Pure Joy

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to go to Newark, NJ and watch my UK Wildcats beat UNC to win the Elite Eight and advance to the Final Four for the first time since I was a junior in high school, eagerly flooding the streets of Lexington with my friends. Last night I found myself surrounded by my brother, some other childhood friends, and thousands of other UK fans as we celebrated together, crying and screaming and overflowing with joy and pride and happiness. Here is a short clip of the final seconds of the game, followed by the crowd's reaction. As you might imagine, I'm pretty hoarse today!



Now it goes without saying that my boys are talented athletes who deserve nothing more than a NCAA Championship trophy, but I am proud to tell you that they owe a bit of their success to me! I have discovered that I own lucky shoes. I wore them during the SEC championship game by accident, but since then I have worn them (and carefully avoided taking them off) during each tournament game. Last Friday, the game started after my Shabbos bedtime, but that wasn't going to stop me! So yes, I slept in my shoes. Whatever. It worked, didn't it?! I think after we win the championship I will have them bronzed and framed...or maybe I should just keep them in a safe place until next season.

Here's a photo of my shoe in Newark yesterday, happily celebrating the Cats' victory!

The best part of the game...next to the moment of victory, of course...was hearing the UK band play "My Old Kentucky Home" before the trophy ceremony. I tried to sing along, but my hoarse voice made the old lady weep more than she already was (don't get the reference? read the lyrics).



Needless to say, I am anxiously anticipating Saturday night's game against UConn.

Oooooh.....C-A-T-S CATS! CATS! CATS!

A toe-rrific excuse

In the history of children, I'm sure there have been thousands of creative "I don't want to go to bed" stalling tactics.

"I need water."
"I need another story."
"I'm too hot."
"I'm too cold."

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Tonight, about 45 minutes after putting YS to bed, I was sitting on my bed happily watching a "Friends" rerun, when I thought I heard some stirring outside my door. At first I thought it might be YS getting a book from his bookshelf to look at in bed, but then I realized the sound I heard was unfamiliar. I opened my bedroom door and found him lying on the floor in his doorway. He seemed to be examining his feet in the light of the hallway.

Me: "YS, what are you doing?"
YS: (On the verge of tears) "I was just noticing that the nails on my feet are really long and a little bit dirty."

As I picked him up and carried him back to bed, I suggested to him that we cut his nails tomorrow afternoon. No dice. Tomorrow morning? Absolutely not. We were skating on the edge of a major tantrum, so I gave in. I found the nail clippers and cut his toenails...in the dark. He looked at me, happy and relieved, said thank you, and nestled into bed.

I'm thinking about nominating him for the most creative bedtime stalling tactic of all time.

Eyes Turned Toward the East

Scary things happening in Israel right now.

I'm thinking about "HaTikvah," whose lyrics are as relevant now as ever.

As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart,

With eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion,

Then our hope - the two-thousand-year-old hope - will not be lost:

To be a free people in our land,

The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

(Thank you http://www.stateofisrael.com/anthem/)

Why Purim Scared Me

This was our first Purim since YS was diagnosed with his peanut allergy. I grew up thinking that Purim was a fun, carefree, silly holiday with a lot of meaning and ritual. I now know that Purim is a scary holiday with hidden dangers around every corner. Prepping for the holiday this year not only involved ordering costumes, making mishloach manot, and arranging plans for the festive meal, but it also required me to have several role-playing sessions with my 3.5 year-old, during which time I pretended to hand him a treat and required him to practice bringing it to me and asking permission before eating it. I must say, I play a very convincing 3 year-old girl; raising my voice thirteen octaves really helps. In any case, even after practicing and lecturing, I still felt like I had to watch YS like a hawk the whole day. Our Purim this year was wonderful and fun, and it involved attending three different parties and receiving a dozen or so gift baskets from friends in our community. While I feel so fortunate to be the recipient of such lovely generosity, it meant I was sorting through food and standing guard over YS all day. Luckily, there were plenty of nut-free treats for him to enjoy, so he didn't protest when I told him he couldn't sample certain foods. The only close call of the day actually involved AM, who has not yet been diagnosed with an allergy (but his genealogy and eczema make me suspect he may eventually receive the same diagnosis as his big brother). He happily enjoyed a hazelnut cookie, after which I stared at him from about two inches away from his face for five minutes until I was convinced he wasn't going to react. Let me tell you: those were a LONG five minutes. B"H the day was free from medical emergencies and therefore a huge success. YS was remarkably well-behaved the whole day, played nicely with kids from several different families, graciously thanked his hosts and hostesses, and cheerfully wore his dinosaur costume all day. AM made me happy by wearing his scarecrow hat long enough for me to snap some cute photographs, and then he ate his way through the day at each house we visited. For a tiny little guy, he can really put it away.

