It is currently 106 degrees.
On Friday, when I was standing outside in the blazing heat officiating at an unveiling (at the cemetery, where one "unveils" the tombstone about a year after someone dies), it was 104 degrees.
I was sweltering in my formal black skirt and top, with sweat literally trickling down my legs as I stood there speaking. Standing next to the white stone mausoleum, I felt like I was in an oven.
The funeral home director brought out chilled bottled water. "Oh!" He said to me after. "You stood right in front? The white stone reflects the heat, it raises the temperature 20 degrees right about where you were."
Brilliant. Well, at least that explained it.
I came home afterwards looking like a drowned rat, put all my clothes in the laundry and took another shower.
And the rest of the day? I didn't leave the air conditioning once.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Sad little update
So it turns out we're in violation of two things: having three cats and not two, and then letting them go outside. We suspect that Simcha, the big orange fluffy loud kitty who spends the majority of his time outside, is the one who's bugging the neighbor's dogs. So as of 4th of July weekend, he's going to live with my mother. :(
We're hoping this will appease the HOA so they let us keep the other two. And then we're for sure moving in a year or two - I just can't deal with moving now, not with being five months pregnant and the boys finally getting settled.
But I do feel terribly guilty and like the worst kind of cat mother ever.
We're hoping this will appease the HOA so they let us keep the other two. And then we're for sure moving in a year or two - I just can't deal with moving now, not with being five months pregnant and the boys finally getting settled.
But I do feel terribly guilty and like the worst kind of cat mother ever.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Faith restored
Warning to Katie: don't read this post so our friendship can stay intact. :)
Yesterday I wanted to move to Canada: between the cats, Texas state Senator Wendy Davis' dramatically squashed filibuster on the abortion bill and the overturning of the Voting Rights Act, it was a very depressing day. But just 24 hours later my faith is restored. Yay for the Supreme Court! The Defense of Marriage Act overturned! Hallelujah for social security and federal benefits for all marriages, and the near-validity of marriages in my state.
I had the best time tonight explaining to Xander that he was a part of history, that he was here when our government told people that they could marry who they wanted, no matter if they were a boy or a girl. So if he wants to marry Noah or Will from his class, or Shoshanna from temple, he could. He was very happy about it, but didn't seem to understand why it was a big deal. He then wanted to know what if he wanted to marry three girls from his class at once (and he gave us names), since he liked all of them equally.
In other news, the morning was so thrilling that I was amazingly productive at work. I condensed our two very verbose religious school handbooks, totalling 27 pages total, into one handbook of 9 pages, teaching myself MS Publisher in the process. I planned out all the chug (elective) schedules, finalized some scholarships, worked with our Camp Director to troubleshoot and solve a minor crisis, met with a new teacher and hammered out the Conversational Hebrew curriculum, and got names of two attorneys who specialize in HOA cases so I can call them tomorrow.
As Xander would say, it was a FANTASTIC day!
Yesterday I wanted to move to Canada: between the cats, Texas state Senator Wendy Davis' dramatically squashed filibuster on the abortion bill and the overturning of the Voting Rights Act, it was a very depressing day. But just 24 hours later my faith is restored. Yay for the Supreme Court! The Defense of Marriage Act overturned! Hallelujah for social security and federal benefits for all marriages, and the near-validity of marriages in my state.
I had the best time tonight explaining to Xander that he was a part of history, that he was here when our government told people that they could marry who they wanted, no matter if they were a boy or a girl. So if he wants to marry Noah or Will from his class, or Shoshanna from temple, he could. He was very happy about it, but didn't seem to understand why it was a big deal. He then wanted to know what if he wanted to marry three girls from his class at once (and he gave us names), since he liked all of them equally.
In other news, the morning was so thrilling that I was amazingly productive at work. I condensed our two very verbose religious school handbooks, totalling 27 pages total, into one handbook of 9 pages, teaching myself MS Publisher in the process. I planned out all the chug (elective) schedules, finalized some scholarships, worked with our Camp Director to troubleshoot and solve a minor crisis, met with a new teacher and hammered out the Conversational Hebrew curriculum, and got names of two attorneys who specialize in HOA cases so I can call them tomorrow.
As Xander would say, it was a FANTASTIC day!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Serious quandary
So aside from the joke frustration I posted last week - and yes, Xander does know/is learning how to better blow his nose - something else has been going on that's becoming mind-consuming.
Our neighbor hates our cats.
