What I really love about this soup is the refreshing mint and the creamy yoghurt. It is a really filling and satisfying dish which goes great for lunch or even dinner. I do also have a little mint obsession, from tea to cakes, to chocolate to toothpaste. I just really love mint (^-^)

What You Need:

2 cloves of garlic sliced , 5 tablespoons of rough chopped mint , 50g butter, 2 tbsp olive oil, 750g garden peas, 750ml vegetable or chicken stock , 400ml natural yoghurt, 1 egg yolk, 1 table soup of flour.

First melt the butter in a large saucepan with the oil and then add the garlic, heat on a simmer until golden and then stir in half of the mint. Now add the peas and stir into the garlic oil, finishing with half of the stock and then simmer for 5-10 minutes. After transfer the pea mixture to a blender and blitz until smooth. Notice the deliciously green colour. (^-^) Trasfer back to the pan.

In a separate bowl prepare the yoghurt. Add the yolk and flour and whisk, now whisk in the yoghurt, followed by the rest of the stock. Whisky together until everything is combined well. Now add the thinned yoghurt to the processed peas in the pan. Gently stir in and set the pan on a medium heat. Before the soup starts to bubble/boil take it off and serve warm with some nice bread and an extra drop of yoghurt on top.

Green is good.

The PEA produced short documentary Justice For All?, made for the Access To Justice campaign is a finalist in the first Canadian Labour International Film Festival (CLiFF). The festival takes place at remote locations across the country, and our film will be shown at the following locations:

• Toronto: November 28 (final night of national festival), Bloor Cinema, 3:30PM
• Nanaimo: November 28, Building 356 at Vancouver Island University, 1:00PM
• Victoria: November 29, BCGEU Hall, 3:40PM

Credits: PEA, baidu, popcornfor2

Re-up: Heecat.com (Take out with full credits)

credits:

PEA + 宝蓝阁 by 葵之语
Reuploaded by: ★_Excentrique @ SJ-World.net

Food Recipes Cooking

princess and the pea

beginning my ultimate dream of creating a line of fairy tale and nursery rhyme pieces..began with “princess and the pea” and just completed “rapunzel.” 

rapunzel

next will be “the emperor’s new clothes” which I just can’t wait to get started on…

During the kids’ half-term break, their Grandmom “Phyl” and her friend Marty came across the pond for a visit. We did a lot of sightseeing, but I think the real fun was watching the kids connect with Phyllis and Marty (their “adopted” grandfather).

I wish I had thought to get a sound bite of Pea saying “ohhhhh, Mah-teee”. She sounded just like Mary Tyler Moore warbling “oooohhhhh, Roooobbbbb”. (Ok, that dates me – and I only ever saw it in reruns, honest.)

Marty has a way with girls, and of course, Pea had to sit next to him at nearly every meal. He conned her into drinking her milk, sneakily wiping away her milk mustache as soon as she took a giggling sip. He would distract her by spotting cows and elephants out the window, and when she would turn to look, tickle her neck. She giggled, and fell for it, every time.

He is a retired professor of botany; she loves flowers (she pickes them for me daily, and hoards them in a purse that she keeps in her play kitchen) and leaves on trees and bushes (you should see her ever so gently touch the leaves…before she picks them, and tosses them). What a pair they made!

We all had a great time that week, but I think Maddie had the best time!

It’s not really anything new, but it’s of interest to our members – especially as we complete collective bargaining:

Regional library system feeling the pinch of the recession

Tough times came with tough measures for the B.C. public library system this year, Kelowna city council heard on Monday.

Lesley Dieno, executive director of the Okanagan Regional Library System, told council the recession has certainly seen an increase in traffic to the local libraries, up 4.5 per cent and likely to hit six per cent over last year’s numbers by December’s end.

However, that increase has come alongside sweeping provincial funding cuts, which may make it difficult to hold the course let alone meet increased demand.

Provincial funding accounts for roughly 10 per cent of the system’s budget and will be cut by 22 per cent this year, she said. “There are going to be some challenging decisions (ahead),” added library systems financial manager Don Nettleton.

Whether sticking to budgets means a reduction in staff hours or layoffs is not clear at this point, but Nettleton said the system is hoping to avoid drastic measures.

The Okanagan’s library system costs roughly 20 per cent less than other systems in the province, meaning it is already very cost effective for what it offers, he pointed out, noting that municipalities foot the majority of the bill.

