It's true, I'm not. I always say I'll blog more but it's been about 2 months since my last post. I really do want to write more but I'm not so motivated. However, I will try. Really. Maybe. Kind of.
I would say "not much has happened since the first day of gan and that' why I haven't written" but that's really not true. Life here is pretty hectic - that's why I haven't written. But it's no excuse. NO EXCUSE! Bad Leezy.....
Let's go in age order this time: Elie is doing great at work. Very busy getting new clients and keeping his clients happy. I'm totally impressed with how many articles he's gotten in local and worldwide newspapers. In fact, he had a very exciting milestone this shabbat when he got a feature 2-page spread in the magazine of the Jerusalem Post Weekend edition. It was a really great article about his client, Nishmat, and we're very proud.
Onto myself (I did say age order) - I am working really hard and my days are extremely hectic. I basically drop off Tani, come home, drop off Amichai and go straight to work. Directly from work I go get both boys and come home for dinner-bath-cleaning up toys-cranky time that is always the 3 hours between 4 and 7. I do like working but my days are totally exhausting. But, I really like my job (I even just got a little raise!) and I'm glad that I got this job.
Tani's turn (oh he would love for me to say that more often) - he is, thank G-d, doing amazing at gan. He's speaking to the ganenet (and me) in hebrew, he totally gets what's going on and is really participating and he is THRILLED to go every morning. The ganenet loves him and often says - "hu me'od chacham - chaval al hazman!" Just to clarify, I grew up thinking "chaval al hazman" had a negative connotation. However, as I have learned here, it is actually a positive thing but I honestly don't know the best english translation. The point of this digression - the ganenet is NOT saying that Tani is wasting everyone's time (I hope...). Back on topic - we are thrilled with the gan and the ganenet so that's going great. Tani otherwise is cute, as always, but SUCH A 2 YEAR OLD!! I love that kid more than anything but, I admit, I do sometimes google "boarding schools for kids under 3".
Last, but most definitely not least, Amichai. He is, thank G-d, doing great. He has started eating some solids (the mush) and we actually, just tonight, took out the high chair! I can't believe that he is 5 months old already, I honestly feel like I just had him. He's rolling over, trying to get everywhere, and trying to eat EVERYTHING (including Tani's face). He really likes the babysitter and she is really great, we're really happy with her.
So that's it for the fam. In general, thing here are going well. I just wish it would COOL OFF! It is so freakin hot, it's unbelievable. I can honestly say that I am jealous of all the rain and cold weather that you guys in America are experiencing. I am so ready to not be dressing the kids in the short sleeves and shorts anymore (my parents brought my whole order of cute Old Navy stuff!!!) and Tani has officially grown out of his sandals.
Oh, shoes, I must discuss the Israeli children's shoe situation. So it was supposed to start getting "cooler" and Tani was really growing out of his sandals so I decided to take him to the shoe store one day last week for winter shoes. I went into a different store than last year because his shoes weren't the best quality last year so I wanted to try somewhere new. I figured I could at least find ONE normal pair. Well, that task has proven very difficult. All of the closed toe shoes basically look like hiking boots. I mean, come on, the kid's legs are small enough as it is, do we need to cover them entirely with the shoe?!? Needless to say, I left without buying any shoes and very nostalgic for all the adorable shoes I saw on Piperlime and Zappos, sigh.....So I have basically decided that I have to buy him a pair of sneakers and a pair of shabbos shoes. Oy.
So that's it for now, hopefully the next update will be sooner than January (but, let's be honest, probably not).
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
First Day of Gan!
Yes, folks, the new school year has officially begun. Here in Israel we have a staggered first week of school. Now, I understand the reason is to try to get the kids acclimated, but, honestly, it's a HUGE pain in the neck.
Here's our schedule for this week:
- Monday: 9-10 a.m. with the parent the whole time
- Tuesday: 8-10 a.m. - parent leaves after kid is "ok"
- Wednesday: 8-11 a.m. - same as above
- Thursday: full day (8-4) - FINALLY
I know this may not seem so bad to some of you out there but I am actually just beginning a new job this week so having Tani home for basically the whole day doesn't really work so well. Basically, I have been working in the evenings as I'm being trained and starting Thursday I'll work my normal hours from 9 - 3:30.
To backtrack a little - I got a job! I am working as an Office Manager/Personal Assistant at Kosherica (the big kosher cruise company). They just relocated their headquarters from Miami to Israel this past May because the couple who own the couple moved with their family to Israel. And, conveniently, the offices are in Ramat Bet Shemesh, about a 7 minute drive from our house - yay!
I actually got the job the day before I had Amichai - I went to interview with my very large belly and I basically got the job. The owners of the company were basically on one of their cruises all summer and they just got back at the end of August so I started going in the evenings for training.
I'm really enjoying the work and I'm definitely looking forward to being on a regular schedule. The only stressful part is that until after the chagim, I'm going to have Amichai with me in the office. I just felt like he was too little to have him with a babysitter just yet. Thank G-d, he's a really good baby so I'm hoping that it won't be too difficult. We shall see.
