Didn’t get a chance to write after Shabbat last night b/c we went out and got a babysitter!!  Yay us. 

Shabbat was nice.  We were home Friday night which was amazing since the kids were flipping out by the time we got halfway through dinner and that wouldn’t have been great if we were at someone else’s house and they were flipping out like that.  This way we just ended the meal early and put them right to sleep.

Of course they woke up early on Shabbat morning but what can we do?  They played a little together and we stayed in bed and then Eric fed them their breakfast and went to shul and I got them dressed and sent them to shul and then put Keren in for a nap and I read my book.  Shul ended even earlier than it usually does.  I think it ended around 10:15, craziness!!  So Eric and the kids came home and we made Kiddush and then I woke Keren up and fed her and we went out to lunch to friends from camp.  They live right down the block from us so it was really convinient.  Lunch was yummy and a nice time was had by all.  The kids were the only kids there but they played nicely together with the leggo and Barbie dolls that were provided.

We got home around 3 and Eric rested a little on the couch while Talia kept herself busy with a game and Ben and I looked through pictures together.   Then at 4 I let Talia go down the block to visit her counselor that seh had in Camp Ma Tov first month.  They hadn’t crossed paths this whole time and they are literally just down the block from us and we just found out which house she lives in.  Then after she camehome the kids went to the park together and were basically in and out the rest of the day until dinner time.

We had plans to go out with my cousins after Shabbat and we got a babysitter and everything.  We took Keren with us and we hadn’t even made it out of the yishuv before my cousin called to tell me that my grandmother wasn’t feeling well and went to the hospital.  It seems that she was dizzy and she went to a friend who suggested taking her blood pressure and it was extremely high.  So after that she called my cousin and he went to the hospital with her and then my aunt and uncle and great aunt went as well.  So we didn’t feel like the big night out on the town was the best thing to do just in case we needed to be close to her.  So instead of going out with them we went to their house and we hung out and ordered in pizza and kept close tabs on everything.  In the end, thank Gd, everything was fine.  They gave her medicine to bring the pressure down and so far so good.

Today I had my big five minute speech to give in school!!  I was so nervous but it went very well.  It is very disconserting when your ulpan teacher is scribbling furiously while you are trying to make a speech and you know that she is writing down all of your mistakes so that she can discuss them with you and the class as soon as you are finished! That’s what she does!  It still went well.

Ben went to his friend Matthew right after school and was there until close to 5!!  Talia came home and we did her homework and then we went to run an errand and then she went to her friends house.  She scooted there herself.  I can’t believe she found her house, to tell you the truth.

Keren basically slept all day.  Last night she was a little pary animal and stayed up almost the entire time we were at my cousin’s house.  Then in the car at 1am she conked out and I was able to transfer her to her crib and then she slept until a little after 6.  Then today she was very well behaved in ulpan and slept a little bit there but then when I got home and put her into her crib she slept from 1 until I woke her up at close to 5!! 

Anyway, this evening we all went for shoes for the kids for Shabbat.   We heard that there was a good store in Kiryat Sefer.   I never heard of the brands that they were selling but after much debate and many pairs of shoes, we finally found a pair that both Talia and I agreed on.   I also found a nice pair for Ben but when I got to the register and found out how much they were I decided not to get them.  Ben can wear his sandals for a little longer and can even get away with his sandals and sock look.  I think i am going to get his shoes in America the next time Eric goes in.  They will probably cost the same as the ones that i was looking at but I know that they will fit him well and I know that they will be good shoes.  I hope that the ones I got for Talia will be comfortable and will hold up over the “winter”.

It was very hard to buy shoes in another language.  I didn’t know how to say suede.  I do now!!  i didn’t know how to say narrow and wide and I still don’t.  I learned how to say shiny or patent leather.  It was definitely an experiance.  How i wanted to be able to walk into Stride Rite!!

We came home and ate dinner and got the kids into the bath and into bed.  Ben was zonked.  We changed the clocks yesterday so now it gets dark super early.  It’s great because now Eric only has to work until 11 at night and not 12.   So for a month of so he will be less tired when he is home. 

On the weather front, it was so beautiful for a few days and now it’s hot again!  I think we have a few more days of this heat and then it is going to cool off.  I hope that they are right and it cools off for Yom Kippur!!

We downloaded Grey’s Anatomy, or Eric did, and we watched the first episode of the season.  So great!!

While I am randomly throwing things out there, I have to throw out an apology to Eric.  He read my blog (although why he did is beyond me since he LIVES WITH ME) and he said that the reason that he helped me clean on Friday is because he has the time and he wants to help me!  It is not so I won’t get a cleaning lady.  Sorry honey!!

Okay.  I have only about 10 minutes until I have to go down and get ready for Shabbat so I am going to make this one a quick one.

This morning we had a learning thing at Talia’s school.  Eric went ahead of me and I came a little late with Keren.  She slept until I finally woke her up a little before 9!  It was very cute.  we sat with our kids and we learned the Parsha.  Then a parent gave a devar torah.  Afterwards, her teacher came up to us and said how great Talia is doing!  She said she understands a ton and is even speaking Hebrew a little!!  She also said that her ulpan teacher said that she is doing great.  She said she is a very smart little girl!  So she’s been telling us that she has no clue what’s been going on in school and we’ve been believing her and now I find out that she’s doing great.  What a big faker!

