A deep breath of fresh air

Yesterday I needed to wear long pants for work. None - NONE- of the jeans in my cupboard fitted. And it's only been 2-3 months since they did. There was pain involved in the amount of muffin top if I did get them to do up. And a whole lot of double-parked truck arse behind. (with the wisdom of hindsight- the image of the myself that morning may have directly related to my screaming fit mood of yesterday evening)

So...
Today I went to the gym. It wasn't that much of an effort really. A friend from work was going at lunchtime and I just said - take me with you when you go. I was sweating after about 3 minutes on the cross trainer. I had my heart rate up at 140-170 for 10+15+10+5 minutes on xtrainer-bike-rower-treadmill. I felt better all afternoon. I roared less this evening. I now feel tired with good reason and know I will probably sleep well tonight. I will write notes to remind myself that EXERCISE MAKES ME FEEL GOOD AND LOOK BETTER (and should save me money on clothes)

And I had packed an apple and a salad with tuna for lunch. Easy. Cheap. No temptations.

Easter is 6 weeks away and I will be wearing my jeans again by then. There - I said it.

where does THAT VOICE come from?

So the kids, as usual stuffed about with their dinner last night. And after endless badgering, encouraging, pleading and begging - I snapped. "Just eat it!" in the most mean horrible roar I could muster. When the nearly 6 year old stormed off I said "you will eat those peas my friend" in the most threatening tone. And the barely audible whisper from the couch was "no I won't". So he was removed from the couch by one arm, ordered onto the stool in the kitchen and told "this is the moment when you realise that you will eat these peas....now!" And he did : 5 or six spoonfuls in a row. And Little Miss just turned 3, who likes peas, was given the same riot act about her carrots. "You eat them now" and she did - painstaking orange disk after painstaking orange disk. But at what cost? I had completely done my banana! There must have been a vein popping out of my temple, beetroot face and bulging eyes. Sure I won. But what is it with kids that they just WILL NOT LISTEN to 500 nicely worded, rational, logical, 'for the best' requests but will jump when the psycho-mummy appears? How the hell, as a responsible parent, can you really put up with the level of disrepect that is continual adamant oblivion to your effort and pleading. I know I am teaching my kids to react out of fear. I know this is not good for any of us. I apologise for yelling at them. I reinforce they need to do what mummy asks first time. I sound frighteningly like my mother, or worse still like my father.

How do you hold your ground, reinforce your values and stay sane? Anyone, anyone??
I have given up asking God to give me patience - He just won't do it fast enough.

have you tested your what?

OK - here's a priceless situation

Unidentified mid 60's white haired male comes into the kitchen at mum and dad's while i was staying there for a couple of days. 5pm. My sister is also there and like me, she is kicking back in an armchair with a book. (my kids were out in the garden with my mum).
Q: would you girls like a drink?
both: no thanks.
Q (again): would you girls like a drink?
both: no thanks
Q(with head poked around the corner from the kitchen so as to make eye contact): would you girls like a drink?
both: no thanks
Q(from me this time): have you had your hearing checked lately?
A(incredulous): have I had my urine checked lately?!

A less than auspicious start

How is it that when you desperately need to have an early night a 3 and not quite 6 year old can stay up until 9pm? And there are about 6 loads of washing to fold, more wet on the line and two loads wet in the laundry?

There was icecream involved after dinner tonight, with the last of some crumbled meringues. Hopefully Lent really only starts tomorrow. Mine does anyway. I shall not give up yet.

The pancakes are good with two options - Apple or Blueberry

Oat Pancakes with Apple or Blueberry
1C plain flour
2tspn baking powder
1 tbspn sugar
2/3 C rolled oats
1 1/4 C skim milk
1 egg
Mix together well, cover and refrigerate over night (otherwise leave for at least 30 min or the oats will be too noticeable). Just before cooking stir in 1tspn cinnamon and a grated green apple OR a punnet of blueberries. I like to drop the blueberries into each one as it cooks. Serve with a big dollop of greek yoghurt, sliced banana and/or more berries plus a drizzle of maple syrup. This makes four decent sized pancakes.