Back to Tani and gan. So today was the first day of him being there for a little while without me. He said goodbye really nicely but by the time I was about 10 feet out the door, the crying began. I stood by the door hoping he would stop any minute, but after about 3 minutes I gave up and left feeling, of course, like a terrible mother. I had told the ganenet that, if it was necessary, he has a blankie in his tik (bag) that he can use as a security item. So that's what he had when I picked him up. Hopefully, after a month or so, he won't need it anymore. We also decided to send one of his small stuffed animals (the infamous monkey) instead of his blankie because the blankies tend to get dragged on the floor and get disgusting.
The other thing about his gan is that it's an all hebrew gan. We are really happy about this because he is definitely at the age where he's ready to learn. But it's also hard because the ganenet basically speaks no english so for the first little while, she'll be simply nodding and smiling whenever he says anything to her. There are several other kids in the gan who speak english so he'll have people to play with. As my mother said, this is definitely harder for me than it is for Tani. I know, I know, it'll be over quickly and before I know it, he'll be translating the letters that come from our insurance company and telling us how much we owe for our car payments this month.
So, I'm basically just wanted to fast forward about a month to when things are all settled and in a nice routine. And, in a month - Momz and Dadz come for Sukkot!! Yay! Let the countdown begin!
Here's our schedule for this week:
- Monday: 9-10 a.m. with the parent the whole time
- Tuesday: 8-10 a.m. - parent leaves after kid is "ok"
- Wednesday: 8-11 a.m. - same as above
- Thursday: full day (8-4) - FINALLY
I know this may not seem so bad to some of you out there but I am actually just beginning a new job this week so having Tani home for basically the whole day doesn't really work so well. Basically, I have been working in the evenings as I'm being trained and starting Thursday I'll work my normal hours from 9 - 3:30.
To backtrack a little - I got a job! I am working as an Office Manager/Personal Assistant at Kosherica (the big kosher cruise company). They just relocated their headquarters from Miami to Israel this past May because the couple who own the couple moved with their family to Israel. And, conveniently, the offices are in Ramat Bet Shemesh, about a 7 minute drive from our house - yay!
I actually got the job the day before I had Amichai - I went to interview with my very large belly and I basically got the job. The owners of the company were basically on one of their cruises all summer and they just got back at the end of August so I started going in the evenings for training.
I'm really enjoying the work and I'm definitely looking forward to being on a regular schedule. The only stressful part is that until after the chagim, I'm going to have Amichai with me in the office. I just felt like he was too little to have him with a babysitter just yet. Thank G-d, he's a really good baby so I'm hoping that it won't be too difficult. We shall see.
Back to Tani and gan. So today was the first day of him being there for a little while without me. He said goodbye really nicely but by the time I was about 10 feet out the door, the crying began. I stood by the door hoping he would stop any minute, but after about 3 minutes I gave up and left feeling, of course, like a terrible mother. I had told the ganenet that, if it was necessary, he has a blankie in his tik (bag) that he can use as a security item. So that's what he had when I picked him up. Hopefully, after a month or so, he won't need it anymore. We also decided to send one of his small stuffed animals (the infamous monkey) instead of his blankie because the blankies tend to get dragged on the floor and get disgusting.
The other thing about his gan is that it's an all hebrew gan. We are really happy about this because he is definitely at the age where he's ready to learn. But it's also hard because the ganenet basically speaks no english so for the first little while, she'll be simply nodding and smiling whenever he says anything to her. There are several other kids in the gan who speak english so he'll have people to play with. As my mother said, this is definitely harder for me than it is for Tani. I know, I know, it'll be over quickly and before I know it, he'll be translating the letters that come from our insurance company and telling us how much we owe for our car payments this month.
So, I'm basically just wanted to fast forward about a month to when things are all settled and in a nice routine. And, in a month - Momz and Dadz come for Sukkot!! Yay! Let the countdown begin!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
I Really Am Going to Try to Update More Often....
To tell you the truth, I would totally update more but I just don't feel like there is so much to tell. Here's a little overview of our first summer as Israelis:
First, the baby. He is, thank G-d, doing really well. He's getting nice and chunky and he is really happy. He loves it when people talk to him, smile at him, etc. He loves to laugh and, in general, just be around people. Unfortunately for him, he's a second child and he is definitely trumped by his older 2 1/2 year old brother in the attention department. But, as they say - ma la'asot.
Speaking of the older brother, Tani is also doing really well, thank G-d. His gan "turned into" a kaytana (camp). What does this mean? Basically, since July 1st, they go swimming every Monday and Wednesday. That's about all the differences there are. However, this is the last week of, as we call it, Camp Gan. This is very sad because Tani LOVES his ganenet, Chaviva, and he doesn't even know how said he's going to be when it's over. (I know how sad he's going to be....)
