This is my version of "Chocolate Zucchini Cake III":
Ingredients:
2 c. white whole wheat flour
2 c. sucanat (sugar)
3/4 c. fair trade baking cocoa (Equal Exchange)
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. sea salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
4 eggs
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
3 c. grated zucchini
(opt: 3/4 c. walnuts or 1 c. chocolate chunks)
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.
Stir together flour, sucanat, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add eggs, oil, and applesauce and mix well.
Fold in zucchini (nuts and chocolate, too) until well mixed.
Pour into pan.
Bake 50-60 minutes (until knife inserted in center comes clean).
Cool completely ... frost with a cream cheese frosting.
Yum!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
the SUPER bouncy ball . . .
I admit that I, Karin, am not generally inclined to join “mom” and “women” groups. Just not something that I have been drawn to. Despite a good friend telling me again (and again and again) how great MOPS is, I still haven’t gone. It’s not that I think it is a bad thing, but as an introvert I am more worn out by groups than I am energized. And as an adoptive mom, I am always filtering the advice on parenting to see if it applies to my parenting/children. Dave and I were a part of an adoptive parents group, and we really enjoyed that. But then we moved and didn’t connect with another group. The ECFE information has come to the house for years. I read it, think “huh – that could be interesting” and never register. Well, this summer not only did I register for a class but I also have shown up! Repeatedly! It is a group that is all adoptive parents and the majority of our kids are adopted (there is a biological kid or two in the group, with an adopted sibling). And I love it. Love the playtime for the boys and love the conversation for the moms (we had a dad once . . . ).
But the thing that has made it TOTALLY worthwhile is last week’s discussion on temperament and our kids. We did a little “quiz” of sorts on how spirited our kids are and WOW! Ivan scored really REALLY high on the “spirited” scale. And the leader shared that her oldest child is spirited and there are things that she does differently with him because of that. For him, big family gatherings can get overwhelming, causing his behavior to escalate as everyone talks and runs around and is just all together and she needs to take him in a room, away from everyone, for a few minutes to calm down. JUST LIKE IVAN. She recommended the book Raising Your Spirited Child. Familiar. Huh. I requested it from the library, saw that it was going to be a week before I got it, and went off to the bookstore to take a look at it. The subtitle: a guide for parents whose child is more intense, sensitive, perceptive, energetic. I am intrigued.
Page 1: I am hooked.
“… what it is like to live with a child who could scream for forty-five minutes because his toast had been cut in triangles when he was expecting rectangles. The kind of kid who would rather die than take no for an answer and knew the perfect trigger to ‘push my buttons.’”
Yes! This is just far too familiar … so, instead of working on the project that I had left the house to work on, I kept reading . . . by a few pages into chapter 1, I am practically in tears. Sitting in Borders.
“On the good days, being the parent of a spirited child is astounding, dumbfounding, wonderful, funny, interesting, and interspersed with moments of brilliance. The dreadful days are another story. On those days, you’re not sure you can face another twenty-four hours with him. It’s hard to feel good as a parent when you can’t even get his socks on, when every word you have said to him has been a reprimand, when the innocent act of serving pizza instead of the expected tacos incites a riot, when you realize you have left more public places in a huff with your child in five years than most parents do in a lifetime. . . you are … scared of what is to come in the teen years if you don’t figure out what to do now in the early years.” (p10).
Out came the much protected Border’s gift card that I have been carrying around for months. There are few books that I will spend money on. I am a firm believer in the library and borrowing books. But sometimes a book just NEEDS to be in our house. And this is one of them.
It has been a little over a week since I have started reading the book (and doing the accompanying “workbook” that also came home with me, thanks to the gift card). I identify with SO MUCH! The writing style is wonderful, too. Interactive. It is like talking with other parents of spirited children. And I am beginning to breathe again. Not that Ivan has changed, but (1) I am not alone; (2) this is Ivan’s temperament. It is not about his having been adopted. I think that the adoption masked some of this. But as I have looked back even to when he visited him as a baby, he was spirited then. He cried LOUDLY for over 30 minutes the first time he met us. A year later, he doggedly persisted on his “project” of balancing a water bottle upside down as a 20 month old.
