Updating My List

My "36 before 37" list, that is. I'm actually doing pretty well with it. I have a week over 6 months left to do 28 things.

1. Learn to knit cables
2. Learn kitchner stitch
3. Dye yarn
4. Grow tomatoes Growing away in a topsy turvy container my dad bought us.
5. Complete my "100 Things That Make Me Happy" mini book.
6. Get our emergency preparedness stuff up to snuff.
7. Go roller skating
8. Guerilla gift someone
9. Yarn bomb Beverly Hills
10. Have smores at the beach with a bonfire
11. Go on a hike
12. Run a 5K And I'm still sore from it!
13. Take a self-portrait every day of my 36th year (barring days when it is halachically impossible like 2nd day of Yom Tov) Big ol' FAIL. Maybe I should start from today?
14. Make soft pretzels
15. Have family portraits taken
16. Get my hair cut by a professional
17. Format and set-up my computer all by myself
18. Have the perfect skirt (or three) made
19. Learn to sew
20. Complete my knitting to-do list Likely not going to happen as I've changed it since writing it. LOL
21. Get rid of my hametz before Pesah instead of selling it
22. Conquer the basement
23. Use it or lose (craft stuff)
24. Put the 2009 tax stuff away when done with it.
25. Make sourdough bread
26. Give Blood
27. Go to a drive-in movie
28. Learn to darn my knitted goods.
29. Have a spa day
30. Finish the posts that are languishing in my draft folder
31. Attend the Torah Home Education Confrence
32. Attend BlogHer Can't attend this year, but I'm thinking about driving up the the CHN for a day.
33. Work out a soaked flour recipe for challah
34. Get all of my digital pictures organized and backed up
35. Complete a machsom l'fi
36. Learn to dance

Shabbat Shalom!

Wow has it been a long time since I've posted. Just a quick note as we head into Shabbat. Motzei Shabbat I'll be heading to Baltimore at the Torah Home Education Conference so look for a report from there.

Also, I have quite a few photos, recipes, knitting and a Day in the Life to post. I've been thinking "blog" but not getting around to actually doing anything with it. LOL

 

What's Going on With the Pictures?

Well, Ima and Aba had a little dispute and this is our compromise. I liked my pictures and as I play with photography and editing, I liked them even more. Aba is of the "no pictures on the net" mindset. Our compromise is no recognizable pictures on the net of the girls. I suppose when I get some free time I'll break the links to the rest of the photos, too.

Family and friends can email me for a link to the Flickr folder I have set up for them.

My New Little Bit of Fun

I ran across Posterous over at The Stirrup Queens. I set it up, but didn't use it, but I've been playing with it more and enjoying it. The way I see and use Posterous (which might not be the way another person sees and uses it) is a cross between a blog and Facebook/Twitter.

It is more stream-of-consciousness and the sort of minutiae that you would put on Twitter or Facebook, but it has more space and feels more like a blog. You don't get as much interaction as on Facebook or Twitter but there is the ability to comment. I also like the ease of taking a picture with the phone and just emailing it to Posterous whit whatever comments I have. From there it is forwarded to Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.

Right now what you'll be seeing are some fast shots of the girls and a lot of cooking things. Who knows how it will change, though.

To get to my Posterous, you can click on the link above (under the header) or if you use Posterous you can subscribe to mine.

Hope to see you around!

101/1001 Update

Today marks the one year countdown for completing my list. Pretty sad that I've forgotten about it for the most part. So now, what seemed like a reasonable list to complete over 1001 days is looking a little less reasonable over 365 days.

