StephinSydney's Minti Blog

StephinSydney's Minti Blog http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/ StephinSydney's Minti Blog Copyright 2009 Minti en-uk Exciting News StephinSydney Things have been busy over the past few months. Each day we've been writing recipes, testing recipes and gathering together a comprehensive body of work for the MMGTCFD. (the Guys Cookbook). And then we started writing a fiction novel, fiction inspired by all the interesting daily observances of a thirty-something woman and her nanny. At a rate of 5,000 words per ...

Things have been busy over the past few months. Each day we've been writing recipes, testing recipes and gathering together a comprehensive body of work for the MMGTCFD. (the Guys Cookbook).

And then we started writing a fiction novel, fiction inspired by all the interesting daily observances of a thirty-something woman and her nanny. At a rate of 5,000 words per week it is like a freight train coming from Coogee and is pretty, well, spicy...

More significant that my writing schedule is the new opportunity for my company, Mighty Media Group, to represent one of the hottest new visual artists in Australia, Athena X. (www.athenax.com) Athena is an amazing Greek Australian who is as intellectually stimulating as she is physically beautiful. Her work is evocative and provokes thought on topics such as modern humanity and our need to connect to others and our many internal faces. Who are we? What masks do we wear? What erodes our souls? Check her work out! I will personally be handling her media strategy, branding and will take a strategic position next to her to make AthenaX one of next year's hottest new brands.

Athena X and I commence this journey with a trip to one of the World's Biggest Art Exhibitions, Art Basel Miami on December 6-9th in Miami, Florida USA. Athena will meet various members of the art community and concrete plans for her 2008 Exhibition Schedule. (New York, Dubai, Art Basel 2008)

If you're around, drop me a note. We'd love to see you and Athena and I make the Veronicas look like, well, silly schoolgirls.

X

Stephenie

]]> http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/551824/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/551824/ Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:49:00 -0800 A Million Little Pieces StephinSydney I recently read a book called A Million Little Pieces. It is a book about a 23 year old man who goes into rehab. He is a real loser, addicted to everything and completely out of control. The book is pretty graphic in demonstrating the horrors of addiction and did my head into a point where I looked at everything ...     More relevant to this forum, there was a part of the book where the writer was talking about this terrible rage that he had towards his parents. This anger took on its own persona and was called the Fury. It was a big, black ugly monster that spoke loud and resounding in the poor man's head. He couldn't hug his parents, and when they did anything loving to him, he shrank back in disgust.
    During his time in rehab he worked with a therapist. The therapist noted that he was extremely angry. She work shopped him on why. Was he ever abused as a child sexually? Mistreated by his parents physically? Did any one else abuse him as a child like a carer or relative. NOTHING. No abuse in his history. His parents were loving, normal and supportive, even through his addiction.
    There is a time in rehab where the family members come for family group. It is meant to be a time for confession and healing. From what it sounds like, it is terribly painful for all parties but part of the process of regeneration.
    During this man's family sessions, he tells his parents that he is angry with them. He describes this rage in great detail. The parents are horrified and the mother is weeping. She is sobbing. She is bereft.
    The therapist asks the parents if there was anything, anything at all in the child's history, from day 1, that would have created this reaction in their son. Through the tears the mother explains that her son was born screaming. He screamed and wailed for the first 2 years of his life. They fed him, changed him, cuddled him and the infant was inconsolable. They took him to the heath care provider and they could find nothing obviously wrong. The child continued to scream.
    Some time later, they finally went to a specialist as their economic position could now afford one. The doctor noted that the child had SEVERE ear infections, and had them for an obvious long time. The child had been screaming in agony for years and the parents didn't address it. They didn't know. How could they know, the mother kept saying.
    It was a very powerful and haunting chapter especially because I am a parent. TO think that this man developed a resentment that went all the way back to the cradle was frightening. I think in the past, parents thought that the kids would never remember any of their first year experiences so they did what they wanted, not appreciating that those early years were creating a personality imprint that would structure this person's entire personality and being.
    This chapter also made me introspective. Who am I? How do I feel about my mother? What happened that influences these feelings. I also have purposed to give my son the most loving, happy environment in all his points of contact, from carers to we parents.
    The book is a great gritty read if you can handle to vivid descriptions. It is part autobiography, part fiction, but powerful nonetheless.]]> http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/411391/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/411391/ Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:35:27 -0700 Booty Food, Babies and blogging StephinSydney People ask me what my new project is about. Although the title has been a working one six ways from Sunday (ranging from Gourmet Foreplay to the Idiots Guide to Cooking for a Date) I am loving it. I have been working feverishly on recipes and testing things in my kitchen for the last two weeks. Beyond the road test ...
    When I begin to talk to some yummy co-ed about my work (I love it when they ask what I do and I explain that I provide the top way to get busy!) their eyes light up. I share how my book will give them very easy steps to creating a memorable night of food, conversation and atmosphere. Although the recipes are that good, I've been offering the secret weapon to getting it to happen for them. Over Easter weekend I asked about 100 guys what they thought about my idea for a cooking for a date companion, and hands down every guysaid they would be interested and it had nothing to do with me being on the cover only wearing a smile (which I am not doing by the way...I've had a child). Now, I can't tell you what that weapon is or there would be no reason to read the book now, would there.

