Torticollis Update

Today we went for Js physiotherapy appointment for torticollis. We have seen some good progress. J has almost 90% rotation now as compared to 40% when she was first diagnosed and side flexion has improved also from 60%. We still have work to do on side flexion but we've come along way. Yay! 

 

The pictures below were on March 22nd by comparison.

 

There is a new PT at the child development centre locally. Her husband was transferred with the military to the base here & she is fantastic. Lots of energy. I am very happy about this. J still plays shy & drama cried for much of her appointment but I think by the end of the hour she had started to warm up.

As you may recall in my earlier posts here and here after we first had a diagnosis we ran into some roadblocks with being seen. We tried a private clinic in Saskatoon where there is an excellent therapist but the drive is quite far. We were still waiting for a time to be seen locally. After we returned from our holiday in June and at my aunts urging I talked to the doctor about not being seen. This garnered results and they brought a therapist in from Wascana Centre that was also excellent. I thought she was terrific and had great tips. I've been pretty consistent with the stretches before bedtime but find it hard sometimes to incorporate the stretches into our daily routine during the day. Also J fights the stretches much more now. 

Even so we feel we are making headway ;) 

There is a hint of plagiocephaly yet. J now sleeps on her tummy & is always moving during the day. 

 

We have some new stretches in our arsenal including balance stretches lightly moving her body to either side (like the ones on the exercise ball) & one of us holding her trunk while the other engages her with toys (as she will cheat by moving her body to get rotation), as well as refining our football hold carry so that she doesn't cheat on that one too. The football hold one I find challenging because my arms are short. She also gave us some tips to encourage strength for crawling. 

I am hopeful that Js torticollis will resolve. We have a follow up appointment in a months time. 

Collaboreads Link Up: The Jade Peony

 

I love the #Collaboreads book lovers link up that Rachel A. Dawson & Amber from Mr. Thomas & Me host. Often if I need a good book recommend I come here. 

The short version of this link up is that the hosts Rachel & Amber pick a random criteria for a book & then near the end of the month they meet up & talk about their choices following the R.E.A.D.S. review format. For August they selected a book written by someone that's a different ethnicity than ourself.

Wayson Choy's novel A Jade Peony explores the tension between "old world" traditions and "new world" ways; between cultural alienation and acceptance.  The story is told through the accounts of three siblings within a Chinese immigrant family growing up in Chinatown, Vancouver, in the early 1930s & 40s. 

Riveting

My favorite aspect of the narrative was that each character's story was told from their childhood. As a reader we recall the wonder and confusion of childhood through their experience. Particularly I enjoyed the last narrative from Sekky's perspective. Sekky, the sickly child, that within Jook Liang's & Jung-Sums narrative was overlooked finds himself invested in keeping a secret. Sek-Lung’s babysitter, the beautiful Meiying has committed the unpardonable sin of falling in love with a Japanese boy.  I was interested to learn & had never considered that between the Japanese & Chinese communities within Canada there was tension. 

Elements

The narrative is told from the point of view of three narrators: Only Sister Jook Liang, Second Brother Jung-Sum, & Third Brother Sekky. As novelettes their account illuminated each other & provided depth to their character development.

Character development is stronger in this novel than plot line. There is a faint tragic plot line that runs through each of the narrators story of losing someone. In Jook-Liang's story she wins the affection of Wong-Bak, the elderly "monkey-man" who becomes her only friend & confident only to have him leave on a ship to return to China. Sek-Lung loses both Poh-Poh (grandma) & Meiying. 

My heart broke for the women in this novel. Stepmother is called "stepmother" even by her own children that she gave birth to. Prior to the novels start she had been purchased as a concubine. Throughout the book this title continues to belittle and disrespect her in attempt to “simplify the kinship terms in Canada." Only-Sister Jook-Liang is relentlessly described by Poh-Poh (grandma) as being mo yung-useless. “A girl-child is mo yung” This creates much confusion for the young girl. She doesn’t understand why her grandmother would deem her useless when “after all, she was a girl, too.” 

Associate

This book reminded me of The Joy Luck Club. While in each they discuss some rascist governmental policies and rascist incidents rascism is not the central conflict. Instead the novels focus on relationships & families. Tensions are between generations. Additionally the children struggle with their hyphenated identity. The older generation is frustrated that the children are not Chinese enough while the younger generation is frustrated with the old ways. The children are viewed as only Chinese outside their homes and less than Chinese within their homes.