1. Go on a cruise
2. Save $5.00 a week for Israel fund (0/96)
3. Go skiing
4. Take a RV vacation across the US
5. Drive to Hearst Castle
6. Take a driving tour in Israel.
7. Go to Morocco
8. Shop in Morocco
9. Take the girls to Disney World
10. Dance with the girls at the Kotel
11. Live 1 month in Israel
    
12. Have another baby
13. Breastfeed a baby
14. Learn to use a wrap correctly. Done
15. Pay it forward once a month minimum (0/22)
16. Make a full batch of Challah and give away the extras.
17. Donate the girls’ old toys Ongoing
18. Donate the girls’ old diapers
19. Donate $1.00 a day to charity. (305/674)
20. Volunteer to deliver food for Tomchei Shabbat
21. Take a meal to a sick person Done.
22. Take a meal to a new mother Done
23. Donate $5.00 to charity for every item not completed.
24. Grow out hair to donate to Locks of Love FAIL I got sick of it and cut it off at about 5 inches. Chaya's hair is being grown out though.
25. Host a large Shabbat dinner
26. Make holiday binders (0/6)
27. Have my cupboards empty for Pesah (don't sell Chametz just have it gone)
28. Invite non-observant people for Pesah.
    
29. Join a women’s learning group
30. Write an essay about “Women and Orthodoxy” as counterpoint to the reform and conservative POV.
31. Invite non-observant people to 3 Shabbatot. (0/3)
32. See the dentist
33. Take my meds daily (290/674)
34. Take my vitamins daily (290/674)
35. Get bicycles for everyone in the family and go riding together.—will the girls be old enough? Maybe need a bicycle stroller? Must figure this one out.
36. Learn to belly dance
37. Look into eye surgery
38. Walk 10,000 steps every day for a week.
39. Get CPR certified
40. Get CPST certified
41. Buy myself a pair of good running shoes.
42. Try eating vegetarian for 1 week
43. Run a 5K
44. Submit 5 projects for publication
45. Make something from homespun yarn
46. Edit family pictures that are online Done
47. Back-up family pictures
48. Go to SnB regularly Score!
49. Go to a scrapbooking crop regularly Having trouble finding one. Scrapbooking isn't as big as it used to be.
50. Refinish a table
51. Sew curtains
52. Learn to crochet.
53. Re-evaluate items on my Ravelry queue monthly. (10/22)
54. Re-evaluate my 101/1001 list monthly (1/22)
55. Have enough knitted dishcloths to not use sponges (16/50)
56. Learn to make soap.
    
57. Get up-to-date on printing pictures. Check. I only print pictures as I want them now.
58. Knit a sweater for everyone in the family. (3/5) Working on mine now. Aba says he doesn't want a sweater so he will get a vest.
59. Give only handmade gifts for 1 year.
60. Finish decorating my bedroom. Almost there!)
61. Make the house shoe-free
62. Grow tomato plant
63. Grow herb garden
64. Return phone calls as they come in.
65. Get a bill paying system set up and use it.
66. Return Netflix as soon as I watch them or realize I don’t really want to watch them.
67. Make an extra payment each month on the van. (3/22)
68. Make a budget done
69. Live within my budget
    
70. Make my menus for 1 week.
71. Grocery shop from my menus
72. Cook from my menus
73. Update emergency preparedness kits
74. Make emergency preparedness kits for cars
75. Do OAM cooking one month
    
76. Complete making my 101/1001 list. (All done!)
77. Get Zeus to come to my hand.
78. Call a radio talk show I emailed one and it was read on the air. Called one but someone got on with my comment first.
79. Take a wine tasting class
80. Convince someone else to do the 101 in 1001 project with me.
81. Be an extra
82. If I don’t read email groups weekly, unsubscribe Done
83. Respond to one email a week in each of my email groups Getting better at this.
84. Use canvas bags when shopping Doing well!
85. Get professional portrait taken
86. Get a mani/pedi monthly (0/22)
87. Go out for family day once a month. (0/22)
88. See a play
89. Write a letter of appreciation to 5 artists (any media) whose work has touched me.
90. Write a letter to the editor.
91. Find some “me space” in the house. Got my craft area and my little corner of the sofa.
92. Photo document 100 things that make me happy (0/100)
93. Get rid of the grubby clothing from my closet Did this once and I have been getting rid of stained stuff as I realize stains aren't coming out.
94. Be car-free for 1 week
95. Be TV free for 1 week
96. Be caffeine-free for 1 week Done, but I've been back on the caffeine for a while.
97. Be take-out-free for 1 week.
98. Work on a political campaign
99. Send a postcard to PostSecret
100. Get rid of 1001 clutter items (519/674)
101. Get fully dressed daily Been doing and I feel great!

