We Need Several Square Meals A Day, And What Shape Is A Chocolate Bar? SQUARE!

Coincidence? I think not. Chocolate, as we now know (and as the ancient Mayans knew, moments before they all achieved Nirvana), is a superfood. It contains theobromine, great for stubborn chesty coughs (my cough is all better, thanks to the increased chocolate). Dark Chocolate contributes to long life, is packed with antioxidants, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, contains the antidepressant serotonin: just know, faithful readers, that
CHOCOLATE IS GOOD FOR YOU!

Anyone who says things like "Two ounces chocolate converts to five ounces on hips" is just a sad person, bent on spreading distress.

Some readers may point out that my husband is far away in foreign (cocoa-producing) lands and therefore the chocolate-centric part of my brain is on override. They might be right. He may bring some special cocoa (and don't forget, coffee) for me when he returns, but alas, he will not bring native fully-processed, ready-to-eat dark chocolate.

There are political reasons for this: Importing countries impose much higher tariffs on processed cocoa and finished chocolates (than on cocoa beans). For example, the European Union charges a 7.7% tariff on cocoa powder imports and 15% on chocolates containing cocoa butter, but exempts raw cocoa beans. Similarly, Japan and the United States have no ad valorem duty on unprocessed cocoa beans but charge significant cocoa chocolate import tariffs. So, with the taxes, there is little profit and much risk in turning your untaxable cocoa beans into taxable quality chocolate. Communities like Brasso Seco who have the cocoa and the industrious people who can make great chocolate to sell to the rest of us will remain entirely agricultural because the chocolate tax would price their product right out of the market.

Nestlé has proudly announced its Cocoa Plan, providing cocoa farmers in Africa with 12 million "More Productive Cocoa Trees". What a great idea! This will keep the farmers busy, producing cocoa at an extremely low cost for an extremely rich and powerful company. The fact that child labour and slave labour are suspected in cocoa growing, particularly in the Ivory Coast areas in Nestlé's scheme, doesn't seem to be an issue to Nestlé. In fact, I find that their Cocoa Plan Website makes the shabby poverty of their growers look rather cute and photogenic. Sorry, Nestlé, I wouldn't want to work on one of your farms. And thanks to your new "Fair Trade" label, millions will be fooled, and I have lost any respect I had for Fair Trade. There is no way the chocolate trade could be fair, unless the taxes were the same for processed and raw product.

So it looks like there will be little eatable chocolate coming out of the Ivory Coast, or South America, or India, or Trinidad in the future. If I were a braver woman, I'd boycott Big-Business chocolate. Maybe I could boycott except in emergencies? An internet search has produced several nice-sounding smaller chocolate companies like El Rey in Venezuela, but as I haven't tasted their chocolate I am unable to recommend that we all order online from there. What I NEED, is free samples. Mmmmmmmm.....

Now that I've written this, I'm all depressed about the politics of chocolate. Fortunately, I can hear a bar of  non- Big Business 70% calling my name from the kitchen.

How Did You, And YOU, Meet WHO Breastfeeding Guidelines?

The WHO stipulates that all babies must be breastfed exclusively for six months, and that breastfeeding should continue for two years and beyond.

Many people gasp in horror at this, but I’m sure that the WHO has done their research (okay, I know they have) and has reasons for believing that ALL babies, in ALL nations would thrive best if they were breastfed exclusively for six months (exclusive breastfeeding means ONLY BREASTMILK) and, with additional foods, breastfed until at least two years of age.

In fact, many, many women do follow WHO guidelines. There are many babies who have been exclusively breastfed for six months, and we see more and more nursing toddlers these days. Many more women (me, for one) almost manage, nursing exclusively for four-ish months and continuing breastfeeding for well over a year.

Why are some breastfeeding teams successful? What is it that works for us? It’s certainly not that it comes easily to us at first: I cried many tears over my bawling baby and sore boobs before we got it all figured out!

Is it a certain ‘Type’ of woman who nurses her baby for two years? I don’t think so: in my years as a breastfeeding counsellor I’ve met homeschoolers, corporate lawyers, managers, beauty queens, actresses, designers, air hostesses, writers, mathematicians, stay-at-home-baking-cookies moms… all types, who breastfed for two years and beyond because they wanted to. For some, it meant simply breastfeeding on demand, their child helping themselves. For others it involved expressing milk at lunchtime and keeping it in a tiny fridge in their secretary’s office.

