We’re Nuts About the Nutcracker!

THE NUTCRACKER

All of your favorite Nutcracker characters — the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Pirate Mouse King and the Nutcracker Prince — come to the stage in the Eugene Ballet Company’s performance of The Nutcracker. The EBC is collaborating with The Capitol Theatre and the Yakima Symphony Orchestra.

 

Prepare for some impressive dancing and acrobatics, inspired by different cultures of the world.  Local kids make up part of the cast, including angels, ladybugs, dragons, cavalry, party guests, flowers and mice. Three siblings of Yakima’s Teegarden family will be performing on stage. Alexis Teegarden, 12, has two parts: a member of the cavalry and a party guest. This means she will be onstage during a war between mice and soldiers for one part.

While this performance is Alexis’s fourth (she was a mouse at age 6, an angel at 8, and a ladybug at 10), she has understandable pre-stage emotions.

“I’m excited and nervous,” says Alexis.

Alexis’s 9 year-old sister, Hailey, is cast as one of the angels.

“We get wings,” says Hailey, who was in The Nutcracker two years ago as a mouse. “We get to wear a red dress.”

Their brother Jordan, 5, is a mouse for his first time on stage.

“We’re gonna be next to a bed,” says Jordan about his and his fellow mice performers. “And the mouses have to be really quiet to go around the bed. We have to have a mouse face.”

Performers have been practicing for weeks leading up to the Dec. 10 performances, which include matinee and evening showings.

 

If you go:

Saturday, Dec. 10.

2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The Capitol Theatre

19 S. Third St., Yakima

Cost: Adults $10-$40, students and seniors $5-$35

Tickets available at theatre box office or 509-853-ARTS

capitoltheatre.org

 

Make Your own Nutcracker!

 

• Clothespin Nutcracker magnet

Materials: clothespin, felt in a variety of colors, scissors, glue, magnet, markers

Instructions:

• Draw/trace the nutcracker’s face on felt, and cut out with scissors
• Create facial features on other colored felt, cut out and glue on face
• Use markers to color the clothespin “body” (use either one solid color or multiple colors)
• Glue felt to clothespin
• Glue magnet to back of clothespin
• Hang on refrigerator to display!

 

• Paper towel/toilet paper roll Nutcracker

It’s amazing the number of things one can make out of a toilet paper roll.

Materials: paper tower or toilet paper rolls, construction paper, markers or crayons, glue, scissors. Optional: felt, pipe cleaners.

• Draw/color nutcracker face on paper. Make sure the face isn’t too small or too large compared to the size of the roll you’re using. Cut out face and set aside.
  • Draw/color nutcracker body. Consider how your nutcracker should be dressed. (You will want to consider the size of your nutcracker’s body, so when you cut this out it wraps around the paper roll completely.)
  • Glue paper around the paper roll. Glue face to the top of the paper roll.
  • Use paper or a second paper roll (cut vertically and rolled tighter) to create the nutcracker’s arms and legs.
  • Next, add other features. Consider using felt to make the nutcracker’s belt stand out, and a pipe cleaner to serve as the nutcracker’s sword, which can be glued to his arm.
  • Make a family of nutcrackers! The adults can be made using paper towel rolls, and the youngsters can be made from toilet paper rolls. Add a nutcracker princess … all you need is pink!

 

 

Father-daughter “Nutcracker” Winter Ball. 5:30-11 p.m. Jan 21. Fathers and daughters get to dress up and dance and dine the night away! Cost: $70 for dad and daughter (ages 4 and older), and $15 extra for additional daughter. Price includes dinner, dessert and entertainment that includes a DJ, a dance floor and a smoke machine. Photos also available. Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, 1507 N. First St., Yakima. Email Steve Emhoff at steve@emhoffgroup.com. dancewithdad.com

 

The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum. Open weekends Nov.1-April 30, the museum offers scavenger hunts for kids to search through the 5,000-piece nutcracker collection for kiddy favorites from Mickey Mouse to Darth Vader. Those who complete the task receive a prize. “The Nutcracker Lady” at the museum, Arlene Wagner, was even featured on “The Conan O’Brien Show” last year!

