We talk to Vicki, author of the Honest Mum blog, about life in lockdown. Vicki also shares this fabulous (and healthy!) recipe for dark chocolate rice crispy cakes. Let’s take a look…
Please tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m a mum of two, TV ebroadcaster and blogger. I founded honestmum.com in 2010 after a traumatic birth whilst on maternity leave and pivoted into a new digital career after being a TV Director. My book MUMBOSS was released in 2018 and is out in the US on September the 1st under a new name, The Working Mom.
How are you finding being housebound with kids so far?
There are ups and downs, it’s full-on homeschooling the kids and then catching up on deadlines at night so I’ve lost a fair bit of sleep, but I feel like we’ve found our groove now as a family and adapted well. Children are so resilient and never cease to amaze me.
My 10-year-old is pretty much an autonomous learner so gets on with work his school has set, and my 7-year-old is working better than after a shaky, emotional start. I only spend around an hour with him on focused learning as he loses interest with any more and I try and implement learning through walks with nature apps and films that stimulate. Both my boys seem to be progressing well but are most importantly, happy and that’s what matters most. Some days are definitely ‘inset’ days by the way because this teacher gets overtired!
What are your top tips for when you are housebound with kids?
Be kind to yourself. Work set by school is just a guide, a useful guide but if you need to abandon ship some days or move things around, that’s A OK. Run homeschool your way. Remember that every individual family is different and that we’re all winging it right now. Minimise stress and simply do your best. Make sure that as a parent you try and find some time for a little self-care (for me that’s chocolate and Netflix and a long bath to unwind).
Kids like structure so try and keep to some semblance of routine like breakfast, lunch, dinner and bed times but don’t beat yourself up if things don’t go to plan.
My kids don’t exercise as much as they used to on the school run so often don’t feel tired until later than usual so we’ve adapted bedtime.
Don’t forget to talk to your children too, remind them that they are safe and things will improve.
What did you do?
No-bake, healthy vegan dark chocolate rice crispy cakes.
Ingredients:
- 200g 70% dark chocolate (dairy free if you fancy it)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- pinch of cinnamon (optional)
- 2 cups wholegrain crispy rice (I like Kallo Organic Wholegrain Puffed Rice or Natures Path)
Method:
- Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie, add the coconut oil, syrup and cinnamon if using and stir.
- Add the cereal and stir through until fully coated with chocolate.
- Spoon into 12 small cases and cool.
- Refrigerate then eat!
