We Are Meat Eaters

My family are meat eaters.

I used to be a vegetarian through highschool, purely because I connected with animals well being (the health benefits of being a vego didn't even occur to me back then), to me it seemed cruel to raise an animal for human consumption. I also have family members and friends who what the same morals towards animals, so I had contact with non-meat eaters throughout my life.

I have to admit, I crave meat. I love the taste. There is nothing more satisfying than an antipasto platter with a bit of prosciutto on the plate. Taste is undeniably the first reason I began eating meat again. Focusing away from sustainability, I feel as though meat has a purpose in our diet, meat from smaller frames such as poultry, seafood and game. I believe in a balanced diet from wholefoods, personally if it was my choice, we would be eating a diet consisting mainly of vegetables, pulses, fruit, grains, some fish and little meat. But, living in a family which considers other members, I feel I must provide what my family wants, within reason. What I don't believe is that meat is an everyday food, that it should be the focus of the meal.

 

Because I have high morals about animal cruelty and living sustainably, I buy either organic free range meat or at the very least free range. I don't buy my meat from the supermarket, only from local butchers who buy from local farmers.

My two favourite butchers at the moment are Feast Fine Foods, who provide a range of meats and cuts you would see at the supermarket or any other butcher BUT they deal with the most premium producers you can find in the state. You'll find restaurant quality, organic, free range, rare breeds and rare cuts of meat. They really try to respect meat and it shows by the support they have for local farmers and the butchery classes they hold at The Adelaide Central Markets. I buy cheaper cuts of meat from Feast, as their prices are quite high and I'm realising because I buy meat that is mostly on the bone or a whole bird, it allows me to connect with the animal. During food preparation, I find myself slowing down and really seeing what animal I'm working with, where it came from and I give  it a little more respect and dignity. I don't think I could get the same feeling from a shrink wrapped, clean piece of fillet.

The second is Wild OZ. Wild OZ caters to my sustainable side. They hunt their produce, to a certain degree. I can be sure to find wild kangaroo (which is one of Australia's most sustainable meats), wild rabbit, open range pork and goat. They also try to focus their flavours on Australian bush foods, which also feeds my passion for native plants.

I'm finding if I have balance with my meat eating I can do so without overwhelming guilt. I am still working towards gradually cutting down my family on farmed red meat and I think kangaroo will be a great alternative. But boy, pushing for veggies in my family is hard work, although Mike has started eating more and he actually LOVES mushrooms now. Persistence!



MamaKoo

Does your family eat meat? What are some of your family favourites when it comes to vegetarian meals?

Toddlerhood

In August, Baby Grub is about to enter the world of toddlerhood, officially. She has shown definite  signs of more confidence, wanting more independence and decision making and is testing her boundaries more and more. Yet she still clings to me when there are strangers about.

I remember not too long ago when Grub was an infant I couldn't wait for her to be more interactive, to discover her personality, to take her on discoveries and adventures and to answer all her questions and curiosities. Looking back, I did enjoy the time I had with baby Grub but I feel as though time is moving too quickly and I'm missing the days of holding a sleeping babe in my arms (who doesn't weigh 13kg), touching her soft skin and smelling that sweet, sweet newborn smell. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE who Grub has become. Shes hilarious, kind, generous, loving, silly, creative and at times is on the cutting edge of fashion.

When I look at her now, I try to hold on to those memories, her pure innocence, the sacredness of the love I felt for a helpless being. I feel its especially important to still hold on to that memory when new challenges arise as children move from newborn, to toddler, to child, teenager and beyond. Shes still just as precious as she was when I first held her in my arms on the day she was born.




MamaKoo


Don't you wish life had a pause button or perhaps a rewind function, so you can relive all those fond memories true to their form?

What matters most

Since I've become a mother I've done a lot of soul searching, but more so in the past year. What matters most about life has become more and more evident to me, family, friends and the simple pleasures that life has to offer. Throughout the life of an average human being, there is always going to be ups and downs. During low times, I try to place my focus on what is good in my life, what lifts me up and into the light again. The one thing that is keeps me strong and focused is my family, my beautiful girl and my darling husband.

 

MamaKoo

Plastic free update

Its been six months since I made a vow to go plastic free and I thought I'd update about my plastic free journey... I must admit and accept that its not going to plan.

Its A LOT harder than I first thought it would be. Simple things like finding a non plastic packaging alternative to buying milk. I know what you're thinking.. "MamaKoo, haven't you heard?! Milk comes in cartons!" but did you know, cartons are made from cardboard lined with a polyethylene plastic? What happened to the days of old, where milk was delivered to your door in glass bottles?

