Hope Skinner, founder Nanny Shecando

Horsemanship 101: Get Back On That Horse

A Display Of True Courage To Overcome Adversity

Means we’re walking away as winners!

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of joining the nanny family at a major dressage event (translation for all the non-horsey people = a horse show). It was so much fun! Kevin even came along for the ride too, (ha ‘ride’, horses, get it?) Ok, not funny.

This was the first competition that all the kids had ever been in, so it was brand new and super exciting. It meant their horsemanship abilities were put to the test! The promise of what was to come was infecting! The Twins were entered into a few horse and rider categories and Miss Charlie was entered into a lead category, whilst Mumma was out riding in the big leagues. The girls all share a pony called Marley; he’s 3 years old, about 12 hands tall and dappled grey. Like a typical pony, he’s 90% cheeky, 5% greedy, 5% oomph and 100% bomb proof. Wait, the maths, oh well, you get it. He’s also kind and loving to the kids whilst being the boss of the paddock. Yep, as strange as it sounds, it often turns out that ponies (the littlest in the paddock) often become the leader over all the other horses that they’re stabled with. Marley is no exception.

When we arrived on Sunday morning, I spotted Marley tied to his hook alongside the horse truck – we luckily have the use of the Polo club’s horse mover so that we can transport our large clan of horses all over the place for various shows. I could barely see him squashed in between two really big Arabian warm bloods, except for the fact that he had his ears plastered back and his “angry face” on. It seems he was in the process of commandeering the two other gelding’s bales of hay. Cheeky, cheeky, pony. I guess that was a tell-tale sign of the way the day was to go.

Half way through The Twins first event of the morning, we discovered a very unfortunate problem with the chosen location of the event. It seems the equestrian grounds was right next to the RAAF base. Yep, that sucks. Although why they felt the need to take off in their noisy planes on a Sunday, I don’t know. It baffles me. But they did. And all hell broke loose. Also, their complete lack of understanding and naivety shown when they felt it absolutely necessary to tow a glider only so many feet above ground over the top of the fields, displays a complete lack of professionalism. Frankly, as Air Force people, they should no better. It doesn’t matter how “bomb-proof” your horse is, by the time you’ve got hundreds of horses in an arena, separated from their mates, filled up on oats (like giving Red Bull to people) and running on the emotions of the children riding them, they’re not going to be so calm headed when loud planes fly over head.

Sadly, one of The Twins was disqualified from her event as cheeky Marley spooked and galloped away from her across the fields. She panicked and tried to hold him, which resulted in a bang to the head (the helmet banged her head as Marley rushed by) and a bruised ego. It turned out that Marley was only trying to get back to the safety of his truck where his half eaten bale of hay was waiting for him (yep, horses are comfort eaters too)!

After quite a few tears and many heart to hearts with the girls, who were scared and had decided to pull out of the rest of the days competitions, we finally managed to convince them to get back on and give it another go. Of course we assessed the situation and made sure it was safe to do so – the girls’ horse instructor got on Marley and gave him a strong talking too, rode out all of his cheeky-ness and turned him back into a placid little, sleepy pony.

By the end of the day the girls had learnt one of the most valuable lessons in life: Never, ever give up! Yes they were scared, yes their egos had been bruised and their pride a little hurt, yes the morning had not gone as planned. But they got over that and got back up on that pony and gave it another go.

Horsemanship 101: if you come off, you dust yourself off and get right back on!

The kids over came some serious challenges, took a gamble and came out on top. They took away multiple blue, red and green ribbons! Even better were the smiles. It didn’t matter to them that they walked away with fewer ribbons than they had anticipated, because they showed true courage in the face of adversity and strength when it counted. Most of all, they had fun!

P.S. How cute is little Miss6 all dressed up for her event!

Have you ever been horse riding? Did you love it or find it all a little bit daunting?

