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Showing posts from December, 2010

Shabbos Desserts!

Well, I ought to be working on the whole menu, but so far, I haven’t gotten past the sweet stuff.  Typical. Nevertheless, “al hamar v’ha matok” – for the bitter and the sweet, a line from a Naomi Shemer song.  In this case, the savoury and the sweet – nothing bitter going on here!  So – onward!  “Al hamatok, v’ha ta-im!” Ted’s still in his Kosher by Design phase – since I had my contest, he has had every one of these books out from the library. Crossing stuff out as I make it… Supper! Challah “Boughten” Egg rolls (we found the word boughten in a little house book and love it!) Kosher by Design Turkey Sliders – served a la meatballs w/some kind of sauce Garlic wedged roasted “hasselback” potatoes, from a Kosher by Design book Miso-dressing green beans (improvised with hatcho miso, white vinegar (I’m out of rice vinegar), sesame oil and mirin) Corn (frozen corn, steamed; it wouldn’t be Shabbos without it!)

Parsha Poem: Vaeira / וָאֵרָא

שְׁמוֹת / shemos / shemot / Exodus 6:2-9:35 Printable PDF versions:  Ashkenazi , Sefardi .  (PDF help here !) Parsha narrative overview here . Copywork sheet and parsha activities available here .   Walking through the park with my silly little sister Swinging my stick but making sure I always missed her. When I thunked and I thwacked and I hit a little hill, She called out, “Stop right now!   I really hope you will!” “Why not hit it?” I quizzed my sister in the park; I really didn’t know, she had kept me in the dark. “Don’t you remember?” like she thought that I should know, “Racing madly down it, that day you felt so low?” How could I forget?   My sister knew me all too well, But I still felt unsure of what she’d really meant to tell. “Because I biked on down that hill, I shouldn’t smack it hard?” “That’s exactly right,” she said, as we approached our yard. “Last summer you were dragging and the heat was dull and hot, You were lounging in our backyard but

Naomi’s Birthday Gift

Well, the first I’ve bought this year, anyway… and it’s totally commercial, though it’s from before she was born (new in the box on eBay). Why this Barbie? I was looking at doctor / nurse / midwife outfits anyway, because she asked for one, and this cost not that much more than just an outfit on its own. She’s BLACK .  (click the link – that’s a GOOD thing, though Naomi already has a black “Barbie” if you count Iridessa , which she does…) She comes with BABIES!  Not one, but three! I think there are a couple of other doctor-type accessories in the package, but even if not, I think it’s a great gift. I’m so happy she doesn’t read this blog (yet!).  Can’t post the other kids’ gifts here… well, not YM’s anyway, but I did mention Elisheva’s . There will probably be more gifts as the date approaches… just debating how tacky it would be to email the extended family to say NO MORE BARBIES!!!

Homeschool Resources Roundup: Math, Math, Math!

Hi!  Welcome to my blog!  For some reason, this entry has become one of my most popular posts of all time.  I guess because it has so many exciting homeschooly keywords, unlike most of my posts, which are just my random thoughts and musings.  Still, if you enjoy this old post, you might want to click here to get to the current stuff. :-) (Want to see just the math???  Click here for related posts.) I have a file on my computer that is getting HUGE… a list of various homeschool resources, mostly printables, online. So I thought I’d share them and, that way, I’ll also get to sort through the lists for myself and check to see which links are still working! GENERAL MATH RESOURCES & PRINTABLES: Unless otherwise stated, most sites offer resources for all elementary grade levels. Esso Family Math, a complete mini-math unit for young children, from the University of Waterloo:  http://www.edu.uwo.ca/essofamilymath/Resources/ycresources08.pdf More Family Math resources here:  http:

OMG, I applied

… and you can, too:  Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project Israel Experience What was I thinking?  Even just for the cost of airfare, I can’t afford it! And what about the fact that I can’t stand groups of women??? Telling question from the FAQ: Question:  Is there time to shop? Answer:  There will be several opportunities to shop during the Jerusalem portion of the trip, as well as time to purchase Ahava Dead Sea products before leaving Masada. SHOP???  I was happy that Ted brought back souvenirs for a few people after our trip, because even though I glanced at a few windows (“that might be nice for Sara”) I doubt I’d ever have bought anything on my own. If and when I get to Israel, I want to do it on my own terms.  I want to be a lone wolf; I want to hitchhike !  I want to take buses and trains, to roam wherever and do whatever, and you cannot do that on a $#!% tour. Can you say MIXED FEELINGS? And yet.  And yet.  It’s only an application form.  They might say n

From the Bookshelf: Radical Homemakers

Radical Homemakers on the definition of economy , from the Greek “oikonomos,” meaning “household manager”: “Money is simply a tool.  We use money as a proxy for our time and labour – our life energy – to acquire things that we cannot (or care not to) procure or produce with our own hands.  Beyond that, it has limited actual utility:  you can’t eat it, if you bury it in the ground, it will not produce a crop to sutain a family; it would make a lousy roof and a poor blanket.  To base our understanding of economy simply on money overlooks all other methods of exchange that can empoewer communities,.  Equating an economy only with money assumes that there are no other means by which we can provide food for our bellies, a roof over our heads and clothing on our backs.  Further, when we assume that money is the only means by which we can accomplish these things, then our economy serves only those people who possess it.  It does not value the regenerative wor,k that must be done in order

Summer 2011 Coleus: or, counting chickens…?

