Lots of anecdotes!

The boys were discussing Father Christmas the other day in the car, after the Man in Red had visited Play Centre. Little Brother told Big Brother ' Actually, there are two Father Christmases'
BB 'Yes, actually, there are 2 Father Christmases. I know that. There is a real Father Christmas and a (pre)tend one.'
Me. 'How can you tell?'
BB. 'Because (pause) their eyes are different.'
LB. 'Yeah.'
BB. 'And they have different beards. The pretend Father Christmas has a pretend beard and the real Father Christmas has a real one.'
LB. ' Yeah. I know that.'

We are right in the christmas spirit, with a beautiful Advent calendar, and many discussions on what the real man might bring. BB wants a bakugan toy. LB wants some chocolate money. My money is on new undies.

Big Brother school nativity play was the highlight of last week. He practised the christmas carols for weeks, then was casted - to his absolute delight - as that core Nativity character - the stable bunny.
'I put my hand up , and no-one else wanted to be the bunny!' he told me in disbelief - 'they all wanted to be sheep!'
And what a cute bunny he was in his all-in-one white bunny costume with pink floppy ears and cottontail. He was in character the whole time, his little bunny paws cocked as he sang 'Jesus, our lord and Saber'. (I'm not sure if thats as in sabre tooth tiger, or light saber!)

LB continues to impress me as a true thinking man of the world. While visiting the public swimming pool, I stressed the need to visit the bathrooms before getting into the water. As we got in, 6 hulky teenage boys got out, having being banished from playing rugby in the kiddies pool. ' I hope those boys didn't pee in this pool!' Little Brother told me.

And Little Miss 1 year old - is very pleased with her latest skill - walking. Shes all around the house, investigating the temptations - pulling magnets off the fridge, starting and stopping the dishwasher, unpacking the drawers and cupboards. She has also found the computer mouse and often is found under the desk with the wireless mouse, probably trying to work out how it works.

These days are so busy I don't know where the time goes. But I wouldnt change a minute for all the presents in the real santa's sack. Merry Christmas, and thanks for sharing this year and these sporadic blogs with me.

Mother of the Week

I got a polite note in Big brothers lunch box last week - 'He is eating all or most of his lunch at morning tea time. Perhaps he needs more for Lunch' How embarrasing!! Sending my child to school with not enough food. But then I checked the lunch box which was crammed, as suspected, with crusts. So we had a little chat about crusts and now he has food for morning tea and food for lunch. Yesterday he reported 'I ate all my crusts today, Mum!'
'Great' I said.
'And I ate all my sandwiches too!'
'Really great' I replied.
Little Brother wasn't quite so easy to convince. I heard him mutter from the back seat 'I'd like to see your lunchbox'.

Oh, the joys of summer uniform. Big Brother didnt need to bring home most of his winter uniform as he's conveniently lost most of it somewhere. He jumped into his short sleeved shirts and shorts happily, but the sandals have been a trial.
First I took him shopping 'for a good pair to last' and baulked at the $100 price tag.
Then we were given a pair 5th hand which sadly decided to break on the first day. I traced his foot and took it to the big red shed for a bargain fix. I grew up with hand-me-downs that always had a bit of room for growth, but I over estimated. He could fit both feet into one. So I returned and exhanged for a smaller size. But still no joy. After he tried them on and flapped around in them a bit he solemnly suggested 'Perhaps we could get some the SAME size as my foot?'
Good idea. Wished I'd thought of it.

Little brother has started planning his birthday cake. Only 7 months to go but it's obviously been on his mind. Yesterday driving he said 'Mum - can I have a Crayfish on my cake? A Dead one.' BB said -' You really want a dead crayfish on your birthday cake?'
LB -thinking, thinking - ' Yeah, I want a crayfish thats a candle on my cake. A dead one.'

Hello November

I admit it, Blog, I've been avoiding you.
Don't take it personally , though, you are too closely related to Email, whom I am also avoiding. (You are actually much cooler than Email to hang out with, but don't tell her. She'd have a complete Spam)
It's just being around Email means being constantly reminded of what I have yet to do (and I don't need a computer to do that, all I need to do is open my eyes inside my house).
And as for Facebook, he just reminds me of all the people I should be in contact with.
I wonder in 5 or 20 years time what our kids will be doing while avoiding what they should be doing?

Life is a Drama

As the school term draws to a close, a few details of Big Brothers school life are starting to dribble down. Its production week next week, and they are doing Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp.
We asked who he was in the show.
'I'm a fruit seller'
'And do you have any lines?'
Pause. Pained look of concentration. Inspiration hits:
'CARPETS, CARPETS, COME AND GET YOUR CARPETS'
'So you are a fruit seller?' I asked a little confused
Pause.
'No, those are Hamish's lines!'
I can't wait to see him on stage. I hope he remembers what he's selling and doing, but one thing is for sure, it will be hilarious.

