Getting Clean

I didn't really clean when I was growing up - I kept my room tidy, helped with the washing and the dishwasher etc., and spent many hours with saddle soap in hand, polishing horse tack.  But the proper household cleaning - the bathrooms, the floors, kitchen and windows - was never part of my job set.  As a result, when I moved out of home (aged 20, in with The Daddy), I really had no clue how to clean.  The Daddy (then The Boyfriend) was amused and incredulous in equal parts.  He'd lived on his own for a while, and took very good care of himself (albeit while eating way too much takeaway food).

Fast forward a few months, and find me lying prone in the bathroom, having literally fainted unconscious after mixing bleach with other chemical cleaners in a tiny, unventilated bathroom.  Awesome.

As you can imagine, I became a little wary of chemical cleaning products after this disaster.  But also, I am actually quite allergic to most chemical cleaning products - Windex used in the house can trigger a major asthma attack, and most chemical sprays cause major eczema - which is a pretty major incentive to avoid them.

I also hate the idea of using chemicals in the house where we live, having Tabitha breathing in chemical fumes, and eating food off floors and surfaces coated with chemical residues (yep, off the floor.  Often.  Floor food is a major toddler food group, don't you know?).

Okay - from here, the post might get a bit gushy.  I'm into Enjo.  But I have no affiliation with Enjo - I don't sell it, and I don't know anyone who does.  But I found it hard to find reviews or info from consumers when I looked for it a while back, so thought my opinion and experience with the products (and Method products, at end of post) might be useful for anyone considering switching away from chemical cleaners.

A few years ago - before Tabitha came along, but during the pregnancy - I became an Enjo convert.  I'd been muddling along with vinegar, lemon juice and bicarb soda - all of which I still use - but after going to an Enjo party, I found the fibre products to be much simpler to use, less messy, and I felt like everything was actually cleaner than ever before - cleaner than when I used to use chemicals, and cleaner than using bicarb etc. alone.

The Daddy was a bit skeptical to begin with, but after he had a lesson on the correct use, and gave the bathroom a clean, he was quite shocked at how well it all worked.  I've tried cheaper brands of microfibre cloths (supermarket, and from an eco store) and for me, they haven't worked as well.  Also, some people I know who haven't had great results with Enjo have actually not been using them properly, or haven't cared for the fibres properly (e.g. using the wrong detergents, letting them dry when dirty, or even putting them through the dryer, a massive no-no!).  But for us, using them as intended, we have been really pleased with the range, and a few months ago I replaced my 'most used' cloths (the kitchen and bathroom ones).  Yep, they do need to be replaced every few years, depending on use, but I believe it still works out cheaper than buying loads of chemical cleaners.

The basic deal with Enjo products is that you use a glove (such as the Kitchen Glove) damp or wet, and then dry with a highly absorbent cloth called a 'miracle' (such as the Kitchen Miracle).  Beyond this, there are a number of other products, such as wet and dry dusting cloths and gloves, kitchen scrubby bits, and floor fibres.  Beyond this further, there are also things like car cloths, body cloths and the like, but I personally just stick to the basic household cleaning ranges.

I can't recall enough about all the technical elements to give you a proper low-down, but I remember being quite convinced when I first learned all about the range - that is, I am completely confident and satisfied that my house is clean and that there are no bacteria colonies lurking on my benchtops.  Furthermore, my understanding is that chemical cleaners actually tend to leave a slight film behind, which a) is gross and scary but also b) actually encourages more dirt and grime to come back and re-settle on the surface you have cleaned.  This is certainly my experience - for example, mirrors and shower screens remain much cleaner for far longer than when using chemicals.

I always think that my stack of Enjo fibres look like someone hunted and skinned a bunch of Muppets...

The products that get used on a weekly basis in my house are:

Kitchen

Kitchen Glove - Probably my favourite and most-used Enjo item.  It cleans even the most revoltingly filthy kitchen surfaces (picture my kitchen looking like those annoying 'Spray and Wipe Works Faster' ads, with grotty baked on sauces, after a full day of batch cooking) without any excess elbow grease, works on all surfaces (stone benchtops, matte stainless steel appliances, my beloved reclaimed timber dining table) and is generally just a breeze to use.  Any stubborn patches just need a spray of water, and a few minutes to sit before going over them.  The glove has one side for general cleaning, and the other side for greasy spots - perfect for the glass splashback after deep-frying!

Kitchen Mini Plus - this is like the kitchen glove, but smaller, and has a sort of 'super scrubby' side.  Fantastic on really baked-on bits (I clean the oven with this and some Marble Paste) and for cleaning baking dishes after lasagne, roasts etc.

Kitchen Miracle - basically this is used to get everything dry and sparkling after the Glove or the Mini.  Works beautifully polishing up my dining chairs after going over them with the Glove - they are made of transparent polycarbonate (Phillippe Starck's Ghost Chairs) and this gets them really sparkly.