They apparently like to sleep in his yard. At least, that's what he's told the Homeowner's Association and the private security guards in our area; we've heard from the HOA twice, and the security guards have now come out three times. All of them are very apologetic, saying to our faces that the cats are very nice and that this is getting really overblown. But the fact remains.
The HOA statutes say that pets have to be contained in one's yard. Yet, there are lots of cats running around here. Sacramento City statutes say that cats are free-roaming animals, and are allowed to go wherever they want, whether they be house or stray. Jonathan and our landlord (who's a litigator) aren't too worried about this going to a lawsuit, but we are willing to if need be.
We've offered to clip their claws so they can't climb the fence, and to pay for that sticky stuff to put up all around his backyard fence to discourage them from getting in. To no avail. The neighbor made clear tonight that if any of them put one paw on his property, they're infringing on his rights and "are violating his world." To say that he's a little irrational on this issue would be putting it mildly. Jonathan's concerned that he would actually hurt the cats, to the extent that he wants someone else to take them for as long as we live here. I think that's excessive... but then I'm also more naive and trusting than he is, and I know that.
Any ideas?
Our neighbor hates our cats.
They apparently like to sleep in his yard. At least, that's what he's told the Homeowner's Association and the private security guards in our area; we've heard from the HOA twice, and the security guards have now come out three times. All of them are very apologetic, saying to our faces that the cats are very nice and that this is getting really overblown. But the fact remains.
The HOA statutes say that pets have to be contained in one's yard. Yet, there are lots of cats running around here. Sacramento City statutes say that cats are free-roaming animals, and are allowed to go wherever they want, whether they be house or stray. Jonathan and our landlord (who's a litigator) aren't too worried about this going to a lawsuit, but we are willing to if need be.
We've offered to clip their claws so they can't climb the fence, and to pay for that sticky stuff to put up all around his backyard fence to discourage them from getting in. To no avail. The neighbor made clear tonight that if any of them put one paw on his property, they're infringing on his rights and "are violating his world." To say that he's a little irrational on this issue would be putting it mildly. Jonathan's concerned that he would actually hurt the cats, to the extent that he wants someone else to take them for as long as we live here. I think that's excessive... but then I'm also more naive and trusting than he is, and I know that.
Any ideas?
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Lifelong mystery
Why oh why won't young children blow their noses?! They sniff and they sniff, and they act like you're trying to torture them when you hand them a Kleenex.
I don't get it.
Anyone have any insight? It's driving me nuts.
I don't get it.
Anyone have any insight? It's driving me nuts.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
He survived!
Jonathan did a huge mitzvah this week - he spent three days getting up at 3am to go drive to his aunt's house, climb up to the side of the house by 5am and spend the day re-roofing her house. Thank goodness for Mike the former contractor, who knew what he was doing and showed Jonathan and another cousin how to help. So Tante Edna now has a new roof... and my poor husband has a sunburn and bleeding fingers. We even had to throw away his jeans, because we were afraid the tar and fiberglass dust wouldn't fully come out.
Go Jonathan! I only had to take care of the kids for three days... somehow I think I got the better end of the deal. :)
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Woohoo! On many counts.
1) We have almost-renters in our Cincinnati house! I say "almost" because we haven't received their check and the signed lease as of yet, but we've talked to them ad finitum and they said they'll mail it out tomorrow.
2) Jonathan put together the new-to-us bedframe! It was Jonathan's mother's and she had had it in storage... now it's ours. The next step is to order some curtains.
3) Jonathan and I had a successful couple date with friends from temple, and we learned how to play Settlers of Catan. Finally! I can't believe we'd never played it before, it was relatively easy to pick up and quite fun.
4) I spent three days on the phone with Sallie Mae, the Department of Education Loan Services, our accountant, the HUC financial aid person, and three rabbi friends and finally figured out how to deal with my student loans. That's a huge weight off my shoulders.
5) In our house right now we have blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, oranges, apples, and watermelon. I'm in fruit heaven. Ari's most-repeated phrase this week has been "more bewwy pwease!"
6) Our friend Robin moves in next week, and I was afraid that transforming the guest/play room into his room would be problematic for the kids, as it entailed shifting their toys into other parts of the house. But I finished the process last night, and they've taken to it really well. It's actually been a good change, because now they entertain themselves more since they can play in our presence when we clean up after dinner or talk at the table; before, they would never want to be in a separate room.
