What does a "Christian mum" do?

Over on the Facebook page, Laura asked if I would post what it means to me to be a Christian mum. My response was something like "Are you kidding? I would love to!"

One of my main aims in starting a blog (apart from keeping a record for myself of the kind of things I am thinking and doing with our kids) was to encourage other mums, and especially Christian mums, in the often thankless work of motherhood.

In thinking about this question, I sort of went down the road of "How does being a Christian impact what I do in the role of 'mummy'?".

There are as many ways of being a Christian mum as there are Christian mums. What I do is not the only way to do things. It is my way, hopefully highly influenced by the Bible. In a practical sense, many of my non-Christian friends actually  parent in a very similar way to me (in many areas), but sometimes the way we reach the conclusions about the best ways to parent may be different. The rationale for what I do, for the most part, is based around the Bible. Here are a couple of thoughts about how I am a Christian mum:

1) Being a Christian mum means our family does not revolve around our children

I think this is unpopular thinking in today's world, where children can be put on a bit of a pedestal.

Following the order of the Bible, God is at the centre of our family. My second priority is Matt, and our kids are my third priority. Everything else comes after that.

Practically, to show our children that God is our priority we:

• show that we have our own time with God (Matt is much better at this than me. He sits reading the Bible at breakfast, whereas I can't concentrate with the kids around)
• have family Bible time and prayer time after dinner (this is pretty much just a Bible reading and then Matt and/or I pray - adult level but the kids are observing)
• teach our kids from their Bible and teach them to have their own prayer time (more on that below)
• say grace before meals - a small reminder that thanking God takes priority over our hungry tummies

To show the kids that our marriage is a priority we:

• have the first 10 minutes or so of dinner with just Matt and I talking. We tell the kids that this is "mummy and daddy time". They are free to talk with each other during that time, but we try to avoid them interrupting our conversation.
• try to have "date nights" (usually at home), but the kids don't really see that (they are in bed), so the 10 minutes at dinner is an important model for them.

2) Being a Christian mum means remembering that God is in control of the big and little things, not me

On a big scale, I have been reminded of this again and again with our fertility (First we couldn't have children when we wanted to, then we were blessed three times over, a little more quickly than planned!). I know some people have to deal with this in much harder ways (e.g. death of children, recurrent miscarriage etc).

Even in the little things though, there is nothing like having children to know you can't control your life (or even your day). I may have a full day planned with outings, but a child gets sick. I may get not much done in a day that I needed to get a lot done because I have a clingy baby that day. But God knows what I really need.

3) Being a Christian helps me admit my mistakes, especially my parenting mistakes. 

I am a sinful person. I just happen be forgiven through Jesus' death and resurrection. I will never be a perfect mother. I will never be completely "in the right" in the interactions I have with my children. I will not make perfect decisions for our kids. Sometimes I get angry without cause. Sometimes I blame the wrong child when something goes wrong. Sometimes I don't follow-through on my instructions. Sometimes I don't encourage my children when they are doing well...

In a practical sense - saying sorry to my children is a huge thing. Saying sorry is not something that comes easily to me (and to many people I think). Sometimes I would rather justify my behaviour (e.g. yes, I did yell more than was really necessary, but that was the 3rd time I asked them to...). Knowing that God has already forgiven me of my foolish behaviour helps me seek forgiveness from my children too.

4) Being a Christian mum means I have a God-given authority to teach and train our kids. Our kids need to be taught to honour my rules and decisions (while they are still young).

I don't agree with "lording it over" kids or demanding obedience that is devoid of love. But the Bible does tell us that parents have authority over their children. Children are instructed to obey their parents (Ephesians 6). While my children are young, although I make mistakes (see above), I know what my children need better than they do.

In a practical sense:

• I try to avoid giving instructions to our children if I don't mean them. If I am not willing to follow through and get my children to do as I asked (which may mean getting up and helping them to obey by taking their hand and acting out what I want them to do), I try to avoid giving the instruction in the first place. If it isn't important enough for me to follow-through, it isn't really important enough to say!
• We teach our kids that it is not okay to ignore us. If we call their name, they need to respond the first time. Sometimes this means, again, that we have to go to them and help them to come or help them look at us.
• We are teaching our kids to accept "no" without complaining. Our kids should be able to ask for anything but at the same time to accept that sometimes mummy says yes, and sometimes mummy says no, and that is ok. (This also applies to interactions with other kids, particularly siblings. The kids can ask for a turn of a toy etc that another child is using, but if the other child says 'no', that needs to be respected, without complaining or fighting. Easier said than done!)
• Something I want to do more of is try to emphasize to our kids that mummy and daddy have authorities over us too (e.g. the law, managers at work, and ultimately God), and we submit to what those people say too.

