Who does not like a roast this time of year?

Personally, I don’t care if it is boiling hot, or bitterly cold, but I love the taste of falling apart pork, crispy crackling, baked sweet and normal potatoes, carrots, all topped with a delicious apple sauce.

This recipe would serve about four people. It depends on size of the pork really. This recipe used about a one kilo piece of pork belly. YUM!

But enough about that, lets start on the crackling!

First of all. preheat your oven to 220°C. This allows time for the oven to heat up enough to crisp-en the skin.

Take a sharp knife, and score the pork skin at about one centimetre intervals. Rub the skin with olive oil and a generous amount of sea salt. This helps the skin to crisp up and flavour and turn to that wonderful crackling that is so tasty!

Pop your pork into the oven for 30 minutes. At this high heat it allows the skin to crisp up before the pork meat cooks.

Reduce the heat to 200°C and cook for another 10 to 20 minutes, until the pork is just cooked through and the skin is golden, puffed and crispy.

As for your veggies, cut them up into equal size pieces, and put them into another tray. Drizzle some oil over them and a sprinkling of salt. Toss to coat, and bake for the last 20 to 30 minutes of the pork’s cooking time. Or to make an even more tasty lot of veggies, you can transfer the pork to your veggie tray for the remainder of the cooking!

To add some extra flavour to the dish, you could also throw in some garlic and rosemary. They work wonders!

So enjoy your melt in the mouth pork with crunchy crackling!

Today was a monumental day. I overcame a fear.

You are kind of coming in at the tail end of the story here. Don’t worry, I’ll share the rest. Eventually. It’s odd telling a story that I’m still in the middle of creating. In fifty words or less, I had a baby. Along with the arrival of my second son, arrived about 5 extra kilos. I wasn’t too worried. Then those five kilos became ten, and then 11, and then I was looking at photo’s unable to believe the person staring back at me. I got my ass into gear and I’ve dropped a significant amount of weight.

But that’s not the story here. The story is about the clothing that has joined me on the journey.

These jeans, I love. I picked them up for about $10 years ago. They’ve done really well. Two pregnancies, an up and down weight. They are comfortable and familiar. They give me a mom-butt and were hardly flattering, but I loved them. I’m almost certain that everyone in the world has a pair just like these.

They really don’t fit me now. I haven’t worn them in a few months. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of them. Just in the way that women keep their skinny clothes in the back of their wardrobe in the hope they will fit back into them again some day, I keep my favourite ‘fat clothes’ in case I ever need them again. Because surely this weight loss thing won’t last. It’s a now thing, right? And one day I’ll put the weight back on and I’ll need those old favourites again.

I didn’t think it would be so hard to throw out a pair of jeans. But out they went. I expected to be excited about the new things I’d fit into and look great in, what I didn’t expect was to struggle letting go of the old, bigger things I hated.

Weight loss. Surprising on so many levels.

Tip; Stop aiming for skinny, aim for healthy.

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I have ALWAYS said Never.

I’ll Never get married.

I’ll Never have children.

I’ll Never live far away from my family (again).

I’ll Never work in a job that means working after hours and weekends.

You know what? I did it all. I did it all and more. You want to know something else? I’m pretty damn happy. Let me explain a little about the Never in my life.

The marriage…as a kid who saw most of her family get divorced, I wondered why the hell anyone would bother. Since then quite a lot of them have gotten remarried. Happily. And I grew up. And I met Paul. It was just right.

The kids… I’m not sure where this Never started, but once I started preaching it I got kind of stubborn about it. I do have a vague early childhood memory of seeing a horse give birth, and making the connection that mummies push babies out of their bodies. And if babies had legs like that foal then NO WAY was I going to have babies. Then in my early teens I was told that I may never be able to have babies, and I used this Never as a protective barrier against the world, the unknown. Again, I grew up. I wanted to have a family. So I did. I am SO grateful that it turned out to be so much easier than we thought, too.

Living away from family… Paul and I came from opposite ends of the long stretch of metropolitan Adelaide. My parents live about 30kms and an hour away. It’s far, but it’s not THAT far. We make it work. I love where we live now, it’s just beautiful, surrounded by gum trees and koalas (and the odd ‘roo!) in the backyard. We’re making our own life, our own family, and I wouldn’t change a thing… unless that thing was to somehow crinkle up the Adelaide landscape so that the gap wasn’t quite so far.

The job. Nowhere in the shiny education degree brochure did it mention the work load, never ending drain on your head and heart, not to mention bank balance (did you know teachers buy most of their own resources?). Somehow, somewhere along the way my passion for this thing they call teaching took over, and the extra work load, the huge responsibility, it all became part and parcel of something that I love.

