Thinking Outside The Box

Or really the crib as the case maybe. When we found out we were expecting again, it was quite the shock and we had no idea where we would put anything baby related, let alone another body! However, this is Israel and people are used to small spaces and lots and lots of kids! So we were not alone in the conundrum and there were many ideas suggested, but they didn't seem quite right for us. Fortunately babies take 9 months give or take to arrive so I had a lot of time to ignore the situation. Puking takes a lot of work too!  When the day arrived to bring our newest princess home, we still had no bed!

The final solution, a kidney shaped laundry basket. This basket was the first one we bought when moved to Israel, it has been a toy basket, a laundry basket and a holder of miscellaneous items, the final item being its final occupation before being a crib. The laundry basket is the perfect crib and I wish I had thought of it sooner! It fits on the bed, which means getting up with her is easy, however, she has her own bed so when I am really not up to sharing space with a tiny being that manages to take over every last available inch of space, she is still next to me. When she was first born we carried the basket out front so she could be with us when she was awake, and it fit on the couch, the floor and the table. Now we move her bouncy seat around. To make her basket comfy we put a pillow on the bottom then layered it with blankets. Most babies hate cribs because it is too open a space and unlike being inside mommy. With the basket, she has that close feeling so there was never a transition issue. We put a pillow on the bottom and then a blanket around the edges, close enough to be comfortable, but not so close as to be dangerous.

In Finland they use a card board box decorated up, it's a brilliant idea and it looks great, but I was afraid the kids would be jealous.... for us the laundry basket is brilliant and it reminds me how little a little body really needs to be happy!

New Beginnings

A friend of mine pointed out that I seem to pick up this blog around Rosh Hashana, or the beginning of the new year on the Jewish Calendar. I suppose she is right, it would seem that way. Except for last year where I didn't blog at all and haven't for the past year. I think it is because the new year means a fresh start and new hope, plain and simple. Everyone needs a marker as encouragement to start living the life they want and away of putting the past behind them. Whether it is a birthday, a specific age, the new year or even a specific month, we all need a way to put the past where it belongs and begin on goals for the coming year and even further out. So here is my new start and what will hopefully be the beginning of new tales about how we adjust to life at 40.

As I said, this is a blog of new beginnings so instead of updating I am moving on. I don't officially turn 40 for a few more weeks, but now is close enough.

On July 30 we welcomed our 4th child into the home. For the first time I had a hospital birth and it is with mixed feelings, that I had the experience, but it was my choice. Since I promised not to back track I will spare the details and say that like all things there were pros and cons to being in the hospital, but I am  happy to say she would have been fine being born at home too.

Prior to this our family consisted of two boys and one girl, our oldest is currently 9 and 3 quarters and our twins are nearly 7 and a half. It was quite a shock to discover I was pregnant last November as we had figured our baby days were over. There was no, "will we or won't we," and I was quite content with our little brood. However, the rest of family was not so content, so the fact that I became unexpectedly pregnant was cause for celebration here. Our latest princess is now 6 weeks old and doing beautifully despite being born somewhere between 35 and 37 weeks old.

School is off to a bang and all the children are now attending the local school here in Shilo. We had such a good experience with it last year that we are sticking with it again. S is in 5th grade now and continues to be in a small class with the same teachers from last year! Yipee! Y is in 2nd grade and is doing fine. M after an extra year in kindergarten is in grade 1 and doing absolutely wonderful. The teachers and staff that make up the school system here are truly dedicated individuals and doing a fine job.  I do miss homeschooling but this is a pretty good alternative which I hope will leave me with some time to accomplish my own goals.

One of the things about turning 40 is that it is with clarity I remember my parents turning 40 and it is yet another wake up call to remind me that if I don't get moving I will never get where I want to be. For the record my parents are quite happy and successful and I hope to be where they are some day.  These past nine years in Israel have been about establishment, learning the culture, and basically surviving while figuring it all out.  Now that we have a basic level of accomplishment with those goals, we look are looking toward the future to start achieving new goals.

D has his goals in mind and we are taking steps to get those going including beginning exams into a new line of training. With me it is a little bit trickier and I think it is time to dig deep and see just what lies ahead for me. From what I have observed and learned in the past year, when we do what's truly right for us, doors open up and with some serious perseverance goals becomes reality. I believe in this with absolute certainty as I have watched it over and over. When I set out to homeschool the boys it was an amazing experience and I was able to work pretty close to full time, home school the boys including outside activities, keep the house down to a dull roar and have my own life. Now for the past year I have been floundering and pregnant so it is time to dig down and discover what is next on the road of life.

Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova

Howdy Ho Friends and Neighbors!

Well somehow time has managed to escape me again and I have been lax in my blog.  To those of you who do on this on a regular basis, my hats off to you!  I suppose it has to do with the fact that I now write for a living and can't seem to keep up with my own.  As usual I am already out of time, so I am going to a real fast drive by of the past few months before I am off again!  But first a tribute to all he women who have made a difference in my life!

First my mom, she has accepted the fact that we have moved to Timbuktu for better or worse!  Mom sends Starbucks coffee so we are not lonely for the "old country" as well as a variety of other treats.  She finds books for the kids so they can do great things for school, she calls, e-mails and works on a 10 hour time difference. She has made friends with the lovely people at the local post office due to the amount of things she sends and I am sure she keeps their office open single handedly.  I have essentially involved my mom in my wild journeys from home child birth to moving to Israel, to home schooling my kids as well as a lot of moves and odd life choices in between.  But some how through it all, my mom still calls every week, gives sympathy when I am having a horrid week, sends me coffee, and visits every year. So for that, I have to say, "MOM, You are amazing!

I also have to say thanks to my Mother-In-Law! Everyone should be so lucky and I know not everyone is!  My MIL is as supportive as my own mom and just as to "check up on me."  I am probably one of the few people who loves talking to my MIL on the phone and I will chat with her on-line and sometimes I talk to her more than my husband!

I would also love to say thanks to my Aunt E, who has let me visit more than once, let us invade her home every summer for a week or two, has made the time to get to know all our friends, keep up with our kids, visit, writes and still sends articles that let me know she is thinking of me!

Finally to all of my surrogate Aunties such as Auntie M and Auntie G, to my friends parents who act as grandparents to my kids, since theirs live on another continent, to the women who have lifted me up, held my hand, supported and encouraged me.  Some are like aunts, some are my friends, some are like extra moms, when my mom and MIL are taking a rare day off!  These women are all amazing moms, friends and confidants and if it were not for them where would I be?  So thanks a million ladies for all the love, laughter and support!

Now for the whirl wind update of the J5.

Since February we have celebrated, Purim, Pesach and Lag B'Omer!  We have had a visit from Grammy and Grandpa J and had an early birthday celebration for Grandpa and twins.  Grammy and Grandpa were here for Purim and a great time was had by all!

In home school we have participated in school activities as a group and spent a lot of time getting to know the other home school family here in Beitar. The boys are coming along and though the school year is technically winding down, I think I am going to try and keep up studies during the summer. Since some days we don't get to the formal education side of school I figure we can keep up our slow even pace even after "school is out." M seems to be keeping up the boys as well and her ability to pick things up quickly always surprises me.  In all likelihood she will be joining our ranks.

As for the grown ups, we are plugging along and work is going fine. I have picked up more work from other sources, but the trick is trying to find balance to get all things done.  With the potential for a possible move soon, this will be even more tricky. But I will update if that actually happens.  Another item on this same list of wait and see is the possibility of a visit to America next winter.   Will also keep you posted there.

