With hardly any effort at all...

Kuwait: Local Food Options Growing

2011-09-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I watched a really interesting documentary (Food, Inc.) about the agricultural and food production industry in the United States. (https://www.facebook.com/Foodinc) I've always tried to feed my family healthy food- fruits, vegetables, whole grains etc. But the premise of the documentary is that fruits, vegetables, and grains aren't what they used to be. The soil is depleted, plants are chemically treated or modified, animals are fed unnatural or anti-biotic infused foods- in short, it has now become critical to not only know what you are eating, but how it was grown and where it comes from.

Local Kuwait Free-Range Eggs

Living in Kuwait, where agriculture is not a huge industry and the majority of your food is imported, I was concerned about how to incorporate some of my new and evolving belief systems regarding the food that I feed my family. So imagine how excited I was to walk into my local Sultan Center after being gone all summer, to see a new section of local Kuwait produce: tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, herbs and long green beans; in addition to local dairy and poultry: free range eggs, goat and cow milk, laban, yoghurt, and haloumi cheese. They are not organic, but I feel better buying non-genetically modified and locally grown products, even if they are not organic. Organic food shipped from the US or Holland incurs such an added cost to the environment and must be picked before it is ripe. (They carried the same line of products at both Salmiya Sultan Centers, but I don't know about all the others.)
The local free range eggs, as you can see, were 1.250 KD for 6 (compared to about .450 KD for a dozen of regular imported eggs. And, as you can see, they are small. Still, they tasted great and the shells were so thin and strong, with little brown speckles on them (like...um, real birds eggs). We boiled the eggs and ate them with a white sauce over toasted homemade wheat bread. They really were good. Still, the local products are limited, so I still buy a lot of regionally imported fruits and vegetables (Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia), but I do try to stay away from anything from the Americas or Europe. And while nobody competes with the carrots from New Zealand-at least I am moving in the right direction.

Tomato based soup garnished with local haloumi and basil.

I also bought some haloumi cheese. I was trying to figure out what to make with it, and felt inspired by some black-eyed beans. So, experimenting, I made a tomato-based soup with black-eyed beans, quinoa, and barley- garnished with locally grown basil and grilled haloumi, and served with homemade whole-wheat bread (I still have not found a hearty wholesome bread that I feel good about). It was a much needed delicious and nourishing meal after all of our traveling.

Homemade whole wheat bread

In addition, I brought some seeds back from the United States to try some square-foot gardening to grow some of the produce that is only imported from Europe (zucchini for example) or not available at all (Kale- I requested it at the Sultan Center today, and the manager looked at me like I was making the vegetable up-I told him to Google it). So- if you have any square-foot patio gardening tips, let me know!

BirthKuwait

2011-05-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

BirthKuwait: a new organization for pregnant or breastfeeding women in Kuwait!

Well, I usually like to keep my professional blog (EngagingBirth.blogspot.com) separate from this travel/family blog- but I just wanted to share some exciting new developments. We are in the process of creating a new organization- BirthKuwait- to help provide resources (doulas, childbirth educators, breastfeeding specialists, prenatal yoga instructors) and information for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers here in Kuwait. We are working on the website (BirthKuwait.com) and hope to have it up and running by September. Just thought I'd share, in case you run across my blog while researching a move to Kuwait. Check out the BirthKuwait facebook page or my other blog for updates.

Easter Kuwait

2011-04-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

Easter Bunny came while the kids were at basketball. Nice to have the separation of secular Easter and the real Easter Sabbath the day before.

Baptized on Easter Sabbath (Friday), and we enjoyed an Easter dinner with many friends late into the evening. Wonderful day.

Beach on the border of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

2011-04-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Two peas in a pod!

So proud of Amirah and her friend kayaking in the ocean for hours. Loads of fun!

Surrogate big sister time.


Notice the 1970's playground equipment? There were five merry go rounds, and 4 seesaws. Awesome. There was even zip-line with tires and a pully-system with yards of chain to play with. Love it- although we did have a couple bloody lips and some bruised heads...maybe that's why they don't make playgrounds like this anymore.

We drove 1 hr south to the Saudi owned Chevron complex (strange to pass a McDonalds and Starbucks in the middle of the desert) to play at the private beach at our friend's house. You walk out their back door right onto the sand- it's great. Kids had a blast. Almost worth living an hour from civilization...

American International School Kuwait

2011-03-30T03:46:00.000-07:00


First Day of School

International Day at AIS Kuwait

2011-03-27T03:28:00.000-07:00

Our faithful high-school support team

Cowboys and Indians!

On Thursday, the American International School of Kuwait had their second annual International Day. I volunteered to work at the American Booth- which I thought, being an American School- would be well stocked with eager American moms. Alas, there were only three of us. But we were all enthusiastic and had great support from the science teacher and high school students who also volunteered. It was like working at a carnival all day. I made 350 chocolate chip cookies, another mom made 1200!! We also had popcorn and a snack mix, homemade lemonade (by the gallon fulls!) and some smaller portions of rice crispy treats donated by another mom. We passed out American "food" all day- and ran out by the time we got to the high school kids. Unbelievable. We also had to eventually hide my Star Wars swords and cowboy guns (we had American culture on display) because there were some Kuwaiti boys who kept trying to walk off with them (originally, they wanted to buy them).

It was a really fun day, and I enjoyed looking at all of the other booths and tasting food from especially the Egyptian, Lebanese, Syrian, and Swedish booths. Olivia and her class were asked to perform their dance again, so I tried to capture it on video. But I couldn't get it to download. Will try again later.

