Gratitude

Sometimes I get a bit down in the dumps.  I feel like I am losing my way with the boys, shouting, getting frustrated and impatient all the time. I feel like the house is always a mess and the boys seem to leave a trail of destruction in their wake.  I turn my back for what seems like 30 seconds and when I look again a whole roll of toilet paper has been unrolled, all the shoes have been taken off the rack, all the books off the bookshelf and there is a pile of sand on the living room floor!  Is this a habit particular to my children? Or maybe it's because they are boys?  Or maybe it's my fault for leaving a roll of toilet paper within reach?  Whatever the reason, it is easy to get bogged down with the frustrations of day to day life as a full time mama and forget to capture the beautiful and precious moments and the sparks of joy.  Sometimes I can't see the wood for the trees, everything seems like such an effort and a bother and there never seems to be enough time for anything, I am always chasing my tail trying to catch up.

I am the sort of person who does a lot of soul searching from time to time and I was having a moment recently, thinking about regrets and opportunities missed, not a good path to go down I know, but it got me thinking that one of the reasons I feel like I don't make the most of life at any given point is that I am always looking for the next thing, the next stage.  I am thinking "things will be better when..." or "when such-and-such happens, they I can be truly happy" or "I will be an amazing mum when...",  I never seem to be able to value just being here. 

But here is where I am, and now with the power of hindsight, the sadness and regret that comes with the memory of missed opportunities, I know that I need to grab here and live it and love it.  I only get here once and with the passage of time visible in front of me in the living and ever changing form of my children, I am even more acutely aware of how much I must appreciate there here and now.

I remember thinking years ago how much I wanted so badly to be a full time mum, that it was all I ever wanted, that life would be complete once I was one and that it was what I had always meant to do.  I read a quote or a phrase or something recently about how you already have the things you wished for yesterday (something to do with the law of attraction or something) and it hit me like a big piano dropping out of a third storey window.  I am living the dream I had all those years ago.  What an idiot I am for not even noticing and appreciating this fact!

A few days ago I read an article about a woman who was paralysed from the neck down after a skiing accident.  These sorts of stories don't usually affect me, I am a strong believer in all things being relative, but this time it really did affect me.  I just thought about how terrible it would be for me to not be able to move, to not be able to look after my children, the one thing that I have wanted my whole life.  It made me me realise that I need to stop whinging and woman up. Start appreciating the things I have and stop focusing on how hard everything is.

One habit that I am trying to pick in order to help me to be more appreciative of life is to express gratitude daily, I am currently using an app on my phone to record 15 things I am grateful for everyday (or when I remember).  This is helping me to appreciate the good things that I have in my life, from being thankful that I have all my limbs in working order to being thankful for big cups of tea, or that my son did a poo today.

Here is today's list:
Today I am thankful that:
1. It has been a beautiful sunny day,
2. None of us got a tic while we were at Forest School,
3. The boys didn't wake till 8am,
4. I had enough fuel to get to Forest School and back,
5. The tadpoles seem much happier in their new washing-up-bowl home,
6. There were vegan biscuits at Nursery Service,
7. I had lots of "I love you mummy, you're my best friend" from Boris,
8. We found a beautiful beetle,
9.I got to catch up with a friend today and that her worries about her health were unnecessary.
10. I received complements on my clothes,
11. The vegetables seem to be growing well,
12. I am feeling energised to keep the house clean and tidy,
13. The bean casserole I made for dinner was delicious,
14. The new blades for my Magic Bullet came today,
15. We can have a quieter day tomorrow.

My word of the year this year is ENJOY.  But I think I have been forgetting it because I haven't been enjoying life that much sometimes. By expressing gratitude for what I have, what I do, who I am etc, I will find more enjoyment it in and more enjoyment in life.  An enjoyable life is manifest because of the gratitude towards what is already here.

7 Days of Vegan Breakfasts - Peanut butter and banana on toast

Since I have been eating a plant based diet people have been asking me what I am eating.  I know how hard it is to imagine eating meals without meat and dairy ( I used to eat them remember?) but there is more to being vegan than tofu and kale.  I love food, I didn't become vegan because I don't like meat, I used to love meat, and cheese and butter!  So it is important for me to eat meals which are really tasty.  