So starting next Sunday, Tani is starting a different kaytana in my in-law's neighborhood, Nofei Aviv. It's about a 5 minute drive from here and he has a friend going with him also so I think he'll be ok (think=desperately hope). The REALLY sad part about this change is that Elie will no longer be able to take Tani to camp in the morning (as he has been doing since Amichai was born) because he gets a ride to work and doesn't have enough time to get there and back before his ride leaves. You may be wondering why this is so sad and I will tell you. If Elie can't take Tani it means....I HAVE TO! And that means that I have to, wait for it....GET DRESSED BEFORE 9:30 AM!! Not that I have necessarily been lazing around in the mornings but I have been pushing off getting dressed until I ABSOLUTELY have to and I will be sad when that time is over (sigh).
In other news, it's freakin' hot here. No one goes out in the afternoons anymore and, for the most part, we try to organize play dates in the afternoons or else we GO CRAZY! Unfortunately, we have no vacation planned for this summer because it just didn't work out (meaning - it's too expensive and Elie is VERY busy at work). I'm keeping Tani in his new camp for two weeks and then, for the last week of the summer, it's CAMP IMA. Oh baby, it's gonna get crazy over here. Hopefully Elie will take off one day that week and we will DO SOMETHING - whatever that means.
We have been really taking advantages of long summer Fridays and we try to do something every week. 2 weeks ago we went to the beach and that was amazing. You really feel like you are on vacation when you go to the beach so it's really nice. We went with a few friends and all the kids played in the sand the entire time so it was even slightly relaxing for the parents.
That's about all that's happening over here. I really, really, really will try to update a little more often but, seriously, who's reading this anyway aside from my mom who I talk to every day anyway?
First, the baby. He is, thank G-d, doing really well. He's getting nice and chunky and he is really happy. He loves it when people talk to him, smile at him, etc. He loves to laugh and, in general, just be around people. Unfortunately for him, he's a second child and he is definitely trumped by his older 2 1/2 year old brother in the attention department. But, as they say - ma la'asot.
Speaking of the older brother, Tani is also doing really well, thank G-d. His gan "turned into" a kaytana (camp). What does this mean? Basically, since July 1st, they go swimming every Monday and Wednesday. That's about all the differences there are. However, this is the last week of, as we call it, Camp Gan. This is very sad because Tani LOVES his ganenet, Chaviva, and he doesn't even know how said he's going to be when it's over. (I know how sad he's going to be....)
So starting next Sunday, Tani is starting a different kaytana in my in-law's neighborhood, Nofei Aviv. It's about a 5 minute drive from here and he has a friend going with him also so I think he'll be ok (think=desperately hope). The REALLY sad part about this change is that Elie will no longer be able to take Tani to camp in the morning (as he has been doing since Amichai was born) because he gets a ride to work and doesn't have enough time to get there and back before his ride leaves. You may be wondering why this is so sad and I will tell you. If Elie can't take Tani it means....I HAVE TO! And that means that I have to, wait for it....GET DRESSED BEFORE 9:30 AM!! Not that I have necessarily been lazing around in the mornings but I have been pushing off getting dressed until I ABSOLUTELY have to and I will be sad when that time is over (sigh).
In other news, it's freakin' hot here. No one goes out in the afternoons anymore and, for the most part, we try to organize play dates in the afternoons or else we GO CRAZY! Unfortunately, we have no vacation planned for this summer because it just didn't work out (meaning - it's too expensive and Elie is VERY busy at work). I'm keeping Tani in his new camp for two weeks and then, for the last week of the summer, it's CAMP IMA. Oh baby, it's gonna get crazy over here. Hopefully Elie will take off one day that week and we will DO SOMETHING - whatever that means.
We have been really taking advantages of long summer Fridays and we try to do something every week. 2 weeks ago we went to the beach and that was amazing. You really feel like you are on vacation when you go to the beach so it's really nice. We went with a few friends and all the kids played in the sand the entire time so it was even slightly relaxing for the parents.
That's about all that's happening over here. I really, really, really will try to update a little more often but, seriously, who's reading this anyway aside from my mom who I talk to every day anyway?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
It Has Been Waaay Too Long, I Know
I know it's been way too long since my last post but for good reason - we welcomed a baby boy on May 25, Bet Sivan - Amichai Tzion. I know what some of you are thinking - the baby was born on May 25 yet your last blog was April 29 (or something) - what's the deal? To be honest, I was so not in the mood to update those last few weeks of pregnancy. That is the total honest truth. And then, as it got closer, I just wanted to wait until the baby was born - so here you go.
It was a really incredible birth and Amichai's timing couldn't have been more perfect. Let me explain. It was the week before Shavuot and I still hadn't given birth. Now, my parents had originally decided that they would just come as soon as I gave birth. However, Shavuot was upon us and my parents had no interest in being alone for Shavuot not knowing what was happening with me. Additionally, they were worried that if I gave birth right before Shavuot and it was a boy that they wouldn't be able to get here in time and would miss the shalom zachor. So they decided that they would just come on the Tuesday before Shavuot. Conveniently enough, I went into labor Monday morning. We called to tell them that I had been admitted to the hospital as they were driving to Newark for their flight. Then we called them not too long after that (they were still in the car) to tell them that "It's A BOY!" I was even able to talk to them before they got on the plane and I was all settled in my room. They arrived on Tuesday and after a brief stopover to drop their stuff at Gila's in Modiin, they came on over to Hadassah Ein Karem to visit me and Amichai (who was, obviously, still nameless at this point). It was so great that they got to come to the hospital. Amichai and I went home on Wednesday and Shavuot started Thursday night.
