Lag B'Omer

Friday morning was a little frustrating. A month ago I had scheduled an appointment for Nadav to see a pediatric orthopedist for this morning. He is a little pigeon toed so we are going to check it out. Anyhow, the appointment was for 9am and at 7:45 I went onto the kupah(health fund) website to verify that the doctor was located in the office I thought he was. After logging in I saw a note reminding me we had an appointment this morning at 9am with Dr. Simkis, nephrology. Hmmmm. I made an appointment for Dr. Simonovsky, orthopedist. Hmmmm. I had actually been in the office and handed the referral to the woman in the office who looked at the doctors name and made the appointment for me-so this wasn't my mistake. I had been planing on keeping Nadav home from gan. I had a bunch of other stuff that needed to be taken care of at the kupah and spent some time organizing all the info last night so I would be prepared. Grrrr. Their office didn't open until 8 so at 8 I called saying that I see on the website that I have an appointment for Dr. Simkis the nephrologist and I believe I made the appointment for Dr. Simonovsky the orthopedist. The woman told me that Simonovsky wasn't there on Fridays and I have no appointment scheduled with him. Today I have a nephrology appointment. I told her I have no need for it and she began yelling at me for canceling so late. I then explained that I never made that appointment and that somebody in their offices selected the wrong name in their computers and then she realized that this wasn't my fault. I'll add that she didn't apologize for the screw up or for yelling at me. She did reschedule us for almost a month from now. The upside was I realized before keeping Nadav home from gan and going there and getting all upset at having wasted the time. Still frustrating but whatever. I then took Nadav to gan and returned home to make challah.

I made the same recipe from last week with a few minor alterations. When I went to pick Nadav up from Gan he was torn from running to me and staying in his seat enjoying the cupcake he was eating at the twins birthday party. I sat next to him and he was happy with that. I noticed that the eating of the cupcake was slow going so we took it on the road, along with the good bag present of bubbles. Nadav held the bubbles in one hand and the cupcake in the other hand the whole way home. He finished his cupcake in his highchair. Here he is sporting a frosting mustache. Then he happily enjoyed the bubbles. The rest of the day was spent at home and getting ready for Shabbat. Nadav was in bed before I lit candles. Danya and Jordy again began Shabbat fighting. They calmed down and ate dinner while Josh was at shul. When he returned they had challah(which wasn't as good as last weeks) and grape juice followed by dessert. Then they headed to bed. Josh went to the Nathan's house for a Shalom Zachor while I snuggles into the couch with a book.
Shabbat morning I convinced(read:bribed) Danya and Jordy to get dressed and go to shul. We all went and aside from Nadav screeching it was a success. We came home and Danya and Jordy had their popsicles. We ate lunch kind of early and Nadav and I took naps. I slept longer than Nadav. When I woke up Danya and Jordy were heading out to a park for a "picnic" with Danya's friend Natalie. Josh, Nadav and I went to go get Jordan, who had come by while I was napping, to play Cities and Knights. While we played the kids returned and Danya headed out to a seudat shlishit/Shabbat party from Bnei Akiva. We were still playing when she returned. Everyone had some dinner and then we played a regular game of Settlers with the kids. As soon as Shabbat ended Danya, Jordy and I changed and headed out to the Lag B'Omer fun! I got Jordy settled with his class and then I spent most the evening with Danya's as I am on the parent committee. I have to say the evening, for all grades, was really well run. The few minutes I was with Jordys class
almost all the boys(about 40 of them) were following instruction and participating. Jordy was not interested in eating the hot dogs, falafel or salads. He only wanted roasted marshmallows. Danya's midurah went well. We parents were in charge of lighting the fire. Lori attempted it:
This photo would have you believe she was successful however do you see the 2 Israeli women standing behind her? They started the fire. The girls all had fun. They ate, roasted marshmallows and danced. I had to stay until the fire was extinguished which was around 11pm-at which point Jordy was very tired. We got the kids into bed and then Josh and I head across the street to the Block's bonfire. We had a great time making s'mores and drinking until 2am.
I didn't sleep very much as by the time I got to sleep there was a huge rain storm. I got up with Nadav and quietly got him breakfast and out to gan(thank goodness there was gan today!). It was so quiet outside. When I returned Danya and Jordy were awake. So I set them up with breakfast and the slingbox and headed back to sleep. Most of the day was spent hanging around the house. In the later afternoon Josh took the kids to the basketball court where there was a "happening" with bouncy castles. I met them there and we headed back home in time for bed. Josh gave Jordy a haircut before bed. He needed one:

