Tefillat HaDerech

Apparently, there is an inyan (idea / issue) about not saying tefillat haderech (prayer for a safe trip) until you are a certain distance from any residential buildings (if you are travelling by car / bus). Can anyone verify this? What’s the exact distance? Are there sources you can point me to?

(Currently on the New Jersey Turnpike. KoD’s at the wheel).

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Baruch Dayan HaEmet

Last week I posted about a fellow Jblogger called RivkA who needed our prayers. I regret to inform you that RivkA passed away this morning. She was such a special woman – our hearts go out to her wonderful husband Moshe and their beautiful children. May her memory be a blessing.

Schools here are political?

Please do not send my son home with bumper stickers supporting certain candidates in the upcoming elections. He is 8, he knows nothing of politics. Do not foist your nepotistic political views on him – he couldn’t care less that your nephew / aunt / cousin / dog is running for congress, or on which platform, for whatever party… He’s just excited he got a free bumper sticker.

Keep your politics to yourself and let my son learn what he is supposed to. How about sending home a bumper sticker that says – “Vote for Ima – she needs a vacation??”

It’s a Sad Day

Today I had to inform my boys that their paternal grandmother (my ex-husband’s mother) had passed away, in Montreal. It broke my heart to see my boys suffering. There is no way to ease the pain of news like that, especially if it is unexpected.

I brought them home from school one by one, so that we could have some time, one on one, to work through the news, and for hugs and kisses to be readily available as the news was sinking in, so that they didn’t have to share me while dealing with this awful news.

As a mother, you want to keep all the pain away from your children, you want to suffer through the pain for them if you can, but in this situation there wasn’t anything I could do, other than just offer them my time and my love and my arms. It felt as if I was inflicting pain on them by telling them this news, but what choice did I have?

The boys are handling the news as well as could be expected. They have all spoken to their Abba and are slowly starting to share memories of their Bubby.

As for me, well, there are a lot of different thoughts and emotions percolating through my head. My former mother-in-law was a special lady, one who loved me from the moment she met me. She adored her grandchildren to distraction, and always made sure I knew how much she appreciated the way I was raising them, even post-divorce.

I am sad for my kids, and I am even sadder for their father. Losing a parent is such a tough thing to go through.

May her memory be a blessing.

Coffee woes

I am currently trying to decide whether to give up coffee or not. My stomach cannot really tolerate it – even the low acid stuff. I am weighing up the pros and cons – is the stomach ache worth it? Does coffee really make me human in the morning, or can that be achieved by other means? Would tea achieve the same effect, but be easier on the tummy?

Yes, this is huge. I love coffee with a passion that borders on the obsessed. We know this. But my poor little tummy is not a happy camper these days. I have cut down my coffee consumption to one cup in the morning. Occasionally I will have a second cup ….. but not often.

Being me, I would quit cold turkey which would be hell for those around me. I know I should taper off….

Ugh. I cannot believe I am actually seriously considering this. It feels like sacrilege. I did it 18 months ago or so….but it didn’t last.

WWYD – toddler negligence

The other day I was running errands, and had to drive on residential streets to get to a couple of places. At one stop, I saw a 4 year old girl on the side of the road beckoning to someone on the other side of the street. I had to quickly slam on my brakes as there was a toddler, an 18 month old, wobbling her way across the street when there were cars driving on both sides. The toddler stopped in front of my car and smiled and waved, and promptly sat down. (As I read this over, I can hear you say that there is no way this really happened. It did. I wish I was making it up).

The sister beckoned to the little kid, who took his/her time getting up and moseying on over to the other side of the road, leaving it clear for me to drive. I was shaken. Where the heck was the mother? The father? You leave your toddler in the care of a six year old, who is unaware that the road is not a place for her younger sibling to be playing?? What is wrong with you?

Happens to be I know these people. Not well. Just enough to say hello to if I see them at the grocery store.

Do I say something? If I say something they are going to feel judged, as they should. They may just take it as if I am sticking my nose in where it isn’t wanted. My purpose in telling them would be so that they could keep a closer eye on all their children. G-d forbid one of them gets hurt due to their negligence. This isn’t the first incident that I have seen negligence on their part concerning their children. Or do I just pray that the children are kept safe by G-d? What would you do?

Wednesday’s Wacky Signs

and the WINNER is….

the Winner of  a free copy of Susie Fishbein’s Kosher by Design for teens and 20-somethings is “STAYING AFLOAT“.

Please email me your postal address in response to the email I sent you.

I love giving stuff away!

Mazel Tov!!

HSM’s Easy One Pot Stir Fry

Ok, we made this last night. (sorry, excuse me a sec. …. OK!!) let me restate. Squiggy actually cooked this last night, following my instructions. (Better? Cool).

The beauty of this dish is that I used leftovers from Shabbat, and it only took a few minutes to throw together. Stir fries are best cooked over a high heat.

2-3 chicken breasts / thighs cut into bite size pieces.
¾ cup chicken stock / soup
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
Small package froz veg
3 cups of cooked rice
Soy sauce
Oil

Pour a tablespoon of oil into the frying pan / wok.
Add chopped ginger.
Add chicken. Sauté for 2 minutes. (If you start off with raw chicken, you will need to sauté it a little longer.)
Add a healthy size skootch of soy sauce. (a skootch = about 2 tablespoons. Its an HSM measurement)
Add the package of froz veggies, sauté until heated through.
Add stock.
Slowly add rice, stirring all the time. (alternatively if you don’t have cooked rice in the fridge, cook rice separately and just serve stir fry over it)
Serve when everything is piping hot.

(Makes 5-6 servings)

I’ll be missing you

I cannot believe what a baby I am. My KoD has to go away for business for just a few days and I am a total mess. I had 15 months of living away from him, 15 months of heartache and missing him. I guess I feel I paid my dues already. I am kinda used to having him around all the time, you know?

Seeing his face in the morning fills me with such joy and light – and falling asleep at night looking at that handsome punim makes me feel so contented. I know I am a person in my own right, but it’s almost like I need his presence in order to breathe…

Ugh. What a sap I am!

At least the kids are around to keep me busy and out of trouble, and I have a lot of projects I want to take care of in the evenings after the kids are down for the night. I am still on a job quest, and the house needs cleaning and organizing. I have baking and cooking to do. I am sure the time will fly by!