unexpected-mother

[unexpected-mother]

Check out this playlist on @8tracks: a crisp winter morning by 19.75am.

[unexpected-mother]

The Mad Hatter's House: Williamston, Martin County, NC

Follow me at: www.instagram.com/planterboy/regram

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I've had this crazy craving for goats cheese. So why not throw it all over some roasted veggies 🤤

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Gut healing, cleansing Kitchari. Known in India as Khichdi ❤️ tastier than it looks

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1/2 shredded oats

1/2 cup yoghurt

1 Banana

5 strawberries

1 tsp honey

2 TSP sugar (tea and coffee)

200ml milk

Salmon fillet

Roasted beetroot

Baked potato

1 tsp butter

3 slices goats brie

Chilli bean with rice and mozarella cheese

3 satsumas

It looks like A LOT! But I'm satisfied and in terms of fat sugar I'm in my limits. Perhaps went over on the cheese but I needed it today as I'm due my period soon 🤣 I was just very happy as I went on holiday and pigged out a bit and managed to maintain and it feels great to be able to have those kinds of weekends! I did still make some good choices when eating at restaurants though. My trick is soups and salads and a cheeky starter and dessert as a compromise. Watch out for salads though as dressings can be a KILLER. Luckily for me, my favourite restaurant in our holiday town flavours their salad using mostly sweet and salty ingredients like white grapes and capers, olives and apple, celery and cucumber. It meant I could have the baked goats cheese and caramelised red onion filo pastry parcel and the coffee meringue tiramisu ice-cream for dessert and not feel TOO bad. I also replaced the toasted lunch time sarnies with some home made soup. Two portions if need be! Luckily the soup was chicken and rice so it was lovely and filling. We absolutely pigged out at an Indian restaurant on our last night though and I really did not hold back as it was our first time eating here and the food was just incredibly flavoursome and moreish. I was surprised I maintained in all honesty but I'm glad I had as the guilt was not too bad when returning home. I'm still motivated to be good to my body and get back to my routine.

I have 3.5 stone of post baby weight to gently shed but it took time to put it on so it will take time to rid myself of it! Especially as I'm not able to exercise properly die to my weight. One day at a time ❤️

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Beautiful Blairgowrie, Scotland. Our forever home. We can't wait to move here ❤️

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You can only choose one side, left or right? Made by @eminsushi 🍣🍣🍣 https://www.instagram.com/p/COfVQcGr-KB/?igshid=54lowlhkz75p

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I love this. All the time in the world to start a new thing

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shaym It’s the little things…

