This will be my fourth week on the sugar-free ONE LINE RULE diet and I confess, this last week has been the toughest yet. The novelty has worn off and the temptations are becoming harder to keep at bay. A dinner-party with friends on Saturday night saw me knocking back the offer of chocolate Lindt balls on a plate – my favourite EVER chocolate – and that hurt!
(p.s. For newbies to this regime, the ONE LINE RULE diet means no products containing more than five per cent sugar. It’s all about checking the ONE LINE on the nutrition box of any product you might be tempted to eat. Over 5% and it’s OUT.)
Then yesterday, Ronnie decided she might become a CHOCOLATIER after finishing school, so she really needed to learn how to make chocolate NOW. With my help. Without me licking my fingers???? Do you know how hard that is??? You could have put me in the Tower of London and strapped me to a torture stretcher and I would have been happier.
Most teenage daughters persecute their mothers by getting smashed and coming home late in the wee hours of a Saturday morning… Not my daughter. No, she wants me to MAKE CHOCOLATE with her. So demanding. AND she is well aware of my anti-sugar campaign. Unbelievable.
Breakfasts are also tough. I love THE MUESLI but I also like variety. So to mix things up, I usually add a dollop of natural yoghurt to my muesli most mornings and sometimes a bit of fresh fruit. Otherwise, here’s a couple of alternative brekkies that hit the spot:
(1) Uncle Toby’s Instant Oats with a dozen fresh raspberries. There’s no sugar in the porridge and I’m allowed one serve of fresh fruit a day, so this is fine. The raspberries give the cereal a little sweet kick and you can always buy a box of frozen berries when they aren’t in season.
(2) Good old Vegemite on toast. Always a winner and butter is acceptable so, you feel like you’re sinning but you’re not. Sadly, peanut butter doesn’t cut it – the 7.4% sugar content takes it over the limit… sigh.
A BREAKFAST EXPERIMENT THAT DIDN’T WORK
So as you know, I’m very much missing my daily sugar fix. I ‘get it’ now when I remember what Emma The Guru said about sugar being an addiction as serious as any drug you can think of. Withdrawal can lead to desperate behaviour…. like this.
Even though I am coping (and enjoying) the breakfast options above, this morning I was particularly missing the concept of JAM on toast. Caving in to nagging from the kids, I’d purchased a whole loaf of WHITE sourdough bread. Now, there’s nothing better than a thick slice of white bread, toasted, dripping with warm butter and raspberry jam. I couldn’t get this image out of my head. I didn’t want Vegemite. But I knew that the EVIL, WICKED jam, beckoning me from the fridge, had to be kept locked up and well away from my sugar-free self. Still, the thought kept nagging at me. There must be another solution. And then I had a light-bulb moment.
There WAS something in the fridge that MIGHT work as a substitute. The ONLY acceptable BELOW five per cent sugar yoghurt I’d been able to find on the market was TAMAR VALLEY and I had a tub of raspberry yoghurt in the fridge. Ah ha!! Surely that would taste like jam? I would scoop the jammy bit out of the yoghurt and put it on my toast!
This does NOT taste good. I would NOT recommend trying this for breakfast, or any other meal for that matter. Just so you know. I don’t always get it right.
Have you just finished your first week back at work? Or are you starting back on Monday? It’s around this time, a large portion of the population packs up their holiday gear and heads home – holidays over for another year. Ahhh…. I can hear a huge collective sigh as we fold up the beach towels and shake the sand out of our hair. Forget those sleep-ins and hours basking in the sun – time to grab that briefcase and toe the line.
Like you, I have to put my head down and bottom up, if I’m going to make a fist of this blogging caper. My holiday is over now too. No mid-week coffees or lunches with pals, so don’t even phone me okay? But I do have one last holiday story I want to share with you. There is a treasure I will be wearing around my neck as I tap away at my laptop. It’s a special necklace that I SHOULD NOT have bought (but did!!) and I am now going to offer a perfectly acceptable rationale as to how it came to be a part of my life.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, several girlfriends happened to be in Lorne at the same time as us, and one night Allison (we call her Al…) organised a gathering at her family home, high up in the hills. She wasn’t just being hospitable. This was a business evening. Al used to be a schoolteacher. Now she designs and sells jewellery. After twenty years in the teaching game, she and a girlfriend, Sue, decided they needed a change and set up the Missie line of accessories.
