Author: denieksioglu

lockdown life begins (sort of) …

last night, the government ordered a two-day lockdown- it was probably a very smart, if poorly timed, move as the weather is supposed to be fantastic this weekend after a good two weeks of rainy cold days. people would have certainly tried to make the best of the sunshine and get outdoors as much as possible; ruining any gains we may have made through the past month of social distancing.

unfortunately, the announcement was made around 10pm and was set to go into effect at midnight.  in response, many people rushed to do last-minute shopping. they were probably planning on making grocery shopping their weekend activity; particularly as many are still working full time. neither businesses nor the government can afford a full economic shutdown along the lines of the ones in the u.s. and italy; and many of these working citizens aren’t really able to shop online or in shops during the week. 

as a result, the news hit like a bombshell and within half an hour throngs of people were massed in front of markets and shops, jostling to get in, most with masks and gloves, but some without. 

memes on istagram and whatsapp were immediate and darkly funny… things like, “we managed to spread a weekend’s worth of germs in two hours,” or “the lockdown news was greeted with great public jubilation as the people took to the streets in celebration!”

erim and i had left the house briefly yesterday afternoon to buy some groceries; even we were feeling a bit stir crazy and wanted to get out when we saw the sun.  in our little neighborhood people were out and about.  some shopping for passover and easter supplies. some walking their pets. some visiting with friends by sitting on separate park benches.  erim commented, “at the very least they should declare a lockdown for the weekend”. 

our grocery trip was a bit unnecessary, as were those of some of the people we saw yesterday, i feel certain. it is hard to change habits overnight, and uncertainty makes us feel even more antsy than usual.

but in all honesty, with our large-by-istanbul standards house, and our own garden, we are so fortunate. i can’t imagine how difficult this lockdown must be in other parts of the city, where large families so often share small apartments without the respite of even a balcony.

(there is a great article about this in the new york times today- discussing a similar issue in french suburbs- you can find the article here– while social unrest is less of an issue here, the problems with overcrowding and lockdown do apply)

our city is sure to be extra quiet this weekend. we had already noticed a significant decrease in both noise and air pollution, even though people have still been moving around.  at various points over the past month of social distancing the global pandemic has seemed surreal and a truly quiet istanbul might be the most surreal moment to date.

we’ll be trying to keep things at home as “routine” as possible though. on sunday we’ll celebrate easter with an egg hunt in the morning and a late lunch- maybe we’ll even get dressed up and have champagne.

and then we’ll see what monday brings…

cubism for kids…

the tate modern museum in london defines cubism as, “a revolutionary new approach to representing reality invented in around 1907–08 by artists pablo picasso and georges braque. they brought different views of subjects (usually objects or figures) together in the same picture, resulting in paintings that appear fragmented and abstracted.”[1]

kidsz’s child oriented definition explains that cubism is, “a style of art which aims to show all of the possible viewpoints of a person or an object all at once. It is called cubism because the items represented in the artworks look like they are made out of cubes and other geometrical shapes.”[2]

many early cubists painted and drew in monochrome so that their audiences would focus more on the geometrical shapes than on the colors represented in the art.  however, picasso soon changed this trend by introducing color into his cubist pieces.

here are some of picasso’s well-known cubist works[3]:

ask your kids to describe the shapes they see in each one; the three musicians work is especially geometric…

you can also visit tate kids for some great information on picasso and his other works-

this week’s art @ home project helps to introduce children to some basic cubist ideas; particularly the notion of fragmentation and abstraction in art, and also focusing on geometrical shapes (part of alegra’s e-learning this week).

while painting, we also talked about warm and cool colors; painting the inside of the heart with warm colors and using cool colors for the outside.

here is an easy way to remember the warm and cool colors using a color wheel:

all the materials used are simple and should be easy to find even during these times of social distancing.  we used watercolors but markers, colored pencils or pastels will work just as well.

materials-

  • a4 white paper
  • pencil
  • ruler
  • black marker
  • watercolors
  • paintbrush
  • water cup

instructions-

  • draw a large shape in the middle of your paper- we drew a heart but anything will work- some ideas might be a flower, butterfly, tree or even a soccer ball
  • use the ruler to draw 4-6 straight lines from one side of the paper to the next; criss-crossing your main shape (more lines will make painting harder, but might be fun for older children)
  • use a black marker to outline all the lines
  • decide which parts will have warm and cool colors and start painting!

