Remember The Good Old Days?

Yesterday morning while Nadav was napping I went to the grocery store. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the high 70's so in the afternoon Nadav and I walked to pick Jordy up from school. The remainder of the afternoon was spent running the kids to and from activities and making dinner. I was proud of myself for trying something new- I added a kohlrabi to my soup(once I figured out what to do with it). The soup wasn't great-I don't blame the kohlrabi-so I won't share the recipe.
Today Josh and I had to go to the bank. To make a long story short they had been taking money from our account which they shouldn't have and they finally refunded it however they refunded it twice so we had to sign a form to release the duplicate payment. It reminded me of the good old days right after we made Aliyah when we were in the bank almost daily. Ahh...the good old days. Since the bank is in the mall we also walked around a little bit but didn't buy anything. On the way home we stopped at the rock store(not sure what else to call it...a rock nursery?) for a few rocks that Josh needed for his continuing project in front of the house. I should really take pictures...he is making good progress. I can't wait until it is done! It should look really nice. After Jordy returned from school I drove him to swimming while Danya was at art class. After swimming Jordy went to Moshe S.'s house. Danya then got a phone call inviting her to a birthday party right now. So I dropped her off and picked Jordy up. We had dinner and then Josh and Jordy worked on a project for school. I got the boys into bed and then picked Danya up and she went to bed soon after.

Another Electricity Free Shabbat

I can't really remember anything exciting from Wednesday or Thursday so I will skip right to Friday.
Friday was spent mostly in the kitchen. Luckily Nadav took a nap and Josh was around and helpful. Robert joined us for Shabbat-which he will be doing quite often as he has just started the army and is now our tenant. So we bombarded him with 101 questions about his first week in the army. He didn't know the answered to most of them but he'll learn. As I was lighting candles our electricity went out. Jordy ran to get Josh who had just left for shul. He switched the electricity back on and all was well. After the men returned from shul we sat down for dinner and about 15 minutes in the power went out again. So we finished the meal by candle light and then Josh walked to the shomer(guard) and he came over to switch the power back on. Apparently it is our hot plate that is shorting out the electricity-which is why it only happens on Friday nights. The hot plate timer was off so all was fine all night.
Saturday morning Danya and Jordy headed to the youth minyan in hopes of getting a Nestle Crunch bar but both returned disappointed that they didn't have enough Crunch bars so it was a Milky Way bar(they reward kids for attending by giving out American candy bars). Nadav and I hung out at home getting ready for lunch and then were going to go to shul and meet Josh and Robert but as soon as I got Nadav's socks on they came home. Oh well. The Block family minus Danny joined us for lunch on Shabbat. Due to the electricity issue we brought our food to the Brodsky's to heat up. Then in the middle of lunch, when the timer went on for the hot plate, the power went out again. Wonderful. Jordy and Eli played all afternoon. Danya played with Tamam Gerson for a while and then joined the boys. I went to Laura's for some tea and then took Nadav for a walk. After Shabbat we were happy to have electricity again. Josh took Danya and Jordy to the parent child learning while Robert did his laundry.
Today I went to book club where we discussed The Help-great book! The kids were out of school early as it was a fast day. Danya went to Meira's and Jordy came home and played DS. Later Nadav and I walked him to English. I then came home and attempted to make dinner. Nadav was VERY crabby. I tried to get him to take him a second nap but that was a no go. Once I took him out of his crib he wanted to be held the whole time. In case you were wondering it is not easy to peel roasted peppers with one hand while balancing a 14 month old on your hip(but the roasted cauliflower and red pepper soup was great!). Nadav continued to cry all evening. Josh headed out to baseball and I finally put Nadav to bed and he happily dove into his crib. Poor baby was so tired. Danya and Jordy talked to Bubs for a while on the phone. Then they both went to bed and I am going to start work.

The End of Chanukah

Friday was cold and rainy so we hung out at home. I made some Shabbat food and Josh went out and bought the rest. The kids played at home and that was about it. We lit the last night of candles and got the last round of presents...DVD's and a mini American Girl doll for Danya and DVD's and a card game for Jordy. All were happy for their gifts but sad that Chanukah is coming to an end. Friday night we had a nice dinner and we all took turns playing Jordy's card game with him.
Shabbat morning was quiet. After lunch Danya and Jordy attempted play dates but nobody was able to play so they both came home and played here until Shabbat ended. After Shabbat the kids ate dinner and then went with Josh to parent child learning. Saturday night Nadav had a cold and was up for a few hours in the middle of the night.
Sunday morning the kids headed off to school again...yippee! Since we were exhausted we didn't get anything done(that I recall). Nadav was kind of cranky most the day. Jordy went to his English class and then Moshe came over for a short while. Danya came home and hung out here. She was excited that her teacher returned. Apparently her teacher had broken her pelvis and something else in her car accident. Poor Ornat!
Monday the kids went to school and their various activities. Nadav's cold seems to be much better. Otherwise nothing exciting to report.
Today Josh took Nadav to the store with him in the morning and then Nadav took the longest nap ever! 2 and a half hours!!! Wow! He and I went to the grocery store later and he kept pulling food off the shelves and standing up in the shopping cart-this kid is trouble. He almost bit into a hot pepper that he pulled off the vegetable display. Lovely. Since I had just returned from the store with no dinner planned(dumb) we ordered pizza for dinner. It was also in celebration of Danya getting a 100% on her science test. Yeah Danya!!! After dinner everyone went to sleep and work.

