When we were looking for baby names, we specifically looked for something that could work in an international context. Elias does just that! It's very interesting to us to learn how each language pronounces the name. Here are a few examples we've come in contact with:
English: "ee-LYE-us"
Spanish: (the way we pronounce it) "eh-LEE-us"
Filipino: "EHL-ee-us"
Arabic: "ILL-yas"
And who knows how many more we'll run into!
Some of Benjamin's students call Ben "Abu Elias," or "Father of Elias," actually, so his name has been getting a workout.
Do you know how to pronounce Elias in a language I haven't mentioned?
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
My Experience With Cloth Diapers
I use cloth diapers, and I love them. However, I'm not crafty or talented enough to make my own yet, and since several people have asked for my recommendations, here is my experience with a few brands.
The very first time I tried cloth diapers with Talia, it was because a friend knew I would love them if I tried them and loaned me three of her BumGenius brand diapers. She was right. The only thing I didn't like about the diapers she loaned me was the Velcro-like closures that got stuck to things in the wash if I forgot to close them or that wore out quickly. There was a remedy: snaps. I started with the FuzziBunz brand because it had snaps. I got the small size diapers, and they lasted size-wise for the first year. Elias seems to be growing much quicker, so I have a feeling he will be out of these by the 6 month mark. I also have a few adjustable one-size diapers that grow with the baby of both FuzziBunz and BumGenius, and those are the ones I would recommend starting with, instead of with sizes. After they grow out of those, what I have done with Talia is use the Bummis Whisper Wrap diaper covers (also the ones with snaps) with a regular pre-fold cloth diaper wrapped around a soaker from the FuzziBunz and it worked great, even overnight while potty training with Talia.
I've learned several things along the way: Snaps last longer, vinegar in the wash takes out the smell and line drying allows the sun to bleach the diapers naturally.
-I love that I spent the money with Talia and now I have diapers practically for free
-I love that for me they work better at holding in overnight pee than disposables.
-I love how they come in bright colors.
-I actually enjoy line drying clothes... so I like hanging them out to dry... (I might be weird though.)
-I love how if the economy collapses or something crazy happens, (wherever we are) I don't have to worry about getting disposable items. There will be enough to worry about if that happens.
-It's environmentally friendly.
I also got a TON of baby washcloths for Talia so I put them in an old wipe container and use baby-friendly lotion and hot water to make my own cloth wipes. They go in the same wash as the diapers and they work great.
I don't like.... hmmmm. Well, the only thing I don't like is when the baby starts eating solids, the result gets gross, but still, you just dump it in the pot- or get a sprayer to attach to the toilet (these already exist almost everywhere in Abu Dhabi to be used instead of toilet paper) or use liners (I used some dried out disposable baby wipes for this.) Even with this, I find it's worth the trade off.
Something I haven't tried, but am interested in, is using lanolin-treated wool soakers. Anyone out there have experience with this?
The very first time I tried cloth diapers with Talia, it was because a friend knew I would love them if I tried them and loaned me three of her BumGenius brand diapers. She was right. The only thing I didn't like about the diapers she loaned me was the Velcro-like closures that got stuck to things in the wash if I forgot to close them or that wore out quickly. There was a remedy: snaps. I started with the FuzziBunz brand because it had snaps. I got the small size diapers, and they lasted size-wise for the first year. Elias seems to be growing much quicker, so I have a feeling he will be out of these by the 6 month mark. I also have a few adjustable one-size diapers that grow with the baby of both FuzziBunz and BumGenius, and those are the ones I would recommend starting with, instead of with sizes. After they grow out of those, what I have done with Talia is use the Bummis Whisper Wrap diaper covers (also the ones with snaps) with a regular pre-fold cloth diaper wrapped around a soaker from the FuzziBunz and it worked great, even overnight while potty training with Talia.
I've learned several things along the way: Snaps last longer, vinegar in the wash takes out the smell and line drying allows the sun to bleach the diapers naturally.
-I love that I spent the money with Talia and now I have diapers practically for free
-I love that for me they work better at holding in overnight pee than disposables.
-I love how they come in bright colors.
-I actually enjoy line drying clothes... so I like hanging them out to dry... (I might be weird though.)
-I love how if the economy collapses or something crazy happens, (wherever we are) I don't have to worry about getting disposable items. There will be enough to worry about if that happens.
-It's environmentally friendly.
I also got a TON of baby washcloths for Talia so I put them in an old wipe container and use baby-friendly lotion and hot water to make my own cloth wipes. They go in the same wash as the diapers and they work great.
I don't like.... hmmmm. Well, the only thing I don't like is when the baby starts eating solids, the result gets gross, but still, you just dump it in the pot- or get a sprayer to attach to the toilet (these already exist almost everywhere in Abu Dhabi to be used instead of toilet paper) or use liners (I used some dried out disposable baby wipes for this.) Even with this, I find it's worth the trade off.