Allpurpose Cloth - this replaces those manky old stinky dish cloths.  The ones that people (The Daddy) love to use to wipe down spills over and over again, thereby creating a spectacularly nasty bacteria breeding ground for every bit of chicken juice, floor milk spill and the like.  Shudder.  Instead, a couple of Allpurpose Cloths get rotated and washed every day or two.  Also works out cheaper in the long run than constantly buying disposable sponges.

Bamboo T-Towels - I actually only tried these because I got two included as part of a kitchen package I bought.  I didn't expect anything special from them.  Wow, was I wrong!  These are just the greatest tea towels - large, so thick and strong, incredibly absorbent.  I now have about half a dozen of them, and rarely use other tea towels.  Plus they seem to wash and wear really well, so they always look nice hanging in the kitchen.  I have grey ones.

Bathroom

Bathroom Glove - Gets all the bathroom surfaces spotless.  You start on the cleanest parts (mirrors, benchtops) and work through to the harder spots (shower screens, tiles, sinks) then finish with the external parts of the toilet.  You can use it with Marble Paste for any stubborn grime, though if you clean the bathroom regularly, it shouldn't get to that point.

Bathroom Mini - Essentially the same as the glove, but smaller.  I use this for touch-ups during the week, generally just the mirror and taps.

Bathroom Miracle - Like the kitchen version, this gets everything beautifully dry and sparkly after cleaning.

Other

Dust Gove - Used dry, this just picks up all the bits of dust in the house.  Tops of picture frames, bookshelves, timber shutters etc.  Stops it from all flying around while you clean - it all sticks to the glove, which you just shake off as needed.

Indoor Miracle - Used damp, this polishes up any general household surfaces, like television screens, glass tables, door handles etc.

Floorcleaner Pole - This is basically a fancy mop head and handle - you attach the fibres onto the bottom part.  Actually, it recently won the Australian Women's Weekly Product of the Year, and it certainly is easy to use.  You adjust the height to the correct height for your body (top of the handle should be the height of your nose) and the fibres can click on and off easily, without having to bend down.  The pole swivels around when you twist it, getting into all corners and along the edges without having to twist your whole body around.  Once you get the hang of this action (allow a few goes!) it is incredibly fast and easy to use, and kind on the back.  Also, it can click into a locked position and stand upright on its own, in the middle of the room, which is handy if you have to run for the phone or something.  All of the adjustments, swivel lock/unlock and fibre changing can be done without bending over at all.  You dampen the fibre head (not for the dusting one) and then just use your Enjo water squirt bottle on 'jet' setting to re-wet the floor as you go, as needed.  You don't need much water at all, so the floors dry nice and quickly (handy with a toddler around).  Also, no lugging of a heavy, soapy, slippery bucket.  Lots to like here.

Oh - and because the handle height is adjustable, Tabitha likes to use it on the lowest height, and will happily mop or dust the floor on her own for quite a while!  Of course, she's not particularly effective at the job yet, but it keeps her happy, and I figure that good habits start young.

Dust Floor Fibre - This is basically a broom substitute - although better, because it completely hugs the floor, picking up even the tiniest specks of dust and hair, and actually clings to all the dust, instead of sending it flying.  It only takes a few minutes to go over all the hard floors downstairs, which is much easier (and quieter) than pulling out the vacuum cleaner every day.  This one doesn't need to be washed every time it's used.

Matt Floor Fibre - This is the mopping head.  Used with much less water than a traditional mop, it's fast, safe (less slippery floors) and incredibly simple to use, thanks to the awesome swiveling Floorcleaner Pole it's attached to.

Out of the entire Enjo range I've tried (probably around 50 per cent of the range I'd say, including most of the main / popular products), the only thing I'm not completely happy with is the Matt Floor Fibre.  I get some streaks on the floor every time it is mopped - I've tried using it wetter, drier, twice in a row.  Nothing seems to fix the problem.  Hmm.  It's still better than using a massive bucket of soapy water and a traditional mop, but I would really love to have a better solution.  Perhaps I need to try the Fussy Floor Fibre - but the Matt fibre was recommended by my consultant while he was at my house, and I am reluctant to spend another $70 or more on a fibre which may or may not work better.

I use the kitchen cloths (cleaning and drying) almost every day, on the benches and dining table.  So I have two sets of these on rotation.  Fortunately, they dry easily overnight, so I could probably get away with just one set, but it's handy having two, especially for those weekends where you do a lot of cooking and entertaining.  I love the fact I can clean the kitchen and table even while Tabitha sits and plays or eats right beside me - all I'm doing is spraying water and wiping.  No chemicals, nothing nasty or stinky.

