Food Planning

Its quite easy to write your own food plan really.  We kind of eat the same foods so its just being a bit more intentional about it really.  This is how we do it;

 

Breakfast - we have a choice of cereal, weetabix, porridge, museli and malties. I don't do sugar cereals.  We sweeten our porridge with honey and sometimes add fruit to our Weetabix. 

 

Lunches - tends to be a sandwich, fruit, cheese snack and a yogurt.  We vary the sandwich filling each day but staples are ham/chicken/egg/tuna/cheese mixed with salad or a condiment.  We also have jam, marmite and chocolate spread incase we fancy toast as well as beans in stock.

 

Snacks - tends to be fresh fruit, dried apricots (as can usually buy a big bag) raisans, malt loaf, crumpets, oat cakes, rice cakes, crackers, pancakes, crumpets and scones.

 

Dinners - when I plan out the dinners I start by doing this as my base;

 

Sunday - roast

Monday - rice based

Tuesday - veggie

Wednesday - mince

Thursday - fish

Friday - casserole/stew

Saturday - Fakeaway night (i'll cook a fake take away meal)

 

There are so many different types of meals that can be made with mince/fish/veg etc so I'll choose something I fancy from there and build up a meal from there.  Rice based means dinners like paella, curry or chicken in sauce.  Sometimes it involves cooking from scratch sometimes simpler i.e. veggie can be egg, chips and beans or fish fingers/fillet meal with new pots and peas.  Fakeaway night could well be pretend KFC - fried chicken fillets or diced chicken in your own flavourings with corn on cob, coleslaw or fries/salad.  Other favourites include pizza, Indian and Chinese.

 

I do plan in treats as lets face it, they're going to happen! During the week I get little chocolate sandwich bars/cake bars/tea cakes.  I tend to make a homemade cake during the week and at weekends I try to make a dessert for pudding.  We also get ice cream and have lots of toppings in stock.  My kids also like choc ices for dessert and these can be quite cheap too.  The children have sweetie pots (which are saved sweets from party bags/Christmas/Easter) as I don't let them eat them all in one go, so sometimes they choose something from there instead.

 

I work out the quantities we need for each meal and then double it, so that I order enough food for the month.  I try and make sure whatever the base I cover the basics of nutrition ie 5 portions of fruit/veg, 3 portions of calcium, proteins (fish x2 week, this can be sandwich filling as well as a fish based meal) and carbs, fats are used during cooking ie olive oil/butter with a treat over the course of the day.  This can mean adding in extra veg.  Making meals from scratch is a lot healthier (as you know exactly what's going in) and usually cheaper.We also take multi-vitamins and omega supplement, when aged 3 and above.  We are not a super healthy eating family, we do eat lots of carbs as they are cheap to fill out our meals.

This is a basic 2 week meal plan;

DATE	BREAKFAST	LUNCH	DINNER	PUDDING	SNACKS
SUNDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS	ROAST MEAT VEG POTS	TRIFLE	FRUIT
MONDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	FISH PIE VEG	ANGEL D	FRUIT/MALT LOAF
TUESDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	SPAG BOL	HM CAKE	FRUIT/MALT LOAF
WEDNESDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	CHEESE PASTA	TEA CAKE/SNOWBALL	FRUIT/CRUMPETS
THURSDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	CHICKEN SAUCE RICE	TEA CAKE/SNOWBALL	FRUIT/RICE CAKES
FRIDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	CHICKEN CASSEROLE	DIGESTIVE CHOC BAR	FRUIT/CRACKERS
SATURDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS	FAKEAWAY FISH & CHIPS	ICE CREAM & SAUCE	FRUIT

 

