Freeze

This morning Jordy woke up early and for some reason I actually got out of bed when he asked me to, which is rare. Danya got up about 10 minutes after him and we actually got them to school at a decent hour! After Gan Danya went to Tamar's and Jordy went to daycare so we had a free afternoon for cooking and cleaning. All the kids came over at 4 for English and I picked Jordy up along with a friend of his, Moshe. After English Lori took Danya and Tamar to a music show while Jordy stayed home with his friend and played nicely. Danya had a tantrum at dinner that she wanted instant noodle soup over the chicken skewers I grilled. Once she calmed down she inhaled the chicken followed by the noodle soup. Then I went to work. I was really proud of myself and getting a lot done and then my computer froze. I had to restart it however I wasn't able to save my file with all my work on it. Of course when the computer restarted it was all gone! This also of course occurred when Josh was out playing baseball so he couldn't help me. So I called in Ari who then spent an hour with me first trying to recover(which was unfortunately unsuccessful) and then setting things up so that this won't happen again. He went above and beyond the call of duty on this one and while I don't think that the Waldman Diamond Company is going to be sending him free diamonds as thanks(sorry Lanie) he did receive a free e-card courtesy of Blue Mountain(which I am sure is just as good). I then spent the next half hour trying to recreate what I did over the last 3 hours and I finally gave up and will tackle it tomorrow!

Pool and Party

On Wednesday morning I went to the grocery store while the kids were at gan. I have never seen the store so crowded and it took a very long time to navigate(not sure why). I picked up Danya, Jordy and Jordy's friend Ariella and we came home. Ariella's mom came over to drop off a bathing sit for her and back in the pool the kids went. Danya's friend Yonina also came over. At around 3:30 Ariella went home but a few minutes Amitai's mom called that he wanted to play, so he came over and into the pool he went. At 4 Danya and Yonina came out of the pool and got dressed. I dropped Yonina at home and took Danya to a birthday party. I picked her up at 6 and Amitai had gone home. Josh gave the kids dinner and put them to bed while I went to work(in my bedroom).

Pool Party

Yesterday morning Josh and I took a trip to Kiryat Sefer. We stopped at the dry cleaners, the Kol Bo(a store that sells everything that isn't food) and to the grocery store. When we got home I made a pot of vegetable soup and then went to pick up Danya to drop her off at gymnastics. After I picked her up I went to get my haircut. Unfortunately they cut off a lot more that I would have liked(I am pretty sure that when I said between the ear and chin I meant the bottom of the ear, not the top!), luckily it grows back! Danya had her English chug here followed by her ulpan. The kids had dinner and went to bed without too much of a fuss. Today after taking the kids to school I went to Ramat Gan for more training from work. I was there for about an hour and then ran an errand for Josh in the neighborhood. When I got home Danya was coming home from school and got right into her bathing suit and into the pool. With the exception of bathroom breaks and a couple snack breaks, she stayed in the pool until 6:15. Her friend Eli who lives across the street joined her along with Jordy and his friend Yehoshua, who jumped in after I picked them up at daycare. They were not happy to have to leave the pool but we told them they can go back in tomorrow. After dinner time I began working and continued with a couple breaks until 11. I took pictures and video of the pool party but I am too lazy to go downstairs and get the camera so I will try to post them tomorrow.

No Jackets Allowed!

Friday was the usual get ready for Shabbat. Tamar came over after gan and the kids played in the pool. Friday night was quiet as Jordy went right to sleep after kiddush. Danya was a little hyper at dinner and we had to ask her to stop being so crazy because she was really going nuts! Saturday morning the kids got dressed and went to shul. They went to a different one than Josh and they came home after him. When they did we ate lunch. In the afternoon we played a lot of checkers(Danya learned how over Pesach and has since taught Jordy) and then Jordy was picked up by Amitai to go and play. Later Josh took Danya to pick Jordy up and when they returned it was minus Danya. She found another friend along the way. By the time Shabbat ended Danya had come home and Jordy was asleep. This morning was quiet. Amitai came home with us after gan and the kids played nicely. Danya went to Rachels house until Karate and I picked her up after Karate. We stopped in at the Teva Naot sale but didn't buy anything. We came home and the kids ate dinner and Danya had a nice long talk with Bubs. The funniest part of the conversation was when Danya told her she has to come but she can't bring a jacket or sweater!

