Plotting and scheming in a fun, fun way!

Recently it has seemed that my life is quite food-focussed, and in a good way! I recently signed up as a Thermomix consultant, have started stocking up on healthy, whole-foods and am really excited at getting my family onto a healthier and more sustainable diet. I also made jam. Me - the person who messes up a sweet recipe without even trying! I made the most amazingly dee-lishus strawberry and apple jam in 45 minutes with my new Amazing Kitchen Assistant, Madame Thermomix!

A few months ago I started up my Juno Events and Juno Junior kids' party businesses, and I must confess things have been a bit slow (stoned snail pace, actually) to get started, so I got my thinking cap on and tried to think how I could make my business stand out a bit.

The answer actually came to me from about 5 sources all at the same time.

1. My kids became even more obsessed with Masterchef than I was
2. My son went to a Father-Son cooking class with his dad and loved it
3. All of my kids have been having as much fun with the new Thermomix as I have, and really getting into the whole concept of whole foods and really Making Stuff From Scratch
4. I started watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution - the US one, and found I had tears in my eyes at nearly every episode.
5. My mother spoke to a friend of hers about my new gadget, and my love of food, and she mentioned that there was a Junior Masterchef about to come out.

Well - that had the efffect of that delightful lightbulb popping up over my head and I realised (about time too) that kids cooking classes are the way forward for me. I do love kids, I really do. I'm also no pushover and have no problems whatsoever in doing what it takes to maintain discipline in group situations (aka - I have a reeeeeee-ly good Cross Voice when required).



So, I love kids, I love food, I'm passionate about sustainable living and would love to share the benefits of healthy cooking and eating, and I've also got my Cert IV in Training and Assessment, which has taught me all about OHS, lesson planning, learning styles and much more.

I would be eternally grateful for any feedback any of you lovely blog-followers could provide. I've got a few ideas on how to actually run this, including:

1. Full-term courses one day a week afterschool (like sports etc.)
2. Parent and toddler cook-together classes
3. Hosting kids' cooking themed birthday parties
4. School holiday half-day activities

With each class the children would get to take home a main course dish to serve a family of 4, probably, thus freeing up Mum or Dad from cooking dinner that day. They would also get to take home samples of anything else we've made - bread, pastries, cakes - whatever we get up to!

Venues at which to hold these classes seem to be everywhere near me, with the local council running a whole heap of lovely community centres which all seem to have very well-planned kitchen areas.

So - that's my idea, and I'm running with it! Let me know what you think! Would you send your child to something like this? Do you think they'd even be interested?

STxxx

Won't SOMEONE think of the Tupperware?

Sometimes it feels good (or is absolutely necessary) to bring a little order into an otherwise chaotic life. With this in mind I just resolved to tackle that terrifying, hard-to-reach corner of my kitchen cupboards that houses my collection of plastic food receptacles. These range from worth-their-weight-in-gold Tupperware (all vanished) containers to bulk-purchased cheap-arsed plastic takeaway boxes of all shapes and sizes.

What I found was absolutely mystifying. When I finally managed to exit the cupboard on hands and knees and survey my stash I found that I had precisely 55 lids and precisely 11 containers. Of those lids and containers I had precisely 3 matches.

To prove that I really do Shit You Not, I took a photo, and here it is. Actually, I took 2 and here they both are.



How. Does. This. Happen?

I can understand the occasional container being sacrificed to the Gods of Playdough, Roughhousing and Occasional Microwave Disasters, but for the love of all that is decent, how did 44 containers vanish? Perhaps (thinking outside the square here) they didn't vanish at all, but never existed, and there's some strange lid-breeding programme going on in my cupboard resulting in multiple births of new and exciting containerless lids?

Whatever it is, I want my containers back. Or my lids gone. Or more matches. Or at the VERY least - a scientific explanation.

STxxx

PS - Ignore dirty floor. It's, erm, just the lighting...

Sunday Sewing

Ignoring the beautiful sunshine outside, I've completed 2 more mermaids. Methinks the blue one needs to go on a bit of a diet.