The act of standing up and beginning to move the body in any way is a therapeutic experience to say the least. For people who spend a great deal of their day sitting, this is especially true. Walking is wonderful after being in a chair for awhile and equally enjoyable when we need to get out of the house. Stretching the body and moving the limbs is fabulous and true pleasure; Taking those limbs and making them dance is joy and ecstasy itself!
I think even still the power of dance is underestimated. Dance is truly in our souls, something we as a species have been doing for thousands of years as a form of movement and expression. We have danced for lovers and to secure mates, we have danced in celebration, we have danced in the face of war. It is the perfect embodiment of art, exercise and passion. And the element of music that generally accompanies dance is a huge part of this too. Even if that element is something as simple as a single drum beat, it is enough to stir in most of us something primal.
Dance for me, has existed my whole life. It has been my friend, my enemy, my obsession and my passion, but most importantly it has always been there for me. When I was bored I would dance, when I was lonely I would dance, when I was inspired I would dance and when I was depressed or anxious I would dance... AND then I would feel JOY.
I have to admit too as I have in a previous blog that I got a little burnt out on dance a few years ago. I had just danced too much and may dealt with a little more than my fair share of dance politics. I just needed a break. I still danced, but not as much and not with as much fervor as I had in previous years. This past year, I have felt my passion and inspiration for dance returning to me and it is wonderful! I found my passion for dance again in a Zumba class of all places. When I go to it, this class just makes me smile and I feel joyful. The music is uplifting, the movements are enjoyable and I feel free to just dance and be me.
I think everyone should experience dance in their lifetime. Whether it is in your living room by yourself, with your spouse at an event, at a dance class or somewhere else, experiencing the power of dance is just as important as seeing the Eiffel Tower.
Dance is not just about exercise, art and passion. Nor is it simply about power and joy. Dance can also be very therapeutic. As a creative outlet it can be a good distraction for someone who is not feeling completely themselves; Dance can even help lift someone out of a depression. Through expression and movement healing and transformation can occur!
Dance!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Dinner and a Show - Event Review
There is little I love more than getting out of the house and trying something new with the family! A new sight, a new flavour - exciting! Tuesday evening we checked out a little cafe we had never been to before. The Dish Bistro began a new event this month: A weekly movie feature to be enjoyed during dinner, preceded by a cooking demonstration. I read about the event in a newsletter from Modern Mama and thought it sounded like fun. In visiting their website I discovered this weeks feature to be The Incredibles, as a Mom of three I was sold! I called and made a reservation and decided to keep it a surprise for the chilren.
We arrived around 6pm and were guided to a table right in front of the screen - great seeting! Sadly we were the only ones to attend the event as I believe they are still trying to get it off the ground; But in a small room that only seats about 20, it was not too noticeable. After the large task of getting all of the children organized we were ready to relax and enjoy the event. The waitress brought us our drink order (and most importantly my wine) not too long after we arrived. Shortly after that, the cooking demonstration began. Chef Mike cooked some beautiful chicken breasts with spinache and tomatoes and my oldest daughter who aspires to be a chef really enjoyed watching him work his magic. I did not have the heart to tell Chef Mike that I am a vegetarian, until I realized at the end of the demo that he was going to give us samples, and then I had to speak up. Oh well. I did not taste the chicken so cannot comment on the flavour but my family seemed to enjoy it!
Once the cooking demo was done, the movie began. Our family, probably like your family, has seen The Incredibles several times, but it is a movie we love and it was fun to watch it in a different setting where we could choose our food and I did not have to cook. The two little ones snacked on cucumber slices while awaiting their food and enjoying the movie. Bella and I shared some meditterranean flatbread as an appetizer that was quite nice. Our main dishes were fairly good. My husband had ribs and he said that they were tasty, but a bit dry. Bella and I shared a grilled portabello mushroom burger with a tomatoe cream soup and it was good. The little ones shared a fancy version of mac & cheese which I sampled and thought was very tasty; the ceasar salad that accompanied it was also nice. My only complaint was that the food took a little too long in getting to us and considering they were not very busy I found that odd. Aside from that the food was enjoyable. The service was not incredible but it was ok. Our desserts, sticky toffee pudding and brownies, were good because they were heated up and served with icecream. The restaurant however is a bit expensive for a cafe. Our bill was not too far off from what we might spend in a more upscale Italian restaurant; Because however this particular evening included a cooking demo and movie the price was ok. Overall it was a very fun event and my four year old son sat still for the whole evening - which rarely happens!
