Yesterday was Yom Hazikaron and the kids got out of school early. The way that it works here is that they usually dismiss the older kids 15 minutes earlier than the younger kids so that if you are a working parent and you have older kids, they can have time to get over to the younger child’s gan and bring them home. So Talia picked Ben up b/c they were excited about doing that and they both came home. When they got home I let them play for a while and then we ate and we put all 3 of them to sleep so that they could go to the Yom Ha’azmaut celebration last night.
Here is a cute video of the kids demonstrating what they learned to do when the siren goes off in commemoration of the fallen soldiers on Yom Hazikaron:
Anyway, the kids slept for an hour and then Talia went to her chugim and Ben hung out at home withus while we prepared for the BBQ we were going to have last night with my cousins Avi and Avivit.
Eric was juggling the BBQ and work and by the time they finally showed up, late as usual, we had already eaten and Eric was basically on his way back upstairs to go back to work. We told them to come at 6 and they came close to 6:45.
Anyway, last night was really, really nice. They had daglanut, which is where the older kids do a dance with the Israeli flags. Then there was a movie that they made about the soldiers and about Chashmonaimand then there were fireworks. Of course Ben was scared to death of the fireworks. He had a real positive attitude going in. He said that he thought he wouldn’t be afraid of them b/c he was older now since last summer, which is the last time that he freaked out over the fireworks. Anyway, they started suddenly and he flew into Eric’s arms and squeezed his eyes shut. Keren was intrigued by the lights in the sky and Talia also enjoyed them. In his defense, they were directly above our heads and Eric said he could feel some of the ash coming down on him!! On the way home we were able to see the fireworks in Modiin and they were far away enough for him that he thought they were pretty!
They also had dancing, which I missed b/c I was hanging out with the family, and they had a bunch of street vendors selling food and cute toys for the kids. They also had music and people on stilts and people playing the bongos. It was very nice.
By the time we got home it was close to 11 but a good time was had by all. Of course the daglanut was very emotional and we really enjoyed it on that level and then also b/c we knew 2 of the girls who were performing.
Today we peeled ourselves out of bed at 8 and got ready to go to the beach!! We went with a friend of mine from ulpan and her family and another 2 families that they are friends with. Of course since she is South African, they were too! So we spent the day with a bunch of South Africans (you would have loved it, Dad!).
The funny thing about this holiday is it is kind of like the 4th of July in the Bronx!! The Israeli’s reminded me a lot of Puerto Ricans!! The beach was hopping and people were BBQing all over the place and they had tents and tables set up on the beach and they brought music and microphonesso they could sing!!! It was really insane. Eric and I said that we are going to bring a BBQ for next year! My friend and I just got a kick out of one family who brought a table and chairs and a tablecloth to the beach.
We had a really nice time and everyone got nice color. Now Keren is even darker than usual! While we were there they were flying all kinds of planes over our heads. Eric took some pictures of the ELAL planes b/c he thought they were the coolest.
Here are our beach pics:
We came home and Eric went to work while I cleaned up and got the kids showered and fed and into bed. Tonight we had an engagement party/open house that we each took turns going to.
Eric came home yesterday. Keren and I dropped the kids off at school, came home and ate breakfast and then went to the airport. Unfortunately, we waited 50 minutes in the car b/c his luggage didn’t come out when it was supposed to. Even the flight crew had to wait for their luggage to come out for a long time. It was marked business but I guess it doesn’t always work. So by the time he came out the police had just chased us into the airport (I wait before the airport so I don’t have to pay for parking) and luckily he came right out after that. Keren was in a horrible mood by the time (so was I). I was also really tired b/c the night before I stayed up until 1:30 watching Schindler’s List.
When we got home Eric unpacked all the goodies he bought including the dance game that goes with the XBox. Talia and I pretty much fought over playing that game once we set it up in the afternoon. I tucked Keren in for her nap and left Eric to rest and I went out with a friend that I met in ulpan for breakfast. It was really nice.
