Top THREE Fast Healthy Lunch ideas

Food
I have thousands of dinner recipies but for some reason I'm always stumped for lunch ideas. Especially now I'm on a roll loosing this baby weight I wanted to start actually watching what I eat. Realistically Archer needs all the nutrition too since what I'm eating is what is creating his milk... God the other day I had scollap potato for breakfast, nachos for lunch and pizza for dinner! Don't hate on me. 

Rice Cakes 
a brilliant substitute to bread - my go to toppings are currently philli cream cheese, tomato salt and pepper and avocado.

Vege Pasta
if you don't have a vege pasta thingo GET ONE! Seriously so yum and so healthy - a hit with the kids and cooks up so quick. Mix in some pesto and wallah. 

Stuffed veggies 
Take the inside out of a tomato a capsicum or a mushroom, stuff with some seasoned mince, tuna, feta and spinach or any other fillings you desire. Oven bake till cooked!



The fourth trimester

Breastfeeding
We all know pregnancy has three trimesters, but what about after baby is born? Those first few weeks are so important, baby is so new and fresh; his confused and learning to cope in this brand new world. That's why with archer I have adapted the fourth trimester theory. 

Have you ever thought about why we are told to swaddle our babies? Why they seem to smooth to the shhing noise? Or by being upright on your chest? 
All these things remind them of being in the womb, our heart beat, the sound of the blood in the umbilical cord, being all snug and squished as they grow inside of us. 
I've spent these past eight weeks nurturing him, providing him all the comfort he cries for, feeding on demand and surrendering myself to his needs. I'm pouring in so much effort to one tiny human sometimes I'm forgetting to show affection to the other two males in my life.  
But there is never a right or wrong in parenting, my techniques with Archer are almost opposite to the techniques I used with Charlie. Maybe that's because I know I am not having anymore children, maybe I'm trying to keep him little forever. Maybe there are some deeper underlying issues of my own. Whatever the case, don't let anyone tell you your doing it wrong. Do it however you please. 
They are only little for so long, enjoy it, embrace it and be content with however you choose to raise your child. 



Your child's first loss

Childcare
Today began as a normal Wednesday morning. Waking up to my usual alarm clock of Charlie yelling mummy mummy, finding archer asleep in my arms and not remembering how he got there and milk... milk drenching my pjs. 

But as we drove to daycare, little did I know I was lying to my son. Charlie always asks to go see (let's call them B1 and B2 for privacy reasons) they are the only educators he will willingly run off and play with. He trusts them, as do I. Today we were told they won't be returning. As I said goodbye to Charlie and tried to wipe his tears and explain that (let's call this one B3) will now be playing with him, my heart broke a little inside.

A mixture of emotions ran through my mind; stress, sadness, anxiety, loss and frustration. I felt like we had come so far, he was finally settled, finally enjoying his one day a week with B1 and B2. Now we need to start again. 

The first people Charlie has bonded and stayed with outside of our family, are no longer in his life. 
Shane thinks I'm being dramatic, and I can see how... It just hurts to see him so lost and confused. 


Thoughts of a two year old

garden
As Charlie ran around the garden yesterday, picking dandelions and blowing the seed heads away, I thought about what concerns he could be wishing away or trying to forget. 

But of course, my two year old doesn't blow out the wishes on the dandelion like mummy does; he doesn't wish away his problems, he has none. All he sees is a flower with silly petals that float away with the wind. He wanders why this particular flower is different, why it is so fluffy, why it tickles him. Little does he know it's not a flower at all. 
His beloved flower is a weed. Something people constantly try to dispose of. Something a gardener poisens or pulls out of their flower patch. Something no one else notices. Yet Charlie is blissfully unaware of this. As he plays and giggles, I am watching, I know his only concern is where the next dandelion is hiding amongst the grass. 



GUILT

Childcare
This morning I was reading a post about a mother sending her child to daycare for the first time; she felt guilty. I felt these same things when Charlie began daycare. You keep busy, doing all the things you wish you had time to do normally. Then once they are done, instead of having some you time and doing something you enjoy, you sit there like a lost puppy, trying to think about what you've forgotten to do. 

It's ironic isn't it, that when you have some time to yourself - child free - instead of drinking lattés and eating croissants, your cleaning and slaving away because you feel guilty that your not looking after your own child. 

Well I'll be honest with you now, that guilt disappears. You end up loving daycare more than the child does, and believe me Charlie LOVES it. He wakes up on a Monday morning asking to see the kids, mind you daycare isn't until Wednesday. Now before you start saying bad mum shoving her kid off to daycare. Charlie's speech and social skills have sky rocketed over the past few months. Independence and confidence are two qualities which are shining bright and I'm as proud as ever. 

But as I was saying, that guilt goes out the window, you do a quick tidy up and the plop down on the couch. You watch a few episodes or even a season of your go to tv show and drink those lattés you know you deserve. 


6 weeks old | an Archer Update

Breastfeeding

Yes you read right, my baby is 6 weeks old tomorrow. Whilst time has flown by, it also feels like archer has been apart of our family for a lifetime. We are so complete, our hearts are full and we are all content with our family of four. 
Our amazing newest member of the family has been sick the past week you may have read in my milk drunk blog post a few days back, our poor little honey. His so helpless and innocent, it's breaking my heart. 

Archer is fairly unsettled and sleeps only for short amounts during the day, his wind irritates him and he gets quite colicky. But, lucky for me, night time his perfect. Last night he went to sleep after a feed at 9pm and woke at 4am, back to sleep and up at 9.30am! Now that's something special! On a normal night he still isn't something to complain about, waking normally at roughly 2 am and 6 am for a feed and a nappy change. 

His beginning to goo and gah and some may say smile, yet I'm not convinced the windy smiles are becoming real just this soon. His growing up and his beautiful.

2 year old routine update

Parenting
You might have noticed I don't update Charlie's routine as much as I use to. I have found as he has gotten older things settle and stay more structured. His still having a nap each day, three meals and some snacks. It's really not very interesting; but still your intrigued? Why is the public so interested in getting a glimpse of the inside of my home, the boring day to day life of a toddler. But the readers are always right, right? So here you go! 

7am rise and shine - breakfast (weetbix or toast)

10am morning tea (yoghurt or fruit)

12.30pm lunch 

1.30pm sleep
Wake up at 3pm if not already awake

3.30pm afternoon tea (crackers, cheese, dried fruit)

6.00pm dinner

7.30pm bath or shower 

8.00pm story time then bed



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