The floor fibres - the dusting/sweeping sort of one, and the mopping one - get used a couple of times a week.  I constantly curse our floors - they are dark, matte wood, and show up every streak, dusty footprint and cat-fur-tumbleweed.  It would take a daily mopping to keep them looking really good, which just isn't going to happen.  Anyway, I like the sweeping fibre on the clever Enjo floor swivel stick, because it is quicker and easier than pulling out the vacuum.  A quick swivel around the floor in the main living / dining / kitchen area each day keeps things pretty clean.

I don't use the bathroom fibres much at all - The Daddy is the main bathroom cleaner in our house, and our weekly cleaning lady does a thorough job on all of the bathrooms - but I find them incredibly easy and effective to use.  They polish up stainless steel beautifully, and I love the fact that I can clean out the bath, have it really sparkling, and then not worry about sitting in a tub full of chemical residue!

I use the marble paste, as instructed by Scott my 'Enjo Man', only when something is really tough and baked on, such as the inside of the oven, or to get rid of any accumulated grime in the bathrooms.  The marble paste also gets my stainless steel kettle so, so clean and shiny.  Works well on filthy stainless steel pots, too.

If you are interested in Enjo, it really is best to get a consultant to come visit - either to have a party, or just for a one-on-one session.  This way, you can learn how to use everything properly (the few people I know who haven't loved their Enjo bits were actually using them incorrectly, I discovered), and you can work out exactly which products are best for your house.  Also, you then have someone to call if you forget how to use a particular cloth!  My Enjo man is always very helpful over the phone, and even came back one evening to give me a refresher when we moved house.

This aside, though, I am really pleased that Enjo is now available online!  Great news!  It means I can replace single cloths quickly and easily, and can snap up special offers as they arrive in my email newsletters.  Having the online shop also means that potential customers can get an idea of the prices etc. before committing to hosting a demo or calling a consultant, which I think is good - a lot of people are put off trying out items if they feel like they are going to be ambushed by a pushy consultant into spending more than they can afford.  

I initially purchased the Domestic Starter kit, which seemed incredibly expensive at the time (for a bunch of cleaning cloths) but now that I am a total Enjo fan, seems like such good value.  Since then, I've bought the floor cleaner and fibres separately, and have replaced the kitchen and bathroom cloths in 'special offer' packages at various times.

The Domestic Starter package or the Domestic Detox package would be awesome presents, I reckon.  In our house, there was some Enjo under the Christmas tree - I bought this Mummy's Lil Angel special Christmas package for Tabitha late last year.  It includes four mini gloves (actually, the size is just fine for even adults with small hands, like myself) and an Indoor Miracle.  All in a cute bucket.  Tabitha is a bit obsessed with Enjo cloths - she has thrown more than one tantrum over not being allowed to keep cleaning after we've finished!  If it were up to her, she'd happily spend an hour or more spraying and scrubbing - the problem is, this means water everywhere!  So I bought her a small 'misting' bottle from the chemist, as opposed to a spray bottle, and it seems to contains the water a little better.  I am a firm believer in kids helping out with all household tasks from the earliest years (despite the fact I wasn't expected to, myself, growing up) and Tabitha already helps with the dishwasher, wiping up spills, feeding the pets, packing away toys etc.  Now, she has her own cloths to clean up after her meals and wipe down the bathroom bench after she brushes her teeth.

For myself, I am keen to try out the 2 in 1 Window Cleaner package (we have approximately a zillion times more glass windows and doors in the new house as the old) and the Fussy Floor Fibre.  Hopefully soon!  I will report back if I ever try these out.

Oh - and I wanted to share, briefly, our experience of using Enjo products with a cleaning person.  We put off getting a cleaner for months, despite us both agreeing that we should as soon as we moved into the new (larger) house.  But I kept searching online, and asking around, without managing to find a cleaning company or agency that used Enjo products.  Because of my allergies, and having little ones in the house, I was completely unwilling to have anyone use chemical products to clean the house.  I found a great-looking 'eco' cleaning business which uses bicarb, vinegar, microfibre cloths etc., however I couldn't get them to return any calls or emails - I suspect that they are simply flat-out.  I know there is great demand for eco-friendly house cleaning (because many of my friends are looking for it too!) but there seems to be a serious lack of supply.  Seems crazy to me - if I were working full time as a cleaner, I would much prefer to be using natural products and water, than touching and inhaling chemicals all day.

Anyway, in the end, I just called one of the major cleaning agencies (Absolute Domestics), and chatted to them.  As it turns out, they have plenty of cleaners who are either familiar with Enjo products or were happy to learn.  They connected us with our current woman, and she came half an hour early to the first appointment, ready to learn about how to use the Enjo range.  She admitted that it was all a bit much to take in, that first day, and the next week she brought along print outs from the website!  After the first couple of weeks taking a little longer than expected, while she got the hang of the new tools (of course, we paid for her extra time!), she is now an absolute pro, and gets the house looking incredible.  She tells me that she loves using the Enjo range, too, because it gives her a break from working in chemical-filled spaces all day.