The shalom zachor was interesting because it was Friday night but we Friday was Shavuot. So lots of people brought stuff by on Thursday, some came Friday before Shabbat, etc. We held the shalom zachor downstairs in the parking spaces in between our building and the building next door. I know it sounds weird to those who don't know the area but it was really very nice and it allowed us to use the apartment for the women so I didn't have to go downstairs at all.
The brit was Monday, June 1 at a shul in our neighborhood. Again, lots of friends and relatives showed up and a good time was had by all, except for Amichai of course. And Tani was slightly under the weather but he did pretty well, considering. For those of you who weren't there, Amichai Tzion is basically named for the sentiment of our successful aliyah and our unbelievable happiness at being able to live and raise our children in Eretz Yisrael. And just like we switch off between Netanel and Tani, we will be switching off between Amichai and Ami.
Speaking of big brother Tani, he is doing amazingly well in his new role, thank G-d. He loves Ami's tiny fingers and toes. His favorite activity is taking Amichai's arms, waving them and saying "Hello!" We are all settling into our routine now that the excitement has died down and I think everyone is grateful for that. Although we were very sad to see Mommy and Daddy/Bubby and Zaidy leave. Their trips always seem way too short. Oh, wait, that's because they are!
I will try to update as often as I can but the whole 2 kids thing keeps me kinda busy so you may have to wait a while.
Thanks for reading!
It was a really incredible birth and Amichai's timing couldn't have been more perfect. Let me explain. It was the week before Shavuot and I still hadn't given birth. Now, my parents had originally decided that they would just come as soon as I gave birth. However, Shavuot was upon us and my parents had no interest in being alone for Shavuot not knowing what was happening with me. Additionally, they were worried that if I gave birth right before Shavuot and it was a boy that they wouldn't be able to get here in time and would miss the shalom zachor. So they decided that they would just come on the Tuesday before Shavuot. Conveniently enough, I went into labor Monday morning. We called to tell them that I had been admitted to the hospital as they were driving to Newark for their flight. Then we called them not too long after that (they were still in the car) to tell them that "It's A BOY!" I was even able to talk to them before they got on the plane and I was all settled in my room. They arrived on Tuesday and after a brief stopover to drop their stuff at Gila's in Modiin, they came on over to Hadassah Ein Karem to visit me and Amichai (who was, obviously, still nameless at this point). It was so great that they got to come to the hospital. Amichai and I went home on Wednesday and Shavuot started Thursday night.
The shalom zachor was interesting because it was Friday night but we Friday was Shavuot. So lots of people brought stuff by on Thursday, some came Friday before Shabbat, etc. We held the shalom zachor downstairs in the parking spaces in between our building and the building next door. I know it sounds weird to those who don't know the area but it was really very nice and it allowed us to use the apartment for the women so I didn't have to go downstairs at all.
The brit was Monday, June 1 at a shul in our neighborhood. Again, lots of friends and relatives showed up and a good time was had by all, except for Amichai of course. And Tani was slightly under the weather but he did pretty well, considering. For those of you who weren't there, Amichai Tzion is basically named for the sentiment of our successful aliyah and our unbelievable happiness at being able to live and raise our children in Eretz Yisrael. And just like we switch off between Netanel and Tani, we will be switching off between Amichai and Ami.
Speaking of big brother Tani, he is doing amazingly well in his new role, thank G-d. He loves Ami's tiny fingers and toes. His favorite activity is taking Amichai's arms, waving them and saying "Hello!" We are all settling into our routine now that the excitement has died down and I think everyone is grateful for that. Although we were very sad to see Mommy and Daddy/Bubby and Zaidy leave. Their trips always seem way too short. Oh, wait, that's because they are!
I will try to update as often as I can but the whole 2 kids thing keeps me kinda busy so you may have to wait a while.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Pesach, Yom Ha'atzmaut and Car Purchasing
I know it's been a while since I last wrote so here is an update of everything from Pesach until Yom Ha'atzmaut (which just ended about 30 minutes ago).
Pesach was tiring but really nice. We were at Sara and David for the seder along with my in-laws, David's parents and David's brother. The seder was really nice with lots of shmoozing, grape juice drinking, afikoman finding, and (eventually) eating. We had thought that of course Tani would just end up crashing and falling asleep on the couch/floor at some point. But, alas, he was un-tired man! Thank G-d, he played/ate really nicely and stayed up for the whole thing. Most importantly, he sang all of his songs beautifully.
The first day of chag we had friends over for lunch and it was really nice to host our first Pesach meal ever. Even nicer - NOT having to have a second seder! What a difference that makes. However, it was quite odd that we couldn't talk to my parents until Sunday. It's weird having an entire day and THEN shabbat while they were technically in chag mode the whole time.
