How to get an extra hour in the day

Again another departure for this blog.  New year, time to try out new things I say!

Now my son is nearly 20 months old, I find I have more 'me time' than I have had since he was born.  This seems crazy.  His naps have improved a little but that's not it.  I think generally I've become more organised about how I approach things and realised the hour or so when he does nap during the day is time for me, not time for me to catch up on x, y and z...

So here are my tips to free that time up for you.

If your child is not the best sleeper in the world and takes a little time to go down, use that time wisely.  My son is ok now but I still stay upstairs with him for at least 10 minutes, more like 20 every nap and bedtime.  Generally he's ok, but sometimes he just wants an extra cuddle before giving into slumberland.  So apart from a few seconds, this time is still usable even if you can't get started on something downstairs.  You could use it to clean the bathroom, sort out some washing, put washing away, make the beds, write a blog post, etc, etc.  Time saved 20 - 40 mins per day.

Make recipes which can work for your child and for you, make loads and then freeze extra in little pots for your child.  Stews, dahl and bolognaise are great for this.  It means you can make tea for your child in 10 minutes or even less (the time taken to cook pasta, rice or some vegetables).  If you use a slow cooker, preparing a lot of these kind of dishes can take a matter of minutes (easily done as your child is eating their breakfast for example) so the preparation is less than 10 minutes too.  Time saved 10 minutes per day.


Don't think that you have to play with your child 100% of the time.  It's good for both of you for them to learn to play on their own a little.  My son is the clingiest child I know but he will still play on his own with certain things as long as I'm around.  Don't feel guilty about using this time to do a bit of housework. My son also loves joining in with dusting, especially as he likes playing with the fluffy duster!  Time saved 10 minutes per day.

Putting toys away together not only saves you time but also helps teach a sense of responsibility in your child and can form part of a bedtime routine.  Time saved 10 minutes per day.

When you're making food for tea or cutting up fruit for your child, do a little extra and save it for work lunches.  Not only will this save time in the morning but it's more likely to mean you have something healthier to eat.  Time saved 10 minutes per day


Don't worry.  Let things lapse a little.  It really won't make much difference if you change your beds every 10 days rather than every 7.  Yes, it's nice to have a tidy house but it's even nicer to have some space to yourself.  Allow yourself that space.  Time saved; unquantifiable.


I find it so difficult to get washing done at the moment, even more so because our tumble dryer is bust but I find the best idea is to do a wash per day to keep on top of things.  I put a load in the machine ready to put on once my son wakes in the morning (our washing machine is on it's last legs I fear.  My son even says "noisy" when it's on!)  This does mean though that it's all done ready to put out either when I get back from work or during the day when I get a minute.  I used to wait until my son was asleep to hang it out before I realised there was really no point.  When he was younger in the spring, I used to put him into his carrier to do it which he loved.  He also loves pegs.  Thinks they're the most exciting thing in the world.  Time saved; 15 minutes.


Edit:  I forgot completely!  I used to wait until my son was asleep to have a bath.  My son was such a terrible napper when he was younger that this was normally a pretty stressful experience to get him down.  By the time he was asleep, I was too frazzled to even move and too worried the bath would wake him up again.  He was a few months old before I finally realised there was no need for me to wait until he was asleep to have a bath, particularly as I wasn't getting one at any other time.  I still do this now even though he's nearly 20 months old.  I'm not pretending having a bath with a toddler in the room is the most relaxing experience but my son loves "bathing Mummy".  He puts his toys in with me and plays with the bubbles.  He has fun, I get my hair washed.  Result!  Time saved; 30 minutes per week.


Total time saved easily more than an hour!   Time enough to feel absolutely no guilt if you do nothing when they are having a nap.  Genius!

I've submitted this to a blog carnival on how people cope with kids hosted by herecomethegirls.

Lentil and Bacon Soup... never buy another tin

I used to love lentil and bacon soup when I was younger.  My parents went through a phase of buying it in tins but until recently I'd never made it myself.  That's the strange thing about processed foods you like, I think it puts you off trying to make it yourself.

Anyway, I gave it a go and not only was it ridiculously easy and cheap but it was delicious.

I probably wouldn't suggest this for toddlers or babies; older children and adults only.  Bacon is pretty salty and when you factor in you'd want some lovely crusty bread and some butter to go with it, you're soon exceeding a toddler's salt requirements for the day.  In some ways, this is a fine example of why healthy adult food isn't always healthy child food (and vice versa).  Yes, the salt content is a little high on this recipe but apart from that it will be low GI, fairly low in fat (if you skip the butter on the bread) and with lots of lovely fibre.

