tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25514024139989942792024-03-19T00:57:03.769-07:00Maman! I need help!Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-68885152692618466902016-10-30T17:59:00.001-07:002016-10-30T18:00:18.718-07:00Chocolate Mousse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tCXisnuWXnGmDCnxAdJoIhM8DmFa6qALRkW0AV6HUjmByjogftyRtIf3ze2YSpbccPuSuDbJXDIyOQv2XHbDq-xOVX67ZcWQKPIJtUBXi3JLzWyLTomEQPM3GT_ld7PZOOYTLQ6omIrs/s1600/Chocolate+Mousse.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tCXisnuWXnGmDCnxAdJoIhM8DmFa6qALRkW0AV6HUjmByjogftyRtIf3ze2YSpbccPuSuDbJXDIyOQv2XHbDq-xOVX67ZcWQKPIJtUBXi3JLzWyLTomEQPM3GT_ld7PZOOYTLQ6omIrs/s640/Chocolate+Mousse.png" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sugar Free, THM-S, LCHF</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For 4 people</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Right. The pictures I posted on facebook of this deliciousness in a bowl got such an overwhelming response and beggings for the recipe that I thought I would share it far and wide :-).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This dessert was famous in La Neuveville, my home town in Switzerland, and was often requested. For some unknown reason I stopped making it for several years, but there you go, I made it again on Saturday for movie night at a friend's and fell in love with it all over again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It comes from the book ("Croqu' Menus") I got for my home education class in Year 7, class otherwise known at the time as "la popotte".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enjoy, and do try not to dribble or fall off your chair when you eat it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also, DO lick the bowl!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTI6G4TNTiovxWgtLyEe9iJY8qQ4AKAOxfSQqwv_KRCh7LdUhStx4gg2H8QBtVCRfIdbhpnDHUGJF-tp7M1cr0RdqIudGBxydI1qtyxfqevHW2seJm0au0Qngb1CcsMaHCdpBlaRKI3IAx/s1600/PicMonkey+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTI6G4TNTiovxWgtLyEe9iJY8qQ4AKAOxfSQqwv_KRCh7LdUhStx4gg2H8QBtVCRfIdbhpnDHUGJF-tp7M1cr0RdqIudGBxydI1qtyxfqevHW2seJm0au0Qngb1CcsMaHCdpBlaRKI3IAx/s400/PicMonkey+Image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">_________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 egg yolks</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp erythritol/xylitol/Natvia - or sugar if you must</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">100g dark chocolate (I use 85%)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tbsp strong coffee (or to taste)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 egg whites</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 dl cream</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Beat the egg yolks and sweetener of choice until light and frothy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Add melted chocolate to egg yolk mixture and stir in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Add coffee and stir in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Beat egg whites until firm peaks form, and whip cream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Add egg whites and cream, alternatively and DELICATELY.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gently pour into a bowl or individual dishes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lick the bowl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Regrigerate for 2 hours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Decorate with chocolate shavings and/or strawberries and/or extra whipped cream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eat and taste a slice of heaven.</span></div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-57159221514333650022016-09-27T03:03:00.001-07:002016-09-27T03:03:38.984-07:00I was struck by lightning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJSk_8OuYLDxtUOgOsiMiELx5_Vt2SOwLpTfv0O_cWTTtnBPJgr19eVnHd1WSUe0c4PYBCwe-yAYrl6o6JAM03PWfdRXpWpvE6Bws0wBkSFNifLvuzE70fISzam5eVcttHd7bhoU0zcF3/s1600/I+WasStruck+by+Lightning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJSk_8OuYLDxtUOgOsiMiELx5_Vt2SOwLpTfv0O_cWTTtnBPJgr19eVnHd1WSUe0c4PYBCwe-yAYrl6o6JAM03PWfdRXpWpvE6Bws0wBkSFNifLvuzE70fISzam5eVcttHd7bhoU0zcF3/s640/I+WasStruck+by+Lightning.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Howahhh. What? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, I was struck... by the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pQJdxypKFs" target="_blank">Lightning Process</a>...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I can't keep quiet about it a minute longer. Every single day I read posts on Facebook about people suffering from chronic illnesses or conditions (like ME, chronic fatigue, migraines, depression, anxiety, food allergies, other allergies etc.), and I know of something that can help them. It would just be incredibly selfish of me not to share my amazing journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But first, what in the world is the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pQJdxypKFs" target="_blank">Lightning Process</a>? It's an amazing training programme whereby you learn how to rewire your brain and to train your brain to tell your body what to do so that you can get better when you are stuck in your life, or stuck in your health.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4NUJ0EhBOtsNarxr6Z1c7vCmkvkEEClnI9kj-udfgwjFYXkcm0ponvinp3sxGGcz453IubpKXku47MsDc3LCb94kF9w01aDcMpWG-fyO9c8ckPfxdgaYm1No4q1GUDFq53rxnuoE1Wj_/s1600/Change+is+simply+a+thought+away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4NUJ0EhBOtsNarxr6Z1c7vCmkvkEEClnI9kj-udfgwjFYXkcm0ponvinp3sxGGcz453IubpKXku47MsDc3LCb94kF9w01aDcMpWG-fyO9c8ckPfxdgaYm1No4q1GUDFq53rxnuoE1Wj_/s400/Change+is+simply+a+thought+away.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you know me or who have been following me for a while, you will know that I suffered from post natal depression after the birth of both my children, that anxiety was a big issue, and that my self esteem and body image had never been amazing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When my second child was a few months old, I bumped into Sarah. I hadn't seen her in quite awhile and the last time I had seen her, she was suffering from chronic fatigue and multiple food intolerances. That day, she was full of energy and eating the same as me. So I asked her what had happened, and she just answered, "I did the Lightning Process and now I'm fine and I can eat whatever I want". Well, I wanted to know her secret and I wanted to do the same thing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the time, it turned out the only Lightning Process trainer was in Auckland, and the training programme was over $1,000 (it still is by the way). I felt really deflated, but Sarah told me that she was training to become a recognised trainer and that she would be in touch when she was fully qualified. She did! But I couldn't afford it, or maybe I wasn't desperate enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know, </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfiCO_AIO1HiQ_rw_4eo7t1_lC9tzj4wTlyxk5xz-MseUhK7ukp48xx9C2rc78PjAn3_fbTWRPdHwsF69jgtXEXh9OH5iRq2sB5ZGEUb9gNNRiSDUwurTEcTHsfsfZRfryzBKPUJiKG7S/s1600/Change+is+simply+a+thought+away+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfiCO_AIO1HiQ_rw_4eo7t1_lC9tzj4wTlyxk5xz-MseUhK7ukp48xx9C2rc78PjAn3_fbTWRPdHwsF69jgtXEXh9OH5iRq2sB5ZGEUb9gNNRiSDUwurTEcTHsfsfZRfryzBKPUJiKG7S/s400/Change+is+simply+a+thought+away+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sound familiar?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earlier this year however, I had had ENOUGH. I was on anti-depressants every other day but I was tense, pretty anxious, highly strung, without a sense of humour, and generally tired of faking it. I was angry and disappointed with myself for not enjoying motherhood. I was also very, very tired of sneezing all day every day and reacting to every little pollen and allergen in the air. I wanted to be able to visit friends with cats if I so wished. I wanted to look in the mirror and see a beautiful woman. And I wanted to know what to do with my life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was driving one day and I thought, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Ann, you're just existing. You are waiting for each day to pass so you can get to the next one, and then the next one, until the day you die.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That day was my turning point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I emailed Sarah Field who is the Lightning Process trainer at <a href="http://www.monarchlife.co.nz/" target="_blank">Monarch Life</a>, ordered Phil Parker's Introduction to the Lightning Process, and signed up after I'd read it and had a chat with Sarah. On the 1st of August, I was sitting in her training room with 6 other desperate people, and for 3 days I drank in every word and learned how to train my brain to tell my body what to do.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi8hUGh-mbAx3E1Qu85Pi-3oiYDID5EeUvMXxh_scXK1fuSVxN7lS3Q_XFgNjntYY6DrI-l3iLu9ik7kawmNvEVgmElg4hE6z6Hw7XaLv3aPIXN4JohyphenhyphenIVlgauIfTKsi0OW1_EZO4Yzf1/s1600/train+brain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi8hUGh-mbAx3E1Qu85Pi-3oiYDID5EeUvMXxh_scXK1fuSVxN7lS3Q_XFgNjntYY6DrI-l3iLu9ik7kawmNvEVgmElg4hE6z6Hw7XaLv3aPIXN4JohyphenhyphenIVlgauIfTKsi0OW1_EZO4Yzf1/s400/train+brain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After day 1, I experienced BUBBLES OF JOY! (I hadn't experienced that in over 7 years)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After day 2, I went clothes shopping and didn't have one single negative thought about myself. (I had never experienced that)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After day 3, I was actually looking forward and excited at the prospect of going on holiday to Fiji with my family. (I had never looked forward to spending several days in a row with my kids with no respite. To that day I was dreading that holiday and was wondering how I would get through it)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, almost 2 months later, I cannot tell you the number of times my husband has just stared at me unbelieving. I have blown him away. We had an amazing holiday in Fiji. I am not stressed about these school holidays and I haven't planned every minute in advance. I use my calm voice so much more than before. I enjoy being with my kids a lot of the time. My allergies have all but disappeared, and on the rare occasions when I do have symptoms, I do the Lightning Process steps, and they go away. My self confidence has grown in leaps and bounds. I am not afraid of the future and have confidence in my abilities. I experience joy and happiness. And my daughter gave me 2 amazing gifts. She said to me one day shortly after I did the training: "Mum, you actually laughed today!". And on another occasion she said: "Mum, you don't get angry anymore" (I do get angry, but I am able to control it now). I do now burst out laughing. I do giggle. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is so much more I could say, but what I really wanted to do today was share how the Lightning Process training course has changed my life for the better. I am off anti depressants (and so much better than when I was on them). I am mostly off asthma and allergy medication. But most importantly,</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVJ1mdEV1Rvqulfa85t_yKWzLxOzQR660Vzsd-Dy7upfrp-QInYHopcpGDuhJJcXhIMLXFK6Fmc57RLpLI7Q3LlIJf9sGAdfV_2QgEFRXwNlXZWcIVYYUbSMo0Nq7WFrqFHjFfcdGt05m/s1600/empowered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVJ1mdEV1Rvqulfa85t_yKWzLxOzQR660Vzsd-Dy7upfrp-QInYHopcpGDuhJJcXhIMLXFK6Fmc57RLpLI7Q3LlIJf9sGAdfV_2QgEFRXwNlXZWcIVYYUbSMo0Nq7WFrqFHjFfcdGt05m/s400/empowered.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you find that</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- you've lost your sense of humour, or</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- you're not living a life you love,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">then the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pQJdxypKFs" target="_blank">Lightning Process training</a> can change your life too. Please get in touch with me if you would like to know more or if you have any questions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can find testimonies on how the Lightning Process has changed lives <a href="http://www.monarchlife.co.nz/the-lightning-process/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia Kaha dear readers. Be Strong! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And do leave me a comment. I love to hear from you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Caution Note: do not stop medication without talking to your GP as well as your Lightning Process trainer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those who may be wondering: the Lightning Process did not and does not clash with my Christian beliefs. If anything, my faith is even stronger than it was.</span></div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-39358847671303668952016-04-24T02:52:00.003-07:002016-04-24T02:54:31.706-07:00A Holiday Bunting in 8 Easy Steps!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've had this idea in my head for a while now but have never actually sat down and done it this way before. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started planning school holidays more effectively last year (<a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/confessions-of-envious-mum.html" target="_blank">I still don't understand parents who love school holidays by the way</a>). But the kids weren't very involved. Everything was in my calendar and I shared the plans with them little by little, but they had no sense of ownership. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, if you like to plan ahead, and also be a little creative and not spend a lot of money, this idea is for you: a</span><br />
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<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHACCKzvFJFf5cPmpZVt6tTU74lJOtQVAlDymeayqdisox06KW99AJhDgXymLhhwdq34WjUrnnahJWpkymW6C_d2ERqx0qtd967OzSsLadw-OEljViS9KAVvbJOZQW5Hr9fT5E5FpFALd/s1600/Bunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHACCKzvFJFf5cPmpZVt6tTU74lJOtQVAlDymeayqdisox06KW99AJhDgXymLhhwdq34WjUrnnahJWpkymW6C_d2ERqx0qtd967OzSsLadw-OEljViS9KAVvbJOZQW5Hr9fT5E5FpFALd/s320/Bunting.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are the steps to follow:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. On a piece of paper or the computer, create a list of ideas of things you would enjoy doing with your kids over the holidays. Include outdoor and indoor, free and not free. Also include people you would enjoy having a play date with. Write everything that goes through your head. For ideas, please scroll down to the bottom of this post or check <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/confessions-of-envious-mum.html" target="_blank">this</a> out.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhugqIaAW1TLiqCbW8T7BQdJocQxR4ZocLoEP0kI88nWFAQV7qV36ZLISX_LOG_mEwgeh-4fvjqmt_b9qDpHreDwoweQgvllxZWEIwQ6EjdWvYzGo15-q8zWid7OWL4euCFAmOUH8UwEQ/s1600/brainstorming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhugqIaAW1TLiqCbW8T7BQdJocQxR4ZocLoEP0kI88nWFAQV7qV36ZLISX_LOG_mEwgeh-4fvjqmt_b9qDpHreDwoweQgvllxZWEIwQ6EjdWvYzGo15-q8zWid7OWL4euCFAmOUH8UwEQ/s400/brainstorming.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>I love brainstorming in cafes.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. On another piece of paper or other Word document, make two columns - one for each week. Add 5 lines for each week, 1 line per working day (add weekends if your partner will be away or working on those days as well). I also separated each line into morning and afternoon. Start filling in the blanks with your ideas from your brainstorm list. Send messages to those you'd like to meet up with and add them to your table once they are confirmed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Get excited about your plans and about how your kids are going to enjoy their holidays!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Get your bunting necessities together:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">scissors</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pen</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">black permanent marker</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 piece of paper per day to fill up (10 in my case)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 little cello or zip lock bag per day (10 in my case)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">your plan for the two weeks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a piece of string or ribbon (whatever you have on hand)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a pack of mini pegs (2 dollar shop)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a pack of felt stars or star stickers (2 dollar shop)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">cello tape</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5K1wtbgba3WVUyP3dKylLEPRJ-tlTuKF9rQ5rrGG0e7dJVZCOF9gHI_20UQ6d8Eba1JSTXemlBf5FPJ2yFZZw4iPB9EontCjfxEo8R5C8JntsIj8ZZw4SizCoWAcFn0lVZocdQDIiBkO/s1600/You+will+need.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5K1wtbgba3WVUyP3dKylLEPRJ-tlTuKF9rQ5rrGG0e7dJVZCOF9gHI_20UQ6d8Eba1JSTXemlBf5FPJ2yFZZw4iPB9EontCjfxEo8R5C8JntsIj8ZZw4SizCoWAcFn0lVZocdQDIiBkO/s640/You+will+need.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. On each piece of paper, write the plan for the morning, and for the afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. Then fold the paper in two (so that the contents stay secret), and write the date on the front.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. Insert the folded paper, with an initialled star (this is to determine who will be the <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/confessions-of-envious-mum.html" target="_blank">star of the day</a> that day) into the little bag, close and set aside. Repeat for each day of the holidays you planned.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8LlyLOb6jme4BextzKRpSpyCfsbtbN8pADmRXJ1EKiJOYUYImaai4ymvdJ5h7aR31EMmrbCt08U95xLsklHubvHVOp1bz30EmQ_JSNL9qvcFG-7jJ5Pc1x95uMIJjuv7sJMdOLZwV6au/s1600/Steps+1+2+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8LlyLOb6jme4BextzKRpSpyCfsbtbN8pADmRXJ1EKiJOYUYImaai4ymvdJ5h7aR31EMmrbCt08U95xLsklHubvHVOp1bz30EmQ_JSNL9qvcFG-7jJ5Pc1x95uMIJjuv7sJMdOLZwV6au/s640/Steps+1+2+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8. Secure your ribbon or string somewhere (fridge, wall, etc), and attach the little bags to it, in order or not if your kids are older, with the mini pegs. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwx6UbX5kTpCFKyCVtfDTk8LOhztREWXooWcomRl00d7h93fuqnmAn_x1nn5qdeTFgySM4rXkQUJzOsTVFobKVO38uwStMaUlqBKNIkbLoIsCs8jPWHbJJDoRX7EQDNCKViEwjNOnTl_H/s1600/finished+bunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwx6UbX5kTpCFKyCVtfDTk8LOhztREWXooWcomRl00d7h93fuqnmAn_x1nn5qdeTFgySM4rXkQUJzOsTVFobKVO38uwStMaUlqBKNIkbLoIsCs8jPWHbJJDoRX7EQDNCKViEwjNOnTl_H/s640/finished+bunting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You're done!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Doesn't it look super cute? My kids are so excited each morning to discover what we'll be doing for that day. And of course, I stay as flexible as possible and adapt where necessary. There are not many squabbles about who goes first etc. because the Star of the Day is pre-decided.