tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195261442024-03-23T14:20:06.292-04:00Moving on up...So I think it's time to change the Blog descrip...I'm still bringing you random thoughts...and I guess after 2 years of living in Israel I'm still considered an Olah Chadasha, .....and I still am inviting you to join me in my adventures... 1st it was the process of making Aliyah (moving to Israel),then it was the journey of my Absorption. I know I'll never be TOTALLY ABSORBED, it's just not my personality (haha), but visiting the US this summer made me realize I've come a long way!Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comBlogger265125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-30827013917217830992009-10-25T11:12:00.002-04:002009-10-25T11:22:00.776-04:00Traumatic Experience....First off, I apologize to whoever is out there reading this, because I just realized it has been since the beginning of Sept. since I've written. Alot has happened. School has started in full force, the baby has gotten used to going to her caregiver (and loves her, and now drinks her bottles and eats her food, and takes her nap and is crawling and standing up in her crib and starting to wave hi and clap her hands...........and and and and and..........she's awesome.) My mom has since been for a month long visit and has returned back to her home in the US, the 'chagim' have come and gone, and today..............I put myself through a very TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE...............<br /><br />i got my hair cut.<br /><br />It's been a very long time and my hair was down my back, but you'd never know it cuz 90 % of the time it was up and out of the way tied up in a scrunchie. But today I had an hour free and for ages I've had this burning desire to do something different, so today I went in and asked for a change. <br /><br />i got it. BIG CHANGE...........<br /><br />My naturally curly hair went from being all one length to being graduated in the back, short, bobby-ish, and longer in the front to 'make it interesting'. <br /><br />I like it, I think. we'll see tomorrow.........<br /><br />SO WHY THE TALK OF TRAUMA???? <br /><br />Well, let's just say it's not fun sitting in a chair in front of a mirror, full on like that..........it made me face even more so the fact that I have at LEAST 50 lbs. to lose........baby weight and before. My heart lept, skipped a beat, and not in a good way. Was that really me? It was very very strange........ I'm thinking it's a good thing that today was already the first day in eating carefully and watching my intake, but it still freaked me out and saddened me a little. I've come to the realization that I think I'm alot bigger than I think I am.......<br /><br />so now I make lemonade from my lemons........and I'm off to turn it all around. Well, actually, I'm off to go pick up a crying baby who is just wakign from her nap, but you get the picture......Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-90562258148877981782009-09-03T15:41:00.003-04:002009-09-03T18:17:56.409-04:00Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay..........So well, this is what I'm trying to practice----- saying............."YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, OKAY....."<br /><br />I'm back at work Sun through Thurs, and Sivan goes to a little daycare in the home of a neighbor's mom. She has 2 other babies, little guys who are a year old, and one of them is her grandson, our neighbor's son. She has a helper so that she is not alone with them, at least I think she does. But that's not important. <br /><br />You must know that I love this woman. She is warm, sweet, kind, caring, and like I said, the neighbor kids' grandma. She gives and gives, really. But she's kind of stressing me out a little and I'm learning that I need to just answer her with "Yeah, yeah, yeah, OKAY." and then everything will be just fine. Explantation:<br /><br />Sivan is a breastfed baby. She's my everything, my baby, a part of me....she completes me as a mom and I treat her as such. If she is unhappy, I pick her up. Not necessarily immediately if I'm in the middle of something, but I do not believe in letting her cry it out. Believe me, she cries, but not for long. I nurse her on demand and usually don't notice how long or how often she does nurse, then sometimes when she finishes, we sit and chat or relax together either on the couch or in the bed. No rules, just right.<br /><br />Well, this doesn't work so well for daycare. It's not been easy for her to be away from me, depending on this new woman for her everything..........for her cuddles and for her food. But she's doing ok. But the metapelet (the sitter) is very clear on the fact that she should get used to playing more on the floor and not being in my arms as much through out the day. Here we go......"yeah, yeah, yeah, OKAY." Sivan also isn't drinking from the bottle with her, so she has been feeding her the expressed breast milk with a spoon and keeps telling me that I need to be helping by practicing at home with the bottle--nursing one time, bottle the next, then nurse, then bottle........ "yeah, yeah, yeah, OKAY." <br /><br />I know she loves my little girl and only wants the transition to be best for her, but she doesn't get it. When I picked her up today, she told me that she had eaten and had her milk and shouldn't need to nurse now. .....you guessed it.........."yeah, yeah, yeah, OKAY." When we got home, the first thing after turning on the a/c that we did was sit down on the couch together........and NURSE.........heartily, BOTH sides!!! <br /><br />So yeah, I'm hearing the metapelet's words, I get where she's coming from, but it doesn't work for me and there's one thing I've learned with people in this country.....it's easier to agree with them to their face, but then do what works for you all the while repeating to them............<br /><br />"YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, OKAY!!!"Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-71944639827460516802009-08-20T03:01:00.001-04:002009-09-03T18:03:48.727-04:00Tired...........so tired..........ugh...........I'm sooo<br /><br /><br />****Found this post that I started to write on Aug. 20. What you see above is what I wrote after writing the title. I guess that says it all. Pretty amusing if you ask me! hahaTotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-7184219005113558132009-08-11T11:54:00.004-04:002009-08-11T15:11:00.530-04:00Doing it ALL......and making sure it shows!So no, the title, "DOING IT ALL AND MAKE SURE IT SHOWS" is not something I'm very good at. In fact, i struggle daily with the fact that hubby feels like the house is always a mess, he's exhausted from putting in LONG days at work (it's 7pm now and he hasn't left the office), and due to his exhaustion and being over-worked and over-stressed, he makes me feel like he feels that I don't do squat, or at least not as much as he does in his day. I think it's an age-old problem, each spouse thinking they're doing more and resenting the other one for whatever it may be that they aren't able to do in the day.....if resent is truly the word, I'm not fully sure.<br /><br />But how does one do it ALL??? About 2 months ago, we canceled our house cleaners who were coming once every 2 weeks. It was just getting too expensive. Instead, I ATTEMPT to clean different parts of the house each day, and for the most part, I do do something every day. For example, today I did TONS of laundry, and I vacuumed the living room carpet. I also cleaned the kitchen a bit, took the kids to camp, picked them up, and in between went to the pharmacy, the post office, and to the mall to return an outfit. Oh, and dinner is ready and waiting on the stove even though hubby hasn't left the office which is an hour away.