To the 3 people who read this, Happy Mother's Day! Hope you enjoy it!

Love,
The Executive Director of The J 5.

Life In The Fast Lane, Slow Lane Or Something....

Life here has been a series of ups and downs. From home schooling challenges, and doctors appts.to work and lots of company. Not necessarily in any order. In home school we make progress, we digress, we take a break and then we start fresh. But over all I would say the kids are doing well. We don't always stick the books but they can read, write and and do math. Well at least when the are so inclined.... A while back I had parent teacher conferences for M, apparently she is absorbing home school too because they were surprised at how far ahead she is in some things. They were really surprised when I told them how well she does math. I am also told she is 5 going on 15 since we have had major wardrobe discussions in the morning. Last month it rained almost every single day and it is a challenge to get dressed and organized for a kid who isn't used to that. Last winter we went 9 months with NO rain. But Thank G-d because at least we are getting the rain we need. All the kids prefer math to reading to writing, they are NOT my kids! But all have decent grasp on reading too.

In my world, when I am not home schooling I am trying to keep up with work. I love both projects that I work on and work with great people. I am happy to say that the artist I have been working with has her site up and if you go to www.ellenmillerbraun.com you can check it out.

D has started physical therapy on his back and we are most excited. We are seeing lots of improvement and things are looking up.

In other news, we are looking forward to a return trip from Grammy and Grandpa J and we are gearing up for Purim and Pesach. Soon the twins will be 6 and that is just beyond amazing! We are also looking to move after nearly 4 years in Beitar. We will see how that goes......

I am sure there was more to add, but it will have to wait.

All the best,
The J 5

Are we in Oregon?..........

Nope. But according to Israel National News after this latest storm front is finished we will have had the longest straight run of rain since 1994. Do you know how many days that is? 8! Yep, 8 as in EIGHT days of rain straight here is enough to tie or produce a record. Here is the link for the full scoop. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/149915#.Tsjs8D0k6so Good thing we are all stocked up on supplies. By that of course, I mean Starbucks Coffee, popcorn and movies. Food we can manage, it's not a snow storm. But when it rains, these 3 things are the essentials in my book! My sister might disagree on the coffee part, but I know I could get her to agree to hot chocolate from Starbucks! It seemed like when winter rolled around in our house, if we weren't off relieving my mom of parental duties by going skiing with our dad, our house could be found stocked with board games, instant hot chocolate and popcorn. So when it rains, that's what I get out at home here too! Our favorite game standard has been Candy Land, Y and M love the dream of really eating all that candy! However, I am rather pleased and excited to see that my kids are taking an interest in Scrabble. Of course basically this means fishing the tiles out of the box to see what we can spell, but Yeah! It's a start. I think we might have to wait just a bit longer to actually be able to keep score. It may not be Oregon, it's at least 25 degrees warmer here! But it's nice to have a little part of it here with us for a few days.

Hope everyone else is warm and dry too!

The case of the missing marmot

I love many things in this world, but there are 3 things that I look forward to at the end of the week. 1) On Friday morning I know that when I turn off the alarm I don't have to reset it for the next day, 2) I will have another episode the The Big Bang Theory to watch and 3) Saturday is sleep in day! This week did not quite go according to plan however. I did get two of three but Sat. was not a sleep in day. At 5:50 am Y was waking my up because his stuffed marmot, which is about 3 inches tall was missing. Marmot was a gift to Y from me a few years back came with a sister Pink Bunny Foo and a brother Husky, whom belong of course to his brother and sister. Marmot is specifically a Boy, although he has a skirt (must be kilt) and matching scarf. Marmot also has the ability to get lost in some usual such as roller blades, shoes and pockets. One day I may write stories about Marmots adventures of getting lost in our house. But back to our story. Now honestly, some days I can handle an early wake up call on Shabbat, this was not one of them. I had stayed up late reading thanks to my mom sending me the latest Steve Berry book and I had zonked out on the couch, with the light on of course, making for a not so solid sleep and some weird dreams. So here it was crack of dawn and Y is out of bed and asking me where marmot is. did I put him in bed with Y and some other related questions. To which I gave some partially coherent answers and tried to look around the couch. After an hour of searching on Y's part and some mild attempts on my part to pretend to look around while really trying to go back to sleep, Marmot was found in Y's bed after all hiding in the blankets. I did manage to back to bed, but 2 days later, sleep is still elusive. Thank G-d for Starbucks Instants!

Shavua Tov!

We're Home Schooling Now!

Although we are still waiting on our official ishur (permission form) to home school, I feel like we have officially become home schoolers on our own. Y is almost done with his K math book and S is coming along too. It makes sense though, 2nd grade math is a bit harder to digest then, connect the dot, color the carrot and 5+9. So all in all S is doing well. With Grammy and Grandpa here we got some great new resources, like a laminated map of the world (ours was looking pretty well used) and some math charts and a big clock to learn to tell time. Yeah! Plus we had more one on one time this way.

But beyond "book" accomplishments we have made strides in general. 2 weeks ago my kids received violins and a guitar from friends of ours whose kids had out grown them. Did you know that there are kid sized versions of these instruments? I didn't. On top of this, the oldest has offered to come out once a month and work with the kids on lessons. They have had one already. I know traditionally lessons are once a week, but as long as the kids follow the books and practice in between we should be good. Plus we have another friend that also plays and I may talk her into coming out the other week so we get lessons every other week. Grandpa played the guitar with the kids and we now have great recordings of the kids singing with the Grands. Really awesome!

And our other big accomplishment was our first home school field trip today! We went to the Israel National Museum with approx. 40 other kids and their parental unit. Mostly moms, but a couple of dads too! This activity I found out is mostly for the Israeli or Hebrew speaking crowd. But everyone spoke some English and the people were lovely. The kids were split into two groups and S was off and on his own. He loved it! I stayed with Y and though he missed his brother, did fine. Afterward each boy did an art project and did lovely work. I could go on about the day, but it would probably get boring and be disjointed because I would have to include a full report of what we saw and so on. So I will just give the highlights. What I noticed while we were there is that, in Y's age group the girls were way more socially ahead of the boys. Even though I would say ALL the kids knew each other and most had been there before, it took a while for any of the boys to speak up and then it was still more girls. Which tells me that Yosef, while shy is not so far off of his peers. I am sure that when we go in January (the next time they do this) he will be more open. S, my social butterfly was playing and talking with other boys by the days end and I am sure that he will have friends the next time we do something with the group. It was also great to observe the parents and how interactive they are with their kids. They sat on the floor with them during different stops we made at the exhibits, they let them do their own thing, but without letting them misbehave. The kids showed interest and were intelligent and thoughtful. I enjoyed watching how the parents interacted with their kids and how friendly they were. We were clearly the only "charedi" family there, but no one seemed worried or offended. The opposite of what you might find in other neighborhoods. Thinking about it later, what I finally realized is that, this is a group of parents that love being parents. They WANT to interact and teach their children things. It is not a chore, they aren't just doing this to get through winter or spring vacation or as a rare outing. These are parents who want to be there with kids who want to be there. Is there anything more beautiful? As trivial as it sounds I also loved that there was NO junk food! It was all sandwiches, veggies, fruit and so on. No one needed to bribe their kids with cookies or other junk to be quiet or behave. It was awesome!

