Where Did May Go?

I am so far behind in posting, I don't really know where to start!  

We've had a busy month and lots of fun.  We started out the month of May with a day at the races for Steeplechase.  It has been a few years since I last went, and I forgot how fun it was! How can it be anything but a great day when you're dressed up, hanging out with good friends and winning bets on horse races??  Shameless self-promotion photo here - I loved my dress and hat, but sadly they are not my own.  A great friend opened her closet to me that day. 

Next up, a busy weekend that started off with a 5K race, the Tennessee Law Enforcement Memorial 5K.  It was a humid morning and we brought Sophie to the race in the stroller because we figured we'd just run easy and enjoy ourselves.  I felt like I was running pretty well and making decent time, but was shocked to discover I won my age group.  That is very likely the first and last time I'll do that, so I'm proud!  

The true highlight of the weekend was the opportunity to attend the Martin Luther King Magnet high school graduation where Michelle Obama gave the commencement address.  It was truly the chance of a lifetime to hear the inspired words of such a strong and remarkable woman!  This was her only commencement speech in 2013, such an honor for the well-deserving students and their families.

The best three days in May were over Memorial Day weekend with our trip to New York to visit Shannon, Michael and their awesome kids, our nephew Andrew and niece Olivia.   It was a blast seeing the kids play and spending lots of good family time together.  Sophie, Olivia, Shannon and I took a girl's trip to Manhattan one day, and did all kinds of girly things.  FAO Schwartz was one of my favorite stops because of this fantastic musical entertainment on the famed piano! 

Jason got to see Andrew play in a hockey tournament and I got to visit Olivia's school, and it's always fun to see firsthand the things we talk about on the phone.  Shannon and Olivia spent the day with Sophie another day so Jason and I could have a date in the city, eat some great dim sum in Chinatown, shop, visit the 9/11 Memorial (beautiful and emotional) and eat yet more good food.  On our last day, we spent some time on the Long Island Sound at a pretty waterfront park and finally had a chance to take a good family picture.  Love these people!!

As you might imagine, Sophie wasn't too pleased about leaving her family behind, but she was excited about riding on the plane again.  She's well-traveled thanks to our many trips to visit family and take vacations over the past two years, but this was her first paid flight with her own seat.  She was a happy camper, but always wanted to go higher and higher!

It was a great month and June is already turning out to be busy and lots of fun, too.  Until next week!

On the Road Again

A couple of weeks ago, Jason and I decided we needed to get out of town for a couple of days and debated about where to go.  It didn't take long to pick Chattanooga for its close proximity to Nashville (two hours!) and long list of family-friendly activities.  

We hit the road early Saturday morning and gave Sophie her first taste of a feature-length movie (Happy Feet - the perfect length for the drive, a happy accident!) so we had a pretty easy drive.  Our first stop was the Tennessee Aquarium, and we knew after talking to some seasoned veterans that the lines can be long, but there are kiosks outside the main box office that offer expedited ticket-buying, so that's what we did.  

Happy Feet!

There are two buildings that make up the Tennessee Aquarium, the River Journey and the Ocean Journey.  We started with the River Journey and spent about an hour walking through those exhibits.  After a couple of hours in the car, Sophie was more excited about running around than looking at the exhibits, but they were really impressive.  There is an IMAX theater on the campus and, between exhibits, we took in a 45-minute film called "Born to be Wild," about orphaned orangutans and elephants, narrated by Morgan Freeman.  Not a dry eye in the group!  

After the IMAX, we headed to Cheeburger for lunch, on the recommendation of some friends with young kids, and it didn't disappoint.  They had lots of veggie options and the kids meals were affordable and came to the table in cute car cut-out boxes.  

Next up was the Ocean Journey, and we all easily picked it as our favorite building.  Penguins, sharks, stingray, jellyfish, seahorses, salt water fish... so many fun things to look at and touch!

We weren't sure where to stay when we planned our trip, and we found a great rate at the Marriott downtown.  However, if we went back, we would consider staying at one of the properties just outside the Aquarium for convenience because there is so much to do in that area and it's really walkable.  We were happy with our hotel, though, and it was just a couple of minutes from everything.   