Something I haven't tried, but am interested in, is using lanolin-treated wool soakers. Anyone out there have experience with this?
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Mental Snapshots: Flight DFW to Germany
Do you ever experience something and later have a part of the memory stuck looping through your head? I have a few memories like this from our flight from Dallas, Texas to Frankfort, Germany. (13 hours stuck on a plane might have something to do with this. ;))
When we were waiting to board the flight in Dallas, there were several mothers with small children. I noticed a blond, curly-headed toddler with his mom- I'll call him Matt- and another darker headed toddler with his obviously expectant and tired mother. Matt was very curious about Elias, like most young children are, and kept inching closer and closer to look at the baby. Finally, he came over and investigated for real. He was very sweet and gave Talia a spontaneous hug. Suddenly, the other toddler had had enough of sitting in his stroller and started wailing in anguish. His mom looked embarrassed and tried to console him, but she was too pregnant and he too big to pick up comfortably and he really wanted to run around but couldn't because we were boarding soon. Matt heard his crying and his face wrinkled up like he was trying to figure out the problem. Then, he went over to the crying toddler and hugged him. The crying toddler stopped crying and his face brightened at his new friend. The whole area watching him chuckled.
When we boarded the plane we had a middle row of three seats sandwiched between aisles dividing a set on either side of us with two seats. I was across from a middle-aged couple who were oblivious to the world. I never stared at them, but being in an enclosed space makes it hard not to notice some things. The man gave the woman a foot massage and then rubbed her back before they went to sleep. Their conversation seemed to fluidly move between German, English, Spanish and French... who knows what other languages I didn't notice. They had a bag full of fruit and ordered a vegetarian meal. They appeared to be very close, like people who were good friends as well as a couple. The woman seemed very sad, and broke into deep sobs twice and maybe that's why she's still in my mind. I prayed for her there on the plane and now, when I remember her.
On the other aisle across from Talia and my sister was another lady who seemed distant and tired. As the flight wore on, Talia was overstimulated and uncomfortable and having a hard time going to sleep. My sister, to give her something to do before trying to settle down again, got up to take her to the restroom. Talia tripped on something and hurt her toe. She tried to be big and hold the tears in, but couldn't help the tears that still came out, but she didn't vocalize it. We had told her to be as quiet as she could since many people were sleeping, and she did a really good job at it. The lady across from them saw the whole thing and when Talia came back she gave her a TootsieRoll Pop and Talia told her "Thank you." At that moment, it was exactly what Talia needed.
I know in my head that people are not always what their appearance portrays to me, but as a human, as a survival instinct, I still can't help but notice and perceive things about them through the filter of my experience. I think most of the reason why these snapshots are stuck in my head, is that they each were examples of humans acting out love in daily life. That's the kind of snapshot I don't mind remembering.
When we were waiting to board the flight in Dallas, there were several mothers with small children. I noticed a blond, curly-headed toddler with his mom- I'll call him Matt- and another darker headed toddler with his obviously expectant and tired mother. Matt was very curious about Elias, like most young children are, and kept inching closer and closer to look at the baby. Finally, he came over and investigated for real. He was very sweet and gave Talia a spontaneous hug. Suddenly, the other toddler had had enough of sitting in his stroller and started wailing in anguish. His mom looked embarrassed and tried to console him, but she was too pregnant and he too big to pick up comfortably and he really wanted to run around but couldn't because we were boarding soon. Matt heard his crying and his face wrinkled up like he was trying to figure out the problem. Then, he went over to the crying toddler and hugged him. The crying toddler stopped crying and his face brightened at his new friend. The whole area watching him chuckled.
When we boarded the plane we had a middle row of three seats sandwiched between aisles dividing a set on either side of us with two seats. I was across from a middle-aged couple who were oblivious to the world. I never stared at them, but being in an enclosed space makes it hard not to notice some things. The man gave the woman a foot massage and then rubbed her back before they went to sleep. Their conversation seemed to fluidly move between German, English, Spanish and French... who knows what other languages I didn't notice. They had a bag full of fruit and ordered a vegetarian meal. They appeared to be very close, like people who were good friends as well as a couple. The woman seemed very sad, and broke into deep sobs twice and maybe that's why she's still in my mind. I prayed for her there on the plane and now, when I remember her.
