momaha.com
VOLUME 11 · ISSUE 6 JUNE
CULINARY MAGIC Unicorn Noodles change color before your eyes
IN LIVING COLOR A rainbow of books and crafts for spring
2020
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June 2020
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CONTENTS momaha where moms connect
VOLUME 11 . ISSUE 6 . JUNE 2020
editor in chief CHRIS CHRISTEN chris.christen@owh.com 402-444-1094
creative director + designer KILEY CRUSE cruse@owh.com 402-444-1375
copy editors SHELLEY LARSEN PA M R I C H T E R
momaha.com editor ASHLEE COFFEY ashlee.coffey@owh.com 402-444-1075
contributor AMY TOKOS
cover photo KILEY CRUSE
account manager BRETT SNEAD brett.snead@owh.com 402-444-1425
account executive DEBORAH FERNSELL deborah.fernsell@owh.com 402-444-1209
KILEY CRUSE
account executive
REAL MOMS + ADVICE
SEASONAL
5 Editor’s Column 7 Momaha Bookshelf 16 Get Organized
8 Unicorn Noodles 11 Clay Pot Wind Chimes 12 CD Suncatcher 14 Nature Scavenger Hunt and Bingo
M A R I LY N M A R T I N marilyn.martin@owh.com 402-444-1405
Momaha Magazine is a monthly publication of the Omaha World-Herald, 1314 Douglas St., Suite 700, Omaha, NE 68102. Momaha is a registered trademark, and all content is copyright 2020 by the Omaha World-Herald. All rights reserved. The opinions and perspectives published herein are those of the authors and should not be construed as those of Momaha Magazine.
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When children are your everything, Anything can be. At Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, science and heart lead us to even greater pediatric breakthroughs. We provide the very best in pediatric specialty care, advance pediatric research, educate tomorrow’s experts and advocate for children, families and entire communities – to improve the future of medicine, and the life of every child. To find a physician for your child, call 1.800.833.3100 or visit ChildrensOmaha.org.
Education
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Research
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June 2020
MOMAHA.COM EDITOR ASHLEE COFFEY Wife to Kevin Coffey, omaha.com deputy editor and music critic for the Omaha World-Herald. Mom to Sam and Elliott. Follow her on Twitter: @AshleeCoffeyOWH
SUMMER IS FOR MAKING MEMORIES
H
ello, June! Even though summer doesn’t officially start until June 20, this entire month has always felt like summer to me. In fact, when I was a kid, I always thought the first day of summer was June 1. It’s hard to believe we’re already here, too. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the start of 2020. It’s amazing how fast time flies. While it’s true that I’m more of a fall girl, summer is a close second favorite. When we were young, my siblings and I were outside from pretty much morning until night. We rode our bikes, made forts, went swimming and played neighborhood-friendly street
hockey in front of our house. I loved spending weeks at the lake, camping with my family, competing on my hometown swim team and watching my brother play baseball. I have so many wonderful summertime memories, I can’t wait to share some of the same traditions with my boys, who are 6 and 3. Even though this summer might be odd because of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing, there are still plenty of ways to make the most of it. We’ve filled this issue with craft ideas and activities the whole family can try. However you spend the summer, I hope you make memories to last a lifetime. Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there!
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Fr ree &
opeen to
All l ages
Summer Reading Program June 1–July 31, 2020 Presented by the Richard Brooke Foundation
Kids' & Teens' program Get a prize pack by reading or listening for 10 hours. Log time each week for additional chances to win drawing prizes, including gift cards.
Kids' & Teens' Prize Pack • Book • Coupon sheet • Choice of a clear stadium bag, water bottle, or pencil case • Storm Chasers voucher
Adults' Program Read or listen for 10 hours to receive your choice of a clear stadium bag, water bottle, or pencil case; voucher for a book; and entry into a drawing for gift cards.
(scheduled for an 8/5 or 8/9 game)
• Entry into a drawing for gift cards
Prizes available beginning June 1, while supplies last.
Details are subject to change. Visit omahalibrary.org to learn more & register.
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MOMAHA BOOKSHELF ASHLEE COFFEY
Reading rainbow
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pring and summer rainstorms are among my favorite things. Why? They bring rainbows! If you’re a fan of this beautiful, natural phenomenon, then check out these rainbow-themed books to share with your little ones.