So, WHY are some breastfeeding teams so successful? This is my question to YOU, and you, and you. I know you’re out there. Have you breastfed exclusively for more than three months? Did you continue for over a year? Let us help other Mamas and their babies by sharing our tips. If you have breastfed a baby for nearly the WHO-recommended length of time, can you tell me how or why?

Okay, I’ll start: I think that maybe, Co-Sleeping was helpful in making breastfeeding, especially at night, easy. I also had plenty of support from my Mum, who cheered me on.

There! Now it’s your turn! I will be publishing this article elsewhere as well, and when everyone has had their say I will put it all together in another post. Now spill the beans, breast feeders!

Children's Book Reviews - It's That Time Again!

Max's class did a great project on Ancient Egypt, so we borrowed The Orchard Book Of Stories From Ancient Egypt from the library and really got into all things Egyptian! This is a great book, a perfect introduction to the classic myths for school-age kids. Myths like the story of Isis finding all of the pieces of Osiris' body and bringing him back to life are repeated in modern tales and music, and it's good to know where they came from. Don't worry about the stories being gruesome, they are nicely told! The last story is of Bata's trip through the underworld and the Gods weighing his heart against a feather... a great explanation of Ancient Egyptian beliefs through a story. The Gods and Goddesses are listed in the back of the book, and there's a write-up on the Rosetta Stone and how it helped scientists to translate Egyptian Hieroglyphs to discover these old stories.

Bunty, tree-planter extraordinaire, would love this next book: Spirit Of The Forest: Tree Tales From Around The World has beautiful watercolour illustrations and different kinds of stories: some quirky, some sad and romantic, many magical. I liked the Welch story of Saint Baglan, who built a church around a tree with spaces for the branches to grow out of the roof, a door for animals to come in, and a window in the roof for the bees! The Ugandan tale of two lovers who died together and grew into the first Flambouyant tree we loved, because it describes the flame-like flowers reaching for the Sun, who tried to help them.

The Kingfisher Book Of Magical Tales also features tales from around the world, and with lovely illustrations and beautifully told stories, this book makes lovely bedtime reading. The second to last story is sad, 'The Snake Princess', but it is very traditional in that the 'witch' ends up being pushed into the oven. The other tales have happy endings and are pretty funny in places too: I like the three princesses in 'The Quees Of The Bees' - the older princesses, who are vain and quarrelsome, end up with vain, quarrelsome princes! Of course the youngest princess, who did all of the rescuing and is wise and sweet, was assisted by ants, ducks and bees and lives happily ever after with the youngest prince.

Fairy tales are great. Those stories where the hero (or heroine) has to surmount great obstacles and ends up living happily ever after can help us all to deal with real life. And fairy tales are not just for girls! Happy reading!

Hail!

Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind,
As man’s ingratitude.

- William Shakespeare-


Lest people think I am completely ungrateful, I list here the things that I am grateful for!


- Thermal undies. Especially Charlotte's heavy stripey ones! Hand-me-downs are so good...
- A waterproof hoodie for keeping the sleet out.
- My warm boots.
- Margo looking amazingly bright and cheery today!
- Meeting helpful smiling people everywhere.
- Getting home to a warm kitchen.
- Cups of tea.
- Good memories of a sunny-ish week last week!
- Grocery delivery, ooohh I love it!
- Feeling almost totally healthy and flu-free... knock on wood! 
- And last but NOT least, FUZZY SOCKS!

Totally Granola... Except For The Lego.

I could get used to week-long half-term holidays. We've had friends to stay. We've had exactly the right mixture of sunny days where we took off on foot or on bikes and explored the wilds of Bournemouth; and rainy days where we lay about on the floor watching movies and pouring glitter all over the kitchen table. Much has been done that is non-essential. Mummies had cups of tea and really good talks, Chas helped Katy revise for a Latin test (with much hilarity and charade-ing), Max had a friend over, and Lego was spread hither and yon.

