Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful...

....for the end of Halloween.

....for the beginning of November, in our house, the birthday month.

....for how cute my middle child looked in his bee costume (pictures coming later).

....that the most pressing issue facing my children today was how much candy they could keep or eat.

What are you thankful for?

hosted at boogiemum

P.S. I'm not sure that I'm going to post about thanks each day, but it sure is a nice idea, isn't it? Judaism teaches us to say 100 blessings a day...

This is my first post in the NaBloPoMo....are you in?



Visit NaBloPoMo

Don't forget to visit my Giveaway and see hundreds more here at the Fall Y'all Giveaways...

Dealing with Halloween...Works for Me

The holiday of Halloween brings me a bit of stress each year. On the very basic level, I'm just not a fan of this holiday that has become so much bigger in the last 5 years. I remember a few weeks of build-up, some homemade costumes, a party in school, and maybe a party at someone's house...and maybe not. Pumpkin carving and candy apples....

But now Halloween is about decorations and lights, months of build-up, party after party...trick-or-treating in town, all other activities cancelled for the night...at first I thought it was something new here in Chicago, but I'm realizing that it's all over.

My first year here, I arrived at my son's daycare at about 4:30pm on Halloween. The daycare was open daily til 6pm, and my son was usually one of the first picked up at 4:30ish. On this day, he was one of the last 2 kids left...at 4:30pm. When I asked what was going on, the teachers told me that most of the parents took off work early to pick up their kids early to take them trick-or-treating. Just a few weeks earlier, on Erev Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday, when the center closed at 3pm, almost all the kids were still there at 3pm and the teachers told me that many were actually late on that day. ?????

So all this rant is leading to my issue....how to make Halloween as low-key as possible in our house. Not to mention my personal concerns about Halloween as a pagan holiday with values that don't necessarily coincide with my own, is also the need to not let something like this become overwhelming to my family.

Here's my recipe for a "low key" Halloween:

- No decorations. We spend a lot of time and energy on Sukkot (see here and here) and this is our fall decorating fun. Some years the two holidays coincide. Some not. Either way, I will continue to stand firm on this one!

- Pumpkin carving can be a fun fall activity, sometimes we try to do it for Sukkot or even after Halloween for Thanksgiving. This year I carved a flower! But I resist and resist. I try really hard to get out of it.

- I don't make a big deal about the costumes. We often recycle last winter's Purim costume or spend just a little bit of time talking or buying it. We have a little stash of dress-up stuff anyway, so we can pick and choose if we want...This year my son earned all the money himself for his costume since he wanted to spend far more than I wanted to spend.

- We eat a normal dinner, and trick-or-treat only on our own cul-de-sac. That's enough for me! (Plus it's cold and gets dark early, thankfully)

- We look over the candy, eat a piece or two, and then give all the rest to the kids at children's hospital.

- We're not giving out candy this year, ourselves, we're giving out bouncy balls.

- I think this is the year to introduce the UNICEF boxes to my son.

- When it's over, it's over! I can't wait.

Does anyone out there feel that Halloween has changed over the years and become more overwhelming?

See more Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer

Don't forget to visit my Giveaway...only a few days left!

Spiderweb Cookies...it's Tasty Tuesday!

Aren't these the cutest little spiderweb cookies? I cut this recipe out of a Cooking Light magazine a few years ago...they are actually very tasty but the most fun is making these spiderwebs out of frosting!

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Place shortening in a large mixing bowl; beat with a heavy-duty mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until well blended. Add vanilla and egg white; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat until well blended.
Turn dough out onto wax paper; shape into a 6-inch log. Wrap log in wax paper. Freeze 2 hours or until very firm.
Cut log into 24 (1/4-inch) slices, and place slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until set. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Combine powdered sugar and milk in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk until smooth. Spoon into a small zip-top plastic bag; seal. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag. Working with 1 cookie at a time, pipe 3 concentric circles onto each cookie. Starting at center circle, pull a wooden pick through other circles at regular intervals to create a "web."
TIP:
For the glaze, snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag. If it's too small, you can always make it bigger.

See more recipes at the Crazy Hip Blog Mamas and don't forget to check out

my giveaway here...

Plus make sure you check out the rest of the Fall Y'all Give-aways!

I'm having so much fun but I think my fingers are getting worn out from all the entries I've been typing!!!

Spiritual Parenting - Best Shot & a Giveaway

Updated - comments closed. Winner annouced after Shabbat!

It's hard to look into these eyes...

and not see God.

It's hard to look into this face and not think that something Incredible out there has created this amazing little being. How can I make her continue to see that she is created in the image of God, even as the outside world seems to be working against me??

Along those lines...
For my first ever blog give-a-way, I will be giving one copy of
10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child's Soul
by Mimi Doe and Marsha F. Walch

This is a beautiful and wonderful book full of ideas and inspiration for bringing parenting back to a spiritual level. No matter what your spiritual tradition, this book is full of warmth and thoughts on bringing holiness into your life. The chapter titles alone are inspiring: "Be a Positive Mirror for Your Child" and "Add Magic to the Ordinary" are two of them. I very much enjoy this book and I hope that you will too.

Here's how you can win this book:
1. Make a comment here. Tell me how you balance your family life. This is your entry!
2. If you feel so inclined (I'd like it a lot), post on your blog or tell a friend about this giveaway and link back to me.
3. Don't forget to give me a way to get in touch with you if you win!
4. Contest ends on Friday, November 2nd at 5pm. I will post the winner Saturday evening after Shabbat is over.

See more giveaways here:

And see more Best Shot Monday here.

8 is Enough.... & Five Places I've Been...

Oy...a long time ago (okay, I guess it was only a week ago), Mama Zen tagged me for the Crazy 8's meme...and since it's Sunday I thought I'd finally take on the challenge. So here goes...

