The Life of LilMisBusy

For Julia

2012-02-09T13:37:00.003-05:00

This morning via Facebook, I received news that my dear childhood friend Julia had passed away after a year-long struggle with cancer. Julia lived in San Diego, and I hadn't seen her in person since 2006, when the above photo was taken at our 10 year Solon High School reunion.

Julia and I met while attending religious school at Fairmount Temple, in either third or fourth grade. I liked her immediately - we were both the teacher's pets in our class, and she seemed exotic, being a Russian Jew. In fifth grade when my parents bought a new house in Solon, she was the only person I knew who lived there, and I desperately clung to that information. I remember eating lunch with her and her group of friends in those first few days at my new school, trying to figure out where I fit in there.

We continued to attend synagogue events together, even though I can't recall us being very close during middle school. But during this time, I know that Julia became seriously ill. Looking back now, it was probably cancer then too, but I didn't know it at the time. I knew she missed lots of school, and lost her hair, but I don't remember knowing how serious it probably was. She was just my friend, the kind of friend where you just picked up where you left off when you had to.

During our freshman year of high school we attended a conference in Washington, D.C. and I remember we were feeling pretty full of ourselves. We were excited for this big trip away, it was my first time in D.C., and we took giddy pictures of ourselves standing on the fence outside the White House and at the Lincoln Memorial. We got a little lost hanging around in Baltimore, but I remember not being worried. When Marc and I went to that same area years later, I remembered the peace I'd felt there with her.

We carpooled back and forth from Beachwood to Solon for years. We wrote articles together for our BBYO chapter newsletter, the Chaia Chailights. I will never forget her excitement over her family's adoption of their first dog, Ruby, who she loved like a sibling. We had a fabulous time catching up at our 10 year reunion, and she was one of the first people I looked for when I joined Facebook in 2008.

Julia became an accomplished dentist, and I sought her advice when Hannah developed "shark teeth" before her fifth birthday. She got in a couple of heated debates on my posts over the years, but I always respected what she had to say. I sincerely hoped that someday I would be able to visit her in San Diego, where she seemed to be very happy with her parents and sister.

Last August, after writing yet another blog post on The Back, she wrote me to "stay strong and be patient." Julia, you were always the strong one. I am sorry we didn't get more time together, but I am very thankful for the many wonderful memories I will always treasure. My deepest condolences to all who knew and loved her. Rest in peace, and I hope Ruby was there waiting for you.

A Post Just to Post

2012-01-29T14:04:00.003-05:00

I haven't felt like writing much here lately. Well, that's not entirely true, as I've written about things and haven't posted them. I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to say about this and this and most definitely this controversy, but would love to hear your thoughts on any and all of those topics, if you feel like clicking through to the links. But in the meantime, here's a bit of a January update.

The kids both really enjoyed their birthdays. Hannah had another Sleep Under, which this year was timed to coincide with the series finale of one of her favorite shows, "The Wizards of Waverly Place." Max's party was a couple of days later, at the amazing Kid's Street, and he seemed to really enjoy it. They both started new classes as well; Hannah is doing rock climbing, and Max is doing gymnastics and swimming (though he doesn't seem a big fan of the swimming class). Max has also completely given up his nap, which has made life a little more interesting lately.

The Temple Emanuel Share a Shabbat registrations have been rolling in, and it's been fun answering questions and facilitating the program. I've sent some emails akin to secret admirer notes asking people to sign up if they'd been requested by others as possible matches. It feels like I'm getting to know everyone a little better. We have our match-making meeting next weekend, and I'm excited to hear how all of the dinners go.

This weekend I've been home alone with the kids while Marc took a trip to Little Rock to visit Rachel, Jon, Nate and Evie. Shockingly, we didn't get the major snow storm that I was predicting to happen while he was away. I took a day off on Friday and treated myself to some shopping and to the movie "The Descendants." We've been having a nice little weekend, just the three of us, but we're also ready for Marc to get back too.

Anyway, this is just a post in order to get posting again. Maybe February will be more worth writing about.

Sunday Mornings

2012-01-08T09:45:00.005-05:00

Ah, Sunday mornings. The time for laziness and recovering from Saturday night's fun. But if you know anything about me at all, you know I'm not into the whole laziness thing, it's just not my style. And so even if I've had a fun night out on Saturday (like last night - thanks Nanette and Jose!), I'm still up early and enjoying my Sunday morning ritual.

If we're in town, I almost always start my Sunday with a trip to Rosenfeld's Bagels, followed up by a stop at Dunkin' Donuts. I buy everyone's favorite bagels (plain for the kids, onion for Marc, and caraway seed for me), and if I'm feeling decadent, their Boursin cream cheese (something I'm indulging in less often these days). Then it's time to cross Newton Centre to pick up an iced coffee for me, and one for Marc that varies with the season. On the radio I try to catch a bit of Mix 104.1's Acoustic Sunrise. I enjoy this time driving on nearly empty streets, save for the lone police cruiser I usually see on Centre Street. Often, it's the only true "alone time" I have all weekend.

After getting everyone settled in with their breakfast, I try to spend a few minutes with the Boston Globe Sunday magazine, but it usually takes me several attempts throughout the day to actually read it all. Hannah needs to be at religious school by 9 o'clock, and so the minutes slip past all too quickly until it's time to get her there.

The rest of the morning, when not spent at Temple Emanuel for some event, is spent changing sheets, doing laundry, grocery shopping, and spending some one-on-one time with Max while his big sister is at school. Though I must admit that I'm looking forward to a year and a half from now when he's in religious school at the same time, and Marc and I will have a solid two and a half hours without the kids around.

So what's your Sunday morning routine? Or do you try to change it up?

Eight

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today, Hannah Ruth, you are turning eight.

Daddy often chides me for making you and your brother older than you are, when I spend the last few months before your birthday rounding up. But I feel like you really are going to inhabit this age well, and eight looks good on you. Particularly this new "with glasses" version of you.

I asked if you remembered me writing you a letter for your seventh birthday, and you encouraged me to do it again. Your own writing has really blossomed this year, and I think you see already see the value in me doing this for you. When asked to write a letter to your new teachers about your summer vacation, you wrote on for several pages. I'd like to think you get that from me.

You loved finding the collection of padlocks people have left along a bridge on the River Seine, and I can see you going back some day to place your own. You looked like Shirley Temple after getting your hair done at a salon for the first time before your last spin as a flower girl. You were a royal window washer. You sewed, karate-kicked, swam, played piano and learned to read Hebrew. You broke your first bone, and stunned me by choosing a bright green cast (the better for which to display signatures). You made a really grown up decision in choosing to spend two weeks at overnight camp this coming summer.

You continue to be a loyal friend to many, nurturing some friendships for years now. You have really hit your stride at Bowen Elementary, and continue to astonish me with the things you're learning there. You are very well-loved by a great number of adults, particularly evidenced by your celebrity status as you walk the halls of the JCC, and by one of the ushers at Temple Emanuel who has a great affinity for you. And though he can get annoying, your brother is still your very best friend.

You are growing up so fast, and yet it's hard for me not to rush you. I love our talks, and though I may roll my eyes at it, I secretly love every time you say, "I have a question." I hope you have lots of wonderful adventures in the next year. I love you, kid.

2011 In Pictures

2012-01-02T15:56:00.016-05:00

Yea, I'm a couple of days late, but here's the traditional year in review blog post. As far as years go, 2011 was a pretty good one. I remember wanting 2010 to just end already for most of last December, but I didn't feel that way about 2011. I got to see my parents three times this year, traveled to Europe for the first time, made great strides at work, and was generally healthy and happy.

I'm not big on resolutions, but I do have a goal for 2012: to spend less time on the wrong people. There are a lot of wonderful people in my life, and I'm going to focus more on them instead.

Here's a month by month selection of some of my favorite photos over the last year. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and wish you all the best for the year ahead!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Happy 2012!

Four

2012-01-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Today, Max Benjamin, you are turning four.

Oh, how you've waited for this day! Your silly Mama (the name you prefer) told you that your birthday was after Hanukkah, and it just couldn't get here fast enough. Four is pretty big, at least in your mind. I think you've decided that mostly on the basis that when you turn four, you get to eat two gummy vitamins instead of one each morning. Such a big accomplishment.

I feel like I've been waiting for you to be four for a long time too. There is nothing better than when you are sweet and loving, funny and curious, but you still have your difficult moments. You are a boundary pusher and fiercely independent - both wonderful qualities - unless you're doing something we'd prefer you not to do. I know you're working on it every day though, and I would safely wager that at five you will have a much better handle on your world.

Nonetheless, three was quite a year. Not many three year old's can claim such a love for the Eiffel Tower, but it made a huge impression on you. I don't think you actually remember that you threw a 45 minute tantrum at the top of it, but I know Daddy, Hannah and I will ever forget it. You enjoyed going to the Temple Emanuel Family Retreat ("New Hampshire!") and trying to keep up with Hannah and her friends. You loved getting to play in the street during our neighborhood block party. When the big moment arrived, you did a wonderful job walking down the aisle as ring bearer for Uncle Ryan and Aunt Allison, even if you didn't want to take any decent pictures the rest of the day. You went to birthday parties and play dates, concerts and museums, but what you love most is to stay home and play all day.

You still love Yo Gabba Gabba and dressed as Wyatt from Super Why for Halloween. You got a new guitar for Hanukkah, and someday I hope you will appreciate how much love I must have had for you to buy a newly four year old a drum kit. But without it, how would you get to take your imaginary band to perform on stage in New York City? (Maybe this year we'll actually take you there.) Blanket has survived another year as your most treasured possession, but that may soon change. You made a whole group of new friends this year, but I can still say that your sister is your very best friend.

This should be a great year for you. You're going to try swimming lessons and gymnastics, and I think you will enjoy getting to be among the biggest kids at the JCC. You love letters, and I think reading and writing are not far off. But whatever comes next, I know you will greet it with great enthusiasm. I am so lucky to be your Mama, and I love you, buddy.

The Crash

2011-12-22T12:01:00.005-05:00

So, the car accident. I've been trying to find a way to write about it for the past two weeks since it happened, and it just wasn't coming to me. I don't want to write about the specifics, though I am incredibly grateful that we all came out of it mostly unharmed. I don't want to talk about how getting in an accident was one of my biggest fears in life, and how I was an emotional mess for a good week afterward. I don't want to talk about the stress of dealing with the car repairs and insurance.

And it finally dawned on me that what I do want to write about is the supportive community that my family and I have built around us. Of course there are the family members, particularly our parents, who care so much, but it's truly amazing how many people in our lives care about what happens to us. Many of our neighbors reached out to help in the immediate moments after the crash. Friends I haven't seen since high school and Twitter pals I haven't met in person sent messages along, and many others sent offers to help.

The last couple of months have been tough for me. There have been good moments, but coping with the new issues related to my diabetes, and then Hannah having a rough few weeks with various issues, Marc being extra busy at work, and Max just being Max - it's been a lot. The car accident, in a strange way, felt like the one final thing that needed to happen and cap off this difficult period. Since then, things seem to have calmed down. Life has been going along as planned. We've gone to work and school. We've attended wonderful holiday parties with friends and neighbors, and a particularly amazing Hanukkah party at Temple Emanuel. I'm looking ahead to the next couple of long weekends with unplanned days in store, and can't wait to celebrate Max and Hannah's upcoming birthdays.

So thanks to all of you who have checked in on me. I really appreciate it, and wish you a very special holiday season and all the best in 2012.

The December Non-Dilemma

2011-12-21T11:53:00.002-05:00

Originally posted here.

Well, folks, it's that time of year again.

No, silly, not *that* time of year. You know, it's the time for "we celebrate Hanukkah and I'm worried my kid might be traumatized that it's not as good as Christmas!" articles to start popping up all over the landscape. And believe me, there was a time when I worried over exactly the same thing.

There's a compulsive need to make certain your child isn't missing out on anything, and let's face it, it doesn't get any bigger than Christmas. From lights on houses, to friendly customer service people, and of course TV galore, Christmas is everywhere, and your child could easily feel left out.

Hanukkah commemorates a military victory, and by definition, is a more minor holiday in the Jewish calendar. There are lots of amazing traditions to enjoy as a family, from menorah lighting to dreidel spinning and latke eating. And yes, in our family, there is a lot of gift receiving too. It's eight days I look forward to celebrating all year, but we don't celebrate it trying to out-do or even match the spirit of Christmas.

We enjoy celebrating Hanukkah because we enjoy all of what being Jewish means. As a family, Marc and I have tried to imbue observing Judaism with a sense of joy and purpose. We celebrate Shabbat every week, but more than that we talk about Jewish things all the time. We read books and sing songs and keep a Kosher(ish) home. We look forward to holidays year-round, planning costumes for Purim, meals for Passover and sending cards for Rosh Hashanah with that the same enthusiasm we have for lighting the chanukiah. We seek out Jewish experiences to give our children, from preschool and summer camp to films and museums. We talk about the Holocaust, and we talk about Israel. Importantly, we talk about how fun it is to celebrate alongside our friends and family, especially those with beliefs and traditions different from our own.

If you feel your kids are missing out on Christmas, maybe they're really missing out on religion. Religion isn't just about being anti-commercial and not having any fun. Maybe that worked for our Puritan forebears here in New England, but it's not especially Jewish, and it's definitely not the way to get your kids turned on. A big part of Judaism is finding joy and celebration in life. Jews invented dreidels, after all--we're not against giving kids toys! As parents, we don't want to spoil our kids all year, but we want to buy them things sometimes. So, they get Hanukkah presents. Better that they should hear "you're so lucky you get eight nights of presents" than think they're unlucky not to get one visit from Santa.

Hannah is nearly eight years old, and last night, completely on her own, she sat down to write and color the above picture. The text reads (with my corrections), "I love Hanukkah! It gives me hope and joy. Lighting the chanukiah and saying the blessings. Eating latkes with apple sauce and sour cream. Playing dreidel, "shin" put some in. Eating jelly donuts with strawberry jelly. It's all fun."

Hanukkah is one small part of Judaism and hoping it can eclipse Christmas is setting one's self up for failure. But if you allow Judaism to have a bigger role in your life all the time, the Christmas season can seem to pale in comparison.

(And yes, that's a plate of vegetables in that Hanukkah picture. Clearly, we're doing a lot of things right!)

Marc Stober contributed to this post.

Transportation Benefits: Not So Much

2011-11-30T18:53:00.002-05:00

It's time for a rare political rant here on The Life of LilMisBusy. I'm not an expert on the issue, but something about this struck me as odd.

When I received my firm's Open Enrollment package a week ago, I noticed that the benefit on transit passes was being reduced while the benefit for parking was increasing. I've done a bit of digging to discover that these are called "Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits" and the limits were set at $230/month for both transit passes and parking during the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Obama in 2009. However, the benefit on transit passes was apparently temporary, and is being cut back to $125/month in January. Meanwhile, the benefit for parking is getting a cost of living adjustment (COLA) and increasing to $240/month.

Now, as annoying as my Green Line train can be, I'm VERY lucky that my transit pass is only $59/month, and I won't be affected by the limit decrease. At least, it seems that way from the outset. But maybe some of my neighbors in Needham, wanting to avoid that extra bit of taxation, will switch and start taking the Green Line too, since their monthly commuter rail pass is $151/month. Or maybe some friends in Framingham will start driving to Riverside to escape their $210/month pass. Hey, let's throw in some extra passengers from Fitchburg or Worcester too, with their $250/month fee. Suddenly my already over-capacity train is feeling even more crowded. (Oh, and the MBTA is planning to, and should, increase its rates this summer, right?)

But parking, which typically serves just one person, which is more harmful to the environment, which if you're able to spend that much cash on means you're probably doing pretty well, that gets the COLA?

I'm not against raising taxes in general, but this plan? This is completely backwards. And I haven't heard anyone talking about it.

Sources:
https://www.payflex.com/mypayflex/
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=205664,00.html
http://adminproadvantage.com/index.php/news/73-irs-releases-2012-transportation-fringe-benefits-limits.html
http://mbta.com/ (including image of the commuter rail map)

From Montreal to Cleveland and Back Again

2011-11-29T19:57:00.007-05:00

The last three weeks have flown by. Here's what we've been up to:

- Marc and I took a much anticipated long weekend away from the kids and went to Montreal. I was really looking forward to going there for the first time, and Marc hadn't been in a very long time. Marc and I really enjoy road trips, so driving there was part of the fun for us. We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was lovely, and enjoyed just walking around the city and eating a lot. I think our favorite stop was for dessert at a place called Rockaberry, which had fabulous pie. I used my Rachael Ray-patented trick from her old show "$40 a Day" where she'd ask the locals where to go, and a friendly waiter at Schwartz's gave us that yummy suggestion. Thanks to Fillis and John for baby-sitting!

- While still wearing her cast, Hannah visited the eye doctor for the first time, and is now the proud wearer of glasses. She mostly needs to wear them at school, since her prescription is relatively minor, but she immediately noticed a difference. Everyone remarks about what they can see for the first time once they'd gotten their glasses, and for Hannah it was individual pebbles on the ground, and small lines making up the printing on a sign. She picked out a very stylish pair, too. Hannah has one more big update: she'll be spending two weeks at Camp Yavneh (overnight camp) this summer! She is very excited about that.

- Max's latest major obsession is letters. Writing them, reading them, playing games with them, it doesn't matter, he's all about it. He's a big fan of making us guess something by saying "It's starts with a..." and then making the sound. At school, he enjoys playing a game where they say two-word combinations and then take one off ("Say firetruck. Now don't say fire. Truck!"). He can identify many letters and is starting to accurately write them too. It's such a fun process to watch.

- Of course, no update would be complete without the latest Temple Emanuel news. Marc spent a Sunday morning as greeter at the Java Gate Cafe while I attended Hannah's religious school conference and we both tried to keep Max entertained. Later that afternoon, I met with Julie to learn the Share a Shabbat process (we'll miss you, Chivo family!), as I'll be in charge of that endeavor this year. And finally, we are contemplating joining our synagogue for a Family Mission to Israel this summer. All fun and exciting!

- Finally, we spent a really wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in Cleveland with my Mom, Dad, Ryan and Allison. We ate lots of great food, enjoyed wandering through Legacy Village without wearing our coats, and saw the new Muppets movie together. Plus there was lots of time in my parents new house, which accommodated all eight of us very well. The kids had a ball playing with the racetrack Grandma bought for them, and we spent a lot of time looking at Ryan and Allison's gorgeous wedding photos up on the big screen TV. Plus, Marc and I had fun catching up with Betsy and Bill over coffee. Thanks Mom and Dad for having us - please come to Boston soon!

So now we're back home and a crazy December is about to begin. Hannah should be getting her cast off in the morning. We're looking ahead to many parties in the coming month, plus the kids birthdays in January. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you've got a fun month planned too!

Continuous Glucose Monitoring: One Month In

2011-11-29T18:12:00.005-05:00

So for those of you keeping track at home, it's been just over a month since I started using my CGM. And no, I haven't been sailing yet.

I just wish that box has contained the keys to my yacht and not an insulin pump, but alas.

You might remember that I was fairly nervous about all this, but it has gone remarkably well. I spent an hour and a half getting trained on how to use everything, and how to change my sensor location every three days. It was a lot to take in, and I was very grateful for my more visual and technical husband when it came time to insert the sensor on my own for the first time. I've got the details of that (thankfully, pain-free) process down now, but it doesn't always go smoothly. Since I'm not using the insulin pump, I'm not physically tethered to anything, but if I'm apart from the pump for about 30 minutes, an alarm will go off. So the pump is always on my person, usually in my pants pocket. (Side note: am now on a quest for more pants with pockets.)

There's also a lot of STUFF required with all this. I am constantly restocking my needles and testing supplies, since I'm still required to test at least three times a day, plus five insulin shots a day. I'm fortunate to have access to three month prescriptions, but that means boxes and boxes of needles, lancets, test strips, sensors, surgical tape, alcohol wipes, and of course, insulin. I haven't figured out where to store it all yet.

BUT. The information. It is so, so much information. At times, it's completely overwhelming to know what my glucose level is 24/7. It's infuriating to see high numbers when I think I've been eating well or exercising. And yet, it's totally amazing that this little thing is figuring me out all the time too. I finally can see the times my blood sugar is rising all on it's own, and figure out how to cut off those highs. My AMAZING doctor is totally convinced we will solve the puzzle of my body and how best to treat it. We've been tweaking my insulin a lot over the last few weeks, adding shots at different times and reducing other ones. It's ever-changing and variable, but I know CGM will be an excellent tool in decoding just what's going on. It's also a great safety net, sounding alarms when I get too low, which is a frequent issue for me at night.

Finally, thinking so much about diabetes has made me look for other resources to compare experiences, and of course I found those on Twitter. I've found some great people to follow and it's been really helpful for feeling a bit less frustrated with this journey. When I see other people posting crazy results or combating lows, I know I'm not the only one dealing with it.

So that's why I'm posting all this - in the hopes that some newbie out there will find it some day and get a more detailed account from a real person of what CGM is all about, at least so far for me. If you have a question on any of it, feel free to ask me in the comments.

And yea, no sailing, but maybe this guy is more my speed anyway.

Triage

2011-11-10T17:46:00.000-05:00

During my freshman year of college, I took a 110 hour training course to become the most basic level of a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (hi, old BEMCO friends!). When I signed up, I'd been pre-med, but so was 2/3 of the Brandeis Class of 2000, and by the time the class started, I'd moved on to economics. But I followed through with the class and licensing anyway, and used my training in a very limited way while on campus.

I knew, however, that I wasn't going to hack it as a "real" EMT when I discovered the concept of triage. Our book said the concept originated with the French, and the translation of the word was "to sort." I was horrified by the idea that I'd be responding to some major disaster and have to determine who would get help and who would have to wait, and really, who was beyond help and would have to be passed over. The idea has stuck with me, and while I'm not responding as an EMT, my life often feels like a constant triage.

Yesterday afternoon I got a call at work that Hannah had fallen and hurt her wrist badly. I quickly called Marc and the pediatrician, told my boss I was leaving and made it home on the T in record time. Marc and I took Hannah to one hospital for x-rays, then went to the pediatrician, and eventually ended up at Children's Hospital to get 3/4 of her arm casted in a bright green hue. Hannah was such a trooper - she didn't cry much after I arrived, and complied with all that was asked of her. It was a very late night, but she still got up and went to school on time today and in a good mood. She's even given Marc and me her blessing to continue on to our planned trip to Montreal this weekend.

The triage yesterday was totally obvious - Hannah gets highest priority (while still taking care of Max, of course). Work emails could wait until I got home at 10 pm. I stayed home from work today, and scheduled the follow up appointment, as well as a first visit to the eye doctor after the pediatrician confirmed yesterday that was needed yesterday (yes, I do think this is all related). And now I'm going through all of the rest of what needs to be done today, making all of the millions of little decisions that add up to a life lived.

If you ask me (and it's my blog anyway), I think I stayed remarkably calm through all of this. I think I'm pretty reliable in a crisis, even if it means my adrenaline shoots through the roof and keeps me awake for hours afterward, replaying the entire episode. I never imagined I'd think back on the triage concept as often as I do, but maybe I would have made a good EMT after all. Or maybe it was the best training I could have gotten for the life I'm living anyway.

On a Lighter Note

2011-11-01T15:50:00.002-04:00

Here are some of the fun things making me happy recently:

- Hannah went to a play date with four other kids from her class where they filmed a "movie." The mom in charge is still editing it, but I'm told one of the kids was a dog for most of the filming, and that there was a "dance club scene." I'm really looking forward to seeing that.
- Sunday night we went to the Hanover Theater in Worcester to see Cathy Rigby is "Peter Pan." The kids have watched this version of the show many, many times on Netflix On Demand, and I couldn't resist getting tickets to see it in person. Cathy Rigby was amazing, and it's just such a fun performance. It was Max's first big show, and he behaved really well. Which means I'll want to get him tickets to see Mary Poppins the next time that's in town.
- Halloween went really well this year, especially compared to last year's double fever edition, when neither kid got to go out for trick-or-treating. Hannah was a "rock n' roll witch" and Max was the lead character from the PBS Kid's show "Super Why." Both of them really liked their costumes, which always helps. We went to the Bowen Elementary School Halloween party on Friday night, and then last night I left work early to take them to the village and around our street. The kids also painted their pumpkins this year.
- On a totally silly note, my Mom bought me a pair of Uggs for my birthday, and I'm just breaking them in today. I have wanted a pair for a really long time, thinking they must be worth all the fuss or they would have stopped selling them years ago. They really are super warm and comfortable.
- I'm really enjoying the new Coldplay album. Jennifer Weiner has a new short story out that I'm planning to read soon. And Mindy Kaling's new book is high on my list to start too. And there's a new episode of Glee tonight featuring my favorite guy from The Glee Project.

What's been making you happy?

34 (A New Diagnosis)

2011-10-25T13:24:00.005-04:00

I turned 34 last week. Thirty-four isn't worth a lot of fanfare, but it was a pretty nice birthday. I got some wonderful gifts this year, all things I wanted, nothing I truly needed. I recognize how very fortunate I am to be in that position, to be able to get things off of the "it would be nice to have..." list. Despite us being very well off, I'm not very good at doing or buying the things I need just for me, especially the extras. But this year, I felt I really need to treat myself well.

