Greek Feast

I think I have blogged before about my frustration with how food/eating is going in our family (really only with the kids).  I have listened to (a lot of podcasts) and read a lot (Ellyn Satter is a great nutritionist I've followed) about fostering good eating habits in kids. I struggle with the line between being overly permissive and letting kids have more choice/say in the matter (because it tends to be the path of least resistance and also because they will be in charge of their own meal-planning and choices one day!) and being overly controlling (because I am a health-conscious doctor, and I want my kids to be varied and healthful eaters especially as they grow, and, although I'm not sure it's totally based in evidence, but I think the tastes they curate as children probably shape their palates as they grow). I also do NOT enjoy cooking, and the fact that my food often gets rejected/wasted is triggering for me.

If my kids politely said "no thank you" to various parts of the meal and just ate what they felt they could, I would let a lot go but keep trying varied things (or at least cooking what Kelvin and I would enjoy eating). However, they tend to ask me what's for dinner and immediately reply with a "EWW!  Disgusting" about 75% of the time. I detest food waste, but I also don't want to relent to preparing only kid-friendly cheesy or processed foods, which, while it may avoid the "EWW!" reaction, feels wrong if I'm trying to encourage less pickiness and cook a variety of things.

In any case, we invited a friend (our trusty usual dog-sitter, Kelly) over on Sunday for a meal, both so she could see Pepper post-cataract surgery, and so we could talk about El Salvador (where Kelly vacationed over Christmas and which we plan to visit later this spring).  I decided to plan an elaborate Greek Feast complete with an oven version of gyros, tzatziki sauce, and air-fryer falafel, which I learned about from a podcast I've been listening to about feeding kids called "Didn't I just Feed You" (and which I hadn't made before). I spent a good amount of time in the morning prepping, which included a lot of grinding in the food processor as well as mixing spices.  

Unfortunately, Kelly had to cancel due to illness but we still had a great spread after the sauce was made and chilled, the lamb gyro loaf baked, and the falafel air-fried. 

Iver actually made a "falafel pita panini" in the Foreman grill (I'm not sure he had ever tried chickpeas and may have been tricked by the similar-to-chicken-nuggets appearance of the falafel but he even included feta cheese and added pepperoncini on the side!). He's actually been interested in his own food prep (after our friend's son Levi showed him how to fry an egg), which is thrilling for us (we LOVE to foster kid independence!), and which I've heard helps kids' buy-in with meals (i.e. if they help cook it, they're less likely to reject it. He doesn't like eggs, however). Niall ate three slices of cucumber, half of a pita bread round, no protein, and called it a meal. 

 Nevertheless, Kelvin and I really enjoyed the spread and I'm just sorry we didn't have guests to see one of my (pretty rare) proud cooking successes. Three out of four ain't bad for this house.  

(Postponed) Par-tay!

Our good friend Shannon hosts an annual kids' Christmas party with snacks, games, and more. It was scheduled for the night before Christmas break started for the public school kids, but with multiple people (including us!) being sick, she postponed it to this Friday. The kids had a blast, and the many adults/parents had some less-interrupted time to talk, too! 

Cookie decorating ...

(...er, eating) contest! 

"Unwrap the ball of saran-wrap embedded with treats before the next person rolls a double!"

"Make your partner into a Christmas tree!"

Iver even slept over with his buddies, although he wakes up sooooo early that we're not sure he'll continue to be invited back to Shannon's house!  Niall was invited to a birthday party that was supposed to happen today but which was also postponed, due to a redwood tree being down on the family's house (thankfully, they were all okay). Yikes! In any case, we (and the kids) are already looking forward to next year's kiddie Christmas bash! 

The Potion Master!

 

Somehow, around Christmas, even in all the drowning in new gifts and toys (or maybe while I was trying to make space in our hallway closet to find space for stuff!), Niall uncovered a very educational Deluxe Lab Set that my parents (I think?) gifted (probably Iver) a few years ago but which we had stashed away. 

I think the microscope may have been touched, but it was basically brand-new. Now Niall is OBSESSED with this kit, which includes cards with various experiments (many of which involve vinegar, baking soda, food coloring, and salt which are now depleted in our kitchen!), as well as mixing various other spices and kitchen staples.

He's constantly mixing "potions" (mad scientist or chef in the making?) in these containers and regular kitchen pots, trying to save them in the fridge, forbidding us from dumping anything, and begging us to do experiments with him. It's a full-time job to have him at home and try to hold onto some salt!   Just short of running the blender, he concocted a whole (actual fruit) "smoothie" while I took a six-minute shower.