Long Time, no Post

Hello all! I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted. I just fell out of the habit and never realized how hard it would be to get back into. I have been writing, but nothing well-formed or post-worthy. Next month, however, is NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) so I'll be posting daily and you'll hear all about the awesome sweater I'm working on for NaKniSweMo (National Knit a Sweater Month). I've got it all swatched and sketched and the yarn is wound and waiting for November 1. Until then I've been going through my works-in-progress and my to-knit list and getting stuff done! Absorba the bathmatthatwillnevergetdone is done and sitting on the floor of the bathroom awaiting the girls' next bath. I have four pair of mittens and three hats left to finish for Snow Day. (I'm making a hat and mitten set for the girls and their cousins). I also finished a pair of socks that had been started on our trip to Israel LAST October! The only other thing actively on the needles right now is a Pi Are Square shawl. I need to figure out what I want to do for the lace pattern, though, before I move on.

Family-wise things are good. The girls are a bit jet-lagged from our trip to New York which makes them grouchy. They went to sleep an hour early last night so I'm hoping for a better day. I've also been warning them that today school starts and tonight they will be going to sleep in their own bed. They have stopped drinking milk before bed and Chaya knows that she can only have a small amount or else she ends up waking up for a potty run. She doesn't like waking so she will skip the chalav! It is so nice that they can be reasoned with sometimes. Batya's new thing is music to sleep with. The other two haven't complained but it bothers me so I end up with my iPod running while I drift off.

Time for bed for me, but I'll be back tomorrow. I need to warm up my blogging muscles...only a week until NaBloPoMo!

We're Back!

Hello! Welcome back to my lovely little home on the internet. How does it look? There are still a few things I want to do, but I'm tired of sitting behind the computer and looking out the window at the girls playing in the yard. So it will wait.

Before we jump right on in, I'll give you a quick update on all of the trials and tribulations happening around here.

First, I've been on a three month gluten-free trial since July 29th. I had been having some odd health issues and nothing seemed to be helping much. So I was researching the more bothersome ones and kept coming across Celiac and gluten intolerance. So far, I can say that a major problem has all but disappeared. (Only one bout of wheezing all night long in two weeks where I had been having 3-4 a week.) Aba and I have agreed that if it turns out I have some sort of intolerance that we'll do a trial for the girls, too, but for now it is just me.

Second, it seems that Shiraleh has inherited Ima's allergies. She's been snuffling and sneezing for a few days but no signs of a cold. We're waiting a week so that we can be certain it isn't a cold before heading to the pediatrician's office. Until then, she's getting very good at saline sprays and blowing her nose.

Third, Batya has been complaining about her tummy after a day where she has a fair amount of dairy. We haven't been drinking raw milk for a while because it is hard getting to the food co-op and Whole Foods is ridiculously overpriced. She doesn't seem to complain about kefir or yogurt and has been off of cheese for a while. (She decided about a month ago that she didn't like it.) So it looks like I'll have to make a trip to get raw milk for her and see if that helps. For the time being, she seems to understand that she cannot have a large cup of milk.

Fourth, We've "come out" as homeschoolers. Before I would just shrug it off to avoid all of the questions, but now I just state it like a fact. We've only had a couple odd looks and comments. I have a few Montessori tools and most of our "school work" is Montessori, but I'm very laid back in general about it. There is a post about what we are doing coming up soon.

Fifth, I've started working as an Usborne Consultant. I'm really enjoying it and the books are fabulous. I actually learned about them when I bought an art book at the Getty Center. If you are looking for books want to host an e-party, please let me know.

Sixth, I've been working on my photography and my photo-editing skills. Hopefully the pictures here will continue to improve. Speaking of which, I have some girls acting cute outside. I better grab my camera and go!

