IN MY KITCHEN | Deliciously Addictive Granola

I love food. And it seems like a lifetime ago when I was able to eat whatever I wanted. 

I confess to having McDonald's sausage muffins with an icy cold coke for breakfast every morning on my way to University, followed by either Pizza Hut, KFC or more McDonalds for lunch on the way home.

Fortunately about 14 years ago, my body told me in a not so polite way that it had taken all it could with my less than self loving eating habits, by blessing me with full on allergies and food intolerances. Yes, I did say fortunately and blessed. I feel lucky my body told me so early on what it didn't like.

Now, I eat whole foods that are nourishing for my body, admittedly sneaking in the occasional potato chip (I'm only human!). 

I get excited about foods that are high in minerals. Like the humble pumpkin seed that is a little pocket rocket full of magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc and iron. 

Bring in something that is nutritious, delicious and easy to prepare, and you've got my attention. 

This granola is all that. I was inspired by this recipe here but took out certain ingredients to cater for my and my boys'  diets.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup pumpkin seeds

- 1/8 cup sesame seeds (too much makes the granola bitter)

- 3/4 cup whole almonds
- 1 cup (maybe just under) preservative free desiccated coconut 

- 2 tablespoons of honey*

- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil*  

- 1/8 teaspoon of himalayan sea salt 

- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

* 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons

STEP 1: Preheat fan forced oven to 150 C (fan forced). Pulse pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and almonds until they are roughly chopped. Do not over blend otherwise you will end up with flour.

STEP 2: Transfer into a mixing bowl. Add desiccated coconut, sea salt and cinnamon and combine well.

STEP 3: Melt honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan.

STEP 4: Add melted honey-coconut oil mixture into dry ingredients and combine thoroughly.

STEP 5: Line a large shallow baking dish with baking paper and spread mixture. Use the back of a tablespoon to make sure all the ingredients are nicely compacted. This will help the ingredients stick together in the baking process.

STEP 6: Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, remove from oven and give everything a stir. Use the back of a tablespoon and press down of the ingredients again before returning to the oven for another 10 minutes until golden brown. Make sure you keep a close eye on it in the last 5 minutes so it doesn't burn. 

STEP 7: Allow to cool fully before storing in an airtight glass container. 


It should keep well for a week but it doesn't last 2 days at my house. Serve with milk, or use as a topping for yoghurt/fruit or eat by the spoonful straight from the jar.

Hope you like it as much as we do! xx

Lesson Learnt | The Universe has it's own agenda

The Universe has a plan of it's own no matter how hard we try to steer things in a different direction, it has a way of doing what needs to be down.

Allow me to bore you with the details about how I came to this conclusion recently. 

Back in October, Jake (7) jumped into the orthodontist's chair during one of Mr 10's appointments. I casually mentioned two of his bottom adult teeth had erupted behind his baby teeth. The orthodontist said that was perfectly fine, however, the adult upper central incisor (front tooth) that had erupted was not meant to be there.

What? What does he mean "not meant to be there"!!?

X-rays showed a supernumerary tooth -- an extra tooth shaped like a canine tooth, that I had assumed was just coming down crooked. It was the most favourable outcome as it meant a normal front tooth was waiting to come down. It also meant his adult canine tooth was not coming down in the wrong spot either.

Our family dentist was booked up for a month so I contacted my previous dentist. She suggested a Paediatric Dentist, something I had not even thought of doing. Ahh, already I felt better knowing he specialised in seeing littlies. After our initial consult, we scheduled the procedure to be done with a local anaesthetic (LA) and happy gas. Thank goodness! No mention of a General Anaesthetic (GA). 

A week later, our family dentist phones me to suggest I see a very well respected oral surgeon which threw a spanner in the works. "Dr Mark" did my wisdom teeth under GA about 20 years ago so I knew the amazing reviews I googled were true. However, I was disappointed when told he does not provide gas with a LA. Noooo!! To me, the gas was crucial so my boy did not feel the the injections in such a sensitive area of the mouth. The gas was essentially the deal breaker in my eyes.

After a week of deliberation, I made a booking to see Dr Mark, as I knew I owed it to my son and myself to explore all options. Dr Mark greeted Jake with a big smile, kind words and open arms. They connected straightaway. Dr Mark agreed to do the procedure in his rooms with super strong numbing gel. Jake also said he preferred Dr Mark.