Is his becoming hungry as he goes to bed and needing to have food with him in his room at night a result of growing up in an orphanage or that a piece of his temperament? In a way, it doesn’t really matter. I will still let him have a few crackers or a piece of bread with him when he falls asleep. But it is this type of question that creates a sense of isolation when it comes to parenting. Adoptive moms will understand that I can’t say “you can go to bed hungry and then you will learn to eat your supper”. Moms of spirited children, who have often have irregular schedules, will understand how it is frustrating to have a plate full of supper sit while he says “I am not hungry” and as soon as it is put away is looking for something to eat. Many nights, I am torn between compassion for my boy who lived in an orphanage for a few years and irritation for the child who is hungry now that supper is over and the food is all put away.
Parenting is a journey. A unique journey for each parent and each child. Parenting Thor is, honestly, fairly easy. He is easy going, gets along well with others, very adaptable, and a whole lot of fun. Not that there aren’t trying times with him, but those times are few and far between. Parenting Ivan has been tough from the long wait to bring him home, to a tough adjustment to being home, to working through his food sensitivities and resulting behaviors, to working through his intense emotions. He is just MORE in almost every way. I love him for it and at the same time I am worn out by it. I am so very encouraged to learn more about “spirited children” in the same way that I was encouraged to find the Feingold diet. To know that there is help to be had and that we are not alone. Thank you, God, for providing what it is that we need. Thank you for the support you have given us in such an unexpected place.
But the thing that has made it TOTALLY worthwhile is last week’s discussion on temperament and our kids. We did a little “quiz” of sorts on how spirited our kids are and WOW! Ivan scored really REALLY high on the “spirited” scale. And the leader shared that her oldest child is spirited and there are things that she does differently with him because of that. For him, big family gatherings can get overwhelming, causing his behavior to escalate as everyone talks and runs around and is just all together and she needs to take him in a room, away from everyone, for a few minutes to calm down. JUST LIKE IVAN. She recommended the book Raising Your Spirited Child. Familiar. Huh. I requested it from the library, saw that it was going to be a week before I got it, and went off to the bookstore to take a look at it. The subtitle: a guide for parents whose child is more intense, sensitive, perceptive, energetic. I am intrigued.
Page 1: I am hooked.
“… what it is like to live with a child who could scream for forty-five minutes because his toast had been cut in triangles when he was expecting rectangles. The kind of kid who would rather die than take no for an answer and knew the perfect trigger to ‘push my buttons.’”
Yes! This is just far too familiar … so, instead of working on the project that I had left the house to work on, I kept reading . . . by a few pages into chapter 1, I am practically in tears. Sitting in Borders.
“On the good days, being the parent of a spirited child is astounding, dumbfounding, wonderful, funny, interesting, and interspersed with moments of brilliance. The dreadful days are another story. On those days, you’re not sure you can face another twenty-four hours with him. It’s hard to feel good as a parent when you can’t even get his socks on, when every word you have said to him has been a reprimand, when the innocent act of serving pizza instead of the expected tacos incites a riot, when you realize you have left more public places in a huff with your child in five years than most parents do in a lifetime. . . you are … scared of what is to come in the teen years if you don’t figure out what to do now in the early years.” (p10).
Out came the much protected Border’s gift card that I have been carrying around for months. There are few books that I will spend money on. I am a firm believer in the library and borrowing books. But sometimes a book just NEEDS to be in our house. And this is one of them.
