The craziest year of my life is over. As of a week from now, I will FINALLY be gainfully employed again. And of course, not only was the journey a stressful one, but after a year of NO offers I ended up with TWO in the span of 2 hours. First world problem, I know. And while I should have reveled in the embarrassment of riches, I actually found myself in the midst of a full-blown identity crisis. Let me explain.
As the year-mark of my hunt for employment approached, I basically had given up. Not given up the search, but given up the fantasy that there's a "perfect" job. There are lots of GREAT jobs - I apply to them all the time, and don't get called. If I do get a call, something happens where someone else has more experience, I don't have the "right" experience, or the organization doesn't know what they want and they hire no one. Some potential employers are nicer and more professional about it than others. And it's not just the job itself to be considered...of course there's the salary, benefits, and work-life balance. It was becoming very apparent that if I was looking for a job with meaning, a respectable wage, and the flexibility I needed to also be a mom I could only pick 2.
Salary is almost a non-issue since in the nonprofit sector many organizations expect their employees to be martyr-like while paying their top (usually male) executives salaries that put them in the proverbial 1%. Believe me, I have no illusions that I will ever make a lot of money but I do need to eat, and so do my kids. And I have no patience for lines like "we don't work here for the money, we do it because we believe in the mission!" expressed with convincing enthusiasm. In my book, that's called volunteering. So given the economy (it's an employer's market, after all), my expectations were reasonable and I was a little more flexible with my requirements.
What I'm left with, then, is deciding between jobs that would fulfill me and fully utilizes my skills, education, and experience and propels me on an upward career trajectory, and jobs where I'm - dare I say - "overqualified" but will give me the quality of life that I need and want. Which brings me to last week...
I had being applying to both kinds of jobs, and within the last month had made headway with one job in the former category (career building) and one in the latter (quality of life). The job with meaning was a fundraising job...a great job for me with my fundraising experience. It was at a top-notch organization with a challenging and exciting portfolio. But along with it would inevitably come more stress and less flexibility to fulfill my parenting responsibilities than they were leading me to believe I could have. I also have my photo business, which has become very important in my life and not something I want to give up. And finally, there was just something about the whole interview process that made me uneasy...I can't really put my finger on it, but even though it was the better job, something just did not click. Maybe it was that it was so scripted and by the book, and didn't at all give me a genuine impression of what it would be like to work there. Maybe it was the fact that my would-be boss took notes throughout the entire interview and barely made eye contact. Or maybe it was the fact that they hadn't been able to fill the position for a year...which I'm guessing the salary may have had something to do with it (red flag!).
The other job - an administrative/operations one - was clearly going to give me the quality of life I desired. But by no means am I suggesting it's entirely without meaning. Quite the contrary. It's for a Jewish organization, and I know from the interviews that they really appreciate my skills and experience that will contribute in a meaningful way. The interviews were warm and collegial, and the best part - it's 4 blocks from my house. Adios commuting!
I got the first offer from the fundraising job. I was scared. I honestly felt like I was forcing myself to be excited because it wasn't like I could turn it down. I needed the job; well, I needed A job. I tentatively negotiated a few points, and left the ball in their court. An hour later, I got the second offer and was stunned. Not only was I not expecting it (I was sure they were going to consider me overqualified and not be able to meet my salary requirements) but I now had to make the decision I had been anticipating might happen. It wasn't going to be made for me, like most of my jobs in the past. Shit. I'm terrible at making big decisions.
However, I knew in my heart which job I was going to take. I just needed the confidence boost that I was indeed making the right decision. Not only that, I needed to be reassured that I wasn't giving up my career by choosing the lifestyle over the job. The reality is, I don't want to be a career fundraiser...sure, I'm good at it and I like it enough, but it's not my forever career. And this is likely not the last job I'll ever have. Making a change that is better for my family is not a bad thing...right?
