Happy lil ❤’s are baking ~ Choc Self-Saucing Pudding

What did you bake or cook with your kids this week?

Below is a linky list so you can join in the fun and start sharing what you bake with your kids! Family favourites, new recipes, cultural or traditional recipes – you name it, we’d like to read about them, and if you include the details, try them out 🙂 

One of my favourite Winter desserts is Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding!
 It always makes me think of my Grandma and warming up in front of an open fire…
It is also super simple to make and very tasty!
Pudding
150 g self raising flour
5 g cocoa
65 g butter
125 g caster sugar
1 egg
60 g walnuts
125 ml milk
Sauce
 90 g brown sugar
10 g cocoa
315 ml boiling water

Dino Boy mixed the dry ingredients together in our whizz bang mixer
{we love our mixer}
Before adding the egg and milk…
Mix until it is a nice batter and place it in a pie dish

Dino Boy then sprinkled the cocoa and brown sugar over the top…
And I poured on boiling hot water ~ look at the steam!

We baked it for about 40 minutes at 180°C (about 350°F)
This pudding is lovely served warm with ice cream or cream {or both!}

And now, we can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to in the kitchen with your kids!
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Happy baking, Kelly  

Free falling {a tale of returning to work}

I’ve lost our lovely rhythm now it’s gone, gone, gone wooooh 
{sorry to the Righteous Brothers for borrowing their tune and words here! 
It just popped into my head as I started to write}

Returning to work has been hard
Not so much the work aspect, because I am finding that enjoyable
Tackling interesting and challenging work ideas is refreshing ~ like dusting off this part of my mind and letting it dance in the wind… 
And it certainly helps that I work with enthusiastic, passionate and funny people *smile*
It is more the fact of work that is hard for me…

But as my husband rightly said to me… 
‘it’s my turn now’
 
And it is lovely that he is enjoying his day home with them
It is his day… a day to do things with them that he wants to do
It’s different having them on your own… liberating I would imagine  
And I am joyous for the kids and him that we can do this
And having the children spend days with their nanas is also special
Something that I am thankful for from my childhood… 
To have wonderful deep bonds with your grandparents is beautiful
And I just know the nanas love getting the kids in their own space, and all to themselves *smile*

So, since I am happy to be working and happy with who is caring for our children, what is the problem?

 
Mmmm, good question, but at the moment I am sad… 
My children are my priority, my reason for being,… I have poured myself into motherhood {happily so} 
But now as I have to step back, ever so slightly, it is hard
I find myself questioning my values about motherhood and parenting
I wouldn’t say I’ve lost myself to motherhood
I’ve found myself here
And yes, it is not all smooth sailing, but it is amazing
The love that flows through me for my children… for my family is awesome
And I think it has been good for me… 
celebrating their childhood has reawakened many things in me, including creativity and an appreciation for the simple things in life

I don’t want to get caught up in the bustle of getting ready for the next day
Making sure I’ve remembered all the things I need to pack for the kids 
{and oh, there are so many things!} 

I want to be able to go slowly and enjoy the moments

Instead I am rushing
Rushing to get ready, rushing to drop the kids off, rushing to work… 
Before doing the opposite at the end of the day

I need to remind myself to breathe and to come back into the moment with them
Enjoy that moment

Enjoy our nightly rhythm… the bathing, the story time, and oh, the cuddles
Remember to slow down
I feel like over the last few weeks I’ve free fallen to a hard realisation…
…that I have to reconnect on many levels with different aspects of my life
And I’m not fond of that kind of journey

And so, we will continue to find our new rhythm…. 

this too can be good… and I embrace and accept that