No More Fakeblog?

If you haven't seen this article by Sarah Tuttle-Singer, "We Need to Quit Telling Lies on Facebook,"  you should stop reading this to click on it.

Go ahead, click.  I'll wait.

I thought it was hilarious.  And oh so real.

I've seen a spate of articles/posts with the hashtag #NoMoreFakebook, so figured I'd contribute.

Here was my day:

- Up at 7am to take kids to the doctor's for vaccinations.  There was more whining about forgetting the snacks in the car, then there was about the shots.

- Realized hadn't forgotten snacks in the car; had never refilled snacks in the car.  J and I made best decision of the day, to go to Costco for early lunch.  Gave kids fantastic nutritious lunch of pizza and  hot dog.

- Went to work.  Barely thought about family.

- Got home at 6pm to children screaming my name.  Was thrilled they missed me, but was so utterly grateful to J that he fed them dinner without me and I got the easy shift.

- Folded what seemed like an entire table's worth of laundry.  The kids were so sick last week, spewing from both ends, I have never washed so many towels and sheets in my life.  So glad that's over with.

- J left for sword school and I was left with happy children.  J said they were great all day; I gave them ice cream.  We brushed teeth, read books.  Instead of directly changing into PJ's they decided to run naked throughout the house.  I was fine with this but kept following A around, hoping he wouldn't randomly pee in a remote corner.

- All was well until bedtime, when X decided he was hungry.  We don't let them eat after 8pm because it becomes an excuse not to go to bed.  He threw a tantrum for 25 minutes.  J got home at the tail end.  I said, "Take your #$^&* child before I hit him," and went to put A to bed, glowering.

- Came out and ate half a box of Hot Tamales, purely because I'd already eaten a big bowl of ice cream and didn't want to repeat myself.

- Am now staring at the misshapen folder of papers marked "Taxes 2013."  And... am blogging instead, because man, taxes suck.

I pray that both children stay asleep all night.  This has happened only a handful of times in four years.  (How old is X?  Yes, 4.)

But tomorrow, I'll go back to happy blog.  I can only take honesty for so long. :)

Abba's gift

My dad and stepmother sent over Ari's birthday gift early.  I was a dunce and was so excited when we got the package that we just opened it up.  So Ari has his gift already, oops.  But they were brilliant and included a gift for Xander, too, so he wouldn't feel left out.

What was funniest was that there were two separately wrapped packages, but absolutely no confusion as to whose was whose.  As Xander put it, "Sabba got this for me because he knows that I like airplanes and space shuttles and spaceships and rocketships.  But Ari, look, you have CARS!!"

The next half hour before bedtime was a virtual smorgasbord of sound effects.

The plane was barely out of the package before it was on a faux runway taking off.

Both kids' lips are pursed making take-off sounds.

Mid-flight.

Ari entranced with his own cars.  Cars that go ON TOP of a truck.  Oh my goodness it's incredible.

 Tandem play.

An easy Shabbat

These pictures are actually from last weekend (I have Purim ones too, but I want to go in order).

 First, is the box of amazing-ness!  They love to hide in it and play.  Here I crouched down and got in with them before bedtime. 

 Xander's pillow is a Valentine's balloon.

 The next morning was all about playing outside.  I love our backyard.  Have I mentioned this?  In this shot you have Xander mowing, Ari on the play structure, and two out of three cats.

Waving hi.

SLIDE!

Getting up and going again.

 Jonathan's been spotted!

 Osher and Ari racing to see Daddy.

"The S word"

Xander informed us, very seriously, that one of his friends got into trouble yesterday at school for saying a bad word.  It was "the S word" (said sotto voce).

I inwardly cringed, feeling badly for the friend's parents, who probably, much like myself, swore while driving or something.

Then Xander showed me never to make assumptions.

The word in question?

"Stupid."

:)

Not a napper

Xander loves school so much, and the private lessons he gets from his teacher, that he asked to stop taking afternoon naps so he could get afternoon lessons instead.

Of course we said yes.  Our child wants to stop sleeping so he can learn?!  Absolutely he can have more lessons!

But that also means that Jonathan and I have to give up our own afternoon naptime breaks on the weekend.  Cuz if Xander isn't napping anymore, it'll be that much harder to put Ari down.

