generally comfortable, co-sleeping with four was anything but. We tried all different arrangements over the course of a week, and all I could think of was the line from the song "there were four in the bed and the little one said, 'roll over, roll over'...". We even had "the one fell out" when Stephen, trying to escape the squeeze, had wriggled to the edge of the bed and then promptly feel off. We tried Irini on one edge, then me, Stephen in the middle, and Nick on the far end, but I couldn't sleep, terrified that I would let go of Irini who would then fall off. Since Irini wasn't a baby anymore, we tried having both of the kids in the middle, but they kept waking each other up as sleepy arms and legs and heads moved around into other sleepy arms and legs and heads. After this experiment, Stephen tried his own variation by moving his pillow to the opposite end of the bed and sleeping with his feet to Irini's feet. This worked well space-wise and we did this for a few days, however, it meant that Stephen was sleeping on top of the blankets, and kept kicking off the extra blanket; after catching a chill, we quickly put an end to that sleeping arrangement.

What ultimately worked for us was creating our own co-sleeper by taking off the drop-down side of the cot, raising the mattress to the level of the bed, and tying the cot firmly to our bed frame. We pushed the mattress across so that it is pushed firm against ours, and got some firm foam cut to fit the resulting gap on the other side of the cot. This way there are no possible crevices to create a suffocation risk. Here some pics of our created co-sleeper.





Now, we have the perfect co-sleeping arrangement. Stephen still sleeps in between me and Nick and Irini sleeps on the edge of the bed next to the cot. It gives us that little bit of extra room; I am not scared that she is going to fall off; and the kids are not disturbing each other's sleep. I get to snuggle up to both of them, and listen to Stephen's recounting of the day's events (as he does every night for about 15-30 minutes before he goes to sleep) and Irini's little babbles and sweet kisses as she drifts off to sleep. I can wake up in the morning to cute little toddler cuddles and kisses, but best of all, I love watching Stephen and Irini give each other cuddles and kisses. What more could you want?

If you are planning to co-sleep with your child or children, there are a safety issues to keep in mind. The best resource listing these is the Dr Sears article, Sleep Safety.

Product Review: Uncle Toby's Fruit Fix

A while ago I was sent some boxes of the new Uncle Toby's Fruit Fix snacks to review. According to Uncle Toby's, these new snacks contain 99% fruit ingredients and are equal to one serve of fruit. Stephen has always been a great eater of fruit, and I am a firm believer in fresh over processed whenever possible, so I stashed them in the cupboard, planned to try them, and promptly forgot about them.

However, at the supermarket the other day, Stephen asked me for some Fruit Rollups. Given that I have never given him these (and am not planning on ever giving him any!) I asked him where he had seen them and he said that he had eaten than at Yia Yia's house (my MIL) and that they were really yummy! Hmmm, they might be yummy, and I don't mind him eating them at Yia Yia's, but I won't be buying a rollup of processed sugar, colour and flavours. Then I thought about the Fruit Fix, and gave them a try.

These are not flat like a rollup, but come as three little sticky sticks that pull apart, which Stephen liked. He also really liked the taste, and asked for another one. I tried some, and they tasted kind of similar to a rollup. They were not as sweet, and had more of a gel like texture, rather than a candy texture. Stephen liked all three flavours - Mango, Blackcurrant and Strawberry, but the Blackcurrant was his favourite.

Pros

• 99% fruit ingredients - depending on the flavour, it is roughly 60% fruit puree and 35% grape juice concentrate, with the other ingredients including fruit fibre, natural flavour, pectin, vitamin C, folic acid and sulphur dioxide.
• a much better substitute to most other so-called fruit snacks
• no artificial colours or flavours
• source of vitamin C, folate and fibre
  
• 1 serve of fruit

Cons

• contains sulphites, which can be a problem for those sensitive to them, especially asthmatics
• although it is "natural" fruit sugar, this is still very high in sugars, so keep these as treats only
• while it counts as 1 serve of fruit, you are not getting the full range of fibre, vitamins and nutrients that you would get from a fresh piece of fruit.

Overall, this is a great convenience product that would do well in a lunchbox as a treat. It is an excellent substitute if your children like rollups and other fruit snacks, but I would not use this as a replacement for fresh fruit.

