First Candle 2008

Happy Channukah

This afternoon, I realized that Malcolm was at work, Tamar was at school, and I don't have a car. It was going to be Kobi, Oriya and me for our first candle of Hanukkah. Oriya was really upset by this notion, as we always had a houseful of people to light candles on Hanukkah.

I called my sister who had three girls under the weather and explained my predicament. Avital convinced everyone to come to our house as "Even when Kobi doesn't feel good - and he's a lot sicker than us, he comes to our house". Within the hour, we had a party. I ordered pizza, made a salad and the best latkes ever (according to Malcolm who got home at 9:15PM).

The kids were all so thrilled to be together to celebrate the holiday. It's our first ever Hanukkah together. It was so wonderful. We decorated paper dreidles to fill with candy for another evening we have planned. All the kids got into it and really enjoyed the decorating. Even Mattan participated.

Malcolm called to say he was finished work and would love it if we could wait for him for candle-lighting. By the time he came home, the kids were ready to light candles, the sweet latkes were ready and we were busy celebrating one of our best Hanukkahs ever. Thanks to all the Masri's for coming to be our party!

On a completely different note, it's so funny to be so removed form the Christmas theme. We don't feel "the season" and need to remind ourselves sometimes that it's winter holidays back in Toronto.

We miss you all and wish that we could be celebrating with you, too. Our Hanukkah was always such a special time to be with friends and family, get together and enjoy good friends, good food and good times. You are all in our hearts!

Kobi's Health

We are down to the last half hour of waiting, before we leave the house and go to see the paediatric gastro. I think that by now we've all had enough of doctors, hospitals, tests and medication.

What started last year as a one time deal came back again this year, taking us to doctors, who eventually hospitalized Kobi. He went through blood tests, urinalysis, Barium X-Rays, Ultrasound gastroscopy and colonoscopy at the hospital. We were released when he stopped vomiting and were still on a quest for the answer for these problems. The doctor prescribed some medication to reduce the acidity in his stomach.

Unfortunately, Kobi started vomiting again 12 days ago. It's not as violent as it was before. He managed to keep the episodes down to once a day. Unfortunately - he stops eating and drinking. We've managed to keep him hydrated - no small feat - but food is a tough one. He isn't interested at all. Last Motzei Shabbat, we were at a family gathering and my cousin Yael's husband - Danny (who specializes in Family Medicine) had a look at Kobi. He wanted to get some more tests done and asked me to bring Kobi to him in the morning.

Sunday was a long day for Kobi and I. Malcolm, by the way, was working in Bulgaria over the weekend and "missed" all the fun. Anyway, back to Sunday. Kobi and I went to see Danny in his office. After checking Kobi, he sent us for more blood work and X-Rays and Ultrasound.....then back to Danny for another assessment. Danny looked at all the results and based on that sent us to a CT scan. He also spoke to the specialist who had seen Kobi at the hospital and arranged an appointment for us today.

So, results in hand, we are waiting for the appointment. Kobi doesn't look so hot. He is in good spirits most of the time, then he drops as he is overcome by pains. Once they and the nausea pass, he is good again. He doesn't really eat much and we push him to drink. He isn't vomiting but has a lot of pain.

We are all praying....Refu'a Shlema Kobi!

I got lost......

On Wednesday, I went to see Uvi and Arie (remember 1-800-Arie?) in Nili. I had been using Amir's car and wanted to return it, as Amir is home for a holiday from the army. Obviously, I wanted to return the car with a full tank of gas.

I drove to Rishon in the morning to run an errand, and continued from there straight to Nili. I didn't come across any gas stations on the way, but was not worried, as I know of a station very close to Uvi's house. It's on the wrong side of a major intersection, but very easy to reach with two simple left turns (for those of you who are familiar, I'm talking about Shilat Intersection). I got to the station and filled up the tank - no problem. I know that there is a way from the station back towards Nili, but wasn't sure on how to get there. I asked the gas station attendant and he suggested that I go back to the intersection and make a U turn - they are very popular here. I wasn't comfortable with this idea and asked if there is another way. He said "Sure - make a left before the nursery and follow the road". I did that and realized that there is more than one way to "follow this road". Now you have to understand that I could see the main road not 500 meters away from me at all times!

It turned into a dirt road and this did not worry me, until I passed a place to go back on a paved road. I put the car in reverse and went back to the paved road. Then I started looking for a way back to the main road. Finally, I reached a gate to a community. I knew I was OK, as there was an Israeli flag at the entrance. I travelled along a road - circling the entire community (in 3 minutes) and picked up my phone. Again, for those familiar with the area - I was in Shilat.