work, coffee, a pool and Burger King

Tuesday was a long day mostly because we went to bed so late the night before(me at 3, Josh at 2:30). The kids were home from school and Danya didn't feel so good(I think because she also went to bed late). We hung out at home, me cooking and getting ready for the chag. We had a guest sleeping over(she was joining a neighbor for Shavout) and she showed up at 1 even though Yontif wasn't until 7. By the time Shavout started we were all ready to go to bed. Jordy was asleep before dinner and Danya tried to stay up for dinner and dessert but she was tired and finally gave up. Josh and I did not stay up the whole night to learn and we were both asleep pretty early. Wednesday was pretty quiet. After lunch Danya and Jordy went to the park by themselves. I napped and Josh napped/read on the couch. When I woke up we went on a big walk during which we ran into the kids. We stopped in at the Mintz's house to say hi and stayed and chatted for a while. Danya and Jordy returned home at 7:30 and Jordy was crying hysterically. He said his tummy hurt but after calming him down he told me he was crying because he didn't know where I was. I told him I was home and he could have come home before. I think he was just tired. He ate and went right to bed. Danya stayed up to hear havdallah. After Yontif Michelle came over so we could watch the Grey's Anatomy episodes I downloaded. We watched 2 1/2 episodes because the last episode didn't have sound for the second half! Very disappointing. Today we woke up to a call from David Kirschenbaum asking how to get here. He was about 2 hours away. He arrived around 10 to unload his 2 duffel bags for a few weeks. We then took him to Burger King for lunch(the kids chose the restaurant). We had a fun lunch and at one point Jordy announced that David is funny. After lunch we came home and set up the pool. The kids then spent the next 2 hours in the pool having a great time while I read just outside the splash zone. The kids came in and watched TV until dinner. At dinner time I started work. I worked until 10 when Lori called to say she was doing the coffee to soldiers again and did I want to join her. Although I was tired I decided to join her. We returned at midnight and now I am heading to bed.

Getting Started

Sunday morning, after getting the kids to school, I went to Ramat Gan to my new job. I am working for The Waldman Diamond Company. This specific trip was supposed to be a 3 hour training. Apparently they were not ready for me so it turned out to be a one hour review of basic diamond facts. Then I came home and picked the kids up from gan. Since it was hot they played outside on the slip and slide most of the afternoon. Monday morning I went to the grocery store which was a madhouse. Luckily I got there earlier in the morning because I heard it was even crazier as the day went on. After I got home the guys from the gas company came to deliver our new tank of gas. Danya had gymnastics and English(which is now taking place at our house). Tamar stayed after English and she, Danya and Jordy watched Mary Poppins and then had Wacky Mac and cucumbers for dinner. During dinner I got a call from David Kirschenbaum, who is in town getting ready for their year here, looking for information about cars and cell phones etc. After dinner Tamar went home and Jordy went to bed and I went to aerobics. I came home and made Challah for Shavout(with garlic and Parmesan). Then I checked my e-mail...I finally got the e-mail that my work had been saying they were going to send me yesterday. It included all the information I needed to get started working...so I did. I was up on the phone until close to 3am! In the future I wont start so late at night and wont go to sleep so late!

Friday and Saturday

Friday was spent doing the usual Friday things like cooking and cleaning. Danya went to Daniella's after school and Jordy had his friend Yehousha over. About an hour and a half before Shabbat we had a surprise visitor. Abigail Smolensky was in the neighborhood for Shabbat and she stopped in to say hi. The kids couldn't figure out why she was in the neighborhood and not staying at our house! It was nice to see her again. After lighting candles I got Jordy into bed but he was still awake when we started singing Shalom Alechem and he started crying hysterically because he wanted to hear kiddush. So he came down and had grape juice and challah and went back to bed. Danya insisted on staying up but ate her corn on the cob in slow motion and finally gave in after a few bites of jello. Shabbat morning Jordy woke us up at his usual 6:30 demanding breakfast. Josh gave him breakfast and played with him for a while, letting me sleep some more. We had David and Karen Reifman and their kids over or lunch and we had a great time. They stayed until around 3. Tamar came to pick Danya up right after they left and the girls headed out. I then took Jordy to see if Amitai wanted to come over, but he didn't want to. So Jordy and I kept going stopping at a small park and then heading to the big park. We saw Danya at the big park with Tamar and Daniella. We also saw the Mintz family who were looking flushed(they had been out in the heat for over an hour). We stayed at the park for a while until Jordy requested we go home. Danya stayed with instructions to return before dark and Jordy and I headed home. We woke Josh when we returned and then he and Jordy played checkers and I headed upstairs to read/sleep. The power went out a little after I got home and my room was too hot to sleep in. The power did go back on not too much later but the air didn't. I eventually got up just when Jordy was going to bed. Then Danya came home and Shabbat ended.