On the other aisle across from Talia and my sister was another lady who seemed distant and tired. As the flight wore on, Talia was overstimulated and uncomfortable and having a hard time going to sleep. My sister, to give her something to do before trying to settle down again, got up to take her to the restroom. Talia tripped on something and hurt her toe. She tried to be big and hold the tears in, but couldn't help the tears that still came out, but she didn't vocalize it. We had told her to be as quiet as she could since many people were sleeping, and she did a really good job at it. The lady across from them saw the whole thing and when Talia came back she gave her a TootsieRoll Pop and Talia told her "Thank you." At that moment, it was exactly what Talia needed.
I know in my head that people are not always what their appearance portrays to me, but as a human, as a survival instinct, I still can't help but notice and perceive things about them through the filter of my experience. I think most of the reason why these snapshots are stuck in my head, is that they each were examples of humans acting out love in daily life. That's the kind of snapshot I don't mind remembering.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Abu Dhabi in Fahrenheit
We arrived in Abu Dhabi almost the same day as the 100*+ temperatures... and it only gets hotter from here!Here's my plan: Get a glass dish with a glass lid and set it on a black or reflective surface on the balcony and see if something will cook... Surely 100+ degrees for 5-6 hours is enough to cook something! In Texas it took 4 hours to cook cookies at 101 degrees on a car dash.
Any suggestions or websites you know of for sun-cooking?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Laundry: International Solutions to the Dirty Clothes Problem
So far, every country we've lived in (a whopping 3 countries, that is ;)) has had a different approach to the problem: How do I get my dirty clothes clean?
In the U.S., most people use a washer and a dryer. Some line dry in good weather, but be it in the laundry mat or in the home, most have a dryer anyhow.
In Guatemala, the majority of the people couldn't afford a washer or dryer and washed by hand at a "pila," or concrete scrubbing board with a basin on one side and the scrubbing board on the other. Line drying was, of course, the way to go, though it presented its challenges during rainy season. Many times it would get so humid in rainy season that the clothes would mold in the closets if you didn't put "Desecant" to absorb the water in the air... and clothes would hang on the line for days.
Here, in Abu Dhabi, I see a unique blend of both of these places. The only kind of washer/dryer we could even find available, is the combined version (pictured) As the laundry room is a hook up between the fridge and the sink in the kitchen, I'm glad for the space it saves, and actually use the top to dry dishes on. It does present some challenges:
-It holds very, very little compared to any washing machine I've ever used before,
-If you want it to both wash and dry, be prepared to wait a good 3 hours between loads and not actually get the clothes all the way dry.
-If you'd like to shave some time off of a load and try to just wash, it takes a good 2 + hours
-As we're on the gulf, the 100+ degrees makes for some super humid weather. This makes line drying a bit like the Guatemalan experience.
However, I'm very grateful to have a washing machine (not to mention clothes to wash!) Have you ever tried washing clothes, especially blue jeans, by hand? You'll build up some arm muscles very quickly! Then again, I might just need to do a more thorough investigation of the instruction manual....
In the U.S., most people use a washer and a dryer. Some line dry in good weather, but be it in the laundry mat or in the home, most have a dryer anyhow.
In Guatemala, the majority of the people couldn't afford a washer or dryer and washed by hand at a "pila," or concrete scrubbing board with a basin on one side and the scrubbing board on the other. Line drying was, of course, the way to go, though it presented its challenges during rainy season. Many times it would get so humid in rainy season that the clothes would mold in the closets if you didn't put "Desecant" to absorb the water in the air... and clothes would hang on the line for days.
Here, in Abu Dhabi, I see a unique blend of both of these places. The only kind of washer/dryer we could even find available, is the combined version (pictured) As the laundry room is a hook up between the fridge and the sink in the kitchen, I'm glad for the space it saves, and actually use the top to dry dishes on. It does present some challenges:
-It holds very, very little compared to any washing machine I've ever used before,
-If you want it to both wash and dry, be prepared to wait a good 3 hours between loads and not actually get the clothes all the way dry.
-If you'd like to shave some time off of a load and try to just wash, it takes a good 2 + hours
-As we're on the gulf, the 100+ degrees makes for some super humid weather. This makes line drying a bit like the Guatemalan experience.
However, I'm very grateful to have a washing machine (not to mention clothes to wash!) Have you ever tried washing clothes, especially blue jeans, by hand? You'll build up some arm muscles very quickly! Then again, I might just need to do a more thorough investigation of the instruction manual....
Monday, May 14, 2012
Kids Unscripted: Chapter 2
Talia: "Did we see a coyote dragon at the zoo?"
Me: "A Komodo dragon?"
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(After a long, tiring day when Talia was actually asking to go to bed)
Papi: "What's the funnest thing you've done today?"
Talia: "It will be fun when I go to bed..."
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Talia: "Can you take me to play with the camels in the desert?"
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(Eating pizza and picking off red parts)
Talia: "Peppers make my mouth hurt..."
Aunt Chel: "Those are tomatoes!"