When I got home Eric was standing at the kitchen counter and Keren was standing on the step stool next to him eating pees off the kitchen counter. It was ADORABLE. Of course she woke up right after I left and Eric didn’t get to take a shower or nap or anything. I told him to go up for his shower/nap and I fed Keren and then we went for a walk to Jere’s new apartment to check it out and to play with the doggies. One of her dogs is blind and just lays there but the other one kept licking Keren’s face and trying to hump her!
We picked up Ben from school and played in the playground for a while until 2 and then came home and had lunch. Talia came home soon thereafter and Eric eventually came down and surprised the kids, who didn’t realize he was home yet. They opened up all the presents they got from my parents and from my sister-in-law and brother and were very happy.
The rest of the day was spent playing and hanging out and there was karate at 4, etc.
I thought I had tennis last night but when I got there the courts were closed b/c of Yom Hazikaron. I finally had an early night, the first in a while!
Tonight is Yom Ha’azmaut and there is going to be a lot going on so I am not sure when I’ll be able to post my next blog.
Friday was a crazy day. After I dropped the kids off at school I came home for about an hour and did some stuff around the house and then I had to run back to Talia’s school with Keren to meet Talia and Ben for their Yom Ha’azmaut ceremony. It took place on the basketball courts and the kids basically all wore blue and white and they sang and danced with flags. It was hard for me b/c I was carrying Keren around and a video camera and a regular camera and running back and forthtrying to give both kids equal camera time. Their groups weren’t so close to each other and I was drenched by the end. Ben basically sat there and looked miserable the whole time but Talia was really great. It was really something so special to see. They were playing songs like הדגל שלי הוא כחול ולבן and other classic songs and the kids knew all the songs!! They were so cute. I can’t believe I have kids who are dancing with Israeli flags in Israel singing the classics. It was very emotional. I am really looking forward to the real Yom Ha’azmaut. I took a ton of video because Eric wasn’t there so when he comes home I will try to get him to shrink some of it down so I can post some of it to the blog.
I came home and put Keren right in for a nap, she was exhausted, and then I started BBQing the food for Shabbat that I was going to take to my grandparents’ house and packing everyone up, etc.
I was planning on taking the kids to the monkey park in the afternoon before going to Petach Tikvah but then my cousin told me that they were going to go to the park in Ra’anana. So I changed our plans and ran around the house like a maniac trying to get it all done so we could leave when Ben came home from school.
Talia came home and helped me pack and then she made sandwiches for them to eat in the car while I got Ben from school. We ran to Petach Tikvah and bought a flag for our car at a traffic light. I took a picture of the boy who was selling the flags at the intersection and Talia asked me why I thought it was so special that I took a picture of him and I explained to her that in the days leading up to Yom Ha’azmaut in America you would never see anything like that!! I thought it was nice. So we went to my grandmother’s house and dropped off the food and the bags and then she jumped in the car and we went to my cousin Avivit’s house where we had to wait for her to finish up and then we all drove to Ra’anana.
We ate lunch at the park and then the kids played nicely at a great playground there.
Shabbat was nice. I put the kids to sleep before we ate Friday night and I ate alone with my grandparents and Aunt Suzie. It was nice. The kids went to sleep really nicely but of course Keren, miss homebody, cried herself to sleep and then woke up and stayed awake from 4-5am.
Shabbat morning I didn’t get up until 8:30 when Keren woke up. Talia and Ben woke up really early but they played nicely by themselves while everyone slept and until my grandmother woke up. I set the table and took the kids to shul and waited outside until it was over. Talia’s friend was there from Chashmonaim b/c her grandfather was celebrating his 100th birthday and they made a nice kiddush for him. So she had a friend to play with while we waited for shul to finish.
After shul we ate at the kiddush (it was a great kiddush) and then met Avi and Avivit at the park next door where the kids played for a while and Keren napped.
We ate lunch and the kids played nicely together the whole day. In the evening I took Talia, Ben, Keren and Shelly to the old age home around the corner where they have a great fish tank. So we watched the fish a while and gave Savta, Avi and Avivit a break.
