DIY Neck and Shoulder Wheat Pack

I own a bunch of wheat packs, most courtesy of Holly over at Hollymayb. When she did a giant stash clean out, I walked away with some nice heavy drill cotton and a bag full of wheat (among many other things!).
The other night I decided that having a wheat pack that I could put around my neck and have it stay there would be pretty awesome. So off I went and after an evening sitting at the sewing machine, I put this sucker in the microwave and ended the night in bliss.

Luckily I remembered to take progress shots for this tutorial but I winged this pattern so sorry for the inconsistancies!

 You will need:

• 2x pieces of A4 paper taped together down the long sides.

• Piece of drill cotton or heavy fabric approx 50cm x 60 cm

• 550g Wheat (available from bulk bin stores such as Bin Inn)

• Scissors

• Sewing Machine with co-ordinating thread

• Sewing Pins

• Funnel or Rolled up paper to make a funnel.

I made the pattern up by wrapping the paper around my neck and cutting and changing it until it felt right, hence the wacky measurements. I also folded it in half widthwise to get it symmetrical.

Hopefully the pictures say more than my ramblings but if you have any questions, please ask!

If you make one of these, leave a link in the comments to a picture of it, I would love to see!

32 Weeks Pregnant

Well and truely into the third trimester, and beginning to understand how women get over being pregnant and just want their baby now!

This week:

• I am counting down the days of work left (2 weeks) and each day goes by quickly but the aches and pains have reared their ugly head to make these last couple of work weeks difficult for me. It seems all the common pregnancy aches and pains showed up to the party - back pain, swelling, sciatica, and the latest and possibly worst - carpal tunnel. Numb and tingly fingers all day and no strength to grip anything strongly. BUT it is all temporary and I just need to get through the next 2 months and all symptoms 'should' ease. I'm holding on to that! And trying not to be too much of a Complainy McComplainerson!
  
• Antenatal classes are going well, meeting some cool new couples and discovering that a lot of people work in IT like Dave. I think 90% of guys we have met lately work with computers. Crazy I tell ya.
  
• Baby C's bassinet is all set up ready to go. We got a foam mattress made (Para Rubber - $14) and I bought some waterproof plastic/fabric which I sewed into a protective cover for the foam. I also bought some soft flannelette material which will become fitted sheets.
  
• Our scan went well the other week, Baby C is growing nicely and is nice and comfortable in there.
  
• The movements I feel now are getting more familiar. I think I am able to tell which body part is trying to busta move, mostly her feet or her bum sticking out.
  
• Some amazing friends of mine are being secret squirrels and are busy organising my baby shower for tomorrow! I have no idea what will happen but I have a sneaky feeling Baby C will be super duper spoiled! Plus food. Food is always a good option!
  
• I am still downing iced chocolates all the time and full sized meals now have trouble fitting into my stomach (which is sitting up under my ribs!).
  
• Dave and I are now realizing how soon it will be that we meet our baby daughter! We can't wait for our lives to be turned upside down and fall in love with this tiny human. I can't imagine at all what she will look like, how a mixture between Dave and I will influence her features. But until we meet her, I hope she stays well inside my tummy and grows perfectly.

xx

Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies

My weekly gluten-free baking experiments have been continuing, but I keep forgetting to take photos and remember the sources of the recipes I have been using. I have also had a couple of huge fails too, one involving ginger kisses that I forgot to add baking powder to the GF flour mix. Ginger Crisps anyone? Luckily they were still delicious and my ever-gracious Sis-in-law was still impressed.

These thumbprint cookies were my latest experiment. SUCCESS!
4 ingredients, not too sweet and super quick to make.

Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies (Vegan)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup of Ground Almonds
3 T Oil (the original recipe said coconut oil but I used olive oil and they still worked and tasted fine)
1 1/2 T Maple Syrup
1/4 cup approx Jam (any flavour goes here! My fave is raspberry)

Method:
Oven @ 180 degrees.
Mix together the almonds, oil and maple syrup and chill mixture for 30min.
Divide the mixture into 15 balls (they are pretty small!) and put on a lined baking sheet.
Press into the middle of each ball with your thumb to make a dent and re-shape the edges if desired.
Fill the thumb-dents with a small amount of jam.
Bake for around 10 minutes but keep an eye on them as my oven had a hissy fit and decided to burn the bottom of the cookies.
Leave to harden then scoff them back! They are bite sized so this batch might disappear fast!


Original recipe here

Smiley Belt Review - Pregnancy Back Support

Before I got pregnant, I had struggled with lower back pain. This was mostly due to some terrible lifting in my teens and also working in hospitality over a bench for the bulk of my working life. I wouldn't call the pain severe or debilitating but it was enough to make me need to take painkillers or take things easy at night occasionally after work.

I was aware that being pregnant would likely increase that pain so once I hit the middle of my second trimester I was ready to take action and find a product that would help to support my back while I continued working full-time at the cafe.

A friend of mine who is a surgical nurse used a Smiley Belt during her pregnancy and recommended I try it. So I contacted the lovely Christine via her website and asked if I could review a belt.

The belt arrived packaged beautifully with a personalized note, wrapped in ribbon and sealed with a smiley face sticker.

 The website gives instructions on how to measure for your size, and because my measurements came inbetween two sizes, I provided them with my exact measurement and I was sent the size they recommended for me. Which fits really well!

I wore the Smiley Belt to work for a couple of weeks straight. I wore it the whole day for a few days and also did a few days where I worked until my back started hurting a little and then wore the belt to relieve the pressure for the rest of the day.

Because I had previous back pain, I wasn't expecting the Smiley Belt to be a miracle worker and take away all the pain, which is true. But somehow it manages to correct your posture and hold your back a certain way that make movements and general standing still a lot more bearable.

