FODMAP

As many of you know, my darling husband has been suffering from gastritis for a long time now....he has been in pain most days and none of the medicine seemed to be really helping. Trips back to the doctor for more tests have led to even more confusion as they all came back clear. What was going on here? Well, a fed up Marty finally decided to try another avenue and booked an appointment with a dietician. Remember those awesome friends at church who let us stay in their beautiful home early this year? Yep, she is a dietician! So off he went...and returned home an hour later clutching a long list of notes in his hand.

We sat down at the table together and Marty explained (or tried his best anyway) it all to me. He is trying a thing called the "FODMAP diet" - which should help settle down his tummy issues, or at least give us some clues as to whether his issues are diet related. Here I give you an explanation straight from about.com:

"The FODMAP theory holds that consuming foods high in FODMAPs results in increased volume of liquid and gas in the small and large intestine, resulting in distention and symptoms such as adominal pain and gas and bloating.  The theory proposes that following a low FODMAP diet should result in a decrease in digestive symptoms. The theory further holds that there is a cumulative effect of these foods on symptoms. In other words, eating foods with varying FODMAP values at the same time will add up, resulting in symptoms that you might not experience if you ate the food in isolation. "

So Goodbye wheat. Hello gluten free flour. Goodbye apples, garlic and onion. Hello potatoes, rice and bananas. Goodbye cakes and biscuits. Hello rice, tapioca and spelt flours. Goodbye trim blue milk. Hello lactose free milk.

....And boy, this stuff is expensive! Just to give you a glimpse - 1.5kg of plain flour is $1.40. 1kg of gluten free flour is $10.99! Needless to say, the whole family will not be following Marty with open wallets down this dieting track. We explained to the girls that daddy will get his own bread now, his own baking and sometimes will eat different dinners then us. We told them we hope it will make daddy feel better because he has a sore tummy.

We are optimistic and excited about trying something new that hopefully will really help Marty feel better.  Marty has been in a much more positive mood since his meeting with Diane, and we hope that this is the start of a journey to recovery.  I have taken up the challenge, spending hours today poring over the internet looking for mince recipes without garlic or onion (seriously, every sauce and half the seasonings out there have these things!) or suitable alternatives to some of the foods on the list.  I hit the shops with a mission in mind and came home and made gluten free bread and homemade meusli yesterday.  

To be honest, the only part of his new diet that freaks me out is the dinner time ingredients (onion, garlic, sauces, mixes, seasonings legumes, mushrooms) because I don't want to give up my favourite recipies or have to make two meals every evening!   Diane (his dietician) has been very patient texting answers to my zillions of questions as I took about 3 hours to do my menu plan and grocery shop today!). I am trying hard to remember that this is not necessarily his diet for life now - this is a starting point to see if he feels better in a few weeks time with these changes or not.  And if he does, then there will be more tests and diet adjustments as we work out exactly what he can and cannot tolerate in his diet.  

....and if he DOESN'T feel any different at the end of these 3 weeks?  Well, then we know that it's not diet and the testing game will continue.   

ANZAC Day in photos

Our day in snapshots.....

Luke mastered the ladder and slide...

cuddles after a wee accident on the ladder

No water, but still fun chasing daddy in and out!

Luke takes mummy for a ride

some tightrope walking skills

top of the spiderweb!

uh oh - moving opposite directions on the monkey bars

feeding the ducks...

  

wow! look at the fish.  Luke does his best fish lips

LUKE! Careful!

"Imagine if this was our own whole garden"... The girls dream

Smelling the flowers....

Silly faces!!!!

Can you spot the Kate?

Playing fairy forests. Kate said "I'm the little sister who got lost"

Luke stomps his feet (he wants to go back to the fish) so daddy copies him!

Boy time!

stones: the best toy ever!

Luke likes showering them down slowly

"Where's the crocodiles?!" the girls asked, slightly disappointed

The girls led us on a walk through the "maze" (multiple choices of paths!)

...Back home and on their favourite toy.  Forget the swings, just give us the bar!

Happy Birthday Grampa Muz!!!! Cake and coffee time!

On Monday, the girls worked hard to write poems for Grampa Muz....

