Pointy sticks at the ready... and a few choc biscuits and brews too.

[carrotsandcelery]

Awww Scout time to snuggle down and watch dvds/snooze and let dh take over. I hope you feel better soon. xxx

Well I have found yet another home cooked meal that the DC wont eat.
DH liked it and cleared his plate, I ate mostly just the mash as I am not a big fan of meat but DH had chose Cottage pie so at least I had a go!

Well done BlackCat. I am sure dh appreciates your efforts.

Could you get your ds to choose a recipe? Maybe if he chose then he would eat it. [hopeful]

A friend of mine passed on their cotbed and a couple of bits and pieces to us and I did something similar a toy/game for their daughter (who was 6 or 7 at the time) and a nice bottle of drink for my friends (I'm friendly with the couple, not just the mum). I didn't expect anything so it was a lovely surprise today. This evening I gave Toddler the box his eyes lit up and he shouted "TRAIN!" Promptly started putting track together and got out his other train boxes and had a grand old time.

YAY for MiniCarrots! It's lovely to hear he's getting lots of praise.

YAY for good playdate at bessie's.

&%£(@!Y$£&" Trains! ARGH! He's delayed AGAIN. I'm so glad I don't commute to London every day though my train line didn't have nearly as many delays as his does.

ahhh blackCat, try not to get disheartened. Would they eat the mash? Perhaps try with something instead of the meat inside next time so you like it too? I have a nice Quorn cottage pie and a Lentil shepards pie

DD1(3.3) is being very picky about what she will eat at the moment - today she announced the no longer likes ciabatta with olives in (this has been one of her favorite foods for the last 2 years) and would only eat naked pasta for tea (I had made a special smooth tomato sauce with absolutely no 'bits' in) Thankfully DD2(9m) is still in "human dustbin" mode & DH will eat everything, so my efforts aren't completely wasted!

The kitchen/sink is done, laundry in the TD & menu checked for tomorrow. Tonight I am doing jobs on the PC (while watching the TV). So far I've ordered a frame for some photos we had taken last year of the DC, & some bin bags for the nappy bin. Next I need to choose some pics of DD2 to print & spend a bit of time on an ongoing project - I want to get a photo book printed with ALL the photos from our wedding in, but first I need to go through them all & make sure they are in the right order! We have nearly 500 photos in total (I got everyone to send me their pics) so this is taking some time!

bessie we got married so long ago it was still in the era when you could leave a disposable camera on the table tops for the guests to document the party for you.

My dmum decided to surprise us by getting them developed while we were on our honeymoon. She then decided to have a wee peek.

Oh dear!

Remembering it was a Scottish wedding, imagine where some of dh's drunken friends from the labs (who were all wearing kilts of course) had put the cameras? My poor mum.

It also led to a photo of our minister, who is also a family friend, more than a little tipsy, wearing my dad's friend's posh wife's very posh wedding hat. It's a great pic

Hi bessie No they won't eat mash. The only potato DS will eat is chips and DD gagged on the mash so wouldn't eat anymore. With her I think it's the texture of it that put her off.
I won't give up but it is disheartening when it takes a while to cook something then they won't eat it.

BlackCat Can you give us a list of what the dcs will eat? Maybe we could work out from there, expanding their repertoire a tiny bit at a time, rather than making a big leap to something they are freaked out by.

eg if ds will only eat chips, can you make something with wedges or something topped with sliced potatoes that are then baked, like the top of a hot pot, which is effectively chips but circular ones

Babysteps... just like our housekeeping

carrots we still had disposable cameras, but I downloaded the dodgy pics instead of having to get them printed!

blackcat I think carrots is right, you have to do babysteps - I grated cheese onto some of DD1's naked pasta today, at the weekend I will give her pasta & veg mixed up, but still with no sauce.

blackcat i know its a pain but ages and stages with kids...they all go through the "im not eating that".well done though and glad to hear you will keep trying

carrotssounds llike alovely day.fingers x with the dog
your wedding sounded fun!!!

scoutthats good karma!

bessie sound like another good and productive day at yours

ive got into a fall-asleep-by-8-and-wake-at-5 pattern(just so you know im not be antisocial at night

hope scout feeling better

hope everyone has lovely weekend(and gets to play in the snow weve been forecast)

I think you might be right but I don't know where to start. C an you give any suggestions of easy to cook stuff that all your DC will eat.

Sorry if I'm turning this into a food thread.

Wedges sound good.

I have:
Leeks, potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, celery and mince.
I have various other stuff too but those are the main fresh things I can think off.

TIA

I need to try and tidy my kitchen again. This is the down side to cooking, you end up with tons of washing up.

Morning Zoo*

Oooooh! Snow!!

blackcat will they eat egg? How about an oven frittata?

hi blackcat

We only have a tiny dusting of snow, but more forecast for lunchtime. AIBU to be slightly disappointed that DH is going to be here all day? (golf course closed) - I suspect I am!

