left of the middle

Yay for Sporadic Blogging...

2010-05-20T22:07:00.002+10:00

Hmm. I don't know how people who blog every day get around to it! I'm much too busy knitting and watching Star Trek :D

At the moment I'm streaming an episode of Voyager, the one after Seven of Nine turns up ('The Gift') because even though Original Series is still my fave (mmm, Spock) I find the Borg absolutely fascinating, and Seven of Nine is hot ;) I've also been reading some very interesting Kirk/Spock fanfic :D

As far as knitting goes, I'm knitting up a stash of beanies with the plan of starting an Etsy shop. The one I'm currently doing is hot pink and black stripes...

My Anti-Consumerism Challenge is going alright. I've bought two new items of clothing so far this year- a t-shirt for me (big fail, it was a Star Trek t-shirt and I really wanted it! It is very cool though, which totally makes up for it :P) and a snuggly pyjama suit for Malachi, which I bought new because I was having no luck at all finding a second hand one in size 4. I've also bought a new pair of shoes for each of us, but I wasn't counting shoes when I wrote the original rules.

I've failed on the takeaway rule, we've had Subway a few times when we've been out late or I've been feeling too crap to cook. I think I'll relax on that rule, and say no more than once every two weeks.

I get fruit and veg at the fruit shop when it's open, but I've given up on the markets for a main source of produce for now. Usually when I need stuff it's not market day and it can be too expensive, and not very reliable as to what'll be there each weekend.

I'm still menu planning, and have come in under budget for groceries each month- Feb was $313.75, March was $335.61, and April was just under at $348.78. This month is looking good :D

I Love Op-Shops!

2010-02-02T18:34:00.003+11:00

We have a brilliant Salvos shop here! It's sort-of behind the Salvation Army church in a shed, and is only open a few days a week, but I find so much excellent stuff there :D
I was after some new shorts for Malachi today and ended up with three pairs, plus a skirt for me (requiring minor alterations), a damn funky rainbow striped hat for Zara, and that '4 Ingredients' book, all for $5.40. Woo hoo!!
I'd take a pic but my camera batteries are dead and I haven't gotten around to buying new ones. I wish I had rechargeable one like my mum's new one. Oh well!

My Anti-Consumerism challenge is going well :) In the first month, the only point I failed on was 'no convenience food'... being out at the shops with hungry small people and no enough food led me to buy something quick for them to eat a few times. Better planning will avoid this!

My grocery budget is $350/month, and I'm happy to say that January came in at $306.89. We'll see how next month goes... the '4 Ingredients' book might help there :)

Here's a recipe that's been brilliant this month for saving money, and sooo yummy too. My small people both love it.

Honey Baked Lentils

1 cup dried green/brown lentils
2.5 cups water or stock
2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs tamari or soy sauce (kecap manis works well)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium brown onion, diced
Knob of ginger to taste, crushed
2 big cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp each cumin & chilli powder (I left the chilli out)

Bake in covered dish 160 degrees for 1.5 hours. Serve with rice. Easy as!

Yay for Garage Sales

2010-01-23T15:48:00.004+11:00

I've been looking for a desk, cos I'm planning to get into some study later this year, and decided to go garage-saleing this morning. There were only two garage sales on (oh the joy of living in a small town) but I went to both, and got TWO desks and a bookshelf, all for $18. The first desk I have yet to pick up, as it was too big for my car, but here are my other two scores:

These were $4 each, the other desk is bigger and was $10.

I love garage sales :D Next project: find a couch?

ACC Day One- Farmers' Markets and a Handmade Gift

2010-01-16T23:10:00.003+11:00

So today was the first official day of my anti-consumerism challenge. I needed to do grocery shopping and the local farmers' markets were on, so I got what I could there (which wasn't much, they are very small markets!) I was happy with some things- big pile of stonefruit for $6, local free range eggs for $4.80- but was very not happy about being charged $9 for a bunch of parsley, a small bag of beans and a bunch of bok choy... possibly getting vegetables at the market isn't quite within the budget at the moment.
The fruit and veg shop (yes, the only one in the whole town) is closed for the owners to have their holiday at the moment, so we had to do the rest of the shopping at the supermarket. I spent $90.09 there, plus $19.80 at the market, so $109.89 for a shopping which should last us the best part of two weeks, not including fruit top-ups and the like. Not bad I reckon!

The issue of handmade gifts has come up quickly, as one of Malachi's friends is having a fourth birthday party tomorrow. I came up with an idea for a present this afternoon, and made it tonight.

It's a little wall hanging with a appliqued truck on it, a ribbon border and (a bit hard to see in the photo) the child's name down the bottom. I think it's cool :)

Anti-Consumerism Challenge 2010

2010-01-15T21:08:00.003+11:00

Well... I haven't done anything on here for about 6 months, but over at Joyous Birth some of us are doing and anti-consumerism challenge. Good opportunity to get back into the blogging!

The particular thread can be found here.

So here are my rules:

No new clothes - homemade, op-shopped or swapped.

Handmade, secondhand or local produce for presents only.

No impulse buying- find things secondhand or wait a month before buying new.

No takeaway or convenience food.

Shop at the fruit & veg shop before woolworths.

Buy produce at the markets.

No new material or yarn unless needed for clothes or presents and cannot be found secondhand.

Menu planning, which I do already do, and sticking to monthly grocery budget, which I mostly do.

The local farmers' markets are on tomorrow, so I'm off to buy some fruit & veg- after doing my menu plan of course.

Wish me luck!

Rainbow Beanie Pattern

2009-07-30T20:36:00.004+10:00

Righty-o, haven't posted on here for ages!

I've just finished this rainbow beanie for Malachi, and thought I'd share the pattern :)

Materials:

3.25 mm double pointed needles
4mm double pointed needles

7 colours double knit yarn (lavender, dark blue, light blue, green, yellow, pink, red)

This is for the 2-4 years size (52cm)

Using 3.25 mm needles, cast on 104 sts in lavender

Round1- P, K, repeat til end.
R2-10- same as R1.

Switch to 4mm needles
Switch to dark blue

R11- Knit
R12- 32- same as R11

Switch to lavender

R33- Knit
R34-36- Purl

Switch to light blue

R37-39- Knit
R40- Knit 11, knit 2 together, repeat til end (96 sts)
R41-46- Knit
R47- Knit 10, k2tog, repeat (88 sts)

Switch to lavender

R48- Knit
R49-51- Purl

Switch to green

R52-53- Knit
R54- Knit 9, k2tog, repeat (80 sts)
R55-60- Knit
R61- Knit 8, k2tog, repeat (72 sts)
R62-66- Knit
R67- Knit 7, k2tog, repeat (64 sts)
R68-73- Knit
R74- Knit 6, k2tog, repeat (56 sts)

Switch to lavender

R75- Knit
R76-78- Purl

Switch to yellow

R79- Knit 5, k2tog, repeat (48 sts)
R80-84- Knit
R85- Knit 4, k2tog, repeat (40 sts)
R86-90- Knit
R91- Knit 3, k2tog, repeat (32 sts)

Switch to lavender

R92- Knit
R93-95- Purl

Switch to pink

R96-97- Knit
R98- Knit 2, k2tog, repeat (24 sts)
R99-104- Knit
R105- Knit 1, k2tog, repeat (16)

Switch to lavender

R106- Knit
R107-109- Purl

Switch to red

R110-112- Knit
R113- K2tog on all sts (8 sts)

Now work approx 10-12 cm on these 8 sts (long enough to tie a knot in)

Thread yarn through the 8 sts into the inside of the beanie, pull tight, break off yarn. Tie knot in stem. Sew in ends etc.

Adapted from 'Checkheaton- Handknits to Wrap and Adorn'

Natural Remedy for Impetigo (School Sores)

2009-04-12T20:14:00.003+10:00

We've had impetigo in our household in the last little while, and I want to share the natural products we've used to combat it.

DH's daughter, E (6yo) visits in the school holidays. In the last few days of her christmas holiday visit, we noticed what looked like a large pimple on her bum, which had been rubbed by her clothes and was raw. I put a band-aid on it, to try and stop in rubbing any more, which didn't seem to help. Then she went home, and we let her mother know about it. She rang DH a few days later and told him that it was impetigo, and that E was now on antibiotics for it.

Maybe two weeks later, two sores appeared on DH's leg, and a few weeks after that, Malachi started getting them on his chin.

After doing a bit of googling, I decided to try a combination of Goldenseal ointment, olive leaf extract and extra vitamin C.