8 Things I'm Passionate About:

1. My husband
2. My oldest child
3. My middle child
4. My youngest child
5. Judaism
6. Learning and Reading (I guess that's two!)
7. Finding and creating community
8. Making the world a better place

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die:

1. Visit every continent
2. Grow a garden
3. Catch up on my reading list (yeah right)
4. Learn Spanish.
5. Hold grandchildren.
6. Learn to be a chef.
7. Write a book.
8. Open a b&b

8 Things I Say Regularly:

1. Period. End of Story. (my son told me recently that I say this all the time)
2. Whatever.
3. I just work here.
4. Send me an email.
5. Just Google it.
6. When do we eat?
7. Don't forget to breathe, in and out! (Name the movie -- I'll be super-impressed)
8. Drink more water.

8 Books I've Read Recently (or am reading now...)
1. The Attack
2. Matrimony
3. The Uprising
4. The Water Mirror (which, when I looked it up to make this link, I realized that the sequels are already available. Whoo hoo!)
5. Momma Zen
6. Triangle
7. The Kommandant's Girl
8. Measure of A Man
(It's amazing -- this one was really hard. I read a ton of books, I really wish I kept a journal. This is, by the way, a project that I want to start for my almost 6-year-old. We've only been reading chapter books for about 2 years, I think we could write a whole list. If we kept it up, when he's my age, he'd have a list of everything he has ever read. Ooh cool!)

8 Songs I Can Listen To Over and Over Again
I can't do this one. I can listen to almost anything over and over again. I am the dorky kind who never updates her ipod and just keeps listening to the same playlists over and over again!

8 Things that Attract Me To My Friends
1. Good sense of humor
2. Love of movies
3. Pop culture knowledge
4. Enjoy hanging out
5. Laugh at my jokes
6. Put up with my kids
7. Good conversationalists
8. A cute tush...oh wait, that was just my best friend (i.e. my husband)

8 Things I Learned in the Last Year
1. How much harder 3 is than 2.
2. How little sleep one can survive on.
3. How cool it is to have a girl.
4. How much change I can handle.
5. How much I've turned into a minivan-mom
6. How much I love my job.
7. Turning 30 just wasn't the big deal everyone said it would be.
8. How much fun blogging is!

8 People That I Want to Torture Think Should Also Do This Meme

Marci (Myriad Musings of Marci)
Helena (Thrice Blessed Momma)
Brad (Egel Nest)
Crunchy Domestic Goddess
SAHMmy says
Karen (Cheerio Road)
Elizabeth (The Whole Family)
Harry (my brother...think he'll play?)

In honor of the meme, here are Five Eight Places I've Been This Week!

Pumpkin Coffee Canister

Lack of Sleep = Cognitive Setbacks? (NY Times)

Holocaust Heroine Saved Children (Chicago Tribune)

Smart Mom Jewelry (ooh, I want one)

Photocard Mosaic

Monster Cookies

The Parent's Little List of Trust (from Cheerio Road)

The 12 Germiest Places in Your Life (ewwwww)

from my del.icio.us
Where have you been?
----
Stay tuned for tomorrow's (big-ish) Give-away. I'm so excited for my first giveaway!

Flowers for Melody

Wonderful Melody, who blogs at Slurping Life (if you're not reading her...you should be) and creator of Wrapped Emotions, is going through some rough times with her family. While she would normally be posting for us a creative challenge (or hiring it out to a guest blogger, like me!), Jenny at Live and In Color has posted a project to "send flowers" to Melody.

Here's what she said:
If I knew her address, I’d probably send her a card or flowers, just to let her know I care. But this is cyberspace, so it’s time to get creative.

My challenge to you, whether you’re a regular WE participant or not, is to help me “send” a bouquet of flowers to Melody. Draw, paint, craft or photo a flower this week and post it to your blog. It can be as elaborate or simple as you like. Maybe say a few words about what Melody and Wrapped Emotions have meant to you.

How awesome that Jenny stepped up to the plate.
So much about life is just that -- stepping in when we need to.

For Melody...I have been thinking of you each time I turn on my computer, and a few other times as well, including at our services each time we say the prayer for healing...

But interestingly, I also thought of you today as my son and I began to carve our pumpkins.

Back story: I'm not a big Halloween fan. Wait until later this week for that story. But needless to say, it takes a lot of cajoling from my 5-year-old to get me to even begin anything that even smells of Halloween...so here we are, carving pumpkins.

I suddenly realized that this was the solution I needed -- I would carve my pumpkin for Melody! And along the way I could explain to my son how I was making a flower for a lady who was sad and needed cheering up.

So....without further ado, my flower for Melody.


May it bring blessings and hope.

See more of the bouquet here.

P.S. Stay tuned Monday for my first-ever give-away. I'm awfully excited.

Vayera in Haiku

Part of Parashat Vayera in haiku....



Three visitors came
Who were they? Maybe angels.
Abe welcomed them in.

Where's Sarah? they asked.
Inside, in the tent, cooking.
Why do you ask me?

Next year at this time
I'll come back, she'll have a son.
Sarah overheard.

Ha ha ha ha ha
Sarah laughed and laughed and laughed.
A kid? When we're old?

And God called her out:
You laughed at My prediction!?
She lied, but got caught.

She did have a babe.
And named him Yitzchak, laughter.
They had a big feast.

Make sure to check out my last haiku Friday and check out the comments...Carolyn of Juggling Frogs was amazing!!!

See more haiku Friday here.
Shabbat Shalom!

P.S. Come back on Monday for a Give-a-way -- my first ever! I'm so excited. I think it's very good. I spent a lot of time thinking about something that would be reflective of who I am and what I am trying to do with my blog. How's that for deep?