General Busy-ness: July 2014

Just like I predicted in my post on June and the fact that it was trying to kill me, life screeched to an abrupt halt on June 30. Max started day camp, Hannah's at overnight camp, and things slowed at work as people expected a quiet holiday week. This week is the least populated my calendar has been for longer than I can remember, and while June was a bit too much, this nothing much of a July isn't my taste either.

I've been doing some writing every day, only it's in the form of emails and letters to Hannah at camp. Sometimes it's twice a day if I use both mediums, and that is a lot of writing when you really don't have a lot going on. But I want her to get mail, so I make the effort, and today I was rewarded for that when camp posted a photo where I can see her reading one of my letters with a huge, unscripted smile on her face. Total Mom win.

Max has been enjoying the extra attention at home, though he misses Hannah too. We took him to the zoo this past weekend, and let him navigate with the map and climb all the structures he wanted. He fed a goat in the petting zoo, and actually wanted to put his face in the photo opp things with cut outs for your face. He's loving camp and happy to be with some school friends there.

I got meet a lovely little baby girl this weekend, too. Julie, Mike and Maya are going to be living in Boston again soon, and I'm so happy to have my best friend back in the area. I've missed just getting to hang out with Julie, and having them all as a more frequent presence in our lives again is going to be really wonderful. Especially wonderful since it now includes that sweet baby too.

The videos from all 32 performances of LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER are going to be posted online very soon, and I'll link to mine from here as well. I'm excited to get to re-live our show, even if I'm going to be doing some choking up in my own video, as I cried while reading my piece. I'm really excited to see friends from other cities, and to watch the impact of the Boston show spread further as our cast gets to share their videos. It's going to be awesome.

And BlogHer 2014 is just over two weeks away now, so I'm doing a certain measure of freaking out over that. I'm very excited to be going to the conference again, this time in San Jose, and I have a few goals in mind as I've already been scrutinizing the agenda. I'm excited to see lots of LTYM people from around the country, as well as other friends from last year's conference. I can't wait to room with Phyllis and Kimberly, and to see if we really do track down a mechanical bull. And, being me, I've tried to organize a pre-conference dinner with other Boston locals. But the freaking out is over how I can't really believe that it's been an entire year since the last conference. I came away last year feeling so motivated and thinking I'd grow the blog so much before attending again this year. And the truth is, things haven't grown much and have probably stagnated quite a bit. So I'm a bit disappointed by that, but hoping that BlogHer will help re-energize me and maybe give me some strategies for getting things done in this next year.

So, that's all the news from here. There's a summer storm rolling in, so I'd better get this posted and get off the computer. How are you?

General Busy-ness: Q4 2013

It's just like writing a quarterly commentary at work! But with more pictures and a lot less numbers! Be sure to scroll all the way down to see how I did with my word of the year too. But first, the pictures.

Aunt Allison came to visit and took part in our annual apple picking. Even in the rain, we had fun.

 

 

Aunt Rachel, Nate and Evie visited from Little Rock, and we had a wonderful dinner together.

My friend Jenny and I attended a Sisterhood event at The Paint Bar, and we made these!

Halloween 2013 was another success.

Fourth grade is all about the projects.

But kindergarten's pretty cool too.

I had picture day at work.

We traveled to Cleveland for Thanksgiving and the start of Hanukkah, and we went bowling. I think my average score was 56.

Me and 10,000 other women attended the Massachusetts Conference for Women.

And though I don't think I've watched a single World Series game, you don't turn down Wally when he offers a photo with the Red Sox trophies.

Today? Today was filled with packing. We leave for our long-planned, goal of a trip to Israel in just a few days. The suitcases are packed, but I still can't believe we're going. It probably won't hit me until we're there and eating falafel.

So back in January, I declared my word for the year to be "more." I admit, it wasn't a hard thing to achieve on most aspects of my life. If things continued as planned, there would be plenty of more as a wife, mother, analyst, blogger, and even as an exerciser. Well, four out of five isn't too bad. I've gone on more dates. I've focused more on the small moments of parenting. I've had more work opportunities. I've had more blogging success. And maybe 2014 is the year I'll achieve some kind of fitness goal--or at least make it back to Zumba sometimes.

