I Need Your Help

Hey guys and gals!!

I am looking at starting up my own Youtube channel, and I really want to know what you all would like to see on there!

When you log onto youtube, what do you like to watch? What do you search for?

I want my channel to have lots of communication with the viewers, so what you all have to say is really important to me. Please give me serious feedback anyway you want, whether it be on any social media outlet, email me at thefamilyofoz@hotmail.com I want to hear from you all!!

Thanks for you help everyone!! Look forward to seeing you on Youtube!!

Cookbook Recipe Review - Tomatoes, Apples and Carrots, Oh My!!

I love cooking! It is one of my favourite things to do, even though not everything works out the way I want it too every time, I love getting into the kitchen and just tuning out to the smell of something baking in the oven, or garlic and onions cooking on the stovetop. It is an escape for me. I am by no means a Chef in anyway, though. I am still a pretty basic cook, but in doing this and trying new things I am hoping to get better at it. I want to thank Josh for allowing me to take this time out from the kids in the kitchen, although I have been trying to include Sienna in my cooking lately.

This past week I have been trying out some recipes that I haven't made before, and I want to share with you how they have tasted, what the cooking process was like and what I would change for next time (if I decide to make them again). I want to be trying something new at least once a fortnight.

The first thing I made was a Bruschetta. Now I know what you are all thinking... "She loves cooking and has never made Bruschetta before?" I can totally see where you are coming from. It is a staple for a lot of people and it is really easy to make. The thing I found the hardest while making these, was that I had a grumpy newborn and a toddler who were making it difficult for Daddy, so I had to run out to help him out a few times. The process of making these though, couldn't be simpler.
They also tasted pretty damn good! This is something that I will definitely make again. It would be a great entrée type dish if you had guests, or a fantastic snack for lunch (which is when we had it).
The only change that I would make is next time I might add some mozzarella cheese to the mixture. I am a huge cheese fan and I think this would just complete the dish.

Second thing I tried out was an Apple Cider Pancake with Spiced Apple Syrup. I adjusted this recipe, as it called for raisins to be in the sauce also, but I hate raisins so I left them out. I wanted to use the flavours of Autumn and I thought to myself what says Autumn more than Cinnamon and Apple? So I found this recipe and tested it out. I wasn't sure how it would go as I am not a huge fan of cooked apple but this was super tasty. I had Sienna help me out in the kitchen with this one (she is a killer mixer). There was nothing too hard in this recipe so I think even beginner cooks would find this one easy enough. I am not the best at flipping pancakes and I tend to make more pikelet sized pancakes than pancake sized ones, but this time I surprised myself and make bigger ones (not very uniform in shape but eh).
They were really filling too. Josh and I managed to get through 4 each and were both very full afterwards. I don't think I would change anything else, other than what I already had. I will happily make these again.

Next was a Carrot Cake. This was a double layer cake, it called for two cakes to be made but I only had one pan, so it took a little longer than normal because I had to wait for one to be baked before I could bake the other one, but apart from that this was a pretty straightforward recipe.
I thought this cake was a little too dense. I thought that Carrot Cakes were meant to be a bit fluffier, whereas mine was quite heavy, but I have since been told that Carrot Cakes can be both.
I liked that this cake was made sweeter by adding crushed Pineapple. It's not something that I would have usually thought to do (especially as I don't like to eat Pineapple), but I found it added another element to this cake. I again left raisins out of this recipe because I thought putting one thing that I didn't like in it was enough, also I think that with the coconut and chopped pecans it had enough different textures in it so it didn't really need them.
I'm not sure that I would make this again. My family (who helped me eat the cake), all liked it but I'm not sure it was to my taste. I would much rather just a plain cake like and orange and poppyseed or even just a vanilla. This was to heavy and had a bit much going on in it for me.

And that is all the new recipes I have tried so far.... I'll keep you posted next time I try something else. If you would like any of these recipes to try for yourself, just let me know and I'll happily share them with you, and you can let me know what you think of them.

Birth Blog - Introducing Oliver James Waters!

At 1.50am on Monday the 27th of March, 2017, Josh and I were introduced to a little squirming body that was a lot louder than his sister, but so similar in every other way. He looked just like her, he weight 7lb 11oz, just like her, and at 49cm, he was only 1cm longer than she was. It was one of the fastest but most painful and exhausting experiences of my life, but looking back on it now, it was so worth it (that's not saying I'll be going back for another any time soon though). I must warn you now, that the following blog may go into some details of labour that may be too much information for some people so if you don't want to hear some gory details maybe skip this blog :-)

Earlier that night, I was sitting at home on my yoga ball eating dinner with Josh and my sister, watching some 'Walking Dead', when I thought to myself  'I haven't felt baby move for a while....' and usually he is so active (especially at food time). I cast my mind back through my day, which had been like any other day: we had taken Sienna to the park, gone out for lunch, played at home, but throughout all of that Blueberry had stayed very still. In fact, I don't think I felt him much at all. I decided, after some persuasion from my sister, Josh and the mums from my mums group via messenger, to call the hospital, just to be sure everything was okay. When I was told that I should come in to be monitored, just in case, my mind went crazy with thoughts; 'What if I need to be induced?', 'I don't want to be induced', 'I don't want a long labour', 'What do I do with Sienna who is asleep upstairs?', 'What do we do about Josh and work tomorrow?', 'Should he come out with us or should he stay here with sleeping Sienna because I am only being monitored that doesn't mean I'm going to go into labour... does it?', 'Is this it? Is labour beginning now?'. I was just a bundle of stress and nerves. Then I started feeling pains and a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen, which shot through to my back. I knew that something was happening.