Twice a day, Malachi had the Goldenseal thickly applied to the sores, and took 5mL of olive leaf extract (which he said was yuck, but took anyway) and 250mg of vitamin C. When we started, there were a few large sores at the scabby stage, and more little ones coming up. Within a week, the scabby ones were unscabbed and shrinking, and the little ones didn't get any bigger. Within two-three weeks, they were just red spots. (We continued with the routine until they were totally gone).

A few weeks later (while Malachi's sores were still at the red spot stage), Zara had some sores appearing on her legs. Because she is smaller, she had two mL of olive leaf extract (and she also takes it fine) and 125mg of vitamin C- a quarter of the tablet- and I took the other quarter to give her more vit C through my milk. Zara's are still at the red spot stage.

Meanwhile, E had a few courses of antibiotics to deal with hers, and they took a lot longer to clear up than Malachi's and Zara's.

Happy Birthday to Zara...

2009-03-25T22:30:00.012+11:00

OMG, I can't believe how fast that year has gone. Zara turned one on Saturday, and my parents and one brother came up for the day.
DH also built a sandpit- not specifically for Zara's birthday, it just worked out that way. She loves it anyway!

First, some random cuteness...

Ooh, fire...

And the sandpit!

Happy birthday beautiful girl!

Knitted Doll Instructions

2009-03-25T21:57:00.006+11:00

Finally, a March post! I've been a bit busy this month :D
And my baby girl has just turned one... I'll do a photo post after this one :D

Anyway I made another knitted doll as part of a prize for our ABA trivia night, and took step-by-step photos (sort of) in case anyone wants to make one (it's dead easy).

Step one- Knitting the pieces. (3.75 mm needles and 8 ply yarn, all knit stitch unless you're feeling very creative)

Legs- Cast on 12 in skin/shoe colour
knit 15
change to pants colour
knit 55
cast off

Body- Cast on 25 in pants colour
knit 10
change to shirt colour
knit 25
cast off

Arms- Cast on 8 in skin colour
knit 9
change to shirt colour
knit 40
cast off

Head panel 1 (T shape)-
Cast on 20 in skin colour
knit 12
cast off 6 stitches
knit 8 stitches
cast off 6 stitches
reconnect yarn with remaining 8 stitches
knit 10
cast off

Head panel 2- Cast on 8 in skin colour
knit 10
cast off

Neck- Cast on 18 in skin colour
knit 4
cast off

Step two- Limbs and body

With invisible thread (fiddly, annoying stuff!) sew the legs and arms into tubes (closed at the hand/foot end), stuffing as you go. For the body, fold over and sew into a pillow shape, stuffing after sewing two edges.

Step three- Head and neck

This is the hardest to describe, and there wasn't much room on the camera, so I've got no photos of it *oops*
Anyway... 1. Sew the two head panels together into a cross shape
2. Fold into a box shape (open on one side) and sew together edges
3. Stuff the head so it stretches into a more circular shape
4. On the edge around the opening (where the neck will be), thread some invisible thread in and out of the stitches, so that you can pull it tight to close the opening somewhat- making it into almost a ball shape
5. Sew the neck into a ring shape, and attach it to the head around the opening. A curved needle is easiest for this

Step four- attaching

Sew legs, arms and head/neck to the body, using a curved needle.

Step five- hair and face

For the hair, I found a crochet hook excellent- I didn't have one the first time and the hair took ages. Also I did way too much hair the first time!
This time I attached hair along the rows of knitting, on the 'top stitch', by inserting the crochet hook under/through the desired stitch and pulling the hair strand through, then tying it off.

For the face, I did the simplest one possible, and I think it looks effective, but yeah, whatever face you want... I did mine with the same yarns but if you want more 'delicate' features, some embroidery cotton might work...

And voila, the finished doll! The mouth is a bit mongy on this one- I think the face is better on the first one, but the head shape is vastly improved this time, and it was much much easier sewing the limbs on with a curved needle :)

Naan Bread

2009-02-28T19:07:00.005+11:00

Yep, finally got around to doing the naan while Malachi, Zara and I were at my parents' place last week.

600g baker's flour
2 tsp salt
3 tsp dried yeast
8 Tbs natural yoghurt
2 Tbs mustard seed oil
250 mL milk
melted ghee or butter, for brushing

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Make a well and add wet ingredients. Mix to form a dough.

Knead dough on floured surface for about 10 mins. Leave to rise in a covered bowl for around two hours.

Punch down dough, knead and break into 8 portions. Roll each portion into an oval shape and place on oven trays. Cover and let rise while the oven preheats to 230 C.

Bake for 10-12 mins.

Yummy...

Adapted from Anne Sheasby's 'Big Book of Bread'

Brioche Loaf

2009-02-28T18:43:00.006+11:00

This isn't proper brioche as I don't have a brioche mould... but it tastes just as good in loaf shape!

450 g baker's flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp dried yeast
50g caster sugar
110g melted butter
4 eggs
2-4 Tbs milk
beaten egg, to glaze

Sift the dry ingredients and make a well. Add the wet ingredients and mix to form a soft dough.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth & elastic (10 mins or so). Place in a covered bowl in a warm place to rise, two hours or so.

Punch the dough down, knead and place into greased loaf tins.

Cover again and leave to rise while oven preheats to 230 C. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 10 mins. Reduce temperature to 190 C and bake for a further 20-25 mins.

Adapted from Anne Sheasby's 'Big Book of Bread'

Knitted Doll

2009-02-16T21:23:00.008+11:00

Yay me, I'm feeling special again cos I've finished another knitting project. A doll (or person, as Malachi says) for Zara. It needs a bit more finishing off- I'm going to get one of those funky curved needles and sew the head on a bit more securely- Malachi likes to make it (her) headbang now that she has hair, and her head's gotten a bit wobbly today.

The head is a bit of an odd shape. Next time I'll revise the head design a bit... and maybe the legs are a little too long. The shirt colours are brighter than they look in the pictures.

The hair took a fair while! The rest was simple and straightforward, it's mostly rectangles sewn together! The kind of knitting project I like :)

Next up is a bag for Malachi- he's asked for one like mine.

The End of Preschool

2009-02-11T20:04:00.003+11:00

My son started preschool last week. After his first day, he told me he had a 'lubbly' day, and he wanted me to 'brrmmm [drive] him there again'. Much of the class was made up of his good friends from playgroup and ABA. At first glance, it was a lovely environment for a three year old- lots of new toys to explore, a big sandpit, teachers trained in early childhood education, a healthy food policy... so why isn't he going anymore?

The simple answer is- he didn't want to go. And I listened to him. The teachers, and other parents, were mostly surprised that I 'let' him make this decision for himself. His father felt that I must have said something to change his mind, to 'turn him against preschool'.

I wasn't keen on preschool from the start. I felt uncomfortable about Malachi being just one of twenty children in a class, with two teachers who hardly know him. How can they properly meet his needs when they're trying to do the same for nineteen other children?

I know that my parenting beliefs differ from the mainstream. I didn't want Malachi being labelled 'naughty' or 'disruptive' because he preferred to play cars than do a painting, or because he wanted to keep painting instead of sitting quietly on the mat.

I know that most people don't have the same view of children that I do- children are people too! They are not annoyances, they do not need to be taught to 'obey'. Unquestioning obedience is not a valued attribute in adults, except by dictators, so why are our children 'trained' to thoughtlessly obey people in positions of power (ie adults)?

So it seemed to me that the very nature of preschool would conflict with how I am raising my children. But my husband was very keen on Malachi going- he feels that Malachi needs to do something 'away from me'. That, as a three year old, he needs to have separate experiences from me, his mother, the person who is closest to him and who knows him best.

I disagree, obviously. I believe that when he is ready to be more separate from me, he will be. He doesn't need to be pushed or forced- that this in fact will achieve the opposite and make him feel insecure, and therefore more 'clingy'.

But I agreed to give preschool a go- making it abudantly clear that I would not leave him there if he didn't want me to.

We have a book about 'little school', and about what happens there. He was quite excited about starting. We bought a new lunchbox for him, and he labelled one of his hats as his 'preschool hat'. He knew that his best friend Flynn was going too, and was counting down sleeps until he started.

The first morning, we got up and got ready. We'd made his lunch the night before. We packed his bag. As we waited out the front for his teachers to open the doors, his friends started arriving. He hugged them, and they sat together for photos. The teachers opened the doors, in we all went and unpacked bags. The children looked around and found things to do. Malachi sat down and played with some playdough, did a painting, and found the cars. Zara and I watched him for a while. I asked him if he was happy for me to go, and he said yes, barely looking at me. So off we went.

