I'll be back

Exam slash assessment time means I am freakishly busy. I have so many new things to tell you but oh so little time. I will be back next week with all the stories.
Ax

La la la there goes the footpath

The other day I hurt my back. Again. This time it wasn't a car ramming me up the butt, oh no, this was a typical footpath of Sydney. Here's the story... I was walking along the nice cement footpath with the pram in the leafy North Shore, enjoying the scenery, waving to the friendly postman, smelling the daisies and all that when Bam! The footpath disappeared. I un-gracefully stumbled, and then slipped, jarring my back, catching the pram just in time before it skidded out onto the road, etc. etc. Not happy. I don't understand why there are perfectly good footpaths for a few hundred meters and then suddenly they stop? Did the workmen stop for smoko and forget to continue? Did they run out of budget? Did they think no one would walk much further than that? The worst part is, when the footpath stops you are forced onto the road - the alternative is upturned tree roots, dirty, sloshy, pebbled 'bush' tracks that prams and nanny's to not cope well with. Once you're on the road you get beeped and glared at for being so irresponsible as to take a young child in a pram onto the road! The whole process turns out to be more stress than it's worth. I guess we should just sit inside all day, forget vitamin D and grow mould. Humph. Just going to put the heat pack back into the microwave now.

I'm the king of the castle

When it comes to imaginary play, not much can really top the cardboard box. After being bugged constantly for new things to do this morning, (the toy cupboard, instruments, drawing materials, cubby house and trucks were all boring) I thought I'd give this old cliche a go. We spent about an hour cutting, decorating and finalising the castles and then I left the room to see what would happen. Instead of the usual arguing the kids played better than ever and the imagination and excitement flowing out of the room was refreshing. This type of play can really strengthen many areas of development that are important to kids growth. They'll use gross/fine motor skills, creative and dramatic play and co-operative skills by working and playing with others. Not to mention they are distracted for a few good hours, and that's always a nice bonus.

If you don't have any boxes go to a supermarket and ask them for some, or for even bigger boxes go to the department stores. To make things a little more time consuming get the kids to decorate themselves, give them ideas like - towers, space ships, boats, castles, car garages or anything they are particulary in to at the time.

Here's ours, half way through decoration phase. 

One healthy piece of slice

I am not going to pretend this is a chocolate brownie OK? It is what it is. But it is damn delicious and you'll feel much better feeding it to the kids than something with triple the butter and sugar.

Apricot Muesli Slice 
2tbs honey
100g butter, softened
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup pepitas
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup plain flour
1/4 cup self rasing flour
1tbs custard powder
1/2 cup hot water

1/ Preheat the oven to 180, and grease 20x30cm pan, line with baking paper.

2/ Muesli - heat honey and 1/4 of the butter in a sausepan, stir until smooth. Then stir in dates, pepitas, oats, coconut, 1/2 the apricots.

3/ Base - Beat sugar, egg, and remaining butter until light and fluffy. Mix in flours and custard powder. Press mixture over the base of the pan. Sprinkle with the muesli and bake for 25mins.

4/ Combine the apricots and water in a saucepan. Cook for about 10mins or until soft, stiring continuously. Cool, then process the mixture. Spread over the cooked slice.

5/ Cool in the fridge for an hour, then cut and enjoy.

I used cranberries instead of apricots for a change, and it turned out pretty well. (See pic)

And the toy of the day goes to...

Playdough. I have a real soft spot for it. When I was a little girl I had a suitcase, think paddington bear, that I took to pre-school every day. Inside, I had my two favourite possessions - a ball of red homemade playdough that I would eat throughout the day (that explains a lot), and my bunny toy. It's the simple things you enjoy the most.

And not only does playdough keep the kids occupied for hours...at least 10 minutes...but it gets their creative minds thinking and fine motor skills working. Try making your own - it tastes better.

Playdough
(apparently it's delicious)
2 cups plain flour
4 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup salt
2 cups water
3 drops of food colouring

1/ Put salt, colouring and water in saucepan and heat till salt is disolved.

2/ Add the rest of the dry mix and stir until it 'doughs' together.

3/ Remove and let it cool for a min or two. Then knead it really well.

Tips:

Don't refrigerate, keep at room temp in zip lock bags. 

Mix it up with a bit of glitter or sand.

The unsuspecting winner

Today I am giving a gold star to this new-and-improved fishy rissole recipe. The kids liked it I liked it, we all liked it. Easy peasy and full of nutritious goodness. You have to try this if you are struggling to get them eating fish.