 

Granny and Grampa Muz loved their hard work!

entertainment on the cheap!

Looking for a new way to keep the kids happy these holidays?  Sick of the "bored" whines?  Look no further then your local car repair shop!

The highlight of our day was a trip to our repairman to get our tires changed over.  With a friend in tow, it was 4 kids and me.  They were so excited to be going to see how someone could change a tire, it was so much cooler then going to the movies or the hot pools (ok, so they didn't have those options as alternatives, but still - they were all excited to get in the car!).

First up on the performance list of tricks was the tire jack.  The coolest invention ever, had all the girls gasping as they watched the car move up.  They all commented that it would be scary if they were still in the car.  When the car bounced as it came back down it was like the coolest encore ever.  I think Lance felt like a celebrity!






Next up was - the safety line.  The perfect practice beam for those gymnastics tricks had all four kids amused (although the repair man was a bit nervous as they walked the fine line of safety!) for ages.









And just as they started to get restless (10 minutes turned into 45 minutes), mummy whipped out the kids ipod, her iphone and their brand new tablet ....keeping four children still has never been easier.  What DID kids do in a waiting room before these things were invented?  Oh right, whine!


...And that brings me to my next topic of the day.  This entertainment source is not quite as cheap as a trip to the mechanics, but about $100 cheaper then a leappad2. The kids saved up for 6 months each for this toy!  Here is a formula to make your own "kid tablet":

Take one cheap tablet purchased on a 'one day sale' (this one was $99).

• Install "Kido'z" to make it completely safe for kids to use without them changing settings, surfing the net, hitting ad buttons, deleting apps or going shopping.   
• Download as many free (or $2) apps as you want to from Google Play.   (In comparison, leappad games are $35 each!)
• Set up Kido'z pages for each kid with age appropriate games and/or websites that you choose.  Add time limit option for bonus 'good mum' vibes.  
• Let the kids loose.  They can't get out of Kido'z once they are in it. Because only you know the password to turn this funky toy back into a boring old tablet.  
• Guaranteed to make kids happy.  And you can go have that coffee in peace.  Or read my blog.  Or whatever!  
  
   Oh, and watch out.  Some of these kids games are rather fun.  I admit to having a few sneak plays at Doctor Panda hospital and I may admit that I am now a proud owner of a "Pou" just like my girls.  ( They wanted to explore the friend option, and I was just impressed I didn't need to sign them up to some social networking site to do it.  So now our Pou's are best friends and can 'visit' each other.)  I know I am not the only mummy out there who owns one because the nickname "mummys_pou" was already taken.  Great mummy's think alike...or just secretly wish these things were around when we were kids! 

PS - For my parents....YES! I did jump on the tramp with Luke for half an hour this morning and we went on a huge long walk/scooter ride yesterday together.  All in balance here ;)

Luke and daddy time

Luke and daddy playing some of their favourite games on Sunday afternoon.....

My Techie Kids are here to stay

I am sitting in a silent lounge.  Not unusual, right?

Wrong.  Because I didn't finish my sentence....

I am sitting in a silent lounge...IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY ON A WEEKEND.

I have 5 people in my house, 3 of them under the age of 6 years.  This just does not happen enough.

Luke is in bed napping, and the girls have been locked in their room making bead necklaces for over an hour.  Marty is enjoying the peace just as much as I am, we are both sitting in this silent space, in companionable silence (except for the sounds of our individual keyboards tapping - we are   part of that techie generation after all, more on that soon).

I am really enjoying this stage of mothering, the girls are best friends, always have been, but now they have that added bonus of being old enough to entertain themselves for hours on end (when they feel like it anyway).  They actually shut the door to their room now, giving me a little glimpse into the teenage years to come as they shut the adults out of their play.  I'm so used to being the one who initiates or prompts an activity that this is rather delightful.  I know that in time, I will be begging them to leave the door open or let me in, but for today...this is nice.

the girls in their playroom

As I continue to type, the girls have moved their play out to the playroom i created for them recently.  Because they share a room, I was trying to consider how best to give them a space where they could hang out alone when they want to.  We only have 3 bedrooms in the house, so sharing is here to stay.  However, we do have a few rooms that are detached from our house, so I have given one of these over to the girls for their use when they want it.  They love it, mainly as a new space to play together without the adults or baby bugging them for now, but occasionally they go out there alone too just to 'be'.  I love it because it has made the house SO PEACEFUL at times.

