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!