Oh yeah, and the salaries and benefits were almost identical. (The fact that the Development Manager salary was being offered at basically the same rate as an Admin job is a whole other problem.) So let's see...if money is off the table, and I don't really love the job that is going to look better on my resume, why would I NOT choose the job closer to home, with Jewish holidays off, and regular hours so I never have to stress about picking up my kids?
Furthermore, I can't take risks anymore. There's too much at stake. Stability is much more important to me than climbing some hypothetical career ladder only to smash into the glass ceiling, which as a working woman and mom most definitely exists. Sure, the other job may have been more challenging and exciting, but with much greater demands and higher expectations. In another life, where working late on a whim wouldn't have been an issue, I would have jumped at the opportunity. But my kids need me. And I need them. And I look forward to the challenges that will come with this new job, knowing that at the end of the day I really get to leave my work at work and come home to focus on the kids, my photography, my commitments to IKAR, and our crazy, messy life.
So there you have it. Time to dust off my heels and get ready to program the coffee maker to go off in the morning...did I mention I start at 7:45am? But since I can walk out my door and be there in less than 10 minutes by foot, I'm not too worried. I look forward to meeting and getting to know my new colleagues and continuing to expand my network and skills. Finally, life is getting back to normal...whatever that is.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Daylight Savings for Dummies
I have time to write this post because it's 7AM and my kids are STILL SLEEPING! Swear on everything, yesterday is my favorite day of the year. Later sunsets, here we come! More daylight = more happiness and cheer in my world.
Here's how we roll when we change the clocks: Stick to whatever time it is on the clock. That's it. None of this "well it's really only..." or "my body feels like its..." I know don't know from time since becoming a parent - I'm ALWAYS tired, so the numbers make little difference. What's one more day of being exhausted?
Anyway, we put the kids to bed normal time on Saturday (maybe a little later than normal because Ivy had her first friend "sleepover"!) and let them get up when they naturally did on Sunday...7AM. ("Feels like" 6...so, early but again who's counting?) We decided it would be a condensed one-nap day for Sidney so we pushed his nap to 12, and he slept only an hour. So he was tired the rest of the day which would all work nicely into our plan. Ivy napped as usual, and then we went to the Skirball to run them ragged at the Noah's Ark exhibit. An early Souplantation dinner at 5PM ("feels like" 4...we're officially Early Birds!), home by 6:30 to play outside for 1/2 hour, basking in the glow of dusk. Then it was inside for baths, jammies, stories and in bed at 7:30, per usual. They were both tired enough to not know that it only "felt like" 6:30 (but then again they can't tell time, so again we win!), and crashed.
Fast forward to 7AM...two kids still snoozing! Sure they may "feel like" it's 6, which is normal for them, but who the hell cares? Sidney just woke up after nearly 12 consecutive hours!!! And we totally set Ivy up for success because she has one of these:
and in the last 3 weeks, she has only stayed in her room until the green light about 5 times. (5 times, cumulatively, earns her a Dora episode privilege) This morning the light was green, and let me tell you...she just woke up and could not have been a more pleasant individual.
So that's how the Silversteins WIN at Daylight Savings. Now we can begin the season of eating dinner in the backyard and not feeling depressed because you're in your pajamas at 5pm in the dark. Cheers to spring!
Here's how we roll when we change the clocks: Stick to whatever time it is on the clock. That's it. None of this "well it's really only..." or "my body feels like its..." I know don't know from time since becoming a parent - I'm ALWAYS tired, so the numbers make little difference. What's one more day of being exhausted?
Anyway, we put the kids to bed normal time on Saturday (maybe a little later than normal because Ivy had her first friend "sleepover"!) and let them get up when they naturally did on Sunday...7AM. ("Feels like" 6...so, early but again who's counting?) We decided it would be a condensed one-nap day for Sidney so we pushed his nap to 12, and he slept only an hour. So he was tired the rest of the day which would all work nicely into our plan. Ivy napped as usual, and then we went to the Skirball to run them ragged at the Noah's Ark exhibit. An early Souplantation dinner at 5PM ("feels like" 4...we're officially Early Birds!), home by 6:30 to play outside for 1/2 hour, basking in the glow of dusk. Then it was inside for baths, jammies, stories and in bed at 7:30, per usual. They were both tired enough to not know that it only "felt like" 6:30 (but then again they can't tell time, so again we win!), and crashed.