Meanwhile baby girl is pulling herself up to stand at the furniture. She is also standing independently for a couple of seconds (until she realises how clever she is). I have forgotten how fast this 6 months goes - from a baby in arms, to sitting, then crawling, standing and soon, running away from me. She is less a baby and more one of the kids everyday. The other day the boys raced off into their room and closed the door, not realising she was following at stop quadripedal speed. As the door closed she let rip with a howl that nearly flattened the house. I opened the door and Flick, off went the noise and into the room she trip-tropped. She will not be ignored or left behind. She has truely claimed her place in this family and it will not be at the bottom of the pecking order.

Working Theories

Little Brother at 3 is making sense of the world. In three short years a lot of information has been downloaded into that fizzing brain, and it's only now that he can tell us all his working theories on How It All Works. He's a little scientist, proposing If/Then hypotheses and putting them through the most rigorous testing process that he can possibly think of - asking his Mum.
'Mum, If a house is broken Then you have to leave it.'
(Impressive, I thought, he's been picking up on a bit of current affairs, earthquakes....)
'Really! ' I replied 'And what do you think could break a house? '
'Oh, if some-one blows it over'.
(...or he's been reading Three Little Pigs).

Friday nights have become Pizza and Movie Night - I make bases and the boys experiment with different combinations - tuna, corn, cheese, sauce. Mostly ingredient islands piled high in the middle of a pizza continent. Then they have to agree on a movie to watch. Its a tense time of lengthy negotiations and international trading. Little Brother has a strong sense of justice and a long career in Peace Keeping ahead of him. 'If we watch Piglets movie tonight then we can watch Thunderbirds tomorrow night'. Big brother has a strong bent to drama - 'But (stomp) I NEVER get to watch Thunderbirds (run into room and slam door)!!!' and understands the power of emotional blackmail 'If we cant watch it then I wont be your friend'.
Through the flour dust and frantic rolling (not to mention shovelling mash in the direction of Little Girl) I am trying to encourage one boy be more assertive and the other to consider other peoples feelings. So much for an easy tea once a week.
Little Brother came to me with a brilliant idea the other night - 'Hey, Mum, If we had TWO pizza and movie nights a week then we could have TWO pizza and movie nights!'

Learning Curves

Little Miss 8 months has, after 2 weeks practising, perfected the crawl. She can spot a small discarded scrap of flotsam or jetsom or pasta on the carpet across the other side of the room, and she's off. As long as there are no obstacles- bean bags, brothers, or a super-annoying knee catching nightie - to conquer, she is a free baby. She is a mouth on four legs, leaving her snail trail of dribble as she goes. Favourite spot - under the table while we eat dinner - dribble tickling all our toes, and feasting.
She had her first morning in the sandpit today - and to my surprise 99.9% of the sand was still there when she had finished. She loved being amongst the other play centre kids and tolerated being sprayed with water, sand and tackle hugs. She sat in the circle at morning tea and listened to the story. Where has our baby gone?
Next step in her development agenda is pulling up to stand and she's already working on that one.

Mr 3 is learning to get along all day without his brother. He's worked out there are plus sides to being the big kid at home - play dates and treats with mum. Total control of the after lunch reading list. But it is hard work being both Kungfu Meerkats doing Kungfu in his imaginary games. He puts on his odd shoes and finds a cricket glove to wear while playing. His new best friends are a plastic guinea pig and a small knitted finger puppet that is a grey possum. At 2.45pm he climbs into the car eagerly. He loves to bowl into his brother's classroom and read their stories. The school bathrooms he told me are 'so jool'.(Cool).

Mr 5 is learning loads. So much he can hardly tell us what happens every day. When a friend asked what he did at school he replied. 'I do maths.' (Pause.) (Sigh.) ' I've got a LOT to learn'.
One evening last week he wore a Air New Zealand eye mask on his forehead because his 'brain hurt'. He has developed a number of allergies - 'I'm allergic to salad', he told us at dinner. He has learnt a number of new songs - a rousting top-of-the-lungs hymn called 'You Raise Me Up' (complete with arm actions), and a rap-style Grace which he rapped solidly all weekend. (He is going to a Catholic School). He must have learnt some pretty special other skills too, because the other night I overheard him playing with his toy phone: It rang. ' Hello?' he answered 'Is that you, Jesus?'

