From A Blue Shirt

Sitting on the couch one day
Waiting to be put away

Mom is doing several tasks.
How many times does she need to ask?

Kids run past it, sit on it too
Will I sit here past day two?

Mom is doing several tasks.
How many times does she need to ask?

Putting me away would bring her such glee
And yet, I sit here on day three.

Mom is doing several tasks.
How many times does she need to ask?

Sad to say that on day four
Someone moves me to the floor

MOM IS DOING SEVERAL TASKS!
HOW MANY TIMES DOES SHE NEED TO ASK?!

Thankfully, on day five
I see the closet, I have arrived!

Mom is doing several tasks.
FINALLY, there was no more need to ask. :)

6 Hours Off

Today is the holiday of Shavuot which is when Moses gets the Ten Commandments and the Torah and I get the day off. 

Six and a half hours to myself.  One would think that this is a gold mine of time, but it really isn't. My to-do list is a mile long and it would take twice the amount of time to get through half of the list.

At 8:30 am, I brought the kids to school and then came home to "clean up." This entailed folding and putting away 3 loads of laundry while watching the movie, Cocktail. 

The movie ended at 9:50 am.  I make my way out the door to go to the mall where I had a gift card. Prior to getting on the highway, I stopped to fill my gas tank.  I was approached by a young man with a white t-shirt that read U.S. Beef.

"Do you like steak? I finished delivering my orders and I have a lot left over. I'll sell it to you for half price right out of my truck," he says.


"We don't eat a lot of steak," I told him.


Not giving up, he asked me a follow up question.  "Do you like seafood?"  (Isn't this a pick up line from A Few Good Men?). "I have seafood too. I'll give that to you for 1/2 price.  Are you headed home? You could drop it off before you go out again."

While I like seafood, I don't particularly like to buy it out of the back of someone's truck. I politely told him no and got back in my car before he offered me some chicken breasts. (10:20 am)

Finally, I made it to the mall where I used my gift card to buy a pair of sunglasses. I also picked up some shorts before heading back home. (12 noon).

On the way back home, I called the salon to see if I could get my eyebrows done. She said I could come in at 12:45, which left me time to pick up something to eat.  I pulled into a shopping center to go to Subway - which turned out to be closed.  The Saladworks next door was packed and there was a woman in line who was ordering for 5 of her fellow co-workers.  I waited a while, but then decided that pizza was the better solution. (12:40).  I pulled into the parking lot of the salon at 12:45 pm and quickly ate my pizza before going in. Then, I made it home by 1:15.

As it is customary to observe this holiday with a dairy treat, I enjoyed a bowl of frozen yogurt. At 1:30, I sat down to write my blog post for the day (ta-da!).  It is now 2:06 pm. The kids come home from school soon. I have an hour and a half to "clean up."

I wonder what is on tv.

The Donut Song

Oh, I walks into a beanery to get something to eat

For I was so hungry, from my head to my feet

So, I picks up a donut and I wipes off the grease

And I hand the lady girl a five cent piece.

She looks at the nickel and she looks at me

And she says, “Hey Lady, can’t you plainly see,”

“There’s a hole in the nickel and it’s running right through.”

Says I, “there’s a hole in the donut too!” 

My Grandmom Sara sang us The Donut Song when we were little. I can still remember the expressions on her face. She sang it in her own unique way - with a little bit of a Jewish accent and a lot of emphasis in all of the right places.


Today, there are so many things that remind me of her. I can't look at a can of Aqua Net without thinking of her or walk through Macy's and see the brand of clothes she liked. If My Fair Lady is on the television, I watch it and think of her.  Her sweet and sour meatballs were so delicious!  In the last years of her life, she lived in my bedroom in my childhood home. When I go home to visit, I love to look through her things that she left behind.

Almost thirty years after Grandmom Sara sang that song to me - I placed my baby girl in her arms. I listened as she sang The Donut Song to her first great-granddaughter. I only wish she could have lived long enough for my daughter to learn the song by heart - with the Jewish accent and the emphasis in all of the right places.

This week's memoir prompt asked you to dig deep to find what, from your childhood, you still know from heart. This is dedicated to my Grandmom Sara - by heart, in my heart - always.

