Fool in the Rain

“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.” Robert Kiyosaki

26 hit me like a foot through a broken play set platform, simultaneously saving my daughter from falling 6 feet to the ground and a subsequent neck injury.  Happy Birthday to me.  Have no fear, all is fine, just a series of unfortunate events from our recent trip.


Got your attention?  Ok, let's start from the beginning...

Our camping trip to Wilderness was a long awaited one for Dana and I, a chance to have some peace and quiet (or at least during Sophiya's nap and bedtime that is...), relax and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings.  Being the planner I am, I booked far in advance, we had all our gear ready to go and we were on the road!  Sophiya was surprisingly content in the car for a five hour drive, all was going so well.






By the time we got to our campsite the weather was misleadingly sunny and warm.  Wilderness National Park is absolutely stunning, campsites right on the river, impeccably clean, many different bird species, tons of hikes to choose from and canoeing (one thing I was really keen to do). 




We set everything up, had some dinner and by the time Sophiya was ready for bed, suddenly the clouds started to cover and wind picked up during our late night fire time.  "It's a bit chilly huh babe?" I say to Dana, but we just put on extra layers and cut the fire time short.  "It won't be this cold tomorrow, right?"


Long story short, the next couple days were absolutely miserable rainy, cold weather, in Fahrenheit terms for all you N. Americans reading, probably an average of 40s with even colder wind....  Those of you that think that Africa doesn't get cold, it definitely does.  (My birthday celebration/accident was somewhere in there). After debating back and forth about what to do, we ended up throwing in the towel and driving back to Cape Town to our warm home, a hot bubble bath and comfortable beds.  It wasn't fair for our little Sophiya to suffer in that cold, Dana and I also came to the realization that we are fair weather campers, and ok with this.  


Although we enjoyed our cozy time as a family (to a point) of laying in the tent listening to the rain and wind outside, cuddling together, reading stories and playing with Sophiya, this only lasts so long with a one year old in a constricted space.  Gone are the days (I suppose temporarily) that Dana and I could just grin and bear the harsh weather, sleep all day, read our novels, play card games and have philosophical conversations for hours to pass the time.


But that's life, huh?  Life doesn't always go as expected, but you do your best to make the most of the situation.  Not everyday is rainbows and sunshine (literally).  And that is ok.  Sometimes you plan and plan, and plans get thrown out the window.  I have to constantly remember this in my own life, as I'm always trying to make sure everything is order and just right, but this isn't always the case and often, you don't have control over it all!

All in all, we enjoyed being together as a family, some downtime, laughs and at the very least another beautiful drive through the Garden Route.


On a happier and much more enjoyable note, Easter Sunday was very fun for Sophiya.  She gathered her little egg trail to her Easter basket and was delighted with the contents.  New bath toys, African animals and a mini book collection.  She loves the mini books because they are perfectly sized for her hands and make for good distractions during car trips!

 

The egg open up to different shapes and colors and were almost more exciting then the Easter basket goodies!

 

She looks like a little diva in this one... Speaking of attitude, we can't be sure, but there has been a couple times where she has said "No" in perfect context while shaking her head. 

 She's got a full set of teeth in the front now and she is using those pearly whites to her advantage daily!  As she is understanding more and more, you can tell her to smile and she'll give you one of her crooked, heart melting, cheese ball smiles that we just can't get enough of!  Her sense of humor is growing and she'll find things funny like when I accidentally drop a spoonful of her cereal on my clean pants, if Daddy bumps his head with her toys while being silly or if she lets out a little toot and realizes it came from her!!

 These toddler days are ones of emotional ups and downs.  It is ever more apparent that parenthood presents you with the most challenging days of your life as well as the most joy and happiness that you could never have experienced without that little one present.

Her empathy and sympathy is also emerging as she's been very sensitive to times where I have suffered an injury (like cutting my finger while cooking on our trip) and she will point to the cut and look worried or give out a little whimper like she understands that it is pain or hurt.

One very cute thing that is happening recently is that anytime she may have a bad fall or bump, she will immediately hold out her index finger in exclamation of her injury, every time....  so even if it's the head or knee hurt, the index finger comes out first and that is the one that needs to be kissed "all better".  

 Sophiya's Party Trick (and Dad's)

"How old are you Sophiya??"

It is also becoming more and more obvious that she is unmistakably a girlie girl.  She loves clothes, shoes, accessories and her newest fascination, Mom's makeup bag.  She does a runway walk when she has on a new outfit, clip in her hair, necklace around her neck or shoes never worn on her feet for the first time.  It's absolutely hilarious.  She knows the word "pretty" as we use it everyday to compliment her on something new she's added to her outfit.

We only wish we could share her with those of you so far away from us.  Hope you all enjoyed a very Happy Easter weekend and we love and miss you!