That said, I'm still including the recipe because it falls into the category of "easy adult food", I made it while my son was eating his tea and reheated it later.  It reheated brilliantly.  I'd love to say it freezes well and I'm sure it would but I have no idea as there was none left.   Note to self; double the recipe next time to have some for my lunch.

Lentil and Bacon soup - serves 2 adults


Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped
1 glove of garlic, chopped
Spray oil (or a dash of vegetable oil if you prefer)
150g Smoked bacon, chopped (lean if you want to keep down the fat content)
120g red lentils
1.5 pts (approx 900ml) boiling water
1 very low salt stock cube (optional - don't use a normal one, it would be too salty or use home made vegetable stock in place of the water)


Method

Fry the onion and garlic in the spray oil until starting to soften.  Add the bacon pieces and fry gently until the onion is translucent.  Add the lentils and the boiling water, stock cube or stock.  Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.  Then simmer until the lentils are cooked.  This varies quite a lot in my experience.  Mine cooked in an extra 5 minutes easily but I have had them take an extra 10-15.  (Some packets suggest boiling them for 10 minutes then simmering for an extra 30 but I've never known them take that long.)

Puree the mixture in a blender then return to the pan and reheat until bubbling.

Serve with crusty bread.  Yum!

If you think about it, apart from the nutritional benefits of lentils, they're also amazingly cheap and keep in your store cupboard for yonks.  A great recipe for after the festive indulgences for both the waist and the pocket and a great one to have in your repertoire for when you need to do a food shop but just don't have the time.

If you like this recipe, why not try lentil and chorizo soup, if you have some lentils left, why not make some dahl?

Baked Thai Salmon Fishcakes for Toddlers and Adults

Back to normality!  It's strange when the festive period is over.  Although I only took one day off work, it doesn't feel like that when you're part time and having my husband at home for nearly two weeks was really nice to share the workload with our son.  All the more important when I had 11 people to cook for on Christmas day and 7 on New Year's Eve!

The new year brings a time of reflection though.  For me it is the ever present thoughts about my weight and fitness.  I'm not hugely overweight but I don't feel good when I look at new clothes to buy and I don't feel great when I look in the mirror nowadays.  Also it's important to me to ensure I'm keeping fit not only for my own benefit but because I now have a really big responsibility and I want to do everything I can to ensure I'm there and I'm healthy to look after my son for as long as I can.

So in this vein, the recipes might get a little healthier, especially when they're recipes for the whole family.  I always know when I'm looking to South East Asia for inspiration, I want to lose weight!  Last night was Vietnamese Chicken Salad night for example!

These were inspired by the fried starters you can get in Thai takeaways but as they're baked, it means it is far less effort (you can prepare them in advance, put them in the fridge then bake them when ready), safer (I hate frying when my son is around) and also ensures your house does not smell like frying fish.  Using salmon helps up the Omega 3 content which is great for heart health and some people think it's good for intelligence.  I think the evidence is split but most experts agree eating oily fish is a good thing.

I've suggested this as a toddler recipe rather than a baby one due to the salt content.  Note also that this recipe isn't sugar free.  If you're happy with giving your baby sugar, you could cut down or leave out the fish sauce.

Baked Thai Salmon Fishcakes - Makes approx 8, serves 1 adult, 1 toddler or 2 adults as a starter

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets, approx 100g each (thawed if frozen)
2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp fish sauce (Thai fish sauce is sometimes called Nam Pla).  Most UK supermarkets sell this.
Approx 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves and stalks (cilantro)
Juice of half a lime

Method

Skin the salmon if it has a skin (just grab the tail or side of the fillet with the least meat and cut down towards the skin, don't worry, unless your knife is super sharp, you won't cut through the skin, then cut the fish off the skin by angling the knife towards the skin and moving back and forth cutting it away.)

Cut the salmon into approx 1cm (a scant half inch) cubes.  Mix in the remaining ingredients in a jug with the salmon and then using a stick blender pulse it until some of the salmon is blended and some is still slightly chunky.

Spray a mini muffin tray or a cupcake tin with spray oil or brush with oil.  Put the mix into the holes, cover and chill until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 200oC.  Cook for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through.  (Err on the side of caution if cooking for a little one, cook for less time if just making for adults.)

I would suggest serving these with a salad but because it's such a miserable day outside we had some nice hot boiled rice, cucumber and extra chilli sauce for mummy.  Older kids might like ketchup or some chilli sauce (or maybe even a mix of the two.)

My son ate three of these then said "more"!  You can't get him to eat salmon on its own so this was a hit.  That said, he was also eating a piece of chalk earlier without my noticing (it was only when he said "nice" I realised what he was doing) so he's perhaps not the little gourmand I thought he was.  Ah whatever, at least he's getting some calcium!

