You to Do -Missions to Accomplish

My husband is a genius when it comes to finding new and interesting things to do. He seems to have a knack of knowing what we enjoy individually and as a family and his ideas help to make family time fun. As the kids have got older it’s been harder to find cheap ways to lure the kids from their rooms to spend time with us old fogies but my husband came through with this little gem; the You to Do, Missions to Accomplish chart.

This chart has 5 columns and spaces for 5 names and below it is a list of a wide variety of different activities. There is literally something for anyone and for every season; you get to tick the chart when you catch a snowflake on your tongue and when you swim in the sea! There are also different sizes of challenge; you could spend 5 minutes a day for a week learning a new word each day or you could spend a few seconds feeding the birds.

My kids immediately loved this idea and are both asking when they can make home made pizza or flip pancakes so they can tick those boxes. I also love the idea that there are so many tasks and the variety is such that this will keep everyone interested for quite a while and if anyone should say they are bored I can challenge them to a quick task like, draw a self portrait.

Definitely a 10 out of 10 for the You to Do Chart which you can buy here.

The 1% Rule

Next week sees me celebrating another birthday but I have reached a time in my life when birthdays don’t mean much anymore. When I was a child I remember longing to be 16 so I could leave school and go to college, then 18 so I could be an adult. I always seemed to be wishing my life away and imagining the amazing things I thought would happen in the future. With age has come experience and I know now that change doesn’t happen because you get older but because you make it happen.

My recent decision to change my lifestyle and opt for healthier foods and increase the amount of exercise that I do was a recognition of the fact that I won’t wake up one day slim and that if I want to avoid diabetes, cancer and  heart conditions I need to be proactive and make changes myself. This has been a big decision and has meant spending more time on considering what we will eat as a family each week and proactively finding time to exercise. After years of prioritising the children’s needs ahead of my own it seems odd to be taking time back for myself and I sometimes feel selfish but then I look at what a small amount of time that is and consider whether my children would rather I take that time to go on the exercise bike or take a walk now or whether they would rather spend it at my bedside in hospital later. I am learning to accept that my kids are old enough to do many things themselves; soon they will be out living their own lives and that, although I will always be there for them, I think I have to start looking at changes I need to make in my life to end up where I want to be.

Making changes can seem daunting and although people say you should break down change into manageable chunks to make it seem more achievable I think it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start. I’m quite indecisive and I worry that I will take the right ‘course’ in life sometimes so I have decided that I am going to apply the 1% rule to everything I want to change.

The 1% rule states that if you put 1% more effort into 1 thing a day then in a year you will have developed 365% as a person. One day you might decide to spend 1% longer studying or put 1% more effort into exercising. You may want to commit to saving 1% more a month; if you increased your savings by 1% a month for a year you would soon see a marked difference. There are so many things you can apply this to; 1% less time on your phone each day, 1% more time writing letters to friends, 1% reading the news or networking.

There are some things in life I would like; to stay happily married, for my kids to be happy, to lose weight and be healthy and to progress in my career so that I am able to invest more money in my pension and create a rainy day fund. Those things can seem huge tasks and its not always clear how to get where you need to be in life but if I can improve myself by 1% a day then I hope that I will eventually become the person I want to become, with the resources I need to have to get by.

Diet Doodle Diary

Following my wake up call I have been looking at ways of motivating myself to stay on track with my healthy living plan. Instagram has been great because there are so many accounts with before and after slimming pictures and there are also fantastic ideas for healthy meals and exercise tips. Whilst I was flicking through the pictures I spotted that several people had mentioned the Diet Doodle Diary and from the pictures I thought it might be fun to have one too! I was using a notebook to keep a food diary but as well as being a food diary this book contains tips, motivational quotes and unique ways to set goals.

There are interesting ways of measuring your progress including whether your boots will zip up to your knees and how to make small changes that will add up to increase your confidence. The drawings are fabulous, the advice is great and if you are looking for a lifestyle change this book will encourage you to develop in different areas of your life. The book also acts as a journal for you to note how you are feeling and there are plenty of inspirational and amusing quotes to spur you on.

I’m not the most confident person and I find that if I get too discouraged  I quit! This book really helps to look at things from a different perspective and rather than buying into the myth that when you lose weight your life will change it encourages you to increase your confidence levels so that you are more likely to succeed and from that success you can learn to build confidence in other areas.

I would definitely recommend this book as a gift to anyone you know starting a healthy living plan and if you are starting any kind of diet change I recommend you buy a copy for yourself too.

The Diet Doodle Diary was illustrated by Julie Mackey and is available here.

Fed Up…the film the food industry didn’t want you to see

Over the weekend I took advantage of having some free time and browsed through Netflix to see what was new. On my ‘recommended viewing’ list I spotted the documentary Fed Up and I was hooked by the tag line ‘The film the food industry didn’t want you to see’. I hadn’t heard of the documentary nor was I aware of the controversy it had caused but I’m glad that I watched.

I was brought up to believe that all calories are equal and if you ate too many then you burnt them off through exercise. I literally thought that if you spent half of your daily allowance on chocolate then you wouldn’t gain weight; why would you if you are within your allotted calories? WRONG! Apparently if you eat high sugar dishes or drink full sugar soda then your body can’t process such a sugar rush in a healthy way and it converts this sugar rush straight to fat, generally in the stomach area. When you eat sugar in the form of a piece of fruit the body is able to process this in a different way due to the amount of fibre accompanying the sugar. The process is slower and doesn’t have the same ‘straight to fat’ side effect. Throughout the documentaries there were warnings about the amount of hidden sugar in processed foods and the huge amounts of unhealthy foods fed to children in US school cafeterias. I was shocked at the evidence to show that public health issues are being hidden by the food industry and concerned to see just how conniving they can be.

At the end of the documentary I realised how lucky we are in the UK to have people like Jamie Oliver who have challenged the food industry and the positive impact this has had on school meals in Britain. I have now banned my kids from having full sugar soda and encouraged them to look at what they eat; luckily they have always had packed lunches so I can make sure they get a healthy balanced diet.

Fed Up isn’t ‘just another documentary’. It is controversial but everything that is said is backed up with evidence. I’m pretty sure Bill Clinton would not be appearing as part of any programme that made false allegations and I think as parents we need to be careful about what we are really feeding our kids.

Heroes

When you say the word ‘hero’ people tend to think of Marvel comic books and superpowers; Batman, Spiderman, Wonder-woman to name but a few. Other people might think of sportsmen or women, or celebrities. This week we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of VE Day and the heroes who died to put an end to genocide and to protect our freedom.

On May 7th 1945 at 3pm the war was over and May 8th is the official 70th anniversary of Victory over Europe. There are no concrete statistics as to how many people died during World War 2 and statistics vary between 40 to 80 million people with 48 to 55 million civilians dying. 11 million people died in the holocaust with 6 million of those people dying because they were Jewish. There are so many stories of bravery from the frontline and from the camps as well as civilians who worked hard as land girls, in the home guard and in many other essential roles to keep everyone fed and safe at home. These people didn’t have superpowers or capes. They weren’t paid millions of pounds for television appearances and they didn’t get asked for their autograph as they walked down the street. There was a resilience and bravery; an inner strength that kept these heroes going in circumstances that many of us can’t even imagine today.

I am always deeply touched by the faith that kept people going through such horrendous times. The story of the Roman Catholic friar St. Max Kolbe, who was a prisoner in Auschwitz. When guards announced they were going to kill 10 prisoners as a punishment for others escaping St Max Kolbe offered to die in place of one of the prisoners, who had a family. He knew he would be starved to death yet he offered his life for another. Such self-less giving humbles me. This holy man, from humble beginnings made the greatest sacrifice without hesitation. No superpowers, no kudos just pure selflessness.

You have probably heard the story of the little Jew in the concentration camp, humiliated and taunted by his Nazi guard. One day he was asked to climb down into the human waste in the latrines and clean them out. This was not only humiliating but carried the risk of disease; what a shameful way to treat anyone. The Nazi guard standing above him shouted down, “Where is your God now?” And the Jewish man replied quietly, “He’s down here with me.” The man spoke out knowing he could have been shot but his faith meant so much to him that he spoke out. This man, who had been imprisoned despite his innocence tried to survive in a desperate environment. How many of us could follow his example in such a difficult situation? No superpowers but plenty of faith and courage.

There are so many examples of bravery an so many unsung heroes from both the second and first world wars but this weekend my family will be attending VE day events to give thanks for the bravery and sacrifice of so many people to ensure we have the free world we enjoy today.

Another step closer to my goal

Following my frustration at not having lost any ‘inches’ despite losing weight, I began to feel despondency kicking in. I know myself well enough to know that I have to have tangible results or I quickly fall into a state of malaise which leads me back into old habits. Bearing this in mind I decided that I needed something to chivvy me along as I have a lot of weight to lose and I could do with support over the journey.

At first I was really stuck as to what to do and I considered online forums for support but I know that never having to meet anyone would mean I could quite easily not log on if I fell into the chocolate trap. Rather that stopping me from quitting anything online would just allow me to sneak away after my first ‘fall’. Next I looked at various slimming groups; I know this is a lifestyle change for me but group support would be really helpful. Having read information on a variety of slimming schemes I decided that the one that is most similar to what I am trying to achieve is Slimming World. Slimming World enables you to eat anything, in the right amounts, so it would enable me to progress with my plan of avoiding additives whilst using loads of fresh produce to cook.

With this in mind, I set out last night to my first meeting. I have to admit there was a moment, just outside the door, when I felt like coming home again as I was worried about being weighed and if I would be the biggest or oldest person there. I took a moment to breath and remember what the wake up call that prompted the decision to lose weight and how making this work is essential for my health.  If I’m not healthy how can I be there for my kids?

When I arrived I was met by an incredibly friendly group of people; men and women, of all ages. I didn’t know that Slimming World have a plan that can be used by children from 11 – 15, who have free membership when they attend with their parent and there were children there. Some people were just there for weigh in and others were buying goodies from the shop. I was introduced to the leader, Mel, and she explained how Slimming World works to myself and another new member. We both stayed for the group session and I even won a prize of lots of fresh fruit, in the weekly raffle. At the end of the meeting I was weighed and I agreed my target weight with Mel. I haven’t chosen a target at the bottom of the range for my height but went for one that sits comfortably in the middle of the range for the BMI I should be.

So will I go back?

The meeting was positive, with lots of encouragement and support. The plan looks viable, as long as I remember to measure food and plan. It will enable me to keep aiming towards a healthy lifestyle whilst receiving support and incentives. There is no negativity attached to ‘falling off the wagon’ and support to change helps people move forward on their weight loss journey. I was really impressed and I will be back with for weigh in next Wednesday. Lets hope its a good loss!

General Election 2015 is nearly here

Tomorrow will see polling stations popping up all over the UK and adults over 18 will be exercising their right to vote. My daughter is very excited as this will be the first year that she can vote so she has been closely studying the different political parties and is determined to use her vote wisely.

Why bother voting?

Over the past few weeks I have heard people say that they won’t bother voting as the borough they live in is traditionally Conservative or Labour or that they don’t feel that they can influence government decisions so there is no point in getting involved with politics. I have brought my children up to understand that the right to vote was paid for in blood. In the past only the wealthy had the right to vote and then only the wealthy men. Within the last century women died in order to win the right to vote in England! People such as Emily Davison, who jumped under the King’s horse at the 1913 Derby, gave their lives in order to fight for the right for you and to be represented in Parliament. I will always vote to show my thanks that I have freedom and that I live in a democracy. Lets not forget, after all that black people in South Africa didn’t get the right to vote until 1994; I bet South African polling stations are full at elections!

Who to vote for?

It can be really difficult to decide who to vote for and who you choose to vote for is your decision; your vote is confidential and no one will know which way you voted. At this election you will be voting twice; once for local council and once for an MP. It’s worth reading all of the literature available and on both the candidates for parliament and local council to make sure you know what they stand for and the impact their opinions may have on you if they are voted in. You can see a history of how your current MP voted in Parliament on a variety of issues so it’s worth googling your MP and seeing whether they believe in the same things as you. A quick way of doing this is to use this link provided by the Telegraph Newspaper http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/11522642/Election-2015-How-active-was-my-MP.html  Don’t forget you can also email the candidates and call if there is anything you want to clarify (but you need to be quick as tomorrow is the big day!)

How to vote?

You will have received your poll card through the post and the address of the polling station you need to attend will be listed on the card, along with the opening hours. Polling stations open early and close late so you should be able to attend before or after work. When you arrive you will have to confirm who you are by showing the polling card to the clerk. They will give you the voting slips and you go into a booth to vote so that no one knows who you choose and the instructions are on the ballot paper! You literally mark your choice with an X. Once you have made your choice you take your paper, fold it in half and put it into the ballot box. It really is that simple!

What if you don’t have a Poll Card?

If you don’t have a poll card then it is highly likely that you aren’t registered to vote. It’s too late now for this election but you should contact your local council to make sure you are registered for the next election.

Can’t wait to take my daughter to vote with me tomorrow as this is a milestone in her life; she is shaping her own future by exercising her right to vote!

Lost but not missing

When I had my wake up call I realised that I had quite a bit of weight to lose and that this was going to have to be a lifestyle change rather than a diet. With this in mind I was pretty excited, this weekend, to discover that I have lost a stone (14 lb) over the past few weeks. I recorded this week’s weight loss of 2 lb in my weight loss chart and then went in search of the tape measure to record my body measurements. I made the decision to measure my bust, waist and hips from the outset as I can imagine there will be weeks when my body weight may not go down but exercise may mean I have lost a quarter of an inch here and there.

I have read that when you lose a stone you can expect to lose a dress size so I have to admit I was expecting to see a big change in my body measurements but there was barely anything anywhere! First of all I thought perhaps there was a problem with the scales and I hadn’t actually lost that much but I got my daughter to hop on and weigh herself and she confirmed her weight was the same as it always is (how I would love to never gain a pound!) Next I wondered if it was the tape measure so I double checked my measurements and sure enough my initial measurements were correct.

I am committed to losing weight for my health but I have also used the thought of being able to fit into more exciting clothes as incentive so I am quite disappointed that there hasn’t been a more visible change. I had thought it was odd that no one  had commented on my weight loss and now I know why! Rather than reach for the biscuit barrel I’m going to hop on the exercise bike and make sure that by the time I lose the next stone I can see my hard work!

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

Seeing as this week has brought the arrival of a new member of the Royal Family, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, I thought I would talk about a scheme headed up by a leading member of the Royal Family that is currently part of family life. My son has signed up for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and is currently working towards his bronze award.

For those of you who haven’t heard of the scheme it was originally set up for boys in 1956 and extended to girls in 1958 and was founded by the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth’s consort. The scheme is designed to develop young people and help them learn a variety of new skills in different areas; it is challenging with each level getting progressively harder, but enables you to achieve the coveted Duke of Edinburgh award for your level, which counts towards university entry in the UK, as well as being recognised by employers.

At bronze level my son has to spend 6 months developing one area, and 3 months in 2 other areas as well as learning survival skills and undertaking a survival weekend under which he will be assessed against the D of E criteria. (eg can he put a tent up, can he map read, cook food, did he bring the right equipment, etc etc). The 3 assessment areas are voluntary work (which my son did for 6 months in a local charity shop at the weekend), fitness (which my son is doing for 3 months and he chose to increase his walking speed and distance as he is participating in a charity 10K later in the year) and skill (which my son is doing for 3 months and he has chosen to improve his writing skills by writing a blog.). He has already undertaken a practice walk to hone his map reading skills but the first practice camping weekend is in a couple of weeks so we are making sure he has all the right equipment and enough food and water to get him through.

There are so many different things you can do under the development sections that there is something for everyone. Although you do have to pay a fee to register and you need to have an assessor available to sign off your work the cost of participation is not high and you can literally choose what you do for the skill, fitness and voluntary work so those needn’t be expensive either.

So what is in it for you or your child?

My son is a quiet and softly spoken young man who enjoys spending time on his PC as a gamer. Although other kids tend to like him he doesn’t tend to go out much so D of E has allowed him to go and try different things and get out of the house more and I can see him gaining confidence as he achieves his goals. During the weekly sessions J has learnt to work as part of a team and I know this will be developed during the camping expeditions. The scheme incorporates some aspects of the scouting and guiding movements but gives you a tangible reward that universities can use in their points system; The higher the D of E award the more points you earn. Similarly it enables you to try new things and the time limits mean that you are motivated to stick at things that are difficult; I know that J was sad to leave his volunteering position after 6 months and that he really felt he had made a difference by giving his time.

If you are interested in the scheme you can find out more at http://www.dofe.org/en/content/cms/doing-your-dofe/ and you can view my son’s blog at https://anotherstrangefact.wordpress.com/ for the next few months at least!

Madeleines

I’m often very busy and don’t always have time to have a perfectly tidy house or the perfectly presented meal on the table. What my schedule has taught me is that organisation is key and that its helpful to have a few quick and easy recipes in my back pocket for when the unexpected happens. This week one of my children has been feeling very low and it so happened that I was home before the kids were due home so I took a quick look to check what ingredients I had in and decided to make a quick and simple treat that my kids love; Madeleines.

To make this recipe you will need a Madeleine tray but they are easy to pick up in your local cook-shop or online. The tray that I use is the Master Class Non-stick tray available from Amazon.

My preferred recipe was one that I saw on the BBC Food page and was created by Michel Roux Jr. I have tried other recipes since but this is the best one I have seen so far.

You will need:

2 eggs

100g /3½ oz caster sugar

100g /3½ oz plain flour (plus a tablespoon full for dusting the madeleine tray)

1 lemon (juice and zest)

¾ tsp baking powder

100g/3½oz butter (plus a tablespoon extra for greasing the madeleine tray)

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 200c/300f/Gas mark 6.

2) Melt the butter in the microwave. Use some of the butter to grease the madeleine tray and then shake the 1 tablespoon of flour over to coat and tap out any excess.

3) Mix together the eggs and sugar until light and frothy.

4) Juice and de-zest the lemon then add the lemon, flour, baking powder and melted butter into the egg and sugar mixture. Mix lightly.

5) Leave to stand for 20 minutes before carefully pouring the mixture into the madeleine tray.

6) Bake for 8 – 10 minutes and then transfer the madeleines onto a wire rack to cool for a few minutes.

Apparently these are best eaten within an hour of cooking but as you can only make 12 in a tin and my kids and their friends seem to love them I don’t think we ever have any left after an hour anyway. The beautiful scallop shape of the madeleines also makes them pretty enough to make if you  have company and they can be made quickly enough to serve if you have an unexpected visito1r. I would love to hear about any other quick and easy recipes you have so please let me know in the comments below