I had mixed emotions- hoping that it would be a positive experience for him, hoping he would come through it without his individually squashed, hoping he'd changed his mind and I wouldn't have to deal with it at all.

I called at about midday, and was told he was fine.

At 3 o'clock Zara and I arrived to pick him up. He gave me a big hug, told me what a good day he'd had, and asked when he could go again.

Over the next few days, he seemed excited about the next time he could go to preschool. The night before, as we made his lunch, he still was.

Shortly after waking up, however, he abruptly changed him mind. He DID NOT want to go to preschool again. He knew Zara and I were planning on going grocery shopping after dropping him off, and he said he wanted to come shopping too. So we went shopping first, and then arrived at preschool. He was still saying he didn't want to go. We talked about it, and agreed that we'd go there, see what was there, play for a bit, and then see how he felt. If he wanted to come home, we'd let the teachers know, and go.

Once we got there, he had a look around. He did a bit of playing. He said he wanted to go home. So we went to tell one of the teachers what was happening.

I got as far as "Malachi says he doesn't want to stay-", when the teacher interrupted. She started listing all the 'fun things' they were going to do that day, and asked if he wanted to read a book with her. Malachi loves reading, and he said that he did. They went and sat down on the mat, Malachi chose a book, and they read it. Malachi hopped up and chose another one, and he seemed settled, so I asked if he was happy for me to go home. He burst into tears, grabbed the book away from the teacher and put it back on the shelf, grabbed onto me and cried, "I want to go hooooome!"

The teacher was a bit taken aback when I took him home, instead of leaving my distressed crying child with her while I walked out, as I guess many parents do.

Next preschool day, we agreed that we'd go to preschool. Zara and I would stay until Zara was ready for a sleep, and then we'd see how he felt.

We stayed for most of the morning. Everywhere I looked, my misgivings were confirmed about the preschool environment. Three children didn't want to stay- all were left crying as their parents walked out. Two spent most of the morning sobbing alone, occasionally being guided to an activity and then left again. At morning tea, children were made to keep eating when they had had enough- "Just have one more bite! You haven't eaten enough! You can't go play yet- just one more bite!" At 'morning group time', children were made to feel uncomfortable, being urged to greet the teacher by name when they didn't want to. Children who did were lavishly praised- "Good girl!"

Still, Malachi seemed happy. He checked where I was every so often, but mostly got on with the business of playing. He ate his morning tea quickly and was off into the sandpit like a flash.

At about 11.15, I told Malachi that Zara was getting tired. Without hesitation, he said, "OK, let's go home." As I was getting his bag ready, the teacher came over. She said to him, "Oh, I'm so sad you'll be missing out on all the things we're going to do later!" Emotional blackmail, anyone? Malachi wasn't phased, though- he was going home and that was that.

We cancelled his place the other morning. It felt very good.

Other mothers are already talking about the undesirable behaviour their children are picking up at preschool- and they've only been attending for a few days. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it. I can get on with the business of raising my child the best way I know how- respectfully, and without interference from institutions that think they know better.

Knitted Patchwork Bag

2009-02-07T21:44:00.006+11:00

Yay, I've finally finished my bag! It's the second real knitting project I've done, the first being Malachi's Zara-Snake.

It's taken me a few months doing bits and pieces here and there.

The front is three panels, 20 stitches by approx 115 rows (depending on which stitch I was doing). The top left-hand corner box, the middle and the bottom purple one are all stocking stitch, and the others are garter stitch. The bottom and sides is one long panel, with moss stitch on one side, and a pattern called 'divided boxes' on the other side, both of which I'm feeling very proud of. The bottom is plain garter stitch.

The back is three panels as well, the outside two plain garter stitch, the pink one is 'textured stripes', which you can't see due to the non-existent macro function on my camera, and also the effect of the multi-coloured yarns. All the yarns are self-striping except for the purple on the right hand side (It's a really bright purple in the sunlight).

The handles are plaited, six strands each of three different colours. The lining is plain calico-type stuff, with two pockets. All hand-sewn, as I don't have a sewing machine (yet!).

Anyway, I'm feeling special, having made something that is functional and (I think) pretty funky-looking too!

Next knitting project: a doll for Zara :)

Focaccia Rolls

2009-01-31T20:24:00.003+11:00

I was going to try out the Naan bread recipe this afternoon, which I've been meaning to do for ages, but I discovered it needed yoghurt, and we don't have any.

So I experimented with this one instead...

Basic Focaccia

450g baker's flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried yeast
3 Tbs olive oil
225mL water
sea salt, for sprinkling

Make up the dough by hand or in the breadmaker. Knead and let rise, knock back and knead again.

Divide into eight equal portions. Roll each into a ball. Flatten each ball into a 10cm round, with the edges slightly thicker than the centre.

Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Let rise again while oven preheats to 200 C. Spray with water before placing in oven, and again 5 mins into cooking time.

Bake for approx 25 mins, or until focaccia are risen and golden brown. (Mine probably weren't quite golden brown)

I did these plain, just to try out the recipe, but olives and sun-dried tomatoes would be an excellent addition :)

Adapted from The Big Book of Bread, Anne Sheasby

I'm Over This Hot Weather...

2009-01-29T20:46:00.002+11:00

...but it's really good for making sun-dried tomatoes :D

I have three Roma tomato plants, all are happy and have started to produce lots of lovely tomatoes... except that I'm not actually a huge fan of tomatoes! Not raw ones, anyway. Malachi and Zara take care of the cherry tomatoes, and some of the Romas would probably get used for sandwiches, but more would probably go mouldy in the bottom of the fridge.

But- I love sun-dried tomatoes! I don't have a dehydrator (it's on my list), and I really don't want to leave the oven on for 10-20 hours, which is how long I read it takes in the oven- it'd make the house way too hot, not to mention the power it'd waste.

As it turns out, I have a perfect dehydrator out the front of the house- the car! This was the other option I read about, and it really works brilliantly! I quarter the tomatoes and put them in a metal colander, as you need something with ventilation so they get evenly dried all over. Just put them on top of the dashboard for two or three days (I put them down on the seat when I drive, LOL) and they're done!

Apparently freezing is the best option for keeping them long term. I think they'd need to be soaked in oil for a little while before use though, as they're quite 'crispy'!

Return of the 28 Spot Ladybirds

2009-01-22T21:14:00.002+11:00

The day before we went away, I found some weird little spiky yellow things on the zucchinis, and all the little growing baby zucchinis were turning yellow and shrivelling up. Argh! I didn't want to leave my garden for 12 days when I'd just discovered a new, unknown pest attacking my lovely zucchinis...

We came back, and none of the little zucchinis had made it, though the plants were still soldiering on despite half their leaves going brown and dying. I looked closer, and discovered that the tiny yellow things had grown... and some of them had grown up completely- into 28 Spot Ladybirds! When they were on my potatoes, I read that they also went for curcurbits, and moved the potato bins further away from the zucchinis (which are the only curcurbits we have growing at the moment). That was a few months ago, and they seemed to go away. But they're back! Bloody things.

I have implemented a Humane Euthenasia Program, which involves collecting any I can find each day, and putting them in a container in the freezer. I can't bring myself to squish them- it just feels too violent. So the container is filling up, but I've only found a few over the last couple of days, so I think I'm winning the battle. There are a few new baby zucchinis coming- hopefully they'll make it to maturity!

If anyone else has this problem, I found loads of the baby bugs right down the bottom of the stem, near the dirt- I had to lift the plant up to reach them.

In other garden news, LOL, my roma tomatoes are starting to ripen. I grew these from seed, so I'm feeling very proud of them. I'm going to sun-dry them :)

And I'm Back!

2009-01-14T21:39:00.011+11:00

Happy New Year!

We've been away, so I haven't been posting for a little while... so here's a big photo post from our last few weeks :)

We were at my parents' place for almost two weeks after xmas:

Went to the Maritime Museum in Sydney, to find Malachi a submarine:

And here's the submarine! Malachi and I went through it, though I didn't have the camera with me, so unfortunately didn't get any photos of him inside it. He was very impressed by all the hatches we had to climb through, and he looked through two periscopes. Zara waited outside with my parents and my brother.