Since it was Derby weekend, we made sure we were back at the hotel with plenty of time to hit the pool with Sophie and watch the race before heading out to our favorite restaurant in Chattanooga, The Boathouse! We'd been going all day long and Sophie was a trouper without a nap, but she hit the wall toward the end of dinner, announcing "I wanna go night-night now." Can't argue with that!  

We planned to visit Ruby Falls on Sunday before heading back to Nashville, but it was closed due to flooding - something we understand rarely happens.  So, we visited See Rock City instead.  We had the best time!  Sophie loved all the nooks and crannies, bridges, and rock climbing wall.  Overall, lots of fun if your kids are old enough to walk or young enough to be in a sling or carrier, but not stroller-friendly.  

One last stop before heading home was Terminal Brewhouse for lunch, and it was really kid- and adult-friendly!  Probably not a great place to take your kids at night, but perfect for lunchtime.     

We didn't have nearly enough time to do everything people recommended, so a return trip is definitely in the works so we can check out the Creative Discovery Museum, Incline Railway, Ruby Falls, and more outdoor attractions.  It was the perfect getaway and we had such a good time.  

On another note, this is National Vegetarian Week, so if you've thought about trying some new vegetarian recipes, maybe this is the week to give them a shot.  Have a great week!

 

All About Snacks

After I got on my soapbox last week about shopping for non-GMO foods and buying the least processed foods I can, a friend asked what we do about snacks.  My kid is obsessed with fruit, yogurt and cheese, so those are staples in our house at snack time.  Sometimes, though, it's nice to have a little treat and a little variety, so these are a couple of recipes we've made recently that have been big hits. 

No-Flour Black Bean Brownies

Photo courtesy of chocolatecoveredkatie.com

Not only did Sophie love these, but Jason and I did, too.  They were not cake-y brownies, but more like fudge-y, not-all-the way baked brownies, which is the kind I love!

No-Bake Energy Bites

Photo courtesy of gimmesomeoven.com

All I'll say about these energy bites is that I had to hide them from Sophie because she was so obsessed with them and would cry if I wouldn't let her have as many as she wanted all at once!

I've found a few good organic staples in the grocery store for car rides, snacks after swim or gymnastics lessons, etc, but we're not perfect and sometimes Goldfish or the additive-laced but so tasty orange peanut butter crackers are the only things that will do!

What are your go-to snacks? 

May Day

Happy May Day! It has been almost three weeks since my last post and I really don't know where the time has gone! 

One of my closest and most treasured friends flew to Nashville in April for a long weekend and sadly, we didn't take even one picture while she was here!  We've tried to see each other at least once a year with constant plans to make that twice a year, so we'll see if this will be the year we live up to that!  She is always one of the first people I want to call with good news or bad, to rant about random things that I know she will appreciate, and we have been through a lot of ups and downs together since we first met in the dorms our freshman year at IWU.  

Sophie officially moved up to the Older Toddler room last month and she's loving it.  All the kids are verbal and we've noticed a huge increase in her vocabulary and ability to form sentences.  To think, less than six months ago we were contemplating speech therapy!  Each year, Sophie's school has a parade to celebrate the Week of the Young Child and the birthday of the school.  Here are a couple of pics from this year's parade, held last week.

I've been cooking quite a bit, but haven't posted many new recipes lately and I need to work on gathering them to post.  Here's a recipe for a shredded veggie salad adapted slightly from a Healthy.Happy.Life vegan blog recipe that I made last Monday and enjoyed for lunch for a few days with plenty to share at work and with Jason and his colleagues, too!  We have a 12-cup food processor, which is what I used to shred all the veggies.

Salad:
1 raw beet, shredded
1 red onion, shredded
1 lb of carrots, shredded
1 head of broccoli, shredded
golden raisins to taste
sesame seeds to taste

Dressing: 
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 small lemon, juiced


Since this made a huge batch of salad, I didn't dress the it until right before eating. I made a little more dressing after the first day and it's really tasty on any salad.  Here's a picture of the Happy.Healthy.Life. blog - it's really colorful and pretty!