We all jumped in my sisters car and left for the hospital at about 9.30pm. Poor Sienna was a little confused by the whole situation. The whole car trip in I was experiencing contractions, but they weren't too bad, I could breathe my way through them and I could still smile (in my labour with Sienna, I can vividly remember the midwives saying 'you can still smile, you're not really in labour yet.'). We met my parents at the emergency room and were taken through to maternity where I was strapped up to machines that monitor my heart beat and contractions and babys heart beat, and I was given an internal examination to see how far into labour I was. We found out that I was having contraction pains, but I wasn't dilated at all, so I was still in very early labour. My midwife gave me the option of staying the night in the hospital because I lived so far away or to go home and come in again when things progressed further. Since my parents were there with us I decided to go back to their place, as it was close by and I could get some rest and come back in quickly if need be. So I was given some pain relief (in the form of Panadine Forte) and sleeping tablets, in the hope of getting some form of rest, and sent on my way.

We got to my parents place at about 12.15am and by that time the contractions were getting stronger but I could still breathe through them and could still smile :-) We went inside and Sienna was put to bed. My memories from this point on are a little blurry, probably because the sleeping tablets were starting to take effect, so from this point on I can only give you the details as I remember them, Josh and my family members may have a very different account of the way things went. I remember lying on the lounge, thinking to myself that I should have my supper snack as I hadn't eaten anything since dinner and had given myself my insulin shot at the hospital, when I felt the pressure of another contraction, then felt a pop and the spread of water which I couldn't hold in and pain spread through my whole body. My water had broken... as I was lying on my parent leather lounge..... they say no damage was done, but I haven't been able to look at that lounge the same way again.
My mum called the hospital and I was told to go back in right away. I remember being in so much pain that I couldn't move and Josh had to help me/carry me out to the car. I don't physically remember the car trip back in at all. But I do remember that as soon as my water broke at home, I felt the need to push with every contraction and I thought I wasn't going to make it to the hospital. I remember making bargains with myself in my mind that I just needed to make it to the hospital and then I could get pain relief as my reward.

I was dropped off at the emergency room at about 1.00am, where Josh ran in and got me a wheelchair and I was taken back through to maternity. We were put in the same delivery room where I gave birth to Sienna and I was put on the bed. Pain was coursing through me with every contraction. I heard the word 'gas' offered and was like 'yes, yes, yes', so I had a few puffs on that in the hope it would take the edge off the pain, but was told they couldn't give me anything else in the way of pain relief, until the had checked again to see how far into labour I was. Another internal examination was done to discover that Blueberry was right there ready to come out and all I needed to do was push. So I was put into position and within about 5 contractions he was out and up on my chest.

He was so tiny (you forget how small they are) and so wobbly. I just remember looking up at Josh and the look of happiness on his face made it all worthwhile. We had a new addition to our little family... a beautiful healthy boy... here in my arms!! It was an amazing feeing! He was then taken to be weighed and measured and the given back to be fed straight away to check his blood sugar levels were all good, since I had gestational diabetes. Then finally Josh got to hold him too. Proud Daddy Moment... first time seeing Father and Son together... the thought still brings tears to my eyes.

I suffered from a lot of self-doubt through this labour. I don't know if it was the fact that I had just experienced a full day with Sienna and Josh, so I was already pretty tired by the end of the day or if it was the sleeping tablets or just general exhaustion, but I remember the whole way through thinking to myself... 'I can't do this'. Either I felt like I didn't have the energy, or the ability to do what it was that I had to do, whether it was getting up to walk to the car or actually push Oliver out, I just remember repeating over and over again 'I can't do this'. Which makes me so glad that I had such a supportive person in Josh there with me throughout this whole thing. Keeping me calm at home, helping me to the car, telling me that I could do it because he believed in me. He was my rock the whole way through and I am so thankful for him. I am also really thankful for the other members of my family for being there. My beautiful daughter, Sienna, for being such a good girl thoughout everything! I cannot wait to see all the adventures you are going to have with your little brother. My sister for driving us in when it all started. My mum for watching Sienna throughout the whole thing. My dad for taking control of the situation and telling us all to come out straight away and for driving us to the hospital with me passed out in the front seat in pain and keeping a level head. Couldn't have done it without you all.

It took a few days to decide on the name. But we always knew that 'James' was going to be his middle name because it is both Josh's middle name and my dads middle name, so it has ties to both sides. Oliver has always been a name that both Josh and I have liked, and was actually going to be Siennas name if she turned out to be a boy. Now that he's here I can't imagine him with any other name.

So, little Oliver James Waters, welcome to the world and its many wonders. Thank you for coming out so quickly and without complication and most of all, my beautiful little man, thank you for choosing me to be your mummy! I can't wait to teach you and show you everything I can. I am already so proud of you. xx

Thank You!!

I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for all the support I have received over the past 24 hours!!

You guys are truly the best people and I am so lucky to be able to call each and every one of you my friends! The amount of people who have come forward to share their stories of Gestational Diabetes or give their support to me has been phenomenal!! I was unsure about if I wanted to share my results on here, because I felt that poorly on myself, but I thought there might be other people like me out there that need to know there are others facing the same thing, and I taught myself that lesson at the same time. Here I was thinking that I was a let down to all females. That I was weak. And then I find out that there are so many people who have been through it, and that makes me feel like I can take on the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Even before yesterdays blog, I want to thank all the people who read my previous blog and gave me their telephone numbers, incase I needed to call someone if anything happened. I am so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful community of people. Not just here in my hometown, but over social media. There are people who I have never met, or haven't seen in a long time and they are there right behind me, encouraging me through everything. Thank you!

To each and every one of you reading this now, thank you for being a part of this journey with me!
Happy days, until my next blog....

- A xx