So on Friday (our first day of chol hamoed) we went to the Monkey Park about 10 minutes out of Modiin. This was super convenient seeing as we were going to Gila and Donny for shabbat. It's a really nice park with, of course, monkeys among several other animals. It wasn't too crowded (we got there early) and there were a lot of shaded places to sit down throughout which was, truthfully, the best part for me! It is also the place where we purchased a stuffed monkey for Tani that he literally has not put down since. It was really cute because the whole way from the park to Gila and Donny's house, Netanel was talking to the monkey, telling him about Pesach. Very entertaining.
We had a great shabbat with Aunt Gila, Uncle Donny, Ariella and Yaakov. It was really nice watching the kids play and Ariella has turned into one fine babysitter. She sat reading books to Netanel for like an hour on shabbat morning and he loved it. However, probably the best part of the whole weekend - Donny's Pesach sponge cake!!!! Even better, he made us one to take home! Elie ate his traditional 5,000 pieces at each meal so he was a happy camper.
I will give a shout-out here to my sister who hosted the first day (seder and all), shabbat, and second day - having guests for each leg. Kapayim L'Gila!
The second day we were back home again. At night we invited friends from the neighborhood and enjoyed an inaugural meal from our grill! Let me explain - we brought this grill on our lift but neglected to open it right away. Then, as Pesach approached, Elie and I both had the brilliant idea to use it for the first time on Pesach seeing as we had not yet used it for chametz. So, while we did miss the buns, the food and company were terrific.
For the day we went to my in-laws for my father in law's yearly Pesach birthday lunch. Much fun was had and (good) cake was eaten.
Another weirdness about the whole 1 day here vs. 2 day in America thing was that we had basically completely turned back over to chametz and were eating pizza before chag was even over for my parents. Quite a weird feeling....
Once we got our lives back in order and sent Tani back to gan (if you recall, gan was out for 2 1/2 weeks), it was time to get down to business.
We had rented a car for about 2 weeks over Pesach and were planning on renting one again for about a month once the baby is born, iy"H. However, we also had in the plans to buy a car sometime this summer. I said to Elie that, while the prices here for car rentals are quite good, why not just start the car buying process now rather than waiting to do it with a newborn. And that is exactly what we did.
We went to the Eldan (one of the largest car rental companies in Israel) office in Bet Shemesh. Aside from renting cars, Eldan is also in the business of selling used and like-new cars and several of our friends from the neighborhood have bought from them. To make a long story short, we found a car for a pretty good price and it is currently (technically) ours. We are waiting to take it for a test and to finalize the insurance but, in short, we are very soon to be car owners!! Not only is this exciting for the obvious reason that it's going to make life a million times easier having a car, but this is the first big purchase we have ever made. We feel all grown-up and stuff, it's kinda weird.....
Now, onto Yom Ha'atzmaut. What a celebration! Netanel's gan (and all the ganim) have been aptly prepping the children for Yom Ha'atzmaut. One day he came home talking about Medinat Yisrael; the next day he was singing Am Yisrael Chai. On Tuesday (Yom Hazikaron) the ganenet made the kids pita with chumus and falafel for lunch which, I was told, Tani scarfed down very happily. He also came home with his very own Degel Yisrael that he has not stopped waving.
On the eve of Yom Ha'atzmaut (Tuesday night) we went to a BBQ at our next door neighbor's house. (Just a bit of info for those who many not already know - Yom Ha'atzmaut = BBQ and lots of it). On the day of Yom Ha'atzmaut we had friends over for a pancake breakfast, went to friends for a BBQ lunch and then headed over to my in-laws for a BBQ dinner. That's right - 3 BBQ's in the span of 24 hours - I think that is very impressive for our first Yom Ha'atzmaut as Israelis. We should get a trophy.
All-in-all, it's been a great month with many reasons to celebrate. We are now really in the baby countdown - just a few weeks left (a.k.a. - any day now). Who knows what the next post will be about......
Pesach was tiring but really nice. We were at Sara and David for the seder along with my in-laws, David's parents and David's brother. The seder was really nice with lots of shmoozing, grape juice drinking, afikoman finding, and (eventually) eating. We had thought that of course Tani would just end up crashing and falling asleep on the couch/floor at some point. But, alas, he was un-tired man! Thank G-d, he played/ate really nicely and stayed up for the whole thing. Most importantly, he sang all of his songs beautifully.
The first day of chag we had friends over for lunch and it was really nice to host our first Pesach meal ever. Even nicer - NOT having to have a second seder! What a difference that makes. However, it was quite odd that we couldn't talk to my parents until Sunday. It's weird having an entire day and THEN shabbat while they were technically in chag mode the whole time.
So on Friday (our first day of chol hamoed) we went to the Monkey Park about 10 minutes out of Modiin. This was super convenient seeing as we were going to Gila and Donny for shabbat. It's a really nice park with, of course, monkeys among several other animals. It wasn't too crowded (we got there early) and there were a lot of shaded places to sit down throughout which was, truthfully, the best part for me! It is also the place where we purchased a stuffed monkey for Tani that he literally has not put down since. It was really cute because the whole way from the park to Gila and Donny's house, Netanel was talking to the monkey, telling him about Pesach. Very entertaining.
