kaleidoscoping chaos...

Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day Monday

Happy Memorial Day!

Today is supposed to be all about remembering and memorializing those in the service who have done so much for us. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!

Most of us have BBQs, go to the beach, or go shopping. We did 2 of those three.

I hope to teach my kids the true meaning of Memorial Day in the years to come. This year we had a pretty superficial Memorial Day - although I hope we created memories of a different kind to last a lifetime.

Thank you to our bestest buddies for being the greatest hosts ever. We had the most wonderful time and we love you all!

Memorial Day 2012 - Long Live LBI!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Stickerin' & Shakin' the Shavuos Shimmy

So even though we are here at the beach... it turns out it is another Jewish holiday-Shavous (see full explanation here). It is late. I am tired. I have my pact with you to post every day no matter how tired I am (or how slow the freaking internet is on LBI), so I am foregoing the education in lieu of a quick recap and some pics! Basically, it is when the Jews get the 10 Commandments and the Torah because Moses goes to Mt Sinai and gets. We read the Book of Ruth, decorate the house with flowers and eat dairy. And stay up all night studying Torah... This is what the Rosenthal/Bramble Jews in Jersey did this year!

Shavuous Night #1 (last night): We read two Shavous books (Sadie & the Big Mountain and Sammy the Spider's First Shavuot). We watched the Shalom Sesame "Countdown to Shavout" video and then - whoop whoop - we did the stickers! I bought two sticker projects (see here and here) and the kids went at it. Pretty fun. We also decorated with some flowers. We posted the pictures on the wall. It was a good time and it got everyone into Moses and then 10 Commandments!

Shavuous Night #2 (Tonight): You are supposed to eat dairy on Shavuot. So we made our own ice cream. See some pretty good directions here - we used whole milk not half and half. Jonah & I did this "experiment" at the Kohls Children's Museum in Chicago a few years ago. We love this project! It is fun and cool!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Shabboting @ the Shore!

Yesterday, we drove 4.5 hours to Long Beach Island to meet up with some of our best friends in the world for Memorial Day Weekend 2012(sans Mama, she will join us on Sunday). We can walk to bay and to the beach! Jonah & Vera are in love with my best friend's kids... even though her kids are 13, 10, 7 and mine are well you know, almost 3 and 1. What is completely amazing is that my best friend's kids love my kids too! I met A when I was about turn 21. On a plane going to Israel. We've been besties ever since. Now, here we are 21 years and a combined 5 kids later on the Jersey Shore. Life is good.

These pictures from yesterday tell the story better than I ever could! It is turning out to be great weekend!

To the market we will go!

As noted the other day, last weekend we had lots of quality family time. On Sunday we gathered ourselves up for a trip to Eastern Market to look for some furniture. (We had luck last time when we went to The Georgetown Market, see my post here). We like these kinds of markets.

It was a beautiful sunny morning. We drove and found a great parking spot. Right in the gate, we stopped at the first stall. Wooden toys! The kids were all googly and well even Jocelyn wanted one (she LOVES toys). Jocelyn actually bought a gift for a friend. Vera was insistent on getting a little green car. Jonah wanted all of them!!! I told him he could only get one and if he got something here, he could not get something later. And I was actually completely surprised when he told me, "Ok mom, I don't want one... I am going to wait..." That kid surprises the pants off me every day! He seems like the instant gratification, I want it now, kind of kid! Most of the time he absolutely is... but at that moment. He wanted to wait... as I like to say, "go Jonah go!"

We didn't find any furniture we liked. But we did eat some empanadas from the empanada stand, pickles from the pickle guy and smoothies from the smoothie crew. And we hung out and and listened to some very fun music. Jonah drank his smoothie but Vera boogied her booty across the dance floor!

We did get something at Eastern Market last weekend. It just wasn't for sale and we didn't have to pay for it (except for the pickles, smoothies, empanadas and wooden toy) - it was "family fun time" and that as the commercial says is "PRICELESS!"

Don't worry, our lives are far from perfect... there were plenty of temper tantrums back at the house... mine, Jocelyn's and the kids!