We Are What We Eat

Mainstream television bores me. Really it does; especially the advertising for what we feed our children!

I mean, who would go out and buy pre-prepared popcorn in a bag for your own child for the lunch when you can easily make it for them at home? I know, I know, it's quicker and easier to just pop it into their lunch box all ready and sealed. And they just love the salty taste.

But I do remember when I went to school that my Mum prepared my lunch, morning tea and snacks at home. She did cheat a little with an Uncle Toby's muesli bar or a Poppa, but these things were really healthy. They weren't filled with so much sugar they weren't overly sweet - my parents ate them as a snack at work too. Mum made my sandwich of a chicken and mayonnaise - and we didn't put an ice block in our lunch box. None of use were poisoned and we all survived eating it - yes, even in the heat of summer.

And yet, I'm surprised to find that things go off so much quicker now than they did when I was younger. I think it's because we were much tougher back in the 1980's - or is it that the food we ate had less additives? I'm not sure.

The thing still remains that we are cheating our children out on good, home-made foods which are high in nutrition and are much better for them. I'm not saying that when I was younger junk food wasn't advertised, nor am I saying it wasn't throughout the schoolyards as much either. 
There was kids at school who ate boxes of jelly crystals and Chupa-chups for morning tea and then packets of chips for lunch and that was it. They were the kids I shared my lunch with - giving them half of my sandwich and some of fruit (an apple or banana was always included in my lunch) and they didn't mind it. Actually, they always asked if I had anything when they were hungry; and a lot of the times, I kept a half a sandwich aside just in case somebody wanted it. 

That was the sad part - there was always somebody I went to school with who wasn't eating properly. Their parents didn't give them lunch money or didn't prepare them a good lunch at home. And it still continues today.

Parents just seem to think that when they have children that other people will feed them at school... but really, it's every aspect in life that parents need to think about in their child's life - not just their home life. 

Feeding their children the right food at home as well as at school - and not just any food will do - is the biggest decision a parent will make. It shapes how their children will turn out as a person. Will they be healthy? Will they eat nothing but junk food? Will they be lean and healthy or fat and eating Pizza Hut and McDonalds? It's entirely up to the you - the parents - on how your child turns out.

Sure I ate Hungry Jacks and takeaway food for a while. But over the past decade, I've looked at what I've been eating and realised that there's nothing like a really good home-cooked meal where I know exactly what's gone into it. 

Yes, I am what I eat. I do have a splurge once in a while, but it's not often. I never eat McDonalds, Hungry Jacks or Kentucky Fried Chicken anymore... it's not worth the huge amounts of salt or sugar they put into the food or the sleepless nights I'm going to have for a week or the mouth ulcers for the next two weeks (yes this happens to me), or the dry skin either. I'd rather eat what I have bought at the green grocers and cook it here at home. It's better to know how to cook my own meals. This is something I've been doing for years now, and I love it. 

Another Year On...

It's 2018 and already my art classes have recommenced. All those great photos I took at Brunswick Heads before Christmas - from all angles and at all hours of the day and night - have become something of a wonder to Aaron (my art teacher). He loves the different areas and colours I found there; and how much I love the place comes through those photos. He's impressed to say the least... and has said to me that he has to teach me to paint faster if I want an exhibition next year.

This is something I can do - I know I can.

The heat has been getting to everyone - especially those poor people in Sydney and Melbourne. It's been horrible there! And we've been getting some really sticky here in Queensland as well, but not as bad as our southern friends; who are melting in the heat.

Well, I've been helping out the poor wild animals around my garden by feeding the possums - as it's been so dry here - and a young little mickey bird landed on my window sill yesterday calling out. I don't have a container for water on hand - but I will look around for one after this, just so they can run around and jump in it in the shade. 

Yes the heat is really bugging a lot of the animals here. I hope you do your part and help them.

Otherwise, I've been decluttering my home again, trying to read (rather unsuccessfully) and I'm also working on making sure I save more money (yep, like I promised last year). Anyway, must be going. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

It's A Heatwave!

Yep, it's heating up big here in Australia, and it doesn't look as though it's going to stop... it appears to be getting hotter.

So, it's five days into the New Year; and I thought it was high time I jumped on here and told you all what I've been up to.

First off, I'm a little injured - not badly - just muscle soreness from twisting the wrong way; that's all.

My car's power steering pump finally gave up on me on Tuesday while I was out dropping a friend off at her place at Crestmead and I spent the longest ten minutes of my life struggling to get my car around round-a-bouts and corners and through traffic lights! It was like driving a damned tank!

So, I thought to take it to my folks' house to grab Mum's car - but that was a bad idea that night... the car's power steering came back for one last punch and scared me, and... well, let's just say it didn't end up well with one of my neighbours. We had a good chat and I ended up taking the car to my folks' house early the next morning... I was so tired that I went back to bed and slept for another few hours. 

But the heat really hit me bad; and I found that Mum's car's steering felt strange... so I left it for a bit and yesterday went and looked at the power steering fluid. It was almost empty. 

This is where I hurt myself. I twisted the wrong way as I closed the bonnet of the car, and well, pulled a muscle in my back. I'm sore as hell. But, I've been doing Yoga stretches all day... and last night I had a hot shower, stretched out the back muscles straight afterwards before going to bed, and today? Gotta say, the more I move, the better it feels. 

But I'm digressing

Um, I don't like driving a car where something 'might' go wrong if I think it's not right. So, I went and got it looked into at a place near me called Napa - it's Autobarn but not Autobarn - and the guys there were really cool, helping me find the right stuff but said yep, it looked liked it had a leak. Told me to advise Mum to get it looked at asap.

Anyway, I was on my way home when I thought to take the car for a good ol' drive... and called up Tutasi - a friend of mine (the same friend I dropped off on Tuesday) and she jumped at the chance to head out to the op-shops and look around for furniture for her and window shop for me... I'd already spend some money in the past few days; so didn't really need anything big.
We browsed through some Super Stores and she found some lovely towels and spotted great wardrobes she really needs and kept an eye out for curtains for her step-daughter's bedroom. We found some great-looking old wardrobes, but curtains were another thing.

Well, we headed home at around 3:30pm after a good day out. I had found a bottle to put my leftover Limoncello in - which was scrubbed and sanitised within an inch of its life - and then I found some gorgeous placemats to replace my peeling ones. I'm so pleased with my purchases. 

Now, this weekend, I'll be pulling down the Christmas Tree and putting away all the decorations into their respectable boxes and the townhouse will go back to everyday living.

I'll be back into declutter mode.
I'll be back into looking at packing things away to hopefully move.
I'm looking at what to paint for the following year.


Yep, this year is going to be a busy one! 

How about you? How's your year going to turn out for you? What are you plans? Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.