5) Being a Christian mum means I can show grace and love to my children, as this has been shown to me by God.

Children are children. They often make mistakes. They can be silly, clumsy, over-excited... "Silly" or "immature" behaviours (dropping things, spilling things, sometimes throwing things, opening cupboards and pulling things out, making a mess, taking a long time to pack up or get ready) need to be corrected, but not punished. I aim to say something like "Uh oh. That cupboard is only for grown-ups. Help mummy put these away now". There is a consequence (like having to clean up), but not punishment. Punishment is saved for willfully disobeying instructions. Again, this is easier said than done! (See above about me making mistakes). It is easy to get frustrated at the silly and immature behaviours and end up sounding angry. I am working on this!

Also, in showing grace to my kids, I want to treat them as real people! As an example, I mentioned before that we do not tolerate the kids ignoring us. I also need to model that I don't ignore them. They are special to God and special to me, and need to be treated with love and respect.

6) Being a Christian mum means we aim for our rules to revolve around Jesus' instructions "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbour as yourself"

We have a big emphasis on showing kindness and love to each other and our friends. Lack of kindness to each other is always (well, as consistently as possible) punished. This includes biting, hitting, yelling, unkind words, etc.

I also don't like talking about "good" vs. "bad" behaviour (though sometimes I accidentally say "good boy" or "good girl"). I prefer to talk about being kind, helpful, gentle, happy etc. Jesus said that no-one is good but God alone. Aiming to be "good" is meaningless. Treating other people with kindness etc is meaningful and what God desires of us.

7) Being a Christian mum means we want our kids to know Jesus, so we teach them from the Bible, we pray with them and we talk about God.

Practically:

• We read the kid's Bible and pray with our kids each night
• Both of the bigger kids say "thank you God for..." each night before they go to sleep
• Matt is just starting to teach Miss Chatterbox (aged 3 very soon) the Lord's prayer, and then he or I will move onto doing some memory verses with her
• I try to talk with my kids during the day about God as opportunities arise (e.g. picking flowers - "who made the flowers?"). 
• We listen to Christian kids music and often use our TV time to watch a Christian kids' DVD (there are great resources out there - see this post for a couple of ideas)

8) Being a Christian mum means my goals for our kids need to be different to that of non-Christian parents

Sure,  I want my kids to be happy, well-educated, well-adjusted, independent, polite, articulate, successful etc. What parent doesn't? But these are not my priority. Mostly, I want my kids to know God, to trust Jesus' death on their behalf, to serve God and others...

In serving God, they might make decisions that are hard for me. They might take my grand-kids to live on the other side of the world as missionaries. They might give up a lucrative and comfortable career to be in ministry. They might be "losers" by the standards of this world, but "winners" in God's sight. "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong" 1 Corinthians 1:27

The role of being a Christian mum is really an outworking of my broader life as a Christian. It is all about being a Christian in the role that God has given me at this stage of my life (just like at any stage). Ultimately it is about trusting and obeying God and seeking his glory in whatever God has given me to do.

This took me ages to write and I could go on and on! I would love your feedback though - Christians or non-Christians ... What does being a mum/ Christian mum mean for you?

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Quick tip: Freeze the cheese

If there is one kitchen job that I can't stand, it is grating. My wrist starts to ache, my hand starts to ache, my upper arm starts to ache... sadly, I'm not even joking. Making a zucchini slice (grated zucchini, carrot AND cheese) is a nightmare (although I do love a bit of zucchini slice).

When it comes to grating cheese, I just don't do it. I buy the packaged pre-grated cheese. It is slightly more expensive than doing it myself, but it is something I just budget for.

Having spent that bit extra on the pre-grated cheese though, I can't stand for it to be wasted.I have had too many times in the past where I have had to throw out mouldy grated cheese (and being pre-grated, it does go off more quickly than a block of cheese).

The solution: Throw the packet of cheese in the freezer.