Thank you for reading and please leave a comment letting me know how you like the new design!

Summer of Fun

I am officially declaring this summer to be the "Summer of Fun".  Well, not really the summer, but rather Shavuot through Rosh haShanah. (May 28 to September 19) Summer starts June 21 and ends September 22 which is way too late for us to start.

Basically, I've created a list of  50 fun things to do over the summer for the girls and I with occassional outings with Aba. Some are full-fledged gotta plan for this trips. Some are crafts. Some are experiments to do at home. Some are are small trips that can be done on the fly. The things that I need to plan for are on my calendar. The rest I've written onto slips of paper and put into a shoe box that we've decorated. Those we will pick one each day and go for it. (I've selected 50 things so that we have erev Shabbat, Shabbat and one other day a week "off" plus a couple other days where we can revisit something or add a new fun thing to the list.)

The whole point of this is that I've started to get melancholy about my little babies growing up. They are using the potty, preparing their own lunches, getting themselves dressed, refusing to ride in the stroller and buckling their carseats. All those little things that I didn't realize I would miss so much.

So I've decided to take the bull by the horns and spend this summer really enjoying their toddlerness before they are too cool to hang with Ima.

Just A Quick Little Update

from the home front today. Things are pretty good and busy around here! Pesah cleaning and shopping is in full swing. I've got my lists made and my calendar marked up so I'm following them. With the help of our wonderful housekeeper things are rolling right along. naturally I've packed way too much stuff into this month, though. On the 16th the girls and I head to Disneyland for an overnight visit with Aunt Jackie. The 22nd we have a Bat Mitzvah to attend. On April 1st, a whopping one week before Pesah starts we are returning to Disneyland for a birthday breakfast with cousin Emma. i'm starting to think I really am a bit loony.

I had wanted the girls to do some art projects for the sedarim, but instead I'm thinking about getting them a couple toys and books and only doing 2 projects. I'm thinking a "bag of plagues" for each of them is a good bet along with the other things I have packed away from last year. For projects I want to make pillowcases (I actually have all of the supplies for last year but we never did anything) and then a seder plate, salt water dish and a cup for Elijah. For that I just need to pick up some colored tissue paper and clear plastic plates.

I've been in a bit of a knitting wasteland, but I want to start up a new sweater soon. I'm thinking of spending this coming month working on some WIPs and then no knitting for Pesah and after I should be ready to go. We'll see.  I have been working more on my photography and some paper and digital scrapbooking. I bought an online self-paced intro to Photoshop Elements class at Jessica Sprague and love it! I suspect my paper scrapbooking will fall aside permanantly as I use up my supplies. I'm hoping to get some wonderful photos at Disneyland, though.

After Pesah the girls will start school. They will be three and that is the age we start teaching them Torah and it just seems the perfect time to start it all. nothing is set in concrete yet, but I'm planning on starting with just 20-30 minutes in the morning of Montessori-inspired learning and then 20-30 minutes in the afternoon of Hebrew/Jewish/Torah learning. The split is so that Aba can participate in the Hebrew with them since he is fluent. My hope is to get him to talk with them in Hebrew more so that they become bilungual. 

After Pesah brings another change to the family, too. Aba and I talked it over and we are very unhappy with our diet. It seems like we do well and then slowly fade back into take-out and ready-bought. I've been working at introducing more traditional foods into the meals, but it is so easy to go back to Chinese take out. So, since we'll be getting rid of all of our food for Pesah we'll need to restock and will only restock things that fir into the traditional food way of eating. We will do this until Shavuot comes (so six weeks) and then we can sit down and re-evaluate. I figure this gives us an end date so when the "I don't want to do this anymore" hits we can look at the calendar. Also, six weeks is a good chunk of time to set up new habits and break bad ones.

I've still been toying with ideas for the blog. In fact, my new-found digital skills are getting practice by working on headers and layouts. Anything major won't happen until after Pesah, though, but will be done before the summer becuse I have some ideas for summer fun.