I dialed 1-800-Arie but Ori, his son, picked up. Knowing who I was dealing with, I asked Ori to call all the family members to the living room and start laughing. He didn't know why I was asking him to do this, until he realized that I was lost in a "town" that is two streets wide and three street across - not able to find may way to the main road. Only after calling did I find two men who were able to point my in the right direction.

Needless to say, by the time I reached Uvi's house the entire family was having a great laugh at my expense. They especially enjoyed that fact that I told Ori that I was safe because I could see the Israeli flags!

Go ahead and laugh! It's good for you.

Updates

Malcolm left for Sofia today - that's in Bulgaria. He arrived safely and is having a nice time with his colleagues. He'll be home on Sunday night.

Tamar took the train from school to meet us at the airport so she could see Malcolm. Otherwise, she wouldn't see him for another two weeks. She was invited to sleep over at the Masris, so we all went for a drive to Modi'in after the airport to discover that Mocha - the dog - was delivering her puppies tonight. More important is the fact that Tamar informed us of her schedule for the next two weeks. Her class is going on their school trip this week to the Judean Desert. They return of Thursday night and are supposed to come home for Shabbat. Tamar is electing to stay with her friends at the Ulpana, as they have "too many fun things planned". There is a Channuka party on Sunday night, school on Monday morning, then a drive to K'far Chabbad for another Chanuka party with the other girls from Na'ale. Then it's back to the Ulpana. There is no school on Tuesday, but thier program supervisor is having another party for the girls on Tuesday evening. Wednesday is probably a trip to Jerusalem. By Thursday, she should come home but wants to participate in a trip that NBN is having for teens, that includes rappelling and other such fun stuff. When I mentioned that Avi and his gang are going to be in Israel, she explained that much as she would like to see them, we'll have to schedule a meeting when she is not so busy. I'm thrilled that she is having a god time and creating such close friendships.

Kobi isn't doing so well. He is taking his medication - Losec - but is still vomiting once or twice a day, with bouts of nausea. He looks kind of green most of the time and his palms are like parchment paper. We know that he is not dehydrated, but he's also not well. We hope to be able to see the specialist on Sunday, and we have an appointment with another specialist for a second opinion on Wednesday.

Oriya will have a playdate tomorrow with a girl for the next class - Ofir. The nice thing is that Ofir called today to see if she can play. I love it that the first step did not have to be Oriya's. She is also planning a sleepover with Avital for Friday night.

We have a guest for Shabbat. Elise Lotterman will be here, which is always nice.

I want to post some pictures from my birthday party - which was absolutely lovely. When Malcolm comes home from Sofia and I have the pictures (which are in his computer) I will do so.

Wednesday Night

Today Saba Motti became a "returning citizen". He officially moved from Florida back to Israel. Talia and the kids, as well as Malc, Oriya Tati & I went to greet him at the airport. While there was no big parade - he did not come in on a Nefesh B'Nefesh flight - we made a sign and had balloons and there were many hugs and kisses. Good Luck, Saba!!

Tati is already winding up her visit. We had many "mishpucha" days and visited with special friends. It's always hard to see everyone when the visit is so short. Tati isn't gone yet and we already miss her, but are looking forward to her return in June.

Tomorrow is the big Birthday Party. There will be approximately 55 people here and we plan on having a great time. I'll post pictures from the party - probably on Sunday.

Love to everyone. If any of the followers are in the Rechovot area tomorrow night, please come to our party. No RSVP needed!!!

Update on Kobi

We now have an elected "official" in our home! Kobi went back to school today and was greeted by cheers from his classmates telling him that he won the election. He is the only representative from his class in the Student Council. We are so proud of him.....

Kobi is feeling good. Tuesday we'll go for a Dr. visit at Kupat Cholim - to get all the necessary refferals to the hospital and get some blood work done. The colonoscopy will be on Thursday. Our big reward is a visit from Tati. She is scheduled to arrive while he is being scoped at the hospital. Talia will pick her up and they'll come straight to the hospital. We are so looking forward to eight days of Tati!!!!

Also, Ron & Marilyn booked their tickets to Israel and we expect them on January 22nd. It's so wonderful to have all these great visits to look forward to.

Love to all. I'll update you on Thursday.