This means no more mouldy cheese. (It would probably be fine in there for up to 6 months, though I've never had a packet in there longer than 3 months). I also find it helpful to top some of the kids' meals with a little frozen grated cheese. Stirring the frozen cheese through helps to cool the meal to acceptable child's eating temperature just that little bit quicker - great for impatient toddlers waiting to eat.


Do you freeze grated cheese? Anything else you freeze to save wastage?

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Wordless Wednesday: Snapshots of Easter

The Easter hat parade was HARD work!

Good Friday: Hot Cross Buns and Coffee

Remembering Jesus: Our Passover dinner (lamb, bitter herbs, unleavened bread)

The Sydney Easter Show: Learning about where eggs come from

Close up with farm animals

 

Easter show must see: the wood chopping

 

Our Easter Sunday egg hunt

The Ultimate Celebration: Jesus is Alive!

Join "Wordless Wednesday" over at My Little Drummer Boys

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Working mums

I've heard it all before. Stay-at-home mums do the hardest work on the planet. 

I know the work of being a mum is the most important work I'll do. I've read those little poems about how mums work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no sick leave, no overtime, no pay, minimal short-term rewards... I know that is the reality. I'm living it!

But sometimes, I don't really believe it. There is a voice deep inside my thoughts that what I do is not quite enough. That I should be able to do more. That I am just at home.

If a job needs to be done at home, I should be the one to do it because I am just at home all day. If an errand needs to be run, I should do it, because I am just at home. If an important phone call needs to be made, I should do it. After all, I am just at home. I should always be able to make a dessert or morning tea or birthday cake. What else do I have to do? I am just at home. Why would we ever need to buy a take-away dinner? Surely being just at home, I can put something together. How could my floors possibly still be dirty? I have been just at home all day.

I don't know where this voice comes from. A mixture of society, "Martha Stewart", my own expectations. But I have to remember that the voice is wrong!

Sometimes I still need to be reminded that I am working hard. I am busy.Sometimes I just need to believe it when my husband says "Looking after the three kids is harder than being at work" or to hear my Bible study leader say "Remember you are looking after 3 kids. You aren't sitting on the lounge drinking coffee and watching Oprah all day!"

Sometimes I need to let my husband or other people serve and take care of me. I can allow Matt to run some of the errands when he offers, or do some of the jobs, or make some of the phone calls, and not feel bad about it.

I am not just at home. I am feeding, dressing, toileting, changing, playing with, reading to, talking to, cleaning up after... three children.

Do you struggle with the feeling of being just at home?

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Why this Friday is SO good

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Be a fun mum: guest post

Today I have a guest post over at Be a fun mum. The topic is "Communication in children: 2-3 years" (a Speech Pathology post). Head over and take a look. Have a look around at Kelly's other posts while you are there (if you are not already a regular reader). Heaps to learn and think about. Thanks again to Kelly for having me!

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Babies and solids

Part of my job description (when I worked full-time anyway) is/ was to present to groups of new mothers about introduction of solid foods (and communication development in baby's first year).

For some time now (I think almost 10 years), the official guideline has been to delay introduction of solid foods (puree to start with) until after 6 months of age. This is endorsed by the Australian Breastfeeding Association and the National Health and Medical Research Council. Some nurses as recently as a few years ago, were still insisting that 4 months was the ideal time to begin introducing tastes/ solids to babies. It seems that maybe they were on to something...

My father-in-law (a GP) recently sent me a study from the British Medical Journal. This study argues that babies who are not introduced to certain solid foods until after six months, face "a higher risk of iron deficiency anaemia, a higher incidence of Coeliac disease and a higher incidence of food allergies".

The study noted that the introduction of solid foods should still be delayed until after 6 months in countries where access to safe weaning foods and clean drinking water was not readily available. In developed countries however, the researchers recommend a change in the guidelines for introduction of solids between 4-6 months.

This is timely for me as my youngest has recently (a few days ago) turned 4 months. I am not even close to considering solids for her yet, though I do recall starting with both her big brother and big sister around 5 months of age. (Big sister because she was only putting on the minimum recommended weight through breastfeeding alone, and big brother because he was the opposite and getting hungry!) My mum tells me that in her day, the doctor recommended commencing solids at either 10 weeks or 10 pounds(!) I'm not sure what that would mean for a baby born at 10 pounds or close to it!