Tascheleia
We arrived around 6pm and were guided to a table right in front of the screen - great seeting! Sadly we were the only ones to attend the event as I believe they are still trying to get it off the ground; But in a small room that only seats about 20, it was not too noticeable. After the large task of getting all of the children organized we were ready to relax and enjoy the event. The waitress brought us our drink order (and most importantly my wine) not too long after we arrived. Shortly after that, the cooking demonstration began. Chef Mike cooked some beautiful chicken breasts with spinache and tomatoes and my oldest daughter who aspires to be a chef really enjoyed watching him work his magic. I did not have the heart to tell Chef Mike that I am a vegetarian, until I realized at the end of the demo that he was going to give us samples, and then I had to speak up. Oh well. I did not taste the chicken so cannot comment on the flavour but my family seemed to enjoy it!
Once the cooking demo was done, the movie began. Our family, probably like your family, has seen The Incredibles several times, but it is a movie we love and it was fun to watch it in a different setting where we could choose our food and I did not have to cook. The two little ones snacked on cucumber slices while awaiting their food and enjoying the movie. Bella and I shared some meditterranean flatbread as an appetizer that was quite nice. Our main dishes were fairly good. My husband had ribs and he said that they were tasty, but a bit dry. Bella and I shared a grilled portabello mushroom burger with a tomatoe cream soup and it was good. The little ones shared a fancy version of mac & cheese which I sampled and thought was very tasty; the ceasar salad that accompanied it was also nice. My only complaint was that the food took a little too long in getting to us and considering they were not very busy I found that odd. Aside from that the food was enjoyable. The service was not incredible but it was ok. Our desserts, sticky toffee pudding and brownies, were good because they were heated up and served with icecream. The restaurant however is a bit expensive for a cafe. Our bill was not too far off from what we might spend in a more upscale Italian restaurant; Because however this particular evening included a cooking demo and movie the price was ok. Overall it was a very fun event and my four year old son sat still for the whole evening - which rarely happens!
Tascheleia
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Vegetarian Italian Stew
The best of everything in one dish: pasta, vegetables and gooey cheese. Could it get any better? I stumbled across a recipe years ago called Italian Stew and was curious. I love stews, I just don't like the meat that people often put in them so I am always perfecting vegetarian versions. What made this particular stew Italian? Pasta, cheese and tomatoes sauce as ingredients for one and Italian sausage (which I removed - but you don't have to). And I have improved upon this recipe greatly since I first made it as well. It reminds me of something my Mom used to make when I was a kid. She would take leftover spaghetti sauce and combine it the following day with macaroni, she loved the idea that it was a one pot meal and it was very yummy.
I have to warn all of you though, if I have not said it already, I cook a bit like Michael Smith - I rarely follow a recipe and don't measure exact ingredients!
Tascheleia's Vegetarian Italian Stew
Cook one 700-900g bag/box of macaroni. Set aside.
Cook 2 cups peas. Set aside.
Rinse 2 cans red kidney beans. Set aside.
Saute the following in a bit of olive oil:
-1 diced onion - diced
-4 cloves garlic - diced
-3 bell peppers of various colours - diced
-3 small zucchinis - chopped
Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes. Stir and simmer briefly.
Add 2 large cans of tomatoe sauce and one can of crushed tomatoes. Stir.
Add basil, oregeno and thyme.
You can also add 2-4 tsp chili flakes if you like your food a bit spicy.
In a very very large bowl or pot (or maybe two bowls) combine the macaroni, peas, beans and sauce along with about 1 cup of parmesan cheese. Stir.
You can eat it like this with some grated mozza on top or place in a couple of baking dishes with grated mozza on top and bake at 350 until cheese is brown. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.
This recipe yields a lot of left overs. For my family of five this makes enough for two suppers for the family and a couple of lunches. Feel free to half it. But most of all - enjoy it! Mangia!!
Tascheleia
The trouble with eating Italian food is that 5 or 6 days later you're hungry again!
~George Miller, British writer~
I have to warn all of you though, if I have not said it already, I cook a bit like Michael Smith - I rarely follow a recipe and don't measure exact ingredients!
Tascheleia's Vegetarian Italian Stew
Cook one 700-900g bag/box of macaroni. Set aside.
Cook 2 cups peas. Set aside.
Rinse 2 cans red kidney beans. Set aside.
Saute the following in a bit of olive oil:
-1 diced onion - diced
-4 cloves garlic - diced
-3 bell peppers of various colours - diced
-3 small zucchinis - chopped
Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes. Stir and simmer briefly.
Add 2 large cans of tomatoe sauce and one can of crushed tomatoes. Stir.
Add basil, oregeno and thyme.
You can also add 2-4 tsp chili flakes if you like your food a bit spicy.
