five minute friday: dance

DANCE

GO

After reading a green blog about saving the planet through parenting, I thought that I could try it. I have a box of 50 or so flat nappies and I could totally give it a go. I searched on youtube on how to fold a flat nappy, my heart danced. I am the origami drop out. If I can fold a flat nappy, it's a good start.

I took Luke to the change table and prepared the flat nappy once again. I danced. I sang, "you make me feel like dancin'"...

Luke was dancing too. He loves 'Nappy Off' time. His legs were swaying in the air and he was singing along too.

But then the setback. My dance didn't stop. It changed. It was no longer a happy-dance. It was an angry-dance. In Indonesian, the word sebel would be how I describe it. In fact, this dance I was doing was making me break out in a sweat. An angry, frustrated and anxious sweat.

I blame it on K-Mart and their $2 safety pins. Inside the pin I danced the needle around. It wouldn't budge. I used all of my muscle on my still sore wrists to manipulate the needle to get it out.

Then I danced again. The painful dance. The 'it-bit-my-finger' dance.

As I finally got the nappy on, I felt a sigh of relief. Only to know later the 'hot-water-stinging-my-fingers-while-I-wash-fresh-poo-out-of-this-piece-of-cloth' dance.

STOP

Wholemeal, kangaroo, chia-enriched, slow cooker lasagna

Tuesday night is lasagna night at our house. But not just any lasagna. We like to try and make our food healthy, and this lasagna sure has some healthy properties (perhaps not-so-much the cheese). It uses Kangaroo mince, which is healthier than beef as it is leaner and is packed full of iron. I use wholemeal lasagna sheets, as they are less refined and lower-GI than your typical white pasta. Then there's the chia seeds - full of protein and omega 3. I also chuck in some veggies, because if vegetables are in it, it's bound to be healthy, right? The best part is, it's in a slow cooker! It's a bit more moist than the typical lasagna, but it is equally as yummier and much easier to clean off the crock pot!

This recipe serves 4, and is based on this lasagne recipe.

You will need:

• 500g Kangaroo Mince
• 3 teaspoons of chia seeds
• 1 cup of frozen vegetables (or you can use some fresh ones!)
• 1 jar of pasta sauce (whichever flavour. I usually go for a garlic and herb one).
• 1 packet of wholemeal lasagna sheets
• 500g cream cheese
• 1 x 250g packet of Perfect Italiano Mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan cheese. (or if you have these ingrediants separate, just use a combination. Personally I would leave out the cheddar, and there is another packet available without it but I couldn't find it in my local Coles today. Bum.)
• 1 tablespoon of italian herbs. (it comes in a shaker in the spices aisle of your local supermarket).

The cheese combination!

Heat some oil in a pan and brown your kangaroo mince. You don't have to go overboard with making it brown - remember it's going to cook for many hours in the slow cooker. Add frozen veggies, chia seeds, and pasta sauce. Stir. Turn off heat.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine all of the cheeses and some italian herbs.

Get your crock pot and spoon about a 2cm layer of the kangaroo mince mixture on the bottom. 

Brake up the lasagna sheets to cover the kangaroo completely. It doesn't matter if some overlap.

Put about 2 cm of cheese mixture on top of the lasagna sheets. 

Depending on the size of your crockpot, this should make 2-3 layers of meat-sheets-cheese.

Cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW.

***

Sometimes I like to add spinach in the meat or on top as a bit of decoration. You can obviously add what you like. Salt & pepper to taste, perhaps even chilli. 

If you have a variation, what is it? Leave your comment below!

Five minute friday: risk

Five Minute Friday:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. 

GO

RISK

It's friday. I love the way Fridays are. Something about them feels so relaxed. I dropped my husband off at the train this morning and got a coffee. It was a risk. I got it from the drive thru Krispy Kreme here. It is cheaper than what I usually pay for coffee and not too bad. Perhaps I can go there again, as I can get skinny milk in my coffee and not get out of my car.

Further risk I took today was some experimental cooking. Living in the Masterchef era I feel like I am adventurous with my cooking. Funny, because I didn't grow up out of a strong cooking background (my Mum is a good cook though). I adapted my muffins from this recipe. I made half the batch 'wholemeal banana sultana chia enriched muffins' and the other half 'earl grey, poppyseed and banana muffins'.

It's a risk. Hopefully a delicious one.

