bloomin' lovely

These blooms have graced my benchtop this week. The bunch was put together and delivered to my door last sunday by the very talented Melanie Stapleton whom I hadn't seen for five long years! Once upon a time Mel and I shared a house or two. It was lovely to see her in my neighborhood. The flowers too are lovely so I wanted to share them and a link to Mel's beautiful world of flowers at Cecilia Fox

I do miss sharing a house with Mel and coming home to find impromptu displays of flowers all over the house - including the bed side tables of all housemates, what a treat to find fresh flowers by your bed!

From flowers and friendship to ...chocolate cake. Of course. I am dreaming of baking this chocolate cake this weekend, in fact I can feel a whole post dedicated to favourite chocolate cake recipes coming up.

Any baking happening in your house this weekend? Or Easter creations? Time to pull out the Easter bun recipes. More about that next week. Until then, happy weekend to each of you.

parenting 101

Its true babies do not arrive with instructions. The further I get into this parenting gig though the more I think adherence to old fashioned values/rules are the best approach for me and my family.

Last night after dinner River and I spent a very enjoyable creative hour crafting a hat for him to wear in the Easter bonnet parade at school (I have a whole new respect for milliners). "Time for bed" I announced when we'd finished and with that River decided he was hungry and wanted to know what he could eat. I listened to myself say, "You know the rules, there's nothing to eat now you said you'd had enough at dinnertime so that's it til breakfast." And that is the rule in our house, eat what is served for dinner, if the boys are still hungry when they finish they can eat more but if they choose not to eat at dinner time there is nothing else until breakfast. Some friends think this is harsh because it means that some nights our boys may go to bed feeling hungry, I am ok with that though because I do not want to raise children that are allowed to be fussy and demanding. My words "you know the rules" rang in my ears because as the boys get older it feels even more important for Pete and I to be clear between each other exactly what the rules and values in our family are and to then be really clear with the boys what they are and what our expectations are.

Today I share my/our current parenting 'strategy' (a work in progress) and I would LOVE love love to hear what's working/not working in your house.

Strategy (a work in progress)

write down your family rules/values, refer to them often and re-assess to keep them age appropriate.

delay gratification - in our instant gratification world I think this is one of the best teachings we parents can give our children. If you have a tendency to say yes too easily (for peace, because you're tired, because they're tired/hungry etc; and haven't we all?) then practice delaying gratification. This is different to a flat out no, which is a necessary part of the job too, but delaying gratification teaches children patience and ultimately I believe teaches them to appreciate all that you do, give and share with them. In my book, patience and gratitude (graciousness) are two qualities well worth fostering. Whatever children want NOW, teach them how to wait.

begin with the end in mind - the opening line in Ian Grant's book 'Growing Great Boys' is "Growing boys is better than fixing men". I couldn't agree more. Imagine your son or daughter grown up, what qualities do you want to foster in them as children that will carry them into adulthood and through their life. In his book he writes about expecting great things from your children, this is not about achievement rather about great personal qualities.

practice saying no and seeing it through this is similar but slightly different to delaying gratification in that this is a flat out no. This is one I have had to teach myself to be better at because I thought I was already doing it until I realised I could be doing it more often. Toddlers and young children will often respond to 'no' with tears and sometimes tantrums (ok, older children too) standing your ground is important at this point and I've found that the frequency and intensity of the tears lessens as they learn quickly that your no means no.


I follow Gabrielle Blair's blog DesignMom and read with interest her experiences as an American parent living in France and noticing the differences between American parenting and French parenting. American author and mother living in France who has written about her observations and experiences parenting in France is Pamela Druckerman in her book 'Bringing up Bebe'. This article written by Druckerman is informative and entertaining where the mother of three shares the lessons she has learned such as teaching patience and saying no with authority.