Fast forward to 7AM...two kids still snoozing! Sure they may "feel like" it's 6, which is normal for them, but who the hell cares? Sidney just woke up after nearly 12 consecutive hours!!! And we totally set Ivy up for success because she has one of these:
and in the last 3 weeks, she has only stayed in her room until the green light about 5 times. (5 times, cumulatively, earns her a Dora episode privilege) This morning the light was green, and let me tell you...she just woke up and could not have been a more pleasant individual.
So that's how the Silversteins WIN at Daylight Savings. Now we can begin the season of eating dinner in the backyard and not feeling depressed because you're in your pajamas at 5pm in the dark. Cheers to spring!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Blogging from my iPhone - because that's the only way to make it happen these days
I suck, I know. Looks like this may be more of a monthly check-in kind of deal now. Anyway...
I'm not exactly an early adopter of new technology. I know that everything gets better and less expensive of you wait. The iPhone never did it for me frankly. Until Mike got an older model somewhat recently and I discovered the awesomeness of apps.
So when my Blackberry died on me it was time to get a new phone. I was eligible for an upgrade and it turned out that one of my best options was the iPhone 4 which I could get for the same price or less as another Blackberry. So I ditched one fruit for another, and I'm never going back! Look, I can take fun pictures like these:
I'm not exactly an early adopter of new technology. I know that everything gets better and less expensive of you wait. The iPhone never did it for me frankly. Until Mike got an older model somewhat recently and I discovered the awesomeness of apps.
So when my Blackberry died on me it was time to get a new phone. I was eligible for an upgrade and it turned out that one of my best options was the iPhone 4 which I could get for the same price or less as another Blackberry. So I ditched one fruit for another, and I'm never going back! Look, I can take fun pictures like these:
Enough about my iPhone. What's up with you? I've been busy developing my business, and the blessing of being unemployed is that I can work on it full time while also still looking for a job (siiiigh) and wrangling the litter. It's been an amazing several months, and I about to launch a newly redesigned blog and website! The jobs just keep coming, for which I am also blessed and I'm learning so much and getting better (I think) with every single shoot.
Life on the homefront is status quo. Ivy is doing great at school, and giving us a run for our money at home. But she's still as hilarious as ever. Sidney is doing remarkably well in the sleep department...for him, not so much for us. He practically jumps into the crib at 6:30pm and then stays down for up to 11 hours! Fantastic! Except that means 5:30 wake up calls for us (and 5:30 is really generous...this past week we were seeing a lot of clock digits with 4's), so exhaustion wins again!
There is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, since we do have some fun trips planned this year. Mike and I are taking a vacation at the end of April to visit our friends in North Carolina SANS CHILDREN! (Thank you frequent flier miles, even though we don't really fly that frequently!) I read somewhere that if your children come, it's a family trip. If they don't, it's a vacation. I'm so happy this a vacation because we haven't had one in over 4 years. Our little nephew/cousin Isaac turns 1 in May so we'll be celebrating with him in Mountain View. And later in the summer we'll take a family trip (see? kids involved) to Boston to visit Mike's family and a bunch of friends who are there. It's never too early to mentally (and physically) prepare for a cross country flight with 2 kids, so please keep me in your thoughts.
Okay - battery is running low here and my fingers are tired. See ya in March - LOL!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Old Year/New Year
In with the old, and out with the new. See how this year is going to kick last year's ass:
OLD YEAR - I slacked on the blogging.
NEW YEAR - I shall be better at blogging. And now I have an iPhone so I can blog on the go!