It's not something I talk about much, but I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes at 24. Over the years I've tried a few different medications, and was on insulin throughout both of my pregnancies. I am by no means a good patient. I always take my meds, but I haven't always been very careful about what I eat, and I don't test my glucose levels as often as I could. Many days, other than when I was pregnant, I didn't give it a lot of thought. When I did try to be "good," I'd often have a middle of the night awful episode of low blood sugar. Plus it's not like I haven't had other medical issues that took up more of my time - not being able to walk trumps glucose levels (which were actually very good during that time, since I wasn't able to get myself food very easily).

A couple of weeks ago, I had a new blood test done, and it revealed that instead of Type II I have what's referred to as Type 1.5, or latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). I'm not an expert, but basically it means that my pancreas doesn't work. As the link above says, "simply stated, autoimmune disorders, including LADA, are an "allergy to self.”" For years, I have blamed myself for not trying hard enough, not having enough will power, to just eat better, exercise more, and make the diabetes go away. I always thought that when Max turned three, I'd make my efforts to get better (and I have, with this whole gym thing). Now my doctor has said I can stop beating myself up, that's it's not going to happen.

It's been pretty devastating news to receive. I know there are many, many worse things that can happen in life, that this is just a tweak to what I already knew, but it's still hard to hear "this is forever" rather than hold that hope alive that it wasn't for the rest of my life. I just always assumed that some day I'd be done with this.

So I've had the last few weeks to process this information and get ready for the next phase of tackling it. Later this week I'll be getting a continuous glucose monitor to use in tracking my blood sugar levels at all times. It requires inserting something under the skin of my stomach, and I'll be wearing a device that resembles a pager to track it all. It's actually a really cool technology, and should help give me better information to modulate my medications as needed. And it comes in a purple case, so you can't beat that. I'm doing insulin shots with meals in addition to my long-acting nighttime insulin, and depending on how things go with the monitor, I will consider the possibility of adding an insulin pump. But one thing at a time - this one change is overwhelming enough. But as my friend Stephanie said, today it seems like a mountain. Soon, it will just seem like a blip on the radar.

Did I need some treats to make me feel better as I faced this? Absolutely. Was it better to buy a new watch than eat an extra slice of birthday cake? Definitely.

It's funny, but you (or at least I) look back at your life and see the blessings and challenges that each year held: first full time job at 22, married at 24, baby #1 at 26, finished graduate degree at 28, baby #2 at 30, back surgery at 32. Thirty-four is starting off this way. Hopefully, I'll be able to look back and see that this wasn't the defining moment, even if it feels that way now.

Catching Up and Slowing Down

2011-10-12T15:36:00.002-04:00

Well, my faithful handful of readers, I only managed to blog twice last month, so this is one of my catch up posts. September was a difficult, ass-kicking month for me. It seemed everything needed doing and usually at the same time.

The kids went back to school and all is going well so far. Hannah likes her teachers and is keeping up with all of the new homework demands this year. Most of her homework is done on the computer, which can be a bit complicated because she doesn't have much computer knowledge yet (lots of "Help, I clicked the wrong thing!"), but she's doing a good job with it. She started piano lessons, and is taking swim lessons instead of karate for now. Hebrew school is also two days a week now, often with its own homework component too. Max is happy in Room K Koalas, and we're hearing more and more about how he's spending his days. He got to be Shabbat Helper last week, which is always a highlight for him, and seems intrigued by their new class pets: a bunch of worms that they'll follow through the year.

Work has been incredibly busy, but we were excited to see our new fund launch at the end of September. We have had an institutional product for a long time, but this is our team's first foray into the retail market, and it's very exciting. It's been very interesting to see all that goes into a fund launch, since I've never been on that side before, and a challenge to add all of that on to my normal responsibilities.

We're also in the middle of the month of Jewish holidays that come every fall. We spent Rosh Hashanah in Newton, with Marc cooking two really nice meals, and we had a great time on the second day with the Weitzman family. After a chaotic day we made it to Hartford to spend Yom Kippur with Marc's family, and while it wasn't the smoothest trip, we had a great time being together. We put up our sukkah last weekend and are looking forward to having lots of people over to join us in it this Saturday afternoon.

After going weekly for the past couple of months, I am no longer going to physical therapy and have resumed going to the gym and working out on my own. My therapist was able to quantify my improvement, and I'm no longer as scared of hurting myself when moving my body. I even made it to the gym three times in a week once, which was my goal when I started working out in March (though I haven't done it again, 2x a week seems like the most I can do right now). It's getting easier, and I'm hoping to stick with it.

And in the midst of all this, there's been lots more. A couple of birthday parties, plus celebrating Marc's birthday one Shabbat evening. The annual Temple Emanuel BBQ. Back to school nights. Apple picking at Tougas Farm. Touch-a-Truck. The Lion King in 3D. Yo Gabba Gabba Live in Concert. Dinner out with Room K parents. Taking both kids to the dentist. Thankfully, this all didn't happen on the same day, though sometimes, it felt like it did.

But I did manage to carve out some downtime in the last few weeks, if you can believe it, and I realized that I'm really no good with downtime. With too much of it, I get depressed and anxious, or all wound up trying to figure out plans for next summer. It's just easier to always be doing something.

Which is probably why I have three parties on the calendar for this Sunday.

So what have you been up to?

Yea, I Kinda "Know How She Does It"

2011-09-19T10:49:00.003-04:00

SPOILER ALERT: This contains some details from the movie, including the ending. If you don't want to know, don't read on!

This weekend the movie version of the book "I Don't Know How She Does It," by Allison Pearson, was released, starring Sarah Jessica Parker. The film depicted SJP as a married financial analyst living in Boston with a young daughter and son, and her struggles to keep up with all of the demands (sometimes self-imposed) that those roles entail.

Gee, I just don't have any clue at all *how* she does it.

Or as my friend Jenny said, perhaps I was the inspiration for it all.

But no, the book came out in 2002 - two years before Hannah was born. It appears that I read the book then too, since I own the hardcover copy, and had started my MBA in January of 2003 (and got pregnant in May of 2003), so chances are I wasn't reading anything for pleasure at that time.

I remember reading it, and being a bit scared about how I would some day balance it all myself. The book takes place in London, and harried doesn't begin to describe lead character Kate Reddy's existence. There is never enough time for her marriage, she frets about not knowing the extensive details of her children's lives, has a complicated relationship with her nanny, and fights to be taken seriously in the office. Each chapter ends with her list of things to remember, which keep her up late at night.

But without yet having children myself, well, I couldn't possibly know just how much I would come to identify with Kate. Keeping track of the treasured comfort item, planning birthday parties, Power Point slides on daily average liquidity, kids obsessed with Mary Poppins - none of that had happened to me yet. But boy, has it happened. In an episode of the book I'd forgotten, Kate's daughter pushes her to read the book "Little Miss Busy" to her one evening at bedtime, and that book influenced my chat screen name being LilMisBusy when Marc and I met back in 1999, it's a theme I've kept up with for a long time now, and must have laughed at reading it at the time.

Having the movie set in Boston took all of the coincidences to another level. Of course there were many landmarks I recognized (and I think the entire audience snickered at the very fake "Boston Children's Hospital" edifice), though we never once saw SJP descend into the T on those stiletto heels. Near the start of the movie, her toddler son crawls in bed with her in the morning, and she sings "I Love You, a Bushel and a Peck" to him, and that was sung to me, and I have often sung it to Hannah and Max. Before the movie began, I had discussed a recent work issue with Stephanie, and an incredibly similar one was mentioned in the film. So yea, it was a lot like my own life, but with fewer high heels, and bosses who look nothing like Pierce Brosnan (sorry, guys).

So being a book and a movie, neat and tidy endings are required. In the book, Kate eventually quits her job, sells her house in the city, and spends a lot more time with her husband and kids, but shows an inkling towards going back to work in some capacity. In the movie (and perhaps owing to today's economic realities), Kate keeps her job but seems to get a bit more flexibility after having a major office success. She basically admits that life will always be crazy, but says she'll try harder to slow down.

With so many similarities, I can't help but compare where I'm at with the book and film. I may be kidding myself, but I don't think my life is as chaotic as Kate's, particularly because I don't have to travel for my job. I did get the flexibility I needed this year with my one day a week working at home, and it has had a profound impact on my stress level. As the kids are getting a little older, some things are easier. And I recognize how fortunate we are that we're not dealing with some of the major issues that affect so many and can completely derail what you had expected out of life. But at times I am truly overwhelmed and feel like I'm drowning.

And yet there are entire spheres of life that I just don't handle. Marc is completely responsible for all things car and landscaping-related. Anything needing fixing or building is also his domain. I am house-blind to a certain degree as well. If you calculate the number of drop-offs and pick-ups as 10 per week per kid, Marc generally does 13 out of 20. He is largely responsible for all food-related activities too, and the list goes on. So in my mind, that's not me "doing it all." That's having a very committed partner who makes it possible to do the rest of it. Hopefully he'd say the same about me.

But I do feel like I successfully juggle an awful lot of things, and manage to keep my husband, children, extended family and bosses reasonably happy with the job I do. Often, I'm happy with multiple pieces of the juggle at the same time! Every day is different, and there are some days where "doing it all" works out a lot better than others, but I'm not sure I could do it any other way. I know that giving up any of the pieces wouldn't make me a better person. So the challenge in life continues to be adding more pieces to the puzzle - time to exercise, more time with friends, even more time writing here - while still keeping the other pieces together.

Does anyone have a book on that?

Thoughts on the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11/01

2011-09-11T10:39:00.002-04:00

I wasn't there, and I have no delusions that my perspective on today is worth anything to anyone but myself. So please feel free to skip this post if you're avoiding this topic today. I get it, and part of me is avoiding it too.

But I felt compelled to write something today, and I'm ignoring the challah crumbs all over the floor of my house to find a few minutes and write this. I can't believe it's been 10 years. In the days after I can actually remember thinking about what the tenth anniversary of this tragedy would be like. Would that compulsion to help others, and the pride everyone exhibited toward our country, still be such a prominent part of life? I doubted it, and unfortunately, I think I was right about that.

I've written before about my experiences that day, and reading many others stories in the last few weeks has crystallized a few things for me. The fact that strikes me first is that I'm still very much in love with Marc. I remember how angry at him I was that day when we were all walking home from work and I couldn't find him. Clearly, I wouldn't have been that angry if I didn't love him that much, and I know that ten years later, I would still feel just as angry.

I've been thinking about the day in the context of my children too. Max is still too young, but we've had some preliminary conversations with Hannah on the topic. But then I'm reminded how young she is too - almost eight, yet still innocent about so many things. You try to bring the threads together. She knows soldiers fight in Afghanistan, but she doesn't really know why. She knows people died, but she doesn't know why I put our flag up on the house today. I read somewhere that you should tell children that "some people did a bad thing," instead of saying they were "bad guys." I'm struggling about how to explain it all to her, so instead we left it open - if you hear something, or have a question, feel free to ask us. I'm trying to limit the discussion to only what she wants to know.

Today we're spending a lot of time at our synagogue. Before the start of religious school this morning, a ceremony was held outdoors, the shofar sounded, the Kaddish recited. This afternoon we'll be having our annual community BBQ, an event I've helped organize for the last few years. The Shabbat after 9/11 Marc and I visited a new synagogue for the first time, where a friend had gotten us tickets to spend the upcoming High Holidays. It wasn't the right place for us, but it was still comforting to be within a community at that time. Ten years later, it is an entirely different emotion to be among friends and feel at home within our synagogue, and I am grateful for that.

My anxieties about 9/11 have also evolved and caught up to the present day. Last night I barely slept, filled with nightmares about similar events happening now, in my office tower, with my family and friends affected. They are paralyzing thoughts, even when I consider how remote the odds are. And so I read the stories, and think about all those affected, and pray for all those who are suffering today and every day because of this senseless tragedy.

Summer's End

2011-08-31T10:54:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's August 31st. This summer has gone by all too quickly. Here are some updates from the last few weeks.

- Hannah and Max finished up the last few weeks of camp, and both of them had a great time this summer. Hannah portrayed a royal window washer in "The Queen Who Always Wanted to Dance" for her Arts Nite. She got to dramatically scream and fall down on stage, which I think she really enjoyed. Her group also danced to ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and both kids had their own dance party to the same song at home the following night. Thankfully, Max was very well behaved for Arts Nite too. I was very worried about the summer for him, as last summer at school didn't go very well. Despite being away from many of his friends in a new class, he seemed to really fall right into the new group and enjoyed all of the special activities at camp, such as a magician and petting zoos.
- Swimming has also been a big deal for the kids this summer. Hannah passed both the 4' and 9' swim tests, and proudly wore her bracelets all summer, even when she was nowhere near the pool. Max can now do "pizza arms" ("cut it, spread it, eat it!") and has complete confidence in the pool, even though he still doesn't really know how to keep himself afloat. I had a great time taking them to the outdoor pool last week, and Hannah had a fun play date there with her camp friend Olivia.
- We also had a fun play date with Hannah's oldest friend, Anais, and her little brother Max and mom Rana. Every time we get together it's like a triple play date, since we all get to enjoy being with someone. The girls have been friends since they were two and started at Gan Yeladim, and while we don't see them often enough, it's always great when we do get together.
- Somehow, I've had the opportunity to take care of myself more than usual in these last few weeks. First I got a much needed haircut, and it's a lot shorter than I usually go. I've been getting lots of compliments on it, but I'm pretty anxious for it to grow out a bit. I used a LivingSocial coupon for a mani/pedi, and tried out a Jelly Pedi. I'm not sure if it made a big difference on my feet, but it was definitely interesting. I also went for a massage, but while I was there I canceled my membership. I have been finding less and less time to go there, and I'm not sure it's worth the money right now.
- We were incredibly fortunate to be spared any major damage during Hurricane Irene, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it got to us. We never lost power, and only suffered from being stir crazy. I, for one, am perfectly fine with the level of hype the media allowed before the storm, and when I see the devastation it wrought on others (like the mama bird diaries, who I've been reading for years), it shows just what a difference it can make to have taken those precautions.
- Despite a hurricane-delayed start, the kids have been at "Camp Grandma" in Connecticut since Monday, and are coming home tonight. Marc and I have gone out to dinner twice (the Met Bar and Grill and Fiorella's) and saw a movie, and even accompanied each other on walks to the village. The break has been good for all of us, but I am very ready to hug and kiss the kids tonight.

There's just a few days left until school starts up again on Tuesday. Max will be in the same classroom, so hopefully there won't be much change for him, though he'll miss having Hannah at the JCC with him. Hannah starts second grade in a new co-taught classroom, with many of her good friends in the class with her. She's also particularly excited because this classroom is the only one in the building with air conditioning! We will go visit the class tomorrow. We have plans to go to a couple museums this weekend, and Marc is taking me to a Matisyahu concert on Saturday night. I think I'll also be seeing two other movies out with friends, so three movies in one week will probably fill my quota for the year!

I hope you've all been enjoying these final not-so-lazy days of summer!

An Update From The Back

2011-08-26T10:16:00.002-04:00

Faithful readers might remember that last spring I decided it was finally time to get myself together and start exercising. I wrote that post on May 8, a couple of months after I began seeing a personal trainer and in the middle of a few hectic weekends. By May 14, The Back was out again.

So after getting The Back as close to normal again and going out to California, in the last few weeks I've begun seeing a physical therapist to help prevent another painful episode. So far, it's been challenging. The exercises themselves don't seem that bad, and yet they end up bothering me. I am trying to strengthen my back so that I can get back to regular exercise without harming myself, but it's also a mental challenge. Twisting is not my friend - it was a bad twist that set off my left side and resulted in two months of not being able to walk. I have a hard time not flashing back to that moment, as it is seared in my memory, and the nerves in my legs and feet remember it well too. So when my therapist added some twists to my routine in the last week, I've really been feeling it. These thirty minutes of exercise are completely exhausting too. I'm not getting that energized feeling from exercising; I'm getting the "oh my goodness I need to go to bed early" feeling.

I have no idea if it's helping yet, but I will stick with it and hopefully see some results. I don't want to spend the rest of my life accommodating The Back in every way - looking for chairs with arms, keeping one hand on the counter as I load the dishwasher, trying to avoid carrying anything at all. It's so draining to be constantly aware of how I could hurt myself, and so I hope at some point I can re-train my brain not to expect pain, but instead to swiftly do the activity as I would have before all this started.

Debbie Gibson and Tiffany: Journey Through the '80's!

2011-08-12T17:14:00.007-04:00

Last weekend I got to live out a childhood dream - I saw Tiffany and Debbie Gibson in concert.

Now, lest you think I was a deprived child, I was anything but. I saw Madonna in third grade. The Jets, Paula Abdul, Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, Dan Fogelberg, Styx, the Beach Boys, Chicago, America, and probably a few others I can't remember at the moment, plus lots of Broadway shows once I got into those. But somehow, I never made it to the mall when Tiffany was in town. I've watched both of their careers from the sidelines over the years, and now they're capitalizing on a wave of '80's nostalgia and touring together.

Helping me to keep up with my zest for all things pop culture is New York Magazine's Vulture feature. They posted this video of the duo appearing on The View, and I went on to post it on facebook (I have to resist the impulse to post a great deal of material I find on Vulture - you really should check it out.) I couldn't find any tour dates at first, but within six minutes my college friend Michael said that they were performing at the North Shore Music Theater in just a few days! His friend had won tickets at drag queen bingo (of course) and he was going to the show.

I'm not an impulse person. Yet the tables turned quickly, and within 24 hours I'd convinced Marc to come with me and found a sitter for the kids. It was all meant to be.

The show was fantastic. I'd never been to the venue before, and was surprised to find out that it was theater-in-the-round, and we had seats in the fifth row. People were dressed in '80's garb, neon and puffy paint, some wearing shirts from the original concert tours. Tiffany and Debbie Gibson first got on stage together, and sang a couple of hits from the '80's, including Toni Basil's "Mickey." Then Tiffany got the stage to herself for a while, and this is when their true personalities began to emerge. Tiffany attempted a Stevie Nicks song, and well, it sounded really bad. But she seemed to know it, and after the first few lines, called out for something to be adjusted and she started again. And she sounded great. She sang "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Could've Been," which had the man in the audience next to me in tears. When a wardrobe change took longer than expected, she explained that she couldn't get her boot on back stage. Everything about her performance felt very authentic, and even enjoyed some of her new country material. I longed to be up there with her as a back-up singer. :)

After intermission it was Debbie Gibson's turn, and the woman is a performer. She had two back-up dancers, several costume changes, and kept up a witty repartee the entire time she was on stage. She sang "Shake Your Love" and "Only In My Dreams" (now an Old Navy commercial) and talked about being a star at such a young age. She did several Broadway numbers from her days in various shows, but my favorite portion of the night was when she pulled out several pages of sheet music and off the cuff played piano and sang along to several classic songs from the '80's, including Belinda Carlisle's "I Get Weak." She talked about texting Richard Marx for his approval to sing one of his songs, and how he promised to feature "Electric Youth" at a future performance. Tiffany joined Debbie back on stage for a few more songs, and they walked the perimeter of the stage, shaking hands with about half of the audience. There were more flubbed lyrics and banter between them, and I loved all of it. They ended with "Don't Stop Believin'" which has to be included in every '80's-themed performance from now until the end of time.

I left with the biggest smile on my face. As we drove home, Marc and I debated who was a better performer and discussed the entire show. Never in the almost 12 years that we've been together did I expect to be discussing Tiffany and Debbie Gibson with him, and I appreciate him being such a good sport and coming with me (but he had a great time, too).

Here are a few pictures from the show - it was HARD to get decent shots. I'm so glad I got to see them! Thanks to Vulture and drag queen bingo for helping to make this happen for me!

Always Wear Sneakers to the Esplanade (Or, "Lessons I Learned From JKL")

2011-08-05T09:29:00.006-04:00

Today I rocked the ultra-stylish "white sneakers while commuting" look into the office. But more on that in a moment.

My best friend of fifteen years, Julie, is moving to Florida next week. For those of you who don't know her personally, I am one of many who claim her as their best friend. This leads to bridal parties consisting of eight bridesmaids, with a few groomsmen standing up on her behalf as well, and countless others needing special honors on her wedding day. Julie is a connector. At her goodbye party last week, I lamented the fact that without her around, I won't have an excuse to see the many others in her life that I have grown attached to over the years.

We met on moving in day as freshman at Brandeis University, with dorm rooms across the hall from each other. Both of our roommates got there on the later side of the day, and I think we would consider each other the first official person we met in college. Over the course of the year, Julie spent a lot more time in my and Carol's dorm room than her own, and we were roommates throughout the rest of college. When she left for a semester abroad (remember how L-O-N-G those few months apart seemed then?), she spent hours making me a collage of magazine cut-outs filled with inspirational words and inside jokes. I still have it, and returned the favor years later, making her a 10 minute photo slideshow for her bridal shower.

We've had lots of adventures together over the years, but tonight one of my favorites will be revisited. In the summer of 1999, between our junior and senior years of college, I was already living in our rented apartment for the following school year. Julie had just gotten back from Israel, and we made plans to spend the Fourth of July together. Well, we at least agreed we were getting together, but the "plans" portion was undefined - very unusual for us. Somehow, we started the day at a Christmas Tree Shop (not really for purchasing Christmas trees, for those of you not familiar). We bought fancy plastic cups and a hammock, which we promptly installed in our living room. Because what college living room is complete without a hammock in it?

(I so wish I could track down pictures of that hammock right now. Although I was growing out my bangs then, so maybe not.)

Anyway, on a whim we decided that we would join the masses and head to Boston's Esplanade for the fireworks display. We figured out how to take the T there and when we arrived, the place was already packed. Somehow, we found a spot on a bridge, and sat there for hours with our feet dangling over the Charles River. A very annoying vendor was perched close by our spot, and we endlessly listened to him hawk, "Glow sticks! Get your glow sticks he-ah!" We commiserated with our neighbors about it, but didn't give up our prime location. Suddenly, and I'm still not sure how it happened, one of Julie's new Naot sandals, fresh from Israel itself, dropped into the river! There was a bit of pandemonium, and a small crowd assembled as Julie was forced to wade into the river and retrieve her shoe. We all looked around for the glow stick guy, who had mysteriously disappeared, just when we could have used one of those damn glow sticks to help reach the lost shoe. Julie got fairly wet, and despite hours of sitting in the sun, still had a damp shoe as we shuffled back on the T to go home. We kept looking for signs of radiation sickness from her time in the river, but Julie managed to survive.

Tonight we'll be heading to the Esplanade again, this time with our husbands and Hannah and Max, to watch a movie together. There is more advanced planning involved (we've had it on our Google calendars for months), and I don't think we'll be sitting that close to the river, but I've worn my sneakers, just in case.

Julie, I am so happy for you and Michael, and so excited about the new life you will be beginning together in Florida. I am holding tight to that thought, rather than acknowledging the lump that has lodged in my throat when I think about you being so far away. I think we're going to have to break our rule of not talking on the phone unless it's major news (engagements, babies, a few tragic moments), and I am counting on you getting a job that will allow our need for several email interactions each day. I am so lucky to have had you be such an important part of my life for almost half of my life, and definitely for the many important moments we've gone through together. Marc, Hannah, Max and I will miss you very, very much, and we can't wait to visit you in Florida. Preferably in the winter, when we're sick of shoveling snow.

Love you, Jewel.

California 2011

2011-07-31T15:49:00.010-04:00

After endless discussions about going to California, we were so excited to finally get there earlier this month! The trip was a complicated one, but we managed to do everything we had planned for in advance.

We arrived to Oakland late Tuesday night, and met up with Uncle Ryan at our hotel. The kids were so excited to see him, and Max immediately spilled the beans about the contents of our wedding gift for him and Aunt Allison. After renting our minivan the following morning, we drove to San Francisco and met my parents. The seven of us spent a fun afternoon walking through Pier 39 to Ghiradelli Square and then going on a cable car ride. That night we drove to Sebastopol, where we'd be spending the next few days before the wedding. Fillis and John met us there as well, and we spent the next few days preparing for the wedding with tuxedo rentals, a BBQ, a bridal shower for the women, a golf outing for the men, rehearsing and rehearsal-dining, using the hotel pool and exploring a bit at Goat Rock beach. We also caught up with my uncle and two aunts, whom I had not seen in a very long time.

The wedding day was a glorious one. The weather was just perfect for an outdoor venue. We spent the morning getting our hair done, and then joined the bride in her room to witness the last minute preparations. Allison looked absolutely beautiful. Her dress was just gorgeous, but it was the smile on her face that truly made her glow. The groom and bride were trying not to see each other, so they were sequestered on different floors of the hotel. At one point, Ryan yelled down to me from a balcony and said, "I'll drive," which both my mom and I interpreted to mean he was taking his own car to the vineyard. My mom said she and my dad would ride with him. So after seeing the bride had departed, the four of us drove off to follow her there. A few minutes later, we got a panicked call from Ryan! He'd meant that he would drive OUR car there, not his! So we circled back and picked up the groom and my parents, and only got us slightly off the day's packed schedule. I think that was the only thing that went wrong all day though, as everything was just beautiful. Ryan's breath was taken away when he saw Allison. We posed for some photos, and then got ready for the ceremony. Hannah and Max did a very well as flower girl and ring bearer. Max in particular was so proud of his role in the wedding, and he loved watching the whole thing. He was very taken with the breaking of the glass, so much so that he broke a plastic glass of his own during the reception. Hannah was a flower girl veteran, and did her job with grace, wearing a beautiful floral wreath on her head. The ceremony was lovely, and I couldn't help tearing up a bit, but managed my reading well enough. Allison and Ryan are a wonderful couple, and we were so happy to be part of such an important day in their lives. We had a great time dancing, eating and toasting at the reception, and watching them drive off in their convertible when the day was done.