The only thing that I miss, using Enjo products, is some of the beautiful fragrances that the (nicer, natural) products leave in the house after use.  So now, I make an effort to light a scented candle for an hour or so each day (current favourites are the Glasshouse Coney Island candle, for downstairs, and the Glasshouse Monet's Garden tuberose candle for the upstairs bathroom).  I also use beautifully scented natural beeswax and lavender furniture wax polishes on the large wooden dining table downstairs, as well as on Tabitha's wooden chairs, table, highchair and cot.  This gives all the wood a beautiful natural glow, keeps it oiled and healthy, and leaves the most dreamy, comforting smell of honey beeswax and lavender in the house.  Polishing furniture with natural beeswax is also a great arm workout!

Finally, I do have a small collection of Method products.  I have been a Method fan for a long time, and can't bring myself to completely give up their gorgeous range.  While the Enjo cloths get the house fabulously clean, other people (family and friends who are visiting, for example) generally feel more comfortable cleaning with traditional products, and I am NOT one to turn down an offer of help cleaning the kitchen etc after having people over!

There are also occasions when I want to use something with a bit more 'oomph', such as cleaning up bodily fluids (this happens with relative regularity, with a toddler in the house!), mopping the floor when it's looking particularly grotty, or if I've been cooking all day with lots of raw meat etc. in the kitchen.  Also, sometimes all the Enjo is in the wash and I need to clean up - so I am more than happy to pull out my fabulous Method sprays.

My all-time favourite products are:

Daily Kitchen Clementine spray - gorgeous fresh fragrance, perfect for a quick kitchen clean-up.  This is the product most likely to be used by visitors in the house!

Floor and Surface French Lavender concentrate - I mix this up with water in a spray bottle and use to mop if the floor is particularly filthy, and it leaves everything smelling divine.

All-Purpose surface cleaners (Lavender and Pink Grapefruit) - for any spills or messes, I also use it to clean around the cats' food and litter area.

Daily Shower spray - you just mist this over the glass and tiles after your shower, and it prevents scum from building up.  This is the ultimate product for the lazy or time poor person!

Wood for Good Squirt and Mop - this can be used with the Enjo floor fibre.  I really like it, but it has a strong almond smell that some people (including The Daddy) dislike.  It basically smells like marzipan.  I can't see this on the Aussie Method page, but you can get it through Enjo.

Bowl Patrol - gets the toilets really clean without flushing nasty chemicals into the waterways.  When you have killer pregnancy sickness, having a sparkling clean toilet is a priority!  Can't see this online - I bought a few of them ages ago, possibly they aren't around anymore.  But Method now makes other toilet cleaners which I imagine are just as good.

As with Enjo, I am thrilled that Method is now available online - I did a big order a week or so ago, stocking up on my favourite products, and taking advantage of a handwash sale to try out 6 new handwashes.  Such gorgeous colours and scents to have around the house, livening up the bathrooms and kitchen.

Is there anything else I use for cleaning?  Some white vinegar (I go through a lot of this actually, I add half a cup to the washing liquid in the washing machine, and another half a cup instead of fabric softener.  I also use it, with bicarb soda, to soak any filthy pots and pans, or anything burnt on.  Vinegar is also what I use to clean the windows, inside and out, mixed with water and wiped clean with newspaper); lemon juice (for removing stains on our pale stone benches); bicarb soda (with vinegar, or water, in a paste for stubborn stains or grime around the house); lots of fresh air.  Yes, actually, the one 'cleaning' task I absolutely must do each week is thoroughly air out all the rooms in the house, particularly bedrooms and the kitchen.  This means locking the cats up somewhere safe for the day  (the spare bedroom with lots of glorious sunshine, normally), and opening all windows as far as they will go.  I try and do this even in cold weather, for a few hours.

What cleaning products do you use?  Are you into the natural cleaners or are you a massive bleach fan?

Nesting

I realised, just the other day, that I haven't really entered into a crazy nesting phase this pregnancy.  Last pregnancy, I spent much of the third trimester engaging in that typical, hormone-fueled - and often dangerous - cleaning and rearranging malarkey.  I say dangerous because, in hindsight, some of the things I did were just plain crazy and stupid - moving incredibly heavy furniture on my own (can't wait a few more hours until I have some help!), and balancing on a chair balanced on top of the bed, to scrub the top fittings of blinds with a toothbrush and antiseptic.  I can honestly say that, at the time, it seemed completely reasonable.  Did I mention this was at around 2am, when I was already a few days overdue?!

So, keeping in mind my risky behaviour from last time, I'm sure The Daddy is breathing a sigh of relief that my cleaning nesting drive hasn't kicked in this time!  I think there are three reasons why I'm more laid-back this time.