What's Going On Over Here

Here we are again. Trying to remember what on earth has happened since my last post. I had to look at the calender for some help as last week is a blur already. The only thing it helped me remember was that Jordy went to the dentist on Thursday for his second root canal. Again, he was happy to be there and it was smooth sailing. Again, he was happy that he got to come home and eat a huge bowl of ice cream for lunch. Another exciting activity on Thursday was packing. Danya and Jordy were all excited to pack for Shabbat away.
On Friday, as soon as the kids got home from school we loaded up the car and headed to the David Citadel. My parents were in town only for a few days with a group. They invited us and the Balsams to join them for Shabbat. We enthusiastically accepted. We stopped at falafel in Modiin for lunch and then to the hotel. My parents met us in the lobby and hung out with us for a bit. Josh headed to the kotel for mincha while I bathed the kids and got them dressed. Before Shabbat we headed down to light candles for Chanukah. The kids got day 1 gifts-books for Danya and Jordy from the Balsams and Kellmans and stacking cups for Nadav from Bubs and Pops. Then we lit candles and hung out until dinner. The group planned to eat dinner at 6:30 and the kids were starving. They were happy once they saw the buffet of food to choose from. I am pretty sure Jordy ate 2 sufgoniyot and Danya tried all the other desserts. Nadav and Jordy went to sleep pretty quickly. Danya and Meira went to play cards with Savta for a little while and then headed to bed. After the kids went to sleep Savta and Lisa joined Josh and me for a game of Settlers. The only problem was Nadav was sleeping in our room and we only had a bathroom and closet light on. No problem. We brought a tiny coffee table to the closet doors/bathroom entrance. We brought 3 chairs around and Lisa sat on the floor of the closet. When there's a will there's a way.
Shabbat morning Nadav was up pretty early. Jordy and Danya played with him for a while. Josh joined my Father and Nafi at shul while the women and children went to breakfast. We sat there for an hour and a half eating. Nadav was in his high chair the whole time enjoying the melon, cottage cheese, yogurt, crackers, cake, cucumbers....the kid ate a ton! The men eventually joined us and ate. The older kids all played together and with Saba and Savta until lunch. Nadav took a giant nap and Josh, Lisa and I played Settlers again. When Nadav woke up he and I joined everyone else at lunch. Nothing like another huge buffet meal! Again, we ate to much and spent to much time in the dinning room. When we were done we only had an hour and a half left of Shabbat. Again, more games, reading etc. After Shabbat we lit Chanukah candles again and then got round 2 of presents from Saba and Savta and Bubby Gladys. We said goodbye to Saba and Savta as we didn't know if we would see them again this trip. We then bundled up and went with the Balsam's to find dinner in Mamilla next door. We settled on pizza which ended up being bad, but the kids were happy to get their soft pretzels. We also let the kids stop at a candy store to use some of their Chanukah money. We went back to the hotel and got the kids in bed. Lisa returned for Settlers-which she won-her first victory!
Sunday morning we slept a little late and then headed to a giant hotel breakfast. Yum. We packed up and loaded the car and checked out. Then we walked through the old city to Ir David. We saw the 3D movie and then went to see the tunnels. We joined up with a tour leader and took a little hike with them. Danya did not enjoy the hike. She could not wait for it to end. The problem was once it was over we had a hike back to the hotel where our car was. Josh decided to take a cab to the hotel to pick up the car and come get us. Only problem was he called when he arrived at the hotel that the keys were in his jacket pocket which was in the stroller with me. Oops. So the kids and I started walking and Josh met us. We made it to Mamilla where we stopped for food as it was after 3 and we hadn't eaten since breakfast. We had really bad service and spent way to long at the restaurant. We finally got to the car and headed home. We got home after 6. We lit candles and gifts for night 3. Jordy was really excited to get his DS from Bubs and Pops and Saba and Savta. (Have you ever seen him with such a big smile???) Danya also got a game for hers. Nadav got his ball pit which he was really excited about!

Monday we were all worn out from the day before so we hung out around the house most the day. After lighting candles we headed to the mall to pick out gifts from David and Jodi. Jordy choose a balloon animal kit and Danya couldn't decide so she still has a gift coming. We ate dinner at the food court and walked around some more. We saw them lighting the big Chanukiyah in the mall and then got free sufguniyot...yum.
Tuesday morning I had to take Jordy to get an echo cardiogram. Don't worry, all is fine. He has a heart murmur and they just wanted to verify that it is functional. Turns out the murmur is the sound of his blood rushing through his veins so all is well. By the time we came back it was getting late already so we just hung out at home some more. After lighting the Chanukiyah and dinner we had family movie night. We watched Monsters vs. Aliens. The kids loved it.
Wednesday we went to the port in Tel Aviv to watch street performers do an acrobatics show. Then we went to Ramat Gan for a late lunch. After we lit candles and the kids got some money from Bubs and Pops Danya headed to the Gerson's for a sleepover and Jordy and I had another movie night and watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Thursday, after picking up Danya and getting the report that the girls went to sleep at 3am(!!!!) I took the kids to "the fun place" aka. Eretz Nehederit. They have a separate area for little kids with a huge ball pit. Nadav spent most his time there but he also found a balloon and kept dragging it with him and calling it a ball while running all over the place. After 2 hours of family fun we stopped at the grocery store and then headed home to light candles. I didn't have gifts for the kids so I gave them the battery toothbrushes my mom brought and they were really excited. We went to a Chanukah party at friends for a short while and then came home so everyone could get a good night sleep.
Ahh....all caught up....until next time!

Shoes Done Easy

Friday I spent most the day at home cooking and getting ready for Shabbat. Robert joined us for what was a mostly quiet Shabbat.
Sunday afternoon, after school and Jordy's English chug, I took the kids to buy Shabbat shoes. I hate this outing and I usually divide and conquer. Meaning I usually take 2 trips to the shoe store and then only have to deal with one of them at a time. So I was being brave. I gave them the usual lecture in the car on the way there about how if they don't behave we get nothing and how each of them is only getting one pair of shabbat shoes, not Shabbat boots. Danya quickly picked out an ugly, pink platform heel shoes. I told her no and directed her to the more appropriate shoes. She was excited that I showed her a shoe that was a slip on as opposed to a strap. She was happy with that and she was done. Jordy kept pointing out hiking boots and I kept redirecting him to the one pair of Shabbat shoes. He didn't like them but once he tried them on he liked them and we were in and out of the store in under a half hour. Hooray! Once we got home Danya insisted on wearing her shoes around the house. She is still doing so-my guess is this will last until Shabbat.
Monday was a busy day. Josh and I cleaned out the junk from Jordy's room(but mostly Josh-I spent most the time finishing a puzzle). Then Nadav napped and I went to the grocery store by myself. Ahh. Not long after I got back Nadav woke up. Nadav and I picked Jordy up from school and then went to Modiin. When we returned Jordy went to ceramics. Danya returend early as her softball chug was canceled due to rain. Then Nadav and I went to go run a busy carpool. Lisa was at a party with Michali so I was getting Jordy, Meira and Moshe. Plus I had Nadav with me. Since we have an itsy bitsy car we couldn't all fit. So first I went to the ceremics studio, handed Meira an umbrella as it was POURING and took Jordy and Moshe and brought them to school since they were having a evening at school for Chanukah. It took forever since it was pouring and everyone was dropping their kids off. Poor Meira was soaked when I got back. She didn't seem to mind. An hour and a half later I was back at school picking Jordy up. He had a great time, was eating his Soufganiah and the best part was that parents weren't required to attend. He came home, ate some dinner(side note-who on earth thinks a good time for a school program is from 5:30pm-7:00pm??? Don't any other kids need to eat then??).
This morning Josh and I took Nadav and ran a few errands in Kiryat Sefer. Nadav was so tired on the way home and we wanted to keep him from sleeping. He kept dozing off and we kept trying to make him laugh. It was pretty entertaining. While Danya was at art and Jordy was at swimming Nadav and I headed to Modiin to buy Jordy a few more school shirts as there were only a few colors available in his size when I originally went. We picked up Jordy and Moshe and came home to make dinner. The kids enjoyed their tuna melt souffle and everyone played for a while and headed to bed.

I've Come to Fix the Sink

This morning Josh and I took Nadav to run a few errands. When we got home Nadav napped. I attempted to use the sink that Josh had repaired the other day(don't think I mentioned it-the faucet in the meat sink had broken and he repaired it once but it broke again). It was leaking everywhere. I called the plumber who said he could come Sunday. Then I called Alan who told us how to replace it ourselves. Of course we(read: I) panicked for nothing and it was a quick easy fix. Jordy had Moshe S. over after school and Danya had a friend as well. I took Jordy and Moshe to English and then we went to get the sink piece. Jordy went to play with Moshe B. after English. He came home for dinner. Danya's friend stayed for dinner and then went home. Everyone went to sleep pretty easily. Pretty boring day.