Photo courtesy of Happy. Healthy. Life.

We have a share in the Avalon Acres CSA again this year and look forward to our first delivery, although I kind of dread the prep and chopping when the box comes.  A small price to pay for good produce that I know is good for my family.  The more we learn about GMOs and the sourcing of food products, the more vigilant we feel as a family about that issue.  I find myself buying less and less packaged or processed food, especially those with lists of ingredients I can't pronounce and becoming more focused on local and simple foods.  I know that's easy for me to say when there are so many families out there who don't have access to local, fresh and organic products because of finances, food deserts, and many other reasons, and I only hope as time goes on it will become easier to buy local and organic products.  

I'm off my soapbox now and leave you with this photo of Sophie and Sparky - two best friends.  Until next time!

Telecast Time

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year and it involves work!  Tomorrow, Saturday, April 13 marks the 23rd Annual Calls for Kids Telecast, our largest fundraiser for the programs of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville.  I love the Telecast because it is our best and most unique opportunity to tell the stories of our families, our services, and the people who make this a great place for families facing the unimaginable seriously illnesses and injuries of their children.

I have been a part of planning seven Telecasts, but the last two have been the most personal for me because my perspective has changed now that I'm a parent.  Even though 500 families come through our doors each year in the House and 35,000 come through the door of our Family Room at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and I've come to understand so much about illness and injury, I've also learned that nothing can ever prepare you for your own child becoming seriously ill or injured.  

We're fortunate to work with the ABC affiliate in Nashville, WKRN Nashville's News 2, to broadcast the Telecast live each year with hosts from WKRN.  This year the show will be on from 7 to 10pm both on WKRN and live at www.wkrn.com - so cool that people from all over the country and even internationally can watch.  We've served families from all 95 counties in Tennessee, 65 counties in Kentucky, 38 other states and 13 foreign countries, so it's pretty cool that they can all watch from wherever their homes may be.  

If you happen to be at home on Saturday night, take a minute to tune in or even to call in to 866-766-9922 or 615-322-7900.  You can even text GIVE to 90210! 

I've been quiet on this blog for a couple of weeks, and this is why.  We've launched a new website (www.rmhcnashville.com) that is friendly on tablets, mobile devices and old-fashioned computers and have been working like crazy to make this Telecast fantastic.  I know it will be! 

Come on, Spring!

Thank you for all of the nice messages you sent after my post about my grandma's passing.  It meant so much to read them and I'm glad so many friends related to it.  We're all doing fine, but miss her terribly.  

My mom and I pay a lot of attention to signs and intuition, and it's interesting to me that every day since my grandpa died last year, I have seen at least one bright red male cardinal, his favorite bird.  I don't remember seeing many female cardinals, maybe that's just because they're not as noticeable as the males.  However, since grandma passed, it never fails that I now see female cardinals along with the males. 


We're more than ready for spring weather here in Nashville, especially after the last few gloomy, rainy, snowy days!  Jason and I promised Sophie a trip to see the "purple ooh-ooh aah-aah" (Monkey Joe's) on Sunday afternoon since the weather was rainy and cold, and she had the time of her life!!  This kid is totally fearless (except for her fear of the blow-up monkeys at Monkey Joe's) and has such a zest for life.  It's impossible to watch her without smiling.  We took this video of her 9,999,999th trip down the slide and couldn't stop laughing - she looks like one of those old cartoon characters whose legs are moving too fast for her body as she runs away. 

I've been cooking a lot the last couple of weeks and have been on a roll with some great, healthy pancake, waffle and muffin recipes.  Bananas and unsweetened applesauce are two of our pantry staples for those recipes and I can usually find very ripe bananas on clearance at our local grocery store - perfect for baking or chopping and freezing for smoothies.  Here's one of our favorite muffin recipes:

Photo courtesy of chiquitabananas.com

I made a few modifications to this recipe, using whole wheat flour, egg substitute, and 1/4 cup of raisins and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.  Also, I never keep buttermilk on hand, but it's easy to make it at home by mixing 1 cup of milk plus 1 T of vinegar and letting it sit for at least five minutes before adding it to the wet ingredients.  I also omitted the topping for the muffins, simply because I didn't want to make it!  We didn't miss it at all and the muffins didn't last long around our house.  