Anyway, we went home and I cleaned a lot while Eric went to the bakery to get us our yummy Friday boureka treats.  Then he came home and helped me clean the floors.  I think he’s nervous that I am going to hire a cleaning lady, i mentioned that this morning, so he was being super helpful with the chores around the house today going so far as to set the table for Shabbat at 11am.

The kids came home shortly after and we packed up lunch and went to the beach.  The goal was to do Tashlich there but we forgot to bring a Machzor with us and we didn’t do it in the end.  We did have a great time at the beach, though.  It was Keren’s first time at the beach.  I got Ben to put his toes in the super warm water there but he wouldn’t go farther than that, chicken!

We came home and it was time to make the schnitzel for the kids for dinner (they won’t eat my yummy chicken that I made) and make the asparagus and get the kids showered and ready for Shabbat.  Now we are all ready and I just have to give Keren a bath.  Meanwhile, Ben just came up to me with his face all painted.  No wonder they were being so quiet down there!!  Oy.  So much for being ready for Shabbat.

Keren is sitting next to me and she is really angry for some reason at the plastic water bottle that she is playing with.  I better go see what the story is.

Shabbat Shalom!

This morning I woke up and got dressed before the kids woke up.  On my way downstairs to wake them and get them started Eric woke up and said he was sick and he wasn’t fasting.  He has a sore throat and he had the chills at one point he said.  So he stayed in Bed and didn’t go to shul and I left a sleeping Keren with him and he said he would bring her to me in ulpan when she woke up.

Got the kids off to school okay.  Talia was psyched that she only had school until 11:45 and went off happily.  Ben is always happy to go to school, lucky me!

Unfortunately, Keren woke up around 8 so I had her in ulpan with me most of the morning.  Eric came to pick her up when he woke up around 11:30 so I had the last hour free.  Her interim Bubby was there to take care of her today so I was happy.  She hasn’t been in ulpan in almost a week and I had noone to help me with Keren.  I’ve been spoiled that she loves her and takes her from me to give me a break so I can concentrate.  Now that she’s back I am free again for some of the class.

Anyway, this girl that comes to teach Talia Hebrew or really to play with her in Hebrew came and picked her up from school and they walked home together.  She didn’t have school today b/c of the fast.  Eric let them in and I stayed in ulpan the whole morning instead of having to come home for Talia.  That was good.

Ben’s friend’s mom called me today and asked if he could come over for a playdate straight from school.  So after school he went straight there and I drove Talia’s friend home and we went to the supermarket to buy stuff for Shabbat.  I was annoyed b/c I wanted to buy white meat chicken.  So I called my cousin and she told me what to ask for and the guy told me that he couldn’t do it for me.  He gave me chicken cutlets and told me that that was what I wanted.  After trying to explain to him what I wanted I gave up and made the soup with the chicken cutlets instead of the bones that I usually use from the white meat pieces.  Talia said that they were laughing as I was walking away.  Not sure what that was about.

What they do do in the supermarket here that I forgot to mention in my previous blogs, is they give you your chicken or meat that you order from behind the counter in little tupperware containers!!  It’s like getting a present each time!  A tupperware container for each pound or so that you order.  It’s AMAZING.  We all have these tupperwares in our homes now and if I want to bring something to someone I can and I don’t have to ask for the container back b/c I know I’ll get some more on my next trip to the supermarket.  This free tupperware thing makes my day!  I know it’s not so exciting to some of you but I am super excited.  Maybe next blog I will include a picture of me with my free containers.  I am starting to build quite the collection!

Anyway, I cooked a little this evening after we came home and Ben was dropped off at home and the kids played and fought.  Ben told me that at his friend Matthew’s house he watched The Wizard of the Vase (that’s the wizard of oz to those who don’t understand Ben talk)  he said he liked it and he wasn’t scared of the mean witch.  So funny!

I BBQ’d hamburgers which were much better this time b/c this time I had BBQ sauce in the house.  I put mine in a pita and had it with chumus and it was yummy.  They don’t really do buns in this country so I started putting everything in pitot.  Some things, like hot dogs, you really have to cut and figure out how you are going to smush it in there. 

Tonight, after getting Talia and Ben into Bed (keren is still screaming as I write this, but last night after a scream fest of about 25 minutes she conked out not to be heard from again until 5am!) they were asking me all sorts of questions while I was changing Keren’s bedding.   All of a sudden a whole slew of Hebrew words came to Ben’s mind and he was asking me what they all meant.  He told me that zuz means excuse me.  Not quite but that was cute.  Then he asked me what maspik means.  I told him it meant enough and asked if his morot said that to the kids.  He said yes. 

Tomorrow we have to go to Talia’s school and learn the parsha with her, or something like that.  She gave me an invitation last week and asked if she could go to thing on the invite.  I told her that the invitation was from her, after all, she did sign her name to it, and it was inviting us to her school this Friday.  Of course, she had no clue.  I don’t know if I mentioned it in my last blog, I might have, but she kept asking on Rosh Hashanah if we were giving out shalach manot to people!!  I tried to explain that she’s got the wrong holiday but she kept forgetting.  She has no clue what’s happening in school and so she didn’t know anything about the holiday or the ones coming up.  I will have to teach her at home so she knows what’s flying when it comes to Sukkot.

Just got an invite to lunch thisShabbat.  Yay.  I already did some cooking but this way we’ll have leftovers for the rest of the week.  We also got an invite for Friday night earlier on today but I turned it down.  We are chaning the clocks this weekend so that the fast is shorter on Y”K so starting from next Shabbat we’ll be able to go out again on Friday nights.  It’s just become too much to go out and have the kids up so late.