The bananas looked over ripe, but they were actually still really good inside. Not the consistancy I want but hey - that's the risk.

Luke is asleep on the couch. I thought he may wake from the banging and crashing - another risk.

He is still asleep.

It has been well over an hour....

STOP

Mothers Group

When I first had Luke, I was scared of being isolated. My family live interstate and my inlaws are overseas.

My Maternal Child Health Nurse put me into a mothers group at about week 2 of Luke's life, but it didn't start until he was 7 weeks. I counted down the weeks. The group went for 6 weeks. Tuesday was the final one.

And as I sit here at the Honda Workshop, typing this on my iPhone, waiting for them to fix the shudder in my transmission, I've been filling out the evaluation form and reflecting on what I've learnt.

I liked the way they gave us information, the nurse would talk, give us hand outs and then we could ask questions. This was probably most helpful for me. It was great also to hear that some mothers have similar experiences to me and that I wasn't alone. Every week I counted down until mothers group. I loved it!

I loved the nurse who facilitated it too. I want to take her home!

The only thing that made me feel less confident was about 'routine' and getting Luke into one where he will sleep in his cot. I went home, tried it, and ended up in tears when it failed to work. This is still something I struggle with. Luke will sleep on the couch during the day, or even in the big bed with me if I have a nap. The benefit of him sleeping in the cot is that I wouldn't have to constantly check him, but I stand by the belief that Luke needs to be flexible and not bound by a strict routine. He's a pretty good sleeper at night (and will sleep in his cot too) so I cant complain, really.

This picture is further proof about making Luke flexible. He doesn't have to be in his cot or pram to sleep. He is having a nap while we wait here for the cat to be fixed.

Mothers group was great also because I learnt what was around in the community, not only from the facilitating nurse, but also the other girls - mums and bubs yoga anyone?

I wish they had comfier breast feeding facilities though! Although that's just me being picky. The day I managed to feed on that plastic chair was one of my proudest moments.

I hope we will all meet together again, despite many going back to work soon, and of course the big commitment of a new family! I still don't know if or when I will go back to work, or even if I will pursue teaching anymore or not.

If your a new mum- I highly recommend a mothers group through your local council. And persist with it :)

My first earthquake...

Natural disasters fascinate me. When I was younger I liked watching documentaries that were about earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes. I found it particularly interesting about how Japan design their buildings to withstand an earthquake. I lived through a bushfire nearly every summer.

Last night, at 8.53pm, I was wanting to watch the final of Packed to The Rafters, but got distracted when we were bathing Luke.

Poor Luke was there with his pants off ready to have his nightly bath when I noticed the house was shaking. It wasn't shaking on the floor, just the walls. At first I thought it was something noisy going past the house, like a truck or motor bike, but then it intensified.

This had never happened before. I asked my husband what was happening. He thought there may be something wrong with our ducted heating and began inspecting the roof in different rooms. I shouted out that I think it may be an earthquake, but he told me not to be silly. In Indonesia, when they have earthquakes they don't feel like this, he said.

After about 20 seconds the shaking stopped. Luke looked as confused as I was. I'm not sure if he noticed the shaking or was just amazed by how we were reacting. He wasn't bothered by it either way. I wondered if it really was an earthquake, Hendrik still telling me it wasn't. I too had a little doubt that it was actually an earthquake, as I didn't feel anything in the floor, just the walls rattling.

I picked up my phone to message someone in the same suburb and ask if they felt it too. My phone was already logged into my facebook and already there were about 10 statuses about an earthquake. Delighted I cheered that I was right and it was an earthquake. It had been felt all across Melbourne, up to Castlemaine, in Traralgon, in Geelong - very widespread.

Read about it here.

Damage under our verandah from last nights earthquake.

I then went outside and noticed that there was a big crack in the cement. It got me thinking if our insurance does cover earthquakes.

I was excited. All of my life I've wanted to feel an Earthquake. The only time one has happened in Melbourne while I've lived here was when I was in Singapore. I was on fire for the rest of the night and up until this morning. I was checking twitter and Facebook constantly because I wanted to know more about it.

In the meantime some people were updating statuses about how lame it is that we all turn to social media when things like this happen. Yes, I updated my status but I am genuinely excited about this. But while I'm excited it makes me think of places where this is much more intense and catches you, like last night, by surprise. For me, and many of those in Victoria, this was a novelty. But sadly for so many around the world, earthquakes are a scary reminder of the reality of the dangers of where they live.

