Moog's meanderings

Munchkin has been quite trying for the last two days. Nothing major – no lying on the floor kicking and screaming in the supermarket or anything like that – just refusing to do almost anything I say/suggest and whining and crying about almost everything. It’s getting rather tiring. Hubby was back in time to help with bedtime last night which was a real blessing. He also helped with the weekly Gymbabes & Tumble Tots fiasco this morning before going to the airport. Every week I wonder whether I am mad to juggle both, but Gymbabes and then Tumble Tots has done so much for Munchkin’s abilities and confidence (it’s really obvious when he’s with others of the same age who haven’t done it) so I want Pumpkin to have the same opportunity. It means that Munchkin has to sit nicely through Gymbabes (not playing with the toys, climbing on the equipment or getting in the way of the under-1’s) for 45 minutes which is a BIG challenge every single week. Then we go to the playground for an hour (Big thanks to God here for the fact that out of 6 occasions it has been fine weather exactly 6 times!!) and have snacks while we wait for the Tumble Tots class to start. During this time I am trying to manhandle a pram, boisterous munchkin, his toys from trying to distract him during Gymbabes, the changing bag and all the other clobber one needs while having the now 8-month old and getting heavy Pumpkin in the sling. Supervising Munchkin through his class with Pumpkin in the sling is getting harder but does seem to work. By that time I am usually tired and scratchy from constantly telling him not to do what he shouldn’t be doing all through Gymbabes and wandering around the playground for an hour. Not sure what I am going to do with Pumpkin during Munchkin’s class when he is too big to be carried (at that point he’ll probably be walking). We get back an hour late for lunch because of the timing, and they both go for a late nap. It does work out but it means that Thursday is my Crazy Day.
Tomorrow I am taking them both to their swimming lesson on my own (argh!). I have never taken them both swimming on my own so that’ll be interesting. Technically they’re not allowed to participate without a parent/carer each but I asked in advance and the instructor is going to come in the pool and have one of them so that they don’t both have to miss out, which is really good of her.
I am very much hoping that Munchkin makes life a bit easier for us by cheering up a bit over the next day or so. I am already looking forward to Hubby’s return although it’s likely to be after I am in bed tomorrow night.
Ooh – by the way, the mince pies worked out quite well. Munchkin won’t even try them (something he does with a lot of things these days ), which is a shame but means that there will be more for hubby and me!!

Ok, so in the spirit of trying to keep on blogging I figured that if I get a few minutes and use them to blog then I might just get back into the habit rather than never getting around to it.
I have just spent nap time making mince pies. I made the pastry the other day thinking I would make a batch that evening, but More Important things needed doing so the pastry just got put in the fridge. I remembered to take it out this morning just in case I had time this afternoon and it was even almost at room temperature by the time I needed it. I have experimented with another slight variation on my gluten free pastry mix so will let you know how they turn out! The first batch is probably almost cool enough for tasting. I have discovered that being too hasty in testing mince pies often results in a burnt tongue, so I am not planning on doing that today.
We stayed in all morning waiting for the parcel to be re-delivered, and it turned up at 11.40am. Shame it wasn’t slightly earlier so that I could take the boys out for some fresh air before lunch/calming down/naps, but at least they came and I got the stuff. It was a bulk order of tapioca flour and potato flour (actually potato starch) which are a staple of my gluten free existence but seem to be rather hard to come in the usual shops. The last thing I wanted was for it to be returned!! I also received the new pressure cooker gasket that I had ordered. The old one has gone brittle and started cracking in one place and the pressure cooker hasn’t been quite right – letting out too much steam and sometimes not coming up to pressure. The information that comes with the spare gasket says that with normal use they need replacing every 6-9months!!!!! That was rather a surprise to me, but as it’s rubber and subject to high temperatures and pressure on a regular basis I suppose it does make sense. Must remember to keep an eye on the new one so that I don’t let it get to the same state that the old one is in!
Hubby is back later tonight – hooray for a bit of adult company for the evening before he jets off again tomorrow, even if he won’t be back until after the boys are in bed.
Anyway, I am off to enjoy a cup of tea and a mince pie for a few minutes before Pumpkin (and then Munchkin) wake up and demand my attention.

