A Date to Remember

So last night was just one of those nights that I will remember for a long time. It was nothing flash, rather extremely simple and in it’s simplicity it was simply amazing (how many times can I use the word or a derivative of simple?). Anyway it started like this….

My hubby was out running errands and I was home making a gingerbread house with the children (that was super fun!) and I called him and said, “hey how bout a babysitter tonight and let’s go Christmas shopping?” To which he replied, “yeah sure, why not.” I quickly called the babysitter, arranged for Philip to pick him up and YAHOO we were going out…totally unplanned and unexpected.

We decided to leave the car and walk (we are currently living in a rather ‘urban’ area). Our night was open and we were simply going wherever we were drawn. First we found ourselves in a Christmas shop looking at all the beautiful Christmas decorations and then we found ourselves at a Japanese/Korean restaurant where we enjoyed very simple, inexpensive food. Our conversation was great and we noticed no one else in the restaurant (for anyone who knows me that’s strange because I ALWAYS know what’s going on all around me). After dinner we walked the streets window shopping, talking and laughing. At one point I was laughing so hard Philip noticed that I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

Slowly we made our way home ~ so much for the Christmas shopping! We had a great night together and I realised once again why I love this man and how important it is to take time just to BE together and rediscover each other. We commented (last night) about how we both hope that at 70 we are still enjoying one another as much as we did last night. As we continue to deposit into and work on our relationship I’m confident we will remain enjoying one another. I believe the years will just make it all that much richer because we will have even more memories both of the hard times, that we’ve made it through, and the great times; that we’ve shared together.

I encourage you all to take time and enjoy a simple day/night together. As hard as it can be, try and forget the ‘issues’ of the day/world and just BE together. Talk about the time you met, talk about the way you made each other feel and stir up some of the goodness that sits between both of you but sadly can get lost in the mix of life. Your partnership is worth working on……..

So, I will sign off now with a smile on my face remembering every moment of last night. Truly a DATE TO REMEMBER!

Susan

The War on Drugs

Yesterday seemed to be a day (for me) of being bombarded with drug related topics, reports and conversations.

As I was driving back from dropping the kids at school I heard a report that said only 50% of parents talk to their children about illegal drugs and only 30% talk to them about prescription drugs. I didn’t know where they were going with the prescription drugs but the report carried on saying that a new trend was growing within children, teens and young adults and the usage of prescription drugs.

According to the study and the report children, teens and young adults are finding that these prescription drugs are easy to come by either at home or at friend’s homes. Also, they are inexpensive because they aren’t paying the prescription price….the parents are. In an effort to trick parents they are finding that ‘mixing’ the drugs and making home-made cocktails gives them a better high and allows them access without it being obvious that medication is missing. These cocktails are proving to be deadly in some cases and highly addictive.

After that report and a few others I heard during the day I was at the gym working out and whilst doing so I like to watch TV (it keeps my mind off what I’m actually doing). I watched a show many of us are familiar with called ‘INTERVENTION’ and my heart was ripped out of my chest through the story of this young boy who started smoking marijuana at 12 and then moving onto harder, heavier stuff as he became inoculated to the ‘lighter’ drugs.

This boy was destroyed and his family in ruins. During the documentary he repeated how he needed it to dull the pain of life. He had been hurt as a child through divorce and other circumstances and to protect himself and hide he turned to drugs ~ he felt safe there and didn’t even care if it killed him. Very, very sad!

I tell you this today because we hear about the war on drugs on television, the newspaper, the Internet, through friends, etc. And one thing we hear through the people affected is that they never thought it would happen to them. I urge you today, be open with your children, whatever age they are and know that you MUST protect them. In doing so it will mean that at times you will be very unpopular with those in your care. Remember good parenting ISN’T about a popularity contest and we must not be afraid to do what’s right when it comes to thier lives. Love you children, communicate with them, be open and honest and don’t be afraid to show them what drugs CAN and WILL do to them.

This is a war, it is real and sadly the opportunities to engage aren’t far from our front doors. Be aware of your children’s friends, watch for changes in routine, personality, food intake and sleeping habits. These can all be signs that something is happening.

We believe in you and hope that this will alert you to the dangers that surround our children. Love them, protect them and remember we’ve been given two ears and one mouth for a reason…….Listen to them and be available.

Susan J Sohn
(for more familyroom discussion on drug related issues see our recent podcasts)

Thought Du Jour and Mild Chicken Curry

Today is our recipe day but I thought I would add a little story with my recipe. Warning: the recipe and the story have no connection just adding my Thought De Jour as an appetizer.

Like many of you I watch the news and keep myself informed about what is going on in the world today. Sadly much of the news we hear is of pain, devastation, sadness and things that are simply wrong. I find myself in conversations and hear people say that the world is going to Hell in a handbag and that we live in terrible times.

