Look out bad guys.

Has there ever been a cuter super hero?

 

Alasdair (4) is still a huge Captain America fan (as is his 14 year old brother actually!) and was saving up his pennies to buy this costume.

 

He was the proudest little boy ever when he was finally able to buy it.

Tweet

Getting fit and healthy

Ha, well there's a title I didn't think I'd ever see myself writing!

 

Don't worry, I haven't given up on the cake baking. That just wouldn't be me, and I'm still a firm believer that a little of what you fancy - substitute cake/chocolate here - does you no harm at all. Moderation is the key.

 

Trouble was that I realised I was indulging a little too much. I was using the excuse that I needed extra calories as I'm breast feeding as a reason to eat a bag of mini eggs in one sitting. And while this hasn't really done me any harm in the short term, I realised I should probably try and clean up my snacking habits a bit.

 

That's where my downfall was. We eat healthy home cooked meals every night. One plus side of cooking for allergies is that you can't eat processed food and so need to cook from scratch. But in between meals I was reaching for the biscuit jar a little too often. But hey, those of you who have breast fed know how hungry you get, right? Ravenously so at times, and a handful of chocolate digestives fits the bill just nicely!

 

A little over a month ago I came across the green smoothie challenge at simplegreensmoothies.com. They challenge you to drink a green smoothie every day for 30 days. It sounded like just what I needed to kick start the new healthy me. I read the site a little more and they claimed that by drinking a daily green smoothie your cravings for sweet things would go down. I was a little less convinced by that! Still, I wanted to give it a go and that week I added a couple of bags of spinach to my shopping list, as well as a pile of extra fruits.

 

Now I'll admit, it's not the most attractive looking thing once it's all mushed up in the blender, and I did get some looks of horror from the boys and my beloved, and it does smell a little bit like fresh grass - stick with me here - but it tastes delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was an instant convert, easily drinking my one smoothie a day, and this Thursday my 30 days are up!

 

Plus, they were right. I didn't want to eat that junk between meals any more.

 

Simplegreensmoothies.com is full of inspiring green smoothie recipes and beautiful coloured photographs of them but my favourite one is one I came up with using the formula they give below...

 

 

 

If you've never tried a green smoothie before then try this one: 1 cup spinach, 1 cup water, 1 mango, 2 oranges. It's like a bright and sunshiny morning.

 

 

Moving on from the smoothies, I decided to add a little extra excercise into my life too. I've always considered looking after the boys and everything that running a busy household involves as enough excercise for me. Then on top of that there's the walking involved in taking the boys to school and back. It must add up!

 

But then one day Calum (11) came home from school on a day when he has running club, and asked if I would go out running with him as he wanted to run more than just once a week at club. On top of that, both he and David are working on their fitness at rugby too.

 

I didn't outwardly laugh when Calum suggested it but inwardly, well, I've spent my whole life avoiding running. It just wasn't me. But then I thought, why not? I might hate it or I might love it and it's worth a shot.

 

So, I downloaded a couch to 5k app, and we began our training schedule at the weekend.

 

At the moment this picture sums up my fledgling running...

 

...but you've got to start somewhere.

 

I'm using the NHS couch to 5k podcasts. In the first week you run for 60 seconds then walk for 90 seconds and repeat this 8 times, with a 5 minute walk at the start and end. Calum and David (8) are my running buddies, Ally (4) comes along on his scooter (although he sometimes puts it up on the pram and runs along) and Fraser is pushed along in the pram. I'm not sure if the pram is making it easier for me or harder. It's nice to have something to lean on but it's also tougher on the hills!

 

We've decided to take a running selfie after we complete each session and this was our very first one.

 

 

I like to think that I'll stick with the programme. I know it's going to get tougher but it's good having the boys keen to get involved. James (14) also wants to start running but he thinks our pace is a bit slow for him and he might join in later.

 

You only run 3 days a week, with a rest day in between each run day. On my rest days I've been doing Zumba - which I love! I haven't been going to classes, but bought the game for the Wii on eBay. And I always close the curtains before having a go! Again, Calum, David & Ally love to join in and I often end up doing it with Fraser in the baby sling.

 

I hardly know myself any more!

 

 

 

Tweet

Recipe of the Week - Gluten & Dairy Free Mini Doughnuts

These little beauties are deceptively simple to make.

 

 

 

I don't want to make a habit of sharing recipes that need a specialist bit of kit, but I think this one is worth being the exception! I've heard many people who are gluten free say how much they miss being able to eat a doughnut and with this little tin they are really easy to make.

 

I bought mine quite a few years ago from Lakeland but they don't stock them any more. I emailed them to ask if they had any plans to restock them and I received a reply saying that they didn't. So, I had a quick look on Amazon and found a very similar looking one here. I should add that I don't get any Amazon affiliates or anything, just wanted to help share the doughnutty love!

 

When I first got our tin, no matter how well I thought I had greased it the doughnuts would still stick a little, especially the middles. Then I thought about doing what I do when I make Yorkshire puddings as they never stick - heat up a little oil in each space first. It worked perfectly.

 

Now that Calum (11) loves to bake, I have started to write down my recipes in a little book for him. He can now go ahead and bake without me having to tell him the recipe each time.

 

Isn't it cute?

 

 

For the mini doughnuts you will need:

 

350ml rice milk

2eggs

8oz Doves Farm Gluten Free Self Raising Flour

4oz sugar

1tsp vanilla essence

 

Oil for greasing

Extra sugar for dusting.

 

- Pour about 1/2 a teaspoon of oil into each section of your mini doughnut tin and then put into a preheated oven at 180C for about 5 minutes until hot.

- Put the rice milk, eggs, flour, sugar and vanilla essence into a bowl and beat well with a whisk until you have a smooth batter.

- To make pouring the mix into the tin easier it is best to transfer it all into a good pouring jug now.

- Pour a little mix into each section of the tin. Fill each section to about 3/4 full. No higher or your doughnut will rise too high and the hole will close up.

- Bake at 180C for about 20 minutes until golden.

- Let them cool for a little before trying to remove from the tin. They should come out with just a wee twist.

- Dip each doughnut into some extra sugar (the side that has been in the tin will be best for the sugar to stick to) before cooling on a cooling rack.

 

 

VARIATION

- Add 1 tsp cinnamon to the batter mix instead of the vanilla and then add another tsp of cinnamon to the sugar you use to coat the doughnuts.

- Dip the cooled doughnuts in some water icing and then dip into some gluten free sprinkles.

- Dip the cooled doughnuts into some melted dairy free chocolate.

 

 

 

 

Tweet

This little man....

....loves his mammy's silky top.

 

It has a big cowl neck that he loves to chew on when I wear it. The other day when one of the boys took the washing in off the line for me they handed Fraser the top and he had a happy wee chew and cuddle with it!

 

 

 

 

Another of his brothers took the photos, which is why some of them were at funny angles!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This little man got some goalie gloves of his own at the weekend, so he can now be like his big brothers when they play football together. He was quite the proper goal keeper, throwing himself around on the ground to stop the ball.

 

 

 

 

And back to this little man, who learned how to roll over from his back to his tummy for the first time on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

He was rather pleased with himself at first.

 

 

 

But then he looked at me as if he was saying, 'OK mam, now how do I get back again?!'

 

 

 

He doesn't roll over much yet and when he does he still gives me that panicked look once he's over! Being on his tummy just isn't quite so much fun.

 

Yet.

Tweet

The return of Bake it like Berry

 

 

A little over a year ago I set myself the challenge of baking my way through Mary Berry's Baking Bible.

 

Only a couple of weeks after I started it I discovered I was expecting Fraser. And then the pregnancy sickness hit me! Even just the thought of cakes made me feel ill for all 9 months and so I only baked the essentials - the usual free from bakes for Calum and Alasdair.

 

I had to stop scrolling through my Pinterest feed, usually filled with lots of inspiration for yummy cakes, as even looking at cake made me feel sick!

 

I didn't want to forever associate the Baking Bible with how horrible I felt and so I postponed my challenge.

 

Those of you who followed my pregnancy updates will remember how out of character I felt by this dislike of sweet things. It wasn't new to me though, as in each pregnancy I have felt the same.

 

Now that Fraser is 6 months old, and in some sort of a routine, I'm ready to take on the challenge again. I should also add that he was more than worth every moment of that sickness.

 

So, here's what I tried out this week....

 

Firstly, some Double Chocolate Cookies.

 

These were so, so easy to make. They were so good that James (14) made up a second batch a couple of days after I had made the first.

 

 

 

Secondly was this Lemon Swiss Roll.

 

 

The recipe is actually the same as the one I use for our Jam Rolly Polly (recipe in the recipes tab above) but with some lemon zest added. I told Calum (11) that I was going to make this and asked if he wanted it made free from, as Jam Rolly Polly is one of his favourites, but he wasn't too keen on the idea of lemon! So I didn't.

 

It was a really lovely and light cake.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally I made some simple Griddle Scones.

 

 

Each weekend we have pancakes for breakfast and I always my granny's griddle for them but it was scones just like these that my granny used to make all the time.

 

 

 

Again, another simple recipe. These could easily be rustled up quickly for a last minute visitor and don't even need an egg in them.

 

They were especially good warm from the griddle and reminded me of summers at my granny's when she would bake endless batches of scones on the old stove. All that was missing was granny's homemade Rhubarb Jam!

 

 

So that's the roundup for this week. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of the kitchen this coming week!

 

Tweet

Quick Lollipop Flowerpot Craft

 

I made up a selection of these little flower pots to give as gifts at Christmas time.

 

Thinking ahead now to the end of the school term in a couple of months, these would make a slightly different than usual teacher gift.

 

They are so quick & easy to make that even if you think of yourself as non crafty I'm pretty sure you could rustle this one up!

 

Not only is it quick & easy to make but it's also not going to break the bank.

 

 

All you need is:

 

A smallish terracotta flower pot

A couple of sheets of green tissue paper

A bag of lollipops

A circle of florists foam to fit your pot (Hobbycraft sell these small ones in packs of three)

 

 

 

All you need to do is rip off a rough square of tissue paper, fold it over a little if you want, and pierce the lollipop stick through the middle of it.

 

 

You will have a strange shaped green 'leaf' on your lollipop flower that you can now crumple up a little bit more around the flower.

 

 

 

Then just stick the lolly sticks into the florist foam.

 

 

 

Once I was happy with the position of all of my 'flowers' then I reshaped the 'leaves' a bit better to hide the florist foam below.

 

 

 

Simple!

 

Tweet

Boy meets girl - the very beginning

I love to read stories of how other couples met. When I was going through the old photo albums looking for photos for my dad's birthday recently I came across some early ones of me and my husband together, and it reminded me of our story.

 

To start it we need to go back to the summer of 1995. Which was longer ago than I always think it was!

 

I was just finished school and hoping to go to Glasgow University to study for an MA, a general arts degree, and hoping to choose Music and Gaelic as my two main subjects. I was going to follow in my dad's footsteps as he had an MA from Galsgow Uni and Gaelic had been one of his subjects. On top of this, all of my school friends were heading to Glasgow as well.

 

(Photo from google)

 

 

When our exam results came through I was a grade short of what I needed to get to Glasgow.

 

It wasn't my only option though. I also had the offer of a place to study for a Bachelor of Music.

 

But it was in Edinburgh.

 

(Photo from google)

 

And I knew absolutely nobody in Edinburgh or heading to Edinburgh to study.

 

To some people that might not be the biggest deal, but for me it was. I'm not a naturally outgoing person. Well I am a lot more so now, but when I had just turned 18 I certainly wasn't!

 

I also had the valid excuse that having left things so late to accept a place in Edinburgh, I had nowhere to live.