On Sunday we were up early, ready to move on to the next part of our adventure. We had a nice breakfast with Aunt Mary and Haillie before we headed back to San Francisco. We said goodbye to my parents there, and then headed back to Oakland to exchange the minivan for a sedan for the rest of our trip. We spent the rest of the day driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at a state park to see seals and having dinner in Big Sur before stopping to watch the sun set. The drive was beautiful; I had worried I'd be scared, but it was really fine. We stayed overnight in San Simeon, and toured Hearst Castle the following morning. I think the bus ride up the hill to the Castle may have been Max's favorite part of the trip. It was a beautiful place, and we even got to see some behind-the-scenes areas when the kids needed a bathroom break. Very cool.

We spent the afternoon driving the rest of the way to Los Angeles, which took longer than anticipated, but we finally made it to my Uncle Marc and Lexie's beautiful home. Their daughters Cheyenne and Dakota took an instant liking to Hannah and Max, and they had a great time swimming while I caught up with my Aunt Allison and cousin Samantha too. The following day we went to Disneyland, and the kids were very excited, but it was Hannah's favorite part of the trip. We managed to see Mickey Mouse without too much of a wait, and enjoyed a bunch of rides before taking the monorail to Downtown Disney for lunch. Then we did some driving around downtown LA according to Marc's carefully crafted agenda while the kids took a much needed nap. We saw the Hollywood sign and drove down Rodeo Drive before having dinner at Jeff's Gourmet Kosher Sausage Factory. We drove back to Disneyland for the last couple hours, and kept the kids up until midnight seeing the Fantasmic show. While I prefer Disney World to Disneyland, we still had a really great day.

On our final day of vacation we saw the amazing Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center, which the kids really enjoyed. We drove from there to Long Beach, and had dinner in the Shoreline Marina before catching our 9 pm flight home to Boston. It was a great trip, but I was definitely ready to head home.

Thank you to Ryan and Allison for getting married, and giving us the excuse to have such a nice getaway! And now, a few pictures. Enjoy!

Toast for Ryan and Allison’s Wedding

2011-07-16T19:00:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don’t know me, I am Cheryl Pollock Stober, Ryan’s older sister. I appreciate having the opportunity to share a bit with you about my brother on this special day.

Now Allison, I’m sure you thought you knew my brother well, but I’m not sure you knew that he is in fact a doctor. You see, when he was about three or four, he invented a character he called Dr. Missumio. It involved a piece of string tied just so around his head, with a blue connecting piece from his beloved Fisher-Price Construx hitting somewhere between his eyes. He would speak in the most proper way a four year old could muster, and do whatever it took to make his big sister laugh.

Growing up, Ryan and I were always very close. He’d patiently play along while I arranged my large collection of Cabbage Patch Kids, and I tolerated playing a few rounds of Sonic the Hedgehog on his SEGA. We attended the same overnight camp, and during his last summer there, when I was too old to attend, he brought me home a bag of dirt because he knew how much I loved it there. When I went off to college, I emailed him and my mother every day, beginning a tradition that has gone on for almost 15 years now, taking us through email addresses at AOL, Brandeis and Cornell universities, Yahoo and ultimately Gmail. Ryan always kept us on the cutting edge.

My parents have succeeded at one of my top goals in raising my own children - that they should be best friends. Ryan, while we may live on opposite sides of the country, you have been and will always be one of the most important people in my life. Allison, I couldn’t ask for a better woman for his wife. I knew Ryan had found his soulmate when I first saw them order in a restaurant together, agreeing to each split their meals, with Ryan willing to eat something more exotic than I’d ever heard him order on his own. Allison, you are not only sweet and loving, patient and kind, but willing to put up with Ryan’s gadget addiction and great love for the San Francisco 49ers. I look forward to celebrating many happy times together, and being there to support you as you have always supported me.

So please raise your glass, to Ryan and Allison, mazel tov, l'chaim!

Boston's Ballerinas

2011-06-30T10:34:00.000-04:00

If you follow me on Twitter, you know about my daily hassles with my commute. It's often crowded and uncomfortable, and the lack of control over the situation drives me crazy. But there are a few bright spots for me: listening to my favorite Glee tracks, playing endless games of Revomem, and of course, the people watching.

I've been taking the Green Line for many years now, and by far my favorite phenomenon is the return of the ballerinas. Each summer, a group of teenage ballerinas starts getting on the train at Kenmore Square, and riding the few stops to Copley Square. With their yoga mats and hair done up in perfect buns, I'm just fascinated by them. I don't know anything about their program, but seeing them as I'm trudging off to my office tower just makes me happy. I imagine that they're putting a little more grace out into the universe (whereas I don't a graceful twitch in my body). I've noticed that other commuters seem to cheer up in their presence too. They're on the T for such a short time, and only for a few weeks, so it's like this elusive, hidden part of Boston, and I feel lucky to get to see them.

What are the insider parts of your neighborhood that make it feel special?

The Kids Grow Up

2011-06-27T13:19:00.004-04:00

The last few weeks have been beyond hectic, with a big event happening almost daily. We had birthday parties, class parties, a block party, a goodbye party, a school party and a family party. We hosted my sister-in-law Rachel and two year old niece and nephew, Evie and Nate, with my in-laws staying locally as well for a few days. There's been so much to celebrate, but it's also been a time of transition with the ending of first grade for Hannah, and moving on to a new classroom for Max.

Hannah has been looking forward to the start of camp for months, and is beyond thrilled to be in a group with her oldest friend from Gan Yeladim and her best camp friend for three years running. But when I picked her up from the last day of first grade, well, some tears were shed at the thought of moving on and being in second grade. It's been such a big year for her, and she has been so proud of all the progress she's made at school, that it was difficult to say goodbye to it all, but she seemed happy at camp drop off this morning.

Tuesday was Max's last day in the Room E Elephants, and he proudly sang along to all of the songs with his friends. He's moving on to Room K Koalas (the animal aspect is a big part of the identity to him), and unfortunately, away from the group of kids he has been with for the last two years. We didn't point that out to him, and have been talking about all of the positive aspects of the new class, but my heart breaks for him a bit. Hopefully, he will enjoy the new class too much to notice. After five days at home, going to school today made for a rough morning in the house, but he seemed resigned to it by the time we dropped him off.

Marc said I seemed more excited about all this change than the kids do, and I guess I'm trying to show them that they have so much to be excited about (and they really, truly do). But it's another year done too - and I'm not going to burden them with the lump in my throat that forms while hearing Green Day's "Time of Your Life" during the first grade slide show or leaving them to navigate their way through a sea of new faces.

Last night I watched the documentary "The Kids Grow Up" (dumb idea to watch it on a Sunday night, leaving me too amp'ed up to fall asleep afterward), but it's the story of filmmaker Doug Block's only child, Lucy, and her last year at home before going off to college. But seeing as she doesn't actually want him filming much of her life anymore, it's generously supplemented by many scenes from throughout Lucy's childhood and adolescence. Lucy is ready to go, but dad Doug isn't ready to let her. Some would say it's narcissistic, that he's filming her but it's really all about him, but isn't that what so much of the parenting experience is? Aren't we spending all of this time and effort on them with our own hidden agendas (or sometimes even in plain view)? How can we not focus on our own feelings about what our children are going through, when they are ostensibly the most important thing in the world to us?

My friend Candace snapped a picture of the kids at the JCC picnic last week, and I put it on my desk at work today, updating the picture I had there from three years ago. We're not ready for college yet, but time is flying.

June 2008, 4.5 and 0.5 years old

June 2011, 7.5 and 3.5 years old

Fast Few Weeks

2011-06-07T14:00:00.002-04:00

It's been a fast few weeks around here. Frustratingly, my latest blog posts on Allison's bachelorette and the Temple Emanuel Retreat didn't pull into facebook, so I'm sharing the links to those here. Here's what we've been up to since then.

After the retreat we dove right back in to Temple Emanuel, and I attended quite a few meetings in the last three weeks. They mostly centered around the Yom Hashoah committee and the direction that group is going to go during the next year. It's been a really interesting process, and I'm really proud of the work our committee is doing. It's great to be part of a group that has such a high level of dedication. We also had Hannah's last day of religious school for the year, with its closing assembly. While she really enjoys religious school, I have to admit that I'm happy for one less morning of rushing around now that it's ended for the summer! And we had our 12th Ruach Shabbat Family Service - so exciting!

Marc and I accomplished a big goal of refinancing our house, and we had the closing for that recently. The transaction was a bit complicated, but we had an excellent experience with Sovereign Bank and everything went very smoothly. It's been something we've been waiting to do for quite some time, and I'm happy that we were able to get that completed.

Work has been really busy for me. Really good, lots of exciting things going on, but really busy. And so with all of this going on, it would be a really convenient time for my back to start acting up again, right? Sigh. Yea, The Back (it gets capitals now because it's really become a separate entity from the rest of me and deserving of proper noun status) got pretty bad for a while there. I had to go to a couple of doctor's appointments trying to get it functioning properly again. Last Friday I began a round of prednisone, aka The Wonder Drug, because Gd knows what it does but it has helped. I'm pretty close to normal again, for which I am very grateful. Prednisone is loads of fun for me, as I get very jittery and PRODUCTIVE with a major caps lock. If only this level of energy was sustainable! But it felt good to get so much done after coping with pain for a few weeks. Yes, I promise I'm being really careful not to aggravate The Back again, and I think I will be starting physical therapy for it soon. (This has also meant the exercise project has been put on hold - hopefully temporarily.)

Which brings us right up to today. It's a beautiful day here in Newton. Hannah's wearing green for Color Day at Bowen, and Max is wearing pajamas at the JCC to simulate staying up all night studying Torah for the holiday of Shavuot. Tonight I won't be attending any study sessions per se, but I will be going to the Glee Live concert in Boston. As Marc said, it's Torah in its own way, or at least it is for me. Tomorrow night Marc is planning to bring the kids downtown to meet me after work to check out the Jimmy Fund's Scooper Bowl, a Boston event I've always wanted to attend (and in keeping with Shavuot's dairy theme). Thursday night is Hannah's after care group's annual picnic. Then the weekend has some birthday parties and Village Day to look forward to. Time is just flying by, and even with The Back issues, I've been really happy lately. Hoping you're all having a great start to summer as well.

Retreat

2011-05-29T14:30:00.000-04:00

For the first time, Temple Emanuel opened its annual 6th grade family retreat to the entire synagogue, and as soon as I'd heard about it, I wanted to go. I LOVED camp (hi, GUCI facebook friends) and have often said I'd go back today if they'd let me.

We spent the weekend of May 13-15 at Camp Yavneh in New Hampshire. It was a lot to pack up four people and the traffic to get there was hairy, but once we pulled in to camp, it was perfect. We stayed in a brand new bunk, and I was SHOCKED at how nice everything was. While it was secluded in the woods, everything was close together. We sang and prayed, ate and played, and mostly spent lots of time talking with one another. That's always the most difficult part for Marc and me - as much as we want to create a community at our synagogue and are often busy attending events there, we're still constrained by the presence of small children who interrupt conversations or need to go home to nap. The retreat gave us a prolonged opportunity to let those conversations develop and deepen. And of course the best part of the weekend was the unscheduled time spent with friends, laughing under a porch roof while the rain fell down around us.

I had a great time, and it sounds like we'll get to make this an annual thing. Temple friends, mark down May 11-13, 2012, and I'll see you there!

22 Hours Away

2011-05-27T13:02:00.003-04:00

Gah, I can't believe May is almost over. It's been such a busy month, so forgive me for the gap between posting.

On Saturday, May 7, I got to spend a glorious day in NYC to celebrate my future sister-in-law Allison's bachelorette party. It was a surreal experience, mostly because it all went by so quickly, but also because I was without Marc or the kids for the day.

I took the Amtrak from the Rte. 128 station in to Penn Station, catching the train at 6:55 am. Which meant I was up from about 5 am on, heading in to a very full day. Maid of Honor Charlotte planned everything expertly and we all had a great time. After a really good brunch, some of the group took a bike ride through Riverside Park, and then we all gathered together for presents, cupcakes and bride-themed Pictionary ("to have and to hold" is very hard to illustrate!) while wearing our matching t-shirts. Allison and I got our make-up done at Sephora and then we all went to drinks and then dinner at Bread Nolita (the only place I'm listing by name here because it really was fantastic). We ended the night at a bar with the future bride and groom texting each other for most of the time spent there, which I thought was very cute. I caught a 2:40 am (no, that is not a typo) train back home. I managed to stay awake for 22 straight hours, but I had so much fun meeting Allison's friends and spending time with her that it went by in a flash.

Marc and the kids picked me up at 8 am and we went out for a Mother's Day breakfast. As wonderful as it was to be on my own for a day, I really missed them, and can't wait until we can all go to NYC together some time.

Thanks to Charlotte for such a wonderful day, and to Allison (and Ryan) for giving us all something to celebrate. Now on to California - July can't get here fast enough!

So long, sippies.

2011-05-09T18:06:00.001-04:00

It's happened so suddenly.

Passover came, and Marc didn't buy any sippy cups to use during the holiday, when we swap out all of our usual dishes for the eight days. Max had been using "big boy cups" at school forever, but at home, he still loved his sippy cups. There were some tearful mornings, but by the end of the holiday, he'd gotten used to the new cups. And so I didn't bring back the sippy cups.

I should be thrilled. It's a milestone. Less plastic in the dishwasher. Less time spent making sure lids are closed properly. He's growing up.

But that's just it. My baby is gone. Other than his attachment to his beloved blanket, all the trappings of babyhood are behind us - diapers, pacifiers, formula, teethers, onesies. I haven't pushed to get rid of the sippies because they were the last signs of the baby and toddler that he was.

I recognize that it's really more about me than him. Max is probably my last baby. Carrying another child, both inside me and out in the real world, would likely destroy what's left of my back. That's the prevailing reason not to have another child, but I'm having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that the decision isn't really my own. I love Hannah and Max so much, and I know I have more love to give (the financial resources are another matter, but one that I'm sure we'd find a way to overcome). I'm only 33, and I just don't feel done. But I can't avoid the fact that not having another child is what is best for the children I already have, as well as for my marriage, since I'm not sure Marc wants to handle another episode of me being incapacitated with back pain to such a degree.

So I've got to put this chapter of my life behind me. No more reading up on baby gear; from now on I'll read about $1500 strollers as part of social commentary, not for just how awesome and life-changing the features might be. And I'll take every opportunity I have to hold someone else's baby, just to be close to that kind of sweetness again.

And I'll do my best to remember the sweet babies that Hannah and Max were for me.

I Hate Exercising.

2011-05-08T14:27:00.000-04:00

Well, if that isn't the most obvious blog post title ever written, I don't know what is.

As I've said before, I've never really exercised in my life. There has never been a sport or physical activity I've found interesting. I get tired just thinking about moving. No matter how many times I've thought my weight might be holding me back from something, I never could get it together enough to do something about it, at least not for very long.

So I'm not sure what made me start now, except for the feeling that I've got everything else going so well, that I needed to finally improve this aspect of my life. In April I saw a personal trainer at the JCC for the first time, and have gone to the gym at least twice a week for the last six weeks (ideally, I'd like to get there 3x/week, but that hasn't happened yet). I've got a strength-building routine and then get myself onto the treadmill. I like my trainer, and I love being able to read on my phone while on the treadmill (especially since I can tweet about working out while I'm doing it - thanks to all those who send me encouraging tweets back!).

It's not fun. I can think of a million things I'd rather do than be there. I don't get a rush of endorphins from it. In fact, I don't think I get anything from it other than a lighter bank account. But I'm trying to stick with it and see if I can find some benefit. My back continues to be an issue - not that bad, but not totally perfect - so I'm being careful, but hoping this will help. I'm trying to model good behavior for the kids by doing it. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in pain, and I hope it will make some improvement to my weight.

But goodness, I hate exercising.

Any tips to make this work?

Sew...Disappointing

2011-04-27T08:30:00.000-04:00

Hannah wants to be a fashion designer.

Well, that's what she's said she wants to grow up to be since she was four years old. There have been some other careers that have crossed her mind, but she always comes back to fashion design. She's had a tiny bit of experience with sewing and knitting, and is usually a very enthusiastic student for anything art-related. When the pottery class she'd taken recently was oversubscribed for their next sessions, we decided to sign her up for a sewing class.

Hannah had a great trial class at HipStitch, a new sewing school in Newton. She eagerly participated in more lessons, with a goal of making a dress for herself and a matching dress for her American Girl doll, per the school owner's suggestion. But as the lessons went on, it was clear she wasn't accomplishing much, and Hannah's enthusiasm waned. At the end of six two-hour classes, she had very little to show for her participation.

I corresponded back and forth with the owner, who in the end seemed to place blame on Hannah for not being experienced enough and needing simpler projects. She is refunding some of our money, and said she hopes Hannah can come back for more classes when she's older. Hannah unhappily agreed that the class was not a good fit for her in the end. I feel like she was set up to fail - the task was just to big for an inexperienced child - and the school wasn't capable to teaching the number of students enrolled.

Hannah's been very fortunate to take a number of enrichment classes: karate, pottery, Spanish, swimming, soccer, tennis, ballet, tap and art. It's the first time that she's come away with such disappointment. While disappointment is a part of life, it's just a shame that her first sewing experience was such a letdown. Hopefully when she's a bit older we can try sewing classes again.

April Vacation

2011-04-26T17:00:00.001-04:00

This year's April vacation flew by. Yes, April, for you Midwesterners out there. I think it's a ridiculous time to have a vacation; I prefer the model I grew up with, one week off in March. Vacations in February AND April wreak havoc on working parent schedules, and then school lasts an eternity, into the end of June. But, I have to work with what I'm given, and that's just what we did.

The first night of Pesach was the first day of Hannah's week off, and Max was off from school through Wednesday. We headed to Hartford for the seders, getting a small glimpse of the Boston Marathon as we sat in traffic on 128. I spent some time helping Hannah with her bike riding before the seder, and found that singing Katy Perry's "Firework" is very effective for distracting nervous riders. Our seders were lovely, though we missed Rachel, Jon, Nate and Evie. After our traditional Wright-style seder on the first night, Marc led our smaller group for the second night with a new Haggadah and lots of interesting discussion. Marc and I drove home that night while the kids spent an extra day in Hartford.

On Thursday morning, Marc dropped off Hannah and I at my office, where we spent the day before catching a flight to visit my parents and see their new house! Hannah and I had a really great time there, getting to relax a bit, do some shopping, and spending a day in Amish country. Hannah was fascinated by the horse and buggies we passed on the road, as well as all of the cheese and candy she sampled along the way. As my mom has told me numerous times, there are some great bargains to be found in Amish country, and I scored a fabulous deal on some new Adirondack chairs for our backyard. I just have no idea when they'll arrive - the Amish will use credit card machines, but they don't send emails with tracking numbers!

It was wonderful for Hannah to get to see both sets of grandparents in one week. I can't believe we managed to cover another vacation gap so smoothly. Now we begin the march to the end of the school year!

Word Jumble

2011-04-20T13:46:00.005-04:00

The past few weeks have gone by in a blur, so here's what we've been up to, in Wordle.net form. I like how the font is half-cursive, like my own hand writing. More on Pesach and the rest of spring break after a trip home to visit my parents and see their new house!

Protesting Play-Doh

2011-04-13T16:06:00.001-04:00

Recently, my son Max's preschool sent out an email alerting us that an antisemitic group would be staging a demonstration at their facility. His preschool is part of a Jewish Community Center (JCC), an institution that is a fitness facility and hosts arts, cultural, youth and senior programming, and is open for membership to anyone. While I don't know much about the protesting organization, I know they don't particularly like Jewish people, homosexuals, or young men and women who died while serving in the military.

The JCC's email explained that the protesters are not permitted on the property, and that police presence would be involved to ensure an orderly protest. They encouraged us not to interact with the protesters, to not give them the attention they think they deserve. The email reminded us of their first amendment rights, which I support and understand. I was impressed that the JCC seemed to handling everything so well.

So why did my heart start pounding at the thought of these people holding up a few signs? A million thoughts began racing through my mind. Max can't read yet, and isn't likely to notice them, and any questions could easily be dismissed and forgotten in his three year old mind. The campus entrance is a good distance from his classroom, so it's highly unlikely they'd be anywhere near him. I know security is tight and his teachers are well-trained.

But I felt guilty - maybe I should keep him home for the day. Or bring him with me, downtown. He loves taking the train, but his whole routine gets disrupted and he probably won't have a great day. And I start thinking that if I wasn't a working mom, I wouldn't have to think about this, not have to fret about the one crazy person who takes things too far, today or any other day, just because it's a Jewish institution, just because I have to go to work. And my conversations with other descendants of the Holocaust start ringing in my ears, that we can never forget, because it can still happen now.

It's paralyzing, and agonizing that these people, who aren't worth my time, have gotten so far under my skin.

So with a lump in my throat, I let Marc take Max to school that morning. There were police there, but no protesters, and just a few protesters came and went later in the day.

But I really, really hate the effect this has had on me, who didn't even see or interact with them. And I think that's exactly what they wanted.

Ode to a Couch

2011-03-29T10:34:00.016-04:00

Our couch after it was first delivered to Park Drive, tags still on:

This past weekend, we took a big plunge and finally replaced our couch. We've been wanting to do it for quite some time, as sitting on it was difficult for me and my back issues since it wasn't very firm. With the matching armchair (really a "chair and a half") and ottoman, their presence in our living room dwarfed everything else. We were ready for sleeker and smaller, and found the new sofa of our dreams.

And yet.

We loved our big purple couch. Hannah actually cried to see it gone, and I got a little verklempt myself. In a way, this furniture told the story of a significant portion of our life as a young family.

When Marc and I met, he lived in a studio apartment and had a really nice futon (seriously!) that served as his bed and couch. The futon joined us in our first apartment together on Park Drive in the Fenway section of Boston, and served us well. But change was underway and the futon moved on to other family members. Buying the couch together was our first major purchase as a couple. We stood in the giant Jordan's Furniture showroom, analyzing the color ("do we really want a purple couch?"), and taking fabric swatches outside to see them in natural light. What we didn't realize at the time was just how LARGE the couch was - it seemed right at home in the vastness of Jordan's. When it was delivered to the apartment, it strongly contrasted with the building's bright green carpet, but we didn't care. The carpet was temporary - the couch would be moving on with us.

And move on it did, to our condo in Coolidge Corner in Brookline. Well, it tried to move on, but we couldn't actually get it in the place. So we had to have the sofa disassembled, brought in the condo in pieces, and then reassembled in its new home. The day after this reassembly, we sat on the couch and called our parents to tell them we were pregnant with their first grandchild, and both sets of grandparents were almost more interested in whether or not the couch was okay! Hannah cruised along the edges of the furniture, teaching herself to walk. After three years in the condo, we disassembled the couch once again, this time for our move to Newton.

Thankfully, we had a nice, wide and straight entry in our new house, and it was the last time we'd be calling the upholstery company. (Thank you, Melo & Sons!) For the next five years, the couch would move around the living room quite a bit, whether to serve as a baby gate for a constantly curious Max or pushed out of the way for a birthday party. It supported us through many sick days and too many Disney Channel shows, and was swept clean of snack crumbs more times than I care to remember. It was as close to a family member as any inanimate object could be.

Last night we Freecycled all three pieces, to a guy furnishing a new apartment for a family member. He's actually an acquaintance that we'll see now and again, and I'll have to fight the urge to ask how the furniture is doing, but I'm happy to know it's going to a new home. Marc and I told Hannah stories of couches past, Marc of a couch with his bite marks as a teething toddler, me of couches passed on to my grandfather that made visiting him feel like a visit to my childhood.

So that's the story of our big purple couch. It's time to start taking pictures on the new brown leather loveseat with an attached chaise lounge, which accommodates all four of us in a much smaller footprint. I know in time we'll love it as much as our old one, but I can't deny the lump in my throat as I say goodbye to a piece of our past.

In our condo (clearly before children - remember having bookcases like that?!?):

Hannah before her naming ceremony, March 2004:

Toddler modeling, September 2005:

Trying on her ballet gear, December 2007:

First sibling photo session on the couch, January 2008:

Cruising along, September 2008:

How dare you pen me in here!, January 2009:

Goofing around, November 2010:

Making new memories, March 2011:

Life Post-Jet Lag

2011-03-17T17:37:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy few weeks around here since getting back from our trip. The first week back was really difficult. We were all just so tired. I had all these grand ambitions for uploading my photos to facebook and getting started on an album, but the best I could do was to post on here. I was also waiting for the post-airplane colds and sickness, which helpfully haven't happened until just this week. Max was sick all day Sunday and Marc was affected yesterday, and Hannah and I both have colds too. So we've been in a bit of a fog, but spring temperatures have arrived, and I'm hoping we'll all snap out of it soon.