My thinking....I think it's our responsibility, in the midst of the bad stuff, to look for the good. I'm raising my kids in this world and I'm choosing to create a great environment for them and others. I'm choosing to see the sunny side, I'm choosing to smile at the future, I'm choosing to uncover the good which is there for us to enjoy. I'm not ignoring or pretending the other doesn't exist I'm simply daring to be different.

I think it's time for all of us to stand up a little taller, to speak a little louder and for goodness to drown out or at least dampen that which is not good.

Just my thought du jour.

Recipe of the Day.... This one's for you Robert!

Mild Chicken Curry (for young and old to enjoy!)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 40 minutes (give or take a few ~ I usually give a few :)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Oil
1.5 Kilos chicken pieces (thighs are the best but wings and drumsticks are yummy too)
2 medium onions sliced
3 stalks celery sliced
2 Tbsp curry powder (you can adjust this to your families liking)
2 cloves garlic (I’m generous here and add more...)
2 Tbsp flour
11/2- 2 cups chicken stock
2 green apples peeled and cubed
1/2-1 cup sultanas (raisins)

Method:
1) Heat oil in pan, cook chicken in batches until well browned; drain on paper towel.
2) In the same pan add onion, celery and cook until soft. Add curry powder, garlic and flour; stir over heat until mixture becomes dry and grainy. Remove from heat.
3) Add stock gradually, stirring until mixture is smooth. Return pan to heat, stir until sauce boils and thickens. Add chicken, cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
4) Add apple and sultanas/raisins, simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Today is our ‘Current Affairs’ day on the familyroom blog and I’ve decided to look at something that is always current and involves all our our affairs. It’s a four letter word (yikes!!) that seems to escape most of us and sadly I’m not sure if anyone really understand what it means anymore. The four letter word I’m referring to is TIME.

So friends here is my thought de jour......

Is time speeding up or are we just trying to do too much in the time we've been given? Are we operating at break neck speeds leaving behind only a light track and in many cases far too much dust? Is it all meant to be so high pressured, biggest, best, high speed, high intensity, do this, do that? Or, are we meant to do one thing really well and stay steady, focused, consistent, confident, reliable, happy?

My mind went here this week because I have been in email contact with a friend.....no, not phone communication (that takes up too much time) we've been exchanging emails ~ you know because we are such high tech individuals who care about humanity so much that a voice-to-voice would be stretching even the most seemingly caring person. Anyway I found humor in the fact that we are unable to 'connect' until December.

Now I know everyone's schedule is different and we all place importance on different things and people and perhaps I'm just not high on this friends list of important ~ which is totally fine by me.

What I found funny was that we seem to get consumed doing and trying and seem to forget about caring and sharing and simply BEing. Being in the moment and remaining alert to what is happening around us, being available to make a difference in the everyday-ness of life. I wonder, what would life look like if we all slowed down by one week? How much happier would we be as individuals and how much happier could we make others simply by taking time, to make time to have time.

I will leave you with something that came to mind whilst writing this:

T alking
I ntimacy
M emories
E ternity

Just my thought de jour......

Susan xoxo

Blah, Blah, Blah......

Hey everyone I hope you are all well.

Over the past 12 - 18 months I have been listening intently to every conversation I have had and I've noticed an increase in the use of the word BLAH. It is usually used in a sentance with teenagers and young adults giving you detail about a converstation they have had with someone else.

Conversations that go something like this:

"So I was talking to (so-and-so) yesterday and they were telling me that they went to work and blah, blah, blah, and when she got there her manager was in a horrible mood and decided to let her have it." He was all like, "why aren't you here 5 minutes before your shift starts and blah, blah, blah." and she was like, "well why should I, I'm here ontime and ready aren't I and blah, blah, blah."
Or
"My teacher was so mad at me today." She was like, "where's your homework, blah, blah, blah," and I said, "well I didn't know it had to be done today, blah, blah, blah so I'll bring it tomorrow." She was like, "You better, blah, blah, blah."

My question is.....what is the blah, blah, blah. I'm beginning to believe that there is something in the blah's of our conversations and as parents it's our job to draw that information out of our children. Perhaps we need to increase our level of conversation in terms of vocabulary. Maybe there's nothing in the blah, blah, blah's however I can't help but see that we are missing large chunks of stories and information that will assist us in our guidance and wisdom as we parent.

As a child, teenager and young adult I wasn't allowed to say words like Ain't, Idiot, Mental, or any profanities (that my parents heard anyway) and if caught doing so I knew about it. My parents stressed strong verbal communication and I know that I am a better communicator, both verbal and non-verbal because they didn't put up with slack or lazy communication methods. As a parent myself my husband and I do not accept many slang terms in our home or things like:

- It's pardon me? Not what?
- Crossing of the arms
- Rolling of the eyeswhat (mum's be careful, kids usually pick this up from the women in the house....keep your eyeballs locked in position and use self control).

These are a few of the many things we do in our home to develop strong communication skills that will last a lifetime.

Speak to everyone in your home like you would like to be spoken to, lead the way (even when it's hard and your frustrated or at times hurt). Respect each other as learned individuals and pull out the mystery that I believe is in the blah, blah, blah's of our conversations.