It's been a good year. "More" was a great word to keep in mind, to guide the many decisions I've made. I'm not sure what next year's word will be just yet, but I'll be sure to keep you posted. Let me know if you have any suggestions in the comments.

I'm not sure I'll have time to blog while on our trip, but check back for the final two installments of The Having It All Project.

Best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful start to 2014.

General Busy-ness: September 2013

Can I get a collective sigh of relief that September is over? With the main Jewish holiday season starting on September 4th, and weekly extra things to do until the month ended, well, it was just a lot. I've already told you about the start of school, what it was like to be in The New York Times, and how my first big business trip went. Here's what else we did.

The first month of school and religious school has gone fairly smoothly for both kids. Hannah is very excited about taking clarinet lessons at school this year (she specifically asked me to blog on this very point), to be in the choir both at school and synagogue, and was awarded her classroom's "Citizen of the Week" designation during the second week of school. Fourth grade seems to be a big step up in responsibility, and she's taking it all very seriously. Max is settling into his new routine well, and has fully abandoned pirates for camouflage and secret spy activity. Kindergarten gets off to a very slow start, and he's excited to finally have his first "full" day in the classroom tomorrow. At synagogue, there was a special ceremony welcoming the kindergartners to the community, where he received a tiny Torah that is now a prized possession of his.

Our sukkah

Our holidays were very nice this year. We spent part of Rosh Hashanah with Marc's parents, and part with friends. Yom Kippur was also a bit split as Max had a cold, but we all made it to the end of services and enjoyed breaking the fast with friends. Marc has trained both kids in using the power drill, and our sukkah went up and down this year with minimal involvement from me. :) We held our annual open sukkah party, and it just keeps getting better every year. I had a great time attending a few other sukkah parties, too! But by the Shabbat after Simchat Torah, I was a bit worn out from it all. So we took the day off from synagogue and headed to the Museum of Fine Arts instead, one of my favorite places in Boston.

Work was incredibly busy this past month--it doesn't ever seem to slow down for long anymore. I only made it to Zumba once the entire month, and I'm still struggling with the exercise component of my life. But, I am making an effort to pack my lunch at least a few days a week. I bought a nice container that fits in my bag well, and am focused on bringing healthy things that I can pack with as little effort as possible. I find I'm really enjoying eating my lunches from home, as I'm pretty tired of everything around my office as it's been almost eight years working in the same location. If you've got any suggestions for making this even easier, I'd love to hear them!

Veggies with hummus and feta. One container, no waste, minimal prep involved.

I'm looking forward to October. It's my birthday month, fall is my favorite season, and there's a lot of fun but low key activities already on the calendar. I'm very excited to be taking professional family photos this month. I've wanted to do this for a while now, and Hannah and I had a fun shopping trip looking for our outfits for the photos. Although I'm not really sure I can top how much I love this photo below.

Stacking Stobers

So how was your month? What are you looking forward to this fall?

General Busy-ness: August 2013

In our last installment, I was about to leave for BlogHer. Thankfully, that's been well-covered here, so let's move on to some of the non-blogging news of the past month.

First there was a bit of excitement at work as we hit the billion dollar mark in our newer product, which I've been involved in since the very beginning. It's been really thrilling to see it take off the way it has, and I'm proud to be part of it. Now on to the next billion.

We joined the JCC outdoor pool for the month of August, and I tried to take the kids swimming as often as I could. Hannah is a strong swimmer, but Max is still a beginner, so I spent a lot of time at his side in the water. However, he now can back float unassisted, and I got them to pose for this picture for me.

Both kids really enjoyed their time at Kaleidoscope Arts & Sciences Camp this summer, particularly Arts Nite. It was so fun to see Max participate for the first time (as a Bass Fish in "Rainbow Fish") and Hannah really entertained us as a sailor, sea creature, chef and princess in "The Little Mermaid." I was so proud of both of them.