Give it up

OK, so Lent starts today. Valiantly noted this morning with apple and oat pancakes for breakfast - on a school morning! with banana and maple syrup. Obviously we are not giving up food for 40 days. There is a possibility swimming about in my head that (in order to give up something I will really miss) I should give up ALCOHOL. But then there is the issue of the College Reunion this weekend that I am toying with. The idea of organising plane flights etc seems a little tedious and then there's the $$ and the inevitable hangover, the fact I have put on 10kg and feel grossy-burger and basically have no energy due to an overload of crap movies and late nights since last week. But to give up alcohol AND go to a reunion - may as well have a small ceremony and burn a couple of $100 notes. Not that I am not super keen to have quality time with my lovely Sydney dwelling friends and a night out on my own. It's just, you know, I feel lazy. But the other option is to give up - sweets. And I mean the lot - lollies, icecream, cakes biscuits, chocolate.... My own personal little war on sugar. I am sure that would make me suffer. We'll see???

Influenced

OK - so my dancing phase is NOT just linked to the start last night of Australia's own So You Think You Can Dance. Really, it's not. All the new CD's I was given for Christmas have been getting a fair work out. Plus last year there were two, nay three, occassions where I actually went out AT NIGHT with only grown ups, and busted a few moves. I feel the call to bring my own sexy back. It's like the jumanji drums.

I confess however that the new Biggest Loser is weighing on my mind!! Can I really sit in a comfy chair, craving lollies, while those poor buggers sweat it out and eat brocolli? My treadmill is not 1 metre from me the entire time. I could be burning it off with them.

What will I be wishing for next week - with the new series of Gray's AND Brothers and Sisters both coming back ON THE SAME NIGHT. Come Sunday night I am sure I shall be enrolling in medical school and craving more time with my siblings (or counting my blessings I live so far from them all).

ideas

I know people do it socially all the time, but I like dancing. I would like to dance, flat out, everyday for half an hour or more. It would save me having to find other ways to exercise. Dancing in the kitchen to loud music does not seem like exercise. Usually I just turn up a favourite tune so the cardio burst lasts about 3 minutes. But it does involve sweating and puffing if I really get amongst it.

I shall not set myself goals on this or it might seem like a chore, or worse still scheduled, must-tick-off-a-list exercise. The kids like it too, maybe we should just do it when we feel like it. Or resolve to play more music more often so the mood comes over me more often. Can't be a bad thing. Surely, in the big smoke, there are classes for people to just dance at - good music without the night club vibe/sleeze/timeslot/alcohol requirement.

It all happens in the kitchen

It's funny how you frig around for so long trying to sort something out and then suddenly you think - bugger it - just start. It doesn't have to be perfect. A blog name, purpose, theme.... Just start it. Most of my time at home, and others homes, revolves around the kitchen. So that is where my blog will be. Thoughts from my kitchen. Stories from around the bench. Yarns, recipes, homework, pictures, grumps, laughs....

My first job is to write down the recipe for Kill's Citrus Chicken Skewers - they have been a hit lately. I did 3kg for Australia Day which made 56 half filled skewers. Just multiply the recipe for each kg of chicken you use

Chicken breast- about 1kg per 15-20 skewers
Vegie/canola oil - 1/3 cup
Lemon - one big one, rind and juice
2 Tbspn fish sauce
1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed
6-8 double kaffir lime leaves finely sliced (and bashed a bit with the handle of the knife)
Chop the chicken into pieces, combine all marinade ingredients in a small jug, mix well and then pour over chicken in a flat dish. Mix together well (use your hands). Cover with plastic wrap and marinade in the fridge overnight, or for at least 6 hours. Soak bamboo skewers in water overnight too. In the morning, thread the chicken onto skewers and keep in the marinade until you are ready to BBQ. Don't overcook them. YUM. A nice addition to the lamb chops and snags.