DATE	BREAKFAST	LUNCH	DINNER	PUDDING	SNACKS
SUNDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS	ROAST MEAT VEG POTS	FLAN	FRUIT
MONDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	TUNA BOLG	JELLY	FRUIT/MALT LOAF
TUESDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	LASAGNE	HM CAKE	FRUIT/MALT LOAF
WEDNESDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	SAUSAGE AND SAV RICE WITH VEG	WAGON WHEEL/CAKE BAR	FRUIT/PANCAKE
THURSDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	CHOP VEG PASTA	WAGON WHEEL/CAKE BAR	FRUIT/RICE CAKE
FRIDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS FRUIT	CHICKEN  1 POT	DIGESTIVE CHOC BAR	FRUIT/CRACKERS
SATURDAY	CEREAL	SANDWICH CHEESE FROMAGE FRAIS	PIZZA AND GARLIC BREAD	CHOC ICE	FRUIT

Time to get organised... Food

Well living in a new area, adjusting to new finances and schedules has put all my usual weekly organisation out the window, as I am learning to do life here. With 2 children at school, 1 child to be home-schooled alongside looking after a toddler and trying to carve out a new life, it can all seem a bit daunting.  When life throws lots of things at you once, then the best way I get through it, is writing it all out, choosing one thing off the list and starting there.

 

I am starting with food! Food shopping takes up lots of time.  Planning the meals (healthy and on budget) and buying the food.  My eldest child does not cope with supermarkets (ASD) and as he is with me all the time, my choices are to get up super early before him (4.30-5am yuck) or go in the evening (equally yuck as tired and the shops normally empty). Therefore we go online.  I'd rather spend an evening doing my shopping online in the comfort of my own home. 

 

I plan out my weekly meals this is because a) saves money, as you just buy what you need b) saves time. It also stops that - what shall I have to eat tonight? thought or me raiding the biscuit jar whilst I think about what to eat, only to find we don't have the ingredients and succumb to a takeaway and c) helps me to plan healthy eating.   It can be time consuming to plan the meals, so I do a 2 week menu which I repeat twice for the month.  I use different menus per month so we are not constantly eating the same dinners.  I menu plan everything - breakfast, lunch, dinner, pudding and snacks.  As I know what we're going to eat I buy our food shopping monthly.  That means we have one massive delivery (only pay one delivery charge) and every area of our fridge/freezer and kitchen cupboards are full.  I'm the only one who cooks in house and the children are not of an age where they can help themselves so I don't have to worry about our tea disappearing.

 

To aid with monthly deliveries and space, we have our milk delivered to our doorstep.  This does cost a little extra but if I'm really honest before we went to milkman, if we ran out of milk (being a family of 6 this happened quite frequently) we'd always pick up other stuff and so inevitably spent more money - so we are probably saving more now than before.  Milk can be frozen so if you're lucky enough to have the freezer space then you can store it up this way.  We freeze the yogurts, cheese and butter until needed too.  Lots of things can be frozen, we use pancakes, scones, crumpets and malt loaf for afterschool snacks (depending what is on offer) so if they are delivered with a short shelf life we freeze these too.  We were very fortunate to be given a breadmaker from a dear friend and so we always have fresh bread each day.  It is easy to do and you get a premium loaf which is enough for all of us for about 50p.  Also saves us precious space in the freezer.

 

Fruit is something we go through a lot.  The children have at least 2 portions a day.  I used to get a box delivered from Able and Co for 11.99 a week with the 4th week being free.  However it is quite expensive when compared to fruit in Lidls.  I have JML fruit and vegetable storage bags which can keep fruit fresh upto 3 weeks - they need to be stored either somewhere dark or in the fridge.  This can save popping out again but the fruit must be really dry before they go in the bags and I would check on them weekly to make sure they are not going too soft.

 

I'll post some more on what we eat and some more money saving tips next time...

Settling in...

We have moved! Yes it has actually happened and we are now living in Farnborough again.  It doesn't yet feel like home, it feels like a weird holiday where we take all our possessions and make them fit in a new place.  Although we have lived here before, it has changed and things are not where they used to be and as we're now at a different life stage, we look/need for different things.  I think it will take a while before it feels like home.

