October 08 - Toddling round the Christmas tree & Ooooing at the lights!

[50ftChristmasTree]

10th Sept (Due 1st Oct) - loulou33 - Boy - Joe Louis David - 6lbs 12oz
16th Sept (Due 8th Oct) - Ksal - Girl - Emma Rae - 6lbs
21st Sept (Due 5th Oct) - myjobismum - Girl - Naomi Caitlin - 5lbs 10oz
2nd Oct (Due 12th Oct) - star6 - Boy - Quinlan - 5lbs 15oz
3rd Oct (Due 26th Sept) - purpleflower - Girl - Rebecca Jill Erzsebet - 8lbs 10.5oz
4th Oct (Due 30th Sept) - Aubergenie - Boy - Stanley - 7lbs 12oz
8th Oct (Due 6th Oct) - ronshar - Boy - William Dexter - 7lbs 11oz
9th Oct (Due 17th) - Marthasmama - Girl - Martha - 7lbs 10oz - Elective c-sec
10th Oct (Due 1st Oct) - CantSleepWontSleep - Boy - Duncan Elliot - 8lbs 4oz
12th Oct (Due 4th Oct) - pistachio - Boy - Thomas Fraser - 10lbs 2oz
16th Oct (Due 11th Oct) - heather1980 - Boy - Alexander James - 9lbs 5oz
17th Oct (Due 10th Oct) - pepperrabbit - Girl - Jessica Rose - 7lbs 15.5oz
24th Oct (Due 29th Oct) - Ekka - Boy - Matthew - 7lbs 15oz
26th Oct (Due 20th Oct) - jenwa - Girl - Phoebe Jasmine - 9lbs 2.5oz
28th Oct (Due 23rd Oct) - RachieW - Boy - Jack - 7lbs 4oz
31st Oct (Due 20th Oct) - KnickersOnMaHead - Boy - Samuel Paul - 9lbs 11oz
5th Nov (Due 29th Oct) - Honeymoonmummy - Girl - Poppy Grace - 6lbs 15oz
5th Nov (Due 30th Oct) - MamaG - Boy - Harry James - 10lbs 9oz

Oh aubergenie has reminded me of the few things that I don't like! I really don't like ginger (although will occasionally use a v v small amount in a curry), chilli has to be in absolutely miniscule amounts (I love chilli and rice, but make it v mild), black pepper is the work of the devil, as is mustard.

How do you make tandoori chicken in slow cooker aubergenie? Doesn't it use yogurt? Though I suppose I could use plain soya yog if it does.

And yes, I need to start eating more soup (though will find it hard to resist a homebaked baguette with it!). Have ordered masses of bought soups from Ocado this week .
The dc don't do well with soup though, although if I make it chunky I could just give ds the chunks and tell dd to eat it or go hungry .

Evening all,
As I don't cook at all, I cant' really join in this chat...I thought about pretending but I guess you'd suss me out
Anyhow, my crap car week continues - I didn't even mention the hideous experience on wednesday en route to DS1s Nativity when I accidentally touched the bumper of another parent, and was subjected to a vicious verbal attack - he called me a "stupid f...ing c..." more than once, at top volume and about 3 inches from my face. I actually thought he was going to hit me. and this was another parent in DS1s class. I was in total shock and nearly tears (i refuse to cry in front of evil people, but it was a close thing). anyhow, after DD's hospital trip, the car previously breaking down, no sleep and horrid PMT, i thought this week had to be better.
Today I took DSs to dentist at 2pm, popped to my mum's for a cup of tea on the way home, and 45 minutes later we were snowed in!
I got home at 7pm - and I live about a mile from my Mum!!!!! She's on a slope and I was parked facing uphill. Tried to turn round but couldn't. Had to wait till DH got back to the station and then came and helped us walk home as I couln't keep all 3 safe at once
So, no car again!
Am thinking of hibernating now, till spring.

You need to look at the other cars that we're considering pepper - a Landrover Discovery and a Volvo XC90. Sounds like you could have done with the 4 wheel drive.

