The Last Night

We had so much fun lighting our menorahs, cooking and eating our greasy latkes and sufganiyot, spinning our dreidels, dancing at Chanuka parties and even getting a few presents. We were sad to see Chanuka go, but are already looking forward to Tu b'Shvat!

Chef Sruli at Work

Sruli's special Chanuka gan started a little later in the morning, so we used the time to fry up the doughnuts we made the night before. I added in ribat chalav (duche de leche) and Sruli spread a little strawberry jelly in his. They were delish!

Yummmm!

Here we are enjoying our first jelly doughnuts of Chanuka. Yum!

The First Night of Chanuka

We were so excited to light the menorah on the first night and to watch the oil burn. We had fun taking walks outside after we lit to look at all of the menorahs in the windows. It's great to be in Jerusalem for Chanuka - menorahs outside in glass cases by doorways and in nearly every apartment, and no x-mas decorations in sight. We loved eating our latkes and doughnuts that we made together, too.

Chanuka Party Performance

VIDEO:

I know Chanuka is over, but you can relive the excitement watching these 13 seconds of Sruli's gan Chanuka party performance. Sorry, the card on the video recorder was full. Of course, the actual live performance was much better, but you get the idea.

Chanukah is in the Air!

Sruli and Kayla have been busy at home and in gan getting ready for Chanukah. Kayla came home today with a "frying pan" full of jelly donuts that looked almost good enough to eat. We might have to try our hand at making our own sufganiyot, jelly donuts, this year. Sruli made a "Chanukah Man" with a jug of oil for a head, candles for his arms and gelt for his legs.
They are both learning so much about Chanukah. When I asked them who won the war, the Jews or the Greeks, Sruli's answer was, "Hashem!" We are all getting very excited for next week....

Bad to the Bone

After a brief hiatus, Woozy Shmoozy has recovered from her stomach bug, b"H. Since I know that all you "fans" out there really come to check out the kinderlach photos, I hope these latest will satisfy you for the time being.

Here they are attempting to ride Sruli's bike/motorcycle together.

Gettin' Long in the Tooth

Well, Chevy's really growing up. If you look closely (get out the magnifying glass) at the picture on the left, you can see Chevy's 2 first bottom teeth. In typical Chevy fashion, we didn't even know she was teething until, one day, there they were. We'll be giving her steak in no time.

You're Never Too Young...

Here are my 2 reliable "babysitters." Sruli and Kayla take their jobs very seriously - and literally. They bring over their chairs and then sit by the baby. They know to give Chevy a "teeth toy" and to try to make her smile when she cries. Now, I wonder how long until I can leave them alone...?

Baking 101

While I was making the rolls for our tuna hoagies, I used some of the dough to make a pull-apart challah, pictured above. The rest of the dough went to Sruli and Kayla, who had a great time shaping their own bread. Of course, then I ran out of dough, so I had to sift more flour and pop another batch into the breadmachine. And then while I had the flour out, I decided to bake more of The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World, since I, umm, finished the rest of them yesterday. All in all, the baking was a great activity as it kept us all happy and busy. And the eating wasn't too bad either.

Off the Charts

Chevy had a check-up this morning and, b"H, she's growing nicely. She hardly made a peep when she got her shot and even the nurse commented on how "good-natured" she was. We don't know where she gets her easy-going personality, but we hope it lasts! She's 66 cm (26 in) and 7.45 kilo (16.39 lbs.) for all who wanted to know, bli ayin hara, poo poo poo.

Is There a Doctor in the House?

The dentist has been visiting our house quite frequently. Every night, actually.
After struggling with the kids for a number of weeks to brush their teeth, I came upon the idea of pretending to be a dentist. At bedtime, the kids take turns seeing the dentist, who speaks with a horrible English accent and is mysteriously able to detect all of the treats they ate that day while cleaning their teeth.
I'm not sure which requires more imagination - that I could be a medical professional or that a trip to the dentist could be fun.

Hangin' Out

Chevy's getting bigger, b"H, and is quite a cute distraction when I'm supposed to be working.

Picnic in the Park

This is the only acceptable way to eat Potato Rings snacks. We stopped in the park on our way home from gan (playgroup) on Friday for a little picnic. As you can see, the weather here is still pretty mild.

The Magnificent Menu - Third Course

Here is this week's menu, in the hope that someone might find it useful for their own meal-planning. By the way, the dinners are geared to what is in season and available in my neck of the woods - Jerusalem.

Sunday:
Cranberry Chicken (very good and very easy - the kind of recipe you're actually embarassed to give)
Challah Kugel and Cholent (leftover from Shabbos)
Rice (I know, a lot of starches...)

Monday:
Baked Salmon
Quinoa with Green Peas
Sauteed Beet Greens with Raisins and Red Onion
Caramelized Butternut Squash Cubes

Tuesday:
Split-pea Soup (bought from a friend who started a soup-making business)
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-fry
Rice

Wednesday:
Tuna Hoagies (with cheese, tomatoes, pickles, olives and red onion)
Homemade Rolls (breadmachine, obviously)
Salad

Thursday:
Baked Ziti (if it ain't broke, don't fix it)
Garlic bread (from yesterday's rolls)
Salad

Not to worry. I know, it's Thanksgiving in the US this week. We'll be adding turkey to the cholent on Shabbos.