Just prior to reading this novel my family came to visit & my mom & I visited the tunnels of MJ on the tour of the Chinese immigrant experience within Canada. In the early 1900’s the majority of the large buildings in MJ were being heated by steam. Engineers who looked after this heating system in the basements decided to create a network of tunnels linking the buildings together, so they can easily move themselves and their equipment from building to building without freezing in the cold prairie winters.  During this time, many Chinese immigrants had begun to arrive in MJ to work for very low wages. In order to survive off their poor wages, the immigrants adopted the tunnel system as living quarters and workplaces which were cheap to run, and hidden from the occasional hostile populace. The Chinese laundries presented on the tour were a cruel punishing way for the Chinese men to pay their passage to Canada & later head tax. By consequence the Chinese community presented in novel had much more freedom to go to school, see films at the cinema and have their own businesses. It is possible that the older generation of Choy's novel endured this harsh existence to build the community that the younger generation of the novel grows up in.

Design

It is likely I would not have picked up this novel based on its cover. It is a lucky that I learned of this book as a recommended read for grade 12 students in Saskatchewan and requested it through inter library loans rather than perusing the shelves & picking a book based on its cover. All the while I was reading it I was thinking the cover really needed some design assistance. 

Stars

I would give this book a 5 star rating. I would highly recommend this read. This book is highly acclaimed. I later learned this book was selected in 2002 as the inaugural book for One Book, One Vancouver for the Vancouver Public Library and the 2010 edition of Canada Reads. With this book Wayson Choy won the Trillium Book Award & the City of Vancouver Book Award. 

A Day at the Beach

"Rediscover the carefree holidays of your childhood when life was filled with simple pleasures - ice cream cones on a hot summer day and lazy afternoons of boating, fishing and swimming. Spend a day at the beach..." 

Regina Beach can be found on the south shore of Last Mountain Lake in Southern Saskatchewan. We arrived early to have breakfast at The Bluebird Cafe. The Blue Bird Cafe is an old-time classic, opened first in the 1920s, with wooden floors and creaky screen doors. We then ventured out to the wharf & shores of the beach.

J had her first taste of sand. I dipped her feet in the lake with the tide coming in. She loved to sink her feet into the sand. After I sat her on the sand so she could feel the sand & I could take a picture she gathered a handful that went right into her mouth. As I was cleaning her mouth out she had another handful ready to shovel in. Apparently it tasted delicious. Yipes! 

In the early afternoon when J had fallen asleep in her stroller & we had quite enough sun we stopped at Chachalacas for a margarita for me & a beer for L. J, of course, not wanting to miss out on the fun awoke and so we shared a burrito with her. She enjoyed the rice and refried beans. 

It was a fun day spent at the beach! I'm looking forward to next summer when water wings, sandcastles, swimsuits! We forgot to bring a blanket to sit on the sand & lawn chairs. You can bet next year I will be prepared with a summer bucket of water & sand toys & blanket to lay on the sand & umbrella. The next time we spend a day at the beach I'll be chasing after J as she runs into the lake. 

The Great Zucchini Throwdown

So you somehow were given a great, huge zucchini by a distant relative through marriage. For a week now you've eyed that zucchini in the fridge until now. You've decided this will be the week of the zucchini. For one whole week you will come up with ideas to use that zucchini. And because I've already mastered this quest I will provide you some inspiration...but remember in a throwdown...you also can take up the challenge and best me with your kitchen, knife wielding skills.

1. I started the week off with a simple technique of adding to my hash browns. Mmm delicious.

2. I also decided to be ambitious and make dill zucchini muffins. These I think could be improved by adding bacon bits but they were also tasty. Here is a link if you'd like to make your own. I adapted mine a bit because I'm on a kefir kick so I used kefir in place of buttermilk. You can do that - adapt recipes- it's more fun that way.

 

3. I then recalled the famous zucchini chocolate cake that my mom used to make and hunted down a recipe. I will not share it here because it was it did not live up to the hype of moist decadent chocolate. It was rather dry. So if you have your own zucchini chocolate cake recipe do not be shy, do share as I will acquire yet another zucchini in your honor and test it on this blog. And eat it with great joy.

