Dancing greens, feel the beet of the tangerine - 10 / 10 thread

[FrannyandZooey]

For anyone who wants a boost to their general health. The suggested goals are:

EAT 10 PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES EVERY DAY - if you don't usually eat much fruit and veg I would build up gradually or you could upset your digestion.

DO (AT LEAST) 10 MINUTES OF EXERCISE EVERY DAY - can be yoga, stretching or something more energetic. The plan is that the idea of doing 10 minutes is not too daunting, and having started you may well find you want to do more.

There are no restrictions on what you eat so long as you get your 10 fruit and veg as well. The focus is not on weight loss but on improving our energy levels and hopefully our general mood and well-being. Sign up below and post here to tell us how you're getting on and how you are feeling.

Basic guidance on what constitutes a portion of fruit and veg here and you can download more detailed information by following the link at the very bottom of the page

I didn't send the boys to school today, partly because they were tired, and partly because I didn't want to. So we had a "family day" with no television, no computer and (supposedly) no arguing.
It made me realise how much I resent screens stealing my children from me. We need some firm rules.

Ach!! Any other day, I could have come and met you. Tomorrow I amn meeting my mother in Bath and won't be back until 2ish, then have to do school pick up.
Do you go there often? It's only 7 miles from here.

ds1 didn't go in today either, toot, but he did play on the computer a bit. I am quite bad at letting him stay off actually. I feel annoyed that I am required to send him in if he is tired so I say he's ill.

Yes, I will gently twist the truth on the notes. I could tell them ds1 did a red poo early this morning, but a) he would be livid and b) it was only because of a beetroot-influenced stew
So perhaps he had a tummy ache or a headache or something.

Bah, Toot, what a shame, would have been lovely to catch up.

Am going with work to check out a new suplier, so if it works out, then yes I will be there a bit.

Am with a couple of work colleagues tomorrow, so prob would have been hard to meet up this time anyway, but will let you know when I am there next time.

Do you have to do notes?

The school rings here and I say he's under the weather and they say please ring us first thing next time and I say ok and then don't. I am slack.

Hey no, Tigerfeet, that's not the succotash i had. Well, i suppose it usually has beans and corn in. But that recipe is for a salad, and i had soup, so it was onions, butter beans, corn, bacon and chicken with milk - it sounds horrid but is actually delicious, in a southern american poor farmer sort of way.

sounds like chowder?

Another time then Wombling

Yes, we do have to do notes. We are supposed to phone as well, but I don't get around to it.

I have a recipe for Succotash in The Little House Cookbook. A highly unsuitable book for vegans!!

I always used to compost orange peel - it takes a while to break doown but I didn't have any problems with it.

Yes, I did mention prune brownie - I was thinking it'd be more healthy than it is - its really just brownie with prunes in it but is yummy. Have posted the recipe on the 10/10 recipe thread and one for chocolate prune cake which I am going to try next. Am in the middle of making maltloaf.

Wombling, you've been busy.

Did I see Meglaveche pop in?

Succotash is a bean dish - it varies depending on where you have it. It always has beans (lima, I think) and corn and sometimes meat. It's usually cooked in a casserole and I think was a big part of the Depression (cheap meal, I suppose) It's often eaten at Thanksgiving although I've never had it.

Chowder a thick soup made with milk/ cream which you often crumble salty crackers on the top of. Corn chowder and Clam chowder are yummy.

It's snowing. Again.

TooT can you not put something like:

"Sorry that ds did not attend school yesterday as he was not feeling too good."

I once got caught stupendously bunking off school while my parents were away (there were about 6 of us and we had this great day at my house and then stormed into town for the finale, where we promptly bumped into our head of year.) We all had to bring notes from our parents to explain our absence, or face all sorts of evil consequences, and my mother's was a masterpiece of doind what was required without lying - "I am sorry Franny did not attend school yesterday." Bloody nice of her I thought.

I have hardly got the heart to tell you about this morning's mango. Rearrange the following words if you can have the faintest interest:

mango
another
cunting
yet
rotten

oh and MORNINGS MrsC this may interest you

ds woke up at 5 am this morning over wrought about some stuff (his nose was blocked, and he was worried about what if there was a leak in the house ). Anyway after he failed to get back to sleep by the time dp got up, he wanted to come in as usual and we negotiated that he would read stories in his room for a bit so I could doze....

I then said "would you like to have a clock so that you could see whether it was time to come in to our room or time to go back to sleep? Then if it was just a bit too early you could look at books." He thought it was a FABULOUS idea (I think the being bought a new clock bit was the main draw probably). Anyway in theory it all sounds good, and if it works we can still have cuddles when the 'right' time comes. I just have a feeling I may get woken up every night at 2 am "what does this number say mummy? mummy it isn't time to get up yet is it, it doesn't say 6 or 7 does it mummy....."

Oh lord, if he does you will be cursing carrots in the night.

Sounds good that he's so postive about it. I like the idea of bed being free for all in theory but I cannot be happy to see people regardless of the time, I just can't. Here's to lie-ins for you.!

Sufferin' succotash - I knew I had heard of it somewhere before - how fabulous, I intend to use the phrase in RL at least once a day

Franny I bought two rotten cunting mangoes the other day, I am going to give up on them for a while I think. A month or so ago they were all gorgous and juicy, they must be past their best now.

bastard fruits

pah

I spit on them

nononono better than that

I COMPOST THEM

with nasty acidic orange peel ha ha ha HAH

sorry I am a little giddy. I have just found out I am entitled to maternity allowance which is about 3 times greater than what I would be able to earn if and when I go back to work after having the baby. For 39 weeks. I am confused and oddly not totally pleased. I want to go on working! But it is going to be a total bugger and hard work and I am going to lose lots of money if I do [completely nonplussed]

That'll learn 'em won't it

hmm interesting quandary about the MA. But work isn't just about money is it??? I would wait and see how you feel after dc2 is born. I would take the money, after all it's only for [counts fingers] erm some months then you can go back to work.

What do you do? [nosey]

Finally a thread title I get! Hello. I am about to read how you have all been doing!

Ok I think my maths was a bit poor, I need to sit down and actually work it out instead of guessing, but I am pretty sure it will be more than what I can earn post baby

partly because the rules state you can choose any 13 week period during the 66 weeks before you have your baby, to make up your average earnings, and I was doing that very well paid job in the pub garden over the summer, plus my coaching job, plus my groups (Tiger feet as you will gather I run children's groups, music and movement etc, plus do parties and work for a children's sports company), so that can be my average earnings period and make me look like I earn more than I usually do (this is all completely kosher)

and partly because when if I start my groups up again, I will need some childcare. Probably quite a lot of childcare, compared to what I am earning. Which isn't lots to start with. But I like working and hmm hmm hmmm hmmm

ah well will do proper figures with dp one evening

have eaten baked beans and chickpeas

oh and the longer I am off work the more my current client base (ooh poncy but you know what I mean) will drift off and go elsewhere

a lot of what I do is about gathering momentum and pegging away at it. Word of mouth is the best advertisement for me, especially where parties and groups are concerned

That's a tricky one, really, isn't it? Would it feel like starting up from scratch again if you took the MA?

Long shot I know but is there anyone who could run your groups for you while you are on ML?

well, it would more or less BE starting from scratch, I think, yes. Plus I like working. I may feel differently when the baby is here, obviously, but atm, it seems depressing to be not working just because I can earn more money not working

TigerFeet nonononononono. Am complete control freak, plus, they might be better than me!