Still Counting with the Bracha!

It's only the day after Rosh Chodesh and I miss the music already! Now bear in mind that yekkes only "hold" from Rosh Chodesh Iyar until Rosh Chodesh Sivan, not including Rosh Chodesh itself....

On the bright side though, I'm still "earning my cheesecake" and counting with the brocho. This is due, in no small part to the daily sefirah reminder email which I leave as "unread" until I have made the brocho each evening. If you don't get this free subscription I highly recommend it!

Jewish Logic

(Another one sent to me by Ricki....)
Moshe is waiting on the platform at the station. He notices a Jewish man standing nearby and asks him for the time. But the man ignores him. Moshe then asks him again, and the man responds in the same way. Frustrated, Moshe asks 'Excuse me, but I've asked you for the time twice, why are you ignoring me' Suddenly, the man looks up and says, 'We're both waiting for the train, if I answer you, then when we get on the train you will come and sit next to me, we will probably start talking, and I may invite you to my house for Shabbat, there you will meet my daughter, you will probably like her, you may eventually want to marry her, and to be honest with you, WHY WOULD I WANT A SON IN LAW WHO CAN'T AFFORD A WATCH?'

Just when I decided to get back on my diet....

I find this article!!!!

Who of us hasn't walked past a cinnabon store in an airport, outside a movie theatre, or anywhere else for that matter and experienced that pavlovian response? Our mouths water. The scent has an overall calming effect on our entire bodies.

Now, up until yesterday, I always rationalized that this heavenly smell must surely be better than the flavor ever could be.... and yet, just once I would love to test the theory out {grin}. But at 1100 calories a bun and 56 grams of fat and my fresh diet resolve, I am very torn.

Can't things become kosher when I'm HAPPY with my weight???!?

Joey's Purim Grammen

Once again, he outdid himself.

Special Pesach Offer -- Make Your Reservation Now While Space Still Available!!

I cannot take credit for this. It was forwarded to my by Ricki, but I find it absolutely FABULOUS.

Your Family Presents…
PESACH IN YOUR HOME

COME SPEND PESACH 5768
WITH YOUR FAMILY

Celebrating over 3,000 years of Pesach with Jewish families…

For the entire Pesach:
Ø Gebrokts/Non Genrokts- depending on your family custom
Ø Hand/Machine matzah- depending on your family custom
Ø Private sedorim with your spouse and children
Ø Highly stimulating family-oriented discussions upon request
Ø Daf Yomi and other shiurim with your Rav in your shul
Ø Shul stocked with seforim
Ø Warm friendly neighbors and friends for your children to play with
Ø Sumptuous gourmet meals
Ø Dancing and singing at every meal
Ø Chol Hamoed trips – to discuss and decide with entire family
Ø All food cooked under the strict supervision of Mommy
Ø Inspiring divrei Torah and nachas from your children

MBD, Shweky, Gabay, Lipa, and Dachs
Rabbis Alter & Erps
Rabbis Frand & Krohn
Available on tape/CD the entire Chol Hamoed

Fulfill the mitzvah of Sippur Yetzias Mitzryaim properly-
Tell your children the story of the exodus from Egypt without all the distractions of hotels
Special Chinuch program: Let your children witness your mesiras nefesh to prepare for this beloved Yom Tov

Abba/Totty/Dad, Mommy/Ima, Kinderlach/Children
Will be joining us for the ENTIRE Yom Tov
Special guest appearances by BUBBY and Zaydey

So this year when you declare "Kol dichfin yaysay v'yaychol" you won't mean "Whoever can help cover the hotel bill can join us"….

Whether we need it or not....

We are the kind of people, social as we are, who never seem to go away for Shabbos or Yom Tov. We love our home. We love our shul. We love our Kehillah. We also love Oma G., and because of the nature of her illness, if we were to go away, her simchas Shabbos V'Yom Tov would be compromised. So we stay.
And this is probably why, when we once in a blue moon DO go somewhere for Shabbos, we appreciate it so much. I never realized how much of my weekdays, from Monday on, are dedicated to the shopping, preparation and cooking for Shabbos. This whole week has been so relaxing for me. We are going to a family Bar Mitzvah in Bridgeport, CT. I look forward to spending Shabbos with family and friends and coming home to a clean kitchen on Motzoei Shabbos...... oh, yeah, right..... I forgot...... the kids are staying behind at home..... strike that part about the clean kitchen :)

Hail, Hail, The Gang's All Here.....

...or they will be in a few hours!
Erica and Moshe, Chana and Michael and the rest of us will finally have our "first Shabbos together".
Don't you just LOVE Shabbos?
:)

Just Say "NO!" To Dumbing Down for Shidduchim

I had a conversation with a friend of mine last night at a chassunah. Chasssunahs seem to be the place where all conversations turn to shidduchim (of course with all the separate seatings and bullet-proof barriers, the likelihood of any young singles actually meeting is nearly nil...but that's a conversation for another time). She has a very lovely, fine, frum, intelligent, attractive and cultured daughter. Unfortunately, she is looking for a "learning boy" who appreciates all she has going for her.