What age did you/ will you start your babies on solids?

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The post-holiday laundry blues

We have recently returned from 5 days visiting the in-laws (hence my absence from blogging). This is where they live:

Not a bad spot for free accommodation.

Apart from Mr 21 months deciding he didn't really want to sleep much while we were there, we had a great time. We even had a night out on our own with a 3-course restaurant meal (Yes, all 3 kids stayed home. Thanks Nan and Pa).

But....there is nothing that can spoil a holiday and undo the relaxed feeling at the end of the break more quickly than coming home to this:

It is enough to make me cry.

I made a couple of silly decisions regarding clothes, packing and washing this holiday. (Must be a rookie with having 3 kids. I'm sure seasoned professionals would not be so naive). Next time we go on holidays, this will not happen. I have even written myself a note to make sure of it. Here it is:

Dear Julie,
Next time the family goes on a holiday:

1) Write a list of what you need and tick off as you put things in the travel bags. This will prevent any need to throw toothbrushes and bath toys into a green shopping bag, hats into another shopping bag, a pump pack of suncream into another...at the last minute. It will also mean you can travel in comfort without having your feet surrounded by aforementioned shopping bags during the journey.

2) Never again put all 3 of the kids' clothes in ONE large suitcase. When packing, you are likely to think this is a good idea, because they all fit in there. You will say to yourself; "Good job, you fit everything into 3 bags". Within 24 hours of arriving at your destination, you will be tearing your hair out, trying to find a solitary pair of socks for your son. Every pair you pull out will be either pink or frilly and thus not appropriate. This will be repeated everyday, often multiple times a day, for the duration of your holiday.

3) If you feel you must put all 3 kids' clothes in ONE suitcase, remember this system. It revolutionised your family's time away at the CMS missionary conference, and that was when you only had 2 children. Do it again!

4) Do not choose the morning that you are leaving to strip all bed and cot sheets and put them in the washing basket to do "when you get home". Again, this will seem like a good idea because you think the mattresses should air while you are away. In 5 days time, on your return home, you will be slapping yourself because you now have to add 2 loads worth of bed sheets to your washing pile AND you have to re-make all the beds - not your favourite job - before Mr and Mrs Cranky and their 3 cranky babies can crawl into bed.

5) At your destination, do not keep all the clothes, and the nappy change equipment in the room where the baby is sleeping. An almost 3 year old and a 1 and 3/4 year old cannot remain silent or whisper while you spend 45 minutes fishing around in the ONE SUITCASE for the right sized singlet.

6) Do a couple of loads of washing while away. It is much nicer to come home with more clean clothes than dirty ones. (I actually did this - and was very thankful for it!)


Can you think of anything else I need to add to my note? How do you organise your clothes and washing while you are away?

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Marriage: Thinking positively

When I observe married (or long-term partnered) friends, relatives and acquaintances (women mostly) talking about their relationships, I notice some patterns.

Some praise their husbands so much that you almost wish you were married to them. Some complain about their husbands so much, you are grateful you didn't marry someone like them. Some friends don't say too much, but you can just see the love and respect they have for their husbands when they do mention them. Some people don't say much, but you can almost feel the distance or tension between them and their husbands when they come up in conversation. 

I have noticed these same patterns in my own head and heart at different times in my almost 8-year-old marriage. There are times when I feel so completely blessed and undeserving of being married to my husband. There are times when I just want to complain and rant and rave about him. There are times when I feel our marriage couldn't be closer, more intimate or any better. There are times when there is distance or tension.

The biggest thing that impacts how I feel about my husband or how I want to talk about him and to him (e.g. negatively or positively) is how I think about him.

Example: 

My husband is helping my daughter on the toilet. He yells out "The toilet paper just ran out. Where are the new rolls?"

Do I think (and say)?: 

• In the cupboard under the basin

• Well, if you ever replaced the roll under normal circumstances, you would know that I always keep them under the basin. And, hey, maybe if you helped put the groceries away... and... grumble, grumble, grumble... (If I am thinking rationally, I would remember that I put the groceries away when he is at work, he uses toilet paper far less than me - the man/ woman thing and also he is using work toilet paper all day - and therefore naturally does not get to the end of the roll as often as me, I like having the toiletries arranged to suit me etc, etc)

• In the cupboard under the basin, and thanks for replacing the roll (and/ or thanks for helping Miss Chatterbox)

Of course, this is just one (trivial) example, but it is easy to see how a consistent mindset  like the second one could eat away at a relationship. It is also easy to see how a consistent mindset like the third one would nurture a relationship.

