Well read

So I just ran my first reading group with Sprog 1’s classmates, and I give myself an “F”. The poor little mites walked away no clearer about the book’s meaning than when they started. Mind you, I was having a bit of trouble following, since I stepped in at Chapter 5. It had something to do with an Aboriginal woman comparing a kid to an echidna and suggesting that was why he was having trouble bonding with his dad, who was sad about something – possibly a death in the family – and had built a figurative “cocoon” around himself to hide his pain. All a bit deep for eight-year-olds … and the 43-year-old who was supposed to be helping them. Walked out with a rather nasty headache, which may have been caused by feelings of inadequacy, but more likely because I’ve been hitting the Diet Coke too hard and am finally caffeine addicted. Rather than trying to break the cycle, I headed straight for the nearest corner store and bought a nice big bottle of it to get me through the morning. Ahhhhh. I also picked myself up a salmon fillet for lunch. Lunch as a stay-at-home mother is proving challenging, as I’m carb intolerant (it’s true, a proper doctor took a sample of my large/small intestine, not sure which, and confirmed it). Lunch at work was a rotating feast of BBQ chicken and salad or a very nice tofu, veg and cashew stir-fry (no rice) from the food hall across the road. I got all healthful when I first stopped work and made a big pot of soup to have for my lunch each day. But I’m tellin’ ya, soup just doesn’t cut it when there’s no slab of bread and butter on the side. By mid-afternoon I’d start fantasising about juicy steaks slathered in mustard. So I’m going to try stewing the salmon fillet in Sprog 1’s leftover roast tomato soup. I don’t have the highest hopes for the outcome…

TONIGHT’S MENU: Lamb, feta & olive rissoles with a) wedges (Sprog 1), b) mashed potato (Sprog 2), c) mashed parsnips (me, sigh). Verdict: Sprog 1 “Quite tasty”; Sprog 2 “Do I have to eat it all?”