Chicken and Vegetable Nuggets

I hate veggies. At least veggies on their own.  I can handle them in a bake or mixed in with other stuff so that I can't taste them.  Devil Spawn hates them just as much, so veggie smuggling is pretty important around here.  One food that Devil Spawn does love though is chicken nuggets.  He'd eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let him but sadly they aren't particularly nutrious.  That's when I got thinking about how I could combine veggie smuggling with Devil Spawns favourite foods and Chicken and Vegetable nuggests were born.  I try to have pureed veggies in the freezer all the time so that I can add them to spag bog and other easy foods.

Chicken and Vegetable Nuggets

 
These are better prepared a few hours before you are ready to cook them.  Of course if you are short for time, preparing and cooking straight away won't make too much difference.
 
Ingredients
500gm of chicken thighs, pureed (you can use chicken mince but I found the thighs easier to work with)
2 cups of vegetable puree. (You can use any mixture of pre pureed vegetables)
Tuscan Seasoning (I tried it with the all pourpose seasoned salt and they just weren't the same)
Breadcrumbs

Method
1.    Mix together the chicken and vegetables, adding the tuscan seasoning as you go.
2.    Roll the mixture into tablespoon size balls and coat in bread crumbs.  Place flattened
    balls into an air tight container, putting a layer of baking paper between each layer.
3.    Put the prepared nuggets into the fridge for at least an hour. A friend gave me this     tip and it's great for keeping the breadcrumbs intact when cooking.
4.    Shallow fry the the nuggets until both sides are brown. This helps keep the mixture     together.
5.    Bake for 25 minutes at 200C

This recipe makes about 32 nuggets.  I cook them all then separate into resealable bags for easy dinners in the future.     

Pressure to Procreate

As a woman, it's always expected that you will want to procreate.  That your one mission in life, eventually is to be a mother.  I remember in high school my friends talking about the names they had picked out for their eventual babies. I didn't feel the same and while I didn't have a life plan, kids didn't really feature in the image I saw of myself. 
 

You would think that once you are 'with child' that they pressure would stop. That society would think, 'ok she's made her contribution, we'll stop hassling her now', but that couldn't be further from the truth.  The minute you have one child, everyone is wondering when you are going to be giving them a brother or sister. Labeling you as 'cruel' if you tell them that your child will be an only child.  In fact one of the cards I received when Devil Spawn was born had the sentiment 'he's gorgeous, can't wait until you have another one'.  I had pushed this baby out a mere week earlier and the pressure had started.
 

Let's talk about what is cruel shall we, about the reality of being pregnant and unmedicated.  Hormones already do strange things to normally rational women. Add to that a Mental Illness that can't be medicated while pregnant and you have a recipe for disaster. I was, for lack of a better term, bat shit crazy while pregnant.  I would go from crying, to screaming in a matter of minutes.  Poor Devil Papa didn't know what to expect or how to handle it.  I could not bring myself to knowingly put Devil Spawn through that. 
 

I use what little motivation I have most days on Devil Spawn. I don't think that I could spread it over 2 or more children.  Am I still being cruel for being happy to stop at one child? It is cruel to realise my weakness and work with what I have? No it's not. I know my limitations and Devil Spawn will always come first.  I know that if it did happen, I would somehow make it work but I would never knowingly try for another child because society has this notion that it's 'cruel' for a child to grow up alone.
 

I say it's cruel to bring a child into an environment that can't cope with it. It's cruel to have a child not because you want one but because it's the norm. It's cruel to bring another child into a family that is already struggling.  It is not cruel to realise that you have reached your limits and that you know you can give everything you have to one child, but will struggle with two. It is not cruel if having one child means that they will have a better life, will get what little their mama can offer them at this time.  A little spread over 2 is even less. I love Devil Spawn more than I thought it was even possible to love another human being and if I had my time again I'd do it all the same.
 

How many children do you have? Do you still feel the pressure to keep popping those bubbas out?
Are you childless by choice and feel the pressure to procreate?

Mind your words

The mind is a crazy, mixed up thing.  Well mine is anyway.  I have a tendancy to remember all the shit stuff and have a hard time remembering all the good stuff.  I'm reminate on stuff constantly.  In laymans terms I am Stewy Mcstew.  I find it really  hard to let stuff go and negative words have a way of drilling down into the depths of my psyche and taking up residence.  It's something that I really need to work on. 

 An article on Psychology Today says:

The environment that children are raised in molds not only their mind, but also their brain. This is something many long suspected, but now we have scientific instruments that show us how dramatically childhood experience alters the physical structure of the brain, and how sensitive we are as children to these environmental effects. Words--verbal harassment--from peers (and, as a previous study from these researchers showed, verbal abuse from a child's parents) can cause far more than emotional harm.
 

My biggest struggle and thing that plays on my mind constantly is my weight.  Something that my mother would constantly comment on. As well as the volume of food I was consuming while a child.  I wasn't a massively overweight child but yet every hairbrained diet that my mother went on, I was put on as well.  From about the age of 8.  At least that is as young as I can remember.  My mother is overweight and has always always been overweight.  Yet if we were to say anything about her weight, it was the end of the world. It still is.
 

Through my teen years I really struggled with the whole putting food in my mouth and not feeling guilty about it.  To the point where I started starving myself.  My mother was oblivious. Acting dumb whenever my Dr or Psychiatrist mentioned that I hadn't been eating.  From the age of 14 until 18 I only ate one meal a day.  I rarely if ever ate at school.  In Grade 12 I lose 25kgs in 3 months and she didn't think there was anything wrong with that. Even commenting when seeing me eat that I 'better be careful or you'll put all that weight back on'.  To this day I still tell myself that I 'deserve' to eat when getting something out the fridge. There is always an internal dialogue going on when it comes to food.
 

One would think that someone would learn from their experiences with their first child. No, not my mother.  I have just come back from two weeks staying with my parents and my 13yo brother.  My brother got all the good genes and is a bean pole.  By no stretch of the imagination is he overweight.  He is taller than me and so at his weight is well within his healthy weight range.  He's a grazer, I don't think I have ever seen him eat a big meal in my life.  While he was rifling through the fridge one day mum says to him 'Stop eating, you're going to get fat'.  My brother is a lot like me at that age.  He takes things in and stews on them.  What was his response to mums words? He went for a 2 hour walk.  Mum thought this was hilarious saying that he takes things so literally. 
 

Children's minds are so delicate.  Please be careful what you say.  You never know how deep they are burying the harsh words you use.   

It's Party Time.

It's Dyllan's 3rd birthday on the 19th of July and this year I have decided to throw him a party this year.  I am going with a 'Construction' theme and have been scouring Ebay looking for fun stuff to decorate my house with.  My Aunty said that I am going to too much trouble for his birthday and it got me thinking about the trouble that people really do go to, to celebrate their kids birthdays.

This woman in the UK spent a staggering $32,000 on her daughter's sixth birthday party.  $32,000! I think that is 'out there' for a wedding so I was gobsmacked to find a mother had spent it on ONE birthday party.

The Birthday Girl's Nine Tier Cake that set the parents back $2,100

This is such a common practice that there has been a show created that showcases some of the most extravagant kids birthday parties.  

This article makes me a little sad.  Is our generation so stupid that people are making great profit from showing people how to have a tradition birthday party.  People have forgotten how to play party games? I think we have just gotten so caught up on 'Keeping up with the Jonses' that we have forgotten how to just relax and have fun.  I've told Dyllan that he is having a 'truck' party and he is over the moon.  I think we forget that it's the simple things that make the kids happy.

Dyllan's 1st Birthday Party.  Cost me all of about $100 and everyone had a ball!