 

My dad suggested that he phone a fellow minister in Edinburgh to ask if he knew of anywhere I could stay. If he could find me somewhere to stay then that was one of my major excuses out of the window!

 

As it happened, the minister's son was also home that day. He had just finished at University in Aberdeen and was home for a few days as he had a job interview in Edinburgh. It was he who knew that one of the girls in his dad's church was looking for a new flatmate and got her number for us.

 

There went my excuse.

 

The girl not only became my flatmate and one of my best friends, but she would also be the chief bridesmaid at my wedding.

 

Not just that, but the minister that my dad had phoned would become my father in law and his son who was there that day my dad phoned would become my husband.

 

It's a good thing I didn't get that grade after all!

 

To be continued.......

 

 

 

Tweet

A blood test, a food challenge and a loooong day.

On Friday we had a double appointment in Children's Ward at the hospital.

 

Fraser was to get blood taken so that they can test him for allergies before he starts to wean properly and Calum (11) was to have a wheat challenge.

 

The letter we were sent with the appointment times said that we should expect to be in for about 3 hours so I decided it was probably best to leave David (8) and Alasdair (4) with their Aunty for the morning. James (14) had left with dad earlier in the morning, as they were heading away to a Youth Conference for the weekend.

 

So, at about 9.45 we arrived in Children's Ward.

 

It was the first time any of the boys has ever been for a food challenge. Usually the skin prick tests (or blood tests when they are younger) have shown a severe enough allergy to not need any double checking with a food challenge. When Calum had his skin prick tests a few months ago he still reacted to wheat but the doctor thought that the size of the lump that came up was slightly smaller than when he was previously tested. I wasn't quite so sure! She also said that sometimes wheat can show a false positive and suggested we try a wheat challenge, which would be a more accurate gauge.

 

So, there we were, settling in for a few hours at the hospital.

 

The nurse got Calum all weighed up in case he would need any medication and then checked all his vitals - blood pressure, heart rate, temperature. Then the test began with a tiny drop of Weetabix on his lips. She then took myself and Fraser to another room to take some blood from him.

 

Poor little man. He wasn't too impressed by the ordeal, but at least she got enough blood from him on the first attempt.

 

We returned to Calum, who was happily reading the Guiness Book of Records and showing no signs of reaction to the first stage of the test.

 

A food challenge is made up by gradually increasing the amounts of food given by tiny amounts, every 15 minutes or so, with vitals checked before each next stage is given. So Calum went from a drop on his lip to having the spoon dipped in Weetabix then placed on his tongue, to a quarter teaspoonful , to a half teaspoonful , to a teaspoonful, to two teaspoonful.....

 

It was all going quite well.

 

Just after he had been given the two teaspoonsful, I looked over at him and saw a blotch on his cheek. Then another couple on his forehead. Then he began to itch his head and feel some more in his hair. Just then the nurse came in and he had erupted in hives. There were some on his chest and back too. He still felt fine though, his airways hadn't been affected the way that they do when he has dairy. He was just very itchy and blotchy!

 

Still, it was definitely time to stop the challenge and get some antihistamine into him!

 

He was checked over by one of the paediatricians, who said he would need to stay in for 4 hours observation since he had had an allergic reaction. That would bring us to 4pm. I texted my brother's wife who said the other boys were fine. Then I went to the hospital to buy Calum a football magazine. There is only so much of the Guiness Book of Records you can read in one sitting.

 

By now Fraser was having a wee snooze and so I got to catch up on my crochet memory blanket for a while.

 

 

At about 3.45 a different doctor came to check on Calum. He was holding Fraser, who had been awake for a while, and when she looked at him she asked was he getting treatment for his eczema! I replied that yes he was, and that this was it much, much better. He did get a bit red and itchy with the heat in the hospital but really he didn't look bad at all!

 

Anyway, she said that Calum needed to stay in for 6 hours observation and not 4, which would take us to 6pm! Poor Calum. He has such a patient nature but I could see him crumble a little when she said this. We thought we were only 15 minutes from freedom and now we had another 2 hours to wait! He had felt absolutely fine since about an hour after the antihistamine was taken and he really had run out of things to do.

 

I'm not complaining about it though, as they were keeping a good eye on him. The allergen was still in his system and it's not unknown for an allergic reaction to return. I'd rather that happen in hospital than at home.

 

Playing with Fraser and chatting about football (amongst other things) passed the next two hours. Thankfully I actually enjoy watching football too so didn't need to feign interest in it!

 

Finally at 6.15 we were allowed out!

 

We went to get the other boys from my brother's house and my sister in law had also asked us to stay for dinner, which was great as it's surprisingly exhausting spending 8 1/2 hours in hospital!

 

So, Calum will just continue on the same diet as before - wheat free, dairy free & egg free.

 

I'm thankful for the care the medical staff took of him and that he was OK.

I'm thankful that both he and Fraser have the same patient nature.

And I'm thankful for close family nearby to help out and look after my slightly less patient boys.

Tweet

6 months old

It's hard to believe, but it's been six months since this little man made his appearance.

 

 

Right from the beginning his lovely nature was apparent.

At 2 months old his battle with eczema began. Exactly the same age that Calum (11) and Alasdair (4) were when theirs began.

 

 

 

I actually made up two photos for two months as I couldn't decide which I preferred!

 

 

 

 

But despite how sore his skin was, he still continued to charm us all with his smiles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then at 5 months old we made the breakthrough on the repeated skin infections with Milton in his bath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 6 months his skin remains the same. His eczema is under control with regular Milton baths, his steroid creams and Icthamol paste & 50/50 ointment mix. It's a daily chore but so worth the results.

 

He doesn't try and sit on his own yet but sits quite nicely on your knee.

 

He hasn't tried rolling over - there is always someone around to entertain him without him trying too hard!

 

He's still exclusively breastfed. I haven't started him on solids yet as I'm holding off until we get the results of tests to see if he has any of the allergies that his brothers have. (The tests are tomorrow!)

 

He weighs a nice healthy 17.5lbs.

 

He has no teeth yet but has been dribbling since he was about 2 months old.

 

He likes to chew on his thumb or his fingers.

 

He loves to watch his brothers entertain him, no matter what they are up to!

 

He doesn't sleep all night yet but I really don't mind the chance for those extra cuddles.

 

Tweet

Online colic clinic

One of the hardest parts of having a new baby has to be trying to work out why your little one is crying. Not just for first time parents either. Those of us with more than one child still need to work out what those tears mean as each baby is so very different.

 

I am thankful that none of our boys have really been the type of baby who cries endlessly. A friend of mine had a baby around the same time as one of my boys who would cry for hours on end.

 

One of the most common reasons for such crying is Colic, with as many as 1 in 4 babies suffering from it.

 

Only one of our boys suffered from colic, our 3rd boy, David (8), although he didn't suffer too badly from it. I think his was partly down to how greedily he would guzzle down his feeds! By using Infacol his colic was soon sorted out quite simply.

 

Infacol is apparently the UK's biggest selling colic remedy, and they have just launched a very helpful web app to help parents find answers at www.ColicHelp.co.uk

 

I was sent a wee box of goodies as a thank you for trying out the website and helping to spread the word.

 

 

 

The website has a list of the most commonly asked questions about colic that parents can work through to get answers or there is also the option of typing in your own questions. It has the advantage of being available to parents 24/7 and parents can get advice in the evening, when colic is usually at its worst and the doctors surgery is closed.

 

It's a great idea to help reassure parents and to help give answers and advice at all hours. They don't pretend that the app is a substitute for medical advice, rather that it is used to give parents the information they need about colic and how to help their baby get some relief.

 

I also liked that in the section on tips for parents they didn't suggest giving Infacol as the number one thing to do, but give helpful links for baby massage as well as listing foods that breast feeding mums should perhaps try avoiding first.

 

I would be happy to point new parents to the website before the need for it arises. Then if they do need some advice for a baby who fusses a lot they would know where to go to for a little advice.

 

 

 

Tweet