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In case you hadn’t heard.

Check out AccessToJustice and the PEA’s site for on-going coverage

B.C. Legal Aid closes 5 offices

The B.C. Legal Services Society — the body that administers legal aid in B.C. — says a funding shortage is forcing it to close five regional offices and lay off up to 54 staff.

The offices will close in Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince George, Victoria and Surrey.

Attorney General Mike de Jong said Tuesday the Legal Services Society is facing tough times because of the economic downturn.

“They are doing what we expect of them, and that is to try and reduce administrative costs and try and channel as much resource as possible into front-line services,” de Jong said.

De Jong also denied the government was cutting its legal aid funding, saying other sources of funding have dried up, partly because of the recession and low interest rates. He said the society is funded in part by a tax on lawyers’ trust accounts.

But B.C. NDP attorney general’s critic Leonard Krog accused the Campbell government of underfunding legal aid.

Krog said the Liberals have cut the legal-aid budget from $96 million in 2001 and 2002 to $74 million today.

“At the very same time we can put half a billion dollars into a roof on BC Place, we can’t help the poorest British Columbians keep a roof over their heads,” he said.

Krog doesn’t believe the cuts will be made only in administration and that services will suffer.

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Academy Wool Peacoat

Ralph Lauren is one of the top designers when it comes to ready-to-wear fashion. For the Fall & Winter season stay warm and stylish in Academy Wool Peacoat from the “Polo Ralph Lauren” line. It’s a “classic-fitting double-breasted peacoat” available in either RL Black, Navy, or Gibson Charcoal Heather.

Vancouver, November 3, 2009 – Earlier today, staff at the Legal Services Society were notified that the LawLINE, the Community Advocate Support Line, and all but one of the regional legal aid offices will shut down as of March 2010.

The Legal Services Society, a not-for-profit organization funded primarily by the Ministry of Attorney General, provides legal aid to tens of thousands of clients in British Columbia who otherwise could not afford counsel to resolve their legal issues. Regional offices spread throughout B.C. and innovative programs like the LawLINE, a toll-free legal aid information and advice line, help low-income residents with difficult legal issues.

The cuts that were announced earlier today will result in the elimination of nearly all community resources offered by the Legal Services Society outside the Lower Mainland. As a result, legal aid will become much harder to access in every region of the province.

“Essentially, the Legal Services Society is saying that low-income families, single mothers, and the elderly don’t deserve representation” says Jodi Jensen, Executive Director for the Professional Employees Association, the union representing lawyers working for the Legal Services Society.
“Demand for legal aid has gone up substantially, and it will only continue to rise as more British Columbians find themselves requiring legal services without the resources to access justice.”
Although severe cuts are being made to all legal programs, little to no cuts or staffing reductions are planned for the organization’s senior management or human resources department.

“Basically, the budget shortfall to Legal Aid in BC is being made up on the backs of British Columbians who truly need legal assistance” tells Jensen.

Earlier this year, the Legal Services Society reduced services due to insufficient funding and a steep increase in demand. Today’s announcement comes as the second round of deep cuts to legal aid in British Columbia in less than a year.

In April, the Professional Employees Association launched the umbrella campaign group Access to Justice which produced a short documentary film exposing the flaws of our justice system. The film can be viewed online at http://www.accesstojustice.ca.

- 30 -

For more information, please contact:
Barinder Rasode
Labour Relations Officer
Professional Employees Association
604.581.6662 (office)
604.880.1588 (cell)

Click here for a PDF of this press release

Erteskall fiber har en høy vannbindingsevne, fremmer vekst av gode tarmbakterier og er tarmregulerende. Ertefiber har dessuten et lavt energiinnhold.

Kontakt Aslak Lie, aslak.lie@vestkorn.no, 977 66 044

High quality fiber from peas. Please contact Aslak Lie, aslak.lie@vestkorn.no, +47 977 66 044

We are very pleased to announce that our documentary Justice for All? has been accepted into the Canadian Labour Internationl Film Festival (CLiFF).

CLiFF is an extremely viral festival, holding screenings across the country on a volunteer basis. Once the actual festival takes place in Toronto during the week of November 22nd, the films are sent to various “screenings” across Canada for maximum exposure.

If you are interested in either hosting or attending a screening, check out the list of participating communities.