Take care, stay well, stay happy and love one another.

Susan xoxo

Yummy Vegetable Soup

Firstly let me aplogise for the delay in posting something. We've had a very crazy week....Anyway, as the old saying goes "better late than never".

I've decided to share this beautiful Vegetable Soup recipe with you. The other night my good friend Nicki (whom you know from the blog and our podcasts) called and asked if her and her girls could come over for dinner ~ they were coming to my place later and were out at swimming lessons so decided (as they sometimes do) to come straight to ours for dinner rather than going all the way home first (oh the details....I know you love them :).

We were having a very simple vegetable soup with some great crusty rolls ~ a simple yet very nutritious meal. Nicki and her girls arrived and Nicki loved the soup and asked for the recipe. I explained to her how incredibly simple it was and how I had only started cooking (chopping and preparing) at 5:10pm and we were all sitting and eating just before 6pm. So easy, so fresh, and so yummy.

After talking with Nicki I thought I should post my little recipe ~ it's all made up from things I seem to remember reading so have a go and enjoy. If you are living in Sydney this is a perfect recipe for our cold, wet weather right now, if you are experiencing summer weather right now this soup is perfect cold as well (I know some of you think that's really gross but it's actually nice and very refreshing on a hot day).

Okay here goes!

Yummy Vegetable Soup

2 cups Chicken, Vegetable or Beef Stock (I use Vegetable)
1 cup Water
1 Large Can chopped tomatoes (if you don't want a tomato based soup simply leave this out and it will be a clear soup)
Add Chopped Vegetables (I used chopped new potatoes ~ chopped into small pieces, 1 red capsicum chopped, 1 onion finely chopped, 2 carrots chopped smallish, 2 good handfuls of green beans, 2 stocks of celery, 1 zucchini, 1 can kernel corn.
1-2 cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
To add to this and make it a heavier meal you could include: rice, pasta, beans (of any sort) or barley.

That's it friends a super easy, super yummy and super quick vegetable soup that everyone will eat.

Enjoy.

Much love,
Susan xoxo

Hello to the 'Bunnings Ladies Night' Crew

Tonight Belinda, Sam, Michaela and I had the privilege of spending the night at the 'Bunnings Ladies Night'. It was a great night and we met a stack of new people so this is just a quick hello to our new friends.

We hope you enjoy our blog spot and stay with us as we continue to grow and make a difference in families in Sydney and beyond. If you've never been on a blog before don't be scared, have a look around and I know you will find something that you will enjoy whether it be a great article, recipe, funny story, great quote or fun fact plus so much more.

So relax, put your feet up and spend a few minutes with us and why not leave us a comment so we know you've arrived safely.

Take care, stay in touch and love those in your world.

Susan xo

A Balanced Life

Hello everyone.... my apologies for not updating the blog over the past few days. My delay in updating is simply due to the fact that Jane and I have been extremely busy sitting by the pool in Fiji!!!!! Yes, we are still in Fiji, with the Kennedy's (Jane's family) and are currently enjoying a week of sun, sand and total relaxation. Needless to say, we are enjoying every single moment.

I have chosen to blog about The Balanced Life because, through my work with familyroom, I have come to understand that BALANCE in our personal, family and corporate lives is greatly desired however the search for it is proving to be a major struggle.

How do we find balance in the midst of our busy lives? How do we cultivate balance and make it work?

Balance and Consistency go hand-in-hand, it's not the all or nothing or the living with extremes, rather it's about everything in moderation. It's about being wise and considering all situations before acting, it's about making smart choices, it's about breathing through everything and not striving or stressing about the issues of life.

Over the next few days we will post different topics surrounding A BALANCED LIFE. We would love to hear from you........

Have the best day and remember to smile because the world looks better through smiling eyes.

Susan

xoxo......gotta run and get my place by the pool :))

The Power of Consistency

Consistency. A word that rolls off the tongue easily, but a word that challenges each one of us every-day. Consistency is something that is required in our lives in so many areas whether it be in area of exercise, relationships, raising children, cleaning, emotions, etc., the list simply goes on and on. Consistency can be our friend or at times our greatest enemy.

I wanted to share this thought with you and allow you time to ponder how Consistency is or isn’t working in your life.

I was talking to my dear friend Jane today about raising children and how so many of us think that in order to get it right we have to be consistent in the way we discipline our children. To this end I totally agree however not only do we need to be consistent in our discipline, we MUST be consistent in our love, our words and our actions. We all know that children live what they see and as we endeavour to raise our children to be strong, confident adults we must allow them to see consistency in our lives every-day.

It is important that we (as the adults) conduct ourselves in our homes the same way we conduct ourselves outside of the home. Our children see it all and I believe that a great deal of insecurity comes from instability whether that be through a different vocabulary behind our front doors, happiness and joy in front of others vs. sorrow and anger at home, or the emotional roller coaster which causes everyone to walk on egg shells……. I think you see where I’m going.

Building consistency into our lives provides a solid, straight path for our children to walk on. The speed bumps of life will remain however that’s all they are ‘speed bumps’ and we can all negotiate a little bump here and there. Take a good look at your life and the life of your family, see where better Consistency could and will make a difference.

One of the main areas in my life that I have recently adjusted and applied Consistency to is health and fitness. As I’ve shared through the blog fitness used to be a huge part of my life until we (Philip and I) experienced change - an overseas move, three children and the fitness I once loved was lost amongst ‘life’. Yes, I did the sporadic ‘holiday workouts’ and ‘Post Christmas blasts’ or the dreaded “Summer is coming and swimwear is nearing’ exercise however that area of my life desperately needed CONSISTENCY. Now that I have made that change everyone in my life is benefiting and I’m so glad I chose to be Consistent.

As parents our children crave Consistency and it is something we can give them that costs us nothing. Consistency is delivered by sheer determination to do things differently, it’s mind over matter and it’s a daily and at times moment-by-moment choice. I encourage you to become or remain Consistent – a decision you will NEVER regret.

Susan xoxo

Health and Fitness (My Fiji Story)

Hello everyone!

Well as most of you already know, Jane, our resident Nutritionist, Naturopath and basic 'good food' Guru lives in Fiji and guess what.....I'm here visiting her! Yes, the kids and I jumped on a plane on Monday morning and headed for Fiji where we will spend the next two weeks. My husband will join us for week two which will be incredible (we are missing him like mad).

I know many of you have been keeping up with Belinda and myself as we journey towards health and fitness - general wellbeing really. In following us you also know that Jane is on the same journey. Well friends I have to tell you that the hard work is definitely paying off!

Jane and I saw each other yesterday at the airport, the first time since Christmas and pre-health and fitness journey, and we were both so excited to see the transformation with our own eyes. Not only do we feel great but we are both looking different - our shape has changed, everything looks much firmer and just in the 'right' place.

It's amazing how encouraged we are simply because we both really see the progress each other has made. The recognition has pushed us to keep going and reach the next goal. It's great to see my friend looking and feeling so great and seeing her confidence increased simply because she is stronger from the inside out. I'm sure she feels the same way about me.

So friends today I would like to encourage you on your own journey. If you've joined us and are on your way WELL DONE! If you're still thinking about it then please stand up, start moving as much as you can and know that each day you will get stronger, feel better and within a short time WILL notice a difference. Put on foot in front of the other and go for it and we promise to cheer you on. Go on, YOU DESERVE IT!!!!

Leave a comment and let us know how things are going, we would LOVE to hear from you.

Have the best day and start enjoying the new you.

Susan (from Beautiful Fiji!!!!)

xoxo

Exercise, Sex Drive and Food Diaries, O MY!!!!!

Hey again everyone!

I’ve really been enjoying reading about the exercise antics of various
familyroom team members (Go Susan, Belinda and now Nicki) and comparing them to my own!

My little weight loss program is coming along and although I stayed the same weight this week, (it happens), I’m feeling great and loving the benefits.

Eating less and increasing exercise is really the key to getting in shape and the spin offs are so worth it.

I’m sleeping better, I actually have an appetite rather than eating out of habit or because the food’s there, I have more energy and my clothes are fitting better. My sex drive is greater too, which is fun!! My man is happy!

If you had a look at my last post you’ll remember that I was going to talk to you about what I’m doing differently this time and why it’s working for me, as opposed to the yo-yo thing.

Well as I said, this time I’m doing it for me and I’m doing it for life, I’m not on a diet. Also I have a clear goal, not just ‘well maybe I’ll lose a few kgs’; I’m going for a kilo a week.

Also I’m exercising everyday and loving it…..I think I’m addicted!!

I’m walking, swimming, doing weights and floor work for abs, I’m doing Pilates DVDS (in my living room) and generally thinking more about incidental exercise – you know the kind where you take the stairs instead of the lift and park further away so you have to walk further, etc.

I am also keeping a food diary, which I highly recommend to everyone! When I see clients for a Nutrition consultation, the first thing we do is talk about what they’ve eaten for the last few days. A food diary helps you acknowledge that actually you’re not a great vegetable eater and no you didn’t even come close to 8 glasses of water today!! The diary also helps you work out what your weaknesses are and when you’re eating from boredom or pmt or depression.

Try it and see how you go.

Another key is not eating 2 hours before bedtime. As Oprah says “Not a grape!”

If you’re in bed at 10pm then there must be nothing, not a thing after 8. Your metabolism slows down towards the end of the day and it’s much harder for your body to deal with food. It may sound simple but can be so effective in weight loss.

And one more for the road, give alcohol the flick except as a sometimes or party treat. It has oodles of calories and sugar and while it may not have a lot of fat, it adds a whopping amount to you’re overall daily caloric intake. Instead of alcohol drink water and herbal teas and watch the weight come off and your energy increase! You may not know but alcohol is actually a depressant. It may give us the giggles and some Dutch courage but the end result is a downer for your nervous system.

If I’m honest, it has been hard these past few weeks to stick with the program. It’s been one of those weeks where everything goes wrong and pmt leaves me kicking and screaming. For the most part though I kept it together with the exercise and the good food choices, but it wasn’t easy. Know that there ARE and WILL be weeks like this. And its ok!

It’s not all or nothing.

Have a great week,

Lv Jane

Creativity is the Answer.......

Hello everyone. For most of us in Australia we are in the midst of Term 1 School Holidays. I love these holidays because the weather is PERFECT and life seems just right (I love going to bed and waking in the crisp air).

This morning we had one of those ‘lazy’ mornings – a morning when breakfast didn’t really get started until 10am. The troop (my children plus Belinda’s daughter Brittany who was here for a sleep over) finally found themselves hungry and requested Pancakes - so Pancakes it would be. I began preparing the necessary ingredients only to find that we were out of flour (a required ingredient for the ‘perfect’ pancake).

Instead of disappointing my loyal troop I jumped online and googled ‘Flourless Pancakes’ hoping that old faithful (google) wouldn’t let me down. To my surprise up came a recipe and I happened to have everything on hand so I went to making this new Pancake. You HAVE to read the recipe and be as shocked as I was:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Oats
1/3 cup 1% Cottage Cheese
1 whole egg
1 egg WHITE
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Cinnamon

Method:
1. Combine all ingredients and mix really well with a hand beater.
2. Pour into a hot, no-stick pan and cook like a regular pancake.
3. Turn pancakes when bubbles form on uncooked top.
4. Serve with Maple Syrup (and cream if you’ve never tried), Lemon and Sugar, bananas, fresh fruit or whatever your favorite topping is.

These Pancakes were INCREDIBLE. The kids gobbled them up and they couldn’t taste a difference. They were non the wiser and I didn’t disappoint them after saying ‘yes’ to their request. I guess I just stepped out of the box today, allowed creativity to flow and choose to look further than the empty flour jar. I’m so glad I did because I learned something new today.

Give them a go and enjoy. I’m going to try them again but substitute Ricotta for the Cottage Cheese.

Susan xoxo

What does Your Village Look Like? (Part 1)

There is an ancient African Proverb that says, “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child”. So today I pose the question to all of you – What Does Your Village Look Like?

I ask this because as most of you would agree, we live in a crazy and wonderful world. The current ‘world’ climate is that of unrest, and at times of insane insecurity (in terms of our safety) yet it is said that we are living in perhaps one of the most exciting times in history – personally I’m not sure that I agree, I think seeing the first car or airplane or listening to the first radio broadcast or experiencing electricity for the first time would have been pretty cool. In any case ‘they’ say that this time in history has topped the charts.

The wonderful world I’m referring to, well all you have to do is look out the window and marvel at the beauty that is set before us – our eyes feast on the incredible and the magnificent everyday however many of us are caught in the ‘to busy’ to see the beauty of nature that is set before us.

For those of you who are parents and those who are hoping and planning to be I would like to encourage you to begin building your village now. As a parent I believe the ancient African Proverb to be true…..it does take a village to raise a child. We weren’t designed to live life alone; we were designed to be in relationship and to help each other throughout this incredible journey. I come from a small town community and from experience I can tell you that there is much to be learned by observing a small community and how things work. From equal experience I can comfortably say and most would agree with me that sadly, the big city has lost much of that togetherness.

Many of us live global lives, meaning we live apart from family and support networks. Actually, for some, even though you may be living down the street from your parents, or in the same suburb the relationship isn’t there and hence your support structure is broken. It is essential that we build and establish our villages, our places of safety and trust in this big old world. So before I sign off today I ask, What Does Your Village Look Like?

Jump on tomorrow and read Part 2 which is about our village and our recent weekend away.

Have the best day and remember….the world looks better through smiling eyes.

Susan xoxo

School Lunches..... How Do I Keep Them Exciting?

Growing up I always had the ‘boring’ school lunch! My siblings and I were NEVER at risk of having our lunch stolen from our lockers – I mean who wanted pieces of last nights amazing roast chicken dinner placed between two huge slices of home-made bread, home-made cookies or cake or perhaps a piece of home-made apple pie plus a piece of in season fruit. Are you kidding……who doesn’t!!!!! Sadly, at the time, we (my siblings and I) didn’t realize how blessed we were. Instead we wished for Donna Statlers chocolate pudding and other processed ‘goodies’ in her lunch bag. Our view was clouded by the fact that our mum MADE everything and that when it came to our brown paper bag, she scrunched the tops down rather than gently folding ‘like the other mum’s!!!!
How funny that today I find myself doing everything I can to make lunches similar to those my mum made me. And, strangely enough I get many questions about school lunches and what I put in them. I take these questions as a HUGE compliment as I pride myself in preparing healthy school lunches for my children. It’s important to me and important to their health and well being. Below are a few ideas that will hopefully help you when and if you find yourself stuck and in a rut.

