Its All About the Resolutions.

The blogging world seems to be buzzing with resolutions at the moment. Heck, most people IRL are making goals and plans for the year ahead, often to be forgotten by mid February or March, as the incessant daily grind fully takes hold.

I'll join in and play for a bit, as there things i would like to achieve this year.

• My Allotment. I would like to see this producing most of the veg we need throughout the second half of this year, continuing from there on producing the vast majority of our veg. I just need to get everything set up ready for the start of the growing season.
• Get Fit. This one is on the list every year, but this year i intend to follow through. DD also has this on her list, so we are going to do it together. Plus spending a lot of time down on the allotment will naturally add an extra element of exercise into our daily routine.
• Keep my house clean. Ahem, yes.
• To reduce our debt substantially. We don't owe a lot compared to most. In fact if we left it to tick over on minimum payments it would all still be paid off by Jan 2014, but i would like to give it a push. I reckon if we try, then we can get rid of ALL of it by mid 2012.

So the aim of the game this year is simple, frugal living and enjoying life with my babies before they are not babies anymore!

New Year, New Adventures.

Last year, i started growing vegetables in a small area of our back garden. It was good fun, we got a bit of veg to eat , and i managed to keep plants alive all summer long!

So this year i am going to upscale a bit.
In November i was offered an allotment (after being on the waiting list a year and a half). It is only a half plot, but its better than nothing.

This is what my plot looked like when i took it over on the 12th November.


And this is what it looked like after our last visit to the plot on the 11th December.


Unfortunately thanks to the awful weather we have had lately combined with the holiday season, we havent been able to get back up there since to continue work. But Keira and i will be heading back up there tomorrow weather permitting to continue the good work :)

I am looking forward to making lots of memories on the plot for me and the children

Disappointing Potato Harvest

They looked to be going great guns. Lush green foliage, lovely delicate purple flowers, and then dying back in just the right way. Textbook perfect potato growing.
Until the harvest that is. I think we may just have enough for a meal for the 5 of us from the 6 plants that were planted. I am a little gutted, if I am honest.

Some of them had scab, while while after peeling are still edible, the size of them means that there wouldnt be much left.

I sure hope they taste nice after all this!

The christmas potatoes are going in next week, so hopefully we will have more luck with them.

Mind your manners!

Oliver is such a polite little boy. It gives me such joy to hear the way he speaks to people.

Today i have been listening to him saying "you're welcome" every time someone thanks him for something.

Tristan is growing like a weed. He is crawling around everywhere now, he is so fast! He can cruise around the furniture, and likes to stand in front of the washing machine, watching it go around (which it seems to be doing permanently at the moment!).

Here are some pics of the boys i took recently.



And my messy little monkeys:





Oliver has since had a hair cut, i will try and take new pictures tomorrow.

Choconana Muffins!

Today i had a very silly mummy moment.
It was baking time for lunchbox treats, and choconana muffins were the order of the day. The batter was mixed, the oven was on and the 9yr old was trying to help.
In went the muffins, and came out looking delicious! The washing up was started. All going well, i hear you say.
Until. I picked up a cup to clean which i realised still contained a. whole. egg. Which was supposed to be in the muffins! Oops.
They still taste nice though.

Ok I'm Really Bad At This.....

Ok, i've had a baby. I'm not the first woman in history to have done this, and i am sure that most of them were a damn sight more organised than me at it.
The past 6 months have flown by! Tristan is growing like a weed, as is Oliver and Keira. I feel like it has gone by in a daze, and i certainly havent done much that is productive with the time.

Please hold me accountable. I must do SOMETHING, or i will be lost in a sea of nappies, feeds and toddler groups.

I hereby promise to update this blog at least once a week with an acheivement, however small, to anchor myself and show evidence that i have in fact existed. To show that it wasnt all a dream.

How Crunchy are You?

I found this quiz on this mamas blog,
http://slightlycrunchycatholic.blogspot.com/2007/11/as-crunchy-as-i-wanna-be.html
and just had to give it a go and share it here!


How crunchy are you?

Do you have homebirths?
15 points for “yes” (unassisted)
10 points for “yes” (with a midwife in attendance)
5 points for alternative birthing center
2 points for “thinking about/would like homebirth”
0 for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----Yes, Tristan is planned to be a homebirth with a midwife in attendance. I wanted one with Oliver, but the pregnancy was difficult and i ended up being induced anyway. 10pts

Will you circumcise future sons?
5 points for “no”
-5 points for “yes”.
---NO. I feel it is unnecessary trauma for the poor lil guys. Let em keep what they were born with! 5 pts

Do you use cloth diapers?
20 point if you do Elimination Communication (no diapers)
15 points if “yes” (wash and make your own)
10 points if “yes” (wash your own)
5 points if “yes” (diaper service)
2 points if “thinking about it”
0 points if “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----Yes, We use cloth, and are going to use cloth again with this little one. I have even made a couple of them myself! Do i get a 12?

