Creating Laughing Loving

It's The Weekend...AGAIN

2012-01-20T13:07:00.000Z

Hi. Wow, that week went by quickly. I hope yours was good. I don't really have much to report from this week, it has been busy but not with anything in particular..you know how it is.

I'm now really looking forward to the weekend. We always try not to plan our weekends too much as it restricts the spontaneous fun that we prefer. A diary that is filled too much, too far in advance makes me very anxious. I much prefer to see how the weather, the mood and the day takes us and don't you find that unplanned things often beat planned activities hands down?....I do.

I do have a few vague ideas of things that I would like to do though. We have a movie to watch tonight, the kids will probably spend hours playing outdoors and I'd like us to get some sea air but my main priority is a spot of garden planning...oh yes, it's that time again...seed buying and sowing will commence this weekend. I also want to jiggle things around in the garden this year and am planning a new location for our veg patch, so this means a bit of planning, pricing and possibly digging to be started if the weather holds.

We also plan to do a fair bit of eating this weekend but I'll talk more about that next week.

I am typing this whilst I wait for this Friday's baked goodies to come out of the oven. Viennese fingers this week...which will look hilarious I'm sure due to the fact that I couldn't find my star nozzle for the piping and realised that I ate the last of the plain chocolate last night...Oooops.I don't suppose the kids will mind the milk chocolate one bit. I'll post a pic when they are done.

Have a good weekend.

K x

Friday, I'm In Love....with Biscotti

2012-01-13T14:33:00.002Z

It's Friday. I love Fridays. Although I don't go out to work I still get the same buzz in anticipation of the weekend as I did when I was working....it's the excitement of knowing that very soon I get to spend time with my very favourite people. We can slow down the pace a little and have some fun together...woohoo!!

This week has been quite a slow, easy week generally although I've made up for it today by cracking on with a million things and running here there and everywhere trying to get on top of things (and failing on some fronts) to get ahead. I did find time to do a little bit of baking though. I do try to bake something most Fridays. I like the idea of something fresh in the cake or biscuit tin for the weekend. I'd like that to be a memory that the children have and take with them in their lives...Mum baked for the weekend. For the family. For us.

This week I've made something for the grown ups to enjoy though. Biscotti. Although I'm sure the kids will be dunking them into hot chocolate at some point!!!

If you'd like to make some, here's the recipe. They are super easy and super impressive.

Ingredients

1 egg
100g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
125g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
50g shelled almonds
75g dark choc chips

Preheat oven to gas mark 4/180 degrees

Whisk egg and sugar until pale and mousse like in texture. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Then slowly fold in the flour, baking powder and salt.

Once combined, fold in the almonds and choc chips. Then form into a log like loaf about 25cm x 5cm on a piece of baking parchment on a baking sheet.

Cook for 25 mins. Leave on tray to harden for ten minutes and then slice into 1cm wide fingers. Put them back into oven for another 10 mins.

Remove from oven, turn them over and replace into the oven for the final 5mins. Then they are done. Take them out. Place on a wire tray until cool and then store in an airtight container.

Enjoy them this weekend with a coffee, the newspapers or a good book. Take a few minutes for you....use the biscotti as an excuse...they and you are worth it!

The sun is set to shine all weekend I think here in the UK so I'm hoping we can get outdoors lots. I hope your weekend is full of fun and laughter wherever you are.

K x

3 Lessons Learnt

2012-01-10T10:46:00.000Z

I've been looking inwards a lot recently. Trying to figure 'it' out and decide what works for us, for me and what doesn't. This all sounds a bit wishy washy I suppose, but what I'm really trying to say is that for a long time now my confidence had gone and the real me disappeared and hid for a while but I'm feeling stronger, braver and clearer all the time.

I have finally learnt to acknowledge what I feel and what I believe and not to waver in those beliefs. It's not about me being right and someone else being wrong or the search for perfection (I gave up on that one the moment I started trying to get pregnant!) but the realisation that perhaps I am pretty cool and that my instincts have actually been spot on and I should have faith in and trust my inner voice.