Its become so nice to have the girls occupy themselves however, that sometimes I get a bit frustrated with poor Luke, who is not even close to this stage yet.  Just shy of 2 years old, I am still his biggest playmate and toy.  Why is it that even as a trained early childhood teacher, it is far too easy to get tired of spending all my hours at home playing with blocks and doing baby jigsaw puzzles.I should be the best mummy ever with my wee boddler with my training!  I try and remember that at work, I am paid to be there for the babies.  It is my job, my duty to be on the floor playing- and of course, I have no distractions like housework, errands, cooking (and, I admit it, that darn facebook) to pull me away from playing with him.

But anyway, the guilts are definitely there, especially as he bursts into tears when I finally get up from doing the same puzzle 20 times in a row with him, and then he follows me to where I am, taking my hand in his chubby cute one and pulling me back to the puzzle.  I normally sigh and relent for another 15 minutes of trying to engage him in some play with his train set or cars, drawing or doing his shape sorter.  But come on Luke, I really do need to make dinner...I am right here, you can see me...just keep playing with the car NEXT to me while I work...(sobs and more hand pulling follow).    So when he hands me his DVD case with pleading eyes, It's just too easy to give in and put it on.

I admit that the child has perhaps too much screen time in his wee life while his sisters are at school or mummy has to do the housework.  He knows how to swipe his finger across to unlock the kids ipod (I will point out there that the ipod is my very old one and has no internet on it...not one purchased for them).  He has learnt to sing along to his favourite DVD's (The Wheels on the Bus and Love to Sing) which are on at least once a day. I can't wait until his birthday when I can give him the duplo we brought him - I am looking forward to a new 'real' toy for us to play with!

I love magic desktop

But in the meantime, I try and think of the positives: this is the world our children live in.  The world Marty and I live in (and we can't deny it  when we model a fairly techie lifestyle ourselves).  So we let the kids use technology..at an age appropriate level!   Kate learnt to read at 3 through "reading eggs" website.  We are in control of every show, website, device, app and music that the kids have access too, and that is because we are very intentional about it. We downloaded "magic desktop" for each of our computers, which locks off the rest of our computer - keeping it safe from accidental right clicks.  It also locks off the internet from any site that is not on their bookmarks list.   We prefer Luke to watch the same DVDs over and over again then to be exposed to new information every day.  The girls are allowed to watch the 'preschool' channels and nothing else, and they hardly ever watch TV during the school week as they prefer to play outside or with each other.     And despite all that it seems in this particular blog post, it is all in moderation.

I think on the whole, we are doing OK. The girls don't default to media for entertainment, and I know that as Luke grows older, this stage will pass too.  I will keep doing that puzzle 20 times in a row and building towers for him to knock over until eventually he gets to the stage of doing it alone.  But if you come over and find Luke singing "glub, glub, glub" with the fish on the bus, or notice the girls have their heads together over an ipod screen....please don't judge me!  I am probably just doing trying to have a coffee and conversation with you without having to build a tower at the same time.  

Dear Jaimee, Kate and Luke

To my precious children,

I love you. Did you know that I just can't help coming into your room when I go to bed and tucking you in, smiling as I watch your angel faces sleep deeply and without worry. You fill my heart to overflowing with wonder and pride and adoring love. You are the most amazing people. I am so proud of the way you are all growing: jaimee with your huge compassion for other people and a steady sense of Gods power and place of Lord of all. Kate with your utter joy and spirit for life that means you sre never short on friends and also your quiet side, where you just crawl up for a cuddle, getting as close as you can to your chosen loved one,sucking your thumb and twirling your hair (or mine) in your hands. And Luke, I really must stop telling you how cute and adorable you are every two minutes! I just can't get enough of my cheeky giggler, who just loves to make others laugh. You charm us all with your little ways, and I can't stop laughing when you stand where you are and yell back "MUM" when I call your name across the house.