Flax Seed

Nadav woke up nice and early again this morning. He woke his brother and sister with his screeching. It is a lovely new habit he has picked up. We also see him doing it while putting his fingers in his ears-as it is quite loud and annoying. Back to this morning-we got everyone breakfast and out the door nice and early. Nadav and I walked Danya and Jordy out the door and Nadav wanted to go with them. He did well when I dropped him at gan again. I returned home and rather than cooking as I had planned I went back to sleep. So worth it! I woke up later and began the cooking. I picked up Nadav and we stopped at the makolet. Then Jordy and Moshe S. returned from school. I dropped them off at English class and Nadav and I went to the post office and then to pick up diapers. We picked up Jordy and headed home. I made dinner and everyone ate and Nadav went to bed. Danya had gone to the Balsam's after school and then straight to Asafat Krashim-gathering wood for the bonfire. She came home at around 7:30ish. Both Danya and Jordy headed to bed while I continued cooking. I have been sharing some of my cooking adventures lately so I will share another. It was suggested to me recently that I can replace the matzah meal in my meatballs with ground flax seed. I had never used flax seed before but decided to try it. I didn't tell Josh and he taste tested them tonight and after he said they tasted good I told him. He still couldn't taste the difference so I guess it is a permanent change. Just a tip if you are planning on trying this-only use a few tablespoons. Now I am wondering what else I can put ground flax seed in. Any suggestions? Experiences?

Field Of Dreams

This morning began earlier than usual at 6:30am. Nadav and I were joined by Jordy and Danya soon after. Danya and Jordy started fighting not long after that. At 7:35 I walked Danya and Jordy out the door and Nadav and I headed to gan. This morning when we arrived at gan Nadav went straight to the table with paper and markers and joined 2 of his friends in coloring. I put his aruchat esser away and said goodbye to him. And guess what? He didn't cry. At least not right away. He just watched me and when I closed the gate I heard him crying and the gannenet telling him how brave he was that he let his Ema go without crying. He stopped crying in a minute. Yay! Progress! I was tempted to go back to sleep but rather made breakfast. Josh and I headed to Modiin to run a few errands mostly in the mall. I also enjoyed a diet iced Aroma. Yummy! I'll be stopping there every time I am in the mall for my 17 shekel treat...although now Josh knows how expensive it was so I am guessing he is going to discourage me from visiting the mall. We returned home and I was nice and caffeinated so I cleaned the bathrooms and did some laundry. I was making lunch when there was a quiet knock on the door. Jordan was locked out of his house for a few hours so he asked if he could hang out by us....and if we wanted to play Cities and Knights while he was there. So we all ate lunch and played. We took breaks when I picked up Nadav and Jordy(Danya walked home). Then I took Danya to dance class. Jordy invited Moshe N. over for a play date. I then took Nadav and we picked up Danya and took her to the shoe store to buy new gym shoes as her toes were getting squishy in her old ones. The good news was the shoe store was having a sale and the gym shoes were buy one get one free so we also picked up a pair for Jordy. Plus Danya choose quickly and we were in and out pretty fast. The bad news is that Nadav wouldn't go in the stroller so I spent the whole trip chasing him through the store and trying to keep him from running out the front door. We came home and everyone went outside to play football while I made dinner.



Do you like the aerial shot of our field of dreams? I made tofu for dinner and Jordy took a tiny bite before spitting it out. Nadav threw it on the floor almost immediately. Danya seemed to like it as did Josh and I. After dinner and shower time Danya and Jordy had some popcorn and watched Tom and Jerry. Nadav was exhausted and went to sleep.

Lag B'Omer Prep

Sunday morning was a lazy day. We got the kids to school and did stuff around the house and I ran some errands in Modiin. Danya and Jordy both went to collect wood with their respective classes for Lag B'Omer. Did I mention how I will be happy when this holiday has passed? Josh went to softball and I gave the kids dinner and got them to bed.
Monday morning, after dropping Nadav at gan I headed to Rami Levy. I arrived there at a little after 8. I was amazed at how pleasant it was to shop there when it isn't crowded and you don't have to wait in line forever. I told Josh that I am going to attempt to get there before 9 from now on. Danya was out all afternoon with English and softball. Jordy wanted a play date but nobody was available so he drove me and Josh crazy begging to play Cities and Knights until we finally gave in. The kids all had hot dogs for dinner and eventually headed to bed. Later on Joel and Jordan came over to play more Cities and Knights. It was a late night and we were exhausted so you can imagine how happy we were when we were about to go to sleep and Nadav woke up. He was up for a while and he was unhappy. He eventually fell asleep sharing a pillow with Josh.
This morning Nadav woke up all better. He was tired but didn't want to go back to sleep so I took him to gan. I had to return to Rami Levy, this time with Lori, to buy food for Danya's class midurah-Lag B'Omer bonfire. I came home and took a nap as I was lacking sleep. I went to pick up Nadav who was so happy when I picked him up. We got home and he ate a little and then he wasn't interested in doing anything-he was just crabby. Jordy came home followed by Danya. Nadav was still crabby so I decided to take him for a walk. It didn't last too long as there was a sharav-heat wave and I was going to collapse. Danya went to collect wood with her class again and returned for dinner. The kids ate tuna melt souffle and went to bed.
Here is a picture of Jordy and Nadav enjoying shluks-ice pops-today after coming home from school and gan.

Also-I have had a few requests for the successful challah recipe I made on Shabbat. After asking Dvora permission to give it out she happily posted it on her blog here. You should also look at her beautiful and delicious cookies while you are there!

