and then there was 1

Dare I say it? Ok, I will…

I LOVE SCHOOL DAYS! Like…a lot. A REAL lot…

As much as I miss my oldest baby and all that, I really enjoy having one on one time with my youngest baby. Hanging out with him is always fun. Lately we have started walking to get Marshal after school but today we walked to school. I have a board on the pram so Marshal actually doesn’t need to use his legs. It doesn’t stop the whinging tho.

Today after drop off we went past the shops and got morning tea. Had a play in the park at the shops, chased the birds, yelled at the birds, cried because they flew away. Then walked home. Played in the park near home then slowly wandered home. 

  
He is always stopping and looking at everything. Takes his time getting anywhere but never seems to walk, always a run. But it’s ok, we weren’t in any rush. I was very glad to be out of the house and away from the never ending KISS video he has learnt to put on, even when I turn it off at the wall. Sneaky little guy. 

And nap times are always easier. He will go to sleep rather than fighting it and screaming like he does when Marshal is home. It’s 2 days a week I get a small break from kids now that Marshal isn’t having a day sleep (I held on to it for as long as I could.) 

Next year I will have 3 days alone with Maverick, and I’m looking forward to that even more. 

  

And there he goes…

The last 3 weeks when I’ve dropped Marshal at pre-school, it’s been hard. Hard for me to leave him and for him to let me go.

He clung, he cried, I cried. Maverick painted and wanted to stay. But I just had to say good bye and leave. He is in good hands. I’ve got to trust that. I cried in the car every time. Felt horrible. I was abandoning my little guy.

But the smile he gives me when I picked him up at the end of the day…well that’s just the best. THE BEST!!!

So the mornings have been hard. I’ve been so worried about him, will he be ok? Will the other kids be nice to him? Will he be nice to them? What if I haven’t packed him enough food? I hope he doesn’t wet his pants!

Until yesterday. I gave him the pep talk in the car. ‘Ok monkey, let’s go in, get you settled and then I will leave before your morning meeting.’

We got there. He started playing with the animals they had out. ‘Ok I’m going now, I love you’. I was ready for the wail. All I got was ‘ok bye’. My heart broke.

All this time I’ve been worried and now he’s fine and it feels like he doesn’t need me. I’m not his security guy anymore. He let go all by himself. He grew up years in those 2 words.

I knew it would happen. I knew he would get used to going to school. I just didn’t think it would ACTUALLY happen now.

I can’t wait to pick him up in a few hours and hear about his day.

Justicemum’s 25 Days of Christmas – Days 2, 3 & 4

Day 2…Gingerbread making

Why do I cook with toddlers? WHY?!?!?!?! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I think I ask myself that every time I do these crazy things. But onwards we go…

**Clause: It might look like we did every thing in one day due to Marshal’s clothes, but he has dressed like Super Mario for about 6 weeks now. At least the Wiggle shirt finally came off.

Today was gingerbread making. It’s not Christmas without gingerbread. I love it, and so do the boys.

We did it ‘old school’ with a bowl and a spoon. Thermomix just watched this time. I use a recipe I’ve had for years. But for some reason this time it just turned out dry. It wouldn’t roll out properly, and when baked it looked a bit odd. BUT, the boys ate it and asked for more, so I take that as a win!

Then I had to clean up this mess…he’s lucky he’s adorable.

Day 3…Put up more decorations

We bought some decorations today. A flashing Santa, elf and a Santa face to go on the front door. I hung the stockings for the boys.

I love Christmas.

Day 4…Strawberry and cream Santa’s

OH MY…these are so good. I’ve seen them online and always thought I would never be bothered to do it. But today at the fruit shop I stocked up on strawberries and decided to make little Santa’s. Marshal thought they were great, except he didn’t want to eat it because he didn’t want to squash Santa. He ate them eventually, and asked for more. Maverick just inhaled them.

I used freshly whipped cream and little choc bits for the eyes. It’s a partly healthy treat (and secretly ups their fruit intake, not that my kids have issues with that.)

I did not get the boys involved today. They were just my official taste testers…and did a great job!

My cowboy’s last nappy!

Sometimes mums get excited about some weird things. First steps and first words are up there…this last week I’ve been excited for a totally different reason.

Drum roll…drmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Marshal is completely nappy free.

Even at night!

It happened so fast and honestly I’m glad. Having 2 kids in nappy’s was expensive. And I hate changing them. Toddlers never stay still.