<br /><br />Last weekend, when the baby was having an especially fussy week which continued into the weekend (which was good cuz hubby was able to see her in rare form), hubby got fed up and "cleaned the house". Mind you, he gathered some piles of stuff from the dining room table, vacuumed, swept the floors, and did sponga (mopped), but honestly, he didn't do much more. AND, he had the audacity a few nights later to mention that when HE cleaned the house, it hadn't been cleaned in 3 weeks! (he got a dirty look and a slight setting straight with a not nice word for that one............especially since it was in front of his sister!)<br /><br />So this week he asked if I thought maybe we should get the cleaners back once a month. I explained that it wouldn't really be worth it. Plus I explained, it's not that the house isn't clean.....it's just that it is clean in a rotation........and therefore doesn't truly feel clean. Which in essence, it isn't 100% clean cuz in essence, the day I'm cleaning the toilets, the dusting might be due for the following day and therefore the only thing that will feel clean that day is the toilets. <br /><br />Anyway...........I'm getting over it. I made a chart of what needs to be done for each WEEK. I'm thinking if I hang it on the fridge and literally check off and date what has been done, then he can see it and at least know that certain parts of the house are clean that day. And one day, when we win the lottery I'll have the cleaners start to come twice a week.........it might help though if we ever bought the lottery tickets.Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-35179476358474758432009-08-09T02:33:00.003-04:002009-08-09T02:49:50.088-04:00Balagan in so many ways........Luckily I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I wanted to share today a list of <span style="font-weight: bold;">How my life has been a "</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Balagan</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">" lately...</span> (a mess, topsy turvy, filled with craziness)<br /><br />let me count the ways............. (or at least let me bullet them, I like bullets better)<br /><br /><ul><li>My sister-in-law has been visiting in the country for about 3 1/2 weeks now with her 3 kids, staying most of the time at my in-laws 25-30 minutes away..........our kids had many sleepovers there, her kids here, we did some kid swapping some nights, and a couple of night all 4 of them stayed here to give the grandparents a break. OH, and for 2 nights, the grandparents, along with the uncle and his friend took all the kids on a 3 days tiyul........</li><li>Which brings me to the uncle............not the sister's husband, but my hubby and his sister's brother, and his partner are here visiting from San Fransisco....staying with us, and being pretty good house guests. They took a 4 night trip to Turkey, and are now taking another 3 or 4 night trip down south, so it's been broken up, but still....more company.</li><li>my middle guy had his SIXTH BIRTHDAY yesterday............still can't believe I have an 8 year old and a 6 year old. wow. We did the family thing and went to the beach for the afternoon/evening. I think the kids all had an amazing time.</li><li>my boys are starting a 3 week session of a local camp for Olim today..............can you see me doing the happy dance in my living room??? I'm looking forward to not having to entertain them each morning/day. Hopefully they enjoy it.</li><li>balagan, balagan..............oh yes, let's not forget I have a baby who is now FIVE MONTHS OLD!!! She is so amazing, so super sweet, and S.O. H.E.A.V.Y,,,,,,,,,and ugh, she's been teething. The drool drips down her chin, and she's constantly in search of the next victim whose finger she will not only put in her mouth, but SHE BITES!!! And did I mention the separation anxiety??? It's a fancy word for saying that she freaks out when other people except for me and hubby hold her. joy.</li><li>And since we're talking about the baby, we might as well mention the inevitable that plagues me daily...............going back to work and leaving her. It is the single most difficult, stressful, heartwrenching thing on my mind these days. I have to leave her. I know she'll be fine and I trust the woman who will watch her, but I've never had to leave a baby before. Teachers go back Aug. 24, 25, 26........then for good on Sept 1. <br /></li><li>Which brings me to the bottle situation.............she is a breastfed baby. She nurses for her nourishment, but we started solids (or really just colorful liquids that used to be fruits and veggies) about a month ago. I wanted to be sure she would be ok with other stuff when not with me. She does fine, she has also gotten to the point where if she cannot nurse, she will drink from a bottle to satisfy her hunger. PROBLEM IS................I don't pump often enough. I need to get my butt in gear and just set up a time that EVERY DAY or EVERY NIGHT BEFORE BED I pump as much as I can in a half hour. That's my goal for the week, to get in with that..........</li><li>Speaking of goals for the week................the HOUSE IS A MESS!!! <br /></li><li>aargh.............</li><li>balagan, balagan...............so yes, this is why I don't blog daily. I'm aiming for once a week so am doing ok. I've been sitting now for almost 15 min. and need to get up and clean for another 10 or 15, baby steps, baby steps................</li></ul>oh, and as if this all wasn't enough for me to deal with, the city is telling us to BOIL OUR WATER for 10 minutes before drinking it today. Are you kidding me???Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-68105202474281330682009-08-01T14:21:00.002-04:002009-08-01T14:31:34.305-04:00Hours........blessing or curse?As the beginning of the new school year comes closer, the topic of HOURS is on my mind. Here in Israel teachers are hired according to a certain number of hours that are available for each one, and different teachers actually work different amounts of hours. Full time is actually different based on whether or not you have young children......for example, full time is 24 hours for a mom of young children (under 9 I think, or is it 12?), anyway, where normal fulltime is closer to 26 or 29 hours. <br /><br />UNFORTUNATELY, I am only going to have 18 hours at my school this coming year.......the way it stands now. I taught 24 hours last year, and now due to changes in numbers in the school, I'm going to be teaching 6 hours LESS. ugh....... I'm happy because on one hand that means there's a possibility of being with Sivan MORE than I had anticipated, but on the other hand, that means LESS MONEY...........ugh, ugh, and triple ugh. <br /><br />I think I need to get on the ball to figure out a way to make up those hours....and to also figure out what it really means in regards to the numbers. I've thought about trying to make it up via private lessons, but that's so unreliable. And then I wonder what working less hours for Misrad Hachinuch (Dept of Ed) means in regards to my benefits---health, etc. ugh. <br /><br />why why why??? As if it wasn't bad enough that teachers in Florida got paid low, what we get here is RIDICULOUS! embarrassing to say the least that I take home in a month a paycheck that is similar, and doesn't always even measure up to the paycheck that I used to take home in the US 8 years ago every 2 weeks. .................<br /><br />I'll keep ya posted................Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-44769418866327761532009-07-28T14:53:00.003-04:002009-07-28T15:14:04.996-04:00Hi.......it's me again!!!Hey there, so it's me again........