Disgusting treats... when the gross is made special.

 Define Treat

treat/trēt/

Noun: An event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure.

 

Define Disgusting

 

dis·gust·ing/disˈgəstiNG/

Adjective: Arousing revulsion or strong indignation. 

It not very often that those two words would be used in the same sentence, let alone to describe something.  How ever there is no other way to describe people taking particular enjoyment in consuming something, that to the majority of society, is considered repulsive.

When i was growing up my dad used to get tripe as a treat for him self.  He would marinate it in vinegar and salt it then eat it right from the container.  My siblings and I loved it too, the chewy, salty, vinegar soaked pieces made for the most deliciously disgusting treat.  Of course we did not know what tripe was, but even once we knew we were eating the lining of a cows stomach, we were not deterred from enjoying the bovine snack.

With my own children they seemed to have discovered their own disgusting treats.  When ever we get a cooked chicken Mr.T asks for "lots and lots of fat please!"- meaning lots of chicken skin.  I have told him it is skin, but it does not put him off one bit.  A.Bomb on the other hand looses the plot when he spots the caper jar in the fridge and runs to the cupboard to grab a bowl while giggling with delight.

Everyone has their special little treat, that is a bit out of the ordinary, and definitely does not fit the normal idea of a treat, it will be interesting to see what takes the J.Man's fancy as he grows up.

Please share your disgusting treat in the comments section below, go on, we all have one.

BPA.....Are you SERIOUS!!

Well its no secret that I really don't like 60 Minutes (you know that crappy current affairs show that is on on a Sunday night).  Mr.C insists on watching it, most of the time i walk away, but i got sucked into their segment on BPA Free bottles.  Never mind that they were filming kids and adults playing and drinking out of the toxic bottles (which is ludicrous that they would even film that) it also brought it to my attention that so many people don't know about this toxic chemical, and what it can do to your body when ingested (especially over a long period of time).

It was first brought to my attention when Mr.T was 1yo and had just been weened off bottles.  The fact that he was on bottles was for me heart breaking enough, but learning that i had been feeding him a known poison made me furious!  When i say 'known', it was not publicly known, it was known to the industry, and to the government.  It wasn't until countries legislated the banning of the use of plastics containing BPA that it really grabbed peoples attention through the media.

It was also a harsh way to learn that i simply cannot trust in any companies or the government to do the right thing, or act in the best interest of children and families.  I set about learning what i could, and also when the A-Bomb came along i sought out BPA free bottles for him to ensure the best start for him in the event he needed to be bottle fed.

Although BPA free bottles are now clearly labeled in supermarkets, Bottles containing BPA are still being sold.  Here is a great online store that is dedicated to the sale of BPA free products for babies and should help you with some information and brands that are available.  I cannot believe that this is still an issue that society have to deal with, to me the solution seems simple and obvious, BPA should be banned.  In the mean time i strongly encourage everyone to avoid purchasing bottles containing BPA by only purchasing bottles labeled BPA free.

After discussing this with a friend it also occurred to me that there are so many other household items that may contain harmful ingredients, so my aim for this year is to become an even more informed consumer and create a safer living environment for me any my family.

Oh where does the time go?

LOST.

A squishy little newborn bundle has gone missing, im not sure exactly the moment he vanished, it seemed to happen over a long period of time.  It does feel as though he was here one minute and gone the next though.

Fondly remembered looking like this......

FOUND.

A 10 month old baby boy, who eats like he might never see food again, laughs like the world is a comedy show, and has confidence that makes me wonder if he has been here before.  Mr.C and I are quite fond of this little guy, and he is so love by his brothers so good luck trying to claim him.

i am so amazed that Mr.C and i are able to make such beautiful little humans that I sometimes need to remind my self that they really are ours.

Sometimes in life lovely things happen....

Well i just cant hide it, I'm so full of love right now!!

As most of you know I'm not normally a soppy romantic, but the older I'm getting the more my ice cold heart is melting.  Melting the tip of the iceberg is that this year two very special ladies in my life have been proposed too by there significant other.  One best friend getting engaged is exciting enough but for it to be both of them is just amazing. What makes it even more special for me, is that i played (all be it a very small) part in bringing each couple together in the first place.  It has been so special to share in their lives through young love, holidays, houses, laughter, and lots of good times. I'm so excited to be a part of this next stage in both of their lives.  I am so happy for them and so proud.  I cannot take all the credit for their pending nuptial's (as much as i would like too),  the beautiful relationships they have created in the years they have been together has been all them. 

