8/06/2009

Neglected

...that’s what this blog is at the moment. Between the breastfeeding, diaper changing (and washing…), and the craziness of renovating our house (one wall at the time…) and just living, it’s just not at the top of my priority list. I felt a strange urge to just delete this whole blog (and start another one…*sigh*), but I’m going to give it another chance. I have a long history of starting new projects and not finishing or keeping up, so maybe I’ll just accept that I cannot write a post every day or even weekly at the moment. It’s just how it is, but it still is. I also felt like writing in Norwegian again, because sometimes writing in English takes a bit longer and I catch my self using it as another excuse to neglect this blog…

But here we are. Or I am at least.

I just came back from the library with two books that I’m expecting quite a lot from. They are both in the category I ironically describe as “things I don’t want to know” – as in “ignorance is bliss”. One is written by a Norwegian educationalist, researcher and writer; Erik Sigsgaard and is called “Kjeft Mindre – Historier om oppdragelse”, or in English… something like Yell/scold Less – Stories about upbringing”. I have a 5yo and I have a bad temper. Nuf’ said. I need that book.

The other one is written by a Danish family who turned their life around completely after living many years on a bad diet and a life full of toxins and chemicals. They have raised quite a stir in Denmark and a bit of discussion in Norway as well with their books and advice about food. Basically they recommend a diet free of milk, gluten, sugar, “fast” carbohydrates and artificial stuff/E-numbers/food additives among other things. Their book is called “Kjernesunn Familie” in Norwegian. Kjerne = Core. Sunn = Healthy. Familie = Family. You get the picture. I need this book as well. We need it. Too much pasta, too much additives, sugar and stuff that really does no good to our health either physically or mentally.

Driving home with T. (the 5yo) this evening; “mama, I want ice cream”! Me – trying to explain why she cannot have ice cream every day. She – having a total breakdown in the backseat because of it; not giving a damn (pardon the French) about my logic explanations of course. So I stopped at the grocery store and bought some fruit and we went home and made our own ice cream. Version one – Black currants from the garden, a dash of organic soy milk and a teaspoon or two of xylitol ("Bjørkesøt" -instead of sugar; made from the birch tree). Version two – Banana and soy milk. Version three – mango. They are in the freezer at the moment. Quite an experiment. I hope she likes it – at least she enjoyed making them.

And I’m making “jam”;- soaking organic dried apricots. Tomorrow I’ll probably boil them for a few seconds, and then throw them in the blender. Voilá – organic apricot jam – no sugar. Did you know that most “conventional” dried apricots are treated with sulphur to keep the colour orange? Buy organic brown apricots. Apricots do not stay orange when they’re dried…



PS. I just love the library. What an amazing public service. Libraries make me happy, and proud and humble somehow.

8 comments:

Katalysator Film said...

Message from the Hubby.

There will be no deleting of this Blog I enjoy it way to much.

Lavendilly House said...

I agree. I enjoy your blog too :)
I have missed your posts - so please continue to write in English. (I will if you will - I had to delete that sentence a few times to spell it right!)

I am hearing you about the 5 year old! I have one too and we pushed our way through a doozy of a tantrum yesterday that lasted most of the morning and all because I asked him to get dressed. I am no stranger to tantrums now, but they always take me by surprise and it is difficult not to lose my temper. I am proud of myself. I stayed calm and rational (someone had to be!)and only said what I meant and stuck with it until we came through the other side, even though I doubted myself the whole time. Sadly I had to cancel my morning's playgroup but clearly he wasn't going to be up for company yesterday anyway. And today? He is a different child.

THe storm had been brewing for some time and I know it wasn't about the request to put clothes on, so I although I am still in the dark about what upset him, I am glad I let him express it. Tantrums are for Kaelan like fevers: he comes out of them just a little bit stronger and a little bit more grown up.

Just wish they weren't so exhausting.

Lavendilly House said...

A good book for understanding tantrums is by Aletha Solter and it is called "Tears and Tantrums" and it really changed the way I work with my children at these times. It definitely helped me to respect the experience of a tantrum and to respect my children's feelings, whilst also maintaining a balance in the sense that it is not appropriate to express yourself in this way anywhere or anytime you want!! There are safe ways of doing it.

therese said...

det fins maaange måter å lage sunn is på hjemme! det er når man er langt hjemmefra det begynner å bli vanskelig, og de absolutt vil ha fløteis.
vi elsker tørket aprikos her i huset, men ungene liker ikke den økologiske! dødsirriterende. vi voksne ender alltid opp med å spise den.
ang kjefting - vi løste våre problemer ved å gå til pmto (parent management training oregon) hos det lokale familierådgivningskontoret. vi fikk flere gode verktøy i hvordan å opptre når barnet viste 'uønsket atferd'. de fleste var helt banalt enkle og opplagte, man hva hjelper det når man ikke greier å gjennomføre dem? da hjelper det med litt kursing. helt gratis.

Bjørk said...

therese: takk for tips. Det skal sjekkes ut. Det er mange årsaker til at det har blitt sånn, men det er vanskelig å gjøre noe med i praksis. Det er en lang vei mellom teori og praksis merker jeg :) Vi har malt oss litt inn i et hjørne for tiden... Ang. aprikosene så likte hun ikke syltetøyet mitt. Men jeg håper hun liker de rett fra posen... Håper.

Bjørk said...

Lavendilly: Thank you. I'll check that out. I feel that I understand why she has tantrums. But understanding why doesn’t always give me an idea of how to handle it or how to react. I feel like this about a lot of things actually. I’ve always heard that I have great insight into my own “issues” (in therapy), but that doesn’t really help me to get out of it or change… Frustrating it is :-)

janevel said...

Ikke noe sletting av blogg, nei :)

therese said...

hei, jeg lurer på om jeg skal kjøpe kjernesunn familie - det er så lang ventetid på biblio. kan du anbefale den? vil ikke bruke trehundreogmange kroner på noe som ikke er verdt det...