Dust-storms of Kuwait: Why I love my Dyson

2011-03-27T01:05:00.000-07:00

We experienced our first dust storm on Friday night. We had some friends over for dinner after church, and as we were talking in the living room- we looked out the front windows and saw a huge dark cloud moving over Kuwait City. It blackened out the lights as it went, and by the time it reached us, you couldn't see anything outside of our windows even though it was only 6 pm. All of the harbor and marina lights were blocked out, sand was blowing in under the doors (until we put damp, rolled up towels under them), and the wind was howling. We couldn't go outside until 10 pm to take our friends home- so well enjoyed being "sanded-in" together: we had hot chocolate, pancakes and bacon! (Best night in Kuwait according to Cooper & Olivia). It was a lot of fun- but it has been a mess trying to clean it up- argh.....it's everywhere!
Luckily, we were scheduled to go clean our church villa the next morning anyways because it was hit much worse than our house (the doors and windows don't seal very well). God bless my Dyson vacuum- seriously. I invoked many prayers on behalf of my vacuum. I used it for hours vacuuming the dust out of the chairs and carpets on the main floor, cleaning the curtains and walls, and sucking up dust wherever we could reach. How can anyone live without one? :)

Camels and Playdates

2011-03-27T00:28:00.000-07:00

We met up with our Mum's in Kuwait playgroup the other day- and there was about six camels wandering up and down the beach by our playground. The kids really enjoyed watching them. Eventually their owner ran down the beach and rode them all away :)

Food: The Great Adventure in Kuwait

2011-03-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

OK, so I know you are all wondering what a post about grocery shopping is doing in an adventure blog- but let me assure you- grocery shopping is an adventure in Kuwait! My family can attest to my history: I used to plan meals a month in advance. True Story. But now that we live in Kuwait, I have had to adjust my habits (i.e. let go of a certain amount of control). Here's how meal planning works now: every morning, Mehrsa and I go for a walk along the corniche, for about an hour, right after we drop the kids off for school. We go directly to the grocery store (get there around 8 am) just as they have finished restocking all of the produce. We stroll around and look for what is actually in stock within a reasonable price range- and then plan our dinner for that night accordingly.

So, for example, this morning they actually had fresh Thyme and Basil, plus some great looking organic tomatoes from Saudi (so they were affordable). Voila ~ homemade pasta sauce for dinner tonight with whole wheat noodles, yum-yum. We are inviting a colleague of Shahram's who is in town on a World Bank mission for dinner tomorrow night, but I have to be at the school's American Booth for International Day, so we also found some amazing looking Eggplants (from Kuwait no less!) and fresh mint and cilantro. To top if off, they actually a) had fabulously fresh looking strawberries in stock and b) they cost less than an arm and a leg- so of course I had to buy FOUR boxes of them (they are from Jordan). Mehrsa and I immediately gobbled up a whole box of them when we got home with some sliced bananas. Mmmmm. So, my tips for grocery shopping in Kuwait: 1) Go early and 2) Go frequently- you never know what you'll find!

Ginger in Kuwait

2010-12-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

Ginger - exotic, spicy and aromatic. The title of this restaurant was chosen well. Ginger is one of the most surprisingly flavorful and delicious Asian restaurants I have ever eaten at. We've explored cuisine in countries all over the world, and I rarely blog about them. But I was so pleasantly surprised tonight, that I wanted to share this jewel with others who might be looking for exotic Asian food. The spring rolls, even without the rich peanut dipping sauce, were bursting with flavor (kolrabi and green apple?). We melted with the warmth and flavor of the Tom Yum soup - full of fresh ginger and lemon grass. We had an incredible green curry and vegetable tempura, and ended with the sweet rice with mango and the fried bananas for desert. Every bite, every morsel, burst with flavor and texture. For the discerning and seeking food adventurer- this is something not to be missed in Kuwait. Don't be mislead by the humble exterior, Ginger is truly a treasure.

http://www.gingerrest.com/index.html

Nizwa Souq

2009-09-25T08:15:00.001-07:00

When we arrived in Nizwa there were hundreds of men gathered together. They would stand shoulder to shoulder, swaying back and forth to the drums, while a few men danced between the male lines, spinning and flipping their swords and old muskets. It was apparently a dance performed at the end of Ramadan during the Eid. The drumming was cool!

Nizwa Souq

2009-09-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

The first part of the souq (or market) that we entered was the fish market. Cooper couldn't stand it, and said "didn't they know I don't like fish?" as he covered his face with his shirt. Sensitive boy. We made it over to the Khanjar (sword), silver, and clay section of the market. Much more up Cooper's alley. The kids had a fun time exploring and trying to touch everything in the stores. There were a few stressful moments with Cooper (think bull in a china shop), but all in all they did really well. Mehrsa is very careful and meticulous about putting everything back where she gets it and handling them very carefully. Olivia is fascinated by everything and slips into her own imagination as she browses. Amirah is on the hunt to find something she thinks we'll buy her. We enjoyed looking at some Khanjar's from royal families that were about 2,500 OMR (that is nearly $7000 USD). Wow. I also really liked the silver lanterns (think genie in a bottle) and the wooden door pictures frames. Doors in the middle east are always elaborately deocrated. The rest of the house can be a plain brown clay square, but the door will be painted with bright colors, carved, or otherwise ornamented. Doorways are an entrance from the public sphere to the private sphere and hold a lot of symbolic meaning. So they make these small pictures frames with carved or jewel inlaid wood doors that flip open to reveal the picture behind. They are beautiful! Its a way to capture the beauty and symbolism of these amazing doors without having to buy a lifesize one (which many expats do, and make them into table tops). Nizwa is known for djinn (Genies) and flying carpets. Someday I'll post a summary of some of their stories :)

