Ada's solo at the Granit 2012

All we knead is pizza dough!

kidspeak

Ada's been having fun on the computer lately making collages in Publisher and lists of things (that we already have lists for) like her class list in Excel.  She's getting lots of great skills. Tonight she came and asked me how to make another "list." I was about to tell her how to open a new spreadsheet when she said, "Oh, I remember!"I raised my eyebrow in surprise. "Really," she said. "You go to start and then Micro-office and then click on elexus, right?" Sounds good to me!

Doing Hebrew reading homework has also become more fun because she has real words rather than nonsense syllables ( which were torture for both of us!). She has a good time recognizing all the words she's seen or heard in other places like davening or chumash. Sometimes we get some amusing ones like: עשיר . What's amusing about that? Well I was looking for אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר? - הַשָמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ . She said - no! It's like "a shiur."

Hurricane Irene

Ada: Mommy, this hurricane is so popular!  At the bowling alley, they were showing it on the TVs!

Sunshine Sisters

Tonight I met with the group of ladies that are coming together with me this summer on JWRP's T.A.G. Mission to Israel. I am so excited that this is really happening! It's been so much work between recruiting applicants, interviewing, ironing out issues, and preparing the participants but I'm sure it will all pay off when I see the incredible experience that these women will enjoy. I feel so privileged to have a part in this project. For now, all I can say is July 18th can't come soon enough!

p.s. Imagine the horror! I forgot to take a picture of our first get-together! Ugh, so much for making a scrapbook....

Ada's concert review

At Dovid Gabay's show at the Hudson Valley Resort tonight:

"He'd be good for a minyan!"

lol.

Alef-Bet adventures

Ada completed (for the third time in her academic career) the study of the Alef-Bet letters. The milestone was celebrated in lots of ways.

One day, the class had a show-and-tell where each kid brought something that started with a letter of the Alef-Bet. They were supposed to write the word on an index card provided for the purpose. Ada, of course, wanted to bring something for EACH letter of the Alef-Bet. She prepared a list (I helped her with ideas for just a few of them.) and then went down the list getting all the items together and checking each item off as she found it. I was blown away. So was her Morah, as I found out the next time I spoke to her.

Another day, they baked Alef-Bet cookies for their celebration. Ada told me she made the letters of her name and it came out like "Vayikra." I had no idea what she was talking about until she explained that the last alef was small just like in the word vayikra in the Torah!

Ada is thrilled to have a real Alef-Bet book (the classic early primer) and confided to me that having real homework makes her feel very grown up. The first assignment was to read pages alef through yud (1 to 10) and I was supposed to sign the chart indicating that she did her homework. There was also a section for comments. Ada announced that she wanted to finish the whole book and that, when she finished, I should write a note to Morah in the "Compliments." Over-achiever, perhaps? When she got up to page 15, she noted that the page number said tet-vav (which is the numerical equivalent of 15). She said, "That says tet-vav, like tu in Tu B'Shvat so it means 15!" Her analysis of the things she learns and her ability to apply them in other situations blows me away! Talk about higher level critical thinking!

Raise your glass!

Etymology explored

This past Monday, on Presidents' Day, I chaperoned Sari's class on a field trip to Boomers for miniature golf. Ada came with me because she had no school. For some reason, Sari convinced her to wear a school uniform for the occasion, which pleased Ada very much! Of course, she looked totally adorable. :)

The next day, we were chatting and she asked me:

Why is it called a "uniform?"

So I answered that it's because everyone is wearing the same thing.

Ada: Well, I thought that "uni" means one so...?

Me (beaming): That's right! How did you know that?

Ada: You know, like unicycle...

Me: Very good! Well, with a uniform, everyone is wearing the same thing so it's all one look.

Ada: Oh, I thought it was because everyone has to fill out one form to get it!

Therapy

Ada came home in a hysterical rage from school. She was mad at some kids in carpool who were teasing her (or some other perceived offense of which I can't remember the details - but which was either provoked or fully reciprocated). After suggesting some solutions and coming up against more anger, resentment and agitation, I switched modes. I pulled out my good ol' "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen" skills and started empathizing.

me: You're really mad at them, huh?

Ada: Yeah, I wish they would move far away!

me: Really? How far?

Ada: To China.

me: Or how about Africa or South America?

Ada (firmly): No. Not far enough. Only China - on the other side of the earth.

me: Wow.

Ada (brightening with the idea): Actually, I wish they would go to Mercury. They would burn right up! (giggling in delight) Or Pluto! That's not even a planet! Yeah. That's a good idea.

me (wide-eyed, nodding appreciatively): I see.

Ada (cocking her head to the side, thoughtfully): Is there another world besides our world?

me: Well it's impossible to know for sure, I think.

Ada: Oh. Well that would be best but, if not, then Pluto is okay.

Needless to say, by this time, she was just fine and the next minute was off to busy herself with some activity. Ten points for me. :)

Shabbat Chavaya

My adorable, sparkling, bursting-with-life roommate from sem drove down to Florida this weekend and stayed at our place for Shabbat. Totally fun is an understatement! I got to meet her delightful family (hubbie + 6 darling kids) and, of course, reminisce about the glory days. Glorious they were! Huge thanks to the fabulous Hadarlings for an awesome sleepover!

spelling samples

Two samples that I discovered among my kids' writings...