Did you feel the earthquake? What were you doing and what was your reaction?

Life as a graduate teacher

Last week teachers in Victoria went on strike over pay. Fair enough. I guess I don't feel too strongly on this issue, but there are a few things in my head that I want to write down. Please don't judge me about what I'm going to say...

I believe teachers are underpaid. As a young, single, teacher that had just graduated from living off a Mcdonalds income at uni, a salary that I received from teaching was very welcome. 

However, I do believe that teachers, compared to other industries, for what we do and what we put up with, are underpaid.

But really, if I were really to strike on that day (I didn't for obvious reasons), I wouldn't strike over pay, I would strike over conditions. Let me explain...

As a young graduate, I was lucky enough to score a position teaching Indonesian at a high school before the end of my final year of uni. To do this I needed special permission to teach from the Victorian Institute of Teaching. I felt pretty special! The school begged me to apply for the position for the following year, and I did. I went for an interview, and then sadly I did not get that position.

In the government system (I'm not sure about other states), graduates are second priority. You are considered a graduate until you have taught for a certain amount of time, and that doesn't include all of the relief teaching I do.

To renew a contract (or to apply for another position), you need to write a 5 page essay addressing some Key Selection Criteria. Then if you get into the interview, something else happens. It's this thing called merit and equity, which basically means even if you're renewing your contract for a classroom you already teach in, if somebody more 'experienced' applies for that job, they have more right over it. 

I don't hold bitterness against the schools, yes note the plural, that have had to let me go because of merit and equity, but I do believe that something needs to be done to give graduates a fairer go. I know of so many who are fed up and leaving the profession. And these are wonderfully talented teachers.

I have been in and out of contracts but could never hold onto anything. I went back to uni and then never used what I went back and studied. So naturally, I turned to relief teaching, which was fine, and I enjoyed, but won't be able to return back to because of my new family circumstances.

My parents brought me up to work hard for the money and not complain about it. Just do it. It secretly annoys me that even though we have every right to strike, people still do it. I would just be happy to have a permanent job, and wouldn't want to jeprodise it by having a voice. Sad but true. 

So for me now, it probably won't be back to teaching for me. I can get a little bit less filling shelves at Coles overnight and I won't have to worry about Childcare, reports, marking or planning. It's not that I wasn't passionate about my profession, it's just I don't see that it will ever really go somewhere, and I'm going to choose to put my energy into what matters - my family.

Do you know where Kendari is?

Just another photo from just another sky-high
shopping mall in Jakarta.

Sometimes really random memories pop into my head. This one is from a year ago. I was in Keris, a really big Myer-type department store in Jakarta. We were shopping for suits for the wedding.

While my fiance and his groomsman were trying on suits, I decided to start striking up a conversation with the staff.

Unlike Australia, when you are in a store such as this, there are shop assistants everywhere, trying to help you, folding clothes. Really, you feel like you are being watched all the time. It's a bit freaky actually. I remember in Bandung once I went into a department store first thing in the morning and I was the only shopper. All the assistants pounced on me. And don't get me started on Mangga Dua (another big shopping centre where if you're white, you're the biggest target!).

I'll admit I love to show off that I'm a white-speaking-Indonesian. It started with small talk, and then it got funny. The following conversation happened in Indonesian:

"How long have you been in Indonesia?" Asked the surprised, young sales assistant.

"Oh, about a week..." I said.

"Woah, a week!" He seem shocked, "How can you speak Indonesian so well?"

Then I told him the story that I repeat so many times. I had been to Indonesia already so many times since 2002, and that I studied it for about 10 years all up.

"Oh," he said, "So where have you been in Indonesia? Bali?" (oh because every white person LOVES Bali. Not.)

I started to list down where I had been... Yogyakarta, Bali, Bandung, Jakarta, Makassar, Kendari... And then I started to do what I love best.

"Do you know where Kendari is?" I asked now a group of about 5 shop assistants. They all looked confused. They began to guess.

"Kalimantan?"

"nope."

"oh! I know," one said, "it's a little town in East Java!"

"wrong," I said, "that's Kediri."

I had totally baffled them, until one got it right.

"Sulawesi!" Shouted one of the workers.