Arts Nite also marked my first outing with my new camera! I've been wanting a DSLR for quite a while now, and I'm excited to learn to use it. Already I've gotten some great shots that I know I wouldn't have gotten with my old camera, including this one of Max's first lost tooth after an exciting morning riding the Duck Boats in Boston.

After camp ended the kids got to spend a fun few days in Connecticut with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John while Marc and I worked and enjoyed a couple of fancy dinners out. No pictures as we were too busy enjoying ourselves. :)

It wasn't too long before Max lost his second tooth, but this time it was at Grandma Susan and Grandpa Hal's house, where the Tooth Fairy has been known to be a bit more generous. The kids and I had a great trip to Ohio, including a trip to President Garfield's home where the kids became Junior Park Rangers, and a stop at Chagrin Falls for some Superman ice cream (Uncle Ryan's favorite).

And with one last long weekend, summer is coming to a close. Hannah starts fourth grade on Tuesday, and Max starts KINDERGARTEN on Wednesday. What's that you say? You can hear my excitement right through the screen? Could that be because I have a column about just this subject coming out in the NEW YORK TIMES MOTHERLODE BLOG next Sunday?!? Yes, after dropping a hint last month that I had something up my sleeve, I'm so excited to finally be able to share this news. I hope you'll all forgive me for the excess self-promotion next week, but this is just such a big deal for me and this little writing hobby. When I started the year hoping for "more," I could never have guessed that it would come in this form, and I am very grateful.

Another summer gone too soon, but there's always more to look forward to doing. For those celebrating this week, l'shana tova umetukah! Happy new year to all of you! Wishing you all the best in 5774.

General Busy-ness: June and July 2013

So I'm fairly certain that I wrote the June edition of General Busy-ness in my head, but it appears I never actually did the whole typing, uploading and hitting publish part of the process, which doesn't help you all in the least. I did write some things in June though. I told you about my unbalanced week, which kicked off the month. I told you about preschool graduation. I told you it was my anniversary. I haven't kept you completely in the dark. Here's what I didn't tell you.

Hannah had her piano recital, and we've decided to put piano lessons on hold until she gets acclimated to a new instrument during her school program in the fall. This year she played "Starships" by Nicki Minaj, and did a great job with it. We also went to her third grade recorder concert and classroom portfolio party. She had another great school year, and can't wait for Max to be at school with her in the fall. She also got to attend a *lot* of parties in the last few weeks of school. I kind of wish I had her social calendar. She left school a day early to start her second summer at Camp Yavneh, and we picked her up yesterday. Again, she had a fantastic time and can't wait to go back next summer. I missed her terribly, but I think I handled it better this time around.

And yes, it was nice to get some alone time in with Max, and to spend time on the things he's most interested in. After we dropped Hannah at camp, we took him to tour a submarine and a tiny science museum in New Hampshire. He got to spend a few days with his grandparents, who took him to the beach and Chuck E. Cheese. We also took him to the New England Aquarium on the Fourth of July, and to see Disney Channel's Choo Choo Soul at a free outdoor music festival in Boston. But most importantly, Max went to camp for the first time at some place other than the JCC. He spent a few weeks at a Newton Parks & Recreation camp, and he loved it. He learned to play dodge ball, and asked me to pick him up late so he could spend more time playing chess. I'm so thrilled he had a great experience there.

Marc and I got to have one night out while both kids were away, doing the traditional dinner and a movie thing, but it was really nice. The following day we both got to do some things on our own, which for me meant getting a haircut, doing some shopping for BlogHer, and going to the Darren Criss concert at the House of Blues. The show was great--I'm not as familiar with his solo music, but of course his performance of "Teenage Dream" was spectacular. I've been really happy with how much time we've spent in Boston this summer - four outings in the city since Memorial Day weekend has to be a record for us.

Work is as busy as ever, but going well. Exercise still seems to be a struggle--I get to Zumba when I can, but not as often as I should. But I have been writing more, including some pieces that I haven't posted here, but that hopefully you'll be able to see somewhere, some day. And I leave for BlogHer in about two days, a trip that has consumed much more thought and planning than I ever thought possible, but I'm ready for it.