Mordechai: ...this little piggy cried wii wii wii all the way home.

Sari: ftogrufer (Can't guess it? It says photographer!)

6 going on teenager...

Ada confided to me the other day the following:

I know how to make my hair in a bun. When I make my hair in a bun and I tie my sweatshirt around my waist, I look really old. Like, even 7!

The Joy of Motherhood

Ada: Do you like being a mommy?

Me: Of course! I love having you guys as my kids!

Ada: I can't wait to be a mommy...

Me: Oh?

Ada: Yeah. Then you get to boss your kids.

Ada: I wanna tell you something in secret.

I lean down.

Ada (whispering in my ear): Why do you always have to be so bossy?

The Middle East Problem

Tough love

Benjamin Franklin on "spreading the wealth" around... I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided f...

Benjamin Franklin on "spreading the wealth" around...

I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.

After hundreds of years of failed redistribution, the nuts on the left still don't understand these simple concepts.

(hat tip: Right Klik)

(hat tip: momlogic)

A rose is a rose....

"...not the political Islam, not the militant Islam, not the radical Islam, not the Wahabi Islam, but Islam itself. I truly believe that the West has invented this [sic] terms for the sake of being politically correct."

Ada can swim!

Finally. ;)

First day of kindergarten...

First day of school...

third- and fifth-graders

Ada lost her first tooth!

My report card

Ada: Are you a proneshiful mommy?

Me: Am I what?

Ada (a bit louder in hopes of clarification): Are you a proneshiful mommy?

Me: Pro-nesh-i-ful? I'm sorry, sweetie, I don't know what that means.

Ada: You know, like, very awesome.... Like a proneshiful lifeguard....

Me: Oh, a professional mommy!!

Ada (brightening): Yes! Are you?

Me: Well, what do you think?

Ada: I think you are.

I've arrived. :)

Outreach

The girls were discussing how to interact with the other girls in their gymnastics group. Sari decided she will be friendly to everyone. She noted that most of the kids probably aren't Jewish but that's okay. "And," she added, "If they are Jewish, I'll for sure be friends with them! I can even teach them stuff that maybe they don't know!"

Never too young for harbatzat Torah. :)

A simple solution

On our way back from a trial gymnastics session, the girls and I were talking about recreational versus competitive gymnastics. I explained that sometimes a coach might notice that a student is really good and decide to ask them to be part of the team. We went on to discuss how we were NOT going to be on any teams because that means devoting hours every day to practice and traveling for meets, not to mention wearing leotards in public.

Ada thoughtfully suggested, "Sari, maybe we should try not to be so good."

The girls perform their camp song :)

BIG news

Mordechai and I were the only ones home as Shabbat was winding down yesterday. We got into conversation about the Twin Towers and terrorism and Israel and Arabs and then - oil spills. (As in, what's worse? 9/11 or the oil spill? He's always asking comparison questions like that....)

He said to me, "You know how I know the oil spill is really BIG? They were even talking about it on espn!"

Pre-K beauty tips

A while back, Ada announced one night that she wants to take out her pony holder before she goes to sleep. I thought it might make her hair pretty messy and unruly in the morning but she insisted that "Ayelet (a classmate of hers with thin straight hair) sleeps without a pony holder and that's how her hair always looks so nice!" Who am I to argue with a five-year-old's beauty secrets?

A few days later, I'm on the phone with Ayelet's mom and I related to her the conversation Ada and I had had and she laughed. Ayelet had been telling her mom that she wants to sleep with a pony holder because "that's how Ada does it and that's why her hair comes out so nice!"

For my little friend Hadassa's 1st birthday

It came out pretty, no?

Fashion faux-pas? I think not!

me: Oh, Ada! I told you - no stripes with florals!

Ada (looking chagrined): Uch, I forgot!

(Yes, she went to school like that.)

Yom Ha'atzma'ut

Sari woke up very excited to celebrate Israel's birthday. She asked me, in all her 7-year-old innocence, "Is this the date Hashem promised Israel to Avraham?"

(p.s. A friend pointed out that Avraham was born in 1948 - the "same" year that Israel became a state. How's that for confusing her further? Hee.)

Not quite the Queen...

At the seder, when asked why I was pouring everyone's first cup of wine for them, I was ready with the answer that, on the seder night, we act like kings and queens and have our wine poured for us. Ada pipes up, "So you're not the queen. You're like the servant!"

Hmph.

It's better to be younger...

Why?

Ada: because then you live longer!

Israel makes me proud

Invisible

Lessons for Life from the Science Fair

(Forgive the length of the post, Uncle Meyer. I hope it won't deter you from reading it through....)

I finally have Mordechai's science fair project behind me. Despite the fact that we kept it clean and simple, it was still a huge pain. Mordechai was harassing me all last week to get the final details together (order the prints, get the tri-fold board, etc.). Of course, I really should be pleased that he has his project prepared well in advance of the due date as opposed to his usual method of night-before-it's-due-panic mode. It's so much easier to be annoyed and critical when they do it the wrong way than to remember to be pleased and complimentary when they do it right, just like you told them to....

