New Mug From My Granddaughter

At our big family Chanukah Party last week, I brought presents for absolutely everyone. I've continued with the custom I began when I was working in Yafiz clothing store, buying pajamas for all of the children. I managed to find them all in one big shopping session in the Pisgat Zeev Mall a few weeks before Chanukah. Sales had already begun, and there were all sizes. I had to get adult sizes for the oldest ones, who are all taller than I am. And in one of the big children's chain stores, Kiwi, I found cute sweatsuits for the younger ones. So far, reports are that they all fit.

For the grownups, I went to my favorite store, FOX Home, and I wasn't disappointed. They had a wonderful selection of mugs at discounted prices. To make life easier for myself, I got all the kids identical mugs and something else useful for my husband.

I was surprised at the party by a personal gift for me. One of my younger granddaughters bought everyone presents with her own money. This mug has praises written all over:

"My Grandma is THE BEST"
"My Grandma is Young at Heart"
"Beloved Dear Grandma"
"Grandma #1"
"Perfect Grandma"

and more wonderful words💖💝💟

Yes, she's a very special granddaughter!

Finally Wore My Hand-Painted Shirt

Months ago I did a project with my older grandchildren, or more accurately, I planned one. I came with a bunch of shirts and sweatshirts for myself* and their whole family. Some were even specially bought the occasion. I decided that we would paint/decorate them.

Photo taken by my husband just before I went to bed when I remembered that there was no photo of me in the shirt.

Well, it was a good idea, but only the youngest, age seven 7, was interested or willing to participate. I just came home with one shirt, which wasn't suitable to the winter weather. Yesterday, before getting dressed, I finally took out my iron, which I hadn't touched for at least a decade, and ironed the shirt to "set the paint." Then I wore it. I hope that is got hot enough, or it will wash out when laundered.

I don't know if my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter have ever worn theirs. But I had always liked this shirt and am happy to have hidden the store logo so creatively. There's still some paint for more fabric projects.

*The idea came to me when I was trying to figure out what to do with all the shirts and sweatshirts I had with the "Yafiz" logo from my six years working there. I had returned the one shirt that I had signed for, but nobody wanted or would wear the others.

Retirement... Yes, We're Officially Retired -Eeks!-

There are two real difficulties for me in being half of a "retired couple."

1. I need to have something to do to get me out of the house every single day.
2. It's really hard sometimes to remember not only my varying schedule but also my husband's.

I have gone through times of unemployment, when I had little to do and even less money to do it. But maybe it was because we, including the kids, were younger, I don't remember an almost depression on days when nothing was scheduled. What did I do then to keep myself busy and happy?  During those days, my husband would be at work everyday.

Now, neither of us have "jobs" which get us out on a regular basis. 

We are now officially "small businesses." We can both legally "work" at small jobs and give receipts. I guess I ought to make a blog post specifically about that. I still have to get receipts and cards printed. I guess they will be my very first business expense. If anyone would like to volunteer to help me with the graphics, I'd appreciate it, thanks.

Every week has a different schedule for us, especially for my husband. We generally help out with the grandkids on different days and attend different events. I study now twice a week in different places.

It is reasonably complicated for each of us to keep track of our own schedules, but sometimes we need to do something together. That's a bigger challenge. We scheduled an evening out with my cousin and her husband, and in the end my husband had to make changes to fit the enjoyable evening in. Today, for instance, I'll be going down later than planned to the Tefillat Chana in order to make time to tutor. 

Now that the local pool has closed until next summer, I really make a point of getting out to walk once or twice a day. אחרי החגים... Acharei hachaggim... After the Holidays, I'll make a decision as to what pool and fitness program I'll join. In the meantime walking is my chief fitness mode. Whether solitary or with friends, it's a nice way to see what's new in the neighborhood.

Craft Kit Rip-off

 You may have read my post from a few days ago about the lovely work, design and assembling, my not yet seven year old granddaughter had done with the beading supplies I had picked up in a Jerusalem Hobby supply store.  Not only had she chosen the beads I had bought for her teenage sisters, but I had looked forward to making necklaces from them, too. There was nothing at all childish in her taste and designs.

When I went over yesterday to spend time with the kids, I thought of bringing the bag of beads and clasps along with me, but since they have an arts & crafts supply closet at home, so I didn't.

I found a "necklace" kit, which had never been opened/used.

It wasn't quite as creative as the variety of beads I had purchased, but it looked interesting. So we opened it and checked the possibilities. We carefully followed instructions, and she used up all the usable* supplies making necklaces. We pasted what needed to be pasted with the enclosed glue and left everything to dry.

No surprise of course the glue didn't stick, and everything just fell apart. It did keep her busy for awhile, but that is all the kit accomplished. I just have to get more supplies from the regular hobby places. And while I'm there, I'll look for projects to suit her cousin, the young manicurist, too.

