TIP: Cleaning Pen Marks from Walls

To clean your pen marks on walls, simply use a piece of cloth or sponge and some vinegar.

RECIPE: A Quick High Protein Breakfast Dish

Here is another valuable recipe that I have learnt from my smart and practical mum. I come from a large family and this dish was a saver for her. It is delicious, easy to make, healthy, filling, takes less than 10 minutes altogether, and is made using the ingredients that are around the house at all times in most cases. It  is definitely a winner in my family!

Ingredients: 

• Eggs (I use one egg per person. So, if you are cooking for two people, you put 2 eggs)
• Natural yoghurt (you can be flexible with that but I generally add about a glassful of yoghurt per egg. The more yoghurt you put, the more savoury it will become and the larger the dish will be.)
• Approximately a spoonful of flour (if you add more, it will become thicker. If you add less, it will be runnier)
• A pinch of salt
• Olive oil

Method:

Mix all ingredients except for oil in a bowl until all nice and smooth.

Warm up oil in a saucepan/pan and add the mixture to it.

Stir until boiling (it will only take a few minutes) and then turn the heat down and let it boil gently for 7-8 minutes while stirring it once in a few minutes.

This dish goes really well with some bread.

 Enjoy!

Served with chia

DID YOU KNOW ...? (43)

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Did you know that Tug of War was an Olympic sport between 1900 and 1920? (To read more about Tug of War, you can click here or here.)

GUEST POST: Taking Kids' Photos

Here is an entry on some tips on taking kids' photos from Janet of Mum the Photographer. Thank you Janet for your contribution.  

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My sister-in-law and I started Mum the Photographer as a way of sharing our passion for photographing our own children. We’re not about taking perfect photos (in fact mine are often far from perfect!) but more about remembering to capture our children and their personalities in their everyday lives.

When I think about taking photos of my own children I realise that broadly they fall into three scenarios – posed, planned and impromptu.

1.      Posed Photos. To be honest, I don’t often take posed photos of my children. It can be quite tricky to get them looking natural. Tricky but not impossible. Firstly, I find a well-lit place in my house and free it from clutter – the general everyday things we have in our houses like a few letters, pens, newspapers, a stray toy or two. These things can be distracting in the background of a photo. Once I’ve got my spot ready, I then get my son over as there is no point having them wait around while I get prepared. I will face my son towards the window so that the light is captured in his eyes. But I don’t pick up my camera straight away. Even my sons who have been photographed thousands and thousands of times don’t have a natural smile at the ready as soon as my camera comes up. You need some easy interaction first. You will know your own child the best – in my case a bit of ribbing can work, or tickling, or having them pull their silliest face and showing them mine etc. Once they’ve relaxed my camera then comes out and I take about 10 – 20 photos while still interacting with them. If I’m taking a posed photo it is generally for a reason – in this case it was to capture his first missing front tooth. I chose to have his face almost entirely fill the frame. If I’d pulled back a bit, there wouldn’t have been as much focus drawn to his face.

2.      Planned photos. This is often my approach to taking photos of my children because as “Mum the Photographer” my goal is to create a strong photographic record of my children as they grow up. I read Gretchin rubin’s book “The Happiness Project” and her quote “the days are long but the years are short” has really stuck with me. I want photos to help me remember exactly how my children were growing up. I don’t really get that from posed photos – sure, I can see what their face was like when they lost their first tooth, but sitting on a chair smiling isn’t really how they spend their time. So if it’s not an impromptu activity, I’ll often bring the activity they are doing to a place in my house with great light. Why not give yourself the best opportunity to capture a great photo. And apart from again clearing distracting clutter away from the background, that is all the planning I’ll do to get the photo. I won’t ask the boys to hold the toy in a certain way, or look this way, or arrange the blocks so that their colour pattern is pleasing. I want to get a photo of how they are playing … because all too soon, this phase of play will have passed and they’ll be onto something else. I want real memories in my albums and on my walls. Other planned photos I take will often be outside, late in the afternoon when the light is soft. Again, I won’t direct how they should play, but rather capture them as they are running off their late afternoon steam.

3.      Impromptu photos. These are those photos you take where there is absolutely no planning or posing at all. They are completely natural, and I think sometimes the absolute best photos in your album. They might not be the clearest photos because perhaps your light wasn’t great but there is no point asking your child at this stage to stop what they are doing and relocate to near the nice big window. It’s also in these times that you grab whatever camera you have nearby and mostly for me, these are the photos I’ll snap on my iPhone. I make a point of seldom using my flash when I take photos but impromptu photos are when I may well use a flash and an auto setting just so that I can capture the funny or precious moment. I recently had one of these moments on a plane … Will giggled uncontrollably for about 5 minutes over a joke. He was so infectious that the people around us started laughing too. This blurry photo is one of my favourites from over our school holidays.