So the diet is started.  Maybe.  Ok, perhaps one more slice of Christmas cake...

Top 10 ideas for getting the most out of Parent and Tots groups and heuristic play

Many apologies for the lack of posts.  I've only just got back broadband in my new home.

My son and I had a fantastic session at a mum and tots group recently.  It got me thinking about how over the last 18 months I have found them a roller coaster ride and wanted to share my experience for newer mums who might be reading.

I realise this is a slight departure for my blog and in no way am I a play expert but I have learned some things which weren't immediately obvious to me.

1.  Don't feel obliged to go to baby or toddler groups.  Go to none at all if you like.  It's not the law.  No-one will think of you as a bad parent if you chose not to attend them.  They aren't everyones cup of tea and sometimes it just doesn't work out with naps etc.

2.  There are loads of different types of baby and toddler groups.  Some will suit you both; some won't.  Some groups may not work now but will later.  Don't rule one out after a single try.  Also the groups and the organisers frequently change.  A group which didn't work 6 months ago, might be much better now (I will talk about personal experience of this later.)

3.  Don't spend a fortune.  Well you can if you want to but if you're on statutory maternity pay, it's a bit grim financially so saving money is important.  Some groups exist which tie you into 10 sessions or more at £5+ a time.  Also remember you don't have to pay to get the best (see point one about not being a bad parent on this).  In the UK there are loads of government funded surestart centres in England and also library groups nationwide.  These are under threat from government cuts but where I live at least, they are well attended and still going at the moment.  Use them or lose them.  They tend to be more focussed on learning about play or literacy as well which is great for Mums like me where I was completely clueless at what to do in that time between sleeping, eating and pooing!

4.  Go when your child is well rested and fed (or take a snack, drink or your boobs if you're breastfeeding.)  I say this because it is frustrating spending a session desperately trying to cheer up a child when all they want is food or sleep, it doesn't work but read on.

5.  Don't discount groups which are further away; this can help if your child is tired.  Why not arrive a little while earlier and use the car journey or pram / buggy ride as an excuse for your child to nap?  Especially if you're still on more than one nap a day, I see no harm in this.  Why not take a book and enjoy a nice quiet sit until they wake up?  15 minutes was about our limit but that included a good few more groups.

6.  Make it a trip out for you too.  I used to think the group was my time out, now I know better.  You don't have to wait for other mums to invite you, make it a trip out for you and your child.  I have no idea why I didn't think of this earlier but now my son and I often go to a local cafe before or after a group.  He gets a snack (I take something suitable with us normally) and I get a cup of tea or a cocoa.  I've found some fantastic little cafes like this including one in a local ecological centre with a wood burning stove.  Snuggly.

7.  Don't get involved in the oneupmanship.  Motherhood is the most vicious non contact sport there is or that's how it feels sometimes.  Some of it is self inflicted, some of it is a natural desire for other mothers to boast about their child's achievements.  When I think of the time I spent listening to other mothers talking about how their child was rolling.  Trying to get their baby to crawl in front of other people so they could see it!  Seems crazy now.  As my son was a late crawler and a late walker, it did make me feel bad.  For all I know though they may have been looking at my son who has always smiled readily and been jealous of his nature?  Anyway.  It just makes everyone feel bad.  So keep those comments about "Little Julian has been sleeping through since 3 days old" to yourself.  It doesn't help anyone (and trust me, it all evens out in the end.)

8.  Try and talk to some of the other parents.  I'm terrible at this.  I tend to get stuck in with the singing or the playing, then look around and realise I'm the only parent on the floor doing "row, row, row your boat" or with glue in my hair.

9.  Take some of the ideas home with you.  I have done this with a few ideas but a great one was 'Discovery or Heuristic Play' where you take a selection of safe objects from around the home and leave your child to find ways to play with them. I kid you not, my son was engrossed for at least 40 minutes.  Another success was building a den, you could make one out of chairs, some cushions and have lots of "peepo" fun!

10.  Don't be too hard on yourself.  There will be a day (or many days) when your child decides they don't want to join in.  It doesn't matter.  My son will regularly join in with song actions at home but put him in front of a group of women doing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and he sits back for the entertainment!  There will also be meltdown days.  Also the rule is don't make other mummies or daddies feel bad when they have one of those days.

Ok... a magic number 11... Compile a list of Parents and Tot groups in your area by day and stick it on your fridge.  There will be days you just have to get out of the house it's sometimes necessary just to say "Ah, there's reading group, let's get in the car honey!" as it doesn't always follow that a little monster at home stays a little monster at the group; a change of scene can work wonders.