[1] https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/cubism

[2] https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Cubism

[3] https://www.pablopicasso.org/

channeling our inner bi nevi deli…

this winter alara and i absolutely fell head over heels in love with bi nevi deli’s pumpkin bread… it is the perfect consistency, not too sweet and super flavorful.

but with bi nevi deli closed for the at least another couple of months, and pumpkin season nearly at a close we decided to do the next best thing and try to make our own 🙂

here the recipe we used, adapted from the minimalist baker… we loved the results, send us pictures if you try it too!

ingredients–

  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
  • 6 tablespoons warm water
  • 1.5 cups fresh pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey, if not vegan)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oik
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup nut milk (we used lokal plants hazelnut)
  • 1 cup gluten free flour (we used buckwheat)
  • 1/3 cup oat flour

instructions–

  • preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
  • line a bread pan with parchment paper
  • mix the ground flaxseed and warm water (this is your “vegan egg”) and allow to fully combine for 10 minutes
  • in a large bowl, mix each ingredient in order, making sure to fully combine after each addition
  • bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
  • cool fully on a wire rack; slice if desired
  • we recommend serving slightly toasted with almond butter for a perfect breakfast or mid-afternoon snack

anxiety is just as contagious as covid-19

one of the most important pieces of advice I received before we went into “stay at home mode” last month was to make a schedule (or “program”, as alegra calls it) and stick to it. each day we have specific times for all our routine activities, breakfast, lunch and dinner; e-learning; exercise; socializing with friends; creating through art, cooking or music; and even blocks of time that we all know can be used for free-time or “alone time”.

during these uncertain times, watching the nightly news has also become a key part of our routine; as unalterable as e-learning or walking the dog.  as we watch the news, inevitably our phones start to bing and ping and light up- signaling messages from friends and family all over turkey who, like us, are trying to figure out exactly what is happening here and abroad, and glean any possible information about the future; either from official messages or from shared information.

last night was interesting, the president addressed the nation in a live press conference, detailing government efforts to combat the spread of the virus and keep deaths to a minimum.  messages from friends meanwhile cautioned that full lockdown; in turkey this is called “a ban on being on the street”; was certainly coming this week. friends also indicated that the government may soon decide to seize private assets in order to have more cash at their disposal.  rumor had it that private individuals would still be able to access their money; but only a certain percentage during a given time period- probably a month. 

the girls heard this, rumors coming from an anxious place, and oh boy, did that anxiety spread like wildfire throughout our house!

you could call it serendipity, or maybe just plain coincidence, but over the weekend two close friends sent me brene brown’s podcast on anxiety and calm.  i finally found time to listen to it yesterday morning while the girls had “e-school”. it could not have been better timing…

in the podcast, brown explains, and demonstrates, just how contagious anxiety is. and then she offers some advice on how to handle it. be it with a child, a co-worker, a friend or a spouse, the tools she provides are simple, and last night they WORKED.

despite the fear i felt rising in my chest as the questions flew around the dinner table; i took a deep breath as calmly as possible and said, “we don’t have any official information indicating that any of these rumors are true. until then there is no need to worry about this. once we have more information, we can-if necessary-make a plan that will work for us.”

honestly, i am still a little surprised that i managed to say it all so calmly, and i am equally and pleasantly surprised at how well it worked to calm not just the girls’, but my nerves as well.

there will be more rumors to come, decisions made by the government, the schools and other institutions that will surely make us anxious. just remember that anxiety is contagious- so take deep breaths, be sure you have all the information and don’t forget to wash your hands.