Wadi Shab

2009-09-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

A wadi is a desert river bed, often dry most of the year. But this season of the year, there was water in the river bed right up to the area where you park. So we started out taking a boat from the parking lot across the wadi to start the hike from the other side. We hiked not far from the wadi bed the whole time, like hiking next to a river. The first area of the hike was on soft sand under a grove of palm trees. After that, the terrain became gravelly, with small to medium sized loose rocks in between tall cliff walls and little vegetation. A little further in, we scrambled up some smooth red rock, and along some "cave" like paths along the side of the cliffs above the wadi. The cliff walls gave way to felaj (water canal) walls that ran above the wadi as well. Then we had to leap or scramble from large boulder to boulder right before we dropped down into a deep wadi pool. This took about 90 minutes, and we were were so grateful for the cool fresh water at the end! Amirah was an amazing hiker, never complaining and leading the way. Olivia was not far behind her, telling stories and holding our hands. Cooper walked most of the way,but needed some help over the boulders and Mehrsa got the best ride of all: on daddy's back. We had life jackets on them in the deep pools (thank goodness!). After spending about 30 minutes in the first pool, we swam through a narrow ravine, hiked over some small water falls, and then swam through another narrow ravine where only your head could fit above water before it hit the rock walls, and into a deep pool in a cave. Water falls were pouring in over head, and you could see light streaming in through holes in the dome. Amirah scampered up the cave walls (hooray for keens!) and jumped off these tall cliff walls inside the cave twice! I couldn't believe it! Olivia waded with her life jacket on, holding onto the edge of the wall. I got tired pretty quickly because I had already had to swim carrying Cooper on my back, and then I had to hold both he and Mehrsa up as there was no place to stand in the cave (luckily there were some finger holes in the wall, and Cooper did have a life jacket on- although Mehrsa wouldn't wear hers....we need to get one that's pink :) But we were able to stay for about 30 minutes; Shahram dove off the cliff as well, and then we swam back. Amazing!!!

Cooper Birthday

2009-09-23T01:53:00.000-07:00

Cooper loved his gifts! We chucked his parachute guy into the air over and over in the front courtyard, and then the girls did back bends and made bridges for Cooper to drive his two cars under. Once we got the batteries into the "gears" all the kids would hang out around the fridge changing the configuration. It was a great party. :)

Cooper Birthday

2009-09-23T01:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Cooper! Cooper is four! We had a nice, quiet family birthday party. The girls spent a lot of time on Cooper's gifts. I wasn't sure how we would decorate the cake because I didn't have any frosting tips, but Amirah suggested poking a hole in a ziploc bag, and it worked great! Mehrsa is tired of smiling, can you tell?

San Diego with the Paksimas

2009-09-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun (far too short) visit in San Diego with the Paksimas. They did crafts, swam every day, and went to Sea World. We were also able to spend some time with Uncle Mohammad and Aunt Sima who were visiting at the same time from Mombasa, Kenya. What a treat!

Summer Essentials

2009-09-22T04:48:00.000-07:00

Soap on the trampoline makes for FUN times with the cousins.
Half the cousins together for a family water kick-ball game. Everyone played. It was a blast.

Summer Essentials

2009-09-22T04:31:00.000-07:00

Sand, water, sun, grass, soap on a tarp, cousins...the essentials of a fun summer break!

Aunt Heather's Haircuts

2009-09-22T04:01:00.000-07:00

Heather gave Cooper and Olivia some great haircuts. Thank you Heath!

Black Hills Camping

2009-09-22T02:07:00.000-07:00

Fords, Wests and Paksimas camping at some rustic cabins in the black hills. They had a small hot tub, a stream for the kids to play in, bonfire pits, and a very "cozy" cabin. :) We all had a great time!

Black Hills

2009-09-22T01:50:00.000-07:00

We were going to find a picnic area..but then we came to our senses. Free open space to climb and explore is much more relaxing for us on a picnic then concrete and grass. :)

Mount Rushmore

2009-09-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

OK, so this is what it looks like when I try and take pictures with the kids when I am traveling sans Shahram. They really did enjoy the trip, they just don't want to take another picture :)

MN Zoo

2009-08-22T01:46:00.000-07:00

Cousins petting the leopard fish and star fish. Cool.

MN Zoo

2009-08-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Mehrsa will take grandma over me anytime :)

MN Zoo

2009-08-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

Olivia and Jane show off their wing span in the Minnesota Woods exhibit. All the kids were in tie-dye. It helps to identify our crew! :)

Beebe Lake

2009-08-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Swimming with cousins at Beebe Lake....glorious days of summer!

Mehrsa Lakeside

2009-08-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

Mehrsa enjoying the feeling of sand and water at Lake Beebe in Minnesota.

United We Sing

2009-07-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Every year my sisters, brother, nephews and neices, participate in a patriotic concert at the Como Park Pavillion called United We Sing. Its alot of fun, and helps me to focus on the more serious reason for why we remember and celebrate our nation's independence each year.

Delano, MN 4th of July Parade

2009-07-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

This is an annual event that my kids look forward to every year. Any parade that tosses out candy will be a hit. Add to that the excitement of 40+ cousins, aunts, and uncles, family silliness, and the highlight of the parade-the Dune Buggy Formations- and you have a super-hit. The parade is primarily made up of highschool royalty, marching bands, and local 4-H and church floats. Lots of down-home, small-town fun.

Minnesota Cousin Playtime

2009-07-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

Amirah and Victoria chilaxin. OK, so the water was a little murky in the kayaking section of the lake. Let me tell you, it took a great deal of effort to launch our boat while keeping my feet clean from the mud. But we did have fun telling stories about what might be lurking under the murky water :)

Minnesota Cousin Playtime

2009-07-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Olivia and Preston, buds for life! :) Kayaking at Parker's Lake. The kids played tag at the "spiderman" park-they were actually being cats in this picture.

Heidi's Bday Music in Plymouth

2009-07-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

July 1st was Heidi's Bday, so we celebrated it at Music in Plymouth. Charisse made a killer chocolate cake, and Heidi made a divine cheesecake. Always good food. :) Don't you think Olivia has Heather's nose?

Music in Plymouth

2009-07-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

For my kids, there is nothing like Independence Day in Minnesota. Its a week full of festivities, good food, and cousins :) On Tuesday, we all tie-dyed T-shirts. On Wednesday, July 1st, we all went to Music in Plymouth. This involves staking out a site either the night before or in the wee hours of the morning, because we need a place large enough to accomodate 40+ people. Wearing our brightly colored tie-dyed shirts, we danced, ate, accesorized, and played for three hours while listening to local musicians.