Sometimes I worry. I worry for your future, in a culture that is shifting away from God so fast that I watch like a stunned onlooker, not sure exactly what to do. I worry for your faith, when it has never yet been challenged but boy, that day is coming. At the moment, we are your world and you can't comprehend one in which people don't love God or know Jesus. One day you will know you have a choice. I can't make it for you. But know that I have been praying for your heart since the day we knew about you, and I will continue to pray for you until the day I die.

In your life, you will quickly learn that people lie. They swear. They gossip. They manipulate to get what they want. They are mean. In love, They aren't always married, and they aren't always a man and a women. This is all perfectly normally and acceptable in your world you live in. Remember that Jesus told us we are to be like aliens: to live in this world but not to be part of it. Noone is blameless, we all think wrong, act wrong and are wrong at some point in our day. The difference is in the heart, the forgiveness of a loving saviour and the trying our upmost to live the way Jesus taught us. I pray this is your choice.

My children, I need to remember that I am not solely responsible for how you grow up. I will do my best by you, but I am not perfect. I fuddle my way, and sometimes I get it all wrong. I worry. But I know you have a whole army of amazing people in your life who are praying for you, teaching you, modelling for you and loving you. I know you have a God who loves you even more than I do (although I cannot comprehend that) and angels surround and protect you. This is not all on me, and I must remember that. Listen to your daddy, your grandparents, your godparents, and your church family. I will do my best to surround you with wise and Kind People. Watch them, learn from them. I know you will not always come to me, but do ask them for help as you grow. They love you and will give you wide council. But people are people. The bible is God - always rely on it when you aren't sure of what is right.

the next time I lie awake at night wondering If I should be doing more, exposing you to more, or teaching you more....I will pray for you my babies.

I pray for protection over your hearts and minds and faith and body. I pray that you will be discerning and wise. I pray for your future husbands and wife, that they will love The Lord with an unshakable passion. I pray that you will be strong and. Courageous. That you will be loving and gentle. That you will have the same faith and trust in Jesus that I see in you now.

I pray for a sense of right and wrong in your life. I pray you will choose to follow Jesus, and that you will remember that Jesus loved all people, whether they were prostitutes, embezzlers, Liers or betrayers. He only encouraged them in love to turn from their sin after they had made a heart decision to follow him. We too must pray for and love those who hurt us or we see living a life that is unpleasing to God - but we should not ever be judgemental or treat others poorly.

I will do my best to raise you right, to inform you, to teach, to explain. But most of all I will love you, my most beautiful and precious family.

Love,
Mummy

Trowbridge update!

Wow, it's been some time since my last blog. I'm not sure why...I think perhaps I haven't taken any photos for a while and they always prompt me to write! Also I've been a bit busy (and thus a touch lazy).

So what's been going on for the Trowbridge family this week?

Luke - Luke has made the move to a bed! Apart from a couple of daytime naps that he wouldn't settle for until I sat with him, he has been so much easier then the girls to transition! I was dreading the weeks of sitting outside his room with a book, outing him back into bed countless times. Well, none of that for Luke! It was lights out, shut the door and that was that. Clever boy :) wonder if its because he stayed in his cot longer then the girls, they were both in beds well before two, Luke is 2 next month. the only downside is that today when I popped him in the cot at church while I worked, he only slept an hour.

Kate - Kate had her first school term prize giving today, and both Marty and I went along, knowing she has been doing exceptionally well at school and thinking she might get awarded for her efforts. She did! Well done my cheerful girl for winning the "outstanding performance" class award for her reading And writing skill.

Jaimee - the girls had their school disco tonight And the personality differences in our girls is really becoming clear! Jaimee was so so excited to be able to dress up in what she said was "her most beautiful dress" for her school disco. (Kate chocked on shorts and a top). Poor Jaimee was up most of Tuesday night crying at the scary wind and rain. My sensitive soul.

Marty - Marty went away last weekend with a bunch of guys from church on a men's retreat - camping in the bush and being challenged spiritually through a range of topics that were spoken about. When I asked how he found it, he paused and said "tough". He did hang out the washing for me and offer to help with dinner that night, leading me to look T him oddly and say "who is this man and what happened to my husband!!"

