The "December Delimma"

First of all, I’d like to wish everyone Happy Holidays. Not because I’m trying to be politically correct, but because I think people forget that there are more holidays celebrated by different religions and societies than just Christmas. Or, maybe they don’t forget; they just want everyone to only remember that Christmas is the only thing we should remember about December, and the rest of the holidays be damned.

That pisses me off.

If I see one more freakin’ letter in the Op-ed section about how someone is going to throttle the next person they see who wishes them a “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, I’m going to throttle them. Jesus wasn’t even born on December 25th. It’s historical fact.

I know this because I watch the History Channel. A lot.

__________

As I’ve said before, we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. It was really nice to have both fall on the same day and night. It made the night extra special, waking up at the crack of dawn to see the boys open their gifts (and immediately fight over them), and then spend a huge chunk of the AM putting together several of those gifted toys. As the day wore on, it was nice to sit around with friends and family chit-chatting, but after awhile, it started to feel like any other weekend day. Then as the sun set, we geared up to light the first candle on the Menorah, and it felt like it was a holiday again. It was kinda neat how it did that.

Have I mentioned how much I love to hear the boys recite the prayers in Hebrew? I really do. It is especially cute to hear an almost 4 year old try to speak in Hebrew without mumbling. R did a great job tonight, the second night of Hanukkah. He made me proud.

Rabbis talk about the “December Delimma”; how families who celebrate both holidays should pick only one, becauses it confuses the kids since Jews don’t believe Jesus is the savior. I can see their argument, and if we were overtly religious, I could understand the point. However, we believe in God, share and give for Hanukkah instead of recieve; and Christmas is for presents and family time. I like that my children get to be like many of their friends and open gifts on Christmas morning; but also get to light the candles and learn the meaning of Hanukkah, and spread hope, love, and light. Seeing that Jesus was Jewish, I think he would appreciate what we are doing. He strikes me as being hip like that.

__________

Toys R’ Us threw up in my living room, and M threw up in my sink. I’m providing quite the visual for you today, huh? Lucky for you, I didn’t get a picture of the second one.

I think the boys got all that they wanted, and there’s still more to come for other family members. Now I just need to find places to store all of this stuff. Yikes.

__________

The only “December Delimma” I have is that I miss my mom even more during this time of year.

I miss her getting as excited as I do, and decorating the house.

I miss her gifts of clothes that I may or may not ever wear. (Sorry Mom, but the Mickey Mouse shirt that looked like a hooked rug had been sewed onto it was atrocious.)

I miss her cooking, and her ham with the pineapple rings with the cherries held in the middle by toothpicks.

I miss her smile, and her laugh.

I miss that she can’t see my sons carrying on the traditions she instilled in me that I resisted and resented so much when I was younger.

I miss her not seeing my sons light the Menorah, and saying the prayers.

I miss not sharing my life with her anymore, and I resent having to write that in my journal.

I miss her.

I hope that I’m making her proud. Because I’m trying really hard.

…and not just at the holidays.

That’s my “December Delimma”.

__________

I’m out.

Updating, Shmupdating…My Kids Are Home!

I’m trying to update this blog, but life just keeps smacking me in the behind and saying “Happy Holidays Baby, your kids are home!”

Between playdates, shopping for Christmas Eve & Day and Hanukkah dinners, and keeping the kids “entertained”, it’s turning out to be a very busy (read: stressful) week.

Oh, and my head exploded. Some sinus/migraine thing that makes me feel like a mack truck slammed into my head. Good times.

Damn Florida winter weather! Make up your mind, wouldja? Sheesh!

__________

Finally finished “Decking the Halls”. Now to take the rest of the photos. Should be up by the end of the week, I hope.

__________

Switching M’s medication a bit to get him off the Tenex, because it causes dehydration and robs him of potassium. He’s been bouncing off the walls a bit more as of late. Not sure if it is because of the change in medication, or we are spending WAY too much time in each other’s company.

Or both.

He couldn’t sleep last night, and his eyes look like he went ten rounds in the boxing ring. I’m hoping that he gets sleep tonight. He should be able to, with the sleep aid I gave him.

__________

Have I mentioned how much I hate to take my kids to the grocery store alone? Yep. Know what I hate even more? People who tisk at me because R decides to use the cart as his own personal jungle gym. He can now unbuckle the seat belt, and even though I get the car cart so he can “drive” it, it isn’t enough. By the time I hit the dairy section in the back of the store, I’m all “that which does not kill us, makes us stronger”. Plus, the kid’s got mad balancing skills. He’s that good.

