The Blogger's Excuse

I've been meaning to blog lately, but just haven't been able to carve out the time from my overloaded schedule.  Luckily for me, a certain zany relative of mine decided to submit the following guest post, which was right on target!

The Blogger's Excuse

by Anonymosquito

A pioneer in so many ways
Just doesn't have so much time in her days.
She can't sit around like a lump on a log...
and lately, she doesn't have time even to blog!

A mother, a wife, and a programmer too
She simply has so much to do.
Of course it would be nice to go walk a dog --
But she doesn't even have time to blog!

Between work, and kids, and jumping jacks,
She takes care of stacks and stacks!
She can't sit around like a lazy [insert word for chazzer]...
She doesn't even have enough time to blog!

Her site sits here dusty for more than four weeks,
But never a word of complaint should we speak --
Her life keeps her hopping like a sugar-high frog...
We love her even if she doesn't have time to blog!

Belated Blogging- Scroll down to see the newest posts!

The last month has been pretty busy (has anyone ever heard of Pesach?!) so my blog unfortunately got put on the back burner.  But B"H we're back, and instead of blogging about everything all at once, I'm going to post one entry at a time- this way we'll build up the suspense and have you all checking back regularly for more!

Enjoy!

Yunger Mama

Overcoming your fears

Naftali used to be petrified by my nieghbor's rabbits.  And I mean PETRIFIED.  They are a very lively pair, and they often jump out of the neighbor's yard and wander around, often finding their way into our front yard...and sometimes even walking into our house (the front door is usually wide open during the afternoon!)  As soon as Naftali would spot them, he would start screaming and crying "Babbit, Babbit" and come running to me for protection.  His fear got so bad that he'd start waking up during the night, apparently having nightmares about them...he'd wake up screaming "Babbit, Babbit" and could not be calmed down until either Bentzi or I let him come cuddle up in our room.

I decided that enough is enough- if he is so scared of them that he's having nightmares, I've got to help him overcome this fear.  So I started a "project" of sorts, to help him confront his fear.  I went with him to the neighbor's yard, and started petting the rabbits, holding them, etc.  The first day he was very scared, but was intrigued that Mommy wasn't scared of those awful hairy monsters.  The next day, he stood next to me (and them) and watched, until one of them got a little frisky and he got scared.  The next day, he actually touched them...well by now, not only is he not scared of them, but he begs me to help him climb into the neighbor's yard so that he can pet the rabbits!

A gutten Chodesh!

In honor of Rosh Chodesh Iyar, today we had a yummy treat- ice cream!  The kids were all excited, as this was our first ice cream of the season- what a special treat for a special day!  Even Nissim got to chew on a cone- he was very happy to be one of the crowd!

Aren't they yummy?  (I mean the kids, not the ice cream cones!)

My new "Kitchen Aid"

It's been harder to get things done with Nissim around- B"H he's gotten much more curious and he isn't happy to be left sitting in the stroller or high chair while Mommy is busy in the kitchen.  And while I've mastered the art of doing many things while holding a baby in one hand (I've had plenty of practice ), I found it impossible to to knead my Challah dough and hold him at the same time!  So today I plunked him down on the counter, and he was thrilled-- a real front row seat!  He sat, pearing into the pot to see what I was doing, and then began to reach for all the things on the counter- new territory to explore!

WHEW! I posted!

A shocking psak was issued this year by local Rabbanim, where it was decided that part of cleaning for Pesach requires one to empty out all the pictures on his digital camera, lest there is an item of chometz pictured in one of the images.  This psak pushed me to finally post to my blog, before all those pictures are erased for eternity.

Okay, just kidding- no such psak- even here in "extremely religious" E"Y.  But with ראש חודש ניסן looming ahead, I knew that I'd just have to put my nose to the grindstone and do some major blogging. 

Enjoy the many posts I've added today (listed in chronological order, oldest first):

* Brachos Party in AS's Gan
* Peekaboo!
* My Chassidishe Daughter
* Going for a "Spin"
* Happy (Early) Birthday to Bruria!
* My little drummer
* Purim!!!
* Ah, the simple life!

I hope that I won't be completely negligent over the next few weeks, as the Pesach rush takes over, but in case I am, at least I've left you with some good reading material meanwhile!

-Yunger Mama

Ah, the simple life!

In this fast-paced, high-tech world of blackberries and WII's (not quite sure what that is but it sounds cool!), we often forget to stop and look at all the "simple" things around us, which are equally, and sometimes even more, fascinating.  B"H, living in a small, isolated settlement, cut off from technological advances and entertainment venues, we get to appreciate more of the "little things" which many other people just overlook.

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One erev Shabbos, the kids were playing outside, and they spotted a chameleon.  They were busy for the longest time watching the chameleon, following it around, and watching it change colors.  They brought different colored leaves and bark and place them next to it, and had a blast watching as it changed colors- from black, to green, to a light yellow-green.  Fascinating!

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We went to the supermarket one afternoon, where my children were completely mesmerized watching the bread-slicing machine! 



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Who needs fast-action movies when you've got a thunderstorm outside your window?!

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When you don't know from amusement parks or Discovery Zone, even jumping over the lines between the tiles in the local mall become a major attraction!

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So I urge you all to stop, take a step back from all your digital devices, and take a minute to enjoy the beauty and excitement all around us! Please share your discoveries in the comments below!