Eating low carb and some exciting (to me) diabetes news

If you are not interested in my diabetes situation (and who can blame you) you have my permission to skip this post, we can still be friends. This is an exciting update though, so I hope you can live with not knowing.

Do you remember when I went to the specialist diabetes Dr and found out my BSA was 9? And that Dr put me on fast acting insulin injections 3 times a day and I was having hypos? And I ended up firing her ass and going to the GP?

WELL!

The GP took me off the 3 injections quick smart, and started me on another tablet called Diamicron, which is just a little tablet with breakfast every day. Rather than putting more insulin in your body, it helps the insulin that is already there to work better and be more efficient.

As well as this, I've been trying to eat in line with Paleo ideals, not so much because I love the lifestyle, more from a 'lets reduce my carb intake' point of view. It's been super hard to give up grains and I'm not even attempting to do the rest of Paleo, which includes no dairy or legumes. I don't disagree with it, I just needed to take baby steps.

And those baby steps have paid off! I just came back from the GP's and my BSA is 6.6! If you are diabetic or know anyone who is you will understand how awesome this is - happy tears kind of happy. My BSA hasn't been this low for about 9 years, so to achieve this reduction in 4 months is fantastic. It goes to show I did the right thing in firing the Dr and stopping the insulin injections!

So what exactly have I been eating? Well, I'm a bit of a failure at Paleo, I eat wheat every day. I try and reduce the amount that I eat, but Dude, it's winter and sometimes a toasted sandwich is just the thing. Also, I have a family to feed - a family that is not interested in giving up grains. I also need to feed this family on a budget, and sometimes the more economic choice is not the most Paleo friendly. But, I try.

Generally I substitute pumpkin on my plate, instead of the rice or pasta that the rest of the fam are eating. So, bolognaise, chili, curry, any sort of casserole or slow cooker meal I will eat as usual, but with baked or steamed pumpkin (with the skin on), rather than grain product. Sometimes for breakfast I will fry an egg (in a nonstick pan with hardly any butter) and put that on some pumpkin. I really like pureed cauliflower instead of mashed potato, and I've also played around with 'Paleo rice' (finely chopped cauliflower) with some happy results. The Paleo diet allows potato and sweet potato but that doesn't work for me if my aim is to reduce carbs.

It also helps me if I jazz up the visual and taste appeal with some chili sauce, chopped shallots, parsley or a few olives - things the monkey boys won't eat. I am not one of those people who are happy with a salad, I need my tummy to feel full in order to not feel deprived. This is probably something to take to therapy but I don't even care, I'm just going to accommodate it!

I will generally have a small piece of roast potato, or a few hot chips; and there is no way I can live without sushi or burritos. I try and keep it to moderation and the results in terms of BSA are so much better than I thought they would be. If I've only been giving it 50-60 %, imagine what will happen if I ramp it up another 20%?

NB: I am not AT ALL an expert on diabetes or the Paleo diet, I am just sharing my journey with you. If you have any questions or concerns about your own health, please seek advice from someone qualified. This certainly wont be me!
xx
(linking to FYBF)

Going Commando. Is it for you?

I've often thought 'going commando' i.e, sans knickers, was something only guys did. I mean, if a lady went commando, what would be impersonating the gun in her pocket? It couldn't exactly be called going commando if there was no gun, you know? But then I saw this image recently.

It is the most lady like landing strip ever, but clearly there are no underpants. This fanny flash happened last year at the December premier of Les Miserable, so straight away you can tell that I am not up with celebrity gossip. Actually I hate gossip of any kind, but that is a story for another day. I also hate most reality TV - yes, I'm a freak. Shut up!

I was actually astonished, probably because I was so behind in celebrity gossip. I know some celebrities like to show their lady parts as a type of publicity (looking at you, Paris Hilton) or because they are allegedly taking too many drugs and might be suffering impaired mental judgement (leave Brittany alone!) I went to Google to see if there was any further information on celebrity vaginas, and well, I'm sure you can guess the answer. Many, many celebrities have wardrobe malfunctions, and lots seem to go without underwear completely. Just as a heads up, the interconnecting section of these two circles is Eva Longoria. Vag on the red carpet? Tick! Nipples on Letterman? Tick! It's either publicity, or her stylist is playing a cruel and unusual joke on poor Eva.

