I decided to have a go at making my own muesli today.
I say ‘making’ more accurately I ‘assembled’ it:
Porridge oats (200g); dried fruit(150g); nuts (50-100g) and mixed together.
Keep in airtight tub for few weeks.
I don’t like milk so plan to soak in a little orange/apple juice for 10mins or so before eating & I might put a little honey over if I think it needs it & some yoghurt.
Ok, so I haven’t posted for hmmm …ages, but thought I’d share a few recipes /foods I’ve been enjoying lately.
I go through phases of really enjoying cooking & making lots of healthy things in batches & I’m in one of those phases now.
As a bit of background to me & food - I am a home cook & love experimenting with new recipes /flavours & adapting old recipes. As to whether I’m a ‘good cook’: well I enjoy it & it’s generally well received! ( apart from the gnocchi incident - I might share that another time!)
So here is my lunch today - quick salad with puy lentils, leaves, sweetcorn, tomatoes, celery, spring onions. Dressing with whole grain mustard, white wine vinegar & olive oil. Served with homemade wholemeal drop scone (thank you Hugh fearnley whittingstall!). I did put a little chicken breast over it as an after thought too.
This was great to use up leftovers as had can puy lentils and sweetcorn opened already.
For Baby
For Hubby
Food
Toiletries
Clothing:-
General:-
Remember - your partner/family can go home and bring you fresh clothes etc or pick things up that you’ve forgotton so don’t fret too much about this! You won’t use half the things you take!
I don’t know what I was thinking, packing perfume & make up!! That was the last thing on my mind, all you need is things which will make you comfortable. I also packed clothes to wear during the day on the ward but ended up spending all day in my pyjamas.
Clothing:-
General:-
Toiletries
Food
For Hubby
For Baby
I know, there are loads of these ‘must have’ lists out there but I felt I’d like to share my top 10 products with you.
They are:
(Ok, so that’s 11 but the play mat had to go on!!)
If there are any of these products that you’d like a full review of then let me know & I’ll do my best!
If there is one topic which always prompts a debate it is whether to put your baby in a routine or not. We had discussed this before JD was born and decided that having a routine could work for us and so we got Gina Ford’s Contented Little Baby Book. This book seemed to make a lot of sense to us and as first time parents with no idea what to do it really gave us a good template.
All the health professionals we spoke to (midwives & health visitors) seemed horrified at the word ‘routine’. Granted, it is not for everyone and there is the risk that there will be some people who will be determined to put their child into a routine to the detriment of that child’s wellbeing e.g not feeding baby until it’s “time to feed” and leaving child to scream. That is not the way to go about it! But I do believe that encouraging a child into a routine from the start makes life a lot easier later on.
Often people believe that following a routine confines you to the house but we have always taken JD out and about with us and enjoyed going to various baby groups. We used Gina Ford’s routines as a guide for when we would offer breastfeeds and when to structure his naps. Obviously if he was hungry outside of those times, he would have a feed. Now he has a good bedtime routine and goes to sleep at 7 pm which leaves hubby and I some time to ourselves in the evening.
Many people comment on how content JD seems and I am sure he feels secure knowing when to expect his sleeps and feeds. This is not to say that you can’t have a happy baby without a routine! But if you are the sort of person who likes some sort of structure then give it a try!
Ok, I’m new to blogging so here goes!!
Here is a little background to what’s been going on in the past 8 months: I became a mum for the first time in September 2010 to a gorgeous little boy, JD. My pregnancy had been great and both myself and hubby were really looking forward to becoming parents. Labour was a great experience, and I cannot express enough thanks to my hubby and the midwife who delivered our boy for all the support they gave. From my waters breaking at approx 6pm on a Friday evening to delivering my boy at 04.56am the next day, it all happened fairly quickly and I was only in active labour for approx 3 hours. I got through it with entonox and using the birthing pool. I can strongly recommend using water during your labour as it really eased the pain and allowed me to get into comfortable positions.
Getting home: The first few weeks really were a learning curve, all the sleepless nights do take their toll on you. We didn’t know what to expect with a new baby - How much sleep does he need? How often to feed, is he getting enough at each feed? How do you structure naps? I wanted to breastfeed but didn’t have a clue whether he was latching on properly or taking enough milk. We had a tough few days before my milk supply came in fully and he was trying to feed but couldn’t latch on properly. It could have been so easy to give up at that point and switch to formula but we had great support from the midwives who helped me establish breastfeeding and I will always be thankful to them for this. It is the best decision I have made and has created a strong bond. I can’t believe how incredibly lucky we are.
So, that’s just the start of this journey. Follow the blog for the latest developments including weaning, starting nursery and more! I’ll also be including some product reviews!
a bit late I know but this is funny! Watch out for Harry!!