Patriotic Accessories

2009-07-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

With three-four hours to wait for the meat of the show to begin (Listening to the Minnesota Pops Orchestra), we planned some practical activities to keep the kids engaged. Heather and Shaleen painted stars and stripes on everyone's faces, and brushed, twisted, and braided all of the girl's hair into patriotic dos, donned with sparkling and striped ribbons. I was armed with red-white-blue nail polish, and painted everyone's nails (oh yes, many of the boys wanted to get in on the fun) Some of our blanket-neighbors just started sending their kids over to wait in line...I guess they figured we wouldn't notice a few more kids here and there-if they had been wearing tie-dye, maybe we wouldn't have :)

Fireworks

2009-07-22T09:26:00.001-07:00

I love watching the kids eyes grow wide with delight and amazement as they watch the fireworks and listen to the stirring music. Plymouth put on a great show! Best I've seen yet.

MEHRSA

2009-06-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

"Me too!!!" That's her favorite phrase. Mehrsa tries hard to keep up with her bigger sisters and brother. She is spunky and cute, and determined to climb up the mountains by herself. Everyone adores Mehrsa. Its impossible not to.

2009-06-10T22:19:00.001-07:00

Peeking at village goats.

COOPER

2009-06-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

Had I known that there were six inch spikes sticking out of this fort door, I wouldn't have encouraged Cooper to "run over and stand in front of that door for a picture." He almost impaled himself as he tripped right in front of it. But this is not unusual for Cooper. He has no fear of the world, and wants to experience everything in it. He climbs voraciously...refridgerators, doors, counter tops, tables, and curtains-well he was actually swinging on those like Indiana Jones (our new curtain rods now have a v-shaped look to them; its very modern art). I was sick of it, so I tied our camping rope to the top of the second floor stairs, and hung the rest of it down the center. We tied knots on it, and now he climbs up and down the rope. It works most of the time.

I'll admit he gets away with more than he should because he's got such cute dimples and hugs, and he always looks so darn remorse when he breaks something, like he really didn't realize he was going to dump out the whole gallon of milk (yesterday) or drop and break the fifth dish of the week (last week). Sigh. He's at that stage where he wants to do everything himself, and so he inadvertantly leaves destruction in his path.

He does have a sweet heart though. He is the daddy cowboy right now, and I told him he needed to go shoot a deer with his cowboy gun to feed his family; he said they have animals on their farm. So I told him to get a chicken to eat; he said they were part of his family, so he couldn't do that either. So I encouraged him to go pick some berries instead- and he said yea, but then he walks off and says I better go shoot someone to feed my family. Apparently chickens and deer are right out, but people are OK. Hmmmm.

2009-06-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Cooper the Cowboy
Cooper is also good at being the prince, the super hero, the husband or brother...or whatever else Olivia wants him to be for their games. He loves being included, and takes his roles seriously.

OLIVIA

2009-06-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

Olivia is full of hopes and dreams. Her deepest desires are to become a karate kid (while she is still in her youth) and to become an artist and ballerina when she grows up. So she practices all three of them daily. Her skills in the drama department are pretty keen as well. Her moods can alter like a mountain storm. One moments she's on top of the world, kissing and hugging her family with delight for life, and the next she is at the pits of despair, having the most rotten, worst, hopeless day of her life (I promise, these are her words).
Olivia is motivated to read fairy and princess books, and loves her flashcards. One day she just looked up at the clock and told me what time it was...before I taught her anything about reading time. And when she draws, there is always a story woven into the picture. She never just draws stagnant pictures; they always have a name and a character, and a place in her story. Olivia is also a great sister, she's compassionate and fun, and stays in character faithfully during games of make-believe.

AMIRAH

2009-06-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

Amirah is growing up. She has developed a funny sense of humor, using puns and irony; It still amazes me how much she picks up on the world around her. She's a great big sister. She is the horse this morning for a game of cowboys. Yesterday she had all the kids dressed up in Hogwarts outfits and divided up into their various houses. Every morning, she has me write out her school assignments under Hogwarts class titles (i.e. Arthimancy for math, Muggle Studies for history etc.). She has even taken to using an ink fountain pen (with a calligraphy tip) for all of her writing assignments.
She digests books...but I finally had to take away all the Harry Potter books this week so she would stop reading them (I think she was on her 5th time through...) I handed her Robin Hood, and after a few moments of resistence to this non-magical folklore, her love of reading got the best of her and she succombed to the temptation.

Green Mountain

2009-06-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

We went on a family outing to el Jabel el Akhdar...the Green Mountain. It is the highest point in Oman. At the base of the mountains is a mosque, built in 1059 AD, and a pretty spectaular fort. The Green Mountain is famous for its abudant springs which support the villages (and their farming on the sides of the mountains); they direct the water down the mountain also using aquaducts. All the villages on the mountain and below the mountain bathe and wash in them...they are very cool and refreshing, like a mountain stream. We also hiked along the edge of one of these aquaducts (falaj) to a little pond. We brought our swimming suits because we thought we might be able to go swimming...turned out to be not very appealing. :) But there were some beautiful trees and the temperature was perfect. We saw hosts of butterflies, fish and tadpoles, fruit trees and some village goats. There were caves along the mountain side that villagers had lined with carpets and candles to rest in. It was beautiful this time of year, and we can't wait to visit it in winter when it truly becomes the Green Mountain.