In all that’s been going on I have omitted to let you all know that Hubby has had his PhD Viva and it went very well indeed. He has been granted his PhD pending some minor amendments which he has a few weeks to complete. Hooray!! He is very relieved (and we are all very proud). Since that happened we have spent a week in Northumberland at a cottage near Bamburgh with my parents. It was really nice to get away properly without Hubby having to worry about being contacted about work (which always happens when he’s having time off but is at home) or working on the PhD. Pumpkin has started smiling a lot and gurgling and chatting back when he’s given the attention so it was great timing for my parents to spend some time getting to know him a bit. It also meant Hubby and I had the extra pairs of hands and eyes to help out! Mum and Dad took Munchkin out a few times and once took over for a full day so Hubby and I could visit Lindisfarne (Holy Island). Obviously we took the little one with us but he is very happy strapped to one of us in the sling so we were able to take our time reading the information about the Priory and Castle and soaking everything up rather than running around after the boisterous Munchkin!!

Both Pictures are of Lindisfarne Priory.

The last couple of weeks we have been having new potatoes from our allotment. They’re lovely! We’ve just started on the Charlotte variety which I am really enjoying (can’t remember what the other types are off hand). We are also just starting to get a few courgettes and hubby tells me that both the runner and french bean plants are flowering. I haven’t managed to get down to help or have a look since before we went away – timing it right with both kids is apparently more of a challenge than I can handle at the moment!

I have an appointment back at the rheumatology clinic tomorrow morning. Hubby will take Munchkin out to a picnic held by our regular ’stay and play’ group while I go along with Pumpkin. I don’t expect them to change any of my medication or anything. Healthwise things are going pretty well – just the odd blip here and there. I am so lucky to have (a very proactive and helpful) hubby working at home for the most part meaning that he’s available to help out at mealtimes (which for me are the most difficult bit of having to deal with both of them together next to bath/bedtime). I do wonder how my illness would be affected if I had to cope with him being away more on business. He does travel a bit, and generally is off on site about one day a week. I cope, but it’s obviously harder. When he does go away for a few days then I start to see things deteriorating. Lupus is affected by hormones and tiredness/worry/stress sends ones hormones off doing funny things, setting off the Lupus (apart from chronic fatigue being one of it’s big symptoms in the first place). So by the time he gets back I find myself wound up and tired suffering from a short temper from being worn down as well as the familiar arthritic problems in various joints making it hard to do lots of things including picking up/supporting the children. Anyway – I seem to have gone off on a whinge so I apologise!!

Both of the boys are doing well. Munckin will be 2 years old in less than a fortnight! It seems to have crept up on us so fast! He’s such a lovely little boy and he’s just hilarious at the moment as he’s learning to talk. He often stands there for ages looking at me and repeating the same word over and over and over, while I try in vain to decipher what it means. I often don’t manage and it either ends in tears or a very odd kind of lopsided look before he wanders off to do something else! Pumpkin is really getting interactive and smiles a lot. It’s a really nice stage when they get to chuckling and gurgling at your attempts to keep them amused! He is also quite often only waking up in the night once, which is a relief. Although not last night (so I am feeling rather tired especially as Hubby got up to disappear down South for the day at 6am). Isn’t it typical that as I ended up getting up that early having not had a great night anyway the other two boys carried on sleeping until 7.30am!!!

On the (gluten free) baking front I recently made some cheese, corn and bacon muffins (I found the recipe in Coeliac UK’s ‘Crossed Grain’ Summer 2009 Magazine but I can’t seem to find it on their website) and they were really good. A great savoury snack for when you’re on the go. I also made an enormous batch of chicken nuggets a few weeks ago (Most of them are now in the freezer). These were a variation on a recipe I found in How to Feed Your Whole Family a Healthy Balanced Diet, with Very Little Money and Hardly Any Time, Even If You Have a Tiny Kitchen, Only Three Saucepans (One with An Ill Fitting Lid) and No Fancy Gadgets – Unless You Count the Garlic Crusher… and they’re fab! I used coarse polenta to coat them and they’re really good. The apple and carrot in them gives them a very distinctive (good) flavour and it means that I can have chicken nuggets and chips without it costing the earth or being particularly unhealthy. Ironically, now that I have got around to making my own, Sainsbury’s have finally got their gluten free chicken nuggets back on the shelves again (it’s only take about a year since the scare about lactose that made them take them off).

Anyway – as both boys are asleep and the other one’s at work, I might see if I can make the most of it and go for a short rest or even a nap.

