My pantry

We all have areas of our house that get, let's say, out of control when life gets busy. For me it's my pantry.

I grocery shop with one or both kids most of the time. I shop once a week, carefully, with a list. When I get home? It all breaks down. 

Maybe it's because the kids have been good for an hour while I shop. Maybe it's that we're home again and they have access to toys. Maybe it's that I'm trying to get something else done. Whatever the reason, putting all those bags of groceries away as quickly as possible does not result in a neat, orderly pantry (or fridge for that matter). You should see how many partially full boxes of pasta we have. And cans of beans. Just ask my husband--this is a big pet peeve.

When you're in a hurry, what don't you do well?

Chicken Patty Pockets

This is a super-easy recipe that everyone's loved who has tried it. Hope you like it!

RECIPE: Chicken Patty Pockets with Yogurt Sauce (adapted from Everyday Food magazine. Original recipe here.)

Serves: 4
Time: about 30 minutes

CAN KIDS HELP? They could help make the yogurt sauce. I don't let mine handle raw meat yet.

Yogurt Sauce:

In a small bowl, wisk together

1 cup (which requires two small containers) of plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice.
Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until use.

Chicken Patties:

1 pound ground chicken
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon (NOTE--that's tablespoon) minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (increase to adjust the heat)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
Pita pockets
Lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers

Heat broiler with rack in highest position. In a large bowl, combine chicken, egg whites, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, garlic, salt, and spices, and mix until well blended. I start with a spoon and do the final mixing with my hands.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Divide the meat mixture into 8 portions.

With your hands, make each portion into a small patty, flatten slightly and place on sheet. Drizzle remaining one tablespoon of oil over the patties.

Broil until slightly browned for 4 minutes. Remove from sheet from oven, flip patties over, and cook for 4 more minutes.

Serve by placing a patty, yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber in a pita pocket.

This recipe doubles well. I freeze the cooked patties, and reheat them in the microwave later for a quick lunch or dinner.

Kids' version:
The favors are pretty strong but my daughter likes this. I served them the components separated.

BEFORE: My daughter's plate is on the left, son's is on the right.

They both love pita and did well with the veggies. My son likes to dip the cucumbers in the yogurt sauce.

AFTER: My daughter only nibbled, but my son ate like a rock star!

Tell me more: What's a great recipe to double and freeze?

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Depth

While eating dinner with my kids solo since my husband was working late yesterday, I heard my son make a joke I've heard many times before.

Him: Mom, how old am I?
Me: 5
Him: No, 647 (followed by laughter).

Then my daughter joined in.
Her: Mom, you know how old I am?
Me: 3
Her: No, 100 (followed by laughter from both).

Now, there's definitely something to be said for family togetherness, counting skills and making a math joke. However, at that moment, I gazed outside, and realized that I'm in desperate of some depth. In my conversations. A conversation lasting more than three lines. A conversation that challenges my critical thinking skills. A conversation - a real conversation. Then my daughter spilled her milk. Daydream...over.

Can anyone else relate?

"Good Night Oregon"

Book: Good Night Oregon by Dan McCarthy and Joe Veno

Target audience: This is a board book

Topic: Travel

Basic summary: As children prepare for bed, they review all the sites to enjoy in Oregon.

It's our goal to eventually take the kids to see all of Oregon. This book provides an introduction to many of the wonderful places to visit in our state. As the narrator goes through a day, the reader gets to visit parts of Oregon like Crater Lake, Pendleton Round Up, the Oregon Zoo, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and Smith Rock (just to name a portion). By the end of the book, it's night time, and we are saying 'Good Night' to Portland (perfect for us). The illustrations have impressive accuracy, and my kids love seeing some of the places we've been referenced in the story. 

Gift idea: Have a family member that lives out of town? This book is part of a whole series. Try Good Night Chicago or Good Night Minnesota. Many more options are available. See them here.

Gilbert's Discovery Village

Outing: A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in downtown Salem
Cost: $12.50 (with AAA) for one adult and one child. Prices here. 
Travel time: About 45 minutes from NW Portland
Age: Any age child but to take full advantage of the outdoor features probably 4 years old
Reason to go: The huge 'Erector Set' maze and slide structure outside.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of the Portland Children's Museum. Seriously, go. However, if you have the time, you must check out A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village sometime. Find a dry day. Plan for the travel time. Load up your at-least-four-year-old. And check this out! It's the Erector Set Tower - a several story wooden and metal structure with stairs, ladders, twists, turns, slides, bridges, and views for miles.  Wow.

 

 

 

All the photos above were taken from the ground. This alone is worth the cost of admission and the long drive. Your kids can climb throughout it to find multiple exits and pathways. It's incredible.

The museum has more to offer though:

Mammoth dig

Many music stations on the decks outside

A huge life-sized cell that the kids can climb through.

Paddlewheeler structure

View leaving one of the exhibit houses

Inside, the features are more like Portland's Museum (just a sampling below).

Shadow room (this is another favorite area for my son)

Grocery

Toddler Room

Trip to China

You could be here for hours just to see everything. It's not an everyday trip but give it a try before the wet season starts. Let me know what you think!

Banana Bread

This morning, my husband woke up to the smell of my banana bread baking. He said, "Why can't you just make that every morning at 6 am so I can smell it when I wake up?" Well, uh, there are many reasons, but I do make this as often as I can.

RECIPE: Best ever Banana Bread  (unfortunately, source is unknown, but I did get it from one of those email recipe exchanges a decade ago from someone named Torrie Nelson)

Serves: 10 slices

Time: 90 minutes (including baking time)

CAN KIDS HELP? Yep. This is a great one for little ones to help with measuring and stirring.

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1  3/4 cups unsifted flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch pan.

Combine all ingredients in one large bowl and mix well by hand. 

Transfer to pan. Bake until golden brown and slightly split (1 hour 15 minutes - 1 hour 20 minutes). Check for doneness with a toothpick. I think it's best eaten the day of baking. There's a delicious crust that forms. However, cover with plastic wrap and enjoy for days ahead too.

White board and chore chart

I purchased this Melissa and Doug Responsibility Board about a year ago but have had difficulty finding just the right way to use it. I recently saw it slightly re-purposed* and knew I had to try it too!

As I've mentioned, I'm a former teacher. I loved my white board. I had it filled out with the parts of each lesson for each class each day. It was a helpful way to keep me and the students organized.

Fast-forward to today. With both kids in school and in activities, I found myself losing track of what we were doing when. I also needed help in the 'chore' department.

The top part of the board is being used as intended. I put up several chores that the kids earn magnet 'buttons' for completing. The bottom part is what is saving my sanity. I sectioned it just like when I was teaching, and fill it out each night for the following day. I have a section for the day and date, the plan for dinner, and a section for each of my kids' activities. I keep it right where I can see it from the kitchen. An organized schedule: achieved!

*Thanks to my friend Tracy Muilenburg for the inspiration.

Tell me more: What tricks do you have to keep your family schedule in order?

Agenda--Meeting #1

Little changes [and] little choices add up to be revolutionary changes in your life.
— Sarah Ban Breathnach

Parenting in Pdx - Meeting #1

September 20, 2012

Agenda—

9:15-9:45

            Connections
            Introductions/Penny Activity

            Agenda Review

9:45-10:45

            Four A's Text Protocol

            "10 Food Rules To Cure Your Kids’ Picky Eating Habits (the French Way)" by                                                              Emily Fleischaker   

             based on the book French Kids Eat Everything, by Karen Le Billon

10:45-11:05

            Set Norms: 
           “What do we need to work collectively as a group?”

11:05-11:15

            Scheduling for October meeting

            Sign-ups for contributions (dilemmas, topics, or texts)
            Closing

"Otis"

Book: Otis by Loren Long (available in board book shown above and regular print editions)

Target audience: Probably 2 and up

Topic: Friendship, farm life

Basic summary: The tractor named Otis's friend, the little calf, helps him pull through a tough transition.

Otis is a sweet little story about a tractor who needs to find a new purpose after the farmer replaces him with a newer model. We learn that even the older, smaller tractor has an important use when the prized little calf needs help. The illustrations depict an older era of farming, and the personality of Otis the tractor is friendly and lovable. 

My kids love the nurturing relationship between Otis and the calf and were able to sit through this rather long story from an early age. There is a board book edition too that may be better for younger readers. Despite as many as 60 words on some pages even in that edition, my daughter at age two enjoyed the story and wanted it read repeatedly. There's just something about Otis and this heart-warming story that has made it a favorite around here.

The sequel: A new book by Long about Otis has just come out. It's called Otis and the Tornado and it's a wonderful read as well.

Birthday party idea: Dinosaurs

We recently celebrated my daughter's birthday. We threw her a dinosaur party and it was a huge success. Here's what we did: 

Party Idea: Dinosaurs
Gender: Either but this party was for a girl
Age range: We had from 1-5 year-olds
Activities: Decorating the buckets, hunting outside for 'dinosaur' eggs
Decorations: I made pennants and used an orange and pink color scheme.

Each party guest received a bucket with dinosaur stickers inside.

They spent the first part of the party decorating their buckets with the stickers.

Once all the guests arrived, and the buckets were as completed as they were going to get, we let the kids into the backyard where we'd hidden about 200 plastic eggs filled with dinosaur stickers, mini-dinosaurs, and candy.

 

After the egg hunt, the kids got to eat some snacks from the table before we did cake and presents.

It was a huge hit for all the kids and especially the birthday girl.

Resources:
Dino stickers, balloons, paper products were purchased from www.partyallready.com 
Eggs, dino stickers, and inflatable dinosaurs were purchased from www.orientaltrading.com
Buckets were purchased from Michaels

Instructions for pennants:

Pennant dimensions are 4" wide and 8" long so you can get three from a 12x12 piece of cardstock. Letters were created using 130pt Tempus Sans font, printed, then punched using 2.5" circle punch. I punched the two top corners with small punch then thread through ribbon to hang.

Many thanks to Jessica Fuhriman from craftily-ever-after.blogspot.com for help and inspiration. Thank you also to Janis Rooker for the original egg hunt/bucket decorating idea.

On my reading list

Holy Moly! So so many books about kids and home came across my radar this week. Haven't read any of 'em yet, but I can't wait to.

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

Why Have Kids? A New Mom Explores the Truth about Parenting and Happiness by Jessica Valenti

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough

Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth

The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving your Skills by Daniel Coyle

Tell me more: What's on your to-read list for fall? Have you heard about or read any of the above titles?

Connections

We will always start our discussions with 'Connections'*. During connections, each group member talks about what is occupying his or her mind as our gatherings begin. We might hear, "My daughter's birthday is tomorrow and I can't stop thinking about how much cleaning I have to do." Or, "My dog is ill and I'm worried about her." Or, "My baby was up from 1-4 am. Where is the coffee?"

The idea is that we leave our outside concerns 'at the door' and focus on the tasks at hand. Sure, these connections can become longer conversations. By honoring them first thing, it sometimes enables us to let them go for the time being. Or we realize that the topic needs more focus and it may substitute for an agenda item or be put into the next month's meeting as a dilemma topic.

*Connections is from the NSRF's Critical Friends group protocols.

~~ In our real life, the idea of connecting is powerful. What if we openly acknowledged the concerns that are distracting us from our tasks at hand? Like being present with our kids. Listening to our friends' stories. Grocery shopping without forgetting 12 items. Reading a whole page of a novel without our minds wandering.

For today, try to connect to your distractions. This could be in the form of saying them out loud. Journaling them. Making them a facebook post. Just get them out there so you can let them go and move on to something more productive. Did this help?

"Ish" and "The Dot"

Yes-these are library copies. Sometimes inspiration strikes with books I haven't bought yet.

Book: Ish and The Dot by Peter Reynolds.

Target audience: Probably 5 and up for true appreciation of these books' meaning. Younger kids will still like them too.

Topic: Art, creativity, differences

Basic summary: For the creative spirit to thrive, we need to let go of other people's judgements. Give new skills a try.

I'm posting on both these books together because the message is the same: just let art be art. It's amazing just the way it is. Through Reynolds' beautiful illustrations, this idea comes to life with a story of a child discovering his or her artistic potential. At a deeper level, these books encourage children to pursue their passions no matter what the critics (even inner ones) say.

Extension activity:

After reading both books, look what happened during quiet time here at home:

My son found himself inspired to create 'dots' just like the story in one of the books. Bear in mind that we'd read the book several times before he wanted the watercolors out. This just made my heart sing though! Artistic inspiration from a storybook. And who knows? Maybe someone will be inspired in your house too. Or even better - maybe someone will develop a new interest even if he or she isn't great at it at first. Comment and tell me about it.

Chicken Succotash with Avocado and Cheese

I never knew I liked succotash. And what's not to like? Veggies. Chicken. Some cheese. Yum. Seriously, if you have (inaccurate) preconceived notions about succotash, give this recipe a try.

Do you have a bunch of tomatoes ready to be picked from your garden (like we do) or want to take advantage of the end of the farmer's market season? September is a perfect time to make this recipe.

RECIPE: Chicken succotash with avocado and queso fresco cheese (adapted from this recipe from EverydayFood magazine)



Serves: 4

Time: 30 minutes

CAN KIDS HELP? Maybe if they have good chopping skills. Honestly, my kids don't totally love this one. I split up the components and serve them individually on their plates. However, my husband and I love it so much I make it anyway.

3 large tomatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 small zucchini, diced medium
2 cups corn kernels (from 3 ears)
2 cups frozen edamame, thawed
4 cups cooked chicken breast meat, shredded
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced
3 ounces queso fresco cheese, crumbled

1. In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper.

If you want, just stop right here! Nothing wrong with just a fresh tomato salad!

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened slightly, 4 minutes. Add corn and edamame and cook until corn is cooked through and edamame is softened, 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken and cook until warmed through, 2 minutes. Divide among four plates. Top with avocado and cheese and serve with tomatoes.

Tell me more: What dishes do you love to prepare even if your kids aren't huge fans?

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Parenting and our health

How are you feeling? Does the first week of back-to-school have you as wiped out as I am? Evening meetings, snacks to pack, kids to get out the door--it feels like summer ended much more than a week ago! On top of that, at our house, we're celebrating a birthday for one of our kids. So that means a birthday party and birthday dinner all as I'm trying to navigate the massive shift back to a school routine. A routine that starts 30 minutes earlier than last year and involves both my kids this time around.

Soooo.

I'm not taking very good care of myself. I've fallen into awful routines with my sleep, exercise and diet. I'm reaching for Diet Cokes and indulging in Starbucks runs. I'm staying up late to catch up on TV even though my kids are getting up an hour earlier. I'm not drinking water. Exercise? Um, no.

There are four areas of my health in desperate need of improvement. I need to:

1. Sleep 8-9 hours a night.
2. Drink water at every opportunity.
3. Exercise 4-5 times a week
4. Cut out the sugary and salty snacks. Replace with fruits/veggies/whole grains.

Seems pretty simple, but it's a massive undertaking to commit to all four at once. For this week, I'm tackling only the first two. I'm starting with a manageable goal and building from there.

Back to my original question. How are you feeling? Are you up for the challenge of improving a health goal for the next week? Which one and how will you do it?

Mo Willems - Book of the week SPECIAL EDITION

Did you hear? Children's author MO WILLEMS is coming to the Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing on Sunday, September 9 at 2 pm. Details here. I got a tip from the staff there: arrive at least an hour early to get a ticket for the book signing as well as a seat.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy. We love his books around here. I've selected a favorite from each of my kids to highlight.

Book: We Are in a Book by Mo Willems.

Target audience: Probably age 3 and up

Topic: Reading

Basic summary: Gerald and Piggie realize that they are actually characters in a book! So funny.

Honestly, this one is my favorite too. It's amazingly simple but oh-so-clever. Gerald and Piggie (the main characters in Willems' Elephant and Piggie series) discover that they are being read. In a book. By a reader. Who is you. Both my kids giggle at what follows and my son had huge belly laughs at a joke about halfway through the book. I don't want to give it away.

If you haven't already, it is a must read for any household with small kids. Now that my son is an emerging reader, this is one he reads on his own too.

Like this one? Another great book in the series is There is a Bird on your Head.

Book: Cat the Cat Who is That by Mo Willems.

Target audience: Probably age 2 and up

Topic: Friendship

Basic summary: With very simple language, Cat visits her friends and even makes a new one.

There is something so sweet about Cat. For my daughter, who still primarily enjoys books with very few words per page, this series is a great find. We love the message about accepting differences and making new friends.

Want another suggestion? There aren't as many in this series, but we also loved Let's Say Hi to Friends who Fly.