Here is us all celebrating together Saturday arvo

And March this year...

xo
Kez

To see the world through a child's eyes....

As Mr.T gets older i often find my self in awe of the little person his father and i have created.  Lately, its not just the milestones of learning and social interaction, its the pearls or wisdom he shares with me and the little clues he gives me that show how amazing his mind and imagination are becoming.  It is a delight to watch him and help him grow into a young man (well eventually).

This evening there was a moment that reminded me how pure, innocent and open his heart and mind still are.  On the wall between the lounge room and kitchen is a beautiful drawing from beautiful lady, Victoria.  She sent me the drawing of a breastfeeding mermaid to celebrate breastfeeding Mr.J for 7months (and still going).  Not only is the picture aesthetically amazing, but it touched me so personally, partly because of my pride and love of breastfeeding, and also my own childhood love of Mermaids, but also because Vic had gone out of her way to create something beautiful for me.  For Mr.T the picture is simply magical, and he pointed out straight away that it was mummy as a mermaid breastfeeding his baby brother Mr.J.  I sometimes find him staring in wonder at the picture, and every now and again he asks me if i can show him how i become a mermaid. 

Tonight he asked me " Mumma, were do you keep your special mermaid powers?"
to him i replied "I keep them in my heart so i will always have them with me."
In his beautiful innocents he replied "Don't keep them in there, let them out! show everyone! we all want to see you be a mermaid."
Smiling into his blue eyes i told him "One day sweetie I will show you, but for now i need to keep them with me."

It breaks my heart a little to think that one day he will realise that I might not be able to change into a mermaid, and that one day i will have to tell him that the special powers i hold in my heart are dreams, love and beautiful memories. 

Good Morning star shine, the world says Hello!

Welcome to be beginning, grab a cuppa and take a few moments to become acquainted with my blog.

It is no secret that i have a lot to say about most things, so instead of berating people on Facebook, twitter and the like, instead I invite you to keep up with me through my Blog.  I hope to share with you the most popular topics people discuss with me, like cloth nappies, baby carriers, Jewellery etc. and also some topics that may surprise some of you.

Today I'm going to start with a surprise, So please finish your drink quickly so you don't splatter it all over your screen.

I would like share with you today an exciting milestone in my life, last week i had my first Eco Cycle, (and no its not an Bicycle.) 

Since starting cloth nappies with Mister A. 2 years ago i have been opened up to a world of re-usable products that i had never really considered previously using as a part of every day life eg  Re-usable sandwich bags, drink bottles, wet bags, baby wipes, etc. and while i understand the convenience of disposable options, each week as my bin gets fuller from the waste a family of 5 create I cant help but think about the ways i can alter my usual habits to reduce landfill waste.

My cloth journey all started with re-usable breast pads.  The humble cloth breast pad surprised me by how affective and comfortable it was and made me begin to question other feminine hygiene products i used.  So I read a few threads and gathered some info and decided to take the plunge into two styles of reusable feminine hygiene; Cloth pads and Menstrual Cups (cups for short).

The first time i heard about cups, i thought it was an April fools joke. "Did people really do this?" i questioned to my self, but then the more i thought about it the more sense it made.  Silicone was easy to wash, flexible and re-usable, it is a popular choice in Europe where there are many different brands available.  Cloth pads are not as much of a stretch for the imagination, simply a cloth version of a disposable pad.  They are also easy to wash, comfortable and re-usable and come in different combinations of materials/ sizes and styles.  After working up the guts to try something different I'm really not quite sure why i was so put off in the first place.  It took a few goes to be confident with the cup, and familiar with storing the pads when out an about etc how ever it was do-able.  So i did a spot of online shopping at the The Cloth Pad shop and Ecocubs and was able to get enough cloth pads (of varying sizes) a wet bag or two, and a Lunette cup which enabled me (for the first time in my life) to not put any feminine hygiene products into landfill during my cycle- which i now fondly call my eco-cycle. The bonus is I'm also set up for the future too, cups last an average of 10 years (depending on storage and use) and pads around the same time if not longer.

Of course this is not exactly the kind of topic i can bring up in general conversation, and to be honest im sure its not everyone's cup of tea (pardon the pun).  Even here i have not elaborated too much because there are of course things that people do not want to read about me in great detail, however if you would like to find out some more info or want to see my beautiful range of pads leave a comment or, email me. Next blog i promise to talk about something a little higher above the belt.

xoxo
k