Problem!!! The current batch of learning boys, in my mind, are far less educated, worldly and knowledgable (gemara aside) than young ladies such as this. These young ladies frighten the boys at best and repulse them at worst. (Horrors! A girl knows that traffic in midtown Manhattan is due to matinee day! The Yeshiva Bochur she's dating doesn't know what matinee day is.... therefore she must be a wanton woman, regardless of whether or not she herself even attends the theatre!) This becomes a frustrating dilemma for girls such as this. They *could* ostensibly dumb themselves down, but TO WHAT END?!?!? They are smart! They may "get the guy", but they will be miserable down the road. Now in truth, these girls should probably be looking for boys who are educated as they themselves are and are serious about their learning to boot, but sadly a) that's not what these girls have been taught in seminary to look for and b) as the head rav of my daughter's seminary told her when she described such a boy as what she was looking for told her, those boys are very hard to find (hence not recommended to a large number of girls) because their roshei yeshiva purport learning only and boys who try to do both are labelled "more modern"....

Where has Torah Im Derech Eretz gone?

Where has the sanity gone?

When will the vicious cycle end?

What can each of us do to help?

My Favorite Missed Moments

Apologies aside I thought I'd put forth a list of my favorite moments from the past month and a half that you may have missed.

• The New Years Eve party - without a doubt our best ever.... I mean Michael singing Di Provenza? Yosef B singing Tom Lerer? Aviv and Louisa playing violin? Avram & I and Estie doing various comedy acts? Jen reciting poetry? Moshe doing magic? Joey doing Jeopardy? CAN IT GET BETTER THAN THAT?!?!



• Chana joining our family.



• The annual trip downtown to see the holiday windows... leading up to Jen having trouble seeing in the crowds until she meekly announced in a voice loud enough for all to hear, "could you please let me through - the don't let me out of the orphanage very often and I'd really like to see....". Oh and lets not forget Moshe stopping random strangers in the street to join in one enormous "family photo".


• Discovering Starbucks' Wild Sweet Orange Tazo Tea... I couldn't have gotten through my three week long cold without it.

My Apologies!

Oh it's been far too long and I'm so sorry. I don't have much of an excuse other than to say that making shidduchim for one's children is ANOTHER full time job - tacked on to homemaking plus any full time jobs held outside of the home. So I guess I've been up to holding down THREE full time jobs lately.
But I've been given a break! With tremendous gratitude to Hashem, we were blessed with our son Michael's engagement to Chana. Chana is the sweetest, loveliest girl... and I don't just say that because she already calls me "Mom" ;)

Yankele... Get me my dancing shoes.....

With overflowing gratitude to Hashem Yisborach for all the blessings bestowed upon our family this year, I am pleased to announce the engagement of our dear son Michael to Chana.

So it's back on the roller coaster, I guess.... some of us are still a bit woozy from the last ride! A daughter, a mother and a son - all in the span of 8 months.....

Feel the moments, feel the moments... that's the mantra. They are gone before you turn around.

How Adventurous Are You?

This is the question Aviv asked before coming to stay with us for Shabbos Chanukah.
He brought with him a selection of Chanukah Themed Sodas - "jelly doughnut" flavor, "applesauce" and "chocolate coin" flavored as well. Thankfully (??) the "latke" flavor arrived broken in shipment. That might have been a bit much for me...... The entire crowd sampled the assortment, while the more adventurous of the bunch (i.e. Aviv himself, lol) actually attempted a bit of "flavor mixing". I say they all could have done well with a shot of vodka added.........................
Motzoei Shabbos Moshe, Erica and Aviv stayed, Estie stopped by and we had a bit of a game night and a wonderful pizza fondue served up with garlic bread chunks. It was such a hit that it is definitely going on the New Years Eve party menu.
Sunday night I made fresh latkes for the second time and after that we went over to Yosef B's for an impromptu get together - loved the little chanukah votives... I am such a sucker for chanukah kitsch...................

Happy Chanukah

May the light of Chanukah burn brightly in our hearts and souls and bring warmth, comfort and enlightenment to all.

Mother in Law 104

Moshe took excellent care of Erica when she was sick last week. So much so that he NOT ONLY made dinner, but he DID THE LAUNDRY and baked cookies!!!
I emailed Moshe a "mitzvah note", telling him how proud we are that he takes such good care of our daughter.
Now his facebook.com status reads - Moshe is a mitzvah boy (go ask my mother in law....).

Ask me! I 'll tell you!!!