We Have a Winner

On Friday I got all the kids out as early as possible which was at 7:40. When I returned I got right to cooking and cleaning for Shabbat as I knew time was limited. Before I knew it I had to head back out to get Nadav. In the morning I had requested the gannenet not nap him but keep him up so he could nap at home later. She tried but she said he laid down on the rug and went to sleep. She tried waking him but he went right to a rocker and back to sleep. So he wasn't napping. Danya and Jordy returned with the Balsam children in tow. Everyone played nicely and for the most part let me cook and clean. In the afternoon I made 2 things from my herb garden. One was a paste with the zatar and basil to mix into the hummus. The second was I boiled the Louisa(lemon verbena) and the nana(mint) together making a tea which I chilled to drink with dinner. Both were very good and well received. If only I had something to do with the ridiculously huge amount of dill I have(if you are reading this and live in the area please call me and come take some!). Friday night we had a quiet dinner just us and Robert. I know you are all on the edge of your seats waiting to hear the results of this weeks challah recipe. Well this weeks challah was delicious. Thanks to Dvora who took Lori's recipe and figured out how to make it without a bread machine and without 7 egg yolks. I still have other recipes to try but this one was pretty good. I am finding it interesting that with each recipe I am picking up different techniques for rising and baking.
Shabbat morning I took Nadav on a walk as he was getting antsy however it was to early to go to shul. We got to shul as it was ending. We had lunch and then Robert headed to his usual "sleep all Shabbat afternoon" nap. The Brodsky's came over after Mincha and stayed all afternoon for back to back Settlers and Cities and Knights. Before we knew it Shabbat was over. After Shabbat I had to go to a meeting as I am on the parent committee for Danya's class and the parents are in charge of the Lag B'Omer bonfires. We needed to discuss what food to buy and how much. It was pretty painless.

More Challah

This morning after dropping Nadav at gan I came home to get as much done as possible. Laundry, cooking, breakfast and dishes. Then at 10:15 I picked Nadav up and we headed to Modiin to go to Tipat Chalav. Nadav happily climbed up and down the kiddie stairs waiting for our appointment. Of course I can't tell you how much he weighs or how tall he is because his info is downstairs and there is no way I am going down to get it for you. So you'll have to wait(no pun intended). The doctor said everything is on target and he just needed one vaccine. So the nurse gave him the shot and then he happily went about playing with a little girl while we waited our 10 minutes after the shot. We got into the car and not a second too late as it began pouring as I closed the door. We headed to the butcher and then back home. Nadav was exhausted and headed straight into the crib. I headed to the kitchen to make this weeks Challah recipe which was submitted by Dvora. It is loosely based on Lori's bread machine recipe which we love but not enough to buy a bread machine for. This is how they came out: They look good don't they? I also did the 4 strand braid this time which I had never done before. Nadav woke up and happily watched Sesame Street while eating his lunch. Jordy went to Moshe's and then English after that. Danya played with Meira and then came home. Both Danya and Jordy then went with kids from their class to collect firewood from around the yishuv in prepration for Lag B'Omer. They both returned and were happy to eat their mac and cheese while watching their new favorite show-Tom and Jerry.

