Cold and rainy weather has hit Melbourne, so I thought I would throw in a a salad with one of our meals, while we can still get the last remains of the summer seasonal foods.

With the exception of that meal when it came to plan for this week, it was generally of the more hearty, warming style food. As I have a distinct preference for the warmer seasons, I do take some solace that there is great food that can be cooked in the colder months.

Monday: Beef Stroganoff (Slow Cooker recipe attached)

Tuesday: Hamburgers And Salad

Wednesday: Tuna Rice

Thursday: Spaghetti Alla Matriciana

Friday: Shepherd’s Pie

Saturday: Spicy Chutney Chicken With Mixed Rice (Recipe Attached)

Sunday: Sausage And Vegetables

I have included the shopping list for this week’s menu plan as an excel file. The below paragraphs explain what is in the attached excel file below.

Menu Plan Shopping List 080331

It contains three separate spreadsheets. The first is named “Complete Grocery’ and it lists by supermarket aisle all the ingredients that are needed to cook the family meals for this week.

The second spreadsheet is named “Ingredient By Meal’ and it lists the ingredients that are required for the family by each individual meal this week. I have also left on the aisle and aisle subsection in this spreadsheet for reference, but if you want to print that out you will need to alter the print area.

The third spreadsheet is named “Menu Plan” and is a modified version of the menu plan that I print and place on the fridge. I have a notes section, that I like to populate with any activities that are likely to impact the evening meal routine.

Want to see what we are having next week? Subscribe to my free email updates via the “subscribe page” or from the RSS Feed icon at the top of the page.

For more menu planning ideas head on over to Laura’s place at “I’m an Organizing Junkie“.

Technorati Tags: Menu Planning, Recipes, shopping list

• Menu Plan Monday - Short Week
• Menu Plan Monday - The Favourites
• Menu Plan Monday - Back to Basics
• Menu Plan Monday - Easy To Cook Family Food

Time again to list some posts that were highlights for me as I have travelled around the blogosphere during the month.

From the heart:
My parents, my heroes - A beautifully written post, which should make anyone appreciate their parents while they still have the chance to do so.

Mommy Cliques: A Ninja Survival Guide - A post I can relate to post about how to deal with a mommy clique.

Social Justice:
Our Global Reality Meal - A teacher describes an amazing exercise to highlight the inequality of our world for school students.

How To talk To Your Kids About Race - Ideas on how to get children to appreciate diversity.

Parenting:
How to Listen - Megan from Imaginif again comes up with some fantastic advice on communicating with your children.

Caught in the Act - A view from the other side of the fence for a change - from Dad.

7 Preschool Educational Toys That Cost Next To Nothing - Creative ideas from The Preschool Mama on using every day items with your child.

How to Motivate Students to Earn (Er Learn) - An example of why rewards (bribes) don’t work.

Tips:
Frugal Living Simplified in 5 Steps - Some practical advice, some of which I really need to take on!

60 Gardening Ideas For Kids - List’s the nine essential elements to consider in a child’s garden.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Technorati Tags: blogs, Monthly

• 10 Top Posts For November
• More On The Purpose of Preschool
• 10 Top Posts For July
• 10 Top Posts For January

I came across the following tip in a newsletter that I subscribe to. The newsletter is written by Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller and you can find a copy of it here.

Teacher Talk Tip

Change your words and you change your thoughts and perceptions. Change your thoughts and perceptions and you change your beliefs. Change your beliefs and you change your behaviors. Change your behaviors and you change the reaction you invite.

Possible words to change

Mistake….Learning opportunity

Detention….Responsibility room

Problem solving….Solution seeking

Field Trip….Adventure in learning

Study….Growing your mind

Rules….Healthy limits

Consequences…Outcomes

This is taken from Teacher Talk: What It Really Means by Chick Moorman and although it is aimed at teachers, as a parent there is a lot that I can take from this approach.

The words on the right hand side do more accurately describe quite often what I am trying to communicate to my children. For example I do use the word consequences a bit and it does have a much greater intonation of “punishment”, when really I just need them to know that what happens next will be a direct OUTCOME of their behaviour. Even in my own mind these words bring up different images, so I am sure they would for my children.

The book itself also makes great suggestions on how to communicate openly and honestly with children. He looks at traditional techniques for managing children’s behaviour like highlighting children who are behaving well and explains:

“I like the way Linda is sitting” is not honest, direct communication. In fact the message is not even intended for Linda. It is intended for everyone else. Linda is being used to manipulate other students into behaving in a similar way. When you do this, you model indirect communication and manipulation.