In a very very large bowl or pot (or maybe two bowls) combine the macaroni, peas, beans and sauce along with about 1 cup of parmesan cheese. Stir.
You can eat it like this with some grated mozza on top or place in a couple of baking dishes with grated mozza on top and bake at 350 until cheese is brown. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.
This recipe yields a lot of left overs. For my family of five this makes enough for two suppers for the family and a couple of lunches. Feel free to half it. But most of all - enjoy it! Mangia!!
Tascheleia
The trouble with eating Italian food is that 5 or 6 days later you're hungry again!
~George Miller, British writer~
Space
If anything ignites the imagination it is Space. So much is unknown about space and with our human curiosity and imaginative minds we like to conjure up all kinds of ideas as to what is out there and not out there. I have been enthralled by it since I was a child. Having grown up in the country, stargazing was a regular activity. It was an activity I really enjoyed doing with my Mother, she too loved astronomy. I learned so much about astronomy as a child: how to plot stars and constellations, how to find the planets and their moons, how to find other celestial bodies such as galaxies and nebulas. I have seen some incredible Aurora Borealis over the years as well and viewed a few comets too. Oddly enough, stargazing is something I became interested in because my Mother enjoyed it and I wanted to spend time with her, but I quickly learned to love it very much!
Sir Edmund Halley Returns in a Flame
In Junior High, my Science Fair projects for all three years were space related. One year, my subject was Aurorae Borealis and I created a computer simulation (on a very old Apple computer) that made Northern Lights dance across my computer screen. The year that Halley's Comet passed by our planet I did a project entitled: Sir Edmund Halley Returns in a Flame. Ok, the title is a little cheesy I know, but the project was a lot of fun. Space completely captured my imagination as a child. I even fancied the idea of becoming an astronaut when I grew up. Something I could not (puke) possibly imagine now as I get nauseous just being in a car sometimes, never mind a plane or a rocket ship!
The year that Halley's Comet came my Mother and I travelled to what was then called the Space Science Center and stood in line for two hours in the freezing cold to witness this celestial event through one of the largest telescopes in the area. To our amazement, Halley's Comet was in fact bigger, brighter and more amazing through binoculars out in the country than it was through this massive telescope in the city. Interesting.
You Can Hear Your Own Heartbeat
The stars were always their most amazing at my Grandmother's house out in the country. That is quite an experience in itself, to be out in the country at night in complete darkness. It is so quiet you can hear your own heart beat. Definitely unnerving for city folk. Outside at Granny's house however I had the comfort of a familiar place and the darkness of the countryside. There, the sky is littered with stars, too many to count, too many to imagine. What a sight!
When I was about fourteen I saw the most amazing and unnerving Northern Lights I had ever seen in my life. I don't remember what alerted me to the situation, but I stepped out onto the deck and the sky was gone. In it's place from the center of the sky above me were red and green streaks reaching down to the ground in all directions. It truly was like something out of a science fiction movie. I think it was at this time that my Mother told me of some Northern Lights she had seen as a child that she found almost frightening: Big, long, bright red ribbons streaking down vertically through the sky. That would scare a small child for sure.
Over the years of observing the night sky out in the country we saw so many beautiful things: Satellites of other planets, lots of comets, the Horsehead Nebulae just below Orion's belt and the Andromeda Galaxy. I bet a lot of you do not realize that you can see our nearest neighbouring galaxy through binoculars if you are out in the country!
As an adult I have tried to keep up my Astronomy hobby mainly through reading but have lost a lot of the knowledge I once had. I am finding now though, that as I renew my hobby, the knowledge is coming back. We joined the RASC - the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada this year! I am looking forward to some really cold nights of stargazing - the night sky is always most impressive in the Winter - there are a lot of really cold amateur Astronomers in this country!
Happy Stargazing!
Tascheleia
Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another
~Plato~
Sir Edmund Halley Returns in a Flame
In Junior High, my Science Fair projects for all three years were space related. One year, my subject was Aurorae Borealis and I created a computer simulation (on a very old Apple computer) that made Northern Lights dance across my computer screen. The year that Halley's Comet passed by our planet I did a project entitled: Sir Edmund Halley Returns in a Flame. Ok, the title is a little cheesy I know, but the project was a lot of fun. Space completely captured my imagination as a child. I even fancied the idea of becoming an astronaut when I grew up. Something I could not (puke) possibly imagine now as I get nauseous just being in a car sometimes, never mind a plane or a rocket ship!
The year that Halley's Comet came my Mother and I travelled to what was then called the Space Science Center and stood in line for two hours in the freezing cold to witness this celestial event through one of the largest telescopes in the area. To our amazement, Halley's Comet was in fact bigger, brighter and more amazing through binoculars out in the country than it was through this massive telescope in the city. Interesting.