 

If you go:

Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum

735 Front St., Leavenworth

509-548-4573

Admission: $2.50 adults, $1 students, free for children 5 and younger

nutcrackermuseum.com

 

Mary Engelbreit’s Nutcracker Check out Mary Engelbreit’s darling Nutcracker (HarperCollins, $17.99 for hardcover edition) released in November. The book, written and illustrated by Engelbreit, is a great addition to the other Nutcracker titles out there, thanks to Engelbreit’s colorful illustrations and cheerful presentation.

 

Sugar Plums

Yes, we suppose you can make your own sugar plums by purchasing that particular fruit and sprinkling sugar on them (Yum!). But sugar plums, made famous by The Nutcracker and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, can mean a few different things.

 

Many recipes call for a combination of ingredients, especially almonds, walnuts, dried dates and apricots or other fruit. From our findings, it looks like you can make your very own sugar plum recipe by mixing in other ingredients, too, such as honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel, and other spices.

Hold a Winter Triathlon!

Ready for a Winter Triathlon?

 

Scott Klepach Jr.

 

For this game, you will need:

• Four players or more (two players on two teams)
• A sled
• A box or basket
• Snowman supplies (carrot, hat, scarf or rocks)
• Station markers for three stations

 

Set up three stations:

 

Station 1: Snow Angels

Station 2: Snowmen
 Station 3: Sledding to Dress up the Snowman

 

1.           Create a starting line and mark three stations around the yard, using landmarks or household objects to designate each. Place one member of each team at the starting line and the second team member of each team at Station 2 (Snowman).

2.           When “go” is called, the team members at the starting line will race to Station 1 to make snow angels. Once finished, confirm that the snow angel looks complete and then team members will race to meet their teammates at Station 2.

3.           At Station 2, both teams will create their own snowman with three sections.

4.           When the snowman is finished, partners will run together to Station 3, where a sled and a box containing the snowman’s decorations are waiting. One player will sit on the sled and hold the box while the other partner will pull the sled back to Station 2 where the snowman is waiting to be decorated.

5.           Dress up the snowman for his date with winter!

6.           Both partners must race together back to the starting line, which is now the finish line.  Whoever crosses this finish line first, after having completed all of the steps properly, wins!

 

• Note: You can certainly modify the rules if only two people are playing a one-on-one match. The only real part of the game to take away in this case would be the sledding component.ereHere

Second Opinion: Antibiotics

“But antibiotics taste so good”

It is a hassle to see the doctor.

The first battle typically involves the phone system. With carefully orchestrated options designed to keep you from reaching an actual person, it can be a minor miracle to reach the scheduler. Then, does your schedule match an opening for your doctor, if she or he has one?

Next up: the waiting room.

If your child wasn’t truly sick before arriving there, licking the waiting room toys might cinch the deal. When you are finally called back to the exam room, there is some momentary excitement, until you surmise that this is actually another smaller waiting room.

And don’t get me started on the redundancies of disclaimers and insurance paperwork.

—

I know what you’ve been through to get to see me. And I want to try to redeem the experience and make it as positive as possible. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll prescribe an antibiotic, however. Sometimes an antibiotic may be harmful rather than helpful.

Let’s take sore throats for example.

What percentage of sore throats are caused by strep bacteria and will benefit from an antibiotic? Only about 20 percent. The remaining are caused by viruses, and an antibiotic will not help.

And what about the color of mucous — is this important? I don’t like that green nasal drainage running down your child’s face either, but it turns out that whether it’s clear or colored does not matter. The color is caused by inflammatory cells, called neutrophils, that are present in both bacterial and viral infections.

Many bacterial infections are going to be self-limited. If a child is found to have an incidental ear infection, but is feeding well and not lethargic, he or she can probably get away with observation. A sinus infection should not be treated with antibiotics unless the patient has severe pain or symptoms have progressed past one week.