“BAKE A RAINBOW CAKE!”
by Amirah Kassem This interactive board book is perfect for even the littlest bakers. Kids can mix the batter by turning a wheel, open the oven by lifting a flap and even frost the cake by pulling a tab. The end result will have kids baking this rainbow cake over and over again.
“AVA AND THE RAINBOW (WHO STAYED)”
“PLANTING A RAINBOW”
“HOW THE CRAYONS SAVED THE RAINBOW”
“THE RAINBOW BOOK”
by Ged Adamson When the rain stopped and the sun came out, the most beautiful rainbow Ava had ever seen appeared. She wished it would stay forever — and it did. But when people soon lose interest in the rainbow, Ava realizes the importance of rare, beautiful things.
by Monica Sweeney When the sun and clouds get into a fight, they refuse to be in the sky together. As a result, there are no more rainbows and color starts to disappear from the world. It’s up to a forgotten box of crayons to return color to the world and get the sun and clouds to be friends again.
by Lois Ehlert This book follows a mom and daughter as they plant a variety of bulbs and seeds and watch them grow into a rainbow of colors. The beautiful illustrations will keep kids enthralled from cover to cover.
by Kate Ohrt This book explores the relationship between colors and the feelings they might inspire. Does red mean angry? Does yellow mean happiness? Is blue calming? Each illustration is set against a black background and shows an intricate cut-paper design in a single color and the emotion it suggests. A rainbow of emotions emerges as you turn the pages. It’s the perfect book for kids of all ages.
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TEXT, STYLING + PHOTOGRAPHY Kiley Cruse
Culinary magic Consider the pasta-bilities!
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nicorn Noodles are culinary magic. That’s because the noodles change color right before your eyes. Here’s the science behind the meal: Purple cabbage has a pigment called anthocyanin. When boiled, the cabbage water changes color as its pH factor changes. The cabbage water is purple when it’s in contact with neutral pH liquids (think water) and pink when it touches acids (think lemon juice). Soaking rice noodles or glass noodles in red cabbage water transfers the indicator properties to the noodles. The water-to-cabbage ratio affects the darkness of the purple, as does the time you leave the noodles to soak. In this dish, kids get to change the pH themselves with a drizzle of lemon juice and watch the color-changing magic happen while they eat. The more lemon juice they use, the pinker the noodles will get. It looks like magic, but it’s really science at work.
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MAGIC COLOR-CHANGING UNICORN NOODLES • 1 package rice noodles or glass noodles • ½ purple cabbage • 1 lemon, sliced
1. Roughly chop the cabbage and place in a 5-quart pot. Add enough water to just cover the cabbage and bring to a boil over high heat. 2. Boil until the water is deeply saturated with purple color, about 10 minutes, and remove pot from heat.
3. Remove the cabbage and place the rice noodles in the purple water. Let soak for 8-12 minutes or until noodles are soft. 4. Drain the cabbage water. 5. Have the kids squeeze a bit of lemon onto their noodles and watch as the noodles slowly change to pink! 6. Serve the noodles with butter or soy sauce or with Stir-Fried Chili-Lemon Shrimp and Rice Noodles (recipe follows). Sources: theindigokitchen.com; leftbraincraftbrain.com
STIR-FRIED CHILI-LEMON SHRIMP WITH RICE NOODLES Serves 3 to 4 • 1 bunch broccoli (about 6 ounces), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces • 8 ounces thin, flat, dried rice noodles • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil • 8 ounces large uncooked shrimp (26-30 count), peeled and deveined • Salt, for taste • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1 tablespoon fish sauce • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice • 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari • 2 teaspoons Asian chile-garlic paste, such as sambal oelek • 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or Thai basil, optional
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a large plate. 2. If making Unicorn Noodles, skip this step. Add the noodles to the pot of hot water and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the rice noodles and run under cold water until cool; drain again. 3. Meanwhile, cook the shrimp.
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Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick frying pan or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the shrimp, season with salt, and sauté until just pink and almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the broccoli. 4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the noodles, broccoli, shrimp, fish sauce, lemon juice, soy sauce or tamari, and chile paste. Cook, constantly tossing with wooden chopsticks or tongs, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro or Thai basil, if using, and serve immediately. Note: If using Unicorn Noodles, do NOT add them to the pan to stir fry or they will turn pink from the lemon juice. Instead, plate the purple noodles, top with the broccoli and shrimp and serve with the lemon slices on the side. Adapted from www.thekitchn.com
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June 2020
Clay pots make beautiful music together
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his terra-cotta project will be music to your ears, especially when the whole family wants to chime in!