I think although I haven't been able to make the full transition, trying to go plastic free has made me rethink the things I would have purchased in the past, try to find alternatives and in doing so has made me find different and wonderful places to shop. Its made me slow down and live life more simply, appreciate the things I have access to and forced me to start making things I normally would buy (which I enjoy doing!).

Hopefully down the track we can become an almost plastic free family, I really think that at this time in history becoming COMPLETELY plastic free is a near impossibility. We can always try, can't we?

Intwinde in matrimony

Tomorrow is Mike and my second wedding anniversary and although our two years have gone really quickly, its also felt like around ten. We've been through joyous occasions and at times our relationship had definitely seen better days. But we've managed to stick together and I think we've learnt a lot about each other during our hardships. Without struggle, a relationship's strength is never truly tested. I pray that our love and friendship can grow and evolve together, becoming stronger as the years go on.

At this time of year I love to reconnect and reflect on our vows that we made to each other. I take our vows very seriously as they are a deceleration and promise we made to one another in front of our family and friends.

I love you.

You are my best friend.

Today I give myself to you in marriage.

I promise to encourage you and inspire you,

to laugh with you and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle.

I’ll love you in good times and bad,

when life’s easy and when it’s hard,

when our love is simple and when it’s an effort.

You bring out the best in me, and I promise to cherish you.

These things, I give to you today and all the days of our life!

Photo by Jess White

I love you my darling man, thank you for being a wonderful husband, for listening to me when I have too many things to say, for giving me cuddles when I need them the most, for laughing with me, for taking the courageous journey into parenthood with me, for going into work everyday and for washing the dishes and folding the clothes when I ask you to. You have shown me how to love with humility, to communicate without fear and to accept and love who I am. I cherish you dearly, even though at times it seems that I don't.

MamaKoo

A World of Plastic

My latest post is a bit depressing but I encourage you to turn your mind set and use it as a powerful tool to encourage you to make a difference in the way you live.

Take a moment to think about the popular saying "think globally, act locally". A large proportion of people have trouble thinking globally. They only think about the effect of their actions in a certain vicinity. They don't think about the consequences of their waste thrown out of a car window will most likely aid in the death of a sea creature or end up in our oceans adding to the indescribable amount of waste, with no way of degrading in our lifetime or their grandchild's lifetime. Out of sight, out of mind.

chrisjordan.com

With my recent research into chemicals plastic are made out of, plastic pollution and how little of our plastic is actually recycled, I've become somewhat scarred. I think its a good thing, its a motivation to do something about it, to act locally (my family) but think globally! Looking around my house at the moment, although I consider myself to be more 'eco' than others, our cupboards and fridge are overloaded with plastics, not to mention the massive amount of plastic packaging from the food we buy. I try to buy products with the least amount of packaging, but I've never really gone out of my way to search for alternatives, only whats avaliable at my local Foodland or markets.

After being inspired by Gina's, A Plastic Free Year, I also want to take this vowel on October 1st and try to be virgin plastic free for a year and hopefully there after.

A Plastic Free Year Guidelines

REFUSE, RE-USE, & LET NO PLASTIC TO ENTER WASTE STREAM.

• Do not purchase or be gifted virgin plastic.

• Where a plastic free alternative to a product can not be found, plastic re-used or recycled item of that product can be purchased or borrowed.

•  If any plastic is (unwillingly) purchased or gifted during 2011, it can NOT enter the waste stream - it must be kept by me. The accumulated plastic will be weighed at the end of 2011 to measure what my annual plastic footprint is, and will be turned into plastic 'art'.

Please post me any suggestions you have on how I can survive My Plastic Free Year - I need all the assistance I can get! And feel free to join me - the less demand created for virgin plastic, the better for all of us!

Thanks for your support ;-)

 I'll post updates every now and then including thoughts, the amount of plastic accumulated and products I've found helpful. I encourage you to join me in this journey, if not to re-think your plastic situation and review the links on this post. Everyone is accountable!

MamaKoo

Also, if you have any ideas to help reduce plastic consumption to share them with me... this is going to be a hard task ahead! 

The branded child

I feel as part of a Western culture, its somewhat predetermined that our children will grow up being taught to be greedy. They are bombarded with TV programs that have its marketing arms extended into the world of childrens clothes, food and toys. They're subliminally instructed to crave the latest and the greatest, to want more and need more and the more that they have, the cooler they are. Dora the Explorer yoghurt, Hannah Montana t-shirts, Thomas the Tank Engine pyjamas (Do you know how hard it is to find non cartoon branded pyjamas?)