Ahhh, Keren just stopped crying.  Finally!  I think I am going to go fold the laundry now (it seems I am always doing laundry) and then have an early night.  That’s the plan, at least…

Oh, last thing, I have to give a five minute speech in ulpan on Sunday and I haven’t the slightest clue as to what I am going to talk about.  If anyone has any ideas they can e-mail me!!

So much to write, I don’t know where to start.  I dind’t get a chance to write erev chag so I’ll catch up on Monday.  Sunday night  when we went upstairs to our room and I looked closely, I could see 5 or 6 mosquitoes on our wall by my light!!  I couldn’t believe it.  I guess the plan to leave the windows open during the day completely backfired.   So if you can picture this, I am sitting on Eric’s shoulders and killing the damn things with my sandal.  I got all the ones I could see, so it was better than the night before, but I made black marks on the walls as well.  Oh well.

Monday the kids had no school and neither did I.  Eric let me sleep late since he wasn’t up late working the night before b/c it was Sunday and he wasn’t working later that night either, obviously.  So I woke up around 6ish to nurse Keren but then I went back to sleep until close to 10 with Keren in my bed.  It was great.   When I woke up I saw the next door neighbors’ girls here.  They were playing pretty nicely with Talia and Ben.  They basically played most of the day with Talia between the two houses.

Eric went out around 12 to get the claphs for the mezuzot that we were still missing and to pick up some flowers for the people we were invited to and to get Ben a haircut which I decided, very last minute, he had to have before the new year.  The guy who was supposed to sell us the mezuzah claphim sold them to someone else!!  Eric had been there the day before and had spent around 1000 shekel there and he still sold the ones that he said he was going to make for us!!  Talk about chutzpah!

Ben got a cute haircut although I would have made it shorter had I been there.  I think he’ll need another one in a month.  When they got back Eric dropped Ben at his friend’s house for a little while.

Later on in the day Talia had an appointment to meet with her English teacher for her English chug that’s starting next week.  She is going to have English lessons twice a week!  She wanted to guage her level of reading before she put her in a group.  So we got ready for yom tov and then I took Talia over there to get tested.  She read pretty well.  She didn’t forget anything over the summer and the woman said that she will be in the same group as the girls who are her age who she goes to school with.  So that’s good.

The first night, Monday night, we went to the Zemel’s for dinner.  It was a very nice dinner.  The food was great and it was nice to be with family.  Keren wasn’t the happiest of babies.  She was tired and would have preferred to be asleep in her bed.  So she was kvetchy for the most part.  At one point Ben fell asleep on their couch, of course, but although we brought his PJs, we didn’t put his diaper on him and he wound up PEEING ON THEIR COUCH!!!  Thank goodness it was a leather couch and we just wiped it off.  We felt horrible.  Talia fell asleep at the table after dessert.  She was waiting and waiting until it was desert time and then afer dessert she just put her head right down and fell fast asleep.  So we wound up borrowing 2 strollers and one of the girls pushed one of the kids and Eric and I pushed the other two.  It was like a whole stroller brigade. 

Tuesday morning Eric went to shul and I got the kids out by around 9:50.  We got to shul at 10 and I quickly davened Shacharit.  When I was almost finished the announced that they were taking a break!  It seems that when they wrote on the schedule that they were going to take a break, it meant that everyone goes home or to friends homes and they make kiddush and then they go back to shul a half hour later.  It’s truely the funniest thing.  We ended both days around 12:20/12:30 but we had a break because I guess people can’t wait that long to eat.  Anyway, it was so ridiculous that I went to shul for such a short period of time when I could have waited until the break and then gone to shul with Eric.  This way I could feed Keren later and make it all the way through without having to stop and feed her. 

So anyway, we came home and had kiddush and went back to shul and davened Mussaf.  I held Keren in the Baby Bjorn and she was quiet and slept for most of the time.  The shofar woke her up each time but then she closed her eyes right away again.  By the end she woke up and I had to feed her in the bathroom and Eric knocked when the final sounds were blown so I wouldn’t miss them.  It worked.    The kids were very busy playing and running around and I didn’t see them much during shul.  Talia sat next to me for part of shul when she had had enough playing but for the most part I didn’t see her.   Our seats were really good, as well.  We davened in the downstairs minyan and right in the middle.  Unfortunately, I was sitting with the Spiegelmans and there was someone who was sitting in my seat that didn’t belong there but because Channah takes so many seats, there was a spot for me all the way in and so I got stuck (both days) sitting all the way at the end of the row and it was hard to get in and out.  The advantage to this, though, was that I was next to the mechitzah and I was practically next to the bima and right next to the davening.  So that was nice.

After shul we went to this Israeli couple that heard we were new and figured they would invite us!!  We spoke Hebrew the whole time and we were the only guests so we had to keep up the conversation!!  The husband spoke English but his wife preferred Hebrew.  So we broke our teeth but we had a very nice time.  The husband helped out with some words that we couldn’t put our finger on and conjugated for us when we dind’t know how.  It was fun but there was definitely a lot more that I would have said if I was able to.

After lunch we went home and I fell alseep on the couch while the kids played.  I think Talia wound up next door at some point again.  Eric went to shul and we got ready to go to Channah’s house for dinner. 

