Disclaimer (or I am just an average consumer)

I would like to say that I am just an average mother, worker, woman, consumer.  I have a bachelor's degree, but not in nutrition, finance or art.  And so I am making my decisions based on the little I know, a bit I read, with a dose of practicality mixed in.  This blog is about my experiences and contains only occasional research. 

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss

?This was my hands down favourite when I was a kid.  I have now introduced my worn copy (with the front cover missing) to my four-year old and he is also having fun exploring the pages.  There is a certain magic about Dr. Seuss books, but this one in particular has great illustrations which you can literally explore for ages--as my son proves every time I try to read it to him. 

In addition to the usual rhymes, there is always a moral to the story.  In this one, a young man meets a wise old man in the desert, who tells him about all sorts of weird and wonderful---and unfortunate creatures that have a much more difficult time of it. 

I will say that this age and older are probably a more suitable audience for the book.  I tried to share it with him a few times in the past, and although there are a lot of fun rhymes, he just wasn't into it a couple of years ago.

Baby-led Weaning

Gill Rapley draws on her twenty years of experience and research into infant feeding and her work as a health visitor. 

This book briefly explains why we have moved from a breastfed diet, to purees, and how we can return to a milk and solid foods diet starting from 6 months of age. The method is suitable for breastfed, formula fed, or mixed feed babies. 

I am fascinated by the approach, which skips spoonfeeding and hands solid foods to babies who are old enough to sit up unaided, and able to bring food to their mouths.  I found the research and examples quite helpful.  Babies who are fed from age four months need purees because they cannot chew yet.  Babies develop the ability to chew, and manage food in their mouths from 6 months and above.  Babies who are allowed to develop naturally are able to suck on foods and then eventually manage to chew and swallow without choking. This natural progression is actually hampered by feeding babies purees.  It is a bit of a messy process, but not much more so than when babies usually start on solids. 

Giving babies solid foods to gnaw on is not new and actually practiced in much of the world.  In Tanzania, where my Other Half is from, the whole family eats off of a communal plate.  Babies are breastfed longer as a rule, but they can join in the family meal when they like.  The World Health Organisation actually suggests that babies are breastfed for two years.  I did this with my son and never really worried if he had enough solid food because breastmilk is so nutritious and provides most of what babies need.

My son did not have much trouble with spoonfeeding, but I did feel that something wasn't quite right with it.  As he got older, I especially was concerned about his getting enough of each nutrient and not too many sweets.  This book explains how to work through these dilemmas.  This approach advocates a healthy eating plan for the whole family to adopt.  And it supports mealtime routines.

This particularly appeals to me right now because our meals have definitely become haphazard over the last few years due to our work schedules.  I feel that my son, especially has suffered for this and has become more of a fussy eater of late.  I would like to follow some of the nutrition and family routine advice now.  Hopefully we will be all ready to adopt the baby led weaning techniques when this baby is 6 months old.

It will be quite a while before I can update on this, since she is currently about 3 months away from being born!

Usborne Christmas Baking Book

We love this book and have blogged about some of our endeavours already.  We especially love the gingerbread houses and Christmas cupcakes which are flavoured with clementines.  There are a number of Christmassy recipes, but many could be used all year around.  My son especially likes that he has his own cookbook to look through.

He received this for his fourth birthday, and so he still needs an adult to help him with reading, etc.  But there are many large, clear photographs, which helps both of us get through the recipes!  I will definitely look for more of their books in the future.

Thanks Auntie H!!

A Return to Love

I thought I had read this books many years ago, but must have read some of her other works.  I am a big Marianne Williamson fan.  I am looking forward to hearing her on HayHouseRadio.com.  I think she has a new programme on Tuesdays. 

This book draws on her experiences studying and teaching on A Course In Miracles.  This is a modern evolution of Christianity and has many fans.  While many of the ideas are different from the lessons we grew up with, they really appeal to me.

I have picked this up several times over the last year.  I re-read sections and get more out of it each time.  I am fascinated by many of the concepts:  God is love.  Fear is hell.  We come here to learn lessons and return to love.

I like how this book goes over some of they key points from a Course in Miracles, but in simpler terms.  I think that both books are very powerful and have the potential to not only alter your thinking, but alter the way you live--and enjoy your life. 

I think that what people gain from the book is quite personal, and I would like to blog on my gains at some point.  I think that I will be reading some sections again and using some of the ideas in my journaling and meditation practices this year.  And I would love to hear from others what they think about the book.

