After about ten minutes of waiting for the feeding to begin, I turned to MBB and said "do you know what I realized?" and he responded, correctly:
"That we are the only English speaking people here?"
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Tourists and Jews
As we sat on the cold stone steps waiting for the sea lions to be fed at the Central Park Zoo today, we realized who besides Jews goes to the zoo on Christmas morning.
After about ten minutes of waiting for the feeding to begin, I turned to MBB and said "do you know what I realized?" and he responded, correctly:
"That we are the only English speaking people here?"
After about ten minutes of waiting for the feeding to begin, I turned to MBB and said "do you know what I realized?" and he responded, correctly:
"That we are the only English speaking people here?"
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Smokey Nos
Last night we were out with my brother and sister in law. As readers of the Yated they informed us there was an alleged Kol Koreh from many Rabbonim saying that boys should get married at 18.
Married at 18? A father at 19?I would not want an 18 year old to attempt to be a husband to my daughters. An 18 year old boy? Seriously. It would be very simple. We would become (which in a lot of ways we have already) like the Chassidim, where being married means not being independent at all, going to parents every Shabbos, and most nights of the week for supper.
It really is the natural progression for the way we live our lives. Children have no responsibility, need to be happy and coddled all the time, and the boys, well they get extra coddling. After all, they get up early to go to Minyan, and they have very few days off, and always need to be learning. The off shoot of that is extra coddling and little responsibility when they come home. This ties in with the idea of parenting from fear, if we don't make the admittedly hard schedule easier for them, then they may not want to stay in learning.
How about that. We have an opportunity to separate the wheat from the chaff in a system that is upside down and haywire, but most parents aren't willing to do it. If a kid loves learning he will learn, and keep to his schedule, and participate in household chores when he is it at home. You know, like real life when he gets married. And if we are going to marry them off at 18, then you're darn-tootin' this is something to start in High School.
Though it's not likely to work.
Guys today are getting married as young as 21, and their heads are so full of how great they are, and how everyone must be machshiv them (including baking them cookies), that they cannot think beyond themselves. They have been so coddled that when they marry a girl who has a great job, or is great at it, it matters not. They are moving where THEY can learn better, regardless of the long term effects this will have. Girls can leave a well paying job for a lousy one, or commute, or leave a teaching job they are GOOD at so that a guy can learn in Lakewood. Teachers are a dime a dozen in Lakewood, those jobs are hard to come by. So one girl who is a fantastic teacher is now a secretary in an office in Lakewood. In that case the pay scale is the same, but for the girls who give up well paying jobs to move elsewhere why not make some good money before the bills, and the kids really start coming?
Which brings up another issue. How dare these girls leave their teaching jobs in the middle of the year because their new husbands want to learn somewhere else. Teaching is more than a job, and when dealing with children yo have a responsibility that goes beyond showing up for three hours a day. The Torah is timeless, and placeless, and can be learned and is everywhere. S why does all the scarifice for Kollel seem to be on the women? They give up good jobs, and commute, and get paid less so they can work harder and eventually leave their kids for longer.
Where is the sacrifice from the men? Yes, they are learning, and yes it is hard to keep up the fire and it's hard to sit and learn, but earning a living is hard too, and I do not believe the sacrifice is the learning.
Obviously this all generalizations, there are individuals always who will be truer or stronger in what they are doing, and men who will sacrifice.
Just not at 18.
Married at 18? A father at 19?I would not want an 18 year old to attempt to be a husband to my daughters. An 18 year old boy? Seriously. It would be very simple. We would become (which in a lot of ways we have already) like the Chassidim, where being married means not being independent at all, going to parents every Shabbos, and most nights of the week for supper.
It really is the natural progression for the way we live our lives. Children have no responsibility, need to be happy and coddled all the time, and the boys, well they get extra coddling. After all, they get up early to go to Minyan, and they have very few days off, and always need to be learning. The off shoot of that is extra coddling and little responsibility when they come home. This ties in with the idea of parenting from fear, if we don't make the admittedly hard schedule easier for them, then they may not want to stay in learning.
How about that. We have an opportunity to separate the wheat from the chaff in a system that is upside down and haywire, but most parents aren't willing to do it. If a kid loves learning he will learn, and keep to his schedule, and participate in household chores when he is it at home. You know, like real life when he gets married. And if we are going to marry them off at 18, then you're darn-tootin' this is something to start in High School.
Though it's not likely to work.
Guys today are getting married as young as 21, and their heads are so full of how great they are, and how everyone must be machshiv them (including baking them cookies), that they cannot think beyond themselves. They have been so coddled that when they marry a girl who has a great job, or is great at it, it matters not. They are moving where THEY can learn better, regardless of the long term effects this will have. Girls can leave a well paying job for a lousy one, or commute, or leave a teaching job they are GOOD at so that a guy can learn in Lakewood. Teachers are a dime a dozen in Lakewood, those jobs are hard to come by. So one girl who is a fantastic teacher is now a secretary in an office in Lakewood. In that case the pay scale is the same, but for the girls who give up well paying jobs to move elsewhere why not make some good money before the bills, and the kids really start coming?
Which brings up another issue. How dare these girls leave their teaching jobs in the middle of the year because their new husbands want to learn somewhere else. Teaching is more than a job, and when dealing with children yo have a responsibility that goes beyond showing up for three hours a day. The Torah is timeless, and placeless, and can be learned and is everywhere. S why does all the scarifice for Kollel seem to be on the women? They give up good jobs, and commute, and get paid less so they can work harder and eventually leave their kids for longer.
Where is the sacrifice from the men? Yes, they are learning, and yes it is hard to keep up the fire and it's hard to sit and learn, but earning a living is hard too, and I do not believe the sacrifice is the learning.
Obviously this all generalizations, there are individuals always who will be truer or stronger in what they are doing, and men who will sacrifice.
Just not at 18.
Monday, December 17, 2012
I Just Don't Know
There's a lot of talk now about gun control. Even those who are for bans on certain types of weapons know that it won't do much. THIS explains a lot of why certain bans don't and didn't work in the past.
I have a few thoughts on this subject.
I can't think of a reason that any law abiding citizen needs an automatic weapon with a high capacity magazine. For those who claim they need to be armed in case the government ever goes bad and turns on its people? A bad excuse. Legally attainable guns are no match for Military grade weapons and technology . When the Second Amendment was written this was not the case. The citizenry and the military had the same type of weapons, so it would have been a fair fight if the nascent American experiment had turned sour.
For those who say they need weapons of this caliber to protect their families? They will often at the same time speak of how safe they are in storing their weapons and bullets in two separate places. Really? In the middle of the night with someone in your home attacking your family you will have time to open two safes, get the weapon and the bullets, and hope they're not all dead by the time you've put it all together with shaking hands?
This country has a love affair with guns. It's almost a religion to some people as any thoughts to try to curb some of the more dangerous weapons is automatically met with resistance. But this may be the tipping point. Whether or not a ban on certain types of weapons would even help (because if someone wanted to illegally possess a gun they likely could) I don't think an event of this magnitude will pass without some action.
And that action (assault rifles, automatic/semi automatic/high capacity magazines) and that conversation cannot be allowed to be painted as gun banning by those who like to consider gun CONTROL as more than the middle ground of this debate. Because that's what control is, not a ban, control.
But I do not think much action will change anything until the culture of violence and the religion of guns is changed. As more and more people connect on social media, they disconnect from the world around them. We have learned to be mean in anonymous internet comments and blogs, we have learned to see each person as an impediment to what we want with our own personal desires taking precedence over everything. There are different views and different perspectives in the world. People grow up differently and have different life experiences. Rarely is any one way 100% correct in a social- secular argument. Yet we have become angry on the one hand, and less accepting of those who are different or "off" on the other. WE worship the beautiful and the superficial, and we let the fringe people fall through the cracks.
Why is this so devastating? Because we need to live in a world where we can kiss our children good bye in the morning and assume that we will kiss them good night the same day. So to all those people who must have their 30 round clips in their one pull of the trigger, I must ask what is WRONG with you? Don't worry you can still kill a lot of people with a nine or six shooter, just spend a little more time at the range until you are good at it.
I am left with one thing after what happened in Connecticut, it applies to so many aspects of what happens in this crazy world, and it comes from a man I mostly do not agree with:
This is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.
I have a few thoughts on this subject.
I can't think of a reason that any law abiding citizen needs an automatic weapon with a high capacity magazine. For those who claim they need to be armed in case the government ever goes bad and turns on its people? A bad excuse. Legally attainable guns are no match for Military grade weapons and technology . When the Second Amendment was written this was not the case. The citizenry and the military had the same type of weapons, so it would have been a fair fight if the nascent American experiment had turned sour.
For those who say they need weapons of this caliber to protect their families? They will often at the same time speak of how safe they are in storing their weapons and bullets in two separate places. Really? In the middle of the night with someone in your home attacking your family you will have time to open two safes, get the weapon and the bullets, and hope they're not all dead by the time you've put it all together with shaking hands?
This country has a love affair with guns. It's almost a religion to some people as any thoughts to try to curb some of the more dangerous weapons is automatically met with resistance. But this may be the tipping point. Whether or not a ban on certain types of weapons would even help (because if someone wanted to illegally possess a gun they likely could) I don't think an event of this magnitude will pass without some action.
And that action (assault rifles, automatic/semi automatic/high capacity magazines) and that conversation cannot be allowed to be painted as gun banning by those who like to consider gun CONTROL as more than the middle ground of this debate. Because that's what control is, not a ban, control.
But I do not think much action will change anything until the culture of violence and the religion of guns is changed. As more and more people connect on social media, they disconnect from the world around them. We have learned to be mean in anonymous internet comments and blogs, we have learned to see each person as an impediment to what we want with our own personal desires taking precedence over everything. There are different views and different perspectives in the world. People grow up differently and have different life experiences. Rarely is any one way 100% correct in a social- secular argument. Yet we have become angry on the one hand, and less accepting of those who are different or "off" on the other. WE worship the beautiful and the superficial, and we let the fringe people fall through the cracks.
