Sweetie Soup ;-)

Hey,

This week I made Sweet Potato and Orange Soup. It is a lovely creamy soup filled with goodness that your little ones will just love. My girls love it and I always receive an empty bowl back! One happy mum! 

Give it a go!

Ingredients:

20g Butter
1 large Onion
500g Sweet Potato
200g Patato
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed Orange Juice
700mls Vegetable Stock
1/2 teaspoon of Ground Coriander
150ml Milk

Just leave out the milk for a dairy free option still tastes nice :-) 

Melt the butter,add chopped onion, cook gently until soft without Browning.

Add chopped sweet patato, patatoes, Orange juice, vegetable stock and coriander.

Bring to boil,cover and simmer for 30minutes until vegetables are tender.

Add milk and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!!

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook at Countryside Mumsie Blog and Instagram at countryside_mumsie

Let me know if you try the soup and if it was liked by the family,I would love to know!

Happy Saturday from all @ Countryside Mumsie

Orla & Kerri xx

Our Allergy Adventure

I will be the first to put my hand up and admit that when I was younger I had little tolerance for those children with 'allergies'. I thought it was over sensitive parents looking for something to fuss about for the little one. Since becoming a parent, I have quickly realised how ignorant I had been. Having a son or daughter with any kind of allergy or intolerance can be very difficult. 

A short list of foods account for about 90 per cent of food allergies: milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. Our story is about Milk.

In our situations, I had been ebf for almost 6 months, then with the decision to introduce a formula feed once a day we quickly realised somehing was a miss. Vomiting EVERYWHERE within 15 minutes of swallowing the cows milk based formula feed, made me quicky realise we had a problem.So next day we brought  our son to the GP and were told it was just a co-incidence he vomited and told it was just a tummy bug, and keep going with the introduction of formula. When the vomiting continued later that day and again on the same feed the following day, it was a case of back to the GP. This time we met an out of hours doctor who we had not met before. He was very helpful and suggested it may be an allergy and so prescribed a non cows milk based formula. From then on we have been advised many things by many people; some in the medical profession, some from a  homeopathic background, other mums, and then everyone else who likes to share their tupennny's worth. 

Overall I found, and still find it a really difficult task to get assistance and information. I realise milk intolerance or allergy is not any way as serious as other allergies and here in lies the descripiencies. Reseach and Professionals cannot seem to agree. This has confirmed in my heart that, like everything about a child, each child is unique and individual. Its a mothers instinct that knows not to take the first bit of advice. It can be a lonely journey and sometimes i'm questioning my sanity; maybe i'm that fussy parent looking for something to fuss about? But No, when my son is struggling to breath at night due to a spoon of yogurt earlier that day, I know to stop. I know that  this gentle introduction of dairy, called the The Oral Food Challenge (http://ifan.ie/milk/oral-food-challenges/) is not working so we were back to square one. 

It's been a tricky journey but here's what we do: Avoid ALL dairy! Yes ALL. We have become experts at finding subsitutes for all the typical, and even non typical dairy food your child may enjoy. 

The symptions our son gets if even the smallest bit of daiy has accidently gotten into his diet that day: begins with a runny nose and by bed time his beathing gets very shallow. One time we woke him from his sleep, afraid he was not going to take his next breath. 

The diagnosis: Having seen homeopaths and a few GP's and then a pediatric consultant that yes, he thinks its an allergy and we are now waiting to see a paediatric allergy specialist in the new Year. However, despite the outcome of this day, I know dairy does not like our son, and our son doesn't like dairy. Its that simple really.

The solution: We ensure dairy is excluded from his diet. We have swapped  cows milk for coconut or almond milk (luckily we found fresh almond milk), butter for cocount oil or sunflower butter and chocolate for Dairy free chocloate. After that we make sure products do not contain dairy and that's it. The hardest part was educating other adults our son may be with if we are not, such as Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, Childminders or Babysitters. Everyone means well but there have been some mistakes, these have been tough but once addressed it becomes clear that he is being punished not treated by giving him dairy.

Our favourite dairy free Ice-cream 'No bó' (No Cow)

Personally I find following blogs and getting advice from other parents with similiar experiences is what has helped  our family adjust.  Dairy Free Kids is a blog I religiously follow and find brilliant. There are so many myths and old wives tales out there. My advice to any parent unsure about whether your son or daughter has an allergy or intolerance is to stick to your gut feeling. Avoid the food and note any differences. This way you have evidence of differences in your childs health or behaviuor and you will not question yourself when asked by a health care professional. 

With our son now 3 1/2 it has taken 3 years for us to figure the whole thing out, or some part at least. And with preschool, school, friends, birthday parties etc all around the corner God only knows how we'll cope! Deep breaths, deep breath......it'll be grand! He loves strawberries......of course he will say no thank you to ice-cream, chocolate and tayto's at birthday parties.....wont he!!!  

In the meantime I'm bursting my backside making and baking dairy free alternatives! Keep an eye on 'Country Cooking' tab in the blog for recipes. 

Don't forget you can keep up to date with both us countryside mums on facebook and instagram. We'd love you to drop by and say hi x

Until next time,

Kerri and Orla xx 

Some helpfull websites and blogs on allergies and Dairy Free: 

http://ifan.ie/

http://www.safefood.eu/Food-safety/Food-Allergies/Allergy-or-intolerance.aspx

https://www.fsai.ie/faq/allergens.html

https://www.facebook.com/dairyfreekids?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/TheHappyPear

Craggaunowen - Weekend Fun!

Morning,

Recently we visited Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and had such a great time we decided to venture to Craggaunowen in Quin, Co Clare. I think I remember being on a school tour to Craggaunowen many moons ago so I was dying to check it out again and I was sure the whole family would enjoy it.

Craggaunowen is a reconstruction of a Bronze Age site with prehistoric lake dwellings called Crannogs, early Christain ring fort, Iron Age roadway and a replica of the Brendan Boat which is a sixth century vessel. There is also a restored 16th century tower house.

As you make your way around the various attractions there are people acting out what life was like in this era. They show the crowds how they cooked, what they ate, how they made clothes and the weapons they used. This was a lovely bonus and captured my 3 years old attention. It was very informative and done in an interesting manner. They invite people and children to participate.

There is a forest walk around Craggaunowen so bring the willies! We forgot ours and got a bit on the mucky side acting like Peppa Pig!  There are loads of rocks to jump off in the forest which is how my three year old would spend her day if we let her! :-)

There is also a castle to explore which was built in 1550. If you are lucky you will spot some Soay Sheep and wild boar which are all specimens of the prehistoric era.  Craggaunowen has a great tea room and picnic area to enjoy. It is open daily from 10am to 5pm during the summer. A family ticket will set you back a modest €21.50. A great price for a great day out!

Give it a go and let me know what you think!?

Don't forget to follow us on facebook @ Countryside Mumsie Blog and also Instagram @ countryside_mumsie

Orla & Kerri Xx

Juicing: what's the big craze?

Everywhere we look it's juices! The latest 'must-have' gadget seems to be the Nutribullet and the latest in-trend craze is juicing! So, what is it all about?

While thinking about getting ready for back to school season, juicing was one routine I really wanted to get into. The amount of goodness in one glass will set you up for the day and hopfully help fight off any nasty coughs and colds that the winter brings. 

A family member bought the all mighty, all praised NutriBullet before Christmas. We thought it would be used a few time and be back in the box by mid January! How wrong we were! It's a great sucess. And now we too have joined this juicing craze. Being completely specticle of the over priced glorified food processors we went an alternative route; juice delivery. 

Bottle of Juice outside our door early one morning

We are extremely lucky that the amazing Grace from Cork Nurtional Clinic has set up a fantastic service wherby she makes the juices and delivers them fresh to our door each morining before 7am! We simply drink our juice throughout the day, leave the empty bottle outside the door at night and in the morining, hey presto a fresh new bottle of juice!

We said to Grace we just wanted a juice that would detox us slightly, but just overall a healthy kick to our day really. The juice we get is just that; Ginger, Kale, Pear, Cucumber, Celery and sometimes an apple. In the bottle there is enough for a glass in the morning and a glass after work for both Dad and I but our son  hates it! The taste is tough at the start but it definitely gets easier. The benefits are unbelievable! Coming from a total sceptic, I have been won over! Im not sure if its all in my head, but im feeling healthier, ive have more energy, my skin is clearer, its just overall a positive! 

Will we buy the Nutribullet and do it ourselves? Origionaly my answer on this was : No, not for the time being. The service Grace in Cork Nutrition Clinic provides is fantastic. Maybe im being lazy, but untill I see us sticking at this craze for a (good) couple of weeks longer we wont be making the purchase. Unfortunately since first drafting this post, Grace has been in touch to say she's no longer doing the juice delivery service for a few weeks due to her work schedule!!!! We're devastated! So what are we going to do!!! I will  make them myself in the food processor and see how it goes!! Stay posted! 

So if you havnt already, why not join in on the juicing craze? Either make them yourself or contact someone like Grace in The Cork Nutrition Clinc. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts, comments or recipe ideas for juices! xx

Kerri and Orla x

Dont forget to follow us on instagram, twitter and facebook to see how our juicing is going.

Free Fun Friday-Arts&Crafts

Hey Mums,

Welcome to our 'Free Fun Friday'.

Hope you pick up some great free fun ideas for the family. Today's 'Free Fun Friday' idea is flower collages. Hope you enjoy!

With all the beautiful nature available to us in our gardens and in the wild at the moment I decided to give flower collages a go. It went down great with my girls holding their attention and they had lots of fun. We got our baskets out and went collecting flowers and leaves. We went around our own garden and then down the road to see what the hedges could offer us. There were giggles and running, grabbing and throwing but by the time we got home we had lots of colourful flowers and leaves to create a great collage.

The girls decided to make a card for Granny and a mask for Grandad. I find if they are making something for someone and I make a big deal of delivering it in an envelop after it keeps them really focused. They love getting attention for their hard work.

All we needed besides the flowers was glue, cardboard and I bought blank face masks at Mr Price. 

The girls loved creating their pieces for their grandparents and it was a lovely activity keeping them busy and entertained.  The odd bug came out of the flowers which were investigated too!

I usually put on background music while they are partaking in arts and crafts it creates a nice atmosphere; the album that was on was 'Now Disney Princess'. Great album for any princesses in your life! To be honest I love it too;-)

Give it a go, post some pics if you try it!  I would love to see them!

Last thing I just want to mention is this weekend's 'Crooms Party In The Park'

Weekend Family Fun in Croom, Co Limerick

'Croom Party in the Park' in Co Limerick is taking place this weekend. It is celebrating the official opening of the Croom Town Park.  The Croom Park and Playground is looking amazing. This is sure to be a great family day out. On Saturday from 1pm there are bouncy castles,face painting, food and craft village, animal road show, train rides, crazy golf, giant jenga and entertainment for all the family. 2e wristbands admits one child to all activities which are available to purchase on the day.

Don't forget to follow us on facebook @Countryside Mumsie Blog.

On instagram we are countryside_mumsie

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

Orla and Kerrixxx

Choosing Playschool over Montessori

So this a decision all us parents make and us mums decided to go against the status quo. 

When making this decision we came across some really interesting research and we were very surprised to find out that "Parents with higher levels of education are more likely to use Montessori and less likely to use a play-school settings for the Free Preschool Year. (Growing up in Ireland Study, Nov 2013)" Why is this? Is this due to un-researched decisions, public perception, personal choice, best-fit for child or is it just snobbery? 

Yes we both choose to send our little ones to a playschool, not a Montessori! 

We are not for one minute dissing the Montessori method, in fact as teachers we have both studied and since very much admire the ideas of Maria Montessori. We are just sharing our reasons to choose  a playschool with you. 

In Ireland we have what’s known as the 'Free Preschool Year' or the proper name is 'The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme'. When the Government were pressured to do something in relation to the importance of early education, instead of looking at alternatives, other countries etc., they did what they do best, a quick fix solution: Throw money at the problem! So the ECCE scheme started in 2010. All children aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months on 1st September are entitled to free preschool care for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, over 38 weeks. This is a free benefit available to all children. While I have reservations about this being the correct approach to engaging in early education, while it's still available I’m not complaining! 

Our little ones will meet the age requirements for his ECCE year this coming September, (although my little one will only do 2-3days this year: story for another day!!) you can calculate for your child here. We wanted to make sure we had them booked in, familiar with the idea etc. well before starting. For me, Kerri we are fortunate where we live to have an excellent Montessori school just up the road, a pre- school within walking distance, a Naíonra a short spin away, and two play schools near by. We are spoiled for choice. Which is why so much thought and research went into it! 