Funny Ben story:  While we were home and Eric was in shul and Talia was next door, I was reading a Wiggles book to Ben.  One of the pages was talking about shapes and it asked the question “can you name the shapes?”  Ben said, “yes, Jane, Shalom…”   He was giving each shape its own name instead of telling me what the shapes were.   It was too cute.  I explained what he needed to do and we laughed.

Anyway, dinner was a really nice dairy meal with very nice people.  The kids had a nice time and Ben fell asleep, again, on their couch.  This time we were prepared and I put a diaper on him before he fell asleep.  Eric carried him halfway home and then he wanted to walk the rest of the way. We forgot his crocs there so he walked barefoot.  Luckily he didn’t step in any of the doody that’s all over the place.  People here don’t pick up after their dogs.  It’s gross.

Today I was smart and I davened at home and waited for Eric to come home for kiddush before going to shul for Mussaf.  So we all went to shul together for Mussaf.  Eric took Keren for a bit of the time in shul so that my back could have a rest and then I took her and put her in the Baby Bjorn like yesterday and she slept nicely again.  I had to do a bit of dancing around and I probably looked silly (or like the dancer in the back of the HIR) but it was worth it.  Also, this time I fed her right before I left to shul and I didn’t have to feed her again until we got to Channah’s house.  Gary Wallin davened Mussaf, it was nice.  He was the guy who played our our engagement party.

After shul we went back to Channah’s house for luch.  I fed Keren when we got there and the put her to sleep and she wound up sleeping the entire time we were there.  We were ready to leave and she was stilll sleeping!! Again, it was a very nice meal and the kids had a great time running around.  Ben and Amitai their little boy who’s in kindergarten, walked home from shul together and decided to take a different route than the rest of us and met us there.   They wanted to walk through the playground.  They were funny.

We left Talia there playing with the cool third graders and took a very sad Ben home.  He wanted to stay and play but there was no adult supervision b/c they went to sleep and we didn’t want to leave him there.  So we came home and read some books and Ben fell asleep on the couch for 3 minutes until I woke him and Eric slept on the floor in the living room.  At 5:30 Talia came home, as instructed, and was very upset that she was the only one who had to come home and all the othe girls were allowed to stay.  She said it wasn’t fair!   She’s been saying everything isn’t fair lately.  I let her rant and rave for a bit until she got tired and then I fed the kids and bathed them and put two very tired (but finally clean) Mandel children to sleep.

So that was our yom tov in a nutshell.  Now Eric is working and Keren was sleeping but now she’s awake and I don’t exactly know why.  So she’s hanging out with us.  I have a laundry in the machine that needs to go into the dryer and I need to still take a shower and get the kids sandwiches made for tomorrow.  Short day of school tomorrow and I’m not sure if Talia has swim or not.  It’s my turn to drive and I don’t have room for all the kids in her class in my small car.  Not sure what I’m going to do about it yet.  I thought by now we’d have a bigger car.  We don’t!!

I have to go deal with Keren…

Crazy night last night!!  It wasn’t Keren this time!  It was a couple of mosquitoes!!!!  On Wednesday night last week I got a bunch of bites and I had heard it buzzing around my head in my room.  At one point during the night I turned the lights on and tried to see where it was so I could kill it.  Meanwhile, nothing happened for 2 nights and then last night I heard it again at 2 in the morning.  So this is the scene, Eric went to the bathroom and he comes back in and I have the lights on and I am looking all over for the flipping mosquito/s.  We finally find it and we can’t kill it.  It was the little skinny thing and it would camouflage itself on our headboard and it would take us 10 minutes to find the thing and then we wouldn’t be able to kill it.  This went on and on.  I finally sprayed myself and decided enough was enough and tried to fall asleep under my covers. Then I heard it again!!!  I didn’t want another huge bite on my forehead like I had last week so we took our blankets and our pillows and I slept in Keren’s room and Eric slept in the living room on the couch.  Is that crazy, being thrown out of our room by a couple of mosquitoes.  I don’t know how they got in (we did see more than one) but today we left the screen open in the hopes they would leave and join their friends outside.  So I was tired this morning again!

Keren had her visit to the tipat chalav today.  Eric took her since I was in ulpan.  He said they said she is doing fine.  They gave her 2 shots and he said she screamed and was miserable.  Apparently she had to wait between the two shots and that was very hard for Eric.  He said that she fell asleep in between the two.  He’s never taken the kids to the doctor before and he didn’t enjoy the experience of holding down your child so they can give her a shot.  I don’t know that I’ll get him to go back there for the next shot that she needs.

She was pretty mellow when he brought her back to me in ulpan. 

After school Ben had a playdate come over.  Very cute little boy.  I fed them and they played nicely together for 2 hours.  Talia played with them too.  After 2 hours I asked him how he was and he said he wanted to go home!!  So I called his mom and they came to get him.   Ben can stay at his house the entire day without wanting to come home!  Apparently he has some sort of helicopter that’s remote controlled that he loves playing with.  I think he’s using this boy for his toys.  So we set up a playdate for next Sunday at his house and the following one at our house and so on and so forth.

While they were playing Eric was hanging up the mezuzot (finally got claphim today) and I was unpacking some boxes or really consolidating some boxes and getting them out of Talia’s room.  We had 2 boxes in which we had the contents of our hall closet in America.  Our coats and all that stuff.  So I made it into one neat box and We will keep it all packed up until it gets cold and we need the stuff every day.  Not having a hall closet it hard but if I switch some stuff around I can make the little room we have off the entrance way into a closet for our coats.  I can hang up some hooks, I guess.  My space is not optimized in my house and I have no patience at the moment and no time, for that matter, to deal with it.