Life is changing.  The babelehs are growing up.  Oy!

Random things

1) Mazel tov (a few days late) to Jessica and Michael, on the birth of baby Yael!


2) The book Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism, by Sarah Benor, is fascinating.  I was excited to get it 20% off because I took part in a language survey by the author a couple years ago.  The survey was fun to fill out, and I was distinctly aware of my Reform status regarding language and culture even at the time.  The book highlighted all the differences twenty-fold.  It was also great insight into assimilation and acculturation period, of anyone joining any society.


3) This picture amuses me.  So apt. I'm so lucky to have a husband who would do the same thing.

4) I went with a friend to the theatre last weekend! It was closing night of a wonderful show about Baruch Spinoza, the 17th century Jewish philosopher who was excommunicated from his community for his "heretical" near-pantheistic ideas about God. The script was incredible. To quote a local review:


The battle between the true believers and atheism has been brewing for as long as there has been someone to make up religion, and the manic struggle for power continues even in these most modern and enlightened times. It was always thus.

The 17th-century city of Amsterdam was divided but at “peace.” The Christians maintained power while the Jews prayed in silence; followers of both faiths, however, came together to stifle the perceived-atheistic murmurings of Jewish philosopher Baruch de Spinoza (Brian Harrower). 

David Ives’ masterwork New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656, directed by Shannon Mahoney, is a stunning piece about ideas that break convention in a religiously oppressive society. 

 Also, with one small exception, the cast was fantastic.  I've missed the theatre!


5) Last week when everyone was so sick, I made four batches of jello.  I felt like my mother!  But being home so much with the kiddos let me really hear their constant explosions of language.  Xander's vocabulary broadens daily, and Ari's now putting together sentences!

Xander:  "A spork is a spoon and a fork put together into one utensil."

Ari: "Open [this bottle] pwees [please], Daddy!"



And I'll end on a fun note, courtesy of Sheryl - some things are permanent in life, like death, taxes... and cats walking across your books!

15th century tome with cat prints in ink. :)

The strange moment of recognizing your own foibles in your kid

X accidentally tipped over the Hot Wheels carrying case, and all the cars tumbled to the floor.  X started to put them all back, slowly and methodically.  A headed over and picked one up, starting to go vroom.

"Nooo!" cried X.  "He can't play with them yet!!"

"Why not?" I asked.  It seemed fine to me.

"We have to organize them by size first!"

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO.

(For those who are curious, the music and commercial in the background are my classical music station from Pandora)

The house of plague

In the last two days:

Xander was put on antibiotics for an ear infection that wouldn't go away.

I came down with the flu.

Ari vomited all over me, my pillow, Jonathan's clothes, and the keyboard.

One of our children completely snapped off one of the sides of my glasses, so now I can't see.


The upshot?  You should buy stock in Netflix and Redbox because we're keeping them in business.  For kids, Hotel Transylvania and the latest Ice Age were fun.  Thomas the Train is getting some serious play.  I quite enjoyed the exquisite acting of Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones in Hope Springs, and the French film The Well-Digger's Daughter made me smile.

Ahhh there's Ari....



Edited to add: two ER visits later, Ari is much much better.  He's now drinking.  He and Jonathan both have meds for strep throat.  X is fine.  I am fine.  Our house, however, is at a whole new level of sunken mess.  Please do not come over.

I'm a sick puppy

I really, really enjoyed our Board Meeting tonight.

There was awesome food from the co-op.

People were engaged and active and enthusiastic.

Committees and task forces are taking real action to make meaningful change.

Presentations were funny, and warm, and none of it was a waste of time.

But best of all was when I got back to my office after the meeting ended.  I retrieved my cell phone, which I'd forgotten, and noticed that I had two text messages from someone else who'd been in the meeting with me.

7:31pm - "You're paying attention so nicely..."

8:02pm - "Apparently you don't keep your phone on.... bummer!"

I cracked up.  Who needs pen and paper to write notes to each other on when we have technology?!

AAAGHHH

The four year old went to sleep almost two hours ago.

The two year old is awake, babbling profusely, asking for crackers and wanting to play with the train set.

WHY??????