I needed to refresh myself on how important my choice of words are when I am communicating with my kids. Sometimes I fall into the trap of blurting out what I am feeling instantly. Just like I would if I were talking to an adult, I think I need to pause for a few moments (and allow the intensity of the situation to dilute slightly!), gather my thoughts then speak.

I need to model this style of communication, because this I would like to show my children how to:

“speak in ways that encourage problem-solving rather than blame and punishment.”

Is this something you try to encourage in your kids? If so, how do you go about it and do the kids take it on board?

Technorati Tags: communication, parenting

• Why?
• 10 Things I Want My Kids To Know Now….
• Managing School Paperwork
• When Is A Tantrum, Not A Tantrum?

We made it back safely last night from our holiday. However not everyone we camped with over Easter did.

To my dear friend “Tayls” who is now mourning the death of her sister, my heart aches for you. This poem is for you in memory of your beautiful, funny and intelligent sister.

Remember
by Christina Rosetti

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann’d:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

• Characteristics of Two (and a half) Year Old Behavior
• Baby Smiles Addictive
• 30 Day Challenge - And In Conclusion
• 30 Day Challenge Update - Tired!

Sometimes as a parent we have knowledge that we take for granted. Simple things that we have learnt on our life journey that help give us the directions and cues on how to navigate modern life. As the parent, there are certain things that I would like my children to know now, that can help create a foundation on which they can build a happy and peaceful life:

(1). I love them and always will.
This is not something that I say at predetermined intervals, but something that I make sure I say in a variety of circumstances. I want them to know that even if I am unhappy with their behaviour, I do still love them.

(2). Always try.

There is no failure except in no longer trying. Elbert Hubbard.

In their life they will come across many challenges and unknowns. Although they may be a bit scary they also provide opportunities. I want them to know that I would rather that they try or have a go and will accept the results, rather than never having the courage to try.

(3). They have the right to say no.
From a child safety aspect they need to know that they must say no, when things are making them uncomfortable. Megan from Imaginif child protection became serious business, has a great model on how to teach protective behaviours in children.

Also, although I can often find this infuriating, they need to know that they have the ability to control what happens to them and that they can practice with me by saying no to my requests. I have taught them that saying no is generally not enough on its own. They need to form an argument, suggest a compromise or come up with an alternative solution, if they want to change my mind. This aims to teach them the power of negotiation and that they can resolved issues through talking in the first instance.

(4). Where their food comes from.
Completely different emphasis from the emotional points above, but we have four kids growing up in the city and it is easy for the m to assume that the supermarket will always be stocked with fresh fruit and veg, meat etc. In Australia, due to a combination of factors, but most significantly due to environmental factors the price of food is increasing.

I want my children to understand the food chain, so they can appreciate the impact that they have on the environment and what the flow on effects to food production can be. Knowing where their food comes from can help grow their respect for the environment.

(5). Our quality of life is excellent.
We live in a part of the world where we expect to live beyond the age of 75. We have running water, electricity, security and a free democracy. I want them to know that this is not the case for all children.

“In 2006, for the first time since records have been kept, the number of children dying before their fifth birthday fell below 10 million, to 9.7 million.”

(6). Manners are important.
To let them know that manners are important I need to role model their appropriate use. I need to not interrupt them when they are talking; I need to use please and thank you when I am requesting them to do things; I need to knock before entering their room if the door is closed.

(7). There will be disappointments.
There will be rejection. They will not always win. They may get chosen last on the football team.

I need my children to know that they will face disappointments and it will not always go their own way. But I also need them to know how to cope with this: dwelling on disappointment will not help, learning from the experience will. Looking to blame others is not helpful, talking about how they feel can allow them to express their emotions.

(8). Life is to be enjoyed.
I need them to know that I value laughter and I value happiness. By taking time out to show that I enjoy life, I can encourage them to keep perspective and aim for a balanced life.

(9). Honesty will always be valued.
Even as adults we can make mistakes, but I need my kids to know that it is better to admit a wrong decision or misguided deed than to lie to cover it up. I want them to value honesty and understand its importance.

(10). Respect your body.
The children need to know that they have one body to get them through their life, and that they need to take care and respect it. They need to take responsibility to eat well, exercise and think about the consequences of their actions may have on their body (eg. risk taking behaviour, toxins).

What are the most important things that you want your children to know?

Technorati Tags: children, communication, parenting

• 10 Guiding Principles For A Happy Family
• Tuesdays With Morrie
• Change Your Words.
• How Is Your Well Being?

