Thursday, February 18, 2010

To My Cooking/Baking Friends

Couple questions....

I need a simple pasta salad recipe. Something yummy for Seudah Shlishi.

Since graham cracker crusts are hard to come by in Israel, I need an easy recipe for an equivalent crust. This is for a chocolate mousse type pie.

I have lots of leftover pieces of puff pastry dough (that we use for deli roll). What can I do with them? Preferably something desserty. Like cinnamon rolls or involving chocolate?

Last one, I need a good zucchini kugel/quiche/pashtida recipe. I was never into zucchini but I've tasted some REALLY good ones since we moved here!

Thanks to all my excellent cooking and baking friends!!!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Olympics

Does anyone know when figure skating is supposed to be on? (In Israel) And what channel (on HOT)?
Or is there somewhere I can watch it online? I LOVE figure skating!!!

Also, any other suggestions on what to watch. There's no gymnastics.....

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Need Stroller Advice

I'm posting this blog for my friend who is going to have a baby in a few months, IYH, Bshaa Tova. She has asked me to be her "doula" for the birth, which as many of you know is my dream!!!

Anyway, she is a new mom-to-be and on the hunt for the Perfect Stroller. Remember that?

Her parents will be bringing it from the States - along with a car seat. So now I need your suggestions, recommendations, good points, bad points, all the stuff you can share about your stroller(s) experiences!

Here are the things that she is looking for.....

- Folds up nicely to fit in their teeny trunk.

- Basket on bottom

- Car seat can snap on stroller

- Lightweight

- Affordable (?) Give your suggestions either way on this one.

Thanks!!!!!

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Potty Training - Day #2

WARNING: This blog may contain some details that may be shocking in nature. If you have never potty trained a child, you may not want to continue reading. :)

We sent Sammy off to daycare today equipped with about 6 pairs of pants and 6 pairs of underwear.
On the way there (we drop off Jonah first at Gan and then go to Sammy's daycare), Sammy had an accident. So we changed him at Jonah's Gan.

We got to daycare and dropped him off with explanations to Sammy about how to tell them he has to go in Hebrew and with wishes of good luck and success to his teachers.

When I went to go pick him up, Shauli and I took bets on how many changes of clothes he had gone through. Gosh, aren't we supportive parents? I was dreading them handing me a bag full of dirty clothes reeking of pee and poop.

But when I got there, his teacher looked up and said oh, he was great. I said, what do you mean? Sammy ran over to me and he was wearing the same clothes I sent him in!! His teacher said he did not have a single accident but he also did not pee at the potty when they sent him. Basically, he held it in until naptime. When they took off his diaper after naptime, it was FULL of pee and some poop.
Later that afternoon, his teacher walked into the bathroom and saw Sammy sitting on the potty. He had gone in there all by himself, taken off his pants and underwear, sat down, and pooped. LOL!!!
So she cleaned him up, brought him out, and all the kids clapped and said "Kol HaKavod or Congratulations!!!"
No accidents the rest of the afternoon. When I asked Sammy why he didn't pee on the potty, he said there are no dogs on it. We have a potty seat at home with pictures of dogs. Ok......

So that was exciting and I thought to myself on the way home, wow that was easy.
I should have known better.

We got home and asked Sammy if he wanted to sit on the potty, he respectfully declined.
10 minutes later, asI was doing laundry and Shauli was about to leave, Shauli said, "It smells in here, I think one of the kids pooped." I said "Please don't let it be Sammy."
It was Sammy.
Thank G-d for my fantastic husband who stuck around and changed him (as opposed to running out the door, pretending like he didn't smell anything). Don't worry, I didn't make him do it all. I was lucky enough to wash off the poopy underwear while gagging. Ew.

And now he is back in underwear. At least until the next accident.....

Is it wrong to want to send him to daycare in underwear and put him in a diaper when he gets home?
Let me rephrase that. I know it is not wrong to want it but is it wrong to actually do it......?