Justice for All? was produced by PEA staff through the support of dozens of volunteers and Cinevic. The short documentary has become a social media hit as part of our umbrella campaign AccessToJustice.ca.

Click below to watch the honoured video:

Click here for a promotional poster for your workplace

At its Biennial Convention in May, members of the Professional Employees Association (PEA) – the union representing Lawyers at the Legal Services Society of BC, confirmed their unanimous commitment to ensuring all residents have equal access to justice.

Several resolutions were brought to the membership at the convention to continue supporting the ‘Access To Justice’ cause. One of the ways the PEA is doing so is through a letter from the PEA’s president, Mike Jobke:

Professional Employees Association
201-1001 Wharf St
Victoria BC V8W 1T6

October 22, 2009

Honourable Michael de Jong
Attorney General
PO BOX 9044 STN PROV GOVT
VICTORIA BC  V8W 9E2

Dear Mr. de Jong:

Re:      Legal Aid Funding

The Professional Employees Association represents 3,000 employed professionals in B.C., including lawyers employed by the Law Society of B.C., the Legal Services Society, and the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program.

Delegates to our recent convention confirmed our Association’s commitment to the pursuit of an appropriately funded and designed legal aid program for British Columbians.

Our members are well aware of the budget pressures facing your government. However, the repeated reduction of legal aid funding and services in recent years is short-sighted and ultimately costly. Aside from the additional and significant costs to taxpayers resulting from self-represented litigants wasting precious court resources, legal aid is an effective tool for assisting the social integration of marginalized and vulnerable individuals. The social and economic costs of our present legal aid system are simply too great to sustain.

On this basis, we urge your government to:

• immediately restore funding for legal aid to the pre-2002 level; and
• within the next year, hold public hearings with the purpose of renewing the commitment to legal aid in B.C.

I look forward to hearing from you on these matters.

Sincerely,

Michael Jobke, RPF
President

C:        D. Mayland McKimm, QC, Board Chair, Legal Services Society

For a PDF copy of this letter, click here:

PEA Attorney General Letter, October 22, 2009

Desembolsos com assistência social superam os investimentos em educação durante a era Lula

Nunca antes na história deste país, investiu-se tanto em educação. Esta foi uma recente afirmação do presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva durante evento no interior de São Paulo. Não contente com tamanha impropriedade, complementou que o Brasil se tornará a quinta maior economia do mundo nos próximos quinze anos, se mantivermos as apostas no ensino nacional e aumentarmos o bolo de representantes da classe média. Abençoado pela descoberta do pré-sal durante seu governo, o presidente disse, ainda, que mais importante do que vender petróleo no século XXI, será exportar conhecimento.

Nisso está correto, são os países que exportam serviços (de alto valor agregado) as maiores potências mundiais. Em outro aspecto o presidente também acertou: há uma tradição política do Brasil de não investimento em educação, fator chave para o desenvolvimento do capital humano e, conseqüentemente, agregar valor aos produtos e serviços que ofertamos aos mercados globais. Agora, ele não poderia estar mais errado quanto a sua suposta quebra de paradigma no segmento educacional.

Quando falo em investimentos, não me refiro apenas a números, mas também à qualidade do ensino público nacional. Vamos começar pelos números, então. De acordo com os dados consolidados de gastos da União, de 2002 a 2008 houve uma enorme mudança no ranking setorial de prioridades de investimentos do governo. No último ano presidencial de Fernando Henrique Cardoso, educação ocupava o quarto lugar de volume de gastos, com R$ 13,22 bilhões, atrás apenas de Saúde (R$ 25,43 bilhões) e das eternas campeãs do orçamento, Previdência Social (R$ 123,21 bilhões) e Encargos Especiais (R$ 434,92 bilhões). Vale ressaltar aqui que esta última nomenclatura refere-se a gastos aos quais não se pode associar um bem ou serviço gerado no processo – ou seja, uma despesa nada produtiva, o que nos faz repensar o tão conhecido conceito de ineficiência da máquina pública.

Enquanto Assistência Social ocupava a 10ª posição de prioridades em 2002, com R$ 6,51 bilhões, tal modalidade subiu para o 4º lugar em 2008, antipenúltimo ano do governo Lula, atingindo desembolsos de R$ 28,23 bilhões, 12% acima da próxima colocada, a famigerada Educação (R$ 25,06). Não só assistencialismo se tornou uma ferramenta de política pública do governo, como ultrapassou os gastos com o ensino nacional.