Since having my eldest child nearly 8 years ago I have often been told a million times how to do everything. From when I should wean her, what I should feed her, what I should play with her, how to get her to sleep, how we should educate her and it goes on and on and on....the media, books, school, friends, family, aquaintances...everyone has an opinion on everything and most of it doesn't match up to my opinion. Guess what, I'm over it. My children are happy, healthy and more than anything they are having a blissful childhood and I'm taking steps this year to ensure that I live strong to my beliefs on this field. There is nothing to fix, no right or wrong, no destination we have to arrive at, no test to pass.

Playing with a cardboard box - fab imaginative play

Learning to cook - another fun lesson - yummy too!

The only important thing is that the kids have fun, have a free childhood and are exposed to the stuff that I believe to be life changing...books, nature, interesting people, arts, music and did I mention fun? That'll be the main one.

I've also realised, finally at the age of 41, that I'm writing my own story and I can change how it goes. Slowly, I am putting my toe in the water and it's not as bad in there as I thought. New experiences have come my way, opportunities for fun and self fulfilment have appeared before me and I like it. Who knows what will happen this year....if I let it! I can't do it alone though and I am going to surround myself with positivity this year.

And finally, something that I always knew but sometimes forget is that life is for living and that the tiny, small moments and pleasures are just as important as the huge dreams and aspirations. I write a daily to do list and I now purposely add in a couple of pleasures that are 'to be done'...it could be take 15 mins with a coffee and a book, run a bath, make a fresh fruit salad, take a walk with your camera, buy some flowers and put them on the table....it's the little things that turn an ordinary day into a special one...and I would like every day to be a good 'un.

I hope you have a special day, it's in your power to make some high points happen. Go do it.
K x

I nearly hugged the Ocado man this morning....

2012-01-04T18:00:00.000Z

I really did. Apart from being a very sweet man who always has a cheery word and a smile for us, the real reason for my excitement was the groceries that he brought to our door. It was sooooo good to clean the fridges out yesterday and know that today they would be full to bursting point with fruit and veggies. The first big shop of the new year is always a bit of a relief...no biscuits, no cheese, no pate or any other fat or sugar laden baddies...just clean, wholesome stuff. Fabulous, this is half of this weeks shopping....

It's not all organic, as I would really like it to be, but I try to make the best choices I can according to the following lists which tell us which produce has the most and least pesticide residue...It's not always possible to buy the organic version due to funds, location or availability but at least you can be aware of the worst offenders and possibly peel them before eating which will cut down on some of the chemicals you consume.

The Dirty Dozen

Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Bell Peppers
Spinach
Kale
Cherries
Potatoes
Grapes

The Clean 15:

Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mangoes
Sweet Peas
Asparagus
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet Potato
Honeydew Melon

I am no nutritionist and am muddling my way through the diet/weight/healthy eating maze like everyone else, and so I won't put up a list of exactly what I am currently eating but the following hints and tips are things that without doubt make it easier for me to eat good and lose a little weight in the process.

First, give away, throw away or hide any food that you know isn't going to help the cause. DO NOT be scared to throw food in the bin...we all know that throwing food is bad news but it's even worse to put the crap into your body. So, ditch it and move on. Don't buy anymore rubbish and shop wisely in the future and it'll be the last time you do it.

Stop making excuses. If you want to see change you have to make changes. We all know how to lose weight...eat less and move more but it's more than weight loss it's also how the food makes you feel. Healthy whole foods make you feel great. End of.

Get support. Keep away from friends or family that try to sabotage you...you know the ones, the ones who egg you on just to make themselves feel better for being weak! Oh, you know it's true!

Cut back on sugar and avoid fizzy sodas and other sugary drinks like the plague.

Eat seasonally. It makes so much sense. The food tastes better when it's eaten at the right time of year and without going into too much depth here, it's what your body needs, nature knows best.

Get lots of sleep. Go to bed an hour earlier and you'll feel soooo much better. Over the holidays I was getting used to late nights and lazy mornings...for January at least I'm pledging to be in bed by 10pm at the latest and getting up a little earlier in the mornings. It'll stop the night time nibbles too...is it just me who gets the nibbles for a bit of something just before bed?

Don't ditch all fats in an effort to lose weight...nuts & seeds, avocados, oily fish etc etc all contain good fats that give your body so much...don't be tempted to cut these things out in an effort to drop the pounds...just limit the quantities.