Firstly, we are in a brand new house, so there are no grimy corners, windowsills or light fittings to scrub.  Everything is freshly painted and clean, and I've spent the past few months airing out the house, clearing out any residual chemical fumes from the build and painting.

Secondly, my back is so bad - even with weekly chiro and weekly remedial massage - that I just physically can't do much cleaning.  Even a quick vacuum and mop can be enough to have me sobbing on the floor.  Thankfully we have a weekly cleaner who performs a 4-hour miracle every Wednesday - she is brilliant, she even polishes my beloved stainless steel bird whistle kettle to a high shine!  Even though I take things very easy, and avoid lifting Tabitha too much, I have to ice my back a couple of times a day, and have been told not to exercise - even walks - by my GP, chiro and midwives.  So crazy ladder scrubbing adventures are pretty much out!

Finally, with the benefit of hindsight, I am much more prepared for, and realistic about, the challenges of having a newborn.  Sparkling light fittings may be nice, but in the early weeks - and months - of having a new baby, eating and sleeping are the real priorities.  So, with this in mind, I am trying to get as much rest as possible (napping when Tabitha does, nice long baths with Tabby in the afternoons etc) and I am also cooking up a storm.  

Now, this is perhaps where the crazy hormonal nesting has come into play...  I have purchased a 389 litre vertical freezer, and am in the process of filling it with (hopefully) 90 prepared meals.  That is, with each meal including enough food for The Daddy, myself and Tabitha.  So around 270 servings.  Yes, it's ambitious, but I've only had the freezer for a few weeks and I'm already half-way there!  I'm freezing a mixture of homemade heat-and-go meals (e.g. tuna and veggie pasta bake, sausage rolls with organic pork mince and grated veggies, paprika chicken, casseroles etc), as well as marinated meats (e.g. I've marinated dozens of chicken drumsticks, pork fillets etc), and finally some bought items, such as yummy frozen prawn dumplings, a few family sized pies and the like.  I have some friends and family contributing a few dishes as well, bless them.

Anyway, I will write a post with more detail about this epic cooking and freezing adventure soon - I'll try and take a photo once it's all done! - but basically, the aim is to have enough meals so that I won't have to cook for three whole months.  Once the baby is a few months old, things should have calmed down a little, and I'll probably be itching to get back into the kitchen.  But until then, we have plenty of nutritious, delicious meals to keep us going.

Ahh, who knows, I still have 3.5 weeks to go until the estimated due date (so probably somewhere between 1.5 - 5.5 weeks until he arrives), there is still time for a cleaning frenzy.  But to be honest, I'm pretty happy to skip it this time.  Although I might just toddle off and clean out the cupboard under the laundry sink for now...

All Food is Good Food

All Food is Good Food - this is the message in our house.  There are no 'bad foods'.  This approach is recommended by almost all dieticians and child rearing experts these days, to help avoid food issues later in life, and to prevent attributing values to food.  Since I love food - all of it! - this comes naturally to me.  Someone asked me recently, "but how about all that processed crap?  Don't you want Tabitha to avoid that?"  My answer is, yes, of course, but I don't consider that sort of thing to be 'food'.  It's more like a food-like-processed-product.  Sure, I eat weird processed food from time to time, but I don't consider it to be proper food.  So perhaps the statement should be, All Real Food is Good Food.

Here is roughly 4kg of American-style, slow smoked barbeque meat.  Pork ribs, lamb ribs, pulled pork, pastrami, pulled chicken, pulled brisket, chicken wings, pickles.  We also had hand-cut chips (none for Tabitha, she has still never eaten a chip, she doesn't know they exist for now), beef chili and coleslaw.  All the meat rests on slices of thick bread, which soak up the delicious, homemade barbeque sauce.  We get out BBQ from Big Boy BBQ in Caulfield South.  I thoroughly recommend the place - the owner imported a smoker from the US after becoming frustrated that he couldn't get good BBQ in Australia.  Having eaten a lot of BBQ in the States, I can tell you that this comes pretty close.

As with all things, moderation.  A mountain of BBQ is fine for dinner occasionally - a trip to the Farmers' Market helps swing the pendulum back.  I needed my enormous cane washing basket to haul up all my purchases from the car:

2kg peaches, 2kg nectarines, 2kg apricots, a bunch of skinny new leeks, a bunch of chard, baby colourful heirloom carrots, larger purple heirloom carrots, a few fun types of zucchini, coriander, 3 dozen eggs, 2 litres of raw milk, 16 veggieburgers.  Also in the fridge, some bacon and pork.  Later in the day, a trip to another market, bringing home 2 butternut pumpkins, apples, potatoes, onions, more carrots, celery, lamb chops, 2 whole chooks, organic mince and steaks, 3 avocados, some rockling fillets and assorted capsicum/lemons/cucumber/sweet potato/ginger/garlic etc.

