Because my mouth is filthy

The other day walking home from gan, Eden stopped and said that she had to spit. And then she spit. I was a little concerened that maybe she wasn't feeling well so I asked, "Why do you need to spit?"
And she said, "Because my mouth is filthy".

And she's only 3.....

Read an article recently about people who write about their children online. I completely agree that you have to be careful, in regards to little kids and adult children also. Sometimes I read things that people write about their kids, and think about how I'd be cringing if I actually knew their kids. Like what if I was the parent of one of their friends? Or gosh a future significant other. I mean can you imagine realizing that the person you are dating is someone that you read about a couple years ago online in an article by their parent?
Another article I recently read (and I won't link to it because I see no interest in spreading this sort of junk) described the troubles the author was having with their 10 year old son accessing porn on the internet, and how they've had to remove his computer privelages. Or how their daughter, when provided a laptop by her high school, started to get involved in chat rooms, sending explicit messages to strange men, etc.
So I don't really want to know this about this person. I don't know the author personally, but its not like they used a pseudenom. If I lived in her neighborhood, or went to her synagouge, or my kids went to school with her kids, I might really know who she is and who her kids are. And I don't really want to know that the sweet 10 year old little boy next door who helps me bring up my groceries is checking out the latest free porn so much that his computer regularly crashes for all the viruses he brings in with it. Or that my babysitter is sending erotic messages to some guy she never met while my 3 year old sleeps.
I think that if your child is doing things that you don't approve of, its more having to do with your raising of said child than that child's access to those things. Maybe something related to the way you spread the news all over the country via the weekend journal in a national newspaper. Something raises a red flag there.

This post kind of ballooned, turned into a bit of a rant. Thanks for listening.

No time no time no time

Sitting here on a Sunday night I realize that its already 830 PM. There is still laundry to fold (waiting since Friday), dishes to do, toys to pick up, phone calls to make, and of course work to do.

None of which I mind doing on their own. All of which I mind doing after 8:30 PM. Certainly all of which I mind doing after 8:30 PM, all together.

Some things will have to go. Probably the toys that are on the porch will stay on the porch. Those on the floor will stay on the floor. Laundry is an if. Dishes are a must. Work is a really should do, and phone calls are a must.

By the way, Ben will certainly do his share or more, although he feels the same way I do about getting in some time to relax at night.

All of which boils down to, Eden going to sleep is a must too. Im really fed up with Eden taking until 9 or so to fall asleep. I'm tired of being called back "because, because, because - my tummy hurts!" or "because, because, because, I want to say good night to the lights outside!" or even the ever so manipulative "because, because, because, I need to PEE!" That one gets me moving fast, and my 3 year old knows it well. Usually, she does not actually need to pee, although its still worth getting her out of bed, just in case.

Or the ever, "because, because, because, Mommy I took my clothes off!" And there she is, butt naked, and gets to jump up, run around and look for her pjs and underwear which are anywhere in her room. What fun! Usually I crack up at this because why does she take her clothes off? And she is just really adorable. But the joke is getting a little old.

Because, because, because I am just really tired.

Quick peek at what's to come

Tonight we got a short glimpse of the woman waiting inside our three year old to show her face. Every once in a while she peeks out and we see how mature, confident, caring, and understanding Eden can be.
Tonight, it was not the wife, mother, leader, mentor, teacher, or whatever other wonderful woman she may grow up to be. Tonight it was the woman who walks into the store to pick up some bread and can't help but buy a lipstick on sale. The woman who, caught between the red and the green, buys both the red and the green, as well as the yellow, since the store is having a buy two get one half off sale.
Admittedly, its my fault. But where else is Eden supposed to get her girliness if not from me?
See, we went into the pharmacy to buy something else - something we really needed...and we passed kids hats. I know that Eden needs one because she's been wearing my scarves all summer to protect her head. So she tried one one and she liked it, but I decided it was too expensive. But she liked it, so I was about to say okay. Then she said that she didn't like it after all and it didn't fit well. So she picked out a bandana, and then another one, and another one, until we really had to pull her off of an orange paisley one with promises of banana cake. Have to admit, they were really nice and I might have bought one for myself - as well as for her! - had Ben not been there to spoil the party and keep watch on the credit card.....
On a the same vein, the new mall in Modiin is opening down the street from us in two days! And they are having an grand opening at 7:30. And even though that is exactly Eden's "bedtime" (she hasn't actually been falling asleep until around 8:45 recently), I'm perfectly happy to teach her that a new mall is a just cause for a late night out. You bet we are going to the grand opening - I can't wait, and I can't wait to teach Eden all about how exciting it is either. I am crossing the line however at going to see the first movie shown in the mall's movie theater, but only because I don't really think that Eden can sit through a whole movie in a theater. If she could I'd probably already have tickets.

