weekend reading

rocket harvest

It's a long weekend here so I feel quite fine about posting this on a Monday :)

A couple of weeks ago my five year old, Sol, said to me out of the blue, "Anything can happen mum".

And right he is.

Last week started out like any other, Monday rolled around and Sol didn't go to school because he had a cough and sore throat. I took him to the doctors in the afternoon, throat infection confirmed and home we went with antibiotics.

10.30pm he awoke with fever and strong stomach pain. We had a very restless night and by morning the fever continued as did stomach pain and then came a bad headache. He looked really unwell.

I decided to take him to the local emergency department at 8am. To cut a longish story short we spent 30 nervous hours in hospital, including an ambulance drive to a larger hospital, where there were blood tests done to rule out serious bacterial infection, chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia, abdominal exams to rule out appendicitis, intravenous antibiotics, and saline to treat dehydration - all bases were being covered.

Thankfully, it was a nasty virus that lifted as quickly as it arrived.

I am beyond grateful for the medical care we received and that we have available in this country. Spending 24 hours in a paediatric ward is a very humbling experience, meeting seriously ill children and their parents is a stark reminder of how fortunate I am to have two healthy sons.

The nurses and doctors who work with these children and their families are well, earth angels. Their heartfelt care, and dedication to their work that involves supporting children and families through physical and emotional pain was remarkable to witness.

Now we're home. Enjoying the little things - fresh clothes, hot tea, catching up on sleep, a quiet house to work in, cuddling up and reading books, painting pictures, playing and of course cooking.

Sol is feeling wonderfully better, not fully back to himself (needing to have daytime naps!!) but definitely a million miles from where he was last Tuesday. Yes Sol, anything can happen. And for that reason it is so important we keep ourselves in check, don't sweat the small stuff, be grateful for the things that matter and remember to have fun! Don't let life become too serious.

Let's look at some links...

If you've ever cooked a meal that your child has turned their nose up at this post is for you.
That would be everyone who has ever cooked a meal for a child.

I LOVE this from Gourmet Girlfriend: 'Let's practice less comparison and more compassion'

It's no secret. I love Sarah Britton and I'm counting the days to get my hands on her cookbook

I made this apple cinnamon bread and butter pudding during the week and served it with custard. No faces pulled about that! I made a couple of substitutes to the recipe, I used spelt bread, and honey as the sweetener, and added a smattering of sultanas. But hey, knock yourself out and use the suggested 2 tablespoons of sugar :)

Holy nut milk! This is the only post you will ever need to read on DIY dairy free milk

I visited The Selby over the weekend for the first time in a long time. You could lose days over there.

A friend introduced me to a little slice of food blogging humour and happiness Lottie + Doof

And totally off the topic of food, if you need some help with getting the clutter out of your home this is a good place to start

Ok. A new week. Let's see what it brings!

ps Thanks for your patience with my inconsistent blogging. I'm going to a Problogger photography and blogging event in Melbourne next week - excited! Maybe I'll meet some of you there?