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3k6l6xtwjkRHnqemMvW3IR-LsHDL7MFJ3iRvsDHICijGRP2oetareXyI6-1tfBkzbV3zpp1SCC_6_h_Fxsfjfsu8tvsmsV72X2p0rzlTAIEEiRZn_59Ly2jhS0z58yzAQ3vBi9QcyfBn/s1600/star+of+the+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3k6l6xtwjkRHnqemMvW3IR-LsHDL7MFJ3iRvsDHICijGRP2oetareXyI6-1tfBkzbV3zpp1SCC_6_h_Fxsfjfsu8tvsmsV72X2p0rzlTAIEEiRZn_59Ly2jhS0z58yzAQ3vBi9QcyfBn/s320/star+of+the+day.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>And for the first time EVER, I'm enjoying the school holidays! </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I NEVER thought I'd say that. I don't love the holidays. And I do prefer Term time, but I'm not waking each morning with a sense of panic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have a plan. <i><b>I feel empowered! </b></i>If you want a look at what we're up to, scroll down to the bottom of this post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy holidays Mums and Dads! Let's try and have some fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kia Kaha! Be Strong!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">_________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Activity ideas I had this time:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">playdates (include names)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">chipmunks/junglerama/laughalots or other similar indoor playground</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">zoo trip</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">build lego</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">treasure hunt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">water balloons</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">build a fort</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">visit a favourite cafe</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">movies</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">visit a pet shop</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">baking</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">make pancakes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">swimming pool</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">discover a new playground</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ice cream outing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">library visit</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What we are actually doing:</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monday 18th: visit a favourite cafe and a pet shop; babysitting swap, reading/spelling</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tuesday 19th: swimming pool playdate; quiet at home (incl. reading/spelling)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wednesday 20th: son in care, Mummy-daughter time; babysitting swap, reading/spelling</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thursday 21st: kids in care while I work; playdate</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friday 22nd: kids in care while I work</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monday 25th: Junglerama playdate; quiet at home (make pancakes?)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tuesday 26th: playdate; quiet at home (incl. reading/spelling)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wednesday 27th: son in care, Mummy-daughter time; bake together, reading/spelling</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thursday 28th: kids in care while I work; ice cream outing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friday 29th: kids in care while I work</span></li>
<li></li>
</ul>
</div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-61662009605711386892016-03-09T23:32:00.001-08:002016-03-09T23:32:30.127-08:00Clamp my tubes please! Or why I got sterilized.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEApbAGT6luMoAD_shx2F8K5q5KyPq1KC1m1_4IwQv0t_DvZGHjmxPmD3peG8twYGgwvaZIR_oU3NzWuYPUQLMsYb9Pge2Z0arp8hyphenhyphen3qr3Y_TiCjVdbDCMnb69vk6_4pvt9HR1vE_rDex/s1600/Clamp+my+tubesplease%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEApbAGT6luMoAD_shx2F8K5q5KyPq1KC1m1_4IwQv0t_DvZGHjmxPmD3peG8twYGgwvaZIR_oU3NzWuYPUQLMsYb9Pge2Z0arp8hyphenhyphen3qr3Y_TiCjVdbDCMnb69vk6_4pvt9HR1vE_rDex/s400/Clamp+my+tubesplease%2521.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My daughter is about to turn 7. My son is 3.5. I love them.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two weeks ago, I got sterilized. Tubes clamped. No more babies please! Or maybe I should say, No more flippin' babies, please. You get the idea. I wanted something definite. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For E.V.E.R.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No more babies!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was as sure as I'll ever be and had been since the moment my second child was born. A few months after his birth, as I was still convinced of this and terrorised of having sex (not great for the relationship with my husband), I visited the doctor at my local Family Planning Clinic and asked to be referred for sterilization. I ticked all the boxes and my referral was accepted. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now this bit is kind of hazy to me. Remember, I was in the depth of Post Natal Depression and my brain was more than foggy. I saw the gynaecologist, who somehow talked me out of it and I walked out my appointment with a Mirena IUD. I was in shock and I wasn't sure what had happened.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time passed, and I was still scared (read terrified) of having sex. I just couldn't stop myself from worrying that maybe the IUD had moved, or come out without me knowing. All very irrational, I know. Moreover, I am convinced that what hormones are contained in the Mirena IUD were not helping me get rid of this bloody depression.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So when my son turned 3, I went back to see the doctor, ended up in a mess of tears and hysterics, begged for another referral, which was miraculously accepted.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went to the appointment with the specialist like a warrior ready to do battle. I was pumped and fuming. I went in, told them in no uncertain terms why I was there, and was told rather nicely that they would grant my wish and sterilize me this time.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time?, I asked. Apparently, the specialist I saw the first time had taken it upon himself to decide for me and had thought that I might change my mind and want another child later on. I could have got angry. I didn't. I just thought:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes! No more babies! Sex with no fear of getting pregnant!</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39yQ6fW4UFO5b7eAj56cu4c46GLE0d6YJ2MAe6NRDai7-nPYO8s-mL1vBfaYdkO2DAzptQlatkLFUIzUr7VicLSnyuT8KarMh8W7GSRHn5cQYuzGhj2xfaIcGYQHkE70BkZkk60HVK-pX/s1600/Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39yQ6fW4UFO5b7eAj56cu4c46GLE0d6YJ2MAe6NRDai7-nPYO8s-mL1vBfaYdkO2DAzptQlatkLFUIzUr7VicLSnyuT8KarMh8W7GSRHn5cQYuzGhj2xfaIcGYQHkE70BkZkk60HVK-pX/s400/Before.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>30 minutes before the operation. <br />Relaxed and at peace.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two weeks later I was lying on the operation table, then on my way home, drugged up and very sore from the keyhole surgery. Good thing I didn't know before hand how painful the recovery would be, or how slow (don't let any surgeons tell you that keyhole surgery is nothing. It IS something).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lying in bed over the next few days, I had a lot of time to think. A lot of friends told me how brave I had been. How strong. I wasn't sure I understood why. Deciding to get sterilized was one of the easiest decisions of my life. I never, and I mean NEVER, want to put myself, my husband or my kids through the effects of Post Natal Depression and Anxiety again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am completely at peace about my decision. Entirely confident about what I've done. I'm so looking forward to having sex and feeling free to enjoy it fully. But I'm also sad because I have to...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>... accept that child bearing is not good for me. And having two beautiful children already, I shall make sure I never bear a child again. For me, the strength does not lie in the decision to get sterilised but in the acceptance of my limitations and the discrepancy between my young woman dreams and my realities of motherhood.</i></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RUhenotN4LcGh6PLH0HCFD_OVAtw8YFIBNRGSiYOwYysMWXVsxoALHYORefrN5Ynl4V-rRGo_Ke2t6zDevGYJV2Ov5-zc1rZ7ODzajL68pKYPHPVxbswsrEAHEULtEDYYCFV2puwmPLo/s1600/family-ties-1423601-1279x1780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RUhenotN4LcGh6PLH0HCFD_OVAtw8YFIBNRGSiYOwYysMWXVsxoALHYORefrN5Ynl4V-rRGo_Ke2t6zDevGYJV2Ov5-zc1rZ7ODzajL68pKYPHPVxbswsrEAHEULtEDYYCFV2puwmPLo/s400/family-ties-1423601-1279x1780.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I love this sculpture. <br />The mother looks totally at peace with her two children.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why didn't my husband just get the snip, you might wonder. Well, I wondered too. For a while. But then we decided, together, that since I could get funding for my operation, we might as well save the snip money for a holiday or something nice. I don't really care who is sterilized, as long as one of us is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my story, my perceptions, my decision. In no way do I want to influence, judge or criticize anyone else's journey. I just love to share with you and I hope that I can encourage you in one way or another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia Kaha! Be Strong!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please leave me a comment. I love to hear from you :-).</span></div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-22787734611070695422016-02-01T00:47:00.000-08:002016-02-01T00:47:55.134-08:00Bestest Chocolate and Banana Cake - Processed Sugar Free!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5pI9PKO8GrQClU92_qhm7IrMGmjcq7nW587I8w-liOeCku99IHNg4mWj7lKO-5lL3Of1rxuCKcDcPPGzcDpAx6XoicB-g7CTAK1nNMlIuuHCqc9K25vxI9nIPPdX_C07Q_hhHARE8v07/s1600/Chocolate+%2526+BananaCake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5pI9PKO8GrQClU92_qhm7IrMGmjcq7nW587I8w-liOeCku99IHNg4mWj7lKO-5lL3Of1rxuCKcDcPPGzcDpAx6XoicB-g7CTAK1nNMlIuuHCqc9K25vxI9nIPPdX_C07Q_hhHARE8v07/s640/Chocolate+%2526+BananaCake.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So who wants a moist, decadent, delicious chocolate cake? And, it's processed sugar free!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months ago, my sister sent me a recipe saying, "just leave out the sugar, it'll be fine without". I was intrigued as it used fresh bananas and apple sauce. I gave it a go and tweaked it a little and my non-chocolate-cake-eater-of-a-son devoured a piece, then another, and then I had to stop him. My daughter and husband loved it too, and it's been easy to make it THM (Trim Healthy Mama) friendly as well, which is a bonus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm also going to share my scrumptious fructose free chocolate icing with you. I use Organic Brown Rice Syrup (this is made from fermented cooked rice and is a blend of complex carbohydrates, maltose and glucose. It's 100% fructose free) instead of icing sugar. This was inspired</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by the lovely </span><a href="http://thesugartrade.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Angela from The Sugar Trade</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> during one of her workshops.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here goes and let me warn you - this cake is good! You can also make muffins or mini muffins with this mix.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my fellow Trim Healthy Mamas or Men, this would be a Crossover.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rzPvf4w-Uf8ichepo9jRWbktE3iAa_Ap54BRe43_E1CEO7XwNfp-Kq8ws_OdivpuRHE44SvZHa34CJ37q7JUsmNGjlmDsFFuh_lI2vZAlCq_WLkoNqWNYiYVJcFOQqO085GUZFvoD1A2/s1600/IMG_20160130_175206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rzPvf4w-Uf8ichepo9jRWbktE3iAa_Ap54BRe43_E1CEO7XwNfp-Kq8ws_OdivpuRHE44SvZHa34CJ37q7JUsmNGjlmDsFFuh_lI2vZAlCq_WLkoNqWNYiYVJcFOQqO085GUZFvoD1A2/s400/IMG_20160130_175206.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">_________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 ripe bananas, mashed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup apple sauce (no added sugar)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 egg</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup flour (or ground almonds for LCHF or THM)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup cocoa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp baking soda</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup very dark chocolate chips (I chop 85% chocolate into little pieces)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Method</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Combine the bananas, apple sauce, vanilla extract and egg. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stir in the chocolate chips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bake for 20 to 25 minutes if making a cake, and for 15 minutes if making muffins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>For the icing:</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUfhkj7EGNbZtPfQEeqrqKZ_xSd_3LnAR3_2oZUAOk-7zGd2Hptj83DE86bUKgLk-lJ9i21QYVhDIaWoaRr-QLgZ3yKb6Zye85GOgJVhwP2knbOFoPEKzk1JcJPVUp4KPiOrnruVgvkQO/s1600/Chocolate+Icing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUfhkj7EGNbZtPfQEeqrqKZ_xSd_3LnAR3_2oZUAOk-7zGd2Hptj83DE86bUKgLk-lJ9i21QYVhDIaWoaRr-QLgZ3yKb6Zye85GOgJVhwP2knbOFoPEKzk1JcJPVUp4KPiOrnruVgvkQO/s400/Chocolate+Icing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">150g softened butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tbsp organic brown rice syrup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tbsp cocoa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Method</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beat all three ingredients together until well combined. Spread over cake or muffins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy! And let me know what you think of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia Kaha! Be Strong! (and don't eat the whole cake in one sitting!)</span></div>
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Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-76239976368320681032015-12-04T21:31:00.003-08:002015-12-04T21:32:12.980-08:00What teachers really want for Christmas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind9LY_QASsxVHxW-ObaJ-71ohumq_d6MTDJ7h9qLFCFPC6POgZ43k58js37DcqZzaOTZdHJVIN1i8NtGjla83ccu1XWB1qTiVqY6h5vSbNzAmTtU08thTBdAgNr6_rHxjUophjPPs0VKi/s1600/Grain+Free+Granola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind9LY_QASsxVHxW-ObaJ-71ohumq_d6MTDJ7h9qLFCFPC6POgZ43k58js37DcqZzaOTZdHJVIN1i8NtGjla83ccu1XWB1qTiVqY6h5vSbNzAmTtU08thTBdAgNr6_rHxjUophjPPs0VKi/s400/Grain+Free+Granola.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Grain-Free Granola I made for a friend this week.<br />Delish with Greek yoghurt or overnight oats.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't know about you but Christmas is coming up pretty fast and so is the end of the school year. So with no further ado, here is a list of ideas I compiled after having asked some of my Teacher friends what they like getting from their students!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of the day - <b><i>it's all about the heart.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"Cake. That is all. But more refined teachers than me like things like hand creams, fancy pens, lovely notebooks. Don't get me wrong, I like that stuff too, but if a gun was at my head - cake." K.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"I love getting home-made gifts, cards and letters. It's lovely when the child/student makes something from the heart."</i> A.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"Something personal from the child. A note or a card. Nice pen, notebook. Nice coffee for my plunger. Home made is always good (I've had candles and tree decorations). A tree decoration is nice too - I remember individuals each year as I hang them." </i>R.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"Christmas decorations. After putting up our tree last night, there are 6 from children I've taught." </i>S.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"Christmas tree decorations or bought chocolates. That way I didn't have to eat everything straight away. I could save some for later."</i> A.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Below is a list of ideas and links for you to find ideas. They are ALL EASY!! I don't have time to make complicated things, so these are all things that I would not only be totally happy to give away, but especially that aren't complicated to do with the kids.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdoiof61VkyyLaNFFc3ecYe3uuiUYxLV3YHICo2BOCQ9d4aeRfeW3JhFLxheWBsMopmV_YRTOxZpYYVhdhcD9IbMGMqBOCg3e5GRKnbvUwY-DtP4i7lsesIe2y71GLoIIRqyIHzNW0OCk/s1600/Panforte_Hero2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdoiof61VkyyLaNFFc3ecYe3uuiUYxLV3YHICo2BOCQ9d4aeRfeW3JhFLxheWBsMopmV_YRTOxZpYYVhdhcD9IbMGMqBOCg3e5GRKnbvUwY-DtP4i7lsesIe2y71GLoIIRqyIHzNW0OCk/s400/Panforte_Hero2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Annabel Langbein's Panforte, simply yet beautifully packaged<br />(photo from her website)</i></td></tr>