 

4. I have a penchant for Quiche. I absolutely love quiche and zucchini found its way into my quiche this week. 

 

5. Now for the finale. The best hummus recipe adaptation I made this week. The most flavorful, and one that I will make again. Hummus!!! You guys this is the best hummus recipe ever! Zucchini you did great.

Now if you clicked on the link for this Green Goddess Hummus you may be thinking like me whhhhaa! I have no idea what tahini is or tarragon and you may like me wander all over the grocery store and even ask a few grocery staff for assistance only to learn the grocery store does not stock these two items. This is where you need to be creative & Google on the go or use your creative brain...I learned that tahini & tarragon both belong to the sunflower seed family...so I adapted the recipe and instead put in half a cup of sunflower seeds & two tablespoons of olive oil.. Also as L was assisting me he Ukranian adapted the recipe and instead of one garlic clove two found there way in. Finally you will notice the recipe does not include zucchini--what? I thought this was a zucchini throwdown. Exactly!! Add in one cup of grated zucchini. Delicious!! 

Ok. So that's a wrap. Zucchini five ways. Tell me about your favorite zucchini recipes and if when you cut into a zucchini you have a plan. Because six cups of grated zucchini! Whoa!

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Sukanen Ship & Pioneer Museum

The Sukanen Ship & Pioneer Museum is a local gem. It is open mid May-September & located 13 km south of Moose Jaw on Highway 2 South. 

My heart bled a little for Tom Sukanen. What a story of grief! 

Tom was born Finnish & learnt shipbuilding. He sailed from Finland to Michigan where he met & married a young Finnish woman. They had four children. Tom wished for more for his young family. He travelled 600 km by foot after hearing from his brother to Saskatchewan to start a homestead. Here he worked hard & over seven years raised the incredible sum of $9000 for that time. With this sum he travelled back to Michigan to collect his wife & family, only to find his wife had died of influenza & his children had been sent to foster homes. He was able to locate one son & attempted to return to Canada with this son only to be stopped & his son taken from him by the authorities. Alone he returned to Canada, heartbroken.  When the Great Depression struck in 1929, Tom traveled the high spring water of the Saskatchewan River to Hudson Bay on a heavy rowboat he had built himself. From there, he took a job on a freight ship to Finland, returning to Saskatchewan shortly after. Upon his return Tom began to build a ship- the Sontianen- his dream project that he hoped to sail to Finland. For six long years during the Depression, when resources were scarce, he laboured to build this ship. Nearing completion all he had left to do was tow the parts to the Hudson Bay, where the parts would be assembled and the steam engine and boiler installed. His neighbours did not understand his project & called him crazy. A local neighbor refused to assist him in moving the structure even though he easily could have assisted with his steam engines. Local vandals stripped the metal from the hull. Tom was so depressed with this turn of events he did not even protest when he was taken to an institutional hospital where he would end his days.

There are numerous outbuildings also to tour alongside the ship including pioneer homesteads, a railway station, grain elevators, stores, a church, school & buildings with collections of antique vehicles among others. Really there is so much to see that we didn't even get to exploring every building before it started to rain & museum fatigue had set in. You need to set aside 2-3 hours to see everything. 

It is definitely worth a visit! The only qualifier I would add for the museum to improve on is to get rid of the horrid manequins. They are really ghastly, haha! 

The Berry Barn Saskatoon

On Sunday morning we took a leisurely drive south of the city of Saskatoon to The Berry Barn. 

It was raining but the weather report called for a sunny day starting at 10. We were the first guests to arrive at 8:45 am. J was still sleeping after our drive so we waited in the car until she awoke at 9:15 before venturing in for breakfast.

We ordered the Sunday special of waffles & farmers sausage. Their famous Belgian waffle includes one trip to the topping bar which includes Saskatoon berries, strawberries, peach topping, real whipped cream, vanilla pudding, chocolate sauce and your choice of four different syrups. 

L made his trip to the topping bar count as a waffle alone is $13.49 and a sausage is $4.49...

I had the half order of the waffle by contrast...haha.

The saskatoons were really delicious and if I were making a trip to the toppings bar again I would have just had saskatoons as my topping. I thought it was a little expensive but it was a fun experience. There is also not a kid's menu.

The view was beautiful! We sat on the covered patio. We were the only ones on the patio while we enjoyed our breakfast. By the time we were ready to leave their was a line up outside to get in. We came at the right time! 