And how could you say ‘No’ to a party that offers the best view in Lorne? Check this out.
Not bad, huh? And the jewellery, clothes and accessories Al sells are quite special. Not that cheap, landfill crap you buy at chain stores – rather, serious silver and gold pieces that are built to last. Likewise, all the handbags are made from beautiful quality leather.
When they set up the Missie business more than five years ago, Al and Sue flew to Hong Kong to meet with a family friend who had ran a diamond and pearl company. He gave them some expert advice on how to get started. Now they sell on-line, as well as stocking boutiques across Australia. Occasionally, they also hold jewellery parties like this one that I attended last week.
Al says the best part about the Missie range is that it appeals to all age ranges. ‘We pride ourselves on being able to match a piece of jewellery to anybody. It’s upmarket, but in a very good price range. We have some bracelets that sell from $20, and our most expensive piece is $250,’ she said.
Here’s just some of what Al had on display when she invited me and about twenty other women to visit, have a wine or two and try on her wares.
It was very clever of Al to rope hubby Michael in, to help serve drinks. And a fine job he did too. Always with a broad smile and a full bottle on hand, like a boy in a candy store – being the only bloke among the chicks. It’s amazing how much more open one feels about spending after a glass of wine. Or two.
There was one particular necklace that caught my eye – sparkling in the sunlight. Al’s business partner, Sue, was wearing it with a simple black shift dress and the combination worked a treat. I enquired about the price and yes, of course, I had picked the second most expensive piece in the range! The most expensive is a gold cuff that sells for $250.
The dresses are fun and floaty – perfect for summer. The shift worn by Sue comes in a range of colours and is perfect for dressing UP at a party or DOWN at the beach.
By the end of the evening, the patterned dress was proving popular, snapped up and worn on the spot by several guests – probably because Al proved such an excellent model.
Then I spied the handbags… A denim suede number was begging me to buy it, but I had to consider the silver necklace. At $180, I couldn’t buy both. Love the zips, and that colour would work with just about anything… hmmm, what to do?
I went back to the necklaces to reconsider. Emma tried on a lovely silver ball necklet that was another option worth considering… and more economical.
Other silver options: Multi-heart strand $220 or a single heart, $210
And THEN I spied one of the most original handbags I’d ever come across! Check this out. An evening bag that doubles as a bracelet accessory. The bangles are solid silver and it hangs from the wrist, meaning you don’t have to do that awkward juggle at a cocktail party, trying to balance a champagne glass and clutch bag while grabbing at finger food. How inventive! AND just the right size. I was sold. But I opted for black – thought it would be more versatile, although the silver was tempting…
By the end of the evening, I was obsessed with practically every item Al was selling, but I knew I had to make a choice. It would be rude to turn up, drink her wine and leave after only buying one teeny, weenie handbag, wouldn’t it? I should at least buy ONE more piece. The chatter and laughter among the women was reaching fever pitch, as more and more pieces started disappearing, being sold fast. All I wanted was to take home that silver necklace with the discs sparkling in the evening sunlight… How to justify buying a bracelet bag AND a necklace? Ah ha! The answer sprang to mind like the popping of a champagne cork. I had enjoyed SUCH a wonderful holiday at Lorne, I needed something to remember this perfect holiday by. Surely thatwas a good enough reason?
I peered at the necklace ONE MORE TIME through the wine glasses and knew it had to be mine. SOLD. And that is the story of how I came to own a beautiful new silver necklace as a memory of a very special holiday in Lorne. Justification, ladies. Works every time.
If you’d like to check out more of the Missie Jewellery range, or to book your own jewellery party, go to http://missie.com.au
Generally speaking, I reckon men are more competitive than women. And sometimes, you even find that within relationships, couples can be competitive with each other. I’d never thought that about Fletch and myself – UNTIL TODAY.
There we were, happily enjoying some ‘time out’ – kiddie free – down along Victoria’s surf coast with my brother and sister-in-law. Early this morning, Fletch rose at dawn to take some photographs along the beach. Sunrise shots are his specialty. You may remember a few of his picturesque snaps from a blog I posted at Lorne last week. I stayed in bed and was probably snoring when he twisted his ankle among the rock pools.
