The Chatzos Challenge in the Holy Land: Part 1—I need your help!

This just doesn't feel right. It is Wednesday (actually… Thursday in about 30 seconds) and I haven't done a Shabbos menu. I haven't even looked at the circulars! What is going on?! Oh yea. We are invited out for both meals. I am still in a little bit in shock—we rarely eat out for both meals on Shabbos. This little miracle couldn't have come at a better time—this is our last Shabbos at home before our big trip to Israel!

DH will be doing an away-elective at a clinic in Beit Shemesh and then we will spend Pesach with family. All in all, not a bad way to spend April! But before I can soak up the ruchnius in the Holy Land, I need to make it there. With two kids. And I need to make sure that my apartment is in some sort of shape to be left alone for a month. Needless to say, even my to-do lists have to-do lists at this point. Nothing is organized and I am feeling super overwhelmed at the prospect of the trip (not the "being in Israel" part, rather just the "getting to Israel" part).

I am enlisting you! Help me out! I am looking on information on:

• Fun things to do with kids in and around Chashmoniam. Thanks to Houston Ima for a start on things to do in Jerusalem.
• The best provider from which to rent a phone.
• Where I can get a pack-n-play in or near Rechavia
• How to keep a three year-old happy on such a long flight
• Things I have to buy while I am there (um… like tiny tzitzis and kippahs)

Rather than cook tomorrow, I will be consolidating my lists into one really BIG list of things to do. I figure if I keep writing down all of the things I need to do, they will magically get done. That is the way it works, right??

Can't wait to start posting from Israel!

Post Purim Detox

Wow! Purim was fun! The Superfamily enjoyed seeing everyone and truly relished the day. Superman and Superbubbe flew all over the place with one another. Superbaby sucked on her fingers (a superpower SO top secret that even I, Supermommy, have no clue what it does). Clark Kent, aka Superdaddy, even had the afternoon off to spend with us! We were so excited to have the family time. But the best part about the whole thing: the Chatzos Challenge is starting to influence holidays outside of Shabbos! This year, costumes were ready (complete with custom bows for me and mini-me) and m'shaloch manos were mostly put together BEFORE Purim! That is a first in these parts! Even though being ready early help us all enjoy the day more, it did not help with the post-Purim detox.

Every year, I feel like I spend about a week getting back to baseline after Purim. All of the sugar, running around, sugar, dressing up, sugar, partying, and sugar throws me for a loop. When Purim is on a Sunday, like it was this year, I feel like the detox period extends past a week. Add in a nasty cold and the fact that we are leaving for Israel in about a week and a half, and, well, you can imagine how disoriented (um… hung over?) I am. This week, I am going to have to pare down my Shabbos prep to the bare essentials or else I will never make chatzos AND be ready to leave on our trip (laundry, hold the mail, clean out the fridge, clean the house, unplug appliances, pre-pay bills, pack… I could keep going). I am getting panicky just thinking about it. Maybe that is just the sugar wearing off.

Okay, let's regroup. Queen Lieberfolk, the very cute downstairs neighbor, has invited us to her for Shabbos lunch. Phew. That is one down. And I still have a few things in the freezer that I can put together for dinner. I will throw in some salads and we will be set. Repeat after me, folks, "It is going to be okay. We are going to make chatzos this week."

Whether we will make it to the plane with everything done? That is another story…

Superfamily!

Purim semach from Superfamily! Can't wait to share how we got ready for Purim early (sort of).

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Don’t forget to bring some light into the world

Don't forget to light tonight in the memory of the Fogel family. Already lighting? Maybe light a few minutes early, in their memory.
For candle lighting times in your area, click here. For more information about the spiritual side of candle lighting or how-to, visit Aish.com.

And we made it!

Maybe I should call this one, "How I got my groove back."

Table is set (complete with a special shout out to the birthday boy). Food is done. There are a few non-essentials left (and I have to pick up Superman's birthday cake!), but we are ready to light candles. Sigh. It feels good to be back in the swing of things.

The real question is this: since Bubbe is here and will play with anyone that doesn't want to take a nap, what should I do this afternoon? I think that a Mommy nap is in order.

Learned my Lesson

After spending most of last Thursday night in front of my computer, instead of in the kitchen, I resolved to get my cooking done BEFORE I did anything else this week. A tall order considering there are still parts of Purim costumes to make, mshaloch manos to put together and cards to create, birthday surprises to arrange, and a dining room table piled with at least a foot of junk to clean off. But I did it! I am done in the kitchen (mostly)! I need to bake my tri-colored gefilte fish once my corn kugel comes out, but everything else is done! My wonderful mother-in-law, Bubbe, even helped me do most of the dishes already!
This feels so much better than last week (at this point in the evening, I was thinking, "Well, it isn't THAT late yet. I will just go take a shower.").

What did I do differently? Instead of getting on my computer after the kids were in bed, I went straight to the kitchen and finished up the things I had been working on during naptime. I used that momentum to get everything else prepped and ready to go. I even found time to make another kugel—onion, this time, to utilize the AMAZING Texas sweet onions that seem to be on sale everywhere.

I learned my lesson. From now on, I will make like a Nike and JUST DO IT!

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s SUPER SHABBOS MENU!

I bet you didn't know this, but DS is SUPERMAN. I may have broken some top secret superhero code by publishing that information, so please! Don't tell anyone!
Being that Shabbos is Superson's third birthday on the Jewish calendar and Purim is his third birthday on the English calendar, we thought that is would be nice if SUPERMAN was able to reveal his true identity on Purim. No need to be Clark Kent! Everyone will be dressed up and no one will know that he REALLY IS Superman. The rest of us will be Super, as well. Superbaby, Supermommy [not implying I am anywhere near it], and Super… oh wait… Daddy is going to be Clark Kent… all plan to make an appearance! Teddy, Superson's sidekick/bear/baby/best friend, is getting in on the action, too. He will be dressed as Jimmy Olsen.
I really don't know what is so SUPER about my Shabbos menu. It is mostly a repeat of last week—it is pretty easy to prepare and I am looking for redemption from my failure last week. There will be SUPERMAN cake—and that is SUPER!
Without further ado—*cue theme music* What is that over on my blog? Faster than a kugel is eaten on Friday afternoon! Able to finish cooking with hours to spare! It's a challah! It's a gefilte fish! IT'S SUPERSHABBOS MENU! Do-do-do-da-dooooooo-do-da-do. Do-do-da-do-do, do-da-DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
PS We are eating out for lunch. For dinner, we will be joined by Bubbe—all the way in from Denver! and some friends.

• Challah—DONE
• Hummus—EARLY TOMORROW— will make enough for SUPER M'SHALOCH MANOS (get it… a super food…)
• Tri Colored Gefilte Fish—Kosher Delicious
  ----
• Hot Dogs—Bet you didn't know that Hot Dogs are Superman's favorite food!
• Onion Chicken—Quick & Kosher
• Sweet Corn Pudding—I cut this recipe out from a coupon booklet in Dec… looks YUM. If it tastes good, I will post it.
• Green beans w/ garlic
• Caesar Salad—Quick & Kosher-- the jury is out if I am brave enough to try romaine again (after last week's infestation).
  ----
• Supercake

So, clearly, I am already behind where I was this time last week. That means nothing, though. This week, I will do it!
Some of you are thinking, "Yeah, but what about your Purim seudah?" Well, we go to a massive party at the shul for the seudah every year. So what do I still have to do for the chag? Two capes, cards for my m'shaloch manos (tonight), and put them together (will have to do last minute because food is perishable). We are ALMOST ready!