Besides, if he does fall, I bet he won’t do it again.

At that store, anyway.

Christmas Party Hell…

I know, I know, it’s Friday, and I said I’d post yesterday about the Hanukkah program I did for R’s Pre-K class. I was just so tired yesterday after I ran around doing errands that I decided to wait until today. Am I forgiven?

__________

The Hanukkah program went well. Good call on the no open flame thing. The kids really liked “lighting” the menorah with the magic wand. By the end of it, they could say Shabbos, Menorah, and Dreidel. It was really cool, and the colored some really colorful dreidels they got to take home to play with.

Now, I bet all of that hard work I put in will be forgotten by Monday.

I’ll even use my Hanukkah gelt. I made it myself.

__________

So today was party day at school. I ran myself ragged trying to get between two parties and a meeting outside of school, so basically I got to R’s party just in time to get glitter glue all over my sweater (yeah, it was actually chilly here in Florida today. Just chilly, not freakin’ freezing.) before I had to go to a meeting at a doctor’s office. Once that wrapped up, I raced back to school to go to M’s party, and by the time I got there, M had his backpack on and was ready to go home.

There was an hour of school left to go.

So we came home and M got to play GameCube and lived happily ever after.

Goodbye my sanity, it was nice knowing you.

Drop me a postcard now and then, wouldja?

__________

Both boys took in candy dreidels for thier holiday parties, and they were a big hit. So today, I went to M’s class to pick up the plate I put them on and there were a few left. As I was getting ready to leave, a few of the kids wanted “one for the road”. As they were taking them off the plate, I noticed something underneath the driedels on the plate, but I wasn’t really paying attention, I just wanted to get going. I wrapped up the rest and headed home with my brood. Once home, I took the rest of the driedels and put them in a ziploc bag. Once I returned to the plate, I couldn’t help but finally see what was underneath the driedels. A Merry Christmas sign from a cake that must have been on the table with the driedels earlier.

Oh, the irony.

__________

We’re Decking the Halls…well, the Living Room, Dining Room, Foyer and Family Room. We got a tree last night, and plan to decorate it tonight. I’ll put photos up when I get a sec. If you can’t join us for the Holidays, they’ll make you feel as if you have.

Can you come clean up my house after the holidays though? That’s when I could really use the “company”.

Thanks.

So, um, yeah…..

I had big plans this week since it’s the last week of school for 2005 for the kids.

Also known as my last week of sanity of 2005.

But, like everything that happens in the day of a stay-at-home mom’s life, nothing ever goes as planned. Ever.

So far, I have wrapped only two packages. Two. These are the gifts that the boys have to exchange in each of their classes. I have more to wrap, believe me, but other things keep getting in the way.

It looks like I will be barracading myself in my bedroom and wrapping the rest in the next week or so. Please slip me some wine (Riesling) and some band-aids underneath the door from time to time. Thanks.

It’s just not the holidays until I get a paper cut from the wrapping paper.

__________

So the hubby has jet lag. Big time. He asked me to get him up at 8am today, and well, that didn’t go as planned either.

But if his boss is reading this, I propped him up at the computer promptly at 8am, held his eyes open with toothpicks, kissed him on the cheek, and got him his Mountain Dew Code Red.

If this isn’t his boss reading this, he got up around 10am, and that was with serious prodding.

He should be right as rain by next week.

Or by the time he’s supposed to go back to India. Whichever comes first.

Promise.

__________

I’ve been on a quest to find those frou-frou toothpicks, you know, the ones with the ribbony stuff on the top that looks like blue hair or something. I’m making Candy Dreidels for the kids’ parties this week, and the recipe specifically asked for these special toothpicks.

Apparently, everyone else in the Central Florida area is making these Dreidels too, because not a store has them in stock. And I’ve looked. Believe me.

So I had to settle for just colored toothpicks. Hope they don’t take away from the candy dreidel experience. Or put a kid’s eye out, I’ll feel bad.

Maybe I should keep looking.

Or, maybe I should just make a pan of brownies and be done with it and quit trying to be so darned creative.

Better yet, I’ll do both. I’ll need sustanance while I’m trying to be the Jewish Martha Stewart.

_________

Tomorrow I’m showing the kids in R’s Pre-K class about Hanukkah. Big thanks to Uncle A for lending me his electronic menorah for this presentation.

Could be me, but I had concerns about preschoolers and open flames. Didn’t think it would be a good idea to combine the two.

