Zebra Cakes After the Tour

I check the time on my cell phone.  "Okay, Tyjah.  ONE more pass through the store. It's time to make a decision."

He picks out some Little Debbie Zebra Cakes from a corner of the store we have never visited.  As I bury them among our other groceries, the 95 % of me that proudly favors homemade-with-real-ingredients slinks down beneath a layer of "Whatever!  My son is SO excited AND he stayed within his budget."  His enormous grin cements my resolve to hand over the box at the check stand.

On the way home, Tyjah makes me promise not to tell the other kids what he has picked out for the family home evening treat.  He wants it to be a surprise.  Love this kid!

A few hours later, we are all gathered in the family room.  Everyone looks up at "the board" to remember who has which assignment.

Yes, I know.  It's been almost 6 years and I STILL
have not added our two youngest children!

Beau starts us off with a prayer, and then we all look at Lyla, who gets to choose the song.  She only knows a few, so we all sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."  Then, Halle shares a verse of scripture.

On to the lesson- it's my turn.  I tell everyone that we will be taking a physical tour of our home with our spiritual eyes.  Their faces show a mix of "Huh?" and "Cool-we don't have to sit down for this lesson!"

As we walk through our home, I ask some questions:

"Do you feel welcome when you come home?  Is it someplace you are excited to come back to because you feel safe and loved?" 

"Is this kitchen a gathering place where we have good conversations over family meals?"

"Is it a place of cooperation where we work together to clean up from dinner?"

"Is there arguing in our home that makes any one feel uncomfortable and that destroys the peace?"

"Is this a place of order where we invite the spirit of the Lord and feel peace?"

"Is the media we watch in this room appropriate?  Does it support our family and religious values?"

"What do you appreciate about our home?  How can we improve?"

I'm impressed with everyone's participation.  The older kids express gratitude for some of the things they see and feel in our home.  Some note areas we where we could do better.  Everyone commits to do their part to improve the climate in our home.  Nice.  I end with some examples of families from around the world who find ways to make their home a little peace of heaven on earth.  

It's too bad we got started a little too late.  Wes tells everyone that we need to postpone our activity plans until tomorrow. Long faces and complaints.  March Madness kicks off in two days and the kids were excited to fill out their brackets.

But the kids have school tomorrow and it's just too late, so we close with a prayer.

There are still a few long faces about the post-poned activity. Tyjah softens first because he knows it means we get the treat sooner.  I'm sure he is more excited to surprise his siblings than he is to actually eat the Zebra Cakes.

Weekly family home evening with five children.  Easy?  No way.  Worth it?  You bet.

YAC in TRF Creating Drama with Middle School Authors

Quote of the Day:  Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted. Garrison Keillor

When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become. Louis Pasteur

Paper Plate Puppets from Amazing Middle Schoolers!

 

I had the great honor of teaching at the Young Authors Conference in Thief River Falls, MN (YAC in TRF) again this year. I am always inspired by the young, creative minds at this conference. This year, I had the kids make paper plate puppets (two plates glued to one stick). They could make two characters, or one with two faces, or other forms of the character. One girl created a girl who is a shape-shifter. One side of the puppet was her as a girl, the other side she was in her wolf form. By the time the 55 min. were up, she had her background and story all ready to go. She shared some of it with the class. Thank you!

 

 

Another girl wrote about a girl who was very sad. She didn't have any friends, felt like an outsider and didn't fit in. She said, "We all know people like that, don't we?" That sensitive soul is writing her a new friend to cheer her up.

 

 

One boy had a whole world created in his mind with creatures that could rival J.R.R. Tolkein. Others went with silly or serious, animals and magical creatures. The room was buzzing with creativity. Thanks, Middle Schoolers for being so inspiring in my class on Creating Drama!

 

One girl was having so much fun, she created 8 characters, including the Queen of England!