Happy Birthday Mehrsa

2009-05-26T01:10:00.000-07:00

Mehrsa was all smiles for her birthday cake...she has caught onto the whole process. First you cheese and smile for the camera, blow out the candles, and then you get to eat cake, candy and ice cream. Pretty good trade off. But by the end of the pictures, her smiles had turned into a grimace. She just wanted to get to her cake, and our photo shooting was clearly an obstruction she was ready to be done with! She has the cutest little high-pitched scratchy voice; still wearing 12-18 month old clothing...definitely the peanut of the family. Mehrsa is learning how to voice her frustration: for a few weeks she was doing the whole classic temper tantrum thing, laying down on the floor, kicking and screaming etc. When she realized that wasn't going to work, she tried a new approach. After a token scream of opposition, she simply starts roaring like a fierce 20-lb lion. Its a hoot. It works because our laughing distracts her from whatever she was upset about. We went around our family circle on her birthday, and everyone told Mehrsa what they love about her. Amirah loves her bright, sunshiny smile; Olivia loved her infectious laughter; Cooper loves playing with his baby sister; Mommy loves her snuggles and cuddles; and Daddy loves her fiesty sense of humor ("You wanna piece o'me? ...OK, Mehrsa's turn [as she weedles my trumpet out of my hands].."I not Mehrsa, I pinky.") She is our treasure!!

Swimming at the PDO Pool

2009-05-26T00:56:00.001-07:00

All the kids played with Manori at the pool and beachfront of the PDO while Shahram and I were busy with the Fahal Island swim. They had a great time!

Fahal Island 4KSwim Challenge

2009-05-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

The waves were pretty rough that day, but it was beautiful and clear (that's a given almost any day). The coast guard boats carted the swimmer out to the island, where the organizers' counted and called out the numbers of all the swimmers to make sure they were starting with the correct number of participants. There wasn't a beach, just a shallow, waist high, rocky edge. We took off at 7:30 am. The first kilometer, I felt like I was just trying to survive a boat crash in the middle of the storm...OK, so the sky was clear, it was a bit breezy, and I'm sure if there had been a storm it would have been much worse...I'm just saying what it felt like. :) About 100 swimmers and dozens of boats and kayaks all churning about trying to get into a reasonable rhythm and order. I swallowed alot of salt water!! Every time I tried to gasp for air, a wave came crashing over my head. By the second kilometer, everyone had spread out, and I felt like I was the only swimmer in the ocean. But I was getting into a good rhythm; the waves had calmed down, my body was warmed up and remembered how to swim in a steady rhythm.
Just after the second kilometer bouy, my stomach started to clench and my head was swimming; I was sea sick! I didn't know that was possible. Anyhow, I called the cover boat over, and was taken to solid land. That was 1 1/2 hours into the swim, which is what we thought it would take us to swim the whole thing (based on how long it took us to swim 4K in the pool and in the bay). Apparently we were a little off! :) My friend Mary perservered, and finished in just over 3 hours. I was so proud of her!! Talk about determination. I hope I can finish the whole thing next year. I'll have to try some dramamine or something.
All the swimmers arrived back to the shore safely, about 80 of the 110 finished. Others had to stop because of exhaustion or sea sickness. A few swam past some of the tiger sharks that breed there. They are vegetarians, so apparently there was nothing to worry about, but one of the girls I talked to said she panicked and just stared at it under water for about 5 seconds until it swam away. Freaky! I only saw fish and some reefs through the darker than normal water: the green tide that recently washed into shore brought alot of kelp. Still, it was beautiful and interesting. Shahram and a friend, Steve Davis (Mary's husband) borrowed a friend's boat, and drove it along the coastline down from Qantab Beach to the PDO beach. Then he spent a few hours on the boat covering swimmers, and then then drove it back up to Qantab beach.

Super Cooper gives us a scare

2009-04-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

One day I noticed it was really quiet. Where's Cooper? I couldn't find him. I looked outside, in all the rooms, and opened up the front gate and called out on the street. We were all really getting worried, when I had a thought...Cooper had been playing on top of the toy bin the last I had seen him...so I went back to the family room, and looked really close. There he was, sound asleep under the Groovy Gals. Silly boy. When he's tired, he can sleep anywhere.

Ring-Around-The-Roses

2009-04-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

Indoor Park

2009-04-21T04:06:00.000-07:00

There is a mall near us called Markaz Al'Baja. They have an indoor amusement park that all the schools go on fieldtrips to. Its pretty fun, so we took the kids one evening in between shopping for curtains and carpets. :)

Easter

2009-04-21T03:18:00.000-07:00

It was challenging to get Mehrsa to look up at the camera. Once she discovers candy, she is very focused!

Easter

2009-04-21T03:03:00.000-07:00

Amirah didn't have the patience to eat each M&M separately, so she dumped them all in. Instead of dyed eggs, we hunted for paper eggs that Amirah designed earlier in the day. The kids had a delightful time searching on the walls and under furniture. :)

Easter antics

2009-04-21T00:59:00.000-07:00

Wake up birthday girl!

2009-04-21T00:41:00.000-07:00

Birthday Beach Excursion

2009-04-21T00:17:00.000-07:00

We spent the morning at the Athaiba beach, just five minutes from our house. It was beautiful. When we arrived at 8 am, the waves were calm, and the breeze gentle. By 9 am, the wind had picked up and the waves grew larger. Amirah and our friend Kyla had fun sitting on top of their tubes and letting the waves rock them. Unfortunately, I didn't reapply sunblock enough, and Amirah and I got sunburned. The rest of the kids were fine. Olivia had fun playing down by the waters edge in the sand during the early hours. Then she noticed some crabs without their shells that were lying dead on the shore. As soon as she realized that there were live animals in the water, and possibly on the sand, she ran back up to our beach mat, and stayed on it for three hours until we left. She is a hard child to convince otherwise once her mind has been set about something. :) Hopefully, she'll grow out of her fears...it used to be the same way about bugs and the outdoors, and she has mostly gotten over that one, so I guess we'll just give it some time. What a silly girl! :)

Happy Birthday Olivia

2009-04-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

Amirah and Rachel frosted and put all the candles they could find on Olivia's cupcakes. Then we all sang happy birthday; for dinner Olivia requested her favorites: German pancakes and homemade Maccaroni and Cheese. It was a fun day, despite everyone being a little sunburned. Happy Birthday sweet Olivia!