The Bible says:

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things (Philippians 4:8).  

How much more should we think about the noble, right, pure, lovely... aspects of our husbands and our marriages? 

In the marriage conference I mentioned in the last marriage post, we were given a couple of practical pointers for changing negative thinking to positive thinking:

• Remember what brought you together in the first place. How did you feel about your husband? What did you love about him or what attracted you to him? What shared experiences do you have? What fun have you had together?
• What do you admire about your husband now? Physically, his godliness, his humour, his emotional support for you, how he responds to your children, how he supports you financially...
• What things do you really respect in your husband?
• How have you seen your husband grow (in godliness, maturity etc) over the time you have been together?
• What hard times has he endured and come out of?
• For those who pray: Pray for your husband and your attitude to him.

Go on, tell us (anonymously if you want): What is so wonderful about your husband?

NB 1: I know there are many relationships that are suffering through very hard times - abuse, illness (physical or mental), financial difficulties etc. This is not to minimise the seriousness of those situations or negate the need for proper intervention (and serious prayer). This is more encouraging those who are allowing a build-up of little irritations to impact their relationship in a negative way.

NB 2: A lot of these ideas were also mentioned in a post on my old blog prompted by my reading of Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahoney. This is a wonderful book I recommend for Christian women, based on Titus 2.

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Wordless Wednesday - Dandelions

One person's weed is another person's treasure

 

 

 

 

I'm linking up with Aussie Wordless Wednesday at My Little Drummer Boys

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Maths for toddlers #1 - Shape Sorters

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote this post about learning activities for toddlers, specifically "English" for toddlers. 

Onto maths...

In the toddler years, learning maths is all about learning patterns, order, matching, grouping, sorting and concepts of size, shape...

A shape sorter is a great way to introduce many of these concepts. My kids have started playing with shape sorters from about 6 months (with no idea about how to actually put the shapes in the correct holes at that age!). My almost 3 year old still plays with shape sorters when she has the chance.

Some of the mathematical learning that we do with shape sorters:

• Sorting shapes
• Matching shapes
• Grouping shapes, colours
• Same and different concepts
• Location concepts: In and out, next to, behind, in front, below, above, under, over
• Quantity concepts: all, some, none, most, least, more, less, all... except
• Counting

This post is part of the "We play" link up at Childhood 101.

Do you play "maths" with your kids?

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Kids: How many is "too many"?

Over the weekend, I got to reading this post over at Mia Freedman's blog.

By the time I got through the article and a number of the comments, I was fuming.

Not so much the post, and not Dick Smith's comments (which I think have certainly been sensationalised in the blog post - particularly the title of the post), but by some of the comments below the article.

Comments like:

"It is seriously selfish to have kids. Watch as all the parents try to justify their selfish choices" (I did giggle when someone replied to that comment with "Is that what you told your parents?")

"Dick Smith is completely on the money. I don't understand why anyone would even want more than 2"

"Let's keep educating women and this won't be a problem. Education is the best contraceptive"

and, on the side of the argument I agree with:

"Dick Smith has no right to dictate to women what they should and shouldn't do with their bodies". (Oh, please - you can't come up with any better counter-argument than that!)

A while ago, Matt and I actually watched the ABC documentary Dick Smith made on this very issue. If Dick Smith mentioned the 2 child "limit" in that documentary, it was put so mildly that I did not even notice it! I certainly wasn't offended by anything Dick Smith had to say, though I don't completely agree with him.The thing is that Dick Smith is an intelligent man. He doesn't need to make stereotyped, rude and blanket statements about the choices other people make in order to get his point across.

He did not say:

• Everyone with children is selfish
• Everyone with more than 2 children is either selfish or stupid
• Everyone with more than 2 children is uneducated
• Women of Australia have no right to more than 2 children

He did argue for people of Australia to think about sustainable living, and how perhaps our choices on family size might impact our ecological footprint. Like I said, I disagree with him, but I appreciate that he expressed his views with courtesy and an appreciation of us all being in unique circumstances. For some reason, this common courtesy is often lost in blog comments!

