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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

Product Image For Nutrient Rich Power Food

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.

Its important to note that other than the nutritional benefits provided by the vitamins and minerals, all these benefits are anecdotal because as far as I am aware maca has not been formally studied.

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.

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(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!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Comments

  1. Brigette
    October 20, 2014 / 1:00 pm

    You have all the finer details covered C, I was going to ask if you squeeze the lemon of slice it and just noticed the pic with skin cut off;) x

  2. Ciara Long
    October 21, 2014 / 8:15 am

    You’ve inspired me to get the smoothie maker back out. It’s been hiding in the press for ages….. Forgotten ! First one in ages this morning. Yummy !

    • October 21, 2014 / 2:57 pm

      Oh that is fantastic. I hope you liked it! I stocked up on Barleygrass and Wheatgrass powder this morning too and got some cacao to try in a new one I found so will try it this week and post it for ye to see. Thanks so much for leaving a comment!!

  3. Niamh Evans
    October 21, 2014 / 8:50 pm

    Hi Cli, I’m really enjoying your blog – well done you! I’m going back to work soon and the thought of not being able to pick my way through my kitchen fridge and treats cupboard by lunchtime is filling me with dread so from reading your blogs well 1. You’re making me realise how bad my diet and eating habits are!!! But 2. You are making me to consider should I just get into this super food malarchy so my question is if I have green slime for breakfast will it kill my hunger pains until lunchtime??

    • October 22, 2014 / 7:38 pm

      Hi Niamh. Hope you are well!! Thanks for the comment!! Appreciate it. To answer your question – it totally depends on what you put in it. But you will certainly have more energy and I found my skin was just healthier looking. Now cos I’m still on mat leave I normally have a shake at around 8am and them at about 10.30am I normally have something else – like wholemeal toast & almond butter or porridge. I’ll put some of the stuff on the blog soon. But if you put the proper fats in the smoothie it should fill you more. Or even add porridge oats or an avocado, almond butter, peanut butter to it. Def put in the chia seeds as they will bulk it a little too. Good luck with work – when are you back? Oh its all change!!!! x

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