Reading list


'Toddler Tactics' by Pinky McKay
'Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves' by Naomi Aldort
'Raising Boys' by Steve Biddulph
'Growing Great Boys' by Ian & Mary Grant
'Growing Great Girls' by Ian & Mary Grant

the best banana smoothie

I was visiting a friend recently and her fruit bowl had a good number of brown bananas that she planned to turn into a cake. I casually suggested she could freeze some for banana smoothies. This idea was a revelation to my friend one that she felt worth me sharing here. I am reminded that just because something is obvious to me doesn't mean it is obvious to everyone.

The photo of Sol drinking one of the best banana smoothies was taken at Brunswick Heads Health Food Store in New South Wales, where my friend Dave who owns the store introduced me to freezing the fruit first whether it is banana or mango (probably works with berries too but haven't tried it). The effect of freezing the fruit first means that depending on how much milk you use the smoothie becomes like a thick shake or with even less milk borders almost ice cream. This simple step of freezing the fruit (peel it first) will elevate your smoothies from good to memorable.

My basic recipe is banana, rice milk, a splash of vanilla essence, sometimes natural sugar free yoghurt in the blender it goes and then a sprinkle of ground nutmeg on top.

Other optional ingredients (not all in the same recipe) are: honey, spirulina, walnuts, cinnamon, lecithin, raw egg.

Enjoy!

did you say 'chai-rista?'

My husband has coined a new term - chai-rista - because according to Pete, baristas cannot make a great chai to save themselves and he adds cafes need to employ chai-ristas to perform the task.

I agree finding a good chai when out and about is not an easy task, but as with the cult of coffee being what it is today in Australia, these things happen over time.

So, first of all dear Pete there already exists an equivalent term to the barista for the person who makes  chai and that is a chai walla as they are known in India. Not that I've been to India and enjoyed chai there but the whole westernisation of chai I'm sure is vastly different to the real thing.

For starters what we in Australia refer to here as chai is actually masala chai, spicy tea. The word chai literally means tea. I digress though, this post didn't start out as a crash course in the origins of chai, what we are in search of here is cafes and restaurants who honour the delightful cup of chai not by pouring hot milk into a powder or syrup - eeeek! - but rather by brewing a pot of spicy tea, perhaps even grating in some fresh ginger.

Where o where is this done in Melbourne? Sydney? Brisbane? city or country town....please share your favorite chai spots. One of my favorite places close to Melbourne is The Elwood General Store (5 Ormond Road Elwood) and on the Peninsula, The Peninsula Pantry (43a Wondaree Street Rye) serve Calmer Sutra chai a blend you can be confident equals a quality brew. Where is your chai of choice served?

secret to a long life

I am so happy to have come across this video by Julia Warr (it was posted on simply lovely). It is indeed simply lovely.

"Shot in Fire Island, New York, this film captures the secrets of eternal youth as Maia Helles, a Russian ballet dancer turns 95 but still remains resolutely independent, healthy and as fit as a forty year old. Made by Julia Warr, artist and film maker met Maia on a plane 4 years ago and became utterly convinced by the benefits of her daily exercise routine, which Maia perfected, together with her Mother, over 60 years ago, long before exercise classes were ever invented."


Look for the wholefood moment when Maia is serving lunch, "some yellow and some greens" :) made me smile. Hope it makes you smile too.

sky, sand and sea

rut busters

Monday seems a good day to tackle a topic that I have a couple of friends dealing with at the moment. That is, that irky horrible place that we all pass through from time to time when we are - in a rut. This topic may seem a little left of centre to what I normally post about, however I figure I began this blog to inspire readers to live healthy, happy, creative lives so this fits with that. And who doesn't know a mother who hasn't felt like the sentence 'another day another dish to wash' sums up their life!

I'm hoping my list of rut-busters starts the conversation with you dear readers to share what works for you.

Before we begin, I did a search on being stuck in a rut and found this definition that fits with what I'm talking about:

"It is when your life is the same all the time and nothing much is changing or happening. A rut is like a channel that would have been worn into the ground in the same place by a stage coach or car or any vehicle going over and over again. It becomes so worn, that it is hard to get out once something goes in. Life can be like that at times. So that is what they mean by being stuck in a rut." Taken from Answers.com


And this at the top of the Google results page, which I found hilarious:

rut/rət/

Noun:

A long deep track made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles. An annual period of sexual activity in deer and some other mammals, during which the males fight each other for access to the females.