It has been a little over a week since I have started reading the book (and doing the accompanying “workbook” that also came home with me, thanks to the gift card). I identify with SO MUCH! The writing style is wonderful, too. Interactive. It is like talking with other parents of spirited children. And I am beginning to breathe again. Not that Ivan has changed, but (1) I am not alone; (2) this is Ivan’s temperament. It is not about his having been adopted. I think that the adoption masked some of this. But as I have looked back even to when he visited him as a baby, he was spirited then. He cried LOUDLY for over 30 minutes the first time he met us. A year later, he doggedly persisted on his “project” of balancing a water bottle upside down as a 20 month old.
Is his becoming hungry as he goes to bed and needing to have food with him in his room at night a result of growing up in an orphanage or that a piece of his temperament? In a way, it doesn’t really matter. I will still let him have a few crackers or a piece of bread with him when he falls asleep. But it is this type of question that creates a sense of isolation when it comes to parenting. Adoptive moms will understand that I can’t say “you can go to bed hungry and then you will learn to eat your supper”. Moms of spirited children, who have often have irregular schedules, will understand how it is frustrating to have a plate full of supper sit while he says “I am not hungry” and as soon as it is put away is looking for something to eat. Many nights, I am torn between compassion for my boy who lived in an orphanage for a few years and irritation for the child who is hungry now that supper is over and the food is all put away.
Parenting is a journey. A unique journey for each parent and each child. Parenting Thor is, honestly, fairly easy. He is easy going, gets along well with others, very adaptable, and a whole lot of fun. Not that there aren’t trying times with him, but those times are few and far between. Parenting Ivan has been tough from the long wait to bring him home, to a tough adjustment to being home, to working through his food sensitivities and resulting behaviors, to working through his intense emotions. He is just MORE in almost every way. I love him for it and at the same time I am worn out by it. I am so very encouraged to learn more about “spirited children” in the same way that I was encouraged to find the Feingold diet. To know that there is help to be had and that we are not alone. Thank you, God, for providing what it is that we need. Thank you for the support you have given us in such an unexpected place.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Togetherness
Not a great picture of the boys, but I do love their togetherness. . . and that is so much of what life is right now. Togetherness. With Dave home, with me home, with V only in school 5 hours a week and T not at all, and one (working) car ... we spend a lot of time together. SO much of that is good. Playing. Working on projects. Entertaining ourselves with what we already have.
But for introverted parents, togetherness is sometimes just too much. TOO. MUCH. Now before you say, "oh, but you are social and outgoing", hear me out. It is not about how we act when we are out. It is about how we are charged and energized. I LOVE being able to go out with friends and having social time. But if I don't get my alone time, I get "peopled out" (do I hear an AMEN from my fellow introverts?). And there are days when my kids are the ones who people me out. I know that language development involves a lot of talking. A LOT. But some days the talking of two preschoolers is, well, overwhelming.
I am trying to get up earlier for some quiet (and in order to get up without V hearing me and joining me, it needs to be early). To focus on God and to be intentional about our days. In some ways it feels like the things that I did when I was single and working, but changed for my life now. I have been very encouraged by the writings at www.inspiredtoaction.com
I will never cease to be amazed at God. bringing us WHAT we need WHEN we need it.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Yes, we came home from Florida!
I (Karin) have been thinking a lot about what I want this blog to be. Not that you can tell by the amount of actual blogging ...
We started it while we waited for Ivan to come home. Then to share about settling in as a family, while we lived in another state, and through the process of hosting Vlad and Dima and then saying good-bye to them. In truth, we have often blogged as a way to not answer the same questions over and over and to be able to share clear (or as clear as possible) thoughts in the midst of chaos.
But as life settles, what is the point of blogging? As Facebook has grown, we have blogged less. But I have realized that while I communicate more often on FB I do so with less depth. Not that a blog would ever reach the depth of my journal, but I can share more here than the fact that I have ants in my kitchen and that I let (ENCOURAGE) the boys to watch them.
So ... changes.
Though I don't know who will really notice :)
We started it while we waited for Ivan to come home. Then to share about settling in as a family, while we lived in another state, and through the process of hosting Vlad and Dima and then saying good-bye to them. In truth, we have often blogged as a way to not answer the same questions over and over and to be able to share clear (or as clear as possible) thoughts in the midst of chaos.