J enjoyed samples of our waffles & toppings too!

After we toured the gardens & green houses.

Here is where the saskatoons are grown. L said it is also a u-pick farm but there were few saskatoons on the branches at this time of the year that I could see. 

 In the green housese there were hydroponic strawberries. This was the first time I have ever seen strawberries grown this way.

I'm not sure I would make The Berry Barn a must stop when in Saskatoon again even though it was listed on several what to do in Saskatoon sites but it was fun to experience at least once. Perhaps if I lived in Saskatoon visiting when the greenhouses had the spring flowers would be a worthwhile trip or the Pumpkin Patch event or Thanksgiving Feast...

Forestry Farm Park & Zoo, Saskatoon

This past weekend we went to Saskatoon for a mini summer vacation.

We often stop at the university. 

I think universities in the summer are some of the most peaceful, beautiful places. 

On Saturday we went to the Forestry Farm Park & Zoo. 

It is a small zoo & very worthwhile experience! Bring your picnic baskets and enjoy walking around the park & seeing animals. It is economical also if you have kids. A family rate is only $23 or $11.50 per adult & under preschool free. 

We saw cougars, bison, wolves, grizzly bears, deer, turkeys, peacocks, roosters, a python, a porcupine, owls, and lots of goats among others. 

J even got up close & personal with this fawn that came to visit us. 

Check out those two front teeth that J is now sporting. They came in on July 31st. 

Saturday Larks

Lark: (noun) a merry, carefree adventure; frolic; escapade.

 I love to go on larks & awhile ago I was thinking I want my baby to grow up on picnics in the park, jumping into a cool lake on a hot summer day, intently watching ants on the march or spending hours just laying back and looking at clouds.  Slowing down to savor the season, to be outside, to play, to be imaginative & curious, to experience the culture & community of a place. 

Dr. Lawrence Rosen published in Mind Body Green 7 science-backed reasons to get our kids outside including: getting outside encourages exercise, it reduces anxiety, it improves focus, makes kids smarter, builds a sense of community, it helps them develop deeper connections with family, it raises their interest in the environment.

  I came across a book titled 940 Saturdays -- along while back -- this is the number of Saturdays between the time a child is born and turns 18. It seems like a lot of Saturdays, and now, I realized we are already 7 months in! Where has the time gone!  It is so true that the days are long but the years are short. 

I realized I need to start being intentional about growing my baby up on picnics in the park or somehow, somewhere, someway she will be 15 and I will wonder why my baby prefers the comfort of the basement. That is not to say we have not had a number of larks so far because I love to get outside...but rather I want to be intentional about sharing my love of larking with my baby & you, my friends, in hopes of converting everyone to be a larker.

My first entry was:

August 6, 2016

J...I can't even imagine 940 Saturdays from now where we will be or what we will be doing. Maybe you will be getting ready to go to university or to travel to Europe. It will be summer. Perhaps we will be at a park as we are today. Today you experienced bubbles for the first time. It was such fun to see you reach for the bubbles & giggle. You are learning to sit up and only toppled over twice. You picked a marigold and after carefully examining it, tasted it. Eww! yucky. I love your inquisitive nature. 

After five years I have finally come up with a theme & intent for my blog --which deserved a name change! Some of us are just late bloomers... 

Here's to sharing my love of Saturday larks.

Saturday larks are munching on popcorn while watching cinema in the park, building sandcastles in summer & snowmen in winter, picnics in the park, getting out to explore an art gallery or museum- you would be surprised but art galleries often have sculpture gardens or outdoor displays & there are a number of outdoor museums, blowing & catching bubbles, playing hopscotch, wiggling our toes in the sand at the beach, planting flowers, painting pet rocks, sipping rootbeer floats, playing frisbee tic-tac-toe, going on a bug hunt, cheering at a football game, catching a live outdoor play like Shakespear in the Park, touring a historic fortress, picking berries, getting wet at spray pads, attending the fair, digging for fossils, swimming in the lake, hiking in the mountains...etc

That is not to say all our Saturday Larks will be outdoors, as sometimes the weather prevails, but rather the intent will be to build memories together as a family and have a record of that journey. 

Did you grow up on catching frogs and skating on the pond? What are some of your favorite memories of activities that you & your family enjoyed outdoors? Do share some of your ideas for great outdoor activities that you & your loved ones enjoy...