Shine A Little Light

As a spin off from Reclaim Sex After Birth Annie and I decided to run a "Date Night Challenge". We've got couples to sign up and committ to spending two hours a week with their partner/spouse - in a date scenario.

So I mentioned this to Dave on Monday. We've already got into the habit in the last month or so of watching a DVD together on a Tuesday night - but I wanted to get us out of our comfort zone. All week I've been asking Dave what he wanted to do for date night ... and we finally decided today.

It's going to be Scrabble and a bottle of wine. Very reminiscent of our early days together as a couple.

I have to admit to feeling a bit trepidatious about the idea of wine - I really have lost the taste of it and since I'm meant to be sugar free, the idea of quoffing down liqueurs is both tempting and terrifying.

I'll be back tomorrow to share how our date night went.

You can find more information on Date Night on the Reclaim Sex After Birth blog.

As I procrastinate from returning to the cold dish water to finish off the evening's dishes ... here are my reflections for the week past and all that I am grateful for.

1. I am grateful for unexpected cheques from Centrelink in the mail, the small personal crises that arise from such windfalls and the transcendence and clarity that follows.

2. I am grateful that true friendship only builds and strengthens with time and that the Universe saw to send me the abundance and love of my beautiful soul sister all those years ago.

3. I am grateful to my gorgeous partner for giving me the freedom to roam with my bestfriends this weekend and for understanding how important that time with them was. And to not begrudge me for it.

4. I am grateful that Mr D has begun to see the value and fun in chronically life - and hope that one day he can proudly admit he started writing a journal at the ripe old age of four!

5. I am grateful for not having ripped anyone's head off or said anything that I may regret in the lead up to my moon time.

6. I am grateful to have found live green smoothies and the health benefits that I am already receiving from drinking them.

7. I am grateful for all the work that we've been putting in with Reclaim and all the ground work we did last year - and celebrating the 6th day in a row of 100+ visits to the site. Now to sell some books.

8. I am grateful to the Universe for sending us the interest and support of Pinky McKay for our Reclaim Sex After Birth book.

9. I am grateful to my soul sister for staying up way to late to read my tarot cards and to give me clarity on an issue that I have been strugglingn with.

10. I am grateful that we're coming up to the dark moon again - I feel the need to clean and downsize.

11. I am grateful that I saw Tim Minchin at the Brisbane Comedy Festival on Thursday night - and that I dragged myself out despite wishing that I was going to bed. It was more than worth the trip out. And grateful to see an artist so publicly shaming the monster that first shamed him.

What are you grateful for this week?

I've always been terrible when it comes to eating fruit. I don't mind the occassional apple - and I do love stone fruit and berries, but the problem lies in that I'm lazy about the process. I don't like the sweet sticky mess of juice running through my hand and down my arm. I get cross with having to take the time to cut the skin off (in the case of pineapple - one of my favourite fruits). Basically I'm a fruit feeb!

My Mum was never a keen fruit eater so it was never pushed when we were kids. So like anything, I never formed healthy habits with fruit. I'm am trying to change this with Mr D, encouraging him to eat fruit though it's hard when you can't lead by example.

Greens ... well I do love my greens.

A few weeks ago I discovered The Green Smoothie, which combines the health benefits of greens and fruit.

My friend Annie and her family have in the last month converted to raw foods and it was through Annie that I had my first green smoothie. Annie's been chronically their experiences at Our Journey to Raw. I will admit - I was a little horrified seeing the bok choy, the parsley (which I HATE!) and the spinach all being thrown in. I really liked it though- despite the less than appealing swamp green colour, and discovering later that the fruit base of banana (which I am allergic to)

But it didn't stop me.

Since then I've been found (don't you love the way the Universe works) by Angela Leeds and her fabulous site The Live Green Smoothie Diet and the wonderful articles What's a Live Green Smoothie Anyway? and How to make a Live Green Smoothie.

As I write this I'm quoffing a mango, pear and endive smoothie and encouraging my partner to do so. Who would have thought?

In the past half an hour the fog has lifted from my head, I feel like I can focus and finally the motivation to work is building. If only that had have been the case at 10am this morning, rather than at lunch time. Oh well.

Thanks live green smoothie!

Would you ever consider making live green smoothies part of your diet?

Image: Zugreenie compliments of Annie Evett from Our Journey to Raw

Following on from my rant about French Onion soup, and in the midst of writing a Type A Mom article on natural remedies for treatment of colds and the flu, I went back to do a little research on the essential oils we've used in the past for colds and flu. I've always loved working with essential oils but it is something that I've dropped as part of a daily practise. Being sick has reminded me of how effective they are.

As such I thought that I'd share and have in one place for myself the list, because I never seem to find the right page in Valerie Ann Worwood's The Fragrant Pharmacy - a book that EVERY home should have.

To create the following recipes for immune boosting - you need five oils

• Thyme (red preferrably)
• Tea Tree
• Eucalytpus
• Lemon
• Lavender

Based on the Handmade Natural price list excluding the thyme (which is a special order item and the price has rubbed off my bottle) you would get change from $40.00 - which is about the cost of seeing a doctor BEFORE filling your perscription. Actually, it's been that long since I last saw a doctor I have no idea what it would cost to see one.