Nature Walk Project

Here we are assembling the specimens we collected on our nature walk to and from the park on Sunday. We had a lot of fun looking for flowers, leaves and acorns in interesting shapes and colors. And we reminded eachother not to put the berries in our mouths because they have "chemicals" and could give us a very big tummy-ache.

Caterpillar Project

Wednesday's afternoon activity was making caterpillars. The kids painted egg cartons (and the bathroom sink, kitchen towels, their arms, etc.) and after letting them dry, we put pipe-cleaners in for the legs. Sruli also added pipe-cleaner arms and hair to his furry caterpillar.

The Magnificent Menu - Second Course

I know it's a little late, but while the challahs are baking I wanted to post the menu I made for this week. I can't express enough how much easier having a menu has made all the dinner prep. I am sold on the idea and hope to continue this new-found good habit, b"eH.

You'll notice that a number of the dishes at the beginning of the week are from Shabbos. There is actually a concept that's popular now called OAMC, or Once A Month Cooking. People who do this set aside one day a month for an all-day cooking session to prepare large quantities of dishes they will freeze and serve throughout the month.

Cooking extra for Shabbos is a similar idea, only on a weekly level. Either you're prepared for unexpected company, as some of us are fortunate to have regularly (I guess that makes them expected, then), or you have leftovers for weekdays. Basically, you just make more of what you're planning on making for the Shabbos meals and carry the extras over into the week to make life a little easier.

Highlights from the menu below were the squash soup, the dinner rolls and the cookies. The rolls were unbelievable - "light, fluffy, pieces of heaven" as we termed them. I found the recipe on my favorite recipe site, http://www.recipezaar.com/. They are the top-rated breadmachine roll, and for good reason. The chocolate chip cookies were possibly the best I have ever made. I finally followed my sous-chef's advice and made sure not to overcook them. Two words - yuh mee.

Sunday:
Shabbos Leftovers (chicken, zucchini, rice)

Monday:
Apricot Chicken (Easy and the kids like it)
Corn Salad with red pepper and peas (from Shabbos)
Apple Cranberry Bake (from Shabbos)

Tuesday:
Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup
Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon
Bulgur and Lentil Salad with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms (I must admit, it sounds better than it tasted)

Wednesday:
Sloppy Joes on Homemade Dinner Rolls (made in the breadmachine)
Mashed Potatoes
Greenbeans
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thursday:
Pasta
Salad

The Renaming of this Blog

I thought I was so creative with my former blog title, "A Mom with a View."
Until yesterday.
I happened to be reading an article on Aish.com and noticed that an author has a blog there - by the very same name!
I obviously had the phrase in the recesses of my subconscious from having seen it on the site earlier. Oh well, I guess it's just another sign I'm getting older.
Anyway, credit goes to my clever husband for the new title. I must say, I like it more than the original. It makes me smile every time I hear it!

The Load of Laundry

Can’t wait any longer, the situation is urgent;
The hamper’s overflowing and we’re out of detergent.
Tomato sauce, green paint, blue ink and soil;
Glue, orange juice, chocolate pudding and oil.
I soak then I spray.
I pre-treat and I pray.
Pajamas, pants, skirts, a child’s smock,
Towels, linens, shirts, a lone sock.
Colors, gentles, whites and darks,
Bleach and Oxygen to remove all marks.
The stain is out, no more ring around the collar;
Only the remains of a tissue and wrinkled dollar,
Hanging and drying, then sorting and folding,
Emptying baskets, putting away clothing.
Day after day, there is no end or beginning.
Like the last cycle, my head is spinning.
But when it comes down to it, although it’s a chore,
I smile as I collect the dirty clothes from the floor;
These outfits were worn by the ones I adore,
And because of that, I’ll be glad to do more.

An Epiphany

I had a momemt of clarity this morning.
Israel is not known for its smooth and efficient governmental processes. Things here run by Bureaucracy with a capital B.

We recently took Kayla to the ER because of a scare regarding her breathing in the middle of the night. Thank G-d she was ok, but then we had a problem because she was temporarily off our (national) insurance plan. So we have been trying to work things out between the National Insurance Agency, our specific health plan and, eventually, the hospital.

Well, after waiting on the phone for a long while (a few times), taking trips to offices and speaking with different reps, it seems that things might be worked out. And that's just to get Kayla on the plan. We're not talking about reimbursement for the hefty hospital bill, yet.

But I realized - for all the grumbling and complaining - maybe this is how it's supposed to be.

Nobody here puts too much stock in the government solving their personal problems. While you're waiting on the line, you're praying that everything be resolved. And when, in the end, things finally are - you know Who really did it.

After

Before

Move Over Frederic Fekkai

Some people say having a daughter is fun because you can dress her up like a cute, little doll. I say having a daughter is fun because you can cut her hair like a Barbie Styling Head.

I made that mistake once. I was about 7 and thought the hair would grow back on my first Barbie doll. Now I'm not worried, because I know Kayla's hair will grow if I suffer any slip ups with the scissors.

Check out the "Before & After" shots. Wait, I think I hear my phone ringing. It must be Jennifer Aniston calling for an appointment....

Chevy Doodle

Yocheved (Chevy for short) was nicknamed "Chevy Doodle" by Kayla and it sort of stuck.