As a whole, it was a fairly valuable learning experience as he worked through the process of gathering materials, clarifying the procedure, recording his results, and coming to a (somewhat valid and relevant) conclusion. He dropped a basketball from 3 different heights and recorded how far up they bounced back. He discovered that it never came back up to it's drop level. The lower the drop height, the greater the percentage of the height was achieved on the bounce back. So, dropped from 2 feet, the ball bounced back up to 87.5% of the two feet i.e. to 1 foot, 9 inches. From 6 feet, the ball bounced back up to only 66.7% of its original height i.e. to 4 feet.

As we working out the ratios together, Mordechai got excited with an idea he had: You can think of it like two people. Reuven has a "two-foot" potential. From your view-point, you see him reaching 1'9" which is not so impressive. Shimon has a "six-foot" potential. You see him reaching 4 feet. Looks like he's reaching greater heights - and he is. But in reality, Reuven perhaps deserves more credit because he's maximizing more of his potential whereas Shimon is not really putting in much effort and he could be expected to reach an even higher level. People can only see what you accomplish and what "level" you reach. Hashem knows how hard you really are working. It's not so much what you accomplish that's important but how much effort you put into your growth as a person.

Mussar haskel from my 10-year-old man. Yiddishe nachas.

Ada: Please can I? Please, please? I'll be your best kid!

Sari: Lefties are better 'cause they're more rare.

Ada: Well, righties are better because we use that hand to say sh'ma!

Love and Marriage

Mordechai: When people kiss on the lips in a movie, do they have fake lips? Or, no. Are they husband and wife? (pause) Yeah, they're probably just husband and wife.

Sari to Daddy: Why don't you call me honey like you call Mommy?

Randoms

We've had record low temperatures in Florida for the past couple of weeks. Since we live in an old house with no heating and lots of cracks and holes and stuff, it's crazy cold by us at night. So we have a couple of space heaters that we huddle around. I spent several nights sleeping on the floor of the girls' room next to their heater because I couldn't warm up in my room. It was pretty insane. Showering was not even an option. The girls have been going to school in the strangest outfits with tights mismatched to clothes mismatched to layers of sweatshirts. But, who cares? My favorite part is the quote I heard from Ada one morning as I was getting her dressed: "I'm sugaring!"

Here are some more:

Ada (sipping a hot cocoa) to me: Do you think Sari would enjoy this? I think she would enjoy this. Let's save some for her.

Me (looking in the mirror, fixing myself up before a gala dinner): Uch, I'm so fat!
Sari (admonishingly): Don't say that Mommy! You're not fat!

That coming from the same girl who says: Are you sure you're not pregnant, Mommy? Your stomach is getting bigger...

And: Why are your thighs so fat?

Ada to Mordechai: I wish this [ice cream] didn't have soy in it.
Mordechai: Why?
Ada: So you could have it!

Shopping Madness

A woman I was speaking to (I think she would describe herself as Conservative.) was telling me about some challenges she faces. She is genuinely concerned about giving her children a strong sense of their Jewishness. She mentioned that she gets very stressed out about it during December when all the holiday lights go up and some of her kids' friends have trees in their homes. This is not the first time I've heard Jewish moms express difficulty in this area. Another dad I met was at a loss, having moved recently from Israel, where he had never faced the situation before. He was hoping he could hide the whole issue from his kids, although how he planned to shelter them like that was unclear to me (or him, I imagine)!

I personally am glad to explain to my children about differences between us and Gentiles and I find that this season presents a good opportunity for that. Naturally, kids do get excited with all the lights and decorations and conspicuous fanfare surrounding Chrixtmas. That's perfectly okay. I tell them that the Gentiles celebrate the birth of their leader, JC, on Chrixtmas. He was a person who they think is a god. We know that G-d is not a person at all and it is avodah zara to believe so! One of the reasons that stores get into the "holiday spirit" with such vigor is to encourage people to buy lots of presents and spend more money. Also, even Gentiles who are not really religious celebrate the holiday. So that's alot of people celebrating so we see lots of Chrixtmas stuff around. Since we don't believe that JC is or was a god and that we don't want to do anything like avodah zara, we don't use Chrixtmas decorations or stuff like that.

Minorly related story: The other day, we were circling in the Publix supermarket parking lot for too long looking for a spot. Since I was with Ada getting ice cream, coming back later was not an option. When we had finally found a spot and we were walking through the lot towards the store, Ada wondered aloud, "Why is it so busy today? It's not even Friday!" And then, nodding her head wisely, "Ohhhh! I know why. They must be buying food for Chrixtmas!"

I'm in a picture!

A rare occurrence, I assure you :) I'm always behind the camera!

Who won?

I'm currently reading "Treblinka: The inspiring story of the 600 Jews who revolted against their murderers and burned a Nazi death camp to the ground" by Jean-Francois Steiner. Sari read the cover with the title and subtitle and asked, "Is this a Jewish book?" I answered that it was about Jews. Then she asked, "Did the Jews win?" It took me a moment to answer.