"Correct!" I said, "But which province?"

They all began guessing. North? No, that's Manado. South? Makassar. Central? No, that's Poso...

I had won.

"South East Sulawesi!!!" I declared, "So, I am more Indonesian than you! Okay, hand over your KTP! (Indonesian identity card)." They were shocked.

My fiance came out from the dressing room a bit confused as to why there were all these shop assistants standing near me giggling.

The next week we returned. We went to the same department to pick up the suits. As we approached this same section of the store, one of the female workers spotted me and burst out laughing. One of the other workers (who wasn't there that day) asked her what on earth was so funny.

She grabbed him and said, "do YOU know where Kendari is?"

me, the control freak...

So something that coincides with having OCD is me wanting to have control over everything. Obsessive thoughts run through my mind about the things I cannot control, causing great anxiety.

January 1998,
My first ever flight.
Here's me and my sister at Melbourne Zoo

I was 11 when I took my first plane trip. Mum bought my sister and a mystery flight for Christmas. We got to take the day off school. We took off at the bright hour of 6am from Adelaide Airport on a Qantas flight. We later landed in Melbourne.

I remember the feeling of being in the plane for the first time. I was young and wasn't scared. I remember as the plane raced down the runway and we became airborne, my sister and I squeeled in delight. My Mum had to explain to the concerned lady sitting in front of us that it was our first time flying. We were such country kids. I then began my own imaginary airline, "Sammy Airways".

I like listening to music when I fly. Not music on my iPod, music on the inflight 'radio'. I have a song for every trip.

Me, before stepping on that flight
in 2007

So I enjoyed flying... until 2007.

I was on a Garuda flight from Melbourne to Denpasar. As we were climbing into the skies, I was happy and enjoying it. Then suddenly the plane began dropping. The whole plane screamed (except our fearless leader, Brendon, who I remember was laughing). The plane then caught it's momentum back and flied on like nothing had happened. On the return flight, there was a massive storm over south eastern Australia. Roofs-off-houses kind of massive. There was a massive amount of turbulence and the sprite I was drinking was flung into the air.

Suddenly, I had a love-hate relationship with flying. I loved the thought of flying, but I hated being in the air. I had a panic attack on a flight from Jakarta to Melbourne where I began crying uncontrollably. It was really embarrassing, both for Hendrik and I.

I took many flights since then, to Darwin, Adelaide, Sydney, New Zealand, but still I was really petrified of flying. I watched the movie, Bridesmaids, when they were on the plane. I began to get butterflies just by watching a movie about someone on a plane. I began to get obsessive about planes and accidents. I would never miss an episode of Air Crash Investigations on TV. Although in a way I think they helped me because they would always investigate the reason and show how they improved.

When I watched bridesmaids, I had since booked a flight to Singapore for our 'second' wedding. I was excited because we were going on the renowned Singapore Airways, and on my way home I would take the a380! But I was freaking out about it. I needed help.

So I saved some money and paid for some therapy. I went and saw a councillor at our church. I thought it would be a big session of "well, you must just trust God." But it wasn't. We talked about everything I have gone through, and then she came up with a conclusion that I fully agreed with. I wasn't afraid of flying. If I was afraid of flying, I wouldn't constantly be online searching ticket prices. No, I wasn't afraid of flying.. I was afraid of not being in control.

Being a parent is the same. I thought that having a baby would be textbook, that I'd understand his cries and that there was a reason for everything. Again I found myself in the same predicament: I wanted control and I couldn't have it.

Back to my fear of flying and how I overcome it, the councillor suggested that I focus on what I am in control of. For example, I could play with the tray table in front of me, I could flip through a magazine. I ended up taking a hair clip and opening it and shutting it. My other strategy is to take a crossword magazine and focus on that.

It's the same with raising a baby. You cannot always be in control. They will get sick, restless and poo. But there are things you can be in control of! I can be in control of loving my baby when he has a colicky scream. I can be in control of spending time with him and smiling at him. I am in control of hugging him and wiping away his tears (and wiping his bottom, and the poo off of me!).

... and soon, our worlds will colide. I'm taking my baby on a plane!