Hubby handed in his PhD today!! YAY!!! We can all relax a bit now

The other day I was in town and bought a load of mushrooms for £1. 1.5kg of mushrooms to be precise.  Hubby and I both absolutely love mushrooms so I thought I’d make soup for the freezer or whatever.  However, on reflection I decided that mushroom pate would be a good idea.  I particularly love the Cauldron Organic Mushroom Pate that you can get in some supermarkets but I don’t buy it often because it’s expensive (well, it is if you spread it thickly). So I tried to replicate it.
I chopped a load of mushrooms and put some homegrown garlic through a garlic press. I fried it all in butter and then turned up the heat to evaporate the juice. I sprinkled it with Season All then put it in the blender with some cream cheese. I whizzed it and out came this fantastic delicious mixture fairly similar to the pate I buy. Hurrah!! Both Hubby and Munchkin are addicted to it – I made the mistake of letting them try some and the result was that Munchkin wouldn’t have his supper and instead ate a ramekin of pate with a spoon. Hummmm.

Today’s nap time is sitting with laptop.  Definitely a good chance to be ‘resting’!  I am now 32 weeks pregnant and am Big and Tired.  The dining room is out of bounds because of a new cupboard being built around the boiler – ready for decorating next week.  It’s involving drilling and banging so I am currently not washing up, cooking dinner, baking or any of those things I often (need to) fill nap time with.  I am also not in the conservatory as it’s kind of a ’staging area’ for the work in the dining room (bits of wood and stuff piled up).  It’s nice being in the living room actually.  It’s quiet (apart from the drilling next door) and as it’s south facing it’s currently very warm and sun-filled.

Munchkin appears to be having a good nap in spite of his room only being separated from the spare room (the decorator is currently in there – with radio) by plasterboard.  Long may it last!

Hubby is due back this evening.  It would be lovely if he made it back in time to see Munchkin before bed, but it’s a bit of a trek home so I am not really expecting him by then.  I usually go to a pregnancy yoga class on Thursday evenings so I suspect I won’t be going to that tonight.  On the one hand I’d like to go if Hubby is back.  On the other hand, I haven’t seen him since Monday so it’d be nice to just sit down and eat together and get an early night rather than rushing off out as soon as he walks in.

In other news:  We had our first purple sprouting on Sunday night!  It was really tasty.  It’s one particular vegetable that makes having an allotment really worthwhile.  The broad beans are coming up well because of the various sunny days we’ve had.  Hubby made it down on Sunday afternoon to do some bits and pieces while Munchkin was napping and he planted shallots and garlic as well as doing some tidying up.  the spring cabbages are looking a bit small and sad (ah – speaking of which I think I meant to feed them…  something for the weekend?!) and so are our leeks.  I think we’ll end up having them as baby leeks…

Munchkin has gone away on holiday.  I would say that it’s quiet without him, but we have builders in the house who are currently demolishing the chimney breast in the dining room and the bedroom above so it’s hardly quiet.  Hubby has the week reserved for his PhD.  We had a very productive day yesterday with him working on it and I reviewed one of his chapters and we discussed it.  It’s good to feel that we’re getting somewhere and that I am able to make helpful contributions.

This morning we’re still trying to get everything out of the way while they get on upstairs – Munckin’s room has the furniture from the spare room in it, so that’s fine.  The problem is the contents of the many shelves as well as the fitted wardrobe and cupboard (which are being ripped out and won’t be going back when the room is decorated).  We have spent the last two evenings ’sorting’ things and the result is a load of rubbish but even more ’stuff’ in boxes to go to the attic.  I have passed all the lighter boxes up there but Hubby is having to do the rest himself because of my ‘delicate condition’.  It’s annoying not being able to be as useful as I would be in a non-pregnant state.

We popped down to the allotment yesterday to see whether there was any purple sprouting ready yet.  A couple of the larger plants have some lovely heads coming on them but they’re not quite ready for picking yet.  They’re looking very healthy though and I can’t wait to enjoy eating them.  The leeks are very small and rather drowned in weeds (another thing I’d rather like to do something about but getting up and down to and from a crouching or kneeling position is increasingly difficult and I am afraid that the weeds are a bit big to be upset by a hoe).  The broad bean plants are growing and looking fairly healthy and the spring cabbages are getting there slowly.  I read somewhere that it’s a good idea to give them a feed about now to get them some nutrients after a few months of winter/wet depriving them.  Must remember to do that over the next few days.

On Sunday I made a gluten free carrot cake, recipe courtesy of my Dove’s Farm recipe book (free with a stamped addressed envelope). It is rather nice and it’s also vegan. Definitely one I will make again. I can’t seem to find the recipe on their website though – if anyone’s interested I will post it later.

Well, I suppose I’d better go and do what I should be doing – helping with the ole PhD.  )

Well, he didn’t. I had a sandwich and a cup of tea and read the paper for a bit, studiously ignoring the intermittent wailing from upstairs. I really needed the opportunity to sit down and felt a lot better for it. Munchkin actually didn’t seem too perturbed by it in the end (except asking for Daddy when I went in to get him!). He did have a wierd rest of the day though – refused to eat any lunch at all. Managed a chocolate cake a little later! Ran riot at the Playcentre we went to later on with a friend and her son and was then persuaded to eat a good tea. He was really shattered by the end of it all and is still currently asleep.
Today hubby has gone to work by train so that I can use the car to get to our group this morning. Having not been well last week I have yet to figure out the bus to there yet.

..well, I suppose if we really put our mind to it we could get out and about. I have walked up the road to buy eggs. Munchkin, hubby and I walked round the block and threw snowballs. Getting the car in and out of the garage is not easy in the snow (as hubby experienced on Monday evening) so we’ve decided not to bother. The small roads where we live are bad (and not gritted) although the main roads seem to be ok.
It turned out that hubby wasn’t needed for the thing he was supposed to be doing workwise down south for Tues-Thurs so he never went. Given the situation on the roads according to the national travel news bulletins I am very relieved! It’s also been useful as I had a weird Tuesday and Wednesday and needed the help with Munchkin. I spent most of Tuesday in bed aching and feeling sick – all I managed all day was half a ginger biscuit and an apple. Of course, having not eaten anything I spent all of Wednesday feeling absolutely shattered. Today is very much better, but hubby feels shattered and has a nasty headache (and doesn’t look great). He’s gone for a nap.
I’ve been suffering quite badly from heartburn the last week or two. I did have it a bit when I was pregnant with Munchkin, but it started a lot later on and didn’t seem to bother me as much. It means that napping after lunch (well, lying down anyway!) isn’t a great idea because of the reflux so my plan is to watch TV or read instead. Not that I have been napping – more like rushing around the house getting things done, making bread or supper, tidying up or whatever. That’s probably not the best thing to be doing straight after lunch when one’s stomach is somewhat limited on space due to a hyperactive member of the next generation incubating down there.
Hey ho – TV it is! )

Hubby made it home again but spent 1/3 of his journey time within 5 miles of home. The snow situation (depending on your point of view) got progressively worse throughout the day and it’s now rather unwise to try to get anywhere. I am now no longer going to do the visit I talked about in my earlier post.
I was very proud of myself to have managed the walk to and from our regular group this morning. Munchkin slept very late and what with the snow making progress with the pushchair rather slower than usual we made it just in time for the sing-song and tidy up!! A nice person made me a cup of tea and gave Munchkin a biscuit though, and I managed to hang around and natter for nearly an hour so it was definitely a worthwhile expedition.
The second trip out wasn’t so much fun – longer and there was more snow to contend with. I made it the health centre (not my local one) where the notice at the reception desk advised ‘if you have an appointment wait to be called’ and listed the numbers for the various people/groups/clinics operating out of the centre. I sat and waited – having an appointment. 45 minutes later a nice lady asked me what I was waiting for and went to find out where the midwives were. None on site, and no clinic today. Frustrated? An understatement! This is just one in an ever increasing list of ‘miscommunications’ from my midwife (and these days I double check everything she tells me because there have been so many mistakes – dates, times, locations, …). As I was leaving I bumped into one of the midwives I know from my pregnancy with Munchkin, who had just returned from my regular health centre and had been wondering why I hadn’t turned up to my 1430 appointment. Grrr! When I left it was snowing fairly heavily and I can say that the trek back wasn’t all that much fun. Thankfully Munchkin slept from part way through the outward to just into the return journey, so at least he wasn’t too much disrupted by it all.
Looking forward to a nice hot bath (promised by hubby when he finally made it home) and homemade chicken stew with mash in front of the TV. Mmmm!