Late Night Book Worm

It's 11:55pm so I am gonna make this quick. Today was pretty typical. I did want to share a Danya story. I have mentioned that she has become quite a book worm lately. Here is an example: Tonight she came to me at 8:30pm while I was beginning work. She asked if she could watch a TV show and I told her that since bedtime is in 10 minutes maybe she should get into pajamas and into bed and read. She agreed and was excited because last night at the Yarid, which I am trying to block out of my brain, I bought her a new book that she was excited to start. I said goodnight to her and then I got absorbed into my work. Josh returned from shul and saw she was in bed and figured since she was in bed I already tucked her in and all was well. At 10:15pm I headed downstairs to switch the laundry and her light was on. She was just getting into bed. I asked her what in the world she was still doing awake. She responded "Nobody came to tuck me in so I decided to keep reading the whole book". I asked her if she noticed that she usually doesn't finish a book in 10 minutes and she just kind of shrugged her shoulders and said something about us not tucking her in. While Josh and I both thought this was hysterical-any excuse to stay up late and keep reading-we also realize that it may not have been our best parenting moment. I guess this is the price you pay for being a work at home at bed time mom. Big fat parent fail. Funny story though. Good night!

Good vs. Evil

Friday morning I had to wake Jordy up early to eat breakfast. He was getting the work done on his tooth and he needed to be fasting for 4 hours before his appointment so early breakfast. Danya headed out to school and the boys and I were home. Josh and Nadav dropped us off at the dentist and I couldn't believe how well it went. They started with the laughing gas. Then the Novocain,the root canal and then the crown. Jordy told the dentist it was fun! He can't wait to go back for the next one! He was also happy that he has to eat ice cream and pudding for the next 2 hours. We went home for ice cream and Shabbat preparations. Josh took Danya and Nadav for a bike ride before Shabbat started. Friday night was a typical quiet Friday night.
Shabbat morning Danya headed to the kids Minyan. For some reason Jordy didn't want to go but he was happy to go to the across the street shul as soon as he head there was a Bar Mitzvah(read:candy). Everyone returned and lunch was had. Danya and Jordy headed over to have birthday cake with Moshe B. while Nadav and parents napped. When Nadav woke up I took him over to the Balsam's and we hung out there. We all returned home as Shabbat was ending. After Shabbat Josh took Danya and Jordy to parent/child learning. They actually had ice cream at the ice cream party this time. The kids were happy! After the kids went to bed I headed out to an event at a shul that was advertised as The Daughter of a Hamas Sheik speaking about her escape from her life. In the end she didn't show and it was a fund raising evening. I was a little annoyed at the false advertising but what are you going to do?
Sunday morning I woke up not feeling well. I spent a lot of the day sleeping thanks to Josh who took over in the house for the most part. I can't really remember what happened but nothing major that I recall.
Monday morning I was feeling better so Josh and I took Nadav to look for some Chanukah gifts. I love that Nadav is young enough that we can pick out the gift with him there. The kids had their usual running around in the afternoon. In the evening I had conferences at the school. Danya's teacher was in a car accident a few days back so her conferences were postponed so it was just Jordy's. First of all, before I left Jordy wanted to know if he is supposed to dress in blue in white for the evening. I had to explain to him that parent teacher conferences were not for kids. He was really disappointed and wanted to come with. Conferences were scheduled for 6 minutes per child. Therefore my time was 6:56pm. Of course they were running pretty far behind as there is no way 6 minutes is sufficient. Anyhow, the teacher could not stop raving about how wonderful Jordy is. Good reader, writer, behaver(pretty sure that isn't a word), sharer, etc. The only thing she complained about was his bag is messy and he often loses his supplies. Overall I thought that wasn't to bad. I was going to ask her if she wants to live with us but decided against it. Glad someone knows how to get him to behave.
This morning the kids headed to school and Nadav and I took a walk. In the afternoon Nadav and I went to the florist to send flowers to Danya's teacher. Then we went to the grocery store where Nadav caused some trouble. First he gnawed his way through a box of candles, then he pulled a tomato off the shelf and started to eat it, then he dropped-and broke- a box of croutons and while I was putting the food on the checkout counter he pulled all the candy from the display and threw it in the cart. What a nut! At 5 the kids were begging me to take them to the yarid Chanukah(chanukah fair). I really didn't want to go as I hate these things, but I am such a pushover. So as we were leaving I gave them a whole lecture about how it they yell or scream or cry we are leaving. Of course they promised they would behave. Famous last words. All I can say is where was Jordy's teacher when I needed her! It started fine. Jordy and I found a couple books for him. Then we bought tickets for the kids to get pizza. Then Jordy spotted a soccer ball. For those of you who don't know, Jordy LOVES soccer-so Israeli! He plays it at school with his friends and has a few soccer balls at home-including one I bought him at the beginning of the school year. He NEEDED this soccer ball. I figured if it was cheap I would buy it for him, but it wasn't. They were also selling basketballs which we don't have so I offered to buy one of those as they were cheaper. He then proceeded to have a Jordy meltdown. The crying and screaming and fighting. Fun. So I had to gather Danya, who wanted to get something since Jordy got books, go get her books while Jordy was screaming and go to the car. We returned home(which in the end I hadn't wanted to go so who cares) and eventually Jordy calmed down and apologized. Here is a picture of the 3 kids walking to the car happy-before melt down:

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Israel is just a regular old day. So the kids went to school, Nadav, Josh and I hung out at home doing some cooking and cleaning-just like any day. Nadav took an extra long nap(regular sized for any other baby, but long for him). I had forgotten that Jordy was going to a fiends after school and then straight to his English chug, so Nadav and I walked to the school to bring him his English folder. Danya went to a friends house to study for yet another test-they have 1 or 2 per week. After the kids ate their Thursday Mac and Cheese we had a baby sitter come over and Josh and I headed to the Annual Jaffe Anniversary/Thanksgiving Feast. I have written about it here, here and here(you have to scroll to the right post, I can't get it to link directly to the post) as we have gone every year since we made Aliyah. If you want to read a little more about it directly from the Jaffe's you can click here. As usual, the food was delicious, the company was wonderful and a night out with out the kids is priceless. Of course when we got home 2 of the 3 were awake and Josh and I still had to work, but it was worth it. Happy(belated) Thanksgiving everyone!