Four HUGE Nevers. Life changing decisions that have brought me, slowly but surely, to where I am and who I am today.

Have you ever said Never? Then changed your mind?

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I am a chronic nail biter. I do it without thinking and it is usually when I taste blood or I hurt my finger that I notice that I am biting my nails.

I stopped for a while, a very short while; and then one nail broke and I may have decided that if I had one broken nails why not bite the other nine off.

You see it is really hard for me to stop biting my nails. Everyone suggest to use that awful tasting stuff; problem is I use my teeth to scrape it off [same way I do with nail polish] and then continue to chew. So something that may be easy for some doesn’t work for me.

But here are some things that have worked for me;

Let people know that you are trying to stop. Most of the girls at work tell me to stop biting my nails when they notice me doing it. It means that I am more mindful of when I have my fingernail in my mouth; and who is watching.

Use strengthening nail polish. I noticed that when my nails grew, I would put my teeth underneath the nail [not entirely sure why I do this] and then the nail would split because I would make it brittle. Not only that but I doubt my nails have that much strength to them anyway so using a strengthening nail polish meant that I was mindful of wanting my nails to grow and would attempt to let them.

Other peoples suggestions include:

~ Use that awful tasting nail polish
~ Rub chilli on your fingernails
~ Paint them a bright colour
~ Rub hand cream in when you feel the urge
~ Notice when you are biting, is it because you are hungry? Stressed? And work towards fixing those issues rather then biting

Any other tips?

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I missed out on Mother’s Day last year.  Even though my baby was a day old somehow my husband ended up being the one who got breakfast in bed…in my hospital bed!

So I am planning on celebrating this year!
And honestly I want to spend my Mother’s Day not being a mother.
This Mother’s Day comes at a moment…one year in…when I am just craving some alone time.  I love my baby so, so much.  But I would love to spend a day without him.  I don’t think I have had more than eight hours to myself since he was born.  And that is generally how I like it.  But I must admit that I am ready for a bit of a break from being a mother.

This is my ideal Mother’s Day.
Our little family would go for our usual Sunday walk to the cafe but after our coffees I would return home and my husband and my baby and my dog would go off somewhere else.
And somehow upon my return home the house would be pristine, there would be no dirty dishes, no laundry, the grocery shopping would be done and a meal or two would be cooked for the week ahead.  Oh and the freezer would be stocked with my favourite flavours from Baskin Robbins and there would be a nice bottle of red around.
And I would relax.
I would probably climb back into bed and read for an hour or so.  Then I would likely go and get another coffee and sit in the sun on the verandah drinking my flat white and reading blogs.  Then I would probably lie on the couch for an hour or two and catch up on television shows that I have missed…hello there Revenge!  I might actually multi task and nap while the tv is on.
By late afternoon I would probably start to miss my husband and my baby.
But I am sure if my friends showed up with pizza and wine and we sat and ate and drank and laughed I could be distracted for another few hours.
And then my boys and my dog would come home.  I would give them all kisses.  And I would go to bed.

What are you doing for Mother’s Day?

[This was submitted by Caitlin from Mother Down Under; originally published Wednesday 9th May 2012.]

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Online shopping is really taking off – over the internet, you can now buy groceries, book movie tickets, do your Christmas shopping and so much more, all from the comfort of your lounge room :)

The problem is, it’s a little too easy to shop online (hello, 24/7 shopping and PayPal on my iPhone!) so you run the risk of spending money on things you don’t really need, or racking up a credit card bill that takes forever to pay off. Not as much fun..

But there are some good ideas out there to help you save some money – and even make a few dollars – while you’re hanging out online. Here are 5 of my favourite ways to manage your money over the internet.

Curb your PayPal enthusiasm by attaching your bank account details as your main payment method rather than your credit card, so purchases are made with your own money – you’ll find yourself thinking twice about whether your purchase really is necessary.

Look for discount codes when you shop online. Google ‘coupon codes’ for the product / brand you are purchasing online, and if you can’t find any, go to their Facebook or Twitter profile and request a discount code – most times, they’ll give you one just for asking.

Set and forget your savings with internet banking. Most good banks & building societies now have user-friendly online banking that lets you set up regular payments between your accounts. Log in and set up a weekly or fortnightly $25 payment to your savings account the day after every payday – then leave it alone. After a couple of weeks you won’t notice the money difference and your savings will quietly grow and grow (by the way, $25 a week for 52 weeks = $1300. Just sayin’).