Colds
For hot bath

• 2 drops of Thyme
• 2 drops of Tea Tree
• 1 drop of Eucalyptus
• 3 drops Lemon

Inhalation
1 drop each of

• Thyme
• Tea tree
• Lavender
• Clove

Flu
For a warm bath

• 5 drops tea tree
• 2 drop lavender
• 2 drops thyme

After bath

• 2 drops tea tree
• 3 drops Eucalyptus

Diluted in a teaspoon of almond oil (or the likes) and rubbed into the body

Teas
Clove and Lavender tea is especially good for helping combat the onset of the flu. Even though ingestion of essential oils is not usually encouraged this particular one is fantastic.

To make, create combined clove and lavender oils at the radio of 1 drop of clove to two drops of lavender in a separate bottle and clearly label.

Put one drop of the clove/lavender mix on a spoon of honey and mix with boiling water. If you don't want to take it with honey (as I do) you can put one drop straight into the water. It tastes quite foul but works a treat.

Image from The Joy of Reflexology

The mere mention of French onion soup used to conjure up images of Maggi instant soup packets, philly cheese and the horror of the spac-like filler of my mother’s French onion dip between two pieces of wholemeal bread for lunch. This was her version of a ‘gourmet sandwich’ of which I never had the heart to tell her, a peanut butter one would do just fine.

And then there’s the images of Stephen Giacometti, my partner in crime, squishing a non descript summer creepy crawlie and poking it into the same French onion dip at a New Years Eve party at our house when we were 11. I remember us, my sister included, standing around the corner giggling as adult after adult dug into the dip.

So that last thing I ever associated French Onion soup with, was comfort food. That all changed a few years ago when I decided to breastfeed beyond the first six months of Mr D’s life and I had to get creative with ways to treat myself when I was ill. I had not idea of the wonderful health benefits of onions – much less the magic that could be woven with French onion soup.

Suffering a head cold last week and worried that everyone else in the household was going to come down with it, I whipped up a pot of my French Onion soup – an adaption of one that appears in a wonderful Kate West book.

Ingredients

• 1kg brown onions – peeled and sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic – peeled and grated
• 30-50g butter
• 1 – 1.5l vegetable or beef stock
• 1 tbs vegemite (yeast extract) if using vegetable stock
• Cracked pepper
• Dash cayenne pepper (optional)

How to

1. Spend 10 – 20 minutes sautéing the onions in the butter over a low heat - until they are golden.
2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, stirring to stop the garlic from sticking.
3. Stir in the stock, vegemite and cracked pepper. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Take off the heat and cool for at least an hour – this helps to blend the flavours and yes, you can taste the difference.
5. Re-heat the soup and serve with your favourite crusty bread.

Using a good quality organic vegetable stock or home made beef broth will enhance both the flavour and the restorative qualities of the soup (the Chinese feed their new mums broth made from ox bones because they believe it is imbued strengthening properties!) Unlike most French onion soups (commercial and restaurant ones) this soup is not salty if you get the stock right. And will help you feeling better sooner rather than later.

Monday we were at kindy gym.

At the end of the class we get out the parachute, the parents hold onto it and the kiddies get to jump the air out of it, then giggle and squeal under it as it balloons out over the top of them.

As I grabbed my section of the parachute I looked across. The lady opposite me had a SuperGirl t-shirt on and I was smiling thinking it was so apt. I realised then that she was looking at me and that my silly grin was being reflected back.

I was wearing a Wonder Woman t-shirt.

It's been two weeks since I was last here - and even though there's lots to be a grateful for, I will try and keep the list compact.

1. I am grateful for having had four days at the Sunshine coast - time to stop, relax, build sandcastles and frollic in the surf. It also meant not having to cook dinner for three nights.

2. I am grateful for surprise lunch dates and having wonderful friends who bouy me with their enthusiasm for what is going on in my life.

3. I am grateful that Dylan is enjoying going to kindy gym and to introductory gymnastics. I continue to be amazed by his fortitude and determination.

4. I am grateful I am coming from a position of building bridges rather than burning them .. and for Dan sharing the philosophy of non-resistance.

5. I am grateful for supportive and clued in writing colleagues who were able to support me through the Facebook article debacle. Now I'm just glad for the traffic going to my blog.

6. I am grateful for free tickets - and thankful to Kerry and Kylie from Mothers Toolkit for the opportunity to go to the International Women's Day Luncheon last Friday.

7. I am grateful that networking is really just talking about yourself - and oh how I love to talk, and don't mind sharing a bit about myself either.

8. I am grateful that I still have a Facebook account.

9. I am grateful that the car is still running despite a massive oil leak. It WILL go to the car doc this week.

10. I am grateful for chances to rest in bed on the weekend - even if it comes in the guise of a headcold.

11. I am grateful for a resourceful partner who managed to find me sugarfree throat lozengers - so I could have a less sore throat without the sugar rush.

12. I am grateful for the continuing adventues of the amazing shrinking woman ... I am now 7kg lighter than I was at the beginning of the year ... and revelling in the comments from friends about the glow that I currently have.

13. I am grateful it was my turn to write some Captain Juan this week - I feel as though my fiction muscles as been atrophied of late.

What are you grateful for this week?