DIY WIND CHIMES • Terra-cotta pots with drainage holes (we used 1¾-inch, 2½-inch and 3-inch diameter pots) • Acrylic paints • Paint brushes • Twine (thin enough to fit through drainage holes) • Large bead (with an opening large enough to accept the twine) • Smaller beads for decoration, optional
M
ITIES
ORLD
ECTS
KILLS TEXT, STYLING + PHOTOGRAPHY Kiley Cruse
1. Paint the clay pots. Let dry. 2. Paint beads, if applicable. 3. Cut a 2- to 3-foot length of twine. Tie a knot in one end. Thread on large bead and tie another knot at the top of the bead. 4. Tie a loose knot about an inch above the bead. Thread the smallest pot upside-down on the chime string. If bead does not hang halfway out the bottom, adjust knot. If knot is in the correct spot, pull tight. 5. Continue process of tying a loose knot about 1-1½ inches above smallest pot, thread on medium pot. Adjust knot height if necessary. Repeat for each of the remaining pots. 6. Tie a knot at the top of the last pot. 7. Thread decorative beads on twine above pots, if you like. 8. Hang outdoors and enjoy the chime in the breeze! Tip: To make polka dots, use a cotton-tip swab. Source: houseofjoyfulnoise.com
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TEXT, STYLING + PHOTOGRAPHY Ashlee Coffey
Scratch, I peel + paint
love suncatchers. My grandma always had a few hanging in her windows, and I liked watching them reflect light in colorful and beautiful ways. I recently realized that I could make suncatchers of my own. I was hoping the project would be easy enough for my boys, ages 6 and 3, to do — but it’s definitely not. You need a steady hand and the ability to control a squeeze bottle. My kids would have just made a giant mess and gotten extremely frustrated. But children ages 8 and older should have no trouble with the steps.
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June 2020
CD SUNCATCHERS
Consignment sales in west Omaha.
• Old CDs or DVDs Next sale dates: • Window paint in KIDZ SHOPPE – Sept. 16 to 20 various colors KIDZSHOPPEOMAHA.COM • Black liquid leading HIZ & HERZ – Oct. 21 to 25 • Strong adhesiveHIZANDHERZOMAHA.COM tape (like duct tape)
1. Begin by scratching off areas of coating on both sides of a CD with a sharp object like scissors. Place strips of tape on those areas and then begin lifting the tape to pull off the coating in chunks. Repeat this process until you have a completely clear disc. 2. Use liquid leading to create a design. You can either draw a free-hand design or trace a free downloadable template from the Internet onto your blank CD. Apply the liquid leading carefully (don’t squeeze the bottle too hard), and let dry as directed. Omaha. 3. Once dry, fill in your sections with window paint. Again, don’t squeeze the o 20 bottles too hard. Fill around the edges first and pull the 25 paint toward the middle of the design area; fill in with more paint as necessary. 4. Let dry completely — at Omaha. least eight hours. Once dry, drill a small hole in the top of the CD and thread fishing line, o 20 dental floss or string through the hole for hanging. 25 5. Place suncatcher in a window or outside and watch it dance in the sunlight.
Consignment sales in west Omaha. Next sale dates: KIDZ SHOPPE – Sept. 16 to 20 KIDZSHOPPEOMAHA.COM
HIZ & HERZ – Oct. 21 to 25 HIZANDHERZOMAHA.COM
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ADOBESTOCK
Hey, look — fresh air! TEXT Ashlee Coffey
N hours.
o matter where you live or how big an outdoor space you have, these activities will keep your kids happy and entertained for
NEIGHBORHOOD WALK BINGO Print off Bingo sheets from momaha.com and take to your neighborhood streets to cross off things on the board as you see them. The first one to get a Bingo — down, across or diagonal — gets a special treat!
NEIGHBORHOOD SCAVENGER HUNT This is similar to Bingo, but can be a much longer list.
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Print our list from momaha.com or come up with your own. The point is having fun while taking a little closer look at the neighborhood you live in.