Gainfully Employed

Wednesday was pretty typical. Danya and her 3 friends came home from Gan along with Jordy and his friend Ariella. I fed them all lunch and then took the big girls to their last art class of the session. After Ariella left I picked Danya up from art and Jordy and I watched his favorite part of Mary Poppins, the Step In Time scene. Then the kids went outside to play on their scooters with the neighbor Eli. For dinner Jordy requested a cheese sandwich "with the crusty thing off but the white part on". Today was a exciting day...Josh and I headed to Tel Aviv first to bring the board in from our dining room table that was never fixed. Then Josh dropped me off in Ramat Gan for a job interview. The job selling for a diamond company over the phone to America. Hopefully it will be a good job for me(After a few calls back and fourth this afternoon I took the job) since it is from home, part time and American hours. I start on Sunday with training. Then we went to he window treatment store as we need to get something to cover our bay window in the dining room. The guy who owns it lives on the Yishuv and he came to our house to discuss our options but he suggested that we come to his store to see all the fabrics. There were a TON of them. We narrowed it down to 3 we liked and took them home for further review. Then we came back to the yishuv and Danya had a playdate with her friend Ezra until it was time for English. Later she and Jordy went scootering with Eli again. They came back, ate dinner and headed to bed as I was going out with a few friends here for our first girls night out(which made me miss my friends in Chicago and Hy Life).

Babysitting

This morning Lori dropped Yakir off for us to babysit. We had a fun morning with him and while he napped I tried organizing/getting rid of the kids toys. They had a lot of broken toys, toys with missing pieces and junk toys. I got rid of one large garbage bag and I only made it through about a third of the mess. We gave Yakir lunch and then I took him on a walk to pick up Danya. Daniella came over for a playdate and the girls played nicely. Lori picked Yakir up not long after we returned. As I left to get Jordy the girls were playing Slip N Slide with Eli from across the street. Jordy had Yehousha come to play and the 2 boys joined in the water fun. After that Yehushoa went home and I gave the rest of the kids fish sticks for dinner. Daniella was picked up and not long after Jordy and Danya went to bed. Josh headed to a baseball game and I had my book club.

balloons

This morning we got our guest bathroom shower enclosure. The guy came to install it and we didn't bother him while he was working but when we went in to see it when he was done we realized right away that it wasn't the one we ordered. They switched the doors on us. The doors that we got are actually very nice and we may just keep them rather than switch them. Nothing too exciting this afternoon. I grilled hamburgers for dinner and I thought the grill wasn't working properly since it wasn't getting so hot. Then the flame went out and wouldn't relight. I was worried that our new grill was broken when Josh pointed out that it was probably our gas. In Israel rather than having unlimited gas lines that you are billed for as you use they have gas "balloons". Each house has 2 tanks attached to their house and when one empties you switch to the second tank and get the empty one refilled. I had never switched the tank and didn't know how but luckily as I was in the back of the house looking at it my neighbor was walking out of her house and she came and showed me how to switch it and told me who to call to get the empty one replaced. Danya really liked the hamburgers and has declared that she likes all grilled foods. Jordy wouldn't try it and kept trying to convince me that he should eat ice cream for dinner. I decided if I can't have ice cream for dinner neither can he. He was crabby and kept whining and it was very good when he finally went to sleep!

Belts

After the kids went to gan we had a power outage. The electric company accidentally turned off our electricity because they thought we didn't pay. Apparently they had our bill mixed up with the shul across the street and thought we owed them 4000 shekel(lucky for us we didn't). It was cleared up within the hour. After I picked the kids up from gan I took Danya shopping for sandals. She is such a girl...she tried on every pair in the store! Then we stopped at Home Center to buy a light bulb for Danya's night light. While there I asked when our shower stall would be in. Apparently it had arrived and we just needed to schedule a delivery date. After we got home Yocheved called to say that Karate was testing for the next belt this week(we missed last weeks class). So I took Danya where she did a great job and received her Orange Belt! She was very nice and gave her white belt to Jordy so he could also have a belt. Then Josh picked up pizza for dinner(my mothers day gift).