7) Jonathan and I, for unimportant reasons, made a day trip to San Jose last week, 2 1/2 hours each way. And instead of being a schlep, it became a date! We had lunch at a fun Philly Cheese Steak restaurant (I definitely got in my protein count for the day), and even drove around the Google campus. It is SO COOL. I mean, you could see their pro-employee and pro-green philosophy just from glancing at their parking lot: they had spots reserved for the Google Map cars, for electric vehicles (with charging stations), for expectant mothers, and for G-Bikes (colorful bikes that people can hop on and off to get to various places on campus). We saw sweaty employees coming back from the adjacent soccer field wearing "Google Soccer" t-shirts, and noticed that there was a whole track of land for Google sports. Colorful umbrella awnings were everywhere, covering fountains and pretty park areas, making it a lovely place to sit and socialize. I also didn't overlook the fact that there were minimal employees over 40. :)
8) I Love Mondays: And Other Confessions from Devoted Working Moms by Michelle Cove is brilliant. It made me feel much less alone in my constant struggle for work-life balance. I won't even go into how brilliant it is, but just know - if you're a mom who likes her job but always feels that one takes away from the other, READ THIS BOOK.
9) I'm completely over pregnancy-related nausea. And here, because people have been asking:
10) A week ago yesterday was my and Jonathan's wedding anniversary. We've been married 9 years, together for 10. CRAZY! On one hand I remember it like it was last week. On the other hand I feel like we've been together forever. I've already requested vacation time for the week of June 4th next year. Any suggestions on what to do for a 10 year anniversary, keeping in mind I'll have a nursing 6-month old?
2) Jonathan put together the new-to-us bedframe! It was Jonathan's mother's and she had had it in storage... now it's ours. The next step is to order some curtains.
3) Jonathan and I had a successful couple date with friends from temple, and we learned how to play Settlers of Catan. Finally! I can't believe we'd never played it before, it was relatively easy to pick up and quite fun.
4) I spent three days on the phone with Sallie Mae, the Department of Education Loan Services, our accountant, the HUC financial aid person, and three rabbi friends and finally figured out how to deal with my student loans. That's a huge weight off my shoulders.
5) In our house right now we have blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, oranges, apples, and watermelon. I'm in fruit heaven. Ari's most-repeated phrase this week has been "more bewwy pwease!"
6) Our friend Robin moves in next week, and I was afraid that transforming the guest/play room into his room would be problematic for the kids, as it entailed shifting their toys into other parts of the house. But I finished the process last night, and they've taken to it really well. It's actually been a good change, because now they entertain themselves more since they can play in our presence when we clean up after dinner or talk at the table; before, they would never want to be in a separate room.
Example of new organization: yay for art supplies!
7) Jonathan and I, for unimportant reasons, made a day trip to San Jose last week, 2 1/2 hours each way. And instead of being a schlep, it became a date! We had lunch at a fun Philly Cheese Steak restaurant (I definitely got in my protein count for the day), and even drove around the Google campus. It is SO COOL. I mean, you could see their pro-employee and pro-green philosophy just from glancing at their parking lot: they had spots reserved for the Google Map cars, for electric vehicles (with charging stations), for expectant mothers, and for G-Bikes (colorful bikes that people can hop on and off to get to various places on campus). We saw sweaty employees coming back from the adjacent soccer field wearing "Google Soccer" t-shirts, and noticed that there was a whole track of land for Google sports. Colorful umbrella awnings were everywhere, covering fountains and pretty park areas, making it a lovely place to sit and socialize. I also didn't overlook the fact that there were minimal employees over 40. :)
8) I Love Mondays: And Other Confessions from Devoted Working Moms by Michelle Cove is brilliant. It made me feel much less alone in my constant struggle for work-life balance. I won't even go into how brilliant it is, but just know - if you're a mom who likes her job but always feels that one takes away from the other, READ THIS BOOK.
9) I'm completely over pregnancy-related nausea. And here, because people have been asking:
Quickie camera-phone shot, 16 weeks along.
10) A week ago yesterday was my and Jonathan's wedding anniversary. We've been married 9 years, together for 10. CRAZY! On one hand I remember it like it was last week. On the other hand I feel like we've been together forever. I've already requested vacation time for the week of June 4th next year. Any suggestions on what to do for a 10 year anniversary, keeping in mind I'll have a nursing 6-month old?