Why is this so devastating? Because we need to live in a world where we can kiss our children good bye in the morning and assume that we will kiss them good night the same day. So to all those people who must have their 30 round clips in their one pull of the trigger, I must ask what is WRONG with you? Don't worry you can still kill a lot of people with a nine or six shooter, just spend a little more time at the range until you are good at it.
I am left with one thing after what happened in Connecticut, it applies to so many aspects of what happens in this crazy world, and it comes from a man I mostly do not agree with:
This is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Time and Place
I have no problem with all men strolling over to the women's section during simchas that are separate seating (though I do enjoy giving certain people grief about it). I know to some people separate seating is silly, or ridiculous, and they say unnecessary halachackily, as long as there is a mechitza and separation for dancing. That may be true, but it isn't in practice.
I would like to know why there are so many men who find their way into the women's section during the dancing, especially during the second dance when they want to leave, and are looking for their wives while the dance floor is sparse and mostly filled with jiggling 20 year olds ( I am being kind and not referring to those men who must come in to shmooze with their wives). Either they should wait or find some one to find their wife without being in viewing range. It's unfair to the girls.
We spend all this time telling the girls about the lengths of their skirts and the visibility of their collar bones, and then these men come waltzing in where they don't belong, and now these mostly careful girls are dancing in front of their neighbors, their shul mates or their parents friends.
I am sure there are lots of rationalizations as to why it's really fiiiine to see young girls you know dancing and gyrating, and the answer is not "they shouldn't move like that." This goes back to this whole idea that tzniyus is for women, and men have no responsibility in it. It's wrong, and this and the tight suits, tight pants, and the way a lot of married women dress is further proof that the men just don't care.
If it looks good...go for it.
I would like to know why there are so many men who find their way into the women's section during the dancing, especially during the second dance when they want to leave, and are looking for their wives while the dance floor is sparse and mostly filled with jiggling 20 year olds ( I am being kind and not referring to those men who must come in to shmooze with their wives). Either they should wait or find some one to find their wife without being in viewing range. It's unfair to the girls.
We spend all this time telling the girls about the lengths of their skirts and the visibility of their collar bones, and then these men come waltzing in where they don't belong, and now these mostly careful girls are dancing in front of their neighbors, their shul mates or their parents friends.
I am sure there are lots of rationalizations as to why it's really fiiiine to see young girls you know dancing and gyrating, and the answer is not "they shouldn't move like that." This goes back to this whole idea that tzniyus is for women, and men have no responsibility in it. It's wrong, and this and the tight suits, tight pants, and the way a lot of married women dress is further proof that the men just don't care.
If it looks good...go for it.
Monday, December 3, 2012
We Have A Little "Situation" Here
Little Mr. Two Year Old is quite the creature of habit. So when we got to the Library early for story time today, he had time to do his second favorite thing there: use the water fountain. Normally he uses the fountain in the main section because story time is in a room off of there. So normally there is a stool. Lo and behold in the children's section he didn't need a stool since, well, it's the children's section.
So being relatively tall enough he worked the fountain on his own, and was no longer thirsty, but a bit wet. I looked for books for some of the kids, and we walked back to the main section to wait for the room where the program is held to open. There were some young adult soft cover books right outside the room, so I was able to look for more books while little man followed me.
And apparently started to unbutton his shirt.
I caught it before he got the whole shirt open, then as we stood on line to check out the books, he again made it almost all the way, but was thwarted before the final button.
Books checked out, program complete, we were off to New Jersey to pick up something a friend had ordered from Bloomingdales. He really behaved, really well. At one point he wanted to walk, and I let him out of the stroller. As we were about to go outside I realized he was again one button away from strippage, and though it was pretty warm out, and neither he nor I had coats, I did not wish to be arrested for having a shirtless baby outside in the Northeast in December.
Crisis averted.
We did a few more errands, and ended up a few hours later at the Post Office. ( He got confused and actually thought he would see the person we were mailing something to, it was quite cute). I waited on a very short line, and was reading the different rates on a paper a mere two inches from head. when I turned back to glance at the boy....
He was shirtless.
Completely.
On the day he wore no under shirt, he was standing in the Post Office in his jeans with some diaper sticking out. Through my laughter I managed to tell him that it could be a federal offense to strip in the Post Office, and the kindly woman behind the counter yelled "Hey, you have to wear a shirt in the Post Office." Giggling, he let me put it on, and as it was our turn I distracted him by putting him up on the counter and closing his buttons while he watched the transaction unfold.
This was a new one for me.
So being relatively tall enough he worked the fountain on his own, and was no longer thirsty, but a bit wet. I looked for books for some of the kids, and we walked back to the main section to wait for the room where the program is held to open. There were some young adult soft cover books right outside the room, so I was able to look for more books while little man followed me.
And apparently started to unbutton his shirt.
I caught it before he got the whole shirt open, then as we stood on line to check out the books, he again made it almost all the way, but was thwarted before the final button.
Books checked out, program complete, we were off to New Jersey to pick up something a friend had ordered from Bloomingdales. He really behaved, really well. At one point he wanted to walk, and I let him out of the stroller. As we were about to go outside I realized he was again one button away from strippage, and though it was pretty warm out, and neither he nor I had coats, I did not wish to be arrested for having a shirtless baby outside in the Northeast in December.
Crisis averted.
We did a few more errands, and ended up a few hours later at the Post Office. ( He got confused and actually thought he would see the person we were mailing something to, it was quite cute). I waited on a very short line, and was reading the different rates on a paper a mere two inches from head. when I turned back to glance at the boy....
He was shirtless.
Completely.
On the day he wore no under shirt, he was standing in the Post Office in his jeans with some diaper sticking out. Through my laughter I managed to tell him that it could be a federal offense to strip in the Post Office, and the kindly woman behind the counter yelled "Hey, you have to wear a shirt in the Post Office." Giggling, he let me put it on, and as it was our turn I distracted him by putting him up on the counter and closing his buttons while he watched the transaction unfold.
This was a new one for me.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Use a Different Word
Not all words are the same. Sometimes, they may seem like they are the same, or seem to have the right meaning, but some words just have added...shall we say baggage.
I would like to aver that the word "Schlep," does not mean to go somewhere far, or somewhere that takes a long time to get to even though technically it is fairly close (yes, metropolitan New York area, I am looking at you).
Schlep is a word for going someplace you do not want to go. Schlep is a word for a place you would rather not be, even if you have to be. Schlep is a word for something tedious.
So please. If you are going to a simcha that is far away, and you want to be at that simcha (as opposed to say an obligation wedding in...oh, Lakewood), do not talk about the "Schlep. Getting there gets you to the simcha, and going home is part of that too.
Just enjoy the happy occasion. It's like Pesach cleaning-it's a means to an end. So just do it, and enjoy the travel.
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I would like to aver that the word "Schlep," does not mean to go somewhere far, or somewhere that takes a long time to get to even though technically it is fairly close (yes, metropolitan New York area, I am looking at you).
Schlep is a word for going someplace you do not want to go. Schlep is a word for a place you would rather not be, even if you have to be. Schlep is a word for something tedious.
So please. If you are going to a simcha that is far away, and you want to be at that simcha (as opposed to say an obligation wedding in...oh, Lakewood), do not talk about the "Schlep. Getting there gets you to the simcha, and going home is part of that too.
Just enjoy the happy occasion. It's like Pesach cleaning-it's a means to an end. So just do it, and enjoy the travel.
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thanks, But No Turkey-EDITED FOR CLARITY
It's that time of year again, the time that seems to get earlier if you listen to the music playing in the mall: It's the Holiday Season. In my mind,that means the kickoff or run up to Christmas. .
I consider myself an American, I love this country and everything it has given and afforded us. So why don't I celebrate Thanksgiving in the traditional sense, cooking and serving the Turkey Dinner? There aren't too many American holidays that have actual rituals (barbeques don't count), and Thanksgiving definitely does. Thanksgiving. Is it religious? Is it secular? Certainly, it cannot be thought of as purely secular since it was the Pilgrims/Puritans, a fairly religious bunch, who originally celebrated it. It wasn't a national holiday until Lincoln's time, though many states had their own days of Thanksgiving set up in which the wording of the proclamation that founded it was clearly religious in nature- as George Washington put it in 1789 "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God."
To me Thanksgiving is the kickoff to the holiday season, the run up to Christmas, and for those who say, "well that's all commercial," then why not celebrate Christmas too? If Christmas is nothing but a commercial entity for so many, and the lights have no religious significance why not decorate our houses for the "season." Costco sells these gorgeous icicle lights which would look great ringing my front porch. I am not saying that celebrating Thanksgiving is like celebrating Christmas. What I am saying is that if something started out religious, but has become commercial and secular, and that's the reason it is OK for us to celebrate it, in the manner celebrated by most people, then the argument could follow to both Christmnas and Halloween. Heck, Easter eggs have very little to do with Jesus!
Another aspect of the day is the meal. As a frum woman so much of my Yom Tov and Shabbos preparations and celebrations involve the meals. I cannot bring myself to serve what amounts to a yom tov meal on a regular Thursday, to elevate it to the status that I reserve for days that the Torah tells us to celebrate. (plus, do people serve their leftovers for Shabbos? from a Thursday?)
We have so many Holidays that are ours, that have depth and meaning. We have so many days where we gather as families and celebrate and appreciate what we have (not to mention the daily giving of thanks, beginning with the first moment we awake in the morning).
Thanksgiving may seem as American as July 4th, but I don't think it is. I think it goes into territory that we as people who follow the Torah, and keep its days would do better to acknowledge, but not "celebrate" in the traditional sense.
Football, however, is always OK.
I consider myself an American, I love this country and everything it has given and afforded us. So why don't I celebrate Thanksgiving in the traditional sense, cooking and serving the Turkey Dinner? There aren't too many American holidays that have actual rituals (barbeques don't count), and Thanksgiving definitely does. Thanksgiving. Is it religious? Is it secular? Certainly, it cannot be thought of as purely secular since it was the Pilgrims/Puritans, a fairly religious bunch, who originally celebrated it. It wasn't a national holiday until Lincoln's time, though many states had their own days of Thanksgiving set up in which the wording of the proclamation that founded it was clearly religious in nature- as George Washington put it in 1789 "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God."
To me Thanksgiving is the kickoff to the holiday season, the run up to Christmas, and for those who say, "well that's all commercial," then why not celebrate Christmas too? If Christmas is nothing but a commercial entity for so many, and the lights have no religious significance why not decorate our houses for the "season." Costco sells these gorgeous icicle lights which would look great ringing my front porch. I am not saying that celebrating Thanksgiving is like celebrating Christmas. What I am saying is that if something started out religious, but has become commercial and secular, and that's the reason it is OK for us to celebrate it, in the manner celebrated by most people, then the argument could follow to both Christmnas and Halloween. Heck, Easter eggs have very little to do with Jesus!
Another aspect of the day is the meal. As a frum woman so much of my Yom Tov and Shabbos preparations and celebrations involve the meals. I cannot bring myself to serve what amounts to a yom tov meal on a regular Thursday, to elevate it to the status that I reserve for days that the Torah tells us to celebrate. (plus, do people serve their leftovers for Shabbos? from a Thursday?)
We have so many Holidays that are ours, that have depth and meaning. We have so many days where we gather as families and celebrate and appreciate what we have (not to mention the daily giving of thanks, beginning with the first moment we awake in the morning).
Thanksgiving may seem as American as July 4th, but I don't think it is. I think it goes into territory that we as people who follow the Torah, and keep its days would do better to acknowledge, but not "celebrate" in the traditional sense.
Football, however, is always OK.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Please Stay Home
I think I would say the same if I actually liked this President. I cannot see how bringing a presidential entourage/secret service/media circus to storm ravaged areas of NJ is in any way helpful to the residents, businesses or utility companies trying to get back on their feet.
Even if there were no election in a week the President does not belong here now, unless it's a quick flyover in a helicopter. I am sure Governor Christie has better things to do tomorrow then hold Obama's hand and fawn over him as he scrambles for federal dollars to help his devasted state.
So, Mr. Obama, perhaps the biggest thank you can give first responders who are still working, and victims trying to get back on their feet with uniterrupted services from those who can help them, would be to stay in Washington.
Or Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nevada.......
Even if there were no election in a week the President does not belong here now, unless it's a quick flyover in a helicopter. I am sure Governor Christie has better things to do tomorrow then hold Obama's hand and fawn over him as he scrambles for federal dollars to help his devasted state.
So, Mr. Obama, perhaps the biggest thank you can give first responders who are still working, and victims trying to get back on their feet with uniterrupted services from those who can help them, would be to stay in Washington.
Or Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nevada.......
This Crazy New World
In this new era we live in, I can sit in the dark, and listen to my ipod, text on my phone, and blog. The kids watched a video, and we had a pretty nice day.
That is not to say I would not be pleased to get the lights back on, and a computer that works on more than 3g access, but I shouldn't be so picky. I am very lucky that my neighbor has power and we can charge things as needed. I would like to charge them here, and I am ever hopeful that we will get power on tonight!
That is not to say I would not be pleased to get the lights back on, and a computer that works on more than 3g access, but I shouldn't be so picky. I am very lucky that my neighbor has power and we can charge things as needed. I would like to charge them here, and I am ever hopeful that we will get power on tonight!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
UPDATE!
I am very happy to report that at least one shul in the neighborhood of the school that I referenced in the post below has asked the congregants NOT to walk through the public school property while school is in session. There was an announcement from the pulpit as well as an email sent to the congregants.
Aside from the article reporting egregious behavior there was a video (which I chose not to watch) that really made it clear how awful the confrontation of parents and walkers really was.
I am hopeful that the name of Heaven will be sanctified over the next few days.
Aside from the article reporting egregious behavior there was a video (which I chose not to watch) that really made it clear how awful the confrontation of parents and walkers really was.
I am hopeful that the name of Heaven will be sanctified over the next few days.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Ich Bin Du
As many of you already know, people are stupid. And hypocritical. And stupidly hypocritical, which is often fine because who does it really effect, except for those of us who tsk, tsk, and shake our heads.
But what happens when the stupidity does effect a wider group people, and when it does effect sanctifying the name of Heaven, as in, doing the exact opposite.
There is a lot of contention in these parts over the school board as it related to Orthodox Jews, and public and private schools. It's about budgets and taxes, and who is controlling who and what. There are a few public schools that are smack in the middle of residential neighborhoods (where I believe by zoning rules are the only places they can be), so many of the Orthodox will use those properties as "shortcuts" on days when they need to walk. Regardless of whether school is in session or not, regardless of whether the public school kids are outside during recess. When asked to stop they either ignore those asking, or get into arguments with them.
If the people of this school district were smart they would get together and start walking through Orthodox school grounds during school hours. Granted that's private property, but a public school need not be open to all comers at all times. When school is in session it should be off limits. If that school is smart they would tell the neighboring private school that if they don't get their Landsmen to stop walking through school property they will charge them for use of their parking lot when there are after hours events at the non-public school.
I will concede that the level of contention between the public and private school parents is what led to the "crackdown," but either way those parents are right. I wouldn't want people walking through my kids' school during school hours and I think these parents have that same right. There comes a point where "I pay taxes" is just a lame excuse. If you own property in this country you pay school taxes. Whether you have kids or not. So, should we let random old people sit in school lunch rooms during school when they need a place to gather? After all, they pay taxes, they have a right!
Oh, and if you are going to do something so obviously stupid (walking through when asked not to, ) PLEASE do not invoke your "rabbi said it's ok." It just makes everything worse.
Don't be lazy, make God proud and walk AROUND the long way. Even if it's raining.
But what happens when the stupidity does effect a wider group people, and when it does effect sanctifying the name of Heaven, as in, doing the exact opposite.
There is a lot of contention in these parts over the school board as it related to Orthodox Jews, and public and private schools. It's about budgets and taxes, and who is controlling who and what. There are a few public schools that are smack in the middle of residential neighborhoods (where I believe by zoning rules are the only places they can be), so many of the Orthodox will use those properties as "shortcuts" on days when they need to walk. Regardless of whether school is in session or not, regardless of whether the public school kids are outside during recess. When asked to stop they either ignore those asking, or get into arguments with them.
If the people of this school district were smart they would get together and start walking through Orthodox school grounds during school hours. Granted that's private property, but a public school need not be open to all comers at all times. When school is in session it should be off limits. If that school is smart they would tell the neighboring private school that if they don't get their Landsmen to stop walking through school property they will charge them for use of their parking lot when there are after hours events at the non-public school.
I will concede that the level of contention between the public and private school parents is what led to the "crackdown," but either way those parents are right. I wouldn't want people walking through my kids' school during school hours and I think these parents have that same right. There comes a point where "I pay taxes" is just a lame excuse. If you own property in this country you pay school taxes. Whether you have kids or not. So, should we let random old people sit in school lunch rooms during school when they need a place to gather? After all, they pay taxes, they have a right!
Oh, and if you are going to do something so obviously stupid (walking through when asked not to, ) PLEASE do not invoke your "rabbi said it's ok." It just makes everything worse.
Don't be lazy, make God proud and walk AROUND the long way. Even if it's raining.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
How Far We Gonna Go?
Alright, I've had enough.
Every other second we hear about Tzniyus for women, and really there are problems out there. Women who should know better wearing things they know they shouldn't, and I'm not talking about the grey area stuff.
So I have felt that this is something that could possibly be rectified by teaching men about some of the laws of tzniyus, so when their wife asks "hey can I go out like this?" and she is wearing something a little short or a little tight and he thinks "sure, you look great," he might actually know that there may be some issues with it.
But now I think we need to teach tzniyus to the men for the clothes that THEY wear.
HEY! YOU! Yeah YOU with the black hat:
YOUR PANTS ARE TOO TIGHT AND SITTING TOO LOW. AND DUDE? REALLY? GET A SHIRT THAT FITS!!!!
Every other second we hear about Tzniyus for women, and really there are problems out there. Women who should know better wearing things they know they shouldn't, and I'm not talking about the grey area stuff.
So I have felt that this is something that could possibly be rectified by teaching men about some of the laws of tzniyus, so when their wife asks "hey can I go out like this?" and she is wearing something a little short or a little tight and he thinks "sure, you look great," he might actually know that there may be some issues with it.
But now I think we need to teach tzniyus to the men for the clothes that THEY wear.
HEY! YOU! Yeah YOU with the black hat:
YOUR PANTS ARE TOO TIGHT AND SITTING TOO LOW. AND DUDE? REALLY? GET A SHIRT THAT FITS!!!!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
School Supplies
In my kids' school (K-8) the biggest secret of the summer all the way through to opening day is who their teachers will be. This is a closely guarded secret, because the school does not want to be inundated with calls from unhappy parents who would prefer their kid was placed in another parallel class with a different teacher. Once school starts it's in place already, and then I guess the parents can be more easily ignored.
This brings up a a problem that is, to put it mildly, annoying. School supplies. Because of this closely guarded secret the school will not send out a list from the teacher, because then the teacher will know who is in the class (and may divulge it), and if a parent does enough detective work they may figure out who the teacher is ("oh, you need the zipper looseleaf? You must be in Mrs. Katz's class").