You Can Hear Your Own Heartbeat
The stars were always their most amazing at my Grandmother's house out in the country. That is quite an experience in itself, to be out in the country at night in complete darkness. It is so quiet you can hear your own heart beat. Definitely unnerving for city folk. Outside at Granny's house however I had the comfort of a familiar place and the darkness of the countryside. There, the sky is littered with stars, too many to count, too many to imagine. What a sight!
When I was about fourteen I saw the most amazing and unnerving Northern Lights I had ever seen in my life. I don't remember what alerted me to the situation, but I stepped out onto the deck and the sky was gone. In it's place from the center of the sky above me were red and green streaks reaching down to the ground in all directions. It truly was like something out of a science fiction movie. I think it was at this time that my Mother told me of some Northern Lights she had seen as a child that she found almost frightening: Big, long, bright red ribbons streaking down vertically through the sky. That would scare a small child for sure.
Over the years of observing the night sky out in the country we saw so many beautiful things: Satellites of other planets, lots of comets, the Horsehead Nebulae just below Orion's belt and the Andromeda Galaxy. I bet a lot of you do not realize that you can see our nearest neighbouring galaxy through binoculars if you are out in the country!
As an adult I have tried to keep up my Astronomy hobby mainly through reading but have lost a lot of the knowledge I once had. I am finding now though, that as I renew my hobby, the knowledge is coming back. We joined the RASC - the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada this year! I am looking forward to some really cold nights of stargazing - the night sky is always most impressive in the Winter - there are a lot of really cold amateur Astronomers in this country!
Happy Stargazing!
Tascheleia
Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another
~Plato~
The Adventures of Cutie-poo & Monkey-pie
It was a quiet, unassuming Sunday afternoon. The kind of afternoon where the Sun shone peacefully through the windows, the warmth of Spring was in the air and all was right with the world. Cutie-poo and Monkey-pie played quietly in their nursery - if you consider singing, humming, chatting, shouting and all out screaming, quiet. They also played with little mess - if you consider play dishes, cars, dinosaurs and a mountain of buddies all over the floor, no mess. And in this sea of noise and mess, these two little siblings played happily and lovingly.
Monkey-pie, a mischievous boy of 4 had sparkling blue eyes and very messy blond hair. Cutey-poo, an adorable girl of 1 had the roundest dark blue eyes and beautiful strawberry-blond curls. The two were the most darling siblings and definitely "partners in crime" or "siblings in crime"...!
Footsteps. Footsteps. Monkey-pie's ears perked up... what did he hear? Dastardly Daddy coming down the hallway to fetch him for what he was sure was BATH TIME. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Not bath time. A plan was needed. Cutie-poo picked up on the situation quickly and moved into action. She scooted over to the diaper pail and pushed over just in time. With a huge tumble Dastardly Daddy tripped and fell forward into a beautiful belly flop! Kerplop. While he was down, Monkey-pie grabbed the long blue stuffed python he so loved and tied Dastardly Daddy's hands together. Success! Bath time no longer a threat. Or so he thought. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something rising toward him. Dastardly Daddy scooped him up and dashed him to the tub. Defeated this time. As he sat in a mountain of bubbles he thought up a better plan...
After bath time the afternoon continued as before. Cutey-poo's stomach told her that snack time was fast approaching. Sure enough she could hear 'Mazing Mama approaching with snacks. Cutey-poo had a feeling the snacks would be of the healthy variety. Not that she did not like healthy but she loved cookies even more. Sure enough, 'Mazing Mama set the tray down and on it was yogurt and apples - yummy but not cookies. The siblings in crime swung into action. Cutey-poo distracted 'Mazing Mama with a big hug and kiss and a snuggle... works every time thought Cutey-poo. Monkey-poo snuck past the snuggling duo with stealthy speed. He slid along the hallway wall and down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs he looked right, then left, then right again. Then he raced into the kitchen, onto the stool, onto the counter and reached into the topmost shelf where the cookies lay hidden. His four year old hands grabbed as many cookies as they could hold. He then quietly zoomed back up the stairs to Cutey-poo's side. 'Mazing Mama was in the next room folding laundry and so they were able to enjoy their cookies undetected. Success.