Yom Haatzmaut and Then Some

Friday morning Nadav went happily into gan. As soon as we walked in he yelled "baby" looking for the other kids. He wasn't so happy when I left but it was ok. I was happy to do all my cooking without Nadav hanging on me. Danya and Jordy came home and played all afternoon. I went to pick Nadav up from gan and since gan ends early he was still napping. He was so cute all curled up on a mattress on the floor. I tried to put him into his stroller but he woke up when I picked him up. Friday night was our usual craziness. Danya and Jordy are always so wound up on Friday night that they are hyper and yelling and I on the other hand am so tired and ready to just read on the couch...it doesn't end well. Anyhow we had dinner. This weeks Challah was Chani Turk's recipe and I thought it was really good but we are going to try some more of the recipes I received after guilt tripping my readers-thanks everyone! I learned a valuable lesson-guilt works.
Shabbat morning Nadav was up early. By 9am he was bouncing off the walls and driving Danya and Jordy crazy so I put him in his stroller and we walked around for 45 minutes. After we came home we got lunch ready. We had the Stern family minus Michael for lunch. It was really nice and relaxed. I napped for a little bit in the afternoon and we spent the rest of the day just hanging out.
Sunday morning when I brought Nadav to gan he knew where we were going and didn't want any part of it. He was really sad and I felt bad leaving him. I waited outside and he did stop crying in a few minutes so I felt a little better. Josh and I went to Modiin out to breakfast. I also bought Danya her white shirt so she wouldn't be upset Monday morning. I picked Nadav up and he was happily playing with his back to me. When he turned around and saw me he started crying and ran to me. Jordy went to English after school and Danya returned home. I took Nadav on a walk to pick up Jordy from the Balsam's after English and then we came home and got dinner together. After dinner the kids were very anxious to hear the siren which begins Yom HaZikron. We answered a lot of questions about what to do if the siren goes off when you are in the bathroom. The siren went off at 8pm and we all happened to be in the same hallway when it did. I think this may have been the first time I was with Danya and Jordy during the siren and I was proud to see how they quickly stood up straight with their feet together.
Monday morning Danya was happy to have her white shirt. Danya and Jordy went to school and I took Nadav to gan. The gannenet asked me if I could stay a few minutes to make Nadav's transition into gan easier. So I sat and played with him for a little bit. I feel like doing that just makes the transition longer and more painful but I went along with it. After a little while of him playing I told her I was ready to go. She called all the kids to go into a different room for story time. It was cute to see how Nadav got up to follow her. He realized as she shut the door that I didn't go with. Danya and Jordy's school ended early for Yom Hazikron. I decided it would be nice to take them out to lunch. They agreed that they wanted to get Burger King so we headed to Modiin. Danya and Jordy ran ahead of me and held the door open for me. It took a while to order as it was crowded but we eventually got their food and they each had taken 2 bites and then my cell phone rang. Josh called and said that he had heard that Burger King wasn't kosher anymore. I got up and went to look for their Teudah and I didn't see it. I looked at the door and of course there was a sign saying that this restaurant is no longer kosher. Oops. Missed that sign. So I told the kids to stop eating and they were really mad. We threw out the food and headed out. There was another fleshig restaurant in the same shopping center. So we went there and ordered again and the kids were finally happy to eat. So if you were thinking you want to go to Burger King in Modiin it isn't Kosher. The lesson we learned was always check for the teudah. We rushed back to get Danya to her English class. Josh had picked up Nadav from gan and he was happy when we returned. Danya went to English and then to art. Then she came home and everyone ate dinner. Jordy and Danya were fighting and Jordy was very tired and crabby so Josh and I decided that he would stay home to work with Jordy and Nadav sleeping and Danya and I would head to the Yom Haatzmaut ceremony. We were a few minutes late but squished in with the Balsam family. We listened to the music and the speeches and watched the daglanut. Then we enjoyed the amazing fireworks display. We headed up to the street where they had different vendors selling food and toys. Danya enjoyed some cotton candy and we bought a couple finger flashlights for Danya and Jordy. We then headed home and Josh and I went for a few minutes to the BBQ at the across the street shul(the shul has a name but we always refer to it as the across the street shul).
Tuesday morning we packed up and headed out to Neot Kedumim for the Moshavot Reunion. It was a hot day but we had a great time. We were amazed at how organized it was! There was a ton for the kids to do(although I don't think they enjoyed listening to all the old camp stories). They loved the petting zoo
and the juggling corner.
It was nice seeing people we don't get to see all the time and catch up. We ended up staying until almost 5. We went straight from there to Jerry's in Beit Shemesh. We had to stop at a gas station to buy some water as we were all thirsty and had gone through all the water we had brought with us. As soon as we got to Jerry's Danya and Jordy got their food and headed to den to watch the movies with the other kids. Nadav was happily playing on the marpecet stepping in and out of the living room. He would occasionally run to me to get food but was otherwise happy. He also spent a while touching his leg and then applauding. I only got a drop of it on video but I think he did this for 10 minutes. After way to much food we headed home.
Today-yay, I made it to today!- we were tired from the long day yesterday and the fact that Nadav was up at 5am. He went back to sleep eventually but the damage was done. He then slept until 8:15. After getting him breakfast and dressed we walked to gan. He walked in happily and one of the girls called him by name. Then one of the boys wanted to play catch with him. He wanted to play but couldn't figure out how while grasping my finger. He did let go but kept an eye on me. He did follow me when I said goodbye and started to leave. The Gannenet took him and I left. After eating breakfast I headed to the grocery store. The rest of the morning was spent around the house until picking up Nadav. The gannenet said he calmed down really quickly and played happily all day. I picked Jordy up from school and he played and worked on his school work. I took Nadav to the dry cleaners and to drop something off at the post office. Then I picked Danya up from dance class. When she came home she was hungry so she had veggies dipped in hummus. Nadav wanted some too so they shared. Then we had dinner-shnitzel and roasted veggies-then the kids wanted to play football. Danya and Jordy went outside to play but Nadav stayed in and Josh showed him that you can kick the football. He was so excited to do it but didn't have the balance for it which was quite entertaining.

