Religious school for 2

I've already been down this road before. I attended the Hebrew Day School in Orlando, FL from first grade thru the 6th and experienced half my school day learning regular math, English, history, science, etc and the other half of my day learning all about Judaism; Hebrew, writing, history, etc. This is not something I need to do again or anytime soon. In fact, school in general is not my thing. I do much better in real life. Jeff is in charge of academics (I get fashion and pop culture). If the kids need help with their homework, it will be Jeff coming to their rescue.

So, I ask myself, why do I find myself attending religious school with Ian each Sunday?!?!?

Ian enthusiastically attends preschool at the synagogue and bounces in each day with a big smile on his face. He LOVES going to school each weekday and always has for the past 3 years. During the summer months, he gets so excited for the camp the preschool offers and doesn't even mind if sometimes was the only boy in a group of girls.

So when the synagogue offered a special religious school introduction class for the pre-k set, I thought this would be a no-brainer and he would be just as excited. Boy, was I wrong! Just when you think you have your 4 year old figured out, he goes and surprises you. Getting Ian to walk out of the house, get in the car and then be good for the 6 minute drive to the synagogue is not an easy task. Each Sunday he tells me "THIS IS THE LAST TIME I AM GOING TO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL."

Upon entering the synagogue, I have to drag him to his classroom and promise that I will not leave the building. Ian can access me in an instant should he need to. His group moves back and forth through the synagogue lobby a few times throughout the morning going from music, to the sanctuary, sometimes the rabbi's office and back to their classroom. I think Ian gets much joy and satisfaction seeing me sitting there, keeping my end of the deal.

Over the last few Sundays I've gotten more and more prepared for my 2 hour, 15 minute stay -- I come armed with hot tea, the newspaper, a fully charged cellphone and to my delight, I discovered the synagogue is equipped with WiFi that I can tap into with my netbook. Now this is religious school that I can be excited about attending! If only Ian can get on board with my enthusiasm. Ian even admits to having a good time when class is over, so I am not fully understanding why he isn't happy about going in the first place.

Even Jeff looks forward to religious school because he gets uninterrupted one-on-one time with Sam. It is a win-win-win situation for everyone -- everyone that is but Ian.

Uh-oh!

We've been found out! Our house is not that big and there are only so many hiding places to store the presents for the 8 nights of Hanukkah. My big mistake came in not wrapping everything as soon as I had a chance.

Ian had a friend over a few days ago for a playdate. He told Henry how excited he was that Hanukkah was starting on Friday night. He said he couldn't wait to open the GeoTrax and the CARS Racing Set. I heard him tell Henry this and I asked Ian, "How do you know you are getting GeoTrax and a CARS Racing Set?" Ian, with a HUGE smile on his face, replied, "Because I saw the boxes." WHAT?!?!!? My hiding place was discovered!! I told Ian that since he knew what the gifts were going to be, I would have to take them back to Toys R Us and return them. I would need to replace them with something that he hadn't seen, like broccoli and cauliflower. Ha! Ian quickly backpedaled and told me he really didn't see the gifts. He said that he just joking.

The gifts were being stored in our laundry/utility room. Since this room also has some major cleaning supplies/chemicals, this is the one room that Ian knows is off limits. I guess he figured his gifts had to be somewhere in the house and couldn't help himself. What a smart, little booger we've got on our hands. The only surprise is now what he gets to open on which night.

Happy Holidays everyone! Hope everyone has a wonderful Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and a fantastic Kwanzaa. May it be filled with fabulous surprises.

Yummy, yummy in my tummy

It's so hard for restaurants to make it and survive. About 26% conservatively (more likely somewhere in between 43% to 60%)* fail within the first year. And, in today's economy it is even more of a challenge to get people out of their houses and to a restaurant. Jeff and I hit a goldmine over the weekend and I want to shout it out to the world. CHOICES BY SHAWN in Fairfax VA. It is in the heart of Fairfax City, where The Sweet Life Cafe used to be. What a fantastic find!!

As reported earlier in my blogging, The Girls threw a party to celebrate the engagement of Jennifer and Karim. As a thank you, they sent the hosts a gift certificate to redeem on Restaurant.com's website. It was there that I discovered a restaurant I never previously heard of. The listing mentioned they cater to those individuals with gluten sensitivities. No way!! I couldn't believe what I was reading. OMG! The decision to go there was easy and the next date night Jeff and I had would find us there for dinner.

Our first attempt didn't go too well when we tried a few weeks prior and found they were closed for a private event. But this time I called twice; once on Friday to confirm they were open to the public and again on Saturday to confirm they were still open despite the snow the D.C. area experienced. Success!!!