Sam and his buddy Thomas, with much encouragement from Chas, his friend Connor and Thomas' sister Katy, have made their first ever film:



The death scenes (there are many) are of Oscar-Winning Quality. The kids said that IF ONLY we had a camera here, and didn't have to use the laptop camera, it would have been better, so Daddy, bring the camera back when you return!

The boys have also posted some stuff on their own Website about bikes and rocks, and are threatening to post more.

My Muesli was used up this week, so I have made a new batch and I'd just like to say that I've discovered THE HOLY GRAIL of Muesli. Usually I just throw whatever is around into a big jar and shake it up, but this time I had Good-Quality Oats, Cranberries, Walnuts, Dates, and end of a bag of assorted nuts (mostly Brazil), Apricots... and FIGS!

Ohhhh, dear readers, you gotta taste Muesli with FIGS! The angels sang, I tell ya. I cut them up with scissors (figs, not angels),  the way I do apricots, and tumbled them around so the oats coated them and they won't stick together. They taste like crunchy honey.

*SIGH* Figgy Muesli! 


We have done quite a bit of snuggling (including snuggling of my niece, and brushing her long hair), and finished reading 'The Magician's Nephew' for Max, as he couldn't remember the story. We plan on reading the whole Narnia Series again, we have enjoyed that one so much. Some books you just have to read every few years!

Chas has read 'Goodnight Mister Tom', a beautiful story about an abused boy who is sent from London to stay in the countryside during the War and finds self and love. Sam read the book at school and saw the movie, and loved both book and movie. Chas is now re-reading Terry Pratchett's  'The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents' and giggling just as much as the first time.

I've been reading Vikram Chandra's 'Love and Longing In Bombay' and wishing I could write like that; Gerald Martin's Biography of Gabriel García Márquez, which is written much in the style of Márquez and which any fan will enjoy reading; and 'Yoga, The Holistic Way To Health', a big book of poses where I've been looking up 'immune system' and 'lungs' (my cough is much better, thank you). B. K. S. Iyengar is a great teacher, and this, his latest book, is excellent for finding almost any pose and getting it right.

I usually scoff at self-help books, but someone recommended, when I was in the throes of moving countries, that I read 'The Power Of  Now' by Eckhart Tolle... This has been an easy read, and makes stress seem so unnecessary and last-year. I'm re-reading bits, just before I go to sleep. I think that getting this on CD would be a great idea, because there are some good meditations which would be better listened to than read. Most of us could use a good talking to about stress, and this book does it well.

Tomorrow is the last day of our holiday: The day when Sam will suddenly remember that he has homework, I will finally request that the Lego be picked up, the glitter will be vacuumed, and the spare beds and bedding will be tidied up. A pottering-around day. We are all healthier and more rested than we were a week ago, and I hope our visitors are too!

'Gosh, It's Like Fawlty Towers...'

Margo has had an Angioplasty 'procedure', in an attempt to get more oxygen to the ol' brain. She is home and recuperating nicely, but she looks old and small and clearly needs more care than she will admit. (YES, ninety-three year old heart patients need care! "I am NOT a heart patient!") Her loving family are trying to make things easy and non-stressful for her, which involves much whispered discussion, and some hilarious moments where we have to meet with the other elderly ladies in Margo's building to discuss things like "Where are the keys to the guest room, because Anna's Daughter needs them", and "No, not me, I'm Nan. Anna's in number 24", and "Today is Friday. Yes, and tomorrow is Saturday," and "Oh, you mean ANNA! From upstairs!"

This involves going upstairs, then going downstairs, then going upstairs, several of us accompanied by boisterous children and at every stop we are invited into tiny apartments en masse for tea by forgetful old dears with extremely neat and fragile furnishings.

It isn't that bad, actually. Although in some ways, it's worse. Our normal family tactic in times of stress is to laugh and be silly, but we are all sad and worried. Margo needs someone to remind her to take her pills, to eat three meals a day. She forgets what day of the week it is and looks at her labelled pill-box, lost. She forgets that you were just there yesterday, insists that she hasn't seen Charlotte in months and months. Margo is absolutely adamant that she doesn't need someone to come and help her out... but she gets lonely and wishes we weren't all so busy and could visit her more. When we do, though, she forgets that we have.

Sigh!

