Greenparent

vegetarian cookery books-which are your favourite?

2012-02-04T21:20:47+00:00

Have just bought ‘the mystic cookfire’ after reading a recommendation on here and am finding it amazing!One of those books that everything you cook from it tastes amazing! Also love’ enchanted brocolli forest’ and ‘the moosewood cookbook’ what are your faves/most used?

Cold & wet weather veg

2012-02-07T00:38:07+00:00

I had decided NOT to grow any veg this year because the constant failures were getting me down, but as March gets closer I find myself drooling over seed catalogues again.

Here comes the pity-me bit

Can anyone recommend ANYTHING edible that will grow at 916ft (don’t know meters!) above sea level in a wet and windy part of Cumbria? I also only have a 6 x12ft area to grow in plus pots at front of house which is largely shaded and a small lean-to greenhouse - plus the sun leaves the growing area at about 3pm even in summer!

Broad beans love it but I am the only one who will eat them! on the plus side my compost worms work very hard (probably trying to keep warm!) and I have tons of lovely compost to use up.

I did have an allotment which was great but the closest ones are 12 miles away so I gave it up and despite adverts in the papershop I can’t get anyone to rent me a bit of land with a sunnier aspect.

Any ideas???????

DD x

Hair tangles and brushing

2012-02-04T22:41:18+00:00

I’ve often had problems with dd not wanting her hair brushed, and screaming and shouting at any little tug. I have found the perfect answer to this, if any of you have had the same issue: a de-tangle brush. I didn’t even know they existed, but Boots have them and they are fantastic, they cost about £12 and have no handle, you just put your hand round them, they have short bendy bristles and they do not tug. I use this brush now for my hip length hair and it is wonderful and no more shouting and hiding from dd in the morning.

Sorry to sound like an advert, but I thought someone else might have this problem, I think they are called something like ‘Tangle tamers’. My friend had recommended one from Avon, but even she preferred my one for her daughter’s hair.

HTH
Tanya

Debate - the way an 18 year old dresses - who’s more important?

2011-10-27T13:46:38+00:00

I like a good debate so I always listen to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2. Vanessa Feltz is standing in at the moment. One of the topics today was about a mother who doesn’t like her daughter “being a goth”. They spoke to both mother and daughter. I think it was a weak topic really, usually they discuss more important issues, but I guess that’s what annoyed me, this woman thought her opinion on her daughters attire was important. The daughter was had been to boarding school and was now at University studying art. She was a natural blonde but currently had her hair dyed red and lots of piercings. Her mother was making it out to be such an issue, and even Vanessa Feltz was saying the girl should be pleasing her mother!! Why should the mother’s opinion on what the daughter wears be more important. She was saying that it’s because she was such a pretty girl that she always used to dress in flowery dresses and she thinks her daughter looks aggressive, and she’s worried how people perceive her. To be honest, the daughter sounded much more intelligent than the mother, and she said all her piercings can be removed and her hair dyed to a normal colour if she needed or wanted to, and that she knows that some people will judge her but if they speak to her they’ll realise that she’s a nice girl. It really annoyed me that some people still want so much control over their daughter and all the listeners pretty much sided with the girl. I just think, she’s expressing creativity and her time at uni may be the only time she can experiment with her image, none of it’s permanent so why is it such an issue!!?

I thought I’d open a discussion on here about it as I’m sure a lot of you have stuff to say…

Devon meet up

2012-01-21T21:21:34+00:00

Ok lets try again! Hows about a devon/cornwall meet up I am determined to make it this time!!! Hows about soon? x

spray bottles for home made recipes

2012-02-04T15:39:28+00:00

Hi just wanted to ask where you get your spray bottles for making up cleaning products at home. thanks.

old nappies past their best??

2012-02-05T20:00:08+00:00

Hello!

So, finally clearing out the “cupboard of doom” and dealing with all the old cloth nappies, which makes me feel sad as I’m kind of admitting to myself no more babies :(

Anyway!, I have quite a lot of old TotsBots and most of them are past their best, the elastic is almost gone in them and they’re looking a bit tatty, but still functional, and it seems wasteful to just put them in the bin when I know they would probably still “do”. They’re not as soft & fluffy as new ones, not as white as they should be, but if they had new elastic and a nice fleece liner then I’d still use them if I had another baby (but only for at home “emergency” days - not ones to be seen out with lol!)

Any idea what to do with them, or shall I just bin them? Are there charities that take old nappies - I’m sure I read years ago about one that donated to Romania?? Not sure if they’d want these though - I’d feel a bit awful giving old tatty things!

Sensitive: Femanism and raising a son.

2012-01-18T10:03:43+00:00

Treading carefully here as I broach this subject, not wanting to upset anyone just after your thoughts ...

I am a feminist, I guess I always have been - even as a child I showed sympathies, maybe I’m more feminist than anyone first thought it turns out. I’m cool with this and have professed many a time to friends that I am pro women not anti men.

But the other night my boyfriend said to me in a tone of disgust or dissapointment almost that I was ‘deffinitly a feminist’ (as if it were some kind of disease!) and he felt sorry for Zander (my son), himself and his older son - my stepson. I’m slightly offended by this.

But I guess thats not the point. My main pondering now is, can I raise my son to be a well rounded balanced confident young man and still have feminist interests. My feeling is yes I can, I treat my children as equals regardless of their sex and provided I keep myself in check and watch that I don’t stray into the anti-men category I can still be a positive influence to my son.

Anyway, I would be interested in thoughts and ideas - what feminism means to you if you are and how you weave this into motherhood especially where sons are concerned.

Much love and blessings

Aspergers? Im not sure!

2010-04-27T08:03:58+00:00

Right , It has been in the back of my mind that my eldest son now almost 10 could have some sort of mild aspergers.
He has had difficulty making friends whilst in school in the past, but he is now home ed, and he is still a little awkward at being social, although I feel he manages ok, now that he is not having so much enforced socialisation.
He mainly finds it difficult to communicate his needs and feelings effectively, and can be quite overcome by emotions sometimes.
He is also extremely obstinate at times. I can get very frustrated at his total lack of communication at times, and it can be really difficult to get him to speak up. I think that I can usually tell what the problem is before he speaks, so that complicates things as I want him to speak up for himself, as everyone else in the world obviously wont be able to read his mind.
He doesnt have a lack of empathy, and he is very imaginative so I am not sure if it is a mild aspergers syndrome or not.
I do know that he is a highly sensitive child, which he gets from me.
I am wondering if I have been burying my head in the sand and refusing to acknowledge his difficulty in communicating.
Can anyone tell me if a child with aspergers can only have some of the symptoms?
Or is he unlikely to have mild aspergers if he can empathise, and has a great imagination?
Thanks
Radha.

has anyone read the politics of breastfeeding??

2012-02-04T21:15:27+00:00

Have heard its a fantastic read and was thinking of buying.Also’the drinks are on me’ anyone read it. Loving breastfeeding again as you can see