<br /><br />I've realized that for the most part I've been spending my days procrastinating......putting off the inevitable whatever that may be. I put off the laundry.......rather than starting a load first thing each morning, it takes me a few hours to finally get around to it. Then, once it's finished I put off taking it out and hanging it up, not to mention the fact that I'm usually putting off taking the DRY clothes off of the line and folding them.......then they sit in their piles until I get around to putting them all away..........<br /><br />I play this game all day long........with dishes, laundry, dinner, going to the store, putting away the groceries, vacuuming, dusting, etc. etc. etc............<br /><br />I guess it's okay though, cuz the one thing I don't put off (or at least I try not to), is my little gal. I can't get enough of her........I kiss her and hug her and squeeze her about a hundred times a day. I feel so complete, she is my world..........and yes, I'm going back to work in September, and yes I think about it every single day. I will need to leave her. I don't want to leave her, but I really must go back to work, I really like to work, and we need for me to work. But for now, I hug her and squeeze her and as the tear rolls down my face thinking about September, I'm glad that I'm putting this off for now..........even though September (really Aug 24 when teachers go back) is closer than I think. ugh.Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-34338763426919288822009-07-27T04:04:00.004-04:002009-07-27T10:02:01.614-04:00Tap, tap, tap...is this thing on?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjJR6drfNoZhd1GwJfJWlZ9EqGoRIOgfhJsWrX4zd2xqy5eqHYmFXVZMsFhgMbCqyntBLSatwntvhTgN3vuKihcZXgl3B_1SoAfLKE9jHF9J2AncYueRlqoXu1ZdHPKmt3axa/s1600-h/Turkey+Trip+June+2009+073.jpg"><br /></a>*SWEEP-SWEEP-SWEEP*...........excuse me while I clean up the cobwebs and dirt around here.....it sure has been a while!!!<br /><br />Four and a half months actually........but I think I have a good excuse, don't you? :) Sivan has been essentially my world as you can imagine, and I think in her entire life I have only left her a few times and for the longest time for an hour when I went to the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. Usually she is weith me ALL. THE. TIME. But that's ok, I'm still completely in awe of her....and of course so completely in love with her, her smile, her rolls, her DRESSES!!! <br /><br />Sooo, before I post I must tell you that I owe this 'return to blogland' to the fact that Baila of<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjJR6drfNoZhd1GwJfJWlZ9EqGoRIOgfhJsWrX4zd2xqy5eqHYmFXVZMsFhgMbCqyntBLSatwntvhTgN3vuKihcZXgl3B_1SoAfLKE9jHF9J2AncYueRlqoXu1ZdHPKmt3axa/s1600-h/Turkey+Trip+June+2009+073.jpg"> </a><a href="http://www.illcallbaila.blogspot.com">"I'll Call Baila"</a>. In honor of her 2 year blogiversary, she wrote a post about her reorganization of her blog. She totally gave me a shout-out and I felt like a celebrity! haha But at the same time I was like, omg, I haven't even written in almost 5 months, so not cool of me. So here I am. Thanks Baila for the kick in the keester!<br /><br />Anyway, there is so much going around in my head about what I could write about but I don't want to scare anyone away just as I've gotten your attention. So I think I'll leave you with some pictures of what has been filling my head, heart, and hands these days. And keep your eyes open, I think I'll be back again sooner rather than later........hugs to all.<br /><br />ps. If you've read this , give me a shoutout, let me know I'm really not talking to myself!!!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjJR6drfNoZhd1GwJfJWlZ9EqGoRIOgfhJsWrX4zd2xqy5eqHYmFXVZMsFhgMbCqyntBLSatwntvhTgN3vuKihcZXgl3B_1SoAfLKE9jHF9J2AncYueRlqoXu1ZdHPKmt3axa/s1600-h/Turkey+Trip+June+2009+073.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjJR6drfNoZhd1GwJfJWlZ9EqGoRIOgfhJsWrX4zd2xqy5eqHYmFXVZMsFhgMbCqyntBLSatwntvhTgN3vuKihcZXgl3B_1SoAfLKE9jHF9J2AncYueRlqoXu1ZdHPKmt3axa/s320/Turkey+Trip+June+2009+073.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363092719230029202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SuguBMUuN-JaQSyoJV7dMNnlg4YJcVN5Yo-etcN3IzFERbUmrpLMs5Zbsw5_YktH8ejc8N2GDdjvNahFKwAfk-HxOwovspNtolqaxnLjTqQK7MAmCU5Qi8X15sgRCBOZNyaT/s1600-h/Turkey+Trip+June+2009+040.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SuguBMUuN-JaQSyoJV7dMNnlg4YJcVN5Yo-etcN3IzFERbUmrpLMs5Zbsw5_YktH8ejc8N2GDdjvNahFKwAfk-HxOwovspNtolqaxnLjTqQK7MAmCU5Qi8X15sgRCBOZNyaT/s320/Turkey+Trip+June+2009+040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363092712165448034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCzsiYqgtNCTSjN5G1mIXEWgvBNY-HyavWgXeWsh4rXLucnk0DT0Du8P9Vd7z3fAf_FvIHsF5eh_rRAzgbY75b_f9qoGwPlF4QMJ9rIyboHml43eOqGE0_nDmwG9i43hXkUNt/s1600-h/DSCF0742.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCzsiYqgtNCTSjN5G1mIXEWgvBNY-HyavWgXeWsh4rXLucnk0DT0Du8P9Vd7z3fAf_FvIHsF5eh_rRAzgbY75b_f9qoGwPlF4QMJ9rIyboHml43eOqGE0_nDmwG9i43hXkUNt/s320/DSCF0742.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363092708409609458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sWWDRNixatsS21sny_JxqJ1nDRG9peBi_Tb1aMg2erGZtOUNLZrah4TgvGiBdD2C4sZSr5bgISSxdC8vPgr6osqvBWIzyLt9EMpXL9fQ4qvQo04yigmDjOhYJlItiNCIeuhQ/s1600-h/DSCF0723.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sWWDRNixatsS21sny_JxqJ1nDRG9peBi_Tb1aMg2erGZtOUNLZrah4TgvGiBdD2C4sZSr5bgISSxdC8vPgr6osqvBWIzyLt9EMpXL9fQ4qvQo04yigmDjOhYJlItiNCIeuhQ/s320/DSCF0723.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363092705760095122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKzyhmWo_ryh7DfT7JElsY-w2Px8gC8KMyXS3naSCkndb5bO3i22KZH1nB2zmKRCkYLf8VSnHUFMmGRLgNgf7fKZjXGcYtAXJzUVDbaJrdzg2jKA4dSyB0K5NiKThyphenhyphenPMSOIkZ/s1600-h/DSCF0714.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKzyhmWo_ryh7DfT7JElsY-w2Px8gC8KMyXS3naSCkndb5bO3i22KZH1nB2zmKRCkYLf8VSnHUFMmGRLgNgf7fKZjXGcYtAXJzUVDbaJrdzg2jKA4dSyB0K5NiKThyphenhyphenPMSOIkZ/s320/DSCF0714.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363092694976296290" border="0" /></a>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-74793196733664016232009-03-05T02:57:00.001-05:002009-03-05T02:58:51.409-05:00Quick update............she's here!Quick then I MUST SLEEP...........<br /><br />Sivan Leah was born on 3-3 at 1:10 am via csection. She and I are in the hospital still till Sat. She was born weighing 2.5 kilo, approx. 5.7 lbs. She's adorable...........pics eventually will follow!Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-47311338617524997392009-02-27T23:21:00.002-05:002009-02-27T23:39:19.916-05:00Update..........So, oops, forgot to update...........and since it's 6:22 am on a Sat. and I've just been woken up, there's no time like the present, huh? Last week, Sun through Wed, I had my big guy (almost 8) home with us (mom and I) with a raging ear infection!!! It was so bad the eardrum actually burst, and he was draining fluid from his ear through Thurs. YUCK! He finally had no fever for 24 hours and was able to go back to school Thurs/Fri. Enter little guy (5 1/2).......he HATES to be left out!!! All week it KILLED him that his big brother got to stay home with me and grandma while he had to go to school! He complained and kvetched and finally, on Friday, his teacher called at like 9:45 saying he was complaining all morning of an earache and wasn't letting up. Hubby went to pick him up, and we all laughed that he just needed some TLC. Well, lo' and behold (who says that?), he's now presenting with a fever and still complaining of the earache when the Motrin runs out of his system.............FUN!!! Let's just hope his can clear up a bit easier than his big brothers and doesn't get that bad, as next week is FUN week in school gearing up for the holiday of PURIM!!! I just went online now and made him an appt. first thing Sun. morning with the Pediatrician.........better safe than sorry. <br /><br />ANYWAY..............nuff about that.............it's baby update we all want, right??? Well, I go in on Sunday, which also happens to be my birthday, and I have an appt. in the Women's Center. They'll do the usual, monitor, check blood pressure, have me pee on the stick, check the amniotic fluid in an ultrasound, an then I'll sit down with the doctor on call. Unfortunately, the head honcho doc won't be there, but she has written everything in my file because she doesn't want me pushing my luck and going beyond Monday. She says if everything looks good on Sunday that I can get the referral from the doc on Sun. to go to the hospital for the induction. At that point, I'll have 24 hours to report to the hospital, and hubby and I plan to go on Monday morning. We are also aware that it is possible that the bp might be up, or the fluid might be down, and the oncall doc may make the call that he wants me to go that day to the hospital. In that case, I'll call hubby, he'll come home on the train, and we'll go an hour or so later rather than the next morning. <br /><br />I'm hoping to be able to celebrate my birthday with the family Sun. night, and go in leisurely Mon morning. Also, I would love for this baby to be born on 3-3, Tuesday. If I get an induction started on Monday, it's more likely that she'll be born on tuesday. Why 3-3 you ask??? Well, my boys were born on April 14 (4-14 or 14.4 if you're Israeli) and August 8 (8-8), and I thought it would be cool if she follows suit. I also was just reminded last night that 3-3 this year coincides with the 7th of Adar in the Hebrew calendar, and that is my dad's Yartzheit, the anniversary of the date that he was buried, 14 years ago. Some may think that that's a bit spooky, but I just look at it as another 'connection'. <br /><br />Anyway, that's my story..........thanks for listening. I'll be back after the little miss is born........most likely not till we get back from the hospital though, so don't worry yourselves! Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and a wonderful week...........I know I will!!!Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-70041491019421332752009-02-25T11:15:00.003-05:002009-02-25T11:25:36.321-05:00The final countdown.........<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy54jcWj__rslqGpWN55OByM6dPzgVZt-a3Bcw80NuOOa4bqtcR07C-LeWcToIMUZ2uPs05zyu9WQX5vZODingacOqPUL_xf-aLkm9pOXm94rLFJTLyxrevTk1M9o_uZuFupc3/s1600-h/DSCF0075.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy54jcWj__rslqGpWN55OByM6dPzgVZt-a3Bcw80NuOOa4bqtcR07C-LeWcToIMUZ2uPs05zyu9WQX5vZODingacOqPUL_xf-aLkm9pOXm94rLFJTLyxrevTk1M9o_uZuFupc3/s320/DSCF0075.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306771528321789202" border="0" /></a><br />So.........yes, still here, still pregnant, still on bedrest...........FUN!<br /><br />Today is day 34 of bedrest, tomorrow will mark 5 weeks of no work, no shopping, no socializing (except for the phone and computer), and waaaaaay too much tv!!!<br /><br />I have an appt. in the morning. The doc will review my blood test from yesterday, I will be monitored to make sure baby is moving and has a good heartbeat, an ultrasound will be done (#3899.....it feels like I've had that many!), and oh, I get to have the blood pressure taken and I get to pee on a stick of course too!<br /><br />Two possibilities are on the table:<br /><ol><li>Doc could review it all and send me tomorrow to be induced.</li><li>Doc could review it all and have me go home for the weekend then send me either Sunday (my birthday) or Monday to be induced.</li></ol>Sooooooooo, we shall see........I'm thinking that I may not get back here to update until after the birth. Enjoy the latest bellyshot for the 3 of you who actually still read my blog! hahaTotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-61292761676740844672009-02-07T00:36:00.002-05:002009-02-07T01:15:32.233-05:00Timing is everything...........So here I am on day 16 of bedrest..........I've stopped going out for my daily excursions, and am no longer dealing with my children. My father-in-law arrived last Sunday, back from an almost 3 month visit in the US. He was here on Monday, picked the boys up from school and hasn't stopped since! Actually, on Monday, hubby took the day off from work as we were supposed to go to a Brit Milah for friends' twin boys, but that wasn't in the cards.......<br /><br />I had a doctor's appointment Monday morning, and yes, the blood pressure was up again. The doc was kind enough to let me go home with the promise that I would return in the afternoon after resting for a couple of hours, but that I should come prepared that he may send me to the hospital if my pressure was still up. So we cancelled the plans to go to the brit, and hubby and I went back to the doc. <br /><br />Luckily, the pressure was down a bit and the doc figured out that I was better off having the nurses do my pressure manually. Then I got my serious talking to..........long story short, doc let me go home, but with stricter conditions. <br /><br />I am no longer running around for my daily excursions of picking the boys up, bringing them here or there, etc. etc. I AM IN BED for the most part, or am on the couch with my feet up. My father-in-law picks the boys up from school, brings them where they need to go, brings them home, cooks, cleans, goes grocery shopping and........does laundry! Hubby gets home from work around 7/7:30ish, plays with the boys, sometimes does their shower (sometimes FIL does it), and one of the two of them does stories and puts them to bed. *whew!* exhausting just thinking about it, right? <br /><br />Anyway..........so why the title about TIMING??? Well, first off, we had FIL come home a week early if you remember to help out. Then the day he came home, we really NEEDED him that much more. But there's more to address in regards to timing...........<br /><br />Ya see, hubby needs to go to the states next week. Yes, you heard correctly, NEXT WEEK, as in, when his wife is on bedrest, being considered high risk, and is going to be 36, going on 37 weeks pregnant! Soooooo, we're calling in more troops..........my mom is changing her flight to come in on Sun or Mon, mother-in-law is going to be coming back on Tuesday, and well, I'm going to be keeping my legs CROSSED!!! <br /><br />Bottom line, TIMING IS EVERYTHING........I'm planning to NOT go into labor and am banking on the fact that my boys came at 39.4 and 39 weeks, with one being induced. Sooooo, the likelyhood of this little gal coming early is slim to none.......right? I just have to lay low to make sure that the blood pressure doesn't go crazy and then warrant another induction. <br /><br />Keep your fingers crossed with me and send me STAY IN BABY vibes!!!Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-29378759686074870202009-01-31T23:26:00.002-05:002009-01-31T23:35:44.607-05:00Help is on the way.....So we asked my father-in-law (FIL) to come back a week early. They live here in Israel, but have been in the US helping and visiting with my hubby's sister. She's divorced (for a year now), and has 3 kids, her ex is a shmuck, and they (the 'laws) go there a couple of times a year for a few months at a time to visit and help out. This year's trip happened to be planned where he would come back next week and she (mother in law) is coming back 2 weeks later after teaching a course or something like that there. <br /><br />Enter high blood pressure and house arrest......and a hubby that works till 7pm at least every night, and it's been a rough week. I've thought I could do more than I realized I can and there have been a couple of days where I've returned home with the boys, set them up to play on the computer, and gone to bed just to be horizontal for an hour. not cool. <br /><br />So my FIL is coming back today, arriving soon, then after resting and unpacking a little, will come to visit this afternoon. The boys are finished around 4, then the little one has his taekwondo chug. Had to share a funny thing MIL said.........she's all worried about him doing too much cuz he's just amazing and loves all his grandkids and LIVES for being with them and for helping out anyone and everyone he can. So she tells me...............<br /><br />"Just do me a favor, at least this week, make sure he drives home before it gets dark...." <br /><br />haha Now, for those of you who live elsewhere, this may not seem to be too tall of a request. If it gets dark at 7, and he's been over since 4, then that's GREAT, and has been a BIG help. But, *ahem* hello, it gets dark here around 5:15/30! I'm not trying to be selfish and all, but if the man has come half way around the world a week early to help me out, I'm not having him shlepp to my house (25 minutes from his), only to turn around an hour later! He'll have barely said hello to the boys! <br /><br />So yes, MIL and her suggestions get the response of "yeah, right, whatever" quite often around here!! haha <br /><br />I'm just glad he's on the way............and no, I will NOT be taking advantage of him, but the boys will be so happy to have him around, and so will the grown-ups!Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-33566783410915899032009-01-25T06:15:00.002-05:002009-01-25T07:37:32.967-05:00House Arrest!!! ugh......So last week I had my appt. with the nurses.........just to backtrack: In the US I used to go to my monthly appt. and they would weigh me, take my blood pressure, check my urine, then I would go into the doc to be measured and hear the heartbeat. <br /><br />Here, of course, it's a different story! My doctor's office does not have a nursing staff like the docs in the US. Instead, I make my monthly appointments with the nurses in the health care building, and a few days later, I go to my monthly appointment with my doc who reviews my weight, bp, urine, etc. Also, my doc here doesn't have a working doppler machine to HEAR the heartbeat, so instead she does a quick ultrasound each month and we SEE the heartbeat! (in the US I was lucky with each pregnancy if I got more than ONE ultrasound the entire pregnancy!!! ) <br /><br />So..........back to the story at hand.... This past week, I went in to the appt. with the nurses. I try to sit in the waiting room for a good 10 minutes and breathe calmly before I go in to get my blood pressure (BP) taken. It's my own little ritual. My bp all along has been borderline, one time even high enough that I had to come back a few days later to get it retested. LAST WEEK, the nurse who took my bp was not pleased. He (yes, male nurse) took it twice, then had me sit and rest for 10 minutes before taking it again. Still high. Then he sent me across the hall to where I got to sit and rest in a nice comfy lazyboy chair with my feet up, and monitor on my belly listening to the baby's heartbeat. BP taken again after 20 minutes, still high, taken again 10 minutes later, STILL high. So they sent me for an ultrasound (told you, they LOVE those here), then sent me in to talk to the doctor on call. <br /><br />Hubby arrived just about the time I went in to speak with the doctor. Bottom line, doctor wanted us to go to the hospital to get fully checked including a blood test which they couldn't do at now 7pm at night in the Health Center. We arranged for the kids to stay at the friend's house who had come to my rescue and picked them up earlier. We stopped at the house, picked up their stuff, brought it to them, had some dinner at their house, then made our way to the hospital. <br /><br />At the hospital, they hooked me up to the heartbeat monitor, put an IV in my arm and gave me a big bag of fluids, and eventually (after again sitting in the comfy lazyboy), took my bp again. The bp was down, but not great. And, well....given my history (had the high bp at the end of the pregnancies with the boys too)..........they've told me not to work anymore! <br /><br />So, I'm on house arrest! haha At the moment, it's just for this week, but I forsee the doc telling me that I need to continue this path. At least I HOPE THAT'S WHAT SHE SAYS.....<br /><br />So now the agenda for today has been.........relax, drink some water, nap on the couch,pee, read some email, do some laundry, pee again, sew a button, drink more water, sit again on the couch, blog, drink some more water......<br /><br />Keeping fingers crossed that I can keep this whole thing under control.........at least I might be blogging more since now there's lots more time to fill! :)Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-26700589957627957332009-01-20T06:17:00.002-05:002009-01-20T06:21:32.101-05:00SO ANNOYING...........ugh.........so my youngest has a cough and needs a "Breathing treatment" as we call it......<span style="font-style: italic;">Inhilatzia</span> in hebrew, and Inhalation treatment in English, unless there's another name for it. We have the machine, we've been down this road before, I even have some meds left over from his last treatment in September. Only problem is: <br /><br />I CAN'T FIND THE MACHINE!!! <br /><br />I found the box that it came in, found the meds left over, and am freaking out now cuz I HAVE NO IDEA where the stupid machine is. It was next to the couch for a while until I <span style="font-style: italic;">faintly </span>remember moving it cuz really, that's no place for it. BUT WHERE DID I PUT IT??? <br /><br />waaahhhh!!! so annoying.........Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-13742301561088659992009-01-17T02:38:00.002-05:002009-01-17T02:52:09.353-05:00So close, yet so far away.........So this past week marked my 32nd week of pregnancy and I am now "in the 33rd". WOW! It's getting closer and closer.........and I'm beginning to freak out a bit. Hubby was in the US last week for business, got home on Tuesday night and has been the WORST sleeper ever since. He either sleeps SO soundly he snores like a buffalo, or he tosses and turns cuz he can't sleep, then gets up, goes to the living room quietly, sometimes comes back, still can't sleep, and goes out again. Last night around 5 I woke up to go to the bathroom (for the hundredth time) and noticed he was gone again. So then I couldn't sleep. UGH. (by the way, why is the spell check telling me that couldn't is spelled wrong...........isn't is also spelled wrong! huh? annoying.........ever heard of contraction words?)