If you are looking to move to a plant based diet or reduce the amount of meat and dairy you consume then breakfast is a really good place to start because more often than not people don't tend to have meat for breakfast, and dairy and eggs are really easy to switch out.  

So I have put together a weeks worth of vegan breakfasts which are all really tasty and (mostly) healthy.  I hope you will find something that you can enjoy and maybe some which will surprise you.  This is of course not an exhaustive list of breakfasts, virtually ANY breakfast can be made vegan, so get on those veggies, get those carbs in and start enjoying your life without causing suffering to other beings, low fat and full of energy. 

Sometimes toast feels like just the right thing to have for breakfast.  You can really maximise this simple, quick and easy to put together start to the day with some peanut butter and a chopped banana, so delicious and a brilliant boost of protein and vitamins to go with your all important carbs, not to mention the banana which as we all know is a power house for potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C (to name but a few of the fantastic nutrients in bananas).  What a great start to the day.  Up-size the nutrition with a sprinkle to chia seeds and sesame seeds on top and you will be winning.  

I really love this breakfast.  I make the peanut butter myself by roasting a few plain peanuts and whizzing them up in the blender with some peanut oil.

I am sure it goes without saying that peanut butter and bananas also work well in a sandwich, or rolled up in a tortilla like a spice of sushi!

Oh my goodness my mouth is watering.  If you want to have a go at making this, but can't be bothered with making your own peanut butter, check the label before buying and try to go for a peanut butter made with nut oils rather than palm oil. It tastes nicer and you will hopefully be saving some rainforest from deforestation. 

Hope you will pop back soon to see another tasty vegan breakfast recipe.  You can keep up to date with posts by subscribing via email (right hand side near the top of the blog)  or by liking my facebook page. 

7 Days of Vegan Breakfasts - Cinnamon Porridge

Since I have been eating a plant based diet people have been asking me what I am eating.  I know how hard it is to imagine eating meals without meat and dairy ( I used to eat them remember?) but there is more to being vegan than tofu and kale.  I love food, I didn't become vegan because I don't like meat, I used to love meat, and cheese and butter!  So it is important for me to eat meals which are really tasty.  

If you are looking to move to a plant based diet or reduce the amount of meat and dairy you consume then breakfast is a really good place to start because more often than not people don't tend to have meat for breakfast, and dairy and eggs are really easy to switch out.  

So I have put together a weeks worth of vegan breakfasts which are all really tasty and (mostly) healthy.  I hope you will find something that you can enjoy and maybe some which will surprise you.  This is of course not an exhaustive list of breakfasts, virtually ANY breakfast can be made vegan, so get on those veggies, get those carbs in and start enjoying your life without causing suffering to other beings, low fat and full of energy. 

How amazing does this porridge look?  I want some right now! 

Porridge is my go-to breakfast, it's tasty, filling, gives you energy and is full of nutrients such omega fatty acids, calcium, magnesium, potassium and folates.  

Couple the oats with a delicious plant milk such as Almond and you are getting a good hit of calcium and vitamin E, plus it's low in fat, WIN!! 

I add a teaspoon of cinnamon and them drizzle (probably a bit too much) golden syrup on top.  Yuuuuum!!

Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup ground oats (you don't have to grind the oats but I like the ground because it makes a nice smooth porridge)

1 cup of a plant milk of your choice.  (I usually use rice milk because it makes a really smooth porridge, if you use soya It seems to work better with half water.)

1 tsp cinnamon,

1 tbs golden syrup.

Grind the oats in a blender, the mix in a saucepan with the milk,  cook on a low heat and stir frequently (continuously is better but who has time for that?)  Add the cinnamon, and stir it in.  when it reaches your desired consistency pour into your favourite bowl and serve with the syrup.  I also like to have a cup of lady grey tea with my porridge.  

Hope you will pop back soon to see another tasty vegan breakfast recipe.  You can keep up to date with posts by subscribing via email (right hand side near the top of the blog)  or by liking my facebook page.