*One necklace clasp didn't work, glitter glue had dried out, and there weren't enough backings for the tiles.

Beading and More at "Camp Saba-Savta"

As my friend Debbie wrote, here in Israel it's very common for grandparents to conduct what are known as Kaytanat Savta, Camp Grandma to help entertain the grandchildren over the summer. When we do it, my husband also helps, so I'll call our camp "Camp Saba-Savta," Camp Grandpa-Grandma."

Even before my husband was retired from work, he had been working part-time and has been going weekly to be with the grandkids in Ofra, which is more than I'd managed the past few years while I was working in Yafiz and then teaching in Yeshiva Tichonit Ahavat Chaim. When they come to us in Shiloh for our "Camp Saba-Savta" both of us do things with the kids.

Of course, one of the big reasons is that our pool has separate swimming hours, male and female. That means that I take our granddaughters, and my husband takes our grandson. And when the females are at the pool, the "men" have to figure out something fun to do. I always look for a nice craft to do with the girls when the "men" are enjoying the pool. I must say that the three girls all swim well and absolutely love the water.

Two years ago my next door neighbor gave me soap molds to use, so we grated bars of soap and made fancy gift soaps. They remember it well.

This year I decided to do a beading project with them. That's how I ended up buying the nice red, black and white beads to make myself a new necklace. I set all the equipment up on the dining room table with a lot of plastic plates so the beads wouldn't roll all over the place. And the plates were also used for planning the necklaces.

I must admit that I was impressed at the speed, design-making abilities and how quickly the going to the 2nd grader caught on to the instructions. She ended up making two necklaces! My oldest granddaughter, who's about to enter high school, also had fun with the beading, though I think that I didn't buy the right style beads for her. None of the beads inspired the second one to even try. I have so many beads leftover... I guess I'll be doing more beading. Stay tuned.

Celebrating Six 6!

The other day my daughter finally got to make her six year old a birthday party. When the actual birthday is during the super busy Jewish Holiday Season, celebrations get postponed. But since the princess got to "plan" the party, which included all that she wanted, she didn't care that it was actually over a month after the date.

Being just the grandmother, I had no real role other than glorified "gofer" and photographer, which meant that I could just enjoy myself and kvell. I especially enjoyed seeing my older granddaughters take over all sorts of important roles and responsibilities, very much like their mother did when she was their ages.

I even set the table! As you can see, the birthday girl likes pink.

The gorgeous cake was baked and decorated by the family, meaning that a few of us, including the birthday girl, took part.

Thank Gd a good time was had by all, Baruch Hashem, ken yirbu; may there be many more smachot, happy occasions for all the family.

A Day With The Grandkids

Yesterday I spent the day with most of my grandkids going to museums in Jerusalem. The older ones spent the entire day in the Israel Museum with their aunt, my eldest. And for a few hours I took a couple of younger ones to the Bloomfield Science Museum, which they had enjoyed last year. It's a short walk from there. It was a good choice. They loved it and specifically looked for the exhibits and sections they remembered from the earlier visit. This time they had more confidence and knew how to get to "play" with the exhibits and games. It was good that the teen and preteen stayed at the Israel Museum. I saw other kids their age looking as bored and miserable as they had been last year when I had them all in that children's museum.

Here are a few photos, specifically chosen as not to make the kids recognizable.

Easy and Fun Home "Chocolate Workshop"

As I had quickly blogged last night, now you'll see and hear about the chocolate workshop I made for my older grandchildren. Last week, when I asked my daughter what to bring for Shabbat, she replied that I should get some treats-sweets for the kids. That's not my specialty at all, as most people may know. For me personally, fruits, nuts and dried fruit would be the perfect treat, but I know that younger generation. They would not appreciate that food genre at all. So, I asked my daughter for a more specific suggestion, and she said "chocolate." Now, that wasn't helpful enough for me. They have chocolate in the house all the time, and there isn't much in cute children's parve (non-dairy) to get as a treat.

So as I was trying to figure out what to do, I noticed something new at the entrance to Rami Levy on display with the silicone cupcake and muffin pans, silicone pans/molds with tiny shapes for making chocolates. I picked up two of different types of shapes and then in the supermarket I got some 60% chocolate bars (parve of course,) and in my local grocery store I bought colored sprinkles and white chocolate chips. I figured that the kids could first put the sprinkles or white chocolate chips in the molds and then pour the melted chocolate over it, and the resulting chocolates would have fillings and toppings and whatever.

To keep the kitchen table from getting dirty full of chocolate, my daughter covered it with clear plastic, which could be easily gathered and dumped afterwards.

There are two basic ways to melt the chocolate, and you're best with a plain bittersweet which will give a little contrast to the "trimmings," whether sprinkles, fruit or nuts.