But now everything is done in the toilet, its like a sigh of relief.

He started taking his nappy off at night and complaining that he didn’t like that one. Or he did a wee and it HAD to be changed (I took it off and put it back on, he was none the wiser…) but somehow he seemed to be going through 4 nappies a night. So he finally went with no nappy, no pants and that’s fine. I now do a dream wee and straight back to bed for the rest of the night!

I’ve never been more excited about the loo than that first bowel movement after giving birth!!! Oh yeah mothers…you know. And how the nurses keep asking, and then to have to check it…there are many reasons why I could never be a nurse….that being one!

I’ve decided to start Maverick this summer on the toilet. He knows what’s going on and has actually gone there a few times. The other night after his bath he was yelling “wee wee” and he sat down, did a small wee and was off. 3 minutes later he started crying in the lounge room and I found him up to his knees in poop. Luckily he wasn’t running around, and it kind of held him to the spot. Straight back in the bath. But he knew he had to do something, and that’s a good sign. Plus he has to go with everyone else when they go. He will even stick his head in the toilet bowl when Marshal is going…he hasn’t been wee’d on…yet.

I’m looking forward to the day I buy the last packet of nappies. Will it be next year or will there be another bum to put them on and yet another one to toilet train…time will tell.

 

After thought:

Tomorrow marks one year that I have been blogging…happy blogday to me!!! What an achievement I think. I want to thank you all for reading my words and following my stories. Here’s to another year of writing!

 

What do you do when it’s raining?

This…

Maverick caught in a sudden downpour.

2 wet but extremely happy little guys.

Justicemum’s Coconut Puffs – Thermomix

On my quest for the perfect coconut cookie for my boys, I’ve been trying a whole heap of different recipes. Some I’ve replaced ingredients with terrible outcomes and some with pretty good outcomes.

I want to share with you one of my mistakes that was a good outcome.

I call them Coconut Puffs. I was trying to make a normal biscuit and thought “what if…” I probably should never start a cooking session with “what if…” Chances are it will end up in the bin. But not this time. So here are my almost perfect coconut cookies.

My quest continues though….

Justicemum’s Coconut Puffs – Thermomix

What you need:

• 100gm Coconut milk
• 30-50gm sugar (raw is fine)
• 1 egg
• 160gm self raising flour
• 75gm coconut

What you do:

• Pre-heat oven to 180oC. Line 2 flat pans with baking paper.
• If you want you can blitz your sugar but I low the raw sugar taste. If you want to, do this first.
• Add coconut milk and sugar to bowl. Mix speed 7/5 sec.
• Add egg and mix speed 5/5 sec
• Put flour and coconut in bowl and mix speed 4-5/10 sec or until its all mixed up.
• This is a sticky recipe so don’t be alarmed.
• Put teaspoon sized balls on to prepared tray and carefully flatten a little bit. Leave a bit of space between them.
• Place into oven for 10-15 mins. Check afte r10 because you don’t want to burn them. Let cool before munching.

Tips:

Everything I make can be made in any mixer.

Makes about 15 cookies.

I made these another time and added more flour but they were hard balls. Less flour gives them a lovely puff.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

As they are nut free I’m guessing they are lunchbox friendly.

You could replace the flour for gluten free if you like, replace the egg for chia seeds soaked in a bit of water, and sugar with rapadura or Stevia if you like. (Please look up the replacement amounts if you replace the sugar as I don’t know this.)

If you want to share my recipes please do, but please give me the credit with a link back here…thanks

A lovely and light cookie. A must for coconut lovers

Justicemum’s Sausage Rolls – Thermomix

It’s getting harder and harder to find new foods the boys will eat. Marshal is so damn fussy these days, it’s sometimes hard to get him to even come to the table for meals.

So of course, like any mother, I worry about him getting the “right” amount of vitamins and minerals. We don’t eat too much crap, and if it is “sometimes” food at least its 96% homemade so I can control the sugar and salt content in everything.

He used to be such a good eater. I might have babied him for too long, spoon feeding him until he was almost 2. But he ate everything that was served. Maverick is the opposite. He has had to fend for himself from very early on. He’s the one that uses forks and spoons. I did baby lead weaning as I just didn’t have the patience to sit and spoon feed him. It’s the best thing I’ve done.

Vegetables…yum

Last night I made sausage rolls in the hope that they were fun enough for Marshal to even try them. After a slow start and him munching down the pastry, I managed to get 2 of them into him. That’s a win in my book…just wait until you see what’s in them! I’ll be adding them to the menu from now on.