But as life settles, what is the point of blogging? As Facebook has grown, we have blogged less. But I have realized that while I communicate more often on FB I do so with less depth. Not that a blog would ever reach the depth of my journal, but I can share more here than the fact that I have ants in my kitchen and that I let (ENCOURAGE) the boys to watch them.
So ... changes.
Though I don't know who will really notice :)
Monday, January 25, 2010
Vacation
We head out tomorrow for a little vacation in Florida. It feels weird to me to "go on vacation" when we are unemployed. When Haiti is still reeling from earthquakes. I feel guilty. But as I got no sympathy from friends when I said that (I say with a smile), I realized that we need to embrace this vacation with a smile and in celebration of surviving 5 months of unemployment. We've made it! Our kids are still healthy, we have seen God work time after time, and we are learning to trust Him for every little thing.
The boys are excited for traveling ... their bags are packed and they have practiced carrying them around the house. Now for stories (and hopefully) a good night's sleep before an early flight. Florida, here we come!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Cardamom Bread
Because sometimes you just HAVE to have it ... like this morning ... is there anything better than a fresh, warm loaf of cardamom bread for breakfast?
Cardamom Bread Recipe (for the bread machine)
1-1/2 lb loaf (2 lb loaf)
3/4 cup (1 cup) evaporated milk
1/4 cup (1/4 cup) water
1 (1) egg
2 Tablespoons (3 Tablespoons) butter, cut up
3 cups (4 cups) bread flour
1/3 cup (1/2 cup) sugar
3/4 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) salt
3/4 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) ground cardamom (freshly ground is best, and I make my spoons heaping)
1 teaspoon (1-1/4 teaspoon) bread machine yeast
Put ingredients in pan in the order listed.
Bake with basic white cycle in the machine.
I mix my dough in the bread machine, then braid it and bake it (because I am rather Swedish like that), with pearl sugar sprinkled on top. I usually bake 2 batches of the 2-lb loaf ('cuz that is 1 can of evaporated milk), make 2 loaves out of each batch, and freeze 3 braided loaves. If I set a frozen loaf on the counter, it is thawed and risen by the next morning and ready for baking. Unless the dog eats it first. But that has only happened once.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Process of Grief
I know we are a bit sporadic about posting sometimes ... working through emotions is tough sometimes and while I tend to process while I write, sometimes I need to keep that to myself for a while. I feel like we have come through our hosting experience wiser, stronger, and with a deeper heart for orphans. We definitely had some grief to work though, as did Vanya and Thor. I think it has been especially hard for Vanya since he understand more about NOT having a Mom and Dad and he wants Vlad and Dima to have parents like he does (and even asked us once if we would please be their mom and dad). We have been so aware of the reassurance that he needs in times like this that we will always be his parents, so matter how sick he gets. A lot for a little guy to go through.
Yes, do do hope to host again. No, not sure when.
THAT is why we are cautious about talking about adoption. God has plans that we don't know about yet. And that is both exciting and a little bit scary.
I have a quiet house now and am going to take advantage of it and SEW. Usually when I go into my chaotic project room, I have both boys and the dog coming in with me. It is far too small and far too messy for that many legs to be in that space. And yes, it is a goal to clean it up and get rid of more so that they CAN come and do projects with me. But first, we need some clothes for our trip next week. THEN we can clean.
Yes, do do hope to host again. No, not sure when.
THAT is why we are cautious about talking about adoption. God has plans that we don't know about yet. And that is both exciting and a little bit scary.
I have a quiet house now and am going to take advantage of it and SEW. Usually when I go into my chaotic project room, I have both boys and the dog coming in with me. It is far too small and far too messy for that many legs to be in that space. And yes, it is a goal to clean it up and get rid of more so that they CAN come and do projects with me. But first, we need some clothes for our trip next week. THEN we can clean.
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