Swimming and Tennis Update

We swam with the kids again today. It's so fun. Eva is fearless and would stay in the pool all day, I think. Her determination is awesome. I loved watching her practice her swimming by pushing out into deeper water and then working her way back to where she could touch. If she gets tired she asks for help and never panics. She is doing fantastic.

Micah has had a couple of scares in the pool in past, so while he enjoys the water he has been Mr. Clingy. Always needing to have some part of him wrapped tightly around some part of one of us. Well today he surprised me by letting go in deeper water for a few seconds at a time! He also loves to do "pole diving", where he uses the stairs handrail to dive down to the bottom of the pool.

The kids are doing really well at their tennis lessons. They both tell me they don't like it but it sure doesn't show while they're in their class. It's held in a squash court and they do all kinds of great drills to help their hand-eye coordination and to get them familiar with the game of tennis. Eva has a pretty good backhand! Andrew came to watch and took a few photos so you might find some posted on this blog or his photog blog in the next few days.

A New Era in Housekeeping

Claudia quit last week so we have hired a new housekeeper. Cori comes highly recommended, having worked for a quite a few expats here. Her daughter and sister also work for expat families who are very happy with their work.

Cori came for the first time on Monday and she seems to be really good! Hard worker, go-getter, punctual... She is a gentle person and a Christ-follower. Based on what I have seen and heard of her work ethic, I am excited about having her to help us!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate having domestic help. I just can't keep up. Two days is about my max and then it starts getting out of control. How do I keep my kids from throwing over their shoulder whatever item it is they are done with??? And how do I keep the dust under control? Oh yeah, we live in the desert. It's impossible.

Chicken Souvlaki Success

Andrew asked for chicken souvlaki, so I gave it a go today. He scored it 9 out of 10! Whoohoo!!

I served the chicken and tzatziki sauce with non-pocket pitas, shredded romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, red onion and green pepper.

Souvlaki (I doubled this recipe)

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (approx two lemons)
3 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

The recipe said to marinate for 30 minutes, but I saw other recipes that said to marinate for 24 hours, so I prepared it in the mid-morning to eat at the end of the day.

Thread chicken onto skewers and grill or broil until chicken is cooked through (~7-10 mins). We would have BBQ'd but we were out of propane so we used the Foreman Grill.

Tzatziki Sauce (from this web site)

3 cups Greek Yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, strained as described below)
juice of one lemon (about 3 T)
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
1 T finely chopped fresh dill (can substitute mint leaves for a slightly different version) I had to use the little bit of mint I'm attempting to cultivate that hasn't gotten fried by the sun in our back yard. Dill is not a common herb here in Mexico!
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

If you don't have Greek yogurt, strain plain yogurt as described below. Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Dice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)

This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.

If you can't find Greek yogurt, you can make something similar by straining regular plain yogurt for several hours to remove the liquid and thicken the yogurt. Georgette recommends using two coffee filters inside a colander, which is placed inside a bowl to catch the liquid, or there are inexpensive mesh yogurt strainers you can buy. Let the yogurt drain on the counter for 2 hours, or until it reaches the thickness you want.

The Cluuuuub.

I (Andrew) haven't posted here for a while so I thought I'd add a post. We spent the weekend hanging out at the cluuub. In Spanish the "u" is long therefore, it is called the cluub. Anyway, we were hanging out at the cluub this weekend and really enjoying it. It's like going on a mini vacation. During the week Eva and Micah have been taking tennis and art classes. I hope to make it out this Friday to their 'tennis' class. I'm quoting "tennis" because it's more like hitting the ball against a wall etc. At the end of the day it's awesome for their hand eye coordination.
This weekend the kids spent a lot of time in the pool. Eva has advanced like crazy in the pool. She's got her pink pool noodle and that is giving her the confidence to jump off the diving board into very deep water (unassisted), slide down the super fast tube slide and swim all over the place. In fact, Eva can now go down the slide, crash into the water, then get her head above water and swim back to the edge....WITHOUT HELP. No pool noodle and no Mom or Dad. She is really growing up fast.
Here are a couple of snaps from Saturday and Sunday.

A little diving board action....


Sliding with the pink noodle...




Big impact but she manages to hang on....


That was too easy...Now she wants the noodle to float in the water as she comes down the slide.



She came shooting out a little hot and lost control...Please be advised she stuck the landing unassisted.


Finally, we had to throw in a belly photo. So awesome.

Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Reviews

Another blogger I follow posted this link. She uses this site, Environmental Working Review's Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database to check out her cosmetic products (including sunscreen). Somewhat disturbing and eye opening, depending on the products you use regularly.

A Few Recent Pics

Eva after her latest haircut.

Mr. I-Don't-Need-A-Nap-Anymore

Playing computers at the kitchen table

Micah indulging in some sort of weird imaginative play. What he was trying to portray by putting the baby in the Foreman grill and then applying the mixer to its legs.... well, I have no idea.

Diaper Mania!

With the exception of lanolizing my wool covers and giving a quick wash to my used diapers, I'm pretty much ready to go in the diaper department! Here is a sample of my stash:

Now for the details:

The two main types of diapers I will be using. Both must have covers over them. The one on the top is called a Fitted diaper. This type has elastic around the legs and either snaps or velcro to secure it at the waist. This particular brand is Kissaluvs. They come in all sorts of pretty colours too but I went with the unbleached variety. I got 5 cotton and one hemp, so I could see what the difference is. Apparently these are quite a good fit on newborns and do a good job of containing runny newborn poop. They are also relatively expensive; that's why I only bought 6. A newborn baby will go through something like 12 diapers a day! The used diapers I have (thanks again Louise and Melissa!) are also the fitted variety.

The remainder of my diaper stash are Prefolds. Similar to what my Mom used on me- but different! These ones have a number of layers in the middle, and are made of a somewhat more absorbent cotton, from what I understand. They can be folded and laid into a cover, which holds it in place. Or they can first be secured with a Snappi (see below), then covered. When I got them they were kind of smooth and they were bigger. Now that they've been prewashed they have shrunk to newborn size and are nice and quilty.


I got a variety of cover types so I could see what I like. I will need to buy the next size of covers when baby is about 4 months old. Clockwise from bottom: Bummis Whisper Wrap. This is a super popular cover because it is relatively economical and works well. Micah had some Bummis training pants so I believe that they work great because those training pants were great. However I noticed that Micah got kind of sweaty under his training pants and there will still be two or three hot months after baby is born so I wanted to try some other alternatives. AMP Duo. This one is actually a pocket diaper (where you prestuff a pocket with an absorbent layer then use it much like a disposible- but without disposing of course) but can also be used as a diaper cover. It is also one-size and should fit from newborn through potty training. It got very good reviews online so I'm curious to see how I like it. It is a Winnipeg company so I was glad to support them as well. BerryPlush Cover. Isn't this the cutest thing? And the minky material is sooo soft. This can be used as a cover as well, or an absorbent liner can be snapped or laid inside. This cover was pure indulgence. Aristocrats Merino Wool Cover. Wool is supposed to be a great material diaper covers: breathable, antibacterial, and doesn't need to be washed often unless soiled. This is supposed to fit 7-20 lbs but it seems big for a newborn! The good news is it might even last us to potty training. Jamtots Sugarpeas Wool Flannel Cover. A different type of wool cover, to see what I like. I also picked up some wool and plan to crochet a merino wool diaper cover. You might remember my prototype.

Infant Potty Bowl: A good size and shape for holding between the knees while baby is eliminating. I hope to do a fair bit of EC. Click here to see my post on that topic. Snappis diaper fastener. Goodbye diaper pins! These stretchy wonders have little teeth that hold it, and the prefold diaper, in place. Wool changing pad. Again planning to take advantage of the wonders of wool, I plan to mostly use this under baby at nighttime. If there are any leaks, then I won't have to change my bed linens! And if it's just urine, I don't even have to wash the pad right away because the urine will just evaporate.

Snappis in action.

Clubbin' It

Wee Eva & Mom looking out on the golf course after brunch, Nov 2006

Oo, I feel so hoity toity and swanky panky- we're officially members of a golf and country club.

No, we haven't suddenly ascended the socioeconomic ranks. It's just that the golf & country clubs around here are hurting for members so much they are offering pretty smoking deals. Three years ago you had to pay a hefty application fee, plus monthly fees and sign up for at least a year. Today you can just walk in and pay month by month. And a month is all we intend to use and pay.

One thing I really really wanted to do this summer was get the kids and myself into a pool on a regular basis. Ideally with swimming lessons for the kids, who are so on the cusp of really actually swimming by themselves. I did some research and checked out a few options and this one seems like the best value. In addition to unlimited pool privileges, my mom can join us for free while she's here, and swim and tennis lessons, craft and jazz classes (among others) are all included and available for our little guys. So this week we went for it!

This morning we swam for an hour or so and I came home feeling fresh as a daisy! Impervious to my 29* kitchen as I prepared lunch. What a difference it made! And of course the kids had a wonderful time. In the afternoon they did the craft class and really enjoyed it. Looks like we'll start the swim lessons next week.

It will be a great way to keep cool and to have some structure this summer. I am grateful for the opportunity.

A New Winning Dish

Today I made Moroccan: Chicken and Carrot Tajine. I got the recipe from my Reader's Digest. Click here to see the original. I also included it below, with comments about changes I made out of necessity.

Bonnie [from Reader's Digest] says: A “tajine” refers to a Moroccan earthenware pot or to the stew that is cooked in it. In North America, tajine is usually cooked in a Dutch oven or casserole. Serve it with rice or couscous.

Ingredients

1 tsp (5 mL) salt
½ tsp (2 mL) each ground ginger, cinnamon, cumin and black pepper
6 large chicken thighs (or 12 small ones), bone in, skin off [I cut boneless skinless chicken breast into large chunks]
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil [I used olive oil]
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh gingerroot
1 cup (250 mL) water or chicken stock , if preferred
1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) pepper
½ cup (125 mL) dried apricots [No luck finding apricots here. I used raisins. They probably didn't add the same flavour apricots would have, but they worked]
2 lbs (1 kg) carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal (about 1/2-in./1-cm thick)
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh parsley or cilantro [these last two things REALLY added to the dish!]


1. Combine salt with ginger, cinnamon, cumin and pepper. Rub into chicken. [I doubled the spices to account for the extra surface area and rolled my chicken chunks in it before browning]. Heat oil in a large deep skillet. Brown chicken well. Remove chicken from pan and reserve.
2. Add onions, garlic and gingerroot to pan. Cook until browned—about 5 to 10 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil, stirring up any solidified juices on the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, until liquid is reduced to around half. Add honey, salt, pepper, apricots and carrots. Bring to a boil. Place chicken on top in a single layer. Cover and cook in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. [It's too hot to have the oven going so I put them in the crock pot on high for about two hours instead]
3. Drizzle with lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. [Don't skip this step! Mmmm.]

Makes 6 servings.

I would probably use fewer carrots, and maybe add some peas next time.

Sometimes Just Talking About It Makes You Feel Better

Last night Micah came into our room in the middle of the night acting really weird. He was crying and didn't want to be touched- very unlike him. I thought maybe he was sick. He wouldn't answer our questions about what was wrong. Finally it occurred to me to ask whether he was scared, and then he told me that he was thinking about a scary part in the movie he'd watched in the afternoon. He told me about what he thought was scary and I listened. At that point I had to go to the bathroom. I told him I'd be right back and I figured we'd talk some more. But just sharing that information had evidently set his mind at ease, because by the time I got back he was sound asleep, and he slept through until morning.

This is a lesson about keeping things to oneself. They tend to get bigger and scarier when they're locked inside our heads. Once we share them with others often we realize that their teeth and nails aren't quite as sharp as we thought they were.

Napper No Napping

Micah has abruptly transitioned to No-Nap Micah. Mostly. He will eventually go to sleep, but it takes me 30 minutes to talk him into it and I just don't have that kind of energy right now. He could still use a nap every couple of days, I think. The other day he fell asleep in front of the tv for the first time since he was newborn. That was cute. But mostly he gets through the day alright.

Today we had our first Double Quiet Time. Eva hung out in the playroom, Micah and I hung out in the bedroom. Micah brought a bunch of toys in and I instructed him not to bother me so I could try to nap. I never expected to have a serious nap, but hoped to get some dozing in, and I did. I think he did pretty well considering it was his first Quiet Time, it was an hour long, and he is only two. We'll keep working on it. I am a firm believer in the value of Quiet Time for all members of the household (perhaps especially me?).

Amigurumi Baby Gifts

It is so hard to buy gifts for people you don't see regularly! You just don't get that same feel for what they might need/want via email/blog/telephone that you would if you saw them in person. Or at least I don't. So I have been agonizing over baby gifts for as long as 11 months. When I started to really get into the crochet animal thing it occurred to me that one of my homemade stuffies might make a good baby gift. So I kicked it into high gear. I was hoping to make eight to honour all the babies born to close friends in the last year, but all I could manage were three. Here they are:

Pink Bunny found her home with Addison

Blue Bunny was made with the same pattern and wool, but a smaller hook and tighter stitches. What a size difference!

Riley has apparently become quite attached to Blue Bunny

Leo the Lion

Koen enjoying Leo

Aerial view of Leo

Mouse in the House

A couple of days before Andrew joined us in Canada, he told me he had seen a mouse in the house. He repeatedly emphasized that it was a small mouse, expecting I guess to reassure me. I don't care if it's a family of small mice making a home in my underwear drawer... I don't want any mice making a home in my underwear drawer!

He put out a couple of traps and some kind of goo tray and left without finding our little friend. Terrific.

I was happy to come home to an absence of tiny turds, but still unconvinced that our small problem was actually solved. Andrew preferred to think that the little guy had just strolled out the way he had strolled in.

Today the mystery of the mouse was solved. Claudia was cleaning behind the guitar cases and came across a Definitely Dead small mouse. The kids were fascinated. Claudia was repulsed. I had her peel it off the wall anyway. Enjoy the photogs.

Home Again, Home Again

Winding up our first full day back at home in Torreon. It is weird and normal all at the same time. We've pretty much stepped back into life. Everything is familiar and routine. Which is good and bad. This is our home after all, and there is a certain comfort to being home. But we MISS our loved ones! And spending the whole day together as a family unit, every day. We sure miss Andrew when he's at work.

This trip to Canada was exceptionally rich. We really focused on spending our time with people, and were so blessed by that decision! We have so many extraordinary people in our lives. Thank you to everyone who carved out time for us. We felt very very loved. (And sorry to those of you we didn't get a chance to see. Vacations are always too short!)

I think I can speak for Andrew when I say that a huge highlight (among very many) was seeing our kids with their cousins. Even at such a young age, the kids just know there's something special and different about family. And it shows in their play and comments. That special bond is so tangible.

You could see that the kids recognized that there was something different about all the loved ones we spent time with, and adjusted their behaviour accordingly to be much more open and comfortable than they are with people we are not as close with.

While we did focus on people, we managed to squeeze in some shopping, and came home with most of the things we needed, including: a new maternity swimsuit for me! Goodbye Ursula the Sea Witch swimsuit, hello much more flattering and form fitting swim dress (not even maternity, but it works). I also bought a boatload of new cloth diapers, and was gifted a boatload of used cloth diapers. Thank you so much Louise and Melissa!!!! I am super excited about my foray into cloth diapering. Ridiculously excited, some might say. I am actually saving the washing and organizing of said diapers as a reward for completing my 'coming home to-do list'.

I could devote a whole post to how much I love and appreciate my bed. We bought it right before we moved here. It has been worth EVERY PENNY. Seriously, almost every night we comment to each other about how much we appreciate that bed. We give thanks to God for that bed. It's worth it to spend a little extra on something you spend 1/3 of your life using.

It's hot here. I don't know why I feel I have to comment on that. Of course it's hot here. It's the middle of summer and we live in the desert. So far though, I'm holding up well.

I'm feeling quite nesty. Have the energy to go that extra mile around the house. Like, if I see something out of place or dirty, to do something about it. Hopefully that lasts for a little while. It is nice to hang around in a neat and clean home.

Our yard is amazingly overgrown. I hope our gardener can come tomorrow.

My van is amazingly coated in dust. I hope I get around to washing it tomorrow.

My ficus tree is still alive!!! Whoohoo!! Last summer all my house plants bit it while I was gone.

Maybe I'll even buy a few more house plants now that our annual lengthy absence has passed. Good to have that extra oxygen in the house. Anybody have suggestions of VERY hearty houseplants that tolerate dry conditions and neglect?

Seattle

On Tuesday we had the privilege of hanging out with Andrey in Seattle. We got down there at 11 or so and spent the next 3 hours hanging out with Andrey, Colleen and Matt. Very fun times. The kids rocked it out on the backyard play structure. They loved the mach 1 slide (it was very fast)...Andrey got a good work out catching the bads. Thanks Colleen for the awesome lunch and snacks.

Here are a few photogs of the day...

This fountain was great. The kids had a lot of fun running around and being scared.


Andrey was teaching the kids how to ride the animal statues...As I recall Andrey is an expert at this....


Guy and I walking to get our coffees from the original Starbucks.


Andrey doing his best Micah impression....


Micah giving away Andrey's quarters....these guys were good singers.


The kids were loving Uncle Andrey....However, Eva was wondering where Auntie Jen was....Andrey had to explain to Eva numerous times why Auntie Jen wasn't there...It was cute.

Already More Than a Week!

Can't believe we're more than halfway through our time here in Abbotsford. We have been keeping very busy and loving all the great times spent with family and friends.

We've had lots of fun times in Al & Alice's back yard: visiting, playing, splashing, eating... The kids are so comfortable here at Grandma & Grandpa's. They love their special beds that Grandma set up for them, and the special activities she does with them. One of their favorite parts about being here is spending time with their cousins. Eva keeps asking how many more sleeps til she sees Megan again. It is a delight to see them running around and playing together and loving each other.

We've also managed lots of local Nerd time (Melissa has written a comprehensive post explaining what and who the Nerds are). It has been awesome. Between four families there are nine kids!! It is mayhem. In a good way. When we all walked to the park the neighbors just kind of stood wide-eyed and watched the parade pass by. All the kids (ages 6 months through 6 years) play together sooo well. Us adults play together pretty well too ;)

Louise somehow ended up ferrying kids from three different families to the park. Her little guy Koen is in the baby carrier, and Torie's Addison is in the stroller with Micah.

Melissa

Eva pulling her weight... at least

Today we headed to Tsawwassen for to visit with a good portion of the B.C. Troniaks. It was so good to see everyone. We also really enjoyed having some time on the beach at Boundary Bay which is a short walk from my aunt and uncle's house.

Tuesday we'll head down to Seattle for the day to see another Nerd who is flying in from the Philippines for a conference. So great. Later in the week we're planning a day trip to Whistler. I've never been there so I'm really looking forward to it.

I know the rest of the trip is going to fly by!

Check out Andrew's blog to see more photos of our time here.