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from weheartit

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I've been feeling like I need to start me things again. Having a baby was a shock to the system, I was so well established before, driven and really focussed on my passions and hobbies. I could take a wander down the high street, visit second hand book stored and melt into a cup of hot comforting soya mocha. I could rummage through sale baskets and visit little gift boutiques and antique stores and pick up beautiful little ornaments to admire from my home study desk. I could go on long forest adventures with dog in tow (more like me in tow as Gibbs is always miles ahead). Even when my beautiful girl was only a baby, I could still enjoy these pleasures while she slept peacefully in the baby carrier. Since my baby rapidly leveled up to a toddler, I find I can't enjoy little pleasures at all. She's literally a bull in the China shop, so most of my free days involve something bomb proof like a picnic on the beach or a play in the park. These are still beautiful things and I do enjoy my time with my daughter but I miss the mindlessness. Not having to be on alert, constantly watching, diffusing, entertainment, comforting, feeding, changing. I miss a conversation with a stranger, a real one where I'm not running away. You may be wondering, where is dad? Well, dad is always there. He is wonderful and he dotes over our girl, he has all the time in the world for her but she wants her mamma. I work 4 days a week, my husband full time. Evenings he works mostly but on the odd occasion I am gifted with am hour bath time to myself. I guess I could make more use of my evening time but that's always been a supper bath relax period for me. When the Friday comes, I'm so excited I usually plan 2 playdates one for morning and another after nap time in the afternoon. Weekends are tricky, it usually is divided into one day family time so we can all enjoy time together and the other day for either Greg and I if we have a sitter or for Greg to climb and then baby and I have another day to us. Perhaps it's time to start demanding that every other Sunday is me time. A whole Sunday to me. It's hard, I want to be with my family but I also ache to be with... Me! How to find the balance... My mind is ready now but I'm not taking action and I can feel it. My mood is low, energy low, patience extremely low! My batteries are not even flat, they're completely empty. I feel heavy. This could also be due to change on diet, I've gone back to low carbs, no sugar or oil, high fruit and veg. Its takes a few weeks so adjust but I'm talking on a soul level. I feel itchy and my motivated. We have a beautiful holiday planned this weekend in Blairgowrie. It's cram packed with fine dining and adventure parks and drives. I remember now that when he suggested it, I jumped up and said "can I go stand up paddle boarding!?" Ofcourse he said yes. He's so supportive. Something for me, he loves it when I do that. I was sad we couldn't do it together but that's more my fear of being alone talking more than actually wanting the company. I'd love to do it alone, so I kept quiet and he booked it. He's off to the adventure park while I do a cool thing for me. I wanted to go to the adventure park too, I feel like I'll miss out on an experience with her. I think I need me more right at this moment. I do wonder how some mums, the super strong ones, manage to happily push their needs aside and serve their children full time until they're really really old adults. They have all this energy to cool and clean and be organised. I'm always late, messy, sleeping in, all over the show... I keep reminding myself that I'm doing my best and I am. I will get there again! How has having a baby made me so damn tired all the time? It's not post natal depression it's just an all round flatness. I want to do park runs on a Saturday, I want to book myself in for a spa day. I want to... Travel? A solo adventure for a week! Slowly, baby steps. My baby is still so little and she needs her mamma, she will always come first but I think a little thing here and there for me would be great 😊

[unexpected-mother]

Mexican bean salad!

So our shopping was cancelled this week due to bad financial management 🤣 but luckily it's been rescheduled for tomorrow. I never used to have my shopping delivered as shopping was something I LOVED. It was an outing, time to look at every single item on the shelves just to have a nosey as to what shops had in stock and if I needed or wanted it. I loved slowly wandering around, sometimes twice! Well that all stopped when my baby hit toddlerhood. My calm soothing shop meander turned into a high stress and anxiety screaming match of demanding food and running around ripping products from shelves. I could not shop as I had to monitor my toddler hurtling down an aisle at 100mph toward some sweet little old lady who still believes children should be seen and not heard. Oh yes, I got that sweet little old lady death stare/ resting bitch face that had "what a bad parent you are raising a wild animal" written all over it. That look that makes you feel that you have no control and know absolutely nothing about parenting, I am to blame for this generation of self serving disrespectful youth!! Anyways that another topic haha. Anyways the actual reason I came on here was to share a recipe for a nice and healthy bean salad. I had no food in my house apart from canned beans and jarred pickles. So I decided to make a filling bean salad.

Finely chopped red onion

Finely chopped pickled jalapeno

Grated cheese (30g max)

1 can of lentils, haricot beans and butter beans (whatever bean/grain you like)

Pickled jalapeno juice

Dill

Salt and pepper

Red pepper finely chopped

Cucumber finely chopped

1/2 lemon juiced

Basically just chuck it all in a bowl. It was really tasty, my toddler even loved it (yes she loves spicy food as much as my husband and I, I remember her grabbing at some super hot chilli one night before I could stop her and her not even flinching)

Anyways I hope you enjoy my day before payday recipe! I'm sure everyone else has different ingredients left over.

I also remember making a pea and mint soup once as all I had was frozen peas, stock and a mint plant in a pot haha you can really find some yummy things using the scraps in the freezer/cupboard. Please share your ideas ❤️

[unexpected-mother]

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Source: stacieelmer