I’ll let you know how that went in tomorrow’s post. Stay Tuned!

Check over on the right to see what I’m Rockin’ on the Zen today!

That’s A Wrap, Folks!

So this week will be wrapping up gifts week. I have already sent out the big box o’ presents to my sister-in-law and her family. That left today. I hope they all like them. Now I have the presents that are staying here to go under our tree, plus gifts for the kids and their teachers. So if you’re looking for me, check the living room; and more specifically, the blob of wrapping paper, bows, and ribbon. I’ll be the one with all the paper cuts underneath it.

Bring band-aids.

Please.

____________

Hubby arrived home Saturday night to cheers, a big Welcome Home Daddy banner, dinner, and no hug or kiss until he had a shower. I’m mean, I know. In my defense, he had traveled 36 hours by plane in the same clothes. I thought the man could use some freshening up, you know? I really missed him. I’ve been letting him know how glad I am to have him home, just in case he forgot.

Besides, I like reminding him.

____________

He finally read my blog once he got home, and I want to clarify something. In my list of things to know about me, I made it seem that he disliked sports when we first met, and that now I dislike sports, and he makes me suffer though sports shows. That isn’t necessarily true. We both like sports. He’s a HUGE football fan. (Go Patriots!) Sundays are football days, and I am okay with that. My point, was actually a humorous one. I thought it was funny in hindsight that he flew down to “get to know me better”, and I wanted to show him around to all the touristy things. But first I had to watch the Miami Dolphins game. (No longer his favorite team. It was when he was little.) Which meant that by the time we got to the “touristy things”, there wasn’t much time left to enjoy them. (Park hours and stuff like that) I was trying to be funny that I jypped him out of being a tourist, just for football, and now he pays me back with Sundays of football.

I hope you got my joke.

____________

Anyhoo, I have to go now. I need to get out the map, count the paces, and try to remember all the places I have sneakily hidden all the kids’ gifts this year. I hid them so well last year, I found some of those presents when I was finding places to hide this year’s gifts.

And I’m not even blonde. I just play one in real life sometimes.

Have a great day!

All Hail The Conquering Hero!!!

He’s Home, He’s Home, He’s Home!!!!!

Just wanted to let you know. I’ll write more later!

My Son Is a Terrific Kid!

No, really, he is.

And I’m not the only one that thinks so.

R was selected today as Terrific Kid in his class. Got a certificate, took a photo, everything!

Sorry to report the photo didn’t turn out good though.

But YAY him!!

I’m so proud!!

Everything You Always Wanted to Know

…okay, maybe not everything. But here are some facts about me you might be interested in knowing:

1. I was born in California. We moved before I could get a good look around though.

2. For most of my life, I have lived in Florida. Not necessarily in the same town, but in Florida.

3. My kids (for the most part) will grow up in the same town.

4. My favorite color is green. Moss green specifically.

5. I’m in my mid 30’s as of 2005.

6. My mother passed away from lung cancer in 1991. I miss her every single day.

7. My father and I have not spoken since 1991. We probably won’t ever speak again, and after years of therapy and reflection (i.e.: banging my head against the wall trying to reconcile), I am actually very okay with that. It’s his loss.

8. I married right out of high school. I don’t recommend it to anyone.

9. I’m not married to that person anymore. Hence why I don’t recommend it.

10. The person I am married to now I met on the BBS (bulletin board systems), which was the precursor to the internet.

11. I stood him up for our first date.

12. It wasn’t intentional. Happy hour began earlier at another bar. It happens.

13. He took me up on my offer to “visit me if he was ever heading to where I was going to move to”. I didn’t think he would take me up on my offer. He did.

14. I made him watch football before we went sightseeing. Cruel, I know.

15. Now he makes me watch football more than I want to sometimes. Payback’s a bi*ch.

16. We had a whirlwind courtship.

17. We found out we were pregnant with our first son the day after Christmas after playing Mini Golf. (Ah, Florida Christmases rule!)

18. Our wedding date is the day after Tax Day. Easy to remember.

19. We’ve been married 11 years as of 2005.

20. I married my designated driver. He doesn’t and never will drink.

21. My oldest son has Asperger’s Syndrome. It’s a form of high-functioning Autism that makes common sense and social things very hard for him. Remember the quirky kid in school? That’s my son.

22. Spiff= oldest son, Scamp= youngest son.

23. My children are 7 years apart in age.

24. Spiff tells the best jokes on the planet. He’s really good at it.

25. Even with the Asperger’s, Spiff is mainstreamed in public school, has friends, and gets really good grades. He’s made the honor roll every year since 1st grade.