<br /><br />Anyway, speaking of contractions, no, not having any yet, but definitely starting to freak out about the actual LOGISTICS of going into labor. Last night it was the freak out of having my water break in the middle of teaching a class....fun! Then there is the everlasting fear of going into labor at rush hour on a day that hubby has driven to work and then has an hour drive home, only for us to then have to drive another hour in traffic to the hospital. The stress is too much for me. Ideally I'll go into labor in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT (I keep imagining this so as to put my intentions out into the universe that this will happen). I'll call my friend who lives 2 buildings over, hubby and I will head out to the hospital and she'll come sleep on my couch for the hour/half hour it will take my in-laws to come here and be with the boys. But then that brings me back to the freak out of what to do once we GET to the hospital.........IF I go with hubby to park the car (which I most likely won't), then it's at least a 10 minute walk through the mini-shopping mall adjacent to the hospital. On the other hand, hubby COULD drop me off at the entrance to the hospital and I'd have to go in on my own and he would show up about 20 minutes later after parking and going through the mall etc. on his own. Of course this is no big deal, but it still freaks me out a bit. <br /><br />And still, I go back to the thoughts of going into labor during the day..........aargh! Too stressfull to go there right now. <br /><br />One good thing, the principal interviewed an English teacher to take my place while I"m on maternity leave. She's not an English speaker, but she has 16 years experience in actually teaching English here in Israel, and she is currently doing another teacher's maternity leave in another school which will END on March 5..........I'm due one week later! So for this, I am grateful, I can breathe a little easier, cuz that was one of my freakouts. <br /><br />Anyway, that's enough freaking out for one day......I'm not even going to go NEAR the thoughts about the "situation" over in our part of the world. We hope and pray that peace is one day possible. <br /><br />And with that, I'm done. Have a good day, thanks for listening!Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-43585184622933584902009-01-04T14:00:00.000-05:002009-01-04T14:01:06.240-05:00The Situation.........THE SITUATION...........at the school today each homeroom teacher sat and spoke with her class on their level of understanding about the situation. I hadn't talked to the boys until tonight about it at all. I'm more of the school of thought that i'd rather keep them young and innocent as long as possible---why muck their brains up with things they can't understand. But other parents talk, and other parents don't censor what their kids see on tv or hear from the radio. so the school levels the playing field a bit by talking to the classes asking them what they know, and providing more truthful information that they can digest at their level of understanding. <br /><br />My older son is in 2nd grade. When I asked him if they talked about things that are going on in our country, he responded with a brief "yeah, but I didn't really understand..." He then proceeded to mention something about falling trees and people on whom they fell. After talking to him for a while I realized the 'trees' that he thought were falling were the KASAMs, but he didn't know the word, so he somehow made an association of falling trees. The teacher asked if there were kids who had family members in the army, we do not. I reminded him of a couple of good friends who are soldiers whom we have "adopted", and we talked about their role in all of this. My little one, who is in kindergarten, remembered our soldier friends and wanted to know HOW they are protecting our country. I spoke with him briefly about it as well, and made sure to reassure both of them that the rockets that are falling are not going to reach us (we hope). <br /><br />I felt sad discussing this with them, but relieved to offer the hope, and proud that one of the things they were each concerned with, were the people who ARE living within range. We said a little prayer, and hugged each other goodnight. I can't help thinking about the moms of the soldiers who tonight are longing for day way back when when their babies were 5 and 7 and needed just one more hug.........it's not easy living here at times like these..........not that I'm scared or that I feel like I'm in any physical danger. It's the toll that it takes on the emotions......wishing that this is as intense that my emotions need to get, and praying tonight especially for the safety and success of our boys....................amen.Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-78979180594834611432008-12-20T13:45:00.002-05:002008-12-20T14:03:04.637-05:00Starting the last third............THE THIRD TRIMESTER has begun...........I'm feeling bigger, beginning to waddle, and well, if you ask my hubby, COMPLAIN is my middle name! It's fun being (finally) noticeably pregnant, but I'm T I R E D absolutely all of the time!<br /><br />Not sure if it's all been fun and games............one student raised her hand ever-so-politely and thought she'd do me a favor the other day as she told me that one of the boys in the class announced my arrival by telling the class........."The fat one is coming!" nice, huh? <br /><br />So I looked at him, took a deep breath and decided to go for it.......so I replied......... <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />"What? You've never seen a pregnant woman before???" <br /><br /></span>And the kid..........along with his 36 other classmates was like, "REALLY? WHAT? NO WAY!!" I mean really, they had NO CLUE!!! I mean, some of them had noticed that I was getting bigger, but they truly just thought I was getting fat! So, the cat is out of the bag in that class. It will be interesting to see if any of them talk and if I start to get questions in the other classes. I have no problem with them knowing, I just don't want any panic with the parents, ya know? <br /><br />And with that....................HAPPY CHANUKAH!!!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-43030987866528756812008-11-27T03:55:00.002-05:002008-11-27T04:11:35.730-05:00Turkey Day.............So yes, it's Thanksgiving Day! And yes, I'm living in Israel, but why should that stop me? My mom is here visiting from the states and we are having 2 other families over this afternoon to give thanks with us! haha <br /><br />So how different is it to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner in Israel vs. in America??? <br /><br />Well first off, if I remember correctly, at this time of the year when you walk into any American supermarket, you will find a special end of the aisle display of anything and everything that you might need to prepare your special dishes.............Cans of green beans, cans of cream of mushroom soup, Cans of the dried fried onions, bags of stuffing, stuffing mix, cans of cranberry sauce, cans of sweet potatoes, and on and on and on...........<br /><br />Here, you walk into the grocery store/supermarket and you will start to see signs not of Thanksgiving fixin's, but instead signs that Chanukah is coming!! So, where did I begin the preparations??? Well, the first thing I did was ORDER THE TURKEY..........yes, ORDER it. Israelis don't cook and therefore don't buy WHOLE TURKEYS and the butcher in the 'super', so I had to order it. I picked it up this morning, feathers and all! Not ALL of the feathers, but enough that I stood at my kitchen counter just now plucking. ugh...........I didn't get them all, but I gave up with the justification that most people don't eat the skin as much these days anyway! haha<br /><br />So let's see, what else did I buy? Fresh green beans, and a soup mix for the (non dairy) cream of mushroom soup, I DID find fried crispy onions, but they're not breaded like those ones from the Old Country. I bought FRESH sweet potatoes, some pineapples (in a can), and my mom brought the mini KRAFT marshmallows!!! (Israeli marshmallows suck!) My mom is making stuffing from scratch, and a friend is making pumpkin pies and mashed potatoes! haha, it's a STARCH FEST!!! <br /><br />Right now I'm sitting with my feet up......today I'm 25 weeks pregnant (almost 6 months), and I'm tired. My little one woke me up at 5:30 today--he had wet the bed. ugh. Hubby took the boys with him last night to pick up something from the supermarket, and bought him a bottle of juice..........he drank the whole thing before bed! ugh<br /><br />Anyway, I'm being beckoned to help in the kitchen................Happy Turkey Day to all those of you who celebrate or used to celebrate.Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-21454238840385835052008-11-17T10:46:00.003-05:002008-11-17T10:51:37.734-05:00My heart goes out..........No mother or father should ever have to bury a child. It's just wrong, it's just not natural. Yet in the next day or so, a friend of mine will be burying her 16 year old son. I'm sick over it. His sister is flying back home from Israel tomorrow morning, a month earlier than planned, but rushing of course to be with the family as soon as possible. I can't stop thinking about them. <br /><br />R. was a good guy. He wasn't an easy kid, wasn't into formal learning, or being told what to do, but he was a good soul. He used to dog-sit our dog, and would let him sleep with him in his bed. When we had to put the dog down, R. (then 13), sent a formal condolence card.......from the bottom of his heart. He was really sad. I hope Fonzie is waiting for him when he gets where he's going.....he deserves a good fuzzy hug. <br /><br />I'm at a loss for words. My thoughts are spinning and I feel so sad for the family. Life sometimes is just not fair.........especially when death comes too early. <br /><br />Please keep the T. family in your thoughts and prayers.........they'll need it.Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-26519060639432840002008-11-12T14:00:00.002-05:002008-11-12T14:26:12.777-05:00What's in a name???Sooooooooooooo............wow, in my 6th month already, feeling the baby kicking, heartburn is a daily occurrence, and today I felt like I was already beginning to waddle! ugh. And there's still so much further to go. So close, yet so far away! <br /><br />Anyway, we've briefly begun to speak about names. My grandmother passed away last year, so I'd like at least the middle name after her. I think we have settled on a middle name. The first name is a bit trickier...........I have a few ideas in mind, but I have a dilemma. I thought I'd ask the few of you who actually might be reading this to give me your thoughts....<br /><br />So first off, fyi, no, I'm not telling you the name(s) I have in mind, it's not my thing. I don't like to tell people even once we've settled on a name...........not even my mom gets to know before baby is born! But here's my problem............the name I have in mind has a specific meaning, but has nothing to do with the time of year that the baby will be born, I just LIKE the name. <br /><br />So, what do you think? Let me give you some examples of what I'm thinking of................. name in italics and meaning in parentheses.........<br /><br />--Is it bad to name my kid <span style="font-style: italic;">Aviv</span> (Spring) if he's born in December?<br />--What about naming a baby <span style="font-style: italic;">Stav (</span>Fall) if she's born in May?<br />--And is it crazy to name someone <span style="font-style: italic;">Sivan, Nissan, or May </span>(all names of hebrew months) if they are not actually born in THAT specific month?<br />--Is it necessary to only use names that are specific to certain holidays IF the child is born on or near that holiday???? ie: <span style="font-style: italic;">Esther</span> (as in Queen of Purim); <span style="font-style: italic;">Judah</span> (as in the Maccabees from the Chanukah story); <span style="font-style: italic;">Ilan</span> (a tree--Tu'B'shevat); etc. etc. <br /><br />There are more, but I'll spare you the baby babble......... oh, and I MAY or MAY NOT have included the name I'm thinking of here. Not important, I just want to know what the protocol is......<br /><br />Looking forward to your thoughts............Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-4989988339809625542008-11-10T07:13:00.002-05:002008-11-10T07:20:03.934-05:00Abracadabra............So my 7 (and a half!) year old is in a Magic Chug (after school activity). He came home today with this BIG BOX in which he had a deck of cards and one other little trick. This prompted the little one to go get the box of magic tricks that I think the big one had gotten for his birthday or something. Only at 5 he doesn't seem to GET that tricks don't just happen........<br /><br />He picked up this mini plastic urn, opened it and showed me the green ball inside. <br /><br />Then he said, "ABRACADABRA, THAT IT WILL GO TO MY POCKET!" <br /><br />Then he looked in his pocket, and his other pocket, and could NOT find the ball............it was still of course inside the little plastic contraption...............<br /><br />"AWWW MAN!!" he said, disappointed that the <span style="font-style: italic;">MAGIC </span>didn't happen! hahaa too cute!Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-84186842312738161582008-11-09T12:06:00.004-05:002008-11-09T12:25:55.418-05:00It's a constant battle..............ughUGH, so yes, my kids are picky eaters..............we know this, we hate this, we try to resolve it, but I am constantly up against a wall. <br /><br />Tonight, I had made shnitzel for the boys (ages 5 and 7). The younger one especially usually loves shnitzel and begs to have it every night. It's an easy thing to make for them too, seeing that I gave up making fresh shnitzel a while ago when they started refusing it, I now buy the frozen stuff, throw in the toaster and 10 minutes later, voila! <br /><br />So tonight the little guy took one look at the shnitzel and started to cry that he didn't want shnitzel....he wanted plain spaghetti with red sauce. I had not made spaghetti, and I told him that he could have spaghetti TOMORROW after school, but tonight his choices were shnitzel or rice/beans (magadra), or tofu stirfry...... he moved his tantrum to the floor.<br /><br />And just then hubby came home from work, and he cried L O U D E R !!! I calmly explained again what his options were and he continued to cry. I told him we were going to go take his shower then would come back and see if he changed his mind. He was still crying, didn't want to hear any of it, until.................yes, do you see this one coming..............hubby offers him an apple or a yogurt. The crying stopped, the tears stopped, and<br /><br />YES< I WANT A YOGURT! he says, and I silently lost it.<br /><br />I got up in protest, gave my own bowl of rice a bit of a harsh placement on the counter and huffed out of the room. HE JUST DOESN'T GET IT!!! How the Heck does he think these kids are EVER going to get it if 3 minutes after I put my foot down he's always going to be right behind me offering a better choice? Doesn't he get that not only will they think next time that NO does not mean NO, but that he has TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY undermined my credibility with them. Once again................I'm the bad guy who makes them cry and he's the good guy who rescues them. <br /><br />It's a constant battle...........and for two people who are usually so in sync as people say, I'm so sick of his feeling guilty that he works so much.......get over it already and stop SPOILING THEM! <br /><br />ok, thanks for listening to the vent.........Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-64733917077554027502008-10-30T09:29:00.003-04:002008-10-31T00:51:13.975-04:00The HOT technician................Ok, in layman's terms, if you read a post title like this one, you may get visions of a beautiful specimen of a man, fit, trim, tanned and charming........entering your home, asking you what the problem is and telling you he has arrived to assist you.