As soon as Shabbat was over I packed up and got out of there. The kids fell asleep in the car and they were completely out when I got home. Kerentransferred right into bed and Talia and Ben both walked up the stairs and collapsed into bed.
Today everyone except Ben was really, really tired. Talia had trouble getting up for school. I took the kids to school and then ran to the supermarket to stock up for the week. I’ll have to cook this week b/c we have no leftovers since we weren’t here for Shabbat.
I realized after that that my friends from White Plains were coming and so after putting Keren in for a nap and taking a shower I folded some laundry and straightened up the house a bit so that I would be free this afternoon if they wanted to do something. When Keren woke up we ran to Modiin and picked up the immunization that I had to give Ben and then I drove around forever looking for the fruit store (I always get lost in Modiin) so we would have something in the house for my friends to nosh on when they came.
We came home and I fed Keren and then got Ben from school and Talia was there waiting for us when we got home since she also gets out at 1:30 on Sundays and knows if I am a little late that she should wait there for me. Talia decided to pull all the weeds out that have been growing around the house. So Ben joined her for a while before they came in to eat lunch.
My friends Lara and David came over around 2 and I showed them the house and then we all went for a walk around the yishuv. We walked Talia to English and then continued on and basically just hung out talking until close to 5. Ben was really good during this time and let me talk to them for quite some time before asking me to play with him. Keren was her adorable self and just hung out with us being cute. She now puts her hand to her ear and says “ha” when the phone rings. Too cute!
Anyway, Talia called me from her friend’s house who she went to straight from English. I told her I would pick her up after I dropped Lara and David back in Modiin. Ben and Keren fell asleep in the car (Ben was still tired from the weekend) and when he woke up I was in Talia’s friend’s house and he came out of the car b/c he thought he was home and started to cry when he saw that it wasn’t his house.
Anyway, the rest of the evening was a whirlwind. I made dinner (fettucini alfredo and tuna patties) and had the kids in showers and in bed in under 2 hours and during that time another friend from Modiin stopped by to say hi and hang out and we ran to the nurse across the street and gave Ben his shot. It was really insane!!
I had the kids in bed by 6:45 b/c I had to then take care of Keren and I wanted her in bed early too b/c Jere was coming to babysit so I could go to parent-teacher conferences. In the end Keren didn’t even go to sleep and I just left her here with Jere – Jere was happy!
Talia’s teacher said she is doing great in school and she said she is speaking Hebrew really well and one of the parents whose daughter was born here asked her why she can’t speak Hebrew like Talia Mandel!! Go Talia. The only thing that she did tell me was that I should build her vocabulary by reading to her in Hebrew. That’s hard to do since I don’t understand the Hebrew myself and my reading isn’t so terrific and Talia doesn’t particularly like reading in Hebrew but I am going to give it a shot.
So now it’s already 9:30 and I am DEAD tired. I sat down to watch slingbox but forgot it was Sunday and there is nothing on TV in America. I’ll see if there’s a movie on…
Today when walking the kids to school we noticed that sometime during the evening/night the men working on the yishuv were VERY busy putting flags up all over the place in anticipation of Yom Ha’azmaut. The place really looks great!
After taking the kids to school and feeding Keren her breakfast I went to the fruit store in Modiin and noticed a nice park right next door. So Keren and I went there and played for a while and a really nice Israeli woman and I started talking and decided that we are going to be friends and we are going to meet up there every week and I will speak Hebrew to her and she will speak English to me! I am excited and I hope it works out b/c I don’t know how I am going to ever speak this language living in Chashmonaim!
We came hom around 10 and I put Keren to sleep and did a little bit of cooking. We are going to my grandparents’ house for Shabbat b/c Eric is still going to be in America and I told my grandmother when I invited myself that I would bring some food with me so it’s not too much work for her.
This afternoon after the kids came home from school we went to the park next door and played and did homework there until Rinat came. Then we all played together, etc.
After dinner I took the cleaning man back to the bus station and then we went to the toy store where I found an old game that I used to play with my brother when we were in Israel at my father’s relatives on Kibbutz. I think it was their game. I don’t remember how to play it exactly but I am excited about reading the directions and teaching the game to Talia and maybe even Ben.