Me - well, I have been enjoying my gymnastics class the last couple of weeks! I have perfected landing on my feet after doing a somersault on the tramp, and (with some help) even managed a couple of back flips! I have been working on my handsprings and have had a go at the beam And bar. It's such fun! Those years of DVD workouts have really been paying off with the strength and toning focus they have had,prompting a few (ex gymnasts) to ask me about my past gym experience (none)! They couldn't believe it, said I had. Flair for it. That was nice. I haven't had a flair for anything sporty before so I will go with it!! ;)

And that's us, trucking along through April and excited about a WHOLE week of NOTHING in the diary next week. Happy sigh!

Movie Night

A few months ago, we decided to introduce a "family movie night" into our routine.  The girls were finally old enough to enjoy sitting through a movie without having every scene explained to them as we watch, and we love movies, so figured this was a fun family tradition to start.    Dinner is eaten early, and in the lounge - something that is completely out of bounds any other night of the week.  The girls jump up and down with excitement as I spread a plastic tablecloth on the floor and lug Luke's highchair into the lounge.  

Just as exciting is a fun dinner menu.  We have had fish n'chips, home made burgers and tonight was homemade pizza, which the girls had great fun making (and eating).  This is the only night of the week that mum shares her sneaky top cupboard stash of chocolate and chips after dinner.  I am very popular as I sit surrounded by my girls diving for the chip packet as fast as they can scoff them back!  

Not to be forgotten in this memorable new tradition is Luke.  Sometimes he goes to bed halfway through the movie, but tonight we started early enough to leave him up all the way through.  He loves movie night just as much as we all do, and tonight was no exception - we were watching "Hop" (recorded over the Easter weekend) and he gleefully pointed out every "w'bbit" (rabbit) and "bok-bok" (chicken) he saw.  Of course there were plenty of "we-ew-we-ews" (police car noises) in the movie too , although Luke is the only one who saw them...

This Friday movie night is becoming quite an event in our family, one of the few that we ALL really look forward to at the end of a busy Friday.  We snuggle up in our cozy lounge as a family, giggle together and enjoy being entertained by a great tale.  We have watched Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, The Chipmunks (1 &2), Madagascar (all 3), Brother Bear, Stuart Little, The Wizard of Oz, The Smurfs, Rio, Tangled, and countless others already together.  I can't wait to see many more family movies together as we settle into these colder months now.   

I love my boots any time of day....cause i can do it myself! 

A few moments to share

Just like my Sisters....

...I can read in bed too!

This weeks special moments:

• Jaimee has been praying for our neighbour Bradley, who is currently undergoing some serious cancer treatment for a brain tumour.  I always pray in the car on the way to school, and lately she has been joining in with some adorable wee heartfelt prayers for Brad.  "Give the doctors wisdom to know what to do, help his family to not be scared and make his cancer go away and help him put on weight" she prayed this week sweetly, bringing a tear to my eye.

• We went on a family bike ride on Easter Monday in Napier.  I am not sure how Marty managed to fit our 4 bikes plus a bike trailer AND all of us in the car, but where there is a determined daddy, there is success.  We had a great time, and we found lots of pictures of Brad along the way much to the girls delight!  (His school had recently done a fundraising walk for the Ronald Mcdonald House along this route, with Brad as their 'face').
• Luke has been throwing some major tantrums, on the brink of turning 2 he is becoming much more vocal.  "No!" he will tell us, shaking his head furiously.   If we insist, screaming can happen next.  He was sent to his room twice at dinner time this week, we just plonk him in his room to cry it out and he stays put, even with the door open.  I don't think he has yet realised he could move if he wanted to!  
• Everything is a "wee-ew-wee-ew" at the moment: planes, cars, buses, trees.  Luke gets especially excited if he actually DOES see a police car!  
• Kate has been amazingly brave with her toe drama.  I was dreading the doctors visit to take the bandages off her toe 10 days after her accident, but she didn't even whimper, just watched curiously and asked for a lolliepop afterwards!  The doc told us there is a small chance her toenail will not grow back when the old nail falls off, but we won't know that for months yet.  Her vain mummy hopes her little girl will get a new nail to paint all pretty in summer heels one day.  
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