I’ve been dreading this job – but now, it’s done! I’m actually a full three weeks earlier this year to rescue the coleus that have been languishing since the summer on the kitchen windowsill.  SEVEN glasses’ worth, at least 4-7 stems per glass.  Often very crowded – terrible conditions, as you can see from the drinking-glass-shaped tangle of roots at the right.  Plus, thanks to a few breakages, we have almost no drinking glasses left… I keep wondering where they are every time I go to take a drink, and then realize – there they are on the windowsill!     There is something nice about taking this nightmarish chaos of roots and transforming it into something kind of orderly:   Of course, I was cheerful and optimistic last year , too, but that didn’t stop the plants from almost all dying.  Hence the question mark on this post.  Whether they will make it to summertime is far from a sure thing.  It may FEEL like winter is almost over (to me, it always feels like winter is al

Homeschool Diary #9: 20 Teves, 5771

PLEASE JOIN US! If you teach your kids at home, please add your blog to comments section below! Other “weekly challenges” that may or may not interest you: Six Word Saturday Menu Plan Monday A bit of a weird week, because our regular City programs aren’t back on yet, and our shul is having special programs to help parents fill in during the “break”!  We’re doing more social stuff during this time, but there is also learning going on.  We finally managed to get out to Playground Paradise with friends.  Every time we go, Naomi makes me promise we’ll get back there soon… and we never do.  I like it because unlike Woodie Woodchuck’s, where we used to go, there is no “gambling and rides” component to the entertainment – it’s JUST an indoor playground, run by the City, so it’s relatively inexpensive compared to some of the fancier places.  The downside is that it’s a shlep – oh, and not much fun for big kids who only love the gambling and videogames. Monday: MAT

Menu Plan Monday #33: 20 Teves, 5771

Why the weird dates? Click here to find out!  Other “weekly challenges” I participate in that may or may not interest you: Six Word Saturday Homeschool Diary Hi!  We are a Jewish family of 6 (2 parents, 4 kids) and all our meals are kosher.  Newcomers, read my MPM intro here which tells you all about who we are, or just visit my super-duper-list-imization of Everything We Eat . Sunday (Ted off):  Take out Howie T’s burgers @ Mommy’s, revive sourdough overnight Monday:   Superstore Chicken & roasted potato/carrots (note:  buy slider buns for Wed.) Tuesday (Ted late):  Good sourdough bread, yummy soup – do I need to be more specific???  ;-) Wednesday:  Turkey sliders, Naomi’s request Thursday (Vegan Vursday):  Hot/sour soup w/homemade seitan – so amazing last time; veggie stir-fry, maybe peanut sauce and rice stick noodles? Shabbos:  I dunno!! I wanted to include here – one of the biggest hits from last week:  veggie pot pie, totally vega

If you’ve never spent too much (or too much time) on Etsy…

…Then just skip this post right on over. If you HAVE, well, I found this video funny, and you might, too.  I also just subscribed to the blog .  I mean, this needed to be a word! Warning:  the video is most definitely not up to my usual high standards in taste, but then, neither are some of the wares being touted on etsy – although, of course, some are excellent !

A different kind of tree

The wise and wonderful Batya Medad has once again reminded us of our true responsibilities in looking back on the Carmel fire and taking a lesson from Israel’s water shortages.  But, although I usually agree with her 100%, she refers to some of the people’s mourning for the trees as “trivial.” Trivial or not, my perspective on the fire had a lot to do with the trees.  It’s not that we shouldn’t daven, of COURSE, and certainly focus on Hashem’s purpose for the country, and the direction its leadership should take.  Those are all important things – far more important than the trees. But then there’s the fact that every Tu b'Shvat, when it's too cold to think about planting anything, we're over here, paying JNF and visualizing fields full of Israeli s choolchildren planting for us.  Every bar or bat mitzvah, every secular milestone... you plant a tree.  It’s the rectangular blue “pushke” in every Bubby’s home. To think of those or any other trees burning, well, the

Vaeira / וָאֵרָא Parsha Overview: The first plagues

This is a basic overview of the parsha story in a “Q&A” format adaptable for kids of any age.  Answers in brackets are traditional responses, from parsha text and midrash.  But be open to anything your child might have to say! Please see the Vayeishev overview for how we use them in our homeschool!  There are also copywork sheets to go with the weekly parsha… enjoy! As we start this week’s parsha, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל are in big trouble: To punish מֹשֶׁה , the new פַּרְעֹה   is making them work harder than ever before !   משה asked ה׳ at the end of last week’s parsha why he wasn’t helping בני ישראל . ה׳ reminds משה of the promises he made to… ( אברהם , יצחק and יעקב ) ה׳ uses four special words to explain how much he loves בני ישראל : ·          וְהוֹצֵאתִי - I will bring you out of מִצְרַיִם ·          וְהִצַּלְתִּי   - I will save you from hard work ·          וְגָאַלְתִּי   - I will redeem you with נִסִּים , miracles, and finally, ·          וְלָקַחְתִּי