—

A study that affected how I prescribe was published in The Journal of Family Practice in 2000. It evaluated using a “backup” prescription, instructing families not to fill this unless the patient’s condition deteriorated or failed to improve. I may use this when an ear infection is mild, or if a sinus infection has not progressed beyond a week.

Sometimes people will request another antibiotic because the first one didn’t cure their infection, but it may be that the patient simply has a viral infection that just needs to run its course.

Why are physicians passionate about this topic? Possibly because contrary to the goal of the Hippocratic oath, they have done harm at times with antibiotics. Little Johnny may have had the sniffles before, but now with the help of antibiotics, he’s really got diarrhea and a diaper rash to boot. Antibiotic resistance (think MRSA) has proliferated with overprescribing. If you have a strong stomach, Google “Stevens-Johnson Syndrome” and you can see some of the dangerous rashes (and accompanying trial attorneys) that can rarely result from an antibiotic.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love the great taste of pink amoxicillin suspension as much as the next guy. But these medicines are a double-edged sword that need to be used at the right time in the right situation. So please don’t demand them.

And maybe I’ll see you in the waiting room with my own children, hoping to graduate to the next, smaller waiting room. We’ll try not to lick the toys.

 –David Pommer, M.D. is a family physician at Selah Family Medicine. He is a graduate of Whitworth University and the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is married with three children.

Mom with a capital ‘M’

By Lacy Heinz

 

I rolled up to my favorite drive-thru espresso stand in my usual morning uniform: uncombed hair in a tousled knot, lightly stained T-shirt and yoga pants — the faint ring of toothpaste on my lower lip the only sign that I had recently partaken in any sort of hygienic routine.

My children sat smiling in their car seats as I ordered motivation-in-a-cup from the perky barista. I laughed to myself as I pulled forward to the payment window. I must have looked a wreck to this lovely coffee girl.

Perhaps that is why I unexpectedly blurted out, “You know, I was the president of my graduate school class.”

Shocked, I looked around to see who had just said that. No one in her right mind says that sort of thing while paying for a cup of coffee! Especially not me, a person with good manners and self-confidence!

The sweet girl just looked at me and said, “Well, you have such adorable children. It’s good to know your education is going to such important use.” I would have hugged her if not constrained by a seat belt.

What this lovely girl reminded me of is that I am a Mother. With a capital “M.” No other label fits. I am not a homemaker because, frankly, I am terrible at keeping a home. Sticking to a cleaning and decluttering routine is nearly impossible for my chaotic brain. I was raised to focus on going to school in order to become a professional and have a career. And before having babies, I did this and did it well.

But, at this point, I’m not a “career woman” either. I work part time from home, never quite able to catch my business line before it hits voicemail, drafting documents during naptime and often needing to reprint them when sticky fingers or a renegade crayon leave their marks. I love that I am able to do this and would make the same choice a thousand times over. I use my education, but also get to see my kids all day, every day.

But it is not a life without its sacrifices.

My little class president admission was a cry for help. In case you hadn’t caught it like the barista did, the cry was: “Who am I?” I was a “kid,” then a “student,” then a “grad student,” a “wife,” and an “employee.” But what happens when you are wearing so many hats that no label really fits? Who are you then?

For example, I have to-do lists for work, home and mothering the babies. Self and husband get thrown in sometimes. I have so many labels in my life that I’ve become a Jill-of-all-trades. I find my appearance lacking, my to-do list items rarely crossed off in a timely manner, my house a shambles and my work rushed. Those are the sacrifices I have to make.

And then I do something nutty like tell the sweet lady making my Americano that I used to be somebody important, with a specific role, someone who presumably showered and wore mascara. Someone who got out of bed and knew what she was doing.

Thankfully, her quick response reminded me that I do actually know what I am doing. Despite floundering in several life departments, I intentionally chose to make the kids my first priority in life while letting all of these other things slide. I wanted to be first and foremost a Mother with a capital “M”!