Now that Purim is over, Pesach season has officially begun (at least in my head). I have already filled a few Pampers boxes with food I found on sale two weeks ago, and soon I will outline my to-do lists for the next four weeks. Pretty soon the "I will not let Pesach make me crazy. I will not let Pesach make me crazy. I will not let Pesach make me crazy." mantras will begin. Whatever it takes!

Finally, I am proud/shocked/amazed to announce that I made a home-cooked, well-balanced, relatively healthy and delicious dinner...on a TUESDAY!!!! The planets must be out of line. Brown rice with cheddar and veggies and baked tilapia. Mmmm...

Remaining Optimistic

It's been a hard week for the world. Horrific catastrophes in Japan with trickle-down effects to the rest of the world (the US stock market had an awful week; rebuilding Haiti will quickly fall off the radar; past tsunami victims are feeling PTSD; etc.). Devastating tragedy in Israel. Missing Americans in Libya. The list goes on. Figuring out the balance between: 1. being conscientious and caring, yet paralyzed by grief vs. 2. remaining numb and ignorant but going about my life as normal has kept my brain busy and my heart heavy. It's hard to get ready for Purim when the world is in so much pain.

YET...

Amidst all of this, I have managed to find some moments of happiness and optimism. These are the moments I hold onto as I watch the news with tears in my eyes.

A couple of days ago, my boys and I discovered the first signs of spring in our backyard. As I've mentioned before, I hate winter. I give thanks to Hashem that spring is on its way. It can't come a moment too soon. The grass and dry leaves still abound, but in the middle little blossoms are finding their way up through the ground.

My co-worker and gardening guru tells me that these little flowers are resilient and will continue to thrive, even if an occasional frost chills them in the night.

May this new growth be a sign that better days are coming. May we all be blessed with a Freilichen Purim, a happy spring, a peaceful world, and a safe tomorrow.

My Favorite Time of Year

GO BIG BLUE!

Baruch Dayan HaEmes

There are no words.

Tonight I think about the Fogel family. Udi, 36, his wife Ruth, 35, and their children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4 and Hadas, 3 months were all stabbed to death last night in their sleep.

They ate Shabbos dinner. They tucked their kids in bed. They went to sleep. They never woke up.

They used to live in Gush Katif. They had to move in the name of peace. What peace?

I cheese!

AM, who is almost twenty months old, has recently started to have a vocabulary explosion. Each day he's saying more and more. While he mostly identifies nouns, he has also begun to say mini sentences using verbs he sometimes creates.

He has a habit of saying "cheese" (though it sounds more like "cheeth") every time I take his picture. Yesterday he pointed to my camera and identified it as "I cheeth." As in, when I see that object, I say cheese.

This afternoon, after saying "bye" to his nanny, he proudly ran up to me and announced, "I bye! I bye!" Yes, AM, you said goodbye.

He then picked up his toothbrush, gave it a swish or two in his mouth, and said, "I teeth!"

My favorite moment was a few weekends ago. After returning from minyan one Sunday morning, D asked the ever-important question, "Who wants to go to Dunkin Donuts?" AM quickly raised his hand and yelled, "I do!" I don't know where he learned to raise his hand, and I don't know when he started saying "I do," but I know he loves food, and he figured out the way to tell us in no uncertain terms!

I love hearing his new words! Before long, I know he'll be speaking like a pro, and if I'm lucky he'll be a little chatterbox like YS. For now, though, these little gems are too delicious not to share!

YS's Messianic Prediction

On a daily basis, I am amused and amazed by the things that come out of YS's three and half year old mouth. Not only is it amazing to see how all of the best and worst features of D and I have come together to form his ever-developing personality, but it is truly incredible to watch the wheels in his head turn as he thinks and makes determinations about the world around him.

This morning on the way to school, we were listening to Uncle Moishy sing about Yerushalayim and the day we will all return there. With a great sense of urgency in his voice, YS asked me the following question:

"But Ima! When is Moshiach going to come?!"

I replied that I wasn't sure, but we must pray every day that he will come soon. His reply...

"Ok, but it may take a while, so we have to be patient. It may take a few weeks."

How do you reply to that?! My response: "I hope you're right."

Save the Children

As a Social Worker, I am a mandated reporter of child abuse and neglect. Therefore, you can only imagine the concern I felt when reading this brie label. Are the little farm girls being trafficked from nearby Canadian territories and forced to make brie with love? Is the cheese company in violation of child labor laws? Should I call ACS immediately and report them?

For now, instead I decided to wrap it in some pastry dough, brush it with jam and brown sugar, bake it to a nice melty consistency, and eat it with graham crackers.

Worth the Splurge

I like to think that I'm fairly responsible with money. I try to buy clothes for the kids from the clearance rack, I stock up on expensive grocery items when they're on sale, and I resist buying the entire stock of Baby & Child Restoration Hardware, even though I ooh and aah over the merchandise all the time.

There are, however, a few things that are definitely worth splurging on.

