Under the Weather

Dave is sick with smoke inhalation damage to his throat and lungs from trying to light a fire in our fireplace. We knew it hadn't been used recently, but Dave took a gamble because a crackling fire is so pleasant, and the weather has been so cold and miserable. Luckily Indigo and I were in bed, because it's made him really ill, and I feel terribly for him. I wish there was something more I could do to help. If good intentions and cups of tea made it better, he'd be better by now.

Indigo started teething on tooth number nine yesterday too, which meant she slept for hours during the day, and has been unsettled all night, hence the 2am post. Co-sleeping is definitely the way to go with a sick baby, I can't imagine getting out of bed as many times as Indy has woken up tonight. She's needed constant breastfeeding at a time where I was trying to start supplementing with bottles in the hope that I can get my period back soon so we can start trying for another kidlet, which has left me feeling frustrated and worn out.

Sick too, it seems. My throat feels raw and sore, my ears are blocked and itchy, so I know it's coming. I guess all I can do is drink orange and mango juice (yum!), take my multivitamin, be nice to myself, and hope that I can get some sleep to kill this bug. Or maybe it's inevitable, and I should prepare for a few days of solid mooching around the house until we all get better.

What do you do when you fall sick - or when the whole family gets sick? 

I usually try to soldier on if I'm sick, but stop the presses if it's anyone else. I should probably work on that -  being sick is inconvenient and uncomfortable, but it's natural not to be well 100% of the time, so I should be teaching this to Indigo. Luckily for all concerned she has never actually been seriously ill in her almost 12 months on the earth - just gunky eyes after travelling on a billion planes to go to Dave's sister's wedding, and a blocked nose a few weeks ago. She just sailed through it, because she's awesome.

We'll be just fine. I'll keep going because I know we'll come out the other side.

Gourmet Garden Blog-Off/Cook-Off!

A few weeks ago, I found out about Gourmet Garden's Blog-off/Cook-off, and signed up straight away. I half forgot about it until I received a couriered package of delicious herb and spicy goodness on Friday!

I spent a while dreaming up recipes - my parameters were that I wanted to make something unexpected, and I wanted to make something affordable because let's face it, none of us has as much money as we'd like, or time. 


 I decided to use the Thai Seasoning as a marinade for thai chicken skewers, in combination with a few of the other herbs I was given to use.


This recipe makes approximately 14 kebabs, if you leave a decent hand-hold at the bottom of your skewer!


3 teaspoons Gourmet Garden Thai Seasoning [contains shallots, chilli, ginger and lemongrass]
1 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Coriander
1 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Hot Chilli Don't use if you don't like the heat, they mean hot chilli!
1/2 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Basil
1/2 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Garlic
2 tablepoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
500g chicken breast/thigh (I used breast), cut into 2cm cubes or thereabouts 
1 large red capsicum, cut into chunks
1 large brown onion, cut into chunks
1 bunch baby pak choy
1 bunch broccolini


First, soak your skewers in cold water so they don't burn! I was very pleased with myself for actually remembering this tip for the first time upon making these! Leave them soaking while you chop up your ingredients, and they'll be ready by the time you're finished!

This is how much 'handle' I left on the kebabs - this way they are easier to turn and eat! [pre-cooked stage]

Next, marinate your chicken: add all the Gourmet Garden herbs and spices and a tablespoon of sesame oil to a bowl with your chicken pieces, and mush it all around with your hand. So messy, but so fun! Cover and refrigerate - now is a good time to chop up your vegies, because the chicken marinates so quickly! I'm not sure what it is about the Gourmet Garden Thai Seasoning, but it seems to penetrate the chicken fairly well, and will be done in 20 minutes to half an hour.

Next, poke all of your ingredients onto your skewers in an artful fashion. These are mine. I left about 10cms of blank-skewer at the end so that they are easier to handle.

Cook them under the grill set to medium on a piece of aluminium foil - turn them every 3 - 4 minutes until cooked - this will probably be three to four turns!

While the last of your kebabs are cooking, get out your steamer, and steam your broccolini and baby choy sum in two batches - otherwise they won't stay as crisp and green and amazing. 