Add to the above, a trip to the IGA for yoghurt, butter, cheese, chickpeas, matzo meal, bread, oatmeal, and we have a full week's worth of groceries.  It's rare that I do a full week's load of groceries in a single day, so it was quite fascinating, to me, to see what our weekly diet includes!  No doubt, I will need to buy something or the other during the week, and the above is supplemented by all the ordinary cupboard supplies and what is in the garden.

I have found that the only way to keep stone fruit from going mouldy while it ripens, is to sit them out on the bench, not touching any other pieces of fruit.  So I have my 'army of fruit', neatly marching along the bench.  As soon as a piece of stone fruit is ripe (by touch and suddenly smelling strongly gorgeous), I put it in a tupperware container in the fridge, taking out what I need for the next day, the night prior.  This is what the stonefruit-selling lady at the market tells me, and it seems to work.

 Since I lugged home two whole butternut pumpkins (on sale and looking irresistible), I made a double batch of pumpkin soup.  Now, pumpkin soup, like bolognaise, seems to be the sort of food where everyone considers their own (or their mother's/father's/grandmother's) to be The Best Recipe.  I would like to throw this recipe into the ring - it is from my father, and includes cumin.  You must roast the pumpkin pieces first for the best flavour.

Roast Pumpkin Soup 

(large batch, makes 3.5 litres or so)

2.5kg of peeled, chopped butternut pumpkin

2 large brown onions, diced

4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 celery sticks, sliced

2 litres of vegetable stock (I use Massel cubes)

Toss the pumpkin in olive oil, then roast at 180 degrees for around 40 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned at the edges.

In a very large saucepan, cook the onion in a little olive oil until just softened, then add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the carrots and celery, and cook for a further 3 minutes stirring.

Add the roasted pumpkin and stock, then bring to boil.  Reduce to simmer, and simmer for around 40 minutes, half covered, or until the carrots are cooked.

Allow to cool a little, then either blend in a blender or food processor (in batches) or use a wand immersion blender.  A standing blender will get it the smoothest.

Season to taste with salt and a decent amount of pepper.

Serve with a big dollop of natural yoghurt or sour cream, and some chopped parsley or coriander.

This soup freezes well.  It's quite thick - if you want a thinner soup, simply add a little more vegetable stock.  If you don't have a very large saucepan, just make a half batch.

Here is a bowl with natural yoghurt and coriander.  It's not super-smooth, as I blended it in the food processor.  It is so filling!

The old mini-garden is going quite well.  I thought that everything was winding down, as the plants got hit with some major heat and not much water for a week or so, but a good water and feed seems to have given everything a second wind.

The tomato plants (the foliage) is looking a bit worse for wear, but they are nonetheless producing masses of lovely tomatoes:

My thyme and parsley are bushy, despite major harvests of late:

I am shocked by how well the basil is going.  Just two weeks ago, I completely stripped the plants.  Bare.  Just stalks (for making pesto, you remember?).  Anyway, with a good feed and some sunshine, they are looking fuller and healthier than ever.  Something tells me I'll me making more pesto soon...

My little jewel strawberry plant (not sure what variety, the berries are very small but amazingly sweet) has come back from the near-death, and is covered with a dozen or so pretty pink flowers and even more new strawberries:

Speaking of pretty flowers - my awe will never tire for the spectacular passionfruit flowers.  What a wonderful plant to have in the garden.  Masses of these at the moment:

And thankfully, a reasonable number of these (despite The Daddy hacking the vine back to a third of its size, because it was threatening to pull down the fence):

Here it is, post-haircut, along the back fence:

Aren't toddlers hilarious?  They are always up to something, and guaranteed to make you laugh a hundred times a day.  Here is Tabitha, in a t-shirt and nothing else, with her baby 'swaddled', finishing up her game of golf in the yard:

While we are lucky to have plenty of pretty flowers in the garden (snapdragons, petunias, star jasmine and strawberry and passionfruit flowers) I tend to buy-in my house flowers.  I dream of one day having a large enough garden to grow my own flowers for cutting.  In the meantime, I put freesias or jonquils in the bathroom, white lisianthus in the living room,  peonies in the bedrooms, herbs in the kitchen, and roses in the living room.  

Because roses are expensive, I get more bang for my buck by buying very short-stemmed roses, then trimming them down to around 10cm, and popping just 4-5 each in little jam jars.  I can get a few lovely little jars of roses this way, from a single bunch.  It's best to buy varieties which are very full, because as they open out, you might find you can get away with only 3 per jar, transferring the extras to yet more jars.  If you change the water every day or two, and add a dash of small bleach to the water, you can easily get a week or so from the roses.  A few jars of roses, grouped together, look so pretty.  I save any attractive jars - in particular, from my Rose's Breakfast Marmalade.