Expert Schmexpert

From the moment you find out you are with child….every man, woman and child has an opinion on what you should and how you should do it.  Some suggestions just insult a person’s common sense and others are little gems of knowledge.

Quite possibly the best piece of advice I received while pregnant was: 

‘Everyone is going to want to put their two cents in. Everyone is going to believe they are right.  Just smile, nod your head and say thank you.  Take what you want and discard the rest’

Take a look on any mummy advice site and you will find a range of different opinions on how things should be done.  Some will work for your child some will not.  Also keep in mind that just because the miracle cure worked yesterday…doesn’t mean you won’t be back to square one again tomorrow.  Roll with the punches.

Some articles though are just down right stupid and insult any normal person’s intelligence.  Did you know they have done a study to discover that play is important to a child’s development.  Yep that’s right, someone paid ‘experts’ to discover something that mums and dads all over the world know already.  Those experts must have been laughing all the way to the bank.

I am definitely not by any stretch of the imagination a mother who follows the rules of the book.  In fact I think the rule book is around here somewhere holding up a table leg.  You know what though…Dyllan has turned out fine so far.  He’s loving, he learns new words every day and most of the time he isn’t the spawn of the devil.

See not strange at all ;)

What's the strangest, best. stupidest advice you have received as a parent?

Deprivation

Over the course of my obsession with food and weightloss, I think that I have read just about all literature and heard every line about how to achieve wellness.  A comment today sat me on my arse and made me think hmmmm.

What was that comment you ask? It was a reply to a post on an online forum about healthy eating that told the poster if she wanted to ensure her diet was healthy, then she needed to go through her cupboard and fridge and throw out the junk.  That wasn't the mind blowing statement.  This was: If you think it's bad for you, then you shouldn't be giving it to your kids either.

MIND BLOWN

We have it ingrained into our head that the kids need to eat healthy blah blah blah but whenever mummy or daddy goes on a diet, they don't eat the same food because we don't want to have to 'punish' them or deprive them of anything.  

I ask you this however.  What are you really depriving them of?

By removing junk food as a staple food item you are depriving them of the likely hood of being an overweight adult, of having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes 2, heart attack...the list goes on. 

Doesn't seem so bad now does it?

FFS Friday 23rd December

I wasn't going to do this, this week as I was going to be *way too busy* but Major Man is being an arse so I think it's warranted.

MM finished work yesterday and had 'after work drinks'.  He stumbled in the door at 5am, minus his glasses with a stupid had on. We are supposed to go shopping today FFS

MM still hasn't got me a Christmas present. I made it simple for him, told him what I want and where to buy it.  It's not that hard FFS

For some unknown reason Mini Man thinks I am his personal footrest.  As I'm typing this he has his legs across my lap.  Some personal space would be nice child FFS

I went through MM wallet this morning...I'm hoping like hell that, that money in there is a Christmas bonus and not him withdrawing his entire pay for the week.  How on earth did he not get mugged walking home from the clubs last night FFS

Why don't bottlo's do deliveries like Dominos? I sure as hell could have done with a six pack at 5am this morning FFS

Did I mention that when MM came home he also woke the Mini Man, so we've both been awake since 5am.  MM of course promptly fell asleep at 530am but we are still no where near a nap FFS

When I say nap, I'm talking about the thing that Mini Man avoids like the plague for 360 days of the year.  When I vent about it on facebook, don't respond by saying how glad you are that YOUR 2 yo is still have 2 naps a day. I  will have to hold myself back from coming over and stabbing you...or swapping kids FFS

Again kid get your damn feet off me I am finding it very hard to type when you are using me as a resistance weight for your legs.  FFS

Why do some people feel the need to report photos needlessly.  A friend posted a photo of her sons ARM covered in a rash on facebook and it got removed because someone reported it as pornographic material.  Did I mention she posted it in a private mums group.  Grow up people FFS

It's the silly season! What has pissed you off this week?  Head over to Dear Baby G and have a giggle or link up what has pissed you off this week.

