Life with Sam n Zack

Hear about life at 193 with my two little loves and Michy too....

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Socks - Finally

My brother tells me that he wants warm socks for Chanukah. The criteria seems simple to me, warm, wicking properties, preferable not wool in size extra large. I looked in about 10 stores for them and couldn't find any. Some had wool socks in XL. Others had synthetic socks in Large. You get the idea all combos of the wrong kind. Well, I've been saying all along that I want to go to Bill Army and Navy, it's about 1/2 a mile from me at work. On the same road no less. I went there today and viola 7 pair of socks that fit the criteria and 2 pair of sock liner just for good measure. Plus a pair of black Merrill slip ons and a great pair of Keens that were both on sale for me!

This nearly wraps up my holiday shopping. I'm still not thrilled with the gift for my Dad. Mom said he wanted tighty whitey so although I don't love the idea of getting him undies I bought him 12 pairs. He also wanted the new New York Zagat guide, which I'm yet to receive (should check b&n.com). Apparently he needs new screens for his electric razor but those are harder to find then the socks. Everyone else got basically what they asked for or what we decided they needed.

I am excited for Michy's gifts. Somehow I feel like I shouldn't list her presents here in fear that she will read this. I'm not sure how that would happen. She can barely work a computer and I don't even think that she knows I have a blog. Anyway, since she told me please don't buy me the super expensive watch that she's been pining over for years now, I've been amassing many smaller gifts! Now I've decided that I need 16 gifts so that each boy can give her one each night of Chanukah. I'm going to do one little and one bigger per night, like a pair of socks from one and a sweater from the other.

I love this season of giving! There is not a thing in the world that I can think of that I need or even want. My cup is full!

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Little Me



So my co-worker got a new scanner that has a really cool place to put slides in. She said, I wish I had a slide to see how this thing works. I knew that there was a slide in a drawer in Isaac's room but I couldn't remember what it was of. I found it and brought it in today. So, here's me in my backyard in January of 1973. I'm really not that serious. So cool!

Monday, December 19, 2005

Bob the Builder

Have I said just how much my young son Isaac loves Bob the Builder? Not exactly sure how it happened but the love affair is in full swing. Anything he sees that is remotely related to construction is now called affectionately BobBill (said just like that Bob then Bill with no space in between). Yesteday we had our family holiday gathering and 3 Bob items were bestowed upon him, boy you would think he'd been given gold! He was so happy and so cute. My cousin and aunt were so glad to get such a wonderful display of appreciation. He carried them around for the next 2 hours. Repeating over and over BobBill.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Costco

Yesterday I met Sue at Costco during lunch, we needed so much stuff and I didn't have enough cash to give her and the costco card need to match the credit card so I ended up going so I could pay. Anyway, I go there first, got a cart and waited just inside the door. She showed up with Isaac, who was asleep. She layed him down in the cart, he took up nearly the whole thing. We shopped for about 30 minutes before he woke up. He sat right up and said, more. Yup the little piglet was looking for samples!

School Photos and religion

Rosa's scanner is broken so I can't post the school photos just yet but they are cute! Actually she did take one home and scan it for me, she even touched up the photo. Now you can't see the black and blue on the side of Sam's head from when he fell off the couch or the stamp of the frog that's on Zack's hand from school that day. I'm not going to post it just yet, since I think it may be our holiday card photo. I can't seem to get a good photo of both the ones. We have quite a few were one looks great and the other doesn't or many were they both look okay. I want one where they both look great. Maybe I'll be sending New Year's cards.

Sue is frequently shopping with the boys as she run many errands for us. One day last week I came home to find Christmas cookies with santa, trees, candy canes and wreaths on them. I didn't notice them until after she has left for the day. I did think to myself, tell Sue not to buy those anymore. When Mich got home she was less calm about them then I was. She said doesn't Sue know that we don't celebrate Christmas in this house. So the next day I asked that Sue take the cookies home and not buy anymore Christmas cookies for our house. A couple of nights later Aunt Robert is having dinner with us and he says, I just want to let you know that Mich is nuts about those cookies. So that started our big discussion about the cookies. I guess I must be nuts too since I think that Christmas cookies have no place in my house, not ones bought by me anyway. I'm fine with celebrating Christmas with other people, it's a lovely holiday but we don't celebrate it. So I was trying to come up with a reverse example, like to Christian/Catholic people ever buy dreidel cookies. Probably not, probably never. I think that people that celebrate Christmas just don't consider that other people celebrate something different. I'm sure they do but why do people have to say Merry Christmas to me. Strangers trying to be nice for sure but can't they say happy holidays like I do. Maybe that should be my reply to the Merry Christmas, they'll say Merry Christmas and I'll say Happy Chanukah. I'm going to try that. It's not like I live in a place where their aren't any Jews. We are surrounded by them. Sam doesn't even know that the man in the red suit is Santa. We were in the diner having breakfast. They have a freaky life size (well dwarf life sized) Santa that sings and gyrated to Christmas music. Sam said to me, can I go make that man play music. I said sure, so we are watching this santa do it's thing and a man walks in and says, you like Santa, I bet he is going to bring you something very special. Then he went into the diner and we left to go to school. At the point that I was with the man then only think I could think why the f do you assume that we have anything to do with Santa. Not to mention, what does he know about how special of a gift Sam will get.