So what's your summer been like so far?

General Busy-ness: May 2013

Yes, it's June 2 and I'm just getting to the May edition of General Busy-ness, but you'll have to cut me some slack as I'm also rocking a cold at the moment. So is Max. Who doesn't love a gorgeous 90+ degree summer day spent inside with a box of tissues? Well, at least it's giving me the time to spend on this.

May started off with Marc's cousin's wedding in Annapolis. Everything was lovely and our tightly configured travel schedule went off without a hitch. I love spending time with Marc's extended family - they're all such great people.

 The lovely bride and groom at the US Naval Academy

Kids posing in their wedding finery

I've been wearing suits to work a lot more often. It's an interesting change, and I'm trying to figure out how to wear a suit but still feel like myself. So far, that's with the use of a few new necklaces and fun nail colors. I've got two days of meeting this week and I'm hoping they find my "Jet Set"-colored nails - a kind of dark grey - a bold but sophisticated choice.

 Getting used to suiting up

Religious school has ended for the year and afterward we attended the annual Bowen Spring Fling. Except the only pictures I took there were of Max, because Hannah was off doing her own thing with her friends. Max really loves the playground there and he can't wait to start there in the fall.

On "The Spider" at Bowen

And finally, over Memorial Weekend we ended up spending a day in the city, checking out the Museum of Science and the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit there. It was an unexpectedly nice day weather-wise, so we decided to walk over to the Holocaust Memorial, visit Faneuil Hall, have dinner at Durgin Park and pick up some cannoli at Mike's Pastry. It was a very Boston-y day.

Apparently, cannoli elicit strange reactions from Max.

And now it's June. Which, since schools get out so late here in Massachusetts this year given all the snow and hurricane days we had, kind of feels like the busy-ness of December. There's the long-awaited preschool graduation, and Hannah will be leaving for her first longer stretch at overnight camp. I'm also hoping to spend some time on all things blog as I gear up for my first BlogHer. So yea, it'll keep being busy. But I love it, too.

General Busy-ness: April 2013

It's been another busy month around here. When I last left you, we were preparing for Passover, and it was lovely. We attended the usual seder in Hartford and then hosted friends for the second night at our house. It was the first time we'd done that, and considering that we had three five year olds in attendance, it went really, really well!

Our Seder plate - with a broken hard boiled egg and a paper shank bone. 

Some room for improvement.

I attended two book events this past month, which is unusual for me since I don't read actual books all that often. The first was the launch party for "Minimalist Parenting," co-written by the founder of Boston Mamas, which I've been reading for years. I'm about half way through the book now, and my favorite tip so far is to bring a paper bag with you for recycling purposes when you're de-cluttering a space. I've always had a donate bag and a trash bag, and then a lumbering pile of recycling to bring down to the bin, and don't know why I'd never thought of that sooner! (I also finally got to hang out with my friend Michelle and meet my new in-real-life friend Liz, which was so wonderful.)

Christine Koh holding up "flat" Asha Dornfest at the Minimalist Parenting book launch.

Then the following week I went to see Sheryl Sandberg repeat the same stories I'd seen/read elsewhere, but this time in person. And she truly is impressive in person, despite my still mixed feelings on the book itself. But the book has inspired a group of local moms to start meeting and sharing strategies for balancing work and life, and I'm excited to be a part of that.

I'm leaning, I'm leaning!

We attended our annual Yom Hashoah commemoration at Temple Emanuel, and this year I was far less involved than in years past. We featured the music of a composer who died in Terezin, and it was truly shocking to hear the music's abrupt end in the middle of a movement because the composer had not had time to finish his work before his death. I had hoped to write a blog post around that time on the whole Justin Bieber/Anne Frank controversy, but never got around to it, so I'll say just this: had Anne Frank been a 14 year old girl living in 2013? It's likely she could have been a fan of his music. Maybe it was narcissistic for Bieber to suggest it, but the bigger tragedy here is that 14 year old girls should have only had to worry over whose music they enjoyed, and not the horrors that Anne Frank and so many others experienced. If Bieber brought a bit more awareness to a new generation of what Frank went through, then I'll take his comments in the likely more generous spirit he intended them.