Reading about the horrors that our brothers and sisters were subjected to is a difficult thing. It terrifies me but yet I continue to devour every word, page after page, the way I cover my face at the scary parts of the movie but all the while peek through my fingers because I just have to see it - I have to know what happens. It's terrifying to read how degraded and broken the human spirit can become. It's so hard to understand how people can allow themselves to be so deceived, allow themselves to deny the truth that is before them in an attempt to... minimize the pain? Hold on to hope? Save face? I'm not quite sure. It's all so overwhelming.

So, did the Jews win? Well, we're still here after all. There's some victory in that, isn't there?

I am thankful...

Mordechai: ...that we have a house ...that we are healthy and safe

Sari: ...for my siddur that my Savta gave me ...for kosher food ...for my family ...for Hashem

Ada: ...for my family and my neshama

Happy Hey

Presenting Ada, as a Native American, singing the song for the letter hey:

Ada-isms

Out of the blue, Ada announced the following: The Chinese people made two things. Chinese restaurants and Chinese jumprope.

(I have no idea how she knows anything about Chinese restaurants!)

*****************

Ada was busily building large squares with Clics. I asked her what she was building and she told me it was going to be a box. She added: I already know how I'm going to do it.

me: Oh? How?

Ada: I can't tell you. You won't get it.

me: I won't get it?

Ada: Yeah. You know, understand.

*****************

We were eating out at friends on Friday night. Of course, the kids are always ready to leave long before I am. Well, after polishing off her chocolate mousse and a slice of cake, Ada announced: I finished my dessert. I'm ready to roll!

Mordechai has become quite the avid sports fan lately. To "chill out," he likes to watch game highlights online. I was nearby on the couch one afternoon while he was watching what must have been an exciting moment in the game. The sports announcers were going nuts as they are so wont to do. I wondered aloud, "Why are they always yelling on the top of their lungs like that?"

A few moments later, Ada piped up from the recliner, "I think they yell so loud so that everyone in the stadium can hear them."

If only there was such a rational reason!

Ada's Anatomy

Ada was sitting in a shopping cart and started scratching the back of her knee vigorously. I asked her what the matter was and she answered, "My legpit itches me."

Not so private

Sari: Mommy, do I go to a private school?

Me: Yes, you do.

Sari (after a moment's pause): Then how come it's out in middle of the street?

How fun is it?!

About a week into the school year, Mordechai and I were sitting one night going through his daily schedule in school. He was telling me about his morning routine when he learns limudei kodesh with Rabbi Guttman. After recess, they learn mishnayos. He said excitedly, "Mishnayos is really good!" I said (perhaps a bit skeptically), "It is?"

He looked at me like I was off the wall and said, "Oh, yeah. Mishnayos is even more fun than recess!"

Kudos to Rabbi G.!

Memory aids

I was so impressed last night with something Ada said to me. She had made adorable bookmarks for Dovid and I to use in our machzorim on Yom Kippur. Each one had a cute poem and a picture of her.

Ada came over to me during davening needing something or other and I had to put down my machzor. That's when I realized that I had unfortunately forgotten to bring my bookmark to shul before the chag. She realized my dilemma and said, "Don't worry, Mommy. Just say the page you're up to in your head a lot of times, like this: 1-2-1, 1-2-1, 1-2-1."

I remarked what a good, practical idea that was and she said, "Yeah. I do that all the time when I need to remember something. It really works!"

Now, of course, that is a pretty obvious strategy for any grown-up to employ but, wouldn't you say that's a cool trick for a just-turned-five-year-old to figure out on her own? What do you think?

Say Yes to No!

Totally fascinating stuff. The second clip here has some background info. Check out some of the related clips on YouTube as well... (hat tip)

Kidnapped?!

This morning I woke up and went to rouse the kids. Sari - who does have a perfectly good bed, fear not! - was rolled up in her blanket on the floor. I woke her up and, as usual, the sleeping beauty grunted and rolled over. I didn't see Ada in her bed so I called out her name, assuming she was in the bathroom. No response. I checked Mordechai's room. He was already out of bed. I figured Ada woke up early (weird!) and went down to play with Mordechai. I came down and asked Mordechai if he had seen Ada. When he said no, I started to feel frantic and continued to call out Ada's name repeatedly. I ran from room to room but couldn't find her anywhere! The panic was rising in my chest. In my search, I returned to the girls' room. (Sari hadn't budged, of course.) I sat down next to her on the floor and finally noticed a little foot sticking out from under Ada's bed. I lifted up the dust ruffle and there she was - sound asleep under the bed!

I was reminded of a similar story that happened when Mordechai was just a baby, not yet crawling. He was at the stage where he would wriggle on his tummy, but could only push himself backward. One time I couldn't find him for a good few minutes until he finally made a little sound which I heard, although it was quite muffled, from where he was under a bed. I could have been searching for even longer had he not bothered to make some noise!

Goodies to go

I asked Ada to bring home some cookies or cake from a siyum she is going to tonight. (I won't be there because I'll be at Meet the Teacher night for the kidlets.) She solemnly promised to wrap some up for me to go. A few moments later, she came to me and asked seriously, "Are you allowed to take home the napkins?" Something tells me she won't grow up to be one of the ladies taking home the centerpieces from a wedding. Thank God!

Ugh!

Here's me doing my part.