Got a new climbing frame, after our trampoline mat died:

Zara had her first go at painting:

And Zara'a CRAWLING! I've never had a crawling baby before- Malachi walked at 10.5 months without ever crawling, then figured that out sometime past 12 months. Zara's been 'almost crawling' for about a month, and she's finally got the leg movement co-ordinated with the rest of her body, and she's off! Getting into everything and enjoying it immensely :)

Blueberry Cheesecake

2008-12-24T20:08:00.003+11:00

OK, here's the recipe I did for dessert on the Solstice :)

Blueberry Cheesecake

220g fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen)
85g shortbread biscuits
1/2 cup almond meal
45g melted butter
600g cream cheese, softened (I forgot to soften it and it was lumpy :P)
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup caster sugar (I think I used a bit less)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend the blueberries with a little water. (The original recipe involved cooking them with sugar and pressing through a sieve, which I couldn't be bothered doing, plus it'd make it more sugary. Theirs looked prettier. Mine was healthier and tasted fine).

Crush the biscuits and add the almond meal and butter. Mix until combined. Press onto the bottom of a pie dish (approx 22cm) and refrigerate.

Process the cream cheese until smooth (I didn't want to get the processor dirty, so I mixed it with a spoon. This, plus the fact that I didn't take the cheese out of the fridge to soften it, made for a lumpy cheesecake. Maybe next time I'll use the processor). Add the sour cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla, and process until combined and smooth. Pour into pie dish.

If you can be bothered, drizzle the blueberries over the top and swirl in an artistic manner. If not, just dump it in and mix it around a bit. The swirling thing works better if you do the sugar syrup thing.

Bake on 140 C for 1 hour or until set. (50 mins was fine for mine). Refrigerate and serve cold.

Summer Solstice...

2008-12-22T21:16:00.011+11:00

...was yesterday, but Zara didn't sleep well in the evening so I didn't get time to post this.

We had an all-day summer fruit feast to mark the Solstice.

It started with fruit salad for breakfast...
Berry & Brioche Bake for lunch (must post the brioche recipe, it was yummy as!)

Fruit punch to drink...

A passionfruit souffle for dinner, which collapsed when DH took it out of the oven, so wasn't worth taking a photo of, LOL, but it tasted alright, and a blueberry cheesecake for dessert.

We also opened the first presents (one each).

This is our Summer Tree :)

And Zara the Cherry Vampire

Garden Update!

2008-12-20T22:14:00.014+11:00

OK, a big progress report on everything in my garden!

My one purple capsicum plant- just starting to flower.

Two of my tamarillo seedlings- growing well :)

Some of my strawberry pots- less than half of them.

Corn seedlings

Tomato plants- first tomatoes coming! Three Romas, grown from seed, and one cherry, self-seeded from the back garden and transplanted. There are more round the back that I want to move, but I need more room in the front garden first!

Two of my little eggplant seedlings.

Malachi's lovely watermelon seedlings.

One of the zucchini plants. We're about to be buried in zucchinis- there are billions of bubby ones coming!

Most of the cauliflowers are ready to harvest- I just need to have time to do it. As you can see, they've been a bit chomped by the bloody cabbage moth caterpillars.

My happiest looking potatoes. This is the fourth bin. The first one was emptied, just to see how they were going, and we got about 500g of baby potatoes. The second bin was looking very unhappy, and the tops look like they were just about dead, but they've come back now, new leaves and everything! The third bin is starting to look sick and unhappy now, but I'm not worried after seeing the other one pick up again. The fourth, as you can see, is looking great! And I've just planted the fifth today- the last of my seed potatoes.

Some capsicum seedlings in the overgrown back garden.

The parsnip seedlings, grown from seed, also in the back garden.

And the sugar snap peas, next to a wall of invading grass and weeds.

There's also a cabbage (yep, one cabbage... we had two, but had one for dinner the other night), but I ran out of camera space.

Beetroot Swirl Loaf

2008-12-18T21:53:00.007+11:00

I was feeling creative the other day, and made this for our Playgroup xmas party.

Take one quantity of bread dough (I used a 500g flour batch for this, with lots of herbs added by Malachi). Roll it out flat to a size that'll fit in a loaf tin when rolled up.

Spread with beetroot relish (or whatever- the recipe I adapted it from used basil pesto, but I didn't have any).

Roll up and place in lined or greased tin. (At this point I should point out that it's a good idea to have the join bit facing the bottom of the tin, for reasons which became apparent when it was cooked)

Cover with teatowel and let rise (I put mine on top of the oven) while oven is heating to 220 C. Cook for 30 mins (I did 25, and it was still doughy in the centre, so maybe 35 mins even. Everyone's oven is different). As you can see, with the join being on the top, it stuck out and went a bit crusty and hard to slice. Oh well.

It still looked pretty funky in the end, even though I'm terrible at slicing bread! I always squash it. Any tips for that, anyone?

Mixed Success With Onions

2008-12-10T20:32:00.004+11:00

As the title says, I have had mixed success with my first go at onions. They were in the back vegie garden, which is on a slope, and they were right down the bottom. There is black plastic under part of it- left over from the smaller vegie garden which we expanded. Because of that, the drainage isn't great, and in some spots there's not much depth for root growth. I planted 67 brown onion seedlings, and 72 red onion seedlings, back in June. The back garden is being taken over by weeds and evil grass, and because I don't have that much time to get out there, and because we're planning on moving next year, I'm letting it go. Just trying to keep the grass and weeds at bay from the plants that are still in there. Some of the onions are as big as I'd like them some aren't, and some have hardly grown at all, and I decided to pull them out. I got all of the brown onions out this evening, and some of the red. So here's my partial onion harvest-

The cleaner-looking ones in the bottom right corner were pulled out about a week ago, the rest a few hours ago.

The two biggest are on the left, then the average size, then the smallest.

I think that with better conditions, onions will be an easy and rewarding thing to grow :)

Beetroot Relish

2008-12-06T19:21:00.008+11:00

I decided to pull up our (very small) beetroot crop yesterday. Some were quite a decent size, some pretty small, but all bigger than the beetroot DH grew last year- he's too impatient to be a gardener and pulls everything out too early!

The whole lot were made into beetroot relish this morning. Here is the basic recipe (I ended up with six cups of grated beetroot):

Beetroot Relish

2 cups grated beetroot
1 Tbs honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 cup water
1 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir over high heat until honey dissolves.

Bring to the boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until most of the liquid is gone.

Easy! And yum :)

Creativity and Cuteness

2008-12-05T22:52:00.008+11:00

A big photo post!

Malachi being a 'diney-saur' in a costume he came up with. Very creative I thought!

Yes, the costume is a green towel :D I asked what kind of dinosaur he was- apparently a worm-eating one!

And two beautiful people in a boat :)

Gotta love creative play :)

Actually just realised that the boat pictures came first, cos his hair's long there, and short in the dinosaur ones :P Oh well.

Oh, and one more... Malachi after deciding that putting porridge in his hair was a good idea! I can't remember exactly how the conversation went, but I said that porridge was for eating, and Malachi said it wasn't. I suggested it was for putting in your hair, which he thought was an excellent plan! He's so funny :D

Green Memes #1 and #2

2008-12-03T19:38:00.005+11:00

I got tagged with 2 green memes by Selene at Memo To Self

I've never heard of these things before! But here we go:

1) Link to Green Meme Bloggers. (use image if you like)
2) Link back to whoever tagged you. (no need to wait to be tagged!)
3) Include meme number
4) Include these guidelines in your post
5) Tag 3 other green bloggers.

OK, I'll tag Majik Faerie, Nalin at Yes,ThankYouVeryMuch, and Stephanie and David at Treading Lightly

Okey dokey...

1) Name two motivations for being green?

To look after our beautiful planet, as it's the only one we've got!

To save money.

2) Name 2 eco-UNfriendly items you refuse to give up?

Hmm... I'd love to get rid of our car, but it'd be too hard, we travel to Sydney regularly, and public transport is shocking here.

Air conditioner- I only use it when I really have to... but I love having it for those really hot days. Won't need one once we've got our strawbale house tho!

3) Are you at peace with or do you feel guilty about number 2?

At peace.

4) What are you willing to change but feel unable to/stuck with/unsure how to go about it?

I'd like to buy more organic stuff but can't really afford it...

5) Do you know your carbon footprint for your home? If so, is it larger/smaller than your national average? (http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx)

I have no idea. I'll go have a look later.

6) What's eco-frustrating and/or eco-fantastic about where you live?

Eco-frustrating - the mines. There are lots of coal mines around here, and they want to open new ones. While it's great for jobs and all... grr!

Eco-fantastic - Much less pollution than being in a city, and much more space to grow things!

7) Do you eat local/organic/vegetarian/forage/grow your own?

