Lipstick and Tears

It's another uh-oh Mommy moment in the Meshugganah house tonight...

My little girl is now seven. She has an unbelievably active social life. From someone who was quite shy, she has blossomed immeasurably - making tons and tons of friends at school and at camp. This, of course, has translated into lots and lots of play dates.

Today, she was invited to a good friend's home after camp. When I arrived to pick her up after the play date, she begged to be allowed to stay for dinner. Her friend's mom told me that she had invited her, that she was more than welcome to stay, and that she would call after dinner. As they only live about five minutes from our house, I relented, and drove home.

When I returned to pick her up after dinner, the girls were nowhere to be found. They were soon located in a little sister's bedroom, hiding under the bed in hopes of extending the play date. This is pretty typical behavior, so I though nothing of it.

And then they emerged from under the bed.

COVERED in Red Lipstick.

My daughter had created a superhero mask of lipstick on her face.

Her friend had completely colored her face, her armpits, etc. with the lipstick.

OY!

And then there was the carpet - smeared in red.

Double OY!

I was so mortified, I was frozen to the spot. I seriously could not form words. I grabbed my daughter, forced her to immediately apologize, and offered to pay for the carpet cleaning. Her friend's mom is really a very lovely person, and she absolutely refused to let me pay for it.

I want to crawl under my covers and hide.

Jewish Mommy Meme

In an effort to keep this blog alive, here are my answers to the Jewish Mommy Meme. Hap Tip to Home Shuling - a blog I have recently discovered and very much enjoy!

1. Challah – home baked or bought?

Well...let me admit that it is usually bought. I am very partial to Shalom Bakery out in Buffalo Grove, IL. Sometimes I will buy frozen challah dough and bake it at home.

2. Favorite shabbat meal:

We are decidedly NOT vegetarian. Friday night is usually both brisket and chicken. We have had great luck buying great quality, hormone and antibiotic free meat from our local farmers markets. Recently, we bought chicken from Solar Harvest Farm. It tastes terrific - and we received five seven-pound whole chickens. We have cut them up and put them into the freezer - it is now very easy to defrost a package for Friday nights.

3. Any creative shabbat rituals?

Not really. I am just happy when we get a chance to sit together after a hectic week! My kids take turns reciting the blessings, and we sit down to eat.


4. Shul? With or without the kids?

On occasion. In our old town, we went on Friday nights more often. Up here, we tend to go Sat. morning as our synagogue has a terrific Mini-Minyan and Jr. Congregation program.

5. Traditionally shomer shabbat? If not, what’s your definition/style?

Not at all. Sorry.

6. Favorite shabbat story/book

We love the Friday Nights of Nana, too!

The American Girl circa 1914 - Lower East Side

I am so getting this for my daughter.

On Board the Bar Mitzvah Train....

My son, my oldest child, is 9. In a month, he will be 10. For some reason, synagogues in our area give out Bar Mitzvah dates THREE years in advance! I am still absorbing the fact that my kids are no longer babies, that I have an entire school day to myself, that everyone is potty trained, can swim, feed themselves, buckle up and smart off to Mommy. Thinking about a Bar Mitzvah makes my head swim...

So, it was with great trepidation that I trudged off to the meeting where we would receive our assigned Bar Mitzvah dates. We sat through the shpiel from the rabbi, the chazzan and the ritual director. After fidgeting for an hour, we got our magic letters and were on our way.

I also received an email from the volunteer mom who will be coordinating "the list." Apparently, one mom from each middle school keeps a spreadsheet of who is having a bar/bat mitzvah, when the service will occur (some Reform temples in our area allow B'nai Mitzvah at services other than Shabbat morning), and ...when the party will occur.

Theoretically, this list prevents the various Bar and Bat Mitzvahs from being scheduled at the same time. After all, no one wants to put our kids in the position of having to choose which party to attend. Middle school is tough enough - you don't want YOUR kid to be the one blown off for a bigger and better bash or a more "popular" kid.

In reality, this leads to a lot of sniping between the moms. I have heard such horror stories about people refusing to compromise, sticking to their guns that they MUST have their party on Saturday night. My stomach is turning at the thought of all of this.

First of all, this Bar Mitzvah is going to be a super-meaningful event for our family. This will be the first grandchild to reach this milestone. My husband and I take our Judaism very seriously. We belong to this synagogue primarily because of the superb religious education our children receive. Our son really enjoys Hebrew School this year - and he is getting very involved at shul. He trots off to Jewish camp every summer, and constantly surprises us with his knowledge. (He recently showed us the Lag B'Omer comic book he created.)

It is NOT all about the party for us.

Having said that, I would like to make a nice, and APPROPRIATE, party to celebrate the occasion. I do not, repeat DO NOT want to deal with any suburban mom politics regarding when this party will occur. (As for the service - it will be Shabbat morning. Period. Our synagogue is very firm on that rule.) I also do not want to rush out, THREE YEARS in advance to book a space, etc. Am I being naive?

Okay - J-Blogosphere. This is where I need your advice. Who has been through this rigmarole? How do I not get caught up in the lunacy?

Getting Away From it All...

Ever think about chucking it all and hitting the road? I confess, it is a fantasy of mine....


Meet the Ezgurs. In a rotten economy, this family is taking lemons and making lemonade. They have taken their three kids, packed up the RV, and will spend the next 5 months "roadschooling" and exploring America.

http://familyofftrack.com/


I am interested to know what you think...

I'm a Hit!

Just taking a break from frantic seder preparations to notice that, if one were to google "Children's Haggadah," the number one hit would be yours truly, from a post I wrote waaaaay back in 2005!


If you are a first time visitor - welcome! I hope you'll be back.


Wishing everyone a wonderful Pesach!

Bad Blogger

I know, I know - I have virtually abandoned this blog. I will hit my fifth blogoversary this summer - so I would like to keep it going! This is a tough week = Pesach, LOTS of work, kids on Spring Break. Meshugganah is a mild term for me these days.

I wish everyone a Happy Passover - see you on the flip side! I'll be back after the holiday.