Summer fun down the block ;)

Parshat Ki Taytzay

From Sari's parsha question sheet:

Question: What do you do if you have an open roof?
Real answer: You must build a fence.
Ada's answer: You call a fixer man and ask him to fix it.

Duh!

Mother knows best...or not?

So I've been driving the kidlets to school in Boca every day. We pick up another kid along the way as well. The other day, I was spacing out and accidentally drove right past our meeting spot so that I had to get off the next exit and turn around to go back to pick him up. Mordechai was thoroughly annoyed and was delivering a lecture about how I should pay more attention to what I'm doing. Besides, he continued, I went a dumb way to get back which took much longer than necessary (all true, unfortunately - not that that's a good excuse to talk to your mother like that...) blah, blah, blah. When he ran out of steam, Ada piped up from the back,

"Mom, you should always listen to Mordechai when you're driving. He's our GPS!"

Trip to the ER

Sari nearly sliced her thumb off this evening while trying to cut a slice of challah for herself. I heard a cry of surprise from her and one of admonition from Mordechai. I saw her race past me on her way upstairs and I asked Mordechai what happened. He told me she had cut herself so I called to her to ask her where she was going. She said she was going to get a bandage. By the time she came downstairs with a bandage her hand was dripping with blood and she was looking pretty shaken. I couldn't even tell where the cut was because the blood was all over so I took her to wash the blood off. I could see that she had cut her thumb pretty deep so I (calmly) called Dovid to check it out and he agreed with me that it needed medical attention. Sari wanted Daddy to take her to the ER (I'm trying not to be offended) so I wrapped her finger in a gauze pad. I was afraid a bandage would be a bad idea because taking it off would mean pulling the pieces apart. ***shudder***

I thought I'd go crazy when I called Dovid's cell and heard it ringing in the living room! How could he forget his cell at home when he takes one of MY kids to the ER?! A friend of ours called a little while later and suggested I call the ER and ask for him. How like me is that? To forget that there was life before cell phones? Duh. The receptionist was happy to transfer me to bed #22. Sari was fine and was getting her wound taped rather than stitched which is certainly a lot less traumatic and will hopefully prove to be equally effective.

A little while later I called again to find out that they'd been discharged. Mordechai had been practically pacing the whole time since they had left but he seemed to be somewhat relieved to hear the news that they were on their way home. He turned to me and asked if I thought he should give Sari all his stickers. I was quite taken by surprise and didn't really have a chance to answer before he decided for himself that he would do just that. When she got home he handed her his whole sticker album. Now, granted he's not really all that into stickers for quite some time now, but, how sweet is that?

Almost Five!

Someone asked Ada the other day how old she was. Her response:

"Four and a half and three-quarters."

Transportation through the ages

Mordechai just told me a joke about a car that had special driving instructions. Funny thing, it was just like the joke I heard as a kid. Only the joke I heard was about a horse that would stop if you said "Shema Yisrael" and go if you said "Baruch Hashem!"

Lessons for Real Life

Sari came over to me holding an empty box after taking the last M&M ice cream cone. I looked at her, puzzled, and told her to throw it away. She said, "But you could use it to hold the door open!" (I'd been wondering all morning what happened to my homemade door stop that holds open my kitchen's swinging door.) I was so pleased. And she said, "Isn't that great? We're recycling! We're making less trash!" Nice carryover, no?

Loosening the apron strings

Mordechai had his first summer away from home. It was a huge experience for both of us. He stayed at Dovid's sister, Sari's family. He didn't say that much about his days but I do know that he was usually "too busy" to talk on the phone with me. Good sign, I guess.

After the second day of Chaim Day Camp, Mordechai reported that his Rebbe was awesome. His only complaint was, "Why do they have learning for so long if it's camp?" A little culture shock coming from his Florida day school, eh? By the next week he was pronouncing hebrew words with a deep yeshivish accent. (It reminded me of when I got married and heard Dovid make kiddush using "oh" for the cholam instead of "oy" like m faythers and brothers do. To me he sounded like a girl! It's a Chafetz Chaim thing :).)

My family was so wonderful taking care of my baby. I felt truly comfortable knowing he was in such warm, loving hands. My mom-in-law (where Mordechai spent most weekends), shared some anecdotes with me (in her voice):

1. We were talking on Shabbos about Miriam - that she will be the first of the grandchildren to go to sleep-away camp. So Mordechai puts on that smirky smile and says, "What about me, I am the first to go to sleep-away camp....I am sleeping away and going to camp!!"

2. Shabbos we had for dessert a yummy chocolate cake from Tziporah and Mordechai says its good that everyone has something that they are good at."Tziporah is the best at cakes and cookies, my mom makes the best salads, Aunt Sari cooks the best apple kugel & pies and Rivky and Rena are, ya know, good at cooking." (me: To appreciate how funny that is, it's important to note that I haven't made a salad in ages! He just made something up about me so as not to leave me out!)

3. On Sunday Mordechai was excited to go to Savta for the BBQ because he says she has the best steaks in the world. But he added that he is a little sad. When I asked why, he answered, "cause my mom always cuts the steak into little pieces for me."

Me: We have to pack up the school because it's moving to Palm Beach Gardens.