But the other thing I realized is that I LOVE home schooling the kids. Yesterday we were out too. We had to go to the Misrad Chinuk for our interview to determine whether we qualify for home schooling or not. I will not get into it now. It is too late at night, but afterwards we rode the train, met up with GL and saw some neat things while running errands in Jerusalem. What I have realized in the last two days even more than I already have is that I LOVE being the one to teach my kids and explore with them. I love that we can go to Jerusalem to run errands and read about buildings from 1890 and the court yard has an ancient olive press and water wells. That I can walk with the kids and find someone cutting doors for a closet and they have learned something new. Walking to the museum we walked passed The Kennesset (our government buildings) and through a park where I pointed out edible plants. I am really hoping to include M next year, though the decision will be her's to make. In January we will for sure include her in the museum field trip. The only reason we didn't this time is that she already missed some school with the Grands. Good thing she went to school today too as tomorrow she gets to be Shabbos Eema, (Sabbath Mommy) so she gets to bring the treats to school.

Speaking of which, anyone who knows anything about Israel knows you don't go to the store on Thurs. or Fri. unless it is a dire emergency as it is total mayhem. Unfortunately, 3/4 of the country goes to the store at this time, which is why it is mayhem! Well we got home today just about the time M did. She beat us by about 5 minutes tops. Clever me, I went to the store right away before it got crowded so I could shop without a big crowd, I took M and it worked. We didn't need much but it was heavy so I had the boys come and we all carried our stuff home. Yeah! Just as soon as I sat down and started work M comes to me, Eema, I have a petach (a note from the teacher) I'm Shabbos Eema. Oh Joy! Back to the store! My question of course was why didn't you say anything at the store? Her answer, because I just gave you the petach. GREAT! In the end I went back out around 5:30pish and I was able to get through the express with no problems. But oh such a kid thing! I know my sister did it to my mom once and she went out at night in her jeans and jammies to get cupcakes or something. All she had was the money in her pocket when she got pulled over for a headlight out. Fortunately the cop had kids ad a sense of humor and didn't make a big deal out of the no headlight, license, etc and she was able to go to the store and come home. Good thing WE live next door to our store!

But going back to my original statement. I feel like we are really home schooling! Every day is a learning experience and I feel like we have reached another plateau. Ask me how I feel next week when we are back at traditional math and I may not feel so cheery! But for now, we are all happy. And as for M, we do work with her. She likes to do math and spelling. They loved picking a letter and listing everything that starts with that letter. They had some good ones too! We also did some great spelling with Paul Newman ABC cookies. I want to get out our Scrabble game over shabbat and see what they can spell with more tiles that they can't eat! M will also be getting violin and guitar lessons as well.

As usual I have said probably too much and more to say, but this is all for now. For your sake and mine!

Have a good weekend and GO DUCKS! (Because it is that time of year again!) Eema needs a new BCS ornament. Mine broke right off the shoot this year!

In the J5 News Today....Company!

Mostly right now we lots of company visiting! Today Grammy and Grandpa arrived and it was even better because we totally surprised the kids! Grammy and Grandpa were supposed to arrive a few weeks ago right after the holidays on the 23rd, however, due to circumstances beyond their control they got stuck half way here and had to go home. The one challenge to flying space available. It was very disappointing and there was a lot of crying involved. So 2 days ago we got a call asking if they could try again, everything looked real good and B"H! Here they are. We opted not to say anything to the kids lest something go wrong again, so when they pulled up to the house today there was a lot of shrieking from S. We could hear him 4 flights up! The kids had gone out to play and the twins had come up already, but S was still there. Well it didn't take much to catch the ears of the other two as we could hear S all the way up the stairs, "Grammy and Grandpa are here!" It was a lot of fun, but unfortunately no pics! Rats!

We also have friends here from Portland. Hurray! B&G are here for a family wedding which we will also be attending. They were here for 1/2 a day on Sunday and a good time was had by all! We made stir fry and had a great dinner! We also got the kids to the park to burn off some extra energy!

Due to all the excitement home school has been a little slow this week, but tomorrow we will get back on track with extra hands to help out some! We also got some pretty neat math tools for school including Scooby Doo math books! I have a feeling math will look pretty cool tomorrow! Next Wed. we have our appointment with the Ministry of Education in Jerusalem so we are very excited and looking forward to that so we get our Ishur (official approval to home school) and move on with things in that end! In other home school news, KERITH!!!! Thanks for getting in touch! I hope to hear more from you! GL said she would put me in touch with you, so I hope that is OK! Can't wait to hear about your adventures in home schooling.

As it is 11:00pm here I think I will be calling it a day. Lots done, but again, so much left to do..but tomorrow is another day and I will have help to get it all done!

All the best,

Love,
The busy mommy of TheJ5!

Another Day Gone!

Today was another busy day. Part of our school day was spent making sure our house was in order as we had our meeting the Misrad Chinuk (Ministry of Education) from Jerusalem today. The head inspector came out to meet with us and was here for about an hour and 15 min. It was a great meeting and we really enjoyed meeting with him. The boys and I had met with him at the beginning of the school year briefly so I had a sense of what he was like, but we were really happy with the meeting today. We got a lot of really useful information and I think we have found a great source of support for this endeavor. Hurray! Because our learning was a bit disjointed today we did not accomplish as much as I would have liked, but we did get somethings done and that is what counts. I have to remember that compared to things here, the kids in some ways are quite ahead of their counterparts.

In my own work, I accomplished a lot, though my feelings about the kids school day are reflected in my opinion of my own day. I wish I would have gotten more done. I don't always seem to be able to write fast enough to make the time I spend working equitable to my pay rate and it is frustrating. But I have decided that I am putting my all into it for the next month and at the end of the month I can re-evaluate where I am standing in terms of other work opportunities. As my mom pointed out, and I already know, I need this to work, because I don't have a lot of other choices at this point. But I believe that G-d will help me I just have to be patient and do my end of the work. So I am. I did not get to my book today, but tomorrow is another day at since it is midnight here, it will have to wait until then.

With D working on his own projects I am sure that something will come to us soon. Tomorrow D will be heading out to "play." Our friends from PDX are here for a wedding, which we will also be attending. UB is also a big bike rider so the boys are off to play tomorrow. Hurray! D needs a good friend to go out with. It will do him good to have a change of scenery and do something he loves with a good friend.

Speaking of weddings........ so in Israel, wedding attire is as formal or casual as you want. Since the groom is a very good friend of ours I have opted for seriously formal. The reasoning is that we may be in pics and I know what the family attire will resemble. So rather than having to spend $$$ I don't have on a new outfit, my mom sent me my dress from my sister's wedding. It was a bridesmaid dress, but when we bought them (I and the other bridesmaid actually talked my sister into them) she was worried that we wouldn't be able to wear them again, we assured her it was worth the sacrifice, they are great dresses, and we would be able to wear them again. So unless I change my mind, I will be wearing my fabulous dress again in just a few weeks! The best part of course is that the dress is 11 years old and since then I have had 3 kids and the dress still fits fantastic! Do I rock or what?! I tried it on and the kids were in shock and awe that eema could look so great, but M was a bit disappointed that it wasn't pink (it is dark navy blue) and she was sure it would be. But once I got it on she seemed OK with it! Oh my little princess!

