The incident with the baby & the facecloth

Today I reached a new low.

Yes there are all the jokes about the precious 1st child versus “reared in the backseat 2nd, 3rd or 4th child”. And my house is no different to the hundreds and thousands of others out there. Until today.

Today we reached a new, unprecedented level of neglect, in my opnion. You see I have a special face cloth that I use for battle for wiping the kids faces after meals. Its separate to the dishcloth and normally hangs at the end of our island in a rigor mortis like state from continuous cycles of wet, dry, wet through the day. You could sand a coffee table with this thing when it’s dry! But that was not the issue.

Well today whilst  feeding Octopus boy (hit rate of about 25% – so most of it ended up on the floor) I just got lazy! There I said it. And so I wiped the floor with it. And not just a quick once over. Oh no I became that crazy in-sensed housewife I swore I’d never be and decided that as a matter of urgency it was imperative I crawled around under the entire table wiping and scrubbing like no woman has ever before.

And if that was where the blog post ended, anyone reading would (lawfully) think “Well I hope she put it in a hot wash after that” and get on with the rest of your day. And wonder why I bothered to blog about it.

But no.

I then preceeded to completely forget what I had done (brain currently operating a strict one in one out policy – I may have had to lose school pick up times or the like in order to retain this valuable piece of information) AND I WIPED HIS HANDS, FACE, NECK, EARS and practically the inside of his throat with the thing. I just stopped short of stripping him off and scrubbing his arm pits and the creases between his legs cos I was in complete crazy germ annihilation mode.

And then I gave him his sterilised bottle and went about my day.

Obviously.

Happy that I was doing such a good job as a parent!!!!!!! Oblivious to my misdemeanour.

God forbid I’d give him a tummy upset with bad hygiene habits. Anyway hopefully no one from social services is reading this post (but if you are rest assured this is not normal behaviour or practice in this household!)

But speaking of bugs and immune systems let me pick up where I left off on my last post about smoothies and superfoods you can add to give yourself the best chance possible of getting through this winter unscathed.

12 months ago I would have, first of all, never ventured into a health food shop and secondly been too overwhelmed and scared to actually look at anything powdered and/or strange sounding (cos let’s be honest…..most healthy stuff is actually foreign sounding!!!)

So here is my simple breakdown of the most popular and commonly used of these superfood powders by my friends and I and also the most commonly used in recipes I see.

1. Spirulina

Spirulina (pictured above in the green packet) –  You can buy here in Holland and Barrett and also in many other Health food shops. What is this I hear you cry?

Spirulina is a natural “algae” powder that is incredibly high in protein and nutrients. Possible benefits include increased production of antibodies, protection against allergies, facilitates growth of probiotics (the good bacteria!!!) & aid in fight against herpes and influenza, to name but a few.

2. BarleyGrass powder is another favourite of mine. You can buy here in Holland and Barrett.

Why BarleyGrass? Well in the words of Celebrity Nutritionist Gillian McKeith “barley grass offers more protein than a sirloin steak, five times the amount of iron as broccoli, seven times more vitamin C than orange juice and 11 times more calcium than milk”. So its got to be worth a go – right?

3. Macca Powder.

Maca is a powdered form of a root that belongs to the radish family. It’s rich in B vitamins as well as C & E. Benefits claimed are relief from menstrual issues and menopause, increased energy levels, relief from acne & skin issues and alleviation of symptoms of anxiety, stress, depression or mood swings.

Personally I don’t use Maca anymore as I felt it upset my stomach & it caused a huge breakout of my skin. I’ve heard from friends that it has upset their cycles. But I felt it was worth mentioning here as Maca crops up a lot in recipes.

(This aquarium like object is this mornings smoothie – Monday Morn old favourite – Kale, Grape, Lemon, Banana, Spirulina, Flax, Chia & water. I usually share the big cup with hubby).

The possibilities with superfoods and smoothies are endless but stick to a few to begin with and then add/swap in another as you go. One change at a time!! But most importantly these are what will bring your smoothies from good to great.

I would love any tips you have for me to try also so please share if you do have some.

Cli xx

P.S And there is a CENT SALE on selected items in Holland and Barrett at the moment!!