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Thankful

I'd like to take a moment to be thankful for the good things in my life. Big and Small. Many of which I take for granted, or I don't see them for the blessings that they are.

One of my Facebook statuses last week was something about how I feel that all I do is work, take care of my children, and do laundry. After seeing some other friend's statuses or hearing some not such great news about others, I should have said - Thank G-d, I work, take care of my children, and do laundry.

One friend was just able to take her little daughter out of the hospital. She has health problems and was hospitalized for what they thought was a virus but it was an infection - scary stuff. I don't know many details because my updates were really through Facebook but when it involves little children and hospitals, it's scary.

I just got an e-mail that a girl I grew up with (who is a little younger than me) was recently diagnosed with cancer. I don't know any details - just that people were asked to say Tehillim for her. She is married and has a young daughter.

Another close friend of mine had a baby (as you probably saw on my Facebook) while she was visiting the States and only 27 weeks along in her pregnancy! She and her husband are now in Florida for the next few months dealing with all the issues that come along with having a preemie baby. They spend their days back and forth to the hospital and are overjoyed every chance they have to hold their baby.

I could go on and on. I am sure we all know people, or maybe are those people, going through those tough times in life. Or maybe we have had them in the past. Please G-d, let's hope not to face them in the future.

But this week I hope to have a new outlook. When I start to get stressed about no money in the bank (and why are we not allowed a "minus" like all the other Israelis), I have to remind myself - thank G-d, we can put food on our table. We somehow managed to buy the groceries this week- and even had Shabbas guests! When I am stressed about not paying the bills on time - well, according to a friend - many people are a month late, don't worry about it!! Not that I plan to always live like this. But we take it day by day. Step by step. We have a roof over our heads and food on the table. Those are the essentials.

Thank G-d Almighty, my kids are just battling colds here and there. Kayla may be small but she is VERY healthy and active as anything! Thank G-d for our health.

As I trip over the kid's toys or put in load after load of laundry, I need to say Thank G-d. There are people out there who would do anything to have kid's toys to trip over. And I am lucky enough to have 3 wonderful, healthy, awesome children.
Sammy started potty training this afternoon - and it was actually kind of amusing. He had 2 accidents but then he made it to the potty twice. And not only that, but Jonah and Kayla all trooped in with him when he sat on the potty. After he peed, we all did the potty dance (yes, we had Shabbat guests at the table but this was a big deal). And Sammy kept singing the potty song afterwards. I was SOOOO proud of him. His brother was so proud of him. Kayla was just happy that her brothers were happy. And Sammy was proud of himself! If the worst thing I have to wash this week are some peed on pants and underwear (I'm really hoping for no #2 accidents), life ain't too bad.
:)

I had some friends over tonight and we watched the movie "Motherhood". We are all either mothers or soon-to-be mothers. There were many times in that movie where we all nodded our heads or laughed in agreement. Been there!!! We ate snacks, ordered pizza, and just hung out.
A few of the girls stayed afterwards while we relived and laughed about our HORRIBLE birth experiences! Obviously, the mom-to-be's were gone by then. But if you had told me while I was going through some of the most emotional, painful, amazing experiences of my life, that I would be sitting around, laughing about it with friends - I probably would have slapped you. But that's what we did.
And I am thankful to have had tonight. I'm thankful that I have good friends here that are "on the same page" as me. I'm thankful to be living in Israel - even if it finally did get cold - at the beginning of February. I'm thankful for my awesome husband, who did the HUGE pile of dishes tonight, and hid away in the other room while I had my "playdate" with my friends.

I know I may lose my temper this week, and I know I will be stressed about money this week (week before payday - yikes!) and I know I may not enjoy cleaning up "accidents". But I hope I can remember tonight and the fact that when I really take a look at my life, I have it pretty good. I've got a great hubby, some awesome kids, a steady job, and I'm living in Israel!!!

May everyone who reads this be able to appreciate the good that they have in their lives. And may the ones going through hard times come through them quickly, and stronger than they were before. Refuah Shelaima to all those out there who need it!!

Please contact me for Tehillim names.