Hyperbole, metaphor, whatever, it's just a thought

I wear my Judaism like a blanket.

Sometimes it is warm and comforting and there for all the world to see wrapped snugly around me.

And sometimes I throw it off like it is constricting and smothering me and making me uncomfortable.

But then later I go and pick it up off the floor, shake it out a bit and wrap it's comfort around me again.

Sometimes it needs a good run through the wash and I can't bear to put it in the dryer for fear of ruining it or shrinking it, so I hang it outside on the clothesline - again, for all the world to see and comment upon as if it is so much unmentionables hanging outside in the sun.

I don't tend to fly it like a flag from the highest pole or the nearest tree, but I don't necessarily hide it from the world either.

Guess this is something that will plague me forever - sometimes less so, but always there at the back of my thoughts.



Can I feel freely Jewish and not have to explain myself for everything I do - like deciding that I can't palate even the thought of knowingly eating shrimp or most pork products (still gottta convince myself that most sausage is pork) or a even a hamburger pizza.

Maybe that's why I've been investigating vegetarian options lately

And I couldn't introduce Boca Burgers at my house for fear of confusing my little ones - how can a cheeseburger be kosher at home but not at McDonalds?



When I was pregnant with Yael, I remember consistantly choosing to wear skirts. I told myself that it was because it was more comfortable for many reasons (and I was STILL trying on a more Jewish identity). Lately I have been plagued with trying to find comfortable pants and just dragged out one of those maternity skirts this AM. Now I remember why I loved them so - may have to return to the skirt trend again. Warmer weather is coming too, so there is also that advantage.

Can I call THIS my parenting philosophy?

What IS a parenting philosophy?
We don't have one. We never really talked about it. We agree on some things, disagree on others and muddle through so we can make it to the weekend to play with the kiddos.
Yoni is signed up for everything - baseball, soccer and I'd like more : martial arts, scouts, paiting, ceramics, t-shirt design, music classes, modeling, acting - you name it - I want him to try it all out and be able to pick and chose what he likes or doesn't
Yaeli miskena (poor thing) gets dragged to baseball and soccer practices and then gets to watch from the sidelines. She sometimes has a ball to play with, but more times than not, I forget to bring her a toy. I keep meaning to sign her up for dance classes (especially since she really wants to be able to wear a pretty pink dress - tu-tus count, right) or gymnastics or even soccer, but I never seem to manage to be able to do it - much less how the logistics would work exactly since I am stuck downtown till after these things begin and mostly can catch maybe the last 15 min or so if I am lucky.
Now I have 2 more boys on the way - what did I ever do to desrve twins and much less twin BOYS??? So Is Yael going to constantly get the short end of the stick because she's the only girl? Or will she be super spoiled because she's the only girl? And will I ever be able to afford anything again???
I know that having twins will change our lives, but how am I going to make it? Day care x2? Clothes and diapers x2, and no extra income on my part for 2 years running.
One interesting thing is that due to the fact that I am going to be out at about the same time as my backup who is also expecting, is that my boss asked for a detailed list of what I do and when. When I jotted it all down. he reminded me to add some extra stuff too. Now it is a pretty impressive list when I look over it, but something that is definately learnable by many. And no, I am not downplaing my abilities or skill set, I just have a lot more that I am capable of than I realized and most of it is self taught since I did not come from the ranks of engineering professionals.

What a wedding!

The wedding itself was beautiful. A formal affair - which, I don't think I've ever been invited to such a thing. The bride was stunning, the groom was impeccable, and MY amazing husband was standing there at the chuppah to be a support for the groom and his family.

However, there were many, many dramatic and even entertaining moments that will make this wedding more memorable than most.

Firstly, it was one of those weddings that almost didn't happen. [keeping it intentionally vague here just in case someone knows or doesn't know of the situation]

The in-fighting between the strong personalities of the families of the bride and groom (and amongst themselves) is the stuff legends are made of.