Do you have any other flower arranging tips for me?  I'm always looking for ways to display flowers that don't cost a fortune!

This Week's Cooking

I made a giant tray of brownies - it was my Godson's 15th birthday, and I told him that I'd bake him a chocolate cake, but decided that brownies would be infinitely better.

If you are feeling tired or just lazy (or, of course, greedy!) brownies are a winning choice.  Melt and mix, then pour into a tray lined with foil (easier than lining a tray with baking paper!).  The only fiddly bit is chopping the walnuts, but you can use a food processor for that.

You know how good brownies have that cracked, papery, thin layer of shine on the top?  That's because they contain so much sugar...

Some to take to my Godson:

Some to take to the hungry breastfeeding mummas at my local ABA meeting:

And some to eat for lunch, tee hee:

Aaaaand some more for dessert, hot, with ice cream:

I made an enormous batch of paprika chicken, for freezing.  The recipe is HERE, despite being quite messy (browning lots of thighs in oil, red splattery sauce, drippy, gluey spaetzle batter...) it is a simple dish to cook, and both the chicken and the spaetzle / nokedli freeze brilliantly.

A few notes to add to the recipe I posted months ago - yes, it is a lot of onions.  A few people have asked me if I accidentally wrote down too large a quantity.  Nope, three good cups - even a little more is fine!  You'd be surprised, they really cook down and, being white onions, during the long cooking process they almost seem to melt away to nothing.  Make life easy for yourself, and use the slicing disk on your food processor if you have one.

When you add the flour and the paprika, you do need to cook it for a bit, until the flour starts to thicken it up, vaguely like a roux.  Don't worry if it looks like it's darkened quite a bit - you want a decent browning, to make sure the paprika flavours really come out:

Yum.

For the nokedli / spaetzle, I really recommend leaving the batter for a good hour or so - even overnight is fine.  You can beat it in a KitchenAid or similar, as long as you leave it to sit, to relax the gluten.  This week, I actually doubled my spaetzle recipe,  making nearly 2kg of spaetzle, because they freeze so beautifully.  Allow about a cup of cooked spaetzle per person, possibly a little more.  I freeze 2.5 cup bags of the cooked dumplings.  

To reheat, I recommend allowing them to defrost in the fridge, then cooking them in a frying pan of hot butter or bacon drippings, until they are starting to brown a little.  In fact, lately, I do this every time - even after they have just been cooked, I pan-fry the serving we are about to eat.  Trust me.

As you need to cook them in small batches - you don't want more than a single layer of floating spaetzle, really - you just dump them into a great big bowl.  But add a drizzle of olive oil, and toss them with the oil periodically as you cook, to stop them sticking.

After dinner, we had some coconut cupcakes.  Just ordinary cupcakes with a good handful of moist shredded coconut mixed in at the end.  They are deliciously chewy and moist.

Have been making salmon kedgeree a bit lately.  I always thought that it was a total Australian (via Britain via India) classic, but when I first met The Daddy, he had never heard of it!  Now it's one of his favourites - Fry some onions in butter and oil, add a teaspoon or two of curry powder, cook for a minute until smelling gorgeous, add cooked rice (best to cook the night before), peas, a can of drained salmon (or some poached and flaked salmon fillets), some parsley, a good squeeze of lemon, and some chopped hard boiled eggs.  Serve with some extra eggs.  It ain't pretty, but it sure is yummy!

Another fishy meal that I cook a lot is scrambled eggs with spinach and smoked salmon, for Tabitha.  I love this too, and so I am always happy to make double and eat some for my own lunch or a light dinner.  She adores anything with fish - sardines, baked or steamed white fish, teriyaki salmon, tinned tuna, salmon patties, smoked salmon - so this meal is a hit.

You may recall that - like me - Tabitha's first word was shoes.  Or, rather, 'sooz'.  Her passion for shoes continues, and she owns more pairs than me.  Like any toddler, however, she prefers to clop around the house in grown-up shoes - The Daddy's dirty Blunstones and my little MJ mouse flats are her favourites.  Here is Tabby having fun in mumma's mouse shoes:

Remember the Ikea play food we bought last month?  It is still a big hit.  Recently I had a couple of ten-year-olds over, and they played with the food too, so I think it will be popular in our house for a while to come.  Every day when Tabitha naps, and again after she goes to bed at night, I do a quick house tidy, including putting away all of her toys.  Though she is very good at packing up her blocks, it is much easier if I do a speed-clean after she is in bed, or else she UNpacks as quickly as I can pack. 

