Mother's Day is a tough one for me. My Mom was a tough one to please on Mother's Day, let's just leave it at that. Now she's been gone for several years and I miss her. I still work every year on Mother's Day as an act of avoidance. It doesn't matter anymore but I still grab that shift every time.
The kids have learned that doing more than making me a card and giving me a hug just stresses me out. It's amazing how no matter how much I try to do the opposite I wind up being the same. She wanted things her way; ex. an unattainable ass kissing: And I want things my way; ex. minimalist all the way.
I am comfortable with the way Mother's Day is celebrated around here. While I'm at work (enjoying turning over the responsibilities of parenthood for 14 hours) they make me cards and usually clean up. When I get in I get giant hugs and "Happy Mother's Day's. Dinner is already made, not a big deal, just a simple dinner, we eat together and talk about our day.
For me many of the holidays are ways we should be living our life. Respecting our parents, grandparents, the earth, appreciating our veterans and employees. Don't wait until Arbor Day to plant a tree. Fly your American Flag every day, not just Flag Day and the 4th of July. Unless a holiday celebrates a specific event I'm inclined to ignore it on that day and try to live it everyday.
So instead of kissing my butt on one day and being completely disrespectful for the rest of the year let's make an effort everyday to be kind and respectful to the people around you and the earth we live on. This is my hope for Mother's Day.
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Yom Hashoah
Today is Holocaust Rememberance Day. This date was chosen because it coinsides with the anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising. Tonight we will be at a local JCC (Jewish Community Center) commemorating this day. It is the first year we will be taking our kids. They know about the Holocaust and have studied age appropriate material on the subject. It scares them. Heck, it scares me. For the first time tonight I will meet Holocaust survivors. I want them to meet my children, to know that their struggle was not in vain. That the next generation carries on the traditions and they will learn about what happened and make sure that they teach it to their children. This young generation will be the last to meet these people. It is up to them to make sure that the horrors of this time are never forgotten. And even more important to understand it so it never is allowed to happen again.
Never again will Jews be marched from their homes without a fight. Never again will we quietly and blindly follow what were obviously lies that lead to the death of so many. Jews will never again give in with hopes of pacifying the oppressor.
Never again.
Never again will Jews be marched from their homes without a fight. Never again will we quietly and blindly follow what were obviously lies that lead to the death of so many. Jews will never again give in with hopes of pacifying the oppressor.
Never again.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Better Late than Never
Today we celebrated Hanukkah. Yep, I know Hanukkah was last month but last month we were all sick. Swine flu sick, high fevers, coughing, a little vomit, and some bronchitis as icing on the cake.
We like to have family and friends over one night during Hanukkah and it just wasn't happening last month. We were all pretty disappointed, we look forward to getting together. So I got this idea that we could just wait till everyone is healthy and just do it then. So finally everyone is feeling good. I called my brother and we align the calenders. As usual our schedules are a jumbled nightmare. The Engineer and my brother work Monday through Friday. My sister in law and I work weekends. Getting a day when we are all off together doesn't happen often so when we checked and realized that the only day for the next three weeks was 5 days away we just went for it. As you may remember from this post I haven't really kept up with the housework. So needless to say having 5 days to get everything ready was going to be a challenge. I knew The Engineer was going to be in a panic over it too. So I did what any self respecting wife would do. I didn't tell him until 2 days before.
After that therapeutic post I did feel better and was able to get a little more focus. So the house did get some attention and was it wasn't as bad. There still was plenty of work to do. The Engineer in his typical fashion (and I'm not complaining) got to work. I went around putting miscellaneous things away while he tackled mountains of laundry, dusting, vacuuming and the bathrooms. He even helped the kids get their rooms to a point that it was safe to enter.
So yesterday was spent cooking and cleaning. Well, until I went to work. But this morning when I got home from work everything looked wonderful. The Engineer had worked his magic.
We had to be at the synagogue this morning and didn't get home until 1PM, everyone is coming at 3PM. Yikes!