So, assuming your rut involves feeling like you are getting nowhere rather than anything involving deers here are some ideas to get you skipping along...


1. Stop. Stop repeating over and over what you have been doing, saying, thinking. As the adage goes, continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome is akin to madness.


2. Stop. I'm repeating that because it is so important. If you stop, you may not like what you see or feel but it is the first step in making change. Stop and breathe, clear your mind and allow what you truly feel or think to come to the surface. Then feel it.


3. Clarity. By stopping you give yourself the chance to get clarity about what it is that is not working for you, with clarity you can chart your new direction. If you have ground your way into a deep rut you may need professional help to do this.


4. Seek help. Seek inspiration, new direction from friends, family, books, music, blogs whatever you can find to set you in a new direction. Sometimes if you have really ground those wheels into the same old groove there is no way you can change track on your own. Don't fool yourself. Even if you feel embarrassed, frightened, nervous ask for help, you may need professional help.


5. Seek good professional help. There are plenty of counsellors, doctors, nutritionists, trainers, accountants etc; out there but not all of them good at what they do. Ask your friends for recommendations.


6. Think progress not perfection. Be very kind to yourself, making change in your life takes courage and commitment. Most importantly be honest with yourself.


7. Remember the words of my wise nan 'attitude is everything'. If yours needs changing, then writing, saying and thinking affirmations is a great place to start. May seem cheesy if it isn't something you have done before but it works. Replace the negatives with positives. The word affirmation literally means - to make firm, and that's what is best for our health positive thoughts about ourself that are rock solid. A good book on this topic is 'Affirmations' by Stuart Wilde.


8. Know that every person (mother) has a bout of the 'I'm not good enoughs', even the most seemingly successful, confident people you know experience self-doubt from time to time. The difference is they don't buy into it, they don't let it stop them from doing what they believe in. So if it shows up say thanks for that and keep moving with the changes you are making.


9. From little things, big things grow. Aside from being one of my favorite Paul Kelly songs this adage is true in both the positive and negative directions. A string of small negative thoughts can overtime grow into a big ugly mess of negative thoughts and behaviours so when you notice them be quick to change them. On the positive flip side, a few small positive changes can reap huge feelings of personal satisfaction. Things as simple as drinking more water, getting more sleep, exercising more, cleaning out that drawer you've been avoiding, soaking in the bath; string all those actions together and chances are you'll feel brand new.


10. And last but definitely not least, at times like this I love to quote 80's rock god Jon Bon Jovi and remind each of you to 'Keep the Faith'.


Believe it or not - the best is yet to come.


Happy Monday to you I'm off to wash the dishes :)

the name game

Being a first time blogger is akin to my experiences of learning a foreign language and then attempting to speak it with the locals. It's very much a learning by doing process, there's no easy way and you can't wake up one morning having mastered it without trying it out and risking ending up on the wrong side of town or ordering guinea pig when you wanted fish. My experience of 'speaking the language' in France and South America was fun, frustrating, entertaining, embarrassing and required patience and practice all these words in my experience apply to blogging.

So, after six months of 'having a go' I've decided to change the name of this blog to something that says more clearly what I'm about. 'Word for Word' got me out of the starting block but is non-descript in terms of content. The new title.....'The Wholefood Mama'.....for me is a more accurate heading. There's some new design work going to and fro and down the track a new address waiting to be filled (I have the same apprehension about moving web address as I do the thought of moving house!) The content though will remain much the same: real food, motherhood and inspiration and information for living a happy, healthy, creative life.

Thanks for reading and if you have any feedback I'd love to hear so leave a comment or email me nikkifisher@iprimus.com.au

Book review: Eating for the Seasons - cooking for health and happiness by Janella Purcell

If you are looking for inspiration either for your cooking repertoire or for improving your health,
'Eating for the Seasons' is a great place to start.