What seemed like success was quickly lost on the notion that nap time might be quickly approaching. 'Mazing Mama closing the blind and pulling out a story book was a pretty big hint. Now Monkey-pie and Cutey-poo knew that if they worked together they might be able to avoid this unpopular ritual. 'Mazing Mama sat down in the big old rocking chair that sat in the corner of the nursery. She beckoned to Monkey-pie and Cutey-poo to join her. Reluctantly the pair slid onto her lap. She read. Slowly the chair began to rock, but not under the control of 'Mazing Mama but from a little four year old foot that barely touched the floor. And as Monkey-pie rocked the chair, Cutey-poo cuddled with her Mama. 'Mazing Mama read on and it quickly became obvious that their evil plan was working: 'Mazing Mama's words began to slur, her eyes started to droop and soon she was nodding off with a tilt of her head. Again...success! The siblings in crime quietly scooted off their Mama's lap and continued to play quietly into the late afternoon (under the watchful eyes of Dastardly Daddy - unbeknownst to them). After a time 'Mazing Mama awoke half saying "Yawn... Did you have a nice sleep little ones?". Then she was off to make dinner.
It was suppertime and the partners in crime sat on either side of Sister-spy. What was 'Mazing Mama bringing to the table for dinner? Was it pasta? No. Was it pizza? No. It was... oh no... it was... OMG... it was spinach. Disgusting, slimy spinach. The mission was on. Cutey-poo softly babbled and cooed in Sister-spy's ear as Monkey-pie slid spoonfuls of mushy spinach onto Sister-spy's plate. Just when it seemed that Sister-spy might catch on, Monkey-pie grabbed his older sister and hugged her tight followed by an I love you. Great distraction for what Cutey-poo was about to do next. She picked up her bowl and dropped her spinach onto Sister-spy's plate in a lump. She giggled. Monkey-pie and Cutey-poo believed no one was the wiser for their crazy antics. Lucky for them both that Sister-spy loves her spinach! Then 'Mazing Mama spoke - "Wow, both of you ate your spinach up so quick, shall I get you some more?". They both quickly answered with a shake of the head and "no we're full". "No room for the chocolate pudding I made then I guess!". The mission was on...
Monkey-pie, a mischievous boy of 4 had sparkling blue eyes and very messy blond hair. Cutey-poo, an adorable girl of 1 had the roundest dark blue eyes and beautiful strawberry-blond curls. The two were the most darling siblings and definitely "partners in crime" or "siblings in crime"...!
Footsteps. Footsteps. Monkey-pie's ears perked up... what did he hear? Dastardly Daddy coming down the hallway to fetch him for what he was sure was BATH TIME. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Not bath time. A plan was needed. Cutie-poo picked up on the situation quickly and moved into action. She scooted over to the diaper pail and pushed over just in time. With a huge tumble Dastardly Daddy tripped and fell forward into a beautiful belly flop! Kerplop. While he was down, Monkey-pie grabbed the long blue stuffed python he so loved and tied Dastardly Daddy's hands together. Success! Bath time no longer a threat. Or so he thought. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something rising toward him. Dastardly Daddy scooped him up and dashed him to the tub. Defeated this time. As he sat in a mountain of bubbles he thought up a better plan...
After bath time the afternoon continued as before. Cutey-poo's stomach told her that snack time was fast approaching. Sure enough she could hear 'Mazing Mama approaching with snacks. Cutey-poo had a feeling the snacks would be of the healthy variety. Not that she did not like healthy but she loved cookies even more. Sure enough, 'Mazing Mama set the tray down and on it was yogurt and apples - yummy but not cookies. The siblings in crime swung into action. Cutey-poo distracted 'Mazing Mama with a big hug and kiss and a snuggle... works every time thought Cutey-poo. Monkey-poo snuck past the snuggling duo with stealthy speed. He slid along the hallway wall and down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs he looked right, then left, then right again. Then he raced into the kitchen, onto the stool, onto the counter and reached into the topmost shelf where the cookies lay hidden. His four year old hands grabbed as many cookies as they could hold. He then quietly zoomed back up the stairs to Cutey-poo's side. 'Mazing Mama was in the next room folding laundry and so they were able to enjoy their cookies undetected. Success.
What seemed like success was quickly lost on the notion that nap time might be quickly approaching. 'Mazing Mama closing the blind and pulling out a story book was a pretty big hint. Now Monkey-pie and Cutey-poo knew that if they worked together they might be able to avoid this unpopular ritual. 'Mazing Mama sat down in the big old rocking chair that sat in the corner of the nursery. She beckoned to Monkey-pie and Cutey-poo to join her. Reluctantly the pair slid onto her lap. She read. Slowly the chair began to rock, but not under the control of 'Mazing Mama but from a little four year old foot that barely touched the floor. And as Monkey-pie rocked the chair, Cutey-poo cuddled with her Mama. 'Mazing Mama read on and it quickly became obvious that their evil plan was working: 'Mazing Mama's words began to slur, her eyes started to droop and soon she was nodding off with a tilt of her head. Again...success! The siblings in crime quietly scooted off their Mama's lap and continued to play quietly into the late afternoon (under the watchful eyes of Dastardly Daddy - unbeknownst to them). After a time 'Mazing Mama awoke half saying "Yawn... Did you have a nice sleep little ones?". Then she was off to make dinner.