Bacon And Veggie Pasta Bake Recipe

Pasta bake is an old classic that kids are almost always guaranteed to love! Anything made on cheese sauce and then topped with grilled cheese is a pretty good sweetener for smuggling in vegetables. Whilst being a fairly simply and homely meal, it’s also great because you can control the nutritional value by adding in your chosen ingredients.

This Bacon and Veggie Pasta Bake recipe is perfect to make in advance and leave in the fridge ready to go for those busy evenings. Even better, the kiddos will devour it!

Recipe: Bacon and Veggie Pasta Bake

Main Ingredients

500g penne pasta, cooked & drained (or a similar pasta, bows & animal shapes work well too)
4 rashers of bacon
2 spring onions, diced (half a white onion works too)
2 large carrots, peeled & diced
3 large tomatoes, chopped roughly
1/2 cup corn kernels (frozen or fresh)
spinach leaves
salt & pepper

White Sauce Ingredients

knob of butter
3 cups of milk
2 tblsp cornflour
1/2 cup grated cheese (plus extra for topping)

Method

1. Sauté onions in a dash of oil, add bacon and cook until lightly coloured. Note: I’m fairly stringent on the oil as the fat from the bacon will even it out

2. Add carrots and cook until almost al dente. Add tomatoes and corn and cook for a couple of minutes

3. Season with salt and pepper, add pasta to pan and combine

4. Melt butter in a large, thick bottomed pot. Add flour and stir quickly with a wooden spoon over low heat to form a roux

5. Pull off heat and add a good splash of milk. Mix and smooth out any lumps. Replace on low heat and continue stirring

6. Gradually add all of the milk and stir, let the sauce thicken. Note: add more milk if too thick or more flour if not thick enough

7. Pull off heat and add cheese

8. Pour sauce over pasta and combine, add the spinach leaves and gently fold into pasta

9. Pour into a large rectangular casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese (I sometimes forgo the cheese to make it a little lighter)

10. Bake in pre-heated oven for approximately 10-15 minutes (longer if you’ve made it earlier) at 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) until cheese is melted

Enjoy!

#veggiesmuggled pasta bake is an easy make-ahead dinner for busy families @hopefornannies

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>>> Do you like cheese pasta bakes or tomato based pasta bakes?

Teacher Preacher

Chatting to one of The Twins this afternoon, the dialogue went something like this:

“Are you going to be a teacher?”

I sure am!

“Wow, you’d be a really good teacher!” (Glancing at my study notes) “That to-do list is pretty big, that’s a lot of work!”

It sure is, luckily I have you guys to distract me from it.

“I guess you would (emphasis on the would) have a lot to learn, as a teacher you kind of need to know EVERYTHING. Better get studying!

…Jeez, thanks for the vote of confidence guys… good to know you’ve got my back.

Kid Friendly Yummy Berry Muffins

It’s Friday Fun Day and we’ve got yummy Berry Muffins on the menu. These muffins are absolute winners with the kids and usually requested quicker than I can make them. The super easy recipe means that all the kids (no matter the age) can pull up a stool and don their aprons to become my sous chefs.

When making these muffins, remember that they’re super yummy. They’re also super easy. This means that the kids are keen to get in on the action (which is great) but also means they’re going to each call dibs on licking the bowl. To compensate, I usually double the recipe quantities to make sure we actually end up with a decent amount of muffins for afternoon tea and school lunches the next day.

Recipe: Kid-Friendly Yummy Berry Muffins

Given that this recipe is totally kid friendly, I do make sure that I’ve evacuated the kitchen of all the sharp objects. This includes the knives. I also add 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips sometimes as a special treat.

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>>> Are you a muffin or cupcake person?

A Cappuccino Is Not A Flat White With Chocolate

A Note To The Hipster Baristas

In another life time not too long ago I was a hospitality person. I spent many years across all areas of the industry. From cleaning dishes as my very first job, to studying commercial cookery with dreams of being a chef, to standing behind a coffee machine all day and training staff, to waiting tables in cafés and fine dining restaurants, to working in luxury hotels and even studying my under-grad at university in the field. You name it, I did it.