Golden Oldie

It's April already!  I cannot believe that it has been five years since my first arrival in Cape Town this month and I was celebrating my 21st birthday downtown at a club where Prince Harry was spotted!  I will be 26 this month, wow!  When I was a kid, I remember playing house and thinking 26 was so OLD.  And yet, here I am.  Birthdays make one reflect on the years that have past, decisions made, accomplishments and failures, joys and sorrows, hopes and dreams for the future...

We are enjoying our last days of summer, as autumn is here!  The fall time in Cape Town reminds me of an Indian Summer in US, where you can feel the nights are getting cooler, but you are still blessed with warm lovely days, while the leaves are starting to change colors and drift to the ground.  I've decided to take advantage of these days and be outside as much as possible!

The best part of having a kid is you get to be a kid yourself.  Every stage comes with different forms of play and creative expression.  This toddler stage is all about discovering new textures, colors, cause and effect.  I decided to experiment with art with Sophiya and it was so entertaining for us both!  Finger paint and a big sheet of paper was all we needed for this project, and we had such a blast!  I didn't realize that we were going to experiment with body art as well, but that ended up being the highlight of the day!

 

 Sophiya is also in love with all animals, any shape or form.  We have adopted a pet tortoise from the previous owners of the house we live in, whom we've named Cera after the dinosaur from Land Before Time, who roams freely through our garden.  She often is hidden in the foliage, but every couple weeks she emerges and we run out to feed her some of her favorite foods, namely apples and cucumbers.  Sophiya thoroughly enjoyed snacking on her apple slices with her pet tortoise. 

 The end of summer also means the end of some of my herbs from my garden.  Since Sophiya is such a fan of picking plants from my garden, often not when I actually want her to, we worked together to get a large batch of basil collected to make some fresh pesto, one of her favorites!  She is starting to understand so much now when we ask her to do something like "help" with laundry, unloading the dishwasher, handing over an item or toy.  It's the asking her not to do something that she isn't quite getting yet, hopefully she'll catch on soon, but I think this will be a challenge for years to come...

She is learning so quickly, her little brain is a sponge.  Even though she has a couple words in her vocabulary so far, she is trying to communicate the best she can.  She knows parts of her body, eyes, nose, mouth, feet and most importantly SHOES.  She LOVES shoes, to Dad's dismay.  She can hold up one finger when you ask her how old she is too, so clever!  It's amazing how everyday she is capable of grasping a new concept, forming the words for language and the ability to interact.

Though I don't miss the harsh winters of Minnesota,  I am secretly delighted that much milder, rainy Cape Town winter is around the corner.  There is something charming about getting cozy with the ones you love by a fire and eating food that warms your soul.  One of my favorite winter dishes is risotto.  Risotto is a time consuming meal though, it's not something you can throw together after work quickly.  It takes patience and finesse, but the end product is scrumptious and well worth the extra energy.  Plus, you have to stir it so much you are more than likely going to get an arm workout, so a bonus for the cook!

Roast Butternut Squash, Spinach and Sage Risotto

 1.1 Liter Stock (homemade chicken stock preferrably!)
1 knob butter
2 tbls Olive Oil
1 Large Onion
2 clove garlic
1/2 head chopped celery
400g risotto
2 wineglass white wine
salt and pepper
parmesean
large handful spinach, stemmed and washed
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Sage

Optional additions: 
Pan-fried Pancetta/Bacon
Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola

Roast Butternut/sage in oven at 180C for 20-25 min, until squash is soft

Heat Stock
In a Separate pan heat oil, butter.
Add Onion, celery, garlic, fry slowly on low heat for 15 min
When soft, add risotto and turn up heat
Keep stirring rice, when translucent add wine
Once wine is cooked, add one ladle of stock at a time until absorbed, turn down heat to simmer
Stir, ladle, stir, ladle, repeat, repeat until arm feels like it's going to fall off!!
Cook until soft
Remove from heat, add butter, butternut, spinach (for extra flair: pancetta/bacon and/or blue cheese/gorg)  Let sit for 2 minutes before serving.  Risotto should be creamy and thick, not soupy.

Enjoy with glass of wine!

The Beauty of Innocence

Yesterday was a national holiday in South Africa, Human Rights Day.  This public holiday always reminds me that South Africa was a very different country twenty years ago then it is now.  So many South African citizens fought for their basic human rights and equality for years, some for their entire life, before finally the country was declared a democracy in 1994 and Nelson Mandela took over as president.   As an American growing up in a middle class, suburban area in the Midwest, human rights was a given, not a privilege.  Living here has really opened my eyes to the fact that we as Americans are so privileged to be able to voice our opinions, practice any religion, protest pressing issues, choose our children’s education, born with the freedom to be an individual…  

I think having a child also changes your mindset greatly as I find myself thinking about the world that Sophiya has been brought into.  Currently the state of affairs is a bit scary actually, the economic recession, global warming, escalating conflict in the Middle East, poverty, natural disasters such as Japan’s recent crisis…  I wonder what the world will be like for Sophiya’s future.  Despite all the frightening aspects of the world today, I look into her eyes and there is pure innocence and joy, which gives me hope!  Her smiles, her giggles, she makes your heart melt and all the ugliness in this world disappears.

In celebration of Human Rights Day long weekend, we packed up our beach gear and headed to Simon’s Town to Boulders Beach with some friends.  We spent the day soaking up sunshine, taking in the beautiful surroundings and showing Sophiya the quirky creatures sharing the beach with us – penguins!   

Boulders is a well-known tourist hotspot and conservation site for African penguins, aptly named after its gigantic beach protecting cove of smooth rock formations perfectly placed!  Dana and I joke that these penguins were the smart ones to stay in a warm climate like Cape Town!

 Sophiya had an absolute blast “chasing” the penguins and practicing her walking on the soft sandy terrain, thankfully a forgiving surface for her bum every fall she took.  Following our day at Boulders, Sophiya has transformed into a full-fledged biped.  She is thoroughly enjoying the new found freedom to go back and forth from point A to point B at our house 15+ times on her own, transport objects to secret places at her leisure, and Dad/Mom are enjoying the fact that we can watch her in awe but not have to move ourselves!

 There's no denying that with new found independence of our little one comes hand in hand with new found stubbornness.   We are learning a new level of patience as parents.  As trying as these tantrums can be, we also can't help but laugh (only in hindsight of course) and recognize that she is exploring her new sense of confidence and ability to make her own choices.   

As you can see we have high hopes for Sophiya’s future education and trying to instill a love for reading at an early stage.  Dad is the best story teller and is amazing at engaging her short attention span and making her laugh with his unique character voices.  She absolutely adores her dad and was so happy to spend an extra day with him this weekend.  If only it could be the weekend everyday...

Walk and Roll

Summertime and the living is easy.  Cape Town summers are truly perfect, it's eighty degrees everyday, sunny, blue skies, with a hint of a cool breeze from the ocean, what's not to love?

Dana and I celebrated our sixth (!!) Valentine's Day at a lovely restaurant in town called the Five Flies.  Doesn't sound like the most appealing name for fine dining, but it most certainly was delicious food!  We were spoiled with grilled prawns and rocket salad, linefish with roasted vegetables and creme brulee (my favorite!).  It was special to have a night out just the two of us to reflect on our time together throughout the years, meeting in Montana, our adventure to Cape Town in 2006, not knowing we would still be here today, married and chasing after a little Sophiya!

 We spent our Valentine's Day weekend at our new favorite camping spot, Beaverlac, in the Cedarberg Mountains just north of Cape Town.  This is the perfect place to go during the summer, because just a five minute walk away from your campsite you have a natural swimming pool to cool off from that hot African sun.  Sophiya really enjoyed the swimming and hiking as usual, but not the "happiest camper"  due to 4 teeth all coming in at the same time on top.  Beaverlac is brilliant because even though you are in the middle of nowhere, they have a little tuckshop with all the essentials in case you forget something, such as the SALT which would have been a disaster for me and little luxuries like milk for morning coffee/tea, ice cream and cold beer. 

Sophiya has taken her first steps!  She is still quite unsure on her feet and not certain about the whole walking on her own thing, but this new milestone is certainly an exciting one for Mom and Dad.  Along with her physical development, she is really starting to understand things that we tell her, even though she can't speak yet.  She will point to her feet, toes, hand or head when we ask her.   She will point to our nose, eyes and mouth, sometimes so excitedly that we get an eye gauge or finger up our nostril!  She is also very actively showing us what she wants by pointing her finger at something or shaking her head "no" if she refuses something, which is happening very often these days!

 (Seven Months)

Along with her new teeth, all of a sudden her trademark finger sucking stopped!  I was shocked and a bit sad that this baby trait was fading away.  I think that is what mothers feel all the time though, a sense of pride for your child to be growing and maturing, but sad that a piece of your little baby is disappearing.

Last weekend was another camping trip with friends to Onrus, near Hermanus, one of the best land based whale watching destinations in the world.  Although it's not whale season at the moment, we had lovely weather, amazing campsite and a great group of couples and kids together.  We spent the weekend at the beach, relaxed under our shaded camp spots, visited the local Saturday market, enjoyed the fire under the stars and indulged in amazing South African POTJIEKOS.