Its Lovely Being Six! (or almost)

2009-04-06T05:20:00.000-07:00

Olivia is basking in the prospects of being six. What windows of opportunity and new avenues of happiness are waiting for her on the other side of her birthday? She is anxious to find out. One day she wants a princess birthday party, and the next a dolphin one, and the next day its going to be all ninja. I guess I'll just have to take my chances and pick a theme and hope she'll like it on that day. She has been going through the typical roller coaster of emotions that accompany this age. When she feels misunderstood, she can storm off, slam a door, and send me nasty rolled up "notes" with x-out hearts all over it to communicate how much she doesn't love me at the moment. But most of the time, she is a lark. She cheerfully plays well with all of her siblings, draws stacks of pictures each day with hearts and happy faces and numbers like "999" representing how much "heart" she has for her mom and dad. Usually, she is spreading love, hugs, kisses, and affection all around her. The important thing is to stop and listen to her, so that she feels understood, and then she can handle the ups and downs of life very reasonably, and maintain her cheerful countenance.
Today she has been playing "princess and servant" with Amirah. (One of Amirah's favorite games). Olivia just dutifully delivered a note from the princess to the Queen (me, apparently). She was very composed and serious, nodding her head to emphasize..."From the princess, to the Queen," then she returned a few moments to ask very seriously, "Did you read it your highness?" The letter states: "Dear Mother, when is it tea time? I'm dying for some herbal tea. Please do something. Get Adelaide (thats Olivia) to get me some food, PLEASE! Sincerely, Melody" Does that sound like a princess, or what? Olivia has been serving her for the last few hours, giving her a bubble bath, dressing her afterwards, hanging up her towels and delivering her messages. I wonder how long she'll enjoy this game? Amirah doesn't realize how lucky she is to have a sister like Olivia, she is a great friend. :)
Cooper is relegated to the role of Sebastian, the knight, who is supposed to stand guard at the door. His attention span only lasts about 30 seconds, and then he starts scavenging for some toilet paper to unroll, paper to shred, pencil points to break, marker tips to pound, keys to grab and come show me in hopes of a nice, fun chase....he's hiding under the desk right now after scribbling on Olivia's "Fancy Five" she was decorating with patterns. Both girls came chasing out after him yelling the familiar accusatory "Cooper!!!!" I need some more toys or activities for this little boy. I think we'll invest in a trampoline for one thing, but I would love some ideas on how to engage energetic little boys from my sisters who have done this before. Ooops, this blog was supposed to just be about Olivia, and here I've wandered through Amirah and Cooper. I guess they are just so interconnected its difficult to just talke about one, without including the lives of the others.
Back to Olivia: she just finished her writing assignment on "My Ideal Birthday." We had talked previously about these boats that take you out to the ocean where the dolphins jump all around you and you can reach your hand out over the edge of the boat and pet them as they swim past. She just wrote about taking those boats out on her birthday, having a castle cake, and eating german pancakes, mac and cheese, and hot dogs for her meals. Sounds like a birthday wish we can handle.

Just laundering my thoughts...

2009-04-06T05:13:00.001-07:00

1/3 of the laundry we folded/ironed. Sometimes it was hard to find space to dry all our clothes...I might need a second rack.
So, I spent all day yesterday doing laundry. Not too different from what I do after traveling in the US. I started with a gigantic mountain of clothing in my room. Amirah sorted it out for me into colors to earn computer time. The night before I started washing so that I would have some items dry and ready to be ironed by our part-time helper, Mary. I put two loads through, hung one on the clothes hanger and put all the fans on in the living room to dry it over night, and processed the rest in our dryer. The next morning, the routine continued...I was either putting dirty laundry in, folding clean laundry that didn't need to be ironed, or hanging out or collecting laundry on the line from the front courtyard. Mary stood by the ironing board for five hours ironing. What a trooper! That night, the back of my neck was sunburned, and I was exhausted, but we had fluffy towels. Reward enough.

Here's the thing. We have a 12 kg washer, but it only dries 7 kgs, so you have to take 1/2 the load out when its wet, and either sit it in a bucket to wait the 2 1/2 hours for the first half to dry, or you can hang it outside to dry in the sun. It takes about the same amount of time. I generally leave all the small articles and towels in the drier b/c it is a pain to straighten out dozens of socks and little under clothing. Also, towels feel like sandpaper on the skin if you just air dry them. I even did a little experiment, and the stack of towels that had been dried in the machine were several inches fluffier than the ones that had been dried outside. I should be getting a commission for this review! The good thing, though, is that you can put in 7 kgs of laundry in at night, and program it to dry as part of the cycle, and you wake up to a completed load of laundry. In terms of maintenance, I think it will work. Its just inconvenient when you are trying to push through mountains of clothes all at once. Anyhow, I am just so happy to have a washing machine/drier. I feel liberated.

2009-04-04T04:58:00.000-07:00

Play time

2009-04-04T04:31:00.000-07:00

All four kids at the top of the tower at a nearby playground. Amirah liked taking Mehrsa down the slide with her and listening to her squeal with delight.

kids at the beach

2009-04-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

The kids had sandcastle building contests and lolled around along the shores of the beach. Some local Omani boys were improvising with sticks and rocks to play a game of cricket to pass the time.

Archeological reconstruction site in Oman

2009-04-04T03:57:00.000-07:00

We took at outing with some other of our local church members to an archeological site where they are reconstructing a 1000 year old style of ship based on some archeological evidence found near Singapore. It was fascinating, but I can't publish any detailed photos of the site as the National Geographic is doing a documentary on the process and the eventual voyage that it will take sailing from Oman to Singapore. All of the wood on the ship is from the region, and it is all put together using braided coconut fibers and some kind of sap or resin. It was fascinating.