Hannah lighting a candle at the Yom Hashoah Commemoration.

 Photo taken by someone from the Terezin Music Foundation.

And speaking of generous spirits, check out this post from Honest Mom about the group of bloggers I went to dinner with about two weeks ago. An amazing, inspiring group - next time, we'll get a picture.

Then this happened. I really thought that would be the worst of it, and could never conceive then of what was to transpire over Thursday and Friday of that week. Living in Newton, one of the neighboring towns of Watertown (the police staging area was our Target parking lot), we were asked to "shelter in place" throughout the ordeal. Marc wrote a thoughtful piece on it, and we were all very relieved when it ended successfully. It was like a snow day without the snow, except also a gorgeous 73 degree day we could only experience through an opened upstairs window. A surreal experience for sure.

Following that, we've had such a normal, normal week. Marc and I had a long-planned overnight in Boston that Saturday, to see "Book of Mormon" - which neither of us enjoyed - and I think our nerves were still a little frayed by the week's experiences. But on Monday we all went back to work and school, to the usual making plans and even a return to my Tuesday 6 am Zumba class. Now I'm looking ahead to May and better weather and hopefully, even better days.

In light of last week's events, I hope you'll join me in making a donation to The One Fund. Stay strong, Boston.

General Busy-ness: March 2013

So we finished off February vacation week with Purim. Our synagogue always does a great kid-friendly shpiel, and then the following day Marc and the kids made their annual hamentashen. It was later in the evening and I was tired, but Hannah insisted on the usual photos being taken, so here they are.

The following weekend was Hannah's Kabbalat Siddur ceremony at religious school, where the third graders showed off their knowledge of all of the prayers and received their own prayer books with fancy embroidered covers. Hannah had practiced a lot for this big event, and she and her classmates did a fantastic job. It was a really special morning. Hannah also got to take a duct tape crafting class and had another concert performance with Kol Keff this month.

The following week we had yet another snow day, which delayed Max's kindergarten screening to the following week. He was so excited to finally go to Bowen for something all about him, and from all accounts had a great time. He also had his last sessions of his karate and music classes at the JCC, which I was lucky to be able to attend. In a couple of weeks will get to see the movie his class filmed on the story of Passover - he was very proud of his part as Aaron.

Marc and I got a couple of nights out too - we went to see Stereo Sinai perform as part of the Boston Jewish Music Festival and to attend a mystery dinner at synagogue.

Work continues to be all-consuming and exercise not happening as often as I'd like, but there have been so many unusual events on the Sunday and Tuesday mornings when I usually go to Zumba that I'm trying not to be upset about it and just go when I can.

And unbelievably, it's time for Passover. It's actually one of my favorite days of the year, when Marc basically spends the whole day cleaning.

So that's what's been going on here. How are you? Anyone feel like de-lurking and leaving a comment for once?

General Busy-ness: February 2013

I am taking my blog to a new level with this post: 37,000 feet, to be exact. I'm writing this on the return flight from our trip to Little Rock, Arkansas, so I won't have my usual slideshow attached, but will follow up with that soon. I'm also eating cereal from some fancy cereal bar, which is simply weird, but isn't travel just weird nowadays anyway?

I have to admit I'm a more nervous flyer than I used to be. I do have to blame LOST, but I also remember watching a plane crash movie alone late at night, in my bedroom growing up, actually the night before I left for one of my summers at GUCI. It was a Hawaiian flight between islands where the roof of the plane ripped off in flight, and I have scanned the roofs of planes for cracks ever since. Thank goodness I loved camp as much as I did, otherwise I may not have gotten on that plane the next day.