The day arrived. The numbing gel went on. Two seconds later, the tears came. At this point, Dr Mark declined to proceed for fear of traumatising our little man further, and suggested a GA in hospital. When my boy wasn't looking, more tears came...from me this time. The GA was what I had been trying so hard to avoid.

Surgery was booked for the end of the week, and in the 4 days leading up to it, my imagination ran wild with worst case scenarios. I also phoned the Anaesthetist with a lots of questions and then emailed him some more questions. Not paranoid, lol. 

The big day arrived and I could not even eat. I am grateful to all my friends and their words of reassurance and encouragement beforehand. I felt very silly about my anxiousness but I was unable to control it. It was a bit nuts. 

Waiting to go into theatre with Teddy. 

So, back to why I believe the Universe has it's own plan. 

Dr Mark explained afterwards that the tooth had a tiny hook shape at the tip of the root making it tricky to remove. This was not visible in the X-rays. Had it been done in his rooms, it would have been a "shamozzle". His word, not mine. Had we gone with the Paediatric Dentist, well...he may gotten further with the gas but would have faced the same challenge of a difficult to remove tooth (i.e. a shamozzle).

Mr 7 with Dr Mark afterwards. And Teddy too. I love this photo!

Everything went smoothly. In hindsight, I can see that despite every effort to avoid the GA, the Universe had its own plan to ensure the best outcome for our boy. And that was under a GA. 

Jake was meant to cross paths with Dr Mark, who has an amazing presence and a natural ability to put us at ease. I believe he was the best person to look after our little guy. Not to mention how the boys thought he looked a little like Santa Claus lol.

Some things just work out the way it's meant to. No matter what we do. You just gotta have faith. 

xx

PROJECT LIFE | King Island

School holidays starts...NOW!

I am grateful that I am able to work from home over the September break.

A few weeks ago I started on selecting and editing photos from an afternoon at King Island. It sounds rather tropical because it's an "island" but really, it wasn't that exotic. That's not to say it wasn't an awesome afternoon with my three boys.

Starting with over 100 photos, I managed to cut it down to 23. There was little hope of fitting it all into 2 pages as originally planned. We were only there for 4 hours! 

Memory keeping lesson I learnt from this spread:
I don't need to obsess about the journalling. I need only journal if there is something I want to say, or if a story needs to be told. There's no need to journal just for the sake of filling up a journalling card. 

Today I'm sharing the first two pages:

Here's a close up:

Supplies: Goals stamp set from Kellie Stamps, Freebie "Adventure" card from Kelsey, Especially.

I like creating simple filler cards with stamps, and I'm a bit crazy for inspirational words words and quotes. I used two of the stamps from Kellie Stamps' Goals set here:

Photo from kelliestamps@bigcartel.com 

Thank you for having a look at my pages. I'll be back next week to share the rest!

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend! xx 

Sweet Potato "Frisbees"

Sweet potato, coconut oil and salt. What a treat!?! 

Mr 10 calls these Sweet Potato Frisbees. He thinks it sounds way more exciting than Sweet Potato Slices, and he is probably right too!

The boys absolutely love these -- and so do I. They are a quick tasty side dish, or great for a quick snack. I make them with rice crumbs so they are also gluten free.  

INGREDIENTS:

- sweet potato (as many as you want to make)

- rice crumbs

- coconut oil

- sea salt

STEP 1: Peel sweet potato and slice to approx 5mm thickness.

STEP 2: Steam for 7-8 minutes until they are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork or end of a sharp knife. It's a good idea to check them after 7 minutes because it's a fine line between just right and overcooked. You do not want to overcook them otherwise they will crumble when go to crumb and fry them.

STEP 3: Place rice crumbs in a shallow dish and add a sprinkling of sea salt, and combine.  Gently place the sweet potato slices in the crumbs and coat both sides. You can also add onion powder to the crumb mixture for a different flavour.

STEP 4: Melt a decent amount of coconut oil in the fry pan (if the oil is solid...depends on the weather) and add the crumbed sweet potato slices. Keep turning them until they are browned and crispy enough for your liking. 

STEP 5: Add salt to taste and enjoy! Be warned: these are a little addictive.