Do you chat about your online purchases via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or your blog? Look for affiliate programs when you buy online – a range of companies like Book Depository and Deals Direct will give you a link to paste to your profile so you get discounts or commissions when people purchase through your link. Be honest and let your friends know you get a dollar or two when they buy – often they’ll be happy to shop through your link rather than going directly to the company website. My Tip: Only recommend sites you shop at – your family and friends trust your opinion, so don’t expose them to anywhere you wouldn’t use yourself.

So with a bit of clever thinking and a couple of tweaks  to your shopping habits, you can start saving money on the net straight away. The questions is, what will you spend that extra cash on now?

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We all have to admit that sometimes thinks are not all rosy, and that life occasionally throws a couple of lemons your way, yes? And sometimes, no amount of sugar is going to take away the sourness of those lemons.  Don’t suck on the lemon!! It’s not nice, and all you are going to be able to think about is just how sour that lemon really is, and thinking about sourness is not good for anyone.

And yes, that is all a metaphor for things going wrong. And when things go wrong it is hard to keep your chin up whilst thinking about how things are going wrong.

Lately I’ve been tossed a few lemons, but I am managing to hold my head up and keep going. How? The three D’s.

Look at and attack the things you can DO. There are always going to be some aspects of whatever is going on that you can take control of and manage. Out of work? Set yourself a routine of looking for jobs, via different websites/papers and apply for anything and everything that catches your eye. Don’t have all the skills the employer is looking for? Focus on the ones you DO have and, your willingness to learn.

There are always going to be things out of your own control. DON’T fret over them and focus on them. Assess them, and then move on. Situations may change and you may be able to come back to them later, or discuss with others who may be able to do something about them. Again, if you can’t control it, move on.

DISTRACT yourself. You’ve done what you can, stopped worrying about what you can’t do, now it is time to focus on other things. Start and exercise routine, it doesn’t have to cost anything, it can be walking outside, which between the fresh air and the exercise will help lift your spirits. Find a new project that interests you to work on, or maybe volunteer somewhere. By keeping your mind, and body, active you are giving it what it needs to keep stay afloat and focussed.

Things will eventually improve, and maybe some new opportunities that you had never expected will come your way. You will probably feel better, and more confident, in yourself, just by giving it a try.

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A blog name which is unique, fits your blog style and is available. If you are going with blogger, you’ll have to check the availability and if you are going self-hosted, be sure to make sure that the domain is available.

When choosing a blog name, it is best if your URL matches your blogs name; a shorted version [example 'Random Ramblings of a Stay At Home Mum'. Lori shortened the URL to rrsahm.com. Now that is smart!]

The design and layout of your blog is the first thing readers [new and returning] see first. Layouts that are all squashed and overcrowded make you want to click away. Readers are unsure of where to click because there are so many things happening in the sidebar. Be sure to make sure your main content [where you posts are written] doesn’t overflow into the sidebar, it is incredibly hard to read.

As for the design avoid too many colours, it is best to stick to a palette of colours, at MooZoo Designs we use Colour Lovers and Design Seeds to find a palette of colours for our clients.White backgrounds are easiest to read text off, so your content should almost always be white. Ensure your font is easy to read, I don’t recommend going any smaller then size twelve. Oh and stick to a small number of fonts [three is probably the most I would use]. Bright colours are great, but don’t overload your site, you don’t want to hurt your readers eyes.

Pages are the base of your site. You should have at least two pages on your blog [if not more]. These two main pages are ‘About’ and ‘Contact’. Your ‘About’ page is where you tell your readers a little extra about you. Go into as much or as little detail as you like, be sure to include photographs. Your ‘Contact’ page is where you provide information on how your readers can contact you, so be sure to include your email address and then any social media that you would like to include.

A blog just isn’t a blog without content. Post how often you want to post. I read some blogs that post sometimes three times one day then once another day, what should you gain from this? Be consistent. Whether you post daily, once a week or monthly it is key to post when you say you are going to post. One way to stay consistent is to create a schedule and do just that, schedule your posts.

Use social media. Social media is something which brings you new readers, connects you with readers and allows you to share your posts with your followers/likers/friends. What are some key social media tools? Facebook pages, Twitter, and Google+ are the main places where you should be promoting your blog. But you could also create an Instagram and Pinterest account for your blog, just an idea.

There are couples that fall in love instantly. Love at first sight. We were not one of those couples. And then in other ways I guess we were pretty instantaneous. I met Hubby through my cousin. And I was sooooo not in the mood to meet any more people that day. I screwed up my nose at the boy in his PJ’s and returned to the car to make a speedy exit. Phew. I thought. Dodged a bullet. What losers.