So, we went to Little Rock to visit Marc's sister Rachel, her husband Jon and my niece and nephew, Evie and Nate. Marc visited them about a year ago, but it was the first time there for the rest of us. We had a great time exploring Arkansas, visiting the Big Dam Bridge, the Discovery Museum, Central High School (site of the "Little Rock 9" who began the process of integrating schools), the Clinton Presidential Library (which I thought included a great deal of Hillary too), Petit Jean state park and a Heifer International Ranch. The cousins had a lot of great bonding time, and we're excited to all be together again for Passover next month and in May for a family wedding.  I'm so glad we got to see the new life they've been building in Arkansas!

Whoa, this flight is really turbulent. Just spilled cereal milk down my shirt. Anyway...

What else have we been up to this month? I already told you about the blizzard, and there's been more snow since and more snow still coming. I'm still very grateful for my Yaktrax. The kids are busy with their usual stuff. Max has started new music and karate classes at the JCC. Hannah has had a few basketball games with her after school program. Both kids had their annual well visits, where I realized we hadn't seen the pediatrician ALL YEAR for either kid, other than flu shots. That has to be some kind of daycare immunity that they've built up. Granted, there have been illnesses, but nothing serious enough to require a doctor visit. I'm wondering when the other shoe will drop on that one.

Life continues to feel hectic. I'm still adjusting to my new work schedule, which has me leaving the house at 7 am, then commuting home from work at 4 pm and hopping in the car to pick up both kids. I feel busier than ever, being hyper aware of the time to make sure I leave on time and get where I need to go. The lack of wiggle room will get better when the school yer ends and both kids will be in the same location, but for now it's a bit rough for me. Thankfully Marc is happy at his new job, and this is making it easier for me to accept this new (and hopefully temporary) stretched routine.

Oh, and I haven't been to Zumba in weeks, with the snow and just general life creeping in. I hope I get back soon. And somehow, some way, I still need to study for that licensing exam for work. Sigh.

So that's all the news from high up in the clouds. I hope it's will actually post, and please excuse any typos!

General Busy-ness: January 2013 and More

The end of December and start of January are always a busy time as we fill in school vacation and celebrate both kids birthdays. This year was no exception.

We spent about four days doing various projects around the house, and most importantly Marc painted and updated the accessories in our bathroom. All of this was done in preparation for a visit from my mom, who arrived on Christmas night. Since Hannah was home with us, we had three days of girl time: seeing Les Miserables (we all cried), going to the Museum of Fine Arts, and doing lots of shopping. I scored a new suit for work at a serious discount on one of our trips, and am excited to wear it soon. We really enjoyed having Grandma visit, and hope she comes back soon!

Marc and I enjoyed a night out with friends and the next day hosted brunch for some of Marc's friends from his hometown of Newington, CT. The old friends enjoyed being together while the kids had a blast playing Just Dance 4. We got a bit of rest in and then it was time for...

Birthdaypalooza 2013! Max really enjoyed finally celebrating his birthday, and took the whole "it's your day" concept very seriously. We had dinner at the Deluxe Station Diner and cake at home, and he was a very happy boy. Four days later, we celebrated Hannah's birthday, first with birthday Shabbat at synagogue, then with her party at Laser Quest, and finally with our traditional dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. She had a great time doing all of it. The following day was Max's party at Kid's Street, another great success, and a pizza dinner with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John. Yesterday they also joined us to take Hannah shopping, and both kids ended up with very trendy fedoras...which they've both been wearing for 24 hours now. :) So another successful birthday season is complete, other than the thank you notes. I swear I'll get those done soon. Thanks for all of the wonderful gifts and wishes for both kids.

Work is back to being busy now that the new year has begun, and I'm getting used to our new schedule, even if I'm struggling with not being able to be everywhere at once. More on that soon, I promise. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to study for this licensing exam, but I need to fit that in now that the birthdays have passed.

Finally, I've seen a popular blog topic of not resolutions, but a word of the year for 2013. I've never been big on resolutions anyway, but I like the idea of choosing a word, and mine is going to be "more." I'm really happy with how many facets of my life are going right now - I think I'm doing pretty well as a wife, mother, analyst, blogger, and heck, even as an exerciser (the fact that I willingly do jumping jacks at Zumba still astounds me). So if anything, I want to do even "more" in all of those categories. Somehow, I was to expand in all of those areas in 2013, and I think I'm on track to do it.

