Sunday, December 26, 2010

Generations

I am so blessed to have two grandmothers.
One lives close enough that we see her on a regular basis.
She's totally in love with Solomon.
I'm totally in love with the fact that my children know their great-grandmother and that she knows them.
She's seen 95 years so far.
Solly has barely seen 3 weeks.
What a great pair.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Washing

A first bath...an important milestone.

Everyone talks about that "baby smell." Did you just give him a bath? That's a regular question. Actually, he didn't have a bath until this weekend.

Dignity is overrated - he had a full audience:
Bubbie had the honor of the washing. She's the bath expert. He was remarkably calm once he got into the warm water. Reminded him of his past...
And then snuggled up in a towel...

A delicious calm settled over the baby...
Sigh.
Each milestone is still a milestone - no matter how small. First bath is just a part of it, isn't it?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Baby Brother Love

This is what's been going on around here.
A lot of sitting around and looking at their little brother.
Telling him stories...about Sammy & Solly.
Yep.
There's so much more where this came from...

I love that they love him so much.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

It's a Boy!


Last Tuesday, our new son was born, quickly.
Even though I was waiting and waiting, when the time came, he didn't hesitate.
He just came exactly when he wanted to.







Everyone was incredibly happy to meet him, especially his big sister, who for the last few weeks has been saying, "I want a brother."
Sam was ready to share his lovey (Blue Bear) right away, although since this picture, he hasn't relinquished it again.
The biggest brother loves to hold the littlest one, and he has the rocking motion down pat.
There are four children in our family now...and it's noisy and chaotic and crazy and fun.
Solomon Levi is his name.
It's a big name for such a little person, but I think he will grow into it.
Our little Solly.
I can't wait to get to know him better.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Party of 6

Shabbat Shalom from our Party of 6...
We will welcome our new son into the covenant on Tuesday morning.
More blogging to follow...


Sent via Blackberry
Visit me at http://imabima.blogspot.com

Monday, December 6, 2010

Sledding with Big Brother



It might have been cold outside but my heart was warm as I watched him take her sledding.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Picaboo vs. Shutterfly Photobooks

I've waxed poetic before about my Shutterfly photo books. And anyone who hangs out with me in real life knows how much fun I have lining up the photo books on the shelf in my house - I love to make these little gems of family memory. My kids love to read them, to page through their history. We're currently obsessed with the ones that contain the pictures of their births...for some obvious reasons.

But recently, I bought a Groupon for Picaboo, another photo-book service. I figured it was a good deal and I'd try it out. Truthfully, I didn't read the small print, which said "not valid with other offers" and so I stayed up really late to get my book done in order to take advantage of a Cyber Monday 40% off coupon...and then couldn't use it. But the Groupon was quite a good deal, so it's all okay.

But here I am to write a completely unsolicited review comparing my experiences with the two products. Mostly because I can't quite decide which one I like better! Both really give me a wonderful finished piece.
Yael, enjoying a photobook
Shutterfly: I am very familiar with their software, which is all online. It's really an improvement over earlier iterations of the process, with their new Storyboard feature being one of the best parts. I've always been a tiny bit frustrated by some of the limitations of their layouts, but I always thought it was a small price to pay for the ease of use that their system offers. There are also limited backgrounds and font options, sizes, etc. Recently they introduced full-photo covers, which are gorgeous. Oddly enough, the backs of the books are less customizable than I'd like, but the fronts never seem to be a problem. The "title page" of each book is also set to a specific number of layouts, which seems a little strange to me. The spine of the book can now be printed with words, which is wonderful. Each book is now identified by its dates, and I love that. The paper weight is heavy, the print quality is great. Shutterfly allows for amazing stackable coupons, which is another benefit. I never pay for shipping, and I always wait until they are running some kind of sale. (Actually, I bought a Shutterfly Groupon once too!) Production and shipping usually seem to take quite some time - usually it's almost 2 weeks from the time I click "order" until I have the book in hand.