From what little television Grub watches, I agree some shows are educational. But its one thing to watch a half hour show once a week, compared to obsessing over Dora the Explorer merchandise because the girl at Kindy has a so and so. Its this type of mentality that is detrimental to a childs ability to accept who they are and what true happiness is, without the aid of materialistic things.

The combination of marketing creeping its way into our childrens lives and rise of Tween consumers, its more important than ever to provide a home environment where our children can grow up without feeling like more is better. These are my 'rules' I've set up for myself to combat the onslaught of the marketing world and to help Grub appreciate and respect her toys:


No plastic toys - The majority of branded toys are plastic. Not only are a lot of plastic toys poorly made, they are made with toxic substances that over time can cause various health problems including, reproductive defects, an increased risk of breast cancer and organ failure. Wooden toys last longer, are aesthetically pleasing, are hardly ever branded and lack flashing lights and sound allowing the imagination to express itself. Eco Toys sell amazing wooden toys for all ages and types of play.

Don't allow toys to get out of control - Every toy has a home on a shelf or in a cupboard. I like to display Grub's toys so she can easily access them when she wants to play and so they can easily be put back when shes finished. I try to get her to focus on one toy at a time, when she moves on to another toy, I put away the previous. If shes abusing or rough handling a toy, I take it away until she can play with it respectfully. 

Limited media exposure - Grub seriously only watches about 30 minutes of TV a week... Maximum! Some weeks the TV isn't even switched on. On the odd occasion that she does watch it, I switch it off when ads are playing. 

No kid focused branded foods - Since starting baby led weaning, I've only bought one branded kids food. Cheese stringers, it was an over priced, saltier, plastic laden version of mozzarella. 

Stay away from branded clothes - Majority of Grub's clothes are either hand me downs, from op shops or gifts. I've rarely had to buy new clothes, but when I do, I look for non branded clothes, that are easy to move in and made from natural fibers. 


Homemade or handcrafted toys -  Simple ideas like creating a hanging toy out of a Christmas bauble and a stick. Making a rattle out of pasta and a bottle. A cubby house out of two chairs and a sheet. For older kids, fun can be had by making toys together or doing activities like those in Action Pack. 

As parents we should be teaching out kids that self esteem comes from the inside out, not the outside in!


MamaKoo

An hour outdoors

As Grub is getting older, I think its very important for her to spend time outdoors everyday, weather permitting. Providing Grub an environment that allows her access to the outdoors, I feel will help her become closer to nature and therefore appreciate and respect the wonders that nature offers. Besides children naturally love the outdoors, so a good time should be had by all.


So I've promised myself to try and get outside for at least an hour a day and then on weekends we have outdoor family time too. Even if its just our daily walk around the neighbourhood, I'll stop and allow Grub to feel different textured leaves, smell flowers, look at the cat following us on the fence. To stop and look for birds while I try to name what type they are. Its all about stopping and allowing her to absorb and learn from her environment. We're already teaching her about seasons, plants, animals, textures, sounds and shes just loving it.

Early morning at Playford lake

Taking it all in

Last weekend we spent our outdoor family time at Belair National Park, Mike insisted we take Grub somewhere with lots of tree and birds. We definitely got both. We found a variety of birds including a variety of ducks, the Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Ducks and hybrids of Mallards.

Hybrid Mallards

An Australian Magpie gave me a fright and swooped at me, Magpies are known for their aggressive behavior around mating season.

Magpie starring at me after its attack

Dusky Moorhens followed us basically all the way around Playford lake, hissing, the way they do. I think the water birds thought we had brought food because they were crowding us and acting abnormally friendly.

Dusky Moorhens chasin' and a hissin'

Surrounded by Dusky Moorhens

On the other side of the lake I spotted a Koala perched in a tree not far beyond the path we were on. Mike and Grub went in for a closer look and to Mike's delight the Koala had a joey with her. We had a brief chat to Mama Koala, Mike told her she was doing a good job at raising her baby and that he wished her all the luck in the world. Grub was mesmerised by Mama K, she wouldn't stop starring at her and every now and then would wave and add a 'hello'.

Mama K and her little joey

Grubs in love

Moments like these bring the family closer

Its moments like these, unaided by man made objects like television or even books or toys allow you to appreciate the natural beauty of things, it allows families to come closer and find happiness from 'simplistic' joy.