I baked a pie (pecan, every ones favorite) and slapped together a chocolate cake. The Vet had given me a cake pan in the shape of a menorah for Hanukkah, the cake turned out really cool.
So everyone shows up and as usual I totally blow my time I'd like to have dinner. I wanted to eat by 4PM but as usual I totally misjudge how long it takes to make latkes. So friends and family chip in and we get it done. As usual Just Me saves my hiney helping me cook and get everything together. She even helped my daughter make the icing for the cake and then frosted it. It was one of my favorite holiday dinners, brisket, latkes, steamed broccoli, asparagus and a nice big salad, thank you Doc (that's my sister in law).
It was a wonderful night, you can't beat it, family, friends, food, good conversation and lots of kids having a great time. And since I finally have a kitchen that is big enough to support cooking and conversation I didn't miss a thing.
We like to have family and friends over one night during Hanukkah and it just wasn't happening last month. We were all pretty disappointed, we look forward to getting together. So I got this idea that we could just wait till everyone is healthy and just do it then. So finally everyone is feeling good. I called my brother and we align the calenders. As usual our schedules are a jumbled nightmare. The Engineer and my brother work Monday through Friday. My sister in law and I work weekends. Getting a day when we are all off together doesn't happen often so when we checked and realized that the only day for the next three weeks was 5 days away we just went for it. As you may remember from this post I haven't really kept up with the housework. So needless to say having 5 days to get everything ready was going to be a challenge. I knew The Engineer was going to be in a panic over it too. So I did what any self respecting wife would do. I didn't tell him until 2 days before.
After that therapeutic post I did feel better and was able to get a little more focus. So the house did get some attention and was it wasn't as bad. There still was plenty of work to do. The Engineer in his typical fashion (and I'm not complaining) got to work. I went around putting miscellaneous things away while he tackled mountains of laundry, dusting, vacuuming and the bathrooms. He even helped the kids get their rooms to a point that it was safe to enter.
So yesterday was spent cooking and cleaning. Well, until I went to work. But this morning when I got home from work everything looked wonderful. The Engineer had worked his magic.
We had to be at the synagogue this morning and didn't get home until 1PM, everyone is coming at 3PM. Yikes!
I baked a pie (pecan, every ones favorite) and slapped together a chocolate cake. The Vet had given me a cake pan in the shape of a menorah for Hanukkah, the cake turned out really cool.
So everyone shows up and as usual I totally blow my time I'd like to have dinner. I wanted to eat by 4PM but as usual I totally misjudge how long it takes to make latkes. So friends and family chip in and we get it done. As usual Just Me saves my hiney helping me cook and get everything together. She even helped my daughter make the icing for the cake and then frosted it. It was one of my favorite holiday dinners, brisket, latkes, steamed broccoli, asparagus and a nice big salad, thank you Doc (that's my sister in law).
It was a wonderful night, you can't beat it, family, friends, food, good conversation and lots of kids having a great time. And since I finally have a kitchen that is big enough to support cooking and conversation I didn't miss a thing.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Happy Holidays
A long time ago I was wished a Merry Christmas by everyone this time of year. I hate to admit it but it bothered me. I would be in the local Hallmark store and checking out with a box of Hanukkah candles and the clerk would wish me a Merry Christmas. Hello, are you blind or just so overwhelmed with the season that you didn't notice that I purchased HANUKKAH candles. Now a days I get Happy Holidays. Well I know there is a line a mile long of offended Christians who want to be wished a Merry Christmas. Well tough luck folks now you know how I felt all those years. The funny thing is now that I get wished a Happy Holiday most of the time it doesn't bother me one bit when someone wishes me a Merry Christmas. I just take it as it's meant, which is they want me to enjoy this holiday season. So Happy Hanukkah folks, and if you celebrate Christmas, Kwanza, EID, something else or nothing I hope you take it for what is meant, which is have a happy holiday season.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Brag Rag?
