Quirky Teacher Appreciation Gift

Last week was teacher appreciation week. I appreciate my kids' teachers all year round, but its nice to have a day to show extra gratitude.

This year, Dan and I decided to get Pintrest-y with our gift. We knew we were going to be in Peru and could grab a cute item for the teachers there. We played around with a few different ideas, but when we came across these leather notebooks in a local market, we knew we found a winner.

Peru has a long history with llamas and alpacas. The Incas used these animals to help them carry their goods in the steep terrain; they also used their wool for clothes, their meat for food, and their fat for making light.

So, we made this pun: "Soon alpaca my bags for kindergarten, but I'll never forget you."

We made one for each of her teachers, along with a hand-decorated card from Z. It was a quick, easy project and I love the way it turned out. I hope they love it as much as I do!

Click here for a FREE printable version of this teacher's appreciation card.

Mother's Day 2018

Happy mother's day! Dan and the kids made sure my day was great. I hope you had as lovely and relaxing of a day as I did!

First, I got to sleep in until 10 am! Of course, now that I'm old I can't actually sleep in, but at least I could lay in bed and read while Dan took the kids and made me a gourmet breakfast. The cutest little Pegasus came in to let me know when breakfast was ready.

Waiting for me downstairs was a true feast. Homemade potato pancakes with smoked salmon and caviar; fried eggs; an English muffin; fruit salad; a pot of Yorkshire tea; and champagne and orange juice. Of course, being a mother means giving Asher half my English muffin and fruit, and giving Z my flowers to put in her room.

The kids made me adorable hand-made gifts including a bead necklace, a paper flower, and some great art work. Then, Dan took the kids for a walk and sent me to get a pedicure. The salon gave all the women flowers. How sweet is that?

I spent the rest of the day at a birthday party with Z for one of her friends. While she played, I got to catch up with my friends. All-in-all, it was a wonderful day. Thanks, family!

Passover 2018

Happy spring, everyone! Even though Mother Nature can't figure out what she wants (70 degrees one day, snow the next), I'm still happy about the change of seasons. As you know, spring brings one of my favorite holidays, Passover. This is actually my 7th Passover recap on this blog. That's nuts!

Most Passovers follow the same script (literally! The Haggadah!). This one wasn't too different, except that my phone died right before Passover so I don't have any of my own pictures of the trip. I have a couple from my sister to share though. Here are some highlights from the holiday:

Getting There and Back
This year Dan's work schedule meant that he had to come later and leave earlier than we were initially planning, so I took the kids down on my own. It was my first time flying by myself with the two of them, and it actually went really well! Dan dropped us off at the metro in the morning on his way to work. The flight wasn't too bad--especially because we had a row to ourselves, but the seat belt sign was on the whole time, which meant Asher couldn't walk around.

The way back was a little more eventful. Again we got a row to ourselves, which was awesome. And again the plane was really bumpy, which was less awesome. The kids did so well for most of the flight, but sadly Z got sick at the very end (really turbulent landing). Thankfully the plane was filled with really nice people who all jumped in to help. One passenger even held a screaming, kicking Asher while I cleaned Z up. Though the ending wasn't ideal, I'm still pretty proud of how we all handled both flights. Now that I've done it once, I am sure I can do it again. That feels good.

Family
To me, Passover is all about family. Sadly I lost my uncle earlier this year. I knew Passover would be especially difficult because he always led the first night seder. My cousin planned on flying in from Colorado with her daughter so that she and Asher could play. They're only a couple of months apart and have only met once--last year at Passover. Well, poor Phoenix got sick and had to miss out on the seder. At least we got most of us together for a really nice, meaningful night.

Seders
I love the Seders. I love the food, the songs, the stories, the people...all of it! First night is always family and second night is friends. This year, Zahara stayed up for both seders and was able to fully participate. You can imagine how proud I was hearing her sing the 4 questions. Asher even stayed up for a lot of the first night. It was wonderful having them there.

The second night we started a fun new tradition: a make your own charoset bar. Charoset is a sweet mixture of fruits and nuts. This year, we put out a bunch of ingredients, including apples, pears, walnuts, dates, apricots, cinnamon, and grape juice. It was really yummy and really fun.

