I feel blessed to be surrounded by amazing, inspiring women in my day to day
life. I love having the time to stop and chat with them.... whether its
late at night on Facebook chat or for the 2 minute chance you get when
doing drop off at sports, sometimes we chat daily and often we can go weeks and months without talking....and
sometimes we are lucky enough to manage a half hour STOP, CUPPA and
CHAT! I love chatting with these women in my life and when I say they
inspire me, I don't say that lightly. I learn so much from them, feel
often challenged with them, leave feeling uplifted and ready to face the
world with the energy and passion that every woman needs. At 3am the
other morning it hit me, after a very brief chat earlier in the day with
a friend, that it was selfish to keep some of these conversations to
myself.....which brings me to now.....I have decided to interview one of
these women weekly and every Monday I will post it on
here.....remembering these are every day mums like you and me.....and so I start this new blogging
journey with the friend that had me rethinking our brief conversation at
3am the other morning.....and I have to say she has started this off
with a BANG! I hope you love reading this as much as I loved
interviewing her......Please say a massive HI and WELCOME to my first
SUPER MUM........
“Abbie-lee Wright”
 |
| Me with my very dear friend, Abbie, last year |
Tell
us a little bit about you and your family?
We
are a busy family of five, me, the usual husband and three kids; 2 girls, 14
and 11years of age and a 10 year old son.
The girls are kept busy doing physical culture, ballet, synchronised
swimming and soccer whilst Benjamin eats, sleeps and breathes footy and
athletics. They constantly amaze me with their determination, drive and talent,
especially Benjamin’s speed on the track, he certainly didn’t get that form
me!! The last time I ran 100metres in under 13seconds was the Boxing Day sales
in 1990!!
When
I’m not busy doing the “family thing” I am teaching physical culture four
afternoons/nights a week and I spend many weekends away from home due to
competition commitments. I love the time I spend with my pupils, young and old,
and I treasure the relationships I am able to share with them. As you can
imagine, meal times can be a constant nightmare at home when I am constantly
out of the home from the hours of 3-11pm so I was quick to teach the three kids
how to cook simple meals and my husband isn’t too shabby in the kitchen himself!
I
interrupted a Bachelor of Chemistry Degree in my early twenties to get married
and have children and when the kids were nearly old enough for school, I
returned to study to become a nurse. I juggled shift work as a nurse, three
small children and a husband with a debilitating chronic disease until I was
ready to drop! It was about this time, whilst investigating possible causes and
theories for my husband’s illness, that I rekindled a love for research and
study, so it was back to University for me! I am currently in my final year of
a double degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition. I also discovered that I have
a particular fondness and talent for Biochemistry!!
My
friends love to give me a hard time and call me an eternal student, but I was
very fortunate to receive an invitation to join the Priority Research Centre
for Human Behaviour at University in my first year, I have also been placed on
the Science Faculty’s Commendation List for Academic Excellence, and this year
I received a scholarship.
It’s
certainly hard work but I wouldn’t change a thing!! Maybe a few more hours in
the day or an extra day in the week but I know I would only fill it. School
holidays are my favourite time, having the kid’s home and making sure we do our
“pyjama and DVD day” is always something we look forward too.
·
What
one ingredient can you not live without and why?
I am about to share a shameful
secret, I don’t like fruit.
I’ve tried and tried but I just
don’t get it??? What is it that everyone loves???
There is one exception, I LOVE
TOMATOES.
As many of you may already know,
the humble tomato is definitely a fruit although it is mostly used in savoury
cooking and may be considered a vegetable.
I love their flavour, their
texture and their versatility. Our house constantly runs out of milk, toilet
paper, washing powder but I can guarantee you that we will never not have
tomatoes. They are so versatile and handy. A good quality can of tinned
tomatoes is a fantastic nutritional option for a quick and tasty meal base.
Roasted Roma tomatoes are a regular late breakfast or brunch option and sliced
fresh tomatoes with a light sprinkling of organic sea salt on a rye crisp bread
is my idea of heaven on a plate!!
Not only do they taste good they
contain Lycopene, the carotenoid pigment responsible for their red colour,
which is the most distinctive compound present in tomatoes and it has been
recognised as the most effective antioxidant among the carotenoids. Apart from
lycopene, tomato is also a good source of vitamin C, providing a significant
contribution to the daily intake. Phenolic compounds are also abundant in
tomatoes and are important substances that contribute to the tomato’s
“protective” nature. In general terms, many studies have confirmed that lycopene
is valuable in the fight against the proliferation of cancer cells as is many
other antioxidants.
It goes without saying, a
beautiful home grown tomato picked straight from the vine on a warm sunny
day….bliss!
If
you had half an hour to cook dinner and realized you didn’t have anything
planned, what would you cook?
Easy answer as it’s a regular
occurrence at my house….pasta, tinned tomatoes, tuna or a small amount of
sliced chorizo and any vegies I might have available. For example, that could
be onion, spinach, zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms. To balance the meal with
some dairy I would probably add some low salt, ricotta cheese although my
husband would also add a huge amount of fresh Parmesan!!
·
What
is once piece of advice you can pass on to other busy mums?
This is such a hard question for
me because I quite often think as mum’s we are so hard on ourselves and
sometimes “well-meaning advice” can only crush us further….so here is my one
and only piece of advice,
At no time in your life
are you unworthy!
Some days the hardest thing to do
is just get out of bed and start another day! Whatever you decide in life,
whether it be right or wrong in some else’s opinion, it is valuable. As women
we fight the hard fight. Years of society’s stereotyping of the “perfect women”
has left many of our humble female fraternity feeling undeserving and
overwhelmed. You are going to need my mantra, especially on the morning you
forget its treat day at school and instead of baking like all of the other
“perfect mums” out there you go and buy a box of processed donuts. (Yep that’s
me!!)
·
If
you could have dinner with any 3 people in the world, who would it be and why?
Those of you that may know me
will know that having only three people to dinner is not enough!! But if I
really have to choose this is who it would be;
1.
Moses. Yes, that Moses! Here is why, the man survived
a boat ride (albeit in a basket made of bulrushes) down the Nile river as a
baby, he was forced to flee Egypt after committing a heinous crime, only to be
commanded to return to Egypt by a “voice” he believes to be God where he was
told to demand freedom for the Hebrew slaves. Moses was not a natural speaker
and had to rely on the talents of his brother to make the claim of freedom to
Pharaoh (last thing I asked my sister to do was buy mum’s birthday card!!) To
cut a very long story short, he went on to give the words of God in the form of
the Ten Commandments and these rules have been at the heart of Jewish and
Christian morality for over 3000 years. No
matter what your religious affiliation, one must agree that the life lived by Moses
was extraordinary.
2.
Shirley Chisholm. Shirley was the eldest of four girls from a
poor New York family. Her parents were immigrants and worked as cleaners. They
valued education and sent Shirley and her sisters away to their grandmother to
receive an education. Shirley continued with her education and went on to
receive a master’s degree in education. In 1964 she won a seat in the New York
State Assembly and was instrumental in laws that provided funding for the
education of disadvantaged youths. She was the first black Congresswoman and
campaigned for increases in funding for day-care and higher minimum wage. She
was passionate in her belief in improving the lot of the socially disadvantaged
and the unfair treatment of women. She was the initial proposer of the Equal
Rights Amendment. Although unsuccessful, in 1972, she was the first
African-American woman to seek nomination for the Presidency!! So 40 years
before Obama, there was Shirley!
3.
Ricky Gervais. I think he is the
funniest man alive!
·
I
mentioned to you that if I can’t pronounce ingredients then I don’t buy the
product, as it must be bad for you, you told me this isn’t always true. Tell us
more.....
Modern technology and
the information generation have led to an increase in self-awareness of one’s
health and the responsibility of media, big business and governments to become
accountable. Consumers are bombarded with “good eating and healthy living
advice” and I think for the average individual it can be very confusing. One
minute we are told to “eat less of this, and more of that” only to find that
this valuable advice is often changed! A major complaint of people who begin
the study of diet is conflicting views in almost all sources of information.
The Chinese believe
that diet is an aspect of one’s personality. Choosing a path to better health
through a change in diet and lifestyle is a way of life often challenged in opposition
from family and friends. My daughter has a dairy allergy, my husband’s illness
has been a constant balance of getting the “diet right” and my son’s behaviour
challenges (although I now know were a phase of growing up), have all been
opportunities for our family to practice a form of dietary healing.
How can we really be
sure which foods belong in a wholesome diet? Unfortunately there is no easy
answer, however following a few simple guidelines will mean that any research
or new food advice you choose to follow is coming from reliable and trustworthy
source.
Firstly, check your
advice. Is the author qualified to give such advice? This doesn’t necessarily
mean they need a degree but have they lived the lifestyle choice? Was their
journey a success or a failure? Every story has both positive and negatives,
don’t be misled by “fad” food directions. It’s good to remember that just
because an author has sold millions of copies of the proclaimed dietary advice
does not mean that it is academically reliable. Look at Dr.Aitkens, a
Cardiologist and Nutritionist who sold millions of copies of his best-seller
worldwide in which he self-proclaimed a diet high in protein (mainly from
animal sources which are known to be high in saturated fat) only to die from a
massive heart attack at the age of 70.
For many of us, food
is just a necessary part of our everyday life and for those with allergies it
is more important but beyond that, all foods whether they are animal, plant or
mineral have a scientific grounding. Big, complicated Latin words on labels can
appear threatening and “unhealthy” but sometimes these words are just the
scientific equivalent of a vitamin or antioxidant of which there are thousands!
It’s good to be cautious, but eliminating “unknowns” because of the nature of
their chemical names may mean that you are not only denying your body of
essential nutrients but also of ultimate culinary pleasure and let’s face it,
life is too short to deny ourselves of simple pleasures.
The underlying rule
is moderation, a word I am not particularly good with but will continue to work
on! Good luck on your healthy lifestyle journey; I whole heartedly applaud and
support your efforts whether they are small steps or major life changes. It’s
YOUR life and your journey, and remember “You are worthy!!”
 |
| Abbie is my daughters dance teacher - she brings out the best in her and the other girls. She teaches them to be confidant and strong whilst having fun and always showing them love. |
WOW! What a "Super Mum"....
Take Care Of You,
Coll x