26. Scamp is a champion tree climber. Just like his dad.

27. Spiff can draw amazing pictures.

28. Yes, I’m one of those moms who display her kid’s artwork proudly around the house. I have a “brag wall” with their certificates they earn too. I’m weird like that.

29. Scamp is in Pre-K at his brother’s elementary school (as of 2006). He can name all of his classmates, and he’s only 3.

30. I’m a hands-on, volunteering-at-the-school kind of parent. The staff at my kids’ school are awesome.

31. My husband is the best husband on the planet.

32. My husband travels for his job a lot. He loves what he does though.

33. My husband and I are eerily similar in our likes and dislikes. It makes shopping and decorating a home rather easy.

34. I drive a mini van. But I’m not a soccer mom. (yet!)

35. My oldest son does not enjoy sports. Except golf.

36. I know way too much useless trivia for my own good. It’s a sickness.

37. I have the best in-laws in the universe. Really.

38. I like to go shopping. Except food shopping, especially with the kids.

39. I have worked at most of the theme parks in Orlando at one time or another. In these parts, if you grow up here, it’s kind of like the family business.

40. My favorite question I got asked was “What time is the three o’clock parade?”

41. I saved Brian Austin Green’s behind once when he wanted to ride Earthquake at Universal Studios with the other guests. Celebrities shouldn’t do that.

42. The look on his face was priceless when he got rushed though.

43. Or, it could have been because this 5 foot 2 girl was holding people back from him, I’m not certain.

44. I’m afraid of heights, yet I love riding in airplanes. Weird, huh?

45. I’m going to travel to England someday. Preferably with my husband.

46. I met Run DMC at Walt Disney World wearing the most hideous costume those imagineers ever dreamed up. They were nice and very funny. Run DMC, not the costume.

47. I have three sisters-in-law. Two of them are the same age as me.

48. They all rock in their own separate and unique ways. I’m very lucky.

49. I have two non-biological brothers I met in high school, and have been that close with ever since.

50. I hated middle school. I got an in-school suspension in the 6th grade. I told a teacher she had taken too much Tylenol if she thought I was going to do the assignment. She won that round.

51. My husband makes me laugh on a daily basis.

52. My husband is the most handsomest man in the universe. Yes, I’m biased but it’s true. I have the kids to prove it. They look just like him.

53. I have really bad dust mite allergies. And for some reason my house attracts a lot of dust. Go figure.

54. Some of the jobs I have had are: Salesperson in a record store (2 of them), Ride attendant, Seating Hostess, Waitress, Polo Ralph Lauren Salesgirl, Web Designer, Preschool Teacher, and Mom. I like mom best.

55. Although doing Web Design was a lot of fun too.

56. I’m a culture junkie. I have subscriptions to most of the celebrity magazines.

57. I’m Jewish.

58. I never went to Hebrew School.

59. I have a HUGE crush on Sting. He’s the only man I would ever leave my husband for.

60. Hubby knows this and is okay with it. I don’t think he needs to worry.

61. I love Mexican food.

62. A well made margarita I won’t turn down either.

63. My in-laws relationship is what I aspire to have with my husband. They have been married over 40 years.

64. My husband and I have a 7 year age difference. See a pattern here?

65. I lived in Connecticut over 5 years. Not the New York side, either. The Southeastern side.

66. I hated it most of the time.

67. Fall was nice though, it was my favorite time of year.

68. I miss pizza and Chinese food from up there. It was awesome.

69. I don’t miss the winters.

70. The first winter I lived up there I wrecked my car. Good times.

71. I was driving to Baltimore to spend Thanksgiving with my father and his side of the family. Silly me.

72. It was the first time I had ever driven in snow. Ever.

73. I love the town I live in.

74. 80’s music is my friend. I also like Classic Rock.

75. I saw The Police, The Fixx, and the Animals in concert in 1983. My husba
nd saw the same concert in another state, but instead of The Animals, he saw Flock of Seagulls. Lucky duck.

