St. Patrick’s Day 2010 – Germany
It’s hard to believe we are here again, it seems so fast. It also feels like it was just the other day I was making shamrock cookies for T’s class in his Seoul school…http://www.eclcseoul.com/
This year I have two batches to make…for T at http://www.fis.edu and G at http://www.crazycaterpillars.com
….Well I have the shamrock t-shirts made…I was a bit ahead of myself and made them in January…well you do things when you have the time….well that’s my motto anyway…maybe this all comes from my years as a “brownie”.
This year in Munich there will be a big Parade; if you are nearby should be a fun day out http://www.st-patricks-day.com/st_patricks_day_parades_europe_germany.html
I am sure you might even find a nice little pup to have a pint in.
I am hoping to go to Mac Gowan’s Irish Bar in Oberursel http://www.macgowans.de/ for a pint and some “craic agus ceol” on St. Patrick’s evening…I am waiting to hear back from our babysitter…I think it might just be a wee bit late for the “2”.
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!
St. Patrick\’s Festival Parade, Dublin, Ireland
Meat balls, (with hidden veggies & pecorino) & pasta
Well sometimes in our house finding something that everyone will eat and can eat is a challenge. My son has a lot of allergies (Whole egg, cow milk, potatoes, pine nuts, well thats what we have discovered so far). My daughter seems to have a fear of all vegetables except broccoli!! so that has lead me down the road of creating new meals for the family…I am not the type to cook separately for all concerned..”.all for one and one for all” so to speak… below are some of my recipes and others….
Meat balls, (with hidden veggies) & pasta
(Serves 4)
250g minced beef
40g bread crumbs
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp tomato puree
Mushroom x 4 (Blended)
Skinned ½ courgette/zucchini (Blended)
20g grated pecorino cheese
Combine all the meat ball ingredients together and form into small ball shapes . If the mixture is too wet I add more bread crumbs. Fry the meat balls in a small amount of extra virgin olive oil until browned and cooked through and set aside on a plate.
Sauce:
425g canned tomatoes (blended)
1 cup water
1 onion blended
½ tsp worcestshire sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
Blend all ingredients and bring to a simmer add meat balls when cooked…serve with pasta
Enjoy!
Rainy days, snow days…just too hot days…
What to do, what to do…..
Sometimes it is nice to give the kids an activity that they can do independently while you are getting something else done…. 
The below are some activities that T & G like to do independently while I am busy with work or preparing dinner. My children are 4 & 2 years so this activity might get a bit messy with younger ones. These are table top activities. Enjoy..
Ideas:
Hot & cold landscapes a sensory activity:
Materials:
2 basins, rice, flour, pasta, red lentils
Animals for warm and cool climates eg: lions, elephant, polar bears, penguins
Method:
Fill one basin with rice and flour about 5cm high and place the cold animals inside
Fill the other basin with pasta shapes and red lentils and place the warm animals inside
Water world:
T & G both adore water so …
Materials:
2 basins, water, water animals, food coloring, bubbles
Method:
Place some newspaper on the table and put the basins on top (less to clean upJ)
Fill the basins with some warm water, and add the water creatures. Food coloring or bubbles can be added for fun…
I always stay near to them when they are doing these activities…just in case…thank you to Adam Osborne for inventing the laptop.
Hello again
Well I know I have been absent for awhile…but I have a reasonable excuse.
We relocated from Seoul, South Korea to Konigstein Im Taunus
, Germany this autumn…and let’s just say it has taken some getting used to for all of us… especially for my eldest T…he had a hard time settling into school and our new home. My main focus was on the children and getting them resettled.
“Love & Logic” great parenting books…check them out http://loveandlogic.com
I can honestly say this one is a help when it comes to raising kids. I have read a lot of books on parenting of late, as we are right in the middle of “the terrible 2’s” with G…and gosh boys and girls are so different..my, my.
But, I am happy to say I have been working away in the background on various projects now I just need to get organized and upload new images and ideas.
As I sit here typing this, I can see a few glimpses of green peeking through the snow that has engulfed us this winter. It never fails to brighten my day when I see the crocuses and daffodils getting ready to emerge from their winter slumber…and it is truly amazing to see how much growth went unnoticed while they were all covered with their thick white blanket. It has been a long hard winter, enjoyable and lots of fun was had in the snow but I am ready for Springtime, longer evenings, brighter mornings and new life.