(the red things disappear in less than one second. I'm glad Chel wasn't teasing!)
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Talia: "If you leave the door open all of the butterflies will come in and I will chase them!"
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Talia: "What is 'mosque?' Is it a type of poison bug?"
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Talia: "Everything is possible in a song!"
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Talia: "do you like all the kinds of cookies?"
Me: "noooo"
Talia: (sneaky grin) "Do you like green bean cookies?"
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Talia: "I have a teddy bear and Elias has a teddy dog!"
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Talia: (writing her name as small as she can) "I'm writing as small as crumbs."
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Me: "Talia, would you like a pear?"
Talia: "I would like a parrot!"
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Talia: "I have a really good Papi; he's the best Papi in the whole world."
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Talia: (handing me her cup) "I drinked all of it, like a camel."
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Talia: "I was sleeping and practicing how to be still and quiet at the SAME time!"
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Talia: "Is there one big playground with a cage?"
Ben: "That's a fence."
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Talia: "I love the baby: I be careful with him, and I snuggle with him and keep him warm."
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Talia: "The baby's hands are so little and my hands are so... medium!"
Me: "A Komodo dragon?"
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(After a long, tiring day when Talia was actually asking to go to bed)
Papi: "What's the funnest thing you've done today?"
Talia: "It will be fun when I go to bed..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "Can you take me to play with the camels in the desert?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Eating pizza and picking off red parts)
Talia: "Peppers make my mouth hurt..."
Aunt Chel: "Those are tomatoes!"
(the red things disappear in less than one second. I'm glad Chel wasn't teasing!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "If you leave the door open all of the butterflies will come in and I will chase them!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "What is 'mosque?' Is it a type of poison bug?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "Everything is possible in a song!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "do you like all the kinds of cookies?"
Me: "noooo"
Talia: (sneaky grin) "Do you like green bean cookies?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "I have a teddy bear and Elias has a teddy dog!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: (writing her name as small as she can) "I'm writing as small as crumbs."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Me: "Talia, would you like a pear?"
Talia: "I would like a parrot!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "I have a really good Papi; he's the best Papi in the whole world."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: (handing me her cup) "I drinked all of it, like a camel."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "I was sleeping and practicing how to be still and quiet at the SAME time!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "Is there one big playground with a cage?"
Ben: "That's a fence."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "I love the baby: I be careful with him, and I snuggle with him and keep him warm."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talia: "The baby's hands are so little and my hands are so... medium!"
Friday, May 11, 2012
Yogurt in Abu Dhabi
Yogurt is a big deal in middle eastern cuisine. This is only a portion of the yogurt section found at a local grocery store. As you can see, there are a range of sizes from a cup up to about a gallon.
Maybe we need to invest in some of this since we've all had some form of a stomach issue that seems to be the initial welcome of every country I've visited. ;)
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Cupcakes in Abu Dhabi
Cupcakes are a big deal in Abu Dhabi.
Little cupcake shops are frequently spotted all around the city.
There's even one located in our apartment building with a frequent buyer program...
That shouldn't be a problem, should it?
Little cupcake shops are frequently spotted all around the city.
There's even one located in our apartment building with a frequent buyer program...
That shouldn't be a problem, should it?
Friday, May 4, 2012
Air to Abu Dhabi
Traveling is not my thing. Isn't that laughable, since I'm writing a blog about our family as it travels? Truthfully, I'm satisfied at home learning to make my own things and messing around in the garden, homeschooling and raising our kids. I'm pretty boring. Being married to Ben makes my life much more exciting, internationally speaking. I like being different places, it's just the traveling part that I don't look forward to.... So, when faced with a good 20 hours of traveling with an infant and a 4 year old, I wasn't exactly jumping up and down in excitement. I prayed. A lot. And packed. And was thankful that my sister decided to go with us!
Our travels started at 10 AM when we started driving to DFW. A gentleman from the airport helped us with all of the luggage and we ended up not having to lift the 50 pound duffle bags, thankfully. We also didn't have to pay for any extra baggage, with my sister flying and graciously letting us use her luggage for our stuff, we ended up with 2 bags for each ticket and one for the baby. We ended up taking 7 carry on bags and checking 7 bags. 3 of the suitcases we checked were homeschooling stuff. We boarded our first plane, bound for Germany, at 3:30 and spent the next 13 (!) hours flying up over Canada, the Atlantic and then England surrounded by very nice, loud, German-speaking older ladies. About the 4th hour I was missing the short 3 hour flight it took to get to Guatemala. :) We chased the sun down the first time on this flight. Talia had issues falling asleep on the plane and then trying to wake up again, but both kids did very well. Elias slept almost the whole time. As we were landing we saw big yellow patches on the ground that turned out to be planted yellow flowers.