Ada (wide-eyed): They're going to move the whole school? How do they pick it up?

Me: No! They don't move the building, just the stuff in it.

Ada: Oh. Well that's good for Morah Tzippy 'cuz she lives in Palm Beach Gardens and she'll be close to it!'

Another link in the mesorah

Watching children get their first Chumash is an incredibly inspiring experience. Sari was a superstar! (I was reminded of her kindergarten "graduation" when we were still living in NY. There were a couple of kids in her class who refused to go up to do their part or forgot their lines. Sari jumped up to fill in for each one of them. She knew everyone else's parts by heart and apparently stage fright was not part of her playbook!) Many thanks to her Rebbe and teacher, and the entire Torah Academy staff. They are Jewish educators par excellence!

Purim 2009!

From Rochelle and Mordechai's wedding

Beating Eggs

On Friday, Ada and I were preparing challah dough. I was narrating the process and after we had checked the eggs to make sure they were kosher, I announced that I was going to beat the eggs. After I had whisked them for a few moments, Ada called out in glee:

"You won!"

Mordechai was complaining about the lack of scheduled activites for Erev Yom Kippur.

“I’m gonna be so bored!” he said.

I pointed out that we could play, read, and eat. I also mentioned that we still had to do tashlich. Then I added, "Oh, and we have to do kapparos tomorrow!"

His response: "Yeah, but what's the point of doing kapparos…there’s no poor people in Palm Beach!"

A g'mar chatimah tovah to all!

Bathroom Geography

The shower curtain in the kids' bathroom is a huge political world map. Ada insists that I stay in the bathroom while she sits and waits for things to happen (or longer) and makes me tell her the name of specific places that she points out. The toilet is situated facing the southern hemisphere directly in front of South America. I think she thinks Brazil is the most important place in the world because, from her vantage point, it's pretty prominent.

Of course, she's familiar with Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, and some of the states through which we drove in the summer. This morning she went off her usual path and asked me what was to the left of "George" (Georgia). I told her it was Alabama.

Ada: And what's next to Alabamer?

me: Mississippi.

Ada (cracking up with laughter): Mississippi Richmond?
(Mrs. Tzippy Richmond is a friend that recently moved down to Florida and teaches in our school)

Next...

Ada: Where's Africa?

me (sweeping my hand over the continent): This whole bunch of countries are all part of the continent called Africa.

Ada: So what's this whole thing?

me: That's South America. And this is North America. This is Europe. And this big, big continent is called Asia.

Ada (cracking up again): That sounds like Ada! (chuckling to self) Asia (pronounced Ay-juh)

Ada: What's that yellow one?

me: That's South Africa.

Ada: Where's North Africa?

me: Oh, there is no country called North Africa. You know, Chef Lisa (a specialty teacher in school) comes from South Africa!

Ada (eyes wide): She drives all the way from there to Florida to come to school?

me: Oh, no! She used to live in South Africa but she came to Florida a long time ago on a plane. Now she lives in Florida.

Ada: The plane flew over the ocean?

me: That's right!

Ada: Where do the kangaroos live?

me: Australia.

Ada: Right. Australia....Okay, I'm done now.

Adina, this one's for you

Dovid offered to brush Ada's hair for her after the bath because she was complaining that it was getting in her eyes.

Dovid: Okay. I'll do it very gently.

Ada: Good. 'Cuz Mommy does it very hurty.

Big brother wisdom

Mordechai to Sari: So which seat are you in?

Sari: I'm the second to the last seat in the second row.

Mordechai: Good. If you're sitting in the back, that means you're good.

First Grade blues

Sari's reaction to her first day of First Grade:

"In first grade there's no standing up. You have to sit all day."

Ugh. School can be such boring torture.

Day 2: "We have to write every day!"

Where's the PAUSE button?!

Do you ever get the urge to put time on pause so you could get through a mountain of "to-dos" and, then, hit play when you're all caught up and ready for the world to keep turning? Ah, well. Maybe it's just me ;)

No one likes the pushy salesman.

Makes sense. Just be yourself - a good Jew. Torah sells itself.

Breaking news!

Dovid, after a grueling 7 hour oral exam, has passed and gotten his smicha. We're very proud to have a bona fide rabbi in the family!


These were given to me in lieu of a Yerushalayim shel zahav (Jerusalem of gold). Cheapo ;)

Ready or not....

...here it comes. The truck is due Wednesday or Thursday. I've been packing continually and it's just starting to look like I've made a dent. You can't imagine the amount of stuff we have managed to accumulate in this small 2-bedroom apartment! The playroom and living room/dining room have been one and the same for five years now. It'll certainly be a nice change to live in a house with a playroom that has a door that can be closed in case of need. Perhaps I'll even be able to successfully establish a no jumping or eating on the couch rule! And we'll even have a lawn and our very own palm tree. Check it out:



I am so serious when I say anyone is welcome to crash at our house. Think about it: free stay on Palm Beach island - home of the rich and famous, just one block from the beach in one direction and a block from the intracoastal waterway in the other. Just look up the Mays in Palm Beach.

Procrastination: trial

My moving truck is coming in a week and a half. I've been blog-browsing for over an hour. Procrastinating? Oh yeah. Guilty as charged - big time.