We are at my sisters for most of this week on holidays in sunny Mildura! My other sister and her son from Melbourne are also visiting and my parents will be around for most meals, so we have chosen very easy meals that can be cooked in bulk and that the kids will all like (mostly anyway!)

You can find an excel file at the end of this post which contains the shopping list to purchase all the food to cook these meals. As we will be cooking for so many people, I am doubling all the required ingredients.

Monday: Baked Penne

Tuesday: Tacos (Mums out - dad’s to cook)

Wednesday: Lamb Chops and Steamed Vegetables (Dads out - mum’s to cook)

Thursday: Chicken Korma with poppadoms

Friday: Zucchini Slice - (Back in Melbourne and I will be getting this out of the freezer.)

Saturday: Sausage and Steamed Vegetables

Sunday: Chicken Wings with Baked Potatoes and Corn on the Cob

The below is the an explanation for the attached file of which includes shopping lists, etc for these meals.

Menu Planning Shopping List 080324

The file contains three separate spreadsheets. The first is named “Complete Shopping List by Aisle’ and it lists by supermarket aisle all the ingredients that are needed to cook the family meals for this week.

The second spreadsheet is named “Ingredients By Meal’ and it lists the ingredients that are required for the family meals this week. I have also left on the aisle and aisle subsection this week as well in this spreadsheet. You may like to do some data sorting etc for yourself on this spreadsheet.

The third spreadsheet is named “Menu Plan” and is a modified version of the menu plan that I print and place on the fridge. I have a notes section, that I like to populate with any activities that are likely to impact the evening meal routine.

Want to see what we are having next week? Subscribe to my free email updates via the “subscribe page” or from the RSS Feed icon at the top of this page.

For more menu planning ideas head on over to Laura’s place at “I’m an Organizing Junkie“.

Technorati Tags: Menu Planning, Recipes, shopping list

• Menu Plan Monday - One I Prepared Earlier
• Menu Plan Monday - Quick And Simple
• Menu Plan Monday - Shopping List For Our Family Menu Plan
• Menu Plan Monday - The Favourites

In early February I remember I received my first blog bling(award) from a fantastic blogger CelloBella. I have to admit to be being so very excited about receiving the Excellent blog award from someone who I respected as a blogger. This week I was just as excited to receive it again from a very well travelled and well written blog A Roaming Aussie Mum . Thank you to you both, I appreciate the awards and would like to pass it on to the following bloggers:

Kate at Picklebums - Kate posts the most beautiful photos of her children and writes with both great humour and honesty.

Domestically Blissed - Domestically Blissed is just across the waters in New Zealand and gives a great insight into alternative preschool education.

Megan at Imaginif child protection became a serious business - her blog is always informative and thought provoking and Megan is amazingly supportive to her sister bloggers.

Preschool Mama - Excellent activities and suggestions on how to interact with your preschooler.

Joh at Joh Blogs - As a parent it is great to hear an independent voice from the other side of the fence - the teacher.

(It was hard to choose and I think it might have something to do with Easter and the spirit of giving, but there is a lot of bling going about at the moment!)

Also this week Karen from The Miscellaneous Adventures of an Aussie Mum passed on to me the Forever Friends Award. If you haven’t checked out Karen’s blog, do so as she writes beautifully and is a soon to be published children’s author. I would like to pass this award on to the following in the online world:

Cath at mobblegobble - one of my oldest and truest friends.

Laine at icklekids - a new friend but one who gives me great inspiration.

And to those in the real world who I keep telling that they should start blogging! These women have been such a fantastic support to me in getting this blog up an running and then participating in the online conversations as well:

Deb, Lou, Annie, Belinda, Tash, Carolyn, Paula, Sam, Cass and Steph (the last three are my sisters as well as my friends!), MC, Lisa, Angela and Nic

Thank you again for the awards and if you believe in the Easter Bunny, I hope he brings you loads of excellent quality, fair trade chocolate!

Technorati Tags: awards, blogging

• The Lazy Bloggers Blog Post Generator
• Food Porn Meme
• Post On Aussie Bloggers
• 10 Top Posts For July

I have written previously about how important I think it is for me to look after myself so I am then better equipped to look after my family. My well being is an important factor in the smooth running and general happiness of the home.

But can you measure well being? Australian Unity in conjunction with Deakin University since 2001 have been publishing the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index.

The index defines wellbeing as being different to happiness:

“Happiness can come and go in a moment, whereas wellbeing is a more stable state of being well, feeling satisfied and contented.