Some moms....

Come Purim time, and Eden's costume is usually hanging in the closet already, my mom having bought it on sale after Halloween in the states. There is no way that I am going to try to make a costume for her - a store bought one for 10 dollars is just fine, thank you.

There are always those friends of mine who spend weeks before Purim shopping for materials, speaking with their three and four and five and six year olds about what they want to dress up as, and then the week before Purim spending hours sewing, cutting, gluing, and glittering.

Thats when I and some other friends of mine stand around the water cooler and say, "SOME moms make their kids costumes. OTHER moms just go to the closest store and buy the most acceptable one they can find for the least money. And some OTHER moms send their kids over to their neighbors house, who has a mom whose been making costumes for 10 years straight now, so that they can go pick one out to borrow for free."

Come Shavuot time, and Eden has a party at gan. Every year, we are asked to bring the same things - send the kids dressed in festive white, with a bag of dried fruit, and a dairy snack that they like, and a flower wreath for their hair.
So:
Dairy snacks - check. We always have yogurt around.
Dried fruit - check. Same goes for raisins. This year dried apricots too.
Festive white - that same shirt that got stained 3 holidays ago at gan - its her special gan "festive white". No way I'm staining another one.
Flower wreath - this is a singular Israeli thing that kids do. No American kid would be caught dead wearing a flower wreath on their hair like some Celtic druid or very very old Greek god (from before they had golden leaves). Eden never particularly likes them, and every year I forget to buy one. They are in the grocery store all the time, and I always figure that I'll just get one Thursday night when I go shopping.

And every year I forget that by the time it comes to the night before, there are no more flower wreaths to be had. Every child in the country under 6 is wearing one this morning.

So every year, the night before the Shavuot party, I make a flower wreath out of a piece of ribbon with construction paper flowers stapled or taped to it. It will work for a couple hours, stay on her head, it does look pretty, and takes 15 minutes to make. The hardest part is drawing the flowers.

But because of the Purim costume thing, I thought it was so funny when Eden got to gan this morning, and another mother commented, "Wow. SOME mothers make their kids wreaths. OTHER mothers go out and buy them from the store."

Looking for Shabbat lunches

Summer is upon us, and with it, some pretty boring shabbat lunches. Its too hot for choelent, and leaving the plata on all shabbat defeats the purpose of the air conditioner. Lunches last summer were invariably shnitzel and salad.
This summer I'm determined to do better. I think there is nothing more refreshing than a good cold soup. I made a pretty good dairy zuchinni soup a couple weeks ago, although it should have been thicker. So, I'm looking for more.
In my quest for cold soups, I came across this great foodie blog, with a recipe for cold cucumber soup.
The recipe sounds wonderful, but the whole blog is really great too. It looks nice, like you would want your table to look when sitting down to a well prepared meal. The recipies are interesting - the anti-shnitzel or choelent if you will. I think I'll peruse it every week now that fridays are longer and I have more time to cook. The quinoa potato hash browns breakfast also looks delicious, and fulfills my determination to eat breakfast.
And best of all are the pictures. I want to be able to serve THIS at my table.

Thank God My Kid is Popular

My kid is one of the most popular kids in gan. Or so it seems from the number of kids who tell their parents that they want to play with her after gan. Certainly its not me they want to play with - I was never popular - with kids or with parents - and Ben was exactly the center of attention either.....

So thats great and I'm not complaining but.....

These kids play together 6,5 days a week, from 7-5. Do they really have to play more after gan? Most of them go to bed at 9 or even 10 at night, leaving their parents with nothing to do with them for so long. I understand the desire not to want to put your kid in front of a tv for hours on end, instead getting them together for play dates.


But not so our family. Eden is asleep (usually) by 8. Shes (usually) in bed by 7:30. That means we bath at 7, start winding down at 6:30 and have supper at 6. That doesnt really leave much time to visit after 5. I can manage a short trip to the park, but a couple hours at a friends house is a bit much...


