Dealing with Miscarriage...

I've written about this here before, but it bears repeating... and forwarding, and sharing with every woman you know. You'd be surprised how many women have been through this and never tell anyone! Click on the link below to my column on GNM Parents.

Miscarriage: Why?

Breastfeeding is not 'Best'... it's Something Else Altogether

Health Fear Over Aluminium in Formula Milk as Researchers Discover up to 40 Times More Aluminium Than in Breast Milk:Chemist Dr Chris Exley, who led the study at Keele University, Staffordshire, said: 'We've known about the high aluminium content in infant formula for many years and there is evidence to show it is potentially quite dangerous.
'It has been linked to neurological diseases and bone defects in later life and there are even links with dementia.
'Everyone has aluminium in their bodies but infants are especially prone to absorbing it and are not so good at getting rid of it.'


Similac Recall: Bits of Beetles and Larvae in Formula Oh, my goodness.


Cow and Gate, Stop Telling Fibs. And get your facts straight.

And in other news:Midwives should be advised not to accept Aptamil grants.

Your Agony Aunt is IN

Dear TIFIP,

There is this guy, like, at work who I think likes me and, like, I like him. Well, we have flirted a bit at the water cooler and, like, at the photocopier. Anyway, we both found ourselves, like, in the stationery cupboard. And, like, I didn't know what to say to him. And, like, he couldn't wait to get out of there. What should I do? Do you think he really does like me? And if so, should I, like, wait for him to ask me out or should I, like, ask him? 

Many thanks, Confused in Herts


Dear Confused, 


It is obvious that this guy is crazy about you! What you need to do is this: Lurk near to the stationery cupboard, as much as possible. All day if you can! If you see him coming, grab him, drag him in there and profess your undying lust. Failing this, you may need to take the above action with someone in your company who is superior to both you and the object of your desire... this will prompt your guy to know his true feelings. 


Best of luck!


TIFIP


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Dear TIFIP, 


I think my beautiful gourami has a bacterial infection. He was doing so well too! And I can't get the thermostat to sit an even 26 degrees. It keeps spiking at 30. Think I might need a new heater.

And then when I was trying to pin up the spray on my orchid - it snapped off!! Gutted I tell you!

So I'm feeling a little traumatized!


Dear Traumatized, 


Minced Gourami makes an excellent orchid fertilizer. 


TIFIP




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Dear TIFIP,


On telling one's best friend that one's eldest son, aged nine, has been diagnosed with atypical autism, and receiving the reply, "Well, c'mon, he's always been weird. Everybody knows that. How could you not have noticed?", do I:-

a) slap her?
b) walk away sobbing slightly ? or
c) please fill in this blank for me with a socially acceptable, yet satisfying option.


Dear Sobbing, 


My first reaction is to offer to send you some minced gourami to hide in her sock drawer. And I DO think that would be socially acceptable in any sensible society (plus she'll never know it was you!) 


My second reaction is: Is your friend usually so unfeeling? Sometimes people say really stupid and hurtful things because they have had a dreadful day or are stressed out about something you aren't even aware of. If you think this may be the case, perhaps you could try broaching the subject with her again. "I feel so low about his atypical autism diagnosis..." and see how it goes. 


It may be that your friend is just not able to give you the support you need right now, and you may need to look into a support group for this. Perhaps she can be your friend in other ways? Friendship is precious. I hope it works out all right. 


TIFIP.

ADVICE Column! Or Something

I'm booooored. And I'm stuck in a blogging rut. Of non-blogging. 

I never give advice, but go on, ask me something. Let's have an Advice Column Week. End. May concern marriage, housework, parenting, or any other topic that springs to mind. 

We Have a WINNER!

On the LEFT, all the names! This was very scary for me, because everyone who commented is a huge reader, from a family of readers. I wanted EVERYONE to win.

So I just wrote everyone's names down, and cut them out. While I was doing that, I asked Sam to write a grocery list. That's the one on the right, featuring 'AK-47, fruit, eggs, butts-err' etc. Hopefully the guard at the door won't ask to see my list.

Anyway, Max (The Birthday Boy! 9 yesterday!) Picked the winning name (and he was as nervous as I was) and TA-DAAAA!

Elizabeth YOU are the winner! Yaaaay! The Nomad Family have recently returned to the States, so they could definitely use a book to add to the chaos! Congratulations, Nomad Family! I'll pop "I Shall Wear Midnight" in the mail as soon as I have your address, and hopefully it will speed to you by air faster than a ship on the Atlantic.

Don't forget to check out my weekly post on GNM Parents, and we're making a creative mess Elsewhere. It's busy here at Chez Sheppard!

This Carrot Cake ROCKS

You've still got time to check out the Terry Pratchett giveaway!


We've been baking here. Chas made MERINGUES! and they were PERFECT! I can't tell you how he did it, because I have always been a meringue 'fail', with nice peaky white things quickly turning into one big flat brown thing which sticks. Chas' meringues defied gravity and were OH so yummy. Hooray for young men who take kitchen matters into their own hands!


However, my carrot cake is the stuff dreams were made of:


Heat oven to 325

3 cups flour: I use about half white, half whole wheat or kamut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp baking soda

Chopped Walnuts, 1 or 2 cups depending on how much you like walnuts

Raisins (optional, my kids sometimes, randomly, hate them)
2 tsp cinnamon and some nutmeg or mace to taste
½ tsp salt
1½ cups oil
1½ cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups chopped pumpkin or carrot (I use more...)
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together white flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. If you're lazy and you don't sift, you'll get bits of baking soda. Eeeew! Stir in nuts and raisins. If they are well coated with flour, they will not sink during baking.

Put the oil in a blender OR smoothie maker with cup measurements. Add carrot (or pumpkin) until you get to 3½ cups (that's 1½ cups oil + 2 cups carrot, 'k?)

Yes, I experimented with my smoothie maker (mine's a Kenwood, a UK brand. The 'Back to Basics' one pictured looks like the same thing. It MUST be able to blend frozen fruit and ice, or it will soon burn out on the carrots!) and it was even better than the blender. You may want to blend the carrots and oil in two batches, but really I just broke the rules and filled it up to about three and a half cups, and the result was a golden, creamy wonderment which mixed brilliantly with the other ingredients.

Pour amazing carrot and oil mixture into sifted dry ingredients, and add everything else. Mix well and pour into greased AND FLOURED loaf pans or muffin cases. 

Bake for 50 mins at 350, or about 30 mins for muffins. Mmmm.


Oh and PS, forget about twitter. Definitely not worth the time. 

Hello? Is This Thing On?

YES Racing Fans! We're back in action here, and trying something new. Would you like some FREE GIVEAWAYS? (Ooooh YES WE WOULD!)

Well, what would you like? Books? Toys? Kitchen stuff? Electronics?

Leave me a comment (yup, comments are on again, fingers crossed...) and let's get this party started.

Oh, and while I'm here, the new Terry Pratchett book for teens is out in the UK: Tiffany Aching is brilliant again in 'I Shall Wear Midnight'. Chas and I fought over this book until I caved and finished the whole thing last night and in the wee hours of this morning. Haven't seen Chas since!

In this story there is a funeral, a wedding, murder, and drama as only seen on Discworld. And I'm willing to mail my copy (as soon as Chas has finished reading it, which should be in about 5 minutes) to a commenter anywhere in the world. This is ONLY open to previous commenters (you know who you are, and so do I) and comments will be closed on Friday 10th. I'll get Max to pick a name out of a hat, OK?

OK!

P.S. Follow me on twitter!