It was suppertime and the partners in crime sat on either side of Sister-spy. What was 'Mazing Mama bringing to the table for dinner? Was it pasta? No. Was it pizza? No. It was... oh no... it was... OMG... it was spinach. Disgusting, slimy spinach. The mission was on. Cutey-poo softly babbled and cooed in Sister-spy's ear as Monkey-pie slid spoonfuls of mushy spinach onto Sister-spy's plate. Just when it seemed that Sister-spy might catch on, Monkey-pie grabbed his older sister and hugged her tight followed by an I love you. Great distraction for what Cutey-poo was about to do next. She picked up her bowl and dropped her spinach onto Sister-spy's plate in a lump. She giggled. Monkey-pie and Cutey-poo believed no one was the wiser for their crazy antics. Lucky for them both that Sister-spy loves her spinach! Then 'Mazing Mama spoke - "Wow, both of you ate your spinach up so quick, shall I get you some more?". They both quickly answered with a shake of the head and "no we're full". "No room for the chocolate pudding I made then I guess!". The mission was on...
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Quinoa Pilaf or Tabouli
Do you love quinoa as I do? It is wonderful! It has a lovely flavour and a nice texture similar to rice. Most importantly however, it is the only plant based food that has all of the amino acids contained in meats - an important find for vegetarians! Now what do we do with quinoa... Anything we want! Quinoa can pretty much be treated like rice or any grain for that matter in cooking. It can be added to soups, cooked like rice, used for a pilaf or even better use it as a replacement for couscous and make Tabouli!
Cook 2 cups of quinoa in 4 cups of water or vegetable broth for more flavour. Once it is cooked let it stand for ten minutes or so and then stir it a bit with a fork. Put the cooked quinoa into a large dish and add the following:
-diced cucumbers
-diced tomatoes (red and yellow if possible)
-diced peppers (green, red and yellow if possible)
-diced radish
-cold, cooked peas
-diced onions (red and green)
-a couple of cloves of diced garlic
-tonnes of finely chopped parsley
-chopped mint leaves
-2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
-salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
-olive oil
Toss and serve warm or cold. It's wonderful!
Cook 2 cups of quinoa in 4 cups of water or vegetable broth for more flavour. Once it is cooked let it stand for ten minutes or so and then stir it a bit with a fork. Put the cooked quinoa into a large dish and add the following:
-diced cucumbers
-diced tomatoes (red and yellow if possible)
-diced peppers (green, red and yellow if possible)
-diced radish
-cold, cooked peas
-diced onions (red and green)
-a couple of cloves of diced garlic
-tonnes of finely chopped parsley
-chopped mint leaves
-2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
-salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
-olive oil
Toss and serve warm or cold. It's wonderful!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tourette Syndrome
Tourette Syndrome. Do you know what it is? So many people either do not know what it is or completely have the wrong understanding of it.
Trek for Tourette
March 27th marks the annual Trek for Tourette, a 5 km walk in wacky March weather to raise money for TS research. We will be attending this walk as we did last year for one very important reason, my eldest daughter Bella has Tourette Syndrome and has had it since she was 9 years old. In the summer of 2006, not too long after her 9th birthday, while I was pregnant with Ronan, Bella began displaying some odd symptoms. Out of the blue she seemed to have these nonsensical, repetitive vocalizations and physical twitches that were completely unexplainable. I think my husband and I just observed this for a couple of months before saying anything about it, both of us thinking or really hoping it might just go away. After a time we realized this was something that clearly needed to be addressed. It was my husband who said first that he thought it might be Tourette Syndrome, I remained unsure but set to work researching and reading extensively. Sure enough, from everything I had read, it seemed like Tourette Syndrome. All the time while I researched the question that hung in the back of my mind was HOW did Bella develop TS, where did this come from, what triggered it, was it genetic??? My research quickly answered these questions as well. Earlier that year in the Spring, Bella and I both had a terrible bout with Strep Throat. What is the connection you ask. Strep throat can trigger Tourette Syndrome in children and this puts these children into a special category called P.A.N.D.A.S.; an acronym for: Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. Following a group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection such as strep throat or scarlet fever is a rapid onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder and or tic disorder such as Tourette Syndrome. The link is thought to be an autoimmune reaction where the antibodies created by the body during a strep infection attack a part of the brain known as the basal ganglia.