The Daddy thinks it's funny that I always put away her play food back so neatly in its baskets - but I notice that Tabitha seems much more inclined to play with her toys if they are presented attractively and clearly, rather than all piled up in a heap.  We also rotate her toys as - that is, only keeping a small number of toys out at a time, and swapping them around every week or so - which seems to keep her interested.  Plus, because our home is so small, keeping just a few toys out, and keeping them tidy, ensures relative sanity for myself.

Reflections on the First Year

Tomorrow, Tabitha turns one.  This time last year, I was in labour - at this time, I'd been in labour for nearly 40 hours...  7 hours later, my little girl finally made her entrance!  It was long and pretty intense, but still a brilliant experience - it is incredibly empowering to make it through 45 hours of labour.  Even at its worst, I recall giving 'pain scale' readings of around 8, maybe one 9.  Never 10.  It was never truly *unbearable* - and as soon as it was over (within minutes!) I was talking about doing it all over again.  I truly look forward to the next birth, although I would be lying if I didn't admit I'm hoping for a labour of less than 24 hours next time.

I know I've said it before - but one day, I will get around to writing a post about the birth.  I've written up my birth story already, for my midwives, but it is literally pages long, and probably too detailed for a blog!

Anyway, here are just a few of the things which have surprised me about this first year:

• I'm not as tired as I feared I would be.  This is strange, because I am actually getting less sleep than I thought I would be, by one year old.  I had hoped that Tabitha would be sleeping through the night by one, but she still wakes 3-hourly (sometimes more, sometimes a little less) overnight to feed.  The thing is, however, is that now I have just accepted this, and stopped fretting about it, I feel pretty good!  I try and go to bed early, I sleep in a little some mornings (The Daddy gets Tabitha up, changes her and gives her breakfast while I nap or just lie in bed, until around 8 or so).  I rest during the day.  The vague tiredness is always there, but it is not debilitating.

• My days are fairly mundane, yet I am finding incredible fulfillment in the gentle rhythm of our days, and in the small excitements I share with Tabby.  Most days are the same:  wake up, go for a walk outside (to get a coffee or a smoothie).  Come home, play on the floor.  She naps from around 10:30 - 12pm.  We then have some lunch, and go out, spending a few hours doing errands, visiting friends, going shopping.  Home by 3:30pm for her next nap, which normally goes until 4:30 or 5pm.  More playing, then dinner, quiet play, then bedtime at 7 or 7:30pm.  It's not terribly thrilling, but I find an almost Zen-like joy in the quiet, unhurried repetition of the same routine each day.

• The housework is not overwhelming.  The washing is not piling up.  I am managing to cook nutritious meals.  I only have one child - I cannot imagine the differnce having two or more makes - but I was terrified, when I was pregnant, that I would not be able to cope.  I thought that the days would be an endless battle against disorder and chaos!  It is just not like that.  During the morning nap, I do washing, ironing, tidy the house, put away dishes, get myself showered and dressed.  Then I have time to sit and read for a bit.  During the afternoon nap, I start on dinner prep, tidy the house again, maybe do some more washing.  Again, I generally have a little time to sit back.  Overall, with my one little girl, I have a lot more 'me time' than I had predicted.

• Tabitha is such a joy, with far more personality and humour than I knew was possible in such a young person.  I always wondered how parents managed to read the same books, play the same games, laugh at the same tricks over and over again.  I now know that it is because your own child is so endlessly fascinating, so incredibly hilarious, so heart-achingly beautiful that you can watch them sleep for hours and never get bored.

I don't know why, but before we had a baby, and while I was pregnant, I worked myself up into a bit of a state - I knew that I wanted to be a mother (more than anything) and that I wanted to be a stay-at-home mother, but I feared my life would become an endless stretch of exhaustion, washing, dishes, repetitive games and maybe even some boredom.  Nothing could be further from the reality!  Granted, my baby doesn't have any special needs, but things are much, much easier than I thought they would be.  

I was warned so often, when pregnant, by articles, books, experts - "life will not be a Huggies commercial!  You will not spend the days tickling your happy giggling baby, with neat piles of clean washing, painted nails and a delicious cake in the oven!".  Well, that doesn't describe every day.  But there are days like that - lots of them!  There are a few crappy days, when I spend all day gritting my teeth, when Tabitha and / or me are ill, or when the house is a mess and I'm too tired to care.  But overall, the fantastic days by far outweigh the challenging days.

The birth?  Even at 45 hours, not as dreadful as I feared it might be.  The early days?  Not as exhausting as I predicted (thanks in part to a freezerful of nutritious meals and some great support from The Daddy, my parents and close friends).  General day-to-day mothering?  Far more joyful, hilarious and soul-enriching than I could have hoped.  The only major thing which was (much) harder than I thought it would be was breastfeeding, in the initial weeks and months (see my breastfeeding story HERE for more information).

And you know what?  Even though there is a lot more washing, it is such cute washing that it hardly seems like hard work.  Check out yesterday's ironing - it's like playing doll dress-ups!