The menu in person looked as good as it did online. The gluten-free gnocchi was no longer an option, but I inquired with the waitress about it and she said they had it. Yay! We put our order in and waited. The owner came to our table to tell us that yes, they do have GF gnocchi but it needs to be called in the day before as they make it special. She told me they would be able to fulfill my order as someone had called in the request earlier. But next time, know to call the day before to request it.

My entree came with a salad or soup and a side. I ordered broccoli/cheese soup, gnocchi and a side of fries. Can you say comfort food!?!? On this chilly, snowy night, it was the perfect meal! I have to admit, I would find this the perfect meal even on a beautiful day in Summer. :)

Jeff, not needing to keep it gluten-free ordered an appetizer of crab cakes, salad, rib-eye steak and mashed potatoes.

I was duly impressed when the waitress came back to our table and told me that they were making gluten-free bread and would bring some to the table when it was ready. Until then, Jeff didn't get served his bread yet either. Moments later both our baskets of bread arrived. I could get used to service like this!

For dessert we were offered a nice size list of many gluten-free choices. Jeff and I decided to split the fudge cake with chocolate frosting, complete with a side of homemade vanilla chocolate-chip ice cream. YUM-O!

As we all know, I have a big mouth. I am going to use it for good and help get the word out about CHOICES BY SHAWN. I would really love to see it succeed and know that I have an excellent place to go that is only 4 miles from our house (I used to run there in my training runs!) and offers a great selection of safe food that I can eat. I always use to say, "When you see gnocchi on a menu, you need to look no further." Now I can call in advance and get it made special for me. Love is in the air more than just where Jennifer and Karim are concerned. Bon Appetite!

Choices By Shawn
3950 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax, VA, 22038
(703) 385-5433 phone


*Source: The Restaurant-Failure Myth (Business Week: Special report 4/16/07)

Heard and Observed V

While watching a football game with daddy:

Ian: Why are all the players hitting each other? The players need to stop that!


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As I was filling up Ian's cup with a juice box:

Ian: Look at all that crap in the cup.

Me: What did you say!?!?!

Ian: Look at all that crap in the cup.

Me: Ian, are saying the word "crap"?

Ian: Yes, you know crap...it's when you have a whole lot of something.

Me: Oh no Ian, please don't say that word. It's not a nice word. I guess I need to find a new version of a bad word to say.

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Ian told us his desire to start doing Shabbat on Friday nights at our house. He inquired about a kiddish cup, shabbat candles and getting a challah on the table each week. We were more than pleased that he is showing an interest in wanting to do this and happy to oblige. So we told Ian we would start that week.

Ian: No, not this Friday. I want to go to Glory Days to eat. We can start next Friday. And, I only like kosher when it is hot.

Me: What? Kosher when it is hot? What are you talking about?

Ian: Popcorn. I only like kosher popcorn when it is hot.

I guess this is something they served in his preschool as a snack. I hope Ian doesn't think that Shabbat dinner only consists of popcorn and challah to eat. Although, I have to admit, in my world that wouldn't be so bad.

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Hearing a thunk.

Me: Ian, did you fall down?

Ian: No, the stairs just gave me a ride.

Going for it

There are certain events that will forever be etched in my memory and no amount of time will dull these "mental movies" when recalling them. The sigh of relief that my Bat Mitzvah was over and I no longer had to practice my haftorah or prepare for the Friday night/ Saturday morning service, my first dance with Jeff after getting married, holding Ian for the first time, the moment when I found out that Sam was going to be fine (we had a scare that required getting an amniocentesis), and crossing the finish line of the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in April 2007. That's a picture of me doing just that on the left.

I had been toying around with 5k (3.1 miles) races here and there; mostly for fun and to keep my motivation for running. I have to say that every time I go for a run, whether outside or on the treadmill, I have an out-of-body experience that I am actually the one running. I still can't believe it is me that is moving. Deciding to do the Cherry Blossom 10 miler was a whole new level of commitment. I had no idea if my body would be able to pull off 10 miles. It was daunting and exciting all at the same time just thinking about it.

I found a great training schedule that promised I could be running 10 miles in just 10 weeks. Could this really happen? Each time I hit a new running milestone and finished 5 miles, then 6, then 8, I was in awe. Wow, I was really going to do it. I even did a practice run a few weeks before the big day and was never more proud of my legs for completing 10 miles. What a great way to start the day! I was making it happen.

And, I am going to make it happen again. Wish me luck, I am entering the lottery system for the 2010 Cherry Blossom 10 miler. Last year they had 12,000 participants register within the first 2 hours and 45 minutes. This year they decided to give everyone an equal chance and will hold a lottery system. You have 10 days to enter by email and then will be notified if you get in.

I figure if I get in, it is a sign for me to do this race again. I am starting to get used to the idea of getting up again at 5:00am, doing my training runs 3 times a week outside, in all kinds of weather (my limit is anything below 20 degrees) and slowly building up the mileage with my running partner Bailey. Knowing I've done it before helps greatly, now its just a matter of doing faster.

