Being Thankful

This post is from 2008.

Our little clan had a tropical twist on Thanksgiving this year, with a non-oft vacation to celebrate in Puerto Rico.

On Thanksgiving, right before bed, after eating too much, sunning to much, and swimming way too much, I exclaimed"Hey! We should all say what we're thankful for!"

Mike and I said some boring platitude stuff, Kay added an inspiring "me too" and Magpie stole the show with: "I'm thankful for Hashem for this perfect little sister," and kissed Kay on the head.

Happy Thanksgiving.

What are you grateful for?

Wordless Wednesday: What a Difference a (School) Year Makes

This is my daughter Kay on the first day of Pre-K...



... and on the last day.




A note to my daughter Magpie: you didn't go to Pre-K, but here you (and Kay) are on the last day of Pre-Nursery when you were four:





And here's a video of you and your friends singing "So good-bye, to Pre-Nursery, we know that it is time for us to fly..." (I didn't edit it, so those of you who aren't Magpie or her relatives may want to skip it)



Yes, I Still Have It - The Shabbat Ima Necklace and other Nursery School Relics

This post is from June, 2008, when my daughter Magpie was in her final year of pre-school and we still lived in Manhattan.

The end of the school year always makes me melancholy, I can only imagine what I'll be like when my kids are really graduating from school for the final time.

Today was Magpie's last day of nursery school. She came home with a whole bag full of swag, including all of her day-to-day stuff from class - her carpet square for circle time, her chair name tag, her yellow triangle with her photo on it which was used to check in every morning, and perhaps most touchingly, her (handmade) Shabbat Ima necklace, complete with her Hebrew name, Varda.

Three years later... and yes, I still have it.

All these things were in her classroom day in and day out, and of course amongst the bustle of a rainy Tuesday morning or a hurried pick-up on a way to a dentist appointment, were the most mundane things in the world. Now, out-of-context and lying around our apartment, they are of course overwhelmingly touching.

And like so many things with one's child's childhood, I am suddenly filled with regret for every moment this past year that I complained about, rushed past, or simply didn't appreciate. Or, as Magpie would say, "no more pre-school."

Goodbye, and thank you, Chabad Early Learning Center.

 Magpie just finished second grade in suburban New Jersey.  How times change.

My youngest starts his first year at Chabad in New Jersey this fall.

I wish I knew where the time went.

Just when you thought you'd seen it all, I bring you... Menorah-Topped Cars

As regular readers know, this Hanukkah I've chronicled the best and the worst in holiday menorahs, and just about everything in-between.

But I couldn't let Hanukkah 5771 pass without one more commentary on menorahs, and that's the Car Menorah.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's this:

That's right, a menorah you put on top of your car.  The one above is from Hawaii, and the first-ever Menorah Car parade there in 2007.

Now, if you were keeping up with the concept of a Car Menorah, but I lost you with the whole parade idea, let me show you what that looks like. That's right, in cities and towns all over the world there are Car Menorah parades like this one in Philadelphia:

You can view an entire gallery of car menorah parades around the world at yes, you guessed it, CarMenorah.com. You can also buy your own car menorah there, too for just $225 plus tax and shipping.

I can't decide if Menorahs on Cars are in the awful or awesome category, but as everyone I have ever had the pleasure of meeting who is affiliated with Chabad has been so very kind to me, let's just say Menorahs on Cars are.... unique.

What do you think? Do you like to see menorahs on cars?  And while we're on the subject, what about all the vehicles dressed up as reindeer?

This one I found on SillyPenguins.com.

And last, as I was looking around for all the menorah-topped cars, I found a photo of this beautiful ice menorah from Chabad of Midtown Manhattan.  I bet it looks even better with the candles lit.

If you've ever wondered if good really does triumph over evil

This is the second heartbreaking anniversary of the slaying of Rivkah and Gavriel Holtzberg in Mumbai, India.

There is so much more that could be said.

About the others who also died that day.

About Sandra, their brave and selfless nanny who risked her life to save Rivky and Gabi's toddler son Moshe - and then left her own life in India to be with Moshe in Israel where he went to live with his grandparents.

So much more that could be said, but none of it changing the sad truth that this immense tragedy happened. I love knowing the light of the Holtzberg's will live on forever in the many children named for the slain couple:

And I love knowing that this is true: good really does triumph over evil.

In memoriam, Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg.

May their memory be a blessing.

Happy Lag B'omer! Happy Birthday Jewish Mysticism!

For those of you who are not familiar with this (very fun) Jewish holiday, it was yesterday. Lag B'omer commemorates the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, and is also known as the birthday of Jewish mysticism.

To celebrate, we went to a really great party hosted by the local Chabad chapter here in Larchmont. We jumped in the bouncy castle, ate yummy barbecue, sang songs, shot bows n' arrows (a Lag B'omer tradition, who knew?) and flew kites.

The best part, besides seeing lots of friends and hearing updates about many of our beloved morahs at the Chabad Early Learning Center, was watching Magpie stick to the giant velcro wall:
For those who are interested in learning more about the holiday, here is info from the Chabad.org website:

Lag B'omer is the thirty-third day of the Omer, a minor festival falling between Passover and Shavuot, commemorating the end of a plague which killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students; also the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar.

If you don't know what the The Omer Count is, click here and all will be revealed.

Today is one year after the Tragedy in Mumbai

Despite being completely heartbreaking, I find this very inspiring. These are photos of babies named for the Chabad couple who were killed in Mumbai last year.

May their memory be a blessing.

Today is Rosh Hashanah

We had a great eruv Rosh Hashanah last night, photos to be posted soon. I also got a very kind email from one of Magpie's morahs that was really nice. It's here for everyone else to enjoy too:

Wishing you all a k'sivah vachasimah tova! shana tovah umesuka!May you all be blessed for a very good year with only brachos and happiness and only revealed good!!May we meet in Yerushalayim with Moshiach now!

When Summer Vacation is More Summer Than Vacation

Every day my kids ask me about going to school.

The older one says "When do we get to go back to school?" and the little one just plaintively wails "Schhooolll. Schhoool. I wanna go to school!"

At Le Pain Quotidien on the way to Hippo Park Playground

And every day, I say cheerful as can be "In the summer, it's a vacation from school. We do fun stuff together, go to the playground, to the library, play with your friends...."

As soon as I'm done with my happy little speech, the kids just ask again about school. So, I offer up the big ticket items I have to offer over school - we can go to the zoo! Grandpa's beach-house! Out for ice-cream!  Out for breakfast and then spend the whole day at Hippo Park!

And still, they just want to go to school.

Which makes me have to wonder, is it really that bad hanging out with me?

And, more to the point, is it time I called their school and asked them if they have two spaces for the last three weeks of summer camp?