Fun at the Dentist

I picked Jordy up from school in the middle of the morning today. Josh was watching Nadav as I didn't think I would be able to handle him while Jordy was fighting the dentist. On the way there Jordy told me that his tooth no longer hurt-as if we would just turn around and skip the dentist. As soon as we walked in the dentist engaged him in conversation. She asked him why he was here and he said his tooth hurts. She asked him why and he responded that it was because he doesn't brush his teeth. Lovely. She then explained everything she was going to do and why. She then took out her dental tool to count and check his teeth and Jordy started to get upset. I don't know how she did it, but she immediately calmed him down and got him to help her count his teeth. She then got him to take x-rays without upsetting him at all. She showed us a special mouth wash that we need to buy for him as he is showing the beginnings of other cavities. When the x-rays were ready she gave me the wonderful news that he had 2 big cavities that are going to require root canals, caps and if that doesn't work then they will need to be pulled and spacers will need to be put in. Wonderful. I guess I got a job just in time. Everyone talks about how cheap dental work is here in Israel, and I am sure it is cheaper than the States, however we had an awesome dental plan in the States, and I am missing it right about now. I had told Jordy earlier that if he behaved then he would get a treat(yup, have cavities, get sugar-I never claimed I was a good mother) so I told him we would stop and get a treat before bringing him back to school. He asked if we could also buy the mouthwash. He was so excited to brush and rinse his teeth. I brought him back to school and came home. There was some sort of problem with the pipes in the area so we had no water for a few hours so I didn't have to do any dishes. Danya and Jordy both returned from school and Jordy had a friend over. After Jordy's karate chug we all went to Modiin to have dinner with Janice and Avi. While at dinner Josh gave Nadav his wallet to keep him entertained. Nadav continued to dump everything out and he was so happily entertained for a while. We had a really nice dinner and it is so great having more "family" in the neighborhood. It was a late evening for the kids and after Jordy's tooth brushing, they went to sleep.

Ahh. Heat.

Oops, I missed a day! I was doing so well too! OK, here we go. Yesterday, minutes after Josh left to take Jordy to school, there was knock on my door. Yes, it was the moment that we have all been waiting for(OK, maybe just Josh and myself)-the guys were here to install our heater! Hooray! You try living without air and heat for 8 months and then not want to shout from the rooftops when you finally get it. Of course the weather outside was really warm, so once it was in we didn't need it. After they left Nadav and I ran a couple errands. Nadav fell asleep in the car but his nap was short lived. Anyhow, the afternoon was pretty typical. In the evening I went to the airport to pick up Janice and Avi and take them to their new place. After I got home it was time to get to work. For those of you who have asked you can see the blog I am working on here. Feel free to check it out every once in a while or promote it on your own blog so it gets some traffic and I get to keep my job!
Today was a little rainy and we stayed close to home. I did finally schedule Jordy an appointment with the pediatric dentist. They tried giving me an appointment in 6 months. I told them that was not acceptable so wish us good luck tomorrow. So NOT looking forward to this. Sorry that is all I have to report-perhaps tomorrow will be more entertaining!

Sushi

Nadav slept through the night last night! I know it probably wont repeat itself tonight(especially since I just told everyone about it) but I really appreciated it. Anyhow, after Josh returned from shul I headed to book club. After I returned I ran a couple errands by my self. Ahh. When I got home I hung out with Nadav and we ate lunch. Danya came home after school and procrastinated studying all afternoon(wonder where she gets that from). Nadav and I picked Jordy up from English and we brought him to the dentist. Jordy opened his mouth for about 20 seconds to show Dr. Abboudi his aching tooth. Somehow in that 20 seconds Dr. Abboudi was able to see that he had cavities in at least 2 of his molars. After that Jordy sealed his mouth shut. Wisely, Dr. Abboudi gave us a referral to a pediatric dentist who will give Jordy "something" in order to do the necessary work. I am wondering if she can give me "something" too? Anyhow, we returned home and then I made a very exciting dinner for me and Danya. Sushi!
Josh doesn't like the seaweed and Jordy won't try it although he insists he has tried it in the past. Anyhow, us girls loved it and we gave Nadav a piece to try. He seemed to like it at first but I think he was just picking the cucumbers out of it.
Anyhow, after dinner Josh helped Danya study for her test tomorrow while I got the boys into bed. Then I began my first day of work. So far so good!

Gone Bananas

Friday morning Josh went to play football while Nadav and I cooked for Shabbat. Jordy went to play with Moshe B. after school and Danya came home and had a friend over. Josh took Nadav for his first bike ride.
Nadav didn't love the helmet but Josh said he seemed to enjoy the ride. Friday night Danya went to shul with Josh while Jordy, Nadav and I were home. Nadav actually took a nap and Jordy and I played a new game. I bought Bananagrams while in the States and we had never played it yet. I was surprised to see how good Jordy was at it. We decided that we would all play after dinner. Danya and Josh returned from shul and we had a nice dinner. Once we got Nadav to bed we all played Bananagrams. If you haven't played it yet you should. Hopefully it will help improve the kids spelling as well. We did have to look a few words up but we didn't have a dictionary so we were looking words up in the Hebrew English dictionary. We didn't realize how late it was until the game was over at 9:45pm.
Jordy woke up in the middle of the night crying that his tooth hurt him. I gave him Tylenol and sent him back to bed. He returned again at 3:30am saying that it still hurt. We told him to bring his pillow and blanket and he could sleep in our room. He woke Nadav in the process so I fed him and and he went back to sleep. Josh went to shul in the morning while the rest of us stayed home. Nadav played while the rest of us read on the couch. Then Danya and Jordy went upstairs to play while I hung out with Nadav. When Josh returned he took Nadav on a walk while I napped. We ate lunch and the kids continued to play and Nadav went to sleep. I also napped(wow! 2 naps in one day!). When I came downstairs another game of Bananagrams was underway. It continued until after Shabbat. After the game was over I turned the Slingbox on and Jordy was so excited to watch Super Why. He was singing the song with a mouth full of Tuna sandwich.

Employment

Wow, what a long day! Nadav woke up a little earlier than usual. Danya and Jordy actually walked to school without complaint, which was out of the ordinary. Nadav and I took a little walk. Then we came home and I left Nadav with Josh. I went to Modiin to change money and deposit it in the bank. Then I headed to Tel Aviv for a job interview. Truth be told I interviewed with the same place about a year ago but they were changing things and told me they wouldn't have a job for me for a while. Well about a year later they finally have a job for me. I will be doing some various social networking things for them but the main part of my job will be writing blogs for their various websites. I already know how to do that. Having a blog has finally paid off! For now it is part time but we will see where it goes. Hooray! I am gainfully employed! Anyhow, on my way back from Tel Aviv I stopped at the grocery store. Right after I got back Nadav woke up from his nap. Just before Danya, Jordy and Moshe S. arrived home from school our power went out. I checked the electric box but all was well. So Nadav and I went to see if our neighbors had power and they were all outside doing the same. Lisa called to see if I had power as she also didn't. We called the electric company and found out that the whole area, not just Hashmonaim, but neighboring villages were also out. Josh couldn't work as we had no internet so guess what happened? We finished going through all the papers on the dining room table. He also cleaned his office up while waiting. Jordy and Moshe went to their English class and then I brought Jordy home. We lit some candles as it was getting dark and I was beginning to get worried about the fact that it was cold, dark and the food was going to spoil. And then the power went on. Phew! We were able to get the kids dinner and to bed with mostly no problems. I am now waiting for my newest attempt for challah to finish baking and then I am heading to bed.

