What’s up QuirkyLand?
Just everything! Everyone is feeling better (see below), Channukah is over and the little one keeps asking me when it’s going to be Channukah again. We burned a Yule log (and roasted marshmallows over it ;) ). I have five bored kids home till after New Years, but I have work to do, so we’re kind of at odds. I have tons of stuff to drop off at Good Will or Salvation Army. Maybe tomorrow. Got media whore love coming up after this post!
12/20 – Did you know my sister is awesome? For the low low price of 15$ (I’m going to give her more, the kids were suppose to help) she is cleaning the kids room, which includes getting rid of all the crap I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of (I kept tallying it up in my head *sigh*), putting away the stuff they use, and sweeping. ??She is amazing and I love her. ??Lest you think I have done nothing while she slaves away (and earns some dough!), I’ve sorted all the kids clothes, gotten rid of didn’t fit (in bags to donate tomorrow), threw out what was damaged beyond repair, saved a couple shirts to make into patches (the sleeves were holy or didn’t fit, but the design was fine) and put it all away. Now I’ve got cornbread in the oven :-)
12/13 – Really, Everyone? Eshiva brought some kind of stomach bug home from school last Thursday. She didn’t go to school on Friday. She had a fever and was vomiting and diarrhea, you know, classic stomach bug. No one else had it all day yesterday so I thought it wouldn’t spread. ??I was wrong. Malachai got it, and he didn’t understand at all that even though he was so thirsty, every tiny sip made him vomit again. Poor kid. I have something like ten towels, five top sheets and three fitted sheets to wash. He also didn’t quite reach the trash bin at all – I get that, he didn’t want to move, but I hate sick laundry.??Michael got home around 11 – he was queasy and he has it too. Yep, he has some bedding to wash as well. ??So far, knock on wood, I don’t have it. Let’s keep it that way. Neither does Dorian. ??I am going to try and take him to the Channukah festival at shul today. The other two can’t go, and I feel a bit like Typhoid Mary and I I’d rather not get everyone around me sick, but… they were really looking forward to this. We’ll see what happens I guess. ??I had also wanted to go out today with the fam, but I suspect my biggest baby will be in bed all day. Understandable, and I am “glad” he only gets sick on his day off, but why the fuck does he only get sick on his day off??? It also magically coincides with when I Have big chores to get done. Grrrr
12/12 – Kitchenaid Mixers are the bomb. I totally said that. So, I picked up a slicer/shredder attachment for my Kitchenaid instead of buying a new food processor and ohmigodyay! Not only did it mean one less gadget in my kitchen, but I think it works better than the processor did! We shredded ten potatoes in no time last night, plus four onions. ??So if you’ve been thinking about getting one, do it!??I also have the grinder, which I don’t use even weekly, but when I need it it’s amazing. Fresh ground chicken and beef as a fraction of the cost. Plus it’s awesome for chopped liver, which is also stupidly expensive to purchase pre-made. ??I’ve been eying the pasta maker, but I don’t think I’d use it often enough to warrant buying it
Read MoreChannukah Fun!
My brisket defrosted last night, so I am going to season and wrap it today and put it in to slow cook.
I picked up the slicer/shredder attachment for my Kitchenaid last night to replace my busted cheap ass food processor (I had a great ancient Cuisinart, but the bowl broke and I couldn’t get a replacement, so I picked up a cheap ass Hamilton Beach one years ago) that I had to Mcgyver to make work (I was missing that square oblong thing that makes the slices/shredder disk work). I got smart. I was gonna spend 50$ anyway, so I figured I’ll save counter space with an attachment instead of a whole new appliance. Yay me! Yay Gram for giving me money for it ;) So I can now easily shred my potatoes and onions for my latkes. I am using a recipe from the Vegenomicon this year and the ones I made last night were amazing! I want to add some spinach and feta to them – anyone think I can still deep fry them, or will I be better off in a pan?
Eshiva is home puke-y today, so I’ll be able to clean and cook in between making sure she is ok.
Everything is wrapped. Gram & Zaide gave me a check to go buy for all the kids so I went to Target last night and didn’t spend half the money and I think they now officially have WayTooFuckingMuchTM. It’s all good – we got new wooden play food for Eshiva for the kitchen set, Dorian got some Star Wars stuff that Michael picked out for him, so I’m sure he’ll love it, and we got Malachai FunKeys on clearance. He is way into anything involving online right now, and these you plug into the USB and they unlock games and stuff online. I think the rest of their money will go to clothes. They are growing way too fast.
They each have about 12 things to unwrap, but at least 4 of those things are for all of them, and I wrapped everything individually (like Dad got Mal two Goosebumps DVDs – they got wrapped individually instead of together). I am trying not to feel guilty over being so commercial, but… I bet this is the last, or one of the last Channukahs with the great grandparents, and I want them to enjoy it. I know “stuff” doesn’t make the holiday, and it wont. We’re lighting everyone’s menorah this year (so we’ll have at least four going lol) and having people over most of the week. I’m pretty excited about it actually.
I hope Eshiva is feeling better by Sunday – the kids are supposed to sing at Chabad on Sunday, and they wanted to go the the Channukah festival too.
Read MoreActual news…
I don’t have much. Which is why you’ve been getting late Twitter updates and nothing else. I’ve even been avoiding the news and other blogs.
Channukah is almost here! First of all, my yearly link ;) Anyone else celebrating it? It’s early this year, Dec 11! My dad is going out of town the next day, for the weekend, so we’ll be doing it up big the first night I think.