You can wear the Smiley Belt two ways: with the wide part supporting your lower back, or with the wide part supporting your belly. When I first got the belt my tummy didn't have a defined bump so I used it as back support which was great. Once my belly started growing I tried switching it round and was surprised at how much pressure was lifted from my back once my tummy was supported. I prefer wearing it this way during the day now. 

The biggest surprise was how well the Smiley Belt supports my back when I am asleep. I began waking up with severe back pain after tossing and turning all night so I decided to try and wear the belt during the night. It supports my tummy as well as my back and I find that I can sleep in almost any position without the pain. It doesn't stop the multiple toilet trips though sorry ladies!

The only thing I found that I disliked about the Smiley Belt was that it makes the area underneath where I wear it quite sweaty. It was exaggerated by working in a hot kitchen but the relief I got from wearing the belt made this issue a minor one. It is easy to wash, just handwash and hang out to dry. It is made from the same sort of material as a wetsuit so the drying time is very quick. There is also more pressure on your bladder when wearing it but the plus side is that you can feel the baby's movements better!

I would highly recommend a Smiley belt to any pregnant woman that develops lower back pain or finds that their rapidly growing belly feels heavy or causes pelvic pain. It is also a huge relief at night time when sleeping on your side becomes painful.

The website also mentions that the Smiley Belt is able to be used after Baby is born to help support your abs as they recover from being stretched out of shape. It also mentions that you can still wear it as a back support at any time when doing a lot of lifting, bending and twisting.

The Smiley Belt retails for $52NZD + postage and I believe that price is worth paying for the amount of relief you get from using it. Also the fact that it can be used not only during pregnancy, but afterwards makes it worthwhile. Plus you can also lend it to friends while they are pregnant too.

You can find out more information via their website: http://www.smileybelt.co.nz/
or follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smileybelt?ref=stream

Disclaimer:
I was given a Smiley Belt for free to review but all opinions expressed are my own.

30 Weeks Pregnant

The weeks to go are about to reach single digits! This little girl will be here in no time!

This week:

• The weather has gone from 33 degrees to about 10 degrees in two days. I much prefer the colder days.
  
• I got some intense fluid retention pains in my feet and hands after working a long, busy, hot day yesterday. It was so sore to move them and so I fashioned myself some slippers out of wet flannels and they worked perfectly!
  
• I think it is safe to say that iced chocolates are my pregnancy craving. I drink a good few a day when I am working. Just milk, ice and choc syrup though. It does the trick without leaving me feeling totally guilty.
  
• I had my parents stay with us for a bit and it was so nice to see them and they looked after us so well by taking over the kitchen for the week!
  
• Sleep is still pretty tough, the number of pillows on the bed are increasing and Killer is getting frustrated at how many night time bathroom trips I have to take. What a hard life she has!
  
• Baby C is being spoiled already and plans for her baby shower are underway! Hopefully tomorrow we can purchase some drawers (to be up-cycled) and get some foam cut for her bassinet.
  
• Baby C is now as long as my foot (39-40cm) and starting to pack on the pounds. I can feel her hiccuping quite often and the kicks I used to feel are now more like stretches and rolls as she is starting to run out of room.
  
• Bending over, doing up shoelaces and picking up items from the floor is getting tough! 
  
• We get another scan at the end of next week so Dave gets to see her again!
  
• We started ante-natal classes this week and the first one was pretty cool! Lots of info and potential friends and future baby playdates!

xx

28 Weeks Pregnant

This girl-flavoured bump is definitely making itself known now! I feel like FINALLY I'm past the 'Is-she-preggo? Better-not-ask-in-case-she-ate-too-many-pies' phase.

This week:

• Third Trimester baby! Home stretch! Although it is dawning on me that this baby girl has to come out somehow and each day she just gets bigger! I do want her to cook as long as possible though.
• She is bang on her growth dates, and in the last scan I saw her do a big yawn and stick her hand in her mouth. Hopefully she stays that chilled out once she leaves her cocoon.
• I am getting HUNGRY! My appetite has been more or less the same so far, if not less, but now I am finding myself still hungry after eating a full meal. Still no cravings though!
• My sleep is becoming more and more interrupted by multiple toilet visits and the need to use all the pillows to support my back and ever-growing tummy. I am secretly glad though because I was the worlds deepest sleeper so it is good practice for those long nights ahead of me. 
• The preggo hormones are back again, I am finding myself irritated at tiny little things but can still see how silly I'm being at the time. Sorry Dave and Workmates!
• Baby C is doing some decent wiggles and kicks now, it makes my whole tummy jump around and Dave still gets the biggest kicks. She is head-down at the moment so I get lots of feet to the ribs too. 
• Baby C is now weighing in at around about 1.3kg. She is as big as a large eggplant and can blink her pretty little eyes and eyelashes. 
• I am back to being super tired, like I was in my first trimester. Naps almost every afternoon are on the menu.
• Baby C gets hiccups quite a lot too. It feels like little rhythmic movements, usually against my hip bone, about a second apart, lasting from a minute up to about 5 minutes. You can feel it by putting your hand on my tummy too!

Keep doing what you are doing Baby C!
xx

Baby C Gender Reveal!

We finally managed to find out the secret that Baby C was keeping from us! She was obviously trying to be ladylike at the 20 week scan and cross her legs!
All is going well in her world, she is measuring perfectly for her dates and all the important bits are there! She was being very cute during her scan, big yawns, hiccups and sucking her hand. I must have rocked her to sleep with my walk to the appointment!

We are absolutely stoked to be able to call Baby C a 'she' rather than an 'it'. I have a feeling she will be a real Daddy's girl.

I will be back with the regular updates later on this week!