Do you observe your fertility signals using Natural Family Planning/Fertility Awareness and use that for birth control/trying to conceive?
10 points for “yes” (observe and use for birth control/ttc) or you use ecological breastfeeding/lactational amnorrhea
5 points for “yes” (observe for trying to conceive)
2 points “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it). ---
---Yes, i used NFP when trying to conceive Oliver, and prevention afterwards ( I obviously missed a few signs as i got pg again anyway) 10pts

Do you breastfeed exclusively for the first 6+ months?
10 points if “yes”
5 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of expressed breastmilk)
2 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of formula)
0 for “no” (don’t breastfeed by choice).
---2 points here, we almost made it to 6 months, but supplemented around the 5 and a half month mark

Do you co-sleep/family bed?
10 points for “yes” (all night every night)
5 points for “yes” (part/all of most nights)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”.
---- Yes, all night every night for the first 3 years with Keira, and the first 5 months with Oliver ( until he no longer wanted to sleep in our bed) 10 pts

Do you use a sling/soft carrier?
5 points for “yes”
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----Yes, a recent development with my toddler, but am really looking forward to wearing my newborn! 5 pts

Do you believe in/practice child-led weaning (even if that means breastfeeding for several years)?
15 points for “yes” (complete child-led weaning)
10 points for “yes” (up to 3 years)
5 points for “yes” (up to 2 years)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (you’ll wean the baby at 1 year or earlier).
--- I'm definitely going to with this baby. I weaned Oliver early, and Keira was formula fed. 2 points

Do you tandem nurse/nurse during your pregnancy?
10 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy and tandem nurse)
5 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy, but wean before birth)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”(wouldn’t consider it).
---I cant comment, or accept points for this one as i wasnt breastfeeding anyway by the time i fell pregnant again so 0 points for me on this one!

Do you eat organic/whole/natural foods and limit your meat?
15 points for “yes” (grow own/buy organic, shop only at health food store, grind own wheat, vegetarian, etc.)
10 points for “yes” (grow some of own food, buy organic, use whole wheat flour, bake own bread, eat some meat occasionally)
5 points for “yes” (try to buy natural, whole grain foods, etc.)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
--- I'm gonna go for a 2 here. My diet is atrocious, but i try to make sure the kids eat healthily. I grow a few veggies, but am a pure ameteur and very little actually makes it to the table lol

Do you use herbal/homeopathic remedies?
10 points if “yes” (very rarely see a regular doctor)
5 points if “yes” (but use a doctor occasionally)
2 points if “thinking about it” (see a doc for now)
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
---- 5 points here, I am a qualified holistic therapist, but i know when my knowledge of alternative medicine needs to be taken over by a western medical professional. I will treat minor ailments at home with herbs and poultices before heading to the GP. 5 points

.Do you homeschool?
10 points if “yes” (currently homeschool)
5 points for “yes” (will homeschool)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
---No, i like my child to be a part of the school system. I believe it helps them prepare for the adult world by experiencing all of human nature (even the bad bits) for themselves. I am there to guide and advise my chldren, but from a distance, to promote independance. 0pts


What's your take on childhood vaccinations?
15 points for no vaccines
10 for delayed, selective vaccination
5 points for selective, on schedule vaccination
2 points for thinking about not vaccinating
0 points for vaxing on schedule.
---0 points again, we vax on schedule, but the UK scedule is not as intensive as the US schedule.

Would you/have you ever breastfeed/fed someone else's baby or have someone else bf your child?
10 points if yes (have or someone has bf your baby)
5 points if yes (would)
2 points if maybe
0 if no (wouldn't consider it).
---In an emergency situation, such as mom was incapacitated or no access to food, the i would bf someones baby, and hope that womeone would do the same for mine. I have never had to, and probably wouldnt do it as an everyday thing, so i am gonna go for 2 points here.


Do you use cloth/re-usable products for mom?
10 points if yes (make own)
5 points if yes (buy own)
2 points if thinking about it
0 points if no.
---10 points for me here. I use and make my own san pro. Much nicer than the disposable kind.

Ratings:
120 – 140 Super Nutty, Ultra-Crunchy Granola Earth Mama
90 – 119 Mmm! Love that whole-grain crunch!
60 – 89 Pretty Crispy
20 – 59 Sprinkled with Granola
5 – 19 Instant Oatmeal
0 - 4 Jell-O

My score? 75! Pretty crispy! I've surprised myself, i didnt think i'd score higher than instant oatmeal!