Merry Christmas! Hope the fat man visits you all.

I'm all about choice baby

I've been umming and ahhhing about writing about this topic because I wasn't sure how to approach it without seeming preachy or attracting unwanted attention.  In keeping with what I have going on about honesty though I decided to take the plunge...so here goes.

I think the greatest debate the many mothers, mothers-to-be and every other nosey bastard that wants to put their two cents in whether they are planning on having kids or not is 'to breastfeed or not to breastfeed'.  Go onto any parenting forum and you will no doubt find a heated debate from both sides of the fence.  

What camp do I reside in? I sit in the 'its your damn baby and your body you do whatever the hell you like as long as you are feeding them'.  I do however enter into debates if someone who bottlefed their child is being unfairly treated.

I bottle fed Mini Man and I'm not sorry for it..nor do I think it is anyone's business to try and make me feel guilty for it.  I did what was best for our situation and it worked.  In the same breath though I never begrudge a friend or woman for their ability to breast feed.  If you can and you want to, then that is awesome...but if you can't or don't want to then that is just fine too.

I've been called many names on parenting forums for choosing to bottle feed and I think it's disgusting.  As mothers we face so much judgement, so why do we feel the need to push our own judgement onto other mothers.  

I think there needs to be support for everyone.  Support if you are breastfeeding, support if you are bottle feeding.  There were a lot of questions I had when I first had my son...but I was never asked if I was ok because I 'took the easy way out'.  Anyone who bottle fed/feeds will tell you that while it is relatively easy to establish compared to breastfeeding, it is in no way as easy as established, successful breastfeeding.  I did find myself wishing I had gone the breastfeeding route for the pure on tap convenience it has once established.  I forgot to take a bottle while out shopping ONCE it never happened again.

Being a mum is hard...you are damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Cry baby

I'm in a few online mum forums and time after time the question is raised 'When is it ok to let my baby cry?'.  The answer always varies and there are a few extremes in both directions.  

Me? I'm a fan of teaching self settling.

Some experts state that letting a baby cry has long term emotional effects. Personally I think it's a load of crap.  My mum and I often joke that its just another thing added to the list that 'experts' say is the reason that I have mental health issues.

I didn't really follow any method with Mini Man but used the elimination method.  If I knew that all his physical needs were being met, then sometimes it's ok to let him cry a little.  There is nothing wrong with his ability to show his emotions.  

I've even heard some mothers comment that parents who practice controlled crying don't love their children as much.  What a kick in the guts for new mums.  Everyone has their own way of doing things and you do what works for you.  For us, it was self settling.  

I always like to use my brother and I as an example as my mum had different parenting skills with us both due to the age gap.  I was a screamer...mum did everything to try and get me to stop.  My brother was a pretty placid baby...hell I baby sat him without a dram a from when he was 3 months old. A screamer is naturally going to be held more...a placid baby generally isn't.  

If you were to ask which of us has the better emotional control and development, it is my brother...and he's 12.  When I was 16 a psychiatrist said that I had the emotional coping skills of a 10 year old...and he was rounding up.

So where do you stand? Are you a self settler or a rock to sleep kinda mum?

I'm not sure exactly why I am starting this or how long I will keep it up....if past performance is anything to go by about a week.

I'm a mum but I don't think I should be.  I've never said that out loud before.  I've never admitted that I really really don't know if I can do this.  That I am so glad when I drop him off at daycare because I almost feel like I can breathe again.  I'll never admit that...what kind of person would that make me out to be.

Some days are better than others....some days are much much worse than others.  Some days I just want to shut my door and pretend no one else exists.  He deserves better than this, he deserves a mum that isn't angry ALL. OF. THE. TIME.  I want to fix it, I want to be that mum he deserves, he needs.  I just don't know where to begin.  How do you fix something that has been broken for so long...