Monday, June 10, 2013
A Shabbat to remember
We started off at the Train Museum with two friends from school, twins who are Xander's age. The best part of this playdate is that I loved the mom and Jonathan got along really well with the dad. I think (hope!) they could graduate from regular "parents of childrens' friends" to actual adult coffee-date friends. Ari was happy as a clam running around with the big boys, and Xander was thrilled to have so many people to play with.
After we left the Museum we went to Chipotle, which was good food as always. But right as we were finishing our food, all four boys started standing on their chairs and shouting "fire truck!" And lo and behold, a fire truck had pulled up in the parking lot! I went with the boys and the twins' dad, Tim, to investigate, and a fire fighter followed us out. He and three compatriots then gave us a private tour of the truck, let each kid sit in the driver seat, flashed the lights, and even - and this was awesome, even as an adult - pulled out the fire hose and helped each boy pull the lever to release a shooting stream of water. To say that they were excited would be the understatement of the year. It all ended abruptly when a police car AND a tow truck showed up, motioned to the fire fighters, and they all drove off together. The children literally bounced back to the Chipotle doors.
We said goodbye to our friends and came home so Ari could nap. Jonathan stayed with him and I accompanied Xander to a birthday party. It was one of those party places with bounce houses and sugar galore. Xander of course fell deeply asleep on the way home, he was so exhausted.
Now as I write this on Saturday night, the boys are watching a movie and Jonathan is making French toast with whipped cream and berries for dinner.
A great day, if I may say so myself!
After we left the Museum we went to Chipotle, which was good food as always. But right as we were finishing our food, all four boys started standing on their chairs and shouting "fire truck!" And lo and behold, a fire truck had pulled up in the parking lot! I went with the boys and the twins' dad, Tim, to investigate, and a fire fighter followed us out. He and three compatriots then gave us a private tour of the truck, let each kid sit in the driver seat, flashed the lights, and even - and this was awesome, even as an adult - pulled out the fire hose and helped each boy pull the lever to release a shooting stream of water. To say that they were excited would be the understatement of the year. It all ended abruptly when a police car AND a tow truck showed up, motioned to the fire fighters, and they all drove off together. The children literally bounced back to the Chipotle doors.
We said goodbye to our friends and came home so Ari could nap. Jonathan stayed with him and I accompanied Xander to a birthday party. It was one of those party places with bounce houses and sugar galore. Xander of course fell deeply asleep on the way home, he was so exhausted.
Now as I write this on Saturday night, the boys are watching a movie and Jonathan is making French toast with whipped cream and berries for dinner.
A great day, if I may say so myself!
Saturday, June 8, 2013
"Splashpark"
Xander's in the red shirt and blue/green shorts.
Ari in orange shirt and dinosaur boots on the left, Xander on the right.
A little unhappy with the getting-wet aspect of the park.
Xander had no such compunctions and played quite merrily.
Singing along with "Elvis-saurus" at McDonald's afterwards.
Fun fun fun!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Joys of summer
Bubbles in the backyard!
Running around and around to catch them.
Clapping hands in glee.
And then the next day, making cupcakes and decorating them! The kids alternated using the sprinkles... let's just say that the sugar level of our house that night was a bit overwhelming. :)
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
The latest obsession
Building the marble run!
And then coincidentally, a congregant gifted us with another type of marble run. So now we have two!
Xander and Jonathan built this one so high that the boys needed stepstools to put the marbles in at the top.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Pregnancy update
I'm 15 weeks! We heard a very healthy heartbeat, and all is well in fetus-land. As far as what's going on with me, the nausea is abating beautifully. I apparently though have extremely low blood pressure as well as very low blood sugar... so am now on orders to eat every two hours, including at least one middle-of-the-night snack. That may sound fun, but oy, it's harder than it sounds. Also complicating things? I'm craving citrus and salads, but seem to have an aversion to almost all meat, making protein harder to come by than in the previous pregnancies.
The best part is that Xander and Ari have taken to giving my belly zerberts, "so Squishy will know that her* big brother[s] are saying hello!"
*Note: We have no idea yet if we're having a boy or a girl, but Xander's referring to it as a girl because "I already have a little brother, I want a little sister now!"
The best part is that Xander and Ari have taken to giving my belly zerberts, "so Squishy will know that her* big brother[s] are saying hello!"
*Note: We have no idea yet if we're having a boy or a girl, but Xander's referring to it as a girl because "I already have a little brother, I want a little sister now!"
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