Now I'm going to hunt through my hard drive (freshly installed after getting the computer back from repair) for a picture. I need to download both cameras, too, and update on Purim! And I have a DITLO from last month to upload, too. Wow! I've gotta get busy!

What's Going On Around Here?

I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating much lately. I had intended to do daily blogging this month, but ended up focusing on household things. I should be back regularly mid-February.

What have we been up to here? Well, first there is a major decluttering going on. Secondly, we've been working on getting our routines back on track. Then we are finishing a few projects to make the home more Montessori-friendly. Finally, The girls and I are adding some exercise into our day. I've also started a new hobby...CVSing...and have been regularly attending a knitting group on Thursdays. I miss my girls on those evenings, but I enjoy a couple free hours.

I've also had some ideas floating around my head for a while regarding the blog. I'm going to finish up my photo comparison (I want to get a couple more opinions first), you'll get a peek at February Lady, we'll be doing another 'Day in the Life Of' in early February, we'll start working on this year's mishlot manot, starting the Pesah countdown, and planning the girls' third birthday including moving into their own bedroom!

And that is only the next couple months! This year is going to be packed full of fun!

My Poor 101/1001

Its been awhile since I posted about my 101/1001. Actually, it has been awhile since I even thought about it. Yet tonight, as I handed a homeless woman $2.00 I remembered my 101/1001 list and my desire to donate a dollar a day to charity. What makes the list so forgettable?

Well, times change. I change. My life changes. Goals change. And I don't have my list posted anywhere except on the computer. Our of sight, out of mind. So I'm going to print it out and post it alongside my daily routine and cleaning lists. (Have I mentioned how much I'm grooving with Flylady lately?) Now for the big question...do I revamp the list and actually reflect where I am today? If so do I reset the date? My list is currently set to be completed on November 14, 2010. Tough choices.

In the end I've decided to revamp it but leave the end date. I did reset the daily/weekly/monthly items so that they are current. I'm surprised how much time we have. Some of the larger traveling things will likely not get done, but everything is pretty doable.

Without further ado, the new and improved 101/1001 list:

1. Go on a cruise
2. Save $5.00 a week for Israel fund (0/96)
3. Go skiing
4. Take a RV vacation across the US
5. Drive to Hearst Castle
6. Take a driving tour in Israel.
7. Go to Morocco
8. Shop in Morocco
9. Take the girls to Disney World
10. Dance with the girls at the Kotel
11. Live 1 month in Israel
    
12. Have another baby
13. Breastfeed a baby
14. Learn to use a wrap correctly. Done
15. Pay it forward once a month minimum (0/22)
16. Make a full batch of Challah and give away the extras.
17. Donate the girls’ old toys Made one run. Getting some more stuff together for another.
18. Donate the girls’ old diapers
19. Donate $1.00 a day to charity. (1/674)
20. Volunteer to deliver food for Tomchei Shabbat
21. Take a meal to a sick person Done.
22. Take a meal to a new mother
23. Donate $5.00 to charity for every item not completed.
24. Grow out hair to donate to Locks of Love FAIL I got sick of it and cut it off at about 5 inches.
25. Host a large Shabbat dinner
26. Make holiday binders (0/6)
27. Have my cupboards empty for Pesah (don't sell Chametz just have it gone)
28. Invite non-observant people for Pesah.
    
29. Join a women’s learning group
30. Write an essay about “Women and Orthodoxy” as counterpoint to the reform and conservative POV.
31. Invite non-observant people to 3 Shabbatot. (0/3)
32. See the dentist
33. Take my meds daily (0/674)
34. Take my vitamins daily
35. Get bicycles for everyone in the family and go riding together.—will the girls be old enough? Maybe need a bicycle stroller? Must figure this one out.
36. Learn to belly dance
37. Look into eye surgery
38. Walk 10,000 steps every day for a week.
39. Get CPR certified
40. Get CPST certified
41. Buy myself a pair of good running shoes.
42. Try eating vegetarian for 1 week
43. Run a 5K
44. Submit 5 projects for publication
45. Make something from homespun yarn
46. Edit family pictures that are online
47. Back-up family pictures
48. Go to SnB regularly Score!
49. Go to a scrapbooking crop regularly Having trouble finding one. Scrapbooking isn't as big as it used to be.
50. Refinish a table
51. Sew curtains
52. Learn to crochet.
53. Re-evaluate items on my Ravelry queue monthly. (0/22)
54. Re-evaluate my 101/1001 list monthly (1/22)
55. Have enough knitted dishcloths to not use sponges (16/50)
56. Learn to make soap.
    