you can access the podcast here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bren%C3%A9-on-anxiety-calm-over-under-functioning/id1494350511?i=1000470370881

let me know how your family is handling all these big questions; sharing resources and tools is crucial in these odd, odd times. 

creating with toilet rolls!!

who knew that toilet paper was so important?!! well, we all know now, that’s for sure! and if you, like most of us, went out and bought a whole bunch before social distancing measures started then i bet you have more than enough material to complete this fun, easy and colorful project!

the weather this week in istanbul has been terrible; cold and wet and downright depressing.  so, we really needed a bit of color.  with our mornings and early afternoons occupied with e-lessons and schoolwork tasks to be completed we needed some relaxing art to help fill the dreary afternoons…

these toilet roll sculptures are super easy; smaller children will need help with cutting the rolls into small circles, but many children can actually complete the whole project unassisted. we painted our sculpture with watercolors, but any type of child-friendly paints will do.

materials-

  • square of cardboard for the base
  • lots of toilet rolls
  • scissors
  • liquid glue
  • paints (and a water cup, if necessary)
  • paintbrushes

instructions-

  • cut the toilet rolls into as many pieces as you’d like- make some thinner and some thicker for a varied look
  • using lots of glue, stick the toilet rolls to the cardboard base
  • continue “building” your sculpture adding more rolls to the top and sides
  • allow the glue to dry fully- we left ours to dry overnight
  • paint each separate toiler roll and then the cardboard base- there is no right or wrong- we decided on rainbow colors with a black base; but the sky’s the limit when it comes to color!!

(you might find that a second coat of paint helps to make the colors extra vibrant)

oven baked potato and chickpea mücver

this is a healthier take on the classic turkish dish mücver; a type of fritter that is traditionally fried in olive oil and served as a side dish.

two years ago we did a food project where we cooked a new mücver every week using seasonal vegetables and a vegetarian protein- you can find all past recipes here –

making mücver is a great way to incorporate a ton of healthy vegetables and proteins together in an easy to make and easy to eat comfort food based meal…feel free to substitute any of the “haftanın mücveri” recipes using the cooking instructions; or just throw in whatever veggies you have leftover in the fridge. 

we baked today’s mücver in the oven, which helps significantly to cut down work time in the kitchen.

the beautiful golden alabaş soup we had today is a friend’s recipe- you can find it in her cookbook içindekiler

ingredients:

  • 3 medium sized potatoes-grated
  • 1 cup boiled chickpeas-lightly mashed
  • 3 large handfuls chopped spinach
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 3/4 cup grated cheese
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste

instructions:

  • preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  • combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well
  • pour mixture evenly into an ovenproof pan- ours is 25 x 18 cm in size
  • cook for approximately 30-35 minutes until middle of fritter is firm to the touch
  • serve hot or room temperature- both are delicious!

stress free lunch buffet

I don’t know a single parent who isn’t feeling at least a little bit overwhelmed with all the cooking, cleaning, entertaining and e-learning that is going on right now at home… and this is before even mentioning the fact that so many parents are trying to navigate all of this while working at home too! 

with three kids and a husband now at home full-time, one of my biggest struggles has been figuring out how to have healthy meals available without actually turning the kitchen into a restaurant-style establishment!  

the first week of self-isolation here in turkey was officially the girls’ spring break; so that week we let things slide. it didn’t go well. it seemed breakfast lasted all morning and lunch lasted all afternoon! by the time dinner rolled around no one was in the mood to cook and i could never really grasp who was hungry.

once school started things started to calm down; breakfast figured itself out, thank goodness, and for lunch we have started serving a lunch buffet.  it may seem counter intuitive to have so many things out on the table, but in reality, having a main cooked dish that can be eaten room temperature, a soup ready on the stove, and salady vegetable fixings has made life so much easier.  the girls’ e-lesson lunch breaks don’t necessarily coincide every day and erim often has calls or online meetings that happen mid-day. this way we can all come and go and eat when we have time without the stress of trying to coordinate cooking and eating times.