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<br /><b>*Home Made*</b><br /><br />You can make pretty simple or inexpensive recipes look a million dollars if you package your gift nicely. Cello bags, nice ribbons, cute tags, etc.<br /><br />- <a href="http://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/three-ingredient-christmas-cake/646/" target="_blank">3 Ingredient Christmas Cake</a><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/speedy-mayo/440/" target="_blank">Speedy Mayo</a><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/panforte/980/" target="_blank">Perfect Panforte</a><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/walnut-pastila/825/" target="_blank">Walnut Pastilla</a><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/speculaas-cookies/376/" target="_blank">Ginger cookies</a><br /><br />- Home made granola. The advantage of this one is that it's a healthy breakfast option, that can keep. The teacher won't feel under pressure to eat it quickly.<br /><br />- Home made jam</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- <a href="http://www.redtedart.com/2013/09/11/bath-bombs-recipe-gifts-kids-can-make/" target="_blank">Bath bombs</a><br /><br /><br /><b>*Chocolate*</b><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/chocolate-truffles/505" target="_blank">Chocolate truffles</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />- A nice bought bar of chocolate</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- A box of chocolates<br /><br /><br /><b>*Christmas Ornaments*</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />- I love these cute <a href="http://www.modernminerals.com/button-tree-ornament/183/" target="_blank">button tree ornaments</a> and will try to get some done this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- these easy <a href="http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2010/12/cinnamon-ornaments.html" target="_blank">Cinammon ornaments</a> look amazing on the tree</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- a <a href="http://paintcutpaste.com/sparkly-shell-ornaments/" target="_blank">sparkly shell ornament</a>, if like me you live by the sea</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- a <a href="http://momspotted.com/2010/12/make-your-own-glittery-pinecone-ornaments-kid-friendly.html" target="_blank">glittery pinecone ornament</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><b>*Cards and Notes*</b><br /><br />I think all teachers love a note from either the parents or the child, or both. You can show your appreciation for all their hard work and be personal about something specific you or your child enjoyed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You could say something like,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"I very much appreciate how you looked after ___ this year. I particularly love how you _______________. Thank you very much for all the time and effort you put into caring and instructing the children in your care. Have a lovely Christmas and enjoy the holidays."</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RUtNDRrIMUePkZqbI2EOCwjAhAN1UJy2CjgfuZWjktmtBLkJKTU6hJYat_bPfXUuTB3ZBKrtQee8wbE7z1uOExILuHHOf96mOvP_mYscXIDFdymjP2E4Gnq0WoPFc4e_G9v67b1PsAEp/s1600/homemade-christmas-cards-for-kids-zfwhk28a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RUtNDRrIMUePkZqbI2EOCwjAhAN1UJy2CjgfuZWjktmtBLkJKTU6hJYat_bPfXUuTB3ZBKrtQee8wbE7z1uOExILuHHOf96mOvP_mYscXIDFdymjP2E4Gnq0WoPFc4e_G9v67b1PsAEp/s400/homemade-christmas-cards-for-kids-zfwhk28a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This would be an easy card to make with your child.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Idea found <a href="http://videosderisa.net/homemade-christmas-cards-for-kids.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>*Bought Items*</b><br /><br />- Good quality extra virgin olive oil<br /><br />- Nice coffee or tea<br /><br />- Beautiful pen<br /><br />- Cute notepad<br /><br />- Lovely candle. You can buy some lovely hand made ones at a craft market.<br /><br />- Christmas tree decoration. They have gorgeous ones at the Trade Aid Shop, or buy from a local artist.<br /><br />- A voucher<br /><br /><br />I hope these ideas help you! And do leave me a note if you have any other ideas or useful links we could all benefit from. Thank you!<br /></span></div>
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Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-38971824455188408862015-11-25T01:59:00.001-08:002015-11-25T01:59:13.632-08:00Love is not Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomrPN2LvhbQYUaPFayCgOf9Ef-ztWZVUv0X5H_aqtGP8L6u6oq7hPxtTfZnGHfruyOo9u_NIJJ0rRsiwImrjHdAfO8fNzYF1IsN1sumaky9V3z2yKVKe9alG7xgx30hP4Ecwycee94TzT/s1600/love+is+not+love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomrPN2LvhbQYUaPFayCgOf9Ef-ztWZVUv0X5H_aqtGP8L6u6oq7hPxtTfZnGHfruyOo9u_NIJJ0rRsiwImrjHdAfO8fNzYF1IsN1sumaky9V3z2yKVKe9alG7xgx30hP4Ecwycee94TzT/s400/love+is+not+love.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning started rather badly. As have most mornings in the past week. We entered this latest monster stage last Thursday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both kids have entered said monster stage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Normally, it's just one at a time. But no. Not this time. I'm blaming the end of the school year. I always have to blame something.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Master J wakes up between 6.15am and 6.30am. He opens his bedroom door and starts pottering around rather noisily. I stumble out of bed (my dearly beloved blissfully asleep), put him back in his bed and silently curse his Momo Monkey clock, which stopped working a month ago. And then I swear silently because we can't afford to get him a new one because of the recent huge car bills, and because we need 2 new tyres, and because life is just flippin' expensive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I stumble back to bed wired up and thinking about how I could earn a few extra dollars ever week But then I start panicking because how on earth could I fit anything else in without losing the plot?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I usually hear Miss L get up and go to the bathroom, shortly followed by Master J who never wants to miss out on any toilet fun unless he's the one having to go. The bickering starts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stumble out of bed again. Master J goes back to his room with the threat of going down the "ladder of consequences" if he gets up again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Miss L goes back to bed. A few minutes later, one of two things could happen:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Master J goes to the bathroom and I jump out of bed and run to get there before he's taken his stinky poo-y (how does one even spell that?) nappy off and spreads the stuff everywhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Miss L comes into our room declaring that her brother has pooed and that his nappy is about to overflow. So I stumble out of bed again, a little faster this time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By this stage, dearly beloved has usually emitted a few grunts and has very occasionally got up himself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dirty nappy incident averted, I look at the time. Is it worth going back to bed? Usually the attraction of my hubby's warm body and strong arms is too strong and I snuggle up for a very few minutes of bliss and tenderness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7.15am. Miss L's Momo Monkey clock opens his eyes. Both kids come running to be the first to jump on me and give me a cuddle. Kind of sweet, but mostly irritating as inevitably one comes second and starts whining and screaming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The hubby and I get up. Miss L, who has been getting dressed by herself for months, now whines for help. My patience breaks down very quickly with whining. It winds me up at the speed of lightning. So despite my best efforts, my tone changes. Miss L picks up on it. She starts whining and telling me that I'm mean. I try to help her get dressed despite my mounting irritation. She finds every possible way to slow us down. But the time she's dressed, we are both close to tears.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the meantime, Master J has been crying and shouting "me sad" for who knows what reason. Dearly beloved is nowhere to be seen. I usually manage to calm him down by putting a Spiderman clip on my phone. As soon as he is settled, Miss L starts whining because her hair isn't done, or because she wants to watch Spiderman too and her brother won't let her, or because her sock is on sideways. You get the idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My dear beloved starts making breakfast and asks the kids what they'd like. "Wice kwispies", says Master J. "Oats, blueberries, milk and glucose", says Miss L, "but I put the glucose myself <u>after</u> you've put the milk". If we get the order wrong, all hell breaks loose.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We give the children the 1 minute transition warning. Spiderman will have to go during breakfast. The minute passes. The mobile is turned off. The crying, whining and "me saaaaaaad" starts. And goes on. And on. And on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It usually takes me 15 to 20 minutes to calm him down with bribery, threats, taking him on my knees, reading a story, cuddles, or<i><b> whatever works, for goodness' sake</b></i>! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, usually at about 8.25am, 2 hours after being first woken up, things settle down. They put their shoes on, get in the car, and we go to school and kindy (on a kindy day). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Calm. Quiet. Sweet silence.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the days when Master J and I hang out, we usually have a great time. He's fun and even tempered and generally <b><i>helps me forget the hideous start</i></b> by about 10am.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>But I hit a wall this morning.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I told both kids that I was tired of being treated like a slave and being disrespected. I will now stubbornly ignore them if they are whining or if they are disrespectful. My life is going to be hell. I have no illusions. And I hope it doesn't take too long for them to change their attitudes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It strikes me that God is probably often fed up with me just as I am with my kids. He must wonder why on earth I'm never happy with what I have and why I keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Why I ask him for things more than I thank him for what he's already given to me. Why I don't listen when he speaks to me. But just like I love my children with all of my being, he loves me. And he forgives. And he forgets.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>This is my favourite Shakespear quote.<br />It means a lot to me.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia Kaha! Be strong!</span></div>
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<br />Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-20941976871630051702015-11-21T00:00:00.000-08:002015-11-21T12:19:21.044-08:0050 random facts about me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFocuiUmVAJDQ4wcg6B41Em59lF1YWjY4JS3RcuWdlNYa9Y28f3qA3C_n6VaXJ215bw9eSFdLiKi0_frIBrYn2NUmbqTJBqb1lC8JcNPzsPRyqzZaT-F5Tt-iz3zgdSBI6k2dKOKPWnWAs/s1600/Title.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFocuiUmVAJDQ4wcg6B41Em59lF1YWjY4JS3RcuWdlNYa9Y28f3qA3C_n6VaXJ215bw9eSFdLiKi0_frIBrYn2NUmbqTJBqb1lC8JcNPzsPRyqzZaT-F5Tt-iz3zgdSBI6k2dKOKPWnWAs/s400/Title.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, so I had writer's block this morning. I'm sitting there, child free, with a delicious coffee and I can't remember a single thing I wanted to write about this week. That's the problem when you're a working Mum and you only get very limited time to yourself.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLAfYJkX7UW9Vdko7zLeOmunCr-7HFtrh1AycYtdBQPf-fKwRG8zQa7usxHRzvVlxfbfCAUKX5SLy74jc6D6D_QJrPZbb8zWbTRv2GSiWEo5fOOz06EjMsYyguSR2ivot-2UOeLXwkdVj/s1600/Writer%2527s+block.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLAfYJkX7UW9Vdko7zLeOmunCr-7HFtrh1AycYtdBQPf-fKwRG8zQa7usxHRzvVlxfbfCAUKX5SLy74jc6D6D_QJrPZbb8zWbTRv2GSiWEo5fOOz06EjMsYyguSR2ivot-2UOeLXwkdVj/s400/Writer%2527s+block.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Writer's block on this Saturday morning.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I thought that instead of getting deep and telling you why I love my Muslim sister and brother-in-law, I'd tell you 50 random facts about myself, in no order of importance. Here goes:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. I have one obsession</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> at the moment: <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/10/vain-post-alert-my-thoughts-on-gel-nail.html" target="_blank">nail art</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. I'm very particular about spelling. I spot spelling mistakes a mile away. And it irritates me a lot, especially in professional and published writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. I love God and believe that Jesus Christ is my saviour. I'm a practising Christian.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. I have a Masters in French and English languages and literature. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have a Bachelors in Sociology.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. I love my husband and my two children with every fibre of my being and every breath I take.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. I wish I could paint, or draw, or be arty in any way. But I'm not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. I can't play a single instrument (in contrast to my very accomplished pianist husband), and I can just about sing properly. Not in public though. Ever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8. I've always had body image issues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9. I love fresh flowers. Sunflowers, peonies and callas are my favourites.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10. I have a passion for baking and cooking. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfBJwaRODtLYm12nGIpYxGonTBg1uG1MctlzEiHfI3B0yoDNk8XP78ugAQBpgaUlJsbjvgT_aAKpEx76rRCIgookeS_xdyQo0Pg5DG2kXymmOuJHCkokmAbbDTOVzTNy_TlsIuhnlMi5u/s1600/cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfBJwaRODtLYm12nGIpYxGonTBg1uG1MctlzEiHfI3B0yoDNk8XP78ugAQBpgaUlJsbjvgT_aAKpEx76rRCIgookeS_xdyQo0Pg5DG2kXymmOuJHCkokmAbbDTOVzTNy_TlsIuhnlMi5u/s400/cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Fructose free chocolate cake and icing. In a Tupperware box of course.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">11. I will never have enough cook books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">12. I lost 20 kilos after the birth of my second child. I haven't put them back on!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">13. <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/going-back-to-my-roots.html" target="_blank">I was born in Ferkessedougou</a> (good luck saying that one!), in the north of the Ivory Coast, West Africa. I lived there for the first 13 years of my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">14. I have 2 younger brothers and 1 younger sister.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">15. My parents were missionaries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">16. I don't know where Home is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">17. I have dual citizenship: Swiss and English, and New Zealand permanent residency.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">18. I'm pretty obsessed with boxes of any kind. So of course, I love Tupperware.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeNqy0-UL9WhHfhYiXctTvfsWNcrUqhGHa2jDVMqPet9VTJG5vCbEa4xoTWwFWt5qCYWV95B8ekCv6sSdP6276g9XRS4fzGTktUzAomSmkq4A_5vHNXuEVqUtymVH42RVm77mPARqd5jV/s1600/pantry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeNqy0-UL9WhHfhYiXctTvfsWNcrUqhGHa2jDVMqPet9VTJG5vCbEa4xoTWwFWt5qCYWV95B8ekCv6sSdP6276g9XRS4fzGTktUzAomSmkq4A_5vHNXuEVqUtymVH42RVm77mPARqd5jV/s400/pantry.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>You could say my pantry is organized. Blame the Swiss blood.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">19. I'm terrified of, and disgusted by, cockroaches (13 years of life in West Africa, need I say more?).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">20. I enjoy flipping through interior design magazines and dreaming of my future house.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">21. I love buying new clothes but can rarely afford it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">22. Before I go to bed, I go on my knees next to my children's beds. I pray for them and I inhale (read "drug myself with") their smell. I can never get enough.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">23. My sister and my brother-in-law are Muslims. I love them to the moon and back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">24. I am unable to watch horror movies, let alone remotely violent movies. The latest James Bond was probably my limit of tolerance. There is enough violence in the world. I don't need to see it in my relaxing time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">25. I'm halfway through and I don't know if I'll make it to 50!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">26. My favourite dish is lasagne.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">27. I hate doing crafts with my kids because I can't stand the mess at the end of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">28. I'm a little OCD about tidying up. Everything has to have a labelled box. I own a label maker and lots of sticky labels.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">29. I'm pretty nutty about good coffee. If it's not good enough, it goes back to the kitchen.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrL6_kBMpllcZ5rUTceRJ3I8ksLa0MIoGCzj-5j7SUvmMYg3HZMY945WYkpDOpQHSSh4mSrXiuxW1CVO90N3wogjRE2ebOJY0TKvwyIgpbpi46dHZD7vWdIHnqS696P8DeF-1u1_37DKz/s1600/coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrL6_kBMpllcZ5rUTceRJ3I8ksLa0MIoGCzj-5j7SUvmMYg3HZMY945WYkpDOpQHSSh4mSrXiuxW1CVO90N3wogjRE2ebOJY0TKvwyIgpbpi46dHZD7vWdIHnqS696P8DeF-1u1_37DKz/s400/coffee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">30. I <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/oh-that-sweet-sugar.html" target="_blank">don't eat sugar</a>. My family mostly doesn't eat sugar.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">31. I show people how much I love them by cooking and baking for them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">32. I dream of driving around Australia with my husband once the kids have left home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">33. My favourite ice-cream flavours are coffee (no surprise, right?) and coconut.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">34. I passed my driver's licence at age 18. I failed the first time, and passed the second time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">35. I don't like exercising. At all. It's like torture. I only do it, sometimes, because I know it's good for me. If you know of a way to learn to like exercise, I'm all ears. Really!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">36. I eat the <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/eat-yourself-skinny.html" target="_blank">Trim Healthy Mama</a> way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">37. The meaning of names are very important to me. My names are Ann (grace) Christiane (follower of Christ). My husband is Serge (to serve) Raymond (wise counsel), my daughter is Letitia (joy) Awatea (the rising of the light), and my son is Joakim (God has established) Arthur (strong as a bear). All our names suit us so well. It's almost freaky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">38. I love perfect poached eggs. I can cook perfect poached eggs.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYi4xrW2QG67FxB3FZM9rWOFasPkQoTU_MMLb2kyii1FiV8lA9lnDjOJEuJ1FR3NaAxV89jtvlz-DUDUaQY8HJF-BfxHrXxMocHGzLGyJ1gH0VN7VNQKHJZumwLgEUKAFIWPtHK-cs0ukU/s1600/poached+eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYi4xrW2QG67FxB3FZM9rWOFasPkQoTU_MMLb2kyii1FiV8lA9lnDjOJEuJ1FR3NaAxV89jtvlz-DUDUaQY8HJF-BfxHrXxMocHGzLGyJ1gH0VN7VNQKHJZumwLgEUKAFIWPtHK-cs0ukU/s400/poached+eggs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Perfect poached eggs on mushrooms and bacon. My idea of heaven.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">39. I prefer warmer weather to colder weather. 