Resilient Parenting

Best Ever Chocolate Cake

By: Joanna Myers June 18, 2018June 18, 2018

Keep Calm and Eat Cakebest ever, cake, chocolateLeave a Comment

As far as I can recall, this was my first memory of baking a cake. I was in my late teens, and I must have been given free rein in the kitchen; guests were coming and we needed to feed them. My mother had always been extremely health conscious, and so rather than follow in…

Choc Mint Slice

By: Joanna Myers June 7, 2018

Keep Calm and Eat Cakechocolate, fructose free, gluten free, sliceLeave a Comment

This fructose and gluten free recipe is my daughters kind attempt to cheer me up in response to recent health issues that have caused me to modify my diet. For a sweet tooth such as myself, I have been surprised how much I have enjoyed these sugar free alternatives. The coconut and cacao make for…

Don’t be surprised…be patient.

By: Joanna Myers May 16, 2018May 16, 2018

Blogkids, parenting, Patience, relationship, TeensLeave a Comment

“Are you kidding me! How many times do we have to have this conversation? I thought I made it very clear when I said… I can’t believe we are still having this problem!” Does this sound like a conversation you have on a semi-regular basis with your kids? The utter frustration of having to revisit…

Looking back, moving forward.

By: Joanna Myers April 27, 2018

Blogadolescence, childhood memories, parenting, relationshipLeave a Comment

Over the past year I have been really challenged to consider the way I parent… teenagers will do that to you. What had once been a reliable and comfortable way of relating to my children, was now met with a prickly resistance. Their emergence into adolescence significantly changed my relationship with them, leaving me confused…

Self Care

By: Joanna Myers April 17, 2018

Blogadolescence, kids, parenting, self careLeave a Comment

Once upon a time there was a woman (a mother in fact) who was feeling so tired and run down that the only thing that encouraged her to keep on going was her great love for her family. With every need she felt a tug on her compassionate heart. With every chore, she wanted to…

Dundee Cake

By: Joanna Myers March 15, 2018

Keep Calm and Eat CakeBritish Baking, cake, fruit cake, Scottish foodLeave a Comment

My Father recently celebrated a significant birthday, so to honour his Scottish heritage, I made for him a Dundee Cake. While I know the first rule of baking is never make for someone, what you haven’t already made for yourself (boy have I learned this the hard way), I confidently broke this rule as my…

The comparison trap.

By: Joanna Myers March 5, 2018

Blogkids, parenting, Raising Children, relationshipLeave a Comment

If you’re anything like me, the tendency to compare your children to others is a trap hard to avoid; whether it be a comparison with siblings, of other children their age, or of yourself at the same age. With every stage of childhood development, there is the temptation to look sideways at what others are…

Letting things go

By: Joanna Myers February 22, 2018

Blogparenting, relationship, screens, Teens1 Comment

Have you ever been told to, “Let it go?” It has become a bit of a cliche phrase in recent years (thanks to an over-commercialised song), however being told to let things go can be a challenge; especially when you believe it’s something worth fighting for. I sometimes find humour in singing to my daughter…

Jammy Dodgers

By: Joanna Myers February 14, 2018February 14, 2018

Keep Calm and Eat CakeEnglish cookies, jam biscuitsLeave a Comment

I first discovered Jammy Dodgers when our family went to live in England. My husband, (knowing my love of home baking and my desire to get acquainted with all things British) bought me the cookbook British Baking, in the hope that I would enjoy creating English classics in my kitchen. Always keen to find yummy…

Defeat is not an Option

By: Joanna Myers February 12, 2018February 12, 2018

Blogkids, parenting, sewing dramasLeave a Comment

It started with some fabric. The idea being, that instead of buying a ready-made tablecloth, I would instead purchase some gorgeous fabric at a nice price, and then have the pleasure of sewing it up myself. I would never claim to be skilled at sewing, but I once sewed a pair of pyjama shorts, so…