When I first started writing this blog, I just shared recipes. My alter-ego, Sensible Amanda, didn’t think anyone would be interested in what I thought, just what I cooked. Eventually, I started to add a little splash of me to my posts and to Sensible Amanda’s great surprise people started to read the blog. In April this year, when Kidspot first emailed to tell me they’d included Cooker and a ...
time-worn tucker
goodbye Jack
Jack joined David today. Our beautiful, naughty red dog is no more. It wasn't a flashy end, just a single long exhale from tired old dog who's body could no longer cope with life's demands. His death also marks the severance of yet another link with David. When Jack arrived in our lives we were just pups ourselves - carefree and oblivious to what life would one day throw at us. The Vet has ...
crockpot brownies and sister wives
Looking back I think Siri knew I was sister wife material. Driving along, not long after joining what David called ‘the iphone revolution’ I pushed the button and spoke into the headphones “Call my husband”. Siri said I don’t know who your husband is Amanda, so I told her and she responded with would you like me to remember that <insert friend’s husband’s name here> is your husband? ...
sugar free nut bars + flying the nest
The Big Sister has been back at kindy for two whole days now. Normally you could count on me to pen a post about how I wept tears of relief when we arrived at the kindy gate fifteen minutes early on Tuesday morning. Not this term. You see, this holidays I’ve realised that there are parents doing it much tougher than me. Parents whose children are incessantly demanding. Parents of children who ...
beer brownies + the time bearhands kicked butt
Bearhands quit smoking when I was four months pregnant with the Big Sister. He'd always promised he'd be finished with the fags by the time we had a family, but I'll admit when he chose a pricey laser treatment as his quit method, I was sceptical. I was wrong (yes darling, wrong!) and he kicked butt. He smoked his last cigarette on the steps of the clinic and has been smoke-free for five and a ...
leeds parkin + a load of crap
Bearhands can have really lousy timing. In one foul swoop (well, actually in lots of runs up and down the paddock) he’s has added a degree of difficulty to the school holidays: our entire farm is covered in chicken excrement. The odour is indescribable (at least on a website that values its G rating) and despite my reputation for being a hardarse, even I cannot order the children to play ...