Michal

Kobi's health

Hello to everyone,

Just over one week ago, Kobi became ill. He started vomiting. At first we were not especially worried, just a bit spooked about the timing (almost one year exactly from the big incident last year). By Friday, he was looking awful and we took him to the "step-up" clinic for some intravenous fluids. From there, they suggested a trip to the emergency room. The doctors there seemed to feel that he could be admitted or could go home. We chose home over hospital germs.

By Sunday, Kobi was no better. We went to the local doctor, who sent us to the hospital again. It was clear to us that we would be admitted this time, especially in light of last year's experience. Sure enough, Kobi was admitted for abdominal pain and vomiting. After running blood-work, urinalysis, Barium scans and finally a gastroscopy, we were released to go home. Kobi still needs to have a colonoscopy next week and we are very hopeful that we will find the root of this problem.

To his credit, I must say that Kobi was quite the trooper. He remained cheerful and good-natured the entire time in the hospital.

I have to say that the doctors here are great and they did not take this case lightly. We were treated well the entire time. The fixtures could use some updating.....but that really had no impact on the level of medical care that we received.

I will keep you updated on the results of the tests.

Shabbat Shalom,
Michal

Paul McCartney in Concert - Tel Aviv 2008

On September 25th, after being denied access in 1969, Paul McCartney became the first "Beatle" to preform in Israel. This was truly a big affair. The concert was held in Park Ha-Yarkon - a huge outdoor venue in Tel Aviv. Malcolm and the crew arrived at 2:00PM. At 4PM, they were treated to a 45 minute sound check that was amazing. Paul played full songs and "kibbitzed" with the crew. The crowds were allowed access at 5PM - see the lady with the walked in the picture. She was part of the rush to run in and grab a spot. People paid $150. for standing room and had to wait until 8PM for the concert to begin.

The concert its self was amazing. By concert time the crowd was thick - close to 45 thousand people. People were dancing and singing and having a great time. Definitely worth the ticket price.

Just another Thursday afternoon

Today was another beautiful day. The nights are cool already (I wear socks and long sleeved shirts - Malcolm is still immune to what we call cold here). The days, however, are gorgeous. It was 27 degrees today and sunny. Malcolm put in a full morning at the shop, then went to finalize his first order of eye-piece covers. As he left Tel Aviv, he decided that this is the perfect beach day. Unfortunately, Kobi is not feeling well - he has a tummy virus - and he and I could not join the outing.

Malcolm picked Oriya up from school - they changed into bathing suits and took towels and off they went. They had lunch on the beach at our favourite restaurant - Lila Beach - and then actually went for a swim. They took a long walk along the beach and waited for the sunset.

There were many kite-boarders up the beach. They counted at least 30 - maybe more. The colors were beautiful. These guys hook up "kites" to snow board looking things that they surf on and go to catch the wind. They go extremely fast and can jump into the air and "fly" really far. They are really exciting to watch.

Kobi for Student Council

While everyone is sitting at the edge of their seat, waiting to see what happens with Obama, we are in the midst of a very important election. Kobi has decided to run for Student Council. He and his teacher came up with a slogan "בקובי תבחרו ואת ההבדלים בבית הספר עוד תיראו" (Elect Kobi and you will see the difference in the school). He asked me to make stickers for him - which we made on diskette labels - remember those things? He had 90 stickers and he ran out by the middle of the first recess. Oriya "kept him company" at his desk, and various friends were busy shouting his name in the school-yard. He had a sign that he made yesterday, but it was damaged today and he asked for my help in making a new sign. We also went to purchase more labels (they aren't called diskette labels any more) and he made up an additional slogan for himself "לפעמים חדש זה טוב יותר" (Sometimes new is better). Obviously we are all proud of his efforts and rooting for him. He feels that he has the votes of all the boys in his class, and plans on working on getting the girls' votes tomorrow. The election is on Friday - we'll let you know! Good Luck Kobi!!!!

Our Family Shabbat

Erev Shabbat Talia, Daniel, and all their kids - except for Dylan - who stayed in Modi'in for a social function with her friends, arrived with their bags, chulent pot and lots of enthusiasm. Doda Tzila - my dad's sister - arrived next. We all worked in the kitchen together, doing last minute preparations for our meal. Moishe and Zehava arrived in time for dinner and it was a great affair. The meal was great, the company was amazing - we talked and laughed and just had a great time!

The Masris stayed for Shabbat and all the kids had a great time. It was a wonderful opportunity for us grown-ups to have quality time together, as the kids really do occupy themselves beautifully. All in all - a great time was had by all. We closed up the weekend by going to visit Savta after Shabbat. We had so much fun, that we hope to turn this into a monthly ritual! Let us know if you'd like to join us for one of these great weekends!

The weekend is coming

It's late Thursday night here. Tamar came home for Shabbat. She is always so happy when she comes home. I love the inner-peace she seems to come home with. For the first time in forever, I came home to find her sitting at the kitchen table, doing homework. She was very motivated to finish her work before immersing herself in home-life.
Malcolm slayed the dragon tonight. He put out 4 traps and we waited for hours. We could hear the mouse in the pantry and FINALLY he stepped into one of the traps. Yes, I did feel a little silly when I realized this little mouse was about 2 inches long.
The Masris (my sister & her gang) are coming for Shabbat. We are looking forward to their visit. My uncle Moishe and his wife, Zahava, will also be joining us for Shabbat dinner. Pictures & stories will follow.

Swimming home from school

.....and the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down....

We have been experiencing huge amounts of rain over the past few days. It's hard to express the fact that it's so nice to be somewhere where even the rain is so meaningful. You don't look out the window, swear and curse because it's raining. You look out the window and say - this is great, the crops will grow, the Kinneret will go up, the wells will fill and we don't have to water the grass.
I took an umbrella and went to pick up Oriya. I thought that I would be efficient and pick up something at the hardware store first. It's only a couple of blocks past the school.
It was raining when I left the house, not too badly. By the time I realized that the hardware store did not have the mousetraps that I want, the rain was coming down so hard that I couldn't cross any street. The road were rivers. There is no place for the water to run, the sewers did not take the volume of water. By the time I walked the few blocks back to the school to get Oriya, my shoes were soaked. We tried to wait out the rain a bit - but no luck.
Finally, Oriya and I decides to bite the bullet and start our trek home. The vast amounts of water pouring down the street were unbelievable. We had to decide that we were going swimming. At that point, we just sunk into the streams pouring down the streets and hurried home. Obviously, as we were turning onto the block leading to our house, the sun broke out and the rains stopped.
By the time Kobi walked home from school - 30 minutes later, he didn't even need an umbrella and couldn't understand how we got so wet!

Visitor Update

He's back - and I'm back on the kitchen table. Malcolm should be home in the next two hours - I hope!

An Uninvited Guest

Every Monday, I go to Yad Binyamin to work for an Olim couple. It's an administrative position that I found with the help of Sharona Watemberg and it's really great because I get to help my clients open their mail, I make phone calls for them, and generally communicate on their behalf with the Hebrew speaking population. My reward for a job well done (besides my pay) is a chance for a cup of coffee with Sharona who lives in the Yeshuv.
Today was special. I knew that Sharona was going out to a meeting, but she should have been back by the time I came for coffee. She wasn't. I made my way home, somewhat disappointed. There was no shortage of things to do at home, so I started with the dishes, at the same time that Malcolm called to tell me of his visit with Lisa Judah (that's a whole other story - he can write it if he wants). It was then I heard the noise. It sounded like something scratching a door. I quickly quieted Malcolm and started listening around me. I realized that the scratching was coming from the pantry door, so I jumped on a chair and hung up on Malcolm. He was on his way to Haifa anyway, and I didn't think that he would be able to help with whatever animal was hiding in the pantry.
My quick thinking helped me reach a number of conclusions:

1. There was a rodent - I hoped not a cat - in the pantry.
2. There was not much I could do about it from my perch on the table in the kitchen.
3. There was no way I was getting off the table until whatever it was was gone.

Now, even I could tell this was going to be a problem. So I dialed 1-800-Arie (my cousin's husband who fixes all). Unfortunately, he was not in my area. He did suggest that I open the door and jokingly asked "What, are you afraid of a little mouse?" "YES" I answered. I had to hang up on him because he was laughing so hard.

Finally, I realized what I had to do. If no-one could come to my rescue (I thought of Mikee Z and Eddy G who were always around, in the neighborhood and available to help and, boy, did I miss them.) I was going to leave the premises and return ONLY when I had backup. So I climbed onto one of the kitchen chairs and dragged it to block the pantry door - you never know how strong a mouse can be. For good measure, I added another chair. I jumped off the table - AWAY FROM THE PANTRY DOOR - grabbed my purse and left the house.

I picked up the kids from school and the three of us went looking for mouse-traps. I wanted the flat ones that are sticky on top, figuring that I could slide it under the door. They store had a different kind. The man tried to explain that all I needed to do was open the door to the pantry and put the trap down. I don't know why he wouldn't understand that this would not happen.