Let There Be Heat

Another fun filled night last night. Danya had a bad dream and kept waking us up. First she wanted one of us to sleep in our room. Then she wanted to sleep on our floor. Then she wanted to sleep in our bed. Once she finally fell asleep Nadav woke up. Josh was my hero and fed him. This morning I decided to tackle a project. I HATE filing so I often put it off for a few months weeks. Well this is probably the longest I held it off for. I had to take the leaning tower of mail dating back to June(!!!) to the nice and clean dining room table. Then I spend a good hour or so sorting it into piles. I tried to get a few of the piles into their appropriate folders in the filing cabinet but as I type this at 10:30pm, half the table is still covered in paper. So either I will finish it tomorrow or more likely I will pile it all back up and deal with it another time. In the meantime I got a call from the heating and air company I had called earlier in the week. The heater/ac in our room has been broken since February. Truthfully it has never been great. It is not big enough for the room so even when it was working it's best it was never sufficiently heating or cooling the room. Then add the fact that when it gets to cold the heat can't work. WHAT? I know, the dumbest thing ever. It breaks a few times each year but this last time was the last straw and it needed to be replaced. Being the cheapskates that we are we decided that the little plug in heater we have could work from February until it got warm which was March. Then we used a fan until we left for the summer. When we came back in August we continued to use the fan. Now that winter is upon us we realized that we MUST do something about it. So I called a place that came highly recommended. They called me this morning to tell me that they can come out next week to give an estimate but wouldn't be able to install anything until February as they are in the middle of a huge job. Are you kidding me??? So we called another guy who came recommended and he showed up a half hour later. He talked a lot about the different options and the fact that we can not heat our bathroom. I wont even start on how sad that made me. We finally choose one and it is being installed Monday!!! We will have heat!!!! Nadav took a nap and then Danya returned from school. She went to play with some friends while Nadav and I walked to pick up Jordy and his friend Yehousha from their extended school day. The boys played until they went to karate. We had dinner-sorry, just leftovers from Shabbat and the disgusting dinner from the other night. We called to wish my Dad a happy birthday-Happy Birthday Saba-and then the kids went to sleep.

Cheesy Baked French Toast

This morning was pretty quiet. Nadav took a nice long(an hour and 15 minutes) nap which was really good since the kid never sleeps and he has to be tired, right? Then we walked to the makolet, which seems to be a daily occurrence. We got bread, eggs and milk and headed home. I assembled dinner and then Jordy came home. After he ate a snack Nadav and I dropped him off at his swimming chug. Then Nadav and I went shilat to buy sushi makings because I read this the other day and now I want to make sushi. I know Josh wont eat it as he does not like the seaweed part and I doubt that Jordy will try it but I will make it for me and Danya. Anyone know a place in the Modiin area that sells sushi grade fish??? Or am I stuck with lox and veggies? Anyhow, we returned to pick Jordy up from swimming and then went home. Danya was home from her art chug and wanted to go on a bike ride to the local candy store. Jordy invited a friend for a play date-or more accurately a boy we never heard of invited Jordy but ended up coming to our house instead. Once he went home we ate the new dinner of the night-Cheesy Baked French Toast which was really good! It was basically cheese sandwiches baked into french toast. It was a little too peppery for the kids but Jordy liked it. Nadav even ate some before smushing it into his hair. The hold out was Danya who didn't like it. Surprising. It was ok though because Rabbi Shandalov was in the neighborhood visiting and Josh was going to take him out for dinner. Danya and Jordy joined them and I believe they ate something while they were there. I got Nadav into the bath and to bed and then they all returned. Jordy apparently gave Rabbi Shandalov a taste of a meltdown. Not sure about the details but Rabbi Shandalov was very understanding. Once I got Danya and Jordy into bed I got a chance to catch up with Rabbi Shandalov. It was nice to hear about his Aliyah experiences and hear about how his family is adjusting. We hope their whole family will come visit us soon. A little while later Lori came to pick me up for our coffee to soldiers night. When we were finishing up at the first checkpoint it began raining. Yes, we need rain and it is a big blessing but we were pretty glad to be finishing up. The second checkpoint has a covering so we didn't get wet and the soldiers were very appreciative.

Disgusting Dinner

First off I have to make a correction. Saturday I wrote about how I sent the kids ketchup as a vegetable and I attributed this to Dan Quayle. Thanks to Schuyler for pointing out that it was in fact Ronald Regan who classified ketchup as a vegetable. For more reading about Ketchupgate click here.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programing.
Nadav's sleeping seems to be getting worse rather than better. He woke up at around midnight and was awake for a while and just wanted to be held. He also woke up at 5. Blah. Danya was mad that Jordy was taking to long to get dressed this morning so she left for school without him. Nice. Josh and I went to run a few errands this morning. We dropped off the tire from Danya's bike as it was flat and needed repairs. Then we went to the bank to pick up checks and try to clear up an issue with our account. In Israel they have something called Horat Kevah. Now I couldn't tell you the literal translation but it is direct withdraw. In order for someone to be able to direct withdraw from your account you need to sign an authorization form. So for example we signed an authorization form and our cell phone bill gets taken out of our account each month. We have only utilized this service for a few things as we don't like when the money is just sucked out of our account. Well for some reason the bank was allowing a random company to remove money from our account several times but we never authorized it. So now we need to get our money back. They were actually very helpful(as they were at fault) and printed out a list of all the direct withdraws from our account since 2007 and in the car ride home I was reading it and found another one. So hopefully we will be getting some money back. For those of you in Israel-read your bank statements even though they are very confusing! We then stopped at the grocery store(I shopped while Josh waited in the car with sleeping Nadav). Then we picked up the tire and returned home. Nadav napped for about a half hour. The afternoon was pretty quiet/typical. I made dinner-unstuffed cabbage- and attempted the restaurant review trick again. Jordy came down for dinner, took one look at his place and announced "That looks disgusting". Josh and I couldn't help but laugh. He wanted his comment card to write he didn't like it even though he wouldn't taste it(everyone else liked it including Nadav). Josh told him he couldn't comment if he didn't taste it. This made Jordy really mad and he had a meltdown. Once he calmed down we got the kids to bed. Jordy asked me to work on his lanyard so that it would be easier for him to hold, so I spent the past half hour doing lanyard. Very productive.

A Long Walk And Some Old Pictures

Thanks to those of you who tried to help with the lunch situation. Unfortunately my kids wont eat anything you suggested, but it was the thought that counts!
Nadav was up a few times last night. Josh was going to give him a bottle at what I believe was 4am-ish. Nadav for some reason wouldn't take the bottle from him and was going a little crazy. I eventually gave him the bottle but he was still not happy. Out of sheer exhaustion I brought him into bed with me hoping it would calm him but he just wanted to play with the remote control and the keyboard(doesn't everyone have a wireless keyboard next to their bed?). So I rocked him for a while and back to bed he went. Well we were so tired we hardly heard Danya and Jordy. At around 7:30am Jordy came in to say he was all ready for school and could he play for a while. We said sure and closed our eyes. Then a little while later we heard someone leave the house. I figured both kids walked to school and we were clear to sleep until we heard from Nadav. Well a little while later Jordy came in and asked Josh if he could drive him to school. I asked Jordy what time it was and he told me it was 8:03. OOPS! Josh got up quickly and got Jordy to school. Apparently Danya rode her bike to school. Nadav woke up then anyhow. So do we get the parents of the year award? We have our kids get up, dressed and off to school without even getting out of bed most days. Why am I sharing this with you??? Anyhow, Nadav woke up in a really good mood and was pretty content part of the morning. At one point Josh and I decided we should clean our disaster of a bedroom. Josh also hung the speakers that had previously been stretching across the marpecet door leaving a lot of undesirable wires. Nadav liked the step stool and tried to climb up while Josh was on it. It didn't photograph well but it was cute.