The Afrikaans word "potjiekos" directly translates as "small pot food" and is normally a type of stew prepared outdoors in a three legged pot over an open fire.  Dana and I were educated on the art of making the perfect Potjie and are now well prepared to make one of our own in the future.  We had both a lamb curry and chicken & mushroom with cream, both delicious and fed a huge group of adults with leftovers!  In addition, we cooked "pot bread" and a Malva pudding for dessert over the fire.  I found the beauty in this style of cooking was that it took a lot of time to cook, but the process was so worth the wait and the food tasted incredible!  I don't know why anyone still chooses to eat fast food, when "slow food" is so much more delicious and nutritious.

Our favorite thing to do after a long weekend playing in the dirt, minimal showers and lots of fresh air is giving Sophiya a good scrub down in the bath, she seems to really enjoy getting squeaky clean too!  She is fascinated with bubbles recently so her baths have become quite entertaining for us all, Mom went a little overboard on the bubbles this particular bath time...

Earth, Wind, Fire and Water

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."  

~John Muir

We have discovered Sophiya's favorite thing to do.... no, it's not playing with the many toys found in her beautiful toy box made by Dad.... it's playing with dirt, sand or rocks outside.  It's amazing how a child with so many princess-like tendencies can have such a fascination with getting absolutely head to toe filthy dirty, but she loves it!  

 We have been utilizing our new baby hiking backpack as much as possible, taking advantage of the many gorgeous hiking trails that Cape Town has to offer, as well as getting out of town for weekend camping trips.  The summer weather is perfect now for outdoor fun, sunny and warm, with a nice breeze to keep us cool while hiking.

  Cecelia Forest to Constantia Nek 

Last weekend we braved another camping trip with our little "monster" which was lovely.  We did a short trip to Kleinmond, only about an hour outside of Cape Town.  It brought back memories from waaay back in 2006 when Dana and I went on a rock-climbing trip with UCT's Mountain Club.   This recent trip certainly did not include any rock-climbing, as we wouldn't be able to belay one another effectively with Energizer Bunny crawling and getting into everything!  Our campsite was right on the beach, with a perfect trail along the coast for us to take a leisurely stroll together.  We enjoyed cooking over the fire, enjoying some local Pinotage wine, playing Cribbage together and watching the bright stars above.

We hope that she continues to love the outdoors as much as we do.  We will definitely carry on with our camping and hiking adventures throughout her childhood and beyond!  Hopefully her love for getting dirty and being outside will persist as well.  Dana and I find that after a weekend of camping, we are rejuvenated, at peace and the stress of life melts away.  To be surrounded by nothing but the sounds of the wind in the trees, the river bubbling and the birds chirping is a little slice of heaven for us.

Sophiya is on the verge of walking.  We can't believe it, but all of a sudden it's getting so close.  She spends her days forcing her little hands around our fingers and using us as her walking aid.  Walking up and down, round in circles, back and forth, she just wants to get up on those legs and move!  Once she has her hands around your fingers, she basically wants to break out in a sprint.  We think she is busy now...

Lastly, I'll close with a little recipe that I tried a few weekends ago while having a Sunday braai at our place with some friends.  Jamie Oliver has become my new absolute favorite cook!  I received "Jamie's 30 Minute Meals" for Christmas and it is fabulous!  His recipes are not only simple, healthy and great tasting, but it is what he stands for that is the most appealing for me. 

Not only is he a big family man with four children, a professional chef owning/running many restaurants, but he spends a lot of time & energy appealing for the UK government to change the standards of school lunches for children/teenagers across the country.  Instead of serving pre-packaged chicken nuggets, french fries and burgers full of preservatives and additives, he is pushing for school kitchens to prepare healthy meals using fresh produce such as stir fries, curries, pastas, sandwiches, salads.  I think this is absolutely brilliant and more schools worldwide should be doing the same. 

This Summer Pasta Salad turned out amazing and I definitely will make it again, as it was pretty easy and I didn't have to buy many ingredients as most are staples in my kitchen.

Ingredients

• 310g/11oz small shell-shaped pasta (I used small shells)

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 255g/9oz yellow cherry tomatoes

• 255g/9oz red cherry tomatoes

• 1 handful of black olives, pitted

• 2 tablespoons fresh chives

• 1 handful of fresh basil

• ½ a cucumber

• 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or to taste

• 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Throw in the pasta and cloves of garlic, boil until al dente, drain and run under cold water to cool. Put the garlic to one side to use for the dressing. Put the pasta into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes, olives, chives, basil and cucumber into pieces about half the size of the pasta and add to the bowl. Squash the garlic cloves out of their skins and mush in a pestle and mortar. Add the vinegar, oil and seasoning. Drizzle this over the salad, adding a little more seasoning to taste.

I added some shredding Parmesan cheese, you could also add roasted red peppers or a bit of red chili pepper flakes if you want a bit of spice.

Leaving it for about an hour in the fridge to soak in the flavors makes it really tasty too. 

Enjoy!

Check out Jamie Oliver's TED talk "Teach Every Child About Food"

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jamie_oliver.html