 

The move itself was quite eventful... well for me, the children and our cat.  The cat did not travel well and kept soiling her box, which meant we had to pull over and clean it all up.  Also there was an accident which meant we were stuck on the motorway with a horrendous smell and most of us wanting to throw up... Instead of the journey taking just over an hour, it took 3.  Then we were met with the delight of the unloading and not having the correct keys.  It felt like a very long day....

 

However we were blessed with helpers and a meal, a food shop and babysitters for the children - the pleasure of having family nearby :) The snow was definitely a surprise and i feel like its pretty much snowed everyday since we moved here.  Just little flurries, which seem to tie in with the school run really well.  Which is another blessing, N & J both got school places and were able to start straight away.  It is a lovely school - well as far as I can tell after a week.  It is not a faith based school, as we had previously. I will miss the traditions and the understanding of faith but it is still a very caring and nurturing school.   

 

It took about a week to unpack all boxes and get the house straight.  It feels nice having some of our pictures up (don't want to make too many holes in the wall) and to be organised.  I hate the chaos of not knowing where everything is and mess being everywhere.  Changing all our address details and registering with new doctors/dentists means we've probably spent a good day on just admin. As I type this, I have just remembered I haven't changed the hospital details - a job for the 'to do' list for later..

Its certainly been a busy couple of weeks but now its time for our Easter celebrations, thankful for what we have, what Jesus has done and for new beginnings!

 

John 3:15 For God loved the world so much, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life

On the move

We are moving, a week today and chaos has arrived!  We have been going through are possessions, questioning do we really need this? when was the last time we looked at it? is it worth keeping? Its amazing how much stuff you can accumulate, how much stuff we thought was a good idea and the just in case stuff.  So before you know it, Project Clear Out comes.

 

Over the past 6 months we have done lots of sorting, sale sites, car boots, charity and dump runs.  Getting rid of the clutter and getting ship shape for viewings.  All those little jobs that you've put off become completed.  I like living in house viewing state - however its not easy to maintain with 4 boys and a husband. We are moving into rental accommodation so we want to travel light as we could move again till we find the right home.  We think we've streamlined our stuff but the reality of boxing it all up seems quite daunting.  It not just the size of it but packing up the memories and saying goodbye...

 

Jon and I have lived on Southcoast for almost 15 years now.  I did university here, we started careers here, we got married, had our children and bought our home here.  This is also where we met Jesus and became part of church.  We have lots of memories here, some of our darkest and happiest moments.  This is where we have really grown as adults.  There are lots of things we will miss, the beach, Sunnys chip shop (our favourite take away chip shop), the shops, the parks and green spaces... Of course we will also really miss our friends, the familiarity and our church family.  This is our first church family.  We have been blessed with some very close friends over the years and will be hard to leave them.

 

God has been great at providing different people through each life stage to come alongside us and friends to keep us company along the way but now its time for a new chapter.  The doors have closed here and we're ready for the next step. The next step being Farnborough in Hampshire.  This is originally where we are from and believe this is where God wants us now.  We are looking forward to the move and our new adventure.  It is painful to say goodbye although I've not had that much time to think about it, as busy sorting out the house ready to move, removal companies, solicitors, rental property, running down the freezer/food, leaving farewells and not to mention the complicated maze of the education system.  Amongst all of this, still being mum and wife and dealing with the everyday.  Its certainly a busy season and looking forward to the next chapter, trusting in our faithful God!

 

 

Nappy Review

After 9 and a quarter years of doing nappies, I have some experience and a few preferences.  In terms of disposable nappies, I have used many brands but my favourites and those I found most absorbent were Pampers and Lidls own.  Lidls represent the most value as a lot cheaper and are my overall favourite for toddler upwards.  My least favourite were Huggies and Asda own brand.  Each child is different, so each brand fits and absorbs in a different way, and these brands are what worked or didn't for my sons (pls note I did have bigger babies, 90th centile upwards). 