10 years in Wellington has not been easy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">40. My favourite cars are BMWs (they are so silent, so powerful, so elegant) and Audi TTs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">41. I can't decide on a profession. I have so many ideas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">42. I recently discovered that I'm an introvert who likes socializing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">43. I'm a <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/10/confessions-of-highly-sensitive-person.html" target="_blank">highly sensitive person</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">44. My husband and I <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/11/my-man-had-pnd.html" target="_blank">both had PND</a> (Post Natal Depression).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">45. My favourite colour is coral blue.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvrcmWPHb7spoNL3qHIyu-_yYi3zodeuz_SB7O_NiPTni847s-h1UVDv9ltPPRZeuvMs0-KxkFqt4bJtieZBvkK4IkAmBTv1UeNIeFVgjmjZ5o99YG0V7mXswcwRxv_kYTkZAab-n8Z_a/s1600/coral+blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvrcmWPHb7spoNL3qHIyu-_yYi3zodeuz_SB7O_NiPTni847s-h1UVDv9ltPPRZeuvMs0-KxkFqt4bJtieZBvkK4IkAmBTv1UeNIeFVgjmjZ5o99YG0V7mXswcwRxv_kYTkZAab-n8Z_a/s400/coral+blue.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Two of my favourite things: coral blue and nail art.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">46. I have asthma and don't go anywhere without my inhaler.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">47. I wore glasses until I had laser eye surgery 3 years ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">48. I remember places by the cafés and restaurants I visited.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">49. I'm a procrastinator and I love that word.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">50. I speak French, English and German. I understand Swiss-German.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And there you go. Wow, that was harder than I expected it to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would love to know some random facts about you too. And I'd love to know where you are in the world. Please do leave me a note. I love connecting with you, my reader. That's the reason I blog!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">_________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-1275842553566197252015-11-01T00:57:00.001-07:002015-11-01T01:05:02.411-07:00My man had PND<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10B1TlULWfF1ch2zE3nIU8eiHETdQJxYaXoroS9Ft-a9HyqR1P1W2f0knJpX1nUf9cAU5d6HriLGbKHEevhhz4gn-ab9VW55xJpmyRq3aZn8jDlzao_m_By4kHCoOvlymO0X9wXMJ-GHC/s1600/WHEN+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10B1TlULWfF1ch2zE3nIU8eiHETdQJxYaXoroS9Ft-a9HyqR1P1W2f0knJpX1nUf9cAU5d6HriLGbKHEevhhz4gn-ab9VW55xJpmyRq3aZn8jDlzao_m_By4kHCoOvlymO0X9wXMJ-GHC/s400/WHEN+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first child, a girl, was a few weeks old. I cried all day. I was a mess. My husband didn't know what was happening to me. He looked at me with despair in his eyes, with sadness, with a sense of powerlessness that made me cry even more. He got angry and yelled at my Post Natal Depression. I felt like he was yelling at me. I hated my PND. I hated myself all the more for putting my husband through the pain of witnessing my distress. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With counselling and medication, I got through it. My husband was relieved to have his wife back. Our daughter was 2.5 years old.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We didn't want her to be an only child. I got pregnant and gave birth to a gorgeous strong boy. The birth was hideous. The first two weeks were okay. My husband got up with me at night when I was feeding. I thought, "it's going to be okay".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The third week I started crying. Every time I breastfed and the milk came down, an intense and overpowering sense of despair would overcome me. A friend, who was a La Leche League volunteer at the time, recognized the signs of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/11542520/For-around-30-seconds-at-the-start-of-breastfeeding-my-son-I-really-wanted-to-die.....html" target="_blank">D-MER</a>, or Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex, which is caused by a "sudden drop in the feel-good hormone dopamine, which pre-empts the release of breast milk. This leads to strong negative emotions and lasts for as long as milk let-down continues - usually between 30 to 90 seconds". It was aweful and with every single milk let-down, I wanted to die.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I could also feel the claws of Post Natal Depression latching on to my head, my heart, my senses. My desire to do anything was disappearing, my sense of self-worth was withering, my interest in my kids was dismal to say the least.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>As I went downhill, so did my husband.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was angry. He yelled. He slammed doors. He didn't want to have anything to do with the kids. He was impatient. His jaw was constantly clenched. He accused me of being the one who wanted children. He said he didn't want children.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I cried even more. I was desperate to get better because I couldn't bear to see my husband like that, and <i>yet I could not</i>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-HUFh2qSQkMSHHSu3WNAJwGcnBvQi73cC8eqEl2St4R25ELn1NhouzPM5vixC1WtVDtu-qCP4C6lLv1FmcFNA1lPD82bfwSpiXxZSIkEfeFhxUMsvVNyQTHhJbEe6gx7EsbEf-h4ScU1/s1600/I+could+not+get+better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-HUFh2qSQkMSHHSu3WNAJwGcnBvQi73cC8eqEl2St4R25ELn1NhouzPM5vixC1WtVDtu-qCP4C6lLv1FmcFNA1lPD82bfwSpiXxZSIkEfeFhxUMsvVNyQTHhJbEe6gx7EsbEf-h4ScU1/s400/I+could+not+get+better.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fourth week, my parents arrived. My Mum took over the cooking and looking after my daughter. My Dad took over looking after my son. Rocking him. Burping him. Getting him to sleep. Over and over again. He was doing what I had dreamed my husband would do, but was incapable of doing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the time, <i>I was so disappointed in my husband</i>. Disappointed that he wasn't living up to my expectations. That he wasn't ready to step-up and be the Dad I had imagined him to be. Couldn't he see that I couldn't do anything and that it was his job to fill in where I couldn't? Why was he letting my parents do everything? Why did he have to work such long hours when I so desperately needed him close to me?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fifth week, I was having panic attacks and crying all day. I wanted to die. I didn't care how, but I just didn't want to exist for another second. So I asked my Mum to take me to the hospital. I left my Dad with my baby. I knew he had formula and bottles that we had bought a few days earlier as a back-up plan. But really, at that point, I didn't care.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got help that day. The CATT (Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team) team took over. They put me on anti-anxiety medication and anti-depressants, both of which meant I had to stop breast-feeding. After my parents left, <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2014/04/your-smile-could-change-life.html" target="_blank">friends took over</a> and were there for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But my husband suffered in silence.</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He didn't talk. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He exploded occasionally. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was angry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He still clenched his jaw. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He hated the lack of excitement in our lives. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He felt helpless and hopeless. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He felt powerless. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I felt like he resented me, when in fact he resented my PND and its implications in our lives: he felt like he had lost the woman he married. He would yell and say "I've got bloody PND too, so give me a break!". And so, several times, I encouraged him to go see our doctor to talk about what he was going through.</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But he never did.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For quite a long time, I was resentful of that. I mean, why should I get help and get treated for the benefit of our family, if he wasn't going to do the same? I looked for support groups online for men with PND, but couldn't find any (this was 3 years ago now).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I gave up. I let him deal with it on his own. I was there for him when he wanted to talk. And always reminded him that doctors were there to help. But his fear of being put onto medication held him back. I strongly believe however, that had there been more of an awareness of PND in men, he would have reached out. <i>He wouldn't have felt so alone.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first two years of our son's life were pretty hideous, both of us navigating the roller-coaster of depression, all the while running a business and raising two gorgeous kids. I'm sure that our marriage survived because through it all we continued to:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">go out on a date most weeks, even if we just went for a walk or out for a drink or a movie. We didn't always talk much. We quite often argued. But we always respected our two golden rules: no talk of work and no talk of the kids;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ask for forgiveness and forgive each other every night for what we had done and/or said to hurt the other;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">give each other child-free space every weekend;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">communicate, communicate, communicate.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2gc5GUu8h18IFaD8y4k_xPMZ9CwllgAKxiUYYp3ZzOGgP_QOohdoi7g2zmAsCA_BwxRnpdNKJfHT4dH9GQtIeEI88BVnjGEUcQuytpFRDvvb8BKykfm9wUmy6UMMR7yJ6Dp_9jvm8s8I/s1600/marriage+survival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2gc5GUu8h18IFaD8y4k_xPMZ9CwllgAKxiUYYp3ZzOGgP_QOohdoi7g2zmAsCA_BwxRnpdNKJfHT4dH9GQtIeEI88BVnjGEUcQuytpFRDvvb8BKykfm9wUmy6UMMR7yJ6Dp_9jvm8s8I/s400/marriage+survival.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Remember these four tips!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three years after the birth of our son, things are a lot easier. I'm still taking meds, but am starting to consider coming off them. My husband is back to normal. And the kids drive us crazy with love and crazy with frustration, depending on the moments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope this post has encouraged you in some way. It's hard for Mums with PND to talk about this stuff, and it's even harder for our men. The more we talk about PND in fathers though, the more they will feel able and confident to reach out for help.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you know of support groups for men with PND, please share them with us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See more on PND in Dads <a href="http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/men_and_postnatal_depression.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia Kaha! Be Strong!</span><br />
<br />
<br />Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-71734728859632422702015-10-25T00:44:00.000-07:002015-10-25T00:44:16.722-07:00Vain Post Alert! My Thoughts on Gel Nail Polish<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, so this post is totally vain and absolutely not thought-provoking (unless you want to debate on a better use of my $35 every three weeks). It is however, a matter of utmost importance in my life at the moment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I am completely in love with gel nail polish.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtN3dmZuZyWLvv5lf8tNqa8MyroTttPNlkSS_X0nA0WkcGxwlXAJhsuRBQk1myeM8mPC69TsYljH9wCpHHQfwLa0MZPF9IwqlK0VT4ZU5g8r4-UoPdCrqsGvxdoS8mmN-J82875wh2RBAN/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtN3dmZuZyWLvv5lf8tNqa8MyroTttPNlkSS_X0nA0WkcGxwlXAJhsuRBQk1myeM8mPC69TsYljH9wCpHHQfwLa0MZPF9IwqlK0VT4ZU5g8r4-UoPdCrqsGvxdoS8mmN-J82875wh2RBAN/s400/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Top and bottom left, by the gorgeous Sarah at Embellish Nails, <br />top right by Bree, bottom right by a salon at the Mall</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>As a Mum</b>, it couldn't be better: it stays on for 2 to 3 weeks without chipping or coming off. It's laundry resistant. It's dish-washing resistant. It's cooking resistant. It's "I wash my hands 50 times a day" resistant. And did I say it looks perfect for 2 to 3 weeks??</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>As a Woman who is a Mum</b>, it's a winner too. Let's face it, who has the time to re-apply nail polish every two days? I certainly don't. And the frustration of taking the time to apply it to then see it ruined within 24 hours is just plain depressing. And I just can't stand the "chipped nail polish" look.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's more, I don't put make-up on every day. My hubby doesn't like me to (I know, lucky me!), and again, I have no time. Or rather, I prefer to stay in bed 15 minutes longer instead of getting up earlier to apply make-up. So, having pretty nails makes me feel feminine even when my face is bare.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>As a Woman</b>, it's perfect. The endless design possibilities are mind-blowing. Choosing a new one every few weeks is hard! Oh gosh, life can be so tough (irony warning!). Moreover, I get pampered for a little over an hour on a regular basis, which has a huge feel-good factor.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've suffered from low self-image for most of my life (I'm very happy to say that I'm doing much better in that department!), but I've always loved my nails. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I'll admit that I love the comments I get on each new set.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to stay objective though, so <b>on the down-side</b>, getting a gel polish manicure is a money investment. There is no way I would be doing this so often if I hadn't found the lovely Sarah at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Embellish-Nails-1441095006184447/" target="_blank">Embellish Nails</a>, who loves to pamper women at an affordable price. So I choose to use the little bit of spending money I have on cups of good coffee (I'm a coffee snob, but more on that in another post) and getting manicures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Beware!</b> Not all nail artists use the right removal techniques. If they make you dip your whole hand or all fingers at once in the removal liquid, run for your life. Each nail should be filed, then individually wrapped with the removal solution and silver foil for no more than 5 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm very intrigued by the <a href="https://www.jamberry.com/" target="_blank">Jamberry Nail Wraps</a> that are taking the world by storm. I'm going to a demo party soon to check them out and I will report back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, there you go. <i>A whole post on nails.</i> Do you get your nails done? If not, how do you like to make yourself feel special?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia Kaha! Be strong!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<br />Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-13383233661713244202015-10-21T02:09:00.000-07:002015-10-21T02:09:09.920-07:00Confessions of a Highly Sensitive Person<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8-z5rCHjnkLVCzhMxnUieZ3O2c_ymF91UcB-8tgtQGO-lvrX1A1mzgyyEuMxSTyPWGpScnGbWaNnuJfgk2nr9XVnO7wiBxBzPCjbJ5l0MCAadWsbV08woGEIW6jr7xzQOB4e7yMZ4zpn/s1600/CONFESSIONS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8-z5rCHjnkLVCzhMxnUieZ3O2c_ymF91UcB-8tgtQGO-lvrX1A1mzgyyEuMxSTyPWGpScnGbWaNnuJfgk2nr9XVnO7wiBxBzPCjbJ5l0MCAadWsbV08woGEIW6jr7xzQOB4e7yMZ4zpn/s640/CONFESSIONS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
I am so EFFing angry.</i></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Almost a year ago, a young girl who lived with us and helped us with the kids left abruptly with no warning. She broke my son's heart. She broke my trust. She broke me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the effect her actions had on me, and still have on me, makes me angry. Do you get what I'm trying to say? The fact that I was affected by her behaviour makes me angry, more so than what she did. Why do I feel things so deeply, so completely and so excruciatingly? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I am so EFFing sensitive. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have this tendency to take things too much at heart and to feel, oh to feel everything with exacerbated emotions. I often think of my inner thought life as a thin piece of glass. It doesn't take much to break it. And broken glass can never be fixed perfectly ever again, however hard you may try. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I am like a reconstituted piece of glass. A MOSAIC.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCzZGPJtu7ioNmVFT-Rdgfqj85TpBJVq9p69F9POo3JGku6gVTnip-Jb75QGhX-fz939ILpzC-hWHTV0yk3WRmr4r8QjD3o0yXsNt0KaUtBulLmZ425q-CqEeSJFDgwMg6qvZc5W2fnDL/s1600/Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCzZGPJtu7ioNmVFT-Rdgfqj85TpBJVq9p69F9POo3JGku6gVTnip-Jb75QGhX-fz939ILpzC-hWHTV0yk3WRmr4r8QjD3o0yXsNt0KaUtBulLmZ425q-CqEeSJFDgwMg6qvZc5W2fnDL/s400/Me.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh so happy. Abidjan, Ivory Coast, August 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But you know what? <i>I am so EFFing thankful!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a precious mosaic. Yes, I've lost count of how many times I've been broken, but every time I put myself back together, a new mosaic emerges, sometimes pretty dull, dark or ugly, and sometimes magnificent and colourful. Fragile though. Oh so fragile.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's okay. That is who I am. Yeah, I often feel angry about my inability to build a wall around me, but I'm also so thankful to be a <a href="http://hsperson.com/books/the-highly-sensitive-person/" target="_blank">Highly Sensitive Person</a>. Yep, there is an official name for it. It's a cool thing to be, most of the time. If you:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">are</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;"> easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens nearby,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">make a point of avoiding violent movies and TV shows,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">need to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">notice or enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">have a rich and complex inner life,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">were seen as sensitive or shy by your parents and teachers when you were a child*,</span></li>
</ul>