Later, after his friend left, Talia and Ben went to drop off a book at some one’s house for me and borrow another 2 for me for the yom tov.  I don’t know when I am thinking I am going to get any reading in but you never know. 

I called Channah and offered my cooking services since we are going there for 2 meals and she said I could make some stuff.  So I sent Eric and his handy assistant, Ben, shopping for some ingredients and Talia, Keren and I hung out at home.  We pumped up the tires in Talia’s bike and she rode around a little in the park area outside our house.  When the boys came home Ben joined and Eric and I sat in the gazebo with Keren and watched the kids. 

Next we had dinner and bathed the kids.  Ben was diagnosed with Moluscum and he and Talia can’t take baths together anymore because it is highly contagious and he probably got it from her when she had it in December.  It doesn’t bother him THAT much.  He is a tough kid and things like that don’t bother him.  Talia was very very bothered by it when she had it but he isn’t too phased.  So we aren’t doing anything about it since the creams that we had for Talia didn’t seem to do much for her when she had it.  The only thing is that because they can’t take a bath together it makes bath time much longer if she doesn’t go into her shower and take a shower while I bathe Ben. Such was the case tonight. She wanted some bath time since she hadn’t had any in a while.  So bath and bedtime took some time tonight.

Little miss Keren also decided she wasn’t going to go to sleep as planned at 8.  So she hung out with Eric while I cooked.  She was miserable and crying until Eric put the TV on for her.  Then she happily sat and watched Max and Ruby while Eric did some work.

Oh, another thing accomplished today, Eric took the broken microwave back and exchanged it for a different one.  They guy in the store said that he was one of four people that have already returned that microwave!

On the Hebrew front, Talia picked up on another couple of words at school today.  The teacher wanted them to do something faster and said “yoter maher” and she understood it from the actions of the other girls in the class and then came home and told me about it and pretty much remembered what the teacher had said.  She almost got it right.  So I was happy because I don’t feel like much is sinking in when it comes to Hebrew with that kid.  I know it’s still early.

Eric just finished unpacking his suitcase and I am hoping that that pesky mosquito is gone now that I left the window screens open this afternoon (although why it would leave is beyond me since it had such a good source of food while it was eating me alive) and I am going to chance it and sleep in my own bed tonight.   If I hear that buzzing sound only once I am going back to the bed in Keren’s room and not going back to my room until the first frost which might be a problem b/c I don’t think it frosts here!

SO I had no time to blog on Friday.  It just got crazy and I decided that I would just wait until tonight instead of rushing through it and leaving stuff out.  I know how dedicated my readers are to my long and drawn out blogs! 

Friday, after I got the kids to school, I came home and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.  Luckily, Keren slept a lot better on Thurs. night and when I came home on Friday morning she happily went into her bed for a nap and I was able to clean the house. 

As soon as the kids came home from school I fed them and dropped Talia off at a friend and went to get Eric at the airport.  Unfortunately, El Al’s website was off an hour and his flight was delayed so instead of getting there right on time for him to walk out, we were there an hour early and we had to wait for a while.  On top of this, i didn’t have any diapers left in my bag for Keren and was basically praying she didn’t make.

Anyway, Ben and I killed the time by buying ice cream and people watching.  There was someone there with her kids who bought a balloon, tied it to a really really long piece of dental floss like string and put a piece of tape on the end of it.  She was sending it up to the ceiling where every one’s balloons were and she was fishing for balloons.  It made for entertainment for us, as well as the other people who were waiting for their loved ones.  Really smart idea.  Ben wants to try it next time. 

Eventually Eric came out and we hightailed it out of there.  I had to get Talia and I felt bad that I left her at her friend’s house for so long and my cousin and his wife were supposed to come over to bring us a gift for Rosh Hashana.  So we came home and Eric unpacked and I threw the chicken in the oven.  My cousins came over and gave us a beautiful honey dish!  We gave them a tour of the house and they left to go to their friends in Modiin for Shabbat.

Ben learned how to say cross your arms in Hebrew in gan.  It’s funny, the words he comes up with that he learns in gan and he remembers.  Today he told me that he knows the Hebrew word Rimon!  Also, Talia didn’t come home for a while tonight and he said, ‘Eipho Talia?”  Talia came home from the candy store that she goes to on Friday straight from school with a slushie and she called it by its Hebrew name, barad.  I told her that she was speaking Hebrew.  She didn’t realize it.

Friday night was the first Shabbat meal where we ate at home since we moved.  It was so nice!  We ate after Eric came home from shul and the kids fell asleep on the couch (Ben) and on the floor (Talia).  It was nice not to have to carry them home for a change.  It rained last night.  It actually poured!  Very exciting.  The only problem is that our bikes and strollers are outside and we have to find something to do with them now.  We will probably buy a shed from Robin and put it in the back and use it to store our things this winter.