Se levarmos em consideração a diferença de desembolsos em educação de 2002 para 2008, de fato houve um considerável aumento de 90%, mas ele acompanha o crescimento da economia do período. Quando o bolo é maior, suas fatias serão consequentemente maiores também. Ainda nessa lógica, percebemos o significativo aumento em Encargos Especiais, de 70%, e Previdência Social (109%), seguida de Saúde, terceira do ranking de 2008, com 93% de alta na comparação a 2002.

Não nego jamais a importância que o assistencialismo social tem em uma economia em desenvolvimento como a brasileira, mas temos de tomar muito cuidado quando damos predileção a essa prática em sacrifício da educação. Instrução de qualidade é a única ferramenta capaz de agregar valor aos produtos e serviços, pois está intimamente ligada à força de trabalho. Como conseqüência, educação gera renda. E renda movimenta a economia.

Se, ao invés de receberem o peixe, aprenderem a pescar, as pessoas serão capazes de conquistar tudo o que precisam sozinhas. Devemos sempre ter em mente que o Brasil é um país em que apenas 48% de sua população de dez anos ou mais trabalha, de acordo com o último levantamento do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), anunciado na Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (Pnad). Nesse sentido, um pouco menos da metade da população banca o sustento da outra metade que não exerce nenhuma ocupação. Desse jeito, não há tributação que não pese no bolso desses 48%! De acordo com o Impostômetro, índice da Associação Comercial de São Paulo que mede a arrecadação do país, de janeiro a 12 de outubro foram pagos R$ 811 bilhões em impostos. A expectativa é ultrapassar a casa do R$ 1 trilhão até o final do ano.

Assistencialismo seria uma ótima prioridade se gerasse retorno à sociedade como a educação. Mas não é isso que acontece. Esse trade off do governo resulta em um desencadeamento de problemas para a economia brasileira.

Se o Bolsa Família, por exemplo, trouxesse um benefício maior que seus gastos, eu apoiaria com todo o prazer por meio dos impostos que pago anualmente. Mas, analisando dados recentes do IBGE, percebo que não é bem assim. Levantamento divulgado em julho deste ano aponta que a taxa de desemprego entre a população mais pobre do país é 5,2 vezes maior que as demais, e atinge o patamar dos 23,1%. O nível de desocupação da classe média e dos mais afortunados é de apenas 4,4%. Vale ressaltar que a classe considerada pobre é a que possui renda per capta de até meio salário mínimo mensal.

Já a população economicamente ativa (PEA) composta por indivíduos mais pobres caiu 40,8% entre março de 2002 e julho de 2009, conforme divulgou recentemente o Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (IPEA). A PEA passou de 7,5 milhões para 4,5 milhões de indivíduos nesta classe social. Entre as pessoas que possuem renda per capta acima de meio salário mínimo mensal, o desemprego caiu 12,6%, saindo de 942,7 mil para 824,1 mil.

Outro forte indicador de que o governo está precisando apostar mais em educação é o Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH), apurado anualmente pela Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU). Ele leva em consideração o Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) per capta da população, educação e expectativa de vida.

O Brasil teve seu IDH infimamente aumentado de 0,808 em 2006 para 0,813 em 2007, caindo de 70º para 75º no ranking geral, que englobou 182 países nesta última pesquisa, divulgada este ano. A taxa de alfabetização cresceu de 89,6% para 90% no período, mínimo aumento – isso porque não  leva em conta o analfabetismo funcional, que é absurdo no país! Já a expectativa de vida passou de 71,9 anos para 72,2.

Até os nossos vizinhos latino-americanos estão melhores no quadro geral. O Chile aparece na 44ª posição, seguido da Argentina (49º), Cuba (51º), México (53º), Venezuela (58º) e Panamá (60º).

Depois de tudo isso, o presidente Lula ainda consegue perguntar “Como é que um metalúrgico consegue fazer 11 universidades, e um doutor honoris causas não fez nenhuma? Como é que pode um torneiro mecânico fazer 214 escolas técnicas enquanto o governo passado tinha criado uma lei de isenção de responsabilidade do governo sobre o ensino profissional?”. De fato, construir escolas é muito bom, mas não é suficiente para garantir qualidade de ensino para ninguém. Não é preciso comentar isso aqui, pois muitos de nós já sofremos as conseqüências de um ensino de má qualidade. Eu estudei em escola pública durante o ensino fundamental e sofri bastante para conseguir me formar em uma universidade de qualidade, posicionando-me no mercado de trabalho.

