Busy Busy!

What a week!

I knew it was coming, but this weeks jolt back into reality has hit hard! Its the week that our holidays as we know it came to a grinding halt and reality of every day kicked back in!

Swimming lessons are on, motor cross registration is due, lunches must be packed and cooking supplies for the weekly morning tea and afternoon tea need to be pre-planned!

Stooge has started back at preschool 2 days this year, and whist he's a pretty cruisey kid, he's a bit bummed his 'bestie is only joining him one of the days.

Bib also resumed school this week, and is very proudly a year one participant! She is happy with her teacher, but sadly only has one girl from the same class this year with her. I've tried to reassure her that the teachers only choose 'strong' kids to join new class rooms ........ it seems to be working so far (although we are only at day 2!)

I am quietly sad for her as I know that even though I know there are bigger issues in the world that are more important, she is only six. And when your six its important to have a little stability and consistency within your little world. I know she'll make new friends, and she can always meet up with her 'besties' in the playground, but I also know there will be that level of friendship she will have to almost cling to as the other girls share class time without her. { sniff sniff.......my poor baby!}

Me on the other hand, well I'm having a big week simply by organising  my life to allow me the joys I've promised myself! These include so far:
1. committing to the 100km Oxfam trail walk, which has meant getting my butt into gear and fitness level up, to prepare for such an event! Hence the arvo running!
2. enrolling myself into an African drumming course held in my local community.....sooo excited about
3. reading soooo much more that last year (aim was 12 in 12, but am already at 3 in 1 so may have to re-evaluate!)
4. spending some much needed and divine one on one time with the little Rouge. She has to date not enjoyed me to herself as the others got to {perils of being #3 I guess} so I'm being very conscious as to how we spend our time and making the most of our 2 days together.

Hopefully we'll all get into the groove of our new 2012 routine and what seems like busy now will simply become our norm..............

How has your week been?? Have you found your weekly 'groove' yet??

Savour Sundays.......

                                                                    BONGANI x       

Rainy day fun

Hooray for rain!!

Today it has not stopped raining and I have to say we have had the best day at home ever!

The kids and I had a ball baking 3 cakes (Australia day tomorrow and I'm on dessert!) watching 2 movies together on the couch with the mandatory popcorn of course, numerous games of uno (is anyone elses kids obsessed??), and a 2 hour nude play dancing in the rain (well the kids did that bit he he)

We played music almost all day and just danced and sang and did whatever it was we felt like at the time. Lunch was late, rest time for Rouge was late and we just took the pressure off and enjoyed the moment.

It's these days that I absolutely love and know will cherish in the years ahead, and with school going back in just 5 days, the grind of routine upon us, we all thanked the rain for allowing us to chill together.

Fruit Leathers

Fruit leathers are the BEST!!
My friend asked me how I make them, so I thought I'd share with you too.

Most kinds of fruit can be made into fruit leathers (or roll ups as the kids call them). You can use just one kind of fruit blended up and dried, or a mixture of seasonal fruit blended together. I tend to do a big blend as it's a practical way of using up ripe fruit and incorporating other produce too.

You really can just about put anything in them, like:
paw paw, stone fruits, pineapple, pears, mangoes, oranges, bananas, strawbs, chokos, persimmons, rhubarb.......the list is endless really!
In the past I've experimented with adding herbs like lemon balm, ginger, finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon, licorice root and citrus rind.

So the first step is to blend all the fruit/leaves etc to a pulp (like above)
Then I place down some baking paper onto the shelves of the dehydrator and spread it out evenly. My kids like them not too thick, but you can experiment for yourself. Just remember the thicker it is the longer it will take to dry/dehydrate.

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can use your oven instead. (Remember though an oven does not dry food but slow cooks it. Food will eventually become dry in an oven if left in long enough, but be careful it doesn't become brittle or charred.)
Simply do the same as above and set your oven to a very low temp,  then place your oven tray at the top of the oven with the door left ajar. This method does take longer, so I suggest doing it in the morning.

The batch above consisted of figs, mango, pear and fresh aloe gel  (peel the aloe leaf and wash off the yellowy sap, as this can be very bitter, just leaving you with the filleted inside gel)

Once your happy with how dry they are you simply cut into strips and place in an air tight container. The dyer the better for longevity, but they don't tend to last long enough in this house for that to be a problem!! If you wanted them to appear like 'roll ups' you just need to roll them whist slightly warm and they will stay like this in their container.

They are perfect for lunch boxes, picnics, bush walks or any place you like to go really.
ENJOY!

How do you use up your ripe fruits? Do you have a favourite flavour combination?

Dessert Dumped......

Ever since Bib started solids (almost 6 1/2 years ago!) I have followed her meal with a dessert.  This could come in the form of a little yoghurt, stewed fruit, sometimes something sweeter like rice custard or as she got older sometimes ice cream.

And then I had Stooge and because he was getting his dessert, she would get some too (trying to keep things even/fair) and then of course Rouge came along and the cycle has continued.

It's something that's been on my mind a lot lately though. When do you stop dessert? When does that dessert switch from being something of a nutritional need to being something that will set up bad habits later in life???

So after asking many friends what goes on at meal times in their house, I think it has become clear that dessert is now to be a 'sometimes food' and not a 'given' in this household!! So after much discussion Pip and I have decided that dessert on a Saturday and Sunday night is now going to be our families norm and during the week we are dessert free..................
Then we flipped a coin as to who was going to break it to the kids!!!!! (damn that queens head!)

They actually took it quite well!
Although they thought I was joking at first they did come back with some good ideas as to why it isn't such a good idea to eat dessert every night.
So whilst the first night of going cold turkey did seem to go fairly smoothly, I have a feeling they will hit me up again every night this week, just to check my stamina, and I will know doubt be repeating myself for longer than a week, but I am so happy to have this matter off my mind and I know it will benifit them far better in their growing years ahead.

Whats the dessert norm in your house?? Is it something you've even thought about?

Savour Sundays.......

Bongani

Out and About......

Finally some beautiful weather appears to be staying around, so what better opportunity to enjoy it than to head out with some friends and do some adventuring!

We are so lucky to live on the edge of a national park, and although it seems we are there all the time, the kids just love getting amongst it with the added thrill of what they could find ............ And surprisingly, its something different every time! Today's thrill was some beautiful leaves and a group of gum nuts :)

Being that it's a national park, what is found must stay within the park and not brought home, but they are always happy to do so with the reminder that we can put it somewhere safe and find it next time we come (funnily enough they've never re-looked for their hidden treasures)

We met up with some friends to share our 'adventure' with this morning and were luckily enough to come across some kangaroos, lizards, kookaburras and of course the ever present bush turkey!
I just love walking in the bush and am so thrilled that our kids are appreciative of  it too.

Have you found something special whilst out adventuring? Where's your favourite walking spot?