here are a couple of easy ideas that don’t require recipes and the recipe for the delicious lunch we had today is in the next post… 

i’ll be posting new lunch buffet ideas and recipes throughout the coming weeks too; if you happen to make one of them please send me a photo and your thoughts; and feel free to share any favorite ideas of your own!

easy ideas from the past two weeks:

grilled chicken salad– this is a winner! All you really need are lots of greens, cucumber and tomatoes, and some grilled chicken.  My girls also like some corn and grated cheese and I added some oven-baked tofu for a vegetarian option.

cheese and spinach quesadillas– super simple, just grate some cheese and chop some spinach, and heat a tortilla, or lavas here in Turkey, in a pan.  Add the cheese and spinach, top with another tortilla and wait for the cheese to melt. Flip once to get a nice even toasting on both side. Serve with a salad, some soup or even just some chopped veggies. (I made mine with vegan cheese and it was delicious!)

chicken lettuce wraps- this time we sautéed some chicken with soy sauce, had large leaves of lettuce on hand, and added some chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, grated carrots, and sliced peppers. The girls made their own thai-style chicken wraps; I added cashews, cilantro and some pea protein to mine.

ham and Cheese sandwiches- no need for instructions on this one I think 

little bird boxes take flight…

one of my favorite projects of the past year has been creating and compiling the little bird boxes. each box features a different arts and crafts theme for children aged 12 months and up- there are design your own dreamcatcher boxes for older children, for those aged 3 to 12, there are create your own cloth bag boxes, paint ceramic tiles like picasso boxes, decorate your own treasure chest boxes,and for little ones, aged 1-3 years old, there are process art oriented baby boxes.

the project started off last june with the best of intentions, and so much amazing support from SO many people- inspiration from my office mates, design and printing help from friends, and moral support from so many like-minded parents; however, as often happens, life just sort of got in the way. 

part of the problem was that little bird boxes were my first real foray into true retail work, and i have to say i was underprepared for the amount of work would be necessary.  i was unable to pay these beautiful boxes the attention that they deserve and soon found myself with a wonderful stock of surplus boxes. 

after much thought, and more than a few sleepless nights, i realized that what would really make my heart happy would be to make sure the boxes found good homes 🙂

to this end, last december, i arranged to donate approximately half the boxes to the pediatric oncology unit at the koç university hospital and kept the rest for possible future sales.

but with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic here in turkey and around the world, the little bird boxes suddenly took on new meaning for me.  as we, here in my home, scrambled to make sure we had enough art supplies, activities, games and books at home to weather at least a couple of weeks of self-isolation (we are now surely OVERLY prepared)- i couldn’t help but think of the very many children here in istanbul whose parents do not have luxury of being home with their children to help with e-learning or propose a continual stream of activities and entertainment; let alone the resources necessary to create an art and game supply closet.

and so…. with the help of the amazing istanbul gönüllüleri volunteer network, all our remaining little bird boxes on currently on their way to children in need of just this sort of assistance!!

the girls and i spent all yesterday afternoon and evening stuffing each box with whatever extra supplies we could find- there are extra boxes to paint for each child, glitter glue with which to decorate them, and plenty of surplus supplies to encourage children to come up with some arty ideas on their own later on. we also added a whole bunch of books to the mix for some extra fun!

Covid-19 has forced us all, the whole world, to take a much-needed pause and reflect on what is really important and valuable in our lives.  for me, this imposed slowing down of my own pace of life has helped me to remember what really makes me happy; giving and sharing with others. in this time of social distancing, uncertainty and fear it is hard to know how and even exactly what we can give to others…and i am so grateful for the opportunity to share some of our good fortune in this way. 

including my children in this work of giving and sharing has always been important to me. it is likely that social distancing will require us to become even more isolated in the coming days… but we have some new ideas up our sleeves… stay tuned!!

below are two donation options currently being run through the istanbul municipal government and spearheaded by their corps of volunteers; istanbul gönüllüleri. 