Actually speaking of our resident princess, we are going to have to keep an eye on her. At the mall where the post office is there is a new jewelry kiosk. Today she was checking out the rings with some serious intent and it took some convincing to get her walk away. When we gave our littler girl her name we new it meant queen, but we had no idea what a little queen she would be! She is going to grow up being quite the little diva if we are not careful! She loves jewelery!

That is it for us here in beautiful Israel. Hope you all have a blessed and fulfilling day!

A Little Better Today

Today went a bit better. Y did great in school and had his first spelling test. 3 words and he got them all right! S did not do so well. I am looking at it as win some, lose some. He does ask questions about some topics like Torah, and I know he wants to learn, but the motivation is not always there. I had the meeting with M's teachers today and it lasted nearly an hour. She is doing fine and does great in class. She has a very special connection with 2 other girls in the class and the are inseparable. It is good to hear. They want us to make a video of her at home so they can see the difference between what she is like at home and at school. It is quite different. At school she is quiet and whispers, but once she gets home she is very loud and outgoing. This will help her teachers see what her true personality is so they can strike a balance in encouraging her to talk more. Right now she whispers, but then that is coming a long way for her.

Tomorrow we have our visit with the Ministry of Education from Jerusalem and the "Ispector" that is his title, but I think that it translates funny to English. Anyway, he is a very nice person, we have met with him once already and he will see our house, meet with the boys and be here about a half hour. About 11:00am, so this is good. We tend to move a bit slow in the morning so we should be in full swing then and the house will still be organized or we will have time tidy up before he does get here! This also gives me a chance to ask some questions about how to deal with the situation here, since we have our 2nd meeting with the Ministry of Education here on Thursday.

As for me, well, I am trying to get myself together. I keep forgetting or losing everything! Yesterday I thought I lost my wallet from my jacket pocket, it turns out I never took it out of the house.... I forget to take laundry out or take pills. I feel like I am going crazy! I have so much I would like to accomplish each day and I feel like I am only succeeding at about 1/2. But now that the holidays are over, school is in and we have hopefully fewer distractions I am back at it. My big goals are to balance out my work more and get more hours, continue working on my book, and get the kids out to their friends more often. I also have to deal with some Ntl. Health insurance issues by the end of this month, so time is ticking there too! I also want to get the kids more involved with chores. S has learned how to cook spaghetti and eggs now. So more progress and a part of our un-schooling portion of home education. I don't feel like I am not organized, I really feel I am, but the kids tend to start late with school and run over. I think it is a matter of getting them back to starting on time and sticking within a time frame for subjects. I also need to go back to lists so I can check things off and so I know what I can do while standing in line at the grocery or riding the bus. In other words, writing while standing in line at the store is a good thing, writing on the bus is bad, I get really motion sick. (I blame it on kids and age! I used to be invincible at that stuff!). But calling on the cell phone in a 2 hour line is not good, it racks up minutes and you can't hear. But calling people on the bus is good, it is an automatic time limiter and I can hear, usually. So little things like that. We also go out to the park almost every day with our neighbors which is great, but I need set time boundaries, except I can't help it because it is great for the kids and I love talking SG. We have a great time together. So all of this is causing me stress which I am also learning how to handle it all.

In frivolity I am anxiously awaiting January 27th as that is opening of the movie One For The Money based on the book by Janet Evanovich. I love the series, and although I have been worried about the movie, now that I have seen the trailer, I am getting excited. I have even secured a girls night out for the event! I just hope that it opens here in Israel on Jan. 27th as well. In the meantime I am also awaiting book 18 from the same series. As I always say, I know these books are not rocket science, but I love them. I deal with enough brain cracking in real life. This is my happy land and ranks right up there with The Big Bang Theory. Possible the best sitcom ever! If I want intellect I only have to turn on the news or spend a couple of hours teaching my kids and looking up solar systems, the animal of the month, or something else I never really thought about how to explain to a 5 and nearly 8 year old.

Because it is 11:17pm I have nothing intelligent to say, I could talk about my trip to the store with D, but I will spare you. It is a big thing for us as D never comes with me, but considering the fact that I bought box cereal and two bags of snacks because they were "on sale", maybe it is better he doesn't come with me. I guess all in all that brings the world up to date on the non-eventful life of the J5. Hope you all had a great day too!

Just One of Those Days

I started out with a blog entry yesterday, but it got eaten by cyber land so I am starting over which might be just as well. Today is one of those days where I am trying to get motivated and just not having any luck. This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have 2 boys to home school, major deadlines for two different projects and a phone call to make........What I really want to do is go back to bed, watch a movie and enjoy watching someone else's life for a while........ Since I can't do that I am taking it all out here on you unsuspecting people who happen to come across this blog.

So backing up, yep, you heard me right. I am home schooling the boys! I will not go into what spurred this, it would take to long and it isn't pretty, but suffice to say it was the only option I felt that was viable. The wonderful schools we had last year were not so wonderful by the end of year. M is merrily in the same school, with the same class and the same best friends. She is thrilled to get out of the house and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that almost everyone we know has boys....... she likes to get away from all the testosterone for a few hours a day. And really what girl could blame her?! We just hope she keeps that attitude until she gets married to a nice Jewish boy one day.... :) As for the boys, they like being home schooled and it was their choice. That is how great school was.... on some days I let them do home work in pajamas, but most days we expect them to get dressed. We have a variety of work books from various sources, do hands on science projects and we try to get out do things away from home too. We will be joining the home school group as well. I have seen a flourishing in some areas that we did not before and that is fantastic, other areas we would like to get a tutor in for some areas, like Hebrew, for obvious reasons. Like raising kids in general it is terrifying, rewarding, challenging, aggravating and stunning when their little lights come on and they get it! What has surprised me is the amount of support I get from people who think it is great! Except the Ministry of Education here in Beitar who is having a fit. They have all kinds of stereo typical reasons why this is a very bad idea and we have our second meeting with them this week. However, while we do have to have permission to home school, it comes from Jerusalem from the head Ministry and I have no doubt that we will get permission, at least I think, at least I am pretty sure and if I don't think about it too much I almost don't have panic attacks on it. I have a really good friend who home schooled all her kids and she is my grounding force and has assured me I am fine. Let's hope so. We have the second meeting for that on Wed. here. One of the big things will be getting organized enough to get the kids out and about so they are socialized with kids their own age still.

As I said, M is doing great, I suspect she really needs more stimulation educationally, and I want to do that at home, but she seems to teach herself when she is in the mood, so I have to be content with that until I can get a real schedule for her setup between other deadlines. The good thing about having her in school is that I can see what Y should know and it makes me realize that he is way ahead of that in some areas. But then M is way ahead of her class in some areas too. All the kids are learning to read English, S is coming along in the Hebrew and Y has some Hebrew too which I need to encourage with him more. M has a sense of Hebrew but they have not been focusing on that in her class, but they will this year.

As for me I seem to wear a lot of hats these days, writer, head of household, cleaning lady, bureaucracy manager, therapist to friends, mommy, teacher and so on. It is rewarding but challenging and doesn't always leave so much time for me. I keep telling people I want to get paid to do what I am doing which is running herd on 4 people, but no one seems to be able to sponsor that, so I am in the process of trying to create something that works with me. I love to write, but I think I need something that will let me use my creative outlet more, because I can't seem to create enough hours at my main job due to lack of time and creativity. I love the job, but writing about hardware is getting to be challenging. I am hoping that working with E promoting her art work will really take off and pay off, but in the meantime, how to pay the bills...... the question that is on everyone's mind. Too bad know one will hire me for my vast knowledge on dinosaurs (OK it is not that vast, but the kids are teaching me) or maybe my extensive knowledge on penguins. OK again not really that much, but it is our new favorite animal and my kids love the movie March of the Penguins. It was an Imax release that came out a few years ago and is narrated by Morgan Freeman, who I love. My kids now know the difference between PBS, National Geographic and BBC, because these are most of the movies we watch in our house. However, when it comes to Star Wars they get a little confused. Something they only know about from their cousins. S will be getting little Star Wars men for his b-day and we will see what comes of it.