Obviously I know nothing about REAL cold but I will (try to) put tights on under our jeans when we play outside.

Hi zoo - I am sorry I missed your message and it is probably too late for this week now. My ds is the same. M&S do great soft thermals in funky designs that I got ds to wear under his horse riding gear. If you can get a few pairs of socks inside his wellies then that helps too. Other than that I went for thin layers as they still need to be able to move as fluidly as possible. Some stables will let you wear a balaclava or buff under the riding hat, as long as he can still hear clearly as for safety's sake he needs to hear as much as possible. (is he on a lead rein or on his own now?) If he doesn't like that then a lot of horsey people wear fleece headbands over their ears and lower forehead where the hat doesn't reach. We also use things called "hotties" in our boots and sometimes even our gloves to keep warm. They are little charchoal sachets that heat up when shaken and stay warm for a few hours. I have heaps so if you pm me your address I will post you some for next week. The instructor will probably also keep them trotting as much as they can so they build up some internal heat to keep them going. The worst bit is dismounting as it really hurts your feet when it is cold so if you can lift him down then do so.

It is actually about 2 degrees here today and no frost really. There is still a bit of ice and some sleet but it is not nearly as bad as it was yesterday and the few days before that.

I have had a busy morning taking dd to her activity and picking up the dog. Our dog is not over the moon but is tolerating her at the moment so hopefully he will come round.

I have:

Washed and dressed (far too early for a Saturday)
Fed 2 dcs
taken dd to activity
collected dog
made a snack
walked the dog with our dog
made lunch
loaded dw and cleaned worktops

To do:

load wm
hoover hallway
what's for dinner?
STILL the ironing
hang washing when the wm finishes
tidy table before it gets out of hand

Carrots How is the dog? Are you keeping it?

Her current owner has just picked her up and will be dropping her here for good tomorrow morning. I feel so sad for them. It must be tough to give away a dog you love. I feel a bit guilty about being so excited... but I am... SOOOOO excited.

I can't settle to anything today. I need to get a grip!

Carrots did the 2 dogs get on well ?
It will be a bit more company for you during the week.

The new dog likes our dog. Our dog is a bit scared of the new dog and gave her a wide berth most of the day. They walked together shoulder to shoulder on the walk though. I think it will take time for him to love her. He was coming to me a lot for reassuring cuddles.

I LOVE having my animals around the house though. They are great company when everyone else is off doing their thing. They also teach the dcs a lot about compassion and caring. They are great company for the dcs too. When dd was bullied recently she knew that if all else failed, her dog always had a game and a cuddle.

The dog we have is the complete opposite of the one we are getting. The new one will enjoy walks to the shop and school and up to the post box etc. Our current dog likes long runs in the woods, up hills etc. Our current dog is a bit tricky for the dcs though and this one is one they could walk round the block etc without any worries.

We are going to have our hearts broken though as she is so old and can only hope to have her another 2 years at most. I would hope someone could love me when I was old and frail so want to give her the same chance.

The family have requested macaroni and peas for tea. Who am I to stand in their way. Although it is technically warmer here now it is damp and windy and feels much worse than the -7 did earlier in the week. Brrrr! Macaroni seems the perfect comfort food for a Saturday evening.

Right, I am off to put a wash on and do the ironing before I make it or nothing at all will have been done today

Leeks, potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, celery and mince

BlackCat I just realised I didn't answer your food question.

Could you make burgers and potato wedges with the mince and potatoes?

Leeks always say, "soup" to me. Leek, onion, carrots, celery and potatoes would make a good soup. If you have some red lentils too then you could add a handful and add some protein too.

On the mashed potato front. My ds is not keen either but he does like mashed potato piped into "meringues" and baked. You can pipe by cutting the corner off a plastic freezer bag and filling the bag with the mash and then piping it onto a lined baking tray. It is a bit of a faff but he might eat it and it might help dd get over the texture of it. It does have a texture more like chips but it is baked so a bit healthier depending on how much butter you have put in the mash.

You could also make the base of Jamies mince and onion pie with that and then serve it with wedges. (I know you don't like the mince yourself though).

I have done one load of washing and am just about to hang it out. I was doing the ironing and asked dd to get me a hanger for her tshirt. She brought an adult one, despite being told to bring one for her shirt. She then had a strop and told me to do it myself She is now doing the ironing herself as it was all her stuff. Cheeky mare! She has at least had the sense not to complain and to get her head down and get on with it.

Ooooh I am excited about your new dog too carrots! I would LOVE to have one, but it's just not fair to have one when we are out of the house so much. I think the cats might have something to say about it too!

I have vacuumed upstairs, and mopped the kitchen floor again (DD1 knocked over her juice at lunchtime). I've also had a look at our bank acc - I need to keep a better eye on that, we are giving a ridiculous amount of money to Sainsbury's every month these days and I don't go back to work until April. I'm also going to make a start on next week's meal plan while drinking wine - is anyone going out in the cold tonight?