We waited for him to return so we could ‘go out’ for breakfast. By the time he got back, I was starving. We decided to take a stroll through the scrubby bush lining the cliffs, down to the Anglesea Life Saving Club, where they’re renowned for dishing up a killer brekky. Fletch said his ankle would be fine, that it wasn’t ‘too bad’. Watching him power ahead of Penny and myself, I believed him. He likes to be the fastest and lead the pack. I’m used to that and didn’t think much of it.
After we arrived at the Life Saving Club, we sat on the decking, over-looking a sweeping view of the Anglesea beach. The tide was out, leaving a glassy expanse across the foreshore. While sipping on a latte and waiting for my eggs and bacon, I took a photo of my own and posted it on Instagram. It looked like this:
Now, it’s a little over-cooked. I know, I know… My excuse is that we were sitting in the sun, and as you’re all probably aware, trying to peer into the dark glass of an I-phone to see ANYTHING on a sunny day is practically impossible. Fletch looked at it and nodded silently. Knowingly.
Next thing I know, he’s grinning as he also takes a shot and posts it on Instagram. His photo is, OF COURSE, infinitely better and looked like this:
Remember too, that he IS photographer and has dozens of special ‘Apps’ on his I-phone that I am blithely unaware of, so his creative powers are naturally, going to be far superior to mine. My eggs arrived. I felt I may as well wear them on my face after he’d shown me up on Instagram to be a failure. But it didn’t quell my appetite. I stuffed myself and the eggs were delicious. As were the mushrooms.
After finishing up, we walked back home along the beach and I spotted a row of fence posts that screamed artistic potential. ‘Great,’ I thought. ‘Now I can show the world what a brilliant photographer I am!’ And I took this:
I took more time with the effects and was quite chuffed with the results. That is, until Fletch saw my photo and then ran back to the fence posts. I watched in disbelief as he snapped away, knowing what he was doing. For the second time he wanted to prove to the world that he is a better photographer than me by shooting the SAME subject matter. Here’s his picture:
Humph! Quite frankly, I think it’s a bit over-the-top. A bit melodramatic – don’t you think? But damn him, yes, it’s STILL stacks better than mine. Then I remembered him striding along the bush track to breakfast, trying to keep ahead of the girls, despite his twisted ankle. It suddenly dawned on me that he is one helluva competitive bloke.
I called him on it.
Jen: ‘Why are you doing this? Why are you so competitive?’
Fletch: ‘I’m not competitive.’
Jen: ‘Well, why do you take the same shot as me?’
Fletch: ‘If I see something and you see something at the same time, we both take the shot, that’s all.’
Jen: ‘But you see me take the shot, then copy me and do a better shot and it makes me look bad.’
Fletch: ‘No I don’t. Don’t be silly. You’re over-playing it.’
I’ll say it again. HUMPH! You’ve seen the photos. You be the judge.
But come on – we all KNOW he’s a better photographer than me. I mean, just take a look at these shots he took at sunrise:
That last shot is my favourite. It’s pretty impressive.
So there you go, Fletch – you win. As you lie on the couch with ice on your swollen ankle, moaning, I tell you – you ARE a better photographer than me. Can you just stop copying my Instagram shots to show me up??? Thanks.
And by the way – here’s one shot I snuck in at the Life Saving Club that you DIDN’T get to copy:
Yep, all the teaspoons at the cafe are vintage classics – all different and probably sourced from Op Shops all over. I love them – their detail and craftsmanship – that each one has it’s own story and a past life.
This is just a quickie blog to make myself accountable for the five New Year’s Eve Resolutions I promised to myself. Here’s how I went in the past week:
RESOLUTION UPDATE
(1) Sugar free challenge (apart from wine) – to stick to the ONE LINE RULE diet.
Still going well, although because we’ve been on holidays I still haven’t enforced the three-alcohol-free days rule. But I did have ONE yesterday and two last week! Yay me. And at least I am now seeing a slight drop in weight, which although that’s not the primary reason for cutting sugar from my diet, it is encouraging. I am missing a lot of my regular treats though… No more fruit buns from Baker’s Delight… (sigh.) I’m meeting with my anti-sugar guru Emma Dumas, to get some more tips about maintaining the One Line Rule diet, so I’ll post them shortly, including a couple of recipes that may be of use to those of you who are also trying the NO SUGAR campaign.
It is tough, but I’m going to keep going! So yes, I get a tick for keeping to my ONE LINE RULE diet for the first two weeks of the year.