So what happens? The first week of September, when all of the big chain stores have depleted their school supplies and moved on to Pumpkins and Reindeer, our kids come home from school the first day with a list of school supplies. Some of the items are very typical, and thus easily bought in July when the notebooks costs 10 cents, and the folders are plentiful and cute. However, at least three or four of the items are teacher specific, and sometimes very, very, very specific (my friend went shopping today for a yellow plastic folder and a blue plastic folder, both with prongs!). So aside from the headache of trying to get back on schedule after the summer, and NOT have to go out shopping for supplies,which are in fact only available in small local stores, or the annoyance of paying so much more for things you looked at when they were dirt cheap in the summer, it's the simplicity of how to rectify this situation that really upsets me.
There are two solutions.
1. Tell the teachers they need to all get on the same page and make the supplies uniform for all parallel classes of each grade. The teachers will have to compromise and learn to "make do" with supplies that another teacher thinks are essential to proper learning. (It's called working together.) Then the school can mail home a list in JULY with, for example, the 4th grade list of supplies. It will be a uniform list, so no one will know who the teacher is, and the parents can send the kids to school with all their neccessary items, not worry about trying to find supplies when they have been sold out for two weeks, and in general make the experience more pleasant (in the teacher's defense they NO LONGER ask for the supplies with in two days...we have until Monday!).
2. If the teachers cannot all get on the same page, and there are teachers who insist on supplies that are not intuitive to parents or uniform (everyone asks for looseleafs, and notebooks, folders, paper, pens and pencils, so that list can surely come home early) then the teacher should purchase the supplies she wants (in JULY when they are good and cheap!) and then tell the class to bring in the money to recieve that necessary item.
Simplicity.
That's probably why they don't do it.
This brings up a a problem that is, to put it mildly, annoying. School supplies. Because of this closely guarded secret the school will not send out a list from the teacher, because then the teacher will know who is in the class (and may divulge it), and if a parent does enough detective work they may figure out who the teacher is ("oh, you need the zipper looseleaf? You must be in Mrs. Katz's class").
So what happens? The first week of September, when all of the big chain stores have depleted their school supplies and moved on to Pumpkins and Reindeer, our kids come home from school the first day with a list of school supplies. Some of the items are very typical, and thus easily bought in July when the notebooks costs 10 cents, and the folders are plentiful and cute. However, at least three or four of the items are teacher specific, and sometimes very, very, very specific (my friend went shopping today for a yellow plastic folder and a blue plastic folder, both with prongs!). So aside from the headache of trying to get back on schedule after the summer, and NOT have to go out shopping for supplies,which are in fact only available in small local stores, or the annoyance of paying so much more for things you looked at when they were dirt cheap in the summer, it's the simplicity of how to rectify this situation that really upsets me.
There are two solutions.
1. Tell the teachers they need to all get on the same page and make the supplies uniform for all parallel classes of each grade. The teachers will have to compromise and learn to "make do" with supplies that another teacher thinks are essential to proper learning. (It's called working together.) Then the school can mail home a list in JULY with, for example, the 4th grade list of supplies. It will be a uniform list, so no one will know who the teacher is, and the parents can send the kids to school with all their neccessary items, not worry about trying to find supplies when they have been sold out for two weeks, and in general make the experience more pleasant (in the teacher's defense they NO LONGER ask for the supplies with in two days...we have until Monday!).
2. If the teachers cannot all get on the same page, and there are teachers who insist on supplies that are not intuitive to parents or uniform (everyone asks for looseleafs, and notebooks, folders, paper, pens and pencils, so that list can surely come home early) then the teacher should purchase the supplies she wants (in JULY when they are good and cheap!) and then tell the class to bring in the money to recieve that necessary item.
Simplicity.
That's probably why they don't do it.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Waning Days of Summer
It's been a busy summer. It's been a a fun summer. It's been an emotional summer. It's been the summer, and I love it.
Niece got engaged and married, kids went to camp and hung out with cousins, we went on family vacation to the Finger Lakes that was everything we dreamed of and more, and now, today, Eldest is headed off to Israel until June.
Someone said to me yesterday "It is the beginning of the beginning."
I hope it's great.
Niece got engaged and married, kids went to camp and hung out with cousins, we went on family vacation to the Finger Lakes that was everything we dreamed of and more, and now, today, Eldest is headed off to Israel until June.
Someone said to me yesterday "It is the beginning of the beginning."
I hope it's great.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Unintentional Comedy
As much as the zoning meeting was, as most town meetings are, depressing, there was one aspect that cracked me up. One of the Board members both in look and and voice sounded EXACTLY like this guy:
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
No One Cares
The other night I went to a Zoning Board meeting at Town Hall. The illegal then made legal school across the street from my house was looking for variances (changes to the existing zoning code to allow them to do some work on their property that gives exceptions to the rules in place regarding how much open space is needed on all side of a structure/driveway, and the neighboring property and how much landscaping is needed)) to put in a circular driveway. I asked a lot of questions, and knowing it was a fait accompli before anyone had even stepped in the room I appealed to the board, on the record, to remember that this was a residential neighborhood, and removing all grass and trees is not in keeping with that. (I kept thinking about the semi-legal shul next store to this barely legal school, and how they may experience some flooding once all surfaces are turned to blacktop-surfaces which they are downhill from).
The saddest part of the evening was not that I would need ten feet from my neighbors property to put up a shed, and this house/school can have almost NO setback off the street. No, the saddest part was the diner owner who stood up, and in an impassioned speech talked about what he went through when he put up his diner, how the board limited him to a small facility, with a specific amount of parking, and now the board was being asked to approve a 225 seat family style restaurant (as the lawyers said, an Applebees or Outback Steakhouse) in a shopping center that happens to cross over into their jurisdiction. It broke my heart to hear him, in his Greek accented English beg the board to do their duty, the way he swore to protect the Constitution when he became a citizen. Compounding this travesty was when the usual suspects (read: developers of other projects) sat there shmoozing or laughing, or when members of the advisory board (Town lawyer, Town buildings people) were obviously not listening. (they are not the main board, just the advisory board who basically tells the board what to do).
The room was full of badly dressed lawyers, sleazy lawyers, and maybe six or seven people there to try to ensure that their neighborhoods or livelihoods not be destroyed. I don't think the people who are in that room once a month realize what they can do, what they have done to neighborhoods all across this town. Aside from the diner owner there was the gas station owner concerned that the Super Walmart attached to the restaurant strip mall would put him and all the other gas stations out of business. "What they sell it for is lower than my cost." There were the group of neighbors trying to stop a two family house from being erected on their quiet street with single family homes (that case was pushed to next month).
The boards, planning and zoning, are clueless. But at some point, even for the dumbest people a lightbulb must go on and they must SEE what they have wrought. I guess they enjoy being in the inner circle, knowing Mr. Sleaze Lawyer and his cronies, knowing the buildings guys, knowing the corrupt Town Supervisor. It's the lowest level of power and they relish it.
I have to believe that these people are just stupid. Dumb as posts and unaware. The alternative is that they just don't care.
That's the saddest of all.
The saddest part of the evening was not that I would need ten feet from my neighbors property to put up a shed, and this house/school can have almost NO setback off the street. No, the saddest part was the diner owner who stood up, and in an impassioned speech talked about what he went through when he put up his diner, how the board limited him to a small facility, with a specific amount of parking, and now the board was being asked to approve a 225 seat family style restaurant (as the lawyers said, an Applebees or Outback Steakhouse) in a shopping center that happens to cross over into their jurisdiction. It broke my heart to hear him, in his Greek accented English beg the board to do their duty, the way he swore to protect the Constitution when he became a citizen. Compounding this travesty was when the usual suspects (read: developers of other projects) sat there shmoozing or laughing, or when members of the advisory board (Town lawyer, Town buildings people) were obviously not listening. (they are not the main board, just the advisory board who basically tells the board what to do).
The room was full of badly dressed lawyers, sleazy lawyers, and maybe six or seven people there to try to ensure that their neighborhoods or livelihoods not be destroyed. I don't think the people who are in that room once a month realize what they can do, what they have done to neighborhoods all across this town. Aside from the diner owner there was the gas station owner concerned that the Super Walmart attached to the restaurant strip mall would put him and all the other gas stations out of business. "What they sell it for is lower than my cost." There were the group of neighbors trying to stop a two family house from being erected on their quiet street with single family homes (that case was pushed to next month).
The boards, planning and zoning, are clueless. But at some point, even for the dumbest people a lightbulb must go on and they must SEE what they have wrought. I guess they enjoy being in the inner circle, knowing Mr. Sleaze Lawyer and his cronies, knowing the buildings guys, knowing the corrupt Town Supervisor. It's the lowest level of power and they relish it.
I have to believe that these people are just stupid. Dumb as posts and unaware. The alternative is that they just don't care.
That's the saddest of all.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Ready For His Close-Up
The two year old boy seems to get this "internet thing." We went fruit/veggie picking yesterday, and I captured a great shot of him...well great for this blog, anyway....
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Watch Your Language
There is a word people are using, not really knowing how offensive it is. Or so it seems.
As much as we are a family blog, please shield your children, I am about to reveal this word that apparently should not be uttered, or printed:
Those of you who read Mishpacha Magazine know the kerfluffle that ensued after they ran a thought provoking, heart wrenching, well done article about the pros, the cons, and halachachik outlook of the 20 week sonogram. This invited a flurry of pearl-clutching letters, a mailbag full of "won't someone think of the children!!" missives, and a lot of bewilderment on the part of a lot of people. However, there are people who knew about this. To wit: A sign at the local grocery for Kalei Tzom(pills that make fasting easier):
I got nothin'.
As much as we are a family blog, please shield your children, I am about to reveal this word that apparently should not be uttered, or printed:
adjective
1.
having a child or other offspring developing in the body; with child or young, as a woman or female mammal.2.
fraught, filled, or abounding (usually followed by with ): a silence pregnant with suspense.3.
teeming or fertile; rich (often followed by in ): a mind pregnant in ideas.4.
full of meaning; highly significant: a pregnant utterance.
