MSE Parents Club Part 7

searching_me

2 secs sami i have it x

searching_me

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 onions, peeled, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 kg/2¼lb beef mince
1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 beef stock cubes
Method

1. Heat half of the vegetable oil in a large pan over a high heat. Add the onions, garlic and herbs and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until softened and golden-brown. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside.
2. Heat half a tablespoon of the remaining oil in a separate pan over a medium heat. Add a third of the beef mince and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until browned.
3. Transfer the browned mince to the pan containing the onions, garlic and herbs.
4. Repeat the process twice more with the remaining oil and the remaining batches of mince. (NB: Overloading the pan will not speed things up because the pan will lose heat, so take your time.)
5. Return the pan containing the cooked mince and vegetables to a medium heat. Add the canned tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce and stir the mixture well to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
6. Meanwhile, crumble the stock cubes into a large heatproof jug and add 1 litre/1¾ pints of boiling water. Stir until the stock cubes have dissolved.
7. Add the stock to the beef and tomatoes mixture and bring to a simmer. Simmer for one hour, uncovered, or until the volume of liquid has reduced slightly and the sauce has thickened.
8. The braised mince can be eaten straightaway, served with rice or spaghetti. Alternatively, it can be used as a base for more complex dishes. It can be set aside to cool, then frozen or chilled in the fridge until needed (it can be kept in the fridge for up to three days).

SugarSpun

They've gone!!!!!!!

The flat is ours once again.

And we spent the afternoon making Molly a US citizen.

sparkle03

Aww Becles she looks adorable!

mookiandco

Helloooooo

Been on a play date with NCT friends since 11am! Leila is having a little nap, wish I could do the same but I have to atleast do one job like the washing up so hubby thinks i'm a good wifey!

Better drag myself off the comfy sofa but will be back later xxxxxxxxxx

ETA: Becles, Charlotte looks adorable. A little star in the making xx

tiamai_d

Sort of relating to a few crying babies recently, and because I thought it was interesting (and I'm putting off doing the dishes and ironing and mopping the floor), has anyone heard of Aware parenting and crying to heal?

http://awareparenting.blogspot.com/2006/02/babe-in-arms-crying-to-heal.html

Basically, it's saying that babies cry for two reasons, the first is an immediate need (I'm starving, my butt is covered in poo, my belly hurts) and the second, is to relieve stress and emotional tension. It goes on to say that if the crying is to relieve stress that by feeding to soothe or rocking/jiggling then the baby is not getting a chance to de-stress and so the problem continues. If they fall asleep during thsi crying phase they will wake back up to continue it. Only by simply holding the baby close to you or just being close to the baby in a calm environment with no stimulus and letting the baby simply cry can the baby de-stress and then finally settle down to sleep fully or become a happy alert baby depending on how they are feeling.

I have known that there has been tmes when the boys or Amber has just needed to cry and be comfoted while doing it. Even as toddlers there were times when they just had to have a bit of a scream and relax.

ETA, the reason I was thinking about it is because of the 'cry it out' thing. Which does seem cruel to just leave them screaming their little hearts out and this seemed like a compromise. Baby gets to cry but parent is there to say 'its ok you can cry if you need too and I'm right here for you'.

Or have I just went all weird on you?

money_maker_3

tiamai_d wrote: »

Or have I just went all weird on you?

Hows that different to normal ??:p:rotfl:

SusanC_2

tiamai_d wrote: »

Sort of relating to a few crying babies recently, and because I thought it was interesting (and I'm putting off doing the dishes and ironing and mopping the floor), has anyone heard of Aware parenting and crying to heal?

http://awareparenting.blogspot.com/2006/02/babe-in-arms-crying-to-heal.html

That's an interesting article. Alice sometimes says she's crying when she isn't presumably because she doesn't know the right words for what she is feeling (e.g. "I'm crying for Daddy," when she's missing him because he's at work).

r.mac_2

susan my LO sleeps really well in our bed and I'm sure it's to do with smell. She settles well in it and sleeps for longer - I think because its extra warm in there!

ovulation When we decided to TTC, I used a persona machine which told me the days I was most fertile/ovulating. It can be used for TTC'ing or as a method of contraception (but only if a pg would be welcomed if it didn't read correctly for any reason - it doesn't claim to be 100% reliable). It suggests using extra protection until you have worked out your cycle.

tiamai_d

money_maker wrote: »

Hows that different to normal ??:p:rotfl:

cos I'm not usually trying to be clever :rotfl:

My daughter is discovering The Laugh. I've had a few huge smiles with a little 'heehhh' so cute!