In my opinion Anne Hathaway didn't fit either of these bills. I mean clearly she doesn't choose to fit in any undies, either, but I have always thought her to be an intelligent, talented,  reasonably sophisticated young woman. I've applauded her stance on healthy body image, and admired the way she's portrayed herself in interviews. There seems to be a lot of Hatha-haters out there, and I am not one.

What I am saying is, was this an actual mistake by Anne? Common sense tells me no, no way, forget it - NO ONE simply 'forgets' to wear underwear on the red carpet. But after a while of thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that maybe I was the only one that had such a hang up about wearing underwear all the time. OK, sometimes at night, in summer, I like to air out the under carriage overnight - I'm sure I'm not alone in that. But going out and about? Somewhere where you are going to walk, and sit and talk and mingle and have your photo taken? Wearing kinky boots and a dress with very high slits up the side? Ummm, no. I couldn't. Obviously each to his or her own, and presumably you might want to ensure your clothing was secure, but even then, I couldn't. Could you?

I still like and admire Anne Hathaway, but I'm just not sure weather this malfunction was staged or not. The big question for me is why do some women choose not to wear underwear? If someone as ladylike and poised as Ms Hathaway can go lady commando, then why can't I?

What do you think? Could you? Would you? Do you??
xx

PS - There are no links here, because I don't want vagina traffic! Do your own Google Search if you want!

Dogs on furniture

I have this rule about dogs on the furniture. I don't allow it. 

I don't think our dog agrees with this rule.

Oh, I'm such a good girl, I'll just rest my head on the edge of your bed. I'm so adorable!!

Nawwww, so cute. Until, in the middle of the night you might find this.

I know you are awake Kora!!

Do you think you could give my master and his bitch some privacy?? 

She lurves Mr BC and jumps on him the second she can. 

 And it's such an easy, natural progression from the bean bag to the bed. 

 ....and then if you are on one bed, whats to stop you having a rest on the other beds? Even the spare bed  that is made with Nanny's own doona, which she bought with her because it wouldn't be covered in dog hair?

At least you could look embarrassed! I guess it's all in the attitude, huh Kora?

 But now, you have gone too far. This is not attractive.

Why would you think there is room for you to sprawl out on the bottom bunk??

Do you have any tips to keep dogs off the furniture? Could you tell them to my dog?

Thanks xx

Joining up to Wordless Wednesday.

Long Weekend

We've just had a long weekend here in Australia, for the Queens Birthday. Many Australians are staunchly in favour of a republic, but giving up the Queen would mean giving up a public holiday, and that is where the argument falls down. I don't mind the Queen so much. She is constant and fair, she's done a great job for a hella long time all the while putting up with a nut bag family, and she wrangles a herd of corgis. You've got to admire her.

Happy Birthday Lizzy! via

I don't know what the Queen did for her birthday, but here in the Chaos household it was a 3 day pyjama day. The weather was cold and drizzly, which made snuggling on the couch a very easy choice. Most of the family have a lurgy that is going around and are barking like seals, so taking it easy was the healthful thing to do. Lots of tea and DVDs, internet, a bit of pottering around and a bit of baking. Heaven, really.

Monkey Boy opened up a barber shop in the bathroom, but he only had one customer. I can't imagine why. Mr BC is such a sweety, he didn't want to hurt Monkey Boy's feelings so we all cheered Great Job, Monkey Boy!! and then Mr BC waited until everyone was asleep before fixing up the leopard print effect. Naww!

The garden is growing nicely, provided I do a caterpillar patrol every day. It's very satisfying feeding caterpillars to our piranha-like goldfish, and I hope the other caterpillars take note. Winter vegetables take longer to grow that summer vegetables, and the wait if killing me! Every time I grit my teeth at the supermarket and buy a cauliflower I come home and tell the garden to hurry up! The only problem is that I've forgotten what I've planted. Well, I know there is cauliflower, purple cauliflower, broccoli, something else, and two types of cabbages; but god knows what is what. I guess it will be a nice surprise when they are finally ready to harvest.

