What to do with all of our pears? - Fantastic, quick, delicious recipe

We planted fruit trees for each of our girls after they were born.  An apple tree for Alena, and a pear tree for Mia Rose.  This is the first year the that the pear tree bears abundant fruit.  Very exciting :)  So yesterday, I was looking for a recipe for "Birnenkuchen" (Pear Cake).  Instead of butter the recipe I choose uses olive oil.  The result was a cake that was delicious, moist, not overly sweet.  Oh, and this recipe can be used for any type of fruit. Yay, just what I needed.  

Here it is 

• 5 Apples, pears or other fruit
• Preheat oven to 360 F (180 C)
• 200 gr flour
• 200 gr sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 tsp baking powder (recipe calls for one package)
• 200 ml "milk" (I had plain soy creamer)
• 6 Tbl Olive Oil
• Pinch of salt

1. Peel fruit and cut fruit into slivers 
2. Mix eggs, sugar, and pinch of salt until it is creamy
3. Slowly add flower and baking powder
4. Add "milk" and olive oil
5. Add fruit to dough mixture
6. Pour into spring form and bake for about 45 minutes until top of cake is nicely browned. (Start checking after 35 minutes)

Original recipe http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/1360681240860271/Saftiger-Obstkuchen.html

Enjoy!!! Happy baking :)  

Alena's first day of First Grade

Here are some pictures of my First Grader...

Alena and her "Schultuete"

Ready to go to school the first day

Walking to school

Alena at her desk in school

It has been a long week...

Oh, how I miss our old little school. There are a few up-sides to attending the neighborhood school.  We can walk to school, as it is only a little more than two blocks away from our house; and there is a pretty nice playground.  In addition, I met with the nurse a couple of times, and also spoke with the principal.  I have not spoken with the teacher about Alena's CG as that communication is supposed to go through the nurse and principal.  That, my friends, is fairly strange to me.  The nurse has informed me, that if there are treats we are not informed ahead of time.  I brought in a couple of different ice cream treats for Alena.  The nurse however relayed to me, that the teacher was not sure if that would work.  Well, we will have to see.  I also went with the nurse through the cafeteria to ensure that Alena would not be able to take food.  We took her lunch card, swiped her and NOTHING showed on the screen in regards to foods she cannot eat.  The nurse proceeded to ask the lunch lady to add the "No items" to her card; she added it right away but instead of writing "no milk, lactose, whey, casein" she typed "No Nuts"!!! Aaaaaarrrrggghhhh - I know, I have to channel positive energy towards school.  - Never-the-less this situation makes me cry....

...tomorrow is the day - school starts and I am still worried...

"Mama, I am so excited for tomorrow..." Alena whispered just before she fell asleep tonight. Oh, how I wish I could say the same.  I think that I am more anxious than anything.  What will it be like?  What will the teacher be like? What will it be like for her to be in school from 8:35 - 3 PM every day?  And the really big question for me, what will she be doing during that time...the questions are endless, and so is my worry.   We had a last summer hooray and spent four days in Sunriver. We got back yesterday, and we finally received the school package.  Alena is assigned a teacher and I would have loved to speak with her BEFORE school starts, but oh well.  The registration form lists special medical information and states "METH BOLIC Disorder"!!! OK - I understand time and money is at a premium, but has anyone ever heard of this??? Also, I know for a fact that I wrote Classic Galactosemia, Metabolic Disorder, NO MILK or MILK DERIVATIVES all over the registration form...This really worries me.  But hey, I need to get back in the swing of things and think positive, right?! The upside really will be the commute - walking distance, and hopefully neighborhood friends.  So for now, I will attempt to funnel positive energy to the school start tomorrow.  But believe it or not, this is - right now - actually a true challenge for me.  I have to remember that the glass is half full....

School is about to start and I am nervous

Yes, it is true I am so nervous and almost beside myself with Alena entering 1st Grade.  This is the first time that she will be going to a big, public school.  So far, we had gone to a nice, safe, private PreK - K school and it was wonderful. I had communicated and educated the teacher's before the school year about Classic Galactosemia.  It really has helped ease my worries in the past.  But now?  Well, school will start on September 7th, 2010 and packages will go out tomorrow September 2nd, 2010.  I have tried to find out to whose class she was assigned to but apparently that information was  - as of this afternoon - yet unknown.  I have spoken with the Health Coordinator at the School System and she suggested that a 504 Plan be put in place for Alena.  I just briefly glanced at it and am not certain that this is really needed.  I think that we really just need a couple of things.  First, find out who her teacher will be and communicate with him/her; and secondly have Alena's lunch card reflect the items she cannot eat.

Oh, how I miss my small, safe school....I am just so worried and cannot think of anything to make me feel better...