And now for a bit of fun... My playlist of flying music:

QF ADL-MEL 1998
Dario G - Sunchyme
QF COO-SYD-ADL 2000
Everclear - Wonderful
Tom Petty & The heartbreakers - Learning to fly
Lo-Tel - Teenager of the Year
GA MEL-DPS 2002
Sophie Ellis Bexter - Murder on the Dance floor
GA MEL-DPS 2007
Rhianna - Umbrella
QF DAR-ADL 2009
Live your life - T. I.
Let it Rock - Kevin Rudolf
Womanizer - Britney Spears
GA MEL-CGK 2009
Anggun - My man (for some reason this one is in French!)
Project Pop - Bukan Superstar
JQ MEL-AKL 2011
I'm coming home - Diddy Dirty Money feat. Skylar Grey
SQ MEL-SIN 2011
Sempurna - Nicholas Teo
JQ ADL-MEL 2011
Jetlag - Simple plan

You may think some of these songs are corny, but each one reminds me of flying and how I felt about going home or going to my destination.

Wholemeal Spinach and Fetta Muffins

I've been experimenting a lot with my baking lately. This one was nice shared with the neighbours over a glass of wine. It's more of a savoury muffin.

Thanks, lovely husband, for snapping a photo.

Makes: 12 Muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
1 cup of milk
125g butter - melted
2 eggs - whisked
2 handfuls of spinach
1 block of feta cheese.
Masterfoods dried mixed italian herbs (optional)
1 teaspoon of chia seeds (optional)





The way to make these lovely muffins:
Preheat oven to 180'C (350'F).
Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add chia seeds (optional) and mix.
Cut the feta cheese into small pieces - aim for about 1cm cubes, but this doesn't have to be exact. Chop the spinach a bit finer than what it is.
Add the milk, melted butter and whisked eggs to the flour and combine. Add the spinach and feta. Combine once again.
Either grease a 12 cup muffin tray or, if you're like me and despise washing the darn thing, line it with patty-pans.
Spoon the mixture evenly between the 12 cups. Sprinkle with italian herbs.
Bake for 25 - 35 minutes on 180'C (350'F). This is for a fan forced oven.
When the muffins are done take them out of the oven and transfer them straight to a cooling rack.
Eat them while they're still warm - yummmmm!

Enjoy them for morning tea or bring a whole new meaning to 'cheese and wine' and crack open a nice red.

The 10c that made a difference...

Today I'm not going to talk about parenting for a change. I'm going to talk about recycling.

Growing up in the 90's, I watched Captain Planet. It was all about saving the world from pollution. I wish Captain Planet would come back on the TV for kids to be inspired that the power is theirs to make a difference in this world.

Not only did I grow up in the 90's, I grew up in South Australia. Before there were recycling bins, before there were even WHEELIE bins, we recycled. Why? Because we got paid to do it of course!

Have you ever noticed on your bottles and cans it says this?

It used to say 5c when I was a little girl (so that means it has doubled!). I remember if we had a drink we would stash it in the boot of our car or in our backpack until I could pile it up with our 'collection' at home. We had a special section of our backyard especially for bottles and cans.

I remember there is one man in my home town, who every Sunday morning would get up before the sun, and drive around the local football oval to collect the cans and bottles from the night before. He makes a small fortune.

When I was on holidays, and sometimes on the weekend, Mum said that if I cleaned up our massive collection of cans and bottles and load them in the back of our Suburu Station wagon ('Scooby' we used to call him), I could keep the money. I remember making $20 from a truck full of cans and bottles. (Today that would be $40!)

As much as I love living in Victoria, I have noticed that South Australia is a cleaner place. Nobody leaves their cans and bottles on the street and this is why. I don't want this silly ad from Adelaide becoming true for Victoria.

You can distribute these postcards from Colleen,
or just sign up online!

So naturally when I saw Greens MP Colleen Hartland's little ad pop up on my facebook these memories of recycling came back to me.

"We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors: we borrow it from our children"

- A quote on my Mum's fridge.

I would love for my Children to grow up with the same values I learnt from watching Captain Planet. I want them to value recycling and keeping our planet healthy.

Those who know me know that I'm not really big into politics, but this is something I am passionate about. I believe Colleen is on the money (pardon the pun) about recycling, and I know first hand that this works.

So if you think we should make the world a better place, and should get 10c back for our drinks (I know it doesn't sound a lot, but it does add up!), I would encourage you to head over to this page to ask the lovely bloke Ted Baillieu to consider this lovely gesture for our state and our planet.