<br /><br />WELL THINK AGAIN! The only reason I'm using the word HOT here is because the cable/telephone company is called HOT and this balding, grey, rotund technician with an attitude is the one who has graced my presence this afternoon.<br /><br />He arrived minutes before three, because of course I was home since one, and they told me he would be here between 1 and 3. As he walked in, I began to say, "The problem we're having is..." Then he cut me off..........."I know what the problem is, just show me where the modem for the telephone and internet is."<br /><br />OOOOO kay.......he MUST know more than me I thought, so I showed him. He began to fiddle with the wires, and I left him downstairs to do his thing. He came up about 20 minutes or so later and asked where the phone was. He picked it up off the couch, turned it on, and listened for the dial tone. "Here..." he said to me as he handed me the phone, "it's fixed."<br /><br />"Wait," I said, "that wasn't the problem to begin with! We've always had a dial tone, and if you had let me explain when you walked in here, you would know that the problem is this....." and I called the house phone with the cell, it rang ONCE on both ends, then stopped. He gave a look of frustration, then had to go BACK up to the car (now for the second time, and we live 2 floors down.........poor guy, he's sporting a gut as big as mine!) for another bag of tools.<br /><br />When he returned, he made me come downstairs with him, goes BACK over to the modem, unscrews something and screws some other technician's phone in it's place and had me call the house again. RING once, RING twice, RING three times............ he looked at me like, well?<br /><br />So I started in on him again, "IF YOU WOULD HAVE LET ME EXPLAIN WHEN YOU WALKED IN HERE, WE ARE NOT RECEIVING CALLS, IT RINGS ONCE ON EACH SIDE THEN NOTHING. MY HUSBAND SPOKE WITH THE TELEPHONE COMPANY TECH AT LENGTH AND THEY SAID THAT IT SOUNDED LIKE A PROBLEM WITH THE SOCKET WHERE THE PHONE IS PLUGGED IN...." in israel, the sockets are not something you get in the hardware store for your phones like in the US, the telephone company installs it.<br /><br />so back upstairs we went.<br /><br />I showed him the socket in question, and STILL he wanted to know about something else...something to do with a place where all the wires come together.........huh?.........I showed him what I thought he might be talking about and I preached again saying that it seems like the problem is just with this one socket that maybe he should check it..........this one, here, just behind, but not fully blocked by the couch.<br /><br />"Okay, move the couch and I'll check it." he tells me!<br /><br />WTF??<br /><br />"I'm pregnant, I'm not moving the couch, you'll have to move it." I tell him, proud of my new assertive Israeli attitude. So he moves the couch the 6 inches away from the wall (okay, maybe a little more than that, remember, he's not a small guy). And he proceeds to work as I sat and watched. He worked for 10 minutes and it still wasn't fixed and he said something about the plug downstairs that is blocked by the shelves in the playroom and we would need for someone to move the shelves.<br /><br />"BUT THE PROBLEM IS NOT DOWN THERE, WHEN WE CALLED DOWN THERE, IT WORKED FINE, RIGHT? I'M TELLING YOU, IT'S THE SOCKET....WE MIGHT EVEN NEED A NEW ONE." I said, losing patience............I mean really, don't mess with a pregnant lady busta!!!<br /><br />So he agreed, worked a bit more and voila! Would you look at that, after all that, he switched the socket, fiddled a bit more and FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY we have a normal ringing phone!<br /><br />I must say, I'm proud of myself for speaking up, but what a pain in the ass............I've got an appt. in an hour to get my blood pressure taken and all the monthly check-up stuff........I think I"m going to go do some deep breathing for a bit to calm myself down! haha<br /><br />by the way....................PREGNANCY UPDATE: doing well, 21 weeks today, and FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY people are starting to notice. Appt. this evening for some insight on some blood tests we took, but not placing too much emphasis on the severity of the results. Thinking positive and would LOVE LOVE LOVE positive vibes in return.................Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19526144.post-43703653954144649562008-10-01T11:42:00.003-04:002008-10-01T12:01:25.681-04:00Cautiously moving forward.........tfu tfu tfuSo yes, moving forward...........it's that time of year again.....to move ahead, to look forward and to start all over again with a clean slate! Shana Tova, Happy New Year, wishing you all a Happy, and healthy one filled with just the right amount of challenges to keep you smiling but on your toes! :) <br /><br />As for me, I'm doing well (tfu tfu tfu). Had an ultrasound a week ago where (again tfu tfu tfu), the doctor had nothing but good stuff to report. Baby is growing well, has all the necessary parts and organs, bones are looking good, facial structure, brain, bladder, kidneys and so on and so on. It was amazing to hear the report and to get a sneak peek behind the scenes. <br /><br />Something new for me.............with the previous 2 pregnancies with my boys, we did not know what we were having. We asked to keep it a secret, even though the ultrasound techs always said they knew. We were surprised right up to the end, and I even made sure while in labor when they did an u/s to check (one of them, don't remember which), I was screaming........"don't tell me the sex!!!" haha <br /><br />But with this one, we decided we wanted to know! Already, since announcing I'm pregnant, people have added in their comments: "So, do you think this one's a girl?" "Trying for your girl, huh?" "Wouldn't it be great if this one is a girl?" AARGH!!!! I figured that if I wasn't going to find out, I would surely go crazy before the birth with all of the questions!!! On the one hand, if I found out it's a boy, I could shut them up before the questions start, and if on the other hand it's a girl, then they could just rephrase! I think psychologically I just NEEDED to know!!! <br /><br />So yes, if you're wondering, i'm stalling! haha Are you wondering if I found out??? Well, I did, and well........................DRUMROLL PLEASE................................<br /><br />Let's just say, when I told my boys what we're having, I bought them each a big bottle of PINK STRAWBERRY MILK and told them they're going to have to get used to having some PINK around the house!!!! :) So yes, it's a GIRL! <br /><br />At least, that's what the doctor says............so why am I so cautious??? The doctor (not u/s tech, DOCTOR) said that she didn't see boy parts, and that it was a girl. It's just so unbelievable to me!!! I've been given a gift that I'm not used to getting, and it's just so surreal! I'm scared, I've heard stories about ultrasounds that were wrong, people who thought they were having a girl, bought everything, decorated the room, and bam! penis! So yes, I'm cautious. Then again, this is Israel, I've already had more ultrasounds than I can count, so i'm sure I'll have more. There WILL be more opportunities to see HER, to be reassured that SHE is a SHE. <br /><br />For now, I am just relying on faith, living with my gift, and visualizing every moment what it's going to be like to have a little girl with my boys' face on her! haha It truly is a dream come true!Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188162186175200035noreply@blogger.com