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Sunday 16 March 2014

Cake smash!



So I'm ordinarily not one to encourage wasting food, but when it involves cute babies and cake, I'm willing to make an exception!

Last week some beautiful mums and their children gathered at my place to celebrate the first birthdays of three of our babies, born within two weeks of each other. This circle of women have helped me find my path in motherhood and feel less alone in my parenting choices. An amazing group to be part of and one I'm so grateful for.

With a photographer in the mix, and my penchant for cake, the plan for a cake smash photo session was hatched! Hugo hadn't had refined sugar before, so I wanted to go light on it. I used a classic butter cake recipe from Jude Blereau's ' Wholefood for Children' book, which calls for spelt flour as it's more easily digested than wheat flour, and raw sugar, the less refined cousin of white sugar. Instead of icing I used whipped cream, coloured red with strawberries. There were also two layers of cream in the cake, one coloured green with kiwi fruit, and one purplish one, using blueberries.

Given Hugo was shoveling whole fistfuls in his mouth I'm quite glad I didn't go with traditional icing! It was so fun to watch the babies start with licking the 'icing' tentatively, watching each other's reactions to the taste and texture, and looking for cues on what to do next. By the end they were right into it, clawing chunks from the cake delightedly.

They were really experiencing the joy of food and celebration, an important part of the food culture I want to foster in our family. I believe there is much more to food than simply nutrition.



Sunday 9 March 2014

a list: random thoughts





It's one of those weeks here where there's more balls in the air than I can catch. So many jumbled thoughts and ideas and to-dos. Inspired by Jodi's list-making over at Practicing Simplicity, here's my version.

I am...

making corn fritters, and savoury muffins and other healthful snacks perfect for little hands.
cooking well-planned meals. We save more, eat better and waste less - should have got onto this sooner!
drinking green smoothies. Perfect go-to when I have a glut of kale.
reading too much stuff on parenting. I need a breather. Next on my list is 'Plentitude: The New Economics of True Wealth' and 'Women who run with the wolves'
wanting my baby to wake a little less overnight. I need to get work done & I neeeed sleeeeep.
looking forward to celebrating Hugo's first birthday.
playing lullabies at bedtime, and almost putting us both to sleep.
wasting time faffing about when I could be doing things that 'fill my cup'.
sewing absolutely nothing - one day.
wishing for a little bit more time to myself in the evenings.
enjoying working through the Dream. Discover. Do. ecourse.
waiting to get chooks. And getting impatient!
liking being back at work.
wondering what will become of our environment, healthcare and education system under this woeful government.
loving watching Marcus and Hugo together. I think my husband falls more in love with his son each day.
hoping Hugo will settle into Family Day Care and sleep okay so we don't get kicked out!
marvelling at how quickly Hugo learns to do new things.
needing to organise and declutter. And budget and save. You know, that old chestnut.
smelling sweet baby skin at bedtime.
wearing
Saltwater sandals.
following my instinct.
noticing that i've settled into motherhood quite comfortably now.
knowing that everything with children is a season.
thinking constantly. Must slow down.
bookmarking Mr Money Mustache for a financial/consumerism reality check every now and again.
opening invitations in the mail for happy occasions.
giggling at the weekend shenanigans with my girlfriends. Weddings are so wonderful for bringing everyone together.
feeling lucky.

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Fading summer




A brief afternoon sojourn in the sun yesterday was a reminder of just how fleeting these days of babyhood are. 

Next summer these hands will spend their time building sandcastles instead of crawling, and the excited squeals of delight will give way to words. There'll be running into the waves, dog-chasing and dream-catching. 

As one season gives way to the next I feel a profound sense of gratitude for this moment and the beautiful simplicity of childhood. 

May this boy spend many more joyful summers getting salty.