You may recognise Janella as the 'Good Chef' from the TV program 'Good Chef Bad Chef'. With her impressive list of credentials: naturopath, nutritionist, herbalist, iridologist - Janella's food as medicine approach is my style of cooking.

This is her third book, (she has a fourth in the pipeline 'Janella's Wholefood Kitchen' due for release October this year) and as the title suggests it follows the seasons with a chapter dedicated to each. There is a really easy to understand introduction to each season that outlines some Chinese medicine principles, then a list of what's in season.

Recipes are divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides & dressings, sweet things and drinks. I like the added value a list of variations beneath each recipe adds to the book. The recipes and techniques are not complex, the list of variations offers flavour twists and combinations you may not have considered or options if you don't have exact ingredients on hand.

The recipes range from a simple summer breakfast of baked sweet ricotta with mango cheeks, to a  cleansing spring lunch of clams with quinoa, heartier winter dishes include brown rice spinach pie with feta and black olives and an excellent version of vegetable lasagne that is not overloaded with oil and cheese.

Some autumnal options on my list to try are fennel and pomegranate salad - any excuse to use pomegranate molasses -, broccoli egg-lemon soup sounds just right to me, and a dish I have made before and look forward to making again is Loobia, a traditional Lebanese dish made with green beans and a spice blend of cumin, coriander, black peppercorns, sweet paprika and ground ginger.

My standout favorite sweetie in this book a vegan chocolate cheesecake made with silken tofu and dark chocolate - it is heaven! Really. A recipe I didn't have as much success with (or win as many fans at home) is a chocolate almond 'mousse' made with agar agar. Admittedly I was missing an ingredient - carob molasses - and I tried substituting it with straight molasses which was totally overpowering. So there's a tip, that is one ingredient for which there is no substitute! I'll give it another go.

Have a wonderful weekend.

textiles

Before committing myself to one true love - writing - I flirted with many creative pursuits/enterprises, sewing vintage fabric bags being one of them. It all started with a set of bamboo handles purchased at a garage sale and a piece of vintage turquoise silk from my nana's fabric cupboard. My nan is exceptional at sewing and pattern making and in my mid twenties I decided it was high time I learnt some of her craft and asked her to teach me to sew, starting with bags. I learnt a lot and together we created many one of a kind bags that I sold at various markets around Melbourne.

There came a point though where I felt I was spreading myself a little too thin and that I wasn't allowing myself to be really good at one thing, so I decided while the writing work was coming in it was time to put my energy into that and I'm glad I did because a string of experiences and opportunities came my way that may not have if I hadn't been fully focused.

Now however there's a new sewing project/enterprise calling and while I'm not quite ready to reveal what that is I just had to share something of where the research has taken me. I have revisited one of my favorite suppliers from my bag making days The Dancing Queen .

Lisa who owns The Dancing Queen has been helping me out with some research for my new sewing venture and sent me the links below, even if you don't sew but you have a thing for textiles as I know some people do, enjoy taking a browse...

Bima Wear traditional hand printed designs - fabrics, clothing and linen - by the women of Bathurst Island Tiwi Islands.

At Ink & Spindle hand screen printed textiles, ethical, sustainable and organic printed in Melbourne.

Earthgirl Fabrics check out the tea towels (I have a penchant for screen printed tea towels I have to keep in check)

And while I'm on about all things textiles I do enjoy peeking in to see what's happening at Harvest Textiles in Melbourne so enjoy that too! I haven't visited there for a while and tonight I see my friend's cousin appearing in the Harvest Workroom - nice work Fran. Hi Lucy if you're reading :)

This one too, I found via Soulemama, Mona Luna fabrics. I think the description of the designer, Jennifer Moore's life "...where her work and home are both informed by her love of beauty, nature, art and creative projects' are words many women can relate to, that either they are living this or would like to be living this. 

More food words soon. Happy dreaming, creating, cooking.

(disclosure - since buying fabric from The Dancing Queen I have also done some paid PR work for the store. I am not however being paid in any way shape or form to mention them here).