Salmon Rissoles
2 large potatoes chopped and boiled till soft
¾ cup oil
1 brown onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
415g can of quality pink salmon, (no skin or bones please) drained
2tsp lemon rind
2tbs chopped parsley
2tbs chopped coriander
2 eggs
Breadcrumbs
Flour

1/ Boil the potatoes and fry the onion and garlic.

2/ Combine the potatoes, onion, garlic, salmon, 1egg, lemon rind and herbs.

3/ Create hand sized patties and put them in the fridge to cool for 30mins.

4/ Remove from fridge. Coat each one in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.

5/ Pan fry for a few mins either side till they are golden and crispy.

Tip:

I served with a salad and herb mayonnaise.

If you don’t have any salmon try tuna instead.

Buy the good salmon – it’s only about 30c more expensive and has a much softer flavour than the cheap stuff and less fishy so the kids are happy.

You know you're a nanny when you

- get peed on daily
- sing Dorothy the dinosaur in your 'I'm actually really trying' voice
- change fuck, bollocks and dick-head to fudge, ning-nong and silly-billy
- can recite 'bear hunt' without looking
- drive like a nanna
- congratulate your boyfriend on his number two's

Can we talk seriously about this pie?

It is so so so good. Really. Would I lie to you?

I went through this pie making phase, and made about 20 different types of pies. This is still my favourite, and what makes me really happy is that I tried it on the kids yesterday and they loved it. I once ate it four nights in a row and I'm still not over it.

Amazing chicken, bacon, mushroom & leek pie

(Makes 1 little pie)

1 sheet frozen ready-rolled shortcrust pastry, partially thawed

1 (115g) chicken thigh fillet, trimmed, thinly sliced across the grain

1 tablespoon plain flour

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small leek, trimmed, halved, washed, thinly sliced

1 rasher bacon, finely chopped

50g cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chicken stock

1 handful of cheese

1 sheet frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, partially thawed

1/ Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut a 16cm round from shortcrust pastry. Use to line base and side of a greased 1-cup capacity, 7.5cm (base), 12cm (top) pie pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden

2/ Place chicken, flour and paprika in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Heat oil in a small non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add chicken. Cook, tossing often, for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. Remove to a bowl.

3/ Reduce heat to medium. Add leek and bacon to pan. Cook for 1 minute or until leek is soft. Add mushrooms and stock. Return chicken to pan. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes or until sauce thickens, mix in the cheese till melted.

4/ Spoon warm chicken filling into pastry case. Brush pastry edge with water. Cut an 18cm round from puff pastry. Place over the filling. Press pastry edges together. Trim excess puff pastry. Cut a small cross in the pie top. Brush top with water and season with salt and pepper. Place pie on hot baking tray.

5/ Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Serve.

Tips:
To serve 2: Double quantity of ingredients. In step 2, cook chicken, in batches, for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. In step 3, simmer for 5 to 8 minutes. In step 4, bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

To serve 4: Multiply quantity of ingredients by 4. In step 2, cook chicken, in batches, for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. In step 3, simmer for 10 minutes. In step 4, bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden.

And they lived hapilly ever after

Fairytale's. Aren't they lovely? Well, no, they're sort of not that great when you think about it. This morning I was reading an old-school fairytale to two enthralled children when I realised the words coming out of my mouth weren't quite like I remembered. There is this mermaid and of course she realises she loves a man - who lives on land. So she trades her voice and switches her tail for legs. The condition is - if she doesn't win the heart of the man in a few days she will be turned into sea foam. The man tragically kisses another woman, ultimately marrying her instead. So as if watching the love of her life move on isn't punishment enough she also turns into sea foam and "floats forever miserable on the waves of the ocean".

Wow. That's really horrible isn’t it? As we all contemplated what had just happened I swiftly moved on to something a little more light-hearted. Ah Hansel and Gretel an old favourite. Hmm kids in a cage and an evil woman burned alive - screaming - in an oven. What about Jack In the Beanstalk? Oh lovely, an ogre who eats children and drinks their blood. Everywhere I looked there was gobbling children, scary foxes, poison and evil relatives. When I asked a group of mothers about this some said they didn’t read the old fairytale's to their kids anymore due to the sexist, barbaric content. This got me thinking. Imagine not knowing who Snow White was? Or What happens at midnight to Cinderella?  I spent most of my childhood happilly daydreaming about these stories. I think for a child fairytale's help clarify new emotions, inspire thought, and evoke imagination. Children relate the story’s meaning to their innocent world, rather than really understanding the words. Children don’t see the horror of a witch burning alive; they see a meanie being punished for doing something naughty – and rightly so. Fairytale's allow children to understand right from wrong, see that evil is punished, and the good generally have a happier ending. I think we should keep the tradition alive - just don’t read them right before bed, edit a few words for the little ones, and chat about the meaning when you’re done.

