New FB Settings - You don't need to "re-like" pages under your business profile in order to tag!

Okay so a few things have changed in FB land today for business pages. Finally we can get notifications! Now I've noticed a vast number of businesses saying that they have to "re-like" pages in order to tag....well no you don't. There is a way around it...check out the pics below. :)

Click on Edit Page on the top right hand corner of your business page.

Make sure the box is ticked which says: Always comment and post on your page as "insert business name" even when using Facebook as "insert personal profile page name".

Tag as normal.....(just a bit of cheap advertising for another group that I'm part of...hehe)

And hey presto! The tag comes up as it always did and all this time I was signed in under my personal profile not my business one.....so need to run around "reliking" pages under your business page unless you want to separate your news feeds or you want to comment on somebody's page with your business page name. :)

I hope this has helped!!

Until next time.....(I promise this will be the last blog for today!)

Em x

Ps. All the pages you previously "liked" aren't lost, they are attached to your personal profile ;)

Recipe: Low GI Muesli

As part of our Low GI diet I make homemade muesli for us. It's simple and quick to make AND my kids LOVE it!

This recipe is based around a similar recipe which is found in The Low GI Family Cookbook by Foster-Powell, K. et al.

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats (not quick cook oats)

2 cups Special K

1/2 cup unprocessed oat bran

1/3 cup apple juice (I use an organic/unsweetened version - I have also used an apple/strawberry juice blend from Preshafruit which is quite nice)

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon

mixed dried fruit/nuts (I don't put nuts in my muesli because I have young children and they will be eating it. I normally include a mixture of dried paw paw, pineapple, coconut and apricots but it depends on what I have in the cupboard at the time).

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 C, line oven trays with baking paper (I normally need 2 oven trays for this recipe).

2. Combine dry ingredients (rolled oats, Special K, oat bran and any nuts you're going to use etc.) in a large bowl.

3. Combine the apple juice, honey and cinnamon in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until combined. Bring this mixture to a simmer, pour over dry ingredients and stir to combine.

4. Spread the mixture evenly over the lined trays and place in oven for 30-35 minutes or until mixture is golden brown and the Special K flakes need to be crunchy not soggy, stir twice during cooking.

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the tray. Once cool add dried fruit to mixture and serve with reduced fat milk and yoghurt if desired (my children love vanilla yoghurt on their muesli).

The muesli can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month (if it lasts that long!!)

Enjoy!!

Em x

PCOS + Low GI

Last year I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and as a result of that we went hunting for information on how to manage it as the side effects from it include weight gain, fertility issues and being at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes (for more info. on PCOS click here). As a result of our research we came across some information that by following a Low GI diet that it would help manage the symptoms and hopefully result in weight loss etc. (for more info. on what the Glycemic Index is, click here).

Before the diagnosis, I was very bloated and uncomfortable, so bloated to the point that I had numerous people presume that I was pregnant and ask me when I was due and the worst part about that was that we were trying to conceive a baby. There were even a couple of occasions when we believed that we were pregnant because my period went missing for a few months which had only ever happened when I had been pregnant previously, otherwise I had a regular, normal cycle each month. We believe that the PCOS was always there but I hadn't had any issues with fertility etc. until I suddenly started gaining weight last year and that weight gain has kicked it into motion, like flicking a switch I guess. My weight had always been fairly steady and I was able to get back to the size I was prior to falling pregnant in both cases. We're hoping that if I can reverse the process and lose some weight that it might mean things will go back to normal and we may have success in conceiving that baby. Hence the exercise regime and diet ;)

When following the Low GI diet, I feel less lethargic, less bloated and overall much healthier. When I've eaten crappy foods I can tell that my body is not happy with it because I feel unhealthy and bloated within a matter of hours. It has been a battle to change the eating habits of my family (particularly my partner who loves white bread and thinks that some of the meals that I cook taste TOO healthy!) but by just substituting things in our diet it's not a huge dramatic change (for example, I use honey instead of sugar, wholemeal flour instead of white and put rolled oats in my muffins). Just making sure that we're consuming less processed sugars (which is hard for somebody like myself whom has a sweet tooth!), and eating more fruit and vegetables, more whole grains etc. Anyway, I will be adding posts from time to time of Low GI healthy recipes of things that I make that my family enjoy and I hope that you and your family will enjoy them too!

Until next time....

Em x

P.S. If you're after some more information about Low GI and PCOS drop me an email and I can pass on some of the information that I have gathered.

Double Ouch: Exercise and Sunburn!

As part of this being a new year (yes I'm a month late....I know...BUT....at Xmas time I was sure that we were still back in June so I've caught up a little bit!), I've decided to try and do some exercise (well some is better than the none that I've been doing for been doing for quite some time!) and eat less crappy foods in the hope that I can lose some weight! I'm not overweight by any means but I am approx. 6kg heavier than what I was at this time last year and my BMI is currently 25 which is on the brink of the healthy to overweight range.

So what I've done is enlisted a friend from my day job to come with me once a week and to help hold myself accountable, no excuses to not exercise! Yesterday was our first walk and it was fair 4km with uphills and downhills through the scenic Cataract Gorge. Yesterday was a pleasant 22-23 degrees and it was overcast and just raining on and off whilst we were walking. I coped with the walk quite well, I wasn't overly tired at the end of it but I could feel the burn in my leg muscles so I must've done some good, pain is good, right?! The pain in my legs and knees didn't get much worse, it was a dull ache for the most of last night....However, my shoulders, arms and chest....well.....they are a nice shade of pink at the moment and a bit tender to touch. It appears that even though it was overcast and there was no sun....I still managed to get sunburnt and didn't even consider that I may need sunscreen! So yesterday I made the discovery that one should always slip, slop and slap during the summer regardless of the weather! I obviously wasn't paying too much attention to the ad campaigns in my youth....

On that note....I'm off to apply some more aloe vera to my sunburn and to start getting ready for tonight's sale!

Until next time...

Em x

Photo of the Day {POTD}

So I'm taking a leaf out of Miss Tara's book from TeeLee Blue and Mum-ments and posting a photo of the day, I didn't take this photo today, it was taken about 18 months ago (But I did take the photo...so only cheating a tiny bit!) and I was crawling around in my front garden (in my dressing gown - the neighbours must've thought I'd finally got bonkers!) to try and get the perfect shot of my cat Lily (she is very skittish and camera shy), the photo was taken through some plants to get the blurred effect around the edges and the only editing is some simple cropping of the picture.

Anyway....enjoy! :)

Em x

New Year, New Beginnings.....

Well we're already a month into 2011 (honestly where does time go these days!) and I'm busy getting ready for my daughter to return back to school (Tas schools return mid-Feb as we only have a 3 term school year) for her first year of being there full time! Eeek! I swear that it was only yesterday that she was a baby!

At the moment there are quite a few changes going on with The Little Wise Owl (TLWO), the biggest one is that we've had a whole new logo design implemented thanks to the lovely Nicole from LBM Designs. She has also changed the look of our blog so it all matches in. :) Behind the scenes my office/sewing room/shoebox (my bathroom is bigger than my office!) is having an overhaul....my lovely fiance has been busy sanding/varnishing the floorboards and painting. He has painted 2/4 walls atm....here is a sneak peek at the feature walls (for those of whom don't know already - I LOVE the colour purple, this shade is called Dr Who...which is quite cool because I'm also a bit of a Dr Who fan too....) Oh....and whilst the picture if rather boring.....It is virtually impossible to take a picture of my office because it is so small! But it's MY space so size really doesn't matter.....right? ;)

I have quite a few other ideas/plans in the works that I hope to share with you really soon. ;)

On that note...I will leave you with an image of some gorgeous fabric that arrived today that you may see on a creation very, very soon.....can you guess what the creation will be? ;)

Until next time.....

Em x