So although I haven’t been upstairs to the third floor in the past couple of hours, I don’t think that we have those yucky bugs up there anymore. There certainly aren’t any on the first 2 floors or at least there weren’t any today. I hope they don’t come back.
Anyway, today we walked to school for the first time in a while. Ben took his bike and Talia walked. He is getting so good on his bike. He even wore his backpack and rode! Go Ben.
We had a really relaxing morning here. I cleaned up around the house and found a few things that my parents left in their room that I will have to send back with Eric the next time he goes to America. Keren slept for almost 3 hours!! When she woke up we had lunch and then walked to Robin’s house and chatted on her front porch since it was such a nice day.
When Ben and I got home from his school my grandparents were already here waiting for us! I guess my grandmother forgot that Ben doesn’t get out of school until 1:30. She didn’t know where we were and she was kind of freaking out b/c she called my cellphone and I didn’t pick up b/c I was in Ben’s class. Whatever. In the end we came home and she realized her mistake.
Ben’s friend Shlomo came over this afternoon as well. He used to be really good friends with Ben when they went to Chabad together in White Plains. They came here for the year and we’ve been trying to get the boys together now for quite some time. So they came over just a little before we were due to go to the doctor for camp checkups. The boys ignored each other and then we went for checkups while they stayed in the house. Ben went first and then I had Talia walk him back so he could play. I was quite annoyed that Ben is missing a bunch of immunizations. I don’t know how he missed them. So now I have to make an appointment with him at the Tipat Chalav to make sure he gets these immunizations. So annoying. It is the doctors in America who missed them and I don’t know how that is possible.
When we came home Talia went to her friend’s house to play and meanwhile I made a BBQ for everyone. It was really really busy here!! I told Batsheva that she and the kids could stay and her son Shlomo wound up eating everything in sight! It was crazy. We fed all the kids and then they left and Saba, Savta and I sat down to eat our dinner. Saba really enjoyed watching Keren eat her dinner tonight. She started shaking her head no when she doesn’t want any more of something and she chucked a french fry at me this evening and he was cracking up.
Talia came home while we were eating and said that she ate at her friend’s house and asked if she could go out with some of the older girls who were searching for firewood for Lag Ba’Omer. Apparently, around this time the kids run around collecting any piece of wood they can find. They say here that if it’s not tied down, they take it and burn it! So she left with them and didn’t come back until 6:45!!
Talia is the one on the right in the red shirt.
My grandparents left after dinner and I was totally exhausted!! I cleaned the kids up and got them into bed a little late due to Talia’s late arrival home.
I found out during lice combing tonight while Talia and I were talking that some of the Israeli girls are meaner to the American girls and Talia has been made fun of when she makes mistakes while speaking Hebrew. Apparently the kids are reprimanded and punished for it at school by the teachers but I felt bad anyway. I told her that her English is better than their English could ever be and that her Hebrew will one day be the same as theirs. That made her really happy. So she is going to keep that in mind the next time they make fun of her.
The weather is definitely getting warmer and warmer here. Today I sent Ben to school in shorts after him almost melting yesterday in his pants!! I realize that I am not quite ready for the heat yet but I don’t think I have much say in things. Eric said that he noticed that the trees are starting to bloom in America and I have to say that I will definitely miss seeing the trees and bushes blooming in the spring!
Today was Yom Hashoah and they had the 1-2 minute siren at 10am. The kids were both in school at the time and they had all kinds of questions about it. For the most part they wanted to know how the sound was made. Talia thought it was going to be more of a shofar sound, I think. Ben said he wasn’t sad and Talia explained to him that kids aren’t sad, just adults and teenagers are. So funny!
After dropping them off at school Keren and I went to the supermarket. As I was pulling into the lot I realized that although I remembered to take my environment friendly bags for once, I left my bag with my wallet at home. So we went back and then back again to the supermarket.