Isso porque passei por uma alfabetização mais conservadora, de silabação e do “i” de igreja! Hoje, com as manias do construtivismo, para alunos que não possuem a menor vivência para assimilá-lo, e da “traumatização” da criança, que não pode reprovar quando não consegue acompanhar os conhecimentos transmitidos em aula, a qualidade de um ensino público, que já não era boa, só tende a piorar.

Educação deve ser prioridade sim, pois é o principal motor da economia. Os países desenvolvidos já sabem disso, e por isso estão nas posições de destaque mundiais. Falta o Brasil se tocar que há muito além de petróleo e infra-estrutura. Quem sabe assim, um dia na história deste país, conquistemos taxas superiores a 5% de crescimento anual e apresentemos um desenvolvimento realmente sustentável no longo prazo.

Pea is a stubborn little bird. Recently, she has been pretty insistent that she is NOT a big girl.

She is, she claimed, a little girl with little feet. Hard to argue the logic of this with my vertically challenged 3-1/2 year old.

And since she was not a big girl, she could not sleep under her covers.

Or wear her new shoes.

Or go on the potty.

We’ve not been as much pushing the individual things as much as point out all the things about her friends that are big girl related. One friend has the same shoes. All her friends are potty trained. (Gotta use peer pressure while it works for me, and not against me.)

Last week, she finally referred to herself as a “big girl with little feet”.

Progress!

Noticing that she covers herself up when she is snuggling under Mommy’s comforter, I asked her if she had a soft comforter, if she would cover herself up, too. She said yes.

I warned her that if she didn’t cover herself up, the quilt would go back on her bed – and pulled out (drumroll) the Disney princess bedspread I carted over from Tar-jay. She squealed, climbed into bed, and covered herself up, yelling “Daddy, look at me, I did it, I did it!”

Two days later, dressed in her favorite new Dora dress, I asked her if she wanted to wear her new shoes like Jessica’s. “Yes”, she said. “I don’t want to wear my Crocs any more”.

Once I picked myself up off the floor, where I had fallen in a state of shock, I brought her her new shoes. Pink t-strap shoes, with purple cherries on top, decorated with sequins. I mean, who doesn’t love a little sequins in an every day shoe?

She put them on. “Look at me”.

We went to school. “Look at my shoes” she said to anyone who would listen. Her teachers praised her. She and Jessica compared shoes together.

While she showed her little feet to her friends, her teacher and I plotted. Potty training. Big encouragement for all her friends when they went pee. Her teacher also made a big fuss after changing for swimming about all her friends pretty panties. I suppose anyone overhearing her might find it odd, but I appreciate it.

(I digress here, but – can you imagine – 3 teachers getting 18 3-4 year olds into swimsuits, and then dried off and dressed? They are saints in my book…)

Baby steps. I’m so proud of my big girl with little feet!

New image in the cats photography contest

my kitten taking a nap …
sweet pea sleeping photography picture

It’s been raining here, so it’s a perfect opportunity to make pea soup before it hits 85 degrees on Friday.

1 package of dried peas

An onion

4 carrots

1 tb chopped garlic

About 9 cups of broth/water combo

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

A splash of pear vinegar (you all know how I love it)

A drizzle of truffle oil to finish

Paprika and cayenne pepper

Saute the onion, garlic and carrots in oil until soft.

Add dried peas and cook for just a minute.

Add 6.5 cups of broth and about 2 cups of water.

Let simmer until peas are tender.

Transfer about 4.5 cups of the soup to a b lender and puree until smooth, then return to the pan.

Allow everything to simmer while adding salt, pepper, and seasonings.

Finish with a drizzle of truffle oil and a dash of paprika.

Serve with a hot baguette and a bottle or two of Pinot.

Enjoy!

]]> http://peablog.ca/2009/10/13/pea-employer-makes-top-100-list-in-canada/ Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:34:26 +0000 PEA Blogger http://peablog.ca/2009/10/13/pea-employer-makes-top-100-list-in-canada/

The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) has been recognized as one of Canada’s top 100 employers as chosen by Mediacorp. HEU, another union representing employees at VIHA, says this is also a victory for the unions that represent the employees at the Health Authority:

VIHA makes top 100 employer list

The Vancouver Island Health Authority is one of Canada’s top 100 employers, according to a company that operates a national job-search website and compiles the list annually.