Kvelling

Mordechai (who's having trouble falling asleep so I let him come out to read) just handed me a little gift. It's a piece of paper folded first accordion-style and then folded in three. On the outside are printed the words USA MAP. When unfolded, you see a drawing of the U.S. with many (mostly rectangular) divisions indicating states. Texas and Florida are fairly true to shape. Actually, on second glance, Florida is very well drawn. He was beaming as he watched me unfold it and made sure to point out, "I even folded it like a real map!"

Calendar Calculations

It was a week or so after Shavuos and the kids and I were out when I met a friend who had recently had a baby. As I congratulated her, I asked her how old the baby was. She answered that she was just about seven weeks old. Barely a few seconds passed and Mordechai piped up, "Was she born on Pesach?"

So many boys, so little time

Sari is blessed with many eligible bachelors who are vying for her hand in marriage. The two front-runners at the moment are Yisrael and Ben. In truth, Ben, who is a good friend of Sari's, was not a consideration until recently when the match was suggested by Mordechai. Sari immediately dismissed the idea saying, "Oh, I can't marry him because he's younger than me." Mordechai pointed out that their aunt is a few months older than their uncle, her husband. Sari was skeptical at first and asked me for corroboration. When I informed her that, indeed, it was okay to marry someone a bit younger than her, her face brightened perceptibly and she started dancing around the house singing, "I'm going to marry Be-en! I'm going to marry Be-en!"

Some "alone time" for Mom and Dad

Mordechai and Sari wanted to go to Meema (their grandmom) for Shabbat. Discussing it, I cried out in mock horror, "Who's going to stay with us?"

Sari answered matter-of-factly, "Mommy will stay with Daddy and Daddy will stay with Mommy." Mordechai chimed in, "You'll get to spend time with each other."

Isn't that sweet?

Wrong foot

Ada (2 1/2) is all too familiar with the experience of trying to put her shoe on the wrong foot. She usually figures it out when she realizes she is having way too much trouble than would normally be expected from a harmless velcro shoe. The other day she was trying to put on her sock by herself and the sock just didn't seem to want to cooperate. She turned to me in frustration and asked, "It's the wrong foot?"

Ugh. No words.

As Seraphic Secret suggests, you must see this: an adorable play put on by adorable children in Gaza.

Brilliant.

You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back.

--William D. Tammeus

Ada-isms

Ada's into the stage where she loves to reminisce as in, "'Member when we went on the train and we went 'round and 'round and I had a buckle...?"

"Dreh-fis" = breakfast in Adaspeak.

p.s. I packed my first box of dishes! This move is really going to happen.

p.p.s. Anyone want to donate a high riser or twin beds to the Cuties?

p.p.p.s. I was just remembering how we used to think it was the epitome of cleverness to add numerous post scripts to letters. (How 'bout the kids that did it wrong by writing p.s.s.s.?)

Sibling dynamics

It's so not fair for Sari. She's at an age when hearing "I won't be your friend if you won't let me have your (insert toy/candy/article of interest)" from Mordechai leaves her with no be'chira (choice). Meanwhile, she could say the same thing and Mordechai responds with a shrug and a smirk. It irks me so. And I hate when Mordechai devises a "trade" agreement to swindle her out of her property. I've instituted a no-trades-allowed-without-maternal-approval rule which also includes an all-trades-can-be-reversed-if-regretted clause. Is that silly of me? I'm just trying to level the playing field.

Speaking of little parenting questions, let me run this one by you. Say, for example, Mordechai wants to lie down in Daddy's bed. If he gets permission, then everyone wants to lie in Daddy's bed. (Yes, this does get ridiculously out of hand too many a time. I told Dovid this was going to happen years ago.) So sometimes he asks if he can go to Dad's bed after the girls fall asleep. Since this is really not a problem for Dad, it seems like the perfect solution. Obviously, though, there is that element of deceit. So, good or no good? Or how 'bout the simple, "You can have another cookie but don't let Ada see it."? (Ack! What is up with that punctuation? I'll research it some other time when I get a round tuit.)

Just a sampling

Mordechai's rebbe talks the yeshiva talk with the kids which they love. They feel like they're in really serious shiur. Mordechai tries to insert these "learning" phrases into his vocabulary whenever appropriate and it's adorable. At one se'udah on Shavuot, we had the whole Queens branch of the May Fam over. There was some lively conversation going on and I was agreeing with my bro-in-law, Yoni, about something or other, and said, "That's exactly what I always say!" Mordechai made a mock show of being very impressed and said, "Ooooh. Yoni was m'chaven to Mommy!"

For the last se'udah we ate out (after three meals hosting numerous guests, baruch Hashem). After the meal, the kids were all enjoying way too much candy while I was lounging in the other room flipping through books. I called out to the kids that that was enough junk food for the day. Just a few minutes later, Dovid found Sari and her friend Shayna, sitting hidden away at the bottom of the backyard stairs. He asked her why she was hiding there and she replied with a twinkle in her eye and her irrepressible smile, "I'm hiding from Mommy because I got another taffy!"