OLD - Got laid off. Looked for jobs to no avail.
NEW - Will land a job...so that my photography business can be what it was intended to be, a side job.
OLD - Overwhelmed by life (see above) to the point that I would literally walk in circles around my house noticing random things that needed to be done/put away/thrown away but couldn't actually do anything about it.
NEW - Create a system for being more organized and productive. Let me know if you know how I can do this.
OLD - WAY too many mornings of preschool drop off in glorified pajamas. Stacy and Clinton would not approve.
NEW - I will get dressed in the morning like a proper person.
OLD - WAY too many mornings of preschool drop off in glorified pajamas. Stacy and Clinton would not approve.
NEW - I will get dressed in the morning like a proper person.
OLD - Used the excuse of "I'm still nursing" to get away with eating whatever I wanted.
NEW - I'm still nursing, but the end may be in sight so it's back to the treadmill...oh by the way, we got one for our house. Mike won a raffle for a Best Buy gift card, so we put it towards a manual fold up one. Sweet. And while I will still be baking and making ice cream, I'm really going to try to cut back on sweets...at least those consumed before 10am. (First thing I put in my mouth this morning was a brownie. Don't judge.)
OLD - Said I was going to run a half marathon, when in reality I think I can count the number of times I went running on one hand and still have a couple fingers left over.
NEW - Run a 10K. That's more realistic.
OLD - Extreme Grouponing!
NEW - I've unsubscribed from just about every email I'm on. It was taking WAY too long to go through them all each day, and I really wasn't buying anything anymore. Even though I only bought things I knew I would use anyway, it's money better put towards preschool and food. So I will rely on Facebook and the couple daily digest of deals emails I'm on. I'll be extreme in other ways.
NEW - I've unsubscribed from just about every email I'm on. It was taking WAY too long to go through them all each day, and I really wasn't buying anything anymore. Even though I only bought things I knew I would use anyway, it's money better put towards preschool and food. So I will rely on Facebook and the couple daily digest of deals emails I'm on. I'll be extreme in other ways.
OLD - Took lots of pictures.
NEW - Take lots of pictures but be in more of them.
Not bad for my first stab at blogging in the '12, eh?
Monday, November 7, 2011
March 11 can't come fast enough
The good news - my least favorite day of the year is over. The bad news - many more shorter days ahead, until December 21, when we can then add precious minutes to each day again. I freakin' HATE the end of Daylight Savings Time. Boo! Hiss! I live in a binary world where dark equals stay indoors and go to bed. I need the sun to keep me awake and warm. This dark at 5pm nonsense just doesn't cut it. I feel like a blob in my sweats when I have no desire to leave the house and it's not even dinner time.
Yesterday was a miserable excuse for a day. It wasn't just that the kids were up before 6am, but Sidney did not have a good night and we woke up to cold and rain and had to schlep to ballet class and a birthday party. All day Mike and I kept looking at each other and the clock wondering when it would all end. After a quick afternoon errand outing, we came home fed and bathed the kids, and 7pm bedtime (for them) could not come fast enough. We each downed a glass of wine, watched some TV, and bundled up to end the Day That Would Never End. (It rolled seamlessly into the Night That Would Never End, but that's a topic for another post.)
So to get myself through these dark, cold times, I decided to put together a Top 5 List of Things That Make Winter (and yes, if I have to wear thick fuzzy socks I call this winter) Suck a Little Less. Because there are no trips to Hawaii any time soon.
5. SWEATERS - This would be more aptly titled Winter Wear, since in addition to cozy, snuggly sweaters, I also love scarves and tights and tall boots. And my Uggs. I adore my Uggs. I wish I could sleep in them. I actually don't own as many sweaters as I once did, but when I have income again I plan to change that. Tights are easy to obsess over because they're cheap - Target has amazing ones. And scarves are really more for show than warmth, but I love them all the same. If my body has to suffer through the frigid LA winter (shut up) I may as well look good and feel warm.