I am vegetarian and grow as much as I have room for at the moment. The plan is to grow everything when we get out of town.

8) What do you personally find the most challenging in being green?

It can be hard to find eco friendly stuff here, and it's often out of our price range...

9) Do you have a green confession?

I use the air con in the car too much.

10) Do you have the support of family and/or friends?

Mostly.

------------------------------
Green meme #2

1. Do you use baking soda toothpaste or baking soda shampoo? If not, would you consider it?

No, have made the toothpaste before, but it doesn't last long. I buy chemical free versions of both.

2. Do you make any home cleaning products?

I use bicarb and vinegar for everything.

3. What is your top green issue at the moment?

Most of my energy is focused on the vegie garden at the moment.

4. Given unlimited cash, what is on your fantasy green wishlist?

Strawbale house! It will happen... :)

5. Have you implemented any new green act/behaviour/product this month?

Umm...nothing new that I can think of.

Cheese, Herb and Garlic Pull-Apart

2008-11-30T21:27:00.007+11:00

This is currently my favourite fancy bread recipe- it looks impressive but is really very easy!

1 quantity bread dough (A batch with 750g flour makes about the right amount)
100g melted butter
1 egg
25g grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp salt
dried herbs

Make the bread dough up to the point after the first rising. Knock it back and knead it.

Divide the dough into balls.

Mix the butter, egg, cheese, garlic, salt and herbs together.

Dip each ball of dough into the mixture, and place it in a lined or greased tin (loaf tin, round, ring tin, whatever)
Leave dough to rise again while oven preheats to 190 C
Bake for 30-40 mins.

Adapted from a recipe in 'The Big Book of Bread' by Anne Sheasby

Listen to the Three Year Old!

2008-11-26T21:38:00.002+11:00

I've been meaning to post about ECing for a little while, but haven't gotten around to it. I've got a funny EC story now, so there's my motivation!

For anyone who doesn't know, EC stands for Elimination Communication, and basically it means you learn your baby's cues for when they need to go to the toilet. Just like they'll let you know when they're hungry, bored, tired etc, they'll also let you know when they need to do a wee... if you listen.

This is NOT 'toilet training'. It's more the parent that's being 'trained', but I think mostly it's another way to communicate and be in tune with your baby. See Tribal Baby for more EC info!

I heard about ECing before Zara was born, and had vague thoughts about giving it a go, but didn't get around to it. Then one morning she woke up and I offered her the breast, but she pulled on and off and squirmed all around. I thought of some stuff I'd read on Tribal Baby about 'plucking' on and off the breast being a sign for needing to do a wee. I thought to myself, "Maybe I could give that EC thing a go."

It was Sunday morning, and I'd had a big whinge at DH about being tired the day before, so he came and got Zara while I stayed in bed for a little while. She had her night nappy off and was nakeybum. After she'd been up for a while, I heard her making a sort of squirmy, uncomfortable noise. I thought, "Put her on the toilet..." About 5 seconds later, I hear DH say, "Oh, Zara!" and I knew she'd done a wee. That was when I decided, yep, we'll try EC with her.

We've been doing it for a bit over a month now, and it's been really quite easy. We catch most wees and poos most days. She only wears nappies at night, and to go out- but even most of the day nappies are dry now, even after being out for two or three hours. We had one day, last week sometime, where we had NO misses at all! How exciting! :D

Anyway, on to the funny story- a few days ago, Malachi, Zara and I were in bed. I'd been trying to get Zara to have a sleep, but she wasn't too keen, despite being tired. Before I'd taken her into bed, I'd put her on her little toilet, and she'd done a wee. She was getting a bit whingy, so I sat her on my stomach, with me lying down. She made some noises, and Malachi said, "She said 'weee! weee! weee!' She need to do a wee!" I said, "Mate, she only just did a big wee. I don't think she needs to do another one yet." But... a few minutes later... LOL! So I got wee'd on, and apologised to both Malachi and Zara for not listening to them.

This has been my biggest EC lesson (and one I still obviously haven't quite learnt!) - don't assume that she doesn't need to do a wee because she's only recently done one! And listen to the three year old!

Woohoo! Homeschooling Here We Come...

2008-11-25T21:30:00.003+11:00

So after arguing and disagreeing with me for however long, DH has agreed (or 'accepted' at least) that we'll be homeschooling. Yay! Unfortunately the incident which I think may have prompted this was DH hearing that his daughter had been physically attacked (read: tackled to the ground and punched) by two boys at school, to which the teacher's response apparently was "Just ignore them..."

Malachi, Zara and I also went to the park today to meet with some other homeschoolers, to start a regular social group, which was also really positive. We've got a venue (playgroup hall- I'm on the playgroup committee), a day (Wednesday, as there isn't a Wed playgroup) and vague plans (sharing skills with the children- one woman said she'd do art stuff, I said I'd do cooking, someone's cousin runs a children's music program that we could do sessions at...). All in all, it was really positive, and the women seemed nice, even if one in particular had a somewhat *different* parenting style to mine...

We had some really positive chats about letting children learn things in their own time and in their own way, and I think we'll all see eye to eye on most issues.

The boy that we already knew through playgroup gave Malachi a hug when we left, which was cute, though Malachi was somewhat surprised and a bit unsure until I explained what B was doing!

Zara's the youngest at the moment, but B's mum is pregnant so there'll be another small one joining sometime next year.

So yay for first steps in creating a homeschooling community in which our children can learn safely, without pre-set ideas of what, when and how they should be learning!

I Knitted a Snake...

2008-11-22T19:41:00.010+11:00

Woohoo! My second knitting project is complete! And it only took about a week.
Malachi asked me to make him an orange and blue snake, so I thought I'd give it a go. I made it up as I went along, and used it to try out and practise new knitting things I hadn't done before, like increasing, decreasing, colour changing, purl stitch, and combining knit and purl to make interesting patterns. I'm feeling quite proud of the result!

All the knitting done, looking like roadkill, waiting to be stitched up.

In the middle of life-saving stomach surgery.

I can be straight...

...or I can be curly!

Hmm, maybe my tongue is a bit too long!

Aahhhh! Zara! Don't eat me!

While I was making it, I asked Malachi what the snake's name would be, and he said.... Zara. So Zara-Snake joins Zara-Lamb and numerous dolls named Zara in Malachi's obsession of naming things after his sister.

My next project is a new bag for me, but I've told myself that I won't start it until I've done some work for my ABA training, which I've been too slack on lately! (and yes, maybe I should be doing that instead of blogging... but I have done some this afternoon!)

8 Months of Beautiful Zara-ness

2008-11-21T19:58:00.010+11:00

Yes, my Zara-girl is 8 months old today! Here are some photos to show off her beautifulness and her abundance! (thanks Other Rach for that term, I love it!)

Reply From Playgroup

2008-11-20T19:59:00.004+11:00

So I got a response to my somewhat angry letter about the controlled crying book excerpt featured in Totline, the playgroup magazine.

Dear Rachel

Thank you for taking the time to write back and express your concerns about the "The Big Sleep" article by Professor Gans. Feedback from members such as yourself is important to us. I have passed on your email to the editorial team to ensure an alternate view, such as yours, is expressed in a subsequent Totline edition. We will certainly have a look at the text that you have recommended and will investigate including it in a future article.

In the magazine we did identify that the article was a book review and provided an informative range of techniques on Progressive Waiting by Karitane (a well respected NSW early years group and drawn directly from their website) in a breakout box on the main page of the article.

I also note that the highly credentialed Australian parenting website Raising Children also has information regarding Controlled Comforting http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/controlled_comforting.html and notes the following information on current research regarding Controlled Comforting (sometimes known as controlled crying)

Is controlled comforting harmful?

Despite concerns about potential harms to the baby, no studies published in peer-reviewed journals have shown any psychological or physical harm from using controlled comforting (or other behaviour management techniques described on this site). In fact, recent research has shown that babies who have undergone controlled comforting are more likely to sleep better in the short-term and are as well adjusted as their peers in terms of behaviour and sleep in the long-term.

I do however acknowledge that a few of the terms used by Professor Gans to describe the techniques he personally employed could be considered negative and perhaps could have been worded better, however as this was a review of his publication, it was not our place to rewrite his text.

Please feel free to call me personally if you need to discuss this matter as I value the feedback.

Many thanks,

Deb Ryan

Deb Ryan

Chief Executive Officer
Playgroup NSW Inc.

Hmm, not good enough methinks. That Raising Children site is just horrible, and when I had a squiz at the CC info a few years ago, it said that the baby might cry until they vomit, and that was fine. You should just go in, clean it up calmly, with no eye contact, and resume the torture session.

CHILDREN ARE PEOPLE TOO!!! THIS IS NOT OK!!!

Edited to add:

I wrote back.

Hi Deb

Thank you for replying. I understand that you were not responsible for the actual text, but you (being the editorial team, not you personally) were responsible for publishing it in your magazine, thus giving the impression that Playgroup endorses this particular parenting strategy.

The fact that it is endorsed by Karitane, and that Karitane is well respected, does not in any way mean that the technique is not harmful. Well respected doctors have, in the past, appeared in cigarette advertisements, and recommended certain brands of cigarettes to their patients for stress relief. Hindsight is a grand thing- we can now see how harmful this has been to many many people, and continues to be.
I also place no trust in the Raising Children website. Here is a further quote from their controlled crying advice:

"What if my baby vomits?
Some babies tend to vomit more often than others and about one in five may vomit during controlled comforting. If this happens it can be upsetting for baby and parent. Try to calmly clean up any vomit from the bed and put a clean nappy wrap under your baby’s head. It's best to avoid making a big fuss, turning on lights, or completely changing the baby unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, some babies can learn to vomit each time they are put into the cot." [Italics mine]

If it is true that young babies vomit on purpose (and I greatly disbelieve this) then what kind of trauma must they be going through, if vomiting is a better option? If they are willing to put themselves through that 'each time they are put in the cot' rather than go through the stress and emotional pain of contolled crying again? Vomiting is not a pleasent experience. To do it purposefully to try and avoid somehting else must mean that the 'something else' is even worse.

Articles and books like this put an enormous amount of stress on parents of babies who do not sleep through the night. And this is the vast majority of babies! It is normal for babies to wake at night. It is not a problem to be solved- yet articles which portray it in this light lead parents to feel that there is either something wrong with their baby, or something wrong with their parenting. It creates tension and disrupts the mother-infant bond, as mothers begin to see it an an us-vs-them situation.

It is normal for babies to need help to get to sleep. If they are helped to sleep when they are young, it does not mean that they will never learn to go to sleep by themselves. We help our babies to get dressed, and trust that when they are old enough, they will learn to dress themselves. We carry our babies, wear them in slings, and push them in prams, but we trust that they will learn to walk on their own when they are ready. Why can't this same trust be applied to sleep? There are many parents who help their babies to sleep by various means, rocking, patting, singing, feeding, and co-sleeping, to name a few. How many of these babies are still demanding this when they are 18 years old? Silly question? Then obviously, they will stop needing to be helped to sleep at some point. We just need to trust our child.

My son, who is now three, was always fed to sleep, and slept with me. Until 22 months, he fed overnight too, but because he slept with me, neither of us needed to wake up for these night feeds. He would just roll over in his sleep, find the breast, and roll back over when he was done. At 22 months he nightweaned, but still fed to sleep each night. Soon after that I was pregnant, and with my milk supply declinig, he slowly cut down his feeds. The bed time feed was the last to go, but at 27 months, completely of his own accord, he stopped that feed too, and completely weaned. We then cuddled to sleep. He always went to sleep quickly, easily and happily. Just after his baby sister was born, he moved into his own bedroom, where he sleeps with his father, sometimes in the same bed, sometimes in different beds. I trust that, when he is ready, he will let us know that he doesn't want to sleep with Daddy anymore.In the meantime, it is lovely to have that extra nighttime connection and closeness with our children, and bedtime is a snuggly, happy time, not a drama.

As you can see, this is quite a passionate topic for me. It took me four days to write the first letter after I saw the article, as I couldn't bring myself to re-read it. I was shaking with anger and upset as I wrote the letter. I feel so sad for all those little babies, feeling that they have been abandoned, night after night, and not understanding why the people they trust with their lives will not come when they call, when they scream in distress.

Please get hold of a copy of Helping Your Baby To Sleep, and let parents know that it is normal for their babies to need them at night. It is OK to help them sleep. That their babies are people, with feelings. That they deserve to be treated as such.

Rachel M

OMFG! So Angry!

2008-11-18T19:25:00.003+11:00

Got the Playgroup magazine, Totline, in the mail the other day. I wasn't expecting much, it's usually full of mainstream crap, but I really couldn't believe it when I saw an excerpt from a book (Parentonomics) by Joshua Gans. Yes, an economist, writing a book on parenting. I was so fucking angry at the crap he was spouting! I couldn't finish reading the article. Five days later, I finally brought myself to read the whole article in order to write an angry letter to Playgroup NSW:

To whoever is responsible for Totline:

I could not believe what I saw when I started to read the article/book excerpt "The Big Sleep" in the latest Totline magazine. It is the most horrible, unresearched, harmful piece of crap I have read in a long time. Sorry, but there's no better way to describe it. From an organisation which claims to promote 'positive interaction between children and carers' and 'the development of self esteem in our children'- the advice given in this article goes against both of those values.
The article promotes the controlled crying technique, in which babies are left on their own to cry themselves to sleep at very young ages.

In 2003 the Australian Association for Infant Mental Health released a paper stating their opposition to the Controlled Crying technique, based on research they had conducted:
“AAMHI is concerned that the widely practiced technique of Controlled Crying is not consistent with what infants need for their optimal emotional and psychological health, and may have unintended negative consequences”.

One of the biggest consequences of this technique is that the trust relationship between a baby and its carers is damaged. When a baby cries, it is attempting to communicate something. Crying is, at first, the only method of communication available to a baby. When this is ignored, the lesson that the baby learns is not 'I need to learn to sleep on my own', it is 'I cannot trust my parents to be there for me when I need them'.

Sometimes controlled crying seems to work- the baby stops crying and goes to sleep. What is actually happening is that the baby's emotions are shutting down. The common human stress responses are fight or flight, but a baby can do neither of these. It's reaction to being abandoned (yes, that is how the baby sees it) is to withdraw, to shut down. This happens after the baby's system has been flooded with cortisol, the stress hormone. When a baby to turn to this 'shut down' response often enough, major and permanent damage is done to the baby's stress response system.

For more information about the damage done by controlled crying, see "Helping Your Baby To Sleep: Why Gentle Techniques Work Best" by Anni Gethin and Beth MacGregor, and the article http://bawlingbabies.blogspot.com/2007/06/controlled-crying-some-facts-and.html (and other articles on that website). For gentler sleep solutions, see "Sleeping Like A Baby" by Pinky MacKay, and "Nighttime Parenting" by Dr William Sears.

Apart from the fact that the article promotes the CC technique, the other complaint I have about it is the language used by the author to describe children- his own and others. He frequently uses language that describes babies as objects to be controlled, and also as deliberately manipulative. Some examples include "...a little baby can train its parents nicely", "...a child... starts using this method to get a reaction from you. The trickery...", "...a shrewd baby has improved their acting skills", "That night we implemented a hard line", "Sure, the first few times you leave a happy and awake baby in their cot, they will be confused and scream..."

What the author doesn't seem to understand is that babies are people. They are deserving of respect. They are not inconvenient objects that must be 'negotiated' with. Their feelings and emotions are real, their needs are real- including the need for closeness. Yes, even at night. Attention is a NEED for children, not a want. Children who don't get enough touch and attention don't grow. They don't develop properly.

While Mr Gan may be pleased that his children, as small babies, supposedly learnt that it's not worth their while to 'negotiate' for his or his partner's attention at night, he may regret this later down the track. When one of his children, at 16, considers the option of either calling him for a lift home from a party at 2am, or getting in a car with a drunk driver, they will undoubtedly remember their early lesson- my parents will not always be there for me. I can't trust them to be there when I need them. I can't disturb my parents to ask for help when it's inconvenient for them. I am on my own.

Please consider the impact that inresearched information like this can have on parents, and on their helpless babies. Before publishing an article which promotes a particular parenting technique, do your own research. I suggest that, in the next issue of Totline, you publish an excerpt from a gentle, respectful sleep book- my recommendation is "Helping Your Baby To Sleep", as mentioned above.

In anger and sadness,
Rachel M

FINISHED!!!

2008-11-17T20:37:00.003+11:00

Well, sort of.

I've just (this afternoon) finished my first knitting project! But seeing as it's a part of a (much) larger project, it's not actually finished, but still, I'm feeling proud!

It's a square for a patchwork blanket:

I think it looks pretty bloody spiffy! Yay me. It took me a rather long time, cos having only just learnt to knit (thanks, Mum!) I'm pretty slow still, and I only got to do maybe three or four rows a day, when Zara's sleeping and I don't have anything else I need to do.