Keren was up again last night a lot.  Oh well.  She woke up at 7 and I fed her and then Talia woke up and the at 8 (!!) Ben woke up.  I played with the kids and them gave them breakfast.  Eric got up a little later and went to shul.  The kids played/fought a little and then went to shul and then I went shortly thereafter.  Still can’t get used to the fact that it’s over by 10:30.  I don’t get the appeal, quite frankly.  It makes it so much harder to get there for any davening.  So of course I missed all of shul.  We had made up to meet the couple that we were going to go to for lunch at the park behind the shul.  We didn’t know what they looked like and they didn’t know what we looked like but Talia is in class with their daughter so we let the girls find eachother so we could find them.

We had a very nice meal in their house.  They have a HUGE dog.  It’s either a sheep dog or it just looks like one but it was massive.  Ben was afraid but they put it in the back of the house and he was okay.  Also, they had cats that they had to put away b/c Eric is allergic.  Other than the animals, it really was a nice meal.  They are a very nice family.  While we were there it poured again.  It was one of those days where it was sunny and then pouring and then sunny again.  So we never got stuck in it.  The kids played outside for a while and they came in filthy.  They were full of mud.  I was angry at Talia b/c she was wearing a nice outfit and I feel like she needs to start taking care of her nice Shabbat clothing. 

Anyway, we came home and Eric and Keren napped and I watched the kids play/fight and then around 4:30 they want tot he park and I finished my book.  Now I need a new one before Rosh Hashana.   Ben came home a little while later and I fed him dinner and Talia didn’t show up until shabbat was almost over.  We told her that she has to come home earlier than that next time!  Eric got her a watch but he’s yet to finish unpacking and he is worried that he doesn’t remember packing it and it might be in his car in America.  I am hopeful it will show up in one of his suitcases.

We got a babysitter for tonight b/c we had a Bar Mitzvah tonight.  That’s right, we are hanging with the older crowd!  We have another 2 coming up!!  This couple lives accross the street from us and they are very nice.  She explained the whole Tipat Chalav institution when we first move in and told me where to go.  They have a little boy a little bit older than Keren is.  We’ve decided they’ll get married one day.  On the yishuv the kids tend to marry eachother.  So who knows, it might happen.  It was a havdallah and a melava malka.  It was very nice.  The ice cream and cheese cake were definitely highlights of the simcha.

Now we are home and I am zonked and I still have ulpan homework that I may or may not do.  The people who we ate at today didn’t have any AC and for some reason they had no breeze.  We were dripping wet when we left.  Keren is a llittle schvitzer and her hair was soaked aslo.  We left our AC on but when we came home we opened up all the windows and it was gorgeous.  So we need showers now.  So I am off. 

Oh, one thing that I forgot to mention last week is that when Eric was in Ny I called the guy to come and hang up all of our pictures and he came and did it.  So when Eric came home he was surprised to see the pictures all hung up.  The house looks like a home now.  It looks really nice.  It’s also nice to see the pictures up that we haven’t hung up since we moved out of Riverdale!

Well, Keren was up again last night.  I think she was up 3 times, actually!!!  At least I got to sleep early enough that when she woke up the first time at 12, it didn’t really bother be because I had already slept for a couple of hours and it felt like the middle of the night to me and not the beginning of the night.

Before ulpan I found the store that’s down the block from Talia’s school where she goes on Friday to buy herself a treat with her own money and I got myself a yummy iced coffee.  It’s more of a smoothie that’s a coffee flavor.  I brought it with me to ulpan.  I have to show it to Eric when he comes back.  Definitely the highlight of my morning.

Ulpan wasn’t so easy today with Keren.  Geri, the grandmother who loves Keren and hold her a lot of the time, didn’t show up again today!  So I had her all to myself and that proved to be a bit difficult at times.  I look forward to the upcoming weeks when Eric will be home and he’ll be able to take her off my hands for part of the time.

On my way to get Ben today I ran into my friend Robin.  She said, “are you writing about me in your blog?”  She had heard from my cousin and Eric’s grandmother that she is in the blog.  I said, “absolutely!”  It was funny.

After Ben finished school I picked him up and we went to the supermarket in Modiin.  Unfortunately, even though I’ve been there a least 5 times and even driven there once before on my own, I missed one of the turns and then couldn’t get back to where I needed to be and we were driving around for a long time and Keren was screaming in the car (as she loves to do) for most of it.    So that wasn’t fun.  During the time we were in the car I noticed that Ben hadn’t eaten his cucumbers.  I asked him why he didn’t eat them in school and he said that the teachers that spoke only Hebrew were there today and that he didn’t know how to open the bag (I use the cheap bags and tie knots in them) and he didn’t know how to ask her help   So every day we try to have a word of the day here and today’s word of the day was poteach (open) so that it won’t happen again.  I also told him that he should have just brought her the bag and she probably would have figured it out.  Well, I opened the bag for him and he didn’t even want them in the end.  Maybe the whole story was made up, who knows. 

Once I did get to the supermarket it was great b/c the supermarket there is like a big Stop & Shop.  It’s big and clean and open and totally worth of extra 12 mins or so that it takes to get there.  We bought tons of stuff and came home and started cooking for Shabbat. 

Talia came home shortly after.  She had swim today and said that it was great.  About 10 minutes after she came home the girl that I have coming to help her with her homework and speak to her and play games with her in Hebrew came over.  That was really great.  She played with her and they did homework together and Talia had a great time.  Ben even got in on the action as well.  Then I fed the 3 of them and they played some more and then she left.  She is a real sweetheart and even if this doesn’t help Talia’s Hebrew and I have to get someone else to tutor her (a grown up) I think that I’ll have her come as long as she wants to b/c it allows me the opportunity to get stuff done around the house on a Thursday afternoon!