"Let your imagination fly" says Mr 6.

Our children are wiser than we think.

I have had tears from Jacob, my 6 year old over the last few days whilst he tries to draw a mascot for his school. It's a competition, and he is putting a little bit too much pressure on himself.  

In his Prep year (2013), he sat for hours at the dining table drawing. I know he can draw -- here are some of his drawings from last year. He went through a punk phase, as you will see...

We had a chat this morning about how he thinks he just can't draw and that he cannot think of ideas for the school mascot competition. I told him to let go of what he "thinks" things should look like, and to just DO IT HIS WAY. 

When he was younger, he drew from his imagination and didn't care much for making things look realistic. There was no comparing his own drawings to his brother's or anyone's else's. 

It's only a year on, and I can see that side of him slipping away. And I think as adults, that's what we tend to do as well. We put this expectation on ourselves to create in a certain way because we have this idea in our heads about what the "right" way looks like.

After we had a talk about it, he came back to me with this little bit of inspiration. These are his own words, not mine.

I'm inspired by these wise words. I must remember to "let go of expectations" in my own creative projects. 

Hope your weekend is full of creative happiness xx

ON MY MIND | Remembering my Grandfather.

She was 5 years old. Like any other school day, her father drove her to school. "Remember to come pick me up okay Daddy. And don't be late," she told him.

Her father then drove the family car to their local mechanic, leaving a handwritten letter on the dash for his wife. Her father told the mechanic to phone his wife and ask her to pick up the car.

His wife was pregnant with their second child. The letter from the little girl's father said he was leaving and to not try to find him as he would not be coming home. The little girl's mother and grandparents went to pick her up from school. "Where's Daddy?" she asked. "He's run away. We don't know where he has gone," her mother told her as she fought back tears of her own. 

The little girl went home that afternoon and looked at the last gift from father. A pen holder that was still sitting on her small table. She looked around the house confused about what had just happened -- unaware their lives were about to change.

My Grandfather and I.

That little girl was me. I remember this story on the 3rd anniversary of my Grandfather's passing. I did not have a father growing up. Not in the traditional sense. I had my Grandfather. He was a father and Grandfather in one, and today I missed him very much.

Grandad used to walk me home to their house after pre-school. He would carry my boxy green port, and often have to pick me up as well whenever I saw a dog come close (i.e. 10 metres away lol). 

We would often play card games such as Snap. And I'm certain he knew I had rigged the game by organising the cards so I would win. Everytime. 

And Grandad would watch my favourite tv show, Monkey Magic with me after dinner. And then Grandma would treat me to Arnott's Gingernut biscuits, Scotch Fingers or Monte Carlos before bed. 

Grandad taught me how to make my bed. How to iron my school uniform. How to polish my school shoes. How to fold my clothes so that were perfectly neat. And how to cook a curry, fried rice and omelette -- Chinese style. 

On our school holidays, Grandma and Grandad took my brother and I on the council bus to McDonald's where Grandad always ordered the Fillet-O-Fish -- no cheese, and no gherkin. And afterwards we would buy half a dozen cream buns, cream donuts and finger buns to take home. 

My childhood memories are mostly of my Grandparents because as a single parent, my mother worked long hours to support my brother and I. 

We were a very close family. My world was shattered when my Grandmother fell terminally ill. I was 21 by then.

I moved into their home so I could be there to support Grandad as he cared for Grandma, and so I could spend as much time as possible with my Grandmother. Her and I had a very close bond and I loved her as I did my own mother. 

Grandad had been so strong throughout her entire illness. But on the morning of Grandma's funeral, he broke down and wept for his wife whom he had be married to for 56 years. 

Who I am today has been greatly influenced by these two beautiful people who raised me to know what it means to be loved. I am so very lucky.   

Today I went with my mum and family to the buddhist temple and burnt incense in memory of Grandad. And for Grandma. Miss them both very much.

PROJECT LIFE | Finishing August 2013 PL pages

It has been such a long time since I have worked on my Project Life pages. August 2013 has been on my to-do list for almost 3 months! I shared some of August here and here.

I have managed to get some other little creative projects done in that time, such as the baby photo shoot from which I produced a mini album and photo movie here.

But mostly, over the past few months, I have been re-evaluating my priorities and my want to spend more time with my family and less time in front of my computer and phone. 

