A Jewish Girl Lights Shabbos Candles

When you ask Chava what we do on Shabbot she says: light the candles, do kiddush, challah, motzi, wash, hummus, and salad! She already knows that we are doing something special when it's Shabbot.




When it's time to light the candles, Chava will run to the drawer where they are kept and grab 4 candles. She will line them up on the table, get the matches, and together we light the candles. "Baruch Atah Adonai Elokainu Melech Haolam," she says.... "AAA-Men". "Ok, it's time for Kiddush! Come on Daddy! Come on Mommy!

Every week we are so proud of her. It's so amazing to teach and share with her a very special mitzvot.

Parallel Play

Chava and I went over to Eee-sah's house yesterday. I pointed out how Ruby and Chava were in the play room, and they were playing, but they weren't saying a word and they weren't playing together. They were each doing their, own thing. Nurse, Psychologist, and Supermom Eee-sah explained that what they were doing was completely normal; it was called parallel play.

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Most websites explain parallel play as perfectly normal healthy behavior where children play next to each other without seeming to interact. Although the children appear to be ignoring each other, they are actually very aware of the other. Often you can see them imitating the actions of the other child, and glancing over to observe what the other child is doing.

Occasionally one child will even grab a toy away from the other child. This action, although it should be corrected, should not be seen as naughtiness. A toddler has no concept of the needs of others, and grabbing the toy is his way of interacting with the other child.

Children develop socially as well as physically and mentally. Parallel play is just one of the steps in the ongoing social development.
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But, this visit wasn't a learning experience only...we also made delicious challah! Ruby and Chava made snakes, balls, and flowers out of their dough balls. And, Eee-sah made a gorgeous braided round challah! Check it out!



Here's my favorite eggless Challah recipe:

• 8 cups flour (whole wheat, white, or combination)
• 3/4 cups of sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tablespoons yeast
• 3/4 cups of oil
• 3 cups of warm water

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then mix in the oil and water. Knead until dough is smooth, and let it rise for 30-45 minutes. Place challahs on a greased baking sheet and let rise for another 10 minutes. Glaze it with one of the following:

• 1 egg & 1 tbsp. vanilla sugar
• 1 egg & a little sea salt
• 1 egg & seat salt and chopped onions

Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes

Potty Training is a piece of cake

I may be eating those words before all is said and done, but as of this moment I couldn't be more impressed and proud of Chava. We introduced the potty to her on her 1st birthday. We kept a small potty in the leaving room and encouraged her to use it whenever she felt like it, but never pushing the topic. We bought seats to put on top of the toilets - of course with her favorite - none other than, DORA! Next, we introduced underwear and we let her play with them here and there; putting them on, taking the off, and mostly adoring the pictures of Dora on them.

Then, we heard from her school that she's doing very well on the potty and we should start focusing on potty training her. That night we put underwear on her and let her play. We put a pull-up on for nite time, but when she woke up the next morning we put her underwear back on and off to school she went! On the first day, we made it to school and she went potty. Afterward, we put on a pull-up and she went about her day. When she got home from school we put the underwear back on and she used her potty when she had to go.

The next day she went to school in underwear and wore them the whole day! It is not the fourth night of underwear and she is doing amazing!!!!! She's had a few accidents, but she's handled it well. She likes to wear underwear and she's going potty by herself (of course I can't resist asking her every 20-30 minutes if she has to go).

Bravo! This is the easiest thing I've ever done! Thank G-d!!!! Go Chava! You're a big girl!!!

*Chava is 2 years and 1 month old.

What's the title of your family book?

When I think about what it means to be a part of our family, here are some book titles that come to mind:

Sorry Ari
Gimmie DAT!
Are you mommy's cupcake?
I see Dora
Where's the paci?

Now the real work begins

Well, I pulled it off...I am officially a licensed Realtor. I'm not exactly sure how I passed the exam, but that's not what matters. No need to dwell on the past, right?

Anyway, I'm so thankful that I resigned from Invescor! I forgot how fulfilling it is to work with Josh. We are great partners! We have completely different strengths and weaknesses; which is very complimentary. Not to mention, I have a flexible schedule! If the girls are sick, or I want to participate in something at their school...I can do that. On top of that, I have been working out in the morning after taking the girls to school. I feel like I'm doing things for ME for the first time in a long time. It feels great and I am very thankful.

Self-employment is not all rainbows and sunshine. You really have to be disciplined and self-motivated. So, now....the real work begins.

There's a flaw in my decision making.

I'm taking my state real estate exam today at 1pm. You'd think that I would be studying, but nooooooo......I'm overwhelmed by the fact that I've been thinking about creating a blog for years, and now (now that I'm supposed to be doing something else very important) is the time.

So, here it is - entry # uno. What do I hope to accomplish with this blog? I hope to capture the mundane, the special, the out of the ordinary. I hope to express my feelings good and bad (which I tend to focus on the good only - so expressing some of the not-so-good feelings will be a challenge).

This blog will not only be about me; but about my family. We are in this together and without them I would not be what I am today.

Ok ok ok....I gotta study now! Wish me luck!