Keep the kebabs warm under a low grill while toasting your sesame seeds in a dry pan, then add steamed greens and about 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, to taste. Toss until coated with warm sesame oil and toasty seeds. 

Et voila!

 Next time I make these, I will add sesame seeds to the kebabs while they cook for extra crunch!

These were a big hit in our house - there were no leftovers from fourteen skewers for three people, one of whom is under a year old! The greens worked really well with the flavours, nice and fresh and subtle, tying in some delicious sesame flavours.

Indigo loved sliding the pieces off the (blunt!) end of the skewers, and loved the taste - I would have loved to add more chilli, however those of you with non-chilli-eating kiddies, or who can't handle the heat, I'd suggest leaving it out altogether - the other spices are more than flavoursome enough, I just cannot resist!

Attachment Parents Get Frustrated Too

I've been wondering recently if a lot of people aren't turned-off attachment parenting due to the image of the "perfect" attachment parents. They never get cranky at something minor, grump around the house, eat all the chocolate and snap at everyone. They never complain noisily in the night about being woken up abruptly multiple times to full-bladder kicks from a climbing baby who wants to be breastfed and comforted back to sleep. 

In short, I do all of these things, on occasion. I'm still an attachment parent!

I know I'm not perfect even though I'd love to be (and try to be, at my own expense on many occasions), all I can do is apologise for my mistakes, move on, and learn something. 

Making mistakes and not "following all the rules" does not disqualify you from attachment parenting. Many attachment parents don't start out that way - it's not a from-the-start-or-not-at-all sort of deal - you can begin at any time, and it doesn't require perfection - just a willingness to admit to mistakes, and learn from them.


A lot of parents, my little parenting unit included, don't like the idea of following any particular parenting doctrine, but call ourselves attachment parents nonetheless, as the ideas fit most closely with our own, without being too specific. There are so many little niche parenting styles, I just like to think that we've all got the same ideas at heart - fostering strong connections between parents and children, to help them grow into strong, emotionally intelligent adults. 


I know we all want the best for our kids, and if you think attachment parenting might be what's best for your family, go for it! We all make "mistakes" when we parent, but it's only truly a mistake if you didn't learn something from it. 

I left Indigo to "cry it out" once, because I was so stressed and tired that I couldn't physically lift her or emotionally handle her constant crying. Putting her in her cot made it worse, but I NEEDED five minutes to calm down. After I calmed down, I went back to her, picked her up, and was capable of looking after her again. It took forever to help her settle down, but I'll bet a million bucks that she hasn't been scarred by the experience, even if I have chosen to parent her in an entirely different way! 


I think a lot of people also feel angry about attachment parenting, because we might seem like a smug lot. Yeah, our kids are parented differently to yours, but that doesn't mean I'm judging you as a parent and finding you lacking. It's just like religious and non-religious families: parenting differently with similar goals in mind. Neither is more legitimate. Some attachment parents want ALL parents to follow attachment parenting principles, but I think that's pretty narrow-minded - almost everyone thinks that they are parenting in a way which will benefit their children, one way or the other. 

Most parents adopt some attachment parenting practices into their parenting style, using a sling or baby carrier as opposed to a pram, for instance. Hell, Beyonce even breastfed and carries little Blue Ivy around all over the place - no pram in sight!


So I guess my point is something about not judging people, because we all make some similar parenting decisions, and most of us do some form of attachment parenting. We all just need to be a bit kinder to each other, and a little less judgemental - the parent you're judging is just doing what works for them, just like you!


I love all these old photos of Indigo, so thought I'd include some to lighten up a heavy post!!

Nice Things to Start the Month With

I've had a rough week. Indigo has been teething, and keeping Dave and I up all night. She's been doing lots of parent-climbing in the middle of the night, even asleep! It's made the week full of stress feel even more stressful, but we're coming out the other side, I hope. 

Image via Etsy - weepereas

I'm feeling determined to take things as they come now, and not resort to frustration or depression (my sure-fire sign that I'm stretching myself too thin, and expecting too much of myself). It's back to basics: good food; clean home; lots of exercise; make things; read books; write; talk to people. I know this combination is pretty much designed to make me feel like a human being again, so it's worth giving it my all.