    Some of the delicious things I have road tested this week were the Whole Baby Snapper Asian style (it does not involve any Thai Lady Boys lipsyncing Barbara Streisand, fear not) and a terrific Chicken Paella with Sausage and Rosemary. Both were 'get your clothes off' magnificent and rediculously easy to prepare.

I love food, and I love entertaining. Men cooking is one of the sexiest things I know. Because I know what a turn on cooking is (I get alot of kitchen sex, thank you) I want to do my part for humanity and share the love, so to speak. I hope you love my ramblings, recipes and ultimately, my how-to book.]]> http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/372637/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/372637/ Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:28:00 -0700 Booty Food, Babies and blogging StephinSydney People ask me what my new project is about. Although the title has been a working one six ways from Sunday (ranging from Gourmet Foreplay to the Idiots Guide to Cooking for a Date) I am loving it. I have been working feverishly on recipes and testing things in my kitchen for the last two weeks. Beyond the road test ...
    When I begin to talk to some yummy co-ed about my work (I love it when they ask what I do and I explain that I provide the top way to get busy!) their eyes light up. I share how my book will give them very easy steps to creating a memorable night of food, conversation and atmosphere. Although the recipes are that good, I've been offering the secret weapon to getting it to happen for them. Over Easter weekend I asked about 100 guys what they thought about my idea for a cooking for a date companion, and hands down every guysaid they would be interested and it had nothing to do with me being on the cover only wearing a smile (which I am not doing by the way...I've had a child). Now, I can't tell you what that weapon is or there would be no reason to read the book now, would there.

    Some of the delicious things I have road tested this week were the Whole Baby Snapper Asian style (it does not involve any Thai Lady Boys lipsyncing Barbara Streisand, fear not) and a terrific Chicken Paella with Sausage and Rosemary. Both were 'get your clothes off' magnificent and rediculously easy to prepare.