But health unions say many of the employee benefits for which VIHA won the award were negotiated by the unions.

The health authority was among 2,600 applicants for Mediacorp Canada’s top 100 Canadian employers for 2010. The winners were announced this week.

Mediacorp’s website cites VIHA’s maternity leave benefits, retirement planning assistance and employee skills development support as three of the reasons why the health authority was chosen. More detailed reasons for selection will be made available after Oct. 21.

Mike Old, spokesman for the Hospital Employees’ Union, said the award is for the union as much as VIHA.

“These were benefits that were negotiated by our union and other unions,” he said. “I think union members can take some of the credit for this because they negotiated the benefits.”

Old noted that Compass Group Canada, the company contracted to provide cleaning and food services in VIHA facilities, also made the top 100 list. But he said the benefits listed by Mediacorp do not apply to Compass Group’s VIHA workers.

Holly Anderson, chairwoman of the Pacific Rim for the B.C. Nurses’ Union, said VIHA was praised for sponsoring nurses interested in pursuing advanced post-graduate training – something the BCNU fought to have included in its contract.

Anderson said while money to help upgrade skills is appreciated, nurses are unhappy with their workloads.

“I’m sure there are people who are happy with VIHA, but looking at it from a union standpoint, there is a lot of unhappiness as well,” she said.

Rod O’Connell, VIHA’s director of recruitment and retention, said making Mediacorp’s top 100 is a prestigious honour.

“It’s the first time we’ve applied and we were told it’s unusual for first-time applicants to get an award,” he said.

O’Connell agreed the benefits mentioned on Mediacorp’s website are mainly items negotiated with unions, but VIHA has also gone above those to create an overarching People Plan, which includes strategies for recruitment and retention, workforce planning, continuous learning and workplace safety.

“A great deal of our efforts are around employee wellness and workplace safety,” he said, adding the health authority has invested in educational programs and purchased new safety equipment for employees.

For more information about Canada’s top 100 employers, please go to www.eluta.ca.

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I bought half of a really nice cauliflower from the farmers’ market the other day and decided that I wanted to make something simple with it. I was inspired by a recipe from Matt Moran’s new book When I Come Home which featured in this month’s Delicious magazine. It was originally made with orecchiette and I didn’t have any.

This recipe serves 4. I took a portion to lunch with the breadcrumb and mint on the side which were sprinkled on after the pasta was heated. It still tasted really good.

You’ll need:

1. 1/2 cauliflower, cut into small florets about the same size as the penne
2. 1 clove of garlic, sliced
3. 1/2 cup of frozen peas
4. 2 tbsp of pine nuts
5. 1 large chunk of butter (about 80g)
6. 1/2 cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumb)
7. 4 tbsp of olive oil
8. 1 tsp of gourmet vegetable stock (or salt)
9. 1 handful of mint leaves, thinly sliced
10. a large chunk of pecorino (about 80 g.), half grated, half shaved
11. 250 g. pasta

Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a heated saucepan. Add panko to heated oil and cook on medium heat. Cook gently until the breadcrumb is golden. Sprinkle a few pinches of stock powder and toss. Drain on paper kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

Cook pasta in boiling water for about 8-12 minutes depending on your preference and the packet instruction. In the last minute, add the frozen peas. Drain and reserve 4 tbsp of cooking water.

Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large pan, add cauliflower florets and toss around and fry until they are coloured and cooked through (this takes about 8-10 minutes). Add pine nuts and garlic and cook for further minute.

Add the pasta and reserved cooking water. Add butter and toss. Season with the rest of stock powder or salt. Add grated cheese and stir to combine.

To serve, shave perino cheese over the pasta. Sprinkle with mint leaves and breadcrumb.

Very yummy, if I may say so myself.

Update 11/11/09: Vicious Ange made this dish with orecchiette (i.e. properly) and I have to say it looks much better than mine!

Restful, originally uploaded by magnum_lady.

Today both kids had appointments so Lucy had the day of school and was able to have an extra hour in bed.