We have been talking a lot about family traditions around the holiday season. It totally sucks that my cousin got married to a Catholic guy so they decided to pick a new religion since she wouldn't be Catholic and he would be Jewish. My brother just married a Catholic girl and I hope that they work out their religion issues prior to having kids for not things are just odd. My brother says that he doesn't feel Jewish, his wife probably would have gone along with the Jewish thing if he cared but since he doesn't well they are doing their own thing. What that means will be seen. For this year it means they have a tree and all sorts of Christmas decoration. My brothers says that he won't have his children raised in a religion that has a cross but he doesn't care what his wife does. So, basically we have no Jewish family except my family. That makes us a little sad. Everyone is willing to play along and come to our house and eat latkes or endure a Seder or break fast but it's not their thing. Just like we are happy to come help decorate your tree or search for eggs. So we are going to make a great effort to celebrate each night of Chanukah and start our own holiday tradition. More to come for sure.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Lollypops

I've been making them for Michelle's sister's baby shower on Sunday. We are going up to Albany on Saturday spending the night at her house and them Sunday we will have the shower and then come home. I'm so glad that the boys are welcome at the shower, it would be so hard to plan this without them. Everyone will be so excited to see them! The last time they saw the boys was Lishy wedding in March. I'm not sure that everyone got to see Isaac, he was so little then. Won't they be surprised to see my little ball of fire!

The lollypops are quite cute, some are blue baby bottles. Yes, she's having a boy! The others are the pregnant girls. They are dark and white chocolate. We are having those are the favors. I still have one batch to make and wish that I could figure out a way to step up production. Maybe it will be easier tonight.

I can't wait to see Alicia, she is saying that she's huge. I just want to rub her belly and say hi to the cousin that she is cooking!

Friday, December 02, 2005

Chanukah

The holidays are here. They come earlier every year don't they? Sam is really into the lights that people have been putting up on their houses. Driving yesterday he even said, when can we cover our house in lights like that? Well, never. It's not really the answer that he was looking for but it's the only one that I could give. Jewish people don't hang lights. I guess we should get a light up menorah for his window maybe even two. How do I instill that we can enjoy the lights that others display but not do it ourselves. It's not our thing. Too bad I have an event on Friday cause I'd love to attend the talk that Rabbi Sagal is giving about this very subject. At least Sam is at school at the temple, he will learn about the macabees and the oil that lasted 8 days. We will reinforce at home. Maybe I'll buy that clay in the link that I send Robyn and we'll attempt to make a menorah at home.

Sue asked Sam what he wanted for Chanukah and he said a gun. He said that Etan and Henry have guns that they use to shoot and kill people. Can I get a gun and shoot these two three year old boys. I'm not really one of those guns are horrible kind of people. Not that I want guns in my home nor do I want Sam to have any toy guns at this point. He's little, his brother is even littler. Boys seems to make guns out of the stuff they have. They use their fingers to shoot, sticks, brooms whatever they get their hands on. I get it. Why oh why does he come home with phrases like shoot and kill. Do these mothers realize? Am I over reacting?

So, I've been trying to come up with 8 gifts to give each of the boys for Chanukah. I don't really think that Isaac needs 8 gifts. He really doesn't need anything but since Sam will know and we will all be there together I will come up with 8 for both. I got Sam some Batman pj's that I think he is going to love. Mich wants to get Sam a remote control dinosaur like Harris has. I bought a couple books. Maybe I'll do a night of giving to others. Start a tradition of one night getting gifts to give to people in need. Do I buy the gifts and we try to give them to someone/somewhere that night. Do we shop for these gifts together and give them beforehand so that they can have them for the holidays?

Mich and work

Yesterday Mich had a great day! Thank goodness. She works so hard all day long she deserves to be happy about it. She really enjoys working hard from the minute she gets on the train she's on the phone about work and sometimes she's still on the phone after she gets home at night. It's a really good thing when things good well. I'm so glad for her.

Robert, one of her salepeople is homeless. Not for long. The apartment that he gave up that was way to far away from the city ended on the 30th and the new apartment that is really close to the train and much closer doesn't start until the 15th. She brought him home last night. He loves the boys and they love him. Robert is in the short list of words that Isaac knows. He's very nice to me. Why does he bother me so much. Maybe it's that he cause Mich's work to spill over into our home life that she is hardly home for anyway. I don't know. Maybe because, her new boyfriend as I have taken to calling him, is not the most stable guy. I'm just hoping that he's not living with us till the 15th. On the bright side I'm driving his fancy Infinity today.

I've been thinking about Mich and work. I want to be supportive. She has her own business and it's growing. Her business could allow me to eventually not work or do something part time. I don't know where I'm going with this. All I know is that I think that she's planning on working tomorrow so it's gonna be me and the boys again.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

The big birthday weekend

We are so busy. Michelle is so busy at work she has taken to coming home at no eariler then 8:30 but sometimes as late as 10:30. That leaves me to do all the stuff. Not house stuff becuase luckily Sue does most of that, she's even happy to go to the dry cleaner and supermarket. But the boys and I do the other stuff, I return things buy gifts etc.

We have three birthday parties this weekend. One on Saturday and two on Sunday. Funny that both of the parties on Sunday are for girls named Sarah. I still have to shop for the one Sarah, her mom and I went to school together and she told me to buy clothes. I think I'll go to Old Navy for that. Sam is very agreeable to going there, they have a gumball machine filled with high bouncing balls for a quarter. They are the big ones too, so no choking for the Zackster. Plus where else can you make your kid happy for 50 cents. It's gotten to the point where he asks to go if we are anywhere near the shopping center.

We also have the fundraiser auction at the Temple this weekend. Michelle's company is a sponsor. She is listed in the brochure with the other sponsors like Target and Wachovia bank. We both got a chuckle about that. I am going to help set up on Friday night but they can't start until 10 p.m. So I've signed on for 10 to midnight.