I'm not quite reading but I've started watercolour painting once the kids are asleep. There are fantastic little tutorials on Instagram that make techniques so accessible, and I got cheap materials off Temu. The best thing about watercolour painting is as soon as you relax they start turning out great. The second painting is always a thousand times better than the first and the reward for the slightest perseverance is immense. I feel like there's a metaphor in there but mostly my brain is blown by doing something that's not cleaning, emails or parenting.
Bruce’s collar though! We are eating soups too and dumplings. Only Murders in the Building on Disney hooked both hubby and I which is rare we agree, so we’ve binged nearly 3 seasons and over the last week. And weekend plans are to start Lioness by Emily Perkins.
Love the 'palate cleanser', I'd like to borrow your cat, ours gives me the cold shoulder, ALL THE F*****G TIME! And interesting you should ask what we're eating! I've started a diet, as my joints are just about give up. So, I have cooked up three different kinds of soup during the week, to have an easy lunch at the ready. Cauli and potato, lentil and bacon, and an Italian chickpea one. Happy to share recipes. ;-) Regarding the orthodontists costs, our dentist is John Singleton in Karori, and he'll do a check up including an Xray for $140. Highly recommend him, he doesn't do anything unnecessarily! Have a good weekend! Other than that, watching The Outlaws on Prime, hilarious crime comedy, with a bit of social criticism.
Thank you for the recipes! Sadly we need an ortho because we have had X-rays at the dentist but they need like idk ortho X-rays because his teeth aren’t coming though. I don’t understand any of it to be honest.
Ouch, teeth not coming through is tough! I had to see an ortho for bone grafting before getting implants, and I found Morris Wong in the Hutt fantastic. He used to do 'community' work at the Hutt dental hospital, not sure if you'd be able to get help there? Wong and Singleton went to school together and they are part of a group of dental surgeons/ dentists for who quality and community comes before money. <3
Soup is such a great lunchtime meal idea, thanks for the inspo! My family and I recently moved house, which has stolen the executive function capacity I need to feed myself, so that has been hard.
I will try soups!! I could do a batch and just eat it all week (I work from home)
Sure, the hardest part was weighing everything beforehand so I could calculate the calories. ;-) For the Cauliflower soup, it was on special at PaknSave, so I got two, 1.8 kg; added 1.8kg washed potatoes, medium sliced, 1-2 tsp grated nutmeg (optional), and a large onion. Total cal: 2000, and it made 11 x 500ml portions.
And here's the link to the Italian chickpea soup: https://vegancocotte.com/minestra-di-ceci-chickpea-spinach-soup/ I make a double recipe; I rehydrate the chickpeas myself the night before, and rinse 3x before cooking. I use 1l vege stock, 1l mushroom, and no pasta. That way a portion has less cal (~420) and doesn't get as mushy.
For the lentil soup: I like my bacon a bit crispy, so I cooked it til the right consistency before adding the brown lentils, 1kg, and potatoes, 700g, medium onion and two bay leaves (optional) and water to cover. You may need to top up water, but careful, or the soup won't thicken. Once potatoes are softening I use the potato masher to break them down, it'll also break down the lentils and it'll go thicker. One of my kids doesn't like the texture of the onions, so I dice them as small as possible. The total cal.count was 5000, and I got 12 x 300-400ml portions.
Definitely try to read Against the Loveless World!
I don’t read as many books as i want to but switched over to reading exclusively Palestinian women authors 8 months back. Against the Loveless World was my first read, and it really framed my understanding of Palestinian resistance, love, joy, life and their steadfastness (sumud) differently. I didn’t know a lot of the history or reality of Palestine at the time of reading so maybe it would hit differently now/for you, but i still recommend! Susan Abulhawa is worth following on instagram and is writing at the electronic intifada too
Thank you for the 5 things you can do reminder, done done! Very excited about the Emily Writes spinoff, whatever it may be ❤️
Orthodontics are an absolute pain in the ass, my 37 year old husband has had braces for nearly 3 years and jaw surgery, all because when he was younger he was given the choice of a school trip to Spain or braces. Guess what the 16 year old chose? 20k later, we are paying for his youthful decision making 🫠🫠🫠 Hope you find a well priced and nice ortho in Wellington!
Oh lord!! I have had many adults tell me I must do braces for him if he needs them for this reason! 😬 I feel very embarrassed about my teeth that were not fixed when I was a kid and now it’s too late to fix them.
Today I made vege soup. Well, actually I like a Food in a Minute Autumn Sausage Casserole, and I decided that's for dinner next week. It uses celery, but a half bunch is way too much and no one else likes celery in my house, so into a vege soup for me it went. So that's what I'm eating.
I have a fun Eurovision fact for you! In about 2014, the Icelandic entry was a band called Pollaponk- like The Wiggles it was founded by a group of Early Childhood educators. Because Iceland is Iceland, one of the members (the Purple ‘Polli’) at the time was a member of the Icelandic parliament. He wasn’t going to be in the competition because he thought it wasn’t quite dignified but changed his mind because, and I quote, “Our song is called ‘No Prejudice’ and so I should have no prejudice”.