Exercise. This is the big one. If you don't move you'll never feel better. Not only will you get fit, lose the pounds but when I exercise my mind clears too. You have to move every single day, once a week isn't good enough and everyone has time to do something even if it's a ten minute walk at lunchtime. I'm going to stop making excuses and am upping my exercise...gentle walking this week...a jogette at the weekend and then hopefully back to 5K runs soon enough.


More of my groceries

I hope that makes some sense and if you are looking for some inspiration maybe something here will have helped. The main thing is to have fun, feel great and take pleasure from the food you eat. Maybe you, like me will find a passion for kale...maybe.....

Karen x

.....And So It Begins....

2012-01-03T10:28:00.001Z

I'm sat here at my desk, cup of tea at my side and I can hear silence....yes, silence. The children are back at school, husband at work and I have the house to myself. It's a strange feeling. I'm already missing the fun and laughter, the music, the giggling and yes, I'm even missing the "Muuuummmm, can I have a drink?", "Mummmmmm she just pushed me", "Muuuuuuummmmmm, can we go out to play?" calls that pepper the air every 5 minutes BUT it also feels good too.

Today I'm setting aside time to write lists, clean the house and generally prepare for the year ahead. I always find list writing to be a great way of focusing my mind and getting my priorities straight. I'm thinking about my plans, hopes and dreams for the coming months and how I can achieve them. I came across this quote the other day and it rang very true to me..."humans are designed to seek comfort and order, and so if they have comfort and order, they tend to plant themselves, even if their comfort isn't all that comfortable. and even if they secretly want for something better."
~donald miller

Hmmm, that speaks to me. Maybe I've been planted for too long...maybe I need to push myself forward to new chapters...how about you? In a rut? A little too comfortable? Ready for a change? Make 2012 the year that your dreams came true.

Putting the Christmas decorations away has given me the drive to clean the house top to bottom, reorganise some areas that aren't working and plan the decorating that needs to be done this Spring. I have an urge to clean everything, make the house sparkle and feel fresh again. The same kind of goes for me too, diet and exercise are a huge priority this year. Yes, I want to lose weight but it's more than that. This year will be the year that finally I get it in control and get myself fit and healthy...for life!

I find that when I'm eating well and exercising regularly my mind is clearer and calmer and that's just what I need this year....out with the old me, the scared me and in with a thirst for adventure and fun, grabbing every opportunity and being able to see everyone and everything for what they are...leaving the bad behind and only accepting the good stuff into my life. I've been incredibly inspired by a couple of amazing women last year who have done amazing things with their lives, who live in the moment, they are so strong to their beliefs and focus on the delicious fabulousness of life, their families and the world around them...thats how I want to be...so it's goodbye, hit the road jack to negativity, competition and the kind of stuff that drains the energy from your day and hello there to fun, sunshine and positivity. Bring on the good times.

Next time, I'll share few details of my foodie plans and the changes I intend to make with how we eat. In the past I've flirted with a vegan diet which did make me feel amazing (until I went and got anemia!) so with a lot of reading and research done I'm planning a high plant content diet but I'm not going to give up any food groups...more of a moderate approach this time round. It's going to be tough after the excesses of Christmas. I've piled on a huge amount of weight which makes me so sad but I know I can make a change and that in return my energy levels will soar, I'll be a happier mummy and hopefully a more fun wife too!

This is my motto for now....

So, no more excuses, no more talk of fresh starts. Now is the time to just get on with good living and putting all of my lists, plans and dreams into action.

I'm excited!

Karen x

A Fresh Start to 2012

2012-01-02T18:36:00.002Z

Happy New Year! 2012 already! Wow, where did 2011 go to? I have a good feeling about the coming year, I'm going into it with a really positive feeling and am ready to grab whatever exciting opportunities appear to me. One of my resolutions this year is to live in the moment. I'm going to let go of my fears and really start living to my maximum potential...big, huge changes ahead I feel...please come along with me on my journey...I'm going to be sharing a bit of everything here. Personal stuff that I'm looking forward to exploring, my adventures in homemaking and parenting as usual and maybe a few new fun things that life kicks up.

If you've been here before you may be wondering where all the 300+ posts that were here have gone. Well, I was struggling with a lot of the content here. I felt it was a bit all over the place, a little like me to be honest. I'm feeling ready to move on though and I felt that I needed a clean slate both in real life and here.

Wishing you lots of health and happiness for 2012.

Karen x