 

Of course, I was inspired to create more of my own work. After I talked about the two characters I created, two girls in my second session said, "You need to write that play right now!" Thanks! And, at lunch, our discussion turned to aging, Alzheimers, and how our society treats the elderly. Someone said, "They are sometimes invisible." Another woman said, "They don't have a voice." My creative wheels started turning, and I saw a stage setting of a family. I got goosebumps thinking about it.

 

Inspiration is everywhere. Grab it by the tail and hang on. You're in for a wild ride. And, if you're feeling in a slump, hang out with some middle schoolers for a while. They're bursting with awesome ideas!!!

 

Thanks, Mary in TRF, for organizing such a great and inspiring event!

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  How have the grandparents and elderly been treated in your community? Have you hung out with any middle schoolers lately?

Green Egg Breakfast Burritos

Get ready to make breakfast burritos!  Pretty flowers and (apparently) shirts are optional.

Crack 18 eggs into a bowl and whisk, whisk, whisk.
Then, pack about a pound of spinach into the blender.  You could use less spinach, if you your kids are really afraid of green.  Add JUST enough water to puree.
Add the bright green spinach puree into the well-whisked eggs.  Sometimes I add a splash of milk.

Using a non-stick pan, scramble the eggs on medium-low heat.  Continue to move the spatula back and forth and around the sides until the eggs are just set.

 Cook the sausage.  Three pounds of it!  But remember you will be making a ton of burritos.

Cook the hash browns according to the package directions.

Next, find some helpers.  Short ones will do.

Assemble and wrap!  A couple of pointers-
1.  If you plan on freezing them don't make them too big, or they will not warm all the way through in the microwave.
2.  Wrap the tortillas as tightly as you can.  A grab-and-go breakfast is not supposed to fall out all over your lap in the car.

I flash freeze the burritos on a cookie sheet for several hours, and then drop them into freezer bags.
To reheat a frozen burrito, wrap it in a damp paper towel and place it on a microwave-safe plate.  Microwave for about 2 minutes.  The time really depends on how big or small your little helpers made the burrito.

Ingredient List for Green Egg Breakfast Burritos:

3 dozen flour tortillas

1 pound fresh spinach

18 eggs

1.5-30 ounce bags frozen hash browns

24 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

3 pounds natural sausage

These measurements are all estimates.  Depending on my helpers, I have leftovers of one ingredient one time and another ingredient the next time.  My kids are always happy to grab spoons and finish them off, though- especially the green eggs!

Two Gardeners in the Rain

Harsh.  Wet.  Cold.  Uninviting.  All winter I stared out the window at my faded vegetable garden.  I had to pull out photos of the 2012 garden to remind myself of its sun-kissed glory.  Luscious greens, plump cucumbers, overflowing cartfuls of bright orange, yellow, and green winter squash, all basking in the warmth of the sun.

I long for it to look like that again.  To hear the little girls giggle as they run and hide in their nasturtium teepees and crunch on freshly-picked snap peas.  To watch the bumpy beginnings of cooperation as the kids team-up to compost the beds.  Trying to laugh instead of getting frustrated as I watch them dump over the wheel barrow too soon.  Watching them work together to clean it all up, and eventually seeing them have fun side-by-side.

On Wednesday, those memories and recent hints of spring cast just enough of a warmish glow on all the winter dreariness, that I slipped into my red garden clogs and headed outside.

Of course, this is the pacific northwest in early March, so as probability would have it, it was raining.  So IN THE RAIN I started to loosen the soil in the new carrot bed.  I dug deep because I plan on growing longer carrots this year.  Not too much later, Tyjah showed up by my side, grabbing a nearby shovel.  That boy voluntarily worked beside me, digging up rocks, adding compost, turning over the soil, and even planting carrots, peas, lettuce, and red cabbage starts IN THE RAIN.  We spent two hours, just the two of us, IN THE RAIN, cursing rocks and creeping buttercup, laughing.  When we finally went inside, we looked like two pigs who had been wallowing around in the mud.  I wish I had taken a picture, but I was too afraid to touch my camera.

Its time again.  I can't wait to see the garden become anew all that it stands for.   Warmth.  Family. Bounty.  And good, old-fashioned hard work.

"It's okay. You can do it!"

I was pushing myself through one more set of crunches that morning.  In response to a few stray groans,  Lyla rushed to my side, took my hand and said,  "It's okay.  You can do it!"  I finished the set asymmetrically with my right hand tenderly yet tenaciously clasped in both of hers.

In this seemingly trivial moment, my two-year-old saw beyond my immediate struggle, and because she recognized my potential, did not seek to remove me from suffering, but sustained me through it and enabled me to become something more than I was.

REALLY??  Developmentally, I'm just not sure that her thoughts moved through such complexity, but her words and actions that day were certainly reflective of her divine heritage and potential.

I have felt the spiritual equivalents of those crunches, as everyone has. Times of prolonged suffering, crushing sorrow, having to push through, and facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles are not unique to my own experience.  I have also felt my Heavenly Father rush to my side to say, "It's okay.  You can do it!"

It has not been my experience in life to have God remove me from pain, injustice, or hardship. Instead, as my Lyla so eloquently reflected, he comforts, fortifies, and sustains me as I overcome and grow.

Review of Yellow Fever at the Guthrie Theater

Quote of the Day:  Beware the Ides of March. William Shakespeare, also a line used in Yellow Fever by R.A. Shiomi, produced by Mu Performing Arts and performed at the Dowling Studio.

Kurt Kwan (Sam Shikaze) © Michal Daniel, 2013

Yellow Fever has all the elements of a good detective story, starting with the P.I., a loner who quietly and steadily works to solve crimes and make his community safer. The year is 1973. The place, Vancouver, Canada, and Miss Lilly has gone missing from the annual Cherry Blossom festival. Sam Shikaze uses his connections and intincts to solve the mystery and uncover the shady side of some of citizens. The story plays out in film noir fashion with the detective narrating like he's reading the notes on the case, and that smokey jazz music playing between scenes.

(L-R) Alex Galick (Chuck Chan), Sara Ochs (Nancy Wing), Jeannie Lander (Rosie), and Kurt Kwan (Sam Shikaze) All Photos © Michal Daniel, 2013

 

This play has just the right amount of characters. Each one has an important role in telling the story and moving the plot along. Jeanie Lander did an excellent job of bringing Rosie to life. She's the owner of the cafe (above picture) and adds insight into the culture, the mystery, and the climate of the times. She's a delightful actor with humorous lines and actions. Wade A. Vaughn plays two very different characters, and did it so well that I didn't realize it was the same actor until I read it in the program after the show!

 

(L-R) Kurt Kwan (Sam Shikaze), Sara Ochs (Nancy Wing), Eric Sharp (Capt. Kadota), and Brandon Ewald (Sgt. Mackenzie) © Michal Daniel, 2013

 

Yellow Fever also has all of elements of what I enjoy in a story - mystery, history, intrigue, colorful and witty characters, a little romance, and lots of humor. One of the lines got the biggest laugh I've heard at a live performance. Excellent comedic timing and spark between characters. 

 

(L-R) Kurt Kwan (Sam Shikaze) and Sara Ochs (Nancy Wing) © Michal Daniel, 2013

 

Sara Ochs seems to have fun playing Nancy, a writer and a modern woman of the 70's, who has another favorite line of mine. After she's threatened not to print what she's heard, she responds, "I won't, if I don't make my deadline," then heads out to go to press. She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it.

 

The Biker Chef accompanied me to this play. He wrote in his review/survey for Mu Theater, "Great performance. Thought-provoking." I agree. Not everyone thinks about how racist we can be to each other in North America, how some people try to define the "right" race by a certain look and cultural background. Fear, power and greed are causes for all sorts of criminal behavior.

 

I recommend seeing Yellow Fever playing at the Guthrie Theater's Dowling Studio through March 24, for the laughs, the mystery, the colorful characters, and the parts that make you think.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever been surprised or hurt by someone's blatant racisim or prejudices?

 

Jump

Jump with a ball.

Jump with your brother.

Jump for joy- the sun is shining in the pacific northwest!