There is less than a week left of the school holidays and it has gone so quickly! As it always does. 

I have made an extra effort to be more present with the boys this mid-year break, and not look at the holidays as my time to "catch up" on my Project Life. The holidays is my time to really enjoy and connect with my babies who are growing up way too fast.

I have accepted that crafting is an after-hours gig, to be enjoyed after the little ones are asleep. 

Anyway, I've had some late nights (an old habit i'm still trying to kick) and I have now completed a 2-page spread and a 1-pager for August 2013. I only have one more page to finish the month off!

Here's a look at the pages.

Patterned Paper from Amy Tangerine's Plus One (The Stamp Spot)

Here's a close up of the stamp I used from Kellie Stamps' Magical set. I love this quote.

The boys had the chickenpox for most of August so it was nice to see them out and about and a lot less spotty towards the end of the month. Here's the page I did about their weekend adventures.

Thanks for stopping by, and I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes.

"Perhaps parents would enjoy their children more 

if they stopped to realize that the film of childhood 

can never be run through for a second showing." 

-- Evelyn Nown.

SIMPLIFY | Are you ready to Ban Busy?

I started this blog a few years ago as vehicle to share my craft projects. 

This blog has since evolved into a personal blog where in addition to sharing my craft projects, I also share my thoughts on life, living, mothering and the random recipe from my kitchen.

I have not posted a craft project for a few weeks. I have not had any craft time. In between work, family, and life, I found myself overwhelmed by my growing to-do list(s). Both physical and mental lists. 

I have made the decision to do less. And to take on less.

I was inspired by the Abundant Mama blog. My heart filled with happiness and excitement that I found a treasure trove of practical tips and information about everything I have been thinking about. 

On the Abundant Mama blog, you learn ways to be a "peaceful mum, raising peaceful, thriving children."

By learning how to be a better me, I can become a calmer and more present mother. That to me is more important than anything right now. 

I immediately subscribed to receive newsletters and could not wait to learn more. 

It was in the newsletters I discovered the BAN BUSY Movement. Wow. This  resonated with me like you wouldn't believe! 

"The Abundant Mama Project is gearing up to slow down. We're going to ban busy. Savour slow. And start a challenge to be present, peaceful and playful in a slow, intentional way." ~ from The Abundant Mama blog 

It has become the norm to be crazy busy, frantic, hectic, and going at super speeds to get everything done. This old way of existing hasn't worked for me. It's time to make changes. 

This article here was the one that made think, "I must learn more from this amazing lady!". If you have young children, this post is a must-read. It's written beautifully and with truth and insight. 

I'm taking on the Ban Busy mini challenge. How about you? Ready to savour slow?

IN MY KITCHEN | Low Allergy banana pikelets

The boys and I do not have gluten, dairy or egg in our diets, but we can still have yummy treats. Banana pikelets being one of them.

I make these pikelets when we have over ripe bananas and nothing for breakfast. (usually the day before food shopping day)

This recipe I have adapted from a normal pikelet recipe and replaced the egg with bananas.  

INGREDIENTS:

- two very ripe medium sized bananas

- 2 level cups of brown rice flour

- 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda

- rice milk

- pinch of pure vanilla powder  

- a couple of tablespoons of honey 

- dollop of coconut oil for mixture

- coconut oil for cooking

STEP 1: Sift dry ingredients and set aside.

STEP 2: In a separate mixing bowl, mash bananas with a masher or a fork.

STEP 3: Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to mashed bananas.

STEP 4: Melt a dollop of coconut oil in the fry pan (if the oil is solid...depends on the weather) and add to wet mixure

 

STEP 5: Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to banana mixture and alternate with rice milk. I do not have a specific measurement for the rice milk because depending on the size and ripeness of the bananas, I adjust quantity of rice milk accordingly. It is a matter of testing it out and seeing what you like.

The photo below shows the consistency I like (it's a bit hard to describe...). You can add more milk if you prefer a lighter pikelet, or use less milk if you prefer a denser pikelet.

STEP 6: Melt some coconut oil in a fry pan on a medium heat and spoon mixture into fry pan. Once the edges look cooked (browning and drying out), use a spatular to gently lift the pikelet to avoid it sticking too much when it comes time to flip. Flip when you see bubbles (as with normal pikelets).