I wish I had more pictures of Asher helping me make the chocolate mousse, or dad leading two great seders, or Zahara singing the four questions. But, there's always next year. As we say at the end of each Seder, next year in Jerusalem!

Read previous Passover posts:
2017: Life Updates
2016: Passover 2016
2015: Passover Recap
2014: Passover in Paris
2013: Passover Preparation; Passover Musings
2012: Happy Passover!; Road Trip

May Thoughts by Z

I love that Zahara can easily flip between silly and smart. It's one of the things I love most about her.

Thought 1:
Z (to me): Do you know how to read a curse of Hebrew?
Me: Do you mean cursive Hebrew?

Thought 2:
Z: I want to learn all the math and all the planets so I can say it while I'm floating in space.

Thought 3:
Dan captured this video the other night while reading a bedtime story to Z. It's too good not to share the whole thing. Here, Zahara explains why wizards are actually called lizards.

(If you are reading on your phone you may have to click through to the website to see the video, or click here)

See previous Thoughts by Z here

Family Ice Skating

A few weeks ago I was looking back at my past blog posts and saw that Zahara went ice skating for the first time right around the age Asher is now. At first Dan and I laughed, and thought it impossible to imagine Ash on the ice right now. But, he's made huge leaps recently and is much more agile competent at walking than before. I'm always astounded how a few weeks can make a huge difference in skill level. So, as we were looking for something to do on a random weekend, we thought we'd give ice skating a go.

We had very low expectations for the day. We thought if we could manage thirty minutes of cry-free time, it would be a huge success. And, that's about what we got! Both kids did great, actually. Zahara loved it, but was really sad she wasn't better. She kept looking at some older girls who were taking lessons and saying: "But they can do twirls, why can't I? It's no fair!" So...ice skating lessons might be in her future? Hopefully not for a while. I'm not ready to get up at 4 am to drive her to practice every morning.

Asher thought it was great, and weird. He liked it, but was confused about what he was supposed to do with his feet. We mostly had to just hold him by the arm pits, which is a bit rough on the back after a while.

It was fun, and I'm glad we went. If for nothing else than to see the cutest little ice skates you ever did see! I mean, come on!

See Zahara's first time ice skating here

Dear Asher: 21 Months

Dear Asher,

Happy 21-month birthday! Another great month in the books. We went to Dallas for Passover, we had friends come visit, and we finally got to enjoy some warm weather. You're just getting more and more fun.

Just like last month, you've gone through some major developments. You are chatting up a storm now, with tons of new words every day. You're like a parrot, repeating everything we say.  You know a lot of shapes, objects, vehicles, and sounds. You're especially good at animal sounds, and have even started making jokes pretending that a cow says baa and a duck says moo.

Speaking of jokes, you are a little comedian, making up jokes and doing silly things to make us laugh. This is the first month where it seems you are intentionally changing your behavior to get a certain reaction. I love it!

This is the first month also where you are able to understand and complete simple tasks. If we ask you to bring us a specific item, you can do it. You will (most of the time) listen if we ask you to bring your shoes in the morning, for example. Shoes are an easy one though because you are OBSESSED with being outside. You love walking and biking outside and will have a meltdown if we don't let you out--even in the cold and rain! Hearing you say "outside, outside" in your little voice makes me smile.

We think you're getting your two-year molars now. You've been a little sadder than usual and your hands are constantly in your mouth. Hopefully those pop out soon and you can get some relief.

Ash, we can't believe what a big boy you are. From sitting in your own seat, to brushing your own teeth (with help), to being a great little brother, you're turning out to be a wonderful little boy. We are so lucky to have you complete our family!

April Thoughts by Z

These thoughts give me a little glimmer into Zahara's future. I'm not sure if I should be proud, or scared.

Thought 1:
Z (to Dan after he said she could only have one snack): Because of how you're acting, when it's my birthday you have to leave the house and can only watch through the window. And you can't have cake.

Thought 2:
Z (to me): I know I'm not supposed to correct you, but I'm just correcting you for fun.

Thought 3:
Z: I'm going to be a president. Presidents are in charge of everyone when Hashem (G-d) is not here.

Thought 4:
Z (Putting a sparkly headband on me): You look better with a little bit of glitter.

See previous Thoughts by Z here