Long Time No Internet!

Heyyyyyyy, out there!

Okay, it's only been a few days. But Hey anyway. What have we been up to? Well, today my friend Vicky and I  walked to Boscombe and along the cliffs to a cafe which has the chocolateyest hot chocolate around, Cafe Riva. The kids (SIX of them) have had two nights together and have been happy, good and nice to one another while Vicky and I caught up with one another's news. Today they rode their bikes and met us in Boscombe, then played mini-golf while Vicky and I sat in the sun (yes, the SUN) and nattered.

Then we walked all the way back.

It's been a lovely few days, with the rainy weather serendipitously happening on the day we had indoor stuff planned with Cherise and her kids. The kids have a few more days off for their half-term holiday, and my cousin and her daughter are coming down tomorrow to fill up the beds vacated by Vicky and family. Hopefully the weather will continue to be this friendly.

As Inspector Clouseau would say, "I 'ope zeee weazzer conteeeenues zees fine!"

Oh, and for more Boy News,  The Saga Continues on GNM Parents.

Required Reading and Watching...

For some thoughtful words on Carnival, visit My Chutney Garden. Sharon's photography is always gorgeous.

And for an awesome talk on Creativity, head over to Life As I Know It. You'll find a twenty-minute video there, which is well worth the watch. If you're a professional artist, musician or writer, or ever thought of creating something, do take the time to see this.

It's Carnival Weekend...

I've got my Soca 2010 CD playing, and it's making the sun shine! Really!

I'm not overwhelmed with grief that I'm missing Carnival. I don't play Mas' EVERY year. Not like some (Many Trinis!) who will happily fork out tens of thousands of dollars for peak-time plane tickets, costumes and makeup for two days of the Best Party On Earth.

It IS the Best Party On Earth. But it'll be there next year, and the year after.

No, this year I'm happily going English. It's a week-long 'Half-Term Holiday' here. My sister has filled me in on 'Shrove Tuesday', the day before Ash Wednesday, when we are meant to breakfast on pancakes and crepes in an effort to use up all of the sugar and chocolate in the house before our Lenten Fast. Cool! This means I have to run out and buy Chocolate and syrup and so on!

Some friends are coming for the two nights of Carnival/Shrove, Vicky and her two kids. Chas has a friend moving in for two nights as well. Max will have a friend over for the day. Vicky and I are looking forward to a couple of kid-filled days (looks like six boys and one girl...), to distract us from the Best Party On Earth! I hope everyone likes pancakes...

We'll go for a hike if the weather's nice, maybe ice skating, who knows? I may have to make a sign, though, saying "ABSOLUTELY NO SKATEBOARDING ON THE STAIRS!" What IS it with boys?

Well, I'm Not Feeling WORSE...

Maybe I'm feeling a little better? I dunno.

The Dell guy is coming today, so at least my laptop should be feeling better soon. If you don't see me online, it's because my laptop has gone to the laptop hospital. It'll probably have to go, we've tried a few things and I have a feeling major stuff has to be done. Maybe I should go too!

It's frustrating, losing all of my settings and stuff, putting it back, losing it again... This is IT folks, this computer is going to be working or I'll make some serious noise about it.

In Trinidad this week, everyone is preparing for Carnival. They've been hitting the Gym since September, paying thousands of dollars for costumes and getting their tights, shoes, makeup, hair and costume 'adjustments' exactly right. Sean is there! He's tying up some loose ends, and he's got work to do, but he'll also party!

I don't really mind missing it, I don't HAVE to play Mas' every year, and I did play last year. It's easier to be far away and NOT hearing the music trucks passing outside! For pictures from last year see HERE and HERE.

Man, looking at those photos is... not easy!

The sun is shining today, in fact it's beautiful! We have a week's half-term holiday next week, and Sam's best friend is coming to stay with his mum and sister. They lived in Trinidad for several years as well, so Vicky and I can weep together about missing Carnival! I've got the music from last year... Cousins are coming over as well, and we have fun hikes and ice skating planned. Fun!

Alternative Medicine, and So On...

So here I am again, with the most boring topic in the world: Beating the Flu. And I'm not just going to sit around with my heaps of snotty tissues and THINK about it, either: Beating the Flu is a MISSION, and hopefully it'll benefit someone out there as well, if we can ALLLLLL band together and share our weapons against viruses.