1. We made a  double-boiler of sorts by putting two metal jar lids in a pan of boiling water and then on top of them a heat resistant bowl which had the chocolate to melt. I added a bit of oil to make it easier to pour and guarantee that it would easily fill the molds. As you stir, you'll get the feel for it. 
2. Melt in a microwave on a very low short setting, stopping periodically to stir and add the oil. My daughter felt that we'd have more control by using the stove, which we did.

The kids aged 13 down to 5 1/2 all had great fun. They took turns waiting until a batch was ready and the mold emptied. They even asked to melt some white chocolate chips to make a black/white chocolate. To speed up the hardening, we placed the molds in the freezer. When each batch hardened, we took out the fancy chocolates by turning over the molds and pushing the pretty candies onto a plate covered with "baking paper." Then each child put his/hers into a container and in the fridge.

For a more taste-sophisticated Home "Chocolate Workshop" you can add mint extract or liquor to the chocolate or even a bit of strong concentrated orange juice or coffee. And of course, instead of the sprinkles and white chips, you can use fruit, nuts and/or seeds.

Here are some photos from our workshop: 

If you try it, please tell me how it turns out, thanks.

Coming Attractions: The Chocolate Workshop

Gd willing the plan for tomorrow's post here is to tell you how I put together a "homemade" Chocolate Workshop for the grandkids, so stay tuned....

Busy With Arts & Crafts

It's nice to see that my young granddaughter, Kindergarten age, still does old fashioned Arts & Crafts wielding a stapler and scissors with great skill and creativity. 

homemade "pop-up book"

adding staples to the stapler

There was a time I had to tempt her away from the computer screen, but now she has been going straight to her Arts & Crafts supplies, thank Gd.

Creating is much more fun than staring a screen and moving a "mouse."

Bragging, The Piano Recital and More

final practice
before recital

Now, for the second year, I had the privilege and pleasure to attend the piano recital of my granddaughter. Now that she has two years of piano study under her belt, I see such a great improvement over last year. Unlike her older sister, she didn't try a number of instruments before the piano. There's something about the piano and her innate drive for perfectionism that suits her nature very well.

Her older sister has settled on the guitar after trying the chalilit, recorder and the electric organ. And her younger brother loves his electric drums. Electric drums? I had no idea there was such a device/instrument until one was bought for him. Yesterday he performed for me, having more fun changing the sounds and effects even more than doing the Ringo Starr thing. It's a new world out there. And my younger grandchildren aren't yet up to learning a musical instrument.

Solo

Duet

P.S. "Icing on the Cake," she's wearing the sweater I bought her in NY!!

Savta/Grannie Time, Seeing A Play!

Even though most of my grandchildren live pretty close by in Ofra, I don't see them all that often. Remember that I'm still working part-time. When they were little and I was teaching, I managed to spend a lot more time with them. That's how they know, at least understand, English so well. It's not that they are fluent or answer me in English, but when I visit and speak English to them, they generally understand exactly what I'm saying. At times, the older ones translate amazingly accurately, for the younger ones.

The other day I went to spend the afternoon with them, especially the youngest, who, on that day of the week, finished Kindergarten before the big ones finished school. So I got her a treat and made her lunch. Then we went off to see a play that was being put on. The kids loved it.

I could see that she was totally mesmerized by the actor and his one-man show.

English Lessons over Lunch

Yesterday I did some sitting for my grandkids and made them lunch. In order to distract them from the mindless stuff they do on the computers, which they fight over at times, and improve their English, I brought some DVDs, cartoons in English. They enjoyed the classic Bugs Bunny so much, I had to move the table in front of the screen so they could watch and eat simultaneously.

OK, I agree that Bugs Bunny is rather stupid and has very little actual dialog, but they didn't complain about the incomprehensible language, and maybe something will sink in.

The Grandkids Visited

OK, I must apologize for not posting a picture that shows how gorgeous my grandchildren are. I'm not supposed to, so here's a picture that shows some of them sort of. Even this shot shows them to be adorable, right?

One thing for sure is that they love the playgrounds near my house!!

A Day With The Grandkids at the Bloomfield Science Museum

I spent the day with the grandkids, the big ones at Jerusalem's  Bloomfield Science Museum. I hadn't been there for over twenty years. I was there only once when it was new and I brought my sons. It looked nothing like my memories of it. It was full of kids who seemed to be having a great time.

Entrance per child five years and older is ns60, so it adds up very quickly, but the workshops are included in the price. My oldest grandchildren twelve and ten, both girls, didn't have a good time at all. They mostly sat around waiting to leave. The almost eight year old boy seemed to like it a bit more, but he also sat around too much. After my son rescued them and took them off to other places of enjoyment, I spent the rest of the day there with the almost five year old girl who had a blast. Davka, she was the one who got in for free!

Here are some photos: