the little travelers * travel blog

World food

We like to have 'world food' on Tuesday nights at our house.  My life works much better when a predictable rhythm is set so we have:

• Sunday night roast chicken
• Monday left-over chicken - soup in winter, salad or tacos in summer 
• Tuesdays- world food
• Wednesday- pasta 
• Thursday- fish and rice 
• Friday- we make pizza and popcorn for movie night 
• Saturday- no plan or leftovers since we're usually away from the house

It  makes shopping so much easier to have a simple plan.  The recipes change from week to week but I know what I need to buy.  Once I finally started doing this I could not believe the difference in my grocery bill and how easy it was.

 Many of our dishes every night of the week have a heavy ethnic influence, but on Tuesdays we like to try something from a cookbook from another country that we haven't tried before.  The girls really get into this and love looking through cookbooks to pick something out.  We usually get our cookbooks at the library but have been known to go to a bookstore with pad and paper and copy recipes.  The web also has TONS of recipes with pictures- the only kind they will consider. 

I am a huge fan of fusion foods and tweaking recipes to fit our food preferences.  We substitute sugar in  recipes with agave, we use buckwheat, spelt or flax pasta in pasta dishes, lime or lemon in place of vinegar, etc. and that way they still work for us yet we can try new flavors without the side effects of eating something that we normally wouldn't.  I see a lot of people on gluten free diets for example eating the same few packaged foods from the health food store labeled 'gluten-free' over and over again.  Narrowing our food choices down to a few repeated items is an excellent way to build up an allergy over time to that food and encourage picky eating.  Variety really is the spice of life.  

Japanese Soba

It's fun to have a few ethnic plates around for serving but certainly not necessary.

Commercial dipping sauces are available at Japanese food stores, however they often contain corn syrup and msg.  I make a very simple version by using 1 part soy sauce ( I use Nama Shoyu) to 4 parts water and a squirt of agave.  Then top with shredded nori- I use scissors to cut a larger piece.

Our ethnic meals always include ethnic table manners- it is ok to slurp noodles from the Orient.  We eat Indian and Moroccan food with our right hands, very proper upright manners for British food, fork and spoon for Italian  food, etc.

Summer

Here's a simple mermaid needle felted out of roving with sand from the sandbox and seashells.

Another table that offers another perspective on summer. 

Making butter the easy way

I do have a couple of butter churns that I love but they take upwards of 20 minutes of churning!  It's great when there are more adults around and it can be passed from person to person but when we need butter within 5 minutes here's what I do. 

Start with a good heavy cream

I whip with a hand whisk. First you'll get whipped cream- yum! I always let kids take a 'one finger lick' at this point. This is the stage I like to use for filling between layers for a birthday cake. I like to use whipped cream on the top but slightly over-whipped (but not yet butter) for the filling layered with fruit.  I find the lighter whipped cream doesn't quite hold up to the weight between layers and I like the slightly greasier taste for a filling- yet not awful sweet like a shortening based filling. I add just a squirt of Agave and a bit of vanilla for sweetener and flavor -both in the filling and on top.

I'm always amazed at how quickly it turns from white to yellow.  Now we have butter!  The milk separates from the fat.
Pour off the milk You can strain with a piece of cheesecloth if you have it - I usually just use bare hands and that works fine. Place into a dish and decorate- that's the fun part. We like to change it seasonally. Here we have mint and roses. In winter it's fun to use rosemary for a 'pine' look and our red roses always bloom in December. Calendula flowers work great in fall and pansies in spring. I like to keep a variety of edibles planted year round- of course I live in southern California so that's not exactly difficult- but a small herbal garden in a window would do.  There are also all sorts of butter press designs you can stamp into your butter, which are like the ones Laura Ingalls Wilder writes about in The Little House series.  I like to keep things simple though and my drawers relatively clutter free.  

The mouse and the match box

One day I needed a quick story for a group of young children, so I dumped out the matches from the box in the girls' room and used it for a quick home for little mouse.  The story was a winter story about a little mouse looking for a warm little house.  It was very off the top of my head but made the children warm inside.  I already had the little needle felted mouse from another story.

This box is usually in the girls' room filled with matches for story time.  I keep the matches up on a high shelf that can't be reached as I have one child who is easily swayed by impish notions that come her way.  They do however, light and snuff the candle themselves and have since around 4 years old.  The girls helped sew up the cover and chose the picture from a greeting card.  I scanned it and printed it on iron-on paper and simply ironed it onto the felt.   A very easy way to get a cute effect without having to resort to embroidery.

We're raising money for chickens

The Heifer Organization is one of the girls' favorite organizations to raise money for because they love the idea of giving animals to other families. Our own animals contribute much to our own little suburban plot by eating up our leftover scraps and giving us fertilizer and eggs. So right now we're raising money for a flock of baby chicks to be donated to a family in need in a developing country.

In the past we've raised money for bees, which is very relevant to the young child who uses beeswax crayons and modeling wax, eats honey and lights a beeswax candle for meals and story time. They really connect with wanting to share that experience with another child.

Last year my daughter began to knit and wanted to raise money for a sheep so other children could have wool to knit with. This is another bonus of using natural materials. If she knitted with acrylic yarn it wouldn't have that same connection.

We were given these piggy banks years ago by a friend and they have been so great! They've gotten lots of use and reinforces the idea that whenever they receive money it needs to be split by what they are allowed to spend, save and share.

Their 'share' most often goes to The Heifer Organization. 'Save' goes to the bank when it starts to fill up and 'spend' goes into negotiation for what it can be spent on. Often an extra chunk of 'spend' goes into savings as well. It depends on what relatives have been by lately handing them $20's. My little one would spend every last penny on candy every single day emptying it out daily if I'd let her- so we have come up with some parameters- (ie- can't be spent on candy.) Burt's Bees lip gloss is usually next on the list. The shimmery kind.

Paper crafts

The girls are really into theses paper cut outs these days and I seems to find them all over the house. I like using origami paper for non-traditional origami paper crafts and vice versa. We are lovin' these necklaces out of Japanese paper from a fabulous Etsy shop, gamiworks. It came in a matching little container and spurred many ideas for future crafts.

Birthday gift ideas

Here's a list I was given years ago from the best Kindy teacher in the whole wide world, Patti Connolly.  I've kept it and refer to it often for gift inspiration.

• Tool box- with small real hand tools, nails, screws, sandpaper, pieces of wood...
• Sewing basket- filled with  pin cushion, pins, scissors, threads, embroidery floss... 
• Basket of materials- felt, wool, cotton... 
• Arts & Crafts- drawing paper, beeswax crayons, tape, scissors, clay, construction paper, glue stick, modeling beeswax... 
• Treasure bag- filled with marbles, crystals, geodes, buttons, polished stones, acorns... 
• Candle and candle holder for bedtime. 
• Gardening tools with seed packets, hand trowel, shovel, rake... 
• A tree or rosebush 
• Dress-up materials- silk squares, felt crown, shiny trim, cheesecloth square... 
• Clothespins for making playhouses with large cloth lengths 
• A fine china tea set 
• Wooden bowls and spoons 
• Cookie cutters, rolling pin, measuring spoons, mixing bowl... 
• An apron for working or dress ups... 
• A beautiful kite 
• Jumprope - with a handmade book of jump rhymes
• A big ball of yarn with little presents hidden within (marbles, hairclips...) 
• Rounds of wood cut from logs- tree blocks 
• Plain wooden blocks, trucks or trains 
• Wooden plank and a tree stump 
• Small plant and watering can   

I have found time and again the simple or handmade toys are the ones that children love giving and receiving the most.  And a wrapped present is so much more fun to open than a gift bag- even though I've certainly been known to give those when time is sparse!  

A gift we've given quite often this year and has been a hit is a pack of paintbrushes, paints and a plain bird house. 

media and children

I'm in the slightly awkward place in the world in that I produce children's media, yet advocate for minimal media exposure.  There is so much research done at this point that I think pretty much every parent knows that too much exposure is not healthy for the child.  

I did learn some recent things from Joseph Chilton Pearce when he visited our school as a guest speaker that surprised me.  He talks extensively on how it is the apparatus itself that is most harmful, not the content.  I think many people get extremely caught up in content and  figure if their child is watching something 'educational' then it is ok.  His research has found that any backlit screen has specific effects on the brain, particularly the developing brain that set the neural pathways for future processing of information.  The part that is of concern here is the pattern of the processing- the visual input from the backlit object goes mostly to the 'hindbrain,' which regulates reactiveness, aggression and 'primal behaviors.'  It passes by the forebrain, which is used for higher thinking, compassion, artistic expression- in short all those things that make us  human, rather than animal like.  So, if you're wanting to strengthen your child's reactivity rather than compassion than by all means let them watch to their content.

I had the extreme pleasure of hosting him in our home for the conference - (a complete irony since I'm the only 'children's media producer' at the school!)- I asked him sheepishly over dinner if he thought I was going to ruin my children's brain with a one night a week movie night.  He smiled gently and said, "Of course not.'  Followed quickly by, "But I certainly wouldn't do any more than that!"  So there you have it, from the words of an absolute genius- not using the term lightly here- he may be the most intelligent person I've ever had the pleasure of having dinner with!  No more than one movie per week!

On a personal note I was beside myself with glee listening to him tell stories of "When I addressed the UN with Michel Odent"  OMG!!  This must be what it's like for people to meet celebs they love.  My entire pregnancies I used to pretend that Michel was my OB.  Particularly with daughter #2- my water was broken for about 48 hrs and I was cruising around town in a Depends (a really FAB product!  they hold a TON of fluid!) - a gush of fluid with every step.  I kept pretending Michel was my OB and in France where broken water for 6 hours and no baby is not a sign of  'failure to progress' and time for a C-section.

So, my lovely fans of our series, I LOVE that you and  your kids love our DVDs - I really do.  But PLEASE watch responsibly!  The smartest man I've ever met recommends not more than one movie per week based on over 40 years of hardcore brain research.  Find what works for your family, but please do not send me little notes saying, "My 3 year old stayed inside all day watching your dvd over and over again."  Again, not to bite the hand that  feeds me, but as a mom and educator it really does hurt more than it feels good when I get notes like that.  

Please inform yourselves about all the addictive qualities of TV watching.  Evolutions End is a great, yet disturbing read.   If you unplug it today and your children scream at you- they have an active addiction.  Their brain is functioning in an addictive pattern.  It will be easier for them to pick up other addictions as they age- alcohol, drugs, shopping and other compulsive behaviors.  

If you're currently letting the kids watch a lot of TV start by reducing it.  Even very liberal unschooling moms I know who don't regulate much have a 'no TV during daylight hours' rule.  That's very reasonable to start with- particularly in summer where there is so much to do

Our DVDs are meant to inspire adventures of your own so unplug the set and get to it!  Come back on Friday or Saturday night with a big bowl of popcorn and enjoy the show!  

baking

Baking is a great place for kids to express their creativity. I use a quick baking multi-grain mix from Trader Joes or Arrow mills gluten free multi-purpose baking mix.  The dough only needs to be kneaded 8 to 10 times and bakes in 10 mins. It's perfect for a quick activity in that there is no waiting time for rising dough.

We end up with all sorts of lovely creations that we love to smother with freshly made butter and honey. yum! If you don't have a butter churn you can put heavy cream into a glass jar and shake or even easier is to just whip it in a bowl with a whisk. You'll get whipped cream first- and everyone gets a lick and then butter next. It is a great way to watch the whole process and the quickest I find.

Outdoor structures

Simple, inexpensive, eco-friendly structures for the backyard seem to also be the ones that get the most used.

teeter  totter.

I bought to 10 ft pieces of 8 x 2"s at Home Depot, brought them home and used a handsaw with the kids to cut them into 2 pieces. I made mine unequal in length and put stumps in between, just for a more organic look than all straight lines, but that's purely an aesthetic choice. Filled it with sandbox sand right over the grass. We have no cover and had not had a cat issue in the nearly 3 yrs we've been here. The balance beam is also a post from Home Depot, with two 8" pieces of 2"x4" attached to either end. We sanded it by hand and sealed it with beeswax.

We built a rough structure together of wooden posts and then planted vines.  It makes a wonderful little shelter to hide in.  It has two passion fruit vines- one flowering and one fruiting, which is fun to pick and eat on a hot summer day, and bower and jasmine.  This little shelter sees a whole lot of humming birds on a regular basis.

We also have lots of moving boards that can be made into ramps of balance beams that are slightly more challenging. Here a little 2 year old braves the distance quite skillfully. It is very important for children to have movable pieces in their environment rather than all fixed pieces like a purchased play set. We can all think of a few politicians that seem to have challenges with fixed ideas and fixed thinking. haha! Children for 100's of years created their own play areas and only in the recent generations has that become a think of the past. Many of us don't live in the country or near wilderness, but here are some simple ideas to transform a small suburban yard like ours. I mean, we live in 'The OC' backed up against a strip mall! Hardly the garden of Eden. Healthy feet and healthy toes. I love barefeet! Hay bales provide and ever changing playing platform that ends up either feeding the rabbits or as mulch for the roses. But the real hero of the backyard is the tree! A great big mulberry tree is definitely king of this little plot.