In Germany, we had a little time to let the baby kick on his play mat and Talia walk off some extra energy and then we were boarding another plane to Bahrain. This time Talia and my sister slept through the whole flight and Elias and I amused ourselves trying not to think about how long this 6 hour flight was. Several names on the flight screen to Bahrain were Damascus, Tel Aviv, Kuwait, but the screen kept showing different angles of the flight and I was too tired to figure out the order. (Care to join me for a Geography lesson of this part of the world in another blog post soon?) We landed in Bahrain and had a little wait before boarding the little plane to Abu Dhabi.
The plane to Abu Dhabi was little and went quicker than it anticipated, about an hour and a half instead of 2. I wasn't complaining about a shorter flight! When we landed, I had to go get our paperwork and a retina scan before we could enter the country. There were what looked to me like a million Indian people in line, but everyone was kind and we finally got through. Ben met us with a friend so that we would have two cars to transport all of the suitcases and people.
So we were in the air a good 20 hours, and traveling more than 24. It wasn't possible for me to sleep during the traveling, so I went to bed when we got home and slept a good 4 hours... and then my body thought it was time to get up again. So now we're figuring out the new schedules and getting adjusted, but so, so glad the trip went well and mainly, that it's over! Hopefully I'll get my land legs back soon!
Thank you very much to the people who prayed for us to have a smooth trip. We were very blessed!
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| Riding the camel in the Abu Dhabi airport |
Our travels started at 10 AM when we started driving to DFW. A gentleman from the airport helped us with all of the luggage and we ended up not having to lift the 50 pound duffle bags, thankfully. We also didn't have to pay for any extra baggage, with my sister flying and graciously letting us use her luggage for our stuff, we ended up with 2 bags for each ticket and one for the baby. We ended up taking 7 carry on bags and checking 7 bags. 3 of the suitcases we checked were homeschooling stuff. We boarded our first plane, bound for Germany, at 3:30 and spent the next 13 (!) hours flying up over Canada, the Atlantic and then England surrounded by very nice, loud, German-speaking older ladies. About the 4th hour I was missing the short 3 hour flight it took to get to Guatemala. :) We chased the sun down the first time on this flight. Talia had issues falling asleep on the plane and then trying to wake up again, but both kids did very well. Elias slept almost the whole time. As we were landing we saw big yellow patches on the ground that turned out to be planted yellow flowers.
In Germany, we had a little time to let the baby kick on his play mat and Talia walk off some extra energy and then we were boarding another plane to Bahrain. This time Talia and my sister slept through the whole flight and Elias and I amused ourselves trying not to think about how long this 6 hour flight was. Several names on the flight screen to Bahrain were Damascus, Tel Aviv, Kuwait, but the screen kept showing different angles of the flight and I was too tired to figure out the order. (Care to join me for a Geography lesson of this part of the world in another blog post soon?) We landed in Bahrain and had a little wait before boarding the little plane to Abu Dhabi.
 |
| A view of Abu Dhabi from a balcony. |
So we were in the air a good 20 hours, and traveling more than 24. It wasn't possible for me to sleep during the traveling, so I went to bed when we got home and slept a good 4 hours... and then my body thought it was time to get up again. So now we're figuring out the new schedules and getting adjusted, but so, so glad the trip went well and mainly, that it's over! Hopefully I'll get my land legs back soon!
Thank you very much to the people who prayed for us to have a smooth trip. We were very blessed!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Falafel Texas Style
Before going to Abu Dhabi where falafel is common, I wanted to learn how to make it from friends in Texas so I could compare versions. (Plus it's a great excuse to eat it!) They were kind enough to teach me how they do it, so here goes:
It began the night before with soaking the chickpeas in water for the next days preparation.
The next day, we blended them with about 2 onions a lot of garlic and cilantro. The cilantro is something some people omit, or switch for a different herb.
Ground, it looked like this and was ready for the falafel maker. This cool little instrument has a spring in it that pushes the falafel mixture into the hot oil when you are done scooping it into the shaped end.
Finished, they looked like little hush puppies to me, but were healthier and definitely tasty.
There are literally a million combinations you could create for the toppings, but we sauteed eggplant, onion and red pepper, made tahini sauce, schoog (a homemade hotsauce that was delicious) and cut up tomato and cucumber to serve in our pita bread.
Then we fried them in hot oil. These cool little falafel balls flipped themselves over when needed and rose to the top when they were ready. Pretty simple!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Kids Unscripted: Chapter 1
Welcome to the first episode of Kids Unscripted... where mainly Talia, as Elias is just 5 months old, speaks her mind in the way only she can.
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Talia's riddle for me: "Is an L an upside-down 7, or a 7 an upside-down L?"