Then Nadav took a 20 minute nap, yes, after being awake for about an hour in the night he napped for 20 minutes. Seriously. After Nadav ate lunch we took a walk to the Makolet to buy some dinner ingredients. I let him walk. We left the house at 2:46 and returned at 3:17. Not bad for a trip that should take about 8 minutes. First we found a balloon attached to a light post and Nadav was so excited and kept saying "ball"-which is his favorite word and toy. I am pretty sure that had I not dragged him up the block we would still be there now.

Then we saw the dog up the street and the cats by the makolet. On the way back Nadav ran as soon as he saw the "ball" which made the walk a little faster but I had to pull him away again. Also, when we returned he wanted to play with the big bag of rocks that we have by our walk.


A fun trip in all. When we got home Danya had made it home from school. Nadav went into his crib for nap attempt number 2. The guy doing the backyard came to tell us he was done. He has to return in a few days to remove the wood and stuff when the cement on the stairs drys but he's done.
Yes, we have a lot more that has to be done but that is all we are doing for now. Danya offered to sweep the sand off the brick so I let her.
Of course Josh returned and said we aren't supposed to remove the sand, it needs to settle into the brick. Oops. Good thing she hadn't done much. Josh brought Jordy and Moshe B. over from English while I took a screaming Nadav from his crib. Nap attempt #2-FAIL. I decided to do something new for dinner tonight. I decided I wanted to make something new for dinner but I was worried that the kids wouldn't try it or like it so I decided to make it fun. I told them we were having a restaurant review. I made little comment cards and told them they have to try the food and answer the questions on the cards. It worked! They both ate and like the "baked spaghetti cake" that I made! How many times do you think I can pull this one before they realize what is happening? Either way we have a new meal in the rotation! After dinner we all walked to the makolet(Nadav rode in the stroller this time) to buy the kids ice cream as they didn't get any last night. We came home and settled in for the night.
A side note. Last Friday I told you this story about how Nadav stole my boreka and ate it. It reminded me of when Jordy was a baby and Pops bought Danya a Dunkin Donut. It was sitting on Danya's little table and then next thing we knew Jordy was eating it. I knew I had pictures of Jordy eating the Dunkin Donut but I couldn't find it. Josh located the pictures from our old computer so I decided I should put some old pictures up here and there. So here it is-Jordy, winter 2004:


Enjoy!

Lunches

Friday morning Nadav woke up with a fever. Again. Not sure why he keeps getting fevers. I am running out of Tylenol. Anyhow, Josh got the kids to school and headed to football while I stayed home and cooked while Nadav cried. I got him to take a nap at 10am which was very early for him and he slept until 11:15 which sounds like a typical toddler nap but was VERY long for Nadav. I used the time to cook and clean the kitchen. Josh returned with Danya in tow. Jordy had gone to Moshe's. The rest of the day was spent doing the usual getting ready for Shabbat. As I plugged the blech(I HATE that word but I also hate the word plata. Anyone have a better word?) our power went out. This has happened a few times in the past as I was about to light candles. Some quick fiddling with the electric box made me realize that the fuse for that outlet blew. So we moved the blech to the laundry room and carried on. Jordy went with Josh to shul while Danya and I sat on the couches reading. Me The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Danya Ramona Forever. Nadav happily played on the floor with the Little People Farm. When Josh and Jordy returned we had a pretty normal dinner. Jordy told me he loves the challah I made and can I make challah every week. Which reminds me that I forgot to put a story on the last post. When the Balsam family had dinner with us on Thursday night I asked the kids if they liked the Mac and Cheese(I didn't make it the usual way-I made it with cottage cheese in the microwave) and Moshe responded with "This is the best thing I have ever eaten"(was that accurate Lisa?). I thought it was funny but hoped Lisa wasn't insulted. Anyhow, after dinner Danya and Jordy weren't on their best behavior. They weren't listening and played soccer in the house. We were much happier once they went to bed.
Shabbat morning Nadav woke up kind of early considering he was up a few times in the night. I attempted to get him back to bed but to no avail. We went downstairs where he was playing and I was dozing on the couch watching him. Danya and Jordy got dressed and headed to the youth minyan while Nadav and I stayed where we were. He was getting really crabby around 9:30 so I attempted to get him to nap but that didn't work so we continued to play until Josh returned from shul. Josh took Nadav on a walk to meet Danya and Jordy(as their minyan is at a different shul than Josh goes to). I went to sleep. When I got up we ate lunch and then Nadav took a nap while Danya and Jordy played in the attic. Nadav slept for a total of 40 minutes. Yup-that is typical for him. He and I remained in the living room for the rest of the afternoon. Danya and Jordy walked to the Balsams to pick up Moshe who didn't understand his return instructions so he only stayed for a half hour or so when he could have stayed until after Shabbat. Josh took a nap which is out of character for him(maybe Nadav gets it from him?). Danya and Jordy were really excited to go to parent child learning tonight as there was supposed to be an ice cream party so they were willing to clean up the mess they made over Shabbat(not a usual occurrence). Off they went while I got Nadav into bed. They returned an hour later disappointed as there was no ice cream. Not sure how that happened but hopefully it wont happen again. Not good to tell kids they'll get ice cream and not give them any. Anyhow as they were getting ready for bed Nocky and Ruanne came over for a visit. Danya and Jordy were excited to see them and excited to stay up a little later to spend some time with them. When we told Danya and Jordy it was time to go to bed Jordy started crying hysterically. He was so excited to do a page of him English workbook with Nocky that he didn't want to go to sleep before he got a chance. So being the pushovers that we are we let him stay up. After they left and everyone was in bed I had to contend with making school lunches. I don't know if I have ever discussed this-I am sure I must have-but I HATE making lunches, even more than I HATE the word blech. It doesn't help that there are strict guidelines about what to send, each kid need 2 most days and the kids are picky. Just to give you insight-they each need an Aruchat Esser(literally the 10am meal) which is a dairy or parave sandwich(yes, it has to be a sandwich that includes bread) and a fruit or vegetable. That is it. No special drink, no snack, treats etc. Then, the days the kids are in school "late"(I use quotations because in the states Danya was in school until 4 and here late is 2:30) they need a second meal or a lunch. This meal can be dairy or meat, does not require bread and can have crackers or chips but still no sweets or candy. Add to that the fact that Danya doesn't like peanut butter, chumus, or cheese. The only sandwich that both kids like is chocolate spread which I really don't think is a decent meal but lets pretend it is. The other one they like is tuna with a slice of cheese melted on it(yes, Danya will eat cheese this way). Anyone have any other sandwich ideas??? PLEASE??? People came through with books suggestions(thanks guys and welcome to the readers I didn't know about. Feel free to become a follower). I haven't even touched on the second lunch. Want to know what I packed them for tomorrow? First lunch is chocolate sandwiches and sliced cucumbers. Second lunch-cubed bologna and turkey, ketchup(didn't Dan Quayle say that was a vegetable?) and pretzels. Yes, that is a FAIL in the school lunch department.