D has his own projects going so maybe we will gain something there as well. I would elaborate, but I am not sure I could past the words electronic something, radio blah, blah and something about wires......... I am so knowledgeable about what he does.... In the meantime it gives him something fun to play with so yeah!


In wrap up, because I do need to educate my kids today, we are looking forward to a full and exciting month, including a wedding, friends from Oregon coming in for said wedding and a visit from my in-laws. They were supposed be here now, but unfortunately due to lack of seating on the plane they will be arriving later. Apparently the airlines have not adopted the Israeli bus system form of seating which is, when there are no seats left to sit in you simply sit on the floor. Too bad. We really miss them. But we will see them soon, G-d Willing!

Ok that is it from sunny Israel! Thank you G-d, I don't live on the East Coast! Hope all is well by you.

The Ever Delightful Continuation of The J Family Escpades

The honest truth is, The J family has not had that many escapades this summer. We had friends in from the U.S. who hunkered in mostly up north that we managed to see only ONCE! But it was a great time. I have been out to the Med. only once, grrrr........ and the kids have been not at all. If I don't get them out this month, they may never forgive me. Actually, now that the boys are officially on vacation we are planning to go out there for a couple of nights. However, we did manage an impromptu overnighter in Jerusalem last week and the kids were thrilled.

So the question is, "What have we been up to?" Bureaucracy and doctors! I mean really, what else would we do? Actually the truth is M had day camp this year with the other 8 girls in her class as part of her school program. It was great and she had a great time. But I am glad I can switch the alarm clock from 5:30AM to about 6:30AM or perhaps it is more like, I can hit the snooze for an hour. The kids have all had dentist appointments and S has had more than his share because his teeth are coming soft and unfortunately a lot of his adult teeth are coming in with cavities. Not good. We are now going to try and head that off at the pass by getting the rest of his teeth sealed as they come in and see if that helps. Y and M have both had cavities, but I hope they won't go into the adult teeth. We are trying to stay on top of brushing, but as most parents know, this can be a challenge. From bedtime running too late, to last minute over nighters, to kids trying to simply get out of it, brushing teeth is a zoo and not to mention the glorious mess! Who thought toothpaste could cover so much ground! In other medical news, we will be testing S for glasses this week, M had either an eye infection or allergies, we tried the antibiotics and gave up after a week. Her eyes are no longer red and that is what counts. Y had a rock thrown at his head, we are assuming this was an errant rock and not malicious but he had to have his forehead glued, (the modern day version of stitches) the day before class photos. Oh Joy! We also lost his dentist appointment because they did not want to give him gas with a fresh head wound. We will now be filling his cavities in September; and in the end it got infected. He is doing much better now, but it is going to leave quite the scar and it still looks pretty ugly........

I won't get into the bureaucracy of life here, but lets just say that switching bank branches from Ra'anana to the local branch in Jerusalem was not as easy as it was supposed to be and lets not talk about the wars we had with the phone company and another few things......

In the wide world of wildlife we had a bird build a nest on our window ledge and hatched 2 baby birds there. The kids have been loving watching the events unfold, however, while in Jerusalem overnight we lost one baby and the mama. We don't know what happen, but we still have one baby and we have been keeping a close eye on him to make sure he gets food and water. The kids now think we have a pet. They have been desperate for one for years. We are getting closer to getting something small like a hamster that is easy to care for. Yes, I know, they stink! I had many as a kid and a couple as an adult. They make great kid pets.

As far as life in general, I have become part of a group of women who have been working hard this summer to encourage and build self esteem in others. We discovered that many women seem to develop a great sense of guilt and inadequacy as they become wives and mothers. We want to change that and encourage people to see the good in themselves. It goes along with an entire mental makeover using positive energy. I have a friend who has been having quite a difficult year and she is now using a variety of things including positive imaging to help change the way she sees herself and those around her. It has been great watching her blossom and have her realize the good things about herself. She has had a lot of challenges in her life, including some pretty harsh things as a kid. I am happy to watch her come into her own. I like the concept of giving others hope and encouragement. So many people feel like they are in it alone. Nothing lifts someone up by giving them a smile or a compliment that is genuine and it helps boost the personal self esteem too so a win/win thing all around. It helps keep me grounded instead of throwing a pity party on the days that don't go so well, like when I am informed at just how lacking my Hebrew is....... :)

In the world of projects I am still writing about hardware, but I am also moving into the art world. I am in the process of promoting art for a wonderful woman who used to be our neighbor when we first moved to Israel. She does microcalligraphy, sells her work worldwide and it is amazing. I have a lovely print of Noah's Ark on my desk that actually belongs to my kids. Since hanging things up here is a nightmare without a drill it has made a home on my desk with a variety of other things.......... if you are looking for a gift or holiday greeting cards for the up and coming new year, you can check out her site at Nishmati.com (No I can't get it to link....) grrrr.......We are working on a new site, but this is it for now. I love working with her and her husband and it has been a great experience. I am also going to be helping a friend a get website up and running for her free lance business as a legal assistant and I may be helping another friend promote her recently released e-book on homeschooling. Lots of opportunity to write! Oh boy!

In guilty pleasures I read the latest Janet Evanovich book and yes, it is pure brain candy. Yep, the plot is predictable and no it doesn't require any intelligent thought. I LOVE it! I spend enough time wading through meetings, writing for business, translating Hebrew for all sorts of things and dealing with kids issues, doctors and so on. In other words, my brain gets plenty of workout. So I give it a break every now and again with authors like Janet Evanovich and Nora Roberts. Everyone has a weakness and this is mine. Well not including the Starbucks my mom sends and the American candy. Fortunately for my protein and blood sugar levels both are in limited supply.

That about covers it on this side of the globe. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying your summer!

Cheers from the J 5!

Better Organization Day 3

OK so yesterday I posted as day 3, guess with my new schedule I am getting ahead of myself. It has been re-posted as day 2. Today was Independence Day and Israel is 63 years old. In a little country like Israel with lots of opinions, this is a conflicting day. Obviously there are many Arabs who do not celebrate this day, I am not sure about those who follow the New Testament and attend church. I don't know anyone here who does that. But even amongst the Israeli Jews there is conflict. Sounds crazy? Not really. After WWII and the Jews started arriving there was a campaign of sorts to prevent the religious Jews from entering Israel or once they arrived to essentially make it impossible for them to remain religious. The goal to secularize everyone or at least bring them down to a reform level. This is really a very minor nutshell, it is much more complex than this, but I am summarizing. On the other hand, without the establishment of Israel there would not be an opportunity for Jews world wide to move here. Today we also benefit from the fact that we can move to Judea and Samaria (The West Bank) and we have control over the Western Wall and Hevron. Hevron is where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives are buried. It is also said that this is where Adam and Chava (Eve) are buried. It is really an amazing place. Even just architecturally. Suffice to say that about 3/4 of the Jewish population observes this day by participating in Israel's national sport, barbecuing, while about 1/4 carry on as normal. That would include my boys who go to private school. I really wanted to pull them out, but D's argument was that, school is in session and they will miss out if we are gone. So responsibility to education won and in away, learning about our past through Torah and the fact that our kids have the freedom to learn in Jewish schools in Israel is not a bad way to acknowledge our 63rd birthday either. M on the other hand is enrolled in public school and had the day off........

