I'll be the first to admit that I've not been keeping this up like I had originally planned. But plans are what you make while life is actually happening.
My back suddenly deteriorated and is now causing trouble for me walking, sitting and standing, naturally this also means I now have trouble driving, so I had to move house. I now live in an assisted living situation with the Smurfling. And it's been an adventure packing a 3 BR house into a 3 room unit that's for sure. There is an extension planned for later in the year when the weather warms up a bit since we have to cut a wall out to make it work and the weather has been atrocious. Amusingly.
There was no rain, complete drought in this location for years, watering done via the dam which we've kinda decided now is spring fed since the iron content in the water has gone through the roof. I move here, it rains. Solidly. For weeks. Wettest year so far, and my parents were here the year Victoria flooded.
One good side effect of the move is that I'm no longer turning into the "Crazy Cat lady Hermit". My mum got me involved in the Country Women's Association because at the time there was a play and dang it I trained for that!
Wonderful group of ladies, and people to talk to while I knit once a month if I either finish early on the group craft or don't want to do it for whatever reason. I strongly urge everyone to go find their local group. If nothing else they're lovely ladies and there's generally someone there who makes scones to die for!
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Kids: The Lunchbox Monster - Oz Style
I've been reading quite a few blogs in the past few weeks and I have to say the cultural differences between here in Australia and what I've been seeing from American mothers is breathtaking.
I went looking for ideas for lunchbox fillers. And I found a ton of fantastic suggestions. Avocado and fruit pastes, tossing in a boiled egg, peanut butter filled celery with sultanas on them. All wonderful ideas. All banned from the school the Smurfling attends.
No eggs: Allergies
No Nuts of any kinds: Allergies
No yogurt/tinned fruit/jelly (Which also kills the pastes): Too messy
Jam/honey no more than twice a week: they're "sometimes foods"
No fruit juice: Jealousy issues with the kids who can't have them
No muesli bars: Allergens in them (nuts)
No chips/crisps: Unhealthy
By the time you run through the list of disallowed foods that get added to every couple of months... I'm almost at the point of bringing lunch in every day and having him eat in the car - so that he gets something to actually eat. I'm waiting for them to ban all meat and dairy products because of either allergies or the fat content. Then I will HAVE to bring him home for lunch.
So... what do you send to school in the lunchbox of an ASD child who when at home eats Nutella, peanut butter or egg sandwiches for lunch, who doesn't eat the same fruit 2 days running and who has periods where he doesn't eat either cheese OR meat, sometimes both at the same time?
Popcorn. And water. I bought an air popping popcorn maker last year so I could send popcorn with him to school. I'm personally not a fan of plain popcorn, I like mine dusted with icing sugar - but that's evil and unhealthy.
Occasionally I use another of my little bench top machines that I bought in the last couple of years and send tiny doughnut shaped pancakes as well. Why doughnut shaped pancakes? Because we tried the doughnut mix recipe and he's not a fan, but he'll eat pancakes like they're going out of fashion, and it cooks up just as fast anyway.
I had all these wonderful ideas before Smurfling went off to school. Homemade muffins, egg salad sandwiches, mini quiches, home made sesame snaps, home made fruit and nut bars.... I still make all these things. It's just I'm making them in tiny batches for weekends and school holidays instead of the masses that I was going to fill the freezer with so I didn't have to get up every day and make ruddy sandwiches.
Every day I make 2 devon and cheese sandwiches - or rolls - fill a bottle of water and try and sneak in half an apple or a handful of grapes.
I don't know who is more bored with school lunches - me or the Smurfling.
I went looking for ideas for lunchbox fillers. And I found a ton of fantastic suggestions. Avocado and fruit pastes, tossing in a boiled egg, peanut butter filled celery with sultanas on them. All wonderful ideas. All banned from the school the Smurfling attends.
No eggs: Allergies
No Nuts of any kinds: Allergies
No yogurt/tinned fruit/jelly (Which also kills the pastes): Too messy
Jam/honey no more than twice a week: they're "sometimes foods"
No fruit juice: Jealousy issues with the kids who can't have them
No muesli bars: Allergens in them (nuts)
No chips/crisps: Unhealthy
By the time you run through the list of disallowed foods that get added to every couple of months... I'm almost at the point of bringing lunch in every day and having him eat in the car - so that he gets something to actually eat. I'm waiting for them to ban all meat and dairy products because of either allergies or the fat content. Then I will HAVE to bring him home for lunch.
So... what do you send to school in the lunchbox of an ASD child who when at home eats Nutella, peanut butter or egg sandwiches for lunch, who doesn't eat the same fruit 2 days running and who has periods where he doesn't eat either cheese OR meat, sometimes both at the same time?
Popcorn. And water. I bought an air popping popcorn maker last year so I could send popcorn with him to school. I'm personally not a fan of plain popcorn, I like mine dusted with icing sugar - but that's evil and unhealthy.
Occasionally I use another of my little bench top machines that I bought in the last couple of years and send tiny doughnut shaped pancakes as well. Why doughnut shaped pancakes? Because we tried the doughnut mix recipe and he's not a fan, but he'll eat pancakes like they're going out of fashion, and it cooks up just as fast anyway.
I had all these wonderful ideas before Smurfling went off to school. Homemade muffins, egg salad sandwiches, mini quiches, home made sesame snaps, home made fruit and nut bars.... I still make all these things. It's just I'm making them in tiny batches for weekends and school holidays instead of the masses that I was going to fill the freezer with so I didn't have to get up every day and make ruddy sandwiches.
Every day I make 2 devon and cheese sandwiches - or rolls - fill a bottle of water and try and sneak in half an apple or a handful of grapes.
I don't know who is more bored with school lunches - me or the Smurfling.
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