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index is based on average levels of satisfaction with various aspects of personal and national life. Satisfaction is expressed as a percentage score, where 0% is completely dissatisfied and 100% is completely satisfied. So a survey score of 76.5% on personal wellbeing means Australians, on average, feel 76.5% satisfied with their life.”

I like the idea that in the current economic rationalist focus, that there is an index that looks at quality of life in social terms other than pure economic indicators like Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Measures of how ‘well’ we are doing as a nation have conventionally been based on economic considerations such as Gross Domestic Product, employment rates and housing prices. However, in an era when Australians are richer than ever, more than one million adults and 100,000 young people are experiencing depression every year. The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index investigates additional factors impacting on our lives, filling the void not covered by economic considerations and producing a complete view of Australians’ wellbeing.”

The collated information outputs a National Wellbeing Index for Australia and in the most current survey (Oct 2007) saw the index at its highest level yet recorded at 63.72. I will be keen to see how the Wellbeing Index moves in the next survey in light of the ever growing economic uncertainty.

From a mother’s perspective (and a nerdy love of stats perspective) there were a few areas of the Index that stood out to me:

Females have a higher sense of valuation and contributions than males. This may be due to the fact that females are more socially embedded.

People who live with children have a higher sense that their life contributes to the wellbeing of others.

Female wellbeing does not significantly differ between full-time employed and full-time home care.

Females experience the intensity of both happy and sad events more strongly than males. This represents a pattern of enhanced emotional responsiveness for females.

The last point makes me laugh - it has always been that way in my house and now I know that at least this is the norm.

If you go to the Australian Unity website you can click on the banner there and assess your own well being.

Technorati Tags: mother, well being

• Growth Fetish
• Paid Maternity Leave In Australia
• The Financial Crisis And The Impact On Children
• ANZAC Day - Talking About War With Children.

I have created for my family a checklist of activities that we need to complete before leaving home on holidays. At the bottom of this post, you will find attached a word document version of the check list (without the descriptions of course!) that I stick on the fridge the week before we go away. As someone completes an activity, they tick the list, so we all know what exactly has been done.

Checklist - To Do List Before Leaving On Holidays.

I have left some blank rows at the end of the checklist so you can add any thing I may have forgotten (let me know by leaving a comment!), or activities that are specific to your family.

In no particular order the to do list includes:

(1). Cancel Newspaper.
We only have the newspaper delivered on the weekends and we will only be away one week, so this time we have organised with our neighbour to pick up and keep the papers.

(2). Cancel Milk Deliveries.
We have milk, juice, eggs and cheese delivered to our door on a weekly basis, so I have suspended our order for the time that we are away.

(3). Garbage Collection.
We have 3 large rubbish bins -1 for waste, 1 for recyclables and 1 for garden waste. The last two are collected on alternate fortnights. With 6 of us in the house, it is a nightmare if we don’t have the bins collected on the right day. We will be able to put the bins out and our very kind neighbours will bring them in for us.

(4). Mail Collection.
Our very kind neighbours are also doing this for us as well!

(5). Dog Sitting.
My in-laws are always so fantastic about looking after our dog for us when we are away. Mr Infrastructure’s mum took our dog Milli home after she babysat for us on Saturday night. Thank you!

(6). Clear Out the Fridge.
The last couple of meals I make before we leave, I tend to throw what ever I can into them, so there is little waste of food. But there are always left over bits and pieces in the fridge, so the night before we leave I will go through and chuck out anything that will be off before we get back.

If we have excess fruit and veg that won’t be eaten on the trip I generally offer it to the neighbours. The area of rural Victoria where we will be holidaying is a “fruit fly free zone”. This means that from about 50km out no fruit is to be brought into the area, so we cannot take any additional fruit with us. We can however bring stuff back, which is great as my dad gets us all sorts of wonderfully fresh locally grown produce!

(7). Compost Bucket.
We have a small bucket in the kitchen that we put all our food scraps in, which then gets emptied into our compost bins. It is the Thinkers job to empty the bucket and I will need to get him to do it in the morning before we go. It can get a bit smelly if it is left to start composting in the kitchen.

(8). Kitchen Bin.
For similar reasons as above, Little Rascal will need to empty the bin in the morning before we leave.

(9). Meal Plan and Shopping List for Returning Week.
We buy our fruit and veg weekly at a Saturday only market. I will need to have organised the menu plan and corresponding shopping list so Mr Infrastructure can go the market early Saturday morning (we will be returning late on Friday).

(10). Washing.
I have to admit that this one and the next one are probably not completely necessary (and could verge on the anal) but I like to come home to things organised. I aim to have an (almost) empty laundry basket before we leave.