4. SOUP - I love soup. And to be clear, soup is not exclusively for fall and winter. I enjoy soup year-round. But yesterday was the perfect day for it - it was cold and rainy, we were exhausted and feeling a little blue, so I whipped up a quick pot of mushroom barley soup. Mmm. This week I'm also going to make curried carrot and parsnip and creamy potato with kale. One pot meals rule!
3. FLAVORS - Two words: gingerbread and peppermint. The gingerbread one is a bit puzzling to me since I actively hate ginger. Like with a passion. But I make exception for gingerbread cookies (especially if they have cute frosting and candy decorations) and gingerbread lattes at Starbucks. And peppermint is a year-round love, but winter brings out peppermint ice cream and chocolate covered peppermint Joe-Joe's at Trader Joe's, otherwise known as crack. They are like peppermint oreos, but with more crack. And THEN they mix the ice cream and the cookies and sell peppermint Joe-Joe ice cream, causing me to have to apologize to the treadmill when I go to gym.
2. CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S - Yes, I'm the nice Jewish girl who loves Christmas. I mean, obviously not for the religious part nor do I condone the hyper-consumerism that tends to overshadow the aforementioned religious meaning. But I love sparkly things and bells and the color red and the smell of pine trees and twinkling lights and...okay, so really I just want to do Christmas crafts. There, I said it. And the arrival of Pinterest into my life isn't making my obsession any better. And movies! I love Christmas movies! Well, really only the comedies...seriously, stick me in front of the TBS 24 hour CHRISTMAS STORY marathon or CHRISTMAS VACATION (c'mon, we all need a little more Griswold in our lives) and I'm a happy camper. But I will refrain from the winter confusion that Jewish kids often experience here in secular/Christian America and stick to dreidels and stuff. Whatev.
And for all you New Year's haters out there, I say you're wrong. It's an excuse to get dressed up and go out and do something fun...I realize the irony in my saying that, given that 2 out of the last 3 NYE I've been asleep by 10pm, but in theory I love the holiday. Our friends got married on NYE (best idea EVER!), and in the BC era (Before Children) I was always known to find something fun to do instead of sit around and bemoan that I have no plans and it's just a night where you look at the clock, blah blah blah. That's what people who have no plans say. This year, NYE is Saturday night and we have babysitting (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!), so I'm determined to do something awesome. Stay tuned.
1. MY BIRTHDAY - Otherwise known as Everything Goes on Sale Day! I mean, the MALL celebrates with me, amazing right?! I can stock up on the aforementioned sweaters and boots and sparkly things, and that's a celebration in itself. Mark your calendars - December 26 - and let me know if you will also be in need of retail therapy after this hellacious year. I know I will be.
Stay warm!
Yesterday was a miserable excuse for a day. It wasn't just that the kids were up before 6am, but Sidney did not have a good night and we woke up to cold and rain and had to schlep to ballet class and a birthday party. All day Mike and I kept looking at each other and the clock wondering when it would all end. After a quick afternoon errand outing, we came home fed and bathed the kids, and 7pm bedtime (for them) could not come fast enough. We each downed a glass of wine, watched some TV, and bundled up to end the Day That Would Never End. (It rolled seamlessly into the Night That Would Never End, but that's a topic for another post.)
So to get myself through these dark, cold times, I decided to put together a Top 5 List of Things That Make Winter (and yes, if I have to wear thick fuzzy socks I call this winter) Suck a Little Less. Because there are no trips to Hawaii any time soon.
5. SWEATERS - This would be more aptly titled Winter Wear, since in addition to cozy, snuggly sweaters, I also love scarves and tights and tall boots. And my Uggs. I adore my Uggs. I wish I could sleep in them. I actually don't own as many sweaters as I once did, but when I have income again I plan to change that. Tights are easy to obsess over because they're cheap - Target has amazing ones. And scarves are really more for show than warmth, but I love them all the same. If my body has to suffer through the frigid LA winter (shut up) I may as well look good and feel warm.