Shabbat

On Friday morning after the kids went to gan our handyman came to hook the grill up to our gas line and then to put our dining room fixture up. Once he left the grilling began. After I picked the kids up from gan Danya joined Josh at a doctors appointment. Josh needed the doctor to sign off on his drivers license form(as does everyone getting a drivers license) but Danya was tagging along because she had a cut on her arm that had gotten infected. The doctor put her on an antibiotic. On Friday night I got Jordy to dinner right after lighting candles and we had a nice quiet dinner during which Danya went to sleep. On Shabbat morning we had the Mintz family along with the Kamianski(I for sure spelled that wrong!) from Chicago. Rachel and Avi were in town checking out the neighborhood and we all had a good time chatting. Everyone left around 3:30 and then Josh and I went to take Jordy and his friend Amitai back to Amitai's house. Of course about halfway there it started to pour. We hung out under the awning of a house for about 15 minutes until the rain slowed a little. We then walked Amitai home and returned soaking wet. The rest of the afternoon was mostly quiet.

Bathtub Vomit

This morning I went to the bank which sounds boring but I have tried going there twice already this week and it wasn't open either time I went so I was very happy to finally be there when it was open. Then I headed to the store and began cooking. I also spent some time trying to get our BBQ hooked up to the gas line so I can grill for Shabbat but the handyman can't make it until tomorrow morning so the chicken is marinading overnight. Danya was really excited to help make the instant jello which took about 2 minutes, but she was proud none the less. After Danya came home from English we sat by the TV watching some weird Israeli kids show because they were supposed to have a video of Danya's gan on it but we never saw it. Then I went to the lighting store to pick up our dining room fixture. We brought it in yesterday because 5 bulbs weren't lighting even though they were new bulbs. Apparently something had to be rewired. So now if the handyman comes tomorrow he can hang that back up too. Apparently while I was out Jordy threw up in the bathtub...lucky for Danya she got out before that happened! He seems fine so hopefully it was a fluke and he will go to gan tomorrow.

Grill season

On Tuesday Josh and I went to Petach Tikvah to the grill store where we purchased a grill. We also stopped at a outlet linen store and bought some pillows and towels. I went to pick the kids up at gan but Danya went to Ezra's for a water fight and Jordy went to Covi's so I came home empty handed. Not much else happened Tuesday. On Wednesday morning Josh and I went to Yerushaliam. First we went to 1868 for a very fancy breakfast. We had the best white hot cocoa ever there and the rest of the meal wasn't all that impressive. Then we went to the grill store to pick up our grill(the store in Petach Tikvah didn't have any in stock so we went to the Talpiyot store to pick it up). Then I drove around the middle of Yerushaliam while Josh ran into the bank to sign some papers. Then we headed to the mall where we started our drivers license process. We got our photos taken, took the eye exam and got the form. Since you have a year to transfer your license after making Aliyah we weren't in a rush. You do need a Israeli license to purchase a new car but we bought a used one so that wasn't a problem. We figured since we are coming up on our year we better get that taken care of. We also found kitchen faucets we liked at the Home Center(that were on sale) but they didn't have any in stock. We ran a few more errands in Yerushalim and then headed home. After my aerobics class I came home and started assembling the grill. I am proud to say that I was able to assemble the whole thing by myself(Of course the sides counters that are supposed to fold down don't but other than that it is right....I think). The guy who does window treatments also stopped by to discuss our dining room bay window. All in all a day of progress!

The Gymnastics Show

Here is Danya's gymnastics show that I was trying to upload the other day. Enjoy!

gymnastics

On Thursday I spent most the day cooking. Then Dov came to babysit for Jordy since Josh was going to a baseball game and I was taking Danya to her gymnastic performance in Modiin. I tried uploading the video from the show about a dozen times but it isn't working so I will try again tomorrow. There were 9 classes preforming, so even though Danya's was about 5 minutes long we had to stick around for about 2 hours. I also got a picture of Danya looking bored during the other performances.