She gets it

Samantha's sense of humor is starting to come through loud and clear. She is in on the joke. She gets 'it'. I love seeing her have fun and can't help but laugh with her -- even when we are in the midst of telling her no.

Samantha is no longer in her high chair and has been sitting at the dining room table with us for the past 2 months. She has a booster seat that is strapped onto one of the chairs; it gives her the same height as the rest of the family. Her latest thing is to take one of her feet and put it on top of the table while we are eating. She will look around and see who is watching her do this. In under 30 seconds, Jeff or I will tell her "Sam, please take your foot off the table". She instantly obeys and down goes her leg back under the table.
Then, as soon as we turn our head, she not only takes one leg back up, she'll take both her legs. And this time, she won't put them on the table, she'll just shoot them straight up in the air, near her head. It is an amazing feat of acrobatics and flexibility, but more so, it is hilarious how in her own way she is defying us, but also doing as she was told. Her feet aren't on the table. Legitimately, they are no where near the table. And, when we look at her doing this, she cracks herself up laughing. You can't help but also start laughing with her. It is truly funny. We will go through this back and forth several times during many, many dinners.

Some evenings when it is nearing her bedtime, I'll take Sam and cuddle with her in my bed. We just hang out watching either that day's General Hospital, Oprah or Sesame Street. It is some great one-on-one time and one that I treasure. As we get closer to the witching hour of putting her down, I'll say, "Sam, time to go to bed." She instantly takes her body and nose dives straight into the bed. She'll lay there face first in the mattress, completely still, for like 30 seconds. Then she'll lift her head, with a big smile on her face and look at me. Once we make eye contact, she'll start giggling. I wait about 5 minutes and we do this all over again. It is seriously cute. In fact, her actions actually get her a delayed bedtime because I enjoy it so and she knows it.

I am loving her personality and sense of humor. She gets 'it'. At 18 months old she knows what funny is. I can't wait for her to get older so we can have two way conversations with words other than "doggy", "more", "book" and "whoa".

A little bling never hurt anyone

It has been almost a full year since I lost my engagement ring. I have no idea when it even slipped off my finger. I am pretty sure it was when I was cleaning the house and it may have fallen down a drain, the toilet or in a bag of trash. We retraced my steps, turned the house upside down looking for it and to this day, I still look for it when walking around the house and find myself in a closet or sticking my hand in various places. Fortunately we had insurance and received the check within a few weeks of putting in a claim.

However, according to Jeff: He worked hard to buy that ring. He saved his money, put a lot of time and effort into picking out just the right one. He put his heart into it and it can't be replaced. You only get engaged once.

Me, however, has a different theory. Yes, I loved that ring. Absolutely adored it. I appreciate all Jeff did to get me it. It was a beautiful princess cut solitaire diamond in a platinum setting. And, I felt absolutely heartsick that I lost it. I was in a big depression for days over the whole episode. BUT, this is why you have insurance. And the ring is only a symbol we are married - that particular ring does nothing to make us more married. But the ring does give the message that I am taken and not a single mother of two.

By the way, I should make note that since losing the engagement ring, Jeff asked that I take off the wedding band and put it in a safe place. Something about him not wanting me to lose that one either. Once I get done losing all the weight I am going to, then I can get it resized and put it back on.

The only way Jeff saw putting a diamond ring back on my finger was that over the next 20 years or so, he would work and save his money again and surprise me with another engagement type looking ring at a 20 or 25 year anniversary. Seeing as we have only been married 5 years, this was going to be a long time to wait for a diamond to reappear on my fourth digit.

The money has been sitting in our savings account while we go back and forth rehashing our very different views about this. The closest compromise we've gotten is that instead of a traditional engagement ring, I get an eternity band and wear it next to the wedding band. However, Jeff still feels very strongly that this is wrong and can't be happy for me getting the ring. I very much want Jeff's blessing and will continue to go without until he is on board.

To my good fortune, Bailey Banks and Biddle is going out of business. Jeff realized that a lack of a ring will be a continuing sore point in our relationship and that the 40% off being offered was a great deal. As Jeff said he wanted to "get this issue behind us so we never have to talk about it again", he finally agreed to buy a ring. I picked out a very pretty 5 stone diamond ring as an eternity band would've been difficult to resize and Bailey, Banks and Biddle was not taking any orders. The rest of the insurance money is going toward our 2010 car insurance bill.

Looking back, it is no wonder that the original ring fell off. My ring size went from 5.25 to a 4.75. Yowzer!! I had no idea that my finger is that small now. The ring never felt that big. I promise to do my best to keep this one on my finger. I do.