Be Lazy According to God's Will

This week's prompt from The Red Dress Club insists that we continue with the 7 Deadly Sins. This week's sin is Sloth.

I don't have much to say about spiritual apathy because I haven't experienced it myself.  Every day, I have the opportunity to "do Jewish" because of my work in the Jewish community.  I do this through my writing, teaching, connecting and basically being a part of this community. I feel blessed by the tasks that I do which brings me great satisfaction both personally and professionally.

In the Jewish faith, G-d recognizes our hard work and gives us a day off.  It's called Shabbat. It says in Genesis that G-d created the heavens and the earth in six days and he rested on the seventh day.  So, why shouldn't we do the same?  Who are we to question this great gift that G-d has bestowed upon us. In my opinion, it would be more of a sin to return it!

On Shabbat, Jews are not permitted to work.  In Jerusalem, shops are closed for business and there are no cars on the street.  Jews around the world use this day to spend time with our families and reflect on the week gone by.  We attend services, sing, recite blessings, enjoy meals together and some (well-deserved) downtime from all of the chaos. We are encouraged to have relations with our spouses and sleep a little longer than usual.

It is a holy day for spiritual growth and it is not at all apathetic.  In fact, it is the opposite.  Shabbat gives us permission to take some time for ourselves and appreciate our world and all of its wonders. I consider it one of the greatest gifts of my faith and I would never think of giving it back.

It doesn't make me lazy either. In fact, it makes me a better person - each and every week.

When it is time for the week to begin again - we say Shavua Tov to wish someone a good coming week. We know that we are well-prepared for the week ahead and look forward to it.  And we know that Shabbat is the gift that keeps on giving and in six days (G-d willing!) we will unwrap it again.

Parent Olympics

This weekend was the unofficial beginning of summer and the opening ceremony to what I like to refer to as the Parent Olympics. It happens every June.  The school year starts to come to a close. There is less homework and yet a frenzy of activities to cram into the 3 weeks that are left. 

There is no training for this. Many of the competitors are amateurs, like me. There are a few ringers who have played the game for so long that they have turned pro.  These are the moms who are prepared for any circumstance with band-aids and wipes at an arms length and water bottles and treats for everyone.

Then, there is me.  I've aced the jump start to the library which is the pre-qualifying event to the much more difficult ones. Yesterday, I  brought the school's summer reading list to the library and picked up the books that my kids selected.  Extra points are awarded for every book they actually finish this summer.

I ranked 2nd to last place in the camp health forms sprint.  I thought I sent all of the forms in - 5 for each kid = 10 forms!  Unfortunately, I found the one form that was left behind and sent it out 3 days later - making me fall to almost last place. (I'm hoping that there is someone out there who hasn't sent ANY of their forms in yet).

In the suntan lotion meet, I've already purchased 4 spray bottles at $7 a pop and one tube of sunscreen for the face.  One bottle is almost empty and another is lost.  The two bottles that I bought on sale at Kmart have pumps that do not work. Add two impatient kids who hate putting on suntan lotion and I was almost ready to forfeit.

I think I will do well in the end-of-the-school-year decathalon.  This comes out to 1 talent show, 2 picnics, 2 class parties, 1 games day, 3 baseball games & teacher gifts. I'm a master juggler which comes in handy for this competition. Oh, and did I mention that I simultaneously have to do numerous loads of laundry and pack for vacation? Do I get a special award or honorable mention for this?

My biggest challenge is the jumping through hoops relay when I have to tag team with my family to make sure we have all the right clothes and the right labels on the clothes. Summer activities need to be put on different calendars. The right equipment for each activity needs to be purchased and constantly checked for repairs or replacements. I just hope that one of us remembers which day we are supposed to bring the team snacks.  The family is just about ready for the relay (rat) race - I just have to work on my dismount.

By the end of the summer, I hope to stand at the top of the podium cleared of any performance enhancing drugs in my system (with the exception of coffee), a few good stories and great memories.  I'll happily accept my medals and lead the torch towards the first day of school.

Happy (almost) Summer!