I took Chas to the Doctor last week, because he had one of those coughs that the more you cough, the more you want to cough. We drilled the very nice Doctor on how we could avoid these Winter Flus that have laid us low. She sighed: "Healthy diet, fresh air, wash your hands... really, once you've had a few you should build up resistance. The Common Cold is a fact of life here, unfortunately." Well, we HAVE a healthy diet and Bournemouth's air is pretty fresh, so it's time to expand our arsenal. I'm becoming a hand-washing nag. GO WASH YOUR HANDS!

(Updated: One year on, and we don't seem to get colds any more. KNOCK ON WOOD! I guess we're resistant now. Exercise, fresh air, healthy food and lots of hugs do the trick!)

Yesterday, I got some homeopathic remedies from Boots: Aconite for the first signs of a sore throat, and sulphur and pulsatilla for the cough I have now (I searched my symptoms online, so the remedies may not be at all right.) I slept like a log last night. When I got up this morning, I coughed up a whole bucket o' green slime, yes sireeee. You really needed to know that, didn't you?

Homeopathy is something I got into when the boys were little, when Chas and Sam got a series of ear infections, which were treated with antibiotics. Finally, after the fourth antibiotics session, the wonderful Dr. Bratt suggested putting tubes into their ears, and I asked him if I could try a homeopathic remedy first, as I'd heard so many good things about it. He said, 'Sure, why not?'

I gave them 'BHI Ear' from Dr. Ramnarine's office at the Ishtara Centre on Rodney Road, Chaguanas (His number's in the book, Trinis. Email ramnarine_harry at yahoo dot com). And they never had another ear infection, ever. We have since had amazing results beating allergies and asthma with homeopathy.

Dr. Harry Ramnarine (A 'real' doctor who has studied a wide range of medicines and is VERY interesting to talk with) is booked solid for months, but if you go to the office with a diagnosis from your own doctor and the exact symptoms, and talk to Dr. Ramnarine's staff, he can whip you up a remedy or they will give you something pre-packaged, and that saves time and money. In the years since the earaches, I've used homeopathy many times and I'm amazed that it works. How does it work? I really don't know. It sounds like hocus-pocus. Dr. Ramnarine tried to explain it to me one day, and I ended up saying, "So... if we all just knew which tree to hug, or which bit of rock to lie down on, we could be cured intantly!" He laughed, "YES!" as if I finally understood, which I don't... or maybe I do. I don't suppose it matters whether I understand or not, as long as the remedies work. Which for us, they do.

Of course, everyone is different. Many people find that homeopathy doesn't work for them. I noticed that the more we use homeopathic remedies instead of conventional remedies, the quicker they work. Perhaps it takes the body a while to adjust.

While we're talking about alternative medicine, I'd like to mention the lovely and wise Stephen Alibocus, in San Fernando (Trinis: Number also in the book: You leave a message, and he will get back to you.) Steven is a real healer, a magician with back problems, pinched nerves, fatigue, arthritis, aches, pains, slipped discs and misaligned chakras. He uses suction cups and Ayurvedic medicine.

Multi-Symptom Drugs like 'comptrex' et al make me come out in a rash, so I totally avoid them. If the I or the kids are feverish I give them Panadol and that's about it. Sean swears by the Multi-Symptom stuff, and it seems to work for him.

Then there are "Herbal" cures. Echinacea? Seems to make me sicker. Many drugs are extracted from herbs, and I worry when people assume that herbs are 'safer' and 'more natural'. So what if they're more natural? This does not make them safer. Be careful with herbs, people! Having said that, I like herbal teas, especially when I have a cough. The warmth and added honey go down a treat. I just use whatever is yummy, assuming that my body will crave what's good. Again, many people swear by herbal remedies, so they might be perfect for YOU.

An interesting Old Wives' Remedy: Rub feet with Vicks, put some warm socks on and sleep like a baby. This used to work like a dream for all of us, and still seems to help the boys. At the first sign of an itchy throat, work Vicks into feet really well, massaging all pressure points. You may recite Edward Lear, or not, at this point.