4. SOUP - I love soup. And to be clear, soup is not exclusively for fall and winter. I enjoy soup year-round. But yesterday was the perfect day for it - it was cold and rainy, we were exhausted and feeling a little blue, so I whipped up a quick pot of mushroom barley soup. Mmm. This week I'm also going to make curried carrot and parsnip and creamy potato with kale. One pot meals rule!
3. FLAVORS - Two words: gingerbread and peppermint. The gingerbread one is a bit puzzling to me since I actively hate ginger. Like with a passion. But I make exception for gingerbread cookies (especially if they have cute frosting and candy decorations) and gingerbread lattes at Starbucks. And peppermint is a year-round love, but winter brings out peppermint ice cream and chocolate covered peppermint Joe-Joe's at Trader Joe's, otherwise known as crack. They are like peppermint oreos, but with more crack. And THEN they mix the ice cream and the cookies and sell peppermint Joe-Joe ice cream, causing me to have to apologize to the treadmill when I go to gym.
2. CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S - Yes, I'm the nice Jewish girl who loves Christmas. I mean, obviously not for the religious part nor do I condone the hyper-consumerism that tends to overshadow the aforementioned religious meaning. But I love sparkly things and bells and the color red and the smell of pine trees and twinkling lights and...okay, so really I just want to do Christmas crafts. There, I said it. And the arrival of Pinterest into my life isn't making my obsession any better. And movies! I love Christmas movies! Well, really only the comedies...seriously, stick me in front of the TBS 24 hour CHRISTMAS STORY marathon or CHRISTMAS VACATION (c'mon, we all need a little more Griswold in our lives) and I'm a happy camper. But I will refrain from the winter confusion that Jewish kids often experience here in secular/Christian America and stick to dreidels and stuff. Whatev.
And for all you New Year's haters out there, I say you're wrong. It's an excuse to get dressed up and go out and do something fun...I realize the irony in my saying that, given that 2 out of the last 3 NYE I've been asleep by 10pm, but in theory I love the holiday. Our friends got married on NYE (best idea EVER!), and in the BC era (Before Children) I was always known to find something fun to do instead of sit around and bemoan that I have no plans and it's just a night where you look at the clock, blah blah blah. That's what people who have no plans say. This year, NYE is Saturday night and we have babysitting (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!), so I'm determined to do something awesome. Stay tuned.
1. MY BIRTHDAY - Otherwise known as Everything Goes on Sale Day! I mean, the MALL celebrates with me, amazing right?! I can stock up on the aforementioned sweaters and boots and sparkly things, and that's a celebration in itself. Mark your calendars - December 26 - and let me know if you will also be in need of retail therapy after this hellacious year. I know I will be.
Stay warm!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Can we rewind and talk about Sukkot?
I've decided that Sukkot is officially my favorite Jewish holiday. I have always, or least since moving to LA, loved the holiday, one that was often overlooked growing up because by the time Yom Kippur was over it was back to "normal". There was one at my synagogue but the rotting fruit and fading paper chains that hung from it were far from appealing. It was only in recent years that I kind of became obsessed. In fact, we've been known to shamelessly invite ourselves over to people's homes for dinner just to be able to sit (and eat) in their sukkahs when we lived in an apartment and didn't have our own. I had a bad case of sukkah envy. I think it's because I really love fall - even though in LA fall lasts about a week, and Sukkot almost always is during an Indian summer. I did live in New England for 3 years, so I have a true appreciation for the season. And there's something terribly romantic and soothing about eating outside...I do have an obsession with patio furniture, remember?
When we moved into this house with a real backyard, the first thing I thought to myself was "Now we can build a sukkah!" (And then I marveled that we had our own washer/dryer...a close second to a yard big enough for a sukkah.) Well that first year proved to be more difficult that I imagined...we had less than pleasant neighbors with whom we shared the yard (despite them being Jewish, I'm sure they would have tattled on us to the management company for cluttering the yard or something), and I found out that they're not exactly cheap. We did not have $300+ kicking around, so I spent the fall of 2009 in major sukkah-lust.