BUBBLES If you don’t have any bubbles at home, it’s easy to make your own. Just add 6 cups water and 1 cup dish soap to a bowl. Stir slowly and carefully to combine (don’t let it foam or form bubbles). Then add 1 tablespoon glycerin or ¼ cup corn syrup, and mix together. Use immediately or let it sit overnight for even better bubbles. Use a bubble wand or straw to blow some epic bubbles.
OUTDOOR OBSTACLE COURSE This is your chance to get creative and wear your kids out! Use 2-by-4-inch pieces of wood to create a narrow path to walk on, pool noodles to create arches to go over or under, yarn to create an obstacle to crawl through or underneath, bed sheets draped over clothesline to create a tunnel, or chalk to make a wacky path to follow. Then come up with something fun for the finish line; it should be exciting to cross.
SCHOOL GAMES Think back to your elementary and middle school days and play four square or hopscotch, or even jump rope.
BIKE PARADE Decorate your bikes with whatever you can find around the house — construction paper, tissue paper, streamers or anything colorful — and then ride around the neighborhood to show them off.
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TIC-TAC-TOE Find 10 rocks that can fit comfortably in your hand. Paint five with x’s and five with o’s. Or you can get creative and paint a blue flower on five and a ladybug on the other five. Then use chalk to create your board.
BOWLING Save plastic soda bottles or milk jugs and paint them to look like bowling pins. Then set them up, take a tennis ball and have fun knocking them down.
ICE TREASURE HUNT
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This is an especially fun one to do on a hot summer day even if it does take some prep work. Fill a bowl or bread loaf pan with about an inch of water and some toys. (Make sure they’re hardy toys like rubber balls, dinosaurs, shells, coins, etc., so they don’t break.) Place the bowl or pan in the freezer. Once water is frozen, add more toys and another inch or so of water. Keep doing this until your container is full. This might take a couple of days. Then let your kids go wild with tools — say, tooth brushes, warm water in a spray bottle or a kid-sized hammer — chipping away the ice.
BACKYARD CAMPING Who says you have to leave home to have a fun night of camping? Set up a tent, make a campfire and cook hot dogs and s’mores. It might not be quite the same as heading to a campground, but at least you can head right inside when you need to use the bathroom! berninaomaha.com
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GET ORGANIZED AMY TOKOS Amy Tokos is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Freshly Organized. You can find more organizing tips at freshlyorganized.com.
ADOBESTOCK
Solutions for your storage areas
I
f you are lucky enough to have a storage area, it might need cleaning out. A storage area provides two things — space to hang onto items we need occasionally such as holiday decorations or camping gear and the opportunity to delay a decision about an item. Not sure you need it? Just put it in your storage space. If this sounds familiar, your storage area might need some tending. To get started, keep it simple. Touch every item/box and decide if it is keep or don’t keep. Pull the don’t keep items out of the space. During this phase try not to dig through boxes with a lot of stuff. Just set those aside to sort later in the process. Another thing to avoid is trying to determine what to do with items you are no longer keeping.
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June 2020
That decision alone can stop the cleanout process. Setting aside the items you no longer want will enable you to address that later. For the items you are keeping, you can create zones. The idea is to help you find things in the future. If you don’t spend much time in your storage area, you will forget what is where and zones will help. Some zones might include holiday, memorabilia, activity (camping supplies, sports equipment, etc.) and home (home decor, paint, tile, etc.). After all your items are in zones, you can start cleaning out the boxes of miscellaneous items. I always recommend doing these types of boxes at the end; they can be a bit overwhelming with a lot of decisions. That means you might only be able to get through one box at a sitting. The key here is to stay focused on a simple decision: to keep and not keep. If
you’re having trouble with that decision, think through what the item will look like in 5, 10 or 20 years. If in your mind, the item is still in storage in the future, then it’s probably time to let it go. Memorabilia is sometimes the hardest. If it’s important enough to keep then it needs to be honored and shown off. The other thing to keep in mind with memorabilia is that less is more. If you only keep a small amount of keepsakes, then they become very precious. It’s a treasure. If your storage is full of them, it’s much harder to identify or find the treasures. When you’re all done cleaning out, label everything. Especially every box or bin that you can’t see inside. Most people don’t spend a lot of time in their storage spaces. If there aren’t labels on boxes, you’ll be opening them to remember what’s in them. Label, label, label. It will help you in six months, I promise.
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