57. Get up-to-date on printing pictures. Check. I only print pictures as I want them now.
58. Knit a sweater for everyone in the family. (3/5)
59. Give only handmade gifts for 1 year.
60. Finish decorating my bedroom. Almost there!)
61. Make the house shoe-free
62. Grow tomato plant
63. Grow herb garden
64. Return phone calls as they come in.
65. Get a bill paying system set up and use it.
66. Return Netflix as soon as I watch them or realize I don’t really want to watch them.
67. Make an extra payment each month on the van. (0/22)
68. Make a budget done
69. Live within my budget
    
70. Make my menus for 1 week.
71. Grocery shop from my menus
72. Cook from my menus
73. Update emergency preparedness kits
74. Make emergency preparedness kits for cars
75. Do OAM cooking one month
    
76. Complete making my 101/1001 list. (All done!)
77. Get Zeus to come to my hand.
78. Call a radio talk show I emailed one and it was read on the air. Called one but someone got on with my comment first.
79. Take a wine tasting class
80. Convince someone else to do the 101 in 1001 project with me.
81. Be an extra
82. If I don’t read email groups weekly, unsubscribe Done
83. Respond to one email a week in each of my email groups
84. Use canvas bags when shopping Doing well!
85. Get professional portrait taken
86. Get a mani/pedi monthly (0/22)
87. Go out for family day once a month. (0/22)
88. See a play
89. Write a letter of appreciation to 5 artists (any media) whose work has touched me.
90. Write a letter to the editor.
91. Find some “me space” in the house. Got my table, my craft area and my little corner of the sofa.
92. Photo document 100 things that make me happy (0/100)
93. Get rid of the grubby clothing from my closet Did this once and I have been getting rid of stained stuff as I realize stains aren't coming out.
94. Be car-free for 1 week
95. Be TV free for 1 week
96. Be caffeine-free for 1 week
97. Be take-out-free for 1 week.
98. Work on a political campaign
99. Send a postcard to PostSecret
100. Get rid of 1001 clutter items (0/674)
101. Get fully dressed daily Been doing and I feel great!
     

FLS wins!

I ended up getting a skein of each yarn out and asked Aba which one I should make a sweater out of. His first suggestion was to make a striped sweater...no. Then he chose the Dream in Color.

So I've cast on, frogged, cast on, knitted a few rows and I've just messed up half of a row. So now I need to pick back through 2 misplaced raglan increases or I need to frog again.

Once I fix that I need to mark the right side so that I don't mess up the increases again.

A huge thanks to everyone who voted!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Yeah, another lame pop culture reference, but how could I resist? I mean Change is so big right now. From Obama to the new year to January's NaBloPoMo theme. (Like that segway? I am participating, but I won't be setting posts to go live on Friday and Saturday so it won't be as overwhelming as November.) It just seems like change is in the air and all around. This house is no different.

First, I've restarted Flylady. I'm being careful not to become wrapped up in the "Flylady" part of it and just keeping up with the routine. I really like it and the house is feeling better.

Secondly, I'm on a budget. Before now we've just spent if we had and didn't if we didn't. Not the best idea when you have kids. I mean, when they outgrow their shoes they need a new pair. There isn't the option of waiting until the next project. So I've set one up for us and I just got home from my first grocery trip on a budget. Wow. What a hassle!

Thirdly, we've decided (formally) to homeschool the girls. Right now it is through first grade but we'll see if it moves past that.