Clay Therapy

2009-03-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

So, maybe this is a little out there, but under the circumstances (modern medical technology seeming to have exacerbated the situation) I am a little desperate and am experimenting with clay therapy. I just read an interesting book on it and have talked with some friends who swear by it. Clay (not just any clay, a special kind that you buy in the health store) has adsorption and absorption qualities. It is a positively charged substance with an incomplete chemical compound, and attracts negatively charged toxins through adsorption and then absorbs them. So, we made a poultice with this special clay and a mix of herbal oils (lobelia, garlic, etc.) and put it on the outer part of her ear. Then we covered it with a cotton square and put a head band over her ears. After the clay dried out, Olivia just pulled the mud out in one whole piece. I'm not sure if its helping, but I'll put some more in tonight while she sleeps and report tomorrow. Before we started, you could look in her ear and see the expelled tube sitting in her ear canal, lodged in with thick pasty white puss. Its been sitting there for days. We have an appointment with an ENT next week after the coming four day weekend, so hopefully this will improve things before then and we won't need surgery again! :) I'll let you all know how it goes. I'm trying the same thing with Amirah in hopes of preventing another ear perforation. We'll see how it works on before and after perforations.

Home in Athaiba

2009-03-03T23:47:00.000-08:00

Front entrance and little garden in front of the house.

Home in Athaiba

2009-03-03T23:31:00.001-08:00

Retro indoor kitchen...not the most practical, but will have to work in conjunction with the outdoor kitchen. Back entry way and atrium.

Athaiba shores in Oman

2009-03-03T22:27:00.000-08:00

This is the ocean just across the street from the house we put a bid on today. We hope it works out. I'll post some pictures of the house as well. Haven't figured out how to edit photos on this computer yet. You'll have to turn your head sideways. :)

With Hardly Any Effort At All...

2009-03-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

With hardly any effort at all...6 people, 22 pieces of luggage, stroller, car seats etc., three flights and five different time zones later...we finally made it to Oman. Shahram is the greatest husband on earth; he let me sit in his business class seat while he sat with all four kids in the depths of economy. It was the best flight I've ever had:) We were welcomed by the Omani ministerial representative and four carts and three cars later, made it to our friends, the Davis's home. We stayed there for a few days in Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, and then moved in with our friends Sylvia and Fabrizio Poli out in Al Khoud. After everyone getting sick and bursting ear drums (I'm not kidding, all four kids), we have finally settled down a bit and adjusted to the change of sleep and weather. I am in love with Oman. It is welcoming, warm, beautiful, and historic. More on that later!

Jack-O-Lanterns

2008-11-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

The Three Broomsticks Halloween Pub

2008-11-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Spooky Halloween!

2008-11-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Spooky Halloween!

2008-11-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

We had a blazing bonfire where trick-or-treaters would sit and drink some homemade butterbeer and hot apple cider at the Three Broomsticks pub in Olde Sturbridge. I went a little overboard with the dry ice, and we ended up with boiling, bubbling butterbeer all over the table, but it all still tasted great.

Witchy Night

2008-10-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Amirah about to take off on her witch's broom...she knows a spell or two!

2008-10-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

Cooper the Power Ranger and Victoria the vampire (Dracula's Bride)

Olivia the Witch was a bit chilly

2008-10-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

We all had a great time at our church's Halloween Party. Ivory was Melonie from Gone with the Wind (she made that hoop skirt by the way). All the girls in my family were witches. Bitty was a princess of course.

2008-10-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

Tamara and I won the Annual Chili Cookoff! We recieved an award for the best all-around chili using the Cook's Illustrated White Chicken Chili recipe. It's always a hit!

Election 2008

2008-10-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -- John Quincy Adams

I’ve been thinking a lot about who I am going to vote for in November. I’ve been frustrated with our two-party electoral system. Obama and McCain seem to be different shades of the same color. The two-party system only allows two solutions for me to choose from, and sometimes that seems inadequate.
First, there is the whole issue of the $700 billion dollar bail out. McCain talks like a Republican, but pushes for the bill to pass. What’s that all about? Both parties voted for, no, not just vote for, but slipped through (talk about voting under the cover of panic) a monumentally expensive bill that ties up billions of tax payer money in worthless, toxic assets, and at the same time, rewards inefficient, reckless companies. These companies didn’t just make mistakes or misread the risks. Warren Buffet called the decisions these banks were making (credit default swaps? I don’t understand it completely) “financial weapons of mass-destruction,” a “time-bomb” waiting to go off. Why would we keep pumping money into the same system rather than injecting that money directly into the economy to establish more small-businesses, create job growth, etc. If we’re going to “bail-out” the American economy, let’s at least do it in a way that benefits American consumers directly. Neither of these candidates have a real, original, or creative idea to address these complex economic problems. I think if I at least knew who would be their team of advisors on economical issues, I would feel more confident in the direction our country would go if they were elected.
But then there is the issue of foreign policy and diplomacy. As far as I can tell, Barack Obama has a more accurate picture of where we fit in the world, what our role should be, and what battles are worth fighting. I agree that we should extricate ourselves from Iraq as soon as is reasonable; it will remain a tenuous situation, but will not improve with our presence. Likewise, we should focus our efforts in Afghanistan. I agree with him that we should talk to our enemies (are they really our enemies?) Plus, he selected Joe Biden as his running mate, who has a lot of experience, and seems to have a good grasp of the complexities associated with our national security and foreign policies.
Finally, we need a leader who can actually lead. Obama is a unifier. He is inspiring. He is diplomatic. We need someone to bring the American people together to work on our complex issues. I’m still looking at candidates like Chuck Baldwin (the Constitutional Party candidate) and Ralph Nader (creative solutions!) But ultimately, I don’t think my decision will be made until I know more about the team of advisors working with either candidate. What type of people will they surround themselves with? Are they pulling in advisors with innovative solutions or party clout? I still just don’t know. What about you? What do you take into consideration as you make your decision?

Youngest Student

2008-10-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

Mehrsa is our youngest student. She loves to color, draw with chalk, put the alphabet magnets on and off the black board, and play with her other manipulative toys. Today she told me she needed to go "poo-poos" before going, something we're still trying to get Cooper to do. She is determined to keep up with everyone else!

Princess Olivia

2008-10-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Olivia is on her way to a princess birthday party at our neighbor's house, wearing her flashing jewelry-and rainboots.