Which leads me into a re-cap of today's attempt to stay on track. I have to say looking back, I did pretty good. We got a late start because S did not have school bus due to the holiday. So I thought, yeah! Sleep in time! Yes, but it put us back more than we should have been... both boys got to school late. Not good. But on the other hand, I made good time in getting everyone dropped off and was home by 9:30am. M did OK entertaining herself once I got a few projects going. Fortunately we have stock piled arts and crafts supplies. Pens, crayons, water colors, we even have a chalk kit from crayola that lets us make our own chalk. It is the cat's meow for her! So I did manage to get some work in. I actually got a couple of hours in, so not bad. My goal per day is 3-4, so 2 is about half way there. For those of you who work full time, I know this sounds wimpy. I used to work those hours too. Working from home is a different deal and I not only have to juggle work responsibility but also home responsibility too and it is very distracting to try and do one and not the other. Anyhow, so for me not bad. I also managed to get caught up on almost ALL the laundry! Considering the back log we have had from the build up from Passover, multiple Shabbos guests, so I am always washing extra sheets, the lice ordeal and the washer being on fritz, not to mention life in general, we have been looking a little crazy in that department. However, we can now see our floor again and it is great! I also managed to get caught up on a good amount of dishes. Another area that tends to lag due to the fact that I AM the dishwasher. No fancy electric machine for us! And I got the kids to clean up their mess, and they were almost in bed on time and it is only 9:45p. plus I also got an article read for work. All in all, I am pretty pleased. Tomorrow may be a little crazy. I have to call the bank first thing in the AM and I need to run and get rolls for the kids since I forgot to get flour and the stores were closed today. But I am thinking positive that all will work out in the end!

Better Organization Day 2

Since I am off schedule and it is past my bedtime I am going to TRY and keep this short. But suffice to say, after what started out as a lost cause yesterday I managed to accomplish a few important things AND get a day off too! Yesterday afternoon I had to run into Jerusalem to get to our bank before Memorial Day and Independence Day began, because then banks would be closed or on short hours and I really needed to pick up our new checks. No, they don't mail them out here. What started out as a chore ended up being very fortuitous because I got to go to the Western Wall which I have not been to in maybe a couple of years, because every time we need to go into town it is a mad dash to get everything done! Anyhow, great weather and the underground tunnels were open! Hurray. Usually it is a guided tour and they are booked way in advance. However, they were open up to the synagogue for afternoon services and it was really inspiring. Plus there more archeology sites that have been started since I was there last and that is always fun too! To be there during the set up of Memorial Day was also really inspiring. Because to think that 43 years ago I would not have been able to go to the Western Wall is really sobering. In 1967 Jerusalem was reunited and once again we were allowed to go and pray at the wall. I actually have a lot more thoughts on that, but I will save it for tomorrow.

Anyway, after I got my dose of spirituality and moral pride I headed over to the mall like a good American! Couldn't be helped since I have really been wanting to go. It has the Gap! Plus Columbia and North Face. It was like a tractor beam pulling me in, how could I resist! It was great to window shop through there. Plus, NO KIDS! What a Mother's Day!

And not only did I manage to get our banking done, take care of another banking issue and hit the highlights of the city, I also managed to get a serious amount of exercise in because I walked every where instead of busing it; AND on the way home, I even got work done! I love having wi-fi on the go for my laptop. It so cool!

So all in all, not bad for what started out as not a good day!

Today was another productive day which included grocery shopping, taking Y to school, socializing with a friend, work, cleaning out the laundry room, and helping D fix the washer.... how many times can a laundry room flood in one day?! Which is why ours is now sparkling clean and the garbage is gone! I also spent quality time with the kids learning about beavers and watching a great show on whether or not Robin Hood could really have existed. It was put on by Discovery Channel and we watched the whole thing on You Tube. It was great! Gotta love the internet! While I did not get everything done on my list, I am feeling pretty accomplished all the same! May our coming weeks continue to be successful and I hope everyone else has a good week too!

So Much For Better Organization!

Recently I have been making an attempt to get my life more organized. Some who read this will just roll their eyes. There are times in my life that I have been organized, but this is not one of them. So in an effort to re-establish this as one my organized phases in life I set up a new schedule. It seemed really practical, the expectations not too high and very straight forward. I even went to bed pretty close to on time. And that was the end of that......

This morning on the other hand, the only kid who got up on time is the one who leaves the house last, of course. Y is our morning person and is always the first one up and the last to leave.....perfect. And even better, we take him. So no need to worry about him missing his school bus. The other two don't come even close to being morning people and getting them ready takes a lot of nudging, sometimes, hollering, sometimes bribery and every now and then they do it on their own. Not today. I managed to get S out the door with a minimal of hassle this morning. I only had to bribe him with a homemade chocolate chip cookie and he did pretty well. I balanced that out with a peanut butter sandwich. We could do worse in the morning. M on the other hand was lost to sleep and all my shaking, nudging, poking and so on was lost on her. Until Y woke her up 5 minutes before her bus was supposed to come! Joy! At that late time I would have been happy to let her sleep and get on with my day and let her entertain herself for the day. I suspicion she has been either bothered by allergies or fighting something. Nope instead at 7:30am she gets out of bed. Great. Unfortunately the bathtub water from the boys has gone cold and we can't just drain it like normal people. We have to let it drain slowly or it backs up. Another 15-20 minutes down the drain. I guess pun intended. Then I have to make sure I get all the snarls out of her hair make sure I get all the shampoo in because her brother put dirt in her hair the day before. Plus I want to make sure we get the tea tree oil nice rubbed in to keep the lice out! Then we have to do breakfast and drag feet and so on. She was only about 2 hours late to school. No problem right?! Then it is time to get the grown ups ready, get interrupted, do something else, get D back out the door, have him come back because he forgot something..........And here it is at 11:52 am and my day is gone! In an hour I have to go get Y and that will be it. I did not even make the grocery store today! The only thing I did manage was to vacuum my bedroom floor. Hurray!

Well maybe this afternoon I can manage to do a few things and start fresh tomorrow! Anything is possible right?!

We're Still From Oregon

Lately I have been feeling a little homesick. In the end of March it was looking like I was going to be heading for a week visit. A very last minute thing because of a family emergency, which Thank G-d was quickly resolved. Whew! It left me feeling a bit of longing for Starbucks, my family and the rain. Well OK maybe not the rain, lets be serious..... but at least the Oregon green. This week I have gotten several reminders that no matter how long we live here, we are still from Oregon. The first one was an on going e-mail, that goes around every year, "Jeff Foxworthy's "You know You Are From Oregon When........." OK so maybe he didn't write it, and maybe he has never been there, who knows! But I still laugh at it and I can still relate to it. Particularly the jokes about recycling, I was so relieved when the plastic bottle recycling bins went in here and when I finally figured out the bottle refund system. The truth is, we rarely have enough refundable items to get more than a dollar, but it goes towards a quart of milk or whatever and that is good enough for me. I hated just tossing these things in the garbage. It is not natural for an Oregonian to toss recyclables in the bin when we know there is a refund!

The next dose of Oregon came from re-installing the hard drive on one of the older computers in our house. We keep the discs in the freezer. Yes, the freezer, that way it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. However, my husband couldn't find them and when I went to look for them where were they? Behind the Starbucks Coffe in our freezer of course! Because we all know that Starbucks and Computers go hand in hand!

And finally, today I got a good old fashioned dose of Portland at a Bris Milah. A Bris Milah is the ritual circumcision of Jewish Baby Boys. Our friends from Portland were having such a ceremony today and so there were a whole crowd of Ex-Portlanders! Hurray! It was really nice to catch up with everyone and talk about things only other Oregonians can understand. We are all thinking about a Portland Reunion this summer. We will see!

You take the girl out of Oregon, but not Oregon out of the girl!

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

Where Does The Time Go?!!!!

It woulds seem that I am quite behind in my blog so there is no point in trying to catch up, but winter to spring seems to be quite busy for us and that explains the long lapse in writing. So in a nutshell...... the end of January we had my mom and Aunt E here for two and a half weeks which kept us all busy in a good way. We had a trip to Bloomfield Science Museum, the zoo and a girls trip down south to the Dead Sea and Masada and a day trip to Jerusalem. Not to mention day to day routine. I have to say all the trips were great, but the trip down south was fantastic as well as an adventure. First, we took the bus, which is not unusual for us, but in this case I did not know exactly where to get off, but the bus driver was a huge help and we managed to find our hotel with no problem. Plus you have to love Israel, the bus had Wi-Fi, how cool is that?! That night it rained, in fact it poured buckets... so much so that we had continued power outages and the restaurant actually used my flash light to make our salads! Hats off to my husband who insists I always be prepared! The next day we had great weather and headed to Masada, this was one of the last hold outs for the Jews before the Romans invaded and is an amazing site. I really loved this, I have been twice before, but this is the first time where I was not sick and pregnant! Plus the site is a work in progress and they have discovered more since I was there last, about 5 years ago! It was really great!

Moving on, 6 weeks later my in-laws came! Hurray! Another trip to the zoo, we now have armadillo at our zoo and we saw the otters out. This is also a relatively new exhibit and the otters were tucked away when we went before. I also managed to sneak in a trip with my MIL into Jerusalem and out to lunch. A great visit and as when my mom and aunt are here, a HUGE help with the kids!

The week after my in-laws left we had spring vacation. In America this is slack time. In Israel, it is get ready for Passover time! Lots and lots of cleaning, shopping and running errands. Since by Jewish law we are not allowed to keep any type of leavened bread in our homes this includes a mass cleaning to be sure all the coats are cleaned out, stray crumbs are swept out of rooms, and most people do a pretty thorough spring cleaning. We are somewhere in between going crazy and trying to keep it simple. Since most of the country shuts down for the week, this means getting anything you need to do, done ahead of time. Plus preparing for the Passover Seder itself and trying to figure out what to eat for a week that doesn't include bread, pasta, corn, beans and rice. The last three are what we consider Kitnyiot and are not bread, but are considered off the menu for the week of Passover because they could be confused with regular flour and cause a problem. Sephardim (Jews from southern Europe and the Middle East and Africa eat these items). However, our families originate out of Eastern Europe so we are Ashkenazi and don't eat those things. A challenging dietary week for us. We did manage to enjoy ourselves once Passover began though. We were able to visit with friends and take the kids on a hike. Although the end of Passover did bring one challenge. M had gotten lice and some how we missed it! A major infestation and we had to re-clean all the sheets, blankets, etc and vacuum the kids room AGAIN! We felt as though we were getting ready for Passover again. Unfortunately lice is a huge problem in Israel and it is not uncommon. Except in our house! This was a first and hopefully a last! We have been told the tea tree oil in the shampoo will repel the lice from her hair so now all the shampoo bottles are treated with tea tree oil. So hopefully this is put behind us for good!

We have spent the last week trying to get the kids back into the routine of school and it seems to be a bit challenging. Plus apparently spring fever comes with the inability to listen, follow instructions or do anything they are told! However, we did have a break through today. My husband played military commander and gave the boys orders over his ham radio. They responded well to this, M did OK though not the best. They boys, especially S loved it though and now their room is clean. Again!

Though perhaps spring fever has hit us all. I have had a huge dose of writers block this week for work and it is not good. Things I can usually whip up are getting stuck in the back. Hence pulling out my blog. Maybe catching up here will get me jump started there. I sometimes feel I am in the wrong job and instead should be writing a book about my insane life in Israel with my crazy kids and nutty husband! The title would be: My Life As A Cartoon Strip, because sometimes I feel they have been peaking in our windows to get ideas.

As we look forward in our ever crazy life we are preparing for Shavuot when we received the 10 commandments on Mt. Sinai. In between we have Lag B'Omer and the twins b-day. Somehow they have made it to 5 and once again we are all here to tell the tale! In two months M is out of school for the summer and then I will have to decide what to do with her until the boys get out! She is now beyond entertaining herself, or perhaps her idea of entertainment is to drive me crazy! Not so good for either of us.

So this blog is a bit longer than intended and bit more detailed update than intended, but perhaps it will do me good. I would love to comment on life in general now, but I am afraid it will bore everyone to bits. So perhaps tomorrow I will manage again.

TTFN!

Selective Mutisim Revisited

Although I just posted on this subject I am going back to it again. Recently I have found myself trying to explain what it is and how it affects the child. It is something that is so hard to grasp if you can't see it. Kids are mistaken for shy, or they will grow out of it, they just need x,y or z. Unfortunately it is not that easy. We are really fortunate that M got diagnosed at such a young age. Many kids are in grade school before parents realize there is a serious problem. So I am attaching a you tube video that is 8 minutes long. In doing this I not only want to educate the people who read this the most, our close friends and family, but I hope that other parents going through the same thing will appreciate being to connect with others in a similar situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AvrhsNvoH8&feature=autoplay&list=PL4833FA607954F64C&index=47&playnext=3

I just had a meeting with M's teacher and it amazed me still how much I still don't fully grasp what she is going through. Because I don't see her like that. With us she is a normal, very active child. Even in public, until we run into someone from school. She gets the no running lecture before going into the store, she plays on the play ground, and she will talk to us in public. Until she sees someone from school or the spot light is on her, then panic hits. Yesterday I took M shoe shopping. She didn't just tell me what she wanted, I had to pick up shoes and aks her yes or no. We got a head bob for yes and a shake for no. Do you want pink? I asked,"yes" she bobbed her head. She communicated, but she did not talk. However, on the bus she was a regular chatter box. The differences in where she will and won't talk are so defined to her, but sometimes so subtle to us, that I miss it. It just becomes a part of routine, something we don't see.

OK the link will have to be cut and pasted into You Tube, I just reached the limits of my technology expertise. But I hope you will take the time to plug it in and see for your self the world of Selective Mutisim. Or just search Selective Mutisim and see what comes up there is a variety.

Technology On The Go

Today I am taking a break from talking about the kids, except to say that I have been up since 3:00am because of them.... But on the other hand, look at the blogging I get done and I know what is going on in the news. Now if I could just find my glasses I would be set... so forgive the typos.

First, admittedly, I have become a geek. I think computers are part of the access of evil, but of course I am very attached to mine. It gives me a chance to spout off about whatever I want, keeps me in touch with my family and it gives me a job. None of those things make me a geek. The fact that my husband is probably one of the biggest computer geeks out there does. When we lived in Portland he was part of a start up organization that provides fee wireless access points around the greater Portland Metro area. This is where my geek side comes from. For those of you who watch the Big Bang Theory, you will understand how geeky I am when I say that I understand the computer jokes. Yup, it is that bad! We only use open source technology and for the first time in my life I have found a phone/organizer that I want, the Nokia N900. Though I am not sure I could break from my hand written organizer.

However, one place we have left off our technology sphere is Facebook. Much to the consternation of nearly everyone we know......We are not on it for 2 reasons. A) My husband is a privacy nut. We are virus immune, not resistant, but immune. We we make Fort Knox look like chump change. However, the great part of this is obviously, that we get no viruses, but also NO pop up ads! I had no idea they still existed until my sister was complaining about hers. And the second reason I am not on Facebook is because I simply don't want to take the time. It will suck me in like a vacuum and leave me no time to watch the Big Bang Theory! I already have enough things to distract me. But what honestly drives me crazy is not Facebook in and of itself, everything has a privacy risk, I use Gmail, one of the biggest miners out there. But what people put on there! Today in the news there was an article on Fox news stating that Facebook will allow 3rd party developers access to the users address and phone. Meaning 3rd party apps like Farmville can see the users address and phone number. The idea being is that it makes it easier for those on the go to attach their phone and address quickly to other apps and sites. The warning comes from a company called Sophos which is a security firm. Their advice, don't put these vital pieces of information on your website. Well DUH! Why do people do this?!!!! Why would people put absolutely vital and personal information up on a site for the entire world to peruse. Now mind you, a person's name, address and phone number can be obtained from almost any public phone book, both on and off line, but still........It amazes me what people put on there! There are so many stories of the inappropriate photos, comments, messages that get posted and yet people are SHOCKED when it comes back to bite them in the butt! I know there are privacy blocks you can add to your page so only your friends see things, but it doesn't take long for many to connect the dots and get invited in, including employers, and businesses. Years ago a couple in Australia I believe was served with a home foreclosure notice via Facebook. Yikes! And I believe businesses have no place intruding in someone's social networking like that, but it doesn't stop them and it was deemed legal.

The other issue I have is employers who spy on their employees or future employees with these pages. A couple of days ago Dear Abby ran an article about a teacher asked to give a recommendation about her former student for a job overseas. The teacher was thrilled and had only good things to say. However, the organization came back and said we found her FB page and look at this! And asked the teacher what do you think?! The teacher was appalled by her exploits from when she was younger which, personally I did not do, but half the high school kids I knew did which was, the old fake ID routine for underage bar hopping and the like. Oh please, that has been going on since the implementation of an alcohol age limit......What gets me is that they did not acknowledge that this was all in the past, people do grow up and change, just look at all the hippies turned Republicans. But it also drives me crazy that they are sure this is HER. I do not and have not ever used FB. However, if I search for my name it is up there more than once. And if you Google my name apparently I am also a Russian porn star or some such thing. It makes we wonder if I could ever lose out on a job just because of my name. To be fair the teacher tried to reach the student for comment, but she wouldn't take the call and it would seem both former student and the parents were miffed at the situation. Could be it was all true and maybe the parents just found out and are now upset with her OR it could be they are just royally offended at the inquiry. Why is it so important that the world at large have the latest dirt on our social lives and why is so important to people to POST it?! Think people, think! Did FB rob these users of their brains too?!

The other big privacy robber is Google. However, I LOVE Google and I literally could not have my job with out them. In my company there are about 15-20 employees and we all work from home including the CEO. We stay current on what's happening via Gmail. I am a writer, so I share documents, assignments schedules and the like with 2 other people. But instant chat makes it easy to access customer service for product questions or talk directly to our CEO. It also means I can work anytime, anyplace, anywhere and from any computer. Yeah! I have done all three.

But the other thing I love about Google, is Google translate! A friend introduced it to me a few months a go and boy howdy, it has opened a whole new world! I can now translate the kids notes from school, unless they are hand written, because the first step is being able to read the words..... the handwriting that goes with teaching here indicates they missed their calling as doctors...... I can also plug in websites that are Hebrew and get them put in English and I can type in English what I want to say and it will come back in Hebrew! Which means that I can send notes to the school in Hebrew too! Yeah! Now despite all that M's teacher is accommodating me with all communication in English, but still I have a leg up where I did not before. Now they are making it even better. You can get a phone app that puts it all in real time on your phone. Just say what you need to in English and it comes back in the requested language, clear and concise in a real voice. So if I need to get my point across in some office but can't, I could say it in English and it would spit it out in Hebrew. This way the person I am speaking to can hear it! I am willing to forgo a bit of privacy for that little gadget! Now I just need to get my hands on that Nokia N900 and I will be set....

In technology there are always trade offs, in my case I figure eventually Google will see that I don't spend money on their adds, I have nothing nefarious or even interesting going on and they will get tired of reading about my kids, hardware and patio furniture. They probably read my name and read my stuff so they can fall asleep from boredom at night, but hey at least someone is getting a good nights sleep! Seriously, we give and we gain and that is they way it has been since the invention of th wheel. Someone makes a wheel, someone gets run over by it and now lawyers are invented to work out the law suit....... But why can't people us common sense? As my mother used to say, "If you don't want me to know you are doing it, then you shouldn't be doing it in the first place." Truer words were never spoken and they are words that everyone should live by; because folks your mom will eventually forgive you, but the rest of the world will never forget!

Kids and Confidence

Lately I have been focusing on the kids in my blog. Well what can I say, I am on a role. Plus I noticed it keeps the spammers off of here. Yeah! Not to mention that this is primarily what my blog is about anyway. So there!

Sometimes as parents we worry about how much confidence kids have and if they are really ready to tackle the world. Well fortunately we don't have to worry about our oldest, he thinks he is smarter and stronger than everyone else, including his Abba and when asked what he wants to be when he grows up, "A Melech Yehudi" A Jewish King. Apparently he is not too picky about which country though. But since he likes living in Israel, I think that is what he is aiming for. Perhaps when he was little he listened to his Aunt talk too much about if she ruled the world!

Or perhaps it is our constant talk of politics at the table. We have found S trying to discuss politics at school! Oy Vey! And has said some not so nice things about current politicians in other countries and their connection to Israel. (For those of you old enough to get this, all I can think is Alex P. Keaton, of course so was his Abba.) Mental note, no more discussing politics at the dinner table. Seriously, since S has learned to spell and has ears like a bat, we have had to watch everything we say and forget spelling it. I am considering teaching D Japanese. It is the only language we can come up with that the kids won't have a connection to. They speak better Hebrew than me, they will no doubt pick up Yiddish from friends, it is a strong language here and they are also learning some in school, ( plus there are kids who learn Yiddish first here then Hebrew) which also leaves German out, because Yiddish is a mix of German and Hebrew. So we are moving on to Japanese.

I love having smart kids, I just wish I wasn't being this outsmarted at age 7 and down! On the other hand I have discovered that the kids are teaching me plenty and perhaps that is why we have kids, so we are humbled and realize no matter how old we are there is still plenty left to learn. Besides I always wanted to get back into Japanese, I guess now is good.....