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Talia insists that the proper way to say "a long time ago" is "a very far day."
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Cousin: (to Elias) "Would you like to be a pilot?"
Talia: "He's not supposed to be a pirate!!!"
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Talia: "That water's so wet!"
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Talia: "What's your whole name?"
Me: "Adina...etc."
Talia: "It isn't 'Mommy Adina...etc.?'"
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Talia: "If you cry when you laugh, it's called a craugh."
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Talia: "I think this soap smells like baby ducks."
Me: "Why?"
Talia: "Because it has a picture of a baby duck!"
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Talia about Elias: "Mama, he's hugging me!"
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Talia: "baby wolves say 'aah-gooooo!'"
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Talia: (drawing purple feet for the "ee" sound.)
Me: "What has purple feet?"
Talia: "Sometimes a purple kangaroo!"
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At a kid screaming because he didn't get something he wanted in the store:
Talia: "He doesn't need to cry and he needs to say please!"
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Camels: For Decoration, Transportation, and...
This camel greets you in the Abu Dhabi airport.
And this camel can carry heavy burdens.
And this camel is for consumption.
And this camel can carry heavy burdens.
And this camel is for consumption.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Soap Making
While still in the States I have been soaking up as much as I can and learning how to do things as I find people who can teach me. Something I've always wanted to learn, was how to make my own soap. Making my own liquid laundry detergent or powdered laundry detergent always calls for soap... and this way I can create that step as well. While I had some AMAZING teachers (who also happen to be my midwives,) they learned from other people or the internet before they shared it with me.
There are many benefits, besides a ton of creative combinations, to making your own soap. I agree with Miller's Soap Page when they say:
"We've gotten spoiled using our own soap... it leaves you clean without feeling dry and itchy. I've given it to friends who have allergies or skin conditions and they have found it to help them in clearing up the problem. If you have any of the latent chemist in your soul...you will LOVE watching the transformation as you mix the lye solution into the fat and continue to watch it change as it cures! No one can walk by a table of curing soap, without having the uncontrollable urge to pick up a bar to touch and smell it."
I helped make two different kinds: Goat milk soap that we scented with orange essential oils, and regular soap scented with "oatmeal, milk and honey" scent. We used the cold process version of soap making, (though it didn't feel like it when we added the lye.) Our fats included coconut oil (good for suds,) olive oil, and Crisco... If it sounds greasy, don't worry, fat and lye react in a really cool way: thickening up and creating the soap you're used to seeing and the final result isn't greasy at all! While goat soap doesn't absorb color well and we left it natural, we used a pretty blue and created a marble effect in the regular soap we made.
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It turned out very pretty, smells amazing, is nice to use and is comforting to know doesn't have nasty chemicals.
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Thursday, April 5, 2012
Abu Dhabi; From Someone Who's Been There
One of the first things I searched for when I learned that Abu Dhabi would be the next chapter in our family saga was a blog from someone who had already been there. One of the people I found, Mireille, doesn't live there currently, but had quite a bit of documented pictures and facts from the United Arab Emirates.
Her blog Funky Doodle Donkey, has an interesting post from her trip to Abu Dhabi including pictures of the worlds largest mosque, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Some interesting statistics she shares:
"Although Abu Dhabi has BIG plans to compete with Dubai, it's already planning LOADS of projects like he Sorbonne, Cleveland Clinic, Guggenheim, and Louvre are on the way and they are building everywhere!! Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the richest city in the world. The emirate's 420,000 citizens, who sit on one-tenth of the planet's oil and have almost $1 trillion invested abroad, are worth about $17 million apiece. (A million foreign workers don't share in the wealth.)"
Her blog Funky Doodle Donkey, has an interesting post from her trip to Abu Dhabi including pictures of the worlds largest mosque, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Some interesting statistics she shares:
"Although Abu Dhabi has BIG plans to compete with Dubai, it's already planning LOADS of projects like he Sorbonne, Cleveland Clinic, Guggenheim, and Louvre are on the way and they are building everywhere!! Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the richest city in the world. The emirate's 420,000 citizens, who sit on one-tenth of the planet's oil and have almost $1 trillion invested abroad, are worth about $17 million apiece. (A million foreign workers don't share in the wealth.)"
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent
About six months ago I made the liquid homemade version of laundry detergent... and it lasted that long. It worked great, was super cheap, easy to make and I have no complaints about it, but I wanted to try the homemade powdered version as well and see if it worked comparably.
As for ease of preparation, it was incredibly simple. The ratio is like this:
1 bar soap :1 cup Borax : 1 cup washing soda
Many people suggest Fels Naptha, Zote, Ivory or Dove soap. I doubled the recipe and used one Fels Naptha and one Ivory. (The Ivory gave it a great smell.) I have some friends who save the little pieces of soap from the bath/shower and combine those in the mixture.