Sweet Challah

This morning, after the kids went to school, Nadav and I took a quick drive to Kiryat Sefer to drop something off. Then we came home and I made challah. Every once in a while I get into a "making my own challah" kick. I have a problem in that I have yet to find the perfect challah recipe. I had an amazing one in Chicago but the ingredients aren't the same here and it just doesn't taste as good here. So I made challah last week and it wasn't good. I tried another recipe today(thanks Lori) but it is a bread machine recipe so I had to adapt it. It was majorly sticky and just doesn't taste as good as Lori's does(but it wasn't horrible-I may tweek it next week or we may just have to buy a bread machine). If you have a good sweet challah recipe please share it with me and I will attempt it. The rest of the afternoon was quiet. Danya and Daniella were playing here for a change. Nadav and I walked to the makolet for celery-as in Nadav walked holding my hand and pointing to every little thing along the way saying "yish" which I think is "this". The walk which usually takes 4 minutes took a good half hour. He LOVES seeing cats and dogs and chases and yells at them. There were a lot of cats loitering near the makolet so he was so excited! We also saw a dog on the way home. Later we also saw Laura walking Yogi and she was gracious enough to let Nadav and Danya torment pet him. Lisa called later to say that due to some stupidity at the electric company her house had no electricity and it will be turned on between 3pm and 10pm! So could she bring her kids as it was going to be getting dark soon. So she returned with Jordy in tow as he was at his English class on her block. Of course 15 minutes after she arrived her neighbor called to say her lights were on. She had already told her kids they were going to be here for dinner so they stayed for mac and cheese night. Yum. I attempted getting a good picture of Nadav and Merav playing together but I wasn't so successful. See.



After they left I did a little more cooking, got Nadav and Jordy into bed easily. Danya did not want to go to sleep(this is a recurring event). I am SO happy that she loves to read but I do not want her reading in her bed for hours after her bed time. Yes. Hours. I went past her room at 10 and noticed she was reading in her bed. A book that she just started since I got her into bed. She was on page 68. Now I understand that it is hard to put down a good Beverly Cleary book but it was 10! Go to sleep. So being the mean Mom that I am I took the book away. I hope I didn't ruin her love of reading. Also, as she is on her last Ramona can anyone recommend any good books for her? Thanks!

Bamba

I didn't post yesterday because there was nothing to really write about. Kids went to school, man worked on the backyard,
Nadav took 2 naps(can you believe it??? I can't). We got pizza for dinner.
This morning I went to Modiin to Janice's new apartment to receive her bed delivery. We got there a little early but it was a perfect place for Nadav to play as there was no furniture and nothing to break. Then we stopped at the bagel store and came home. Nadav fell asleep a few minutes before getting home and he then slept another hour in bed. Nice. After he woke up and ate lunch we went to the grocery store. I had a short amount of time there as I had to pick up Jordy from school at 2:30. Of course as I was approaching the meat counter the power in the store went out. I got my number however the numbers reset to 1 so I had no idea how many people were before me. The power went back on and I made it through the store pretty quickly. Then I picked the worst line ever. The checker so hated her job and could not have scanned my items slower. Then it took her about 5 minutes to hand me the receipt to sign. Hum, maybe she was high? Not sure but I yelled at her that I was in a hurry as I yanked the pen out of her hand. I was a few minutes late getting Jordy but he was fine. He played for a while while I attempted to get Nadav to take a second nap-unsuccessfully. Then I gave Nadav his first Bamba(Israeli peanut butter puffs). He loved them! I am still not sure why the snack of choice for a young baby would be food with peanuts in it but since Nadav had a allergy test and we knew he isn't allergic to peanuts I figured if you can't beat em join em:

I tried taking the bag away from him and he pulled them back and started yelling! Then a friend of Jordy's came over to play until karate time. Danya came home then and I told her it was time to study for her test tomorrow-the one I had been reminding her for the past 3 days to bring the review sheet home for. Of course she can't find the review sheet. Then I have Lori make her a copy of Tamar's review sheet and Danya has no clue what anything means. I made her call friends and find out because that was not acceptable. When I asked her why she didn't know what anything was her response was "because I wasn't paying attention at the review". I asked her how come she didn't remember it from when they learned it initially and she said "because I wasn't paying attention". Wonderful. Then we had dinner-chicken legs and rice, and I got everyone into bed while Josh went to a funeral. Here is today's backyard picture:

Brick

This morning Josh's cell phone rang at 6:40 waking us up. By us I mean me, Josh and Nadav. Nadav didn't want to go back to sleep so he and I walked Jordy to school while Danya rode her bike. I am not sure if I wrote about this but since school started she has gotten much better at riding her bike and often rides it to school. She loves it! Only Jordy doesn't like walking to school by himself so I took pity on him this morning. On the way there I saw Sharon who suggested we get together this morning. Shortly after Nadav and I headed to the mall so Sharon and I could run errands together. We spent a couple hours going to our respective banks, the drug store and the grocery store-very glamorous! Nadav actually fell asleep in the car on the way there and slept most of the time. After we got home we ate lunch and since Nadav can not be contained in our living room anymore(he has figured out how to moved the cinder block, the chair and the table blocking the stairs....any more suggestions???)he and I went back to pick Jordy up from school(Danya took her bike to English and then softball). Jordy was so excited that I bought him markers for the white board. Then we went to examine the work that was done in the yard. We were excited that they were finally able to begin laying the brick. They would have started last Sunday but because of the rain they weren't able to work a few days and then they needed the sand to dry. Hopefully it will be done in the next few days. Looking good so far, right?


Then Jordy went to ceramics. Danya and Jordy got home and then we ate a gross dinner. I made stew but forgot to turn the burner down to simmer it so it burnt and all the water boiled out. Yuck.