Image via Etsy - ButterflyLove1

It's May, and just over a month until Indigo's first birthday, and my twenty fifth, five days later. I'm hoping to have an amazing combined birthday shindig, so I hope I can plan it all without costing the earth, and pull it off without too much drama! I'm thinking planning and preparing for this party will help pull me out of my slump! I love decorating, designing menus, making invitations...in fact, pretty much everything that comes along with parties. I can't wait to get started! Follow my party board on Pinterest to see my inspiration. In fact, take a look at all my boards! Go on!

One wonderful thing happened this week: we got our rabbit back!

Pepper has been our rabbit for almost three years, and has lived with Dave's mum and sister for almost 11 months. We missed him so much, but couldn't have him at our last rental property. Here however, we have a huge yard which won't be ruined by the addition of a rabbit hutch, so here he is!

Pepper and I, back when I was fighting a losing battle against white-blonde hair

Indigo loves him, but needs to learn a thing or two about soft patting! It's so nice to watch how excited she gets with a new animal to watch and play with. Next stop, convince landlord for those chickens I want...

Radical Mummy Self- Love!

I've been reading Gala Darling's blog for over a year now, and her message of radical self love has gotten me thinking - how can mums feel more radical self-love?


We're often portrayed as stressed, clean-freak multi-tasking machines, but we're still taken for granted, and we rarely get the chance to do things purely for ourselves. It's time to love ourselves more!

This is what I imagine Supermum looks like! From Della-Stock

Practice feeling like Supermum. This doesn't mean worrying endlessly about what you aren't doing for the kids - it means taking charge of your life and making it work for you. When mum is happy, the family is happy. Feeling like supermum allows you to separate yourself from the regular mummy-guilt, and rise to being the mum you want to be. All it involves is a change in perspective, but this change will allow you to view your decisions in an entirely new light, and make choices based on logic, not irrational guilt and anxiety. Being supermum to your kids means they can connect with you better during play, but also allow you to get time for yourself, and not worry about whether your partner will "do a good job" with the kids, or whether your mother-in-law will stuff them full of lollies and bring them home cranky. Supermums don't worry about what might happen, supermums adapt and work with what is actually happening. This is a RADICAL kind of self-love - keep practising every day for optimum happiness.

Teach your kids to give you massages, if they are old enough to understand what you want. They will love getting a chance to touch you and play masseuse, and you can reap the rewards! (Maybe teach the older ones about the concept of making Mum breakfast in bed?) Kids are too little? Get your partner or your bestie to give you one instead!

rachel-stocks on Deviant Art

Grow flowers, then pick them. Or buy yourself some flowers. Or ask a lovely old nanna for some out of her garden if you see her pottering around. Arrange them in vases wherever appropriate. Make a few places in your home which are beautiful and relaxing to rest your eyes on.

Melting on the lounge in my amazingly soft robe with Trilby, pregnant with Indigo. Stylish! 

Invest in a lovely soft dressing gown for winter, complete with warm fluffy slippers, and a silky, sexy robe for summer. Indulge your sense of touch with fabrics which make you feel nice!




Wear lipstick. I know that lipstick isn't practical, and that's half the fun! Catching a glimpse of yourself in a mirror, and double-take as you remind yourself of your lovely, bright lips!




Cook lazily, drinking a glass of wine and listening to jazz (Or do your thing. This is mine.) Then, eat at your leisure. Allow the children to make as much mess as needed within a confined area, as long as you are allowed to eat in peace.

iStock via The Newborn Baby

Love the body that birthed your children, and saw you all safe out the other side of labour. Enjoy growing older! If you find that difficult, take a look at this blog. I guarantee you will think these women are amazing and glamourous and beautiful, regardless of their age, and they take care of themselves because they are important people too, regardless of age or profession.

"Expert" Advice Debunked Again!

I came across some parenting articles via my Facebook feed after my third or fourth night-wakening, and decided to try to read something educational and interesting and give up on sleep. So here I am, blogging about it, because I think that it was interesting and educational enough to write about! Thanks to Evolutionary Parenting for sharing!