So here are:

Justicemum’s Sausage Rolls – Thermomix

Makes 10-20 depending on the cut. I made quite narrow ones (quicker cooling time for screaming kids.)

What you need:

• 2 sheets puff pastry defrosted. I did not make this. I bought the frozen stuff although if you really want to make it I guess you could.
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ onion
• 280gm mixed vegetables. I used pumpkin, broccoli, carrots, zucchini and celery. Use whatever is in your fridge so it doesn’t go off.
• 40gm red lentils washed and rinsed
• 450gm mince. I used pork mince but you could use beef or a mixture. Or mince your own.
• ½ tsp mixed herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste.

What you do:

• Pre-heat oven to 180oC. Line a tray with baking paper.
• Turn on blades to speed 7 and put in garlic thru the lid.
• Once crushed add onion. Speed 6/5 sec.
• Add all vegetables. Mince speed 7/10 sec until it is all mixed together. Scrape down bowl.
• Add mince, lentils, herbs and salt and pepper. Mince until it is all combined. Speed 6/5-10 sec.
• Split the mixture between the sheets of pastry and make a log down one side. Make sure it goes all the way to the end. Roll the pastry up until you have 2 pastry and mince logs.
• Cut each log into 10. About 1.5 cm wide each. You can cut them wider if you want. It might have a longer cooking time.
• Place onto a prepared tray and bake in oven for 25-30 mins until golden brown.
• Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.

Ready for the oven. Lots of filling!

These are so yummy and full of vegetables the kids won’t even notice.

You could also use half mince half kidney beans if you wanted to reduce the meat intake.

I don’t recommend freezing them, so if 20 are a lot, half the recipe.

Enjoy!

Finished and ready to eat!

**If you want to share my recipes, you may, but please don’t steal my ideas. Also a link back to my blog would be nice…that’s all I ask.

 

 

Ducks, bushwalking and the crazy idea.

It’s a beautiful day and wanting to do something different, I decided I’d take the boys to feed the ducks. After some research I saw we could feed some pretty close to home and being a sunny day decided to walk there.

Then seeing that I shouldn’t pick up a $1 loaf of bread to feed them, I packed a healthier snack for the ducks.

Healthy duck food. Oats, peas and corn, grapes and salad.

I wrangled both boys into the pram. Before we set off, Marshal wanted to walk so out he hopped.

We got to the national park entrance and started down the dirt path. On Google maps it said it was 25 mins to walk, so I added another 15 for toddler speed. I regretted my decision to walk almost immediately. We hadn’t done the walk before so didn’t know how pram friendly it would be. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being smooth travelling, it was a -3. It was crazy. Rocky, downhill, dips and pot holes. I’m sure Maverick enjoyed the ride as he was giggling with every bump.

We went the other way. Should have followed the signs.

5 minutes into the crazy walk (there was no turning back as it would be impossible to push the pram uphill over boulders) Marshal started complaining his legs were tired. So back in the pram he went. Now I’m pushing a 10kg double pram, plus 2 children weighing in at around 25kg, plus the bag with food for the ducks, food for the kids and waters!

We eventually got to even ground only to not find the path to the bridge over the river. I ummed and ahhed about going back but just couldn’t fathom attempting the rocky mountains! I consulted Google maps one more time and took a gamble at an overgrown path.

My beautiful Marshal

Luckily it opened out on to a bigger path which had a sign. Ok, the sign pointed the way we had just come but at least we weren’t lost. We found the “right” track and stupidly we took it. It went downhill on a 45 degree slope. We saw water. We found the river. We found the bridge!

What we found was actually a rock bridge. No possible way to get over it. We had to turn back. Trying to climb up the muddy track was insane. Marshal had to climb out, then I had to lift Maverick up then somehow wrestle the pram out of the ditch!

Finding things…mostly sticks.

But we got out, back to the track and started our journey home. I’d had it by now, it was hot, I was exhausted, Maverick was picking up rocks and throwing them, he wasn’t walking the way we wanted to go…sigh.

Marshal telling Maverick to hurry up.

Maverick just needed a rest. Marshal wasn’t happy about it.

Using a stick to encourage him.

Leading the baby.

Finally we found our way back to the main track and started down hill. We found houses and a path leading to the road. Hallelujah! I could feel freedom! Until I looked at the map and knew which street I was on. Home was at the top, the top of the biggest hill ever. I’ve only ever driven down that street once, and knew how steep it was. And of course, Marshal didn’t want to walk so I had to push everything up it.

Out of the park and back in the pram, ready to tackle the hill.

Oh the burn….

We got home. Safe, sound, exhausted. But we all had a great time. At least we got out of the house for a few hours.

Always time for a family picture.

Both boys are sleeping, I’m ready to put my feet up too. Enjoying a hot cuppa then it will be nap time.

The ducks never got fed. The food is back in the fridge. Next time, I’m doing it the old fashioned way – driving!

What they don’t tell you about toddlers.

Want a baby? Great…now fast forward 2 or so years…want a toddler? Ahhh no.

People have been writing about “what they don’t tell you about having a baby” for years. Yes, it’s all the fun stuff, poo explosions, vomit, nil sleep. But has anyone written about the toddler and what they don’t tell you? I couldn’t find anything so decided to put together a list.

10 THINGS THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT TODDLERS!

1. Food changes the poo. Yes, what your kid eats effects the poo they will do the next day (or the day after). Take for example, send your child to a birthday party, they eat the awesomely homemade cake that’s full of black or blue food dye…then wait. The next day or if you’re lucky, the day after, the poo will be a strange colour. Light fluoro green, cream coloured or even khaki. It will make you gag. And you thought baby poo was the worst…
2. Think a turtle is slow? Try doing anything at toddler speed. My advice? If you need to be somewhere at 10am get ready last Wednesday. My mum gives the advice to parents with school aged kids who find it hard to get to school on time “let them sleep in their school clothes.” Such good advice.
3. THEY DO NOT LISTEN. They attention span of a toddler is 2.46 seconds. If it cannot be said in 1-2 words, don’t bother. (This is the reason “no” is used so much. But they still don’t listen to that.)
4. Sarcasm is lost on toddlers. If you sarcastically say “take all the biscuits!” they will, take all the biscuits and most defiantly inhale them within seconds.
5. Want nice stuff? Forget it. It WILL get broken, sticky and lost.
6. They are the messiest/energetic little things on the planet. It’s like a hurricane coming through the house/restaurant/park. Seriously, from the second they wake up to the second they crash at the end of the day, its non-stop.

This is no where near the kitchen. Rice bubbles all over the floor.

The hurricane’s came through here!

7. The toddler will cry over the smallest things. The biscuit isn’t shaped like a dog. The baby licked my train. The food is too hot and you won’t let me burn myself. I can’t believe you are making me put shoes/jumper/hat on to go outside. The wind changed in France (Thanks Bel) Seriously, over ANYTHING

8.You will butt heads with them. Constantly. They want to do things their way, and if you try to help them then the tantrum will start. See point 7…

9. The toddler’s diet consists of chicken nuggets, fish fingers and bread. Anything outside of this is not going to be eaten. Even this will only be eaten in small amounts. They can also detect a hidden vegetable from a mile away.

10. If they don’t have a day sleep, they turn into this horrible, feral, crazed monster where once you hit that spot, there’s no going back. And think they will sleep later? Guess again. Over tired toddlers are insane. You will be hiding in a corner hoping that they just pass out somewhere in the house and praying the transfer from floor to bed won’t wake them up.

What would you add to this list?

Introductions!!

Hi, I’ve been hiding behind Justicemum for around 8 months now. Time to introduce myself.

My name is Jen. I’m 34 and live in Sydney. I created Justicemum as I wanted to write but wanted to be incognito. But I think it’s time to step out!

This is me.

No, it’s not a filter but my cracked phone that gives it that wonderful look. Yes, it’s 12.43pm and I’m still in my dressing gown. And no, I haven’t brushed my hair today…or yesterday. There you go! I hate photos of myself. I have my fathers nose (which I hate) and I have a few chins when I smile as I haven’t mastered the art of “selfies” yet (and probably won’t in the near future…)

Another thing when I entered the blog world, I had a baby and a toddler. Now, I have a toddler and a child. So I’ve decided to introduce them too. They are my life. If I’m still doing this in 5 years I can’t keep calling them the baby and the toddler. It would be like Neverland…

This is my baby, Maverick. He’s 15 months old and gorgeous. Such a cuddly little guy which is just beautiful.

The turkey was the size of him, but he had zero fear!

Here is my toddler, Marshal. He’s just over 3 and a handful. But he is the light of my life and I love him so much.

So, that’s me and my 2 boys. Introductions done…phew. No going back. Only forward!