Goodbye Bubby Lil

On Thursday I took Nadav to tipat chalav. We hadn't had a regular check up there since before the summer because Nadav kept getting sick. First he was weighed and measured. He is just over 10 kilo and I can't remember how tall he is but the nurse said he was right on target at the 50th percentile across the board. Then he got 3 shots. He didn't cry a drop for the first 2 and only a little whimper for the 3rd. After the appointment we stopped at a grocery store we don't usually go to and saw Elisheva Poupko who I never see. We also stopped at the money changer which was not helpful as he was out of money! We came home and Jordy was having a play date with Moshe S. They enjoyed the little pizza's I bought them and then they were off to their English class. I then took Jordy to the doctor and came home. The kids ate their Wacky Mac and went to sleep while I made Challah and Josh went to our neighbors house for a BBQ(I was invited as well just couldn't leave the kids alone). Nadav woke up several times-I think due to the vaccines.
Friday morning the kids headed to school and Josh headed to football. Nadav and I hung out and went for a walk. I bought a couple borekas for myself at the bakery. When I got home I microwaved them and ate one and left the other on the kitchen table for a minute. I came back to the kitchen and Nadav was sitting on the floor eating the boreka. Yes, Nadav likes borekas. Everyone returned at the same time along with Moshe B. I got Nadav into bed and did some cooking. Friday night we had a nice dinner. Jordy insisted on benching the whole thing by himself which he hasn't learned so he just read the bencher out loud. I was impressed. Then we played cards for a while before the kids went to sleep. Josh fell asleep on the couch and I decided I would read for a half hour. 2 hours later I finally put down my book and went to sleep.
Shabbat morning the kids went to a different kids minyan than they usually go to. I was going to take Nadav to shul but he was a little to crazy so we stayed home and played chase Nadav. We went to the Brodsky's house for a really nice lunch. Danya and Jordy left after dessert and returned home to play. We joined them a little later and Shabbat was over soon there after. Josh took Danya and Jordy to parent/child learning again. They were all excited because this time they got some snacks(apparently last time there were no more snacks when they got there). After the kids went to bed David and Emily arrived with sushi(for the girls), grilled meat sandwiches(for the boys) and the desire to learn Settlers. After eating and making fun of Emily's shoes we taught them Settlers. They were fast learners and I think they are addicted. We look forward to the next tournament. After they left I had to finish my book-I was reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I am curious what people thought of this one. I don't think I would have read it if it weren't for book club. I couldn't put it down and it was a quick read but I am not sure if I liked it.
This morning we got the sad news that Josh's grandmother, Lillian Kranzler, passed away. She was a wonderful woman who loved her family and she will be missed. We are sad we couldn't be there for the funeral(but we did listen in over the phone) and that we can't be in Chicago for my mother-in-law and uncle but our thoughts and love are with them. This afternoon I took Nadav to run a few errands in Modiin and we spent the rest of the day at home. In the late afternoon he was getting cranky and wouldn't sit still so I took him on a walk to Lisa's where I was going to pick up Jordy from his play date. Nadav played with Merav(read:poked her in a the eyes a few times)for a little and then we all came home. Danya had just returned from a play date a friends and informed us she has a test tomorrow but she didn't bring home anything to study. Oh boy. She instead spent the evening doing her English homework which should not have been left for last minute. We had french toast for dinner which was made on my homemade challah as the challah didn't come out so well. Jordy watched the beginning of the Bears game with Josh and then Danya and Jordy went to sleep.

Happy Birthday Josh

Yesterday was Josh's birthday. We woke up and it was a cold rainy day. Josh drove Danya and Jordy to school on his way to minyan. Nadav was tired and crabby as he had woken up a few times in the night(me too-tired, crabby and awake at night). Josh and I had discussed going out in the morning for his birthday but we decided we didn't want to go anywhere and would attempt getting Nadav to sleep. We all napped a little bit and then stayed in. Danya was out most the afternoon and Jordy had swimming. I dropped him off at swimming and then went to get gas in the car. I then picked him and Moshe up and they spent the rest of the afternoon here. The boys and I made a science experiment that they were given as homework. We cut the tops off of pop bottles and put measurement marks on the side and put them outside to measure rainfall.

We had pita pizza's for dinner and then birthday cookie as per Josh's request. Doesn't Josh look happy in this picture?

After Jordy and Nadav went to bed I got together with a few women on the block and Josh returned to work.
This morning we woke up to the sounds of hammers which meant that the guy was back working on the backyard. He hadn't been here since Thursday due to the weather. The sand was all wet so he couldn't lay the brick. However he did convince us to let him begin the next stage which is a set of steps to the higher area. Josh took the car to the mechanic as it hadn't been starting to easily. Turns out we needed a new battery. Then we looked into getting a new heater for our bedroom since our air/hear has been broken since March and the time has come to replace it(can you believe we lived without air/heat in our room since March???). Nadav took a big nap and I loaded the dishwasher and turned it on. We went to pick Jordy up and when we returned the kitchen was full of water. Apparently there is something wrong with the dishwasher. Yes-a costly day in our house! Dinner and bedtime went smoothly.
Here is a video of Nadav dancing. He LOVES to dance. Since he was a few weeks old Josh would sing him a song "Dancy, Dancy, Dancy" and he would bounce on his legs. Recently he started singing himself and dancing around. I took 5 different videos of him doing so over the last 2 days but this one is the best. Maybe on day I will make a compilation video. Until then enjoy this one:

Taco Sandwiches

This morning we woke up to more rain. It slowed down a little bit so I took Nadav and we went to Shilat to buy a couple things. After we came home he took a nap and then we hung out until it was time to pick up Danya and Jordy. Danya had to stay late today as she had been late to school a few to many times. Jordy stayed late because today was the first day of his "ulpan chug". His teacher was having a problem that a bunch of the dovrei englit(English speakers-Josh doesn't like when I say Americans as we are all Israeli here) would often ask questions about words, not knowing what they mean. So she put together a chug for these 9 boys and they will meet twice a week after school to learn the words needed for their upcoming lessons. This means a few things to me: 1)Jordy is in school until 2:30 everyday except Fridays 2) Jordy now requires 2 lunches everyday except for Fridays(do not get me started on why they need 2 lunches each day and how much I HATE making them) and 3) Someone (read:me) will have to pick him up twice a week as there will be no crossing guards when he gets out. Of course we had to go out in torrential rains to pick up the kids. I am thrilled to have the rain I just hate going out in it. Danya headed to the end of her English chug and then came home. Then we dropped Jordy off at ceramics and then Danya, Nadav and I went to buy Danya and Jordy long sleeved school shirts. Winter is here. Then we stopped to get Danya rain boots as she has outgrown hers. We picked up Jordy and then came home. We had what Jordy refers to as "taco sandwiches" for dinner. Everyone went to bed and I am happy to be in the house listening to the rain.

Huddle Up

Friday morning Nadav and I went to a activity for Danya's class. The first half was spent decorating a rain drop with our bracha for rain. Then the second part the kids did the rosh chodesh play that they did for the school on Rosh Chodesh. The whole thing was cute. Nadav and I stopped at the bakery and then came home. A little while later there was a huge rain storm! Hooray! I guess the bracha worked. Nadav was entertained watching the rain. Nafi drove Danya and Jordy home from school as it was pouring out. We attempted getting the kids play dates however nobody could come so we all just hung out and got ready for Shabbat. We had dinner and everyone got some decent sleep. Shabbat morning Danya and Jordy went to the youth minyan-they actually attempted to leave an hour before it began but I made them wait. Nadav and I hung out until Josh got home. I decided to take an hour nap before lunch and was surprised when I woke up 2 and a half hours later. Josh decided I would rather sleep so he and the kids ate lunch while I slept. Thanks! Danya went to a friends and Jordy went to Moshe's. Nadav and Josh went to sleep while I finished reading The Help(which I highly recommend). After Shabbat Josh and Nadav played a little kiddie football. Josh had to explain to Jordy what a huddle was. This is their huddle: Later on Josh took Danya and Jordy to parent/child learning at Rimon. The kids really enjoyed it so it may become a regular thing. After they returned we got everyone to bed.
This morning after the kids went to school I took Nadav to a shopping center in search of note cards for Jordy's English class. I didn't find the note cards but I did find a table cloth at the next store. Luckily Lisa had note cards. Nadav and I walked to the school to meet Danya and Jordy. Danya went to her friends house. Jordy and I walked to Lisa's to pick up the note cards. For some reason this made Jordy really mad. Then he wouldn't go to his English class. We walked home and hung out there. I made dinner and then we went to go get Danya. Jordy wouldn't even try the tuna noodle casserole that Danya picked but I wasn't really expecting him to try it.