We also read this old book the other night (a tale like Stone Soup), and since we have a bunch of leftover Christmas cookies, his next concoction involved making "Cookie Soup."

"Mama! I need potatoes! Onions! Tomatoes! Carrots!!!" 

Stovetop simmering

"It needs some more spice, I think!" he said upon taste-testing it. 

And then he brought a portion of the "Cookie soup" broth to school in a mason jar (for show-and-tell but apparently not for consumption)!  

I love that toys that the kids "forgot about" can be come their new favorites (and that STEM gifts like these can provide hours of [albeit a bit messy] entertainment). I just don't want all my condiments and spices depleted by this potion master/cookie-soup-making-monster! And there's a LOT of resulting dish washing!  Lay off my salt, kid! 

The Gift of Sight

    

I blogged a few months ago about our little "Helen Keller" Pepper and her loss of sight /hearing. She had a big health scare in October with diarrhea, little oral intake and was diagnosed with hepatitis, but she recovered after backing off her prednisone (for skin allergies) and taking a course of antibiotics.  She still seemed totally deaf and blind, falling off the porch, curbs, and stumbling around, bumping into things.  Once her health was better, we explored the idea of cataract surgery as a referral was offered by our primary vet,  but had to take her for a consult at Bliss Animal Eye Care all the way in Medford, Oregon (close to four hours away) at the closest veterinary ophthalmologist (that's living in a rural area for ya!). We weren't sure if she was a good candidate (or the success rates) for cataract surgery, or if they were willing to perform the procedure with her age and overall health (and we recognize that many fur parents may not be willing or able to pursue it, either).

However, Kelvin was able to rearrange his clinic schedule to bring her there in December for the first consult, and after examining her, repeating labs, and checking her retinas, the ophthalmologist actually said that Pepper was a great surgical candidate and that there was a 95% chance her vision could be restored within days to weeks (!). 

The surgery had to be paid for in advance and was not cheap, so we had to think long and hard about whether it made sense to give her a chance at a better quality of life for her remaining time (?years) of life, and whether the benefits would justify the cost, distance and hassle of travel.  At this time, we can't really take Pepper new places, anywhere dark, or on long walks, because she is so disoriented due to the loss of her vision.  Ultimately, we decided that it was worth it, and financially within our reach, and while it is inconvenient with the multiple multi-hour road trips, Kelvin was willing to make the drives-- this week (Tues) for the procedure and one-day post-op check, then again at two weeks (we're making a family weekend out of it) and at four weeks for routine (and unfortunately, not able to be virtual!) post-op appointments. 

So, after returning the 6-7 hours from Sunriver, Oregon on Sunday (although I drove for the second half) Kelvin turned around and on Monday afternoon drove back to Southern Oregon (Pepper wasn't allowed at our Sunriver rental and we didn't end up wanting to take two cars or boarding her closer. Our friend Brenda kept an eye on her and Kelvin just bit the bullet for the back-track driving). He stayed in a pet-friendly AirBnB with our little (old) lady for two nights. 

Good-bye hugs

On the road (which she probably couldn't see at that time!)

Pep was able to get up on the bed with this "stairs" (we obtained doggie stairs for her to get up on her couch perch at our home.)

The bilateral cataract surgery (phacoemulsification and intraocular lens placement OU)  lasted a few hours on Tuesday, and Pepper then spent a few hours post-op recovering from anesthesia (which she's had and tolerated twice before-- for her spaying procedure and for her dental extraction) and then resting at the apartment with Kelvin.  K was able to work remotely during the day when he wasn't taking her to/from the appointment.

Newly post-op with now-brown (no longer milky white!) eyes!

After the post-op day one morning check, Kelvin was planning to head home to Humboldt. However, we had a huge Pacific rain/windstorm (which is still going on), and he got stuck in Crescent City (1.5 hours north of us on the 101) due to downed, obstructive trees all over the place. (He did stop and do some work at the Del Norte Clinic, which still had power). 

Finally, the road was cleared, and was able to drive home, surprising us in evening instead of having to spend another night (or more) away at a rented room with Pep. The kids were thrilled to see him, and we're so happy to have our pup home--although she's overall (these days) a calm, low-energy, and quiet pet, her absence from the house was definitely felt! 

The best part of all of this it seems like Pepper can actually see again!  How satisfying it has been to have such a (seemingly) curative procedure!  She wags her tail at us, seeing our faces, is roaming around the house with renewed interest (by not just scent), and not stumbling walking outside.  She's on an intensive regimen of four different eye eye-drops (antibiotic, steroid, glaucoma drop, and NSAID) each three times daily for the time being, and has to be in a cone for at least three weeks so she doesn't scratch or disrupt her eyes/corneas, but is doing amazingly well.  She's still (we think) totally deaf (despite Brenda telling us she enjoyed her singing renditions of "All the Single Ladies"), but we're so glad she has one of her key senses back. How much we take the gift of sight for granted!  Here's hoping for many more years of good vision and health for our little and beloved fur-child!