Here's hoping spring finds all of us sooner than later!

 

Saying Goodbye

My grandma, Ruby Marcella Essenpreis

After a few really good months in Nashville, my grandma had a setback last month when she was admitted to a local hospital with a myriad of issues, from Influenza A to edema to an infection in her arm that caused intense swelling.  She seemed to be recovering from her ailments and we were making plans to move her from the hospital to skilled care when the call came in the middle of the night last week that she took a turn for the worse and we needed to get to the hospital to say our goodbyes.  My mom and I were able to spend her last hours with her, telling her about our most treasured memories, praying with her, holding her hands and just making sure she wasn't alone. 


There is a line in the song "Big Yellow Taxi" about not knowing what you've got until it's gone, but I've lost a lot of people dear to me already and with those kinds of losses you learn to appreciate what you have while you have it.  I was unbelievably fortunate to have grandparents who truly loved having grandchildren.  I can't think of a single time in my life when they weren't there for me when I needed them and I hope they thought the same of me.   

Thanksgiving 2009 -karaoke night with my grandparents was priceless!

When my dad suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident in the early 1980s when he was my age and I was Sophie's age, my grandparents didn't hesitate to whisk me away to stay with them for weeks on end or to shuffle me back and forth from their home outside St. Louis to my childhood home in Galesburg, Illinois, all so my mom could face what the situation demanded.  I loved spending days at their plumbing and heating business, playing with the plumbing parts (and creating an inventory nightmare, I'm sure) or with the old-fashioned cash register or walking down the street with grandma to the German deli down the street.


As I got older, there were outings with grandma to a ladies' clothing store in St. Louis called Cunningham's, where she would buy beautiful clothes and I got in trouble for trying on the expensive hats.  Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, we went on marathon shopping trips.  Grandma was always so stylish and classy and she's still my inspiration for the way I dress.  

Beautiful Grandma

There were countless trips across the country in their motor home, trips to Disney World and to visit family in California and New York.  They were there for every milestone in my life from birthdays to graduations to holidays.  There were lots of little things they did for me that I didn't know until much later that they were responsible for because they didn't need the recognition for them.  When my dad died in 1998, they were there for us then, too.  As the years went by, Jason and I loved making weekend trips to visit them and some of our favorite memories were taking them to a Cardinals game on opening day at the new Busch Stadium, Grant's Farm, Missouri Botanical Garden, and just the random weekends we would spend with them, talking, playing cards and enjoying being together.  What a wonderful gift to be able to look back at your life and know you were loved and supported by your grandparents every step of the way.  

Typical goofy family photo at my baby shower in Moline

When I found out I was expecting a girl, there was no question that her middle name would be Marcella, after grandma.  She was already suffering the effects of dementia by that point, but she was so excited to hear she had a namesake and I'll never forget the first time she held Sophie. She always loved seeing her and pictures of her.   

It was really an honor for me to be with her last week when she passed.  I'll never forget that I was holding her hand and talking to her about that first time she held Sophie when she finally found peace. 

This week I found a card tucked away in a drawer at work that I've had for several years, a thank you she sent me for running in the Race for the Cure in her honor (she was a 20+ year breast cancer survivor) with a $5 bill tucked inside.  The $5 bill is still in the card because I could never spend it.  It's too precious.  This was typical of her - she was always sending cards with funny little notes.  This one said:

"Dear Heather,
Your mother told me that you ran in the Race for the Cure for me. Thank you very much.  I know that you are a very busy lady. I will be seeing you maybe in December. Heather, anytime you want to come see Grandpa and Grandma we will be looking for you. Thanks again. 
Love, Grandma oo and Grandpa xx"

I know I will be seeing you again, Grandma, and even though my heart hurts because I miss you, I'm happy you're at peace. xxoo

Heather