Lastly, you'll notice a few changes around here. I'm working on a new layout and banner for the blog. I also have a couple ideas of things I'd like to do, but those will have to wait for another post. I have a toddler asking for food, so I have to go!

Happy New Year!

A Quick Update

Thought I would pop in with a little update. I feel a bit bad that I posted every day in November for NaBloPoMo but have slacked off quite a bit in December. Okay, I just checked the calendar and it is only December 8th. I guess it just seems so long since I was posting daily.

First, Batya is back on California time! Woot! Chaya is slowly getting there and Shira seems to get up because others are up. I think getting Chaya back on track is the next step and then Shira will just fall into place.

I've been a laundry machine lately! 13 loads of laundry folded and put away. 5 loads washed. I still have about 6 more to do including all the bed linens and some towels. Unfortunately some damp kitchen rags were tossed into the laundry baskets so quite a few towels, washrags and some kid's clothing had to be tossed because it was just covered with mold. (I considered washing with some bleach, but mold just makes me sneeze like crazy and I figured I had enough laundry and enough kitchen rags.) So, a quick reminder to everyone: PUT WET LAUNDRY SOMEWHERE IT CAN DRY OUT IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO WASH IT WHAT DAY! I've instituted a new policy of hanging all dishrags over the side of the bucket to dry before they get tossed into the big pail.

The girls and I are off to San Diego for a short visit. If the weather holds out we'll be having a photoshoot.

Have a wonderful week and stay safe, everyone!

A Few Last Israel Pictures and an Update.

I was going through them today and realized that I don't have a lot of the shots I wanted to take. It was just a hit-and-miss kind of trip with the vomiting. We had a chance to visit Hebron but the girls were sick and by the time they were well our contact in Hebron had left to visit the states. Once again the trip to Derech Avot was missed. And on our trips to Metsada and The Kotel the girls refused to cooperate for pictures.

Oh well. I guess we'll just have to go back. ;)

Don't tell Aba about that plan, though. He is in serious airline anxiety and refuses to fly unless it is a business (no family) trip and he is in Business Class so that he can sleep. But I'm working on some ideas because, despite his reservations, I want to go back and stay for a while. (Yay, Ayelet!)

And, since I haven't mentioned it here (though if you follow me on Twitter or are a Facebook friend you know this) the airlines lost a carseat somewhere between Paris and LA. So far it hasn't turned up, but the guy who helped us said that Paris has been having problems losing luggage lately. They must have drank those two bottles of kosher Kahlua I bought from Tel Aviv's duty free. (They confiscated them but at the shop no one mentioned you couldn't take them through Paris. Nice.) Tonight we are filing a claim if the seat isn't found.

We took Batya to the ped on Tuesday and he said that it is likely that she was just super sensitive to the bug because 1)it spread so it was definitly a bug, 2) she isn't showing any signs of a physical reason (he mentioned obstruction or hyper-sensitive gag reflex) for the vomiting, 3) she is eating, drinking, wetting and soiling diapers and 4) she is vomiting every couple days. he said not to worry if she vomits again in the coming week. So far, nothing, Baruch Hashem! She did, however, lose 1.5 pounds in two weeks.

Metsada

Watching Elmo clips on You Tube with Aba

Waiting for the plane in Paris (we kept going back to give tzedakah to the panda).

At the Kotel

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Four Down...Aba Escapes?

It's so unfair! I got hit by the dreaded bug yesterday just an hour or so before Shabbat. I ended up sleeping on the sofa through dinner and missing out on the great food Ayelet had prepared.

That said, Chaya and Batya still seem a little sleepy but Shira is back in spazz mode. I started feeling better Shabbat morning and just have to be careful of toddlers jumping on my tummy or doing too much.

I feel so bummed that basically half of our vacation has been spent cooped up in the apartment. I guess I should watch what I say. Before we left I was saying that I wanted to get a bit of a feeling for living here. If I can survive three sick toddlers, being sick myself and doing some pharmacy and grocery runs by myself I think I can make it when the crew is healthy. LOL

A Puke-y Update

The dates are off from when I'm writing and when I'm posting this because of the time changes. It is currently 2:10 AM on Friday morning. So "today" means Thursday.

Well, things went pretty well today. The girls slept until 7:00 around the time Aba came back from Netz at the Kotel. Then we had a light breakfast and tidied up. We were thinking all was well with Batya when she threw up twice. So Aba called our pedeatrician. The call back came when Batya was sleeping with me on the sofa. She said to basically do what we were doing and not to worry about food because when she was hungry she would eat.

Chaya and Shira were going stir crazy so I got them dressed and we walked a bit and stopped at Super-Pharm (drugstore) and at this cool little herb/vitamin store where I picked up some probiotics for Batya and some (kosher!) Rescue Remedy. We ended up coming back home about two hours later and Batya had slept the whole time.

I made lunch and she wanted some spaghetti and chicken and was adamant about getting some sauce, too. It stayed down for the most part. The only time anything came up what when she was screeching after Chaya kicked her in the stomach. (Nice and sisterly, huh?) I had a nice migraine by then but a Coke Zero, two Acamol and a nap killed it.

Batya and Chaya decided they wanted to sleep with me so we moved to their bed and Aba was supposed to make sure I was up in an hour...but he fell asleep on the sofa with Shira so we all slept for about five hours.

So everyone gets up and we have some light snacks, water and juice, play, tidy and fold some laundry. Then Chaya vomits. Three times. But (baruch Ha-Shem!) not as badly as Batya and she didn't get to the dry heaves. So, it is 1:45 AM here and I have a puking toddler in my arms, an ex-puking toddler asleep on the sofa with her bear and a toddler worried about her towel.

I managed to get Chaya and Batya into bed together and left Aba and Shira on the sofa. I gave Shira some probiotics preemptivly and watered her milk down.

But it is 2:05 AM and I don't think I can sleep. I guess I'll work on my hat or my sock.

We've Arrived!

Safe and somewhat sound. I'll go into the whole story later. :)

Here are a couple of pictures from hell...err...the plane. And how I carted my carseats through the airport.

We're off to Israel!

Our flight leaves early so we will be leaving the house bright and early. We'll be gone for two weeks and I hope to update a bit from overseas, but who knows what kind of time I'll get. So I've set some posts to go live while we're gone.

I'll be available via email if you need me, but won't be on Twitter or Facebook.

Knitterly Stuff

It occurred to me last night that I haven't posted anything crafty lately. So, here is a crafty fix.

I've been plugging away at the girls' Josephs. I got everything finished last night and it is now drying. Hopefully I can start seaming them tonight.

Chaya

Shira

Batya

You might notice that Shira's jacket (the red one) seems quite a bit larger than the other two. That was my big error on these pieces. I knit Chaya's first and entered it in Ravelry. Then I let it sit for a while before I cast on Batya's. I knit her back and part of the right front when I decided to update Ravelry. Then I noticed that I was using 13s instead of 17s as listed. I measured the backs against each other and they were roughly the same so I figured I was fine. I finished Batya's and used 17s when I cast on Shira's.

When I was photographing them last night I figured out what I did. I didn't mix up needles. I used 13s on Chaya's and wrote down 17. Luckily Shira is the largest of the girls. Batya might have some length issues with the sleeves so I'm going to seam Chaya's and try it on Batya so I can add some length as needed.

Next time I need to be more careful with what needles I'm using. I'm thinking a piece of blue painters tape on the reverse with all the info on it so that if the items gets separated from the pattern or needles I have a record. Or I could just double check my notes on Ravelry.

I've also swatched up Cambridge Jacket for Aba and Pearl Buck Swing Jacket (Ravelry links) for me. Though I have a few other sweaters I'd like to make for me so I haven't decided which one to start with. I haven't touch Absorba. I need to get to that, though. I have all of the Ugly Betty eps from this season saved on the DVR so I might force myself to work on Absorba while watching them.