 

Real nappies, I have used Bumgenius and Tots Bots (from birth to potty).  I loved these, so soft and available in lots of colours.  They were easy to use but I had to stop as my childrens skins are so sensitive they reacted to having any urine against their skin. Although they were changed often, it just wasn't possible to change after every time, as I didn't know they had been.  They are better for the environment and are cheaper, after the initial outlay.  We also used re-useable wipes.  These are like little flannels which just go straight into the nappy bucket with the nappy, so it wasn't really any extra effort at all.  I did find them slightly bulky which meant my baby may wear a bigger size clothes on the bottom half.  They seem like a scary amount of work but actually they're not.  They are some work ie put washing on, take washing out to dry.

 

The bumgenius were all ready to go, went on like a normal nappy except they had a liner.  The liner is like a firmer longer piece of tissue which was flushed away if soiled (if wet they could be used again after washing) and the nappy went into a dry bucket.  At the end of the day the nappy wash went on and they dried.  The bucket had a washable liner so that went in too and I didn't even have to touch any soiled nappies.  Tots Bots I used at night as more absorbent and bulky.  They had a liner too plus a water proof outer layer.  They would also wash with the others.  The bucket and (water proof bag when out) kept all smells at bay.  Depending on how many you bought would depend on how regularly you would need to wash.  I did one load of nappy washing a day, they would dry the following and be worn after that.

 

The nappy lady, (google or facebook her) did a great free service.  You fill out a questionnaire and she will tell you the best real nappy to suit your needs.  It was really detailed and gave you different choices.  On her site, she also has you tube videos on how to care and look after them so you can see how easy it is for yourself.  She is really honest about the pros and cons too.  So if you're considering it, I would recommend that she is your first stop.

 

I would say that real nappies are cheaper if you stick to it, so maybe buy a few to try out rather than a whole kit to see if it really suits you.  Our downfall was after buying a package that didn't suit our child i didn't really want to keep spending out more money to find the right brand of re-useable.  I am sure that there would of been, as there is so much choice.  Also you have to be organised to work out when you can wash/dry them.  Our brand didn't need to be washed at a high temperature so it didn't cost more to the environment/purse strings in this way.  They are all different. 

 

Disposable nappies are slim, easy to buy and carry around.  They just require throwing away when you're done.  You can buy really cheap ones (like re-useables) but your child may need changing more often or be prepared for leaks or tabs falling off.  You can buy safer to the environment nappies but at the end of the day, they fill up landfills.  It all comes down to your preferences and some trial and error. 

 

Nappy Free!

I know this may not seem exciting for lots of you out there but we are now completely nappy free!

 

I have been changing nappies for the past 9 and a quarter years so with our youngest dry, both day and night feels like quite an achievement.  I think it signifies the end of the baby days, as we enjoy raising up the children we have and moving onto the next stage.  This is how we did it.

 

Life has been so busy its been really hard trying to carve out the time to start toilet training our last child but during the new year break, we decided to just go for it, as there would never be a perfect time.  I think you need at least 2 weeks to devote to it.  Week 1 is intense, week 2 eases off and week 3 is ok.  Knowing its the right time - well, I think that's different for each child.  We knew he was ready as he was aware when he wet/dry and would want to be changed as soon as he wet himself.  He would say he was doing it.  He would also be dry during waking from the night. 

 

Day 1 & 2, we took off the nappy so he was bare below.  We had a day at home playing and when I could see him about to go (look uncomfortable or hold himself).  I would place him on the potty and praise like mad.  He had a jelly tot or chocolate star as a reward.  I tried to encourage him to drink lots but he is a bit like a camel.  With the others I offered juice as an encouragement but L only likes water so this didn't work.  I purposefully don't keep asking. I only ask or suggest to him when I can see him looking uncomfortable.  L also has the ability to hold for a good couple of hours so I didn't really have the constant worry of accidents and he only does a poo once a day.  At this point, during the night I still placed a nappy on him.