Sara wants to make sufgoniyot (jelly doughnuts) this year, because you know we have to get fat to celebrate the miracle of finding oil
I need to make latkes – last year my uncle made some with spinach and feta and I think I might get his recipe this year. They sounded delish.
We’ll celebrate Yule this year as well, but I haven’t really thought about what we’re going to do just yet. Channukah looms large on the horizon :-) Brisket, latkes, sufgonyot, latkes, latkes, latkes…. mmmm latkes.
Speaking of Channukah, we had adult Hebrew school this morning (the Rabbi runs it once a month while the kids are in) and today was… Channukah! Quelle Suprise! I always feel so smart when we leave, because I know what he is talking about :-) We also spoke with another Rabbi and took care of HS tuition (which we can’t afford right now) and I was going to pull the kids out, but they will remain, and I will let them know when we have our feet back under us. I know I bitch about Chabad… I don’t feel like I belong there, like we are Jew-y “enough” to be there, and that we have to cover up (which I would do anyway, it’s the proper thing to do – I jsut resent *having* to do it) but those are *my* issues and they have never, never turned anyone away and I can get behind that. Recently a homeless Jewish man died in the community and they took up collection to bury him in the Jewish part of the local cemetary – his family wanted nothing to do with him. Things like that make me feel good about being connected to them. I might not be Jew enough in my own eyes, when compared to the ultra Orthodox there, but good people are good people regardless of faith. They are good people. I offered my graphic design skills in barter, but I know they have someone who does that already. I don’t really have any other skills to offer, so… I offered what I could.
If you are looking for someplace to donate to this season, and don’t care if it doesn’t match your faith, please consider donating to Chabad of Coral Springs (and please make your donation in memory of Phyllis Johnpoll). If your faith does matter, please consider Delrey School (please make it in Erin Johnpoll’s name) or UCP directly (this does not directly benefit Delrey school, again, please make your donation in Erin’s name). None of those make you feel good about yourself? Please pick any charity you desire and send them at least a few dollars. If you give back to the Universe, the Universe gives back to you.
In other news, I lost my shit with the kids yesterday. Their room is still a mess, as is the living room. They will be cleaning today before we do anything fun. Oh yes, they will. The dogs have fleas. I got Program tabs and Capstar tabs and once they arrive they will be administered, the house will be flea bombed and hopefully they will stay uninfested for a long while.
Today is a laundry day, joy! Not so much. I wish the mail came today. I am expecting a check. I need to give dad back 155$ (for the flea pills), set some aside for our dinner, buy Dorian some shirts, buy two new bike seats and two water bottle holders. I think it should stretch far enough to do that :-)
I need to get back into writing every day.
Read MoreOh my, it has been a while
This weekend Michael and I went away, without the kids, for the first time ever for more than a day trip (which we’ve only done once, last year). It was much needed and much enjoyed and much appreciated. We drove up to Orlando Sunday morning, checked into the hotel, stashed our stuff and headed for Epcot. Monday we went to Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom. Tuesday we went to MGM Hollywood Studios and Downtown Disney and then came home.
Michael and Sara turn 18 in a couple of months. I need to find something to do for them.
Our van is paid off (the Ford) and for less than I thought, so instead of being responsible and paying off debt or sitting on it for other bills, we went to Target and went holiday shopping. I have almost everything I need. I need a couple more small things, something large for Malachai, and I need to order my brothers stuff. Dad told us what he wanted, and I need to get money from the twins to pitch in for it. I also need to order for my husband, but I know what he wants at least. I just need to scrounge up money for it. Sara’s stuff is already purchased.
We spoke with Olivia at Kids in Motion, and we worked out for summer camp. They are going to waive the registration fee and knocked us down to 20$ per child instead of 27$/24$/24$. We only send them three days a week, but we’re sending all three this year so… every little bit helps.
I keep playing Powerball and I keep not winning… here’s hoping. I have a long list of people and places I’d give money to/donate to and with everything that’s left over I’d handle what we nee handled. This is, of course, assuming we’d win the BIG jackpot.
Read MoreIt’s Duck Season! It’s Wabbit Season!
We introduced the children to the wonder that is Warner Brothers last week. I’m sure they’ve seen it before. I mean, I grew up on this stuff. I can recite these cartoons from memory… the ones they showed before they started editing out the gratuitous (and totally non-mimicable) violence.
So Michael pulls this classic up on YouTube and they watch it. Then the giggles start. Then comes the full blown belly laugh. Yes, even Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck can still entertain children who think things like SpongeBob are funny. I don’t really have any room to talk, I thought Ren & Stimpy was the greatest thing ever.
So the rest of us sit down to dinner, and every 6 or 8 minutes we hear the Warner Bros. intro music and a few minutes later the laughter erupts.
Some days being a parent is the most amazing thing ever.
Read MoreFish in Tefillin aka Jewish Bondage (totally safe for work)
So Jews have something called Tefillin. If you want to read about it you can go here: http://www.jewfaq.org/signs.htm#Tefillin
Suffice to say, it’s a mitzvah to be wrapped in these strips of leather and say a few prayers. It takes like 3 minutes and SuperJews do it every day. Oh, only the boys.
The first time the Rabbi got Michael to do it, he took a picture and we joked it would never make it onto the wall. (We always cover up when we go there). Lo and behold, his photo, tattoos and all, is on the wall.
Here are the ones we took on Sunday.