January Vibes

I seriously got the following e-mail on January 2nd. 

Apparently you can join even age under fifty with some conditions but I still was offended. I don't have that much gray hair (but sometimes consider retiring)...

Starting to plan summer vacations...

 (nothing against Open Door, just the slog of work in medicine in general).

And this New Year has already brought another earthquake on New Year's Day (around a 5.4) while we were driving home from Oregon and aftershocks the next morning, which I actually felt. I found out yesterday that our next-door neighbor's husband passed away on NYE. And we are currently in the middle of a huge winter storm with high wind gusts, trees and powerlines down all over the place and power outages again. Kelvin is stuck in Crescent City due to a road blockage  on his way back from Oregon and Pepper's eye surgery and many places are expecting flooding. Sigh.

Tree down on Redwood Community Pharmacy in our town

"Happy" January/New Year indeed! 

Après Christmas: Snow holiday in Sunriver

I worked the Christmas holiday weekend this year but had New Years Day (observed on 1/2) and with schools closed, we decided to take the days off in-between for a little family winter getaway.  Kelvin's parents came up to join us for their semi-annual trip to Humboldt and were excited to get their taste of winter with a few days away in Central Oregon.

We drove for about six and a half hours from home on Tuesday and stopped partway in Grants Pass for some "wintery" treats (I think this is Niall's first DQ Blizzard. He was a fan of the holiday "Candy Cane" flavor!).

We hit a winter storm a bit south of Sunriver and Kelvin did a great job navigating the icy roads despite being a product of the climates of Vietnam and coastal California.

Sunriver is a resort and residential community created in the 1960s and has many lovely cabins to rent. We woke up to snow on our deck almost every morning, a novelty which excited the kids... 

... and the grandparents! 

It was dark and warm in the bedrooms and they actually slept in until between 6:30 and 7:00 most mornings!

The kids didn't mind shoveling! We had to get some new snowgear for this trip but they were well dressed and warm! 

On Wednesday morning, Iver, Kelvin, and I went on a snowshoeing tour up Cascade Lakes Highway with Wanderlust Tours.

The woods were so peaceful!  The guide even pointed out some pine marten tracks in the fresh snow.

Even energetic Iver found it tiring walking in about four feet of powder!

Hot cocoa break

On Thursday, Kelvin and I headed up to Mt. Bachelor to ski/snowboard, while the kids stayed home at the cabin.

Unfortunately, I forgot to pack ski goggles, and there was a veritable blizzard atop the mountain.

Wind was high and visibility was terrible and Kelvin and I didn't last long out there-- it was exhausting!  The powder was THICK (the mountain gets upwards of 40 feet of snow per season!) and I had my good share of falls.

We visited Sunriver Lodge for some evening holiday lights viewing.

Our cabin was a couple of blocks from SHARC (a recreation and aquatic center) and we passed time in the afternoons swimming (although it was a bit cold for N and me).

Our cabin had its own deck hot tub, which delighted the kiddos!

Next to SHARC was a a sledding hill and we headed there after some fresh snow on Friday morning.

The weather turned to a "wintry mix" and we found it a good afternoon to spend at Bend's High Desert Museum.

The Desertarium included a lot of desert species including rattlesnakes and this Chuckwalla.

A rescued gray fox was not shy and we loved watching different owl species and other raptors in the Birds of Prey exhibit.

Bend's Hardy's was good for some food and more wintry treats.

We took the family on a Sleigh Ride around Sunriver Resort on Saturday morning. 

We saw a thirty-plus herd of elk.

We then tried Ice Skating at the Village at Sunriver which had a covered but outdoor rink.

It was the kids' first time on ice skates (and it had probably been two decades for me!), and the "skate helper" helped Niall a bit, although he tired easily.

Iver, who's gotten really coordinated after rolling around our neighborhood on some free skates we found on the roadside, was impressive in his first time on ice!

We enjoyed some (more or less) quiet time in the afternoons playing cards and games, reading, and visiting with some of our Humboldt friends who also got a cabin a few minutes away.

We really tried almost all of the snow sports this week, and these Cali kids (and the OC grandparents) had such fun getting some "winter fun" in!

(disclaimer: they found, but did not construct, this snowman!)

Until next winter! Happy New Year!