7 ways to boost antioxidants in your diet

Antioxidants are very important in our diets as they help to balance unstable molecules in our body called free radicals that have been linked to premature aging, heart disease and cancer. While there are many antioxidant supplements on the market, research has consistently demonstrated that antioxidants found naturally in your diet are more effective. Here are 7 easy ways to boost the amount of antioxidants that you are eating:

1. Add dark coloured berries such as blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants to your breakfast, smoothies or desserts.
2. Pick whole grains over refined grains eg wholegrain bread, brown rice, wholegrain cereal
3. Sprinkle some nuts and seeds on your salad, or have a handful as a snack
4. Use parsley, oregano and thyme to flavour your food.
5. Add a tin of lentils or soybeans to your next soup or pasta sauce.
6. Try to have at least four colours in your salad eg spinach, beetroot, carrot and tomato.
7. My favourite - indulge in a small square of dark chocolate EVERY DAY!
   

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Cleaning Your Smoke Alarm

Most of us have added changing the batteries in the smoke alarms to our yearly to-do lists (and if not, add it in NOW!). But do you clean yours at least yearly? Dust and cobwebs can significantly impact the effectiveness of your smoke alarm, so protect your family and give it a thorough vacuum on the outside, and a good spray with compressed air (like you use to clean computer keyboards) on the inside.

Quick Tip: Softening Milk Bath

Cleopatra bathed in asses' milk, but you don't need to go that far to have a beautifying bath. Take a tin of powdered milk (instant is best) and drop in about 12-15 drops of essential oils (I love lavender and rose). Close the tin, and shake well to mix. Add one cup of the mix to a warm bath, and relax knowing that the lactic acid in the milk will be helping to exfoliate and soften your skin. Rose petals optional, but wonderful!

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Winner of the Post-It Recycled Giveaway!

The winner of the Post-It note pack as determined by random.org is comment number 4, Nicole! Congratulations! And commiserations to Kalee, who with half of the comments, still missed out!

Quick tip: Sleep Easy

Another quick tip for today:

If you are having trouble getting to sleep at night, then scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, US have found that playing soft and soothing music for 45 minutes before going to bed can slow your breathing and heart rate, helping you get to sleep and stay that way.

Other helpful measures include valerian or chamomile tea, and spraying your sheets with lavender water (make your own by adding 6 - 8 drops of lavender essential oil to a spray bottle filled with distilled water - shake well before use).

Lastly, head to Fitness magazine online for some great stretches designed to help you sleep quicker and better.

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Toddler Busy Bags

Lately, it has been more and more difficult for us to go out for a meal or a coffee as a family and have a nice relaxing time. Now that my children are no longer babies, but rambunctious toddlers, I really needed something that would keep them occupied. After the recent success of the plane toys, I decided to put together two Toddler Busy Bag's, one for each child, with a range of small toys that would be new and exciting for them as they are only brought out occasionally.

For Stephen (aged 31 months), I started with this wonderful Art Tote (US$20) from Bells and Whistles. Made from a sturdy denim with blocks of bright colour, it is beautifully handmade and fun just to look at. It is the perfect size to fit a standard sized colouring book and a few extras.

On the outside of the bag are little pockets for 8 crayons. Stephen's favourites are Crayola's Mini Twistables as they are the perfect size for his chubby little hands and if they break he can just twist them up. I love that they don't have any paper wrapped around them since Stephen hates the paper on regular crayons and is always asking me to peel the wrappers off. I keep my eye out for ultra cheap coloring books to add to the bag, or I print out coloring pages from the internet.

Stephen loves his Magna Doodle, so when I saw a mini FisherPrice Doodler on sale recently for only a few dollars, I snapped it up. Stephen doesn't really draw on it so much; he just loves to color in the whole screen, and then wipe it clean. He can entertain himself for ages like this!

From his plane travel kit I took the Melissa and Doug Mini Puzzles that he loved so much, and added some pipe cleaners, plastic rings and lacing cards for some manipulative play; some stickers picked up from the dollar store; and lastly, a juice box and a snack in case the meal is taking forever to come.

For Irini (15 months) I bought the Mini Art Tote (US$12) also from Bells and Whistles. I fell in love with the hot pink heavy cotton, and the sweet fruit salad print that also lines the bag. The gingham and ric rac was the icing on the cake! Her toddler busy bag is smaller and simpler.

In the crayon spot are 8 triangular crayons, also from Crayola. Triangular crayons are great for toddlers as they help to develop the correct tripod grip that they will need when they start writing. Stephen started on these when he first started drawing, and he now correctly holds his pencils and crayons. The mini tote is not large enough for a regular coloring book (and to be honest, these are really a waste at Irini's age anyway) so I use small coloring pages from the internet stapled into a mini book. I also have included a few toys that I know can keep her entertained, like a toy mobile phone.

Hopefully, these two bags will make outings much more pleasant for all of us! What items do you recommend for your toddler's busy bags?