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<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">then there's a good chance you are one too. And that is cool! Or maybe your child is, or your partner. I know my daughter is very probably a HSP. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Here's the deal. I experience everything that surrounds me with more sensitivity, I'm more empathetic, I feel joy and excitement to the depth of my being. And I love my friends and family with a faithfulness of heart that is often overwhelming.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Spend enough time putting yourself out there in the world -</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">your sensitivity is not something to be feared.” </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">― </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/89949.Elaine_N_Aron" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Elaine N. Aron</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">, </span><span id="quote_book_link_18955380" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/908967" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">The Highly Sensitive Person</a></i></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;">So, just for you, here are 11 survival tips I've put together if you too are a pretty special HSP. I hope they help you in some way, and I'd love to hear from you if you have some to share too. We're all in this together!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">*Questions asked by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D., in <i>The Highly Sensitive Person.</i></span></div>
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Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-13121837286844950362015-10-03T02:11:00.002-07:002015-10-03T02:11:23.601-07:00A Parsley Trick<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't you just hate chopping parsley? It's one of those ingredients I wished I could just buy ready chopped, until I learned a super neat and quick way to get the job done - presto!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With good kitchen scissors, just chop off the amount you need and place in a mug. Using the same scissors, chop away at your parsley inside the mug until you're happy with it. Ta-dahhhh!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7n4nVS4epdGfoKEDjFt-1RqNzWW6bJ9LhpIkWLJ7yeYy-s1woEr79xrJo2ALBDk71YkCu-jcyHGtjPpuzljZTviakhEan5IOhGrs5BR_zAP1SB-JTGqREZVQnYu7LjWaCaMYtq2wMv4-r/s1600/Persil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7n4nVS4epdGfoKEDjFt-1RqNzWW6bJ9LhpIkWLJ7yeYy-s1woEr79xrJo2ALBDk71YkCu-jcyHGtjPpuzljZTviakhEan5IOhGrs5BR_zAP1SB-JTGqREZVQnYu7LjWaCaMYtq2wMv4-r/s400/Persil.jpg" width="273" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or, using the same method, chop up the whole bunch of parsley in several goes, and freeze the chopped parsley in a zip-lock bag. Chopped parsley read to go in the freezer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You're welcome! And let me know if you have another cool kitchen trick :-)!</span>Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-66444898024559455512015-09-26T02:09:00.001-07:002015-09-26T02:09:40.185-07:00My hubby can survive without me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZYsOod7nZs_7GArQgcKDR20ZgYuWwNLDQmF0tLNDeolBttEZK-wchJDCXIRhuvEgCcnHATETXF6Y-HTLReW89EBBkjYQpUXAeCOmaJA7dsPN_tPzAeMOjHmMKdFjp4CgpKWREZVMAu8V/s1600/20131214_123421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZYsOod7nZs_7GArQgcKDR20ZgYuWwNLDQmF0tLNDeolBttEZK-wchJDCXIRhuvEgCcnHATETXF6Y-HTLReW89EBBkjYQpUXAeCOmaJA7dsPN_tPzAeMOjHmMKdFjp4CgpKWREZVMAu8V/s400/20131214_123421.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yep. He can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I doubted it. I doubted <i>him</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently came back from a 9 day <a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/going-back-to-my-roots.html" target="_blank">trip to Africa</a>. On my own. Hubby and the two kids stayed at home. And while I jokingly asked our church family to pray for them and to pray that they would still be alive when I came back, deep down, I was not joking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would he feed them enough? Would he get them to bed not too late? Would he get them to school on time? Would he remember to give Mr. 3 a mid morning snack? Would he remember swimming, and soccer?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Would they be okay without me?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How incredibly judgemental and self-centred.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sure, I am the glue and the tower of strength and organization in this family (no exaggeration!), but my husband is an amazing and capable man. Sure, when I'm around he has a tendency to lean on me and to depend on my capabilities a little too much. But, he is a very capable man.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, when I left for the airport, I decided to leave behind all my anxieties and truly believe that they would be okay. What other choice did I have anyway? Worrying was only going to spoil my trip. And here was my chance to truly believe in my husband and to trust him entirely.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVkzejgfrnRAG9X0f6MnOLFA5iMyioIICohtjGAvS4rKI3HOuqKUOzp4_E261_oZNRhUdcW7Jttp4Ce8gEjUoTvWraxN0HUU8zocpv8m_-vYRwkKQ9v3TBPQbgpeic0tE8einpDKSANRM/s1600/20150818_141843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVkzejgfrnRAG9X0f6MnOLFA5iMyioIICohtjGAvS4rKI3HOuqKUOzp4_E261_oZNRhUdcW7Jttp4Ce8gEjUoTvWraxN0HUU8zocpv8m_-vYRwkKQ9v3TBPQbgpeic0tE8einpDKSANRM/s400/20150818_141843.jpg" width="342" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe that us Mums tend not to give our husbands and partners enough responsibilities and credibility. How demeaning is that! Men thrive on trust and when we're proud of them and their accomplishments. And yet, we deprive them of so much because we want to be "in control" - whatever that means. Or because we think we can do it better, or faster. Well, I do that anyway. I am so wrong!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I was so wrong.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I came back, the kids were alive! My hubby was alive, albeit tired and relieved to have me home. The kids had been clothed, fed and at school mostly on time (and let's be real, they're often late with me!). Swimming was only forgotten once, the house was vaccumed and two loads of washing were done.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBIuWK4NnuExfy57TtogvdSM684SH7do-DsJIIdvpdut_vceDbgca1QI3WO6G3z-xWRsNRp-jUTqQq_gedb5nDqIIkRDDJpxyjGST9oVW7JGNi-Ij1h-MN1zjIxQ_IjbFvGPBsx1F6OSA/s1600/IMG-20150823-WA0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBIuWK4NnuExfy57TtogvdSM684SH7do-DsJIIdvpdut_vceDbgca1QI3WO6G3z-xWRsNRp-jUTqQq_gedb5nDqIIkRDDJpxyjGST9oVW7JGNi-Ij1h-MN1zjIxQ_IjbFvGPBsx1F6OSA/s400/IMG-20150823-WA0005.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A photo hubby sent me while I was away</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But most importantly, the kids were happy. And my hubby was proud.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The thing that astonished me the most however, was that my hubby had been very proactive about educational issues such as hitting. His new rule, which I am keeping to as much as I can, is "You hit your sister/brother, you go on the thinking step for 2 minutes". Straight away. No discussions. No second chances. That takes a lot of energy. And determination.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, he did not manage to get Mr. 3 to do poos on the toilet. Oh well. I'll just keep working on that one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The thing is, <i>I don't believe enough in my husband on the home front</i>. And maybe that's why he isn't very engaged. I don't give him room to do things his way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That is going to change. I know he can do it, and do it well. So I'm trying to give him space, and he's trying not to fall back into the habit of relying on me so much. He has seen what it takes to manage the home front and is much more appreciative of what I do. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I love it when he steps in and manages the kids' (mis)behaviour.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpEP35j17OMZvyEQACUfdCcbMlALzzgTvojlNrlodLwbPk9wp1gzPl_D-d4xtZZMQzGK4792HgJZbFQsIQVKxH8im5WWrupsBr6LwUtrppWpJRPtnPW4rArHzOU4BUL9OJHetQN1jOCjw/s1600/FB_IMG_1441708322947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpEP35j17OMZvyEQACUfdCcbMlALzzgTvojlNrlodLwbPk9wp1gzPl_D-d4xtZZMQzGK4792HgJZbFQsIQVKxH8im5WWrupsBr6LwUtrppWpJRPtnPW4rArHzOU4BUL9OJHetQN1jOCjw/s320/FB_IMG_1441708322947.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband is my hero and today I honour him for everything he does and has done for our family. He is one amazing man, husband and father. I am so blessed to be his wife.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzs8UgiGTL2GlP9Nt1fIAeeVqmiQeJ-Kw-7lOIrW3_lj-j1z6jU4I0-M78mJuTYhC9Midbcf3ATYCtUBxj61gfDes-O7INFzcoDwrRgOaYOTZPh0-WsTyvp1PZQksyV-rRdFNx9ui7l03/s1600/Nous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzs8UgiGTL2GlP9Nt1fIAeeVqmiQeJ-Kw-7lOIrW3_lj-j1z6jU4I0-M78mJuTYhC9Midbcf3ATYCtUBxj61gfDes-O7INFzcoDwrRgOaYOTZPh0-WsTyvp1PZQksyV-rRdFNx9ui7l03/s400/Nous.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the love of my life</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>_________________________________________________________________________</b></span></div>
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Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-87748220086265091432015-08-16T02:03:00.001-07:002015-08-16T02:03:39.278-07:00Going back to my roots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRho3iXbBAru6qSN_MuCBGSuGlQptqcbdupD0DaZ8w0FY_ZNa7KuzaRCCs1aMCnfPkrkZBOcUGsJpkF_6j-Ggw7ADOE-x1UxqZejLJt7mLN8-tE91A5uGifH2_EwDgqXEqP1YNhIvzLE6/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRho3iXbBAru6qSN_MuCBGSuGlQptqcbdupD0DaZ8w0FY_ZNa7KuzaRCCs1aMCnfPkrkZBOcUGsJpkF_6j-Ggw7ADOE-x1UxqZejLJt7mLN8-tE91A5uGifH2_EwDgqXEqP1YNhIvzLE6/s640/Untitled.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a <a href="http://tckid.com/what-is-a-tck.html" target="_blank">TCK</a> (Third Culture Kid). This means that I "have spent a significant part of my developmental years outside my parents' culture". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Dad is Swiss. My Mum is English. I grew up in the Ivory Coast from birth to age 13.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two days, I am going back to my birth country.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two days, I am going back to one of the countries that has made me who I am today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two days, I am going back to the country I felt uprooted from.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two days, I am going to smell humidity, heat, dust, sweat, rubbish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two days, I am going to taste sweet juicy mangoes, tender red papayas, deep-fried plantain bananas and fire roasted peanuts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two days, I am going to hear mosquitoes buzzing, toads croaking, locusts clacking and buzzing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two days, I am going to hug my Mum and Dad, my brother, my sister and my new brother in law.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two days, I am going to say goodbye to my husband and two children for 9 days.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two days, I am going back to Africa.</span></i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkOMAzr4NHiynvMTTcT-PulI4AhaGASFhggYqXBFv2DnkC3sNJtfqYSrpK1dugpDQGCR5VRECp9qMGi19-FrE-HzbipVFLXnBbVTv439jfj-D_PDzap88y5YrlB2EgnuUYU0tl9yPD_-e/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkOMAzr4NHiynvMTTcT-PulI4AhaGASFhggYqXBFv2DnkC3sNJtfqYSrpK1dugpDQGCR5VRECp9qMGi19-FrE-HzbipVFLXnBbVTv439jfj-D_PDzap88y5YrlB2EgnuUYU0tl9yPD_-e/s400/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Myself as a child in the Ivory Coast</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've never felt whole since leaving the Ivory Coast. I spent 13 years in Switzerland after we left. Now I've spent 10 years in New Zealand. Nowhere is home. Home is where my heart is, where my family is. But even that doesn't mean much as we're all spread around. </span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nowhere do I really feel at home.</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wonder what I'll feel when the air plane doors open and I can step down onto the tarmac. Will I feel at home again, after all these years? Or will this be yet another "almost home, but not quite" moment? I've buried so many memories since I had to say goodbye that I'm almost scared to go back. And yet I can't wait. I know it's going to be one of the trips of my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is time to go back and then to face the future with my past firmly in hand.</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you a TCK? Do you feel at home anywhere?</span>Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-9348413917222782042015-08-12T02:57:00.000-07:002015-08-12T02:57:05.796-07:00Today I am thankful!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGDhG09pQw61yGqUzc_RKPRyG2CMPbwLKVlsLFGCegdhEFscHCCTc56VforLEnIUNvC6xA_hEhcMM3xx5TbKUGMM6RTH5JeUQDQQLc4jx1I6vAJYLTH7CDbI1kYNPGsIh2uVSSYMwJnNa/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-12+at+1.39.37+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGDhG09pQw61yGqUzc_RKPRyG2CMPbwLKVlsLFGCegdhEFscHCCTc56VforLEnIUNvC6xA_hEhcMM3xx5TbKUGMM6RTH5JeUQDQQLc4jx1I6vAJYLTH7CDbI1kYNPGsIh2uVSSYMwJnNa/s400/Screen+Shot+2012-11-12+at+1.39.37+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a good day today. We all had a good day today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know why or how, but the planets and the stars aligned for me today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was relaxed. I was cool. Mr 3 played nicely by himself several times. We cruised. He almost didn't whine. He almost didn't cry. He said please and thank you. He got into his car seat when asked. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At 3 o'clock, the dreaded school pick up time and "what am I going to do with them for 2 hours?" time, I was calm! I couldn't believe it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2O9ey8vV4Qgssl4UQakgOtUfASBJ5MdMIXvATXgIrdVzTl6R9DmjbSbDCuh9CKuMcpjILGYrNrq2ueYMuCfnyKbAU-fn64izogLgzw2WHV-4tga9yHQ_S8IdGa_hyphB19DSPg6tXBDff/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2O9ey8vV4Qgssl4UQakgOtUfASBJ5MdMIXvATXgIrdVzTl6R9DmjbSbDCuh9CKuMcpjILGYrNrq2ueYMuCfnyKbAU-fn64izogLgzw2WHV-4tga9yHQ_S8IdGa_hyphB19DSPg6tXBDff/s640/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Nothing beats sunshine and Vitamin D</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sun was shining so we went to the park and had ice cream. We hung out for one hour and I didn't get bored (I normally find playgrounds the most boring place on earth, please tell me I'm not the only one???). My kids' smiles and excited shouts were like warm waves of love washing over me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back home, they played nicely (?!) and my son helped me chop the vegetables for the fish pie.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxDi6t1FRnkXLGQBAR750PblVINPcg6qdf5jPuUUhB-ut6ZRB-jKmNIGlsQG2s58W2KhJuMgcJG_hnvcstqpx1LIDnehWUS73EOzzu8hnl7xvB7cIMFJMAUkR9kEuIT2abiw7p5J8mgDg/s1600/20150812_163815.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxDi6t1FRnkXLGQBAR750PblVINPcg6qdf5jPuUUhB-ut6ZRB-jKmNIGlsQG2s58W2KhJuMgcJG_hnvcstqpx1LIDnehWUS73EOzzu8hnl7xvB7cIMFJMAUkR9kEuIT2abiw7p5J8mgDg/s400/20150812_163815.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All day, I just kept asking myself: why? how? I have no idea. Maybe it's the PND lifting a little more. Maybe it's the fact that I've been allergy free for almost a week thanks to the new meds, maybe it was the sunshine. Maybe it was all three. Maybe it was none of them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today was a good day. It was a moment in eternity. A ray of sunshine in a sky which has been tainted by fogginess and greyness. A drop in an ocean of emotions, feelings, and anxieties.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I am thankful. I want to encourage you who are going through harder times, that there will be days like this one. They are worth waiting for, and when they come along, savour every little second of the day. Engrave each moment into your heart and mind. And smile!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia kaha! Be strong!</span>Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-72592343986358387722015-08-09T03:23:00.000-07:002015-08-09T03:23:13.791-07:00So what if I have PND?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6c0lAVwq6gHi0KYcT0JwxBxsephlJM6QC44IjHgOz3GmN9ntnmNtTcXrsn90IkQ2pJB-9NT0XRvc6HnCdBj_9Hmz8zRi0iMkgX-tv99FtDvtMmvp5BRIFPDyN55TeKY4aJCgacA9ZwXBA/s1600/So+What+If+I+Have+PND.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6c0lAVwq6gHi0KYcT0JwxBxsephlJM6QC44IjHgOz3GmN9ntnmNtTcXrsn90IkQ2pJB-9NT0XRvc6HnCdBj_9Hmz8zRi0iMkgX-tv99FtDvtMmvp5BRIFPDyN55TeKY4aJCgacA9ZwXBA/s640/So+What+If+I+Have+PND.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had PND (Post Natal Depression) for 6 years now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After both kids. And that's okay. I can live with that, because I'm lucky enough to have access to treatment and supportive friends. I've never felt inadequate or guilty or ashamed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quite the opposite really. I don't mind talking about my experience. I always hope it will encourage another Mum or make her feel less alone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I was thrown on Thursday last week. I went to see an allergy specialist for my never ending runny nose and eyes. A German doctor. He was loud. He sounded German. He did his job. He asked about my medical history and what medication I was on. I told him I took citalopram because I suffer from PND. When told my youngest was now 3 he raised his eyebrows very high and said:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Is that still PND after 3 years?". I just stared at him, gob-smacked.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then he asked a few questions about allergy medications I've tried over the years. After a few minutes he stopped and said:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I can't believe how many people take anti-depressants in New Zealand. Doctors just give it out to everyone. Don't you think you could stop now?" Wow. Just wow. I spluttered. I stumbled on my words. And then I said:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I ended up at the CATT (Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team) centre in Porirua when my baby was 4 weeks old. I wanted to kill myself. I..." He interrupted me and said, "Oh, you were suicidal. Please keep taking the pills then!".</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_VvkuQ58I2amzdY5TbV46vFxgMZ_6vibsRBHZFZACioP5dly0ibeA8q52rYNSkmC_UL7UfdEOLTWTwu7Ev9zLy2QCPNfZJrB2QHOmkxeTNZh4PiTMfsU7xAiI2m1yPv3cBB3DZdIWm1a/s1600/20140202_092108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_VvkuQ58I2amzdY5TbV46vFxgMZ_6vibsRBHZFZACioP5dly0ibeA8q52rYNSkmC_UL7UfdEOLTWTwu7Ev9zLy2QCPNfZJrB2QHOmkxeTNZh4PiTMfsU7xAiI2m1yPv3cBB3DZdIWm1a/s400/20140202_092108.