The Paediatrician
So, from our research we had a pretty good idea of what was happening but were of course a little scared; We had no idea how to help her. So we started down the path of seeking medical help. Well it was quite the journey. I began by making an appointment for Bella with her childhood paediatrician who we should have stopped seeing long before that point in time because he is quite frankly an incompetent. But armed with my questions and my research I took Bella to her paediatrician to hopefully get to the bottom of what was happening with her. I explained her symptoms and my research and asked my questions and then was met with skepticism and ignorance of the subject on his part. Ironically, he had a student doctor on duty with him at the time who knew more on the subject than he did. All of this told me however that I needed to seek out another doctor. We went through a couple, one so old he was ancient and one that was so weird we were just too freaked out to go back to him. The freaky doctor did give Bella a diagnosis of Tourettes however and referred us to the Glenrose and a very good Child Psychiatrist whose entire roll is to help children with TS. In seeing him however I realized very quickly like with every other Psychiatrist I have encountered, the goal of these appointments was to prescribe antidepressants if Bella seemed to need them; And she did seem to need them but I was adamant that a young teenage child whose body and biochemistry is already going through so many changes should not be taking antidepressants. So that ended that adventure.
Natural Medicine
We have learned a lot along the way however and a lot of what we have found helpful relates more to natural medicine: things to eat or avoid, supplements to take. We have been to see a couple of holistic practitioners and are now considering seeing a Naturopathic Doctor.We were advised and I also discovered in my research that TS can sometimes be related to or aggravated by food allergies to things like dairy and gluten. We did see a couple of allergists with inconclusive results. We did also go gluten free for awhile again with inconclusive results.
Will this Ever Go Away?
When Bella first developed TS, her verbal and physical tics were very bad for quite a long time, over a year. Then eventually it began to dissipate a bit and we thought that maybe over time it would continue to lessen. But recently Bella's tics have been getting worse again. In my research I did read that often TS can worsen around the age of 14 and then slowly lessen to the point that by adulthood it is hardly noticeable - let us hope that is the case for Bella. At this point in time I think she is quite worried that it will never go away and she will be stuck with it for life. It is a lot for a young teenage girl to deal with: TS, puberty, junior high, homework, boys, chores etc. She definitely feels overwhelmed at times.
For those of you reading this article, let me tell you a little bit more about Tourette Syndrome:
Tourette Syndrome is defined as a neuropsychiatric disorder that begins in childhood and is characterized by multiple physical and vocal tics that wax and wane. Tics are sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic motor movements or vocalizations. Generally speaking, children with Tourettes also have other issues along with the tics: Attention Deficit Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to name a couple. Children with more than just tics are considered to have to have what is called Tourettes Plus.
Support
Bella's experience with the general public and her school friends has been pretty good for the most part. Some children have asked her about her tics and she has answered them honestly or changed the subject when she was embarrassed, but as far as I know, no one has ridiculed her for it. One of the biggest obstacles aside from the interesting variety of doctors out there was trying to get support from family. The interesting thing about TS is that it is not always obvious when a child has it. It is natural behaviour for these children to suppress their tics in public, only letting them out like an explosion when they are at home or alone. So a lot of the time other people just don't see the extent of the disease or the toll that it takes on the child. Because of this I sometimes got the impression that some people thought we were making it up. Or if belief was there, understanding and support often were not. When George, Bella and I were initially dealing with the questions and stress of trying to sort this illness out and learn what we needed to do, we were on our own. It was not just Bella that needed support from extended family and to know that they cared, but her parents who were trying to see her through this needed support as well.
Like with so many things, I am an advocate for Bella and TS and just keep trying to inform and correct those who don't understand. There are so many occasions when we feel helpless where TS is concerned and really are not sure what to do, but the research continues...!
If you would like to help support Tourette Syndrome please make a pledge on the website www.tourette.ca or join us on our 5 km walk!
Thanks for reading!
Tascheleia
Trek for Tourette
March 27th marks the annual Trek for Tourette, a 5 km walk in wacky March weather to raise money for TS research. We will be attending this walk as we did last year for one very important reason, my eldest daughter Bella has Tourette Syndrome and has had it since she was 9 years old. In the summer of 2006, not too long after her 9th birthday, while I was pregnant with Ronan, Bella began displaying some odd symptoms. Out of the blue she seemed to have these nonsensical, repetitive vocalizations and physical twitches that were completely unexplainable. I think my husband and I just observed this for a couple of months before saying anything about it, both of us thinking or really hoping it might just go away. After a time we realized this was something that clearly needed to be addressed. It was my husband who said first that he thought it might be Tourette Syndrome, I remained unsure but set to work researching and reading extensively. Sure enough, from everything I had read, it seemed like Tourette Syndrome. All the time while I researched the question that hung in the back of my mind was HOW did Bella develop TS, where did this come from, what triggered it, was it genetic??? My research quickly answered these questions as well. Earlier that year in the Spring, Bella and I both had a terrible bout with Strep Throat. What is the connection you ask. Strep throat can trigger Tourette Syndrome in children and this puts these children into a special category called P.A.N.D.A.S.; an acronym for: Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. Following a group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection such as strep throat or scarlet fever is a rapid onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder and or tic disorder such as Tourette Syndrome. The link is thought to be an autoimmune reaction where the antibodies created by the body during a strep infection attack a part of the brain known as the basal ganglia.