Not that mermaid story though. That was just horrible.
Ax

Here fishy fishy fishy

Fish are the bomb. They give us protein, minerals, vitamin B12, iodine and are low in saturated fat and contain omega-3 fatty acids. But try telling a kid that. The problem is, with all that fishy goodness comes a strange smell and fishy taste that doesn’t sit well on a sensitive little palate. So to introduce the new taste slowly I tried lots of options with varying fishy proportions. I’m not going to lie to you, not many worked but one that did was my Cheesy Tuna Mornay. As an added bonus I also found out that both canned tuna and salmon have low mercury, cha-ching! Anywho I know you don't come here for nutrition lessons, so here is my Tuna Mornay, the kids gobble it up like it was, well...chicken?

Cheesy Tuna Mornay

300g dried fusilli pasta (Or any pasta)
2 thick slices day-old white bread, crusts removed, coarsely torn
60g butter
2 tbs plain flour
2 cups milk
11/2 cups coarsely grated cheddar
1 x 425g can tuna, drained, flaked
1 cup frozen peas

1/ Preheat oven to 180°C and cook your pasta.

 

2/ Crumb the bread with a food processor.

 

3/ Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until foaming. Remove from heat. Gradually add the milk and place over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. 

 

4/ Add 1 cup of cheese and stir until melted. Add the cheddar mixture, tuna and peas to the pasta and stir until well combined. Spoon the pasta mixture into an ovenproof dish. 

 

5/ Combine the breadcrumbs and remaining cheddar in a bowl. Sprinkle over the pasta mixture. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until golden.

Nothing like toilet talk for a Tuesday arvo.

I got an email asking about tips for toilet training and I thought - oh goody, my favourite. I have toilet trained about 4 kids so far - two boys and two girls, so am by no means an expert. There are people out there claiming to be 'expert toilet trainers' though, which I find quite amusing. People really do pay for anything don't they? The following are my tips that I have used each time. These may or may not help you as every child is different and there are no trophies or bragging rights for toilet training in the quickest amount of time.

Are they ready?

• Start talking about the toilet/potty and choose your words i.e. 'wee' / 'poo' and see if they respond with interest.
• Take them through your toilet routine. Seems weird but this works wonders - girls should watch mummy and boys daddy. 
• Encourage the 'grown-up' side of things.
• Talk about wet and dry. 
• If they communicate to you that they did a 'wee' or 'poo' you are in toilet training heaven.

Let the games begin.

• Stop using nappies completely during the day and invest in some fun undies - make this a big deal in a good way.
• Dress them in easy access clothes, as there's no time for fumbling.
• You'll go through a few pairs of pants a day but this is key to understanding the wet feeling.
• Continue using a nappy for sleeps but encourage them to call out if they need to go and praise a dry nappy.
• I wouldn't use punishment or anger for accidents as this will only make them feel anxious and unhappy, delaying the whole process.
• Set a timer for yourself every 20mins and gently remind them to go to the toilet/potty. Force toilet sitting will only make the bathroom feel like a punishment area.
• Praise, praise, praise. Every time. You could use stamp or sticker rewards, reducing them as time goes by. 
• Stand with them while they go, give loads of attention and make this an exciting time.
  

Other advice.

• If you have been trying for a week with no success, stop completely and try again in a few weeks.
• When I was toilet training one of the boys, we were in the middle of moving house. He didn't seem at all interested so I abandoned the mission. Once settled in the new house I tried again, with much success. The timing needs to be right; this is a huge thing for them.
• Nannies - make sure the parents are doing the same routine as you are. There should be no confusion in the child's eyes.
• If you're going for the toilet over the potty, remember that it's a lot bigger for a child. Maybe invest in a special toilet seat so there is no fear of falling in, and a footstool so they can get to it themselves.
  
• Everyone is different, but for me it took about 1 week for the child to get a real grasp of the situation and another few weeks to master it.
• Give them a while to bask in their glory, and then tackle the wiping side of things. I found those wet flush-able wipes to be brilliant for this step.

I am toilet training one lucky toddler this week, so if you've got any of your own brilliance to share, please do. And good luck! Ax