So now that I know the (very) basics of knitting - casting on, knit stitch and casting off, LOL - I'm going to move on to slighty more challenging projects! I'm not quite game to try making clothes yet, though. Malachi had requested I make him an orange and blue snake. This'll give me a chance to practice a few other funky things, like increasing (which I've done twice since starting the snake!), colour changing, and maybe other types of stitches. Then I'm planning a bag for me :)

Knitting Help is a cool site. Anyone thinking of learning to knit- do it! It's cool!

-------------

Also, a short vegie garden update...

I'd like to welcome the newest inhabitants of my garden, LOL- a little bubby Meyer Lemon tree, a little bubby Tahitian Lime tree, and some capsicum seedlings. The bloody dog has already gotten into the back vegie garden and dug up one of the capsicums (planted yesterday) and trampled another one. GRRRR....

And - big news - we have cauliflowers coming!

Two of the caulis out the front have visible flowers growing, and I'm sure the others won't be far behind! Woohoo!!

Corporate (ir)Responsibility

2008-11-15T21:43:00.002+11:00

So it was bloody McHappy Day today. Why 'bloody'? Isn't it nice that McDonald's is doing something nice and responsible, contributing to the community, helping sick kids?
This, people, is called 'corporate responsibility', and if you think 'aww, good for them' when you hear about something like that, then it's worked a treat on you.
Woohoo, yay for them, they hoped to raise $2 million for Ronald McDonald House today, by donating $1 from every Big Mac sold. $2 million.

For the entire year, McDonald's said global same-store sales increased 5.7%, while its sales and operating income reached record highs of $21.6 billion and $4.4 billion, respectively.

Compared to that, $2 million is nothing. A smokescreen. If less than a third of the amount of the price of one burger for one day can add up to $2 million, then what would happen if they donated the entire price of that burger from that one day? Or what about more than one day?
But no, $2 million sounds like a lovely big number, and the sheeple are suitably impressed at how kind and generous McDonalds is. How could I be so cynical? They're helping the sick kiddies!!
And, of course, in the meantime, they get on with the business of selling horrible crap to the sheeple, which makes them fat, unhealthy and sick.

And then there's the Mt Franklin breast cancer campaign- breast cancer, of course, being a fashionable 'good cause' these days. Buy Mt Franklin bottled water to help raise awareness of breast cancer! Because more toxic crappy plastic landfill is just what we need to reduce the incidence of cancer!

I could continue, but I have a sick, unhappy baby to take to bed. Here's hoping we both get some sleep.

Baby Potatoes...

2008-11-11T22:23:00.003+11:00

Just a quick one, but I had to record our very first potato harvest!
They were planted on August 16th, four little seed potatoes using the garbage bin method. Due to attack by evil 28 spot ladybirds, the first two bins aren't looking too happy anymore- the leaves are all droopy, chomped and some are a bit yellow... anyway, impatient DH decided it was time to empty out the first bin ("it'll be an experiment") to see what progress had been made.
Here are the results...
...about 500g worth of baby sebago potatoes. They were all down the bottom, growing off the original root system- none had grown off the stems which had been covered in the second layer of dirt and mulch.
So at least we know that there are some growing down there! The rest of the bins will be left until the leaves etc completely die off, so hopefully a slightly larger yield from them!

It's Getting Closer...

2008-11-10T20:37:00.004+11:00

...to when Malachi will start preschool. We went for the enrolment visit today, filled out paperwork and chatted to the director, Liz, who I really do think does an excellent job. She can be a little scary (intimidating) if you don't know her, but I did some casual work at the preschool while I was pregnant with Malachi, and DH's daughter Elizabeth went there for a little while when she lived with us.
She's very professional- didn't bat an eyelid when I said I was pagan (she invited me to provide the teachers with info about celebrating the seasonal festivals that they could share with the children) or when I said Malachi wasn't vaxxed, and she said that she totally agreed and supported me not wanting Malachi to have any chemical additives or sugary crap (ie when other parents bring in birthday cakes), or when I said I was intending to homeschool.
Malachi's vaxxed til 12 months, and after that I did my research and decided I didn't want him having any more. So really, the only one he's 'missed' is the chicken pox at 18 months. Liz said (as she has to) that if there's an outbreak of anything he's not vaxxed against, he'd be excluded til it was over. And then she said that chicken pox was the most likely one to happen, and that "it'll go through all the immunised children anyway", and thus proved my point that there's NO point in injecting chemicals into our kids, to 'immunise' them against a disease that they're gonna get anyway!
So I'm feeling more confident again about the whole preschool thing. For the rest of the year, we're going to go for a play there once a week, so my beautiful boy can feel confident and safe in the space when it's time for him to be there without me.
And he's very excited about it!

And just for the sake of it, a pic of my future babywearing man:

Save the Strawberries! (And the Carrot Harvest)

2008-11-08T20:17:00.008+11:00

I've tried to keep the dog out of the vegie garden, semi-successfully, but the slaters are still attacking the strawberries, so that out of the 50 plants out the back, we've gotten maybe three berries, and from the 10 plants out the front (in pots), we've gotten at least six.
SO! The plan is... dig up and pot all the strawberries out the back. Yes, all 50 of them!
In order to do this, I need all the pots I can get. The parsnip seedlings got planted, which freed up three pots, and three more with Roma tomato seedlings needed to be vacated, so I needed somewhere to plant them out. The solution- harvest all the carrots, and put the tomatoes in the carrot spot.
I originally planted 83 carrot seedlings, and used maybe 20 or so, which left me with 60-65ish carrots to pull up, wash, chop and freeze.
Zara decided to have a decent sleep, and it wasn't too hot outside, so Malachi and I went out the front and started pulling up the carrots. (Well, I pulled up carrots, Malachi rode his bike around and occasionally came over and pulled some leaves off a carrot plant).
Managed to get them all inside and in the sink before Zara woke up.

There were some pretty funky looking ones. Had to share this one-

And just to be immature... this one has a penis, tee hee hee...

Spent the rest of the day, whenever Zara let me, washing the carrots ready for chopping.

And by the end of the day, they were all chopped and in the freezer. Yay me.

And so since then I've been trying to rescue a few strawberry plants each afternoon. I've done 17 so far, LOL. 33 to go. Need to find more pots! And I've discovered that I'm mildly allergic to strawberry plants- I've come up with a rash along both arms after each potting expedition, just like a grass rash. Oh well.

Baby-Led Solids = Fine Motor Skills

2008-11-03T20:30:00.002+11:00

We're doing baby-led solids with Zara. It's also known as baby led weaning, but to me 'weaning' means the end of breastfeeding, not the start of other foods. Anyway, basically it involves following the baby's lead as to when they're ready to start other foods, letting the baby regulate what and how much they eat, and not feeding them bland pureed mush.
I was planning on using this approach with Zara anyway, and she made the decision to start when she was 5 1/2 months by grabbing a bread roll out of my hand, and shoving it in her mouth.
To start with, the vast majority of the food that went in came straight back out again, somewhat soggy but pretty much intact. Slowly, she's started to swallow more of the food, as evidenced by her changing poos! (Luckily they're still mostly breastmilk poos, just slightly chunky, so they still smell nice!)
Mostly she eats fruit- she's tried pear, apple, banana, watermelon, kiwifruit, rockmelon, strawberries, blueberries, orange, mandarin... and probably more. She's also had bread, pasta, rice, carrot, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, tomato, olives, capsicum... etc etc etc.
She still has no teeth but still does pretty well chomping up crunchier things!
Obviously you need to be sensible with what you feed a small baby- no nuts or anything- and make sure they're supervised in case of choking, but evidence suggests that babies are far less likely to choke on food when they are controlling what goes into their mouths than when they're being spoon fed.
Anyway, the original point of this post was- I was watching Zara eating roast potato for dinner, and thinking about how good her fine motor skills are compared to other babies I've looked after of the same age (Malachi, and babies I cared for when I worked in childcare). She can pick up an individual blueberry, or olive slice, and get it into her mouth with pretty good accuracy. I imagine this extra practice and development of her fine motor skills will give her a headstart with drawing, writing and other similar skills compared to babies who are spoon fed... it's amazing how all these skills tie in together, and how much our babies can actually do for themselves if we follow their lead and trust them.

Mission Accomplished!

2008-11-02T21:59:00.003+11:00

I've been looking at my parsnip seedlings for the past week or so, and thinking that I really needed to transplant them out of their containers as they were getting too big to be in there... well, I finally got it done today! Zara had a decent sleep and I planted another bin of potatoes, bringing the total to four, and 38 little parsnip seedlings are now (hopefully) happy in their new home in the back vegie garden, next to the red onions.
My next mission is to transplant the self-seeded lettuces in the back garden around to the front with the other lettuces. I was having a look at them while planting the parsnips, and one is a red iceberg! Yay! My favourite kind of lettuce. There's only one in the front garden, and I keep pulling leaves off to eat them, but now that there's another one coming, I've got one to eat, and one to go to seed, to grow more for next time!
Also on the garden to-do list is to earth up the third potato bin, and, as always, weeding weeding weeding...

Turtles and Caterpillars

2008-11-01T19:09:00.002+11:00

DH went out to check the vegie garden while I had the kids in the bath this evening and found a turtle in the backyard. I was a bit worried about it at first, as last week a snake came into the yard and the dog killed it (and killed it very thoroughly- it was in three pieces, poor thing) so I thought she might have had a go at the turtle too. It was upside down and hiding in it's shell, but has now been rescued and is in a box behind me, with a towel and some water in a dish.
I can hear him scrabbling around in there, so he seems fine. We'll take him down to the river tomorrow and let him go.
He's a longneck turtle, much like this one-

I was just out checking the front vegies, as I've seen cabbage moths hanging around. They totally destroyed my broccoli last year, and I don't want them hurting my cauliflowers!
Anyway, I found about 20 of the damn caterpillars (and another bloody 28 spot ladybird!) and chucked them all into the box with the turtle. When I checked just before, they'd all disappeared... I hope he's eaten them! Either that or they've just squiggled themselves under the towel.
I guess we'll find out tomorrow when little turtle dude is relocated to his new home.

First Zucchini :)

2008-10-28T20:08:00.006+11:00

Yay! I picked my first zucchini of the season this evening :) A nice big fat one...

AND... then I made dinner using only (OK, almost only, my onions aren't ready yet so I used a shop onion) vegies from the garden! I used the zucchini, carrots, silverbeet, and sugarsnap peas frozen from last year's harvest to make stir-fried vegies and rice.
Here's the recipe... a bit vague cos I made it up and didn't bother measuring anything.

Stir-Fried Vegies and Rice

Rice
Onion
Carrots
Silverbeet
Zucchini
NotBacon
Slivered Almonds
Soy Sauce
Vinegar

Get rice cooking.
Heat oil in a frypan. Chop onion and chuck it in. Chop other vegies and chuck them in. Add almonds. Chop NotBacon and stick that in too. Add some soy sauce and vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar). Cook for a while.
Serve vegies on top of rice.

And yep, that's how most of my recipes go, LOL. I only measure stuff when it's something like bread.

ETA: I just remembered, I put chilli sauce in too :)

Who's Eating My Strawberries?

2008-10-27T20:54:00.002+11:00

So I thought it was slugs, or maybe slaters... I put yeast traps in, didn't seem to catch anything, and the nearly-ripe strawberries were still disappearing by the next time I came to check them.
But what did I see today?
The dog, in the vegie garden, in the strawberries, MUNCHING ON SOMETHING!!!! Do dogs usually eat strawberries? The evidence is weighing up against her! She often breaks into the vegie garden, I thought she was just digging in the lovely organic mushroom-compost-enriched dirt... but thinking about it, there's not much evidence of her digging in there, but the strawberries are disappearing...
Now how to keep her OUT?!

New Books, Woohoo!!

2008-10-23T19:41:00.003+11:00

We got home from playgroup today to find some books I'd ordered had turned up- 'Backyard Self-Sufficiency', 'Chook Wisdom', 'The Earth Garden Water Book' and 'Strawbale Building'. They're from The Good Life Book Club which has soooo many books I want!
The last three books are publications from Earth Garden magazine, and 'Backyard Self-Sufficiency' is by Jackie French. I've finished the chook one, and just started the Jackie French one.
I just wanted to share this quote from the end of the introduction.

I have two images of suburban life today.
The first is of a neat house set in a mown lawn with trimmed shrubs and a sandpit; a clean kitchen with yesterday's take-away containers on the sink; and the latest videos to fill your life after dinner.
The second is of a suburban jungle: a maze of tangled apple trees and grape vines, carpets of strawberries, and kids with mulberry-stained faces who don't come inside till dark. You trip over a box of apples in the laundry, and the kitchen smells of summer tomatoes and of the basil on the window sill.
The kitchen shelves are full, and so are the lives of the inhabitants.
The richness of our lives depends on our surroundings and what we fill them with.

Carrots!

2008-10-21T22:18:00.004+11:00

We pulled four carrots out for dinner this afternoon.

Malachi decided that the second one along was a 'person with two legs to go walking' :)

The carrot were from bought seedlings... I did plant some carrot seeds, but I think my seed-planting-enthusiasm mood came a bit early this year, as everything that came up from that batch of seeds died from the frost, except the dill.

Anyway, I planted 83 tiny carrot seedlings and they've done beautifully! I love the funky shapes, so much more interesting (and much yummier) than shop ones.

We had a carrot and silverbeet quiche for dinner. The silverbeet was also from our garden... I can't wait to have some land and a huuuuge vegie garden!

Potatoes and Ladybirds

2008-10-19T20:21:00.005+11:00

I'm fighting a battle at the moment. With ladybirds. 28 Spot Ladybirds, to be precise.

All the gardening books say that ladybirds are a gardener's best friend. Many kinds are. These bloody ones aren't! But I'll get to them later.

First, the potatoes.

This is the first season I've grown potatoes. I found an article in the paper, about 4 months ago, about growing potatoes in bins.

Make sure there are holes in the bottom of the garbage bins and sit them on bricks or stones so that drainage is not hindered.
Place the bin in a warm, sunny position and put about 15-20cm of compost mixed with old cow manure and some controlled-release fertiliser in the bottom. Place six seed potatoes (available from nurseries) on top of the mix and cover them with about 10cm of the compost-manure, plus a 2.5cm layer of straw mulch. Water regularly and, when the leafy stems rise about 20cm above the straw, add more of the compost-manure mix, leaving the tops of the leaves exposed.
This method ensures the plants keep making tubers up the stem. Continue until the container is full. New potatoes may be harvested about a month after the flowers have finished. For 'old' potatoes, wait until the leaves have dies completely. You will be surprised how many potatoes you can harvest from an old dustbin.

Here are mine:
I've got three bins going so far, as you can see, and they've all been going really well... until I saw on of these:Argh! They're eating the leaves, not too badly so far, but after checking up about them on ALS, they can do a fair bit of damage, not only to potatoes and related plants, but also to curcurbits. The potato bins aren't that far from my zucchinis, which are just getting their first flowers and little tiny zucchinis!

So the battle begins... they are NOT going to hurt my potatoes or my zucchinis!
I picked four off the potatoes today, but I can't bear to kill them, and if I let them go they'll just come back At the moment they're in a container on my kitchen bench... I'll taken them somewhere else and let them go tomorrow, I think.

So I Suddenly Felt The Need...

2008-10-15T20:55:00.000+11:00

... to start a blog.

So here's the plan- to be as self sufficient as possible. This might take a while! The first step in the plan is to get some land (25 acres or so), which will hopefully happen sometime next year. Then to build a house-shed to live in until we can afford to build a strawbale house. In the meantime, I'll be growing vegies and fruit to my heart's content. And getting chickens. And goats.

So where are we starting from? We're renting a unit in town. I'm growing as many vegies as I can, but really, there's not much room! Especially seeing as the vegie garden has to be fenced to keep the silly dog out... but lately she's getting in anyway! That's the back vegie garden, in which I have onions, strawberries, sugar snap peas, and a few cauliflowers, cabbages and broccoli. And one little self seeded tomato plant, who has popped up in the middle of the strawberries.

There's also the front vegie garden. I dug out all the agapanthus (noxious weeds!) and I've got cauliflowers, zucchini, lettuces, silverbeet, spinach, carrots, and beetroot. In bins I have potatoes, and in pots I have more strawberries, garlic and dill. There are parsnip seedlings coming, and a few roma tomatoes. Today I planted basil seeds (funky looking 'limelight basil'!) and tamarillo seeds. Yum!

It doesn't sound like we're doing too badly on the vegie front, does it? But there's not enough space to have decent quantities of everything... and I want a fruit orchard! And chickens!

Anyway, that's a basic rundown... and now I'm off to figure out how this blogging thing works.