We had a great shabbat with Aunt Gila, Uncle Donny, Ariella and Yaakov. It was really nice watching the kids play and Ariella has turned into one fine babysitter. She sat reading books to Netanel for like an hour on shabbat morning and he loved it. However, probably the best part of the whole weekend - Donny's Pesach sponge cake!!!! Even better, he made us one to take home! Elie ate his traditional 5,000 pieces at each meal so he was a happy camper.
I will give a shout-out here to my sister who hosted the first day (seder and all), shabbat, and second day - having guests for each leg. Kapayim L'Gila!
The second day we were back home again. At night we invited friends from the neighborhood and enjoyed an inaugural meal from our grill! Let me explain - we brought this grill on our lift but neglected to open it right away. Then, as Pesach approached, Elie and I both had the brilliant idea to use it for the first time on Pesach seeing as we had not yet used it for chametz. So, while we did miss the buns, the food and company were terrific.
For the day we went to my in-laws for my father in law's yearly Pesach birthday lunch. Much fun was had and (good) cake was eaten.
Another weirdness about the whole 1 day here vs. 2 day in America thing was that we had basically completely turned back over to chametz and were eating pizza before chag was even over for my parents. Quite a weird feeling....
Once we got our lives back in order and sent Tani back to gan (if you recall, gan was out for 2 1/2 weeks), it was time to get down to business.
We had rented a car for about 2 weeks over Pesach and were planning on renting one again for about a month once the baby is born, iy"H. However, we also had in the plans to buy a car sometime this summer. I said to Elie that, while the prices here for car rentals are quite good, why not just start the car buying process now rather than waiting to do it with a newborn. And that is exactly what we did.
We went to the Eldan (one of the largest car rental companies in Israel) office in Bet Shemesh. Aside from renting cars, Eldan is also in the business of selling used and like-new cars and several of our friends from the neighborhood have bought from them. To make a long story short, we found a car for a pretty good price and it is currently (technically) ours. We are waiting to take it for a test and to finalize the insurance but, in short, we are very soon to be car owners!! Not only is this exciting for the obvious reason that it's going to make life a million times easier having a car, but this is the first big purchase we have ever made. We feel all grown-up and stuff, it's kinda weird.....
Now, onto Yom Ha'atzmaut. What a celebration! Netanel's gan (and all the ganim) have been aptly prepping the children for Yom Ha'atzmaut. One day he came home talking about Medinat Yisrael; the next day he was singing Am Yisrael Chai. On Tuesday (Yom Hazikaron) the ganenet made the kids pita with chumus and falafel for lunch which, I was told, Tani scarfed down very happily. He also came home with his very own Degel Yisrael that he has not stopped waving.
On the eve of Yom Ha'atzmaut (Tuesday night) we went to a BBQ at our next door neighbor's house. (Just a bit of info for those who many not already know - Yom Ha'atzmaut = BBQ and lots of it). On the day of Yom Ha'atzmaut we had friends over for a pancake breakfast, went to friends for a BBQ lunch and then headed over to my in-laws for a BBQ dinner. That's right - 3 BBQ's in the span of 24 hours - I think that is very impressive for our first Yom Ha'atzmaut as Israelis. We should get a trophy.
All-in-all, it's been a great month with many reasons to celebrate. We are now really in the baby countdown - just a few weeks left (a.k.a. - any day now). Who knows what the next post will be about......
Sunday, April 5, 2009
"Mikooool Halyeloooot"
Well Pesach is just around the corner although it feels like it's been Pesach for about 3 weeks now.
Here in Israel there is an interesting custom which I am working on amending for next year. The custom is - let's close the gans a week and a half before Pesach. Now I know that those 12 year olds who charge 250 NIS for a "kaytana (mini-camp)" for 3 - 5 year olds in their backyards truly enjoy this time of year. But I don't. Not that I don't love driving around in our rental car with Tani to do all of my various errands while hearing him sing over, and over, and over - "Mikoool haleylooot" or "Dy dy yaynu, dy dy yaynu, dy dy yaynu....." - yes, he refuses to sing the rest of the songs, even though he knows them quite well.
Anyway, it's been quite busy. As many of you know, this is the first time that Elie and I are actually making Pesach. Our first 2 Pesachs married we were in Israel and and the last 2 we were in Baltimore. On the one hand, it has been kind of nice being able to start amassing our Pesach pots and pans that we will use, G-d willing, for many years to come. However, in case you didn't know, Pesach is freakin expensive! Geez! It kind of makes me wish we lived during the time of cavemen and we could just find a new cave for Pesach, build our fire, break off new twigs to use as cutlery and be done with it.
And to make things even more difficult, we are currently living in the land flowing with kitniyot and kitniyot. Seriously. Everything that one could possibly want to eat on Pesach that may taste remotely normal is "L'ochlei kitnityot bilvad". Kinda makes me wish the Kleins were sefardi.....if only.
It's a very different experience shopping here for Pesach food. One would think that it would be easier seeing as this is indeed the land of Jewish people where one can say "Chag Sameach" to the cashier. However, one would be wrong. The Pesach stuff didn't really come out until last week. For all of you in the US who are like my mom, shopping for Pesach started about a month ago. If you went looking for Pesach products in Israel a month ago, you would be laughed at, literally. So all of the preparation, cleaning, buying, etc. basically happens within the span of one week. Oh right, and that's the week that you have your 2 year old home with you, all day. Enough said.