Unrelated- I just finished comedian Fern Brady’s memoir “Strong Female Character”, which is a funny, sad, very compelling account of growing up as an undiagnosed autistic woman. Loved it, well worth reading.
I’ve just finished Crying in H Mart and I loved it! About to start The Bee Sting, I finally got to the top of the library reserves list after waiting for 6 months or something! Can’t wait for the EWW spinoff!!
I binge watched "After the Flood" & can recommend - typical understated British production with twists unfolding each episode. Just finished "The Twelve" on TV1+ - all outstanding actors & individual storylines of the jurors & others - someone with a well developed social conscience wrote it, so right up my alley.
Love soup at this time of year. Tend to throw lots of vege into the blender, add a savoury 4 min rice packet plus fresh herbs etc., and slow cook on the log fire cooktop - then freeze into meal sized packs. Hate meal prep but hate cleaning up even more, so handy to make some hot buttered toast & re-heat soup for lunch or tea & feel like it's a "healthy" option. Read about the horrors of 2 min noodles so I throw away the seasoning & add tomatoes & herbs & grated cheese to avoid the worst - occasional indulgence only!
Your new project sounds interesting ... when will you have the time? (tips on time management might help others juggling work & children & "new projects"!!!)
Unapologetically left wing platform. My lord I need it.
I would also like an unapologetically left wing platform based in Australia please 😅
Yes, me too!
Yay! I am happy to hear that ❤️
I'm not quite reading but I've started watercolour painting once the kids are asleep. There are fantastic little tutorials on Instagram that make techniques so accessible, and I got cheap materials off Temu. The best thing about watercolour painting is as soon as you relax they start turning out great. The second painting is always a thousand times better than the first and the reward for the slightest perseverance is immense. I feel like there's a metaphor in there but mostly my brain is blown by doing something that's not cleaning, emails or parenting.
Oh that does sound like a lovely chill activity!n
Bruce’s collar though! We are eating soups too and dumplings. Only Murders in the Building on Disney hooked both hubby and I which is rare we agree, so we’ve binged nearly 3 seasons and over the last week. And weekend plans are to start Lioness by Emily Perkins.
I’ve just finished Lioness and it’s amazing. So many cutting lines (in a good way). I couldn’t put it down.
Oh Lioness is in my TBR pile!
Love the 'palate cleanser', I'd like to borrow your cat, ours gives me the cold shoulder, ALL THE F*****G TIME! And interesting you should ask what we're eating! I've started a diet, as my joints are just about give up. So, I have cooked up three different kinds of soup during the week, to have an easy lunch at the ready. Cauli and potato, lentil and bacon, and an Italian chickpea one. Happy to share recipes. ;-) Regarding the orthodontists costs, our dentist is John Singleton in Karori, and he'll do a check up including an Xray for $140. Highly recommend him, he doesn't do anything unnecessarily! Have a good weekend! Other than that, watching The Outlaws on Prime, hilarious crime comedy, with a bit of social criticism.
Thank you for the recipes! Sadly we need an ortho because we have had X-rays at the dentist but they need like idk ortho X-rays because his teeth aren’t coming though. I don’t understand any of it to be honest.
Ouch, teeth not coming through is tough! I had to see an ortho for bone grafting before getting implants, and I found Morris Wong in the Hutt fantastic. He used to do 'community' work at the Hutt dental hospital, not sure if you'd be able to get help there? Wong and Singleton went to school together and they are part of a group of dental surgeons/ dentists for who quality and community comes before money. <3
PS I just checked, Morris is actually a Periodontist, hopefully you won't be needing his expertise soon!!
Soup is such a great lunchtime meal idea, thanks for the inspo! My family and I recently moved house, which has stolen the executive function capacity I need to feed myself, so that has been hard.
I will try soups!! I could do a batch and just eat it all week (I work from home)
Would love to see recipes!
PS: these are the 'lazy' recipes: just chuck everything in a large pot, simmer til everything is soft, puree if needed and pack up.
PPS: add salt and pepper to taste.
Thanks so much!!!
Sure, the hardest part was weighing everything beforehand so I could calculate the calories. ;-) For the Cauliflower soup, it was on special at PaknSave, so I got two, 1.8 kg; added 1.8kg washed potatoes, medium sliced, 1-2 tsp grated nutmeg (optional), and a large onion. Total cal: 2000, and it made 11 x 500ml portions.
And here's the link to the Italian chickpea soup: https://vegancocotte.com/minestra-di-ceci-chickpea-spinach-soup/ I make a double recipe; I rehydrate the chickpeas myself the night before, and rinse 3x before cooking. I use 1l vege stock, 1l mushroom, and no pasta. That way a portion has less cal (~420) and doesn't get as mushy.