CHICKEN SOUP is good stuff: Make a broth with chicken or turkey bones (Or a thigh or something, whatever you've got. We keep the carcass when we do a roast bird, and freeze it for making soup.) Boil a few split peas or lentils in the broth, for added zinc which helps fight infection.

Strain the bones out of the 'broth' after about an hour or more with a colander or slotted spoon. It's not a nice clear broth at all, but it's full of goodness so don't complain. The split peas should be dissolved by now.

In a separate pan, saute lots of garlic (antibacterial), ginger (minced fine), onions... throw in some chillies too, to clear your sinus. Add carrots, and anything else you are craving. Noodles are nice, but many people find that wheat products make them more mucusy. Add the 'broth' and whatever else takes your fancy and cook for a while. Eat hot.

MUCUS! Don't you just love talking about mucus?!

Vitamins: Do vitamins work? Many studies say that Vitamin C is great stuff, so I'm taking it. I'm also taking Omega 3-6-9, Brewer's Yeast tablets, and assorted other multi-things. Carefully, so as not to overdose on anything. I don't really think the vitamins will make that much difference, because we eat really well and LOVE greens, whole grains, and fruit and beans. But I'm taking 'em anyway, for now.

Detox? Hmmm. If I don't feel better soon, I'll try this. See above, healthy diet anyway. Have stopped coffee and wine, alas. Also wheat and dairy. (Updated: Eliminating stuff made no difference. Am back to eating and drinking whatever I want, HA!)

Dark Chocolate! Theobromine has been shown to be an effective remedy for persistent coughs. YAY! Gotta up my intake of Green and Black's 70% Choc.

Exercise: This one's coming soon. As soon as I can breathe, that is! I'll be hitting the gym in an effort to raise my overall resistance and lose these love-handles as well. Today I'll do some gentle yoga, and simmer some Olbas Oil nearby. I always feel healthier when I'm fit.

Has anyone tried Acupuncture for increasing immunity to colds? I went to a certified acupuncturist, 'Dr. John', on Holdenhurst Road here in Bournemouth, when I injured my elbow (Overdoing it with the extreme heavy lifting and pulling when moving in!) I was surprised at how quickly it healed after two acupuncture sessions - reading online it sounded like I wouldn't be able to use my arm for months!

Come on, my friends... many of you live in wet and wintry places. What works for you? How do you avoid the Common Cold? How do you kick it quickly? How do you keep those coughs from settling in and inviting their mucusy friends? It's a fact that when we are exposed to cold and flu germs, some of us get sick and some don't. Let's be the ones that don't!

Awesome Parenting Advice, As Usual

I'm writing about parenting again, folks, over at GNM Parents, and YOU KNOW I'm an expert.

Last week I got onto my soapbox and told everyone about the wonderful internet games your kids can play and how it has been fun and positive to have internet games for the kids.

And this week I wrote about the little stinkers skipping homework to play games and being rude about it, and the consequenses of THAT.

Ahhhh, parenting. Don't ever think you've got the knack of it!!

Monday, Monday

"Laaa laaaa, laaaa la la la!"

Hello Monday!

I've got two boys home from school today because of teacher training. They are having a Star Wars Lego Battle, running full pelt between kitchen, bedroom, living/lego room. How come boys can make such cool sound effects? I remember, growing up, trying to make those "k-k-k-k-keeeew!" and "zwheeeeeoooooooh" noises and failing. I did want to be a boy, briefly, but realised it would never work, as I couldn't do sound effects.

I have a cough, AGAIN! Okay? I'm really fed up now. I suppose we will have to get all of the bugs, so that we can build up immunity, but ENOUGH ALREADY! I will be joining the gym this week, as part of my "Build-Up-Immunity-And-Fit-Back-Into-My-Jeans" campaign, but how can I work out if I am wheezing? I need to get a few days between colds. I haven't been sick like this in, I dunno, years.

Bah Humbug. English Colds.

Sean is heading out today, and I am happy/sad that he has a good job lined up/will be far away. The job market has been weird, with sudden changes and peculiar quirks... Stress!

In other exciting news, I gotta go clean my kitchen. Whooo! The drama! The fame! The fashion dos and don'ts! The celeb gossip! The.... well, the cups of tea and Star Wars Lego underfoot. Beats drama and fame, any day.