The article Educating the Experts - Lesson One: Crying by Tracy G. Cassels is written with the "Experts" as its reader's voice - written in second person, it accuses "you" of all the crimes of the "Experts", which can be a little confronting, but the information is great, so I kind of just get a shock whenever it refers to "All of you, whether you claim to be against crying-it-out or not, promote forms of leaving an infant to cry.  And all of you promote ways of “training” your baby not to cry."  But I digress...

I found it interesting to note that the more responsive a parent is when responding to the cries of their child, regardless how competent they were at reducing the crying at that point in time, the less their child will cry later on. I rejoice at this news! Most parents will rush to help their child, but then feel a little (or a LOT) incompetent, because they can't "fix" what's wrong with their child then and there. I think the news that just being there is helping might be pleasant news to parents who have had to comfort a lot of crying, but with little reward! After needs have been met, cuddling is the most effective way to reduce the severity and length of a crying episode - think of it as meeting the Cuddle need!


The article also makes a very important, scary point: a lot of these "expert" baby-guide books write with the not-so-subtle messages that your baby is a screaming, poo covered creature out to manipulate you. Ok - so they aren't that forward with this message, but the idea of hardening your heart against your child's cries for its own benefit is just plain wrong. Babies do not cry to manipulate us, just to let us know that everything is not ok. If we change our perspective on why the baby is crying (to get our attention to make things ok again, not to thwart our desires for time out, or keep us from getting any sleep) we can change the ways we respond, leading to happier babies, happier parents, and less guilt all around.

Sometimes you need five minutes to compose yourself before responding to your child's cries - that's ok, we're all human. Sometimes you might even tell yourself "that's it! I'm not going to go to her again!" (I know I'm guilty of saying this under stress, but I'm always there for her when I regain my composure, or my partner is). This is ok. We're fragile, imperfect beings, and that is ok too. Being a Superparent (in my view) means knowing how much you can take on, knowing when to back out, and knowing when you need to relax - not assuming that we can all carry on indefinitely with unrelenting stress levels, which is unhealthy and certainly unsuper.

I loved reading this article, and I hope you did too. Here are the links to the other "Educating the Experts" lessons, because I think the points made are valid, and will help you connect better with your kids, and stay away from the guilt-mongers and schedule-followers who will make your life miserable.

Bea xox


Educating the Experts - Lesson One: Crying by Tracy G. Cassels  

Lesson Two: Needs

Lesson Three: Touch

Lesson Four: Self-Soothing

Lesson Five: Schedules

I Love To Watch Her Grow

Often when I talk to people about Indigo, they ask about the milestones she's up to. They asked if she was crawling at four months old. They asked if she was saying any words at six months. They asked if she was walking at eight months. They also seemed to be slightly disappointed when the answer to all of these questions was "no". The day-to-day of playing with kids is a gradual process, and you can watch your child grasping new concepts and making discoveries every day. 

I guess a lot of people just don't know when kids start actually "doing things". I also don't understand the need to rush from milestone to milestone, without enjoying all the stuff in between. Milestones are things to worry about if your kid doesn't seem to be progressing normally, not play-by-plays every baby goes through in the same way, at the same time, or even in the same order! For example, Indigo started creeping along using the furniture before she'd gotten the hang of crawling, and is now a pro at both!

We had a visit from Dave's grandma today, who brought Indy a wooden pram and a wooden swan on a string, which she loves. She has spent a large portion of the day pushing around the pram, putting toys in, then dumping them all out. It's pink and natural wood, but I think I want to paint it red and white, to freshen it up.

Indigo is growing up so fast. I guess it's like that with babies - one minute they have floppy necks, the next you're running around trying to keep up with them. Indigo has started playing out of my sight, on occasion. This thrills me - after doubting my choices in regards to attachment parenting due to other people's opinions on Indy's joey-like clinging, it's so nice to watch her being so bold and adventurous. It reaffirms my choices, and proves to me that giving your child as much attention as they want does not raise a child incapable of independence.

I love to watch her grow. That just about says it all.