Kill's Kitchen

A fair go?

2009-02-22T21:40:00.003+11:00

Well, I actually sat down this afternoon and read the paper for a bit. There was a good article in the SMH weekend edition News Review about how we as a nation have become more and more reliant on welfare. And how we are now in a dangerous spiral where everyone is owed a living, and fewer and fewer tax payers are actually finding more and more 'dependants'. People are taking less responsibility for themselves, knowing that if things get really bad, someone will bail them out.
Australia is supposed to be a country where everyone is entitled to a fair go - doesn't this mean they will have opportunities to work hard so they can save some money, buy a home, raise a family and have access to decent healthcare and education, and build themselves some security for retirement.
Unfortunately many people still have these dreams, but without the 'work hard for the money' bit? There is little responsibility taken for ourselves. Our family, like thousands of Aussie families - work hard, earn enough money, pay for health insurance, car insurance, home insurance, put extra on our mortgage when we can.
And while it's devastating for Victorian families who have lost everything, why is it that it is now OK for all those people who did not take out home insurance to be given money to build a new home? I understand they are homeless and devastated and need help, and that we are a caring nation. And I know we have to help them, there is NO doubt about that.
BUT what about all those people who took responsibilty and paid home insurance premiums for years? Will they receive government assistance to repay that money? Will people who lose their homes in one off accidents be bailed out? Is this setting a precedent that will mean people take out less insurance and then head to the taxpayers purse to be bailed out?

There are so many people that need help. We all need to work hard and do our bit, so we can provide for those people who are truly in need. But the balance is only maintained if everyone who CAN chips in - not just everyone who wants to, if they can be bothered. We need to teach our kids (and quite a few adults) responsibility so that the next generation doesn't sit back with their hand out and wonder why the cupboard is bare!

stupid back

2009-01-05T21:03:00.004+11:00

The family curse - pathetic excuse for a lower back. Perhaps could also be called pathetic excuse for abdominal muscles with which to support lower back. I call to task the extra lumbar vertebra which I possess, giving extra mobility / instability. Realistically I am overwieght and unfit. I am too young for this. Probably what my dad said when he suffered the same afflictions in his thirties before early forties surgery, or my sister who had her surgery last year mid thirties. I MUST lose weight, I MUST exercise to build cardio vascular fitness and muscle mass to support my bung skeleton. Otherwise, what is before me for the next four decades......

still here

2008-10-15T21:24:00.002+11:00

Well it's been 7 months since I posted here. This year is flying so fast I may well have been asleep this whole time. Have gained a few more kg's and lost a thyroid gland since then. Have decided that getting oneself into such a state emotionally, that one falls apart physically is in no way healthy. So I am working on both emotional and physical health from here on in.

little girls

2008-03-09T14:08:00.003+11:00

We went to the wiggles concert this week, little J and I. She loved it. We bought the DVD and a new Dorothy toy. She is watching it now, and just came in and asked me to get her Balloh shoes for her, because she wanted to dance too. She has four 'babies' on a rug on the floor, inside a circle created by a pink feather boa. I just looked out to see her, with dressed pulled up to her chin (no undies on), one dorothy toy in each hand, held up to her bare boobs - she was feeding her babies.

bugger

2008-03-07T21:13:00.002+11:00

I just re-read last month's last post. The vow of wearing the jeans again by Easter. This is now only 2 weeks away and the jeans are no closer. Tonight's bottle of wine won't help. Neither will tomorrow's.

A whole month?

2008-03-07T20:50:00.007+11:00

I thought maybe I hadn't posted for a while - but a whole month? I apologise at the lack of committment this shows, especially from a newcomer like me.
Why did I not post.... I was making progress on my own personal journey, and then I found a quad in my shed. Not a not a person in a wheelchair but a 4WD bike (second hand ~$4+ grand during intial discussions). I had expressed my opinion that we should not buy it, and it was bought anyway and put in the shed (subsequently locked) and I was not informed. When I opened it to get out some folding chairs, in order to kick back on the lawn with a friend one unassuming friday night, drink wine, eat pizza and watch the kids eating theirs on the trampoline...... I was shocked and appalled. No words. Stunned. Been dealing with this, along with plethora of other issues, over the last weeks.
I missed the reunion for a number of reasons, but mostly didn't want to go because i feel overweight and out of control, grumpy, indecisive and downright lazy. This extra ten kg's I have acquired since November feels like an albatross around my whole body. But now I have booked a flight for a weekend in Sydney, to do the personalised, small scale reunion thing. Very much looking forward to it in a week's time.
I am pusuing clarity this past week. I am actively trying to still my mind to answer my big question, so I can deal with all this shite. When I remove this blockage in my system I know I will - feel better, "un-do" my sciatica/sore bum-hip, lose weight, exercise again.....
I have a completely full schedule this weekend - helping out at soccer rego day tomorrow, drinks tomorrow night, church sunday morning including leading sunday school, b'day party sunday arvo, friend staying sunday night, people for dinner monday night and next week lots of work to do...... so i have kicked off the weekend with a sly bottle of wine to myself tonight, cracked at 4.30pm tout seul. Oh, and J said he needed to go to over 9000 feet flying home tonight, to get over a dust storm. He was so high in his little plane he said he started to get woozy,dizzy, hypoxic and had to talk himself out of fainting (ie: plunging to his death)......
But i spent the day at a wiggles concert then 3 year old's birthday party at a play cafe and going to friday afternoon assembly - all good, wholesome friday family time

A deep breath of fresh air

2008-02-07T20:51:00.000+11:00

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?

2008-02-07T20:13:00.001+11:00

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?

2008-02-06T15:03:00.000+11:00

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

2008-02-05T21:00:00.000+11:00

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

2008-02-05T10:38:00.000+11:00

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

2008-02-04T20:45:00.000+11:00

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

2008-02-04T14:24:00.000+11:00

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

2008-02-04T10:49:00.000+11:00

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.