Like most people who exchange Christmas cards some of them come with a paper inside telling the receiver all about their previous year. Sometimes it's just about how the year has gone. Ups and downs and if anything big happened. Like most people our card list includes old friends that we don’t see often so it was nice to read and get an instant update on their lives. Sometimes (and more often than not, I’ve found) it’s just a list, bragging about just how wonderful a life they have compared to the little masses. I couldn’t help myself and felt compelled to make fun of these “brag rags”. I told myself I would never stoop to this practice. If they didn’t know what was going on in my life then just sending a card to know I thought of them at least once a year was going to have to cut it. Then last year we moved in mid October and by the time I got around to sending out change of address notices to all our friends and family it was holiday card time. So I figured, what the heck I’ll just add a note to our card with our new address. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew I had my very own “brag rag”. Crap, I didn’t want to be one of those people but it really wasn’t that bad and after all it did serve its purpose, notifying everyone of our new address. So I printed it out, on nice holiday paper, of course, and sent it off. Several people told me how much they enjoyed it, that was it, my ego stroked I started thinking about it in November this year and stayed up until 4 AM one night writing this years version. So I’m going to copy it here so if anyone reads it I’m hoping to get some honest feedback. So please, no sugar coating, no politically correct crap, just spit it out, what do you think?
******NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT******
We hope everyone had a happy and healthy year. Our year was a full one. Making changes to our new home, adding a new cat to our family, some health issues, (which are now resolved), and homeschooling three kids has certainly kept us busy.
The first few months of 2009 were spent settling into our new home. It didn’t take long for us to start making some of the changes we wanted. Tearing down an old shed and ripping out the back patio/deck was our first order of business. Fencing in the yard so the kids and dogs could run freely came next. Soon after, a sliding glass door to the backyard and a new basement door were installed. As soon as the weather warmed, a new front walk (the old one was a safety hazard) and new rear patio were installed. Cleaning up neglected landscaping and yard work kept the kids busy. During the summer we converted an old detached garage into a shed. We finished off the outside part of our project by installing an in ground pool and after 23 years of waiting The Engineer finally saw his wish come true. The yard is a wreck from all the outside work but some seed and sod in the spring will clean it up.
Moving to this area also opened up an opportunity for The Engineer and Rustys Mom to get back to their study of the Martial Arts. We were happy to find a Kenpo Karate studio 10 minutes from our home. It didn’t take long for the kids to get interested and all three have already earned their yellow belts.
As part of their 4H project the kids took responsibility for four one day old baby chicks. They lived in a brooder in our laundry room for several weeks until they were old enough to move to the chicken coop. All four were supposed to be hens so imagine our surprise when we heard “cock-a-doodle-doo” coming from the coop one day. It turned out that one of our hens was a rooster. Since keeping a rooster doesn’t make for happy neighbors, we found him a home on a farm. Later, we added several more hens and now we have an abundance of fresh eggs. The Genius and The Vet both won ribbons showing their “girls” at the Grange Fair in August.
The Genius and The Vet joined the local softball league and had a great time playing this spring and summer, Their team was knocked out in the first round of playoffs but they can’t wait to play again next year. Baseball Boy, not to be outdone, joined the local baseball team and lo and behold, boy can that kid hit a ball. He can be found hitting balls out in the yard no matter what the weather (and hopping the fence to retrieve them from the neighbors’ yard).
Baseball Boy is still playing piano and this year will be accompanying the choir at synagogue for the Hanukkah service. Speaking of choir, all three kids joined the synagogue youth choir and will be performing at a local store in December for a benefit.
The Vet's wish to learn to play guitar finally came true this year and she started lessons. The Vet and Baseball Boy often try to put together a duet. Let’s just say they are working on it. The Genius surprised us all by wanting to learn violin. She is doing wonderfully and all the screeching we were worried about didn’t happen.
This year’s homeschool theater production was a great success. Baseball Boy had a lead part in “Attack of the Space Villains or Dirty Socks and Metal”. The Genius and The Vet stretched their comic abilities in this year’s version of “30 Plays in 60 Minutes”. All three kids had parts in “*********** Podcast” which was filmed over the summer and is available for viewing (for free) at http://www.itunes.com/. Please forgive the little plug there. :-)
Oh, just one more brag. Mickey, our dog, passed his AKC Canine Good Citizen test with flying colors. Malka is going to be taking her test in the spring.