School Lunch Ideas:

• Salads are a great alternative to sandwiches. Sophia (my eldest) has NEVER been a sandwich person so I’ve had to come up with new things all the time.

• Wraps are great both the lavash bread and lettuce wraps.

• The good ole hard-boiled egg (must be left in the shell and shelled at school outside by the bins). Sophia loves the egg option and could care less about any offense it may cause.

• Canned baked beans or spaghetti.

• Bagels with cream cheese.

• Tuna/Chicken/Egg Salad – mix with mayo and a little salt and pepper and onions if you can chop them small enough to hid them (adds great flavor). Put in a little Tupperware container.

• Popcorn

• I give heaps of chopped veggies in zip lock bags (cucumbers, grape tomatoes, carrots, celery, sugar snap peas etc.).

• Fruit – apples/bananas/peaches/pears and other fruits you can chop and put in containers such as: watermelon, rock melon, cantaloupe, grapes, etc.

• Another really good option (if you have time) is muffins. I make oversized muffins, which is a great substitute for sandwiches. Little muffins are great for morning and afternoon tea as well. Remember muffins don’t have to be sweet – savory muffins are yummy!

• Homemade rice pudding (way better than the bought and it’s so easy to make) just go easy on the sugar and it can almost be eaten like a meal. Chuck in some sultanas or whatever fruit you want and you’ve got a meal made for a Scottish King. All you need to do is pop your left over rice in a pot with some milk and let it simmer away whilst you clean up after dinner and zip, zap, zoom it’s done.

• Olives and feta (if your children like).

• For the avocado lover send the entire thing with a plastic knife and spoon. This is a very filling option.

• Homemade sushi – this is for the more adventurous. Although seemingly time consuming sushi is surprisingly easy and quick to make (we will post another sushi recipe very soon to help).

I think I’ll stop for now. I hope this has helped you ‘keep it exciting’. I would LOVE to hear back from you through our comments – remember something you do may really help someone else.

Enjoy.

Susan xoxo

A Nice Cup of Tea

Today I heard someone talking about having a cup of tea when life gets a little on the 'hard' side.

As I listened to this person speak I was reminded of my beautiful 5"0 (Scottish) Nana. I must tell you, I had the most beautiful 'proper' Nana in the world - I NEVER, ever heard her say a bad word and I NEVER, ever saw her in anything other than dresses, lovely shoes and occassionally her dressing gown. Her hair was always done, her handbags always matched her shoes, she always had a tissue up her sleeve (or tucked into her bra), one could ALWAYS find peppermints in the green container above the fridge and she always had a pot of tea on the go!

If her teapot could talk there would be countless stories we would hear about life. Stories which included the ups and the downs life brings, the moments of joy, great belly laughter, some tears thrown into the mix and so, so much more. You see I believe that my Nana, like the person I heard speaking today, understood something about life that we all can learn - a good cup of tea not only warms our hearts but it soothes our souls. A cup of tea with a friend can change our perspective on so many issues, it can cause us to rise to the challenges life presents us with plus it can ease the pain of a broken or wounded heart. There is so much more to a cup of tea than simple leaves, or a bag and a drop of hot water.

This week I encourage you to slow down, make a cup of tea for yourself and others or just yourself. Relax, unwind and allow your moment with your tea unravel the 'issues' of life. I know that when life is moving at full speed in our home, or I'm feeling slightly under the weather a nice cuppa (as they say in Australia) is the medicine I need.

I realise now how much I learned from my Nana....she was an incredible woman whom I loved very much and who loved me right back. To spend one more day with her, sitting at her table, listening to her tap her fingers as we played cards would be almost perfect.......hmmmm

Have the best week and remember to smile more than you did last week and tell someone how much they matter to you!

Susan xoxo

When Push Comes to Shove!

Well everyone today is going to be a SHORT entry because I am so full of energy I can hardly sit still.

Today Belinda and I met for our morning FARTLEK and boy did we push each other. We went hard, we felt it in every part of our body (our calves were even hurting). We pushed each other harder than we have in the past and we both feel like we broke through to the next level in our training.

I realised today how important it is to do this with a partner and one who is committed to the journey. As I said, we pushed each other, had we been alone today we probably wouldn't have gone as far or as hard.

So friends, find your partner, lace up your shoes, put on your old trackies and get out there and move your body. We are feeling better than we did last week and way better than we did 4 weeks ago. We have replaced old habits with a good habit and don't want to go back. Each morning we discuss our personal goals, set new ones, laugh a lot and talk about how our butts aren't jiggling as much as they did the day before (hahaha).

Have the best weekend, spend sometime outside and make sure you have a giggle or five. We totally believe in you and hope that our journey towards health and fitness is encouraging you. GO FOR IT!

Susan

Dinner Disasters!

A dinner disaster……have you ever had one? Thankfully I don’t have to many however tonight was a doozie.