It does need yoghurt normally CSWS, but I'm never really sure what the yoghurt adds to be honest, so I would just marinate some chicken tights in tandoori paste (either bought or home-made, depending on how donestic goddessy I'm feeling) overnight and then cook them on low in the slow cooker all afternoon.

You could definitely make that dahl without chilli or ginger.

chicken thighs, not tights

aubergenie

Pepper - that is awful! Re the other parent. Was it on the school premises? If so, I'd be tempted to mention that to the school. If he behaves like that again they could ban him from coming into the school grounds. Not that it would help you, but it would send a message that his behaviour is unacceptable.

CSWS

I hate it when I fall out of the conversation, it's so hard jumping back in when there's such a strong conversational current!

Pepper - Agree with Aubergenie. You should mention the threatening behaviour to the school. It's not acceptable for anyone to behave that way let alone around school children. Hope your luck changes from here on in!

Ummmm.....

Myjob - Yay!!!! You'll be running after her in no time.

Well, my place is marked now.

Oh and Pistachio, no I didn't get much of a bruise! I am amazed.

Pepper how awful!! Why are people so mean??

csws I'm not a black pepper fan, either!
Dh is, though. And he loves hot sauce. I don't... although recently heard that tabasco added to food makes it lower in fat, speeds up metabolism... so may start liking it

I think the difference it would make to your metabolism would be minor Star. Cayenne pepper is another one that it is said speeds up metabolism, as does eating raw red pepper and drinking black coffee (the last one I have tried and the effect was more laxative ).

would it be a good time to confess that last time I told DS2 that we needed more potato smiley faces - he said "could I remember not to get the black ones...." .

Bored stuck at home today. we had 2 parties to go to today but as can't get the car back without DH.

pepper. dd likes potato smilies too.

I'm making Q's lentil patties/cakes today and going to add in beans and chickpeas today I'm a horrid cook, too, though. That's too funny about the burnt ones pepper!
What are potato smilies, though? I'm guessing like french fries/chips but as smiley faces? Is there a flavouring that makes the eyes/mouth or are they just indented?

I went to visit a montessori preschool near me today. It was lovely Q really liked it, too. But he has to turn 2 before he can go (only 2 weeks to decide on a preschool apparently, though ). Anyway, he looked so tiny compared with all of those 2-4 year olds. I couldn't believe it! We always think of him as such a big boy now, but he's really still just a baby .

making enemies on the charity gifts thread
Just can't deal with people who complain when they are given a gift at all.

Haven't read it star, but my brother was ungrateful when we gave him a charity gift a few years ago, and my parents thought it was a rubbish gift too (but then that's my parents for you ).

I'm making pistachio's paella for lunch, with brown basmati rice and without the green beans as we used them up last night.

Potato smilies are made from mashed potato star, a bit like potato waffles if you are familiar with them.

Lunch a big hit with ds!

Yay for a yummy lunch csws! DH had white pasta with cheese today... I cannot find nutritional value in that meal he so loves...

Q had oatmeal (porridge would you say?), a corn thin, a slice of bread with peanut butter and some ellas broccoli/pears/peas.... he loves those ellas packets... esp the very tasty lentil vegetable bake... (that one IS yummy). But how do I get him off the purees? I know I should have done blw!!

at DS' lunch pistachio! wow!

Pistachio - I had a vegetarian catering company in my previous life, so am pretty obsessed with cooking. Cooking for a living is very different from trying to throw something together while a small person is hanging off your legs though. We eat a lot more one-pot meals these days and the slow cooker has been a god-send.

I do miss "proper" cooking though, but I know I'll have time for that again one day.

That talk of frittata yesterday made me fancy that for lunch today. Lovely with a winter coleslaw (excellent way of using up random veg).

Question: Do you all eat dinner/tea (I mean evening meal) with your dcs? I never fancy mine at 5.30, so although I always sit down and eat something, we're not always eating the same thing, which I don't think is that good. What do you all do?