So another busy month is on the books. What about you? How did you start the year? Do you have a word to focus on? I'd love for you to share it in the comments below!

General Busy-ness: December 2012 Edition

I've been wanting to post all week, since I've really been trying to write at least once a week, but writing responsibilities at work just left me completely drained each day. Plus I had the annual task of writing my self evaluation hanging over my head, which due to those other writing assignments, didn't get started until Friday afternoon.

The Friday afternoon of Newtown, CT.

I wrote through my tears as I listened to live streaming coverage, not watching, just listening. I'm not going to be able to add anything more eloquent than others have said elsewhere, but I am absolutely heartbroken for all involved.

It did make me realize, however, that I didn't need to justify the post I wanted to write. While I've been trying to be more eloquent, sticking to a topic, keeping my Having It All Project progressing, I also don't want to lose the roots of what got me writing in the first place. So welcome to the inaugural edition of "General Busy-ness" - basically, what we've been up to for the last month or so. Here goes.

Just before Thanksgiving, Marc accepted a new job and will be starting tomorrow! After nearly six years with the same company, this is a big change for him, and for me too. I'm going to be working an earlier schedule and picking up both kids after school, which I have to admit makes me nervous. More to come on that as it unfolds.

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving in Cleveland with my parents, Ryan and Allison. My mom prepared a lovely meal for Thanksgiving day. Ryan brought his Xbox Kinect with him from California and kept all of us entertained with a variety of games all weekend. We got to see the newly expanded Cleveland Museum of Art, the botanical garden (thanks to Monina for the suggestion) and the Natural History Museum, but the highlight was celebrating my parent's upcoming 40th wedding anniversary at Moxie. It was a really special night for all of us, and I'm so glad we got to spend the time together.

Just a few days after we got home, Marc went on a five day business trip, his longest trip away from home yet. I'm still not quite sure how I got through the time without him, especially as I developed a problem with one of my eyes just hours after he left. Unfortunately, my cornea sustained a very painful "peripheral infiltration" that forced me into my glasses and on antibiotics for just over a week. There's still a teeny tiny white spot on my pupil, which only I and my doctor am able to see, but I'm making a bigger effort to wear my glasses now and give my eyes a rest. Thus, after five and a half years, I finally bought a new pair of glasses too.

The kids, of course, aren't slowing down for a moment. Hannah got to perform for the first time with the Kol Keff children's choir at our synagogue, both at a local nursing home and in front of the congregation at our annual Hanukkah party. She also performed as an alien during her after care's performance of a play created by her "opera club," which was one of the most creative and fun things I've seen her do yet. Max entertained us all at a session of his T-ball class at the JCC. I had thought toddler ballet classes were the height of cute, but seeing these kids try to hit the ball from the T and running the bases was beyond adorable. Max is also keeping us busy with his constant counting and singing - Hanukkah has been an excellent holiday for exercising those skills!

Hanukkah in general was low key but lovely. We ate latkes and sang songs. Hannah is quite a serious dreidel player now. Max and I had a great time at the JCC party, where while doing a craft he carefully applied the letter stickers to "Happy Hanukkah" completely backwards (did Disney know it spells "hakunnah" that way?). We went to our annual Wright Family Hanukkah party in Hartford yesterday, and it was great to see so much of Marc's family. The kids were thrilled with all of their gifts this year, including the scooters you see above.

So yes, it's a lot of cheeriness above, but hopefully you know that there is a lot of gratitude too. I want to have this living archive of who the four of us are, and while these types of posts might not garner a lot of comments, they're really important to me. I hope you'll keep reading along, and be inspired to share the wonderful (and not so wonderful) parts of your life with me, too.

A member of the blogging community lost her nephew, Noah, at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Donations to help his parents and older siblings can be made here. More information can be found here. I hope you'll consider helping.