STEP 6: Serve with butter (if you can have dairy) or dairy free butter, and your choice of toppings. ie. syrup, jam, peanut butter, honey. Peanut butter AND jam is a yummy combo. ENJOY!

ON MY MIND | It's the good old "mum-guilt" trick.

I am kind. I am considerate. I am thoughtful. I am loving. I know I am all these things yet after I tucked my eldest into bed tonight, I retreated into the bathroom, closed the door, sat down on the side of the bathtub and had a little cry. Mum-guilt had reared it's ugly head again.

I had a trying night where my eldest was testing my patience. Don't get me wrong, he's a really good kid, but he is head strong and stubborn, much like me. 

Everyday I go through the motions of a being a "good mother". 

I make school lunches. I drive them to appointments before and after school. I spend my weekends cooking and baking. I do the laundry, clean the house and I vacuum the car. I fold the clothes and cook homemade dinners every night. I tuck them in every night and tell them how much I love them.

I know I am a good mother in what I do for my children.

And yet I feel like an inadequate mother every day. 

My eldest boy torments (in the nicest brotherly way possible) his younger brother incessantly, as older siblings often do. It drives me batty. 

His defence is "I was just having fun with him" or "I was just playing with him..." or "I was just trying to make him laugh.." 

What do I say to that? I honestly don't know. We have the same conversation every other day, and I am no closer to finding a solution to what to say to him, or what to do. I see where he is coming from, he's just being a kid.

I rouse at them. Neither pays me any attention until I get cranky. Then I separate them and send them to their rooms because it gives me space to calm down and process my thoughts. 

This is when the feelings of the inadequacy of my parenting skills kicks in. I am feeling the mum-guilt. Self doubt. Wondering "Am I a good enough mother?" 

I try to explain how their actions are wrong. Inconsiderate. Disrespectful. In doing so, I am making them feel guilty. I tell them I I am disappointed with their actions. And that what they are doing is not acceptable behaviour. 

I realised that I was unknowingly instilling in my children the negative thoughts I have about myself. All the things I personally struggle with. Which is why I was so upset tonight. 

I know how terrible it feels to feel like you have disappointed someone you love. How guilt eats you up from inside. And how hard it is to shake that feeling that you are not good enough as a person.

I told my eldest tonight that sometimes I don't know if I am doing a good job being a mother. And that I don't have instructions on what to do. To which he replied, "Does Daddy have some instructions?" Bless his little cotton socks, I wish he did. It would make things a lot easier. 

I don't have any answers. But I do know I don't want my children to think they are not good enough. I just have to keep working at it. 

MINI ALBUM | Baby Taiyo

My brother-in-law and his wife welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world last month, and I was lucky enough to meet him when he was only a few days old. 

I had my camera with me on the day (Mother's Day) and snapped a few photos of baby Taiyo (means Sun in Japanese) while I was there.

With the photos I captured on the day, I put together a mini album with a my favourite captures from the day. I wanted to keep it very simple so aside from using stamps, I haven't embellished much.

Here's a sneak at the cover and inside of the mini album.

Alphabet stickers from Polka Dot Creative

Stamp from Kellie Stamps

Ali Edwards Stamp

I also made a Photomovie using iMovie with the photos I took. I love how adding music to photos brings out a new dimension to how we connect with the images we see.

If you would like to try making the mini album, I have included the instructions below.

I hope you give the mini album a go. They are very quick and easy and make great gifts for friends and family. 

Hope you all have a great week! xx

PROJECT LIFE | TL comes to visit

My bestie Tanyalee, author of the The Drawing Board, came to visit earlier in March this year. We had not seen each other for almost 10 years, even though we now text EVERY DAY!

I met TL about 16 years ago when we worked together at TAFE. Although it was only for a few short months, we became instant friends.

I loved going to work everyday because we got to hang out, and our most critical decision each day was where to have lunch! 

With family commitments, work changes and relocations, our conversations became less frequent and eventually, we went years without contact. Thanks to social media, we reconnected a few years ago and discovered our mutual love for crafting, memory keeping and Project Life.

On TL's visit, she met my youngest boy for the first time, and saw my eldest for the first time since he was born 10 years ago. We shopped, we ate, we talked..and we talked...and we even did some scrapping!  

Which brings me to the Project Life Challenge we set for ourselves. We decided to scrap exactly the same photos from her visit, but with NO CONSULTATION with each other during the entire creative process until our pages were finished.

This is a bit different from how we usually craft as I am used to sending progress photos to TL and vice versa. We normally know what the other is working on at any given point in time.

So here is my page from TL’s recent visit in March this year.

Yesterday, my husband calls me 10 minutes after he left for work to say he accidentally took my phone to work with him. No big deal if I wasn't having one of those days where i needed moral support. Sometimes you just need a friend who understands your illogical craziness.   

I consider TL part of my family - the sister I never had. She inspires and motivates me everyday. 

Friends are a treasure. Go on, tell a friend you love them!

GUEST POST | Tanyalee from The Drawing Board

Today I am welcoming my first guest Tanyalee (TL), the lovely author of The Drawing Board. 

We have known each other for over 15 years and she is one of my bestest friends on the planet. TL is a busy mother of three, works full-time, is studying AND finds time to craft in-between responding to my text messages all day lol.

I love TL's crafting style - clean and fresh with the focus on her photos, and always gorgeous. I am in awe of how she picks the most perfect filler cards to highlight the  beautiful tones in her photos, every single time.  

I'll let TL introduce herself further and tell you about the Project Life Challenge we set for ourselves.  

"Well this is a new experience for me. I have only been blogging for five months so making a guest post is a little daunting. But when the idea came up that Sue and I guest post on each other's blog I couldn't pass it up. Thank you my gorgeous friend for having me. 

The idea of this post came up after I took a trip to Queensland in March to visit Sue and her family (and some other friends and family). You see Sue and I have been friends since we worked together at TAFE many years ago. Our friendship developed quickly, but when my family moved to regional Queensland and then Tasmania, and both of our lives became busy with work and family, things changed. 

But thanks to the wonders of the digital age and social media we connected again and have rediscovered all of the things we have in common. We 'talk' to each other every day - numerous times a day. Sue is like the sister I never had - and I love her to bits. To be honest, sometimes I don't know what I would do without her. 

So more about our challenge. Before I even made it to Queensland we came up with the idea of creating a layout using photos that we took during the visit. The catch was that we couldn't share our progress with each as the end result had to be a surprise. 

I totally underestimated how hard that would be. You see we share progress shots with everything we work on. We help each other with card choices and photo placements and colour matching. I guess you could say we cyber-scrap. 

Well enough about that. Let's get down to the business end of this post. The reveal of my Queensland visit Project Life page. 

We both have very similar styles with our Project Life so I was very excited to see Sue's layout. If you want to check it out too, it's over on my blog The Drawing Board now. 

This was such a fun challenge. I can't wait till our next adventure - and our next crafting challenge. Stay tuned. 

Thanks for letting me hijack your blog today Sue. Love you long time girlfriend. Xx"

Thank you my beautiful friend for popping in and sharing your amazing page. So much fun and can't wait for our next catch up so we can do it all again xx

To see more of Tanyalee's work, visit her blog The Drawing Board.

IN MY KITCHEN | My Obsession with Chicken Bone Broth.

I am obsessed with Homemade Chicken Bone Broth. I love it! 

During the past couple of months, I have started a weekly ritual of making my own chicken bone broth every weekend. Aside from it tasting amazing, it is unbelievably healing and full of nutrients that is easier absorbed by the body than taking a supplement.

The large stock pot of bone broth I make does not last long in our house. My youngest asked me if it was "chinese healing soup like what Jackie Chan drinks after a fight". Put it this way - my little man needs time to deliberate when given a choice between soup and chocolate. 


WHY THE BONE BROTH OBSESSION?

I have allergies which present as eczema. Fifteen years ago, the allergies hit me like a tonne of bricks and Dermatologists said they could not help me. Not one to be disheartened, I went on a quest for answers which lead me to an Environmental Medicine doctor who was awesome. Dr Barry (not his real name) told me I had leaky gut syndrome -- also known as gut hyper-permeability. This is essentially what causes food allergies. (Google it to read more)

The most difficult phases of my condition were after the birth of each of my babies. My doctor wanted to hospitalise me. I likened the pain to being severely sunburnt with chickenpox itch. 

Through self nurture, soul searching, commitment and the guidance of a wonderful acupuncturist/mentor/nutritionist/friend, I have my life back! I have the occasional mild flare up, but grateful to feel "almost normal". 

I appreciate the ordinary and "mundane" of my every day more than ever, having experienced the physical inability to do these ordinary every day things when I was unwell. Showering without the water stinging my raw skin is one such ordinary thing I appreciate greatly. 

So here's the thing. Bone Broth HEALS leaky gut! It is all the rage at the moment and for good reason. 

Check out these links to read out more of the amazingness of what I call "liquid gold".

Top 5 Reasons why Bone Broth is the Bomb

Bone Broth - One of Your Most Healing Diet Staples


MY CHICKEN BONE BROTH RECIPE.

The supplies and ingredients I use:

- large stock pot
- enough filtered water to cover the ingredients in the pot
- 1 x large leek* washed and chopped in half
- 2 x onions* quartered
- 4-5 cloves of garlic* peeled
- half bunch of shallots* washed and chopped in half
- 4 organic chicken frames 
- juice of 1 lemon
- sea salt
- Coconut oil

*use organic where possible

Heat a few tablespoons of coconut oil in a stock pot. Add leek, onions, garlic and shallots and fry until lightly browned and fragrant. Add chicken frames and filtered water to cover the ingredients in the pot. Add lemon juice*** and sea salt (I use himalayan sea salt). Increase the heat to high and bring to boil. Skim off the scum (the frothy stuff) that comes to the surface and discard. Turn the heat to low and pop the lid back on the pot. Simmer for 6-8 hours. Strain (I use a sieve) and store in fridge or freezer**. Enjoy!

**please follow food safety precautions regarding the amount of time it is safe to store the broth in the fridge and freezer.
***I use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar due to my sensitivity to fermented foods. The lemon juice/vinegar helps draw out the minerals from the bones.


HOW I USE THE BROTH.

I portion and freeze the broth for use in soups, and in general cooking (risottos, stews, gravy etc) where the recipe calls for stock. The glass jars I keep in the fridge as I know I will use them within a few days.

Mostly, we love to drink it straight. I bring it to the boil in a saucepan, season with sea salt to taste and drink it from my favourite soup mug. It's the one pictured above. My eldest son bought it for me at the school Mother's Day Stall a few years ago. I love it.

Homemade Bone Broth is how I am boosting the vitamin/mineral intake for my family. And hopefully healing my gut. 

I am sure there there are plenty of ways to boost our vitamin and mineral intake, but bone broth feels right to me. It is affordable. Easy to make. And it tastes so good!

Let me know if you try it out, would love to hear how you go! 

Making cards with the boys

I've always followed the Chinese calendar for mum's birthday and that of my Grandparent's birthdays.

I cannot read or write Chinese, so working out their birthdays required a little guess work. I know the symbol for moon (month) and the numbers which was just enough to get me through.

This year, mum didn't have a spare Chinese calendar for me. Knowing that most years mum's birthday is in May, I phoned my brother early last week to ask what day mum's birthday falls on this year. He said matter-of-factly "Yeah...she's already had it. It was on Anzac Day." Nobody bothered to tell me! I was disappointed, as this is the first time I've missed mum's birthday. 

Thankfully, mum's birthday based the Gregorian calendar was Friday so I could still do something for her. 

The boys and I got busy and each made her a birthday card.

Here's the card I made using the diamond stamp from the Shapes stamp set by Kellie Stamps. I stamped it to create a flower shape, cut around it, and added a gem to the centre. 

The boys woke up early on Friday morning and got their craft on before school.

They go a little nuts with my old Stampin' Up! punches. Here's my eldest creating "raining gumballs".

I had the day off work so I spent the morning baking muffins (after I burnt the sushi rice, but that's another story) to take to mum's house. It was nice to just sit and talk with her, and just catch up. We rarely have the opportunity when we have little people with us busily making their own noisy fun.

The boys didn't finish their cards before school so they added the finishing touches when they came home from school.

This is the result of their card making efforts. I helped with the stamping, and they did the rest themselves. 

Stamps: Birthday stamp set by Kellie Stamps

There's something really special about watching the boys create. Although they start off unsure, once they let go of their own expectations of themselves, they always create something unique and beautiful.