I love food, and I love entertaining. Men cooking is one of the sexiest things I know. Because I know what a turn on cooking is (I get alot of kitchen sex, thank you) I want to do my part for humanity and share the love, so to speak. I hope you love my ramblings, recipes and ultimately, my how-to book.]]> http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/799764/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/799764/ Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:28:00 -0700 Minti and Parenting StephinSydney In learning about blogging, I have found out a few disturbing things. For example, I found out that there was someone out there in cyberspace writing an alledged diary of life in my office, complete with fictional descriptions, supermodels and monkeys, a caricature of daily happenings back in 2002. Where the heck have I been...     Now that my feet have ...     Now that my feet have penetrated the stratosphere and I am now part of the blog universe I am pleased to publish and write about real things, that really matter, like countering the child obesity epidemic with good, sound information on nutrition and as a parent, providing my son with the best eating experiences possible.
    In the info sharing universe, I have become a blogger on Minti under the heading StephinSydney.minti.com and attempt everyday to answer a nutrition question or assist a new parent. First time new parenting is tough waters to navigate and every little helping hand helps so I've learned.
    If you have a question as a new parent, post it and I will make an effort to give you a straight foreward, researched answer.
    Remember to be remarkable....
SR
]]> http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/799765/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/799765/ Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:47:00 -0700 Minti and Parenting StephinSydney In learning about blogging, I have found out a few disturbing things. For example, I found out that there was someone out there in cyberspace writing an alledged diary of life in my office, complete with fictional descriptions, supermodels and monkeys, a caricature of daily happenings back in 2002. Where the heck have I been...     Now that my feet have ...     Now that my feet have penetrated the stratosphere and I am now part of the blog universe I am pleased to publish and write about real things, that really matter, like countering the child obesity epidemic with good, sound information on nutrition and as a parent, providing my son with the best eating experiences possible.
    In the info sharing universe, I have become a blogger on Minti under the heading StephinSydney.minti.com and attempt everyday to answer a nutrition question or assist a new parent. First time new parenting is tough waters to navigate and every little helping hand helps so I've learned.
    If you have a question as a new parent, post it and I will make an effort to give you a straight foreward, researched answer.
    Remember to be remarkable....
SR
]]> http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/372557/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/372557/ Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:47:00 -0700 Putting the Truth out there StephinSydney This Minti advice thing really has me spun out. I think it is great that there is now a forum of people around the world with one mission and mindset - better parenting. I was never much of a joiner but a few months back I was interviewed by the Australian newspaper at the behest of Night Nannies, a service ... http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/350389/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/350389/ Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:35:33 -0700 Today is the first day... StephinSydney Today is a very exciting day. We completed our little website and sent the first announcements about the Stages cookbook. I feel like a new mother all over again!
]]> http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/372558/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/372558/ Fri, 23 Mar 2007 07:28:00 -0700 Today is the first day... StephinSydney Today is a very exciting day. We completed our little website and sent the first announcements about the Stages cookbook. I feel like a new mother all over again!
]]> http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/799766/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/799766/ Fri, 23 Mar 2007 06:28:00 -0700 Confession of a Runaway Mother StephinSydney This is my first blog so forgive me if it doesn't look fabulous. Someone please email me and tell me how to add all the bells and whistles for appearance sake. I have to clear my conscience and confess something. I did a very un-Mommy like thing. (Wait, first, let's just clear up this Mom vs. Mum english thing) My partner ... I have to clear my conscience and confess something. I did a very un-Mommy like thing. (Wait, first, let's just clear up this Mom vs. Mum english thing) My partner Paul is Australian. I am Puerto Rican. We speak two different versions of the English language most of the time. Why Native American English speakers use the abbreviation Mom for mother is really simple. Mother is spelled MO, not MU, so it is obvious that when we shorten it, it would be to use the MO spelling. There is no U in mother. What will we teach our son? I am so confused, however, I beg your indulgence in this matter. I will always spell it Mom because I don't know any better....
Now, back to my un-Mommy behavior. I took a 10 day vacation, without my six month old son. I flew from Sydney to South Beach, Miami Florida in the USA for my best friend's 30th birthday. It was fabulous, I drank Martinis under palmtrees and fairy lights at the Raleigh hotel, had sushi at Nobu at the Shore Club, and watched my young child-free girlfriends dance at Casa Tua til the wee hours.
Firstly, this did not come without a huge emotional pricetag. Sunday night before boarding my Monday 6am flight I was a train-wreck. I cried and cried as I held my son, not because I feared that he would miss me or be under cared for in my absence. He has a very doting father and a full time live-in capable Nanny. My reading indicated that if there was ever a good time to have a childfree break, it was before the age that they become totally aware of you, and notice when you are not there or experience separation anxiety. As I gave him his last feed at 11pm, tears streamed down my face and I wanted his tired little eyes to remain open just another second so that I could gaze into them. It seemed like he knew my wish as he struggled to stay awake with fluttering eyelids. Finally, he nodded off and I tucked him back into his bed knowing that it would be ten days before I could see my smile reflect back in his face.
How does one travel and leave their child you are probably thinking. Fathers do it all the time with business trips but we 'stay at home' mothers don't get that opportunity. Firstly, you get a video recording of your child having some fun and interacting with you, and you store it on your phone and digital camera. You take still photos and print them out and put them in a special envelope with your passport and plane tickets. You proceed to take them out and review them whenever you need that Mommy-fix. You call home twice a day and ask to be placed on speaker next to your child so that you can play, talk and sing to them. It's fun, they can hear you but can't figure out where the heck you are!
Next, you notice and speak to every parent that you see. You would be surprised how kind and engaging they are once you explain that you too are a proud new member of the exclusive club of those who have created offspring. Not only will they talk to you, but will offer lots of advice and secrets that you may not have considered.
Finally, after the shellshock horror of the first 24 hours and the guilt of leaving your barren has subsided, you try and enjoy yourself. Relax, and try to sleep late. Savour your food and sip those cocktails. Dress up, wear silk and stilettos and be that shadow of your former, pre-mommy self. Stay up a little late and catch up on your reading. Do all the things you cannot do at home, and be a little indulgent.
Being a mom (or mum) is the most demanding job on the planet. You will get very few opportunities to have a total break once you have taken up the gauntlet of parenting. Whilst it may seem unfathomable in the inception, I highly recommend a child-free break, if only for a weekend. Not only will it recharge your batteries and brain, and help you reclaim your you-ness that made you desireable in the first place to your mate, but the reunion with your child will be nothing short of bliss and the closest thing you will have to that birth moment when you met your offspring for the first time. The better you are to yourself the better you can be for your family.]]> http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/175993/ http://www.minti.com/members/stephinsydney/blog/175993/ Thu, 24 Aug 2006 19:14:19 -0700