If you're looking to share a laugh with a friend, swap parenting survival tactics and generally feel affirmed that, yes, you're doing fine, then you're in the right place. Welcome!

Saturday, 24 March 2012

Recipe Link: Tofu Nuggets

Looking for an alternative to the over-processed chicken nugget? I just found this recipe for Tofu Nuggets and thought I'd share the link.  It looks pretty easy. My guys actually don't go for chicken nuggets, but I think I'll give this a try! Let me know how you find it!

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/cooking-ideas/10-flavor-packed-tofu-recipes-weight-loss?page=5

What's With The Picture?

Most "small" blogs that I've seen are complemented by lovely pictures. Nothing extravagant, but well-shot, in focus, etc. But not here! Nope, the Realistic Mummy photos are... ummm... poorly-lit, fuzzy and rather amateurish-looking, right? Well, that's how we roll in this family, and the photos prove it.


The reality behind my photos is simple: I'm usually somewhat frazzled and disorganized. (Just ask my oldest's teacher about the instances when I honestly lose track of time and forget to pick him up from JK.) 


The thought of photos is typically absent from my brain until I'm about to publish a post. So, I haven't time (or inclination) to wait and devise a lovely scene to capture. And I'm usually writing and publishing while sitting in my dimly-lit bedroom trying to settle our baby. So, I grab the handiest photo-taking device (my cell phone or a cheapie point-and-shoot with no flash), take a shot of something tangentially relevant and make that post public!


Other moms I know seem to be ever camera-ready. Not me. I forget to bring a camera. Or I bring it and then leave it, untouched, in my bag. Or I actually get it out and have all my subjects scatter like roaches when the light goes on.


My dream is to one day own a snazzy digital SLR. Then I can really take good pictures. Then again, maybe I'll still just forget it in my bag...


In the meantime, I take ownership of my blurry, under-exposed, flat photos! Hey, I might even convince myself that they exemplify what the Realistic Mummy blog is about: not having your stuff together and accepting that, in truth, no one has it all together.  


Vive le fuzzy photo!


(Nonetheless, in honour of good photos everywhere, this post will not contain any of the typical shoddy things that pass for photos in this blog.)

Tuesday, 20 March 2012

A Mother's Prayer

A book that I bought when I only had one small child and was still full of parenting energy was Surviving Your Toddler: 365 Creative Games and Activities to Help You Enjoy the Unique Challenges of Life With a One- to Three-Year-Old by Trish Kuffner (Lighthouse Books, 1999).


Available through Chapters-Indigo.
Well, that book was full of great, low-cost ideas, none of which appealed to my little guy. 


But, something that I did find helpful was the inclusion of "A Mother's Prayer." I've been having one of "those" weeks, and in case you are as well, I thought I'd share this:


"Dear Lord,
So far today I've done alright. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or very indulgent. I'm very grateful for that. But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm going to need a lot more help. Amen."


And all the people said, "Amen!"

Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Reading Suggestion: The Parent You Want To Be

I know what you're going to say. "Who has time to read?!?" And I concur wholeheartedly that there are seasons as a parent when you don't have time.


But then we also enter into seasons (short-lived though they may be) when everyone sleeps when they should and we have a teensy bit of energy left at the end of the day to spend on ourselves.


Then, we might read. If you are in one of those seasons where reading is possible, allow me to suggest a book that I found helpful in practical parenting.


The book is The Parent You Want To Be: Who You Are Matters More Than What You Do, by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott (Zondervan, 2007).





The book's main thesis is that by modelling the traits we wish for our children, we instil those traits in them. In other words, it's less about our kids per se and more about us as parents. (Honestly, I buy this to a degree; I don't believe our kids are programmable.)


In order to make us of this book, I first needed to stop pretending that my parenting style was flawless. After I did that, I saw areas where we could rather easily integrate some new, practical ideas.


For example, the good Drs. challenged me to be conscious of how I affirm my kids. I had the habit of affirming the trait versus the action. ("You're so creative!" etc.) The Drs. posit that when we affirm character traits we, in fact, set our kids up for performance anxiety.


On the other hand, when we affirm the action ("Wow! The colours in that picture are beautiful!") then our kids can draw their own, more realistic conclusions about their character and abilities. Without performance anxiety.


Now, I need to confess that I (still) have not read the entire book. I borrowed it from the library and my delay in returning it --only partially read-- stretched into the ridiculous. But each chapter was so darn meaty! It would take me several weeks to think the Drs. Parrot's ideas through and figure out how they could apply to our situation.


I do have the book out from the library again, so soon I should have another couple of chapters of wisdom to apply!


(FYI: The book is written from a Christian perspective, but it is not "religious" as such, and it is accessible to readers of any persuasion.)


What titles make it to your bedside table?

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Veggie Mama: Salmon Cakes and Spinach Dumplings

A lot of us are trying to add more meat-free cooking to our family meal roster. But sometimes "going veg" with kids seems like the domestic equivalent of firing a volley across the nose of a hostile opponent: conflict is sure to result.

We ourselves are a "non-religious" vegetarian household, meaning that we cook vegetarian but we will eat meat if it's offered to us. One time when I mentioned we were having tofu for dinner, a friend commented with admiration, "Wow! How do you get your boys to eat tofu?" To which I replied, "I never said that my guys were going to eat it. Just that I was serving it for dinner!" Ha, ha.

But in serving my men-folk lentils and rice, beans of all types and, yes, tofu, day in and day out, I've learned that:
1. I have a 50-50 chance of my almost-five-year-old turning up his nose at pretty much anything I put in front of him (unless it's pizza or spaghetti) so I just need to have a thick skin;

2. repeat exposure changes attitudes (i.e. the first time I serve something new, often no one likes it; but by the third or fourth time, there are converts);

3. it doesn't have to be a big deal. There are so many ways to go veg that meals don't have to look "weird" or be obviously vegetarian.

I'll continue to share recipe ideas that have been a hit with my crew, but here are two to get us started:

http://parentscanada.com/food/quick-and-easy-dinners/crispy-salmon-sweet-potato-cakes.aspx
Everyone really liked the Crispy Salmon Sweet Potato Cakes that I found in Parents Canada magazine in the March/April 2011 issue. (I should note that in addition to being a "lacto-ovo" vegetarian --meaning I love my dairy!-- I also cook fish. Not really vegetarian, but there it is.) You can get the recipe on-line here. They're also pretty low-fat.

If you don't feel like making patties, my mom made this recipe as a loaf. She boiled the sweet potatoes along with potatoes for another meal, then mashed all the ingredients together, including the breadcrumbs. Baked, and voila! Super tasty. (And it's also great as a cold sandwich filling.)

Another favourite was the Steamed Spinach Dumplings recipe from the Australian Women's Weekly book Vegie Food: Low-Fat & Delicious. (Yes, the Australian Women's Weekly --apparently they have the good recipe books, or so said the woman at the cooking paraphernalia shop where I bought this. And it seems they also spell "veggie" without the second "g.") The book is available on Amazon.

In short --and so as to not infringe on copyright-- you make balls from spinach, ricotta, egg, flour and seasoning and then steam them. 

I served these dumplings with a tomato sauce over pasta. Though my pre-schooler declined, my two toddlers inhaled them. In fact, the dumplings were so good that even my non-vegetarian in-laws asked for the recipe!

I give two thumbs up for this entire cookbook. If you feel like your vegetarian repertoire is in a bit of a slump, Vegie Food gives some really fresh ideas.

Anyone else have vegetarian recipe hits to share?
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