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We then proceeded with what I was there for: allergies and prick testing. He was highly efficient in that regard and I'm already doing much better on the new treatment. Thank you German Doctor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel so lucky that I'm in a place now where I can hear such statements and not take them too seriously. He <i>did</i> make me doubt for a few seconds...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Could I stop my anti-depressants now?", "Do I really need them?"</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieW1ma1zgh_SbOlxnupmHzjX4_zHZZusFC4L_a3CTCOzk4DXYM2Nv_nSfO1CVJm7eleybVzhCsJQ3CooZUZZZIVFxYQSU5FW09XEqOW2JWOYBo04S1KPcUP-ar4XUSzaSoa_DvViAnGxD5/s1600/20150410_162108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieW1ma1zgh_SbOlxnupmHzjX4_zHZZusFC4L_a3CTCOzk4DXYM2Nv_nSfO1CVJm7eleybVzhCsJQ3CooZUZZZIVFxYQSU5FW09XEqOW2JWOYBo04S1KPcUP-ar4XUSzaSoa_DvViAnGxD5/s400/20150410_162108.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Was the German Doctor right?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then sense took over. I mean, come on. It's ok to take anti-depressants if you're suicidal but not otherwise? Just come off the pills, you don't need them anyway? Imagine if he said that to a woman who was feeling very unwell mentally, or felt guilty, or lost, or angry about her PND? I left that office worried that a highly qualified doctor, who gets paid $375 per 45 minute consultation, feels he has the right to give a woman he doesn't know advice about her PND and her treatment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would he have told my friend with diabetes to stop her injections? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would he have told my other friend with severe asthma to stop using her inhaler? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did he tell me to stop taking medication for my allergies?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is obviously still a stigma attached to all forms of depression. Maybe more so in Europe than in New Zealand. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My very talented Mum, who has suffered from depression her entire adult life and has come up against a lot of judgement and stereotypes, wrote a great little book called </span><a href="http://www.authorhouse.co.uk/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000565190" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">"Thank God for Anti-Depressants"</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I agree with her 100%. Thank God for all medication that saves life, be it diabetes, cholesterol, depression, asthma, infections, etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what if I have PND? So what if I was suicidal? It's okay. It's called life. PND is still a part of my life. Mostly in the form of anxieties these days. But it's still there. I'm better and better as the years go by though and I find that exciting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what if you have PND or depression? It's okay. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. You will get better, with or without the help of pills and/or other remedies. Life is a journey and it will throw things at you, but I've found that <i>it's the way you accept and deal with life's lemons that transform you into a better and stronger person</i>. I've gone through two very bare and lifeless winters, but spring is a pretty exciting place to be: summer is just around the corner!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would never trade my journey for an easier one. It has made me who I am today. Your journey makes you who you are today.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTzy6BHVazm9ZOhVvGEjp9UJIvByeFTuh1rxrJeSRi6-3tzfrRLNDtOAIfQ6-c36qp5XyXqRMj6F-Oyqah5l-ULFBAOWS0tQAjK-sv_mgPt2NrPMd-Sfm35woQluuIWf0-mAvXu1PJqpQ/s1600/beautiful-and-fearfully-made.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTzy6BHVazm9ZOhVvGEjp9UJIvByeFTuh1rxrJeSRi6-3tzfrRLNDtOAIfQ6-c36qp5XyXqRMj6F-Oyqah5l-ULFBAOWS0tQAjK-sv_mgPt2NrPMd-Sfm35woQluuIWf0-mAvXu1PJqpQ/s400/beautiful-and-fearfully-made.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are amazingly and fearfully made. Kia Kaha! Be Strong!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd love to hear from you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* If you are suffering from depression and you are worried about your safety or the safety of others, please don't suffer in silence. Contact your doctor, or call a friend. Ask for help.*</span>Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-50657808304545914972015-08-02T03:04:00.001-07:002015-08-02T03:04:06.641-07:00"Ahhhhhh-tchoo!" Confessions of an Allergic Mum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMNkj9AKbSvNnos11MMWk2G2ZtmovMEj7MuXfd1MGwmXTPh1wyA8Qu0D9jsIcyZ3DaUqGFwy70WoRMcyBB2jPbMYfv2HZyfx0ByG3RyiDmSAvqKA3pnqAyIcqSsEzsITh677Ahxm_f3I1/s1600/Confessions+of+an+Allergic+Mum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMNkj9AKbSvNnos11MMWk2G2ZtmovMEj7MuXfd1MGwmXTPh1wyA8Qu0D9jsIcyZ3DaUqGFwy70WoRMcyBB2jPbMYfv2HZyfx0ByG3RyiDmSAvqKA3pnqAyIcqSsEzsITh677Ahxm_f3I1/s400/Confessions+of+an+Allergic+Mum.jpg" width="342" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Ahhhhhh-tchooo!" </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Really loud. Fills the room. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Atchoo, atchoo, atchoo!"</i>. Snuffle, snuffle, blows nose.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously, hayfever is not funny. I've had it on and off forever. But the past 2 years have been terrible. No respite. As if having two young children wasn't tiring enough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Ahhhhhh-tchoooooooo!"</i>. Pause. Blows nose. <i>"Arghhhhh".</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm seriously over it. Hay fever doesn't sound like a serious condition. It's not. But it can be debilitating at times. And oh so tiring.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is what I've tried:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Atchoo! Atchoo!"</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, <b>nose drops</b> now give me nose bleeds. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Anti-histamine tablets</b> don't work any more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Steroids</b> are miraculous but I can't have them more than 2 or 3 times a year. And they are baaaaaad for you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Acupuncture</b> helped my allergies a little, but especially strengthened my immune system and energy levels.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Vicks Vaporizer</b>. Smells amazing, and I do seem to do better on the days when I've used it the previous night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Avoiding milk </b>as much as I can, but I can't give up cheese and yoghurt and butter and cream!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tempted to <b>chop my head off</b>, but.........</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I mean, try cooking a meal. I have to stop every two minutes or so to sneeze or blow my nose. Then wash my hands. Then keep going. Then stop again, wash hands. Keep going. Drives me nuts!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Ahhhhhh-tchooooooo!". </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some days I get up and I feel like I can't do this one more day. The smiling, the being patient, the educating, the cooking, the cleaning, the policing, the entertaining, the looking good, the caring, the running around, the shopping, the teaching, the hugging, the kissing, the nose wiping, the being reasonable and rational, when all I really want to do is lock myself up in a room, curl up with a book and rest. Oh blissful rest!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But do you know what keeps me going? My faith - as always.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm seeing a super duper German allergy specialist this week. Dr Robert Winkler. I have very high expectations and hopes. Actually, he better have some answers and solutions for me otherwise I might actually strangle him (just kidding!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if you have any tips that have worked for you, please please please share the looooooove!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the meantime, Kia Kaha! Be Strong!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bloggers love comments. So do leave me a note. I will always take the time to answer. Thank you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this series, you can also read:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/confessions-of-anxious-mum.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Confessions of an Anxious Mum</span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<span style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/06/confessions-of-sleep-deprived-mum.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Confessions of a Sleep-Deprived Mum</span></a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/confessions-of-envious-mum.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Confessions of an Envious Mum</span></a></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if you'd like to follow me on Facebook, please click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maman-I-need-help/817938871607712" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>. Thank you!</span></div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-26444562757437046302015-07-24T01:54:00.003-07:002015-07-24T02:00:15.963-07:00What the F(ish)?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhah1vj8rSEDcwjXHnL5WAOVvFlgUBWSpx1FcH9RabyiM16CSM_qkeFT_fCkBDYotABDKRepGepWOO_DLZV5VUDY7GJ3_GDtrsW8QpqEV94k-CDRueQwHFvHkGmYnp6tAOej0cd0LKuUluz/s1600/What+the+Fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhah1vj8rSEDcwjXHnL5WAOVvFlgUBWSpx1FcH9RabyiM16CSM_qkeFT_fCkBDYotABDKRepGepWOO_DLZV5VUDY7GJ3_GDtrsW8QpqEV94k-CDRueQwHFvHkGmYnp6tAOej0cd0LKuUluz/s400/What+the+Fish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do my groceries once a week. Have done for years now (see why <a href="http://www.mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/why-oh-why.html" target="_blank">here</a>). It saves money and time, and since I hate doing it, why do it more often?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So on Wednesday my little boy and I went off to our local supermarket for our weekly shop. He's 3. He likes helping. It's pretty sweet, but can also get kinda annoying, especially if I'm in a hurry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>So I try not to be in a hurry.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He helps pick out the fruit and vegetables. He helps stick the labels on the plastic bags. He's beaming. I try to kiss him but he dodges my attempts with swift precision and practise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He's not too interested in the meat. We go passed the fish. There's whole fish, there's fish heads, there's fish fillets and there's seafood. I keep going. We get to the dairy. He says "Stop Mamma". And points back to the fish. Okay, I get it. We go back. "Die?" he asks. "Yes, the fish are dead". He points to the fillets. "<span style="line-height: 100%;">Ç</span>a non fish", he tells me in his cute Frenglish (aka mixture of French and English). He's adamant. So I explain that the fillets are the whole fish, but cut up and ready to eat. No answer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We move on to the dairy. I put some butter and cheese in my trolley. "Stop Mamma", he says again. And points back to the fish. At this point, I physically feel the choice I have in front of me. I can either tell him that we need to move on now, that we've seen the fish, and "let's go and get some ham". Or, I can turn the trolley around and go back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I go back. We do the same thing again. Say the same things again. Silence. We move on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I add the Greek yoghurt and the milk to the trolley. "Stop Mamma". I look at him. At his gorgeous green-brown eyes looking at me so earnestly. I feel laughter bubbling up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I go back. He points at the fish fillets. "Me mam-mam <span style="line-height: 100%;">ç</span>a?" he asks. I smile and make sure I got his meaning, "Would you like Mummy to get you some fish for your lunch?". "Yep", he answers, very satisfied. So I get him a fillet of Tarakihi, our favourite New Zealand fish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We finish our groceries and go home. For lunch, I pan-fry his fish fillet. He very quickly polishes it off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>He's happy. I'm happy.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to record these precious moments. They come and go so quickly. I fee like if I write them down then they won't be able to escape into the infinity of the past. Thanks for reading me today. Please tell me your stories!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia kaha! Be Strong!</span>Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-22774726004573681422015-07-16T03:44:00.000-07:002015-07-16T17:46:08.431-07:00Confessions of an Envious Mum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf0ZLmAu09Zeq_cEKY2MC5rvsy9W9D0wSd1FIHFKR1wrOXRg9LmW8ZKMfxbQfmQuvhqTtPyrwp2skhXjCqurQ6Y_BwK2YkvLnbFpPeqIQ9kWqX4_1gjxiLLGY-HH4YCWHga4DJmJ_eW5Q/s1600/Envious+Mum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf0ZLmAu09Zeq_cEKY2MC5rvsy9W9D0wSd1FIHFKR1wrOXRg9LmW8ZKMfxbQfmQuvhqTtPyrwp2skhXjCqurQ6Y_BwK2YkvLnbFpPeqIQ9kWqX4_1gjxiLLGY-HH4YCWHga4DJmJ_eW5Q/s640/Envious+Mum.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you like school holidays, I envy you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you like school holidays, I don't understand you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you like school holidays, I'd gladly swap with you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But alas, the latter isn't possible. So I better leave all my lack of understanding and wishful thinking aside, and get on with reality. Which is, I DON'T LIKE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS. There, I've said it. In fact, I don't like weekends either. Every Friday I hear my husband say, "yay! it's the weekend!". My heart just plummets and inside I think "shit, it's the weekend". I know it's very un-PC to be admitting this, but it's the truth. Weekends and school holidays, all our routines and little habits go out the window, and my introverted-people-loving-self (I know this may not make sense) is left with two kids under 6 who squabble squabble squabble, need me most of the time, and suck all energy out of me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please understand. I LOVE MY KIDS! I really do. I WANTED KIDS. I really did. But I just don't like being with them for more than a few hours at a time without a break. Yeah yeah, I know, one day I'll look back with nostalgia, bla bla bla. Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. Maybe I'll relish the "kids are older" stage a lot more than I can relish the "my kids are little and needy" stage. Who knows?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the meantime, if you like the school holidays, I envy you. A lot. I don't know why, but despite having things organized, I found these winter holidays particularly hard. Into the first week, I asked some of you for some tips on a Mummy Facebook page and I got some good ideas:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, so if you're like me, you look at the lists above and freak out thinking, "eeeeek, I can't do all that". Believe me, it's not about doing all that. It's about having ideas ready so that you can pick and choose depending on:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a) your mood</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">b) your kid(s)' mood(s)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">c) everyone's energy levels</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">d) your budget.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another great idea is to</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevEQLoC0FThYpXRXmEEVrfsIJTfO35Shpx5Fi128t4hyphenhyphenVWa3URTw31s1yn_l2aChplXaa-TZIhmUYES-gUGS76GSFDfsZ78bJv3B5RVgDoIUHxMBJfO6XKrtC66dOfrEdT06k3TFPrVZ9/s1600/star+of+the+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevEQLoC0FThYpXRXmEEVrfsIJTfO35Shpx5Fi128t4hyphenhyphenVWa3URTw31s1yn_l2aChplXaa-TZIhmUYES-gUGS76GSFDfsZ78bJv3B5RVgDoIUHxMBJfO6XKrtC66dOfrEdT06k3TFPrVZ9/s320/star+of+the+day.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So with all this information under my belt, I went about making lists and picking ideas from it. The kids still squabbled. They still needed attention. But at least I didn't feel like a blank page in desperate need of ideas. We did have some fun, and there were some quiet moments:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzDxsAGcsorPRisqIj-DVTqVpV908CkXY8u9yb83QYILTJn00rnKACKLBysBDinrmaBu9IRHtJFriXqdPo8PlrB5ycdtAKgoVvQ2odxH1pj_ECrrRZQnj-hkP88RVhOX-vXSKQRIsiTbz/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzDxsAGcsorPRisqIj-DVTqVpV908CkXY8u9yb83QYILTJn00rnKACKLBysBDinrmaBu9IRHtJFriXqdPo8PlrB5ycdtAKgoVvQ2odxH1pj_ECrrRZQnj-hkP88RVhOX-vXSKQRIsiTbz/s640/PicMonkey+Collage2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Fun in the snow (sides), and teaching my daughter how to make short crust pastry (centre)</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQ2Y19nJ6ng_qQAP7OwGPQ24CtGdqcHml616SeEMIx6EHdILljXJSOmKuWVavUx-_jaoLo1Wf92fJ6HB0ybS-LdOIQVAKVyUh3PDyqiayJkb2E22D0vX1LZIvwnaS5nEfiAS-FG7gJrcu/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQ2Y19nJ6ng_qQAP7OwGPQ24CtGdqcHml616SeEMIx6EHdILljXJSOmKuWVavUx-_jaoLo1Wf92fJ6HB0ybS-LdOIQVAKVyUh3PDyqiayJkb2E22D0vX1LZIvwnaS5nEfiAS-FG7gJrcu/s400/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Encouraging Daddy on the football field, drawing,<br />playing with Master J's new wooden parking, reading books</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, for your own sanity, I strongly encourage you to take some time for yourself, even if it's just 15 minutes at a time! I had a few occasions to escape over the past two weeks, which were very precious moments and were made possible thanks to a few angels in my life:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeyUn9017GgsJftuUcp4YGekpmO_5nM7ApZPDVGusS6FnhN11_XpxIX7IONmtxVoTuEvHGON885MfrDewS6WVsiae2lWo0XpI7yOZH8jVywu0jDVUjNHf0P6DWxEaWx3NCH85dwjeHMkC/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeyUn9017GgsJftuUcp4YGekpmO_5nM7ApZPDVGusS6FnhN11_XpxIX7IONmtxVoTuEvHGON885MfrDewS6WVsiae2lWo0XpI7yOZH8jVywu0jDVUjNHf0P6DWxEaWx3NCH85dwjeHMkC/s640/PicMonkey+Collage3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A walk on my own in the sun, coffee and soup in a cafe, admiring nature</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there you have them, my lessons learned over the winter holidays 2015. Of course, if you are the kind of Mum who loves the school holidays, you probably don't need all these ideas. You come up with them naturally, or you don't need a plan. You just enjoy hanging out with your kids for two weeks. I am in awe of you. But I am also in awe of Mums like me, who find it hard, but who get through it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpn3xXlOtnxwD11WwEcAGgCQBkwLSJwoCxR-yC-ISmgYSI1k8n9y5FRnTJj0bTABfdCOdMb0d10px839j3lUBiUXFwhwmev-tpnDHDd71Knc0cxMYhp5ABzPbPY19o0CeqJgo03Zz5eME/s1600/IMG_108391578122567.