Beyond the Edge of Adventure

I met my obstetrician today. I don't usually like meeting obstetricians. To me, they are scary because they have lots of letters after their names which means that they know a heck of a lot more about the medical process my body goes through during the labour process than I do. They represent hospital rules like, "We'll book you in for an induction when you're ten days overdue." or "You're best to stay in hospital for another night.". They're often impersonal and have very few social skills (like introducing themselves when you meet them for an appointment or eye contact when you ask a question). I know they're just people, but I've had some less-than-pleasant experiences with them as well as admittedly, some pretty good ones. So, the word I have from the midwives at TBH is that now that this is my fifth pregnancy, I am considered 'high risk'. This is because of an increased risk of post-partum haemorrage (PPH). So that means ...

OK. First: a warning. This is a rant. I'm sorry. I can't help it - I really need to blog this out! So if you aren't interested in hearing about how women AREN'T as liberated as we all like to think we are, then go to another blog or get on ebay or something. Sit this one out. OK? Alright. So last night, we watched Star Wars Episode II. It's a pretty average movie and it was hard to miss the bad cliches. And by far and away, the most annoying and infuriating cliche was the half-undressed commando girl running around fighting along beside men who are fully clothed. Seriously. As she heads off to rescue Obi Wan Kenobi from the bad people's planet, admittedly in a skin-tight white outfit BUT fully covering her from neck down except for her hands, Padme (Natalie Portman) falls into the hands of the bad people alongside her 'we mustn't get together because we can't, but we will anyway' boyfriend, ultimate big bad guy Anakin Skywalker, aka Dar...

I would say that I've been a fairly submissive wife now for a good couple of years. 'Submissive wife', no doubt, conjures up images in your mind of a big overpowering husband who rules with an iron fist over his passive, small and timid wife. But I ask you: Am I small? Am I timid? Am I passive? Nope. Not a jot. So, I wanted to bust a few myths about what submission is and what it looks like. Firstly, let me say that there are some brilliant resources on the Above Rubies (aboverubies.org) website, but I want to share more about the practical things that a submissive wife does for her husband. OK, so what does a submissive wife look like? I think it all comes down to respect for her man. 'Submission' is defined as ' to give over or yield to the power or authority of another'. We all know Ephesians 5:22-24: ' Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the hea...

I've been really trying hard lately to lower our grocery and household bills - thanks to a swift kick of inspiration from my MOPS group a month or two ago. Having a diet that requires special needs makes it a bit hard, but not impossible. I was stoked and just a bit smug the other day when I made up this recipe based on an old favourite my mum used to make. It's got the combined warm, comforting texture of a rice pudding, but also a tropical, summery taste with the pineapple and coconut. Furthermore, I can eat it even with my dairy/gluten intolerance! But best of all, it's SO quick and easy to make! Perfect for a busy mumma........ So I'm happy to share it with you, a fellow busy mumma. I hope you enjoy it! Pineapple Rice Pudding Ingredients (all approximate!): 4-5 cups cooked rice 400mL tin coconut milk or cream 3 heaped tbsp brown sugar Large tin of pineapple pieces or to taste Vanilla Marshmallows (optional) Method: Simmer vanilla, coconut milk/cre...

I’ve always had two metaphors for parenting that I keep in mind when I’m balancing my special blend of discipline, encouragement, teaching and shouting. Being a former educator, I’ve seen many different styles of parenting – most that made me shudder, to be quite honest. I’ve taught in child care centres, pre-schools (pre-prep for Queenslanders), primary schools and high schools in both the public and private sector. I’ve seen awesome stuff and pretty ordinary stuff in all of those sectors. I went to public primary schools and high schools, so this is not me banging on about the public system, by the way. Public school teachers are AWESOME and have to work hard in so many areas just to complete their most basic function: teach. So! My two metaphors (or images) that I keep in mind when I’m about to come in heavy with my children on a particular behaviour or issue or when I’m about to let them go and allow them to just ‘be children’ are as follows: Firstly, I’ve always imagined that y...

I went to a meeting the other night. With the state election coming up, the Toowoomba Coal Mine Action Group, Friends of Felton and two other groups invited the candidates for the local area to attend a community meeting on the CSG and mining industry. Almost the entire area around Toowoomba has had an EPC (Exploration Permit for Coal) approved for it, so we're very interested in where the next mine is going to be, considering that we actually have to live here and breathe in whatever is put in the air. And now I'm mad. Really mad. Anyone with half a brain knows how devastating coal mining and CSG is to the health of people. In Jondaryan, there's a huge pile of coal that waits to be transported into the trains to take it to port right next to the highway. People in Jondaryan have to wash their plates, cups and cutlery before they eat from them because they're layered in coal dust. The state government has allowed a 2km buffer zone around coal mining activity. It...

I've had to come face to face with some hard facts lately. I've known since I was about 18 that I'm sensitive to gluten and dairy products. But it wasn't life threatening, so I've just bodged along, sometimes going hard core and not eating any gluten or dairy and other times eating whatever I wanted until I got sick and had to slow down a bit. Mostly I've maintained a bit of a middle road, prefering to eat gluten or dairy free, but eating other stuff if I felt I could tolerate it. Not any more. I"ve had some worrying trends with my health lately and so the gluten-and-dairy-free diet has begun. I'm tired just thinking about having to think and cook gluten-free and dairy-free meals! But I just wanted to share how the solution to my health concerns came about. I've been to my GP and had some tests done which all, worryingly, came back negative (apart from a sinus infection). NOT ONCE did she mention that my condition may have something to do with...