Talia has become very good at jumping rope.  She has 2 jump ropes and she brings them to school now every day.  If she doesn’t learn anything this year at least she’ll have learned how to jump rope!  It’s the cutest thing.  I will take a video of her and post it as soon as we get high speed internet and I can actually do it.  She we were jumping rope for a while this evening until I finally dragged her inside and into the shower.

Got the kids into bed early again tonight and even Keren, after screaming for a while in bed, is fast asleep now, at least for the time being.

Thanks to my hubby for giving my blog a much needed face lift!!

Looooong night last night.  I think I fed Keren around 11 and then I couldn’t fall asleep for a while.  Then around 1:30 Ben woke up and wanted to sleep with me.  We compromised that he would take Eric’s blanket down with him to his room.  I hope Eric isn’t planning on using his blanket when he comes home!  Next Talia woke up just as I was falling back asleep around 2 and said that she couldn’t sleep.  I told her to just lay in bed and think about stuff until she did.  So she did.  Nex thing I know Keren was waking up, although I can’t remember what time and then she woke up again at around 5ish.  So at that point I brought her into bed with me and went back to sleep with her.  She talked and talked and talked until I nursed her and fell back to sleep again.  Then Talia came in some time beofre 7.  What a night!

Today we decided to walk Ben to school first.  It makes more sense that way but when he takes his bike it’s straight up hill that way so we usually go to Talia first and then we don’t have any hills.  Anyway, we walked half way and Talia said she would stay in the park with Keren b/c I had to double back that was anyway to go to her school.  When I got there she said not to kill her, that she had forgotten to put the shorts under her skirt that she needs to wear for gym!!  So she wanted me to go back and get them.  So I walked her to the corner of her school and went back home and then back to her school and then to ulpan.  I was exhausted by the time I got to ulpan and had no time to review my notes from the day before like I usually do.  Anyway, it all worked out for the best because when I was looking for her shorts I found a pair of Keren’s pants that I had mistaken for Talia’s Pjs and I have been looking for them for 2 months now.  She’s probably grown out of them by now anyway but it was driving me nuts as to where they could have gone.

After school today Ben wanted to go to his friend Effie’s house or he wanted Effie to come to us.  His mom said that she didn’t think that he would come to our house by himself and she had to get her son from his school and maybe we should just both go there.  So I took Ben and Keren and I stayed.  It was nice b/c they were on the same flight here as us (although they don’t have their lift yet, poor people) and it was nice trading stories.  She has 5 kids under the age of 6, brave woman, and they just built a new beautiful house.  So it was a nice afternoon.

At 3:30 we went to the doctor for Ben.  He has these things on his chest that started to itch him and they were multipying.   Unfortunately, the doctor said that it looks like a case of moluscum, which Talia has had before, and there is nothing to do but wait.  It is highly contagious and so muy cousin was not too happy to hear about it when I called to tell her about it since the kids had bathed together more than once since we are here.  Oops!  So Talia met us at the doctor’s office since she had a long day of school today and we all walked back home (across the street) together.

I made schnitzel for dinner and the kids got showered and bathed and into bed by 7!  Yay!!  First early night in a while.  I had to wake Ben up for school today and I don’t want to have to do that again tomorrow.  They each have a cough, Ben’s is worse, and I want them to get their sleep so they can get better.   

Today was a big day for me in terms of finding things that I thought were lost for good.  When I was tucking Talia in, I noticed a box within a box and I stuck my hand in and couldn’t figure out what was inside.  When I looked in the light I saw that it was my missing box of hats that I was looking for sice Keren was born.  I have about 30 sun hats for her, one cuter than the next, that I couldn’t find when we were packing up the attic and I never thoght I would see again.  Sure enough, they were right there.  I don’t know where they came from!!  I never noticed that box before.  I am so excited to start trying them on her tomorrow

I don’t know if I mentioned that I found 2 cassette players and I found some old cassettes that I used to listen to in high school of Mendy Wald, Avraham Fried, etc, and the kids love to listen to them while they are falling asleep.  It’s become the new routine for them.  Ben especially loves to pick his tape for the night and listen to it. 

I’m going to pack the kids’ lunch for tomorrow and get Talia’s swim stuff ready for her chug tomorrow and head in early myself tonight.  That’s the plan, at least…

Well, Keren did a little better last night but not teriffic.  I think she must be growing b/c she wants to eat a lot at night.  Not sure.  I hope that’s what it is, anyway.  We are going to the doctor next Monday so we’ll find out how she’s doing.

Typical morning at the Mandel house.  Woke up, ate, got the kids off to school without complaint and went to ulpan.  within the first 45 minutes of ulpan the contractor called me and told me that the electrician was waiting at my house!  So I ran out of class and let him in and waited for him to finish what he needed to do so that Bezeq can come back and hook up our phones (although first they have to dig up the sidewalk) and then I ran right back to class.  A real pain!!  Also, Keren was not on her best behavior during ulpan and I had to walk out of the room a couple of times with her!  She eventually fell asleep in my arms and I could pay attention.  I feel like I might have missed some important stuff today.  The woman in ulpan who loves Keren and plays with her all the time b/c she misses her grandson in America came in today with the cutest little socks for her!  She told me they were a present for her and not for Keren or for me.  Then she said she would be the one to put them on her when she held her.  Too funny.  I thanked her and gave Keren to her.

Today Ben had his cooking chug in the afternoon.  I picked him up and then went to another school to pick another boy up and took them to the chug.  Then I came home and waited for Talia to come home.  She came home and we did homework together.  We had a lot of reading to do and I was very frustrated at times.  What else is new?  Eric says I shouldn’t become a teacher, I have no patience.  At one point I started banging my head on the table (I think my mom used to do that when helping me with math homework, I was not a math superstart) and Talia started to cry!  I think she thought I was mad at her.  I told her I wasn’t, that I was just tired from my day at school (true) and we started again.  Eventually she got it.

After Ben’s chug was over I picked him up and came home with him.  He baked honey cake and read a story about Poo and something about a bunny living in a hole.  I’m not sure.  He explained it all to me.  Anyway, he had a blast there again.

We all drove to Talia’s art chug around the corner b/c I wanted to go to the makolet anyway after I dropped her off and she wanted me to drive her anyway.  So we made the 30 second trip and we bumped into Robin Zemel and she took Ben home with her to play with Matan.  So Keren and I went to the makolet and picked up some french fries and other necessities. 

I went home and prepared for our BBQ.  I had forgotten that my friend Pesha from Modiin was going to come over with her kids tonight after her daughter’s swim chug on the yishuv.  So I cut up some veggies and threw the fries in the oven.  Talia came home and they came over shortly after and then Ben came home and I made my first ever BBQ.  I called Eric to ask him how to use the thing and he explained it to me (not rocket science) and I did it!  The hot dogs were delicious!!  Pesha was excited b/c they were American hot dogs, even if I did serve Israeli Osem ketchup with them.

Got the kids in the bath and to sleep by 7:30 and cleaned up and did my homework (with the help of my cousin for the latter) and I am ready to head up for the night.  I am exhausted!!  A lot of running around today and Keren didn’t sleep much so I had her on my hip most of the day.  I can’t leave her on the floor anymore b/c she rolls onto her belly and then gets stuck and cries.  It seems she’s forgotten how to roll back over even though she knew how to roll that way first.  I tried to get her in for a nap and after 30 mins I took her out of her crib and she looked so pathetic with the red eyes and red nose! 

One quick thing to mention, my microwave is broken!!  I can’t figure it out.  It started to smoke before Eric left and I just figured it was b/c it was dirty b/c it has a grill feature in it and there’s a coil on top but then when I tried to use it yesterday it started to smoke like crazy and then it wouldn’t heat the food up.  So now I have to live without a microwave and it’s very painful.  When Eric comes back he’ll take it back to the store where we got it or call them or something.  We might need help on this one.  I might have to call my cousin and ask her assistance.  I better clean it first!  One step forward, two steps back.  That’s the theme so far that I’ve found in this country. 

Oh, and today there was a lot of shooting nearby.  I am not sure if they were using rubber bullets or what but we heard the shots and saw the smoke and I actually saw two figures running away!!!  CRAZY!!!

So today I had no ulpan in the morning and thought it was going to be a little relaxing.  It wasn’t. 

This morning, after a sleepless night (Keren was up at 11:30, 2:30 and 5:30!!!) I decided to drive the kids to school instead of walk b/c we were late but also because I wanted to go shopping afterwards.  Keren is always awake when I take the kids and I take her with me even when Eric is home.  Of course he’s not home today and today she decided to sleep in.  I am sure she was exhausted from a crazy night last night.  So I woke her up,  dropped the kids off and ran to Modiin to pick up some fruits and vegetables. 

I came back and fed Keren and put her in for a nap and then started to clean up and cook since I am having my granmother, great aunt, their brother and wife over for lunch.  I also had to make something for dinner for my cousin and her daughter who are coming for dinner tonight.  She wanted me to come to her but I thought it would be easier for me for her to come here.  I don’t like getting home late with the kids and having to carry them up the stairs myself if they fall asleep in the car.  I would rather go out there on a week that Eric is home so he can have the house to himself while he works and when we come home he can carry the kids.

While I was cooking I got a call from Talia’s school that I mixed up the sandwhiches and Talia wound up with one of hers and one of Ben’s.  So I had to make Talia a new sandwhich since she doesn’t like Ben’s cream cheese and jelly and bring it over to her school.  I told her to eat the other sandwhich I made her and then later on in the day I would bring her a new one.  I waited for Keren to wake up and went over there to drop it off and then came home and cooked some more. 

After I picked Ben up from school he had some lunch and we played a couple of games and then my grandmother, grandfather (quite the surprise) and great aunt came with my great uncle and aunt who are visiting from Milwakee who I never see except at Simchas.  It was very nice, except for the part where my grandmother insisted on showing the the entire house and it’s kind of a mess upstairs.  They brought little toys for the kids and the kids had a great time, especially because my grandfather came also and he never comes over when my grandmother comes.  Ben was at his side practically the whole time and my grandfather was in great spirits.

My cousin came over as they were leaving so they shmoozed a little bit and then they all left and it was round two.  The kids played  a little bit and then we had some yummy dinner.  Somthing finally turned out right that I made.   So we ate and then put the kids in the bath (pictures to follow when I can upload them) and then I tucked the kids in and she helped me clean up and then she left.

It was a very busy day today but it was a lot of fun.  I am looking forward to a calmer day tomorrow and looking forward to ulpan again.  I better go do my homework!  Hopefully we all sleep tonight.