For the lentil soup: I like my bacon a bit crispy, so I cooked it til the right consistency before adding the brown lentils, 1kg, and potatoes, 700g, medium onion and two bay leaves (optional) and water to cover. You may need to top up water, but careful, or the soup won't thicken. Once potatoes are softening I use the potato masher to break them down, it'll also break down the lentils and it'll go thicker. One of my kids doesn't like the texture of the onions, so I dice them as small as possible. The total cal.count was 5000, and I got 12 x 300-400ml portions.
oh, Hilary Barry is currently sharing soup recipes on her FB page every Friday
Definitely try to read Against the Loveless World!
I don’t read as many books as i want to but switched over to reading exclusively Palestinian women authors 8 months back. Against the Loveless World was my first read, and it really framed my understanding of Palestinian resistance, love, joy, life and their steadfastness (sumud) differently. I didn’t know a lot of the history or reality of Palestine at the time of reading so maybe it would hit differently now/for you, but i still recommend! Susan Abulhawa is worth following on instagram and is writing at the electronic intifada too
Also on the sky diving story I follow an incredible woman on Instagram called Emma Carey who was in a skydiving accident and wrote a book about it.
I am eating these new "Jaffa Lump", they're quite nice. I'm a sucker for every new release in the pineapple lump family.
Love a lump!
Thank you for the 5 things you can do reminder, done done! Very excited about the Emily Writes spinoff, whatever it may be ❤️
Orthodontics are an absolute pain in the ass, my 37 year old husband has had braces for nearly 3 years and jaw surgery, all because when he was younger he was given the choice of a school trip to Spain or braces. Guess what the 16 year old chose? 20k later, we are paying for his youthful decision making 🫠🫠🫠 Hope you find a well priced and nice ortho in Wellington!
Oh lord!! I have had many adults tell me I must do braces for him if he needs them for this reason! 😬 I feel very embarrassed about my teeth that were not fixed when I was a kid and now it’s too late to fix them.
Same here 😞
Today I made vege soup. Well, actually I like a Food in a Minute Autumn Sausage Casserole, and I decided that's for dinner next week. It uses celery, but a half bunch is way too much and no one else likes celery in my house, so into a vege soup for me it went. So that's what I'm eating.
I'm excited to hear about your new project Emily! Looking forward to it.
LOVE the cat, he's gorgeous 😻
Totally relate to the post about being in bed😆
I read that in a high speed voice in my head, now I'm going back to read the stuff you've recommended. Pancreatitis sounds horrible
Yes to a spinoff! 💛
🙌🙌
I have a fun Eurovision fact for you! In about 2014, the Icelandic entry was a band called Pollaponk- like The Wiggles it was founded by a group of Early Childhood educators. Because Iceland is Iceland, one of the members (the Purple ‘Polli’) at the time was a member of the Icelandic parliament. He wasn’t going to be in the competition because he thought it wasn’t quite dignified but changed his mind because, and I quote, “Our song is called ‘No Prejudice’ and so I should have no prejudice”.
These are fantastic facts haha
Unrelated- I just finished comedian Fern Brady’s memoir “Strong Female Character”, which is a funny, sad, very compelling account of growing up as an undiagnosed autistic woman. Loved it, well worth reading.
Also when the Greek economy absolutely tanked, their Eurovision entry was a song called “Alcohol is free”.
Sorry one more- absolutely DO NOT show this to your 11yo but this broke all our brains in 2014 when a bunch of us watched the final. https://youtu.be/514NQDwnEAI?si=lHxFZRYtT3z-7YAR
And finally- I was very bummed to have to boycott it this year but they’re still letting Israel compete so it was an automatic “won’t be watching”.
Yes it is absolutely terrible they are supporting Israel to be in Eurovision
Omg that’s so horny 🤣 what a banger 😎
I’ve just finished Crying in H Mart and I loved it! About to start The Bee Sting, I finally got to the top of the library reserves list after waiting for 6 months or something! Can’t wait for the EWW spinoff!!
Oh that’s on my list too! I’ve heard it’s really good ❤️
I binge watched "After the Flood" & can recommend - typical understated British production with twists unfolding each episode. Just finished "The Twelve" on TV1+ - all outstanding actors & individual storylines of the jurors & others - someone with a well developed social conscience wrote it, so right up my alley.
Love soup at this time of year. Tend to throw lots of vege into the blender, add a savoury 4 min rice packet plus fresh herbs etc., and slow cook on the log fire cooktop - then freeze into meal sized packs. Hate meal prep but hate cleaning up even more, so handy to make some hot buttered toast & re-heat soup for lunch or tea & feel like it's a "healthy" option. Read about the horrors of 2 min noodles so I throw away the seasoning & add tomatoes & herbs & grated cheese to avoid the worst - occasional indulgence only!
Your new project sounds interesting ... when will you have the time? (tips on time management might help others juggling work & children & "new projects"!!!)
I am not sure I will have the time! But in my typical adhd fashion I’ll make it work haha
I have also smashed Bridgerton and now need the (queer) 4th season.