CHEESE

2008-10-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

Mehrsa learning to CHEESE!

2008-10-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

So, this was one of the first days that I sent Olivia to kindergarten. I had been taking pictures of her with Amirah in the front yard, next to a tree, and they were dutifully saying "cheese." Amirah escorted Olivia to the bus stop, and Mehrsa wouldn't come with us. I turned around and she was standing in front of the tree, saying "cheese, cheese, cheese," and posing with a broad smile (also holding a shoe that she picked up by the front door and wouldn't put down). This was a momentuous occassion, because Mehrsa has been a hard child to catch holding still long enough to snap a photo (I have alot of blurry photos of Mehrsa). Then she went to drive her little car and kept saying "beep, beep" and pushing her little horn. Of course as soon as I tried to capture her, she got perofrmance anxiety. Oh well, she's still cute, and even her evasive behavior makes me laugh. I apologize up front for subjecting you all to my annoying baby voice-it must be unconcious. Sorry! Try to tune that out and just listen to Mehrsa's sweet little voice.

Sunshine!

2008-09-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Mehrsa is tiny-her Aunt Heidi calls her a little bug. But she is a spunky daredevil. She isn't deterred one bit by Paws, her cousin's dog who happens to be the size of a small horse. She plays in the sandbox for hours by herself, and would pick up and eat bugs if we don't keep an eye on her (unlike Olivia who screams and runs into another room if she sees an ant). And she is determined to communicate what she wants, even if she has to vocalize her needs a little louder to be heard. We adore her (and of course, she knows it). She lives up to her name, she is sunshine in our lives!

Cooking Time

2008-09-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

Amirah loves her new additional bonding time with family. And we love having her around more.
I spent an afternoon teaching Amirah how to bake. She read the recipe, measured out and mixed all the ingredients, rolled the cookies into balls, and put the pan in and out of the oven all by herself. All I did was turn the oven on.
Amirah the proud baker of 12 dozen chocolate chip cookies! Her cousins blessed her name when they got home from school.
Amirah and Olivia started gymnstics at the Gleasons Gymnasium. They finish sweaty, glowing, and smiling from ear to ear. So worth the challenge of keeping Cooper and Mehrsa off of the equiptment for an hour and a half!

Kindergarteners

2008-09-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Olivia and Preston going to kindergarten. Tamara and I were just talking about one of the things I needed to explain to her new teacher: Olivia trips on air. We had her stand next to a tree, and before I could blink, Olivia had slipped around the backside of the tree and rolled down a short ravine. She grinned and laughed as she hiked back up the slope, covered in mud. "I'm OK," she said. Typical.
Reassuring us once again, that she's OK. You can't see me just shaking my head...so predictable.

Cooper's birthday

2008-09-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Cooper is three! He requested pancakes for breakfast, and superglued his new airplane to his hand for the next two days.
Cooper played super heroes in his new cape all night and the next day. He ditched his cake after one bite, even though he had been reaching up onto the counter for it all day (snatching great chunks of it when he could), and by the time I noticed he was gone for the table, I discovered him under the piano opening his presents all by himself. Very contendly I might add.
Night games for super heroes after the party.

Field day at Science Museum

2008-09-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

Field day at the Minnesota Science Museum. We've been studying archaeology and ancient history. Amirah took notes on the Diplodocus dinosaur, and the next day wrote a stunning essay on the gentle beast. Anyone ever heard of a gastrolith? Amirah told us all about them.
We have also been studying cells. Here are the girls doing a cheek cell lab, and a DNA lab. I love it when sciences comes alive for them.

Field day Minnesota Zoo

2008-09-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

Amirah is tracking the Amur Tigers from her remote zoological lab.
After the zoo, everyone crashed (Cooper is under the pink blanket).

Archaeology Dig

2008-09-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Amirah helps Mehrsa dig for some bones.

Amirah unearths an ancient whooly mammoth rib.

Olivia is diggin' for Mr. Mammoth's spine.

Monkeys on the Mammoth

2008-09-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

Cooper and Olivia climbing the tusks at the Wooly Mammoth Archaeology dig.
Monkeying around....

We Love the Minnesota Zoo!

2008-09-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

Ready for a day at the zoo.
Everyone loves the meerkats: we had fun crawling through their tunnels.
Mehrsa and Olivia crawling through the caves around the Kodiak Bears. They are our new favorite area of the zoo to hang out in. The kids jump up and down with them in their salmon stream touching paws to hands through the glass window. Did I mention we love the Minnesota Zoo?
Cooling off after hiking around the zoo...

Soccer stars

2008-07-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

Amirah scrimmages before her first game. She scored her first goal and was so excited!

2008-07-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Olivia enjoys her first soccer game..what a super star!!

2008-07-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time last night with all the cousins at French Regional park. Mehrsa loves swinging!

2008-07-20T14:24:00.001-07:00

Smith Family Reunion July 2008 at Glendalaugh State Park, Minnesota.

2008-07-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great time sleeping in a tent and a cabin all snuggled up close together. We missed Dad (He's in Egypt for the next month) but still enjoyed our time with family and friends :)

2008-07-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

Olivia painting on one of her rare occasions away from the lake shore! She's our little waterbug.

2008-07-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Mehrsa's favorite little "lake" was the one we made for her up by the lodge.

2008-07-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Amirah and I kayaked all the way across Annie Battle Lake and back again. The next day on the family canoe trip, she paddled in the front of the canoe for two hours up river to the next lake. I'm so proud of her...what a trooper!

2008-07-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Cooper was quite attached to his fishing rod..."you can peel it away from my cold purple fingers!"

2008-07-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

Olivia and the other girls loved the candy they got to help prevent the wiggles at the salon :)

Flower Girls

2008-07-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

The Flower Girls for Charlene and Shahriar's wedding all went to the salon the day before and got their nails done :)

2008-07-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

We miss the mountains!

2008-07-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

We had a blast riding the alpine coaster in Park City...the contemporary to the alpine slides, it is well worth a trip up to Park City just to experience it!