So as this season progresses, instead of worrying about marketing my firm, how many times I vacuumed, whether the leaves are all raked up or whether my competition is taking my clients, I will turn my attention to the best parts of the chilly season.

For me, that would be teaching my sweet little ones what each holiday month has to offer, wiping their little noses and savoring each moment we have together. I’ll just have to have faith that the rest will be taken care of in its own time.

–Lacy Heinz is a Mom with a capital M who loves to read, root for the Oregon Ducks, and do a little legal work when time and preschoolers permit.

Family Fare: Mike Bastinelli’s Rusillo’s Pizza & Gelato

Text by Robin Salts Beckett

If your child JUST HAS to have chicken fingers or a hot dog for dinner, then Russillo’s, which doesn’t have a typical kids menu, might not be the best place for a family meal. But if your kid is like mine and thinks pizza or spaghetti should be on the menu for all three daily meals, then do yourself a favor and head there tonight.

 

My husband, my son and I met our friends Brynn and her son Pierson at Russillo’s the other night for dinner before heading off to our respective baths/laundry/Bravo TV marathons. The delicious smell of pizza smacked us all in the face as soon as we walked through the door. The boys — both 4 — were pretty excited. This is, as you probably know, both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because you know dinner will actually be eaten, and bad because we’re going to have to wait a bit for said food. But we persevered.

 

We sat at one of the tables laid with a cheery red and white checked tablecloth. If you haven’t been to Russillo’s, which is inside one of the Track 29 train cars, it’s quite a sight. With murals and Italian kitch everywhere, it’s a fun atmosphere, and the kids kept busy looking at the decorations — and the kids birthday party happening right behind us. At one point there was some whining — the smell was just too enticing — but the pizza soon got to our table, and all was right with the world.

 

The boys had a slice of cheese pizza each ($5). These are HUGE pieces of pizza, and the staff kindly offered to cut them into little pieces that would be easier for them to handle. They loved it. I had the 9-inch pesto pizza ($12.99), which was loaded with portabella mushrooms, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and sundried tomatoes on a nice, crispy crust — it was very flavorful. My husband had the 9-inch garlic chicken pizza ($10.99), complete with spinach and WHOLE cloves of roasted garlic. “The garlic is amazing,” he said; although his coworkers probably didn’t agree the next day. Brynn ordered a sandwich — the “cement shoe” ($10.99). It’s roast beef on a ciabatta roll was topped with sautéed onions, mushrooms and provolone cheese, then served with au jus and a salad. Brynn said it was “lots of flavor in a perfect-sized sandwich.”

 

My only complaint is that the drinks are a little spendy at $2.25 each, but all in all, we’d definitely go there again.

 

Mike Bastinelli’s Russillo’s Pizza & Gelato

1 W. Yakima Ave., suites 4 and 6

Track 29 • Yakima

509-453-0325 • russillospizza.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Minute for Mom

If you ever get a minute for yourself, this is what we think you should do with it!

 

Nail polish is something I usually skip. I might get enough time to put it on, but I never seem to find the time to take it off, so it ends up chipped and awful. But I love the new neutrals that have been appearing in all the fashion mags, so I went to the drugstore and bought Essie’s Mink Muffs. It’s a great color — not too light, not too dark — that goes with everything — sweat pants and sneakers or a pencil skirt and heels.

 

My friends and I are obsessed with food reality television. We’re currently spending entirely too much time glued to Bravo’s “Top Chef: Texas” (Wednesdays at 10 p.m.) and Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs” (Sundays at 9 p.m.). I justify these obsessions with the copious amount of laundry I do while watching. The drama is all in the speed and pressure, and less about the personalities (at least compared with most reality TV), which is why I like it. An added bonus: this season’s NIC cheftestants are all superstars that you’ve probably seen before if you’re a Food Network addict. The competition is fierce!