I whipped up this Cranberry Oat Slice, and it was dead easy. I've blogged about it before as 'Evolution Slice', which sounds a bit primordial and not very appetizing at all. The recipe is so adaptable, just put whatever you like in it and rename it accordingly.

Cranberry Oat Slice

• 1 cup of self raising flour
• 1 cup of sugar (I used raw organic, but use what you like)
• 1 cup of oats
• 1 cup of dried cranberries (or 1 cup of coconut, or 2 tablespoons of cocoa, or choc chips or apricots or pecans or muesli or pepitas or whatever you like)

Mix this all together. Then mix in the following,

• 125g (half a cup) melted butter
• 1 egg

Press into a slice pan lined with baking paper, cook in a medium oven for 20 minutes or so. Let cool before icing. 

There is a very thin icing glaze on this because when I went to use the icing sugar, it had almost completely gone. (rude shock!) Depending on what I've put in the slice, sometimes I use a thin lemon icing, or maybe just melted chocolate on the top. It's very adaptable to whatever you have on hand. You can see why I call this evolution slice!

In other news, we had to quickly revise our office makeover plan at the discovery that the bookcases we had planned on using didn't actually fit into the space. So the chest of drawers that was going to be painted black and sit under the TV in the lounge room, would now be painted white by Teenage Daughter (mostly) and be used as storage in the office. This is not a bad thing, but I sure do want the bookshelves out of the lounge room, and as yet cannot find anywhere else for them to go. 

The fold out table that is being used as a desk was taken apart and rejoined to be more of a desk shape and less of a kitchen table shape, while still keeping it's beautiful pine patina. This makes me happy, because we had planned on selling it and now we get to keep it. It's the first piece of proper furniture Mr BC and I ever bought together and it has a lot of memories. Plus, it's nice to recycle!

Monkey Boy created his own drum kit and impressed us with his musical talent, begging the question - should we put him in drum classes? Do we dare? The Gentleman wants to learn trumpet. I will need some heavy duty ear protection, I think.

What did you get up to over the long weekend? Did you bake, or do anything else exciting? Hope you had fun and relaxed, whatever you did.

xx

(linking to IBOT)

At Last, the Etta James Story

On Wednesday night I was lucky enough to be gifted two tickets to see Vika Bull star as Etta James in At Last, The Etta James Story. I was so excited to see this, because I thought Vika Bull was the perfect choice to play Etta James, a vocal powerhouse and sexy sass personified.

via

It was a date night for us, but it wasn't until we where in the car that I got the chance to tell Mr BC about where we where going and what we where going to see. (He's not uninterested, just busy, I promise.) Once I told him he was super excited because he's been a fan of Vika Bull and her sister Linda since their Paul Kelly and also Black Sorrows days.

Although I was a fan of Vika's I had only heard a little about Etta James, and had no idea of just how troubled her life was. I knew a few of her songs and had seen her on TV, but didn't know anything about the story behind them. I found the narrative style of the show to be really interesting and informative, but not intrusive at all - the songs provided the drama rather than any actors, and in the life story of a singing legend, that is how it should be.

I learnt that Etta James was actually born James Etta, and it wasn't until she got a record deal as a teenager that her name was changed around. She was born to a 14 year old drug addict, who spent a lot of time in and out of jail. Etta was raised in foster care before becoming embroiled in drug addiction and jail terms of her own. There where many escapades, including being banned from the state of Alaska, running from bounty hunters, and pawning the bands instruments. She had two children, and at one stage spent a torturous 17 months in rehabilitation. She experienced extreme highs and lows, and all throughout this, her voice was her strength and salvation, even when she thought that the drugs where.

This narrative set the scene for each song - why it was sung, what it meant to Etta, and how she felt about the current state of her life was brilliantly imparted by the lyrics themselves, not to mention the incredible voice of Vika Bull.

I was lucky enough to meet Vika and the band after the show, and to my delight they are a group of genuinely lovely people. Vika herself was down to earth, chatty and with a great sense of humour. She was a pleasure to meet!

If you get the chance to see At Last: The Etta James Story my advice is to jump on that chance and go, you won't regret it. It's playing at The Brisbane Powerhouse until Saturday, before heading off to Adelaide. Tickets are available here, or if you can get to the Brisbane dates then I highly recommend making a night of it with the following offer.