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpn3xXlOtnxwD11WwEcAGgCQBkwLSJwoCxR-yC-ISmgYSI1k8n9y5FRnTJj0bTABfdCOdMb0d10px839j3lUBiUXFwhwmev-tpnDHDd71Knc0cxMYhp5ABzPbPY19o0CeqJgo03Zz5eME/s400/IMG_108391578122567.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia kaha! Be strong!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bloggers love comments. So if you have any ideas to add to my lists, please do share them. The more the better for the next holidays! Thank you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this series, you can also read:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/confessions-of-anxious-mum.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Confessions of an Anxious Mum</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://mamanineedhelp.blogspot.co.nz/2015/06/confessions-of-sleep-deprived-mum.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Confessions of a Sleep-Deprived Mum</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if you'd like to follow me on Facebook, please click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maman-I-need-help/817938871607712" target="_blank">here</a>. Thank you!</span></div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-88362556237058567622015-07-01T03:22:00.003-07:002015-07-01T03:25:10.481-07:00Confessions of an Anxious Mum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUxp5p71H1HwBCC0jSEig9JFKFbq3Jizpn1ZEUr3zfc8b6ON4SY0G4Nk-fwkSMmUJDfa5Y0B9iKsjIVYu3Mm_eCPsaq8U23ORSQVj13HaQE9XhDwzIhQU8w2BczGuEiyLhCACPt94J-aL/s1600/Confessions+of+an+Anxious+Mum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUxp5p71H1HwBCC0jSEig9JFKFbq3Jizpn1ZEUr3zfc8b6ON4SY0G4Nk-fwkSMmUJDfa5Y0B9iKsjIVYu3Mm_eCPsaq8U23ORSQVj13HaQE9XhDwzIhQU8w2BczGuEiyLhCACPt94J-aL/s640/Confessions+of+an+Anxious+Mum.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've just had a pretty crappy day. In my head. With the kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can just feel it sometimes, before I even get out of bed. <i>Today's going to be hard.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then I stop myself in my tracks and berate myself for having those thoughts and tell myself I should be positive. And then I change my mind and think "No, it's okay. Accept your thoughts for what they are". <i>Just thoughts. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Thoughts are just thoughts until I act on them.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQoOEqj6OoUPC4C6_PT78bFDofLNNITVdvdE1JkbyUrHxn_8kifcUd_0SoZF7Hb-8v73p7uJKVVVQw3PhnzR6xUud8XW5X8bW4w5T6817tECHafpjbIN8CtRLuIBQV4lxyl6F4AHK9Q8d/s1600/IMG_95391960800970.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQoOEqj6OoUPC4C6_PT78bFDofLNNITVdvdE1JkbyUrHxn_8kifcUd_0SoZF7Hb-8v73p7uJKVVVQw3PhnzR6xUud8XW5X8bW4w5T6817tECHafpjbIN8CtRLuIBQV4lxyl6F4AHK9Q8d/s400/IMG_95391960800970.jpeg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can always dream, right?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More often than not, these morning intuitions are pretty accurate. Sure enough, this morning started bright and early with Master Joakim who couldn't find his car at 5.15am. Followed by Miss Letitia at about 5.45am whose duvet was all in a tangle and who was freezing. Then I lay in bed, unable to sleep. The more time passed, the more I debated actually just getting up and doing something fruitful that would get me ahead of the game today. But my tired body won and I finally went back to sleep mere minutes before the alarm went off.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As soon as the kids were up, they started bickering, and whining, and screaming like someone was torturing them when in fact their sock wouldn't fit just so. I finally got Miss L to school (on time!), and everything quietened down. It's funny how you take one number out of the equation, and everything changes. The balance shifts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I breathed.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My son and I did the groceries. We had a coffee and a fluffy to reward ourselves. That's our little Wednesday routine. We went home, put away the shopping. I was about to start making lunch when my son took my hand and pulled me towards his cars and the racing track,</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I paused.</span></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a choice. Either tell him once again that I was busy, or stop and play with my darling wee boy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stopped. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We played for 15 beautiful minutes. I looked at my boy's smiles, I heard his giggles. My eyes wanted to eat him up and my ears were tingling with love. Waves of restoring love washed over me. All the hard moments are worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After school pick up, the bickering, the fighting, and the shouting resumed. I ploughed on, that frown between my eyebrows, checking the clock every few minutes and wishing my husband would come home early. He did. Then he went for a run. My heart dived and sunk. I wanted to drop everything, take the car keys, and drive off. But then my heart came rushing back up for air. My head gave it a stern talking too. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e9Juqc0Luo_qo3TGpPgGq6IqqT6cwPOEDaOJJbEwQzYkzJ9EdxAgggS1gc8BGWGh4WQbN8IjRDBFukGzen3N-QG7Tb1jpSGgLsT3MUgM0ae0RJhhPJTucaAo1sZGnlev8eDIuGBnSSox/s1600/10514481_10153201863179012_1928407592019406880_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e9Juqc0Luo_qo3TGpPgGq6IqqT6cwPOEDaOJJbEwQzYkzJ9EdxAgggS1gc8BGWGh4WQbN8IjRDBFukGzen3N-QG7Tb1jpSGgLsT3MUgM0ae0RJhhPJTucaAo1sZGnlev8eDIuGBnSSox/s400/10514481_10153201863179012_1928407592019406880_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So much goes on between my heart and my head every day. This on-going and never-ending dialogue of feelings and thoughts, of should haves and did nots, of wanting to cry and wanting to laugh. But at the centre of it all is God, and He holds me together, always. He never lets me go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I put my son to bed, he held my head close to his, cheek against cheek, while I sung to him. Then I put my daughter to bed. She's started this thing where she tells me "I love you" over and over before she leaves for school or before bed, because she wants to be sure it's the last thing I hear from her before we're apart. I forgot the whining and the screaming, the bickering and the never-ending demands. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh the pure sweet excruciating love bursting out of my chest in these moments.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first child is 6. My second child is 3 next week. I still suffer from Post-Natal Depression and Anxiety. Life goes on though. It's like a river, and where I'm at just now is pretty choppy and twisty, but hey, it's a lot better than the rapids and sharp bends I was struggling through a few years ago! And even though my sweet hubby may not see it every day, I know that I'm a better person today because of everything I've been through. I can love better, I can empathize better, I can understand better, and I can be there better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know where you're at in your parenting journey. But whatever you're experiencing, you're not alone. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia Kaha! Be Strong!</span></div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-51391398433682909642015-06-20T22:01:00.001-07:002015-06-20T22:01:12.828-07:00Confessions of a Sleep-Deprived Mum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPA5ao4PTLtQuV8RRzhbAK9PP0zVOTj1AMzOgcbtnD73QuyFNjQOPTklfSjOFaLLhfdT2eN7NAENQMmwc8EiLBX_JjpXTQI6bHTY97gEFcxrOg3U_9HJDfmjlWsgUjmqCWyiXBQT5Vz7Y/s1600/Confessions+of+a+Sleep+Deprived+Mum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPA5ao4PTLtQuV8RRzhbAK9PP0zVOTj1AMzOgcbtnD73QuyFNjQOPTklfSjOFaLLhfdT2eN7NAENQMmwc8EiLBX_JjpXTQI6bHTY97gEFcxrOg3U_9HJDfmjlWsgUjmqCWyiXBQT5Vz7Y/s640/Confessions+of+a+Sleep+Deprived+Mum.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First,
I'd just like to underline that this stuff applies to sleep-deprived
Dads too. I don't want to appear discriminating in any way. But I'm a
Mum, not a Dad ;-).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0ZlklY-6OXt8nhHUv8ZwO9HJ1VNWCIKCHcE81zxAFuvvAo3kEuKBXyhPrhHpnvcHuzIeiViIOeqfctbl5MmgL5049ij5jcclVidG2PzkM1YZ0GRqeOGeyOJLZtg5BJ0oEyyNi7S2ltCA/s1600/wine+oclock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0ZlklY-6OXt8nhHUv8ZwO9HJ1VNWCIKCHcE81zxAFuvvAo3kEuKBXyhPrhHpnvcHuzIeiViIOeqfctbl5MmgL5049ij5jcclVidG2PzkM1YZ0GRqeOGeyOJLZtg5BJ0oEyyNi7S2ltCA/s1600/wine+oclock.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
thought I'd be writing this as a Mum of a newborn, but no, it's only
now, with a 6 year old and a very almost 3 year old, that I sit down
to write about sleep deprivation. If you'd told me this a few years
ago (read pre-children era), I would have laughed at you and told you
that my kids, once over the age of 1, would not be waking me up or
keeping me awake at night. Ha! So much for that.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm
finding it a lot harder to cope with the middle of the night and
early morning wake ups now, because they're not supposed to be
happening! Or are they?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My
kids should be old enough to know by now that creating a sleep
deprived Mummy-Monster is not a desirable thing to do. At all. That
their life will be more miserable for it. That the Happy-Mummy who
likes playing and doing crafts and baking is absolutely not going to
emerge in those circumstances. Oh no. Mummy-Monster will curl out her
ugly head despite all of Happy-Mummy's efforts to reign her in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
guess kids don't really get the concept of "shooting oneself in the foot", do they? They
don't get that a sleep-deprived Mummy-Monster is really not fun to
have around, and so maybe they should keep back from waking
Happy-Mummy up at 2am because “I can't find my car”, or “I'm
thirsty”, or “I just had to poo in the middle of the night”, or
“My foot is really itchy”. And then at 5am because “My hot
water bottle is cold now”, or “I'm absolutely sure there's a
spider in my room”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once
they're back in bed and I'm desperately trying to go back to sleep, I try
to remember if I did the same thing to my parents. And seriously, I
don't think I did. I do however remember having bad nightmares and
waking my Dad up in those circumstances. But nightmares are one
exception that I don't mind getting up for. And REAL sickness.
Seriously, I think I was a pretty angelic child as far as sleep was
concerned, once I'd passed the 1 year old stage. But hey, my Mum, who
reads my blog, can correct me on this. Watch the comments section
below!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So
anyway, I've put together a little list of “do nots” and “dos”
of a sleep deprived Mummy-Monster. This list applies not only to my
close family, but anyone else I may enter into any contact with on
that given day (poor souls). I do realise that my list is far from
the expected “Godly Mummy” I strive to be when not
sleep-deprived, but there you are, such is the reality of a
sleep-deprived Mum!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">****</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1)
do not, under any circumstances, expect me to do anything until I've
had a cup of coffee.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmJXE7O5xG7eeCcdJ6b0mX4BuEUDosuCE7pn-0NFxUmyM_Kf6UEgkhXrYr_QKTyPawThwMlujU_mgg24aIC1tjoDPG-jB5VaHAYAIb0MIUBLyubtnC-KyB5RrdpwRDPX-8belJLlEDA7z/s1600/IMG_207827543372534.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmJXE7O5xG7eeCcdJ6b0mX4BuEUDosuCE7pn-0NFxUmyM_Kf6UEgkhXrYr_QKTyPawThwMlujU_mgg24aIC1tjoDPG-jB5VaHAYAIb0MIUBLyubtnC-KyB5RrdpwRDPX-8belJLlEDA7z/s320/IMG_207827543372534.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2)
do not, under any circumstances, tell me that there are people worse
off than me out there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3)
do not, unless you want me to disappear for the rest of the day,
speak loudly or shout or scream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4)
do not, unless you like living with risk, ask me to do anything above
and beyond my basic responsibilities, which are already way too many.</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5)
do not empty more than one toy box. Over the whole day.</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6)
do not complain about the food I put in front of you (this one goes
for darling hubby as well).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7)
do not expect me to utter more than 2, maybe 3 sentences in a row.
Rather, do expect me to be very quiet, to nod and shake my head, and
growl in your general direction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8)
do not ask me how long the kids have been watching TV today as you
can be sure that I'm already feeling very guilty about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9)
do not fight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10)
do not argue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11)
accept that no means no.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12)
please, please, please, do not whine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">13)
do take me out for a coffee.</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">14)
do offer to take my child/ren away for an hour.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCX2OYUR9BieRFOYDdGLhAUCegOo48rh89JroI0qAdfkE_E3ldrtBbjyJlFqMZVushGfTIyidjiB4kPVQB1VXH5OVTeeMdeS_Qm7G4f88rNFi3dtdk_f8S_C70wUE4JrX6k0vp9Y26AQm/s1600/IMG_403098645476641.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCX2OYUR9BieRFOYDdGLhAUCegOo48rh89JroI0qAdfkE_E3ldrtBbjyJlFqMZVushGfTIyidjiB4kPVQB1VXH5OVTeeMdeS_Qm7G4f88rNFi3dtdk_f8S_C70wUE4JrX6k0vp9Y26AQm/s320/IMG_403098645476641.jpeg" width="234" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15)
do offer me a glass of red wine any time from 4.30pm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16)
please, please, please, do let me sleep tonight if you want
Happy-Mummy back tomorrow!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">****</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now,
I really really really want to hear from you if you've somehow
managed to get it into your little ones' heads that it is not a good
idea to wake Happy-Mummy up at night. <i>How do you do it?</i></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But
if you're like me, and you haven't found the magical recipe either, I
really really really want to hear from you too, because then I won't
feel so alone!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kia
Kaha! Be Strong!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And
do leave me a comment. I just love to hear from my readers.</span></div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-76067589171317909172015-06-12T21:48:00.001-07:002015-06-12T21:48:41.489-07:00The New Mum Breastfeeding Station<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A woman I know is going to have her first baby in July. Friends and I are organizing a baby shower for her tomorrow. It's all pretty exciting. As I thought about a present to give her, I kept coming back to a gift a dear friend gave me when my second child was born. A </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Mummy breastfeeding station box"</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. It was so practical and contained things like muesli bars, tissues, a pen, a notebook, and I could also put my phone in it. I would just pick it up, and put it down next to where I was feeding. So I thought I would make one up for my new friend, and I do believe she hasn't come across</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> my blog yet - phew:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVJfJXti3nI4bnsodmsRw_HcoTb6l5o5B5epZM9o9-t7RLZMgK_sTRiq5d617ATCJDOIC-0y9sz7cbZ4JsvnX71xkaAoD2D9zB4gi4x4Mc-OhQWzhW9UZz1gNWBVfawSTZP7r6LPhpdJE/s1600/New+Mum+Station2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVJfJXti3nI4bnsodmsRw_HcoTb6l5o5B5epZM9o9-t7RLZMgK_sTRiq5d617ATCJDOIC-0y9sz7cbZ4JsvnX71xkaAoD2D9zB4gi4x4Mc-OhQWzhW9UZz1gNWBVfawSTZP7r6LPhpdJE/s640/New+Mum+Station2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Mum Breastfeeding Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm pretty happy with myself! There's some yummy Frooze Balls, a notebook and 2 pens for all those thoughts and things to do that go through your head just when you're stuck in a chair breastfeeding, a cup with a lid and a straw (no risks of spilling on baby), a lip balm for those post pregnancy dry lips, tissues and Milo (gosh, I don't know what I would have done without Milo when I was breastfeeding those first few weeks). The only thing missing are <a href="http://www.breastmates.co.nz/hydrogel-breast-discs" target="_blank">Hydrogel disks</a> (I'm not getting paid to advertise these by the way. They are just plain brilliant!). Oh my goodness, those breast pads are the most life changing thing a friend gave me and they just about saved my nipples, if I may say so. And oh the bliss when you take them out of the fridge and apply them. Anyway, I haven't found any in time for tomorrow so I might get my friend some when the baby is born.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another thing I thought about including, then thought it might be best not to as I don't want to frighten the poor woman, are the <a href="http://www.breastmates.co.nz/hydrogel-breast-discs" target="_blank"><i>unmentionable disposable briefs</i></a>. Yeah, I won't go into any details, but let me just say that you don't want to put your cutest underwear in your maternity bag. Oh no. They'll end up in the bin - believe me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, is there anything else you'd put in a New Mum Breastfeeding Station? I'd love to hear your ideas, on here or on Facebook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for reading, and Kia Kaha, as always!</span></div>