Friday was pretty typical Friday, cooking, cleaning, shopping etc. For Shabbat Abigail Smolensky came along with a friend of hers Rachel. We were happy to have Abigail again, especially the kids who love the attention they get! Shabbat morning we had another family from the Yishuv along with the girls. We took a walk to the park in the afternoon and stayed out until almost the end of Shabbat. Saturday night Josh took Danya to a Lag B'Omer midurah(bonfire, or as Danya thinks it is pronounced Bomb Fire) while I stayed home with sleeping Jordy. Sunday the kids had no school and I took them to a Lag B'omer event in one of the shuls. Turns out it was a Chabad event and it was very funny to see how easily my kids joined in when they were bribed with candy and prizes. Danya won a prize in the raffle so it was all worth it! In the afternoon we went to the baseball field where they had a carnival of sorts. They had a whole bunch of those moon walk/jumping castles. 2 of them had water slides and Danya had the best time there. Jordy seemed to enjoy the cotton candy more than anything else. Today the kids went to gan and their usual activities. Nothing else exciting to report.

It's Like Riding a Bike

On Tuesday while the kids were at gan I ran a few errands in Modiin. After Gan I picked up Danya who wanted to watch TV all afternoon. After Jordy came home from daycare we took the kids outside to ride their bikes.



Jordy was so excited to ride his new bike and kept ringing the bell. He had some difficulty peddling but overall did OK. He did fall once when he went into the curb and lost balance, but he didn't get hurt and I told him about when I fell and he thought that was funny(so did Josh). Danya kept complaining that her bike wasn't working and she needed a new one because it was hard to ride up the hill to our house. We explained to her that the ground isn't flt and it is a lot more work to ride here. She wasn't so happy with that answer and wanted to know where we can ride that isn't so hard...I wanted to know the same thing! After the riding the kids ate dinner and both went to bed pretty easily as they were both tired.

Get Ready Baseball Fans

This just in...
Danny will be on the Modiin Miracles baseball team. For more information on the Israeli Baseball League or to purchase tickets to watch Danny play visit http://www.israelbaseballleague.com

Catch Up

On Thursday morning Josh and I went to Shilat. I went grocery shopping while he went to home center to fix our hose/sprinkler. When we got home he realized that we needed one more small part. We decided to take a bike ride there. Of course I wasn't prepared for how steep and how many hills there were. I only made it to lapid(which is a small Yishuv between here and shilat) while Josh went ahead. He came back and we rode back home. Thursday afternoon Danya and Tamar played while I cooked most of the afternoon. On Thursday night I joined Lori delivering coffee to soldiers at the 2 checkpoints near our house. The Yishuv has a program where each night a different volunteer delivers hot drinks and a snack to the checkpoints. Since it is a 2 person job I offered to be Lori's assistant. The funny part was while we were at one checkpoint my parents, who had been in Yerushalayim all day, drove past and my Mom saw me.
On Friday I finished off the cooking and then joined my parents on a ride to the lighting store while Josh played baseball. In the afternoon we went on a trip to the bike store since Jordy doesn't have a bike. We also bought a bike rack to attach to the car so we can bring the bikes with us. While we were there my Dad decided he wanted to try riding since he hadn't rode a bike in about 30 years. Luckily I had the camera to document this occasion. Notice how he almost hits both of my kids. Also note that the helmet is hanging off the handle bars rather than on his head.




Saba and Savta purchased Jordy a bike however he was not behaving, so he didn't get to ride it! Friday night the Rothners joined us for dinner and we had a great time, staying up way too late!
Shabbat was semi-quiet. Rachel Neuman joined us for lunch and she and Danya played nicely the whole day. Amitai came to play with Jordy but he didn't want to stay so they took Jordy to their house. All the adults slept while the girls were playing. Then at 6 we went on a walk to pick up Jordy and take Rachel home. We ended up staying at the Neumans until Shabbat was almost over. We came home, made havdallah and got the kids to bed. Then I sat down with my Dad to do my taxes-we really know how to have fun on a Saturday night here!
Sunday the kids went to Gan and my parents went to run some more house errands. Josh and I put the bikes on the new bike rack and drove to a bike path in Modiin. It was way too bumpy and hilly and of course I fell! I only cut my hand though so we kept going. I think Josh was bored since I was so slow! Jordy and Danya came home and played. Saba and Savta also returned in time to come with to watch Danya take her karate class. They really enjoyed that. Then we all came home and ate pizza for dinner. Jordy was so overtired that he went to bed early. Danya stayed up until we said goodbye to Saba and Savta and then she went to sleep.
Monday the kids went to gan and Josh and I headed to shilat to price out some faucets we want to replace in the kitchen and bathrooms. The guy at home center told us that the better brand will be on sale next week so we should wait....so we are. Danya went to gymnastics and then to the Gersons. Jordy went to daycare and then to Amitai's house. When they both got home they had dinner, baths and bedtime. I went to my toning class and now we are all caught up!