Anyone who reads here regularly knows that I have 3 children under the age of 3. After a bit of drama trying to conceive number 1, I see this as nothing but a blessing. If God wills it, we are completely open to the idea of more children (though maybe with a bit more of a break between pregnancies this time around!)

My thoughts on the whole Dick Smith issue and sustainable living:

• The ecological footprint of many childless couples in the developed world is presumably greater than that of many large families across the world. Compare a family of 10 living in poverty in Africa or Asia with a jet-setting couple living in Sydney - with 2 cars, trips to Melbourne every 2nd weekend, access to many resources and disposable income...
• Our lifestyle expectations have far more to do with environmental damage and perceived "overpopulation" than our family size does. As a family we "need" 2 cars, the "right" education for our kids, new clothes, toys, books, overseas or interstate family holidays, each child "needs" their own bedroom, we "need" a playroom, etc etc...
• Latest statistics show that the average household in Australia is just over 2.5 people. (And our houses are the biggest in the world - see point above - does a family of 2.5 need a four bedroom house?). Not too much crowding inside our homes.
• We also have a growing percentage of single-person dwellings (somewhere around 30% according to the latest 2001 figures). There is reportedly a growing sense of disconnect from community, family and little inter-generational contact. Smaller families and fewer children is only going to continue this trend. Is this what we want for our society?
• There are conflicting views related to population growth anyway. Many sociologists report concerns of a "demographic winter" where an aging population will have a limited workforce to support them as they can no longer work and require care.
• Governments recognise the importance of family structures and population growth to our future - hence the baby bonus and generous financial assistance available to families with children.
• I can't understand why some "anti-children" people are so rude as to dictate the family planning choices that others should make. If we tried to dictate to many of those people that maybe they should eat less meat, drink less alcohol, drive less, travel less... (all things that contribute to our eco-footprint), they would be outraged.

What do you think about all this over-population stuff? How many kids is "too many"?

Check out some great posts as part of the "Digital Parents" blogging carnival. Click this button to see a list of posts.

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Weekly menu: 4-10 April

Linking up with The Organised Housewife again this week. Here is what we are eating this week:

Monday: Pasta with roast vegetables and pine nuts

Tuesday: Slow cooker chicken and vegetables

Wednesday: Bacon and vegetable frittata

Thursday: Beef Nachos (or tacos)

Friday: Chicken Parmesan (pictured - because it was such a hit last week!)

Saturday: Away with in-laws

Sunday: Away with in-laws

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Cheesy Chicken

A fairly simple but yummy meal. Adults and children alike gobbled this one up.

(Recipe from http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com with own adaptations).

Ingredients:

(To serve 4 adults)

1 tbsp olive oil

Cooking oil spray

1 jar spaghetti sauce or Passata

4 chicken breasts or 8 chicken thigh fillets (2 thighs per adult or 1 chicken breast cut in half)

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (or more if you prefer a heavier batter)

A couple of tbsp Parmesan or cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 jar capers

1 cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar

3 extra tbsp Parmesan

 

 Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

2) Heat pan over medium heat. Coat pan with the olive oil

 

3) Beat eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. 

4) Add a couple of tbsp cheese to the breadcrumbs and mix together

 

5) Dip the chicken in the egg, then coat in the breadcrumbs. I used only a very light coating for a little taste. You can skip the breadcrumbs completely and just use cheese or leave the chicken un-coated if you prefer to avoid gluten or wheat.

6) Cook chicken 3-4 minutes on each side (Don't forget to spray pan between sides/ pieces of chicken as the breadcrumbs will stick)

7) Add spaghetti sauce to baking dish, spreading evenly over the dish. Coat each piece of chicken with the sauce.

8) Sprinkle with capers and cheeses

9) Bake for 25 - 30 minutes uncovered

10) Remove from oven and rest 5 minutes before serving with roast vegetables/ greens

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Quick tip: Got smelly feet?

 

It seems that watching Dr. Phil can sometimes be educational.

Smelly feet is already a problem for my 20 month old son. It runs in the family. (I won't reveal from which side!) Here is what I learnt recently for "curing" smelly feet:

Soak feet for 30 minutes in (cooled) black tea. Repeat each day for one week. After the week of treatment, do again as needed.

Now I just need a quick tip for getting a 20 month old to keep his feet still for 30 minutes! Anyone?

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