Showing posts with label Parents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parents. Show all posts

Friday, February 28, 2014

Empowerment pays off… {#Galactosemia}

The other day Alena and I were at store to pick up a couple of items.  Alena stayed by the front and this is what she was doing when I got back…




…there were snack samples - really yummy looking ones too - and Alena wanted to try it; so to determine whether she can eat she picked up the package and read the ingredients. It did make this mothership quite proud and it showed to me how empowering our kids has helped them to grow.  They need to understand that not all foods are safe for them, that it is not just Mama & Daddy verifying whether it is safe, but they must do so themselves.  It is so important that our kids learn this - because let's face it they all grow up :)  This is also why I think that they need to learn that not all food at home is "safe"; we have learned this important lesson from our dear friends in Italy and we forever grateful for it.  Karin and Eberhard - the parents of Lisa and Philip - told us, if they do not learn this at home where will they learn?  Yes, so our kids know that there is food in our fridge that is just for us parental units, or those eating dairy and there are foods that are not safe.  The kids read labels at the store and if there is no label, or they cannot verify that it is "safe" they will not eat it.  Yes, this is not to say that they are not a little sad if there is not a treat for them…but you know what it is manageable. At least that is what I think; we are just so very lucky!

I have written on this topic before when the girls were much, much younger - if you have a chance you may enjoy these posts from four years, and three years ago.  It was certainly fun for me - it is hard to believe how fast time flies…

Oh, and the yummy snack label Alena was reading?  They were not safe…Alena put it back, and said "oh, that is too bad that I cannot try them…" I We am are so very proud of my our girlies...







Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Trick-or-Treating tips for #kids {#allergy #Galactosemia} #halloween

Mia Rose carving her Jack-O-Lantern
Can you believe that it is almost Halloween Eve?!  Alena and Mia Rose have been counting down the days; we decorated the house and yard right on time - you know that is October 1st - visited the pumpkin patch and started to carve our Jack-O-Lanterns a couple of days ago.  Dinner for Halloween is planned, costumes are ready, and candy for handing out is bought as well.  I guess you can say we are prepared...

Here is a question that has was on my mind when our girls where not old enough to go trick-or treating.  How will that work?  Will they be sad if they cannot eat the candy?  Or will we just not allow them to go?  {Yes, I honestly entertained that question once for about 10 seconds...what on earth was I thinking?!}
Alena carving her Jack-O-Lantern
The first time year we took Alena trick-or-treating we went to the Kennedy School for an indoor trick-or-treat event.  She was so excited and at the time we allowed her to only take "safe" candy {you know Skittles, Twizlers, etc.} - I have to admit to some minor heavy heartedness at the time but these times have passed.

When trick-or-treating the girls always pick a piece of candy even if there are only "unsafe treats"; they are - of course - super excited about the houses that have safe treats, or special treats just for them...At home each girl empties her treat bag onto the table and they separate by safe/unsafe treats.  Next we exchange the unsafe candy for safe candy.  I always buy a bag of "safe" candy which we keep at home for this purpose only.  This year, I am thinking that we will also exchange some candy for nickels...you know because how much candy does one really need, right?!

Now here are Alena's & Mia Rose's tips for a fun Trick-or Treating  -

- See if there is a piece of candy that is safe, if not
- are there other treats like pencils, erasers, tattoos, if not
- choose the piece of candy that is the prettiest .
- Have lots of fun!!!

Now here is how it happened in the past....



Monday, June 24, 2013

Travel Preparation {tips - #kid travel with #dietary #restriction}

Yes, it is that time of year again.  We are getting ready for our annual visit to go to our other "home" a couple of airline rides away.  Every year we go back home - well, at least for me it is back home to the place I grew up - to Tuttlingen, Germany, a medium size city in Southern Germany.  We usually fly into Zurich, Switzerland as it is the closest and to me easiest airport to get to/from Tuttlingen.

It is also the time of year when the girlies go to school in Germany for a couple of weeks, while I work and visit with some of my clients.  Yes, the girlies do go to school in Tuttlingen; to be exact it is the school I went to as child and my Mom taught at for many years.  This year will be Mia Rosies' first time at the school, and Alena will be going to third grade.  It is a great experience for the girls and fully immerses them into the language as well culture. No worries, both girls have known many of the other children for years.  These are the same children Alena first went to Kindergarten {she started when she was three and went for a month} and has been back every single year.  Mia Rosie also has been to Kindergarten with many of the children she will meet again in her German classroom.  Let me just tell you,  that I am so grateful for my mother and the school in helping to arrange all of this.

Summer 2012
For the children it is a natural experience to travel to Europe; I understand that we are very fortunate and am so thankful for that.  Travel was something that - when Alena was first diagnosed - we were not sure how it would be possible.  We read so many scary things about Classic Galactosemia, the diet and I was at a loss to understand how it could be possible.  In all honesty, I had no idea what her and our life would be like..but let me tell you.  Travel is absolutely 100% possible without any compromise!!! Yes, it may take more work but what that most certainly is not a deterrent for us.  So this is what we do.






Since we travel international, we order vegan meals for both girls {not that great but they do get a tray}

I pack lot's and lot's of food.  Our first flight will be from PDX - JFK and I will be making sandwiches, pack fruit, some cookies and - most important - gum (!).  The girls do not often drink soda - yes, because I block it friends - but this is the time they can get their soda {lemon/lime}.

My plan is - fingers crossed - to get a "safe" sandwich plus some fries for the girlies at our stopover to make sure they are fed and - wishful thinking - tired for the last/longest leg of the flight.

Summer 2012
Oh, and yes I have found it is best {plus the most fun for the girlies} when I pack the food for each girl and they can take it out when they get hungry.  No need to ask the mothership.  Along with the food, I also pack a new book, some markers, a notebook and some other fun little games into their backpacks to be found while we are in transit...





This time we will also enjoy a family vacation at the end of the trip and we will staying in a coupel different hotels.  I will tell you more about that plus the planning involved as we get closer....so stay tuned...

Monday, December 10, 2012

Ice "cream" cake #Dairyfree & Birthday Party

Another year has passed by so quickly and our big girl just turned nine years old.  It is hard to believe how fast time is running...Alena wanted a real Birthday party this year complete with cake, games, craft, and dinner.  A party like the ones I grew up with - parents entertaining us with fun games, and crafts.
The hostess
For the 2012 Birthdays in our family {I just remember that mine was not included} I have been making - as you may already know - Ice "Cream" Cakes.  It started with Mia Rosie - Vanilla/Raspberry - then Ron - Vanilla/Peach - and now Alena.  Alena however is a complete chocolate lover. No question...so her selection was Chocolate/Blood Orange.  It turned out great {however I think vanilla is much prettier} and everyone loved it.  Oh, and I cheated as the actual cake was baked from a box.


Chocolate Blood Orange Ice Cream Cake
1 box of dairy free Vanilla or Chocolate Cake {I used Trader Joe's Vanilla & added 2 Tbs chocolate}
   Soy/Almond/Hemp Milk
   Egg
   Oil or vegan margarine
2 - 14 oz containers of Ciao Bella Blood Orange Gelato
1 - Quart So Delicious Chocolate Velvet Ice "Cream"
1 - organic untreated orange
6 - marshmallows cut in half

1. Bake cake according to instructions and use your preferred milk substitute, as well as "butter'
    substitute.  Keep 1 container of Gelato on counter to soften
2. Let cake cook down and place a "Tortenring" {catering?}, or aluminum foil between the cake/and
    the pan. It should go all the way to the top of the pan, it will make it easier to remove the pan at
    the end.
3. Spread softened container of gelato on the cool cake.  Cover with aluminum foil and put in
    freezer for at least 3 hours; or until firm.
4. Soften chocolate ice "cream" - spread 1/2 of the container of soft ice "cream" on top of gelato.
    Cover and return to freezer for at least 3 hours; or until firm.
5. Repeat step 3
6. Repeat step 4. Let cool for about an hour, then decorate the cake with orange slices and
    marshmallow. Cover and return to freezer for at least 2 hours or until firm.