The Paediatrician
So, from our research we had a pretty good idea of what was happening but were of course a little scared; We had no idea how to help her. So we started down the path of seeking medical help. Well it was quite the journey. I began by making an appointment for Bella with her childhood paediatrician who we should have stopped seeing long before that point in time because he is quite frankly an incompetent. But armed with my questions and my research I took Bella to her paediatrician to hopefully get to the bottom of what was happening with her. I explained her symptoms and my research and asked my questions and then was met with skepticism and ignorance of the subject on his part. Ironically, he had a student doctor on duty with him at the time who knew more on the subject than he did. All of this told me however that I needed to seek out another doctor. We went through a couple, one so old he was ancient and one that was so weird we were just too freaked out to go back to him. The freaky doctor did give Bella a diagnosis of Tourettes however and referred us to the Glenrose and a very good Child Psychiatrist whose entire roll is to help children with TS. In seeing him however I realized very quickly like with every other Psychiatrist I have encountered, the goal of these appointments was to prescribe antidepressants if Bella seemed to need them; And she did seem to need them but I was adamant that a young teenage child whose body and biochemistry is already going through so many changes should not be taking antidepressants. So that ended that adventure.
Natural Medicine
We have learned a lot along the way however and a lot of what we have found helpful relates more to natural medicine: things to eat or avoid, supplements to take. We have been to see a couple of holistic practitioners and are now considering seeing a Naturopathic Doctor.We were advised and I also discovered in my research that TS can sometimes be related to or aggravated by food allergies to things like dairy and gluten. We did see a couple of allergists with inconclusive results. We did also go gluten free for awhile again with inconclusive results.
Will this Ever Go Away?
When Bella first developed TS, her verbal and physical tics were very bad for quite a long time, over a year. Then eventually it began to dissipate a bit and we thought that maybe over time it would continue to lessen. But recently Bella's tics have been getting worse again. In my research I did read that often TS can worsen around the age of 14 and then slowly lessen to the point that by adulthood it is hardly noticeable - let us hope that is the case for Bella. At this point in time I think she is quite worried that it will never go away and she will be stuck with it for life. It is a lot for a young teenage girl to deal with: TS, puberty, junior high, homework, boys, chores etc. She definitely feels overwhelmed at times.
For those of you reading this article, let me tell you a little bit more about Tourette Syndrome:
Tourette Syndrome is defined as a neuropsychiatric disorder that begins in childhood and is characterized by multiple physical and vocal tics that wax and wane. Tics are sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic motor movements or vocalizations. Generally speaking, children with Tourettes also have other issues along with the tics: Attention Deficit Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to name a couple. Children with more than just tics are considered to have to have what is called Tourettes Plus.
Support
Bella's experience with the general public and her school friends has been pretty good for the most part. Some children have asked her about her tics and she has answered them honestly or changed the subject when she was embarrassed, but as far as I know, no one has ridiculed her for it. One of the biggest obstacles aside from the interesting variety of doctors out there was trying to get support from family. The interesting thing about TS is that it is not always obvious when a child has it. It is natural behaviour for these children to suppress their tics in public, only letting them out like an explosion when they are at home or alone. So a lot of the time other people just don't see the extent of the disease or the toll that it takes on the child. Because of this I sometimes got the impression that some people thought we were making it up. Or if belief was there, understanding and support often were not. When George, Bella and I were initially dealing with the questions and stress of trying to sort this illness out and learn what we needed to do, we were on our own. It was not just Bella that needed support from extended family and to know that they cared, but her parents who were trying to see her through this needed support as well.
Like with so many things, I am an advocate for Bella and TS and just keep trying to inform and correct those who don't understand. There are so many occasions when we feel helpless where TS is concerned and really are not sure what to do, but the research continues...!
If you would like to help support Tourette Syndrome please make a pledge on the website www.tourette.ca or join us on our 5 km walk!
Thanks for reading!
Tascheleia
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