When YS was around 10 or 11 months old, it was time for him to get his first haircut. We took him to the local barbershop and got him a $10 cut. He screamed the whole time, I left covered in bits of hair, and we were both a bit traumatized. The barbers, while perfectly nice when D is in their chair, were not exactly prepared for smaller, more sensitive clientele....neither were the other customers, for that matter. The next time we tried to take him there, he started screaming before we even walked in the door.

Then we discovered Someplace Special! Suzanne, the owner, is like a baby whisperer when it comes to cutting kids' hair. She gets on the floor and follows them around on her knees while they play with trains - what could be better?! She also has an entire collection of tv shows and movies, so YS (and now AM, who has had 2 haircuts of his own) can watch "Blues Clues" while getting a trim. She is patient and kind and possesses the ability to be stealth and full of distractions when the kids get suspicious of her scissors. The last time we were there, she somehow talked YS - who is scared of loud noises and most anything unfamiliar - to let her use the buzzer on his whole head!

While I'm sure the kiddie boutiques in Manhattan are even more expensive, Someplace Special is not cheap. Shelling out $28 for a boy's haircut is painful, I'll admit it, but it is TOTALLY worth it. I'll splurge on my kids' happiness (and my sanity) any day.

Shabbos Shekalim

Since we're having honored guests for Shabbos (Bubbe and Zayde), I decided to step it up a bit when it came to my meal planning. Here's what we've got:

Friday Dinner:

Challah*
40-Garlic Chicken
Steamed Green Beans
Butternut Squash Kugel
Napoleon Cake*

Shabbos Lunch:
Challah*
40-Garlic Chicken
Brown Rice
Cauliflower
Spiced Chickpeas
Rice Krispie Treats

Right now my house is drowning in the smell of garlic. I made three batches of the chicken recipe, so I actually cooked with 120 cloves of garlic! It was burning my nose and eyes when I took it out of the oven. Hopefully it tastes good!

*In the interest of full disclosure, these items were purchased at the local bakery. The rest is homemade. And all of this in the week my local kosher grocery decided to close down!

Did I mention I love food?

I scream, you scream!

I love food. A lot. I think it's safe to say that I spend a good part of my day thinking about food - excitedly mentally preparing for my next meal or snack. As far as food relationships go, though, I'd say I have a fairly healthy one. I try to eat a relatively well-balanced diet, and I'm not obsessed with counting calories or "food rules" or weird cleansing elixirs that come in little glass bottles (eww). I have a lot of favorite foods; here's my top ten list:


1. ICE CREAM!!! It's never too cold or too hot or too early in the day for a huge dish of ice cream. Breyer's makes the best chocolate, Baskin Robbins in my local kosher go-to spot, and Ben & Jerry's is Greyston's biggest costumer. Peanut butter and chocolate, jamocha almond fudge, mint chocolate chip, soft serve vanilla with caramel topping....mmmm....bring it on!

2. FRENCH FRIES. Golden, crispy, fried potato goodness. The local pizza place (more about that in a minute)has the best fries. They look likes the ones to the right. I eat too many, and I love every second of it. I used to think that ketchup ruined fries by covering up the delicious taste, but I have recently decided that it actually enhances the flavor.

3. PIZZA. I once stated that you could melt cheese on a shoe and it would taste delicious. Well, melting cheese on dough shmeared with tomato sauce and baked to bubbly goodness is even better. I remember with sadness those years of lactose intolerance when I missed out on pizza. B"H that passed!

4. EDAMAME: I have recently started incorporating edamame into many of my dishes. Yummy! Healthy!

5. GUMMY CANDY: I love gummy candy. Probably the only reason I don't eat it all day long is that it's so hard to find kosher gummies, outside of strictly kosher markets. When I was pregnant with YS, D went to the store and filled up a huge bag with gummies, and I happily carried it around wherever I went. What a good husband.

6. PAD THAI FROM GAN ASIA: Once of the reasons I sometimes really miss living in Manhattan!

7. INSTANT MASHED POTATOES: You're probably saying "gross!" Why would she specifically love instant mashed potatoes? Aren't real ones better? No. They're not. Instant mashed potatoes are creamy and delicious and easy and quick.

8. POMEGRANATE CHOBANI GREEK YOGURT: See my blog from the other day regarding this amazing food.

9. BRISKET EGG ROLLS FROM ABIGAIL'S: Smoky, crispy, meaty deliciousness. These eggrolls are reason enough to eat at Abigail's, but in reality everything on the menu is unbelievable. I once ordered a mojito and they offered to bring it to me in a flower vase. Really? Thanks, but I don't need that much mojito. Would I like a flower vase filled with brisket egg rolls? Yes please!

10. REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS: Peanut butter + chocolate = heaven. Duh.So there you have it. Some of my favorite foods. There are more, and they do include broccoli and cauliflower and grapefruits, so don't think that my entire diet is filled with gummies and instant mashed potatoes. I'm sure I'll write more about my favorite foods soon. After all, someone has to give a proper shout-out to those yummy pierogies I eat several times a week!