MamaKoo

Nursing my nursling

This past Tuesday marked my first anniversary with Grub and our nursing relationship, I say relationship because it involves a lot of trust and mutual agreement to keep the relationship strong. Things have changed remarkably since we first started out, what first comes to mind is the length of time it takes to nurse and the number of times a day. I remember feeling like I was constantly on the couch with my breasts out and Grub attached to them, when I let down, a surge of milk would come flooding out wetting what felt like everything. I was constantly sticky and smelt like milk ALL the time. As you can most likely tell, I didn't enjoy the first few months of breast feeding.

Grumpy MamaKoo

Not to mention the latch problems and unbelievably sore nipples (I would have rather go through labor again). I remember crying, not wanting to nurse because it hurt too much and becoming depressed because I felt I couldn't give my baby the best start in life.

First time nursing didn't hurt, Grub was 2 months

Nursing becoming a breeze

Perfecting the lying down position

I'm so happy I persevered, it becomes unbelievably easier, to the point where Grub has become such a professional, she knows exactly what to do.

Starting to fall in love with nursing

I love some things that have stayed the same

• She still needs me and wants me above all other people
• When she latches her head automatically drops as if I'm always going to be there to catch it
• The way her eyes roll back in ecstasy when she first gets a taste of my milk
• The way she looks at me when she nurses, like I'm the most important person in her world

I love some of the things that have changed

• Time and frequency of feeding!!!
• The inventive nursing positions that shes coming up with
• Her humming her nursing song while nursing
• The way she strokes my side or plays with my amber necklace
• When she needs to touch and stroke her hair

One year! Woo hoo!

MamaKoo

First year

As spring is coming around the corner and we've been experiencing some glorious days. Last year baby Grub was a bit too young to fully absorb her outside surroundings. She LOVED leaves back then and still does.

Baby Grub's first time swimming last year

But this year is all about birds, dogs, grass, textures, sounds and waving a friendly faces.
 

Happy Grub enjoying life

We all had an absolute ball when we went out for a picnic for her first birthday. I made cheesy sticks, broccoli and tomato muffins, chickeny fingers, butter bean and carrot patties and a delicious healthy banana cake, which I took from a mini cake recipe I found here.

Mini cake for a mini lady

Its such a delight to watch your young one take such pleasure in the simplest of things. It really makes you sit back and appreciate life from a different perspective.

I think she likes the wrapping more than what was inside

We ate, played, chased birds, met a beautiful Labrador who tried to demolish our picnic and fed some ducks. Grub had so much fun with her slice of cake, that afterwards I had to strip her down and change her. I think it was her secret plan all along... she loves being a nudist.

Rebel

Nudist behavior

Grub's birthday was not only a day of celebration marking her day of birth, but its also our one year of breast feeding anniversary. In the early weeks I didn't think we would make it this far, having sore crack nipples made me wonder if it was all worth it. We're both very glad I persisted, I can't imagine life without.

1 year: You, me and the boob

Celebrating Grub's first birthday has evoked a strange new feeling, full of emotions. One that is full of pride and humility and joy yet sadness. We made it through our first year generally unharmed! And my little baby is on her way to growing up.

MamaKoo

Are you ever really ready?

It was two days before new years eve 2009,  and we had just come back from our honeymoon. The whole time we were away I didn't feel myself at all, so I decided to do the ol' pee on a stick trick... and there it was, two lines. 'Oh dear!' was the first thing that popped into my head, 'We're not ready for this.' was the second. To say that we coped well with the news would be a flat out lie. Both Mike and I had our own plans of what the next five years of our lives were going be. I was going to go attend university and study architecture, he was going to study music at The Conservatorium. After that we had plans of backpacking throughout South East Asia. There is no way we could take a baby with us! This little baby was ruining all that we had planned. We wanted kids but why did it have to be now?

Little did we know, we were 5 weeks pregnant

Learning to accept that we were about to have a baby didn't really take place until the third trimester. People kept asking 'are you excited?', my answer was always yes but I did have to convince myself a little. I was always worried that my life was going to be overrun by housework, chores, cooking etc. and that there was never going to be time for me and the things that I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime. Resentment was growing and life as I knew it was over.

Feeling sad and pathetic

It wasn't until my father said to me, 'You can still get to where you are going, you just have to take a different route.' that I realised life wasn't over at all. Life, in fact had just begun. This was my chance to create something beautiful with the man that I love, relationships, after all are about compromise out of love.

Last prenatal visit

I began to embrace this baby with all of my heart, sometimes the love that I felt overwhelmed me. I became determined that I'm going to take on my role as a wife and a mother with 100% willingness and at the same time not loose sight of what I want as an individual. Our baby became a blessing.

Baby Grub, 2 days old

MamaKoo