The weekend after we got home I rushed out the door again to our synagogue's first ever Sisterhood Retreat. I was a bit intimidated since I only knew a few of the women going, but my lovely roommate Stephanie paved the way with all of her cookbook connections. It was a nice weekend on the Cape, relaxing, praying and enjoying uninterrupted adult conversations. I met a lot of wonderful people, and look forward to getting to know everyone better!

Work has continued its breakneck pace - it feels like there hasn't been a dull moment since the start of 2011. On March 3, I was promoted to Bank Loan Product Analyst, a change that had been in the works for quite some time, but is now finally official. It's great to have the earned the recognition, and I'm very happy with how my job has been going lately (if a tiny bit overwhelming at times).

Last weekend I was feeling daring and decided to take both kids swimming together for the first time at the JCC. I've been talking about it for a while now, since Max had become very acclimated to the baby pool last summer, but didn't grasp the concept of being in a pool where he couldn't stand on his own when we went to a hotel. Hannah's become an accomplished enough swimmer that she doesn't really need my help anymore, and I end up standing around just in case I'm needed, so I figured, why not throw the occasionally defiant 3yo in the mix. I talked to him about the pool in great detail before we left, but he still got scared and let out a couple screams within the first few minutes we were there. But then big sister started being an excellent example and showed him how to jump in the pool, and from that moment on, he was completely enthralled. He jumped in, blew bubbles, and leaned against me to kick his legs exuberantly. He even sang himself a little song while staring upward, "I love the water! I love the ceiling! I love my blanket!" Well, blanket didn't come to the pool with us, but if he loves swimming as much as he loves blanket, this is going to be quite an affair. I can't wait to go with them again.

And on that positive JCC note - I'm taking another plunge. I've decided it's finally time to get some exercise happening in my life. I have never, ever attempted to exercise in an organized way - no sports leagues, no aerobics classes, no nothing. The JCC was offering a program that caught my eye, but due to my back issues, they suggested I go the personal training route instead. So, I'm trying to get that set up. It'll be slow to start, but I am going to really give it a try, and I hope you'll all help hold me accountable here. That factor is huge - I can always come up with an excuse not to do it (hey, I've got 33 years of practice doing that), but I think it's time for me to get moving. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Time is flying by so quickly. This winter was just so dreary, but judging by my calendar for the next few months, it'll be July before we know it (HELLO, RYAN AND ALLISON!). Looking forward to so many good things ahead!

The Paris Post

2011-03-02T19:37:00.029-05:00

The four of us had the amazing good fortune to take a trip to Paris last month. This trip has been in they makings for quite a long time, and I actually can't believe that's it's already over.

My in-laws, Fillis and John, met while living in Paris on their junior year abroad, and celebrated their 40th anniversary in January. That's the official reason for taking the trip when we did, but the truth is that Marc has been talking about talking a trip there with his parents for as long as I can remember. They are true Paris veterans who really know the city well and can speak fluently, so we knew they would be excellent tour guides. Fillis and John were very generous and provided our flights and hotel room, and we're very thankful for that. But they were also wonderful travel companions, and we had a great time exploring the city together.

I'm sure I could go on at great length about many of the things we saw and did, but I thought instead that I'll give you some highlights broken down by topic. Feel free to ask me more about any and all of it!

Flights: We flew to Paris on Air France, and it was surprisingly smooth. The food service was actually really good, and the kids received toys with their meals. On the flight back we had personal televisions, and I watched THREE movies. Totally unheard of for me, but very enjoyable. Max did pretty well with the flights and slept some on both legs of the journey, but Hannah seems to have inherited my inability to sleep on planes.

Hotel: We stayed in a perfect room in the Hotel Saint Petersbourg. It was very centrally located, close to transportation and near the Paris Opera House (which made my 8th grade self giddy to think about the Phantom of the Opera). The main room was large enough for all of our beds and suitcases, and the bathroom was huge. Max loved the extra large bathtub, and both kids enjoyed yelling "Bon jour!" at people walking by the building from the balcony of our room. The staff of the hotel was also super-friendly with the kids, and Max felt like he owned the place, singing his favorite songs from "Yo Gabba Gabba" in the lobby of the building. The room key was kept by the hotel staff, so it was extra large and weighted, which was pretty unique in the age of key cards.

Transportation: We used Super Shuttle to get back and forth from the airport (you're truly on vacation when it's another person's responsibility to adjust the car seat straps for you!), and rode in a van to Versailles, but otherwise, it was public transportation all the way. And I LOVED it. It was easy and efficient and such a welcome change from this horrendous winter with the MBTA. We used the bus, the subway, the RER and took a train ride out of the city to Rouen, and I was shocked by how seamless it all was. There were signs saying how long until the next vehicle arrived, and two ways to validate your ticket when taking a bus. Boston is totally pathetic in comparison.

Food: Ah yes, the food, perhaps everyone's favorite subject when it comes to Paris. And it was in fact very good, but I most liked the experience of not having to clean up after us for a week! My absolute favorite thing was the green apple macaroons from LaDurre on the Champs Elysses, which Hannah and I waited in line for half an hour to acquire, and trust me they were worth the wait. Marc liked the French bread and Hannah liked the croissants at a cafe across the street from our hotel. Max, with his most sophisticated palate, loved the chocolate rice krispies cereal at the hotel buffet best. We had two dinners at Pizza Pino, a great Italian place we found, where I had my first egg-topped pizza, and then proceeded to also have eggs on a burger and pasta, plus a few omelettes before the trip was done. Being that we had the kids with us, we didn't do a lot of very fancy dinners, but we definitely enjoyed the food everywhere we went.

Sites: We really packed as much into this trip as we could. I had brought what I thought were a very comfortable pair of boots for the trip, but my feet didn't make it through the first day without pain. But I persevered as best as I could and we managed to make it to all of the following: the Jardin de Tuileries, the Louvre, Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides (including Napoleon's tomb), Le Marais (the Jewish area of Paris), Musee D'Orsay, the Rodin Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Champs Elysses, the town of Rouen and its famous Monet-inspiring cathedral, Musée de l'Orangerie, Rue Mouffetard, the Pantheon and the Jardin du Luxembourg. Hannah and Max also took a ride on the Bateaux Mouche down the Seine, and Marc took a trip on his own to see the Catacombs.

Entertainment: Marc and I are fans of the movie "Moulin Rouge" and used one of its songs as our first wedding dance, so of course we spent an evening seeing this show. It started off slowly and I was a bit worried the movie was better than the real thing, but it did not end up disappointing. The show was fabulous, with jugglers, ventriloquists, even a woman swimming with live snakes, but the best part was the traditional French can-can. Using a suggestion from my parents, the following night we took Hannah for dinner and to see the show at Lido. Hannah was at first reluctant since there aren't too many kids in the audience, but when the show began, she absolutely loved it. During a day when Max stayed with Fillis and John to skip some of the museums, Max got to enjoy a French circus.

Shopping: Other than the food, everyone wants to know about the shopping. To be honest, we didn't shop too much. We gazed in millions of windows as we walked past, but only made a few purchases. I bought a new ring and necklace featuring my favorite apple green color, and Hannah got a couple of cute outfits. Both kids ended up with a few Eiffel Tower souvenirs. But really, we didn't buy much. I guess it's just another reason for us to visit again.

And I do think we will visit again. Now that I've finally had the opportunity to go to Europe, I definitely want to go back and see more. It was the trip of a lifetime, and I'm particularly grateful to have been on such a big adventure with Hannah, who was old enough to really enjoy it all. Thanks again to Fillis and John!

Run and Run and Run and Run and Run

2011-02-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

At Tot Shabbat, our friend Julia does an exercise with the kids where she does a physical activity, and then makes them stop. Eventually she gets to running and says, "What happens if you run and run and run and run and run and run and never stop?" and the kids reply "You get tired!" It's supposed to indicate the importance of Shabbat and taking some time to rest.

But my endless internal monologue spits back "You never stop? Then you're a working mommy."

Now I realize we've all got our things, and that feeling of never stopping is by no means limited to working moms. However, that's what resonates with me.

Since the start of 2011, I can't shake the feeling that I've been running quite a bit (but have yet to see any related weight loss - darn). Work has been insane. In a good way, as I very much prefer being busy, but it's just been a lot. Throw in four snow days and lots of commuting hassles and it's been a real challenge. I'm now working from home one day a week, and I think it's going to do wonders for my sanity, and I'm thankful to have that option.

Besides Hannah and Max's birthdays and parties, the kids have attended four birthday parties and had to turn down a few invitations as well. I went to Abby's book launch party and a Super Bowl party at Emily and Ari's. I participated in Sisterhood Shabbat and actually read a book (a rare event for me). I've tried to recruit people to attend our synagogue's first ever retreat, and agreed to be on a panel for our upcoming Yom Hashoah (Holocaust remembrance) event (hello, speaking in front of 1000 people!). Finally, I went to see the president of my favorite network, Bravo, speak at an event and have her validate my love of Real Housewives, house flippers and Tori & Dean. And of course, there's the usual shopping and schlepping, but I'm sure there's been more of that than usual too.

It's all been great and I've wanted to do everything, but at the same time it's been too much. There are too many Sundays spent running from one thing to the next, cramming in loads of laundry and doing dishes as I go. So this weekend I am determined to get in more down time. We have to pack for our trip, but I'm going to make a real effort not to make myself crazy. And while we're away, I am going to try really hard to enjoy being away and slow down and take in the moments.

Because my sneakers have worn through, and I'm not planning to buy another pair for a while.

I Can't Help Falling (in Love with Yaktrax)

2011-02-01T10:58:00.004-05:00

For those of you who don't know me well, one important thing you should know is that I fall.

Often.

Okay, well, not every day, but often enough that I've sustained some pretty swell (pun intended) injuries from it. I think my first major fall was junior year of high school, which led to a sprained ankle. There were some safe intervening years, but I had a lovely fall while majorly pregnant with Hannah down an icy hill at the end of 2003. When she was just a week old, and coming home from a cardiology appointment with her Grandma Susan there to witness it, I fell going down the few steps into our Brookline condo (thank goodness for the infant carseat / baby bucket). Then there was "The Fall That Started It All" in November 2005, when I was wheeling Hannah in her stroller down the daycare steps, and fell with her stroller landing on top of me, which I believe was the initiation of all my back problems. Of course, I also fell while pregnant with Max right before Thanksgiving (so only 8 months along that time). The arrival of Max just happened to coincide with me starting to break my bones, first with Extreme Strawberry Picking in June 2008, and then during an episode of the Winter Blahs in January 2009 (my heel and a finger, respectively).

So I've got quite a history with falling. I trip over toys, over my own feet, pretty much anything. But walking on ice and snow is by far the worst, and I find it totally terrifying. Basically, I can have a panic attack on my walk home from the train. But those days have come to an end.

After at least a year of hearing about it regularly from my friend Ana, I went ahead and purchased a pair of Yaktrax Walkers. The elasticized plastic wraps snugly around my boots and the steel coils grip the ice beneath my feet. Since I've worn them, my feet haven't slipped even the slightest bit while walking outside (and while I gag having to write it, you should know that we've got about 4' high snowdrifts in my town right now). My heart no longer races while waiting with Hannah at the bus stop, wondering when and how I'll slip, and what injury I'll end up with this time. They are truly a miracle product, and I've fallen in love with my Yaktrax.

Now, Ana has vigilantly warned me that Yaktrak turn your boots into ice skates if worn on tile or marble, so I have to take them off once I get to the T station in the morning, and put them on just as I begin my walk home. This has definitely led to some strange looks and interesting conversations with my fellow commuters, but I don't mind at all. I'm happy to tell anyone who will listen about them, and that's why I'm telling you here now.

I told Ana that the snow was likely to stop once I bought my Yaktrax, and for once that bit of Murphy's Law hasn't played out (sorry, all!). But the peace of mind I've gotten by spending the $25 was well worth it. Many thanks to Ana - hopefully I'll make it through this winter injury-free!

(And in case anyone cares, I was in no way compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. I'd Blog with Integrity if anyone did want to send me free stuff though!)

Max's Music Party

2011-01-17T10:37:00.006-05:00

Max truly enjoyed his birthday party. Julia, who leads Tot Shabbat at our synagogue, is Max's favorite person on the planet, and we were so lucky to have her lead our friends in a music session. She played all of Max's favorites: Hinei Rakevet, Down by the Bay, Two by Two, Trot Trot, Ma Tovu and the Chicken Dance. It was a tight squeeze fitting all the kids (14 plus our two) and their parents in our living room (and parking on our street with all the snow), but I think we all had a great morning of singing and snacking together. Thanks to all who came!

Max's co-leading with Julia and his guitar

Dancing to "Down by the Bay"

His Thomas "Island of Sodor" cake

And Max all partied out

But Marc and I survived another birthday season! Now on to our next big adventure...PARIS!

Hannah's Sleep "Under" Party

2011-01-11T11:21:00.007-05:00

Sometime last year I read online (I wish I remembered where) about sleep "under" parties, and started laying the groundwork for Hannah to have one for her seventh birthday. After trekking around the mall last year and losing a guest's coat (which was ultimately found days later), I really wanted something simpler this year, and, well, more contained. :) I was picturing about six girls in their PJs and lots of giggling. I got 13 girls and way more chaos, but the kids had a fantastic time.

Hannah spent a lot of time running through all the details of what she wanted with me, and I think she appreciated how much involvement she had in the planning. The girls arrived in their pajamas at 5:30 pm on a Saturday night. They were allowed to bring sleeping bags and pillows, and we had quite a plethora of Pillow Pets. We served pizza, fruit and veggies, plus popcorn in theater-type containers:

For about the first hour, the girls were so quiet, eating dinner and watching one of Hannah's favorite movies, "Annie." But as the best songs came and went and the plot dragged a bit, the girls got distracted. And started pillow fighting and tickling. Poor Max got pretty overwhelmed - he was worried everyone was hurting his sister. He obviously couldn't see the expression on her face:

The girls decorated cupcakes and helped her open her presents, before we all sang happy birthday and the party came to its truly dramatic end. Right at 8 o'clock, as the parents helped their daughters find their boots, coats and party paraphernalia, a fire truck came racing down our narrow street and parked right outside my house. It turned out our neighbor had locked herself out of her house and called for help, but instead it looked like our house full of party guests was on fire. *sigh* At least everything was just fine.

The girls had an absolute ball, and really enjoyed the time hanging out together. Hannah can't wait to do it again.

(And posting this one because it's too cute not to share:)

Birthday Season 2011

2011-01-11T11:02:00.003-05:00

My last few days of vacation and 2010 embodied everything I like about a staycation.

Fillis and John came to spend a day with the kids, taking the kids and me shopping and out for lunch before driving them to Hartford to give Marc and me a night off. Marc and I enjoyed a meal at The Local (very yummy creme brulee) and then saw Black Swan. The following morning I finished getting the kids rooms in order, finally transitioning Max to a twin size bed and moving some other furniture. The afternoon was spent all together at the new CT Science Center (a challenging museum to visit during peak times). Hannah stayed up until 11:27 on New Year's eve, sipping ginger ale from a champagne flute and feeling very grown up. It was a nice end to the year.

But, the festivities continued the next day with Max's third birthday. Finally, we seemed to convince him that he was in fact turning three, and not five as he'd previously told anyone who would ask. We had a nice little party to celebrate both kids, since Hannah's birthday was in just a few more days, with Fillis and John, Aunt Melinda, Rachel, Jon, Nate and Evie. Sadly, we said goodbye to Rachel and Jon and the kids, as they are soon leaving for a new adventure in Little Rock. We will miss having them so close by, but look forward to hearing about all their experiences in their new home! Max had a great day, and can't wait for his party with his classmates and favorite music teacher this weekend.

Hannah's birthday was a few days later, and she was happy to be back at school for it. She rocked a new outfit and had a turn saying the Pledge of Allegiance on the morning announcements with some classmates. She chose a birthday dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, and both kids had fun opening a few more gifts that day. Hannah's party was this weekend, and she had a fabulous time.

We're trying to get back to a normal routine now, but as everyone knows, normal doesn't happen very often. Max has a cold and missed school today and yesterday, and it's looking like a snow day will happen tomorrow. But I've enjoyed celebrating with the kids this year, and look forward to lots more celebrations!

On Max's birthday

On Hannah's birthday

Seven

2011-01-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today, Hannah Ruth, you are turning seven.

I can hardly believe it. In three more short years, we’ll be making jokes about double digits and writing 10 instead of spelling out the word. You don’t want to think about that though - getting older seems to scare you a bit. I talk about great experiences still to come - overnight camp, high school, driving cars - and you’re not all that eager. But then you talk about being a fashion designer and living on your own in New York City, and it’s so far off that it excites you, but it will all happen too quickly for me.

You’ve grown up so much this year. You’re a huge help with your little brother, though sometimes I have to remind you that you’re not his parent. You told me it was okay when I cried in pain. You got your first pet, your fish Ocean, bringing him home from a family wedding. You started having homework, and do it so capably and responsibly, which I hope will continue throughout your life. Your have become a very competent reader, noticing words you never bothered to acknowledge before and reading them triumphantly. You’ve dealt with a schoolmate who wasn’t treating you kindly in a really wonderful way, so that now you’re getting along much better. You have many friends, and adults adore you.

You saw The Lion King, Wicked, and The Nutcracker (twice). You skied for the first time. You went to more play dates and birthday parties than I can count. You gave your phone number to a boy, but didn’t mind when he didn’t call. You pierced your ears and didn’t flinch. You were a star and a duchess. You had fun swimming in the ocean, even if it took me hours to get you out there. You use Grandma Susan’s “bed” trick faithfully. You’re proud to be good at math, and happy to see “Tron: Legacy” with Dad (thanks for getting me out of that one, kid!). You make up songs with me at the bus stop, and laugh when we come up with really good rhymes. You love to draw and swim and go to museums. Your brother is your very best friend.

I hope that as you grow you’ll always feel comfortable talking to me about anything, as I know the challenges will only get harder. But I also hope that you can see yourself the way others do: as a very competent and kind girl. I can’t wait to finish furnishing your new bedroom with you, to throw your sleep “under” party, to see you in your new black karate outfit, and to experience many more big and small moments together.

Three

2011-01-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

Today, Max Benjamin, you are turning three.

My little man, how much you’ve grown. Sometimes, I still can’t believe you’re here. I always pictured your Daddy and I having two little girls, and when Hannah arrived, I thought we were halfway there. Then there was the baby who didn’t come, who I lost 11 months before you arrived. Without that loss, there would have been no you. It’s a thought I can’t bear now.

I’ve often told the story of how I worried you’d never get a chance to speak given how verbal your sister is; I thought she’d do all the talking for you both. I never imagined that you would just speak at the same time, and usually louder, just to make sure you’re heard. I often struggle with this, feeling pulled in too many directions, straining to turn down the volume of the radio just to be able to hear and answer everything. I think you have made me a better listener.

This has been a tough year for us. You had pneumonia and struggled to breathe. Mommy had her “boo boo legs” and couldn’t do very much for you. A two year old shouldn’t have to fend so much for himself, but you did. You’ve learned (for the most part) that Mommy shouldn’t do uppies, and you mastered the staircase in our house since there wasn’t always someone there to hold your hand. You had a rough summer moving to a new classroom after bonding with your beloved accordion-playing teacher. You haven't been too keen on the whole potty thing, though you're starting to change your tune on that.

But it’s also been an amazing year. We took you to several concerts since you love music so much. You rode Thomas the Train. You love being a part of the Room E Elephants. You wore your first (clip-on) tie. You loved Niagara Falls, staying in the hotel and seeing the fireworks. You worried who would clean up “the smoke” after your first airshow. You squealed sharing a back seat and stroller with your cousin. You told me about “dubar enzo” and “ani mohshee” (whatever those are). Your favorite shows were Super Why and Yo Gabba Gabba. You carry blanket, guitar, and as much other stuff as you can, all at once. You sing beautifully, and you did your first, of what I’m sure will be many, concerts. Your sister is your very best friend.

You like to be reassured that you are my baby, and I promise that you always will be, but I’m so excited to watch you grow. We have so many adventures ahead, and I will do my best to slow down and try to see them through your eyes. I can’t wait to see you find the moon in Paris and watch you walk down the aisle as ring bearer at Uncle Ryan’s wedding, and to experience many more big and small moments together.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

2010-12-30T06:29:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Marc and I took Hannah to the Museum of Fine Arts. We left Max at daycare for this trip, and it was really nice to enjoy time together as the three of us.

I love this museum. My mother's favorite painting is there, and when we came to tour colleges when I was a junior in high school, the museum made a big impression on me. When it came time for me to rent my first apartment after college, I found one right nearby, crossing the Fens area to Park Drive. I walked through the MFA parking lot almost every day to get to the train (until I started taking the bus). Marc and I had a membership to the museum before the kids arrived, and I think we've still gone every year or so since then. There's always something new to see.

Yesterday's visit was no exception, as we had to see the new museum expansion, which is mostly complete after years of work. One section is slated to open next fall, but the new "Art of the Americas" wing has been debuted. Before we made it there, we sought out the temporary exhibit "Scaasi: American Couturier" featuring dresses made for various members of society and celebrities such as Barbra Streisand and Natalie Wood. The dresses were just beautiful - hopefully Hannah will actually become a fashion designer some day and make something like that for me to wear.

We wandered through some other galleries until we found one of the many children's activities that are set up throughout the museum. Hannah created the triptych (yay, words remembered from my one art history course!) you see above featuring her in the past, present and future. It's easy to be inspired to create self portraits when you're sitting in a giant gallery filled with portraits.

We then made our way to the New American Cafe in the Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Family Courtyard (yay Shapiros!), and while I waited in line, Hannah filled out a "passport" to use as we toured the new wing. We had a really nice lunch in an absolutely beautiful setting, complete with excellent people watching as almost all of Boston seemed to parade in front of us to get to the new wing.

Finally after lunch we walked through all four floors of the new space. There are 53 new galleries, with art from the Pre-Columbian era through the third quarter of the twentieth century (according to the MFA website). I loved the lay out - as you began in the basement level and worked your way up, it was like watching American history unfold before you. Items were grouped together on each level by period of time, so you moved seamlessly from paintings to sculptures to jewelry and furniture. There was so much to see, but since the museum was very crowded, we couldn't cover it all in detail, but I hope we'll get back there soon enough.

Hannah really enjoyed herself, but couldn't pick a favorite piece she saw. I have a feeling her favorite part was using her allowance money to buy something at the gift shop, but that's an important part of the museum experience too, right?

December Round Up

2010-12-28T16:34:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay, you've caught me. I'm trying to beat my number of posts for 2009, so I've gotta bang out a couple more before the end of the year. Thankfully, December is busy enough to provide the necessary fodder.

Hanukkah ended, but of course the business did not. Hannah went to see another production of The Nutcracker with a camp friend. We all went to a neighbor's holiday party and had a ball catching up with our neighbors while indoors for once! Of course, the play dates and birthday parties continued too. Hannah and Marc went to see "Tron" while Max and I had fun at the mall. Max was Shabbat Helper. We all went to see "Tangled" for Max's first movie experience on Christmas Day, and he thankfully stayed in the theater the entire time. We hunkered down for the blizzard and ended up spending the two days potty training Max. Hannah and I spent a morning shopping for a rug and desk chair for her new bedroom set up, and mattress for Max's.

And I've still got DAYS of my vacation to go! We'll be heading to the Museum of Fine Arts tomorrow to explore the new wing, and then we have a few days of adventures scheduled with Fillis and John. It should be a nice end to 2010!

Winter Break

2010-12-20T11:37:00.002-05:00

After hitting my 5 year anniversary with my firm this year, I received an extra week of vacation time. I'll be putting that week to good use by staying home with Hannah over her upcoming winter break. A whole 10 days with nothing major planned - I can't wait!

But how exactly to pass the time?

We're planning to go to see Tangled on Christmas Day (Max's first movie theater experience!), visiting the new wing at the Museum of Fine Arts, celebrating Max's third birthday on New Year's Day, plus Shabbat Helper, swimming at the JCC and a trip to the mall with Grandma Fillis. But there's still a lot of time left to be filled in.

Any suggestions? Anyone want to have a play date?

Hanukkah 2010

2010-12-13T14:49:00.006-05:00

It was another great Hanukkah. I thought we had excited kids last year, but this year was even better. I loved that it was so early this year, as it felt very distinct from Christmas (as it should), and I really enjoyed so many of the viral videos that really came into their own as a genre this year.

Marc made latkes twice this year, and we enjoyed celebrating at Max's JCC class, Hannah's religious school class, with Marc's family in Hartford, at our synagogue and with Julie. I purchased all of the kids presents online this year, which worked out really well given my off and on back issues and not wanting to trek around a mall or super store. Again, the kids were thrilled with everything they received, and I felt so lucky to get spend such a nice holiday together. Now I'm looking forward to the end of 2010 and the start of birthday season around here!

Thankful

2010-11-25T08:10:00.002-05:00

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. First and foremost, my wonderful husband and beautiful children, but that almost goes without saying. It takes a lot to make a life run well, and to have a little fun along the way. While this year has had its bumps in the road, I'm thankful for the following:

- My parents, especially my mom, who still wants an email from me every morning just to make sure I'm okay
- My brother Ryan, who is one of my best friends and is marrying the amazing Allison
- My in-laws, Fillis and John, who dispel every in-law stereotype
- Rachel, Jon, Nate and Evie, who will soon be far away but always in our hearts
- For discectomies
- For the ability to express myself through my blog, facebook and Twitter, and for the communities who respond to my random thoughts and epiphanies (and for my iPhone for giving me constant connectivity)
- For two supportive bosses, who praise me by saying I am a "fully formed person" and seeing potential in me that I didn't know I had
- For the MBTA, which despite my constant griping, provides me with an efficient, budget and environmentally friendly way to get to work each day
- For the JCC Early Learning Center and for the Bowen After School Care Program for letting me work while not just taking care of my children, but helping them learn and grow
- For our amazing synagogue community, which encourages me so much
- For Glee, Gossip Girl and most things Bravo for providing me a bit of escapism
- For husbands who like to cook but still let us go out to eat, for blanket and blue boxes of vanilla soy milk and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, for headbands and early reader books and the Disney Channel
- For Maidpro and Massage Envy, which help me keep my sanity
- For online shopping, which makes life so much easier
- For the friends that I don't see often enough in person, but who make it feel like you've never been apart

For this and so much more, I'm very thankful. What about you?

Funky Month

2010-11-23T09:51:00.002-05:00

November has been a bit of a drag. Not a lot of exciting plans, lots of sick days. It's left me in a bit of a funk. I function best when I have something to look forward to, and while I do have some exciting things ahead (staycation in December, Paris in February, California in July), it's all too far away for now. But with Thanksgiving finally upon us and Hanukkah just a week away, I'm getting getting past my funk and looking forward to the end of the year craziness.

Here's the catch up:
- Halloween was a total bust - both kids had fevers and couldn't go trick-or-treating. Hannah also missed a special program at religious school, so it was a really tough day all around. Fortunately Max got better quickly and was back at school after another day of rest, but Hannah ended up having strep throat. She took too long to recover, and so we had the fun rounds of blood work and chest x-rays. Just as she finally felt better, Max again got sick, this time taking down Marc as well. But, a few weeks have gone by, and virtually knock on wood, everyone is fine now.
- I had a lovely day attending our synagogue's Sisterhood annual donor brunch and then our rabbi's son's bris. It was great to have so many uninterrupted adult conversations with my TE friends, since typically we're trying to take care of our children at the same time.
- Marc has been really busy with a few different projects that he can tell you about. It's meant a lot of evenings out of the house, or on the phone and the computer, but I'm really proud of him for the excellent work he's been doing, and I know there are more good things to come.
- My back is continuing to be an on-again off-again issue. Very frustrating and disconcerting. The biggest problem seems to be carrying the almost three year old - I really can't do it. But sometimes I really want to, so it's a difficult balancing act for me.
- After years of thinking about it, I finally decided to try a keratin treatment on my hair. The jury's still out on this one - it doesn't look different at all, but it's blow drying in half the amount of time. I'm waiting for a really humid, rainy day to really test it. I did an express treatment, which meant I couldn't wash it for 24 hours, so it's not the full plunge, and therefore may not be as effective. We shall see.
- And not to be remiss: date night with Marc at 51 Lincoln and LimmudBoston, two massages, a play date, Hannah going to Bright Horizons, Fillis staying with us to watch Max on a teacher work day, religious school parent-teacher conference, lots of synagogue-related committee meetings, a birthday party, dentist appointment, serendipitously catching up with a high school friend now living in Philadelphia over coffee here in Newton, and lots of good developments at work. Phew.

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving, filled with lots of love and good food.

Halloween Past and Present

2010-10-29T11:34:00.011-04:00

Halloween seems to be off to a good start this year, beginning with Hannah's school parade and assembly this morning. I'm not positive Hannah's costume, in its current, hemmed form, is going to make it through the school party tonight and trick-or-treating on Sunday, so I took the pictures this morning just in case. It's pretty funny how the kids ended up color coordinated this year.

As we waited at the bus stop, Hannah and I talked about all the costumes she has worn over the years, and we had a hard time coming up with them all (and actually forgot the year of the cheerleader). So I'm going to post some reminders of them here. It's a pretty amazing progression.

2004:

2005:

2006:

2007:

2008:

2009:

And 2010:

While I don't find organizing the costumes and the actual trick-or-treating all that fun, it *is* pretty cute looking back over it now.

A Twitter Success Story (My 33rd Birthday)

2010-10-20T11:35:00.007-04:00

I don't wear a lot of jewelry. My wedding and engagement ring, watch, necklace, earrings. Usually the same things day in and day out. Shortly after getting engaged in May 2001, I bought a ring for my right hand, to match my new platinum band. I loved that ring and wore it constantly.

Constantly, that is, until I spent two months in bed with my back. During which time I lost weight. And the ring that had always been a bit loose was now falling off completely. I was so sad not to be able to wear it any longer.

So I began casually looking for a replacement for my right arm - a ring or a bracelet. Being a big fan of Twitter, I tweeted that I was looking for something new. Instantly, several companies started following me, to encourage me to look at their jewelry. It was quite a response, but there was only one company that caught my eye: Objets d'Envy.

I'm a sucker for colorful, shiny and sparkly (despite the fact that I wear black almost every day of my life), and in my opinion the jewelry is just gorgeous. So when they tweeted that a sale was coming up, I sent my favorite color of the Rock Candy bracelet to Marc, and it was a done deal. I just had to wait until my birthday to actually open the present! So here it is:

It's a true Twitter success story, don't you think? And if anyone needs ideas for Hanukkah...

PS: I'm wearing purple in the picture above in support of LGBT youth. The It Gets Better videos are amazing, and so is the Spirit Day campaign, but I really hope we soon don't need to have events like these, and that everyone gets the encouragement and love they deserve.

PPS: This is my 100th blog post! I began on March 16, 2007 with Mr. Bee and BusyBee and eventually BabyBee falling away as I began linking this to my facebook page. I've really enjoyed getting to share my little corner of the world with you all, and am thankful that you've come along on this journey with me. And thank you all for the wall posts, tweets, ecards and birthday love. Here's to the next 100!

A Trip On My Own

2010-10-15T14:27:00.002-04:00

Last week, I had the pleasure of traveling to Buffalo to attend an engagement party for my brother Ryan and his fiance Allison. I took the trip there on my own, and I have to admit that I really enjoyed getting some time away. I flew out early on Friday morning, and spent most of the day with my parents, Allison's family and the happy couple. We had excellent Buffalo wings and enjoyed a really nice art museum, and then Allison's parents threw a very lovely party. It was great to meet more of Allison's family, and I'm really looking forward to celebrating with them and the rest of my family next summer.

While I definitely missed Marc and the kids, it was wonderful to have a little alone time. I had so many uninterrupted conversations and really savored not having to take care of anyone but myself for a while. Allison's mom volunteered to spill a drink while at a restaurant, just to make me more comfortable, but I didn't take her up on that one. :)

When I got home on Saturday evening, everyone was happy to see me. We had a nice little dinner on Castle Island before driving the rest of the way home from the airport. On Sunday we took the kids to the playground, went out to lunch, and then tackled projects around the house. It was a great weekend - the perfect mix of time home and away. Too bad they can't all be three day weekends!

Just for the Mitzvah

2010-10-04T16:01:00.003-04:00

This post could be taken exactly as the title says, as I could be writing it just for the mitzvah of letting people know about this great company with the hard-to-find website. With last year's BBQ craft, apple picture frames, a huge success, I wanted to find something even better this year. So I had the idea to prepare Simchat Torah flags, and to encourage everyone to bring their flags back for our celebration of the holiday later that week. After a lot of searching around, trying to cobble together the items I'd need, Stephanie sent me to the following.

The company is called Just for the Mitzvah, and can be found here. You can't order things on the site itself, and it looks like the site is composed of catalog pages. So really, there's not a lot of detail. But I took a gamble and ordered the velour Simchat Torah flags, with glue-on Torahs and sequins. I bought glue and some markers as well.

The craft was great! The kids were really creative with how they decorated the flags, and since the projects took a few minutes to complete, it gave me time to chat up their parents too. And I did see a few of the flags at our synagogue celebration as well. All in all a great project, and I would happily recommend Just for the Mitzvah!

Meet Me at the Fair

2010-10-04T15:55:00.000-04:00

Our plans for this weekend made it on the calendar several months ago. Fillis had mentioned wanting to go to a fair with all of us this fall, so I looked up the dates for the Big E, which typically conflicts with the Jewish holidays. But the fair concluded October 3, so we were able to find a day to go.

Being a bit tired from all of the holidays, we spent a lazy Saturday morning at home. Marc made us a brunch feast, which we all really enjoyed. Later in the day we made it to Hartford, where Hannah got to show off her attempts at riding a bike without training wheels. Nate and Evie were visiting as well, and we had a great time going to the playground with all four kids. After the younger kids went to bed, Hannah and Fillis settled in to watch "Meet Me in St. Louis" to get ready for the fair the next day.

Marc and I took advantage of the free baby-sitting opportunity to go see "The Social Network," which we really enjoyed. Afterward we went to the Goldroc Diner, which has become a bit of a post-late-movie-in-Hartford tradition for us.

Unfortunately, Evie woke up the next morning with a bit of a cold, so she and Fillis had to stay home. The remaining six of us piled into the Traverse, and the two little boys had a ball being in the car together, and later, sharing the double stroller. We had a great time walking all over, seeing the animals, sharing the junk food we bought, and putting Hannah and Max on a few of the rides. Nate behaved so well - far better than our kids would have at his age! We stayed until the parade had finished passing us by. After dropping off John and Nate, we headed home. It was a really great day!

End of September Catch Up

2010-10-04T15:53:00.000-04:00

- Both kids are doing well at school so far. Hannah's enjoying the challenge of first grade, and is excited to be taking both karate and pottery during After Care this year. We went to the Back to School picnic and curriculum night, and later this week is the After Care potluck. Hannah also had her first "sharing day" today and she had to bring three special items. She chose her Torah from last year's consecration ceremony, her purple karate belt, a picture of her "Mary Poppins" Broadway show snow globe (no way was that being brought on the bus!). Max really enjoyed the JCC sukkah and is remembering more about his days at school too. I also attended curriculum night there, and did well on a quiz to identify each kid in the class. Max's clue was "I have an older sister and I love Thomas trains" - definitely accurate.
- Yom Kippur had a couple of nice moments this year. I took a vacation day the day before, so we had plenty of time to eat a meal together before the holiday began. Hannah joined me for Kol Nidre services, where I got the very special honor of holding a Torah scroll during the main prayer itself. I was pretty nervous, especially about how my back would hold up, but it went well. All four of us made it to the concluding services this year, and the kids loved receiving glow necklaces during Havdalah.
- Sukkot was a great success this year too. Fillis and John came to help us put up the sukkah, and we had plenty of time to get it all done in advance of the holiday - I even used the staple gun for attaching decorations this year. We had some very nice meals in the sukkah, including dinner with Julie and Mike, and threw our annual sukkah party. We had a great time catching up with so many friends and neighbors, and it was wonderful to actually get to be outside this year, on what turned out to be a very hot day! It was especially great to have Rachel and Jon bring my niece and nephew, Evie and Nate, to our house for the first time!
- The annual synagogue BBQ was also during Sukkot, and it was another great event. We rented an extra large bouncy house this year, complete with a basketball hoop and slide (thank you DifferRentals!). Once again, Ana did an excellent job with face painting, and the balloon twisters are always a hit. I also had a great craft this year, with more details to come in another post. (Marc also took Max to Touch a Truck while Hannah and I got everything ready at the BBQ!)
- Finally, Simchat Torah began on September 30. Marc let the kids take a day off from school on October 1 to join him at synagogue.

September was totally crazy, celebrating all the holidays during the start of the school year, but I think we managed to do everything we wanted to do and more (like getting the kids their flu shots, and getting our dishwasher, oil lines and sprinklers all fixed and/or maintained - oh joy! [Thanks, Marc!]).

Life Is, Indeed, Good

2010-09-14T14:30:00.002-04:00

We spent Labor Day unpacking from our trip and letting Hannah have one last day at home before the start of first grade the following morning. Marc took Hannah to her first day back at Bowen. She is off to a great start, liking her teacher and having lots of friends in the class. She seems to have fallen right back into the routine.

I had two busy days at work, and since the JCC was still closed for the week, I brought Max downtown to Bright Horizons. He loved taking the commuter rail and had a great time there. And then we were thrown right into the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, which fell so early this year, followed on its heels by Shabbat. It was a pretty quiet three days, which included the celebration of Marc's birthday. Hannah started religious school on Sunday (same comments on great start, teacher and friends apply here), so it was four days in a row of being at Temple Emanuel.

After religious school we made our way to Canton to attend the annual Life is Good Festival, which was held for the first time on a much grander scale this year. There were stages for both kid and adult acts, though our kids seemed equally happy to dance around in front of either stage. Everything was very well organized though we were very tired and dirty by the time we left. We had a great time though, and Hannah said that Marc and I are "cool." Well, maybe in the eyes of a six year old, but I'll take it where I can get it. :)

Max started back at the JCC yesterday and was anxious to get back there this morning to play with the toy bus. The next few weeks are filled with back to school events and meetings, plus Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Life is busy as always, but indeed, good.

"Vacation, All I Ever Wanted"

2010-09-14T14:12:00.002-04:00

After carefully planning our vacation time to coincide with an end-of-the-summer gap in childcare, I was so very ready for a break when we finally packed up the car on August 31.

We began with about an 8 hour drive to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, all of us using our new passports for the first time. Max informed us along the way that we were going to "polka dot" and then chimed in from the backseat when Marc informed the border guards that we're from Newton, Massachusetts. We arrived at our hotel and took in the great views before getting dinner and walking along the falls. We used the "incline train" to get back up the hill to our hotel and then we all went swimming. Hannah must have gone down the water slide two dozen times, absolutely loving it. We made it back to our room just in time to see fireworks over the falls. The following day we took part in a tour that took us to all of the main Niagara Falls attractions - Journey Behind the Falls, Maid of the Mist, a butterfly exhibit (one landed on a very displeased Max's head), and the Skylon Tower. We had such a great time, and were so glad we made the side trip.

We drove the remaining hours to Solon and arrived late in the evening on Wednesday. We spent most of Thursday at home with Grandma Susan, where the kids really enjoyed all of their new toys and playing with the dogs. On Friday we tried to go to the zoo, but were foiled by rain, so we ended up at the Western Reserve Historical Society, and then had dinner at the best pizza place I know, Geraci's. Saturday started out rainy, windy and cold, but we persevered and went to the Taste of Cleveland for lunch, and then to the Cleveland Air Show. Marc and the kids toured several of the dozen or so planes they had assembled, and then we watched the Blue Angels show, which was incredibly impressive. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, Max, or Grandpa Hal getting to be there with Max. Marc and I got to meet up with Betsy and Bill, and it was great to catch up with them. We had such a great trip, that even 13 hours in the car to drive home couldn't put a damper on it. Thanks again for having us, Mom and Dad, and we hope to get to see you again soon!

August - Get Rid of It?

2010-08-25T11:16:00.002-04:00

It's been a rough August. On Slate, an annually recycled piece encourages us to just get rid of the month. After a very busy and fun July, I have to admit that this month has been kind of a drag.

We attempted the Southwick Zoo in Mendon the first day of the month, but left after only a couple of hours because all four of us weren't feeling all that well. I took just ONE picture on that excursion, when normally I'd have taken many, so that's a strong indicator of how we were all feeling.

The following weekend was quiet - we attended the new Family Service at Temple Emanuel, which Marc and I are helping out with (but really, it's all rock star Pam). On Sunday Newton had an event where they closed the streets to traffic near Crystal Lake, and we had a great time, with Marc and Hannah on their bikes, and me pushing Max in the stroller.

Unfortunately, that ended up straining my back muscles too much, and I have been in pain for about two weeks now. Definitely nowhere near the level of pain I experienced last winter, but not insignificant either. I've been trying to take it easy since then, and now I know that pushing the stroller is a bit too much for me, but it's still very disappointing.

Fillis and John came over to hang out with us the next weekend, and it was great to see them when we didn't have a big event to attend. Marc and I took the kids to buy new sneakers - specifically to the Sketchers store. Sketchers advertises CONSTANTLY on the channels the kids watch, and it is one of the few brands that Max can proudly identify (even if he can't quite pronounce it). Max chose some totally obnoxious light-up shoes that look like flames are emerging from the toes (he loves them) and Hannah got her first pair with laces. Another fun milestone to pass.

Max also got to spend a day with Fillis and John on his own, and he had a great time going to the beach and riding in a boat. Hannah had her second and final Arts Nite of the summer; this time she played the part of a duchess and said "do drop in for tea sometime" in her best British accent, wearing a very fancy red dress.

This past weekend wasn't all that fun. Our dishwasher stopped working on Saturday, after just 3 years in use. We are awaiting a repair person, and we'll see what happens with that. It's an LG, and I've use the #LifeIsNotGood hash tag on Twitter to describe the situation. We're also attempting potty training with Max. As Marc said, if potty training were similar to getting your driver's license, Max could easily pass the written test, but he's not ready for the open road.

Camp is now over, and Hannah's in an extra week at the JCC for "vacation camp," which thankfully is going very well. This weekend we'll be packing up for our annual road trip to Ohio to see my parents. We leave on Tuesday, and will be spending the night in Niagara Falls, on the Canadian side (yay for our new passports!). Then we'll have three days in Ohio, and we're hoping for good weather so we can check out the zoo and the air show. After the drive home, Hannah will have Labor Day to rest at home and purchase any last minute school supplies, as she will start first grade on Tuesday. Max doesn't go back to the JCC until September 13 due to Rosh Hashanah.

So even though August wasn't the greatest month, I guess there was still plenty to write about. I'm very excited for September though - I love fall and we have so many exciting plans ahead of us.

July Rolls Along

2010-07-24T07:57:00.002-04:00

Highlights from the past few weeks:

- Hannah started camp at the JCC, meaning Marc gets the honor of both dropping off and picking up the kids each day (yay for me getting to work early! SUCH a difference in my day). She's enjoyed camp, but has been very tired and often cranky. Her first Arts Nite of the summer was this week, and not only was she a "star" in her group's show, but she made some lovely artwork as well. We stayed to watch the Upper Camp's production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and I was incredibly impressed.
- Over Fourth of July weekend Marc and I left the kids with Fillis and John (thanks again!) and had a great time. We saw a movie, ate out at a few restaurants, and tackled some big home projects: painting our dining room and hanging a bunch of pictures along our staircase. Both projects came out beautifully, and I'm so thrilled to have them done. The kids had a great time away too.
- We had some fun dinners catching up with the Weitzman, Falkenstein and Tarr families. I love how summer makes things seem simpler and getting together for dinner, even on a weeknight, is easier.
- I had multiple cavities filled. Since they were in different parts of my mouth, I had to do it in shifts, and one of the three experiences was totally awful. I am so relieved to have that behind me, and am hoping for a stretch of time without any major medical interventions (PLEASE).
- Marc's parents spent some time on Cape Cod and we joined them for a day on the beach and around Hyannis. At first Hannah was scared of the water, so I had about an hour of swimming and floating to myself, which was so relaxing. Marc and I got very sunburned though, but his body deals with it better than mine it seems. He's gotten a tan while I'm still peeling and as pale as ever.
- Max had his turn as Shabbat Helper for the Room E Elephants. He did a great job with the songs and prayers, including saying his "Shabbat feeling" was over on the table where the candles and kiddush cup were (you're supposed to say a body part, as in, "I've got that Shabbat feeling here in my heart").

And now we're in the middle of Julie and Mike's wedding weekend festivities. Last night we had a lovely Shabbat service and dinner, and this morning we're going to the aufruf. Marc will be chanting Torah and Hannah can't wait to throw candy at the bride and groom. Tonight I'm having a mini-reunion with some of my Brandeis pals, and tomorrow is the big day. I'm so happy to be included in all of these wonderful events, and absolutely thrilled for Julie and Mike. I never imagined the first friend I made at Brandeis would still be my best friend fourteen years later, and I feel very blessed to have them both in our lives.

An Hour's Drive

2010-06-29T14:10:00.001-04:00

We recently went to two places about an hour's drive from Newton for some family fun.

We did our annual summer trip to the Mendon Drive-In on a recent Saturday night to see Toy Story 3. Marc and I have been going there for many years now, and it's a great evening. For $20/car, you can see two movies, usually a more kid-friendly one first, followed by one for the adults. They start letting in cars at 6:30 on the weekends, but the movie doesn't start until it gets dark. Fortunately, if you arrive early, you can hit their great snack bar for a dinner of junk food (we recommend the jalapeno poppers) and ice cream. Families spill out from their cars and kids run around playing catch and soccer until it's time to use your car's radio to tune in to the movie. We were excited to take our new car there for the first time, and both Max and Hannah surprised us and stayed up until the movie ended at nearly 11.

This past Sunday we traveled to Edaville USA in Carver for the "Day Out with Thomas" event. Max was really excited, and knew that it was the day to ride Thomas as soon as he woke up that morning. We arrived right as the park opened at 9, but I was a bit sad to see that it was a pretty run-down place. The rides were just okay, and while Hannah had a reasonably good time, Max was upset that we didn't get a turn to ride Thomas until our ticketed time at 10:50. We rode the train for about twenty minutes with a Thomas soundtrack accompanying the plywood animals that decorated the path. Then we had lunch and left, getting home by 1 pm. I was a bit surprised by what was a pretty lackluster experience, but it did inspire Max to play with a wooden train set that he'd largely ignored. I'm glad we went, but it definitely didn't live up to my expectations.

A 20 Miunte Drive Makes Me 10 Years Older

2010-06-15T11:32:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was my 10 year Brandeis University reunion. While I debated whether or not I should go, since many of my closest friends wouldn't be able to attend, I felt compelled to be there. I live less than 20 minutes from campus, and had no other major plans for the day, so I couldn't justify sitting at home instead.

I signed up for the Saturday daytime events, and drove to campus by myself early that morning. And I missed the turn off of Route 30. I can't tell you how many times I've been through that intersection, and it made me laugh. But, in my defense, it was my first time actually being the driver on that route, since I didn't have a car back then. Pulling up to the half-circle driveway was surreal. The campus volunteers pointing out the parking lot were SO YOUNG, and how could I possibly be older than them? It was a similar set up to our first day on campus, when you spent time waiting in the parking lot until there was room for your car near the dorm, and while I didn't feel quite as excited as I did in 1996, I did feel like I was home.

The day went by quickly. I picked up my registration materials in the room where we used to hold weekly Shabbat dinners, big enough to accommodate a crowd of 400, but now feeling so small. I attended a lecture on health care featuring two of my old professors in one of the new buildings on campus, realizing I can't remember what the building was that used to be there (though I think it might have been where BEMCo, the Brandeis Emergency Medial Corps, of which I was a member, albeit a very fractional one, was). Marc and the kids arrived after going to services, and it was raining, so the BBQ that should have been outdoors was held under a big tent. We all got fairly wet, but the kids enjoyed the bouncy house, Build-a-Bear craft and balloon animals. We waited around until the class photo, and it was amazing to see how many of us were actually there. I took some photos of the kids by the Justice Brandeis statue (hello, admissions applications of 2021 and 2025!), and then Hannah and I took a quick tour of the library and the old student center before arriving at the Castle. I was lucky enough to live there sophomore year, but was a bit sad to see that living conditions hadn't improved at all for all of the students since then. We had our ice cream sundaes and I had a few conversations, but the highlights were getting to see old friends Carl and Arye. Hannah and I walked back across campus and spent a little time in the troubled Rose Art Museum before heading home.

It was a great day, and I'm glad I went. Looking back now, my time at Brandeis went by in the blink of an eye, and it was fun to revisit the person I used to be then.

An Event A Day

2010-06-15T11:32:00.001-04:00

The past few weeks have been quite eventful, but a lot of fun. Here's the run down since my last post:

June 4: both kids stayed home from school with mild illnesses
June 5: we took the kids to apply for passports, and I attend Julie's bachelorette party at King's that evening
June 6: Marc attended Sarah and Josh's wedding in New Jersey, Hannah and I went to Julie's bridal shower and Max did his first solo baby-sitting stint
June 7: JCC daycare end-of-the-year picnic
June 8: I had a cavity filling that filled me with dread
June 9: parent-teacher conference for Max (and Grandma Susan's birthday!)
June 10: end-of-the-year class party for Max and I had dinner with Stephanie and Ana at The Local (and I had a fantastic time!)
June 11: Marc attended Hannah's end-of-the-year class party
June 12: my Brandeis reunion (see the next post for more details), Max had a birthday party
June 13: both kids had birthday parties

Which brings me up to yesterday, June 14, a strikingly normal day! The next few weeks are busy, but not in quite the same way.

Thanks for all of your suggestions on places where Marc and I should try to get away - we're keeping them in mind, but it looks like we'll be spending our next kid-free weekend getting some things done around the house. Staycation it is!

Back To Life - And Maybe an Escape From It?

2010-06-03T14:06:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've updated things here, and that's honestly a good thing, since it means I've been back to my normal, busy life. My back is doing very well. There are little twinges here and there, and technically I'm still healing from the surgery, but I'm doing really great. I went back to work on April 26, and it's been incredibly busy there (which is definitely a good thing). While I still don't love my commute, I am happy to be back in the office.

May was a really busy month for us. It began with a bit of a crisis here in greater Boston, with what became known as the Aquapocalypse, as we were under a boil water order for a few days. We escaped to Connecticut for part of that time to celebrate my niece and nephew's first birthday, and we all enjoyed their party very much. Max attended two of his classmates' second birthday parties, and Hannah had two religious school assemblies, a Spanish class party, a school fair and a class picnic as well as a field trip to the zoo (which I chaperoned and thoroughly enjoyed). Marc chanted Torah for the first time on the holiday of Shavuot and also was elected to our synagogue's Board of Trustees. We had friends over for Shabbat dinner one week and another family over for a BBQ the following week. I saw "Babies" and "Sex and the City 2" with friends and enjoyed the time out on my own. We bought a few new things for the house, and most importantly, after about two years of discussing it, we finally bought a new car. It seems like every day has had a big event, but it will be nothing compared to the month of June with all of its end-of-the-school-year celebrations and transitions to camp and new daycare classrooms, events for Julie's wedding and my 10-year college reunion.

And all of this has gotten Marc and I thinking that we really need to take a break, just for the two of us. We tried to do this last December, but our one night away wasn't enough, especially because my back bothered me for most of that time. But where should we go? Should we use part of that precious time to fly somewhere new, or have a staycation on our own? What would you do if you could get some time away? Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome!

Ah, Scheduling!

2010-04-15T15:33:00.002-04:00

My calendar stresses me out.

This is something I say fairly often. It could be the millions of birthday parties and playdates, but really, I'm okay with all that. It is the constant juggling of our work, school and daycare schedules that totally pushes me over the edge. If you want to have any vacation time as a full-time employee and parent to say, actually take a vacation, you must be extremely careful about juggling who is going to be where when. Thankfully, we have Bright Horizons Back-up Solutions, of which I've written previously, and wonderful extended family members who always can help with a day here and there. But it is the scheduling of all this that drives me absolutely insane.

So I'm sitting here filling in the our Google calendar (G-d bless the Google calendar) with the dates for Max's daycare next year, and I had to share this phenomenon with you, by posting the email I just sent my husband, who is working at our other computer downstairs (I'm even spelling out our usual acronyms for you, and putting in a bit more description). Enjoy the chaos.

Subj: end of summer

I'm putting everything from the Early Learning Center (ELC) in the Google calendar and just feel like emailing you this instead of interrupting your work. Plus I'm not sure I could say this all out loud.

ELC is open for full year kids (Max attends full year) during the week after Kaleidoscope (Hannah's camp) ends. It might make sense for Hannah to do the vacation camp program this year for that week because...

The following week, the JCC is open for FY kids on Monday and Tuesday. So if we're going to go away we might want to wait until Wednesday, 9/1, to leave and Hannah can come to Bright Horizons on Monday and Tuesday because...

Once Hannah goes back to school the day after Labor Day (assuming that remains the same), Max is still off that Tuesday. On Wednesday is the ELC Open House, not that we'd definitely need to attend, BUT...

There's still no school that day because it's Erev Rosh Hashanah. And that means he effectively has no school all week.

And if we were to take off all of those days, we will have no vacation time left to go to Paris (which we are hoping to do at year end).

Gotta love the end of summer.

So I Had Surgery

2010-04-11T14:52:00.002-04:00

I wanted to capture some of the experience I had this week, having two herniated discs repaired in my lower back. It was the first time I've had surgery, and only my third hospital experience, the others being the births of my children.

Marc and I arrived at the surgical center at the hospital just before 10 am on Wednesday morning. There was a check-in process that involved a few pagers, similar to waiting for a table at a restaurant. Marc was eventually given a old-fashioned pager so that the surgeon could contact him by phone after he was finished (though I guess he never used it, as my surgeon found him in person instead). We were taken back to a pre-surgery area, where I met with a nurse, my surgeon and the anesthesiologist, who eventually administered some lovely drugs that knocked me right out. I have no memory of the operating room.

However, I have a VERY clear memory of waking up in the recovery area, which was one big room with many post-operative patients and lots of hospital staff running around. I was lying propped up on my side and facing a wall, so I couldn't see other patients, and it was sometimes hard to see the people taking care of me. And I was in PAIN. Before the surgery, I had said my level was 8/10, which I think had been amplified that morning because I was so nervous. Afterward, I was definitely 10/10, and I probably would have said 20/10 if they'd let me. The nerves in my legs were on fire. I was wearing devices on my legs to help with circulation, and every time they turned on, the pain became unbearable. I was given lots and lots of drugs. Marc came to see me, but was taken away pretty quickly because I was in such bad shape. He was brought up again later, and I had a total meltdown because the pain was still so bad and, from my perspective, no one was helping me. I had been sedated by the medication, so I'm sure I wasn't communicating clearly, but I couldn't figure out what else to say other than that I was hurting. The nurse mentioned to the anesthesiologist that I would need to go to the ICU if they gave me more drugs, and I pleaded for them to stop, that I would somehow tough it out, but I think that was what made the anesthesiologist review my chart again. He discovered that I hadn't been given a medication for nerve pain, despite his thinking that I had received it, and I was finally given the right stuff. The pain calmed down and I was transferred to my hospital room just before 6 pm - maybe two or three hours later than we'd expected prior to surgery.

I was kept at the hospital overnight because I was having surgery on two levels of my spine (usually it's just one) and because I am a diabetic,. When I reached my room, the pain was definitely less, but I still felt terrible. Marc didn't have much time to spend with me, since it was so late and he needed to get home to the kids, and I felt so bad that I didn't want him there. I shared a room with another woman. I'm not sure what she had done, but she received a lot less attention than I did. Meaning she slept. AND SNORED VERY LOUDLY AND ALL THE TIME. It was miserable. I was very concerned about my blood sugar levels, since I'd been told that keeping them in control would help prevent an infection. Every 20 minutes or so, the nurse would check my vitals (blood pressure, oxygen levels and temperature), but I kept reminding them that I needed my sugar checked. Due to the stress of the surgery (I hadn't eaten for about 24 hours at that point), my blood sugar was incredibly high. I was given, again from my perspective, very small doses of insulin, and my results just kept getting worse. Finally around 1 in the morning I got permission to do half of my normal insulin dose, and by morning I was back at normal levels. When Marc came to see me that morning, he had realized that I'd been feeling so badly that prior evening because of the high sugar levels (remembering that I wasn't the nicest person before I started being treated for diabetes).

My pain was about a 4/10 the following morning, but it was all in the incision site. My legs felt amazing. I hadn't walked much yet, but I could already tell that the surgery had been a success. It was such a huge change from the night before. After walking down a hallway and up and down a flight of stairs, I was cleared for discharge. It was totally surreal to be going home just about 24 hours later from what had been such a life-changing experience.

My brother Ryan had flown in from San Francisco to help out with the kids and taking care of me, and it was wonderful to have him here.* I think the kids almost wished I could have more surgery just so he'd come visit again. I received lots of lovely flowers, balloons and food, plus plenty of prayers and encouragement from family and friends. I am getting stronger each day, walking and sitting and finding it all totally novel. I have to retrain my mind to not expect pain with each and every movement. I've gone for a couple of small walks, and I'm feeling very optimistic that I will be completely healed soon. I can't adequately express how thankful I am for all the kind words and acts over the past two months. While the surgery was definitely not the easiest thing to go through, I am thrilled that I did it.

* I would be remiss if I didn't mention that in all of Wednesday's chaos, my mom called Marc to tell him that my grandfather had passed away. Marc had to break the news to me once I had stabilized and reached my inpatient room. While I was very upset, I think being in the hospital at the time actually made it a little easier to accept. Having Ryan here with me was beyond wonderful as we were able to both be on the phone with my mom together so easily, since our normal lives were already totally disrupted. I wasn't able to travel to attend the funeral today, and I am sad not to be there. My grandfather, Max Curtis, was a survivor of the Holocaust in a truly amazing story of luck. My most fond memories are of riding in his green station wagon when I was a kid. He was a house painter, and so the car was filled with paint cans, drop cloths, ladders and FUMES. He'd take me to McDonald's and then to a toy store called Children's Palace, and I'd come home with an upset stomach from the fumes and the excitement of it. My son is named for him. I am glad that I got to see him one last time at Thanksgiving, and I am going to miss having him in my life.

Pain Fest 2010

2010-03-16T17:18:00.003-04:00

On February 13, I put my son into his car seat. Given my long-term struggle with back and leg pain, it's not something I do terribly often, but I was anxious to get on the road to start a weekend trip away. I was tired and hungry, and I just wanted to GO.

And it sent a searing pain down my left leg, and I have not recovered since.

After a new MRI I was diagnosed with a second herniated disc, and the first one, which I thought had gotten mostly better, was determined to actually be worse. So now I have one on each side of my back, affecting nerves running down my legs, and I can no longer walk or sit without pain. Lots and lots and lots of pain.

Other than a few disastrous attempts at going in to the office, I have only left my house for doctor visits, and recently, to see a chiropractor. I have missed a tremendous amount of time and activities with my family and friends. Fortunately, I am able to work from home, and have been saving my best efforts to focus on my job.

I've been wanting to write an entry here, but I've been stuck on exactly what to say. This blog has always been about how busy I am - it is the name, after all - and technically, things have been busy. Just not for me. Marc has worked like crazy to keep things going for the kids and the house, and he has done more laundry and dishes in the last few weeks than he has done in the last few years. He has had to drive me everywhere and come along to every appointment. The kids have still been going to school and temple, out to birthday parties and restaurants. But I have been home, mostly in my bedroom. *I* have not been busy.

But in the midst of this lousy experience, there have been some wonderful things. I have an awesome extended family that has been helping out in so many ways, and I am extremely grateful for that. I have friends who have sent flowers, brought food, or just came by or called to chat. People have driven Hannah around when our family needed to be two places at once, and one of those places was not my bedroom. It has been amazing to see this community I've built try to rally around me, even though I am not very good at accepting help.

I am still in the process of figuring out what will happen next, but some kind of surgery is likely. I feel so fortunate to have health insurance and access to very good medical care so that I can face this dilemma without additional worry. I hope to be back on my feet again soon, so that I can get back to the busy life I want to be living.

Morning Perfection in Four Pictures

2010-02-07T08:56:00.002-05:00

Mornings around here can be pretty crazy. Marc will tell you that I get so stressed out some days, that I am horrible to be around. So on a recent morning when everything was calm and quiet, I had to document it. My perfect morning means I get the kitchen clean, both kids play on their own without haggling over toys, and Marc gets a bit of computer time. Awesome.

Are Your Weekends Like This?

2010-02-04T15:08:00.002-05:00

Lately I've been feeling a bit over-scheduled. We've had a few weekends in a row where we've had morning and afternoon plans for both days of the weekend, if not a marathon string of events. It's all my own fault, as I could easily say no to something. But with little available free time during the week, and the alternative being bored kids who just want to watch TV, it seems better to be keeping busy.

Last weekend, we decided to take the kids to the Institute of Contemporary Art for their free, kid-friendly "ICA Playdate" series. We had a great time taking Hannah to the same event a couple years ago. The museum itself is gorgeous, with it's view and giant glass elevator. The permanent collection though is rather small and, at this time, wasn't all that kid friendly. It seems that this event has become more popular as well (can you do better than indoors and free during a 10 degree day?), which meant everything was terribly overcrowded. So it wasn't the greatest outing, but I'm glad we tried. We'll definitely head back to the ICA when the kids get older, and go on a day when you have to pay the price of admission.

Sunday was jam packed. I first ran to Rosenfeld's, our favorite bagel shop, to pick up breakfast. Then Marc took Hannah to religious school and attended a special tefillin minyan. I brought Max to synagogue an hour later to attend a Tu Bishvat event for the under 5 crowd. Max didn't actually get involved in the activities, but Marc and I had fun catching up with everyone. Marc took Max home while I picked up Hannah and we picked up some lunch for everyone. After lunch I spent an hour trying to convince Max to nap while Marc did a fast grocery run, then Marc actually got him to nap while I took Hannah to a play date that ended up being fun for both of us. Unfortunately we had to leave early to attend a concert by Josh Nelson, a Jewish musician, back at our synagogue. The concert was great though, so we were glad we made the effort. Afterward Marc left the three of us to attend another event so I got the kids dinner, had a little dance party and then got everyone off to bed. A long, but fun day!

This coming weekend looks crazy too - Max has two birthday parties, Hannah has a play date, we need to go buy her a flower girl dress, religious school, and the kids and I are being filmed as part of a synagogue project on the descendants of Holocaust survivors. I'm tired just thinking about it!

So, are your weekends like this too? If not, how are you doing it differently?

Being Sick, Well, Sucks.

2010-01-17T12:32:00.000-05:00

Max has been sick this week. I don't want to say much about it because it's been so awful, but in the end he'll have gone to the doctor five times in six days, assuming tomorrow's visit is the last one and it goes well. He's had blood work and a chest x-ray, driven by very high fevers and very labored breathing. He's on antibiotics now and is getting back to his normal, rambunctious self, but it's been a scary, stressful week. I feel so fortunate that it wasn't something more serious, and that the drugs are doing their job to fix him. But yea, this experience has totally sucked.

Hannah Turns Six

2010-01-17T09:54:00.002-05:00

Just four days after we celebrate Max, we get to celebrate all over again with Hannah's birthday. It's hard to believe I've been a mom for six years already, but she's there in all of her lovely, enthusiastic, caring self to prove that it's true.

Hannah's birthday was on a Tuesday this year, and she was excited to be in school for it. She got a certificate and special "birthday pencil" from the principal and her class made her a giant card. Parents can come in to help celebrate, but Hannah decided she'd rather we didn't come in. She chose The Cheesecake Factory for her birthday dinner, and the four of us had a nice meal together.

The following Sunday was her party, at Build-a-Bear Workshop at the Natick Collection. Ten of Hannah's girlfriends joined her and Max to pick, stuff and clothe new bears. Afterward we trekked across the mall to the food court for a pull-apart cupcake cake. I think everyone had a great time, and aside from some drama with a lost (and then found) coat, it went really well. Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John were a great help, and we all had a nice dinner together after the party.

Hannah is an amazing girl. She is very sensitive and cares deeply about her family (particularly Max) and her friends. She's very curious about the world and wants to understand how things work and why it's so. Hannah is at such a great stage of life, where she is now so independent and can do much for herself, but still wants to hug her mom several times a day. She's doing really well in school, learning to read and working hard, and now has the presence to stop and ask when she hears a word she doesn't understand, rather than let it sail past her. She is beautiful, generous, funny and kind, and I couldn't ask for a better daughter. Happy birthday, Hannahbelle.

Seven

2010-01-07T19:20:00.003-05:00

Seven is a big number in our house right now.

Hannah, at the time of this writing, has lost seven teeth. The first two "shark teeth" came out in December 2008. Numbers three and four spent months doing some dramatic wiggling and shifting into new positions before coming out with very little drama (except that we accidentally threw out #3 - oops). Number five was assisted out by Max (when he happened to kick her in the face - don't worry, all okay). Six fell out at a playdate, and seven happened at after school care yesterday. I'm a bit worried that the dentist won't have anything to look at when she has her next appointment, but also hopeful that her mouth won't be a mess of gaps at Julie's wedding next summer.

Meanwhile, Max is repeating practically everything that we say. Or rather, he's repeating the last syllable or so. Therefore, guitar becomes "tar" and we'll hear "gofen" when he means to be saying the Hebrew prayer over wine. But the funniest version of this trick is the silly screaming of "seven!" For those locals out there, that would be the end of the jingle we hear quite often in our car: "Magic one-oh-six-point-SEVEN!" Max has impeccable timing when he hears it and chimes in with that final number, but he'll bust out a "seven!" at other moments too, seemingly to lighten the mood. So, SEVEN!

Max Turns Two

2010-01-06T05:33:00.002-05:00

So New Year's Day will always mean something extra to celebrate around here - Max's birthday. My little boy is officially two. Not that he has any idea what that means. :)

Max was up early, of course, but for once it was helpful. His birthday present was a new toddler bed, which uses the same mattress as he used in the crib. Marc and Hannah had worked together to assemble the bed the night before, so I quickly sneaked back upstairs and put his new "Thomas the Train" sheets on the bed. Max was beyond excited. He seemed to get the importance of this transition, and looked back at his crib fondly and said "all done cribby." He's done amazingly well with it, too. After being put back in the crib for one nap where he refused to go to sleep, he's slept every other time in the bed without any issues. We worried that he wasn't quite ready, but he is very, very proud of his "Thomas bed."

We invited families from Max's class at the JCC to join us for a New Year's Day brunch and birthday party for Max. It was a bit chaotic, and Max had a hard time sharing his stuff, particularly his new bed, but I think he had a good time. Hannah was very helpful with taking presents upstairs and playing with the older siblings of Max's toddler friends. We had seven two-year-olds, plus three siblings and a slew of parents here, but it was fun to celebrate together.

Max is becoming less and less of a toddler every day. He speaks so well, and is beginning to hold real conversations to tell you about his day. He loves Hannah so much, and wants to be wherever she is. He has a favorite blue and white blanket, and calls the tags on it "dee-dee" (I have no idea where that came from, but I'm thrilled I figured out what it means). He prefers to snack instead of sit and eat meals, but seems to enjoy vegetables more than anything else (I'm sure this won't last much longer though!). While he's a typical boy, wanting to run and create as much mischief as he can, he's also very sweet and loving. While I often get frustrated with this stage of childhood and wish he was older, I know in a few years I'll look back on it fondly. So happy birthday, little buddy, and thank you for giving me a reason to always be happy about a new year ahead.

Rounding Out 2009

2010-01-06T04:59:00.002-05:00

As I said in my last post, we had a lot going on during the final weeks of 2009. Here's what we were up to.

Christmas Eve was the start of Hannah's first official winter vacation. It was funny to have to explain the concept to her, as she had no idea she was getting a break from school! Hannah and I had some girl time and went to see "The Princess and the Frog," which we both really enjoyed, and then went to get burritos (Hannah's choice). Then we picked up Max from school and Marc joined us at home as we hit the road to go back to Connecticut. We met up with Grandpa John's side of the family at Aunt Carol's house for her traditional Christmas Eve party, and it was great to spend a little time with that side of the family, which seems to be growing by the minute with new cousins-in-law.

On Christmas Day Marc and I left the kids with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John and started a mini-vacation of our own. We had a traditional Jewish Christmas featuring Chinese food and a movie, "Nine" (I know, two movies in two days! Amazing!) which we both enjoyed. Then we drove to Foxwoods Resort and Casino, where we had reserved a room in the new MGM Grand portion of the giant complex there. The room itself was really nice, and we enjoyed a night away. We had dinner at Alta Strada, which was good, but not as good as this place, and lost a little money on the slot machines. We even checked out the Shrine nightclub (SO not my thing). But my favorite part was room service for breakfast. Any meal I can eat in my pajamas that I don't have to prepare myself or clean up has to rank pretty high on my relaxation list.

So that brings us to the day after Christmas, when the four of us, Marc's parents, and Marc's sister Rachel, her husband and 7-month old twins all went for a photo session at Portrait Simple. The photographer made a great effort to get 10 people, three of them under the age of two, to look at the camera at the same time, if not actually smile. Max was very reluctant to participate, but in the end I think we got some nice photos that capture who we were as a family at this moment in time. Afterward we had a little party to celebrate Max's upcoming birthday.

The following day we reconvened Grandma Fillis's side of the family for one last serving of latkes at our annual Hanukkah party. We had fun catching up with Marc's cousins there as well, and Max loved having Aunt Melinda's home to explore. With this last party, our holiday season was officially over. A fun, but busy, season, to be sure.

Max was able to go to school all last week, which was truly a blessing. While I was at work, Marc took Hannah to the Museum of Fine Arts one day, and then helped her work on a school project the next before picking up Max and driving back to Connecticut for the third time in two weeks with the kids. Hannah was left behind to take a trip to New York City with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John to see "Mary Poppins" on Broadway (yes, she is the luckiest little girl alive). But this suddenly left me with an evening to myself! So I took full advantage of that by getting Thai food and scheduling a massage. :) While Hannah was gone on Wednesday, I got to continue some "me time" and finally got a much-needed haircut and had a lunch date with Marc. Thursday morning I spent a bit of time at school with Max to read his favorite book ("Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?") to his classmates as a special treat before his birthday. Hannah got home from her trip and we all spent a relatively crazy night in for New Year's Eve. Marc and I enjoyed some proseco given to us by Rachel and Jon, and I have to admit - I was asleep by 9:30. Midnight and I don't know each other well these days.

And that's the last moments of 2009. I know it was a rough year for so many people, but I feel very fortunate. While I'd been dealing with lots of pain issues since April, December brought some progress on that front and I've been feeling a lot better. Marc and I both have good, stable jobs that have afforded us the opportunity to take the kids to Disney World and Storyland, and we've had lots of wonderful times with family and friends. It's been a busy year, but I hope 2010 brings no slowing down. Wishing you all the best for a wonderful new year!

Hanukkah 2009

2009-12-20T05:46:00.007-05:00

This has been one busy but wonderful Hanukkah.

I was really looking forward to it this year. We don't buy a lot of toys for the kids during the rest of the year, so Hannah began making requests in September, and I felt so fortunate to be able to get her so many of the things she wanted. But the big cause for excitement was Max. At this age, Hannah attended a family daycare, so Hanukkah wasn't such a big deal with her. But with Max attending the JCC, he had the holiday down. We'd been hearing about candles, dreidels, latkes and Chanukiahs for weeks, so he was ready to go.

We had some wonderful events during the last eight days. The first night of Hanukkah was Shabbat as well, so we got to enjoy celebrating both simultaneously. We opened the Wii Fit, and (mostly) Hannah's been enjoying that. Saturday night Marc and I attended a holiday party at our friends Darci and Ben's house, and we had a great time there. On Sunday I finally got to meet my friends Allison and Mark's new baby, Micah, who was just adorable (and loves being bounced around). Sunday night brought Julie and Mike over for our 3rd annual Hanukkah celebration with latkes and more time with the Wii. On Tuesday night Marc took the kids to the Temple Emanuel Hanukkah party while I attended a party for work. Wednesday night Marc and the kids also made a stop at the JCC ELC Hanukkah party. Thursday was our last night to celebrate at home, after Hannah enjoyed an after school play date, and Max was a bit upset when he woke the next morning and saw there were no more presents to open. Friday night we traveled to Hartford to spend the last night of Hanukkah with Marc's parents, and then Saturday morning we had a mini-family party with Rachel, Jon and the twins, and Aunt Melinda, scaled down because of the impending snow storm. Hopefully we'll get to see everyone else when we try to reconvene the party next weekend. We definitely crammed a lot in.

It may be a bit gratuitous, but I'm going to list what we got for the kids this year. We really put a lot of thought into what we chose for them, and I think it was our most successful flurry of presents yet. We bought almost all of it online this year, and if I was really motivated, I'd put in links for everything, but this will have to do (it doesn't total to eight since Julie and Mike were one night, and the Stobers another night). Hannah got American Girl doll bunk beds, Bendaroos, a color-your-own messenger bag, a candy jewelry maker, the Littlest Pet Shop game for Wii, and a really girly kipah. Max got a stuffed Torah, new letter magnets, wooden blocks and a wooden helicopter, and two sweaters, one with a train and the other with a Jeep. Marc's present is this new sign for our kitchen, reminding us of a great trip we took to New Orleans in 2001 (and documenting the most requested items in our kitchen, coffee and milk). I received a new scarf to go with my new winter coat.

So today we'll be sitting home and admiring the snow. Marc will finally get to try out our new snow blower. I'm only working three days this week, and will be taking a bit of time off to spend Hannah's first winter break with her. We've got a lot planned for the coming weeks as well, so stay tuned!

A few images to leave you with...

Not-Your-Average Morning

2009-12-09T19:16:00.001-05:00

Today had the kind of morning that while still in the midst of it causes me to stop and think "I can't believe I'm doing this."

There was only supposed to be one wrinkle in the day: Max's classroom Hanukkah party. Since I'm at the JCC so infrequently, I said I'd attend it. No big deal.

Then Marc scheduled an appointment to finally get his seasonal flu shot at 8:45 this morning. But again, no big deal. I had Max, Hannah would be off to school by then, Marc's time was his to use to his liking (if you include getting flu shots on your "liking" list).

Yesterday we woke up to the local weather girl harping about a bad storm to be hitting during prime commuting time this morning. I tried to reassure myself in various ways: if it's that bad, school will be called off or delayed; the forecasters will be wrong; how bad can it possibly be?

Well, it was pretty bad. Down right awful by my "I hate to drive, especially in the snow, with my children in the car" standards.

And wouldn't you know it, that after waiting at the stop for 30 minutes, the Hannah's school bus didn't show? And Marc had to leave to make his appointment?

So I piled both kids in the car and drove Hannah to school. Down a narrow, not well-plowed street. With Max kicking my seat and screaming (because I'd told them to be quiet). And almost hitting a parked car. We all had to get out, walk a block and take Hannah in to school and tell the office she'd arrived safely. And Max and I walked out just in time to see the kids getting off her bus.

Which sent Max further spiraling into tantrum mode. He wanted to ride on the bus, and I was the most horrible Mommy ever for not letting him. As I carried him to the car, he pounded on my (thankfully hooded) head. His poor hands, since I hadn't brought him gloves, were bright red with cold and wet and fierceness of tantrum by the time we reached our car. He continued to SCREAM as we drove to his school, for a time stuck in traffic due to a downed tree branch in the road.

Finally we made it to the party. Max seemed shocked by the sudden transition and a bit overwhelmed by all the people in the room. I snuck out at 10 - I have no idea how he may have reacted when he figured out I was gone. Somehow I got the car back home, pulled out my umbrella and walked to the T. Thankfully fewer people were driving around at this point, so only three cars splashed me on the side of the road. For once a Green Line employee saw that I was coming, took pity on me and held the train for 30 seconds as I made my way to the door. Phew. I don't think I've ever been so happy just to sit on the train.

So that's my contribution on how one morning can go from slightly complicated to completely insane in four moves - class party, doctor's appointment, snow storm, delayed bus.

Stuff

2009-12-07T11:37:00.002-05:00

The last few weeks have gone by very quickly, filled with lots of "stuff." We've had playdates, doctor's appointments, hair cuts, and all the usual errands. Here are some of the highlights:

- Hannah went on her first elementary school field trip to the Jackson Homestead, and is still talking about it, weeks later. She also attended her first kindergarten birthday party, but thankfully it's not the crush of parties that summed up the preschool years.
- Max had his first playdate with a friend from the JCC. We knew they were a bit young for this, but they seemed to enjoy having each other around (even though Max got hit on the head repeatedly, despite being much bigger than the other boy!).
- We did our annual pilgrimage (HA!) to Solon for Thanksgiving. This year's drive was our best ever - the kids held up so well, with less whining than we'd probably have experienced had we just been at home. They also got to ride a carousel on both legs of the trip at two malls in NY. Thanksgiving itself was wonderful, with Grandma Susan and Grandpa Hal, Uncle Ryan and his girlfriend Allison, Allison's parents Barb and Jim, and my Aunt Debbie. It was wonderful getting to spend time with everyone, and special thanks to Ryan for bringing along his Wii. Hannah and Grandma Susan both really enjoyed bowling with it, and it was fun to watch. Even Max got in the act by cheering for everyone. Max also really loved Grandma Susan's doggies, and he's now telling every dog he hears "quiet doggies!" Thanks for having us, Mom and Dad, and thanks for all the early Hanukkah presents too!
- The week we got back was pretty chaotic. Work was suddenly very busy, and the kids weren't on the top of their games. Hannah took a tumble off the balance beam in PE and hurt her ankle. The following morning I took her over to Newton-Wellesley Hospital and she got her first set of x-rays and a first ride in a wheelchair (but thankfully, she's fine and fully recovered). Max is letting us know that he's turning two any day now with all new tantrum abilities, and he's had a few good falls resulting in a bruise on his face and a bloody nose while at daycare. But his vocabulary is exploding, and he's recently picked up "latke" "dreidel" and "kiah!" (Chanukiah). I also went to my own doctor as well as physical therapy, so needless to say we were ready for a quieter weekend. Thank goodness that it was!
- Well, quiet except for really getting into the swing of the upcoming Hanukkah and birthday-double-header season. We (mostly) finished shopping for our gifts (thanks to Fillis and John for watching the kids yesterday!), sent out an Evite for Max's birthday brunch, ordered our New Year's cards and are organizing Hannah's party as well. We did the vast majority of our present shopping online this year, so our house has seen a parade of cardboard boxes. I need to start getting things wrapped up - can't believe Hanukkah starts on Friday night!

So that's the big update with us. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying this busy season too!

Sick, but not Swined

2009-11-10T10:54:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in the Halloween post, I've been sick. I spent most of last week resting and working from home, which I probably wouldn't have done in other years. I would have dragged my coughing self in to work and not gotten better for weeks. While I'm still coughing now, it's definitely less of an issue than it could have been. Who knew that resting thing had some truth to it?

But now, Hannah and Marc have been sick. Hannah's had a fever ranging between 100 and 103, but other than that, no major symptoms. Marc doesn't have a fever, but just generally feels lousy. So no swine flu here, but we're taking the necessary precautions to keep it at bay, and that's meaning lots of time on the couch.

There's been a lot of discussion on whether or not to get the swine flu vaccine, if it's available in your area. Hannah and Max both got the vaccine, and Max was able to get a preservative-free version because he's under 3, thanks to some quick action on our part when they became briefly available at our pediatrician's office. This article from the NY Times is a very straight-forward look at the motivations for why we chose to get the vaccine (I particularly liked the part about considering what else your children put up their noses!). But whether you got the shot or not, I hope you're feeling well during the start of this season of sick days.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T13:50:00.004-05:00

Halloween seemed to be a bigger deal this year, now that Hannah's in public school and celebrating has become mandatory. It started on Friday morning with a kindergarten costume parade and class by class performance. Hannah's class read a poem called "Five Little Pumpkins" which was very cute, but very serious in comparison to another class's attempt at the "Thriller" dance. Then that evening Hannah and I headed back to school for the PTO-organized school party. All the little girls shrieked and hugged each other like it had been weeks since they'd seen each other, not hours. I swear Hannah is really a seventh-grader in disguise. The dance music in the school gym took me right back to Friday night dances at Solon's Arthur Road Middle School (or, at least, it was a middle school then, if not now).

On the official day of Halloween I put the kids in their costumes and we walked over to the Newton Highlands Village trick-or-treating (gotta say it again, I love the village). Max stayed in his stroller as Hannah went from store to store collecting her loot. She got enough candy that she agreed to skip going from house to house later that evening, which was really good because I was starting to feel a cold coming over me, which hasn't let up since then.

So all in all a good, fun holiday. I think this may be Hannah's last year as a princess - she was talking about doing something scarier next year, maybe making her own costume. Next year I'll try to give Max a little more input, instead of dressing him in a too-big costume one year, following it up by him wearing it a bit small the next year. Now I've just gotta stop myself from eating the leftover Twizzlers.

Not Much Is New Here

2009-10-28T14:04:00.002-04:00

This post is going to be very similar to the emails I send my mom and brother Ryan every weekday morning: Not much is new here.

Things really have gotten quieter since the chagim ended. We've had a couple of extra events to attend at our synagogue, including an introduction to the library and open house programs for Hannah, as well as a Sisterhood event I attended where I had a genuinely good time making fun of shoes with Stephanie and Jenny. We had a fun dinner at our house with Tarr family - their girls have grown so much, and our kids seem to really love them - and a fun playdate with the Hebert family. Anais and Max are both just a couple months older than Hannah and our Max, and I love catching up and comparing their progress with Rana.

But we've also had some good downtime as well - taking Hannah to buy new shoes, spending a whole rainy Sunday at home with Max, Marc and Hannah catching a movie. The downtime is really necessary. Hannah's getting so tired out by school, and Max is so close to two that the terribleness is already raging, causing lots of cranky "I can't tell you what I want!" moments from him.

This weekend will be pretty full though - lots of Halloween activities and a visit with Rachel, Jon, Nate and Evie. And Thanksgiving will be here soon enough - I'm getting really excited for our drive out to Ohio!

It's My Birthday

2009-10-20T13:32:00.002-04:00

And I really don't have much to say beyond that, but I felt like I should post something, you know?

32 isn't very momentous, though I wonder if I'll ever get over the feeling that I'm usually the youngest person in the room. Marc keeps telling me it's just not true, and I rationally know that it's not always true, but I guess my self-perception needs to catch up a bit.

Hannah had a teary episode over not really having a gift for me, and Marc laughed that I gave a very "mommy" response saying something like all I need is to know that she loves me. This morning, when Max saw fit to wake us up at 5 am, Marc told him it's my birthday. Max enthusiastically replied "CAKE!" At least someone's excited!

Chagim Come and Gone

2009-10-13T11:20:00.002-04:00

The last of the holidays has ended, and I personally couldn't be more relieved. But more on that in a moment.

Last weekend was Simchat Torah. Before those festivities began, we decided to try out the Topsfield Fair, the oldest agricultural fair in the country. We got there early and had great luck with the satellite parking. Hannah enjoyed some of the rides, and Marc got a new vegetable peeler, but really, I think we're not fair people. Or at least we're not fair people right now, with a toddler in tow, a bad back, and lots of food issues to manage. Plus it was crowded and chilly, and difficult to see any animals. But we went, and now we know.

That evening we went to synagogue for Hannah's Kabbalat Panim, or consecration ceremony as we called it growing up. Fillis and John joined us for dinner first, and Julie met us at synagogue. The ceremony was cute - Hannah looked so proud saying the Shema with her classmates - and seeing her receive the small Torah was very moving. I whispered to her how proud I was, and snuck in a little "I hope that someday your kids will do something like this." I think that may have been the basis for a long conversation Marc and I had with her later that evening, which covered everything from the story of creation to how babies are made to who you should make them with. It was a nice night, and we all had fun dancing during the hakafot. Max really liked waving the flags, and thankfully no one lost an eye.

Sunday we went back to synagogue for more hakafot, and then later that day we had a really nice time having dinner with the Hicks family. They'd also just been to the fair, so it was fun to compare notes, and good to get to know them all better!

But now the chagim are over, and I couldn't be more relieved. It was nice that everything fell on a weekend this year - usually I miss out on some of it since it'll fall on a week day. But it was exhausting to have every weekend taken up by lots of events to attend. I've enjoyed celebrating, but I need time to get the laundry done and go through the mail, and maybe to watch some Oprah. So while we've still got lots scheduled on the calendar in the next few weeks, we're definitely going to schedule in some time to relax too. Hope you all enjoyed the last few weeks!

Sukkot

2009-10-08T09:36:00.002-04:00

After getting the sukkah built with our wonderful helpers, and a crazy week with some unexpected turns (the biggest being getting a new roof on the house), we somehow got it all together and had a nice Shabbat dinner in our decorated sukkah. Marc and I marveled that it even happened, given the lack of a weekend between Yom Kippur and the start of Sukkot. Just crazy.

And beyond that, we threw a party the next day. This year we invited a bunch of our friends from the Tot Shabbat crew at our synagogue, and it was wonderful to finally have an excuse to invite everyone over. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate, but we did get about an hour's break in the rain so that everyone could spend a bit of time in the sukkah, and the kids enjoyed climbing all over the swingset. It was a fun afternoon, and best of all, not much in leftovers.

We also spent some time in the Gonzalez's sukkah on Sunday, and have tried to eat dinner in ours all week too. Tonight for the final meal we're having Julie and Mike come join us. It's been a very hectic holiday, but it's nice to blend this observance in with everything else we've had going on!

Just one weekend of holidays left - Simchat Torah. It should be a good one!

Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Everywhere!

2009-10-01T13:09:00.002-04:00

Just like the start of yesterday's post, if you know me well, you know I can't stand disorganization and clutter. I HAVE to clean the dishes, put away errant toys, and hang up the jackets or I have a very hard time relaxing. Just keeping up with the day-to-day in our household can feel like trying to hold back the tide - nearly impossible. But when the house is neat (not spotlessly clean, just neat) and the laundry is done, I can actually feel the weight removed from my shoulders.

Unfortunately, for all the time spent sweeping back the fray, there isn't a ton of time left for the bigger projects out there. You know what I mean - cleaning the refrigerator, sorting out too small/wrong season clothes, or in today's case, cleaning out our back porch. We have a small room out the back door of our kitchen that isn't very livable, and thus becomes a dumping ground for all sorts of things. For last year's sukkah party, we cleaned it up and hid a section of the room behind a tarp to conceal all of the things we just didn't have room to put someplace else.

Well, it's been a year, and we just went behind that tarp for the first time this week! I guess there isn't much there that we actually need...at all. But, given time constraints, there's no way we can get through all of it right now. So I got up extra early today (also known as "when Max was still sleeping so as not to disrupt me") and straightened it up, and re-concealing the area again. Marc and I have made a goal of cleaning the space up before next Sukkot, and I'm sure if we can do it bit by bit we'll get it done.

But I do need to swap out the kid's summer clothes...and the refrigerator is pretty yucky from an exploding can of soda...Sigh.

A Little Help From My Friends

2009-09-30T11:09:00.002-04:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I hate asking for help. I don't know why, but I've always tried to be an independent person, and try to do everything I can on my own. But last night's sukkah building experience proved to me that sometimes it really is easier to get by with a little help from our friends. Marc put out a call for volunteers on Twitter and facebook, and our friends the Kahns and new friend and neighbor Josh came to our aid. The three guys had the sukkah assembled within 45 minutes. It most certainly would have taken hours, in the dark, under the flood lights, for Marc and I to have done it on our own. I am really grateful that they could come to our aid.

I'm also trying to leave more comments on the blogs that I read, particularly the blogs of my fellow moms out there. I really enjoy these little windows into the lives others lead. For me, putting these experiences into writing is cathartic, but it also helps me feel a little more connected to the outside world. I like being able to read and digest things on my own, but I've recently realized that the comment section really enhances both the writer's and the reader's experience, and is a way I can support friends both near and far. If you've got a blog or know of a good one to share, let me know!

Catching Up

2009-09-25T15:30:00.002-04:00

Apologies for the radio silence over the past two weeks. I was on a roll for a while, but then life started getting the better of me, and I haven't felt much like writing.

Our synagogue BBQ went really well this year, and I'm very pleased with the changes I made to improve it this year. Having two balloon twisters was great, and as Hannah said, the craft project was a hit. Other than a little rain and a giant swarm of bugs, the event was great.

Unfortunately, though, my back/leg pain returned with a vengeance last week and I ended up getting another fun treatment. I'm very frustrated by being in pain - it colors everything I think, see, and do.

We had a nice Rosh Hashanah, with wonderful meals prepared by Marc and a quick trip to see everyone in Hartford. I didn't get to spend much time at services this year, but it still felt like a new beginning in some ways. If you celebrated, I hope it was the start to a sweet new year.

This week was incredibly busy, with Max's open house Monday, Hannah's language club introductory meeting Tuesday and then her kindergarten open house on Wednesday. Max also had the biggest injury of his life so far, banging up two of his fingers on the playground at school (but as a bonus, he learned to say "finger" and "sick"). Hannah also started a karate class at school that we found out about less than 24 hours before it began. So it's been an overwhelming week, and I don't really see us slowing down for quite a while.

Tomorrow I'm hoping for a nice day for the four of us to visit a farm and do some apple-picking. This type of event usually doesn't live up to my visions for it, but I feel compelled to try. We really need a day to do something fun together (or at least I need it!). So much has been happening so quickly, that I need some time to slow down and relax a bit.

On 9/11

2009-09-11T11:50:00.002-04:00

On 9/11 I am 23 years old again. I sit in an avocado green half-height cubicle farm with even less privacy than I have today. I wear only an engagement ring. I am at work early, of course, because there are no children to feed and dress and get to school. I plan a joke with colleagues to ignore another co-worker soon leaving our firm.

On 9/11 I see a co-worker I would rather forget but now never will. I run to a television, refresh and refresh boston.com. I see Yahoo! Mail from Julie, "i just saw the second plane crash."

On 9/11 I crowd with others (hundreds of people?) in Bain & Co's 7Z conference room and watch in horror as a wall-sized screen shows the first tower crash.

On 9/11 I am yelled at by strangers for using my cell phone, trying to locate Marc, as I walk home to our apartment, too scared to take the subway. Marc has left his office in the Federal Reserve building, near the airport, but stops to run an errand along the way. I'm not sure I've ever forgiven him for that.

On 9/11 my mother offers to house and help any co-workers who may have been traveling in her area (none are, but I still remember the impulse to help any one in any way).

On 9/12, the next day, I go back to work, and out to pick-up lunch with co-workers. We cannot get back in the office, as it is attached to the Westin Hotel, where the hijackers may have stayed. I set my voicemail saying I am out of the office so that my fund's custodian in Texas can reach me at home.

On 9/11, regardless of the year, I have a hard time thinking of anything but these events. I was very fortunate not to personally know someone who perished that day, but we were all affected. There is a before, and there is an after.

On 9/11, where and who were you?

My Kindergartner

2009-09-09T11:34:00.005-04:00

Hannah, Hannah-belle, Hannie-Princess, Han, Bee, My Life, My Love,

I am so proud of you, and so happy that I'm your mommy.

From this:

To this:

And every silly smile, funny moment and amazing experience in between. Good luck in Kindergarten. I love you.

Make Way for the Stober Kids

2009-09-07T15:53:00.002-04:00

I'm home with the kids by myself today, Labor Day, and my leg wasn't feeling great this morning, so I wasn't sure how to spend the day. Marc sent me a note about a rally for healthcare reform happening this morning at Boston Common, and while I didn't think the kids would enjoy it much, it did give me the idea to take the kids into Boston anyway.

What sealed my thinking was remembering the new improvements to the Arlington stop on the Green Line. I hadn't been there yet, but it's been totally redone to be wheelchair accessible, which would also mean stroller accessible in our case. The station really is soooo much better, and the elevators worked great. We even had newer trains going there and back, so I never had to lift Max's stroller for our entire outing. This really saved my back, and I'm grateful for that. Now the T just needs to get moving and finish the Copley station already!

Anyway, we went right into the Public Garden and made our way to the Swan Boats. Another Boston thing I've always wanted to do, now off the list! It was a lovely little ride around the lagoon (or whatever body of water that was), and the kids really enjoyed it. Max kept quacking at the ducks. We continued walking around, taking in a magic show, playing on the "Make Way for Ducklings" statues, stopping at the rally for a bit, getting lunch, playing on the playground, and finally getting ice cream before the ride home. I told Hannah that it was our last ice cream of the summer, but she quickly had me assure her that we could still have ice cream sometimes, even if the season for it has ended. :) Of course, we can't stop having it now that Max knows what to ask for - "s'cream!"

So a fun little trip for this last day of summer, and I'm proud of myself for doing it on my own, too!

Bright Horizons Back-Up Solutions to the rescue!

2009-09-04T13:31:00.002-04:00

One of the many amazing benefits provided by my employer is access to a Bright Horizons Back-Up daycare center. This is a small but growing segment of the Bright Horizons business, which is to be used when normal daycare or school arrangements are compromised, or on a transitional basis when switching between programs. Some companies require a co-pay (mine does not; again, how awesome are they?!?). Reservations are taken a month in advance, on a first-come, first-served basis. There are some "high demand days" when infant and toddler placement is not guaranteed, but for the most part, our family has been well-accommodated by the program.

Our center is located on the second floor of my building, which couldn't be easier (we usually take the commuter rail on days when the kids come in). They're incredibly well-organized, with cubbies and bins labeled before the kids arrive, and extra labels for sippy cups and strollers. The staff at our center has been mostly the same since Hannah first attended a few years ago, and they remember the kids and always comment on how much they've changed and grown. Mid-day I pick up the kids for a lunch out in the city, which they love. It's a warm, wonderful place, and the kids always seem to have a great time there.

Hannah and Max spent two days there this week as part of our "HELP, THERE'S NO DAYCARE AND NO CAMP AND SCHOOL DOESN'T START FOR WEEKS!" shuffle (both kids had 12 weekdays free at the end of the summer). I'm so grateful to have this service to help us make it through, and hope that more companies make this option available to their juggling employees.

A Long Weekend in New Hampshire

2009-09-01T16:13:00.002-04:00

We left on a rainy Saturday morning for our long-awaited trip to New Hampshire. Unfortunately the rain continued all day, so we didn't get to dive right in to Storyland as soon as we got to town, and instead had to improvise a bit. We booked a hotel with an indoor pool, which was wonderful, since the kids needed a chance to blow off some steam after being trapped in the car. After a little shopping at the LL Bean outlet, we had dinner at the Red Fox Bar and Grille, which was great. Hannah was entertained by a movie in one room, while Marc took Max to play with toddler toys in another, and I enjoyed a few moments of quiet while waiting for our food to arrive. Hannah and Marc got a chance to see "The Bee Movie" while I put Max to bed back in the hotel.

On Sunday morning we woke up to a lovely, sunny day, and headed for breakfast at Glen Junction. The main attraction here was the constantly revolving model trains, and Max was totally captivated. Thanks to Stephanie for these two restaurant recommendations!

We were at Storyland as soon as it opened, and stayed until nearly closing time. Max enjoyed exploring the areas based on old nursery rhymes, particularly because he was allowed to touch "Peter Pumpkin-Eater's" oven without reproach. The train and car rides were also a big hit, of course. Unfortunately, though, he was totally terrified of a guy in the circus act who couldn't properly use a trampoline. Hannah was so excited to get to ride the bigger kid rides, and loved the roller coaster (riding one time each with Mom and Dad), the water raft ride, the flying fish, and the water chute ride. She loved getting soaked, which in previous years would have caused a meltdown. Hannah also bought a light up fairy with her allowance money, and was so proud to pay at the register on her own. We swam again at the hotel that evening.

Monday morning was the highlight of the trip for Marc, as we did the drive up Mt. Washington, the tallest mountain in the New England area. The autoroad was completed in 1861, and is truly a marvel even today. We were given a CD to listen to as we drove it, pointing out all there was to see and the history of the area, as well as the "This car climbed Mt. Washington" bumper sticker. The change in the weather as we made our ascent was remarkable. When we reached the summit, it was 14 degrees with the wind chill, with 50 mph winds. It was definitely a mountain top! We were dressed properly though, and Marc took both kids to the summit for a quick picture. It was a great adventure, nothing like the scary thing I had imagined, and I'm really glad we did it.

Both kids were real troopers in the car too. In my opinion, the whining and craziness were at a minimum. We kept Hannah busy with a couple of movies I'd loaded onto my iPod Nano, which worked very well, since we didn't have to listen to it too. Max kept us informed of his surroundings, shouting "bus, truck, and choo-choo" as often as he possibly could. And I made good use of my iPhone, finding a cute diner for lunch on the way there and an ice cream stop on the way back.

Unfortunately, it was all over too soon. While there, we were already discussing our next trip back - to be taken when Max is at least 36" and Hannah is 48". :)

A Few Reviews

2009-08-27T15:18:00.000-04:00

Due to the lack of childcare in these end of summer weeks, my in-laws generously watched Max and Hannah for a few days so that Marc and I could continue to work and not use all of our vacation time in one shot. The kids have been gone for four days, and it gave us the opportunity to enjoy some more grown-up experiences that are few and far between in our household.

On Sunday we tried The Local, a relatively new restaurant in West Newton. We went for dinner at 5 o'clock before seeing a film, and were seated immediately as there were lots of empty tables. I tend to drink a lot of water, so I was thrilled with the carafe the waitress brought to the table (and completely emptied it before the meal was done). I tried the fried pickles with spicy mayo, which I enjoyed (though Marc said they "tasted like Friendly's" and I totally understood what he meant). I went with the kobe burger and wasn't disappointed. We did notice that there were four highchairs in the place, but I wouldn't bring my kids there. It was a fine meal, and I wouldn't mind going there again.

Afterward we saw the film "Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!" about actress Gertrude Berg and her radio and early television show by the same name. I wasn't familiar with Mrs. Berg's career, and the story behind it was pretty fascinating. I loved hearing about how neighbors were used in the show to start a new scene, and thought back about so many sitcoms featuring wacky and wild neighbors - all because of her show. Also very interesting to hear about the Black List period. The film is definitely worth adding to your Netflix queue if you can't find it in your local theater.

Monday night Marc and I had dinner at O'Hara's in our own Newton Highlands, which is just a few blocks from our house. We've eaten there quite a few times now, but this was the first time we've tried a pizza there. It was very good, and we may considering picking up pizza from there sometimes, instead of our usual Newton Pizza delivery.

Tuesday night was also a special treat, heading out to Waltham to try Biagio with Julie and Mike. I selected the place because it was still offering Boston Restaurant Week specials (appetizer, entree and dessert for $33.09/person), and the menu was quite extensive, which is rare for Restaurant Week offerings. The meal was very good (despite a very long delay for our dessert to appear), the place was lovely, and it was wonderful to get to toast Julie and Mike on their recent engagement.

We also used this time to FINALLY unpack a bunch of boxes in our living room, rearrange a bit, hang a newly framed map of Newton, and clean out the front hall closet. While I've missed the kids desperately and can't wait to see them tonight, it was wonderful to get some time to relax, do things we enjoy, and get some much-needed projects completed. Thanks to Fillis, John and the other CT family who pitched in this week!

A Formative Experience

2009-08-26T13:52:00.001-04:00

In 1993, as a freshman in high school, I was very fortunate to attend a convention of the Religious Action Committee in Washington, DC. I had gone as part of a teenage delegation from my synagogue, mostly to earn the religious school credits I needed in what I thought would be the easiest and most fun way. I had never been to DC before, and it was an amazing trip, seeing lots of the local sites while attending numerous lectures.

Senator Ted Kennedy gave one of those talks, as did then Vice President Al Gore, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many other luminaries of the time. There were discussions of the relationship between the African American and Jewish communities, health care reform, and, in acknowledgment of a rally going on concurrently, gay rights. I have to admit - I was a kid. I knew little to nothing about all of these issues, and this trip was a very formative experience. I will never forget how seeing the rainbow flags and the people carrying them made me feel, and I know that those moments shaped the person I have become.

I am very sad to hear of the death of Senator Kennedy, but it gave me the occasion to think not only of the tremendous good he has done, but also of the amazing experience I got to have (and thanks Mom and Dad for letting me go - twice). Back then, I had no idea that I'd end up in Boston myself, and to have the honor of voting for him. RIP Senator Kennedy, you will be missed.