If you’d like more information on how to best optimise your light for taking posed or planned photos, then “take a peek” at our lighting module from our home page. (www.mumthephotographer.com)

We’d love for you to join our “Mum the Photographer” community … check out our bog and facebook page for weekly tips on improving your photos and interesting ways in which to create a photographic record of your child as they grow up. If there is something that you think would help you out when taking photos of your own children please get in touch with us on facebook or email info@mumthephotographer.com

All the best

Janet from Mum the Photographer

HOMEMADE WATER FILTER

The video above shows how to make a water filter at home. In my opinion, it doesn't seem to be much complicated and it would be good to know how to make your own water filter in case of an emergency.

DID YOU KNOW ...? (42)

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Shell colour and egg size vary with the age of the hen. When the hen starts to lay, the shell of the egg will be brown and the eggs will be small. As the hen gets older, the eggs get larger and the shell colour fades. Yolk colour alters with the seasons. An abundance of green feed gives a golden glow to the yolk; however, in the middle of summer when the pastures are dry the yolk will be paler without affecting the quality of the egg.

Information source: Katham Springs (Kangaroo Island) biodynamic free range eggs. 

USEFUL INFORMATION ON BROCCOLI

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Broccoli is classified as a super food and is one of the healthiest vegetables that is easy to access to for most people especially in most parts of the globe.  It is a cruciferous vegetable and belongs to the cabbage family (similar to cauliflower, bok choy, kale, turnips, radishes, watercress and brussel sprouts). Cruciferous vegetables in general and broccoli in particular has some chemicals that may reduce the risk of colorectal and other cancers, and may also act as anti-oxidants and may boost detoxifying enzymes in the body. Even though there is need for more research in the area, it is claimed that diets high in cruciferous vegetables are linked with a lower risk of certain types of cancer.

Nutrients and health benefits:

• very high in vitamin C
• rich in vitamin A
• has high levels of carotenoids (vitamin A like substances)
• high in fiber (consumption of large amounts of fibre-rich foods may cause gas and should be reduced or avoided in people with diarrrhea and some other colon related problems)
• has generous amounts of calcium
• rich in folate (which may be helpful in prevention of some birth defects and to avoid heart disease and strokes)
• a source of phytochemicals, or plant chemicals, that may have anticancer properties
• loaded with antioxidants
• very low in fat and calories

How to Choose, Store and Consume:

The broccoli heads should be firm and compact. Broccoli should be dark or bright green to purplish in colour and has closed flower buds. Stalks should be cleanly cut and firm too.

Broccoli is not suitable for dry storage. It should ideally be stored at 32F with the humidity of 95%.

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If you have some unprocessed broccoli, then store it loosely covered to allow respiration. Do not wash it unless you are going to use it soon after washing it. Do not store broccoli close to ethylene (ripening element) producing fruit and vegetables such as pears, cantaloupes, avocados and onions. Do not store broccoli in the fridge when wet. Use cut florets within 2 days.

If you are going to freeze your broccoli, then cut it into florets, blanch it for two minutes and cool down to 41F before packaging and placing in the freezer which can stay there for up to 3 months.

Broccoli can be consumed raw or cooked. It can be purchased fresh or frozen. It can be cooked whole or broken into florets. It has the most nutrients when eaten raw. If cooking with the stems, cut through thick stems to allow even cooking. You can steam, boil, or pan-fry broccoli. Some people even microwave it. Do not overcook broccoli and make sure it still retains the bright green colour even when cooked.

You can use broccoli in many types of meals but our two favourite cooked broccoli dishes are broccoli salad and broccoli soup. Then comes vegetarian stir-fried noodles with some broccoli along with a few other types of vegies or stir-fried mustard seeds with broccoli.

We often eat the stem raw. We just peel off the tough skin around it and cut it into slices or finger length strips. It is crispy, juicy and has a fresh taste.

When Mr. Junior started eating solids and was safe to eat broccoli, I used raw broccoli stems or lightly boiled broccoli florets as a finger food or a snack for him. He has always enjoyed it and he much prefers raw or very lightly blanched broccoli to casseroles or omelettes with broccoli. When I am preparing broccoli to make a soup with for example, he always tries his tricks to get some uncooked pieces of broccoli off me before I use them.