We are healthy and very happy with our new home. The Engineer is still working for the Department of the Navy, writing computer programs that run training simulators for our country's Naval Fleet. Rustys Mom works part time as an EMT and one night a week as a vet tech. We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary this year and look forward to many more. We are truly blessed.
We wish you all a very happy holiday season and a healthy new year.
******NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT******
We hope everyone had a happy and healthy year. Our year was a full one. Making changes to our new home, adding a new cat to our family, some health issues, (which are now resolved), and homeschooling three kids has certainly kept us busy.
The first few months of 2009 were spent settling into our new home. It didn’t take long for us to start making some of the changes we wanted. Tearing down an old shed and ripping out the back patio/deck was our first order of business. Fencing in the yard so the kids and dogs could run freely came next. Soon after, a sliding glass door to the backyard and a new basement door were installed. As soon as the weather warmed, a new front walk (the old one was a safety hazard) and new rear patio were installed. Cleaning up neglected landscaping and yard work kept the kids busy. During the summer we converted an old detached garage into a shed. We finished off the outside part of our project by installing an in ground pool and after 23 years of waiting The Engineer finally saw his wish come true. The yard is a wreck from all the outside work but some seed and sod in the spring will clean it up.
Moving to this area also opened up an opportunity for The Engineer and Rustys Mom to get back to their study of the Martial Arts. We were happy to find a Kenpo Karate studio 10 minutes from our home. It didn’t take long for the kids to get interested and all three have already earned their yellow belts.
As part of their 4H project the kids took responsibility for four one day old baby chicks. They lived in a brooder in our laundry room for several weeks until they were old enough to move to the chicken coop. All four were supposed to be hens so imagine our surprise when we heard “cock-a-doodle-doo” coming from the coop one day. It turned out that one of our hens was a rooster. Since keeping a rooster doesn’t make for happy neighbors, we found him a home on a farm. Later, we added several more hens and now we have an abundance of fresh eggs. The Genius and The Vet both won ribbons showing their “girls” at the Grange Fair in August.
The Genius and The Vet joined the local softball league and had a great time playing this spring and summer, Their team was knocked out in the first round of playoffs but they can’t wait to play again next year. Baseball Boy, not to be outdone, joined the local baseball team and lo and behold, boy can that kid hit a ball. He can be found hitting balls out in the yard no matter what the weather (and hopping the fence to retrieve them from the neighbors’ yard).
Baseball Boy is still playing piano and this year will be accompanying the choir at synagogue for the Hanukkah service. Speaking of choir, all three kids joined the synagogue youth choir and will be performing at a local store in December for a benefit.
The Vet's wish to learn to play guitar finally came true this year and she started lessons. The Vet and Baseball Boy often try to put together a duet. Let’s just say they are working on it. The Genius surprised us all by wanting to learn violin. She is doing wonderfully and all the screeching we were worried about didn’t happen.
This year’s homeschool theater production was a great success. Baseball Boy had a lead part in “Attack of the Space Villains or Dirty Socks and Metal”. The Genius and The Vet stretched their comic abilities in this year’s version of “30 Plays in 60 Minutes”. All three kids had parts in “*********** Podcast” which was filmed over the summer and is available for viewing (for free) at http://www.itunes.com/. Please forgive the little plug there. :-)
Oh, just one more brag. Mickey, our dog, passed his AKC Canine Good Citizen test with flying colors. Malka is going to be taking her test in the spring.
We are healthy and very happy with our new home. The Engineer is still working for the Department of the Navy, writing computer programs that run training simulators for our country's Naval Fleet. Rustys Mom works part time as an EMT and one night a week as a vet tech. We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary this year and look forward to many more. We are truly blessed.
We wish you all a very happy holiday season and a healthy new year.
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