 

Day 3 & 4, we introduced pants.  He loves his pants and an accident in his pants really upset him as it meant his pants would be taken away.  I think pants gives the security of a bit like a nappy so I would expect at least one accident.  I don't take them off straight away as I think its good for them to feel uncomfortable as it creates a desire to stay dry.  Pants are also a different skill to master, pulling up and down.  At this stage, if he had an accident I could see how upset he was and I would just say never mind we can try again.  Also with boys, potties are not always a great design. This is because if his willy is not pointing in the right direction, he can just wee all over the floor/clothes even though he has done all the right steps.  It can be frustrating but this is not his fault as he's done everything right. 

 

Day 5, we were fully dressed and out and about.  I took the potty around with me as this had familiar comfort.  I think because he had the ability to hold it meant I didn't have to constantly worry and I just timed the toilet with the others ie right we're going out now, toilet time and because his brothers were all going he would too.

 

He started to become really nervous about doing a poo.  I think the look and smell scared him and he didn't want to do it.  To overcome this we talked about it let him see other family members poos and that it was ok.  He got 2 sweets for a poo and got to wave it goodbye when we flushed it don the loo.  If he had an accident it was normally a poo one so he just needed lots of reassurance as this was just fear.

 

We are not brilliant at being consistent so after about 2 weeks we had stopped giving out the rewards as we had forgotten about them and unless he specifically asked we just let this go.  After all, going to the toilet is a normal thing.

 

After 2 weeks I knew his toileting pattern and whether or not I needed to take the potty out with me.  If he had an accident at this point - I would tell him off as I know he is capable of doing it.  I wouldn't tell him off in an over scolding away but let him know it is not desirable. 

 

At 4 weeks we introduced the toilet.  This is harder as he can't quite sit on this unaided.  This encouraged him to say wee wee or poo when he wanted to go (previously he'd just take himself off to the potty).  He was afraid of sitting on the seat but we just persisted.  We stayed with him, cuddled him and assured him it was ok.  We weren't over positive just normal voice and tone, showing him we were in control.  After about a week his confidence really grew.  I always train my boys sitting down first, just so they don't get confused about wee or poo.  I find the standing and weeing just comes naturally as they get a bit older.

 

The night times just took care of themselves.  He basically was just dry so it was a case of taking off his nappy.  He still has milk and we just take him to the toilet before he goes to bed at about 6pm and then he goes all the night through.  We are very blessed as potty training is not always this easy. 

 

He was easy to train, as he was ready for it.  We are quite relaxed about it, probably as its our 4th time of doing it so we know what is involved and have faith in what we are doing.  I would still take a change of clothes with me just in case as he is still young and all toddlers can get distracted.  L is 2 1/2 years old when we started training.  All we needed was a potty, a packet of jelly tots and little stars and lots of pants.  The potty we used for about a month before we   moved onto the toilet.  We just use our normal seat as the kids inlay doesn't fit with our seat design.  We did however go out and purchase a step so he could get up and sit down himself.  I still help him with the mechanics of dressing, the wiping of bottoms and would expect to do this for a while yet.

 

We've had different experiences with all our children.  Our eldest just 6 weeks after son number 2 was born, point blank refused to wear nappies and it didn't matter whether he was ready or not as he just wouldn't wear them anymore and would take them off if we tried.  It was hard work training him but this was more due to me not personally knowing what to do and hating the idea of clearing up from accidents.  I became more chilled as I became more experienced but I still hate it.  Son number 2, was the easiest to train and although he couldn't talk, he rarely had accidents from day 1.  He was 2 1/2 years old. I thought it would be a disaster as he had no speech but actually he had lots of understanding and motivation so it was fine.  It was quite a while before I tempted toilet training at night with my first 2 children as they were quite heavy wetters at night.  In the end, I just went for it.  No nappies at all, wet proctection for the beds, no more drinks after dinner and I would wake them around 10pm to toilet.  After a while we no longer had to wake them and they were fine.  Son number 3 didn't really show the usual signs of being ready but I was pregnant and wanted to get it out of the way before baby number 4 came.  This was harder as he wasn't motivated.  The first 2 weeks were more intense.  I bought special toilet training pants (never did pull ups as these are just nappies) and it took about a month before we were confident about going out.  It also took a bit longer to progress to the toilet but the nights were ok.  I think toilet training on your own terms is possible but be prepared to take a couple of weeks longer and have a few more accidents.  You have to be especially patient which is not always easy to do.