Hmm… not going so well. Got home from Lorne and found I still had Spider Solitaire on my I-pad so thought I’d sneak in a quick game which turned into half an hour, Pathetic. So I deleted that but then I transferred my addiction to games by joining my daughter in working on a 2000-piece jigsaw. A jigsaw??? Really? But I found it quite meditative and kept at it till about one in the morning till it was done. So I can’t get a tick for beating time-wasting game addiction this week. But surely jigsaws don’t count? A shared mother-daughter activity has to be considered worthwhile, doesn’t it? And they’re NOT an I-phone game… No, I still played Spider Solitaire so I get a big fat cross. X
(3) To tidy my office before the end of March.
Still plenty of time till the end of March, and I’m doing little bits and pieces, so I think I’ll get there. A tick for this one.
(4) To go to the gym at least 3 times a week.
The disclaimer on this resolution, was “except for when on holidays”. As we returned from holidays at the end of last week, this one still doesn’t really count, but I did manage a spin class at the gym, so I think I get a tick here.
(5) To NEVER smoke another cigarette again. Even after a big weekend at the Jeep Portsea Polo, I stayed cigarette free so I get a big fat tick here.
So checking the scorecard – that’s four ticks out of five at the end of week two. But the coming week will be a bigger test as I’m now back in the work routine and will have to enforce the 3-times-a-week gym rule. Will keep you updated next week.
Movies are always a favourite option when trying to amuse the kids during the long school holiday break. It’s a couple of hours of ‘time out’ – a chance to sit back and relax, take a rest from sibling squabbles, and hopefully enjoy some quality entertainment while stuffing yourself with warm popcorn.
If you’re tossing up which movie to take the kids to see this weekend, then I’d strongly urge you to choose Parental Guidance over Wreck It Ralph – a MILLION times over. And don’t listen to the newspaper critics. While I have enormous respect for them, in this instance, I disagree with just about all the reviews.
Ronnie wanted to see Parental Guidance, and despite one prominent critic giving it only ONE star, we headed off to the cinema anyway, because she loves a comedy. She’d also checked out the trailer and was convinced it would be worth watching. She was right. Get a couple of seasoned comedic veterans like Billy Crystal and Bette Midler and it’s hard to go wrong. Their pairing is fabulous and their comic timing – spot on. The script is busting with gags that will appeal to both younger and older generations.
Even if you don’t have kids, there’s enough family conflict and humour to make it relevant to all. I also enjoyed watching the tug-of-war between the grandparents and their daughter over which type of parenting works best for children. Both are a little extreme – cocooning and helicopter parenting, versus the old school – ‘smack them and tell them to shut up’ variety. At least the film isn’t too heavy-handed in terms of trying to dish out a morality lesson. The audience is given the chance to see both sides can be right, and that black and white isn’t the way to look at life when it comes to raising children. The final message of the film probably falls from Bette’s mouth when she tells her daughter to ‘Stop trying to be the perfect parent. Nobody is.’ How true.
As for Wreck It Ralph, you couldn’t have gotten me out of the cinema more quickly. All four of our family agreed it was possibly the worst movie we’d seen in years. True, our kids are well beyond the age of the toddlers this Disney feature is aimed at, but regardless, we’ve loved all the Toy Story and Ice Age movies of the past and had hoped this movie would live up to the clever scripting and standards already set. Not so. The script is infantile and weak, lacking in magic and charm. I am amazed one movie critic gave it FOUR stars. Really?
The other aspect I detested was the film’s blatant product placement. It’s so contrived, I practically left my jaw on the floor of the cinema. From the Nesquik quick sand, to the Diet Coke lake, to the exploding Mentos, to the Sugar Rush landscape – god help me, if this film isn’t trying to turn the next generation of toddlers into sugar addicts, then I’ll eat a block of Cadburys. And if you’ve been reading my Blog lately, you would know how unlikely that is – being on a sugar-free campaign and strongly promoting the health benefits of a sugar-free diet. So you can imagine how incensed I was when those silly Oreo characters started marching and chanting ‘O-Reo! O-Reeee-ohhh. O-reo! O-Reeee-ohhh!’ Puh-lease….
So there you have it. I’ll stop ranting now. But DO see Parental Guidance. It’s charming, funny and your kids will learn who the amazing Billy Crystal and Bette Middler are. Isn’t that a better idea than turning then into sugar fiends???
