Happy New Year

In all honesty, there were only 2 things that reminded me of the new year - the first was all the administrative stuff I need to do and the second is the fact that they just announced on TV that people aren't allowed to have parties tonight in Beer Sheva, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Kiryat Malachi, Sderot, etc. etc... The first of January here is just that. Kids go to school (except for in all of the above-mentioned places in which school was cancelled, because you can't really have school when there are air raid sirens going off and rockets falling in schools... well, you can, but I'm guessing most of the kids would suddenly seem like they have ADD, not to mention the parents who wouldn't send them in the first place...) and everything's open just like every other day.

In any case, for all of you who do celebrate, Happy New Year.

Let's hope this new year brings some peace and quiet.

Boom.

I know, I know. Updating this blog isn't happening nearly as often as it should... I think that's because it's going to take some time to get to the Despite Motherhood part of my life. I guess that's what happens when you choose to be a WAHM (work at home mom) to a baby (now 9-1/2 months) and to a few other kids who come home any time between 1:30 and 4 and have busy lives of their own. Next year I'm planning a whole month of vacation (from work) once Yirmi starts going to daycare. But all this is actually not the point...

The point is this. Rockets are exploding all over the place. The last one just hit Beer Sheva. It doesn't scare me, but it's closer to home - Ohad spends a few days a week in Beer Sheva and his sister lives there... It is very strange to go on living normally when so many other people in the country can't.

Things I've done (a list)

I stole this from Nancy. You copy the list and then color the ones you've done.

The ones I'm sure about I painted purple and the ones I'm not sure about are green.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang/played a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (the infamous peanut butter ecoli. Wanted.To.Die.)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (not a long one, but a dinner cruise)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Made a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Leave a comment to tell me you've posted yours!

Hadas's dorm room

A few weeks ago, we took the whole gang and went to visit Hadas one evening after Shabbat.

Yirmi was asleep in the car, so Ohad stayed with him and the rest of us went to see Hadas's palace...

Her room number is 18 - Chai...

From left to right - Hadas, Matan, Abigail, Lilach and Nomi.

In the background, Hadas's Sesame Street pillowcase.

The room is not so small (according to Hadas) and she likes living there and gets along well with her roommates.

Teeth grinding

That's what Yirmi, sitting on my lap as I type with one hand, is doing.

With his THREE teeth.

In other news, my mom is back from her trip to Vietnam & Cambodia. Welcome home!

My little Kamikaze

Ohad took Yirmi (just 9 months) out to the swings this morning - and this is what he did:



(Don't worry, Ohad was right there keeping him safe.)

Tagged...

You know it's bad when you've been tagged for a meme, you rush to fill it out and you don't even have time to copy-paste it into a post...

My life is beyond hectic and it's going to have to calm down soon because I don't enjoy living with such high stress levels. I can't say much, but I can say that I've been spending my time having 4-5 meetings PER WEEK with pyschologists, psychiatrists, school staff, social workers, welfare, and professionals who do what they call here psychodidactic testing (for learning disabilities, including those that stem from emotional causes). At least I haven't been to the police station since Rosh Hashana...

Ohad and I are trying to remember what "fun" was. At this point it seems a somewhat distant memory.

But anyway, I was tagged for a meme (ugh, sorry, by now I don't remember by whom) and, as always, the timer's about to go BING and I'll have to be busy with something else, so here it is (from last Monday afternoon):

1. Where is your cell phone? On my desk
2. Where is your significant other? In the park with the three little ones
3. Your hair color? Brown (with a little gray)
4. Your mother? In Vietnam, guiding a Kosher tour.
5. Your father? I don’t know. Couldn’t get him on the phone an hour ago.
6. Your favorite thing? Sleep. (But that’s just now, when I’m sleep-deprived.)
7. Your dream last night? Don’t remember, but usually they’re very amusing.
8. Your dream/goal? To make enough money so that once the kids move out we can just enjoy being together (and traveling)
9. The room you’re in? Our office.
10. Your hobby? Who has time?
11. Your fear? Someone believing anything psycho-ex has to say.
12. Where do you want to be in six years? Less stressed and not tripping on toys.
13. Where were you last night? At home.
14. What you’re not? Overly patient.
15. One of your wish list items? Silence. Or time. I can’t decide.
16. Where you grew up? USA (until age 16)
17. The last thing you did? Designed a screen.
18. What are you wearing? Jeans & a sweatshirt.
19. Your T.V.? CSI, Law & Order.
20. Your pets? Cat and turtle
21. Your computer? Dell Inspiron 6000
22. Your mood? Decent.
23. Missing someone? Time alone with Ohad. And my mom (who’s in Vietnam)
24. Your car? A VW bus - red
25. Something you’re not wearing? Boots. I can’t get the point when it never gets cold here.
26. Favorite store? Anywhere I can find really good bargains.
27. Your Summer? LA was awesome.
28. Love someone? Definitely.
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today, for sure. I laugh EVERY day.
31. Last time you cried? Monday?

I tag everyone who reads this blog (is that 7?)