For some reason over the past few weeks I have been inspired to make a Prawn Laksa ( a Vietnamese dish that I have never cooked before). Well tonight was the night. I was extremely prepared; with all the ingredients pre bought, and in my head I thought I would dazzle my family with yet another simply irresistible dinner.

As I’ve shared before, we are a ‘foodie’ family, which simply means we LOVE food; we LOVE to prepare different foods and ENJOY a great meal. So tonight would be no different, something new and something I thought we would all enjoy.

What can I say….dinner is finally finished, the kids are in bed and our meal tonight has definitely topped the list of the Sohn Dinner Disasters! My Prawn Laksa was such a let down. The kids tried their hardest to enjoy it, my hubby seemed to enjoy it however now he keeps telling me how sick he feels. I enjoyed a few bites and then decided I had had enough – I sympathise with my hubby because I feel exactly the same……YUK!

Thankfully I’m not at a particular ‘sensitive’ time of the month because (girls) we all know what that’s like…… “I cooked this entire meal and know one likes it, I tried something new, that’s it, never again, the kitchen is yours. I’m having chocolate for dinner!” Ha!

End of the story…..the Prawn Laksa menu will NOT be shared on this blogspot (unless someone has one that is TRIED AND TRUE!) nor has it made the Sohn Family top 10, 20, 30 or beyond meal idea list. Basically it was one of those nights where a good idea just didn’t work and it wasn’t anyone’s fault we all just had to laugh and head to bed a little hungrier than usual. Simply put stuff happens and we just move on.

I hope you enjoyed this little story about my Dinner Disaster. I think it’s important to share the things that don’t go right because it makes us all feel a little closer and perhaps a little more ‘normal’.

Take care and remember to keep reading about our Journey Towards Health and Fitness and consider joining us – we’d love to have you.

Susan xoxo

The Journey Continues

My apologies for not blogging yesterday, it was a busy day spent getting the house back in order following the weekend. Somehow the day escaped me and I didn’t get a chance to jump on the computer.

I thought today I would give you an update on our progress. I have to tell you WE FEEL FANTASTIC! Both Belinda and I are finding we have so much energy, which is allowing us to accomplish so much more in one day, our outlook on everything seems better (as I said in a previous post it wasn’t bad before however since bringing fitness and exercise back into our lives everything seems so much clearer), plus we are looking forward to our training everyday. Lastly, we’re fitting into clothes that were on the tight side no less than two weeks ago…..BONUS!

I’ve heard it said or perhaps I read it somewhere that it takes 7 days to change a habit and introduce a new one. I’m so glad we’ve both reintroduced exercise into our daily routine. As we’re fartleking (I think that word is so funny) we often talk about if we had left doing this for another year – or even six months – how much harder it would have been. Making this change took being honest with ourselves and hitting our laziness and out-of-whack priorities on the head once and for all.

I want to encourage you to stop thinking about getting fit, losing a few pounds or feeling better and stand up. Get yourself organised tonight and let tomorrow be your first day of your journey.

I’m so motivated and inspired by the people who have joined us both physically (our ‘after school drop off group’ is growing) plus those via the blogspot. My sister, Katherine, who is in Canada has decided that this is the year of change plus many others who have emailed me privately. Hey…. my hubby even went out and bought himself some weights the other day – every step towards health and wellness is a step in the right direction.

Nicki and I fartleked today for 1 hour, Belinda wasn’t with us she had to get her hair done (a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do), both Nicki and I are better for doing it and I’m so glad we did. The Journey Continues!

My thought for today is: One person making One choice to change has the potential to impact the multitudes. Who is on the other side of your choice?

Make sure you leave a comment and let us know how you are making out. We love hearing from you.

Susan xoxo

Welcome to MONDAY Day 4!

I’m calling this Day 4 because I took my ‘break’ over the weekend. Unfortunately Saturday and Sunday didn’t see much exercise - other than chasing the kids and walking the 1K IKEA parking lot. I’m blaming it on the rain (which we desperately need!).

Do you remember that song ‘I Don’t Like Monday’s'? Well today was my Monday. It was a soggy morning – one of those mornings where you are sticky from the moment you get out of the shower (sorry Northern Hemisphere readers, you guys are still cold...how i longed for the cold today). Anyway, Belinda and I faithfully met after school drop off to keep ourselves going however we both looked at each other and said, “I so don’t feel like this today.” Isn’t it funny how those are the days you most benefit from doing what you don’t want to do. I had just received a visit from a VERY regular monthly guest (come on girls you know who I’m talking about….) and we were both tired but hey we are determined and we weren't about to let ANYTHING (especially fatigue) take us off track so away we went.

We had a great walk!

Upon returning home I only had 1 hour before I needed to head out of the door again for an appointment. I asked my hubby if he thought I had time to skip, shower and be out of the house in an hour to which he replied, “Of course, come on I’ll set the timer – it’s 7 minutes today right?” I should have known that would have been his answer, I was secretly hoping for a no but he was right.