76. While I was pregnant with my sons, I HAD to do jigsaw puzzles. They are glued, matted and framed as art in my house.

77. I had Gestational Diabetes with my first son, but not with my second. Weird.

78. I was craving sushi during my second pregnancy. I dreamed about it in vivid Technicolor.

79. I’m not a good pregnant person. That’s why we have two kids and not three.

80. Before kids, I was a size 0. I’ll never see that size again.

81. Now I’m a size 6, or if I want to be really comfortable, a size 8.

82. I have lots of shoes.

83. This is harder than I thought it would be.

84. I’ve gotten a few speeding tickets. Once I got one driving my son to synagogue. Whoops.

85. I have crashed my van into my father-in-law’s car, Susie. Twice.

86. While it was parked in my driveway.

87. I am the Queen of Returning Stuff to the Store.

88. I think they are on to me though. It’s not as easy as it used to be.

89. Many friends and family members have benefited from my return skills.

90. The big canister of Original Slim Jims are a must during a hurricane. It’s part of our survival kit.

91. Black olives are my favorite holiday food.

92. I dated two guys total in High School.

93. Okay, maybe three. It wasn’t for very long.

94. I was a Rainbow Girl, Jobs Daughter, and a DeMolay Sweetheart. All at the same time.

95. I have really painful menstrual cycles.

96. I’m addicted to Arizona Diet Green Tea. My grocery store runs out of it constantly.

97. I think I’m a good friend. I’ve had very few complaints.

98. I enjoy helping people. “Do unto others” is my motto.

99. I have really great aunts, uncles and cousins, on both sides of my family.

100. I want to be a good wife and mother. I think I do a decent job.

101. I fell in love with my husband the first night I met him.

(I had to save the best for last!)

Hey!!! You can wake up now, I’m done rambling!!

Less than 48 hours to go….

…before the hubby comes home from his business trip. YAHOOO!!!

That gives me just enough time to clean up after the week long fiesta I have had in his absence.

…I’m Kidding!!!! Honest!

Hurry home, my love!!! We miss you!

What I’m Rocking On The Zen: Um, nothing. It’s charging right now, poor dear. However, I am reading a great book called Scratch by Troon McAllister. My husband pestered me to start reading it, so I have. It was worth being pestered to read it. Very, very funny.

TiVo, I think I HATE You…

**Sung in the tune of that David Cassidy gem, “I Think I Love You”**

Actually, that isn’t true. I love my TiVo. It’s deciding what to tape and then what to keep that I hate. I now have so many choices, and not enough hours in the year to watch them all.

It’s a blessing and a curse, I tell you.

Blessing:

1. Because I can tape ANYTHING I want! Even two shows at once. How sweet is that? So while I’m screaming (nay, begging!) at my TV full of Amazing Race Phil goodness to just shut the Weaver family down and get them (the hell) off my TV; I am also taping House over on Fox. You know, that cool doctor show with Stewart Little’s dad? Um, yeah, bet you won’t get that image out of your head for a few hours. (You’re welcome, by the way.)

2. I can save shows for me and Hubby to watch when he gets back from his trip to India. (Anything to help erase that experience for him, I’m all about.)

3. I can tape the craptastic show I. can’t. stop. watching. Real World/Road Rules: The Gauntlet II and watch it sans commercials in about 10 minutes. As God intended, I am certain.

Actually, if it was only for the fact I can fast forward through commercials that I got to keep my TiVo for eternity; that would be enough.

Curse:

1. The shows just pile up! Well, that could be because I peek ahead in my cable guide feature to see what’s coming up and the shows I tape weekly have their place in line, and then I add the ones I find while I’m “surfing”. I’m not certain, however. I’m sure it doesn’t help I’ve inadvertantly taught M how to do this as well, which leads me to my next curse:

2. The. Kids. Shows. How many episodes of Lilo & Stitch do they need to save? Kim Possible has also taken up permenant residence on my TiVo too. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, right?

3. I now get to tape WAY too many shows on the History Channel. I love the History Channel. (I suppose I should insert here that Hubby and I honeymooned at Williamsburg, Virginia. Good times.) And once I get a show on there I don’t watch it right away. If it’s one of their “series”, it could be taking up 4 hours of prime TiVo space. Not good.

(Hi, I’m Shash, and I’m addicted to the History Channel. Is there a patch for that?)

4. See Blessing #3. Craptastic could also include such gems as “My Super Sweet 16″, “The Girls Next Door” and “Joey”. If you get enough of these craptastic shows going, prime real estate begins to disappear.

Sad, I know.

What’s even sadder is that I’m admitting I watch these shows. The craptastic ones.

Or that I could be.

If you give me an hour, check my TiVo and I can guarantee they won’t be there.

Promise.

What I’m Rocking On The Zen: Brandi Carlile: Fall Apart Again. Awesome singer. Reminds me of early Melissa Etheridge. She’s gonna be big.