First Day of School

Today was the big day! Nadav must have been really excited for his first day of school because he woke up early. He was up closer to 6 rather than the usual 7-7:30. He was content in his crib only crying out "meema" a few times until 7. Danya was upset because her white school shirt that she needed to wear for Rosh Chodesh today was stained(she told me a few days back but I forgot to buy her a new one). She got dressed quickly and I gave her money to buy a new shirt if the store across school was open. Jordy got dressed slower and waited for Josh to drop him at school. I gave Nadav breakfast and then got us both dressed and out the door. Doesn't he look eager to go? Nadav was the second kid there and he went straight to the ball he found on the grass. He happily played while I filled out some forms and passed on some information. Of course I forgot to bring his snack(the gan provides a hot catered lunch) but luckily I had a container of yogurt and spoon in my purse that I was going to eat for breakfast so I left that for him. I had to leave quickly as Jordy had a Yom Haatzmaut ceremony at school. Nadav didn't seem to mind that I left. I went straight to the school to watch the show. Each year the Yishuv has a big Yom Haatzmaut celebration in which the gan kids and the lower school grade kids participate in. Since there are a billion people and it is impossible to see they invite the kids parents to the rehearsal. Josh met me there after school and we didn't stay long. Long enough for Jordy to see us and take a couple pictures. Then we headed home. I started making challah and then ran to Shilat to get a few items at 2 stores. I couldn't believe how empty it was there. Didn't people know it was Thursday and it is time to shop for Shabbat? I returned home to finish the challah and begin a bunch of other Shabbat cooking while watching Glee. Josh and I kept comenting on how quiet it was. As 2 o'clock was approaching I tried to get as much done as possible before picking up Nadav. At 2 I went to go get him and as soon as I opened the door her let out a loud "MEEMA" and ran to me. He then continued to hug for 2 minutes. He wouldn't let go of me but he was happy. The gannenet said he did wonderfully for a first day. He did cry a little but overall he was happy. He ate chicken, rice, and peas and carrots for lunch and he is a good eater. And the biggest surprise of all was that he napped there for an hour and a half! I couldn't believe it. Nadav wouldn't let me put him in his stroller so I had to carry him the whole way home. He also wouldn't go to Josh when we got home-man is that kids attached to me. Nadav then let out his favorite saying after meema which is "Hootball Game". So I turned on the Bears game that he has watched again and again and he happily sat at the kitchen table watching the game. He must have needed some down time because he wasn't climbing or throwing things or trying to press the keys on the computer, he just sat and watched for a while.
Then Danya came home (without a new white shirt-the store was out of them) followed by Jordy and Moshe S. Before heading to English the boys ate fish sticks while watching a show along with Danya and Nadav. While Moshe wasn't paying attention Nadav took his plate and the fish stick on it and began to eat. Luckily Moshe didn't mind. While the boys were in English Danya and Josh played a little catch while Nadav played outside. Nadav and I picked up Jordy after English and I ran to the Makolet to pick up some Wacky Mac for dinner. Josh headed out to a softball game while we stayed home and the kids happily ate Wacky Mac while watching Tom and Jerry which they were all cracking up at. After dinner Danya and Jordy played some games while I got a very sleepy Nadav into bed. Then we all did Mad Libs together before Jordy went to sleep. Danya then made hers and Jordy's lunches with very little help. After Danya went to bed and Josh returned from softball Jordan came over to play Cities and Knights-shoot Lisa if you are reading this I just remembered that I was supposed to call you, sorry.

More Gan Visits

So nobody responded to my cry for challah recipes. Not a one of you. So either a) nobody is reading my blog b) you are reading but you are lazy and don't make your own challah-I am not judging-I was also lazy which is why I don't have a recipe c) you make your own challah and your recipe is so amazing so you don't want to share or d) you aren't so lazy and make your own challah but you are a little tired for all the baking that you couldn't muster the strength to send me the recipe. So I am trying again. Please. Send me your challah recipes!
OK, pathetic begging over time for the daily rundown.
This morning was an exciting one. After Josh got Danya and Jordy to school and returned from shul we loaded Nadav into the stroller and took a walk. We were going to check out a gan. You may recall a while back we did the same thing and we registered Nadav for Gan starting in the fall. This trip was similar however this was to begin immediately and finish off the year. That's right-we found someone willing to take crazy baby. We realized a few months ago that Nadav was getting crazy and needed something more than hanging out at home. We attempted to find him a place that would take him a few days a week but to no avail. Then yesterday I saw an email advertising a gan that has spots available for next year. I figured I should give it a try and see if they have room. So I called last night and the gannenet told me that they have a spot open now however it works out to cost the same if we send him 6 days a week than 2 days a week. Those were the magic words....we were on board. So we walked the block and a half this morning and arrived at the gan. Nadav happily played outside with the kids and one of the gannanot while Josh and I got the tour and the run down. When she asked how soon we wanted to start Josh looked at his watch and responded that 10:30 would be good. Little did she know he wasn't joking. So we agreed that we would see her tomorrow and headed home with visions of free time dancing in our heads. We then headed to Kiryat Sefer to pick up some Cheerios. While I was paying for the groceries Josh took Nadav outside to the play ground. As I approached I saw a man taking to Josh and then run off. I asked Josh who his friend was and he informed me that the man asked Josh if he could watch his 2 kids-I would say about 2 years old-for 6 minutes he just had to run and get something from his wife. Josh didn't know what to do so he agreed. I was convinced that the man was never going to return and we were going to have to find a gan for 2 more kids but 5 minutes later the man returned. Crazy right? Anyhow we headed home and after giving him lunch put Nadav in his crib. We were pleasantly surprised when he actually fell asleep as he hasn't napped in his crib the past few days. Danya arrived home with 2 friends to play. After getting them something to eat I went out to pick up Jordy. Later Danya and co. went to dance class. For dinner I had ordered pizza from a new pizza place on the Yishuv. People have been RAVING about how good the pizza was so we figured we had to try it. We were told to pick it up at 6:15 so I was surprised when it took Josh a half hour to pick up a pizza 5 minutes away. Turns out they lost our order and had to make the pizza while he waited. Apparently they were apologetic and they gave us the cheesy pretzel we had ordered for free. I didn't eat it but the kids liked it and Josh said it was good. We wont hold the error against them as they just opened. We hope they will be successful and that our small community can support them. After dinner I got the kids into bed. Lunches made, bags ready for school, blog typed. Time for work.

Seeking Your Challah Recipes

Like usual I can't exactly remember what I did on Thursday. I am guessing the morning included cooking. Jordy had English in the afternoon.
Friday morning I decided to resume my attempt at making the perfect challah. If you are reading this and you make your own challah can you send me your recipe?? Josh took Nadav to run a few errands so I had some quiet while I cooked. The Balsam kids returned along with Danya and Jordy. They all played all afternoon. Robert arrived and had stopped in the shuk in Jerusalem so he brought us some of Josh's favorite eggplant and the best ruggalach in the country....mmmmm.....marzipan. Friday night Nadav went to bed right after kiddush and the rest of us followed not long after. We were all exhausted.
Shabbat morning Danya went to the kid minyan and then to the Balsam's for lunch. Jordy was invited but wanted to stay home. After lunch Jordy wanted us to teach him how to play Cities and Knights. We set it up and were just about to start when Moshe arrived to play with Jordy. So we help off until later. The boys played and I took Nadav on a walk to the Silton's to catch up with Sharon and Nadav played with Yollie. When we returned Danya and Meria had arrived. The Balsam kids stayed until Lisa arrived with Michali and Merav to pick them up. When they left Jordy was anxious to play so we continued the game until Shabbat ended. The kids ate dinner and then headed to bed.
Sunday morning the kids headed to school and I went out to breakfast/book club. Since it was Laura's birthday the book club took her out to breakfast. It was really nice even though we didn't discuss the book, The Weight of Heaven, as not everyone read it. I was really excited when I stopped at the vegetable store on the way out and I found spaghetti squash. Since we lived here I have never seen one. I used to eat them all the time and now I hadn't eaten one in 4 years. So I bought 2. Nadav wouldn't nap on Sunday so I put him in his stroller and took him on a walk. We ended up at school where we found Jordy and walked him to English. Between a play date, English and a birthday party he didn't return home until 6:30. Danya went to a friends and was out until 6. Too bad Nadav wouldn't nap. I made one of the spaghetti squashes for dinner and it was delicious!
Monday morning we had Nadav's play group over. He and Keren had fun playing in the ball pit together and he enjoyed playing with the babies and handing them toys. After play group I took a ride to Modiin to get money changed and then to the butcher. When I returned Nadav was yet again not napping. I picked Jordy up from school and he made plans to go to a friends for a play date. So I loaded Nadav into the stroller and we walked Jordy there. Then we walked all around the yishuv until FINALLY Nadav fell asleep. He slept in his stroller and woke up when I was picking up Jordy from his play date. Danya was out and about at English and then at softball. She returned from softball all excited to model her new team hat and shirt, complete with her #.
After hot dogs and french fries everyone went to sleep.
This morning Danya had a tiyul and she was very anxious to get to school on time and although she went a half hour early she wouldn't wait 5 minutes to go with Jordy. Josh took Jordy to school. When he returned Nadav and I headed to the grocery store. After spilling bamba all over the store we were finally done. We returned home and as I was unloading the groceries Nadav decided that the leek I bought was a baseball bat and was running around the living room holding it and a ball. Then I headed off to do my mosaics for the first time in a month. It was so nice to get back to it. I still can't figure out why it rotates but that is where I am. When I came home Nadav was yelling in his crib. I am noticing a pattern here. So after he ate half my lunch I put him in the stroller and off we were. We picked up Jordy and Moshe from school as Lisa wasn't home. The boys were fighting so they weren't talking. When they returned Jordy went upstairs to play a video game and I turned on a show for Moshe. Then Nadav and I headed back out and stayed out until he fell asleep. We came home and Lisa was picking up Moshe. Jordy then invited Yehousha over for a play date. Danya returned from her field trip. I didn't get the complete rundown but she did not enjoy her field trip. It was walking through cold, dirty water. They had to walk and it was BORING. After returning she headed to her art class. Nadav woke up after a short while. Everyone returned for dinner and the kids ate very little of the spinach ravioli I bought. Eventually everyone went to bed and I cleaned the kitchen.
Here are 2 videos of Nadav having a "phone conversation" this afternoon. He was having a very animated chat with nobody. I could decide which of the 2 videos were cuter so I am posting both-Enjoy!