We chose to send our little darlings to a play-school and here’s why:

(1) All preschool services are regulated the same under the preschool regulations regarding HSE inspections, room size, staff , child ratios etc. They must also follow a documented curriculum to be in the ECCE scheme. This set our mind at rest that a play-school might not be 'up to scratch' regulation wise, as people would lead you to believe.  (2) Seán is an only child, and Farrah is the eldest child.  Social interaction, learning to share, taking turns, making friends and having fun, was our main objectivities for him. We are less concerned about pre reading, phonics, writing etc, this will be done at home but not overloaded, this is the junior infants curriculum. There is so much time to learn this in school.  (3) The importance of play.  This really is the MAIN reason.  (excuse me here, I do go on a bit of a rant, but I’m just so passionate about it's importance!!)  Play is considered so important to a child’s development that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) has established it as every child’s right.  Play is a child’s way of making sense of the world – a learning tool that engages, motivates, challenges and pleases. Play gives them an opportunity to demonstrate all that they have observed and learned about the real world and at the same time the opportunity to experiment with how they can make that learning useful in their own world. Children are born with an innate drive to learn – they want to be seen as smart, intelligent and capable people who can do things, who know things and who are well connected with family and friends. Play is not about completing one task at a time but about dealing with multiple tasks such as relationships, activities, problem solving, other peoples’ ideas and creating companionship and enjoyment, all at the same time. We chose a play-school because play is what happens from the minute the children walk in the door. It is not all free play, but play is key. There is not just a 'play space' but the whole environment, both inside and out are created for play. Toys of all shapes, sizes and all the 'gender specific' toys are free for all to use. There is a shop area, a kitchen area, a garage, a hairdressers and so much more, there are boxes of jigsaws, blocks, bead threading, dolls, buggies, trucks, tractors, and that’s just what Seán could recall to help me write this! Play is the emphasis in every corner of the room.  (4) The ethos, the athmosphere, the staff, and the facilities are warm, welcoming and inviting for children and parents. While this can be true for any type of pre school choice, the particular play-school we chose is a home away from home. All the children run in the door and have smiles on their faces when being collected. This is important to us.  (5) Outdoor play area. I don't mean a herb garden or poly tunnel, I mean tyre swings, slides with a muddy puddle at the end (peppa would love it), sand pits with diggers, play houses for tea parties/shops etc.  The outdoors is one of the best learning environments for young children, providing an opportunity to explore, experience and make meaning of the natural world. Children learn through play, movement, communication, and sensory experience which the outdoors provides for on a much greater scale than indoors. Play-schools let children make a cabby under the bushes and use the slide as a rocket ship, yes the children are told the names of these bushes, but it is when they encounter them, not sitting inside looking at a picture of a bush.  (6) The particular playschool we chose is near the primary school we hope our son will go too, so hopefully he will make friends that will be in his class right through primary school.  This post is not intended as a comparison. We just wanted to share our passion for the importance of play, and hence our decision to choose a play-school. Each child is unique and individual, a play-school is what we think will suit ours, whenever another  should come along we will choose a pre-school setting that best suits their needs. The Free year could be gone by then so cost could be playing a massive factor! So while it's lasting Id advise every parent to grab it with open arms. You have the luxury of choosing to send your son or daughter to whichever pre school setting you choose, so do your research, make an informed choice, choose a pre-school setting that best suits the need of your son or daughter. God knows the next child might have to learn their ABC's from this child should the government remove the scheme!  We'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic.  Now we're off to play! Untill Next time, Kerri and Orla

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References: Growing up in Ireland Study, Infant Cohort, Nov 2013, 

                   Cork County Childcare, 

                   Early Childhood Ireland.

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Mums Sshhhh;Save money on infant medicines?

Hey Mums,

So we all want to save money where we can yes?

 We came across this great online pharmacy that sells generic medicine. A generic medicine is identical or bioequivalent to a brand name drug in dosage form,safety,strength,route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use. Here are the products I recently bought online at a fraction of the price I would pay for the leading brands in my local pharmacy.

Junior Parapaed Sugar Free (paracetamol) is the generic form of Calpol. For 200mls it was £1.65

Fenpaed Sugar Free (ibuprofen) is the generic form of Nurofen infant. For 100mls it was £1.05

Dentinox is a great teething gel (I can stand by this with my 17mt old teething baby). For a triple pack it was £5.49

I also bought adult Ibuprofen for headache,period pain etc. Due to it being 400mg per tablet you only take one tablet per dosage. This packet of 48 tablets was £1.59

I advise you ship to Parcel Motel which costs £3.49

I'm sold on this!

The online company was Chemist Direct.  

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk



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Let us know if you order and what you think?

Orla & Kerri Xx