 

I remember getting lots of pressure from my mum saying you were trained by 18months etc but I think in the days of real nappies it was different and children were more aware due to the uncomfortableness, mothers were very motivated due to all the washing!  Nappy technology has moved on even in the re-useable.  I think it also depends on everyone's definition of potty trained.  My mum said at home I was dry but would put a nappy on for going out - to me no nappies at all is trained.

 

I don't believe there is a special easy method or age, as each child is different. Generally 2 and a half seemed to be our right age for our boys. There are lots of products on the market you can buy but aren't always necessary.  I would just do the basics first and if this doesn't work after a little while then try one of the products available. 

 

 

The bugs!

Yes its been a little while, but thought it is time to dust off my keyboard and write a post!

 

Well its certainly been a busy few months, mainly battling with different illnesses, potty training a 2 year old and living life with a child on the spectrum, amongst lots of changes.  Since before Christmas someone has been ill in our household each week, sometimes this can be just a cold/cough or it is full on flu with a dash of different viruses, chicken pox and stomach upsets thrown in between. 

 

We are all taking our vitamins and Dettol has never been too far away, sanitising surfaces hoping to stop the spread of germs.  In some ways this has worked, as its not the same bug running through us,  as we have had different ones.

 

Each week has meant plans have gone awry as taking care of sick children/self or too tired to enjoy/participate as been up through the night looking after others.  This year it seems the everyday plans and schedules have gone to pot.  We've had lots of birthdays/parties/school trips/illnesses and absences which have disrupted schedules for my ASD son.  However I think he has coped really well. 

 

I am looking forward to half term, not because I think it will be easier but because it will be a change from where I'm at currently.  They say a change is as good as a rest. 

 

Normally i'm very organised and enjoy planning lots of things to do but because everything has been chaotic I have just had to go with the flow - I even bought a birthday cake for my son who turned 7.  Whilst this is, of course, not at all appalling I found it really challenging. I am used to taking time out and making my children their very own special birthday cake.  I like having the time to plan and do special things for them, to show my love but this year things were different.  I love my son just the same but just didn't have the time.  This year, I became very thankful for the big selection of cakes at Sainsburys.  My son of course is just happy to have cake and enjoyed choosing his cake.  I just felt I wasn't doing my best for him.  It made me look at myself and think about what I do and who its for - them or me? I have a perfectionist nature and think sometimes I just need to challenge that - at the end of the day what will really matter, then focus on that. 

 

Health is just something I have taken for granted and its been good to reflect on how important this is.  When something goes wrong it can have a massive impact on the everyday.  By the everyday, I mean the things I expect to do, (sometimes even moan about doing them) or do unnoticeably.  I have soon noticed how important these little tasks are when they don't get done, how out of sorts I can feel and how much comfort they give.  I guess its helped me to establish what's important and what I just like to do. 

 

My youngest has spent quite a bit of time with Cbeebies/Fireman Sam whilst I've been ill.  Far too much time, than I would normally allow but he hasn't gone off the rails and is still happy.  I think he actually really enjoys chilling out and just watching a bit of telly snuggling on the sofa with mummy.  Also amongst all of this, he is toilet trained and dry through the night, so maybe slowing down for a bit has helped him learn this skill.  It also means I have enjoyed the times I have been able to play with him more (maybe because it has appeased my guilt).

 

Although its not been fun with all these bugs at least I know they are temporary and that we will recover, its made me think of those with long term health problems and how difficult the everyday must be for them, everyday.  Through this time, I have been counting my blessings - even if I am just thankful that, that day has passed and can't come back again!