While we were in town Jono got to have a look at a training centre which he is hoping to go to after his operation and recovery. It looks like a really nice place and the people were very friendly. In the middle of our meeting the fire alarm went off, Jono almost fell off the chair, it was really loud. Luckily it was a false alarm.

We went to Pizza Hut for lunch, they do a buffet lunch which consists of all you can eat pizza, pasta and salad. One thing puzzled me today though, the vegetable pizza had peas and spinach on it….I tried it for the craic (and because there was no other pizza ready)….it was nasty. I’ve never heard of a pea pizza before, somehow I don’t think it will take off.

Andy is still crippled with his back/leg. He sat on the setee today and couldn’t get up, so I was trying to pull him up but that didn’t work, in the end he had to roll onto the floor and get up that way….isn’t old age a bugger

This evening some friends of mine called around with a tiny little kitten that had been dumped or was abandoned. It didn’t even have it’s eyes open so it was really young. They had him all wrapped up and were feeding him cat milk. I phoned around a few places to see there were any cats that had just had kittens and might foster him. If I didn’t have Jono’s surgery coming up I would have taken him in myself. I hope he survives, poor little thing.

I am thoroughly frustrated.

Pea has been having some massively fantastic temper tantrums of late. They are not only frustrating, energy draining, and headache promoting, but they leave me feeling utterly helpless and worthless in the parental department.

Getting her out the door is a battle. Getting her into her car seat, another battle. Shoes on? Forget it.

(Oh, and her Crocs are getting too tight, but she currently won’t wear any other shoes – this, from the girl who used to have more shoes than I did. And I LOVE shoes.) Today, she pulled off her socks in the car, so she could get her Crocs on. God help me, please, when those shoes truly become too small. Yes, the next size up is in the closet, but since it is fall, I really don’t want to let on about them.

I’ve tried threatening. I’ve tried taking things away. I’ve tried flat-out bribery. Nothing. There is no motivator strong enough for her. Yelling doesn’t work – and while it is definitely something I do not want to do, lets be honest, after so long, sometimes it just erupts in a fit of mutual frustration.

I tweeted about this the other night. There are some fantastic moms in the Twitter community, and with the vast range of experiences, someone might have an idea, right? One that I haven’t tried?

Well, not quite.

What I did find, however, was that I’m NOT alone in this boat, sinking in a sea of whine and tantrums. (And yes, I know my child is not the only one to have meltdowns; however, she IS the only one having them in my house, with me, and since I’m not seeing others on the playground or the car park, I’m losing perspective.) And other moms out there are equally frustrated.

Says lukasmom who writes the blog Drama for Mama “our girls must be clones. Mine is 4.5 and the tantrums should be filmed for “The Nanny” show. I am out of ideas. Nothing works”.

Iceinmamilk offered to swap kids with me, as she is having the same issues. But she has 2 girls. I respectfully declined.

Jenniewrenbird and Kingdomfirstmom ALWAYS have excellent suggestions. Jennie keeps me laughing, and Alyssa keeps me grounded, and has a great blog here.

Thismomsguide who writes a blog of the same name, also suffers – er – is blessed with a gorgeous red-headed 3 yr old. She had support to offer, and commiseration, which I needed.

Bottom line is that part of her problems are hunger-related, some are fatigue-related, and the rest is a power struggle. Ignoring her, and walking away is the best thing, but my Mommy brain has a really, really hard time with ignoring her. And walking away isn’t safe when she won’t get out of the car at the car park. And believe me, i can get in the car and start it, and we can have a 20 minute standoff for her to GET. In. THE. CAR. And she won’t.

And then I have to carry her to the car, kicking and screaming, forcibly buckling her in, and life in fear of a neighbor to misconstrue it all and call the police or child welfare on me.

There really should be a Tantrums Anonymous group.
A Coping with Tantrums parenting course.
Paxil handed out when your child turns Three.

Something.

I mean, if you could see what I will have to go through to get a drivers license in this country, you would be shocked. Its enough to motivate me to walk more. (Getting my kids to cooperate with this line of thinking, especially once the winter rains start, is a different story.) So why more training and licensing for parenting isn’t in place, I’m quite astounded.

Really, now, wouldn’t a counsellor run boot camp be as effective in those prepregnancy months as the Lamaze classes? Oh, I’m not talking about the how to raise your kids bit.

I’m talking about how to manage yourself, and your own psyche (without dipping daily into the liquor cabinet).