WHAT:                   At Last: The Etta James Story Dinner and Show Package

Where:                               Watt Restaurant and Bar, Brisbane Powerhouse

When:                                 For performances between Wednesday June 5 to Saturday June 8, 2013

Performances:                    Wednesday June 5                          7.30pm

       Thursday June 6                             7.30pm

       Friday June 7                                 7.30pm

       Saturday June 8                             1.30pm

       Saturday June 8                             7.30pm

Bookings:                           Watt Restaurant and Bar on 07 3358 5464

Tickets:                              $90.00 per person

Includes:                             One course dinner, drink and premium ticket to the show.

xx

Linking up to FYBF

Disclaimer - I was gifted 2 tickets, and that is all. As usual, all words and enthusiasm are my own.

Proudly Supporting Bravehearts

I'm making a few changes around here, and one of the first things is that me and my house of chaos are now supporting Bravehearts. Have you heard about Bravehearts? Bravehearts have a vision to make Australia the safest place in the world to raise a child by 2020. I don't have a sad story to share, but I do think they do an amazing job at delivering on their key purpose, which is to educate, empower and protect Australian kids from sexual assault.

To achieve this they deliver school-based prevention programs as well as training, counselling, support and advocacy for survivors. My kids have been lucky enough to participate in prevention programs at school, and I've been impressed in the way the programs have been fun and informative, while being sensitive to children's level of understanding. They talk about trusting your instincts, acceptable and unacceptable touching, and the importance of having a group of adults you can trust who you can talk to if something goes wrong. My children came away thinking what a fun time they had. I hope they never need to use the strategies they learned but it is fantastic to know that if they do need to, they will be able to.

Bravehearts also drive research into preventing children from sexual assault and legislative reform agenda. To achieve this they depend on business, government and community support. That includes me, and you, and anyone else who cares about kids in Australia.

Bravehearts has been active since 1997 and in that time have been persistent in moving this once taboo subject out of the shadows and into the light. This distinction was acknowledged and supported by the commonwealth government and it's COAG partners via the National Framework for the Protection of Australia's Children (2009-2020). It's nice to be recognized, and it's even nicer to achieve their mission of stopping child sexual assault in society; something they are working hard to do. That's important to me because it's the society my children live in.

I'm not their official brand ambassador, they have a super cute teddy bear for that. I just figured that if I can expose the (sadly small number) of visitors to this blog to a worthy cause, then I will be using my blog for good instead of evil, and isn't that something worth blogging about?

I'm not asking for any money, but if you would like to make a donation or find out how else you can support this fantastic charity, or how they can help you, please click the button to your left to check out their website. I will be telling you about different events and activities from time to time, but the button will stay.

Peace out, Lovelies.
xx

Make Over Day!

Back before Mothers Day, Monkey Boy ran out of class with excitement

 to show me a picture of me that he had coloured in.

Do you like your grey hair, Mum? He asked.

Um, yes! Thank you Darling!

I don't really like my grey hair at all, although I did love his attention to detail and creative licence. Who doesn't want blue streaks? Sadly, my hair wasn't as stylish as Monkey Boy's photo at all, and I was in desperate need of a make over. I mean - don't get me wrong, I wasn't a swamp donkey! My appearance just needed a freshen up, that's all!

Luckily Toni from Beautiful You was on a mission. I sat down for a haircut and almost wept with excitement when she whispered in my ear, Actually, today I'm going to give you a bit of a makeover...

Best surprise ever!

She transformed me with a style cut and blow dry, a personalized Redkin colour with hidden highlights, and professional makeup application using Young Blood Cosmetics. Rachel happened to be in the salon at the same time, getting her tresses seen to. I had no idea she wasn't a natural blonde.

 Ta-da!

Gosh I love this lady. Thank you Toni, and Thank you Beautiful You!

I think this was so exciting for me because normally I cut my own hair, and my favourite cosmetic is chap stick. I really loved the whole experience. Maybe I am finally turning into a girly girl?

Before and after. Success? I think so.

Later that night, Monkey Boy asked me to help him wash his hair. 

I promise I won't splash your pretty eyes, Mum. he said. 

Awwwwwwww!

xx