5.
of great importance or potential; momentous: a pregnant moment in the history of the world.
Those of you who read Mishpacha Magazine know the kerfluffle that ensued after they ran a thought provoking, heart wrenching, well done article about the pros, the cons, and halachachik outlook of the 20 week sonogram. This invited a flurry of pearl-clutching letters, a mailbag full of "won't someone think of the children!!" missives, and a lot of bewilderment on the part of a lot of people. However, there are people who knew about this. To wit: A sign at the local grocery for Kalei Tzom(pills that make fasting easier):
I got nothin'.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Sandcastles in My Mind
My good friend went away for a few days, so we enjoyed the company of her four year old. I dropped off all the kids at their various day camps on Thursday, knowing that our house guest was taking her leave of us. Her older sister was picking her up and taking her home. Somehow, this triggered something in me.
Right then and there at 9:32 in the morning I decided on a plan for the afternoon. Typically we go swimming, but I just had a strong desire to DO something, and something good and summery. The decision was actually shocking, I couldn't believe not only that I had thought of it, but that I really wanted to do it.
We went to the beach. Not our usual beach. As much as that lake has a nicer crowd, beach access is down a hill across a street and down steps. Which is fine when there are lots of big hands, but three little kids and a a little bit of stuff would have made it difficult.
So we went to a very large beach in the same area (20 minutes from the house). It's crowded, but easy to get to, easy to find a spot, both parking and at the water. It helps that we arrived at 4:00, and Yay! there's no fee at that time.
An hour and half at the beach, on the sand, in the water, happy kids- a really fun time. My hatred of the beach was not present due to the following factors:
A nice slice of summer that was just "hey, let's go to the beach!" and it worked.
Yay!
Right then and there at 9:32 in the morning I decided on a plan for the afternoon. Typically we go swimming, but I just had a strong desire to DO something, and something good and summery. The decision was actually shocking, I couldn't believe not only that I had thought of it, but that I really wanted to do it.
We went to the beach. Not our usual beach. As much as that lake has a nicer crowd, beach access is down a hill across a street and down steps. Which is fine when there are lots of big hands, but three little kids and a a little bit of stuff would have made it difficult.
So we went to a very large beach in the same area (20 minutes from the house). It's crowded, but easy to get to, easy to find a spot, both parking and at the water. It helps that we arrived at 4:00, and Yay! there's no fee at that time.
An hour and half at the beach, on the sand, in the water, happy kids- a really fun time. My hatred of the beach was not present due to the following factors:
- There was no food involved. All we brought were water bottles (I had snacks in the car for the way home). This eliminated the constant asking for snacks when I wanted them to be playing and enjoying the sand.
- We brought one bag with towels and water bottles, sunscreen and t-shirts, one chair, one bucket of sand toys.
- It was just my little kids and thus there wasn't sand EVERYWHERE, since there were no beach blankets or tons of towels to keep track of, everything stayed clean and dry in the bag or over the chair. It also stayed clean and dry since there was no food, and thus they did not hover around the chair.
- No one needed the bathroom
- I knew about how long we would stay, since we got there at 4 and the beach front closes at 6.
- No one asked to leave and had to wait until more people were ready to go.
- They behaved really well.
A nice slice of summer that was just "hey, let's go to the beach!" and it worked.
Yay!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Easy Fix
As prices at the pump rise, and fall slightly, the cost of airline travel has gone up. Jet fuel is expensive, apparently, and airlines are looking for more ways to make money. Checked bag fees, carry-on fees, charges for snacks, it's all about the airlines looking for ways to eke out a few extra bucks from the customers.
Some airlines now charge for seat assignments, which if you don't want a computer generated, random seat, which may or may not put all the people in your party near you, you need to fork over some extra ducats. This has caused a bit of an uproar as people, and of course the camera loving Senator from New York (not that he's not people, he is) Charles Schumer, decry the idea that children can be separated from their parents. Airlines, they say, should not have to bend the rules to accommodate families, and families should not pay extra to sit with their kids.
I agree whole heartedly, but the FAA and Congress need not get involved. Just get on the plane with your 2 year old, or five year old or seven year old, and be a good little sheep and sit in the seats you were given. I am willing to bet the flight attendants will change your seats right then and there. You won't even have to ask. Just make sure your ten year old pulls out the messiest gooiest treat he can find, and have him shout up or down th aisle to talk to you, and your seat mates will be clamoring for a switch. Better even, strap your toddler's car seat between two strangers (since the window and aisle seat are "premium" it's likely that's not what you will be assigned), and let nature take it's course.
If parents would do this, consistently, for one week, and not try to make the change quietly at the gate or the ticket counter, all the passengers on the plane become involved (pre-flight entertainment), and the pressure on the airlines would be the old fashioned kind.
Disgruntled customers with blackberries and ipods who will not wait until they are off the plane to send an email voicing their complaints.
I'd love to see it happen.
Some airlines now charge for seat assignments, which if you don't want a computer generated, random seat, which may or may not put all the people in your party near you, you need to fork over some extra ducats. This has caused a bit of an uproar as people, and of course the camera loving Senator from New York (not that he's not people, he is) Charles Schumer, decry the idea that children can be separated from their parents. Airlines, they say, should not have to bend the rules to accommodate families, and families should not pay extra to sit with their kids.
I agree whole heartedly, but the FAA and Congress need not get involved. Just get on the plane with your 2 year old, or five year old or seven year old, and be a good little sheep and sit in the seats you were given. I am willing to bet the flight attendants will change your seats right then and there. You won't even have to ask. Just make sure your ten year old pulls out the messiest gooiest treat he can find, and have him shout up or down th aisle to talk to you, and your seat mates will be clamoring for a switch. Better even, strap your toddler's car seat between two strangers (since the window and aisle seat are "premium" it's likely that's not what you will be assigned), and let nature take it's course.
If parents would do this, consistently, for one week, and not try to make the change quietly at the gate or the ticket counter, all the passengers on the plane become involved (pre-flight entertainment), and the pressure on the airlines would be the old fashioned kind.
Disgruntled customers with blackberries and ipods who will not wait until they are off the plane to send an email voicing their complaints.
I'd love to see it happen.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Peanuts and Cracker Jacks
A few weeks ago, knowing that we'd only have the "littles" around we bought tickets to the local minor league team (NO! INDEPENDENT LEAGUE!!!). We picked a Thursday night, because that's when they have Fireworks! I checked and double checked, because they were having Fireworks on Tuesday night and Wednesday night, but it still indicated that that Thursday night there would indeed be fireworks.
That was until Monday. That's when I got an email (as I do regularly) with a list of promotions for this week. Thursday no longer indicated fireworks. Gulp!
I love Fireworks. Love them. This year, due to a very, very exciting event we were (happily) unable to attend the Town fireworks (which in itself is a ritual of summer. They are not far from our house, so we pack a chair, some water, a blanket, spray huuuge amounts of OFF! all over ourselves and walk fifteen minutes to sit on a great lawn with most of the community, and watch the show. Even better is walking back, with all sorts of neighbors, and friends of neighbors who park in their driveways, masses of humanity that you really don't get in the suburbs-masses of humanity is a relative term).
Unhappy with the prospect of no fireworks after the game, I called the number provided on the website, explained the problem, and was transgferred-to a full mailbox. So I tried again, explaining my situation a second time, and explaining my desire to exchange the tickets for Tuesday night, so that we could get fireworks. This time the guy explained that "the box office decides, but there are no refunds or exchanges, but I will transfer you." At least this time I knew where I was being transferred, and when I got the same full mailbox I drove down to the box office, and exchanged the tickets in under five minutes.
Now I had to find a babysitter. I had one for Thursday, but she was unavailable for Tuesday, turns out she was going to the game. Her mother also loves fireworks ( we ARE related). I finally found one at 5:20 this evening. We left to the game an hour later.
We had great seats (they all are, really), the game was fun, the "oldest home" had a fantastic time, and the fireworks did not disappoint. In fact they were incredibly abundant, the soundtrack that accompanied them appropriate (though I am not a Springsteen fan), and really had some cool effects.
It really made me think of how fortunate we are to have this country, and how much gratitude we must have for it. Like all things human there are certainly flaws from the past, present, and likely the future, but for as long as it lasts, this is place that treats us well, and lets us live in peace. I am completely aware that this by the grace of G-d, but the human messengers or conduits of this benevolence have my gratitude.
There is something magically about sitting in a small stadium on a warm summer night watching a gorgeous sunset, a decent game of baseball, a smile on your kid's face, and the wonder in her eyes as she watches the sky.
That was until Monday. That's when I got an email (as I do regularly) with a list of promotions for this week. Thursday no longer indicated fireworks. Gulp!
I love Fireworks. Love them. This year, due to a very, very exciting event we were (happily) unable to attend the Town fireworks (which in itself is a ritual of summer. They are not far from our house, so we pack a chair, some water, a blanket, spray huuuge amounts of OFF! all over ourselves and walk fifteen minutes to sit on a great lawn with most of the community, and watch the show. Even better is walking back, with all sorts of neighbors, and friends of neighbors who park in their driveways, masses of humanity that you really don't get in the suburbs-masses of humanity is a relative term).
Unhappy with the prospect of no fireworks after the game, I called the number provided on the website, explained the problem, and was transgferred-to a full mailbox. So I tried again, explaining my situation a second time, and explaining my desire to exchange the tickets for Tuesday night, so that we could get fireworks. This time the guy explained that "the box office decides, but there are no refunds or exchanges, but I will transfer you." At least this time I knew where I was being transferred, and when I got the same full mailbox I drove down to the box office, and exchanged the tickets in under five minutes.
Now I had to find a babysitter. I had one for Thursday, but she was unavailable for Tuesday, turns out she was going to the game. Her mother also loves fireworks ( we ARE related). I finally found one at 5:20 this evening. We left to the game an hour later.
We had great seats (they all are, really), the game was fun, the "oldest home" had a fantastic time, and the fireworks did not disappoint. In fact they were incredibly abundant, the soundtrack that accompanied them appropriate (though I am not a Springsteen fan), and really had some cool effects.
It really made me think of how fortunate we are to have this country, and how much gratitude we must have for it. Like all things human there are certainly flaws from the past, present, and likely the future, but for as long as it lasts, this is place that treats us well, and lets us live in peace. I am completely aware that this by the grace of G-d, but the human messengers or conduits of this benevolence have my gratitude.
There is something magically about sitting in a small stadium on a warm summer night watching a gorgeous sunset, a decent game of baseball, a smile on your kid's face, and the wonder in her eyes as she watches the sky.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Baking in Bal'more
Wednesday night we had a wedding in Lakewood NJ. I opted to take the "oldest home" (8 years old-she was invited) with me, to give her that extra sense of "oldest. And it was a family wedding ( a first cousin's kid getting married), so she had a great time, met some second cousins, felt so mature, and went to sleep at 1 am. We were still in the midst of swimming lessons (in the evenings from 6-6:45), and we had missed one already, so we left to the wedding pretty late, which is why we got back late, which is why we changed our plans from leaving to Baltimore Thursday evening (after lessons) to leaving Friday morning (after a decent night's sleep!)
Thursday was a pretty hot day, so we went swimming after camp. Then it was time for lessons. Hmm. What about dinner? Well, it's the summer with just a few kids home, so the pizza store at 7 pm was on the agenda! It was so much fun. We met some cousins from out of town there, got back home, packed, and got ready for the next day.
We had a good early start on Friday. We left at about 9:45,
and drove until about 40 minutes out of Baltimore where we stopped to wash. We went straight downtown to Port Discovery (the children’s museum)the girls and little boy
had a great time, and they loved the climbing, and lots of imaginative play ( a really cool diner, gas station, and supermarket). Some of the older exhibits were showing their wear, and it was very crowded with day camps, but we managed to move from exhibit to exhibit either behind or ahead of the crowds.
It was about 100 degrees in Baltimore, so when we left the museum we stopped at
7-11 next door, and had ice cream. Then we drove to Aunt and Uncle to visit, then on to our destination, my cousin. The one who was so good to us, and welcoming and comforting when we were first married and living in Baltimore (I cannot adequately describe how much I owe her). We got ready for Shabbos, and had a lovely
meal. As we all went up to bed, there was
crazy lightning, like the kind you see in cartoons. Continuous flashing. The kind I had only seen once before...four years ago in Baltimore!. Then it
thundered. Lightly. But I knew the "oldest" would freak,and we had let her stay up, so I went to her room.
Just.
In. Time.
Aside from the crazy CONTINUOUS lightning, the wind was so strong I
literally thought there would be a tornado, there was crazy noise that
sounded like shaking metal, which I was sure was hail (our hosts confirmed it was,
the next morning), but she was so freaked I didn’t want to look. Then I fell
asleep for about three minutes. I woke up and there were no lights, the clock was off-BLACK OUT! But I
had only fallen asleep for three minutes, so we were still in the midst of the
storm. That’s when the THUNDER!!!!!!! started. It was louder than any
thunder I had ever experienced in my life. And the other girl woke up SCREAMING,
but I was right there, so it was ok. MBB came in too, and let me tell you, it was wild and scary. The wind was about 70 miles an hour. We heard later that it was like a hurricane, just without the 3-4 day warning. It's called a derecho.
The next morning the power was still out, but strangely
their house stayed really cool and comfy, so we managed quite well, just no
chulent. At about five we walked over to her daughter, who we had heard (from a neighbor) had
electricity. Another cousin and Aunt and Uncle were there too. It worked
out really well, since at no time did we hang in our hosts' house in the dark
without the ability to turn on flashlights or candles. So the kids went to
sleep really late, but we really had a nice time. Because of the
blackout, the wedding of another first cousin's kid we were going to go to on Sunday in Baltimore changed venues, and thus the time
was pushed to 6 pm (instead of 3) which messed up our plans, as we didn’t want
to leave Baltimore later than 6, and it was so hot, and so many people across
the state were without power, that we opted to skip the Aquarium –we figured it
would be mobbed-indoor-air conditioned-and just started to make our way home.
We stopped at MBB's office, a real treat for the "littles" and of course Wawa, and then
we came home. Straightened the garage , unpacked, and
off to the local fast food place for dinner followed by baths, and bed. It was a really nice, really long
weekend.
I can't wait for what's next!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Busy, Busy
I feel like I can breathe soon. Hopefully. All good things, and the summer seems to have started, but for me it sort of starts on Wednesday when the last of the sleep away campers leave. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The eldest graduated high school, which was way more emotional then I thought it would be (for me, anyway). She really has grown up. The kids have been around and alternately feverishly studying and getting "stuff for camp," which is really just a a way of getting stuff. When I was a little girl I played tent with my older sister. We always talked about what we had brought into the tent with us (mostly imaginary), I always had a ton of stuff. Even pretend, I liked to prepare for contingencies. So I probably get them more then is really necessary.
Then, Thank the L-rd above, my niece got engaged so there was lots to do on that front, plus pack up the kids, two of whom left yesterday (staff), and two are leaving tomorrow. Throw in a few weddings, normal daily stuff, (laundry, cooking, errands, shabbos),the kids who aren't going to sleep away camp, and what do you get?
LIFE! In all its glorious busy-ness. I am thankful for every second.
The eldest graduated high school, which was way more emotional then I thought it would be (for me, anyway). She really has grown up. The kids have been around and alternately feverishly studying and getting "stuff for camp," which is really just a a way of getting stuff. When I was a little girl I played tent with my older sister. We always talked about what we had brought into the tent with us (mostly imaginary), I always had a ton of stuff. Even pretend, I liked to prepare for contingencies. So I probably get them more then is really necessary.
Then, Thank the L-rd above, my niece got engaged so there was lots to do on that front, plus pack up the kids, two of whom left yesterday (staff), and two are leaving tomorrow. Throw in a few weddings, normal daily stuff, (laundry, cooking, errands, shabbos),the kids who aren't going to sleep away camp, and what do you get?
LIFE! In all its glorious busy-ness. I am thankful for every second.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Ummm.....
From the course:
"Inside your motor vehicle devices such as cellular phones, FAX MACHINES and stereos can interfere with driving."
emphasis added
"Inside your motor vehicle devices such as cellular phones, FAX MACHINES and stereos can interfere with driving."
emphasis added
Not Mice
I occasionally take advantage of the local grocery store's delivery service. Sometimes, especially if there are lots of cans and jars, I am just not in the mood to shlep. Out of the cart into the car, then into the house, then, psychologically, unloading bags seems like a greater task then unloading a box.
Maybe, because the box (or two) is in one place it seems relatively neat. Maybe, that's why I leave it unloaded for longer than I would leave bags.
So this online course has me at the computer. I don't usually do this, but I set the boy up in the kitchen with his lunch. I heard him run into the foyer and then back to the kitchen, but I definitely heard him at the table.
Apparently he started unloading the box...
Maybe, because the box (or two) is in one place it seems relatively neat. Maybe, that's why I leave it unloaded for longer than I would leave bags.
So this online course has me at the computer. I don't usually do this, but I set the boy up in the kitchen with his lunch. I heard him run into the foyer and then back to the kitchen, but I definitely heard him at the table.
Apparently he started unloading the box...
Monday, June 11, 2012
Blogging In Increments
We just got our insurance renewal, and since we have added a driver I decided it is certainly time to finally take a six hour course that will give me an extra 10% discount. Being the intelligent time saver that I am I decided to take an on-line course, which I now know, may have been set up for third graders-but since they cannot legally drive, more likely it was designed for those with a third grade reading level.
Thus I will be blogging more, as I wait for a page that I have finished reading in 30 seconds to complete its countdown so that I can move on to the next page. Generally that's another minute or minute and a half.
It gives me time to ponder questions such as: If Geico would spend just a leeeetle less money on advertising (some of which is quite clever and entertaining) couldn't they save their customers 25% on car insurance? And if you have no idea what I am talking about, then perhaps you have been living under a rock (an idea referenced in one of their ads!)
Really though, I don't think I am more than ten minutes in, and I have no idea how I am going to fill this time.
I guess like this....
Thus I will be blogging more, as I wait for a page that I have finished reading in 30 seconds to complete its countdown so that I can move on to the next page. Generally that's another minute or minute and a half.
It gives me time to ponder questions such as: If Geico would spend just a leeeetle less money on advertising (some of which is quite clever and entertaining) couldn't they save their customers 25% on car insurance? And if you have no idea what I am talking about, then perhaps you have been living under a rock (an idea referenced in one of their ads!)
Really though, I don't think I am more than ten minutes in, and I have no idea how I am going to fill this time.
I guess like this....
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Adventures in Caramel
We here at Chez Blogberg have been having some fun, since October, with an ice cream machine. Perhaps a precursor to the fulfillment of the dream of opening a kosher ice cream stand similar to a Dairy Queen, but called THE ICEBERG. I would assume that creating higher quantities with better machinery is somewhat different than our one and half quart Cuisinart, but it's a start.
Until now we hadn't even made real ice cream. For purposes of Yom Tov and Shabbos our ice cream was pareve. We used whipping cream and soy milk (that way the WHOLE thing didn't taste like chemicals), and had a good time playing with different flavors and add ins. As big fans of Ben & Jerry's our ice creams were both simple and chock full of extra bits and vibrant flavors.
Right before Shavuos, one of my favorite places, Costco, had the ice cream machine on sale. I decided it was time for us to try it real. (Yes, I know, it's all cold, and one could use one ice cream maker for both, but we felt it is unnecessary for us to do so, and the purchase was made. I think back to a story I heard before Pesach. KAJ does a community kashering and sometime in the late '40s or early '50s Rav Breuer announced that they had rebuilt themselves to the point that they no longer needed to kasher pots, and could afford to purchase pots especially for Pesach.)
Well, we weren't going to start with some mamby-pamby ice cream, we were going straight for heaven. An ice cream we had made pareve would be transformed to dairy, with real cream and real whole milk. We could almost taste the sweet and salty richness of the salted caramel ice cream we were about to create.
Lucky (it turned out) for us, the first batch of salted caramel burnt. It wasn't really what we wanted anyway, too liquidy, and the cream was kind of "going," so we chucked that batch, and started new. Caramelize the sugar add just a little cream to keep it thick, add some sea salt, spread it on parchment paper and stick it in the freezer until we could chop it up and throw it into the ice cream in the last minute of the machine's cycle (otherwise it blends in too much).
Oh my! That caramel came out splendid; sweet and creamy and salty and luscious, we had to make more. So more sugar, more stirring, when BAM! my finger touched the rim of the pan. That in itself is a burn I've gotten many times, but it made me flinch, which made the caramelizing sugar on the spoon fly up, and rest in almost ten different places on my left hand. Fear not! I was not about to let another batch of sugar burn, and with one hand under freezing water, the other deftly poured in the cream and finished stirring! I think that batch was even better! My hand is still killing me, but that ice cream was so incredibly decadent and delicious.
And now I can make a real good caramel...whenever. Hopefully without the blister skin!
Until now we hadn't even made real ice cream. For purposes of Yom Tov and Shabbos our ice cream was pareve. We used whipping cream and soy milk (that way the WHOLE thing didn't taste like chemicals), and had a good time playing with different flavors and add ins. As big fans of Ben & Jerry's our ice creams were both simple and chock full of extra bits and vibrant flavors.
Right before Shavuos, one of my favorite places, Costco, had the ice cream machine on sale. I decided it was time for us to try it real. (Yes, I know, it's all cold, and one could use one ice cream maker for both, but we felt it is unnecessary for us to do so, and the purchase was made. I think back to a story I heard before Pesach. KAJ does a community kashering and sometime in the late '40s or early '50s Rav Breuer announced that they had rebuilt themselves to the point that they no longer needed to kasher pots, and could afford to purchase pots especially for Pesach.)
Well, we weren't going to start with some mamby-pamby ice cream, we were going straight for heaven. An ice cream we had made pareve would be transformed to dairy, with real cream and real whole milk. We could almost taste the sweet and salty richness of the salted caramel ice cream we were about to create.
Lucky (it turned out) for us, the first batch of salted caramel burnt. It wasn't really what we wanted anyway, too liquidy, and the cream was kind of "going," so we chucked that batch, and started new. Caramelize the sugar add just a little cream to keep it thick, add some sea salt, spread it on parchment paper and stick it in the freezer until we could chop it up and throw it into the ice cream in the last minute of the machine's cycle (otherwise it blends in too much).
Oh my! That caramel came out splendid; sweet and creamy and salty and luscious, we had to make more. So more sugar, more stirring, when BAM! my finger touched the rim of the pan. That in itself is a burn I've gotten many times, but it made me flinch, which made the caramelizing sugar on the spoon fly up, and rest in almost ten different places on my left hand. Fear not! I was not about to let another batch of sugar burn, and with one hand under freezing water, the other deftly poured in the cream and finished stirring! I think that batch was even better! My hand is still killing me, but that ice cream was so incredibly decadent and delicious.
And now I can make a real good caramel...whenever. Hopefully without the blister skin!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Wrap Up
England was great. On Tuesday we went out to the countryside, Blenheim Palace and the Costwald villages. We've always wanted to see this type of thing, and we didn't go to far out, about 90 miles out of London. It was lovely. This is where we ate lunch :
The villages were quaint and old:
A great way to spend the day.
Wednesday was typically English in that it rained most of the day. That was teh day we did the most walking. The British Museum, The British Library, King's Cross Station (lots of Harry Potter fans in this house), Covent Garden, Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Jermyn Street then out to dinner. We used all public transportation and avoided the famed London traffic, mostly by using the Underground. We did take a few buses, just so we could see things while we rode.
Thursday was a travel day, but we ha time for a walk down Park Lane, the Apsley House and a walk through Hyde Park. Next stop was the airport. I've never fully understood the "bad seat-mate' thing on a plane until now. There was an English woman sitting next to me, who could not figure anything out, ad asked me, and commented on EVERYTHING, in that high pitched English accent, that the best way to describe her, is probably-daft.
We made it to Israel uneventfully, and spent two hours of the wee morning walking around Geulah, me'ah shearim and Yaffo street. We wanted to get our bearings for the shopping trip on Friday. Shabbos was great, the nieces and nephews were great and it was so amazing to be in the Holy Land.
Time well spent. Now back to life and back to the kids. Which are really one and the same.
Thank G-d.
Wednesday was typically English in that it rained most of the day. That was teh day we did the most walking. The British Museum, The British Library, King's Cross Station (lots of Harry Potter fans in this house), Covent Garden, Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Jermyn Street then out to dinner. We used all public transportation and avoided the famed London traffic, mostly by using the Underground. We did take a few buses, just so we could see things while we rode.
Thursday was a travel day, but we ha time for a walk down Park Lane, the Apsley House and a walk through Hyde Park. Next stop was the airport. I've never fully understood the "bad seat-mate' thing on a plane until now. There was an English woman sitting next to me, who could not figure anything out, ad asked me, and commented on EVERYTHING, in that high pitched English accent, that the best way to describe her, is probably-daft.
We made it to Israel uneventfully, and spent two hours of the wee morning walking around Geulah, me'ah shearim and Yaffo street. We wanted to get our bearings for the shopping trip on Friday. Shabbos was great, the nieces and nephews were great and it was so amazing to be in the Holy Land.
Time well spent. Now back to life and back to the kids. Which are really one and the same.
Thank G-d.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Yes, I Am Sure
Last night we went out to eat, and based on the recommendation of my sister, who was in these parts last week, I ordered the Avocado and Chicken appetizer.
On the menu it is described as Avocado and steamed chicken in a curried mayo. It sounded good, and I vaguely remember it being described to me, so I gave it whirl. It arrived on a lovely black slab, chicken salad in a beautiful circular form a lovely bunch of watercress on the side, and a stripe of balsamic honey glaze diagonally across the slab. I saw no avocado, but assumed it was inside the chicken salad. The more I ate, the more I started to doubt it was there. Firstly, I didn't taste it. Secondly, IT'S GREEN AND NOT REALLY POSSIBLE TO HIDE EVEN MUSHED UP-especially against the backdrop of White chicken salad and WHITE mayo (albeit it was tinged a bit because of the curry, but not enough).
When the waitress came by I asked where the avocado was supposed to be, and she said "It was the green vegetable wedges that were on the top of the chicken!" Um, no. I told her it wasn't there, and she said she personally sent out the plate, and there was avocado on it. So I said maybe it fell off between the kitchen and the table, because it WAS NOT on my plate. She gave me a look and walked away.
A few minutes later she came out with a plate of sliced avocado to show me what avocado looked like. I said "I know what avocado is, it just wasn't on the dish!" she asked if I wanted it then, and I said no thanks.
The whole thing was bizarre. I commented to MBB that I hoped she wouldn't spit in my food now, but she was very nice. Even gave us an extra dessert "to make up for the avocado.' I told her it wasn't necessary, but boy was it good. (chocolate mousse, not too sweet, very chocolaty).
In general I'd say the English have lived up to their reputation for cooking. Just get stuff that's grilled.
On the menu it is described as Avocado and steamed chicken in a curried mayo. It sounded good, and I vaguely remember it being described to me, so I gave it whirl. It arrived on a lovely black slab, chicken salad in a beautiful circular form a lovely bunch of watercress on the side, and a stripe of balsamic honey glaze diagonally across the slab. I saw no avocado, but assumed it was inside the chicken salad. The more I ate, the more I started to doubt it was there. Firstly, I didn't taste it. Secondly, IT'S GREEN AND NOT REALLY POSSIBLE TO HIDE EVEN MUSHED UP-especially against the backdrop of White chicken salad and WHITE mayo (albeit it was tinged a bit because of the curry, but not enough).
When the waitress came by I asked where the avocado was supposed to be, and she said "It was the green vegetable wedges that were on the top of the chicken!" Um, no. I told her it wasn't there, and she said she personally sent out the plate, and there was avocado on it. So I said maybe it fell off between the kitchen and the table, because it WAS NOT on my plate. She gave me a look and walked away.
A few minutes later she came out with a plate of sliced avocado to show me what avocado looked like. I said "I know what avocado is, it just wasn't on the dish!" she asked if I wanted it then, and I said no thanks.
The whole thing was bizarre. I commented to MBB that I hoped she wouldn't spit in my food now, but she was very nice. Even gave us an extra dessert "to make up for the avocado.' I told her it wasn't necessary, but boy was it good. (chocolate mousse, not too sweet, very chocolaty).
In general I'd say the English have lived up to their reputation for cooking. Just get stuff that's grilled.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
We Take It For Granted
Maybe it's because every speaks English that things feel so at "home" here. Also, many products look familiar as well. But as we crosses the street today an oncoming car made a left turn into the street we just crossed, and I did a double take wondering why a ten year old boy was driving!!!
We had a wonderful day today, experiencing the best of English weather, cool, warm, rainy, windy and sunny all in a few hours time . We navigated the subways (they are very deeeep underground), went to the Tower of London, a short jaunt up the River Thames, and a walk around the Parliament area.
We debated going to the Tower today or Wednesday, and it's good we came today. Parliament starts on Wednesday, the Queen opens the session, and thus her Royal Imperial Crown will be in use, and thus not on display with the rest of the Crown Jewels.
The Tower was really interesting. The tour was great, but due to the rain a lot of it was finished off in the chapel. We had a good time anyway, and got to see everything, including a bunch of rowdy teenagers escorted out by one of the Yeoman Warders(who we had been speaking to earlier, so we knew that aside from being former military, like all the other Yeoman, he is a warranted police officer). It was so properly English. We were on our way out and he was standing near us and pointed to three boys (in a group with an adult and three other girls), and said "you, you and you-out." He then indicated who from their group could stay, and they all started walking towards the exit, down the steps , up Water lane with the Yeoman just walking behind them. He led them out the gate with nothing but his fierce attitude motivating them on.
From there we took the quick River tour on the Thames, and saw some nice things, and disembarked right at Big Ben and Parliament. The road right around Parliament was closed to traffic. We were on the sidewalk and a sign said "sovereign's entrance, and I told MBB I wanted to see that, since that's where the Queen will go in on Wednesday, but alas, we could only see it from across the street because at that point the sidewalk was closed as well. We took a lovely walk around that neighborhood, then a bus to the tube and dinner.
This trip has really shown me how fortunate we are in the US and how is easy it is to take Kashrus observance for granted. Unless you really know, you can hardly buy anything, and even then there's not that much. So next time you're out and about in the good old US of A, and you pick up some chips, or coffee, or anything, appreciate how easy it is.
We had a wonderful day today, experiencing the best of English weather, cool, warm, rainy, windy and sunny all in a few hours time . We navigated the subways (they are very deeeep underground), went to the Tower of London, a short jaunt up the River Thames, and a walk around the Parliament area.
We debated going to the Tower today or Wednesday, and it's good we came today. Parliament starts on Wednesday, the Queen opens the session, and thus her Royal Imperial Crown will be in use, and thus not on display with the rest of the Crown Jewels.
The Tower was really interesting. The tour was great, but due to the rain a lot of it was finished off in the chapel. We had a good time anyway, and got to see everything, including a bunch of rowdy teenagers escorted out by one of the Yeoman Warders(who we had been speaking to earlier, so we knew that aside from being former military, like all the other Yeoman, he is a warranted police officer). It was so properly English. We were on our way out and he was standing near us and pointed to three boys (in a group with an adult and three other girls), and said "you, you and you-out." He then indicated who from their group could stay, and they all started walking towards the exit, down the steps , up Water lane with the Yeoman just walking behind them. He led them out the gate with nothing but his fierce attitude motivating them on.
From there we took the quick River tour on the Thames, and saw some nice things, and disembarked right at Big Ben and Parliament. The road right around Parliament was closed to traffic. We were on the sidewalk and a sign said "sovereign's entrance, and I told MBB I wanted to see that, since that's where the Queen will go in on Wednesday, but alas, we could only see it from across the street because at that point the sidewalk was closed as well. We took a lovely walk around that neighborhood, then a bus to the tube and dinner.
This trip has really shown me how fortunate we are in the US and how is easy it is to take Kashrus observance for granted. Unless you really know, you can hardly buy anything, and even then there's not that much. So next time you're out and about in the good old US of A, and you pick up some chips, or coffee, or anything, appreciate how easy it is.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
You're Going the Wrong Way!
EDITED FOR CLARITY.....
We arrived safely, and were treated to an English treat, a Monty Python skit comes to life!
We got onto the train in Heathrow that takes you between the terminals, and the doors closed. We sat there and waited while we didn't move. Suddenly there was a noise that sounded at first almost electronic, however after two minutes of constant honking noises it dawned on us that it was not electronic. It kept going. The train was still not moving. The noise was constant. Toot, toot, toot. All of a sudden we heard a giggle and saw small braids with pink bows peeking out from the side of a seat behind us. More tooting. The little girl was blowing a little plastic saxophone. Continuously. I looked up at MBB, and said "Monty Python Cheese Shop." He nodded knowingly and started to laugh. The train pulled out tooting all the way to the next terminal, taking us to the Heathrow express to Paddington station.
I don't know if I will get used to being on the wrong side of the road, but we have a few days to figure that out. We took a nice walk, following the directions written on the pavement as to which way to look so as not to be run down by cabs and double decker buses. We played with some "fake money," and are looking forward to tomorrow's adventure.
We arrived safely, and were treated to an English treat, a Monty Python skit comes to life!
We got onto the train in Heathrow that takes you between the terminals, and the doors closed. We sat there and waited while we didn't move. Suddenly there was a noise that sounded at first almost electronic, however after two minutes of constant honking noises it dawned on us that it was not electronic. It kept going. The train was still not moving. The noise was constant. Toot, toot, toot. All of a sudden we heard a giggle and saw small braids with pink bows peeking out from the side of a seat behind us. More tooting. The little girl was blowing a little plastic saxophone. Continuously. I looked up at MBB, and said "Monty Python Cheese Shop." He nodded knowingly and started to laugh. The train pulled out tooting all the way to the next terminal, taking us to the Heathrow express to Paddington station.
I don't know if I will get used to being on the wrong side of the road, but we have a few days to figure that out. We took a nice walk, following the directions written on the pavement as to which way to look so as not to be run down by cabs and double decker buses. We played with some "fake money," and are looking forward to tomorrow's adventure.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Response
I spoke to the principal.
She explained that in a world of marketing where everything is cutting edge and glitzy and glamorous, we cannot expect our kids to connect with or feel an affinity to those things which do not fall into that category.
She said the key is to do it, but to do it as low key as possible. If you give something out that gives a sense of pride and that's how you achieve it then good.
If we are going to try to teach the kids to reject the outside world which has crept into our lives in unprecedented ways that we need to be as "cool" as that world. We can't let the lack of outer trappings, that many of our kids are enthralled with be "nebby." One example given was that our kids would not wear the same Shabbos clothes that we did, they would not be happy with them.
Now, I don't fully agree with what she said, but she's more on the inside,dealing with lots of kids, not just mine. She wants to "win the war not the battle."
It makes me sad that we've lost the battle and our kids need the bells and whistles to be excited about things.
She explained that in a world of marketing where everything is cutting edge and glitzy and glamorous, we cannot expect our kids to connect with or feel an affinity to those things which do not fall into that category.
She said the key is to do it, but to do it as low key as possible. If you give something out that gives a sense of pride and that's how you achieve it then good.
If we are going to try to teach the kids to reject the outside world which has crept into our lives in unprecedented ways that we need to be as "cool" as that world. We can't let the lack of outer trappings, that many of our kids are enthralled with be "nebby." One example given was that our kids would not wear the same Shabbos clothes that we did, they would not be happy with them.
Now, I don't fully agree with what she said, but she's more on the inside,dealing with lots of kids, not just mine. She wants to "win the war not the battle."
It makes me sad that we've lost the battle and our kids need the bells and whistles to be excited about things.
What Are They Learning?
A better question might be, what are we teaching them?
My girls' school like many girls' high schools does a weekend trip with the whole school. They leave on Thursday, and are back early Sunday morning, tired but uplifted. The camaraderie, the workshops, speeches, choirs and skits all meld into a beautiful weekend in less then stellar accommodations, an overnight summer camp.
My eldest came home the other day, and told me that her friend is one of the "heads" for the weekend, and she would like my daughter to call an orthodontist, who is a close family friend (who sends his girls to a different high school),and ask him to donate toothbrushes for this weekend.
My first thought was to tell her that they should ask people who have a connection with the school. But then I really thought about it. And then I got upset.
Two main points:
First, I have an issue with asking people to donate things to schools that are even less then non-essential to the functioning of a school. Let the kids bring their own toothbrushes. This culture of just asking people to give it to you when you can't afford it on your own is sickening. There is no reason that these kids need to be given an amenities bag when they get up to the weekend.
Which brings me to the second point. This weekend is not free, and with three girls in school is on the pricey side . Why do they need MORE? Why isn't almost four days away in a camp with friends and activities, a bonfire, meals, and lots of fun enough? Why do we have to keep upping the ante? Of course kids are spoiled today, we don't give them a chance to just enjoy things! If you say that's today's society, and that's what kids want? Well, who created that, and how will we know what kids will think if we never give them a chance to have a good time without ALL the extras!?!
How is this whole weekend NOT AN EXTRA?
My girls' school like many girls' high schools does a weekend trip with the whole school. They leave on Thursday, and are back early Sunday morning, tired but uplifted. The camaraderie, the workshops, speeches, choirs and skits all meld into a beautiful weekend in less then stellar accommodations, an overnight summer camp.
My eldest came home the other day, and told me that her friend is one of the "heads" for the weekend, and she would like my daughter to call an orthodontist, who is a close family friend (who sends his girls to a different high school),and ask him to donate toothbrushes for this weekend.
My first thought was to tell her that they should ask people who have a connection with the school. But then I really thought about it. And then I got upset.
Two main points:
First, I have an issue with asking people to donate things to schools that are even less then non-essential to the functioning of a school. Let the kids bring their own toothbrushes. This culture of just asking people to give it to you when you can't afford it on your own is sickening. There is no reason that these kids need to be given an amenities bag when they get up to the weekend.
Which brings me to the second point. This weekend is not free, and with three girls in school is on the pricey side . Why do they need MORE? Why isn't almost four days away in a camp with friends and activities, a bonfire, meals, and lots of fun enough? Why do we have to keep upping the ante? Of course kids are spoiled today, we don't give them a chance to just enjoy things! If you say that's today's society, and that's what kids want? Well, who created that, and how will we know what kids will think if we never give them a chance to have a good time without ALL the extras!?!
How is this whole weekend NOT AN EXTRA?
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