And we all know what happened last year during Sukkot...! Suffice to say my pregnant and bed-rest state put me in no position to build a sukkah, and it turns out I missed half the holiday anyway. Too bad because the record breaking heat last year would have made for so many perfect outdoor meals. But I happen to think it's so cool that Sidney's Hebrew birthday is the first day of Sukkot...all the more reason to love the holiday. That, and the fact that we got to have his bris in a sukkah...couldn't have scripted it more perfectly.
So now we get to this year. I was determined to make it happen, come hell or high water. But if we didn't have $300 kicking around 2 years ago, we certainly don't have it this year...so I was trying to be creative about how we could do it on the cheap.
And then I saw it...finally, my Extreme Grouponing was really paying off. A daily deal for a sukkah kit!!! But still, it was $175...hmm. I posted the deal on Facebook with a call out to anyone who might want to share the cost (and rights to using the sukkah too, of course), and my friend Sara (love you!!!) saved the day. Or, rather, saved Sukkot...
And then I saw it...finally, my Extreme Grouponing was really paying off. A daily deal for a sukkah kit!!! But still, it was $175...hmm. I posted the deal on Facebook with a call out to anyone who might want to share the cost (and rights to using the sukkah too, of course), and my friend Sara (love you!!!) saved the day. Or, rather, saved Sukkot...
Birthright Israel NEXT was offering sukkah grants to any birthright alum who wanted to build a sukkah, for up to $200!!! Faster than you can say "schach", I had that application filled out, submitted and approved. Best Sukkot EVER - a free sukkah!
The deal was bought, and after some minorly-shady business transactions with a lovely man named Yehuda (he had me write the check for the delivery fee out to CASH...), we had all the pieces in our yard about 12 hours after the most rockin' Yom Kippur in history. The exuberance from neilah and the break fast spilled over into the next day and we built ourselves one amazing sukkah.
Mike was a naysayer before this all happened...and when he saw how easy it was to assemble he quickly converted over to Team Sukkah and got really into it. We loved shouting "schach!!" as we piled discard palm branches onto the top (which I collected from the green landscape recycle bins in our alley, just like a real Pico/Robertson Jew!), and both kids were just mesmerized. And then the real fun began - decorating and meal planning. I went a little overboard with my ambition, including a failed decoration project and more meal invitations than I could possible follow through with. But it was worth it...we ate every meal outdoors, and I could not have been happier. They don't call it the Season of our Joy for nothing.
The deal was bought, and after some minorly-shady business transactions with a lovely man named Yehuda (he had me write the check for the delivery fee out to CASH...), we had all the pieces in our yard about 12 hours after the most rockin' Yom Kippur in history. The exuberance from neilah and the break fast spilled over into the next day and we built ourselves one amazing sukkah.
Daddy's little helper...
Mike was a naysayer before this all happened...and when he saw how easy it was to assemble he quickly converted over to Team Sukkah and got really into it. We loved shouting "schach!!" as we piled discard palm branches onto the top (which I collected from the green landscape recycle bins in our alley, just like a real Pico/Robertson Jew!), and both kids were just mesmerized. And then the real fun began - decorating and meal planning. I went a little overboard with my ambition, including a failed decoration project and more meal invitations than I could possible follow through with. But it was worth it...we ate every meal outdoors, and I could not have been happier. They don't call it the Season of our Joy for nothing.
How could you not feel warm and fuzzy sitting in here?
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The blog is going private
Too many creepers out there...there's been some sketchy activity and I have to protect myself and my kids. But I still want to share stories from my life and photos, so I will give you permission to continue following if I know you, or if you can tell me through whom you found the blog...I know there are friends of friends that follow, but I need to verify your source. Leave your email in the Comments section, or email/message me directly.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