The soap needs to be grated, and that's as difficult as it gets.
You'll want something with a good seal and a wide lid to keep it in. I mixed mine in a recycled plastic container that was also really good for storing the detergent.
To use, scoop one tablespoon for a regular load and 2 tablespoons for a large or heavily soiled load. It washes just as well as store bought detergent.
I think the benefits of the dry version are how simple it is to make and store. I think the liquid version goes further, but we'll see how long this one lasts.
Have you tried either version? Do you have a preference?
As for ease of preparation, it was incredibly simple. The ratio is like this:
1 bar soap :1 cup Borax : 1 cup washing soda
Many people suggest Fels Naptha, Zote, Ivory or Dove soap. I doubled the recipe and used one Fels Naptha and one Ivory. (The Ivory gave it a great smell.) I have some friends who save the little pieces of soap from the bath/shower and combine those in the mixture.
The soap needs to be grated, and that's as difficult as it gets.
You'll want something with a good seal and a wide lid to keep it in. I mixed mine in a recycled plastic container that was also really good for storing the detergent.
To use, scoop one tablespoon for a regular load and 2 tablespoons for a large or heavily soiled load. It washes just as well as store bought detergent.
I think the benefits of the dry version are how simple it is to make and store. I think the liquid version goes further, but we'll see how long this one lasts.
Have you tried either version? Do you have a preference?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
How Do You Picture Abu Dhabi?
Which picture comes to mind of everyday life when you hear "Abu Dhabi?"
This:
Or this:
While both pictures were taken in Abu Dhabi, the first was mainly just a tourist attraction and the second is the common, every day life view.
This:
Or this:
While both pictures were taken in Abu Dhabi, the first was mainly just a tourist attraction and the second is the common, every day life view.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Learning Arabic Starts With the Alphabet
Learning a new language is always challenging, but when you have to learn a new alphabet before you can even read the language, it always adds a new twist to the challenge. When I taught in Guatemala, my Korean students enjoyed teaching me their alphabet and it was fun to use the Korean characters to write messages in OTHER languages to make a code for certain things (like when they did gift exchanges.)
Getting around in Abu Dhabi, especially in the city, isn't looking like it will be too difficult for several reasons, even without knowing much Arabic.
* English is a MAJOR language here. That doesn't mean life wouldn't be easier knowing Arabic, too- just that not knowing it isn't as big of a handicap here as in some places. One of the places where knowing Arabic would be especially handy is when speaking with the taxi drivers.
* The majority of workers (and people in general) here are from the Philippines or India... both of which have a large English-speaking population. Only about 18% of the population is Emirate. The rest are foreigners.
However, it would be a linguistic waste of an international experience to not try to absorb as much Arabic as possible while here. Though, Arabic isn't the only language. Though church is in English, most of the people there speak Tagalog/Filipino as well... so who knows what languages we'll get to learn!
If you would like to see some common Arabic phrases with the English pronunciation beside them, check out: Linguanaut.
Getting around in Abu Dhabi, especially in the city, isn't looking like it will be too difficult for several reasons, even without knowing much Arabic.
* English is a MAJOR language here. That doesn't mean life wouldn't be easier knowing Arabic, too- just that not knowing it isn't as big of a handicap here as in some places. One of the places where knowing Arabic would be especially handy is when speaking with the taxi drivers.
* The majority of workers (and people in general) here are from the Philippines or India... both of which have a large English-speaking population. Only about 18% of the population is Emirate. The rest are foreigners.
However, it would be a linguistic waste of an international experience to not try to absorb as much Arabic as possible while here. Though, Arabic isn't the only language. Though church is in English, most of the people there speak Tagalog/Filipino as well... so who knows what languages we'll get to learn!
If you would like to see some common Arabic phrases with the English pronunciation beside them, check out: Linguanaut.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
While Waiting
Ben has been in Abu Dhabi since late February and is enjoyin his teaching position. Talia, Elias and I are here until Elias's paperwork goes through a several step process. We are excited that we got placed in Abu Dhabi, the city instead of out in one of the more isolated places. This way, we will be walking distance from almost everything! With public transportation and walking, we won't need a car. The teachers with families are usually placed in an apartment by the beach. In most countries, I don't think I'd like that because of the scantily clad people, but I consider the beach a benefit in an Islamic country. ;)
While waiting on the paperwork to go through we've been enjoying the mild weather, since 100+ degrees will be ready to meet us by the time we get there, playing outside, homeschooling and baking. It seems we've had sets of different kinds of waiting. Waiting to find out where we would go next; waiting for the baby to be born; waiting for Ben's ticket to come so he could get started, and now waiting for our paperwork so that we can then wait on our tickets and get over there too. Something that I find helps me stay sane as a mother is finding ways to establish an easily transportable routine- something that doesn't require a lot of stuff, since most of it is either packed, sold or stored.