However, I do believe that we are doing a pretty good job preparing. The kitchen is almost completely done and most of the shopping has been done as well. Tani and I are actually having a very nice time together, although I am beyond exhausted, and it's definitely been nice having that rental car.
Most importantly, Tani is able to recite the Ma Nishtana in its entirety and loves singing his Pesach songs so much that he actually wakes up at 3 a.m. to sing. That's right, from about 3 - 4 a.m. one night last week I woke up to hear "Avadim hayenu, hayenu" for about 20 minutes and then "Ma nishtana halayla hazeh mekoooool haleyloooot" for another 40. He's got a great little Israeli accent and we will definitely try to get him to sing on video for all to see.
If I don't get to update again before chag - have a Chag Kasher V'Sameach and may we all celebrate Pesach together in the coming years. Enjoy!
Here in Israel there is an interesting custom which I am working on amending for next year. The custom is - let's close the gans a week and a half before Pesach. Now I know that those 12 year olds who charge 250 NIS for a "kaytana (mini-camp)" for 3 - 5 year olds in their backyards truly enjoy this time of year. But I don't. Not that I don't love driving around in our rental car with Tani to do all of my various errands while hearing him sing over, and over, and over - "Mikoool haleylooot" or "Dy dy yaynu, dy dy yaynu, dy dy yaynu....." - yes, he refuses to sing the rest of the songs, even though he knows them quite well.
Anyway, it's been quite busy. As many of you know, this is the first time that Elie and I are actually making Pesach. Our first 2 Pesachs married we were in Israel and and the last 2 we were in Baltimore. On the one hand, it has been kind of nice being able to start amassing our Pesach pots and pans that we will use, G-d willing, for many years to come. However, in case you didn't know, Pesach is freakin expensive! Geez! It kind of makes me wish we lived during the time of cavemen and we could just find a new cave for Pesach, build our fire, break off new twigs to use as cutlery and be done with it.
And to make things even more difficult, we are currently living in the land flowing with kitniyot and kitniyot. Seriously. Everything that one could possibly want to eat on Pesach that may taste remotely normal is "L'ochlei kitnityot bilvad". Kinda makes me wish the Kleins were sefardi.....if only.
It's a very different experience shopping here for Pesach food. One would think that it would be easier seeing as this is indeed the land of Jewish people where one can say "Chag Sameach" to the cashier. However, one would be wrong. The Pesach stuff didn't really come out until last week. For all of you in the US who are like my mom, shopping for Pesach started about a month ago. If you went looking for Pesach products in Israel a month ago, you would be laughed at, literally. So all of the preparation, cleaning, buying, etc. basically happens within the span of one week. Oh right, and that's the week that you have your 2 year old home with you, all day. Enough said.
However, I do believe that we are doing a pretty good job preparing. The kitchen is almost completely done and most of the shopping has been done as well. Tani and I are actually having a very nice time together, although I am beyond exhausted, and it's definitely been nice having that rental car.
Most importantly, Tani is able to recite the Ma Nishtana in its entirety and loves singing his Pesach songs so much that he actually wakes up at 3 a.m. to sing. That's right, from about 3 - 4 a.m. one night last week I woke up to hear "Avadim hayenu, hayenu" for about 20 minutes and then "Ma nishtana halayla hazeh mekoooool haleyloooot" for another 40. He's got a great little Israeli accent and we will definitely try to get him to sing on video for all to see.
If I don't get to update again before chag - have a Chag Kasher V'Sameach and may we all celebrate Pesach together in the coming years. Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Purim Arrives!! And so much more.....
I assure you that I will tell you all about our first Purim as Israelis but a few things transpired before Purim so we must go in order......
First, I have officially finished ulpan! That's right folks, I took the test and said "shalom". The day of the test was quite interesting. I would like to preface the story by tell all the readers of this blog that my sister has cursed ulpan test day forever. All of those who read her awesome blog - AliyahbyAccident.blogspot.com - know that her child and husband were both sick on the day of the ulpan test. You see, the test is given from 1 to 4 p.m. and I had planned to keep Tani in the tzaharon (afternoon) program at gan so that I would be able to take the test. I was very happy with this plan seeing as I could do my food shopping in the morning and take the test in the afternoon, and then the day came - du du duuuu. I was giving Tani breakfast, trying to memorize the hipheels and hoophals, and realized that his left eye looked slightly swollen and red. I then remembered that when we put him to bed the night before, he had had some gunk in his eye that I had thought nothing of at the time. Well, now it was pink eye - du du duuuu. I knew that I would be unable to take him to gan so I immediately called my in-laws. To make a long story short - it ended up being a long day of shipping Tani to and from the doctor and my in-law's house so that I could get done what I needed to. The test went pretty ok, I hope, and I'll let you know when the results come in.