As I was skipping my little heart out I told him how grateful I was that I was back in the swing of exercising regularly and how you never regret exercising because you always feel great afterwards. The problem with exercise seems to lie in our heads and that painful journey towards the first steps. As I see it we need to mentally prepare ourselves for change and for continued patterns of change, which result in lasting change, which conquers bad habits turning them into good habits.

It’s all in our minds and once we renew our minds our bodies seem to (and will) follow very willingly. When it comes to exercise it’s almost like our bodies have been craving change but the change needs to start in our minds. I really hope that makes sense for everyone.

Friends today we walked because we didn’t feel like fartleking (my monthly guest was really playing up) but we walked further than normal and I skipped for 7 minutes rather than 6 or 6.5 minutes. It was hard today but in the midst of what seemed hard we pushed ourselves further and the end result was GREAT satisfaction, personal gain and strength and increased joy because both Belinda and I know that we can and we are moving ahead in this crucial area of our lives. Today was a CHOICE and we made a great one.

Before I sign off I want to tell you that I ran into three people today who have been inspired by our increased level of exercise and our funny stories about how it's all working out. I wonder who would be encouraged to make a difference in an area of your life if you chose to have a go!!!

We love you, totally believe in you and know that the world ALWAYS looks better through smiling eyes. Have the best day and remind those in your world how much they matter to YOU!

Susan xoxo

Great Meals in NO TIME AT ALL!

Here I am sitting at my kitchen table on Sunday night. The kids are all tucked into bed, the sound of the dishwasher is my current companion, the washing machine and dryer are both going at full speed (when do they EVER stop?) I have washed my kitchen floor, folded two baskets of laundry and finally have found time to sit down and relax…..what a GREAT feeling.

We’ve had a fantastic weekend full of fun, friends, laughter, a day out on the boat, great food and being chased by the police (yes, that’s true but it’s another story for another time….we weren’t doing anything illegal just found ourselves in a funny spot at a funny time).

Anyway……today I ran into a friend and she said she had made Annie’s ‘Carrot and Coconut Soup’ from the blog this morning – I’m sure it was great. I told her I was going to post my weekend recipes tonight because they were fantastic. So Liz this is for you – thank you for trusting our tastebuds and trying some of our family favourites.

I planned my weekend menus on Thursday which allowed me time to pick up all that I needed and time to organise what I was cooking and when. Both meals required overnight marinating which sometimes puts us off (I know) however both of these recipes are so easy and so healthy it’s worth it. And to top things off, they literally take about 10 minutes to prepare, pop in the fridge and then pull out to either pop on the bbq or in the oven.

Both recipes are great for company (I served the Portuguese Chicken to friends on Saturday night and they loved it), a busy weekday dinner or a lazy weekend lunch with friends. Plus my kids all gave the all important familyroom tried and true thumbs up of approval – a definite bonus.

Here you go I hope you enjoy:

Lamb Souvlaki with Tomato and Onion Salsa (you can easily substitute with chicken or a firm fish if you aren’t a meat person):

➢ Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour to prevent burning.
➢ Add some rich hummus to your grocery list and serve it with this it’s a perfect accompaniment.

Ingredients:
800g lamb, chicken or firm fish cut into 1 inch x 1-inch cubes
4 medium pitta breads
2 small Spanish onion (the red one) chopped roughly
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup low-fat plain yoghurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves
3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
4 medium egg tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons tahini

Method:
Marinade – Process together until well combined 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, ¼ cup low-fat plain yoghurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves, 3 teaspoons white wine vinegar. Place meat in a large, shallow dish, mix marinade through, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Tomato and Onion Salsa – Combine chopped egg tomatoes, 1 chopped onion, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves, 1 teaspoon paprika in a medium size bowl.

Yoghurt Sauce – ¾ cup low-fat plain yoghurt, 2 teaspoons tahini, 1 tablespoon hot water. Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until combined.

Pita Bread – warm pita bread in the oven and serve. You can either cut the pita’s in half and put filling inside or simply use the pita as a base, cover with sauce (both yoghurt and hummus) followed by the lamb, chicken or fish and then the tomato salsa.

Recipe #2 – Spiced Portuguese Chicken

Ingredients:
1 small red onion
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 ½ teaspoons chilli flakes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (this is beautiful)
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1.4 kg chicken thighs
1/3 cup (20g) chopped fresh parsley
Lemon wedges to serve

Method:
Put the onion, garlic, lemon rind, chilli flakes, paprika, oil and vinegar in a processor and mix until a smooth paste forms.
Score the chicken thighs with an X, place in a large shallow dish and cover each piece. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven or bbq to moderately hot (approx. 200C or 400F). Place chicken under or on the bbq grill and cook for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer to a roasting tin and roast for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through (if you don’t want to do this just leave it under the grill and turn after 10 minutes and cook until done – same on the bbq).
Sprinkle the chicken with the parsley and drizzle with any pan juices. Serve with lemon wedges

Serve this with a simple salad, avocado slices, corn on the cob or even as a chicken sandwich with Turkish bread. It’s beautiful and very light. Enjoy!

Susan xoxo