Simchat Torah just for the men??

From the mailbag:

Dear In the Pink Lady,

I am the biggest kvetch on simchas torah.  I do not enjoy watching the men dance and the ladies shmooze about the latest styles or shaitels.  I feel simchas torah is a man’s holiday..seems they have all the fun and we get to just stand and watch..I go through this every year!  do you enjoy this holiday, how can I change my attitude towards this yom tov?

A loyal reader

I do enjoy watching my boys dance, and this year will especially enjoy watching the KoD dance with them, but it is indeed very hard to sit there and watch seven Hakafot without participating at all. I will probably watch one or two, then go home and curl up with a good book. Some shuls I have been at do have Hakafot (dances) for the women, and some have included dancing with the sefer torah, but that’s not what’s done in my neck of the woods.

Readers – do any of you have any advice or words of wisdom?

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Dinosaur Oatmeal

Can anyone help me out? In Montreal my little ones enjoyed the Quaker Instant Oatmeal with the Dinosaur Eggs in it – like little sugar eggs that dissolved to reveal coloured dinosaurs. I cannot find the oatmeal here. I have looked in every grocery store I have been to. Did they discontinue it?

This is what the box looks like:

Slice of Life

Today was cleaning day. I know, every day is cleaning day when you have kids. But today I had a lot of extra energy that I needed to vent on something safe, so I attacked the bathrooms and the carpets etc… The kids all pitched in to help according to their capabilities (if you come over and can smell the Fantastik everywhere, well, Squiggy was removing fingerprints from every wall and light switch…with lots of elbow grease (What does the bottle of elbow grease look like Ima?)).

The little one woke up late, and was therefore playing catch up. I scrubbed their bathroom down, and exited to hear the most beautiful sound. He was davening (praying) shacharit (the morning service). I never usually get to hear him as they daven in school. He was at the beginning, singing out the brachot, one by one, and I loved that I could answer Amen to every single one. He davens with such kavannah (concentration) – seems that his mind doesn’t wander as much as mine does! He is only 8 but I hope he keeps this enthusiasm for always.

Skinny Wench Mouths Off

Seriously, people!! We all know that in the month that we have Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and umpteen days of Sukkot that we stuff our faces. There is a lot of food, a lot of not always so healthy choices and we all feel like our clothes are tight at the end of the holiday marathon. Yes, even me!

Apparently, being the skinny wench that I am, it is forbidden for me to even allude to any weight gain whatsoever. Because even if I gained 5 lbs it’s sacrilegious for me to even mention it. No one wants to hear me comment on it. Even if the conversation around me is about the same subject, there is a moratorium on hearing my opinion. Looks of disgust abound.

Matter of fact, there apparently must be a weight limit that has unofficially been applied to such conversations. I think maybe the 17^th commandment applies here “Thou shalt only complaineth about weight gain when one’s clothing size is in the high double digits or higher”.

I have worked hard to get where I am (this time 3 years ago I was 55lbs heavier), and while not obsessed about my size or my weight, I do keep track. Am I not allowed to feel bloated or heftier when I have over-eaten? Does a skinny wench have no fat-feelings?

And telling me not to worry because I can afford to gain the weight – would I turn around and tell someone to worry because they could stand to lose some weight? NEVER.

Open season on the skinny wenches, apparently.

Pass the chocolate…..and the Grumpitol.