In addition, the world health organization is accepting donations to help with the global response:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/donate

And for those looking to donate in the US, the salvation army is always a good choice:

https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/covid19/

wintery lentil soup

as we try to adjust to full-time life at home one of the biggest challenges has been finding healthy meals that are both filling and enjoyable for everyone. generally speaking we are each on our own for breakfast, we have a vegetarian lunch that can be a sort of open buffet (so that if the girls have online lessons at the same time they can eat earlier orator as necessary) and a dinner that has consists of meat or fish, salad and a strong veggie side dish.

today’s soup and sandwich lunch was a winner!

a tasty wintery lentil soup filled with healthy green lentils and tons of greens, homemade hummus with celery and carrot sticks, and open faced grilled cheese sandwiches- on sourdough bread for erim, asya and alegra and on our homemade gluten free bread for alara (recipe coming soon 🙂 )

the soup is super simple to make and tasty to boot… warm and cozy for such a terrible grey istanbul day — check out the recipe below and please send me a picture if you make it too!

ingredients-

  • 1 cup green lentils- allow to soak in fresh water for 1 hour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic- finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion- finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot- finely chopped
  • 2 large handfuls fresh spinach, kale or other greens
  • 1 small handful fresh mint
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
  • salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

instructions-

  • heat spices in small pan for aroma-set aside
  • in a medium sized pot heat olive oil-
  • add garlic and onions- sauté until soft
  • add carrots and allow to soften for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally
  • add spices
  • meanwhile drain lentils and add to vegetable mix
  • cover with fresh water and bring to a boil
  • add salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper as desired
  • simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils and carrots are soft
  • taste and season as necessary
  • add greens, stir in until slightly wilted and serve immediately and enjoy!

giacometti figures at home

for this week’s e-learning art class, alegra’s class has the task of researching the famous artist. alberto giacometti, one of my all-time favorites…i especially love his iconic sculptures of tall, skinny figures walking through life!

the children’s assignment is rather straightforward and simple, they are to research giacometti’s work and create a slide presentation of their finding.  then they can use materials from around the house to make some sort of a human or animal sculpture.  all this got me thinking about a wonderful sculpture project that is relatively simple and will be a great way to cement their research with some active, arty work… and is a fantastic way to spend a rainy afternoon at home this week!

to start with, and to remember giacometti and his art, alegra and i sat down and looked through the giacometti exhibition catalogue from the retrospective show at the Pera Musuem in 2015. we also found a lovely short video from the pera museum that you can access here : https://youtu.be/ddmUkINHjKQ  and another from the tate modern in london that is found here: https://youtu.be/M58oMKBO7S0

like many artists, giacometti’s art and interests shifted over time, our sculpture project is representative of some of his later work in the 1950s and 60s.  during this time abstract art, with less human figures, was very popular. rather than following this trend, giacometti chose to reintroduce the human figure as a form of art and used his bronze sculptures of human figures to represent how people move in space but are often alone; even though they may want very much to interact and communicate with others.

next for the project….

materials you will need-

  • Wire (pipe cleaners will work too)
  • scissors
  • aluminum foil
  • air dry clay
  • cardboard square
  • black paint and paintbrush (optional)

instructions-

– alegra and i also made a short video to make it a bit easier to follow….you can find it here…

  • first, cut two pieces of wire, one a bit longer than the other
  • bend and twist the longer wire into a loop creating a “head” shape at the top and legs and feet at the bottom
  • use the shorter wire to create arms by wrapping it around your sculpture’s “stomach” area
  • you should now have a tall skinny human figure- a stickman sort of sculpture
  • next take tin foil and wrap it all around your sculpture tightly, making sure to squeeze it a bit so it will stay put
  • finally, stick two pieces of airdry clay to your cardboard square and press your sculpture’s feet firmly into the clay
  • for the optional part you can paint the whole thing (cardboard and clay included) with black paint for a look that is even more like giacometti’s famous dark bronze figures
  • allow everything to dry fully…and enjoy your own personal giacometti inspired creation!

ps…here is a picture of five year old alegra sketching at the Giacometti exhibition in Istanbul 🙂