Ada has a wonderful method of self praise. As she's cleaning up a game, she sings, "I like the way Ada's cleaning..." Today she requested some participation from me. She turned to me and said, "You say 'Nice job Ada'."

Who is rich?

The conversations during carpool are so amusing - when the kids are not arguing at the top of their lungs, that is. A snippet of today's discussion:

Mordechai: My father is so rich. He's probably the richest in the class!

Friend: Oh yeah? How much money does he have? A hundred? A thousand? A million?

M: I don't know exactly but I know it's a lot.

F: My father is so rich. I know because every week, when he pays the babysitter, he gives her a hundred dollars.

M: Yeah. Well my father pays my babysitter two hundred and fifty dollars!

Well that settles it then, doesn't it?

Oh, brother!

Mordechai was wondering about Mothers' Day and about how the whole thing got started. I explained to him the whole Hallmark thing. He then asked, "Why don't they have Brothers' Day?"

"Well, um, I don't really know," I replied.

Mordechai shrugged and said, "It doesn't matter anyway because one day I'll be a father."

UPDATE: I was telling the story over to Dovid when Sari piped up to say, quite matter-of-factly, "On Mothers' Day all the non-Jewish fathers take the mothers to a fancy restaurant."

Got that Dovid?

Israel warms our hearts

Edelavor

That's elevator in AdaSpeak. Yum.

BIG NEWS

Ada has been walking around telling everyone she meets that she's going to "Acamy Palm Beach" and she's getting a "napsap" in which she'll put her "shtraw cup with milk" and a notebook. For those of you who haven't yet heard the BIG news, here it is:

We're moving to Palm Beach!

You heard right. We're headed down to sunny Florida, to the island of the palm trees. Dovid has been appointed by the Judy Steinberg Hebrew Academy of Palm Beach as head of school. (That is the "acamy" to which Ada refers.) There is currently a preschool and we plan to open Kindergarten and Grade 1 for the coming school year. And so, a new Jewish day school is born in an area that has the fourth-largest Jewish population in the U.S.! Sadly, only about 32 percent of the county's Jews are affiliated with a synagogue. And with the number of Jewish children there having increased over 60 percent in the past ten years, we have our work cut out for us. I will be Director of Curriculum Development and will be splitting my time by teaching our first grade class.

So how do I feel? Thrilled and excited about this wonderful opportunity and the purpose we aim to fulfill. Happy for my family to be living in a place that is more laid back. Sad for my family to be living so far away from our family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) in New York and Pennsylvania. Proud that my family will become a living kiddush Hashem, with His help. Nervous about adjusting to living on my own without the huge support system I currently enjoy and about managing the logisitics of a long-distance move almost single-handedly (Dovid is going into seclusion as soon as yeshiva lets out in June to cram for his semicha test this summer.)!

Thankfully, with all these powerful emotions threatening to turn me into a pile of useless overwrought nerves, I have very little time to feel or even think too much. I have been so insanely busy working for the Hebrew Academy, I have little time for anything!

One thing I do know: The Hebrew Academy of Palm Beach will be the most awesome school in the county. We're aiming for - and will stop at nothing less than - academic excellence and character-building. We care about each individual child and working with families as partners in each child's Jewish and secular education. I am quite confident that our children will love to learn and learn to love their rich Jewish heritage.

I'm off to Palm Beach next week for a few days. Don't miss me too much while I'm there. Ha! As if! ;)

So literal

At the hotel, in the children's dining room, as I'm bringing some chicken over to Ada (2 1/2):

Me: Ada, look! I got you the best chicken in the house.

She (laughing at the "joke"): Dis not a house!

A short while later...

Me (hugging her to pieces): I love you, baby doll.

She (looking at me like I'm an idiot): I not a doll, I'm a Ada!

On Thursday, March 29th, the last day of school before Pesach vacation, Sari was telling me about her day at school. The class had held a mock seder with crackers and grape juice and all the fun things that happen during the seder. She said, "We had a geshmack seder at school today!"

"Oh?" I said. "What's that?"

She was pleased to be ready with her reply, "It means a pretend seder."

Future blogger?

My school was giving away some (really) old iMacs. Not one to turn down a freebie, I figured I'd bring it home for the kids to play with and learn to type on, etc.. They were absolutely overjoyed when they saw it. As I was putting it together, they were dancing around me excitedly. When I turned it on, Mordechai caught his breath in a little gasp and looked at me with shining eyes and said, "Does this mean we can have our own blogs?"

Looks like I'm headed down the same road taken by the PT family. G-d help the blogosphere.;)

Quotes

Sari and Ada went down the hall to visit Penina. Apparently she wasn't home because no one answered their knocks. Sari came back to the door and was holding it open, urging Ada to come back home while Ada was stubbornly holding her ground. After a moment or two of this, Sari called out:

Mom, I need some assistance.

Me (surprised to hear her use that word): Assistance, eh? Where did you hear that? Who says that?

Sari (with a mischievous twinkle in her eye): Daddy says that to you.

Me: He does? When?

Sari: When I'm not going to bed!

Suicide jumper

If you have a weak stomach, then don't click on this. It is a picture of a suicide jumper taken shortly after he landed. It shows him with his insides now on the outside. The looks of horror on the faces of the bystanders are quite graphic.