Back To School

Today was the exciting return to school. The kids got up and out with minimal argument. After they were off Josh, Nadav and I joined half the country at the grocery store(the other half went yesterday). While I shopped Josh and Nadav held a spot in line so that we didn't have to wait so long to checkout. We returned and then tried to get Nadav to nap. He wasn't napping though, just crying and yelling EEEE-ma for an hour. Josh went up to get him and his foot had been stuck in between the bars of the crib-so much for letting him cry it out. So he watched some Sesame Street and went back for his nap. Danya went to a friends after school and Jordy returned home with a friend. After everyone returned to their respective homes it was dinner time. After last nights botched attempt at dinner out Josh had told Danya they would go out tonight, which she of course remembered. I had a massive headache so I stayed home while Josh took the 3 kids to the mall for dinner. Rather than sleeping I cleaned the kitchen, folded laundry and ate dinner. When they returned we had a family ball fight using all the ball pit balls and then family clean up the living room time. The kids all headed to bed and despite my screaming head I joined Lori to bring coffee and cookies to the soldiers as tonight was our night. Now I am taking tylenol and heading to bed.

Pesach, Part 2

On Shabbat morning most people slept a little late however Nadav wasn't one of them. After shul we all had kiddush outside over grapefruit and pesach cake...yum. Then, as is with all Jewish customs, as we finished eating we went to the table for lunch and ate some more. At the end of lunch Joel and Jordan came over. Nadav was napping, Meira was playing with Danya, Moshe was playing with Jordy, Robert went to sleep and Avi and Eva went on a walk, so Josh, Joel, Jordan and I played another game of Cities and Knights. Nadav woke up during the game and as always tried to destroy it. After Josh's victory I took Nadav and he and I played with E-va while Avi took my spot and joined in for game 2. The kids ate some more Matzah and then Shabbat ended. And the fun began. We had a big BBQ on Saturday night as a send off to Avi and Eva and as a way for them to see some people that they hadn't had a chance to see yet. There was quite a feast.






Josh worked hard BBQing and everyone ate well. The kids went to sleep well after 11pm. After cigar hour
we said our goodbyes to Avi and Eva. We had a great time with them and look forward to their return with their English bookstore that sells lentils, A&W, apple cider beer and which will be located on a kibbutz.
Sunday morning we had planned on leaving early but since Danya and Jordy went to bed after 11 and Josh and I after 2am it didn't happen. I still needed to cook for Yom Tov so Josh took Danya and Jordy to the water park that we didn't get to on Friday. I stayed home with Nadav and cooked and cleaned. The kids had a great time. They returned and the cycle began again. Josh and Robert went to shul while the kids and I stayed home. We had dinner and everyone was so exhausted from the past week that we all went to bed as soon as dinner was over.
Monday, after shul, we went to the Rotters for lunch. The food was delicous as always. We had a good time and stayed until around 4. Danya had gone to a friend and the rest of us came home. I took a short nap while Josh watched Nadav however Nadav missed his nap and was quite crabby. I wore up to him screaming my name "EEEEE-MA". So I went down and attempted to calm him. After Pesach ended the fun began....the clean up. I am always amazed at how long it takes to make vs. how little it takes to clean. I also did a load of laundry. Bye bye Pesach until 2011!
In the middle of the night Monday/Tuesday morning Nadav woke up at 3am and wouldn't go back to sleep in his crib. He ended up sleeping in our bed until 7. At which point I gave him a cup of milk and he went back to sleep in his crib and we all slept until 9:45am. That's right. 9:45! Tuesday was the kids last day off of school. We thought about doing something fun with them but everyone was lazy and it was late so we did nothing. We did attempt going out to dinner but nobody could agree and then we were going to order in Burgers Bar but they weren't answering the phone so we just stayed home. We got the kids into bed at a decent hour all ready for school the next day!