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Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-87907666865389971782015-05-22T18:36:00.000-07:002015-05-22T18:36:58.980-07:00Oh that sweet sugar!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ687L4h1zayH8lZ5sbyWcuCDLKswFBtGoPxE-hGK8smZaCVT9lZDlH5tTuy2xefy4oMZbGiczqZsbkch3J4jOYX3celYjeiPoPP9qV66CFovA7xi0JAiNgvSTVEpySOMXOgJ422xLqHyl/s1600/sugars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ687L4h1zayH8lZ5sbyWcuCDLKswFBtGoPxE-hGK8smZaCVT9lZDlH5tTuy2xefy4oMZbGiczqZsbkch3J4jOYX3celYjeiPoPP9qV66CFovA7xi0JAiNgvSTVEpySOMXOgJ422xLqHyl/s640/sugars.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, a few evenings ago, I thought I was at an AA meeting for sugar addicts. Seriously, my guests and I were introducing ourselves like this:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Hi, I'm Sarah*, and I am so addicted to sugar. I can't stop eating the stuff."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Hi, I'm Lynn*, and I like sweet things so much. I find it hard to have any self control when it comes to sweet things".</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Hi, I'm Carol*, and my kids eat way too much sugar. I'd love to know how to cut that down".</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was hosting a Sugar Workshop with Angela Humphrey who is the master-head behind <a href="http://thesugartrade.com/" target="_blank">The Sugar Trade</a> blog. A couple of weeks ago, I told you how I was eating myself skinny, and how cutting out sugar had been a huge part of that. I think these days, there is a lot of talk about how sugar is bad for you and how you should stop eating the stuff, but no one is really talking about practical tips on how to do it. I thought Angela was a great person to introduce some ideas to friends interested in making a change.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But here I'd like to tell you about my journey and my family's journey. I'm a baker. I love baking, I love making people feel warm and welcomed with my baking, and it's hard to let one day go by without baking something. But, I have two young children and not much time to fluff around. So I had to find an achievable solution. I did! Hopefully you can see that this is not a hard thing and that baby steps in the right direction are totally ok!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were sugar addicts:</span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We were all addicted to sugar. My kids were eating a lot of chocolate and all my home baking contained sugar. My husband was putting 2 to 3 tsp of sugar in his tea or coffee, I was putting 1. We were adding sugar to our natural </span>yoghurt<span style="font-family: inherit;">, cereals, other hot drinks, sauces, and the list goes on.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Something had to change!</span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I did a lot of reading and research and realized that the bad stuff that was making us addicted, sick and fat was the fructose part of sugar (which is made of fructose and glucose in equal parts). If you'd like to know more about how sugar is bad for you, head over this way to "<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/motivate-me/68691969/21-reasons-to-eat-less-sugar-that-have-nothing-to-do-with-losing-weight" target="_blank">21 reasons to eat less sugar</a>". </span>The glucose however, our body needs, uses and burns to give us energy!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fructose was the meanie and fructose had to go!</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Changes I made on the family level:</span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two years ago, I ditched all my sugar and bought a 25kg bag of powdered glucose. You can easily find smaller quantities in supermarkets. Glucose was an easy swap because in all my recipes I simply put the same quantity of glucose as what is required of sugar. So 1 cup sugar = 1 cup glucose. <b><i>EASY</i></b>. Glucose is a little less sweet, which is a good thing too. A few weeks after this change, my hubby had lost 5kgs! I also use Rice malt syrup, honey and glucose syrup. You can read more on alternatives to sugar on Angela's blog post on <a href="http://thesugartrade.com/sugar-alternatives/" target="_blank">sugar alternatives</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One big thing I'm aware of now is food labels. I check the grams of sugar, divide it by 4, and that tells me how many teaspoons of sugar are in one serving. This is very eye-opening, and a helpful guide when I'm shopping. I can make much more informed choices of what I put in my trolley.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's it! So EASY! Two years on, my kids eat a lot less chocolate (like, a month down the track their Easter baskets were almost untouched) and lollies, my husband puts 2 tsp glucose in his hot drinks and finds cafe baking way too sweet. The 5 kgs he lost was just a silver lining for him, as he's a pretty fit guy anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Changes I made on a personal level:</span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the same time as ditching the sugar and switching to glucose, I wanted to lose 20 kgs. I wanted to go hard out, so I ditched sugar, and all its high GI and glucose alternatives. I basically went cold turkey from one day to the next.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>I won't lie to you</b></i>. I suffered from headaches, bad moods, tiredness, grumpiness and bad sugar cravings for about two weeks. But, after that, my energy levels were amazing, I felt amazing, and there was no looking back. I had no baking for about 5 months, while I rapidly lost weight. I knew, however, that this was not sustainable long term because as I've said before, I LOVE BAKING, and I love eating my baking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I did more research and trialled different things, and this is what I now use for myself: whole fruit (not dried), erythritol and stevia. They work for me, and I'm happy to give you some advice on making the switch if you're interested.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Yes, we do make exceptions!</i></b> When we go to parties, or to see friends, or to a cafe or restaurant, we have sugar. There's no way around it, really, if you want some dessert or baking. But I'm ok with that, because it's not all the time. To be honest with you, my latest sugar loaded exception was at Louis Sergeant Sweet Couture on Featherston St in Wellington. Oh my, oh my... </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(A small note of caution though: when I do make exceptions, I know that I will very likely feel ill for a few hours afterwards - usually nausea and headaches. This does not happen to the rest of the family who eat glucose).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy51r6tKRaaXx3fP78HEFhPJaNk8Or6GPMs7MtYtqso08DYXVvQmYA_xhqcwDV0aIszMkV0zwpW4mILQ5yxz-nYBCszlpVW6TKWrrhr6KTmyrEM5nbG2c-yjrruPvi0e1S_Z8p2jSn1kI/s1600/Tiramisu+Louis+Sergeant2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy51r6tKRaaXx3fP78HEFhPJaNk8Or6GPMs7MtYtqso08DYXVvQmYA_xhqcwDV0aIszMkV0zwpW4mILQ5yxz-nYBCszlpVW6TKWrrhr6KTmyrEM5nbG2c-yjrruPvi0e1S_Z8p2jSn1kI/s640/Tiramisu+Louis+Sergeant2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Mon Tiramisu", Louis Sergeant Sweet Couture</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now before I finish off on this topic, I really want to share with you a recent decadent, delicious and surprising addition to my sugar free sweet treats! The original recipe is on <a href="http://thesugartrade.com/green-chocolate-bliss-balls/" target="_blank">Angela's blog</a>, but here I give you my variation to make it low GI (it's already sugar free):</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Green Chocolate Bliss Balls</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>_________________________________________________________________________________</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBmfnkjzbG_2zj8dqdm3DApl0V0Z_dpoM3F1jlpq4vexuDYVCIZraw7T0qR_VF0K9rSQi8GmWK657MOwg075RmNCyAEoYN38A_5A0NsrHohIREr3neCwnzcoRqBXvS8aZJSKC85QZs82Y/s1600/Green+bliss+balls2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBmfnkjzbG_2zj8dqdm3DApl0V0Z_dpoM3F1jlpq4vexuDYVCIZraw7T0qR_VF0K9rSQi8GmWK657MOwg075RmNCyAEoYN38A_5A0NsrHohIREr3neCwnzcoRqBXvS8aZJSKC85QZs82Y/s640/Green+bliss+balls2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Ingredients</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 large avocado</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp vanilla essence</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup powdered erythritol (I use my coffee grinder)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tbsp melted coconut oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup ground nuts (I use almonds)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/8 cup coconut flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup cocoa powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Instructions</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mash the avocado. Stir in vanilla and coconut oil. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mix in all the other ingredients, stirring well as you go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Scoop up approximately teaspoon size portions, and roll into balls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Roll in coconut, cocoa powder, ground almonds, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's it. I guess the biggest change we made was in our heads. Once we knew the facts, we decided what was ok and what wasn't for our family, then we forged ahead. I'd love to hear where you're at on your sugar journey or if you have some questions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kia Kaha! Be Strong!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">*All names in this post are fictional :-).</span></div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-47900413331171993892015-05-14T16:41:00.001-07:002015-05-14T16:41:40.299-07:00I'm in the trenches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOe6VzXTHc6UbLQqCk4Jv2tpkNfIswAAj_AvpYFfGPMjwVfsDaRLPD_KP-_37V4NmOzvSZaqja7YWX9taz7E_DYx4hbgi7zkMJhQM9O5SlXS6nECg92B9mWt8GTpMkTcQtkdOxUNtNjj7/s1600/Joakim+in+bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOe6VzXTHc6UbLQqCk4Jv2tpkNfIswAAj_AvpYFfGPMjwVfsDaRLPD_KP-_37V4NmOzvSZaqja7YWX9taz7E_DYx4hbgi7zkMJhQM9O5SlXS6nECg92B9mWt8GTpMkTcQtkdOxUNtNjj7/s400/Joakim+in+bath.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
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<i>Life as a stay at home parent can be so hard.</i></div>
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It's hard for me today. I'm sitting on the floor outside the bathroom door while my son finally plays happily in the bath. It's been one of those mornings that started at 6.15am with my son taking his dirty nappy off and putting No Twos all over himself. He then would not stay in bed, so I camped outside his door in a blanket so that every time he opened his door I could send him back to bed. Did I mention I had to take out his light bulb? </div>
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Boy oh boy, life with an almost 3 year old is tough. I vaguely remember going through this phase with my daughter when she was a similar age. So it's kind of reassuring to know that I can only vaguely remember that time with her. </div>
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<i>There is hope!</i></div>
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But today, I just wanted to encourage all of us stay at home Mums and Dads. </div>
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<i>Well done us! Well done, Mama! Well done, Papa!</i></div>
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We deal with this, day in and day out, and we have to dig so deep for that extra dose of patience when all we really want to do is lock ourselves up in our room with a wine (even at 8am, yes yes!) and pretend that he / she didn't exist. Just for just a little while.</div>
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<i>But hey, it will be okay. And you're not alone!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoJpCprHYhhIY4SGIUtzb4V8HWlQbie44YJVR1Ml67Fz1mKAA7em3p_irnKzwqz7sRp38J1SPgb1lwQX-Tc0mnXJipW0MAQsw_RNTjPsPhISX7lC5tUoW2pAqVIo3mXxzB4FgSJ1OGUx0/s1600/strong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoJpCprHYhhIY4SGIUtzb4V8HWlQbie44YJVR1Ml67Fz1mKAA7em3p_irnKzwqz7sRp38J1SPgb1lwQX-Tc0mnXJipW0MAQsw_RNTjPsPhISX7lC5tUoW2pAqVIo3mXxzB4FgSJ1OGUx0/s400/strong.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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God created us with this ability to dig deep into the trenches of our willpower, whatever happens. I knew, even as I stood face to face with my husband this morning and begged him to stay home today, that actually, we were going to be all right. That my son and I would both get through the day.</div>
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And now he's happy in the bath. At 11am. Who cares? It's amazing how just a few minutes of peace and calm can get us out of our trenches and back into the sun.</div>
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Kia kaha! Be Strong!</div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551402413998994279.post-45956718025907245862015-05-02T20:03:00.000-07:002015-05-02T20:03:06.309-07:00Eat yourself skinny!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I wanted to write about <i>erotica</i> today, or <i>Mummy porn</i>. But I won't. I'm not ready to put myself out there that much yet. But watch this space because I've been doing a lot of thinking about this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMHoWnVjLKOzlgyuU6ZVqsSf26fes8FnNKwkYnQhHs4Gg-PcgpQITDx6myASCSpp_R2MHJbNbtLBLoSDAXx-3mjlIm4q2F6ppVuWMxIgYh6eb6Ap2aiCue0nFhX-57Y_Y_MeDt8CzkTRE/s1600/JChild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMHoWnVjLKOzlgyuU6ZVqsSf26fes8FnNKwkYnQhHs4Gg-PcgpQITDx6myASCSpp_R2MHJbNbtLBLoSDAXx-3mjlIm4q2F6ppVuWMxIgYh6eb6Ap2aiCue0nFhX-57Y_Y_MeDt8CzkTRE/s1600/JChild.jpg" height="279" width="320" /></a></div>
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Instead, I thought I'd share a little more about my weight-loss journey. I empathize strongly with people who are overweight. I know how you feel. I know how you think. </div>
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<i><b>I know the battle that goes on in your head all the time.</b></i></div>
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I'm still on the battle field, and I've come to accept that I will be fighting this my whole life. I just like food too much. I'm obsessed with food and recipes even. When I'm eating a meal, I'm already thinking about what I'll be making for the next one! <i>But</i>, I don't like being overweight. Not only do I not like how I look when I'm overweight, but especially, <i>I don't like how I feel</i>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtatUD_ImVGz0rQjtmd7xtXdv93K6GX5OhpaYSbh-0-xLJKKeHG-UJrHyn62S_dHG98fYlF9NlN0Q0l5W5itJULHgz5rSHWvZmV1DFh6grXKIeT4iMSESaw2QZpjnjeaj99kAjOJzYFY1/s1600/MTain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtatUD_ImVGz0rQjtmd7xtXdv93K6GX5OhpaYSbh-0-xLJKKeHG-UJrHyn62S_dHG98fYlF9NlN0Q0l5W5itJULHgz5rSHWvZmV1DFh6grXKIeT4iMSESaw2QZpjnjeaj99kAjOJzYFY1/s1600/MTain.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Never give up food you like to lose weight. Because you will lose the battle.</b></i></div>
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So, I've found a strategy that enables me to win so much more easily. I am loosing weight and I'm eating delicious food. I'm eating butter. I'm eating cheese. I'm having cream and ice cream. And cake. And I'm still eating some carbs. The secret is:</div>
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<i><b>I don't mix fats and carbs and I always give my body protein!</b></i></div>
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I only ever give my body one fuel to burn. Either fats, or carbs.</div>
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<i><b>And I don't eat sugar!</b></i> That is the one big no no. And yes, it's hard to give up sugar. Your body will go into withdrawal. You will probably get bad headaches. After all, "<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/white-poison-danger-sugar-beat-article-1.1605232" target="_blank">sugar is more addictive than cocaine</a>"! But after a few days you will feel better, the headaches will disappear, you'll have more energy, you'll have less cravings and you'll be more in touch with your hunger and satiety feelings.</div>
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Anyway, back to not mixing fats and carbs to lose weight. A dear friend lent me her <a href="http://www.trimhealthymama.com/" target="_blank">Trim Healthy Mama</a> book. I read it. It made sense. I applied it. I lost weight. I'm still losing weight. If I "cheat" too often, my weight loss stalls, or it goes up a bit, but as soon as I'm back on track, off fall the kilos.</div>
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I don't like to think of THM as a diet. It's more of a <i><b>low GI eating plan</b></i> with three main rules:</div>
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<b>1) No sugar</b></div>
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<b>2) Don't mix carbs and fats</b></div>
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<b>3) Have protein at every meal</b></div>
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It's not hard to adapt to it. You just have to tweak some recipes a little. When my family have pasta, I have steamed cabbage or cauliflower. When they have fries, I have pumpkin or kumara (aka sweet potato) wedges. When I make cottage pie, I make a delicious cheesy cauliflower mash instead of potato mash. The kids and hubby didn't even notice it wasn't potato mash until I told them! When they have regular bread, I have my amazingly good<a href="http://gwens-nest.com/easy-bread-recipe/" target="_blank"> low carb bread</a> (my hubby even said it tasted as good as bread bought in Swiss bakeries - that's saying something!). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnnwG92TtGj0u2-BeFaM64Ub2rgVPsZ8wX3RIG5e23Y1L8NKb9JBMarhIfhEUBj_If96wGflcF6yQIqXD3CmRLlsN4a-Hl9IVEHWGet_9BAr-8CM2lxtd6C0JKBdxS2oYpxQDiEUjDUV-/s1600/Winnie+the+Pooh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnnwG92TtGj0u2-BeFaM64Ub2rgVPsZ8wX3RIG5e23Y1L8NKb9JBMarhIfhEUBj_If96wGflcF6yQIqXD3CmRLlsN4a-Hl9IVEHWGet_9BAr-8CM2lxtd6C0JKBdxS2oYpxQDiEUjDUV-/s1600/Winnie+the+Pooh.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div>
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My biggest mountain to climb was baking. I love baking. And I love eating my baking. How do you do that without white flour and without sugar? Well, I've found some great baking recipes on the <a href="http://www.alldayidreamaboutfood.com/" target="_blank">All Day I Dream About Food</a> blog. And I've played around with sugar substitutes:</div>
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">xylitol: very low GI, very little calories, tastes like sugar, but very high in fiber so tends to give me tummy issues.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">stevia: very low GI, no calories, but I can only bear the taste of high quality stevia, and only in my yoghurt.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">erythritol: very low GI, no calories, tastes like sugar. This is what I use in all my baking.</li>
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That's it really! I'm eating such delicious food and I'm losing weight. Once I've reached my weight goal, I'll be able to mix carbs and fats a little more to stabilize.</div>
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The most important thing for me is that <b style="font-style: italic;">I'm still having fun in the kitchen</b> and<b style="font-style: italic;"> I'm still enjoying everything I eat</b>. </div>
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Let me know if you have any questions or would like some more details or links.</div>
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Kia kaha! Be strong!</div>
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PS. Oh by the way, this food plan is really good for diabetics as it's low sugar and low GI. Many people have had amazing health results on this plan.</div>
Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147209850653928089noreply@blogger.com2