Even thought I will be washing while we are away, we always seem to come home with washing, so I like to try and prevent it from overflowing form the basket.

(11). Vacuum.
Our children are normally so excited about leaving for holidays, that they run off and happily sit in the car well before we depart. I like to use the time while Mr Infrastructure is packing the last items, to quickly run the vacuum cleaner over all the floors. It makes the house seem less chaotic once we unload the car on our return, if at least the floors underneath all the stuff is clean.

(12). Turn Off Appliances at the Switch.
I do need to get better at doing this in general, but this is a job that I can allocate to the older children which they actually enjoy on the morning before we leave.

(13). Check All Windows and Doors Locked.
Mr Infrastructure always does this and closes curtains blinds etc.

Then once this is all done, it is time to head off for some fun. If you are travelling over the Easter break, I wish you a safe and fun journey.

Technorati Tags: checklist, family holiday

• 10 Tips For Organised School Mornings
• 10 Things To Make Back To School Mornings Easier
• Back To School Checklist
• According To My Plan………

In my Planning for the Easter Holiday Car Trip post I detailed some of the activities that we pack for the children. We also make sure that we have a number of quality audio books to play along the way as well.

We have a rotation system in the car for long trips like this, where everyone has a turn at choosing the CD to be played. We all love music, but generally after a couple of hours into the trip, someone will request an audio book.

When it is the older boy’s turn and they choose a favourite audio book, this generally has the added bonus of keeping them entertained, but because of the hypnotic sound of the reader’s voice, it generally send the little ones off to sleep!

Here are ten CD’s which my children have enjoyed:

(1). Hairy Maclary Story Collection (Puffin Audiobooks)
Although definitely more for the toddler and preschooler, these witty rhyming tales about Hairy Maclary and friends from Lynley Dodd have a “join in” effect even with the older boys.

(2). Andersen’s Fairy Tales 2CD
Each CD goes for over 75 minutes each, and they include favourites from Hans Christian Andersen like The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Match Girl, The Ugly Duckling ant The Tinderbox.

(3). Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Junior Classics)
Isn’t this just the kookiest of stories? I always find this one amusing and although don’t use up my precious CD turn on this audio book, I am always happy to have it on.

(4). Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Junior Classics)
A little note about the Brother Grimm series - they are very strongly worded and can be a little dark. These versions are not the watered down versions that children are used to hearing and it did take the Thinker a little while before he would listen to Hansel and Gretel all the way through without skipping to the next story!

Both CD’s go for over an hour and include the traditional story of Cinderella (so much better than the Disney version!), Rumpelstiltskin and a favourite of mine The Fisherman;’s Wife which is a great lesson as to why greed is not good.

(5). The Happy Prince and Other Tales (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Junior Classics)
These are such beautifully told stories from Oscar Wilde and are accompanied by some beautiful music also. These stories are definitely more appropriate for school age children.

(6). The Bugalugs Bum Thief: Library Edition
The audio version of this story from Australian author Tim Winton, could not be more opposite to the above CD from Oscar Wilde. This toilet humour based story is told in a strong Aussie accent and includes a number of Australian colloquialisms. The boys naturally love it!

(7). Bob The Builder Cd Story Book 4-In-1 (Bob the Builder CD Story Book 4-in-1 Audio CD Read-Along)
Can they fix it? Well yes I am sure they can after I hear them say it 100 times! We have had this Bob CD since my eldest was little and all the children have had a stage of loving Bob - it is Babaganouski’s turn now.

(8). Are we there yet?
We only have the book and have borrowed the CD from the library. There is always an element of nerves when someone chooses this one, as I wonder if it will start off our own “are we there yet?” conversation. Luckily to date it has not.

(9). Frog and Toad CD Audio Collection
Who cannot love the ethusiastic frog and the grumbling toad! There are some very funny moments in these stories.

(10). The Cat in the Hat and Other Dr. Seuss Favorites
Another one that we have previously borrowed from the library, but it is currently out and won’t be making the trip with us.

I had to add it to the list though, because with a cast of voices including Kelsey Grammer, Dustin Hoffman, Walter Matthau and John Cleese, this is entertaining even for the adults.

What story CDs to you hear over and over again in your car?

A bit of blogkeeping: Usually my next post would be Thursday, but I am going to write a “Before you leave for Holidays” list and will post that tomorrow (Wednesday).

Technorati Tags: audio books, car trip, parenting

• 10 Things To Do With The Kids When It Is Hot!
• 10 Favourite Children’s Books - Babaganouski’s Choice
• 10 Reading Comprehension Questions For Junior Primary
• Preparing For A Family Car Trip