Pesach, Part 1

Monday morning I was so anxious with all that needed to be done that I got up at 6. I tried going back to sleep but at 6:15 I gave up and got up. I made a list of all the things that needed to be done and I began doing them. Of course I didn't get to far as at 7am Nadav woke up. I did realize I needed fresh parsley at 7:30 so Nadav and I went on an early stroll to the makolet. We returned home and Danya and Jordy were awake. The morning was spent doing all the last minute cleaning and kashering along with cooking. We did take a break close to 11:20 to burn the chametz. Then the work continued. My goal was to have everything that I could possibly do done before Avi and Eva arrived at around 3:30-4 so that when they arrived I could spend a little time with them rather than running around like crazy. I think I accomplished that goal. I had all the stuff that we were contributing to the seder gathered and ready to go and got that to the Gersons house at 3ish. When I returned I made sure the kids were showered and was about to start cutting the roast when Danya started screaming at the top of her lungs "they're here!!!!" and then almost ran me over getting to the door. We were so happy to see Avi and Eva and were pleasantly surprised that they arrived on time! We all sat around the kitchen table eating gefilta fish, grape fruit and brownies while catching up. We also broke into the HUGE basket that the Rubinson's sent us for Pesach. Thanks! Then it was back to work. We finally reached time to light candles and miraculously everything was done and everyone was showered and ready. The men went to shul while the woman stayed home with the kids and finished getting ready to go. When shul was over we walked to the Gersons and began what would be a VERY long seder! Nadav was tired but was not interested in going to sleep so I took him for a walk at one point. It was weird walking down the street which was deserted and quiet except for the occasional sound of singing as I passed houses with open windows. Nadav finally fell asleep and I was able to sit down and enjoy the Seder. Danya and Jordy were superstars: answering questions, reading and singing. For the first time Jordy made it through the whole seder-yup-2am. He had some incentive-he knew Avi and Eva brought afikomen gifts and he knew he needed to be awake to get it. The seder officially ended with all of us breaking into dance at L"Shanah HaBah B'Yerushaliam. It was really nice and Danya and Tamar were really excited as they "started it". For some crazy reason, when we arrived home at 2:30 we sat down on the couch rather then going to sleep. The kids got their afikomen gifts-Mad Libs for Jordy, Jungle Speed for Danya and a brand new football for Nadav.
Tuesday morning Nadav was up nice and early. If memory serves correctly I woke up with him and was hoping he would go back to sleep. Danya and Jordy didn't sleep as late as I hoped they would. Josh and Robert headed to shul and at some point Avi met them there. I spent all morning trying to get the butter to spread on the matzah. When shul was over I took an hour nap until lunch time. We ate lunch and then Eva and I took Nadav on a walk to get him to go to sleep. Lori showed up later with Yakir who wanted to play with Jordy. Before we knew it Yom Tov was over. After getting the kids into bed Avi, Eva, Robert and I(Josh was working) headed to Modiin to see what there was to do. Avi and Eva were entertained by the fact that there was a store called Roberto and made Robert take a picture in front of it. We went to the mall and watched Eva try on clothes for the 15 minutes until the mall closed. We then went to Ristretto which was open for Pesach without Kitniyot. We spent much time reading the menu and then had a really good dinner. Especially the bread...much better than a second seder.
Wednesday morning Nadav and I took Avi to the airport to pick up their rental car. By the time we got back it was time for Nadav to nap so Josh took Danya and Jordy to Modiin to some activities and parks(perhaps he will guest blog about the day). I spent a large amount of time trying to get Nadav to sleep. When Josh returend with Danya and Jordy I took a nap and he gave them Matzah pizza. Everyone was exhausted and went to sleep.
Thursday morning we headed out relatively early. We were going to a crocodile park near Zichron Yaakov. Admission was being sponsored by Bank HaPolim so we wouldn't have to pay. We spent a ridiculously long time in the car as everyone in the country was traveling. We finally got there and it was kind of lame. There was one crocodile: who looked kind of bored. There was a little dock to go fishing on so Josh took Danya and Jordy to do that while I tried to get Nadav to nap-unsuccessfully. We went on a train ride through the tiny park and then decided that we were all bored so we left. Josh had read about a street fair in Zichron Yaakov so we figured we would check it out. Josh dropped me and Danya and Jordy to walk around while he drove around to get Nadav to sleep/look for parking. Right off the bat I realized I didn't have any cash on me-Josh had it all so it wasn't going to be much fun. Danya have 10 shekel on her and she wanted to buy an ice cream, which was fine as Jordy got an ice cream earlier. Jordy wasn't happy about this and he got angry. The place was jam packed so as we were walking I spent my whole time trying to keep an eye or hand on each kid. We eventually made it to the other end and Josh called to say Nadav was sleeping problem was all the streets were closed so he couldn't reach us at the other end. I told him we would walk further away from the fair. Jordy couldn't go on so I ended up carrying him. He did perk up when Danya offered him some of her ice cream. We then drove to Hertzillyah to go to dinner at Columbus restaurant. We went there last year and the kids loved the fact that there was a computer on the table and they could play games while we enjoyed dinner. It wasn't as enjoyable as last year as this time Nadav was grabbing at everything and all over the place. The food was still good. We headed home and after getting the kids to sleep I cooked for Shabbat.
Friday morning we were planning on heading out early and it didn't happen. We finally made it out and were heading to Beit Chlomotai, a water park that we had heard was good. We were on a tight schedule as the place was closing at 3 so we wanted to get there early. We took a wrong turn and then went to figure out how to get back and had trouble as that page was missing on our map. We took some detours and then decided we should go to the beach instead since it was getting late. The kids didn't really want to go to the beach so we figured we would try anyhow. As we got close to the water park we found a HUGE chopping center and the kids agreed that we could walk around and have a matzah pizza picnic. The kids were thrilled to find a video arcade. We walked around, ate, bought a new map and played games. We headed home and got ready for Shabbat. Robert, Avi and Eva all returned from their outings and we all had Shabbat together. Friday night we had dinner and then Jordan showed up as we were eating dessert. He brought the usual Settlers along with Cities and Knights. Eva and Robert quickly left the game playing area and entertained Danya for a bit. Jordy watched as Jordan taught Avi, Josh and myself to play. We had a really good game and are completely hooked. We went to sleep at around 1am.

I was hoping to be all caught up however I am way to tired to finish writing now so this will have to keep you entertained for now.
To be continued.......