A little before 10 Talia called me and said she wasn’t feeling well and wanted me to come and pick her up. Of course Keren was asleep at the time. Anyway, I went next door and their daughter’s boyfriend was there and I asked him to come and sit in the house for 5 minutes while I picked Talia up. So Talia came home and after about 20 minutes made a miraculous recovery. She stayed home until Keren woke up at 12 and then she rode her scooter back to school while I pushed Keren in the stroller.
Keren and I hung out outside a little. She likes to sit in the Little Tykes car that we have while I push her. She is so cute. Then she slept most of the afternoon. Talia came home at 2:30. She basically came home, ran in and told me she was going to play next door and then disappeared until I called and told her she had to go to her English chug. Then Ben came home at 4 from his chug and the person taking him home pulled up, honked the horn and asked if he could come to her house to play.
Around 5:15 I picked him up and then we went to pick Talia up from her art class. We thought it would be nice to pick her up for a change and it was so beautiful that I wanted to get out a little since Keren slept a lot today. Ben decided that he wanted to ride his scooter there and that’s when we realized that his scooter is missing!! It was in front of the front door when my parents left yesterday for sure and then I am not sure when the next time was that I saw it! I think someone walked off with it. I am really sad that someone would do that. Ben is sad that he no longer has a scooter. I posted something on the shul list asking people to watch out for it but I am not very optimistic. I think Eric is going to try to buy another one while he’s in America.
Anyway, when we all came inside after playing for a bit the kids ate dinner and took showers and went to sleep. Keren was acting like she was tired and I was surprised because she slept so much today. I nursed her but then she played with me a little before going to sleep.
I had a lousy night sleep last night and I am hoping that tonight will be different.
I don’t even know the last time I posted a blog. There is way to much to catch up on. I’ll be brief and say that in the time that I haven’t blogged we’ve been very busy. We met friends and went up North and had a great time, my parents came and we all went to a hotel for Pesach at the Dead Sea and Keren took her first step yesterday. That’s all the news in short!
Today my parents left and Talia and I were really sad. Ben doesn’t seem to be too affected by it. Talia was crying this evening while I was tucking her in and I told her that we were all sad and Ben responded that he wasn’t sad. So I am happy for him that he’s not depressed like Talia is and like I am. She told me that I have to change her blanket cover b/c it smells like my mother…
Eric also just left tonight for NY and for Florida! He’s going to be back next Monday. SO we are on our own for Shabbat and so I am taking the kids to my grandparent’s apartment in Petach Tikvah so I don’t have to be alone for Shabbat. My friend Robin invited us but I don’t want to be here at all without Eric.
It got really warm here all of a sudden today and with the warmth came these big ants with wings that are marching around our house. They are easy to kill, as they are nice and slow, but they are ugly looking and I don’t like them at all!! People here said that they have them and they will go away soon. It’s basically a seasonal thing. I hope they go away sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, Ben is happy to step on them for me when he finds them but Talia doesn’t really want to she runs the other way.
It’s late and I am tired so I am going to make this a quick one.
Today we went to the stalactite caves that are located near Beit Shemesh. Ben was freaked out, of course, but eventually seemed to enjoy it. Talia thought it was really cool. Keren didn’t want to be carried around a dark, wet place but she handled it quite well.
Sorry the pics aren’t flipped, my computer didn’t want to save the pictures flipped the right way for some reason.
From there we drove to Yerushalayim and ate a yummy lunch and then we went to a really cheap supermarket that Eric has been dying to try in Yerushalayim. It was gross and small and crowded and I felt like I was shopping in Brooklyn. But Eric got the wine at a good price for Pesach and he was happy so I was happy.
We went home and on the way into the yishuv the gate came down on the roof of the car and broke off a piece of our luggage rack and scratched the car pretty badly. It was weird. It started to go up and then came down. Of course the guy at the security shack said it was Eric’s fault and he was mad that we broke the gate, etc. But now we have to deal with a broken car. At least it is the roof so it doesn’t look bad but we are planning on using the rack to go down to the Dead Sea with in a week and I hope it will be okay to use!!