Remove 30 minutes before serving!!!

And the party?!  All the kids had a lot of fun.  First there was the ice cream cake;


next a game of "Topfschlagen" {it literally translates to "hit the pot". The eyes of the player are covered, then a pot is hidden with a little gift underneath and the player gets on his knees with a wooden spoon to find the pot}, followed by  the "Mummy" game {kids are in pairs of two and one person wraps the other in toilet paper},
The Mummy Game 

and finally Musical Chairs.
Musical Chairs

For the craft we made Santa's - some kids made Elf's.  I had prepared the craft by covering empty rolls of toilet paper with red felt {I used a glue gun}, and also glued the "head" on top.  The kids decorated, using low heat glue guns, the craft with eyes, beard {cotton balls}, hat, buttons, belt, etc.

And finally the Birthday girls choice for dinner - Wieners...


   

Monday, November 26, 2012

City Trip & Quick #Pasta

Did everyone have a good weekend?  With the Thanksgiving Holiday we did enjoy a super long weekend.  We spent Thanksgiving in Portland, and on Friday drove up to...take a guess...


 ...yup, Seattle.  This is somewhat of an annual trip for us.  A fun way to start off the holiday season and Ron {my runner husband} loves to run the Seattle 1/2 Marathon.

We started the trip with a visit to the American Girl Place where each of the girls took a look the beautiful dolls.  Let me just say, that both now know what they will ask for from Santa ;).  And no, we did not make a purchase but still both girls said "this was the best day ever". Now that is what the parental units really wanted to hear :), oh yes a hotel with a nice pool and fantastic view sweetened the deal ...


One of the great things about travelling to Seattle is that we really do not have to worry about food choices for the girls.  A Whole Foods is in walking distance from the hotel, and vegan options, soy milk, etc.  are available in most restaurants. We even had vegan pancakes....- The girls rode the carrousel, we explored the city, and Ron had a fantastic run.  Take a look....

Oh, and yes I did make dinner last night.  Let me just call this Cheater's Quick Pasta Dinner.  A jar of Newman's Own Sockaroni Sauce {enhanced with some Paremsiano Rind}, a box of Farfalle Barialla Pasta, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Voila - perfect cheater's dinner plus leftovers for the lunchbox.  Hooray...does it not look fancy ;)





Monday, November 12, 2012

Gnocchi in Florentine Sauce & the last day of the long weekend

The last day of our long weekend...I very much enjoyed the slower pace of the days.  No rush to pack lunch bags in the morning, no need to rush the girlies...and time to get work done early in the morning. Yes, thank you Oregon Public Broadcasting :)  -  Both girls have wanted to go back to Playdate PDX for a long time.  It is such a fun place for them {to me it is stressful} and they play for hours; so it is a nice treat but you know I can still get work done.  Hey, it is a win-win situation.  The girlies play while the mothership works.  -  I have to say it worked out great...one thing I should have done was take a picture.  What was I thinking?!

But now on to dinner - one of my all time favorite dishes to make when in a bind is gnocchi. It is easy and yet so delicious.  All you need is potatoes, flour, salt, and olive oil.  And yes, a little time but it all comes together quite easy.  - We had a bunch of fresh spinach left from last week's CSA delivery so the perfect topping for tonight's Gnocchi...

First make the Gnocchi
Florentine Sauce
Splash of Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 bunch of spinach - washed and coarsely chopped
2 Tbl lemon juice
2 Tbl pesto {I had frozen pesto without cheese that I made in the summer}
2 Tbl Tofuti Sour Cream
Salt, and pepper to taste
1. heat olive oil and when warm add garlic. After a minute or so, add
2. Spinach,  lemon juice and cover pot.  When spinach is wilted add,
3. Pesto {reduce heat}, and Tofuti.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste

Place Gnocchi on a serving dish - top with Florentine Sauce and toss.  Serve - optional - with generous serving of grated Parmesiano Regiano.

Okay here is the picture...it was really good, I know the picture is not very good {as Ron said you cannot make it look good}

copyright galactopdx 2012







Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Trick-Or-Treating with #Galactosemia

Are you ready for Trick-or-Treating?  I know both of my girlies are - they have been the entire month of October.  They are so, so excited.  This is a topic that was so - for lack of better terms - confusing to me when Alena was first diagnosed.  How will it be if candy is in the bucket that is unsafe? Is it better to just say "no" to non-safe candy? Or take it, and then give it up to the parental units?


Trick-or-Treat...yes....
Well, now having had some experience from previous trick-or treating this is what happens in our house.  And yes - before you ask - both girls are perfectly content with this :)  The girls take any candy they are given.  Often times, they like the chocolate just for the pretty wrapper.  By now both of them know that a lot of the candy is "unsafe" {for lack of better term} for them.  They still love, love, love collecting as much as possible.  And you know, there still are a lot of options available.  Generally, if there are dairyfree choices both girls will choose the "safe" candy :)   When we return back home, each girls unloads her "loot" onto our dinning room table.  Together we go through all of the candy and we then exchange the "unsafe" candy for "safe" candy.  And no,  not every single piece gets replaced because nobody would want their child to eat that much candy, right?!
Skittles, Twizzlers, Smarties, Sweet Tarts....

Now, I am prepared {no, they will not get all of that - just some it is also for the kids coming to our house we also offer some chocolate for those as well :)}

Monday, October 29, 2012

Introducing the 2012 Jack-O-Lantern's #video

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch, Jack-O-Lantern Carrot Cake, and what is missing in this line up?  Right, the carved 2012 Jack-O-Lanterns.  Are the not scary? Take a look
copyright galactopdx 2012

copyright galactopdx 2012


And here are the four of us introducing to you our 2012 creations...


copyright galactopdx 2012
Alena carving her 2012 Jack-O-Lantern
Oh, and if you are not really into watching our video no need to fret...here are some more pictures...



copyright galactopdx 2012
Mia Rose and Ron carving their 2012 Jack-O-Lanterns

Friday, October 19, 2012

Greens, beets, roasted chicken, and pasta for #WeeknightSupper

No soup or stew for a change of pace at our little house :)  Let me just say that Ron was quite happy when he heard that it will be Roasted Chicken for dinner.  I am not a big chicken roaster, it kind of  - please do not laugh - intimidates scares me.  Well, until that was until I saw the Chicken Roasted in White Wine by Anne of the Webicurian brought to the #SundaySupper.  Pieces of chicken, roasted in white wine...yes, I can do that.  Perfect - it turned out great; we had a dinner guest tonight and they all loved it. Are they not cute?

Oh, and let me tell you it is just like Anne said - the dinner is so easy to prepare {it does take some time in the oven but no hands on time}, and the house just smells so good! Get the recipe from the Webicurean here - I made a couple of adjustments by using fresh minced garlic, and Sauvingon Blanc.  As a side I roasted some beets {perfect to roast along for the last 30 minutes} tossed in olive oil. and sautéd some greens with garlic, finely chopped {untreated} lemon zest, salt, and a squeezed some lemon juice ontop. I served the chicken on top of some pasta...and here it is....
Greens, beets, roasted chicken, and pasta
Yes, yes, yes my picture is by far not as beautiful as the original by Anne, but it sure was delicious :)

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

See the craft we made after school {#video}

We have been collecting chestnuts and today was finally the day the girlies together with a friend made magical crafts.  In the video the three girls introduce the fairies they made.  And yes,  all self created, and unrehearsed...just our healthy girls...


I know it is a little long, but they are so cute and unfortunately I did not have enough memory left so it cut off too early...Thank you for watching :)

Monday, October 15, 2012

#Family #Hike and #Fun at the Oregon Coast

Fun at the beach...
Finally a well deserved long weekend get away for us.  This past week was so busy, and we were all due for a break.  The girlies did not have school on Friday so it was the perfect time to go to the beach for a long weekend.  We generally go to the Northern Coast, but this time we went to Pacific City which is on the central Oregon coast.  Ahhh,  it is so relaxing just to be at the beach.  The air, the sounds, it is so rejuvenating even with the rain....  We have had unseasonably dry weather and it actually started to rain for the first time in months on Friday our first full day at the beach.  Rest assured, we still had a ton of fun...
Beach fun - October 2012 in Pacific City
On Saturday we went for a nice long hike out to Cape Lookout.  It is a cape that reaches 2 miles out into the Pacific Ocean.  It is a beautiful hike through the mystical forest, and along the steep cliff {yes, we did "white knuckle" the girlies along those passages}. The sound of winding roaring through the woods, and the ocean crashing against the beach...it is really, really mystical and you just know for a fact that faeries live there.  The girlies referred to the puddles we saw along the hike as "fairy swimming pools". Take a look at this cute snail - it seems like she is seeking shelter underneath the mushroom....

It was beautiful - both kids did a great job as it is 2.4 miles out to the cape, and another 2.4 miles {uphill} back to the trail head.  Our kids are good hikers, Mia Rose did start to fuss before we reached the cape but did a great job on the way back.  She really deserved the piggy back ride for the last 10 minutes of the hike :).
Family hike to Cape Lookout

The large plate of french fries and root beer for each girl at the Pelican Pub was well deserved :)
After lunch the girls and I have our energy back to climb to the top of the dune and play in the sand Let me just say it was sandy, but so much fun....
Having fun in the sand...


Before heading back home on Sunday we walked on a stormy out on the beach...oh yes, our batteries are now recharged...
It is windy out...can you tell?





Monday, October 8, 2012

Movie, Dinner, and Dessert...

is how we spent our Sunday afternoon.  This week is #KinfofestPDX - a mini German Filmfestival here in Portland - which also included a children's movie "Tom Sawyer" {in German with English subtitles}.  We obviously just had to go, because how often do we get to see German movies in the theater here in PDX?!  

The movie started late in the afternoon, and yes Mia Rose was still a little young for it. Alena loved the movie, while Mia Rose declared that she never, ever wants to see that movie again....
After the movie...

Mia Rose after the movie...

It was already late by the time the movie was done, so we decided {as we do after the Kids Symphony} to have dinner at Pastini's.  On our walk over we saw a frozen yoghurt shop.  Guess what?  Yup,  they had vegan sorbet.  Yay - it was a desert kind of day...You know, I am always so excited when we can find dessert for the girlies.  It is just something we always have to spend extra energy to look for.  Of course, one can  make the argument that since everything in the store is milk but the frozen sorbet that it could be inherently contaminated with milk.  Well,  yes it certainly could contain milk traces but so do many food items; but what happens?  It is not that the girls - at least not ours - would have an immediate, life threatening reaction. So I think we need to keep it in balance.  Yes, it could very well be that there is a risk of cross contamination, but the fun, and enjoyment our kids get from eating frozen vegan yoghurt by far outweighs the potential minute adverse effect...Just look how much fun they had...
Do you know who is in the background?

Right?!  Of course you do not need to agree with me/us but this is how we parent our children.  This is how we empower them and they do have fantastic job!  

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Serendipity - Part I {Post # 1000}

I have thought long and hard about this title; is serendipity really the correct word?  Well, it is for sure a fun word - to say, to read, and to write.  I just read that it is one of the hardest words to translate...

So this will be part one of three {at least that is what I figure at this time}...Oh, and the other title I was contemplating was "Randomness" but honestly I like "Serendipity" so much better.  Okay - so this will be our family story...

One of Ron's old friends from Chicago was visiting Portland last week. One of the first things - honestly -  he said was "Do you know how random it is that you guys know each other?".  He was referring to Ron and I... Yes, yes I know many things that happen in life are due to random, serendipitous, unexplained circumstances.  This is the first time I heard the story...

Ron's friends in Chicago - this is ions ago - went downtown when Michael Jordan's Restaurant {now defunct} first opened.  They waited in line, and  started talking with one of my friends.  Yup, this is how it all started.  Ron's friend got the phone number of my coworker.  That was it.  Neither of us was there.  Long story short, our friends went out a few times and a couple weeks later I met with my friend at a restaurant downtown.  Also there were her new friend and - yes you guessed right -  Ron.

I am sure you all have a story similar to ours - but I never realized just how serendipitous our - Ron and I - meeting each other really was.  Oh, just to add a little more that that.  Ron and I moved to Chicago the exact same day. Yes - me from Europe, and Ron from Wisconsin.  Granted, we lived in different suburbs.
Here we are on our honeymoon...


Little did we know, that we also share the same recessive gene...but that will be in Part 2...

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Fall is when the party is called Oktoberfest...

one of my fellow expat German friends invited us to her family's Oktoberfest party this weekend.  You know, it is fall when the Oktoberfest parties start :)  -  This should have been the perfect time for the girls to wear their Dirndl's but you know what?  They did not want to wear them!  Can you believe that?  Usually they always wear them.  To school, to the playground, to parties...but no, not to the Oktoberfest. Is that not funny?! Oh well, it really is no big deal.

This Oktoberfest was a family event.   Children playing, decorating Lebkuchen Hearts with frosting {not "safe" for the girls to eat but still fun to decorate :)}
What should I do next...

...perfect

while the adults enjoyed some grown up conversation, as well as some beer.

Hello...
 It was fun party and you know what was really fantastic?  There were Brezel's (Pretzels) from Fressen and they are...dah daaahhhh yup, dairy free :) So exciting to have "save" Brezel's for the girls to eat, something that in Germany is such a rarity.  Usually there is always a little bit of butter in them.  Not in these as they are made to appeal to the Portland market and are vegan.  {Yay for Portland, friends!} It makes my heart sing.  You know, it is the little things in life. As for other food, there was Bratwurst from Edleweiss - here in PDX - which is also "safe", and we just skipped the sides.  Who said that Bratwurst with a Bretzel is not enough?!
Look at the Brezel...

...yum!!!

And yes,  before you ask yourself there was no "safe" dessert for the girlies something I had already anticipated.  So just in case,  I brought along a box of Newman's Own O's and kept the entire family happy....

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

#Newbornscreening is near and dear to my heart

Yes,  I write about this topic sometimes.  Are you tired of it?  If you want to stop reading, go ahead but  please tell all your friends and family who are looking to welcome a baby into their lives about this test.  Some people call it the PKU test {for the metabolic disorder PKU}, others call it the "heel prick" but it's official name is Newbornscreening.  This topic is not about whether you agree with me or not. It is not about whether you like me or not. This is about saving the lives of babies.  Plain and simple!

Newbornscreening tests infants born in all 50 States for a wide array of disorders that if not caught in timely manner can end up debilitating, or deadly.  Not every State tests for the same disorders, so it is very important to know before the baby arrives what exactly is tested and if maybe an additional screen should be considered.  The Screen Babies Foundation - an all volunteer organization of Mom's who have been touched by newbornscreening - has valuable information.  Find answers to your questions, and find out what disorders your state tests...

So just in case you do not know,  I am so passionate about Newbornscreening because both of our children are healthy today only because of the Newbornscreen.  I did not know about the test before Alena our oldest daughter was born.  But then again I also had never heard about Classic Galactosemia, the metabolic disorder both of our children have.  Click on this link to read our story.  We have two happy stories, there are more happy stories such as Nikki's, Damian's, Alex's  and many more. But unfortunately there is a long number of stories that did not have to end so sad.

Read Cora's story - Pulse Ox Screening could have saved her
Alexis could have been saved if newbornscreening had detected her MCADD
Ben could have been saved if his MCADD would have been detected by Newbornscreening

Read more family stories here




Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Back to school interview...

with our new third grader Alena, and with our new first grader Mia Rose.  Without anything else, here they are...Oh, and if you are wondering I interviewed both girls :)  And yes, both Alena and I revert to German a couple of times...

Alena



Mia Rose


I should have also done a "post first day of school interview".  Well let me summarize.  "It was great" - "It was a looong day" - "It's like camp" - "I had fun"....Yay!!!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

September #NewbornScreening Awareness Month and its back to school :)

Yup, and you may wonder what do the two have in common? They have everything in common and are both closely related to one another.  How so?  If you have read my blog before, or know me then I am sure you know the answer, right?!  But just in case you do not know the answer I will let you know...

Both of my - our - children have a rare metabolic disorder called Classic Galactosemia.  Classic Galactosemia is one of the disorders detected at the newborn screening test {some people refer to it as the "heel prick", or "PKU Test"}.  It is one of those disorders {like all of the ones on the newbornscreening test} that can have very adverse results if not detected. We are one of the lucky families.  Our oldest daughter was diagnosed "just in time".  Yes, she still became very, very ill but Alena survived, and  is a thriving, healthy girl.  Without newborn screening, Alena most likely would not have survived.  It is simple as that - and you know, the same holds true for our second daughter.  Yes, she never got ill but only because she was a) never exposed to breast, or any other kind of milk containing galactose, and b) because of her newborn screening result. So can you imagine how dramatically different our - Ron's and mine - word would be without newborn screening?  Please click on the link, if you would like to read our story

So when I look at our children, I am forever grateful for the test that saved their lives.  I am constantly reminded of this.  Today, as the girls and I spent our last lazy summer day together it was a constant reminder.  We are lucky beyond belief that we get to see our children grow, and be excited with both of them to be going back to school tomorrow

Please tell all your family and friends who are expecting babies about the test that saved my girls.  You can learn about it it from the Save Babies Through Screening Foundation, and by watching this fantastic video.
Silly girls
Take a look at our silly girls, and cat :)


Saturday, September 1, 2012

The last couple 2012 summer days...

we spent just lazily at home, and in Portland. On Thursday we took a long walk around our neighborhood, met the new teachers for the girlies {it will be great}, and - of course - spent a lot of time on the playground.
Ron and Mia Rose

Ron and I made dinner together {whoo-hoo - that does not happen very often and it was so much fun}; Summer Linguine with fresh corn, fresh tomatoes, and garlic - it was simple, but so good :)  We really need to do that more often, right?!

The 31st of August was our - tadahhh - 15 year anniversary.  The girls were so curious about it and wanted us to tell them the story about how we met over, and over again.  It was quite cute.  You know, the big question for them was "How did you meet if you did not grow up in the same country?"; "Mama did you always know English?"; "If you did not know each other, how did you talk with each other?".  It was really, really cute...OK, for us it was probably not for most of you :)  So we told them, and I will tell all of you as well.

We met in Chicago shortly after both of us moved to the city.  Ron from Wisconsin and me, well a little farther, from Germany. Our first date was at the Chicago Blues Fest, and from there on out we were inseparable {little did we know that we also share the same recessive gene for Classic Galactosemia - it was just meant to be :) } .  Yup, that is right :)  We got married outside on Labor Day weekend at the Cheney Mansion in Oaks Park, on a beautiful hot, late summer day.  It was a fun luncheon reception, and let's just say that both of us had a fantastic time.  We stayed in Chicago for a few more years, and then in 2002 moved to Portland, Oregon. This is where we are now - 15 great years later, two beautiful girls....
t
That is us...
Oh, and just in case you are wondering we all went out to dinner last night.  It was Lardo - a food cart turned into a simple, rustic restaurant.  The parental units had desert from the adjacent food cart "Sugar Cube" while for the girlies we stopped at "Swirl" where both made their own desserts.  Dairy free Lemon-Strawberry sorbet topped with - Alena and Mia Rosie made it - Skittles, Nerds, and Marshmallows....

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Zwetschgenkuchen {Italian Plum Tart}, Ratatoullie, Children's Museum, and Farmer's Market

this is how we spent our last Wednesday of the 2012 summer break.  Yes, the title is in reverse order :)
I know, it is summer and we love to spend time outdoors however the first words out of Mia Rosies mouth in the morning were "Mama can we gehen zu the Kindermuseum heute?" {in perfect "Genglish" translation:  Mama can we go to the Children's Museum today?}.  So how, could I resist!

We packed it all into one day and met Ron for lunch on the Farmer's Market before heading to the Portland Children's Museum.  Both girlies had their - usual - sausage for lunch.  I did not buy any of the beautiful produce as we just had our CSA share delivered on Tuesday.  But take a look at this beautiful produce - and yes, the produce I have/had at home was just as gorgeous :)

Portland Farmer's Market - August 29th, 2012

Here we are at our next stop, the Portland Children's Museum...

Yes, the girls did paint their faces with white face paint 


Back home it was time - very late start if I may add :) - to think about dinner.  We received Italian Plums with this week's produce.  Those the kind of plums I grew up with in Germany.  They are tart, yet sweet and absolutely delicious. Oh, and how I miss "Zwetschgenkuchen" - it is always one of my favorites when back in Germany.   In any case, I first started on the cake which had to go in the oven before making dinner. Please read on, for the pictures and recipe :)

Ratatouille - Zucchini, eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes

For dinner, the produce was transformed into wonderful, summery, baked ratatouille served alongside with creamy, comforting polenta.  Yes, I know we just had baked ratatouille a couple of weeks ago but summer is almost over and I only make it when tomatoes are at their peak :)

Dessert
Zwetschgenkuchen {Italian Plum Tart}


Zwetschgenkuchen {Italian Plum Tart}
For the dough
- 2 C of flour
- 2 teaspoons Backing Powder
- 1/2 C of sugar, plus 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 1/3 plus 1 T of stick of Earth Balance Margarine {50 gram)
- 3-4 Tbl Almond or Soy Milk
1. Mix in a bowl and knead - by hand - until it turns into a dough
2. Smooth dough into a baking pan {I used my hands as it is a little tricky to work with}
Fruit
- a little over 2 lbs {1 kg} of Italian Plums, cleaned and "butterflied" {pit taken out}
- 1 Tbl sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
3. Arrange the plums on the dough
4. Sprinkle sugar/cinamon mixture over the plums
Streusel
- 1 C of flour
- 1 egg
- 1 packet of vanilla sugar
- 1/2 C of sugar and {optional} 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Rest of stick of Earth Balance Margarine (dough) {70 gram}
5. Mix in a bowl - by hand.  It will be very crumbly
6. Pour the Streusel over the plums

Bake in preheated oven at 360F for about 55 minutes

NOTE:  If you are not eliminating dairy, use butter instead of vegan butter

Serve with either vegan whipped cream, dairy whipped cream, or any type {vegan/dairy} of vanilla ice cream!




Saturday, August 4, 2012

Lost Lake {Oregon - Hood County} - Day Trip

It is finally getting hot in Portland; just in time for August and it is perfect to get out of town.  Our original plan was to go camping this weekend at Lost Lake - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Lake_(Hood_River_County,_Oregon).  The campground is first come first serve and word is that you need to be up there early on Thursday to get a spot http://lostlakeresort.org/default.php.

That was a no-go this week, plus it felt like too much work to get ready so instead we decided to drive up on Saturday.  It takes about two hours to drive up and there are plenty of day use spaces.  Okay - let's be honest there are plenty of day use spaces if you get there early enough in the day.  We like to take our time in the mornings so we did not get there until around 1 in the afternoon.  So - as you could expect - we did not get a spot by the water, but we did find an empty picnic bench - yay! Once we got settled it was off to the water.  Oh my, what an amazing lake for swimming.  Clear water, shallow at the edges, and did I mention the beautiful view of Mt. Hood?! It is the perfect place to cool off, and enjoy the day.


We brought our camping cooker to make Spaghetti with Sockaroni for a late lunch. And look who decided that she likes sauce....


After lunch we packed our picnic site up, and hiked around the lake.  It is a beautiful hike, magical hike with lots of boardwalks and spots to jump in the water to cool of.  One can just imagine the fairies living in the forest....Alena is such a good walker and she loved the entire hike.  Our youngest on the other hand was complaining for - what seemed - at least half of the hike while the path was leading through fairly dense woods.


 Everyone was happy when they jumped in the water and watched a couple of newts....Here is the link for the hike -> http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Lost_Lake_Loop_Hike

It would have been fantastic to stay for the night, but oh well still close enough for a day trip.  On our drive back we stopped at a brewery in Hood River for dinner. There was not only homemade regular beer, but also homemade root beer....Yum!

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