Also a selfish point. After a whole day of beating traffic twice, doing my best to beat deadlines and lunchlines, the last thing I want to do is sit and entertain multiple 3 year olds. I have dinner to make and laundry to fold. My home is not the neatest, I am not my most patient.

Does Eden really need to go to bed so early? Every once in while we think not, and try to push her bedtime off a bit. But she has trouble waking up, starts getting cranky, and sometimes sick. We go back and forth on that one.

All that said, we do get together with her friends some times and she really enjoys it. She likes to play with their toys, and even sometimes has supper to show off for her friends. So we definately owe it to her self confidence and budding social skills to continue.

It proves how much she is her own person, and not just a mixture of Ben and I. As she often reminds us, "I'm not sweety-pie, I'm Eden!"

Perfect family picnic spot

To celebrate Israel's 60th birthday, we started the day by singing happy birthday to the Medina, and then left for a short hike in the nearby KKL Ayalon Forest. We drove over many many potholes (one for each year of the country's existence, per 1/4 mile), passed many families bbq-ing, until I couldn't take the potholes any more and we decided to get out of the car and walk for a bit.

It struck me how many groups there were there, starting up the bbq, at 9 AM. It looked as if some had been there since the night before camping out. I think back to my own family gatherings, often in an event hall, or in my grandmothers backyard, and that a trip to the forest is really a terrific idea. Everyone brings food, tables, chairs, takes care of themselves and chips into the group supply. I've seen other Israeli parks on Yom Haatzmaut, and this was just so much nicer. The air was clean, there was plenty of parking, and plenty of space to spread out. Every family staked its claim on its own patch of shade, and kids were able to wander down the paths and back up.

There was:
history - old water cisterns dating back to Roman times
beauty - the trees, grass, sky. Ok the good weather helps
science - bugs. And more bugs. Some very interesting bugs
and new experiances - teaching your 3 year old daughter to squat in the woods without getting her pants wet. Her father can't help there, only provide an example of how easy it can be.

Next year maybe we will stay all day and bring our own food and bbq and family and friends.

I think that Eden thinks that the Medina is the forest.

Food shortage comes to Modiin

When a can of beans costs 8 shekels instead of the used-to-be 4-something, and when a 1 liter carton of 1% milk costs the same, and there ARE no bags of 1% milk in the store, Modiin residents start to feel the food shortage. Going on like this, buying a melon and a bag of store-brand frozen broccoli for the same 16 shekels, we will be cutting down this summer on something. Not sure what yet - thank goodness those frozen popsicle sticks are still hovering .

What will I do this summer if I can't afford my extra chocolate?

We actually didn't buy milk at that store in the end. We went all the way to a different store to find our 1% milk in bags, which was, to our relief, around 4 shekels the way it always is.

At least the movies are still free. That's if you don't include the bandwidth cost, or any future threats of imprisonment.......

Where to bbq

Looking for a nice quietish place that we can bbq with some friends on Yom Haaztmaut. Place for the kids to run around, in shade and sun, and where we won't start a forest fire.

Possibly this might only be a roof or backyard....

Where's the Hametz

Last night we hid bags of chocolate cookies as our hametz. We then ceremoniously burnt it this morning, declaring all leaven left in the house null and void, as the dust of the earth. Except of course the pita that is sitting in the fridge for Shabbat.

Eden helped me hide the cookies - she's very furtive. Of course they were all hidden in her room. Some had good hiding places. Others, less so.

Happy Pesach!

Five Years

It is two days until our fifth wedding anniversary. I can't really put it into words; it's really something else.

Pesach is coming

So I've made a decision. I will not go crazy about Pesach this year.
Actually I say that every year, and every year I go less and less crazy.
See I was supposed to start cleaning tonight. Seeing as I only have one Friday to clean, its all got to be done during the week. But I woke up this morning with a sore throat that just got worse during the day.
Seeing as we've had rampant tonsilitis in the family this month, I decided to take tomorrow morning off and go to the dr. Just for some antibiotics, just in case.
But I did not check off the things I should have tonight, which leads me to the realization that we really dont have chametz in the bedrooms.
One bedroom (the mamad, or the "extra room". The room thats waiting for someone to fill it.) is being closed off for Pesach. We will dump all the things we really don't need in it.
Eden hardly spends time in her room, except to sleep. Hence the toys around the rest of the house. And she never eats there - she barely eats at all, never mind in her room. And our room? I suppose I'll check through our clothes pockets for crumbs and candy wrappers, but we really don't eat there much.
Its really the office (one room), and the living room/dining room/kitchen. Which really doesnt make any sense to do before next shabbat anyway.

So our house will not gleam for Pesach. Thats ok, it never really gleams. But I'll be glowing - since I'll have slept that week :)

The sticker plan and terrible threes

So our sticker chart backfired. I mean, really, this is not working very well. Although Eden is eating vegies (very very reluctantly), she doesn't seem to be very motivated by the sticker chart, nor by the supposed present at the end of the week.

Sunday night we made a sticker chart together. It had a box on it for every day of the month, and a picture of Eden, as well as pictures of hot dogs, and peas, and macaroni and cheese, and eggs and toast, etc. Eden colored next to me as we both colored the sticker chart.

That evening, Eden had a great dinner of fishticks and peas, we had a formal sticker chart hanging ceremony, and Eden got a sticker. Yay Eden!

Monday evening, Eden had a great dinner of grilled cheese and peas (ok she likes peas), and she got a sticker again. When we went to go put the sticker up, she looked at the chart and burst into tears. I finally deciphered through her tears that she was saying, "Where's MY sticker chart?" I said, "Eden, what's this?" and she returned, "No, thats MOMMY's sticker chart! Where's Eden's sticker chart?"

So we made a new sticker chart. I told her I would draw the boxes, but she wanted to do it herself. Ok. After one circular box, she decided she didn't need boxes on her chart. I told her that all charts have boxes, but I guess she figured that didn't mean that hers had to.

Later, talking to Ben, we realized that Eden is more like me than we realize - thats just something I would say. Who says a sticker chart has to have boxes? Just because everyone else's has boxes on it? My sticker chart will NOT have boxes!

Anyway, tonight Eden had some pita and lettuce - I know real appealing, but she didn't want the chili I served with it - and she got a sticker. We went to hang it on the new sticker chart (the one SHE drew, with the one circular box), and again she said, "Where's my sticker chart?". So thats where she lost me and when she threatened to blow a fit, I decided to convince her that her shirt was a better place for her sticker.

So oh well for the sticker chart.

And I used to say that she was never as tiring and cranky and impossible as she was her first four months of life. I can now change that to she was never so impossible as she was her first four months of life, until she turned three.

Loves potatoes.

So the funny thing about me always liking potatoes, is that my dearest wonder child, Eden, does not like potatoes, most certainly not. Actually she does like pasta and challah, and some other less healthy starches. And certainly prefers peas and corn (starchy vegies) to real stuff like peppers tomatoes and cucumbers.
But actually she doesnt like much lately. In terms of clothes (nothing but dresses), food (nothing but yogurt) and entertainment (nothing but movies). We do usually get her to come around with the entertainment with toys or a book. Sometimes with the food, but we leave the dresses. We have to pick some battles.
But for the food, we started Eden's dinner sticker chart. If she eats dinner "well" (what's well?), and gets enough stickers in one week (whats enough?), she can get a prize at the end of the week (what prize?)
There are a lot of variables here. Like how expensive are these stickers going to get? And the prizes? And who has to go out and get the prizes, which she may or may not like? And what's eating well enough?

I wish she ate potatoes. I could zhush all sorts of stuff into them as long as it was white. If I put enough ketchup on it I could mask the vegie flavor.

Looking for suggestions of health shakes to give her. That might be fun.

so much to say so much to say so much to say

I wish I could sing like Dave Matthews. Or rather, I don't wish I could really, but I wish I could sing as well and as great as he can - in a more feminine way.

In anycase, its been over a week since Eden's birthday and still no party story and pictures! My fault really, we have an anoying camera. Next one we get will have a batteries that recharge themselves.

Her party was terriffic, she had a great time. And thats really the point. She got great gifts from her friends and grandparents.

Since then though, 2/3's of us have gotten sick (no, not me!), work has started to pour in from the ever bountiful wellsprings. And here I am, can't sleep. But really I'm too tired to go downstairs and get the camera to load up pics from Purim. Which wasn't as much fun for Eden as her birthday.

Somehow junk food minus sleep + long drives + strange people and places = vomit in the carseat on the way home from our Purim seudah. Truth is I can't blame her, but that and this evenings fever is the reason that I'm home tomorrow.

Which doesn't mean that I don't need my sleep. Our little princess on a pea went to bed tonight at 6:30. What are the odds that she will sleep until 7?