 

The downside of being obsessed with food TV is that more than likely (after that laundry’s done) you’re munching on something incredibly disappointing while watching someone prepare an amazing dish. But here’s something that’s better than a bag of chips and just as easy: Ben & Jerry’s Pistachio, Pistachio ice cream. The ice cream is coconut, but the pistachios in it are whole. The combination of sweet and salty is so good; and those nuts make it good for you. … Right?

 

Alex, our department assistant, recommends a great book she’s reading, called “By the time you read this,” by Lola Jaye. The book is about a young father who learns he has only six months to live and sits down to write “The Manual” for his 5-year old daughter. When she gets the manual at age 12, she can’t put it down. Alex says, “It’s a guide to life, love, growing up and making the right choices. As a woman who lost her father at a young age, this book really touches the soul and reinforces the amazing bond between a father and daughter.”

 

~Robin Beckett

 

The Ageless Magic of Christmas

By Scott Mayes

 

There are so many Christmas stories from my childhood I could tell…

I remember driving from California to Oklahoma each year to visit my

grandparents at Christmastime. Man, was it a long ride. I remember packing

up an ice chest and making sandwiches along the way. Often, we would sit on

a blanket at a truck stop to have our made-from-the-ice-chest meal.

I also remember there being plenty of Christmas cookies ready for eating

when we got to Grandma’s.

As I got a little older, there were other memories — like watching

Christmas specials on TV … Charlie Brown, Rudolph, Frosty … those were all

annual treats.

We would always go look at Christmas lights. We’d pile in the van and with

Christmas music on the radio we’d go up and down the streets looking for the

best and brightest. Often times, we’d do this on my birthday, which is five

days before Christmas.

I also remember presents at my mom’s house. After my brother (or at least

that’s the story I was told) opened a bunch of presents one year before

Christmas and tried to secretly wrap them back up, my mom went to a numbers

system. That right, no names on the gifts, only numbers. She had secretly

hidden away a legend to the puzzle. So, from that point on, we spent the

days leading up to Christmas trying to guess which presents belonged to us.

And now that I’m sneaking up on my 40th birthday, I realize one very

important lesson that my mom taught me about Christmas. When you get “too

old” for Christmas, you should probably take a hard look in the mirror.

The magic of Christmas and the season itself is ageless.

Our boys have a varied age span — they’re 16, 11 and 1 — and we are in

various stages of teaching them “how to Christmas.”

We usually make Christmas cookies together. We go see the lights together.

We listen to plenty of Christmas music. And, with the boys who are a little

bit older, we read from the New Testament, letting each family member read a

portion of the account of Jesus’ birth.

Then, Christmas morning comes and we, as parents, get our fun. We watch the

smiles. We watch the hugs. We watch the “happy dance” when that perfect

present is unveiled.

This Christmas will have special meaning for us as our 1-year-old, Nathan,

gets to have his second Christmas. Last year, he was just 4 months old, so

he wasn’t really clued in to the festivities.

This year will be so much more for him. And for us.

Christmas is really about traditions and remembering to stop, take a breath

and take in the magic of the season.

Yes, economic times are hard. But, in reality, we are rich in so much more

than dollars and cents.

When your kids are 40, they will remember those traditions and pass

them on to their kids. Keep those traditions alive and celebrate the small moments.

Don’t have any traditions? It’s never too late to get them going. Like everything in this life, lead the way. That’s what your kids expect. So, pass out a few hugs, turn on Frosty and decorate some cookies. You can never go wrong with a sugar cookie and a smile.

 

• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan.

He’s a high school parent, a youth basketball dad and changes diapers. You

can read his Dadventures blog at playdateyakima.com.

Sledding Road Trip

Sledding Road Trip

Time: TBD. Snow tubing for boys and girls, grades 5-8. Meet at Public Works; van will transport kids to Snoqualmie Pass. Cost: $54 nonresident, $45 resident. Sponsored by Yakima Parks and Recreation. Trip dates: Dec. 20, 22, 27 and 29.