Now, onto Purim! So I don't know how many of you know this but "Purim" as an ideal is about 2 weeks long and the chag itself is actually 3 entire days. I know, incredible! The things you learn when you make aliyah. Basically they prep the kids at gan for about a week before (there are more intense preparations as the kids gets older) and then there is no gan on Taanit Esther, Purim, or Shushan Purim. 3 whole days. Really long days. On Sunday all the kids had to come to gan dressed in their costumes for the Mesibat Purim. It was so cute walking my little dragon to gan and seeing all the other kids walking to school in costumes. When I picked him up he came with a whole bagful of Purim paraphernalia. They had made a megilla with a toilet paper roll holder (fancy, I know), a ra'ashan (grogger), mishloach manot, and hamantashen. Tani was totally in love with his megilla but I'm pretty sure his favorite part was watching as I rolled it up every 2 minutes. However, the best line he had the entire Purim was when I was folding up the megillah (for the billionth time) and he started saying - "bad man, bad man" while pointing to Haman. I asked him "what's the bad man's name" and he said - "Hamantashen". Gotta love it.
Purim day was a lot of fun. It was really beautiful weather here despite people saying it was going to rain - sunny with a nice, cool breeze. We delivered mishloach manot and got to eat lots of candy (I did most of the candy eating, I'll admit it, I'm not ashamed. Don't judge me). Tani was a little perturbed at first that he had to give away our shiny mishloach manot but he recovered quickly when he realized that he can have someone else's shiny bag in return. After a nice nap (we actually all fell into a Purim candy coma) we headed off for our seudah. We did a pot-luck seudah at a friend's house with 4 other couples and it was great. There was, of course, waaaay too much food but the kids (and adults) all had a great time. On Shushan Purim, I went with a friend and her son (the same age as Tani) to a Purim carnival in the neighborhood - music, food, games - the usual.
All-in-all, a very successful first Purim in Israel although we truly missed hosting our Purim seudah that we have hosted for the past few years. And we definitely missed all of our friends in Washington Heights. We hope to see you all here next year!!
First, I have officially finished ulpan! That's right folks, I took the test and said "shalom". The day of the test was quite interesting. I would like to preface the story by tell all the readers of this blog that my sister has cursed ulpan test day forever. All of those who read her awesome blog - AliyahbyAccident.blogspot.com - know that her child and husband were both sick on the day of the ulpan test. You see, the test is given from 1 to 4 p.m. and I had planned to keep Tani in the tzaharon (afternoon) program at gan so that I would be able to take the test. I was very happy with this plan seeing as I could do my food shopping in the morning and take the test in the afternoon, and then the day came - du du duuuu. I was giving Tani breakfast, trying to memorize the hipheels and hoophals, and realized that his left eye looked slightly swollen and red. I then remembered that when we put him to bed the night before, he had had some gunk in his eye that I had thought nothing of at the time. Well, now it was pink eye - du du duuuu. I knew that I would be unable to take him to gan so I immediately called my in-laws. To make a long story short - it ended up being a long day of shipping Tani to and from the doctor and my in-law's house so that I could get done what I needed to. The test went pretty ok, I hope, and I'll let you know when the results come in.
Now, onto Purim! So I don't know how many of you know this but "Purim" as an ideal is about 2 weeks long and the chag itself is actually 3 entire days. I know, incredible! The things you learn when you make aliyah. Basically they prep the kids at gan for about a week before (there are more intense preparations as the kids gets older) and then there is no gan on Taanit Esther, Purim, or Shushan Purim. 3 whole days. Really long days. On Sunday all the kids had to come to gan dressed in their costumes for the Mesibat Purim. It was so cute walking my little dragon to gan and seeing all the other kids walking to school in costumes. When I picked him up he came with a whole bagful of Purim paraphernalia. They had made a megilla with a toilet paper roll holder (fancy, I know), a ra'ashan (grogger), mishloach manot, and hamantashen. Tani was totally in love with his megilla but I'm pretty sure his favorite part was watching as I rolled it up every 2 minutes. However, the best line he had the entire Purim was when I was folding up the megillah (for the billionth time) and he started saying - "bad man, bad man" while pointing to Haman. I asked him "what's the bad man's name" and he said - "Hamantashen". Gotta love it.
Purim day was a lot of fun. It was really beautiful weather here despite people saying it was going to rain - sunny with a nice, cool breeze. We delivered mishloach manot and got to eat lots of candy (I did most of the candy eating, I'll admit it, I'm not ashamed. Don't judge me). Tani was a little perturbed at first that he had to give away our shiny mishloach manot but he recovered quickly when he realized that he can have someone else's shiny bag in return. After a nice nap (we actually all fell into a Purim candy coma) we headed off for our seudah. We did a pot-luck seudah at a friend's house with 4 other couples and it was great. There was, of course, waaaay too much food but the kids (and adults) all had a great time. On Shushan Purim, I went with a friend and her son (the same age as Tani) to a Purim carnival in the neighborhood - music, food, games - the usual.
All-in-all, a very successful first Purim in Israel although we truly missed hosting our Purim seudah that we have hosted for the past few years. And we definitely missed all of our friends in Washington Heights. We hope to see you all here next year!!
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