When we got home Talia went next door to play and I started to cook for this Shabbat and for the Shabbat after Pesach. Started cooking and freezing some things. Just making double, basically, and freezing the other half so that I won’t have too much to do after Pesach but before Shabbat when my parents are here with my brother and sister-in-law. Just trying to be organized!!
So after cleaning chicken for an hour and a half, my feet are throbbing and I used up all the hot water and I don’t feel like waiting for the dude shemesh to heat it up again. So, I am going to skip and shower and just go to sleep now.
Well, today was the day that I’ve been dreading since December 10th, it was the day that we threw Talia her 7th birthday party. I hadn’t planned on making her one at all but, like I wrote last time, I felt bad for her after she started crying that her friends were having parties and she was the only one that wasn’t. I have to say, it was the best/easiest/cheapest party that we have ever made for her!!
The girls arrived and we put on the movie and they each took a decorated plastic bag that Talia, Ben and I worked on decorating this morning of popcorn that we popped this morning and sat down nicely and watched the movie. I seriously had nothing to do during the party. Then, about an hour into it, we stopped to eat the cake and sing, of course. The girls were adorable all chatting away in Hebrew. It also helped that I only had about 18 or so of them instead of the 30 I thought might come. After the cake they went back to the movie but that didn’t last more than 15 minutes before some of them started getting restless. Meanwhile, I cleaned up while they were watching the movie! I straightened everything up so I would have nothing to do but vacuum up the popcorn when they left. When they started getting restless Talia suggested opening the presents. So they did that for the last 15 minutes and, again, they were adorable. I could tell that Talia didn’t always know exactly what they were saying… So, most of them were picked up on time but then there were the ones that were allowed to walk home themselves and they stayed until the movie was over and then they went home. I didn’t mind because everyone was so happy. Even Ben had a great time and, lucky for me, Keren slept through almost the whole party.
Backtracking a bit, this morning I made pancakes for the kids since it was the start of our vacation (really their vacation b/c it’s really more work for me to have them around). Friends of ours, the Shetrits, came to Israel for Pesach and we made plans to meet them after lunch at Mini Israel. Talia, Ben and I made the cake for her party and then went to buy the party favors while Eric played around with the new X Box that we got and Keren slept.
We met the Shetrits at Mini Israel and had a really nice time. Mini Israel is basically all of Israel but in miniature. It was very cute. Our kids enjoyed it more than their kids b/c 1. they weren’t jet lagged and 2. they were familiar with the places in Israel that they were looking at. We took a picture of Talia standing next to the shul where she had her siddur play. At the end we got ice cream, which, of course, was the best part of the day for the kids. We finally had a warm day here and Ben was promised ice cream at the first signs of a warm day.
So the kids had their last day of school today before Pesach. Talia said that she cleaned the whole school today with the cleaning supplies that she brought in. She said she didn’t learn much. Ben had a model seder in school but wouldn’t give me much information as to what went on. I know he ate the egg and some of the potato that he brought in and that he sang a song but I forget which one he sang.
While the kids were in school we decided to go get breakfast at Cup of Joe. On the way there Keren fell asleep and so we took the breakfast to go and went to get Eric his uniform for his rent-a-cop program that he does. He has to go out on a ride, or whatever they call it, on Tuesday night and he wanted to have the uniform for then. Unfortunately, we schlepped all the way there and the woman in the store said that they only do the uniforms from 2 to 6 or something like that. So we ran to the supermarket next door (that’s two days in a row, in case you are counting) to pick up some things for the birthday party I am making for Talia tomorrow night and then ran one more errand at Ace Hardware and then came home.
After we got Ben from school and Talia came home Eric ran out to go back to the store and pick up his uniform. I am going to DEFINITELY take a picture in his uniform, complete with cap, and put it up on my next post. Stay tuned…
Ben had karate at 4 and Talia had a birthday party at 4:15 just a couple of houses away so the rest of the afternoon was spent doing those things.
Tonight I played tennis. It was great at usual! We decided to play on Thursday night as well but without the pro. I am excited but I need to go buy some balls and I found out they are around 28 Shekel here!!! I know what I’ll be asking Eric to bring home next time!!!