6/11 Lemon Chicken

LEMON CHICKEN

Cook	2 cup rice (see instructions or do your usual)
Microwave/ Cook	2 cup frozen peas
Into strips chop	500g chicken breast/ pieces.
Miix together	2 egg whites (save your yolks for carbonara) 1tsp minced ginger 1 clove crushed garlic
Add chicken to the egg white mix. Refrigerate for 1 hour. (Or not. I used to be able to plan an hour ahead pre-children but doesnt happen now!)
Heat oil in wok//fry pan. In small batches fry chicken until golden, and remove.
To a medium hot wok add	1 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup sugar
Bring to the boil then thicken with	1 tbsp corn flour mixed with 2 tbsp water
Once thickened return chicken and stir to coat. Add cooked peas. Serve over rice.
Feeds 2 adults and 2 kids. Sometimes there’s left overs to negotiate over (i.e. he who does the dishes gets the yummy packed lunch)

11/11 Curry and Sausages

CURRY AND SAUSAGES

My kids don’t eat curry, but boy do they eat sausages. Occasionally I do the thing I swore I’d never do, and make two meals. For the boys I freeze sausages free flow so I can grab one or two for Sausages and Rice, while we over 5 yr olds indulge in the fantasy of eating out while actually staying in.

Cook	2 cups rice
Heat some oil and fry	2tbsp Mae Ploy Green Curry Paste
Add	1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or water) 400ml can coconut cream 2 tbsp fish sauce 1/2 lemon rind, finely grated
Simmer 10 mins, then add	500g - 1kg sliced chicken breast 1 cup frozen beans 1 tin bamboo shoots (optional) S&P
Cover and simmer about 5-10 mins until chicken just cooked.
Serve on rice with	handful chopped cashew nuts chopped coriander
Mae Ploy Curry Pastes from Asian Supermarket are really good. Also do similar other curries with Red or Penang Paste, and beef strips.

10/11 - 100 TIMES LASAGNE

When at University this was known as Lazza-Tucker. However the name has changed along with my lifestyle and is now called New Baby Lasagne. It is my number one present to mums with a new baby, and I can make two at a time and feed my own family too! This is my ultimate comfort food, and my lucky husband has so far happily eaten hundreds of these in the 10 years we’ve been together. That either says a lot for the recipe (which is always slightly different), or for his patience!

Oven 200C
Chop and fry	1 onion 1-2 cloves garlic
Add	500g-1kg Mince (500g per lasagne)
Once meat browned, chop and add	2 carrots 1/2 cup frozen peas 1 tin chopped tomatoes 1/2 tin water Glug sweet chilli sauce Glug Worcester sauce
Leave to simmer.
In small pot on the heat mix	2 tbsp butter 1/2 cup flour
Once combined slowly add and stir	1 cup milk
Stir often as the white sauce thickens. Add more milk as required.
Once happy with thickness of sauce, add	1 tbsp whole grain mustard 1/2 cup grated cheese
Wash and finely chop	silverbeet
To assemble lasagne, you need	1 pkt lasgane sheets
Layer from bottom Mince : Lasagne sheet: white sauce: silverbeet : mince : sheet : white sauce : grated cheese
Bake 40 mins.

9/11 - Andreas Quiche

11 MEALS PROJECT 9/11

ANDREAS QUICHE

Oven 180C.
In medium oven dish arrange	1 tin asparagus, drained 1 tin salmon, crumbled
Over the top sprinkle	Handful grated cheese Ground pepper
In a bowl beat	3 eggs 1 cup milk 2 tbsp flour 1 tbsp Cooking Oil
Pour egg mixture over the fish.
Bake for 40 mins.
Other combinations : Tuna and Sweetcorn Leftover Mixed Roast Vege Silverbeet and Tuna etc Whatever you have some of....

8/11 - PIE FISH

11 MEALS PROJECT 8/11

PIE FISH

Oven 200C
Peel, boil and mash	4-5 potatoes (depend on size of pie) 1 kumera (optional)
Boil, cool, peel and halve	3 eggs
Chop and fry	1 onion 1-2 cloves crushed garlic
Put onion and garlic in oven proof dish with	1 large tin drained smoked fish (tuna) 1/2 cup frozen peas 1/2 preserved lemon rind, finely chopped
Chop and add	2 carrots
Make a white sauce and add to fish mixture
Arrange egg halves on top
Cover with mashed potato, and sprinkle with	handful grated cheese.
Baked for 40 mins, or until golden on top.

7/11 Baked Risotto

11 MEAL PROJECT - 7/11

BAKED RISOTTO

Oven. 180 C.
In a large oven proof dish, mix	1.5 cup risotto rice (arborio) 4.5 cup chicken stock
Cover tightly in foil and bake 40 mins.
For kids fry then chop up	1 sausage (freeze flow em in freezer) 0.5 cup frozen peas/blueberries.
For adults cube and bake	1 kumera
Chop and crispy fry	100g bacon 1 handful fresh sage in a lump of butter
Uncover rice (check liquid absorped), mix in	1 cup grated parmesan/edam 40g butter
Mix in sausage and vege-berries for kids. Mix in kumera, bacon and sage for adults.
Brilliant recipe for the highly experimental nights - my risotto has ranged from ‘chorizo, halloumi and grilled red pepper’ to ‘cheese’. Great for adult lunch box. Serves 2+2+

5/11 Pasta Carbonara

11 MEALS PROJECT - 5/11

FLASH AS PASTA CARBONARA

In heaps of boiling salted water, cook	2/3 packet pasta (my kids like any small shapes and they work well as small pieces get well coated in sauce. DG says its due to increased surface area. Flash fact!)
Finely chop and fry	250g streaky bacon. (I am really tight with bacon so this is probably exaggerating. A little bit of happy pig goes a long way, you know what I’m saying?)
In a bowl whip up	3 egg yolks equal amount cream good grating of Parmesan/other cheese salt and pepper
When pasta cooked, immediately drain and mix into egg mixture. Add bacon and another good grating of cheese. If pasta hot enough it will cook the egg and coat the pasta as you mix it. I know, its flash.
Serve with more cheese, S and P, and some	Random greenies.
Serves 2 plus 2. Sadly, hardly ever any left overs but DG gets to buy a pie for lunch.

4/11 - Dans Creamy Chicken

11 MEALS PROJECT - 4/11

Dan’s Creamy Chicken

Oven 200C
In an oven proof dish mix	1 tin Condensed Mushroom Soup 300mls Cream
Sprinkle	Paprika
over each of	6-8 Chicken legs
Bury the legs in the creamy mixture and bake for 1 hour. Turn legs half way. Serve with mash and beans.

3/11 - Red Wine Excuse Casserole

11 MEALS PROJECT - 3/11

RED WINE EXCUSE CASSEROLE

My excuse to open a bottle of red at cooking time. One glass for me, one glass for the casserole...
I use 1kg packs of meat and it does a couple of meals.

Oven. 180C
Into whatever size pieces you fancy, chop	500g - 1kg braising/blade casserole steak
Cover with flour by tossing in shopping bag with	1/2 cup of flour
In a heavy based casserole pot, brown small batches of the meat at a time and set aside.
Chop and fry	1 Onion 1-2 cloves crushed garlic
Return meat into the pan along with the onions and deglaze pan with	1 glass of red wine
Add	3-4 cups beef stock (cover the meat) 1 tin chopped tomatoes 1 bay leaf
Chop and add	3-4 potatoes 1-2 carrots (kumera, pumpkin, whatever vege you have) S&P
Cover and put in oven for 1 1/2 hours. Serve with green vege.

2/11 Pumpkin Soup and Scout Bread

11 MEAL PROJECT - 2/11

RORY’S SCOUT BREAD

Oven. 200C
In a big bowl mix	3 cup flour 3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt
Pour in one of Dads favourite	330ml can/stubbie of beer
Rinse out the bottle with water and add to mix. (Brings it to about 400mls total liquid).
Mix well. Tip into greased loaf tin.
Grate and sprinkle over	1/2 cup cheese (Optional)
Bake for 50-60 mins. Yummy hot. Toasts well. Doesn’t work with stout or low alcohol beer (what use is low alcohol beer to a scout? Gotta be prepared!)

(Under 6 YRS) PUMPKIN SOUP

If I go to the trouble of chopping up any pumpkin I do the whole thing, then roast the pieces with skin on. We eat what we need that night, and the rest I leave in the oven.The next day (theoretically) when I open the oven and discover it again, I easily peel the skin off and throw together this soup. Butternuts are easiest as they only need to be halved and the garlic/oil floated in the middle. Life is too short and fingers too precious to peel pumpkin raw.

Halve, de-seed, and roast	1 Butternut Pumpkin 1 clove crushed Garlic Glug Olive Oil
Chop and fry	1 onion 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic (Optional !) 3 rashers of Bacon
Peel and add	Cooked pumpkin 5 cups chicken stock/water mixed with pkt soup S&P Dash of Sweet chlli Sauce (Optional)
Boil and mash pumpkin. To serve, add	1/2 cup cheese (Anything, but Gruyere for No.1 flavour)

(Over 6YRS) THAI PUMPKIN SOUP

As with recipe above but instead of stock add	2 cups water 1 400ml tin Coconut milk 1-2 fresh/dried chillis, or Sweet Chilli Sauce 1tbsp Lemongrass, minced 1tbsp Fish Sauce S&P
Serve with	Fresh Coriander