2301 Fruitvale Blvd., Yakima

509-575-6005

White Pass Kids’ Clinic

White Pass Kids’ Clinic

Full-day skiing and snowboarding for kids ages 5-12. Kids’ instructors are on hand, and lunch, snacks and lift tickets are included. Meet at the Learning Center Meeting Area at White Pass.

Registration is 8-9:15 a.m. each day. Cost: $90 single day, $130 weekend. Dates: Dec. 31, Jan. 1, 14, 15, 28, 29, Feb. 11, 12, 25, 26, March 10, 11, 24 and 25.

White Pass

48935 U.S. Highway 12, White Pass

509-672-3101 • Snowline: 509-672-3100

skiwhitepass.com

Surya Yoga offers Kids’ Yoga class

Surya Yoga offers Kids’ Yoga class

Kids ages 4-8 are welcome to stop in at Surya Yoga in Scarborough Fair. Classes are offered every second and fourth Saturday of the month, from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. $13 drop-in fee per family, but a class series rate is also available. Preregistration is required; call Sarah for more info. 910 Summitview Ave., Suite 6A, Yakima 509-225-0650 • surayogayakima.com

Preschool storytime (Selah Library)

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME. 10:00-10:45 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays, and 1:30-2:15 Wednesdays. Songs, stories, and activities for preschoolers. 106 South Second Street, Selah; 509-698-7345.

Preschool storytime (Terrace Heights Library)

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME. 10:30-11:15 a.m. Thursdays. 4011 Commonwealth, Yakima; 509-457-5319.

Preschool storytime (Yakima Library)

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 10:30-11 a.m. Thursdays. Songs, stories, and activities for preschoolers. 102 North 3rd Street, Yakima; 509-452-8541.

Kids’ Zone (Naches Library)

KIDS’ ZONE. 4-5 p.m. Crafts for school-age kids through middle school. 303 Naches Ave., Naches; 509-653-2005.

MOPS – First Presbyterian

MOPS – First Presbyterian. 9-11:15 a.m. Meets the first and third Fridays each month. Meeting dues: $5. Child care, food, fellowship, speakers. First Presbyterian Church, 9 S. 8^th Ave., Yakima; 509-248-7940.

Kaleidoscope Play & Learn Group

KALEIDOSCOPE PLAY & LEARN GROUP. 1:30-3 p.m. Ready By Five’s Kaleidoscope Play & Learn groups emphasize thematic, structured and interactive play, and are open to everyone. Meets every Tuesday at 8-9:30 a.m., and every Friday from 1:30-3 p.m. Ready By Five, 414 N. Third St., Yakima. 454-2493. readybyfive.org.

Funky Friday Nights

FUNKY FRIDAY NIGHTS. 7-8:30 p.m. ‘80s-themed music and swim. Reduced price: $1 adults, $0.50 youth, $0.75 honored citizen, or $3.25 for the family. Lions Pool, 509 W. Pine St., Yakima; 509-575-6046.

Home Depot Kids’ Workshop

HOME DEPOT KIDS WORKSHOP. 9 a.m.-noon. Theme: TBD. Free drop-in projects for kids 5-12. The Home Depot, 2115 S. First St., Yakima; 509-452-3016.

Toy Train Christmas

TOY TRAIN CHRISTMAS. Nov. 26, Dec. 3-4, Dec. 10-11, and Dec.17-18. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Hop on board a Christmas Express to see Santa Claus! Find toy trains running around fully decorated Christmas trees and treat your family to hot cocoa and cookies. Cost: $6 adults, $4 children 12 and younger. Photos with Santa available for an extra fee. Call 509-865-1911 for more info.  Northern Pacific Railway Museum, 10 S. Asotin Ave., Toppenish. nprymuseum.org

Official Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist King Tournament

OFFICIAL YU-GI-OH! DUELIST KING TOURNAMENT. Starts at 12:30 p.m. Cost: $5. Bring your own deck. Ron’s Coin & Book, 6 N. Third St., Yakima. 248-1117.

Next Page »