The groom comes from a well-respected highly connected family (who has a jewelry business as one of their endeavors) and the bride is currently working for a different high-profile jewelry store. As we were exiting the hall, I stood in line behind the bride's store-chain owner and heard him introduce himself to others. It was as if he expected to be recognized and commanded respect by his name alone, but I had no idea who this diminutive man was at the time. Good thing I was respectful and didn't have any off-the-cuff remarks to say.

When asking one of the younger rabbis if there was a particular side of the hall to be seated on, he totally misinterpreted and didn't get the bride/groom connotation, but rather commented that it appeared to be mixed (meaning men and women together) seating and so it shouldn't be an issue. That was amusing - only because of his complete innocence in that it wasn't the question that was being asked of him. But, to be fair, he has a brand spanking new baby at home (like less than a few months old) and so his sleep quotient is likely low at this particular moment in time. Added to the fact that this guy is noted as being particularly jovial for the most part, this could have been an ill-received joke on his part. Either way, it was amusing and I managed to smile about it to myself after we took leave of his presence.

The honors at the wedding were also heavily rabbi oriented. 2 rabbis as witness, one rabbi to read out the ketubah in Hebrew while the officiating rabbi re-summarized it in English. Several of the community rabbis were asked to read sheva brachot with the rest of the honors going to the groom's uncles (Were the bride or groom's father or brothers ever an option here?). The bride did her rotations while being helped by her MIL (to be), her mother AND her step-mother. It was quite a sight when she thought she was going to lose her veil because her mother in law inadvertently had grabbed hold of it along with the train of her dress. If looks could kill!

Strong personalities abound in both these families and in the couple. Their honey-moon trip to some exotic locale is postponed because of passport issues and all they really need to do at this point is get away from all family and friends who think they know what is best for them.

They really just need a chance to get used to living with each other's quirks.

UPDATE: My husband spoke to them two days after the wedding and they are "busy" being newlyweds - Thanks G-d and it is all behind them for now.
I hope they take the advice of the rabbis that were present...
We may or may not still host a sheva brachos reception for them if they want it. Where am I gonna find liabtions to do a l'chaim in my tea-totaller house? - we just aren't big drinkers (anymore-in my case) and give away most of the wine we get too.

Joke of the day

A woman walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she's going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer tells her that the bank will need some kind of security for such a loan, so the woman hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce that's parked on the street in front of the bank.
Everything checks out, and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. An employee drives the Rolls Royce into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.
Two weeks later, the woman returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer approaches her and says:
"We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we're a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked out your accounts and found that you were a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"
"Well, where else in Manhattan can I park my car for two weeks for fifteen bucks?"

6

In honor of the END (I hope) of this year's birthday season for my first-born son who is now six. I must've blinked, cause where did the time go?

Now We Are Six - A.A. Milne
(beloved author of the well known Winnie-The-Pooh character books)

When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three,
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am Six,
I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now
for ever and ever.

Slimmer who was 'too fat for surgery' sheds half her body weight to save NHS £20,000

For all of us who are struggling with losing weight of any magnitude - I found this article to be truly inspiring. She didn't decide to do it for her daughter or for her family, she chose to lose the weight because she was in constant pain and it has made a world of difference in her outlook on life.

I myself am almost at the weight she was when she started - and I can only blame so much of it on my twin pregnancy. Currently, I am heavier than I have EVER been and I am exhausted a lot of the time. I catch myself breathing hard while not even doing any strenuous activity and it scares the life out of me. I HATE that I am like this right now.

How am I supposed to chase after my 2 little ones if I can barely move myself off the couch. And it is only going to get worse as the pregnancy progresses - I almost wish I might get a touch of morning sickness so I wouldn't be so hungry all the time.

I want to do something about this situation NOW!
Surely there are things a high risk pregnant lady can do to slow the weight gain and keep me off bed rest in the future. I am disgusted with myself and want to get started NOW so it won't be so hard later in the long run.

All suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated.