Getting our GLOE on!

The holiday season has officially begun!  Whoop Whoop!  (I think?!?!)

We did phase one of Chanukah decorating last weekend, but I must confess I am anxious about it this year - and my kaleidoscope is of no use in these matters.

For 12 years I (and later we) decorated the old house.  I had it down to a science.  I knew where everything went and how to hang every strand of lights. I could do it in my sleep... I had a system.  I have accumulated the said decorations for about 20 years... I have 5 big bins of them.  This year there is whole new canvass... our new house.  Our first Chanukah in the new house - what a world of opportunities!  I believe change is great - it is what keeps s alive - but this change- this change has taken me off guard... I hadn't really processed the whole "I have no idea how to use my enormous amount of decorations in the new house" experience... so I am just in denial.

It will have to happen this weekend. And there may even be a blog post about it.

Don't even get me started on our holiday cards... seriously... I have yet to be inspired yet so they have not been done yet... but maybe tonight... I might have had a bit of inspiration in CVS yesterday.

Oiy Vey - the holidays!  So much joy and cheer and good will to men!  Did I mention I LOVE THEM!!!  Oh yeah, I mention it all the time, in like every blog post, about how much I love life and love holidays.... how could I forget...

So this Wednesday evening, we started our holiday events!  The Gay and Lesbian Outreach and Enrichment (GLOE) group from the Washington DC Jewish Community Center (WDCJCC) hosted their second annual "All Fired Up! for Chanukah!" event at a local pottery painting place.

We went last year and it was fun.  A group of gay Jewish families hanging out with their kids and each other, painting dreidels and menorahs and eating fruit, jelly donuts, and chocolate gelt.

The advertisement for the event came through on email this year and guess what?  We made the advertisement!!  Yep there was a cute picture of Jonah and me with some of our best buddies at last year's event!  Kick it up for us!

So I was excited to go this year.

We got there about 6:30.  Last year there was a good crowd.  This year not so much.  We were there and two other families with babies and one little girl.  My kids were a lot more mobile this year and I was with them without Jocelyn.  And we were in an entire store of breakable objects... really what was I thinking?!?!  One of the other moms, actually voiced that sentiment as she was with one child that was in her arms...  I am a thrill seeker I replied

But there was a secret weapon - CHOCOLATE GELT!

When we discussed going to event on the way there - Jonah remembered - it is quite amazing what that kid remembers.. 

"Mommy, will the chocolate treasure be there? and can we eat it?"

Yep, only if you behave, stay in your seat and do what I say?!?!

And that is how it went.  They were really really really good for the beginning.  They were both so busy eating all of the gelt and painting their dreidels.  Then I tried to have them paint a plate with hand prints to mark the occasion - very Martha Stewartesque... that so didn't turn out like I planned.  I was stalling hoping our buddies would show up...

Then the sugar high kicked in.  Jonah grabbed my camera took some pictures, dropped my camera in the bowl of brush cleaning water, ran around a bit, knocked something over that I believe broke (but I kinda stayed out of that) and then it was clearly time to go home. 

We got our Chanukah Gloe on - with a little help from copious amounts of chocolate gelt.  It was fun and we have 2 weird colored dreidels and a random painted plate to show for it!  I will pick them up next week.

Let the holidays begin!  And a big Shabbot Shalom to all!

 2011 PICTURE FROM ADVERTISEMENT

2012 PICTURES

2012 PICTURE TAKEN BY JONAH

Walk like an Egyptian (or dance, sing and paint like one...)

We stayed at the Luxor hotel this past weekend in Vegas.  In a pyramid... surrounded by Sphinx and ancient wall paintings... and Blackjack tables and slot machines.  Vegas is a city like no other.  I must confess I LOVE it!  Amazingly, we didn't even gamble this trip... and I completely enjoy hanging and gambling at the Blackjack tables - but we were too busy.  This was my fifth trip to Vegas and I have always stayed on the "strip" as they call it.  The Luxor was fine.  Its spa was delightful.  I needed both the massage and pedicure and the steam room, sauna and hot tub were divine! 

Still the whole Egyptian theme was super corny (I know most of them are - but for some reason I can sort of go with Mandalay Bay, MGM, or even NY, NY).  This whole ancient Egypt was a bit over the top-but it was Vegas!

So I knew I needed to bring the kids home some Egypt stuff... right???  I got them the cutest little shirts.  I was paying for the shirts and right by the register are these little stencil books!!!  I had a "moment" of inspiration and was totally thrilled that for a mere $1.50 each, we had our Egypt project!  Kick it up for me (and for the souvenir shop in Vegas)!  The fact that I was able to find a project for my kids while in Vegas on line at the souvenir shop and not find time to at least bet one hand of blackjack... well that is a whole other post...

When the kids woke up today they got their silly t-shirts (which they were supposed to wear to playgroup but missed because poor Vera was begging for her nap and I didn't have the heart to schlep her out and make her miss her nap... although mommy severely missed the adult interaction)  Vera also found my sunglasses and loved the outfit.  I sang the song for them "Walk like an Egyptian" and they were giggling their heads off.  Then I tried to explain Egypt to them without a book (whatever) and after lunch we did Egypt stencil art.  I continued with some more "explaining" about the pyramids and art drawings/carvings on walls to tell stories and Jonah stops and looks at me at says "Let me people go! right mom?" - I almost fainted... seriously almost fainted.  (Although his T-shirt was a bit reminiscent of the Pharaoh blow up punching bag he thoroughly enjoyed during Passover...)

The painting was a big hit.  Vera was totally into it, which is great.  She is holding the paint brush and trying to do everything just like Jonah.  Jonah finished his first and then "helped" Vera finish hers.  I taped the six little stencils onto a big piece of white paper, gave them six colors of paint, and a bunch of different paint brushes.  They went at it.  When I took off the stencils, both of them were super surprised and excited.  Later, I cut up the six pictures and hung them in our kitchen.  They haven't seen that yet.

We still have some more Vegas inspired posts/projects to come... just wait and see!

I love it Mommy!  It is pink and it says, "Mummy's Little Princess"

I am a movie star!

Jonah doing his "Walk Like an Egyptian" Dance

and to left...

taking a rest!

Now I am singing and dancing for them-Mommy you are funny!

Egypt project!

Just like the big kids!

I'll help you Vera

Finished - pre unveiling



Jonah's!



Vera's!

painting like the Egyptians!

Home Improvement & Habitats!

What a sunny sunny fantastic day today was in Washington DC.  I think it went up to 80 degrees today.  It was another awesome foursome day for our family.  We didn't have much planned but wanted to check out the Georgetown Flea Market to look for some new furniture.  We have this new house, but not much furniture. 

There is a special place in my heart for the Georgetown Flea Market-we have history.  When I bought the old place (the Dupont condo) in 2002 by myself, I also did not have any furniture.  I ditched my crappy college and law school furniture and started fresh.  Moved into the place with about 100 boxes of stuff and had two beds delivered the same day from 1-800-MATTRESS.  I had spent all my money on buying the place, so my parents actually bought me this fabulous King size "princess and the pea" bed and they also bought another Queen bed for the guest room (for them to sleep on-that is now Jonah's bed!) 

After a few months, I finally bought my first piece of furniture at the Georgetown Flea Market.  It was an old fashioned dark wood bar.  I still have it and we love it!!!  Then right before Jonah was born, we figured we should buy a piece of furniture for his room.  We were very superstitious in the "we are Jewish - don't buy anything for the baby until it is born way" so we literally hadn't bought anything.  Jocelyn and I had gone to the big box baby stores and HATED everything there and figured let's try the Flea Market.  Bingo!  At the first booth we found the perfect dresser that could be used as a changing table too - bought it on the spot and love it.  Now it is in Vera's room as her changing table and dresser.  So, this morning we headed back-to see what we would find.

Jonah and Vera were excited to go on an adventure.  I spotted a potential purchase within 2 minutes.  Jonah spotted a train he wanted after 30 seconds.  Jocelyn saw some things but wasn't "eager" for anything.  I found a bench/cabinety thing that I thought would be perfect in the kitchen as a bench for the table.  It needed a little work but I liked it.  We looked at it, I made and offer they countered, but it was still too high.  We took a walk around and on the way out, I offered my price again and they said deal!  Whoop Whoop!

While we were walking though, Jonah found a classic Lionel train priced over $200... he then had a complete meltdown when I told him we were not buying it for him because it was not a toy and it was too much money.  I mean he performed an academy award winning temper tantrum, with coughing & spitting, hand waving, & blood curdling screaming... Oh joy!  He just kept screaming train, train, toy, toy, I want the toy train... then finally passed out in the car when we were 2 minutes from home...

Anyway, on the way home (despite the aforementioned tempre tantrum) I had a brilliant "kaleidoscoping chaos" idea!  Jonah, Vera and I would paint our new bench together outside this afternoon (forget all that laundry I had to do this would be way more fun!).  We stopped at the local paint store (yes we have a local paint store - see here) and picked up brushes and mixer sticks and returned home with both kids sleeping the in the car.  When the kids got up we ate lunch and everything was ready to paint!  I grabbed a can of the white paint the painters just used on our house.  READY SET GO!

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the flowers blooming in our little backyard (OK there were also plenty of flies and some bees...)  I had the piece of furniture on the grass on plastic and explained to Jonah we were going to do some good old fashioned home improvement.  He was into it.  I also repeatedly instructed him no eating this paint!!!  So we started and within 3 minutes paint was everywhere- bench, the grass, us... but he seemed to like it.  He painted the entire back side of the bench and then he was done.  Maybe because it was white paint... or maybe because there is too many other things to do in the backyard and he didn't like my micro managing him with the paint brush and the paint (or my hawk eyes on him preventing him from eating the paint).. but he got up and was like, "Mom, I am dirty and want to play with my balls..."

Mama washed him off and they played but then I gave Jocelyn this little dollar store bug investigation kit I had for Jonah.  Well, GOOD BYE paint and HELLO bugs!!!!  He was super excited.  He played for at least an hour totally engaged and entranced by the potential of putting little ants and slugs into his little kit and analyzing them.  Mama and Jonah discussed habitats and how bugs live in dirt and what they eat... etc.  And he let me finish my painting/home improvement project! I might mention that Vera was as happy as could be the whole time. Singing and laughing the whole time in her jumperoo and playing with all the toys!  She loved watching Jonah and I paint and even more loved watching Jonah play with the bugs!  He would bring them to her and tell her all about them... it was quite hilarious really.

A day of home improvement and habitats... a happy one at that.  Even with the crazy temper tantrum from hell at the flea market...

Home Improvement Project-Here I come!

painting with mommy!

I just love sticking this huge brush into the whole bucket of paint when mommy turns her head!  Whoop Whoop!

forget about painting mommy!  Mama gave me a bug thing!!!

I am getting my sun therapy and loving it!

happy family!

learning about bug habitats!  this is better that Sesame Street!

totally into it - I got a slug!

checking out the magnifying glass!

habitats beat home improvements any day!