Camp's Over

2009-08-21T08:42:00.003-04:00

This summer has gone by in a blur. The weather had been just awful, with lots of rainy days and unbearably humid ones. But it was Hannah's first real camp experience, and Max's beginning days at the JCC. Here are the highlights.

Hannah attended two camps, T-ville Trails and Kaleidoscope. The former is run by Newton Parks and Rec, the latter by the JCC. T-ville was located at the elementary school that Hannah will be attending, and it was great for her to get the lay of the land. She spent time in the art room, gym, and library, and learned to climb "The Spider" structure on the playground. After 3 weeks there, she spent 4 at the JCC, and got to see her brother there on occasion. She had both swim lessons and free swim, loved the science and art projects, and as predicted, didn't really enjoy the sports at all. She did her first play on a stage, "Mr. Gumpy's Boat" and clearly enjoyed herself and felt very proud. I think she had a great time.

Max has had a more difficult adjustment, but I think he has the routine down now. He's really enjoyed swimming and has brought home some interesting craft projects. It sounds like his best friend is a boy named Avi, since that's the name he shares with us most often. It's so frustrating not to be able to talk to him about his day, but his vocabulary is growing every day. Last night he asked, "what's this?" for the first time, frustrated that he knew the word for teeth, but couldn't remember it. Max had his first turn as Shabbat Helper, and his versions of the prayers and the way he says "Amen!" is totally adorable. He's only had 5 other kids in his class, but that number will grow in the fall. I'm sure he'll be excited to go back.

The kids are both on vacation until September 9th, which is just absurd. They'll first be spending a few days with their grandparents in CT, and then Marc and I are alternating days, with a few at Bright Horizons back-up center at my office thrown in. It'll be a bit exhausting, but we'll get through it. Hopefully we'll have a great time at Storyland - one more week until we go!

Clothing

2009-08-20T13:39:00.002-04:00

I don't know why I do this, but I have a habit of thinking at some point during the day, of the kids and what they're wearing today. Maybe it's an irrational thing, but if something happened and I needed to describe them, can I remember what they're wearing? Just now, I couldn't picture Hannah. I kept thinking of yesterday's dress, why can't I figure this out, I know I took it out of the drawer, helped her put it on this morning. Then it dawned on me. Pajama day.

(A side note in case you didn't notice, this is a shorter post. I'm thinking about trying to do more of these, trying to update more frequently than my 1x/month. We'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll get discovered.)

A Quieter Month

2009-07-31T14:33:00.002-04:00

July has been so sleepy, by our standards, that I actually had to do some digging to remember what we actually did for one of the weekends this month! I scoured our Google calendar, then the credit card statement, and finally my old facebook statuses until I found details of that lost weekend. Here's what we were up to:

- We spent a few hours at Houghton's Pond in Milton, having a picnic lunch, swimming in the pond, and hiking a bit. It was one of the rare good weather days that we've had this summer. (We hadn't planned this in advance on the calendar, nor used credit for any purchases, so it was almost like it didn't happen...)
- The following weekend Fillis and John came for a visit with the kids, but really it was to watch them so Marc and I could go pick out a new mattress. We quickly settled on one despite our mutual dread about the process, and have been enjoying it since.
- Marc and I also attended a book reading by my favorite writer, Jennifer Weiner, promoting her new book. It was a fun and funny hour, and I'm thrilled to have a personalized copy of her latest.
- Last weekend we went on an adventure in Providence, RI. For a decade, Julie and I have discussed attending WaterFire, an event held during the summers there. Marc and the kids and I first went to the Roger Williams Zoo, then walked along a beach and had a great Italian dinner (thank goodness for GPS, Yelp and smartphones) before meeting up with Julie and Mike for the lighting. I was really, truly excited to go to this, but in the end it was a bit of a letdown. It took so long to get stated, and was so crowded and inconvenient to access with a stroller in tow. I guess there was more to see than we saw, but all six of us left feeling like we'd done enough. Plus, the Providence Place mall where we'd parked was needlessly complicated. I've definitely got the Providence bug out of my system, and am not sure we'll be heading back there anytime soon.

So that was July. Tomorrow we'll be having dinner with our friends Allie and Mark, who are expecting a baby boy in a few months. Hannah is prepared to tell them all about little boys, and Max is, well, prepared to be himself and show them all of the wonderful and terrifying things he can do.

Ch-ch-changes Abound in June

2009-07-10T09:47:00.002-04:00

Well, I did say in my last post that June would be a busy month, and I guess it was since I didn't get around to posting at all! Shame on me! Now I'll just have to catch you up again (especially since my loyal reader Fillis just posted comments on my last entries!).

So as the title suggests, lots of changes happened in June. Some were pretty minor: Hannah moving on from her Cinderella bed to cool IKEA stripes, Max moving from his high chair to a booster seat at home, starting a new cleaning service and me getting regular massages to help with my back pain. But the more major shift was Hannah graduating from her preschool program and Max starting his.

Hannah had been in full-time daycare from the age of 13 weeks until mid-June, so nearly five and a half years. She spent close to two years in family daycare, then six months at Sunshine Academy, two years at Gan Yeladim and finally one year at the JCC. All told, we spent close to $100k just on daycare costs alone. I feel so very fortunate and grateful that she had such a great experience, always having good friends and being well-cared for by teachers and staff. Given Hannah's personality, she's been offered many teaching jobs at her centers even at these young ages. I'm so proud of her, and of me and Marc for having successfully navigated what can be a very stressful experience.

And now Max has moved from family daycare to his first (maybe only?) center experience. It's been a difficult transition for him, with lots of tears every morning at drop off, but it seems like he's having a great time once he's there. He's had a few dips in the pool (the weather here in Boston did not cooperate for most of June, and July isn't off to the greatest start!). His teachers are great, and at night we "talk" about his new friends and how his day went. Max's vocabulary is just exploding now, with new words like "school" and "happy." He loves to sing, and I never thought I'd find mangled versions of the "Bob the Builder" theme song as adorable as I do.

But our real June highlights were the wonderful visits we got to have with Grandma Susan, Uncle Ryan and Allison! Uncle Ryan had two weekend weddings in Boston in June, so he got to spend an entire week hanging out with us. We had a lot of fun together, and it was great to have an extra set of hands at times! We spent a Sunday in Boston, going to the aquarium, walking all over, getting ice cream and riding a carousel. A few days later, Grandma Susan joined us. Grandma, Ryan, Hannah and I had a fun lunch at the American Girl store and Hannah got fully-stocked on the latest AG doll and accessories. Then Allison came for a couple days of fun. We had a nice Shabbat dinner all together, then toured the Wenham Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts over the weekend. Hannah spent two days at home with Grandma Susan, going to Plaster Funtime and hanging out in the village. It was wonderful to have everyone come visit us, and we promise that we'll provide better weather the next time they're all here!

Since Hannah had a few weeks off before camp began, she also got to spend a few days with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John, going to the beach and having a very busy social calendar! Hannah especially liked getting to feed cousin Evie (cousin Nate was sleeping). And then the four of us had a fun extended 4th of July weekend, hanging out at home and going to see the fireworks.

Now it looks like we'll have a pretty quiet July. Hannah's at camp for the first time, and I'm so excited to teach her to make lanyards. Max's is sailing along at the JCC, bringing home multiple shirts each day due to messy snack times. Laundry is harder than ever with two kids going swimming each day. Our July weekends should be on the quieter side, but we're looking forward to a full August with beach time and a return trip to Storyland!

April and May Notes

2009-05-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

The past two months since our trip have gone by rather quickly. Here are some of the details:

- Max and I both picked up a stomach bug and got sick the week we came home from WDW.
- We had a great playdate with Hannah and Max's friends, Anais and Max, featuring a trip to the village playground.
- Passover seder at Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John's house was wonderful, and Hannah was a great helper getting things set up and making salt water. I joined her for singing the four questions, since Hannah and I were actually the youngest people available!
- Unfortunately, over the first few days of Passover I began having escalating issues with my back, including a trip to the ER. I've since been diagnosed with sciatica and am now having lots of fun going to PT and dealing with that.
- Max and I have been taking a baby swim class at the JCC, in anticipation of him starting daycare there in June. I'm not sure he's enjoying the class much, but he's learned to say "JCC."
- I took Hannah to see the "Hannah Montana" movie, and recently downloaded some of the soundtrack for her. During the movie, there's a touching scene between father and daughter featuring a song called "Butterfly Fly Away." My Hannah grabbed my arm and snuggled close during it, and now it's one of "our" songs.
- Julie joined us to attend a sheep shearing festival at Gore Place in Waltham, MA. It was a gorgeous day, and neat to see that done up close.
- That same day we decided to purchase a backyard playset from Creative Playthings. The kids have already enjoyed it a lot, and I know it's going to get a lot of use this summer and many to come.
- I won free tickets to a Boston Pops show featuring the music of Billy Joel, sung by Michael Cavanaugh. It was a great show, but I had to go alone since it was a last-minute thing. I hope to get to go again sometime with Marc.
- I got two nights in a row out of the house, going to a party at Carol's and a dinner at Allie's. It was great to spend time with these friends, and especially to hear Allie's exciting baby news!

But the most wonderful event occurred on May 4th, with the birth of Nathaniel and Evelyn, making me an aunt for the first time! Marc got to go to New Haven and meet them while they were still in the hospital and congratulate Rachel and Jon in person. We all went to the bris and naming a week later. Hannah held both babies and Max was surprisingly sweet and gentle with them. It was such a treat to get to hold and help take care of these tiny new people, and I was so lucky to go back again and get to spend a day with them. Rachel and Jon are doing a fantastic job, and I can't wait until they're big enough to play with their cousins!

Looking ahead to June, we've got some big transitions coming up. Max will be leaving family daycare and entering Hannah's JCC center just as she leaves it. Next week is her preschool graduation (sob, sob). But we're looking forward to visits from my brother Ryan and his girlfriend Allison, as well as Grandma Susan's annual summer visit. It should be another busy month!

The Disney World Post

2009-05-29T14:00:00.001-04:00

I recognize how long overdue this is, seeing as we visited the happiest place on Earth back at the end of March, but I wanted to spend some time kicking it around for a while in my mind before writing it. There is so much I want to share, so you're going to have to indulge me as it's going to be a long post. But hey, it's my blog, and there's only 3 dedicated readers of which I'm aware (feel free to prove me wrong in the comments).

I've been wanting to go to WDW as soon I became a parent really, but it was cemented during a business trip to Orlando I took when Hannah was only 4 months old. Since she was so little, Marc and Hannah came along. During an afternoon off, and after lots of discussion, we spent an afternoon and evening at Epcot. We had a fabulous time, and I couldn't wait to go back.

But we did wait, almost exactly four years. We don't get a lot of vacation time, and a great deal of it is spent managing gaps in childcare schedules, so it had been a while since we took off a chunk of time for anything other than visits with family. Marc gave me the okay to start planning in December. Thanks to Julie and Mike, who bought us both the official and unofficial Disney guides for Hanukkah, I was able to dive right in.

I actually didn't use the official guide much, but the unofficial guide was priceless. Not only was it incredibly thorough, it also included access to additional features on the book's website. While I didn't follow one of the touring plans it provided, it helped us to determine what we wanted to see and do in each park, and really managed my expectations of the trip. Some of the details were just crazy (where to stand to get the best picture of your kid on Dumbo – hello, I wanted to be on Dumbo myself!), but some really did pay off (buying glasses strings for our sunglasses, since they need to be removed so often, which Hannah and I both enjoyed). At any rate, if you're planning a trip, get the book.

Before we did anything else, we made dining reservations. We knew we wanted a meal at Cinderella's Royal Table in her castle at the Magic Kingdom, and reservations here are very difficult to get. We made a lunch date with the princesses, and then also booked dinner at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Hotel. With the dates finally nailed down, we booked very early flights leaving Boston on Wednesday and returning home on Sunday. We rented a car, figuring the additional cost was worth our peace of mind at having access to one, and then found our hotel.

Through poking around on hotels.com, I stumbled across a hotel that featured family suites. A little more digging revealed that the All-Star Music Resorts, one of the Disney Value hotels, featured these suites that included two bathrooms, a small kitchen area, and a separate master bedroom. The most amazing feature was the price – hotels.com offered the suite at 45% of the price offered booking it through Disney. So our hotel ended up being one of the cheapest parts of our trip, seeing as the flights and park-hopping tickets cost us more.

Hannah was so, so, so excited to be going to WDW. She made her own version of Mickey Mouse hats for us about a month before the trip, and she worked hard to get Max excited too. This trip really was for her – she'll remember so much of it. She is already getting past her princess phase, but when she was there and in the moment, it was all so real. Hannah didn't complain as much as I had expected, and was a real trooper regarding all the walking we did. I think it also helped that she couldn't read yet – there was no fighting about rides she couldn't go on, since she didn't really know that there were things she missed.

Obviously, Max had no idea what was going on, and parts of the trip were hard on him. At 15 months, he wanted to walk everywhere, and got very frustrated about waiting in lines. He would pull off Marc's hat and glasses, fight and struggle against the stroller, and wait too long between diaper changes. Naps were irregular at best. But there are moments that I know he really enjoyed, and even though he can't remember them, I hope that somewhere he retains the memory of our first trip as a family of four.

Thanks to my BlackBerry, I was able to send emails each day that detailed our adventures, so I'm not just drawing on memory here. Again, it'll bore the rest of you; this is more for my own re-reading pleasure down the line. (And apologies if I get any of the names of things wrong!)

On Wednesday morning we got up and left the house around 4:30 to make our 6:50 am flight. The kids were up and excited, and had fun playing in an area near the gate before we boarded. It was Max's first flight, and he slept the entire flight sitting next to me. Six rows away, Hannah peppered Marc with a million questions for the entire flight. We splurged and used a skycap to help us get everything to our rental car, which was a big red boat (Chevy Malibu) that Hannah helped pick. Hannah was fascinated with everything just driving out to WDW – she loved everything about Florida. We changed the kids into summer clothes and then boarded the ferry over to the Magic Kingdom, and suddenly our vacation had begun. Marc wanted to buy a new hat, so we went straight to the hat shop and Hannah designed her Mickey ears – purple cap, Hannah Montana sticker, pink jeweled ears. While waiting for the embroidery, a parade began outside. Marc and the kids got swept up in it, and I eventually found them dancing with Donald Duck and Goofy on Main Street USA. What a way to get started with the Disney experience. We had lunch in Tomorrowland at Cosmic Ray's, and while Max finished Marc and Hannah rode the Motor Speedway car ride. Next Hannah and I rode the Astro Orbiter, a very high space-themed ride, and she screamed her head off but totally loved it. Then all four of us used our first Fast Passes on the Buzz Lightyear ride (ALWAYS USE FAST PASS WHEN YOU CAN!!!). Next was the Monster's Inc. show, which incorporated people in the audience, including Max! Mike (the one-eyed monster) asked if anyone wanted to see something cute, and they flashed Max's image on the screen. He was wearing an Izod shirt with large letters, and Mike yelled "look at this baby named Izod!" One of the funniest parts of the show for sure. Next we walked over to Toon Town and toured some of the character houses. Hannah also got an elaborate face-painting done, which turned her into a mermaid. Next Hannah and I rode the tea cups, which we both really enjoyed, especially because we got a pink cup. Hannah then played in a little water area outside Ariel's Grotto while I waited in line for her turn with the Little Mermaid. Hannah loved meeting Ariel, and thought she was incredibly nice. We finished our afternoon at the park with the scary Snow White ride, and then hopped on the monorail to the Contemporary Hotel for our dinner at Chef Mickey's. We had a long wait since we'd arrived an hour before our reservation, but it was good to be out of the sun a bit. Our dinner was fun – both kids loved meeting the characters, especially Max. The food was okay, but I think we were all pretty tired from such a long day. We finally made it to our hotel around 9, and after getting settled Marc went back out for a diaper run and a little exploring. A jam-packed but amazing first day.

Thursday was similarly busy. We started the day at the food court at our hotel, along with several hundred high school students. We had read that our hotel was often used for school trips, and it made the food court a nightmare. I waited in a huge line to get Mickey waffles for everyone. Fortunately, that was the only time we were barraged like that, as we went to the food court a little later the following morning. After breakfast, we headed to Animal Kingdom, which none of us had been to before. I had read that it was a smaller park, and as expected, we finished everything we had wanted to see around 2:30. Since we were there right after the park opened, we went right into a character greeting with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. Then we headed to the dinosaur area, and went on Triceratops Spin twice and poked around a bit before Nemo: The Musical. This show was definitely one of the highlights of our trip, and was truly fantastic. The costumes and sets were very well done, and we all enjoyed this show. We went a short train ride, had lunch and then used our fast passes on the safari. Hannah got into it, thinking there really might be poachers and that we needed to keep the animals safe. Seeing animals living in a set-up like that was really interesting. The last thing we did there was the Lion King show, which included some amazing gymnasts and was a lot of fun. We then headed back to the hotel for a swim break. I'd read over and over how beneficial it would be to take a break from the parks in the middle of the day, and it was. Max had his first official swimming experience in the baby pool, and we each took turns with Hannah in the giant guitar-shaped pool. Her swimming skills have really improved over the last year, and she enjoyed making new friends as she played around. After we dragged the kids out of the pool and got dressed again, we arrived at Epcot around 5. They had an amazing topiary display at the entrance with all the princesses made from flowers, which was very cool to see. We made a beeline for the Kim Possible game, which had been heavily promoted on the Disney Channel. Unfortunately, the timing of the game conflicted with our dinner reservations in Morocco, so we promised to come back the following day. We went into the Living Seas exhibit and Max seemed to want to dive in with the sting rays. We saw Turtle Talk with Crush (Hannah was too shy to ask a question), but she liked it so much that she bought a stuffed turtle. Our Moroccan dinner was good, but Max had a meltdown there which seemed to entertain some nearby guests. After we got some very good pastry in France, and then Marc and Hannah took in the Canada film while I sat outside with a sleeping Max. Hannah bought a cool Sleeping Beauty light toy, and Max awoke just in time for Illuminations. Watching the fireworks reflected in their faces was one of the trip highlights for me.

Friday began with a much easier, later breakfast (no lines!) and we still made it to Hollywood Studios just as it opened. We immediately went to the Playhouse Disney show, which combined four of Hannah's preschool show favorites. Even Max got up at the end and danced around in his toddler ways. Then we saw the High School Musical 3 "Block Party." Hannah sat down near the front, and as the show ended I waved frantically to "Troy," who saw me and waved back to Hannah. She was so thrilled about that. We next went to the Beauty and the Beast show, which had some amazing costumes. The only downside to all of these shows is that Hannah kept asking when they'd start. My answers of "when you see people on stage" didn't seem to appease her much. We saw a quick movie on Prince Caspian and then the Little Mermaid show. After lunch we went to the new American Idol Experience show. We got taped in the waiting area outside the theater and got to see ourselves incorporated in the show later. Hannah really liked voting for her favorite teenage girl singing a song from "Camp Rock!" even though she didn't win. We then went back to Epcot, as we'd promised Hannah, but it was a disaster. The Kim Possible game wasn't available until the park was nearly closed, and that caused a lot of tears for Hannah. We convinced her to go on Spaceship Earth by promising to leave right afterward and get dinner at McDonald's. We followed through on that by going to a McDonald's we'd seen on the Travel Channel. It was definitely tricked out, with tons of games and lots of different food options, but it was so tacky that we left as quickly as we could! We headed back to the hotel for more time in the pool, and Hannah stayed out quite late, playing in the water while High School Musical 3 was projected on a giant screen. I think swimming at the hotel was really her favorite part of the trip. Max enjoyed the line dances they organized poolside as well - he tried hard to dance along, especially to YMCA and the Macarena.

Saturday was the last day of our trip, since our flight home on Sunday was around 6:30 am. I brought breakfast back from the food court to our room, unfortunately spilling Marc's coffee just before I got there. He refilled his cup on the way to take Hannah for one last swim, this time in the piano-shaped pool. We headed back to the Magic Kingdom later in the morning, this time taking the hotel shuttle. This worked really well for us, especially at the Magic Kingdom since it avoided the need to use the ferry or monorail to get in to the park. We went straight to Fantasyland and got in line for Dumbo, which I took both kids on. The wait for this ride was one of the worst - it took a long time, and you're not in the shade for a lot of the wait, and then it's a pretty short ride. But still, it's a must-do. Then we went on It's a Small World, which has a faster moving line but was very challenging for Max. Once on the ride, he calmed down, and Hannah really loved it. She tried hard to identify all the different countries as we wound through it. We then used our fast passes on the Peter Pan ride, and then moved on to Belle's Story Time. Just Hannah and I went, since it was in a tiny alcove of the park, but it was great. Hannah got to meet Belle afterward, and I think that was possibly the cutest picture of the trip. Hannah and Marc then rode the carousel right before our lunch at the castle. Now, if you've got someone in your family that loves the princesses, I cannot underestimate how wonderful this experience was.We first got to take a family picture with Cinderella, and multiple copies of it were included with the price of our meal. The decorating throughout the castle was beautiful, and included small details like a little Jaq and Gus (Cinderella's mouse friends) hiding out on a ledge. The waitstaff was incredibly attentive and gracious, and the food was very good. Marc had salmon, I had a beef pie dish, Hannah had chicken fingers and Max some pasta. The kids meals were served on giant Mickey plates, and Hannah even ate some of the green beans that came with hers! Hannah was given a magic wand, and Max was given a sword (which we had to confiscate almost immediately). They both got little stars for a special "wishing ceremony" as well. Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty and Jasmine all visited our table, and Max flirted with all of them. Sleeping Beauty was so taken with him that she left a big lipstick kiss on his forehead. The whole experience was just wonderful. The afternoon was more rides: Haunted Mansion, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, the Enchanted Tiki Room (the one time we had to remove Max from an attraction), and Pirates of the Caribbean. We had a nice relaxing dinner at Pecos Bill's (relaxing since Max slept through it!), saw the Philharmagic show (a 3-D movie featuring a lot of the characters), and then Hannah and I went on our last ride, Winnie the Pooh. We saw the SpectroMagic light parade and the fireworks, then took the bus back to our hotel. The kids didn't want to go to sleep, but we had to since we'd be getting up around 3 to head back to the airport.

Poor Hannah didn't want to go home and cried a bit the next morning. We tried our best to explain that we can't always be on vacation, that we're so fortunate that we even got to go, and she seemed to understand. She told me, "it was a really good four days, Mommy." We arrived back to cold and rainy Boston, and were lucky to have most of the day to unpack and get our lives back in order, but it was a tough transition.

I can't express just how much this trip meant to me. Even though there were difficult moments where someone was upset or frustrated, the vast majority of the time was fun and entertaining, and I loved getting to be together as just the four of us. In the hectic day-to-day life we live, we don't get a lot of moments to just be with each other. There's always some distraction. I'm sure a trip anywhere might have yielded similar results for me, but knowing how much fun Hannah had, and the bonding time we had with Max, it might not have been accomplished some place else. It'll be a while until we can get there again, but I can't wait to go back.

Red Sox Fans Riding the Rails

2009-04-28T13:30:00.002-04:00

I know I owe my lovely reading public (the whopping 3 of you) a full post on Disney World (fabulous) and what we've been up to this month (lots), but that will require more time and effort than I have at the moment.

So what I will address is a topic near and dear to my heart - riding the Green Line when the Red Sox are at home. Hopefully some wayward fan will find this post useful as they prepare for what will surely be an interesting adventure.

Red Sox Nation, please keep in mind that the Green Line doesn't run well, even on it's best days. It's usually crowded and hot, and there's too long of a delay between trains. So when thousands of you show up for your few stops of fun, it just gets worse. Thankfully, the Kenmore station is the last one before the B, C, and D trains go their separate ways, and the rest of us can continue our commute in peace.

By the way, you can walk to Fenway from the E line's stops like Symphony or even Museum of Fine Arts, should you totally screw up and get on the wrong train.

And yes, the Kenmore station is the stop you want to use. Don't waste time waiting for the D line only, thinking the Fenway stop is closer/correct. When the train arrives at Kenmore, the conductors will be expecting a mass exodus and will wait for everyone to get off. No need to try to leave your seat before getting to the stop, as trust me, there will be no place for you to go. Note as well that the train usually makes a few pauses between Hynes and Kenmore, and that doesn't mean we've arrived at the station. Stay in your seat. But you should be advised that outbound C and D trains will have exits on the left side of the train. That means if you're standing next to the conductor, you're going to have a great time pushing past the remaining commuters to get to the exit. Don't worry, we've seen you and your buddies do this before, and we'll see it happen again.

Along the way, you'll find many new friends among the crowd who share your similar love of the Red Sox. You'll want to loudly discuss your plans for the evening, and even better, complain bitterly about the T experience. Try to refrain from doing so, and remember that there are many other people who do this everyday, who will not be going to the game, and find your additional participation to be the true burden.

I hope I've helped you understand a bit more about riding the T. You WILL make it to the game - there is no need to panic, push, or regale me with stories of how much worse the T is than when you used to ride it (you know, when they still used tokens), since you clearly have no idea what you're doing now. So store some value on your Charlie Card, and we'll somehow get through the amateur hour that is April-October evening commutes on the Green Line.