Square Foot Gardening

This is one of my favourite gardening books.  It is amazing how much you can grow in such a small space.  Mel Batholomew also gives such great tips for keeping seeds year after year, and watering etc. 

I find it much easier to grow vegetables in beds instead of huge rows.  With this method you grow what you need rather than simply emptying a seed packet down a long row, only to have to thin out later.  So this method is less waste, less weeding, and there is less waste with the produce at the end.  (Let's face it, summer squashes don't freeze that well).  The other great advantage is that there is no annual digging involved!  If you don't walk all over your vegetable patch, and compact the earth, there is no reason to dig it. 

If you are new to gardening or trying to grow in a very small space,this is a very helpful book.  And if you want to expand, you can do that easily too by creating more beds!

Friend for Dinner

I have been having a bit of a rough pregnancy and so it is especially nice to have a friend come round to visit and to cook together.  OK, well maybe I did more cooking and my friend (and follower) Vicki did more playing with my 4 year old!  But every little helps as they say.

We made Madhur Jaffrey's Whole Chicken wrapped in foil.  I wish I had more photos.  We were having too much fun gobbling it down and playing with new Christmas toys.  It is somewhat unusual to find Indian recipes for whole chicken because like in much of the world, Indians often cut up meats and cook them on stovetops in casseroles or on the grill.

This chicken was marinated in a spicy yoghurt mixture for a few hours.  Well I did an hour because I ran out of time.  Then smothered in another onion spice paste.  The list of ingredients looks long, but it is mostly spices and very easy to put together.  What's more, it tasted DELICIOUS!  I really need to do it more often.  I served it with plain steamed vegetables and some small potatoes.  Although I love every vegetable dish I have cooked from this book, I ran out of energy and onions! 

This is the first Indian cookbook I have owned.  I have one more now from another author. I am tempted to put more of Madhur's books on my wish list.  Making spice pastes and measuring out a few extra ingredients might take a few extra minutes, but the flavours are amazing.  And they are certainly cheaper and healthier than getting a takeaway.  I use this book most often to make an interesting vegetable dish to serve with a plain roast chicken.  I have only ever received compliments!

Artwork by Vicki, mostly.

An oldie but goodie

One of the items I lugged across the Atlantic was my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  I have the 1996 edition.

It was a gift from my mother and it is in regular use in my house, especially when I am missing some of my favourite American recipes.  Although touted as a basic cookbook  (---it will tell you how to make cakes, muffins, pies, soups, roasts, etc), it has some really modern and interesting items too. 

The recipes which get used the most in our house include:

Busy-Day  Cake with Broiled Coconut Topping.  In fact if I have friends over for a barbecue or party they demand it!  It is super quick because it is made in one bowl and you can do it with only one measuring cup and one measuring spoon if you want to.  My other favourite cake in here is the Hot Milk Sponge.  I used to make it a lot in college using whole wheat flour and it was always wonderful!

Wild Rice Stuffing  This is a very different stuffing and the only one we ever have in our house.

There are also a number of grain casseroles and salads we like a lot, such as Mixed Grain Casserole and Cabbage Rolls with Bulgar and Vegetables.  It is hard to find them elsewhere.  I am constantly using the recipes for Puffed Oven Pancake, Baking Powder Biscuits and Muffins.  You can make many muffin variations.  I change the type of flour I use sometimes and add fresh, frozen or dried fruits as well as oatmeal.

My favourite parenting book

I came across this book by happy chance.  Or divine providence!  And it has truly changed my life.  It has changed the way I think and talk to everyone.  It is an easy read and has some great illustrations.

According to the authors, it is possible to create boundaries with children while maintaining their self-esteem.  One of the most important things I gained from reading the book is my role in helping young people name their feelings.  They outline common pitfalls and many solutions.  Most of the examples are for school age children, but I read this when my son was 18 months and started using this principles right away.

While I loved the concept, I wasn't sure I could use it with a toddler who did not speak much and didn't listen as much as I would have liked either.  But sure enough when he was having a tantrum on the floor, I would name his feelings (anger or sadness).  He would stop crying and come for a cuddle.  We managed to skip the terrible twos altogether!  Now that my son is four he is even able to reason out problems and solutions with his friends at school, and even his disagreements with us.  I am by no means the perfect parent after reading this, but I continue to try out these techniques with children with success.

I have also found the ideas helpful in my work and in my relationships with friends.  I have been lending the book to colleagues and friends for years.  In fact I have finally ordered a copy just to be used at work.  And when I told my sister about the book, she said that she already read it because her daughter's school asked all the parents to read it. 

This book is also available on amazon.co.uk, which is where I purchased it four years ago.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/