Photos: The Wedding, The Rainforest, The Return!

Ta-daaaa!

My sister was beeeooooteeeful. As you can see! Her dress was very Arwen, with gorgeous trailing sleeves and beading.

We headed to Brasso Seco for a hike. I love the picture of the van full of anthuriums. The forest was so GREEN, and Max and Khalil bonded and sped along. Max is such a good hiker now compared with how he used to be! I had a crayfish pedicure: they picked under my toenails and it's WEIRD! When the big ones came along I said 'yowch!' and ran away! The hike was a great battery-recharge for me, and it was so good to hang out with Kelly. 

And then, we came back home. Max was a great traveller, carrying heavy bags and being responsible. It's good to be home, despite colds and rain. I'm just beginning to catch up here, and have a few exciting new projects which all begin next week! I'm going to have to be VERY organized and focused, but I'll let you know how it all goes.

I'm Surrounded By Old Cranks

It's not their FAULT, of course. I've given my cold (or maybe it's a completely different cold, and we'll give these two different colds back to each other, wouldn't that be fun?) to Sean and the boys, so Sean is lying in bed going "I'm dyyyyyying" and Chas is taking cough medicine with Oscar-winning theatrics. I have never, ever seen a child make such a fuss about taking medicine, and THIS CHILD IS TWELVE YEARS OLD.

On Saturday, Margo complained that her fridge is absolutely full of too much food, and WHO PUT THOSE PEAS THERE?? (The peas are an ongoing saga. Don't even get me started on the peas.) Yesterday she said she had NOTHING to EAT in the HOUSE (except peas) (!!!!), so I promised to take her to her favourite grocery today. She forgot, of course, but eventually we got organized and spent a happy hour, me putting things into her cart and her taking them back out again.

"What IS that?"
"It's a fish pie, Margo, you said you loved it the last time"
"I DID? I don't need it."
"Well it'll keep, in the freezer, for emergencies. And here's that nice little quiche that you liked."
"I don't need that much."
"You have enough for two days, let's get a little extra so that you don't run out of food."
"I never do!"
"And then you'll call me on Wednesday and say you have NOTHING to EAT in the HOUSE!"
"WHEN have I EVER done that??"
"Yesterday afternoon," I say, through my teeth.

I retreat to the next aisle to mutter to myself, and the next time I see Margo, she's putting things back on the shelves. I wait  till she's not looking and put them back in again. It's a battle of wits, and Margo will lose. She has the look of someone who knows that they could win an argument if they could JUST remember what they were arguing about.

I win by announcing that there's bad weather expected this week, and we won't be able to get out again.  I feel bad for winning a battle of wits against someone who would usually argue anyone under the table, but really, is a trip to the supermarket supposed to be so fraught?

I have put a lamb stew in the crockpot, and it's going to be yummy:

8 small lamb chops
About a half-cup of black lentils
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
What do they call those things that look like white carrots? Parsnips! 2 of them
Crushed garlic
1 onion
Thyme
2 carrots
Half a butternut squash
2 cans of chopped tomatoes (you can blend these up if you have kids who hate lumpy tomatoes)
Some red wine is good too, but if you drink any make sure no-one sees you. It IS only ten o'clock in the morning, after all.

Layer the lamb chops, and everything else, in your crockpot, and then pour the tomatoes over everything. Add water to almost cover, and cook on low for 6 hours or so. You may want to add a pinch of salt towards the end. I'll put some into serving-sized containers (this stew freezes really well) so that on Wednesday, when Margo suddenly has NO food in the HOUSE, I can send some for her. I need to think ahead here.

By the way, my Amazon buttons seem to be working out!! Do you see them there? (We couldn't miss them, Nan, they're big and ugly) If you buy ANYTHING from Amazon via this site, (there's a little search bar on the right, there, or you can buy reviewed stuff) I get paid! Someone bought a Hamilton Beach 33967 Set 'n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker, and I got $4.50! Now that's awesome. For great book reviews and links, see the "Our Favourite Books" button. It looks like blogging can not only be fun and therapeutic, but profitable too. Who'da thunk? Happy Monday, all, and may your cranks not get to you!