This left us no choice. We came home, dropped off the kids bags, picked up the car keys and went to the mall for lunch. Kobi and I dropped Oriya off at her art class later in the afternoon and came back home. I listened carefully and could not hear the "guest". Still, we did not open the pantry door.

In the early evening, a friend of mine who lives in the next town stopped in on his way home from work ( I had called him rather frantic about my "guest" and he volunteered to help). By this time, the guest was gone. Now my head is like a radar, just waiting for him to run across the floor or come around a corner. Needless to say, when Malcolm comes home form work tonight, he'll have to move all the stuff in the pantry around, just so I know for sure that the guest is gone. Then he'll set some traps. Hopefully, by next week sometime, I'll be willing to open the pantry door myself!

The past few days....

So.....we finally got the BBQ up and running and we love it. Malcolm set up a light and now we can actually see the food we are cooking.

Our neighbor from Toronto, Elise Loterman, who is here on a year of volunteering came to visit us after Simchat Torah. Unfortunately, she was a little under the weather. She is feeling 100% now and is back with her program. To us, this ill-health meant a nice long visit from Elise. She had a chance to rest and recuperate, and the kids had her company to play endless board games.

By Wednesday night, Elise was well enough to participate in our BBQ dinner. On Thursday morning, I took Tamar to the train and she is back at school until next Thursday. On Friday, Malcolm, Elise & I went to the "shuk" in Ramle to buy fruits & veggies. I go there every week, but this was the first time Malcolm joined me. I love the sounds, the smells, the people and mostly - the fruits and vegetables. Shopping at the "shuk" is fun!

Oriya went to a birthday party on Friday afternoon, and she had a really good time. We're really happy to see her integrating into social life. Today, she went to see a movie with some friends from her class.

On Friday afternoon, we went to visit my mom's uncle, who celebrated his 88th birthday this week. We then had a lovely dinner and played Rummicub until the wee hours of the morning.

Today Malcolm, Kobi, Elise & I went to the neighbors' for lunch and had a very nice time. They have a son Kobi's age, who had another friend over, and the three of them had a really nice time.

After Shabbat, we took Elise to the train station. We are looking forward to a new week. Malcolm is scheduled to work all week. We're not quite sure on what, as he usually gets booked, then he gets his assignments.

Shavu'a Tov to everyone,

Michal

Our first day of blogging

It's almost 1AM and Malcolm just came home from work. He is involved in filming the Israeli version of "Big Brother". He's actually getting quite regular jobs on soccer games, "Big Brother" and the Israeli version of "Beauty and the Geek". Most of these shows air at prime time, so he's home in the mornings, then off to work and home after midnight. He seems to be having a good time at work.

As for the kids, Tamar is getting ready to go back to school on Thursday morning. She has been home since before Rosh Hashana, as she had bronchitis and then no school from Yom Kippur until after Sukkot.

Kobi and Oriya were also off for the whole of Sukkot. Surprisingly, Kobi did not want to make any play dates with his friends from school. He's going to meet up with the neighbor's son tomorrow for skateboarding in the park. Hopefully, once school starts, he'll start socializing with friends from school.

Oriya, on the other hand, went out for Pizza with a bunch of friends - just the girls went on their own and she had fun. She was then invited to a birthday party, also to a pizza place, with a bunch of girls and she had fun there, too. Today, a friend from school called and she went to her house and had fun AND received an invitation to this girl's party this coming Friday. Hopefully, her social life is starting to come together. Her Hebrew is still the weakest and she isn't comfortable using her language skills yet.

Malcolm is studying on Rosetta Stone every day and he surprises me with new sentences every day.

Last night, we used the BBQ for the first time. We invited my cousins - Yaeli & Uvi - with their families and our good friends from the Moshav - Sharona & Michael. The BBQ works great. The food was yummy and fun was had by all.

It's NOT snowing here - or even cold. Malcolm says that it's cool in Jerusalem - but I don't go there so it's OK.

Be well, everyone. More stories will follow.

Michal

Oriya's Birthday

Nefsky Aliya

We are finally BLOGGING!!!!

Hello to all our friends,

Thank G-d that I have a teenage daughter. She and her friends have set up a blog segulachicks.blogspot.com. I have obviously been talking about setting up a blog since before we left Canada and had no clue on how this works. For this, we have children. They know better. These "Segula Chicks" took a couple of minutes and ......blogs away! Anyway, thankfully, Tamar was willing to share her knowledge.

So here it is - our blog is born. I hope to get the kids and Malcolm to post on it as well.

Chag Sameach to you all, with all our love,

Michal