Pictures soon, we have some great videos soon too. Candyland!!! Yay!!!

The doctor is my new best friend.

Oh and the tattoo and piercing place on our street closed. Too bad, I looked it up and he was the only one around until Ramat Gan and Jlem. Its good to have those things around, too bad I didn't give him any business. Must always support the local business I say, especially when they are on your street. And he was in the back of the haircutters place which I thought was really quaint. Its like living above the general store.

Eden's Birthday Slide

My grandmother sent an adorable little slide for Eden for her 3rd birthday (tomorrow). She loves it! It fits perfectly on our porch, and may someday be joined by a patio swing, sandbox, kiddie pool, and other such fun things to do.

This is the prequel to my next post - Eden's Birthday Party. A bunch of little 2 and 3 year olds on my porch, making butterfly wings and eating flower cake in honor of Eden's 3rd birthday.
Stay tuned!

Eden Eating Kumquats

Eden likes kumquats :)

12 things I appreciate about....

BEN:

• Ben lets me be lazy when I want/need to
• Ben buys great drinks and jewelry - Specifically, he buys white chocolate liqueur - YUM
• Ben's a great cook and never minds cooking
• Ben's a lot of fun to talk to
• Ben gives great hugs
• Ben appreciates that my career is important
• Ben doesn't mind my nutty opinions too much
• Ben reminds me that family and traditions are important too
  
• Ben makes all the service calls and deals with plumbers, electricians, and car stuff
• Ben doesn't add or subtract zeros in odd places
• Ben can both throw and catch
  
• Ben doesn't mind going back downstairs to make popcorn for me before a movie

For the record, white chocolate liqueur is really the best gift ever. Imagine white chocolate, in liquid form, with alcohol in it. That puts a smile on my face.

Eden telling a story

Nuff said. Hello everybody!

Hooray for some things and I learned a lesson today

So - as trilcat so friendly-like stated - hooray for registering at a religous local gan! Seriously, the gan director literally made my shabbat. My friend and I (who also was in the same situation I was, and registered her son the same time that I registered Eden) were almost jumping for joy when we left.
The gan is called Gan Brosh. Its just up the street. Its a little frusterating (thats me, always seeing the bad side first) because we were told by just about EVERYONE that no, there is no religious gan in the area. Or, wait, oh there is the shas gan but you dont want that (?!)
Never mind whether I do or not, but the "shas gan" was kind of always a myth - never really knew if it did exist, if it would exist next year, or where or who it was. turns out it is gan brosh, which I think we will be very happy with. Rumor also had it was a chabad gan, which would have taken some serious self analysis on my part. But its not so I dont have to do any self analysis right now.
Point to ponder - it seems that all the private ganim only advertise AFTER registration for the regular ganim has opened. So until you settle for less at the Iriyah, you dont have the relief of knowing theres a backup. Always a great system, ours is.
The other hooray - and facebook friends can relate here - is I paid my Kvish 6 bill!! Kvish 6 is Israel's only toll road, which I take every day home from work in order to make it to..... you said it, gan on time. Well also because I'm tired enough as it is at the end of the day and the view is something else.
So we now have a membership and the tolls are neatly directly withdrawn from our bank account. Really easy. Actually they advertise about being really easy to deal with. Which is true if you have a membership. If you dont its impossible to pay their bills. You can't pay them online, you can only pay it over the phone during office hours (after staying on hold for a very long time during YOUR office hours), or at the postal banks, or get this - some supermarkets. Whatever. And we had a leftover bill from before we joined up and it has taken months for us to get off our butts and pay it. But hooray! I did it! And she even cancelled our late fee because we are members. Gosh they are easy.
And last of course, the lesson I learned today. (I only blog about every 3 weeks or so, so when I do, my posts are really long. You don't have to read it all now - if you read it at all. Actually, if you read it at all, I'd rather you post a comment and say hello so that I know you are out there than read this whole thing. But see, you'd have to have read up to this point to know that. Next time.)
So I learned that I cant get too big too fast, and I have to keep the big picture in mind. The big picture meaning that slow and steady is better than fast and burnt out. And that I have to keep my priorities in mind always - first family, then today's tasks, and only then things that can be done tomorrow - esspecially if the things that can get done tomorrow will only piss me off. And also, I shouldn't get pissed off. Its just not worth it. Slow, steady, cool and crisp.
Details exist, but I'm not sure that they are postable.