Post-Thanksgivukah Joy

What a fun Thanksgivukah we had! My nine year old commented, "It seems like Chanukah is getting more popular this year!" I see what he meant-- having Chanukah so far away from Christmas, and the historic nature of the convergence of Thanksgiving and Chanukah, both seem like they have brought about much more of a general awareness of Chanukah, which is just great.

Our local toystore handed out little boxes filled with gelt & dreidels; many neighbors have wished us Happy Chanukah for the first time, and it just kind of felt like Chanukah was "in the air".

We went, for the first time, the to lighting of the Chabad menorah in downtown Portland. Chabad sure knows how to throw a party--the event was festive, full of kid-oriented activities and Chanukah treats.

What made the first and second nights of Chanukah the most special, though, was having my parents here with us. I was so conscious of being the generation in the middle these past few days, and how thankful I felt to be sandwiched--by my aging parents on the one end and my growing children on the other. What a gift; what riches, to be in the middle, and feel the love flowing back and forth and through.

Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Chanukah!

Recently Tasty

I've been lucky to eat (and drink!) many tasty things lately. If you are lucky enough to live in Portland, then you can go eat (and drink!) these tasty things, too. Go on--they're really good!

• Orzat at either/or in Sellwood. Made from lime, orange blossom water, sugar and ground almonds, this drink is the absolute perfect blend of citrus & sweet to quench your thirst on a hot summer day.
• Dinner at Abby's Table. My friend Andrea and I went to the SE Indian dinner last night and it was delicious, especially the black-eyed pea stew and the frozen chai lassi for dessert. Everything is always gluten, dairy and soy-free and you can see the menus here. You do sit at a communal table so you may be wanting to feeling a little more social than A. and I were last night, that was the only downfall...
• My daily treat is an iced mint and green chai at Tea Chai Te in the red caboose. Get it "Sellwood Style": with honey, no sugar and a mix of hemp and rice milks. Spicy, minty & refreshing.
• The salted chocolate popsicle at Cultured Caveman. Sweetened with just a little local honey.

Go and eat (and drink!).

What a Good (children's) Books Can Do

We've been enjoying the book Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote lately. It was displayed in the window of our library and I checked it out based on the random reasons that: 1) I liked the cover illustration and 2) I like reading multicultural stories to my boys. It turns out that it was our lucky day when I decided to check this book out, as it's a great and exciting story and, as the subtitle notes ('a migrant story'), it's rooted in a way of life that is fascinating and important, and that my boys had no idea about. I highly recommend this book, as both a great story and a great launching point for conversation. Probably ages 4 through 9 would enjoy this book.

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote uses Spanish words throughout and provides a glossary at the end. We enjoyed learning some new Spanish words, along with some new kinds of foods and crafts. In preparing for a fiesta, Pancho and his brothers and sisters make papel picado to decorate.

When it turned out that we were having soft tacos for dinner last night, and we needed an afternoon activity, we tried our hands at making papel picado ("like Pancho!").

It was a really fun craft and the banners look so festive in our kitchen. I think they would make great birthday party decorations in various color combinations.

Yum!

I'm in love with the salted chocolate popsicles from Cultured Caveman. I don't know how they make these honey-sweetened gems, but they're a whole lot better than the various dairy-free chocolate popsicles I've tried to make at home.

I am really excited about Harlow's opening and can't wait to try it.

What have you been eating 'round PDX these summer days?

Summer Idea List #1 - Portland specific

My facebook feed is filled with friends offering and soliciting suggestions for summer fun with kids. I have the same questions and also some answers, so thought I'd share my ideas here (in a series of lists), as I so appreciate getting ideas from other parents. This first list is specific to Portland; other lists will be more general, with book, craft and game ideas.

I'm all about the simple pleasure, so if your style is more flash and dazzle, some of these ideas may seem insubstantial, but, for me, especially with young ones and summery weather, an ice cream cone adventure can be the highlight of the day.

Portland with Kiddos Summer List:

• Bike to Cloud City Ice Cream and try it out (we've been hearing it's good and it's about a 3 mile bike from our house). Maybe I can even sneak a look into the new Red Fox Vintage while we're in the neighborhood.
• Take a day hike at Powell Butte. Watch the mountain bikers, bring the dog!
• Hang out on the Sandy River at Dabney State Park.
• Explore Elk Rock Island--bring a bucket for blackberries!
• We have so many wonderful parks here in Portland; I'm looking forward to visiting some of our favorites outside of our neighborhood--Peninsula Park, Overlook Park and Mount Tabor.

Okay, that's it for Part #1 of MamaPie's Summer Lists. Are you in Portland? What PDX places are you looking forward to visiting this summer?

Lunch

before I added a big scoop of quinoa

Yum. And Virtuous. And Responsible (made with leftovers and stuff I had in the fridge).

Inspired by a delicious red quinoa salad I had at a class party last weekend, I've eaten a version of this quinoa salad every day for lunch this week. Ingredients include: pan-toasted sunflower seeds, roasted hazelnuts, carrots, celery, avocado, leftover grilled chicken and sweet red onion and, of course, quinoa (which I like alot better now that I know about soaking it and then rubbing it while rinsing to get off some of the bitterness).

I drizzled a little of my go-to dressing (shallot, 1vinegar: 2 olive oil, dijon mustard) on top and - wow! What a lunch.

Book List Love

I love a good book list-- who can resist the temptation of a list entitled "Best Beach Reads", "Top Picture Books of 2012" or "Librarians Choice for Best Chapter Books"? Certainly not me.

So, here are a few promising looking children's book lists I've found recently:

• This one is from the New York Public Library and is divided into categories (another thing I love) like fairy tales, picture books etc. 
• I found the above list while I was actually looking for this list - a collection of classic children's books reissued by the New York Review of Books. We've recently read Cheerful and Wee Gillis from that collection and they are both wonderful.
• We've read quite a few of the books on this list, as I love reading my boys folk tales and books about children in other countries, but there are alot more that are definitely going on my library hold list.

I'm looking forward to lots of good reading time with my boys this summer and I'm sure these lists will help us find some new favorites.

Do you have any sources for book lists that you recommend?