Babies have their own routines of eat, play, sleep, repeat; but Talia and I have been really getting into the reading lately. While she has known the sounds of the letters in the alphabet for a while, putting them together to create a word just wasn't clicking for her. Until now! I'm really excited about how smoothly she's been reading words lately. She also enjoys working with numbers, so we incorporate that into a lot of our play. While the spring weather is here, doing school outside has been incredible. Very soon, this won't be an option, so we'll soak it up while we can before we go create a new routine.
How do you stay sane with several sets of impermanent circumstances?
While waiting on the paperwork to go through we've been enjoying the mild weather, since 100+ degrees will be ready to meet us by the time we get there, playing outside, homeschooling and baking. It seems we've had sets of different kinds of waiting. Waiting to find out where we would go next; waiting for the baby to be born; waiting for Ben's ticket to come so he could get started, and now waiting for our paperwork so that we can then wait on our tickets and get over there too. Something that I find helps me stay sane as a mother is finding ways to establish an easily transportable routine- something that doesn't require a lot of stuff, since most of it is either packed, sold or stored.
Babies have their own routines of eat, play, sleep, repeat; but Talia and I have been really getting into the reading lately. While she has known the sounds of the letters in the alphabet for a while, putting them together to create a word just wasn't clicking for her. Until now! I'm really excited about how smoothly she's been reading words lately. She also enjoys working with numbers, so we incorporate that into a lot of our play. While the spring weather is here, doing school outside has been incredible. Very soon, this won't be an option, so we'll soak it up while we can before we go create a new routine.
How do you stay sane with several sets of impermanent circumstances?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Owens in Guatemala: Live What You Believe
People who live what they believe are my heroes.
I thought I did a good job at that until we moved to Guatemala and I saw how much more needed to be done. Living in a third world country changes you. You either become callused to the poverty, or you try to make a difference. Now, there's no way I can be unappreciative of the daily blessings in my life and I do my best to help make positive changes for those who don't have those blessings.
One of the teachers I taught with in Guatemala, Lindsey Owens, and her husband, David, are doing something I can't right now and helping start an orphanage. Here's their story:
Check out their journey here: www.owensinguatemala.com
I thought I did a good job at that until we moved to Guatemala and I saw how much more needed to be done. Living in a third world country changes you. You either become callused to the poverty, or you try to make a difference. Now, there's no way I can be unappreciative of the daily blessings in my life and I do my best to help make positive changes for those who don't have those blessings.
One of the teachers I taught with in Guatemala, Lindsey Owens, and her husband, David, are doing something I can't right now and helping start an orphanage. Here's their story:
Check out their journey here: www.owensinguatemala.com
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Hauling Books by Plane or by Donkey
Packing everything to move across the ocean can be intimidating with weight and baggage restrictions, but the part I've been trying to figure out the most is the homeschooling supplies. It's hard to know which manipulatives are worth their weight in luggage to take and which ones are better to leave.
And books. Books are particularly heavy and particularly necessary for any type of curriculum. I'm carrying them via plane. This man, Luis Soriano, believes in the necessity of reading enough to create a way to bring books to the isolated communities in Columbia. He has a round trip of eight hours on his "Biblioburro," or donkey library just bringing books so children can do research for homework or have a chance to read. He made my worries about getting enough books where we are going seem very small.
I want my children to love to read, I know how much easier it is to learn if you have good reading skills. I've seen what the lack of those skills can do to students. I also know that even if we can't take much of a physical library, we have many Kindle and online resources and, as Luis showed with educating kids to read- when there's a will, there's a way.
"Luis Soriano who started the Biblioburro initiative, also opened La Gloria's first library thanks in part to donations received from Ayoka's film viewers.
For more information: www.ayokaproductions.org"
And books. Books are particularly heavy and particularly necessary for any type of curriculum. I'm carrying them via plane. This man, Luis Soriano, believes in the necessity of reading enough to create a way to bring books to the isolated communities in Columbia. He has a round trip of eight hours on his "Biblioburro," or donkey library just bringing books so children can do research for homework or have a chance to read. He made my worries about getting enough books where we are going seem very small.
I want my children to love to read, I know how much easier it is to learn if you have good reading skills. I've seen what the lack of those skills can do to students. I also know that even if we can't take much of a physical library, we have many Kindle and online resources and, as Luis showed with educating kids to read- when there's a will, there's a way.
"Luis Soriano who started the Biblioburro initiative, also opened La Gloria's first library thanks in part to donations received from Ayoka's film viewers.
For more information: www.ayokaproductions.org"
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