Xmas Carols at Rai's School

Baby is making small hungry-ish cries, but I have just put him on a three hour routine, to save my own sanity (demand feeding for six weeks was good, but enough already). The little heffalump is in the top TWO PERCENT of babies his age for weight, and top ten percent for height / length, so I think he could probably deal with spreading out the feeds (and the fats) a little ; )

Last night we went to Rai's school to listen to the kids sing Christmas carols. It wasn't a traditional selection (Korokoro School's principal doesn't do "traditional"), and I really got into their rendition of "Zombie" by the Cranberries.

I decided to make a cheesecake for the event, but was too lazy to go to the supermarket to buy the required ingredients (according to Edmond's anyway). So I searched the Internet and cobbled together a surprisingly successful cheesecake from the ingredients in my kitchen (fortunately, I did have cream cheese, as cheesecake tends to need some form of cheesyness and I don't think Edam or Tasty would have been quite right). Recipe below.

After the singing, there was a lolly scramble which I really wanted to join, but held back. There was also a tug-o-war, which I did join and WE WON. The reason to have kids is to re-live all these awesome events and activities. I will take Rai carol singing this weekend as well.

What did I read last night at 4am while feeding baby? (And Jo, you might well ask how I was able to look at a computer while feeding in the middle of the night - the key is to lie in bed, not be too well-endowed - no risk of smothering baby with my manly chest - and to have an iPad - the gadget EVERY new mother needs). Well, I checked out some beautiful kete on Trade Me (NZ's version of Ebay), as well as some kilim rugs (my latest fetishes). Plus a calendar of nude female rugby players (not a fetish YET). The team has put out a calendar to raise funds and awareness of women's rugby. They seem to be surprised at how well their calendars of NAKED FEMALE rugby PLAYERS are selling. Way to make a lot of money? Make a calendar of naked women for a "good cause". Preferably splatter the ladies with mud and have them carry some form of sporting equipment, to make it legit in front of the wife that you have a calendar of NAKED FEMALE rugby PLAYERS on the wall.

My goodness my baby is cute - he just got a bit fidgety as he knows that I know it is past 10am and his scheduled feeding time, so I put the Xmas tree lights on to distract him and he smiled. Gotta love little babies, patterns are more thrilling than almost anything...even releasing pent up air bubbles! Will turn lights off now, lest he get too euphoric and over-stimulate himself.

LAZY MAN'S* CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Base

Packet of biscuits (something plain like digestives or gingernuts)
3 tablespoons butter (maybe more if needed)
3 tablespoons sugar

Mix together crushed biscuits (get your five year old to pound them to smithereens with a hammer) with melted butter and sugar, put into tin (any size that suits), bake in oven for ten minutes at 160C.

Filling
Approx. 250 grams cream cheese (one pottle)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
lemon juice to taste (if you have lemons, otherwise, leave them out)

Beat together softened cream cheese and sugar. Add egg yolks, vanilla and lemon juice and mix. Whip up egg whites until fluffy then fold in. Put onto base and cook for 10 minutes at 230C, then 15-20 minutes at 120C until firm. Leave in the oven with the door open to cool to prevent the top cracking.

Easy huh? Let me know if you try it.

*We're not PC around here.