Picaboo: You have to use their downloadable software. This is good and bad - I can only work on my one computer, instead of wherever I have internet access (like my work computer, for example), but the stuff is locally saved, which is also nice. Their software took me a little while to get used to, but once I realized its potential, I was so excited for the unlimited customizable effects I could make. I could do almost anything I wanted with the photos. There's no formal way to "crop" a picture, but I figured out that I could zoom and move them to get what I wanted. Borders, no borders, shading, no shading, and more - there were seemingly unlimited options, as well as fonts and sizes of typeface. I could also rotate pictures and captions at any angle, which is really great. The covers, both front and back, were fully customizable as well, and so was the "title page." You can't add text to the spine of the book, which seemed like a huge negative to me, since I so recently acquired this feature in Shuttefly and I've become accustomed to it! I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to do it before realizing that it's just not possible. The most amazing thing? I ordered my book late Monday night and received it on Saturday. That was pretty remarkable. The book is really beautiful, even though I might have gone a little overboard in testing out all the backgrounds and fonts and things! I do think the paper weight from my Picaboo book is lighter than the Shutterfly book, even though my husband disagrees with me.

Bottom line? Both are great. Pricing is really similar, there are different options of book sizes and formats from one company to the other. It seems incredibly trivial, but the spine text is important to me and I can't quite decide if it outweighs the customizable layouts. I'll have to wait and see if I use one or the other more regularly, I have money left on my Groupon purchase on Picaboo, so my next book will probably come from them too.

Here's another comparison review of the two companies.

Do you make photobooks? Which service do you use? If not, how do you keep your family records? 

Full disclosure: I bought all my own photobooks, I didn't receive anything to write this review and I asn't asked to write it.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Readiness: The First Parenting Lesson

39 weeks and a little of my office
This was the status I posted on Facebook yesterday:

And many people responded to me with various "tried and true" methods for bringing on labor. One of which was wasabi on toast....

But that isn't exactly what I was hoping for. I don't really know what I'm hoping for.

About a month ago, I wrote this post, in which I said (weird to be quoting yourself, isn't it?)

Nope. I'm not ready cuz the baby's not ready. When the baby's ready, I'll know...that will be called labor. Until then, I'm here and enjoying every minute of this pregnancy.

And it's still true, I still agree with myself.

I think that the most wonderful Jewish wisdom and tradition is not to say "mazel tov" to a pregnant woman, but instead to say "b'sha'ah tova" - not to say "congratulations" but instead to wish her a "good hour." May the baby come when it's good and ready.

Which is really defined as the first lesson in parenting that we as parents receive. Our lack of control over every aspect and element of pregnancy translates exponentially into the lack of control we eventually have over many aspects of our children's personalities, physical traits, skills and abilities. Aside from the usual "man plans, God laughs" idea of it all, there is a deep lesson in this for us to learn to "let go" and figure out what's really important and worth stressing over.

From the very very very beginning.

So the bottom line is? Just because I am ready to have the baby, just because I have all my ducks lined up in neat, pretty, smiley little rows, doesn't mean that the baby is ready. I always say that children walk when they're ready, children talk when they're ready...and they emerge into the world at their time of readiness as well.

I just need to remember it and live it.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Chanukah Giveaway Winners

Winner of the Oh Nuts giveaway is Jessica of The Gaggle Photography!

Winner of the Eight Winter Nights book giveaway is The Angel Forever!

Please look at your email for more information - thanks for playing!!!

Sour Cream vs Applesauce: A Chanukah Debate

 Chanukah begins tonight! Are you ready???
Last chance for my two Chanukah giveaways today: Oh Nuts and Eight Winter Nights!

There is an eternal debate on Chanukah. I'm sure you're thinking, "candle lighting from left to right or right to left?" or "do we add a candle each night or take one away instead?" or even "how do you spell Chanukah?" but you would be wrong.

The big debate on Chanukah, perhaps the most important decision one can make in the month of Kislev, is this: Applesauce or Sour Cream?

And I'm here today to tell you why Sour Cream is the ultimate in latke topping.

Judith slaying Holofornes,
Painting by Cristoforo Allori
Maybe not the most appetizing illustration?


Let me tell you a little story about how dairy foods came to be a part of the Chanukah celebration. There once was a Jewish lass named Judith. During an Assyrian siege of her village (as part of the war that is remembered through the Chanukah celebration), she charmed her way into the enemy camp with a basket of cheese and wine. The enemy general, Holofernes, ate of the cheese and drank of the wine until he was unable to stay awake. The sweet lass Judith then took his sword and beheaded the muddled man. She brought his head back to her people in a basket and saved her town.

In her honor, then, dairy foods are consumed. What better choice than to top latkes, the perfect Chanukah treat, with sour cream, the perfect Chanukah remembrance?

Now, aside from the ritual value of the sour cream and the story that it allows us to tell at our dinner tables, there is also the added benefit of calcium (about 2 percent of your recommended daily allowance) and protein (about 1 gram per 2 tablespoon serving). These nutrients enable the latke consumer to create a whole meal around the latkes with no need for any additional protein source at the meal. Why is this beneficial? So the latkes can be the centerpiece of the table, a perfect solution for vegetarians and lighter eaters. No need to add meat to a latke supper, just serve sour cream with your latkes for the perfect combination of vegetable (potato) and protein (sour cream)!

Sour cream never goes out of season (unlike apples) and as long as properly refrigerated, will not spoil for the whole week of Chanukah. It is the perfect cool and creamy match to the salty, oily, crispy taste of a latke. It's a match made in heaven.

For what proves to be a tasty debate, scoot on over to RJ.org for a rebuttal by an esteemed scholar. Direct link coming soon...

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Sing a Little Tune

Today I complete my fourth NaBloPoMo!

So I've invited Yael to sing you a little song...
(Doesn't get much cuter, does it?)

Don't forget that I'm giving away $25 to Oh Nuts AND a brand-new Chanukah book!
Both giveaways end on Wednesday so get cracking!!!
Did you do NaBloPoMo this year?

Monday, November 29, 2010

Eight Winter Nights {Review and Giveaway}

Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah BookI received Eight Winter Nights by Laura Krauss Melmed as a review copy, it arrived in yesterday's mail. My kids were very excited to get a new Chanukah book, and I was too! This book is lovely for many reasons.

The illustrations are sweet and beautiful. When I read it to Sam, he was able to count the candles on each page and there were lots of little things to look for in each page's illustration.

Each page had a number of whimsical poems and rhymes that were fun to read and elicited giggles not only from my 5-year-old but also from the 9-year-old who was studiously NOT paying attention to the reading that was going on. Our favorite was this one (pictured above, and you can see the sweet illustrations by Elizabeth Schlossberg):

Dreidel Chase
I had a little dreidel
I made it out of clay,
But Baby grabbed my dreidel,
And now I cannot play.
Let's catch that naughty baby -
OOPS! Baby got away!

For some reason, this tickled their fancy, and I thought it was adorable as well.

The book follows each night of the holiday, and what I liked the very best about it was that there was not a single mention of the "g" word (gifts) until the 7th night. Yes, on the 5th night, there is mention of chocolate coins, but no presents. And, to make it even better, the 7th night has a poem about "Opening Presents" accompanied by a poem entitled "Tzedakah" - how awesome is that?

The last night also explains how all the candles that we light add up to 36 (1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8 = 36) and while this didn't quite click with the 5-year-old, it did click with the not-listening 9-year-old who thought it was "cool." And I'd imagine it will click with parents who don't know this "cool" fact about the Chanukah candles!

So...if you're looking for a book to add to your family's Chanukah reading collection (we keep all the Chanukah books in our Chanukah box and pull them out each year to read during candle-lighting), may I recommend Eight Winter Nights.

We are going to keep this delightful review copy, since the publisher has been gracious enough to offer one for giveaway as well! (shipping only in the US or Canada, please)


How to win this book:
1. Leave a comment here with your favorite Chanukah story or book. (one entry)
2. Tweet this giveaway (one entry)
3. Facebook this giveaway (one entry, please tag me in the post)

Leave a separate comment for each way you enter.
*Make sure I have a way to contact you - do not post anonymously if you hope to win!*
Giveaway will close on Wednesday, December 1st sometime before first candle lighting!

And don't forget that I'm giving away $25 to Oh Nuts over here. Also ends Wednesday.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Havdalah...Separation?

When we said our Havdalah this week, I was struck by a realization that it's completely possible that it was my last Shabbat as the mother of three children.

Then again, I could spend another Shabbat as a pregnant lady...

Mentsch tracht, Gott lacht.

Friday, November 26, 2010

A Puzzling Thanksgiving

johA whole day of sitting around the house....with a prediction of crummy weather (it actually wasn't so bad) and not much to do...so we procured puzzles for everyone and it was a big hit:

200 Piece 39 Clues Puzzle (and still in pajamas)

100 Piece Space Shuttle Puzzle (and a smaller one which he put together so rapidly that I had to give him the 100 piece one!) (also in pajamas...their favorite part, I think.)

Putting the same 24-piece puzzle together over and over again...
What did you do all day on Thanksgiving?
Thanks to my Dad for the great pictures :-)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Giving Thanks

There are 365 days of the year that I give thanks.
 Each and every day is a blessing.
As we celebrate the Day of Giving Thanks,
may you find blessings that abound in your life as well.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Chanukah Giveaway from Oh Nuts!

With just one week left until Chanukah, I'm so happy to offer to you, my beloved readers, this giveaway from Oh Nuts!
 
You can win a $25 gift certificate...with which you could buy...a Chanukah gift box like the one you see pictured here! Oh Nuts has some really delicious stuff and lots of choices for any holiday.

Here's how to win:
 
1.Go to the Oh Nuts Hanukkah gifts page. Choose your favorite Hanukkah Gift and leave a comment on right here on this blog post with the name and url of the gift you like the most.

I will pick a random winner and Oh Nuts will email the winner a $25 gift certificate. You have until Wednesday, December 1st, the first night of Chanukah (but I'll pick a winner sometime in the afternoon).
 
2 Other ways you can win, from Oh Nuts:

2. You can go to the Oh Nuts facebook page  and post on the wall the url and name of your favorite Hanukkah Gift. Please also write "I am here via Ima on and off the Bima" 

3. You can follow @ohnuts and Tweet 
" Win a free Hanukkah Gift from http://bit.ly/6nIsCi Follow @ohnuts & Retweet to enter.  "

Totally full disclosure: Oh Nuts is giving me a $30 gift certificate for running this giveaway and if I get more than 40 comments, I will get even more. So be nice, share it with your friends... 
 
Happy almost Chanukah everyone!

Just One Week!


There's only one week left...



G-dcast Spins Chanukah! from G-dcast.com
More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

No Pain, No Gain

I'll bet you're guessing that this title has to do with exercising.

You'd be wrong.

In fact, it has to do with the fact that what appears to be a fiddly, overly-complicated recipe is actually worth the time and effort.

Today, this month's Family Fun magazine showed up at my door. A friend was visiting, and we paged through it. She noted that "Chocolate Surprise Cookies" sounded good, so I said...let's bake! This was before reading the recipe, which was too bad, since she didn't actually get to taste the final product (too many steps taking too much time before she had to leave.)

It was really too bad.

Because these were totally worth all the steps.

I can't find the Family Fun version of the recipe anywhere online, but I see that Nosh With Me has a similar one posted on her website. Here's the one that I made, adapted from the Family Fun magazine:

Chocolate Surprise Cookies
Makes 20 - which is actually accurate

2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk (I used the 1% that we have in the house. The recipe called for whole milk. I can't imagine how it could matter.)
2 tsp vanilla extract
10 marshmallows, cut in half

Heat oven to 350. Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Set aside.

Using a mixer on medium high speed, cream the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat for another minute. Combine milk and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and add half the milk. Then slowly add half the flour mixture, then the remaining milk mixture, and then the remaining flour. Mix until well-blended.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Scoop out 2-tablespoon size balls, drop them onto the sheet. I did about 6 per sheet, leaving about 3 inches between them. They don't spread much. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, top each one with half a marshmallow, cut side down, pressing it into the dough. Bake for an additional 4 minutes, then cool on a rack.

See what I mean? Not so much spreading. Could have fit more on the sheet, I guess.
Then make icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat, because that's what I had)

Whisk together the sugar and cocoa powder, then stir in the sour cream until smooth. It seems like it won't work, but it does, trust me. Then top the cookies with the icing so the marshmallow is totally covered. Set for about 1 hour and then eat. With a huge glass of milk.
It makes a ton of icing but trust me, you'll want all the icing. The cookies are not really worth eating without the icing.
  
 Delicious!
 I'm now glad that we made them, but in the middle I was wishing I had read the recipe more carefully before deciding so quickly to make them! I have a feeling they're going to be requested again soon by my children.... What's your favorite fiddly-but-worth-it recipe?

Monday, November 22, 2010

Odd Nesting Behavior

They say that pregnant women "nest" when they're getting close to having a baby.

Some of the odd nest-like things I've found myself doing:
- cleaning out the car (and being frustrated that the car wash was closed on a rainy day. I didn't care about the outside, just wanted a good inner vacuum/scrub! Can't they understand that?)
- becoming slightly obsessed with organizing things, like putting the photo albums in order by date.
- ruthlessly dispensing with anything that remotely seems like it might be ready for the "donation" bin, including any piece of maternity clothing that doesn't quite cover my belly any more.
- stocking up on things that seem like they'll be good to eat after the baby comes
- waking up in the middle of the night and wondering what else I've forgotten to do...and of course, remembering that once the baby comes, those things can still get done.

I'm normally a pretty neat and tidy person, but sometimes I think this gets a little ridiculous. After all, when I went into labor with my first-born, I wouldn't let us leave for the hospital until we had made the bed.

And my sweet hubby obliged me.

(And then made fun of me for the past 9 years about it.)

Sunday, November 21, 2010

The Eternal Question....



(Which is really only a good question for vegetarians or people who like dairy meals, I suppose.)

Which is your preference? Post coming soon declaring my position....

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Whose Life Am I Leading?

Where can I get the cute sweater that Hermione is wearing?
Yesterday, we went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I thought it was wonderful. I love that they did not try to cram the whole book into one movie, which allowed the freedom to be more true to more of the book than previous movies. My favorite part was how they retold the story of the Three Brothers and the Deathly Hallows. Overall, I was pleased and impressed ...and I can't wait to see it again in a double feature with Part 2!

And then late this afternoon, we went to see Megamind. (Loved it, by the way.)

Now, never mind that both of these movies are technically children's films (although Harry Potter is rated PG-13 and is not a children's movie by any means), whose life am I leading?

I went to two movies in two days.

You're jealous, aren't you?

Friday, November 19, 2010

Thursday, November 18, 2010

December Dilemma

Yael: Why don't we celebrate Christmas? Everyone else gets to go to Santa's house.

Sam: Because we're Jewish, not Christian!

Okay, I must admit to being totally shocked by this conversation. Let's remember that the children involved are ages THREE and FIVE (newly minted five, by the way), they frankly don't know a lot of non-Jews in their lives, and I can't remember ever even saying the word "Santa"...ever?

Okay, so why the "dilemma"?

I didn't want to say - we don't need Christmas, we have Chanukah! Truthfully, I don't really think that way.

This, to me, is the big dilemma of the season. I'm not interested in offering my kids an "alternative" to Christmas. I'm just interested in living my ordinary Jewish life. It doesn't mean that I'm not acknowledging the "season" that never seems to quiet down...it's impossible to ignore. But I've never felt a need to start making comparisons or justifications...

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

8 Days - Aliyah and Chanukah


 As you may know, my brother made aliyah in August of 2009, with Nefesh b'Nefesh. So they definitely hold a special place in my heart for what they helped him to do. (In case you're wondering, he's doing great and still in the army.)

Here's their entry into the Chanukah YouTube video fun, a trek throughout Israel celebrating each night (well, it's daytime but it's a music video, not really known for their realism) of Chanukah in a different part of the country. Cute, catchy, and entertaining. My favorite part is when he "unearths" a sufganiya, brushes it off with an archaeological tool, and then takes a big bite. Ew! But funny nevertheless.



What's your favorite Chanukah video?

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Thanksgiving Rituals

This is mostly re-posted from last year, but it's worth having as the holiday of Thanksgiving approaches. (EDITED TO REMOVE THE BAD LINKS!)

It's hard to believe that the holiday of Thanksgiving is nearly upon us.

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful American holiday. It's simple - say thank you for the blessings in life and share a meal with those you love.

But often, the meal takes over, stress of family and needing a "picture perfect" celebration cause a little fraying at the edges. Creating an atmosphere of gratitude can be tricky when you're just trying to keep your 3-year-old from pulling the tablecloth off the table, don't you think?

I have created 3 different Thanksgiving services, based loosely on the idea of the Passover seder. After all, one good holiday centered around the table deserves another, doesn't it?

Feel free to read all three and pick and choose from within them! Your family might be somewhere between the longer edition and the quick version.

The first, a Thanksgiving Seder, is the longest of the three - suitable for strong attention spans.

Thanksgiving Seder 

The second, a Thanksgiving Seder for Families with Young Children, is a quick version, meant to be fun and light for the preschool and elementary school set.

Thanksgiving Seder for Families with Small Children 

And finally, an ecumenical version. What do I mean by that? It talks about God but it's not particularistic, i.e. not really very Jewish. (I know that some of you loyal readers aren't Jewish or share your table with people of many faiths and still might enjoy this concept!)

Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service for Families 

All three include ideas for usage and suggestions for incorporating your own cultural and ethnic heritage. I hope you like it and I hope you let me know if you use it.

May your celebration be full and enriching!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 15, 2010

OMGhowdidigettobethemomofaNINEyearold?

From this....

...to this
in the absolute blink of an eye.

Wasn't it just yesterday that I was made into a mom?
Wasn't it just yesterday that he was spitting up and learning to nurse?
Wasn't it just yesterday that he was taking his first steps?
Wasn't it just yesterday that he spoke his first sentences?
Wasn't it just yesterday that he learned to read?
Wasn't it just yesterday that he told his first joke?

And now....he's a big grown up 9-year-old.
He can read in THREE languages, shares conversation with adults and kids alike, sleeps away at summer camp, loves movies and video games but can't stay away from books, runs rather than walks, wants to be treated like a "big kid" but still loves to wrestle with his little brother and snuggle with his little sister. When I told him that we were going to have another baby, he was excited and cheered. (Oh, and he wanted "feetie" pajamas for his birthday.)

Wow, 9 years.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Birthday Planning...

My almost 9-year-old (it's coming up....I can't believe he's almost 9) decided that he wanted an Ipod Touch.

To me, this seemed a little bit of an extravagance. After all, he has access to almost every video game system available (my husband, bless his heart, loves them). So what did he need with a fancy ipod?

But I didn't say no. I told him to go ahead and save his own money.

And he did. He started saving, and the money slowly added up.

Then, it came time to plan his birthday party...and he couldn't decide what he wanted. We gave him many choices, all fun and interesting ideas. But nothing seemed to thrill him.

Then I had a brilliant idea. I offered a trade - I could make him a birthday party, the kind that we always make, or I could give him $100. I did not try to sway him either way - in fact, I wasn't totally sure what I thought about the idea.

And after some deliberation, he chose the money over the party. And he's even closer to his goal.

I think I got off easy.

What do you think?
Thanks to my dad for the picture.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

5 Seconds?

Do you hear your phone ring (or buzz) and immediately respond? Can you leave it alone for a few minutes, or are you compelled to answer/respond to each text message instantly?

Modern Uberdox has this to say in his post "5 Second Rule":
Recently I've expanded this rule to my cell phone.  When I get a text I make myself wait at least five seconds before even reaching for my phone because I want to remember that I'm in charge, not my phone. 

I think a lot about this idea. Do I control my technology or does it control me? There is power in choosing when and how to respond to each text or email, even each phone call. There are some calls that I answer immediately. But others? I consider what I'm doing and make a conscious choice. Having a cell phone keeps me in constant contact if I want it. But I can choose to put the phone aside and choose control.

This is aside from the idea of Shabbat - this is making a choice on a regular, daily basis.

How do you handle your texts and phone calls? Who is in charge - you or your phone?
Can you wait 5 seconds?


Thanks to the Rebbetzin's Husband for this week's Haveil Havalim (and the link to the post that inspired this one!)

Friday, November 12, 2010

It's that Time of Year...Chanukah Countdown!

I know, I know...it's only November 12th.
But it's the 5th of Kislev, so there are only 20 days left until Chanukah!

So here are some Chanukah links and projects to get you started:

Dreidel Factory from Matzo Ball Soup - simple and awesome

From King Arthur Flour
Check out this cupcake menorah - I think we're going to have to try this one this year!
Here are the 27 craziest menorahs ever!

Need a good Chanukah playlist?

Here's one of my favorites:



What are you planning for Chanukah this year?