Random-osity

100th day!

2012-02-10T07:26:00.001-05:00

100 days! Wow, wow, wow! This was the day we were counting up to since the first day of school. Okay, so we're really counting up to the 180th day of school, but 100, wow!

We had a fun day celebrating this milestone! We had a massive exchanging of the cubes "ceremony" during morning meeting, we all shared the collection of 100 items we had brought in (I brought in 100 individual quinoa grains), and we counted by 10s to 100 during our morning games and movements!

Then, all the first graders spent two hours at various stations celebrating. We made 100 glasses, filled in 100 boards, wrote 100 a 100 times, saw how many jumping jacks we could do in 100 seconds, tried to write 100 words, built a structure with 100 blocks, and made necklaces with 100 beads!

The kids had a blast and a few of them wanted to know what we would do to celebrate the 200th day of school. I told them I would be sleeping late and enjoying my vacation, but that they could plan the day and have fun!

And for prosperity's sake, here is my daily journal entry, 100th day style!

I learned...that you can spend two fun hours celebrating the 100th day of school and the kids have no idea they're actually learning!

Something great that happened was...seeing the kids have so much fun celebrating the 100th day and get so into counting out 100 things! I hope they are always this energized on the 100th day!

Something challenging that happened was...still having to remind some of the kids how to behave, maybe it was all the excitement, but some of them have forgotten how first graders behave.

A question I have is...when are kids "crushing" on each other and when is it becoming teasing?

I wonder...how the next 80 days will go and how much more the kids will grow by then.

The Ice Cube Meltation

2012-02-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

One of the exciting parts of my science class is getting to do some experiments at home to help us think about how we learn about scientific topics and in turn how kids might learn science.

This past weekend I got to ~~watch paint dry~~ watch ice cubes melt. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but that was the purpose of the experiment, to see if, when we wrapped the cube in different materials if they would take longer to melt. And longer they did!

I had to wrap one cube in plastic wrap, one in foil, one in paper, and one in a wash clothe. I had one control cube that wasn't wrapped in anything.

I got everything all set up, decided to check on them every 15 minutes (bad idea) and was ready to watch.

Checking every 15 minutes drove me nuts, by the time I wrote down my observations for each cube, took some pictures, and checked everything out I had roughly 8 more minutes until the next check. This went on for close to 4.5 hours...

Boy, did they take forever to melt! The control cube even took longer than I thought it would. Almost two hours, two hours!My biggest shocker was seeing the foil wrapped cube melt faster than I thought. I think my foil wa more like an incubator rather than an insulator.

The plastic wrap cube became a hot mess (bad pun). The water from the melting cube made the wrap go all wonky - it was a puddle of plastic and water, but it took longer to melt than the foil wrapped cube, so shocking to me!

The newspaper really slowed down the melting. The paper was a soggy mess almost 4 hours later, yes four hours!
And the towel, oh the towel, it kept the cube so well insulated that it took 4 and a half hours to melt! In that time the sun had set, I had read over 200 pages for classes this week, and the Superbowl was kicking off!

What did I learn, besides the deep scientific concepts about insulating melting ice cubes? I learned that just like a watched pot doesn't boil, a watched ice cube doesn't melt!

Just Because

2012-02-07T07:23:00.000-05:00

Just.

Because.

am.

always.

behind.

the camera.

5 weeks around the sun

2012-02-06T07:18:00.000-05:00

This week flew by! Suddenly it was Friday, not complaining though! A fast but exciting week. Getting to sign the beam at work, getting my project life kit, and moving forward with work for classes and teaching. It was also fun to celebrate the Super Bowl at work, although my Eagles jersey got some odd looks here in Patriots land!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Poses and Pots

2012-02-05T06:58:00.000-05:00

Footwear:

Winter footwear in Boston is usually boots, but this winter has been so wonky that my sneakers are my usual go to footwear.

Green:

As a kid I used to exclame, "green means go!" every time a light changed to green. Actually, I still think it most time it happens now!

Hobby:

This and cooking, I just couldn't manage both in one picture without someone losing a finger or a lens...

Pose:

I used to dance and decided to have some fun with a shadow and strike up a pose. Nice to know I can still extend my leg back that far!

Shiny:

Or not, clearly, I need to shine my copper pot more frequently.

15 facts for 15 months

2012-02-01T19:06:00.003-05:00

15 months (two days early)! Happy 15 months Goober! I cannot believe it's been a month since I saw the little man, it seems like ages and ages. So here are 15 things about the big 15 month old!

He can eat Avi and Ben out of house and home and has such a good appetite, most days! He loves cheese, crackers, grapes, and waffles!

He is obsessed with his shoes, even wearing them over his footie PJs in the mornings.

He helps choose his clothes in the morning! He says "ah" for the shirt he likes and shakes his head no for the shirt he doesn't want to wear!

He loves watching Savti on the computer reading his the "Doggies" book.

He is obsessed with "Doggies" and doggies!

He is a little monkey and climbs all over everything and everyone!

He is Mr. Happy and loves playing with his toys inside and at the park!

His favorite lovies are Mr. Monkey and Doggie blanket - they go everywhere with him.

He knows the sound facetime and skype make and gets all excited when he hears them connecting.

Noam loves kippot and is often found playing in their kippah bin and putting them on his head.

He's learned how to open his milk and water cups, Rundi is liking this part of toddlerhood.

Noam has the best belly laugh and smile, they light up my world!

Noam is so curious about his world and you can see the wheels turning in his little brain.

He knows how to ham it up for the camera, it's pretty adorable!

Noam is a total Portland-er, he goes on hikes and walks up the hills!

Noam, continue being you! I love watching you grow and look forward to hearing the latest story and seeing the newest picture. I am honored to be your Auntie Mar, love you something crazy!!

The Beam

2012-01-30T16:55:00.001-05:00

My school is in the midst of a huge renovation and addition. Just last week it began to get exciting as they started putting in the steal frame of the new wing. We've been watching the crews work each day as we enjoy our recess and the kids have been intrigued by all the work.

Yesterday was a super special and exciting day! They were going to be placing the last steal beam into place! But, before that happened the whole school had the chance to sign the final beam.

They painted it white and had sharpies for all of us to leave our mark on the new wing! The kids were so excited to be able to participate in this special event! I was so excited too, I feel like I am a part of the school and loved participating in this event!

Then right before the end of the day we had the chance to watch the crane lift that special beam into place! The kids were captivated and eagerly waited for the crane to hoist it up. They loved seeing the American flag that came along for the ride!

The sun sets right behind the construction site so it was hard to see, but the sun also lit up the beam which was super cool as well!

We all cheered as the beam was lowered into place and attached to the neighboring beams. It was crazy to watch the construction workers walking around the beams without any harnesses! Talk about balance!

And just like that the beam was in place! I bet within a matter of days we won't even be able to see the steal as they begin to close in the new wing. But it's so special to know that I left my John Hancock on the new addition! A day I will not be forgetting soon, for sure!

4th week around the sun

2012-01-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

What a great week! I celebrated my birthday - turning the big 2-4. We also reached the half way point in the school year, crazy! Insane to think that January is pretty much over, wowza!

I'm submitting #24 for my best of the month!

Thanks for joining me on week four around the sun, can't believe it's been 4 weeks!! I hope you'll come back again soon and feel free to check out the last 3 week's journey by clicking my 366 button on the right hand side!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Candles and Rust

2012-01-29T07:27:00.000-05:00

Artificial:

I am very anti-artificial anything. So I use stevia in my drinks and yogurt. It's healthy artificial sweetener!

Pattern:

The modern rug at my orthodontists' office.

Rust:

Some rusting steel and concrete in a carport near my apartment. Loving the shadow of the brick in the puddle, too!

Smile:

One of my last smiles of 23. Also smiling because I can't even see my braces in this picture!

Stand alone:

My lone candle in my the cupcake I ate on my actual birthday this week!

Birthday Recap!

2012-01-26T07:26:00.001-05:00

Another birthday done and it was a good one! I loved reading all the facebook posts, blog comments, and emails I received all day! I had a huge smile on my face all day!

Saturday night I had a small party with some friends. It's a tradition of mine to make a pot of veggie chili for my party - since January is a chilly month (cute, right?). I also made my mom's famous poppy-seed cake - it's birthday cake taken to a whole new level!

I made all the fixings to go along with my rocking chili, my homemade guac, some fruit salad, cheese, chips and dip, and trail mix. And the best ingredient of all was my friends coming to celebrate with me!

My friend Emily insisted on taking pictures of me - saying I am never in pictures (it's true). Of course, I get so nervous in front of the camera so she just took a few hundred and I pulled the best/least embarrassing ones!

Then, Monday night. I took my last pictures as a 23 year old! I had my annual b-day photo shoot and had some fun showing 24!

I woke up early to open my cards and gifts! My mom and Avi sent me such great cards and little gifts - I felt so loved and I smiled from ear to ear as I opened each one! I always love on my birthday at the gym when I get to punch in my new age! Taking pictures while moving quickly on the elliptical - not so easy!

Some highlights of the day? As I was catching up on twitter at the gym I tweeted Hoda Kotb mentioning it was my birthday and (!) she tweeted me a happy birthday greeting! Um, happy birthday to me!

And it was so precious to have my class sing to me at snack time, they loved counting all the way to 24 and a few of them remarked "Geeze, Ms. Benjamin, you're old! -- ah to be 6!! I got hugs all day and some adorable b-day cards, just so sweet!

I also figured out that besides turning 24 on the 24th it was also the 88th day of school and I was born in 1988! Now it's got to be a great year, right?!

Then at the end of the day, after class, and a nice Indian dinner at the local curry house, I came home, made my birthday wish, and ate a cupcake, and vegged out. All in all a great birthday - here's to a great 24th year!

Winter

2012-01-25T09:19:00.000-05:00

Oh my, goodness!

I do believe...

that...

winter...

has finally...

made it's way...

to Boston...

and I couldn't...

be more excited...

about it!

**Granted yesterday was 50 degrees and all the snow is now gone... but at least this year it wasn't -24 on my birthday this year...**

24 on the 24th

2012-01-24T07:23:00.000-05:00

Another year gone by, another trip around the sun.

Wow.

What a year and what a ride. Hard to believe that I was this cake smashing toddler just 23 years ago!

This year has had its ups and downs, but the ups have been so grand and I've really loved this year.

I really feel like I have come into my own this year, I've hit my stride, I'm really paving my way.

I feel like I've smiled more, lived more, grown more, and breathed more than I have in years.

I've confronted some demons, shed many tears, and had many good laughs.

I've found such joy in teaching and wonderful support in my circle of friends.

I've learned what family truly means and have learned how many people really care about me.

So, 23, thank you.

Thank you for a great trip around the sun.

Thank you for showing me that I am smart, that I am kind, and that I am important.

And 23, thank you for showing me that I have so many people in my life who do realize this!

Good-bye 23 and welcome, 24, I can't wait to see what the next 365 years hold for the two of us!

3rd week around the sun

2012-01-23T10:11:00.000-05:00

What another great week. Winter finally arrived and between school and classes I'm back in my routine. This was also the last full week of being 23! I rounded a great week with a small early birthday party ahead of my birthday on Tuesday! Looking forward to week 4 and kicking off my next annual trip around the sun!

Thanks for joining me on week three around the sun! I hope you'll come back again soon and feel free to check out the last 2 week's journey by clicking my 366 button on the right hand side! And come back tomorrow for my special b-day post!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Sunsets and Snow

2012-01-22T07:10:00.000-05:00

Sunset:

We went to the Museum of Science last Sunday. The sun was setting over the Charles and I caught a last bit of light in the steam from a near by building.

Black and White:

The museum had an exhibit on x-ray technology, nothing more black and white than an x-ray!

Colorful:

This is an awesome rock formation that is just so stunning and colorful, sooc, too!

Day in the life:

It's winter and it's back into the throws of teaching, pretty much sums up my life!

Four:

We use unifix cubes a ton in our math centers - one of our four frames with four cubes!

A boy and his dog: an evolution

2012-01-19T07:27:00.000-05:00

Noam and Rundi have developed such an amazing bond. Noam's first word was "dundi" his own hybrid of doggy and Rundi! Avi and I thought it would be super sweet to find a picture from each month of his life so far!

Love how similar these two are!

So stinking cute! I also love how Rundi's hairstyles have evolved and changed just as much as Noam has!

Noam's newest love? Walking the dog! Although Rundi may be walking him...how funny is this video of Noam trying to walk the dog?

Weekend with Mom

2012-01-17T07:33:00.000-05:00

Mom came to visit for the long weekend and we had a great time together, staying warm and keeping busy. Saturday night we went to see Hugo - it was amazing! I so recommend it! And the 3D was spectacular and I am not a 3D movie person!

On Sunday, it was so cold we axed our plans to head north to Salem and decided to stay local. We were lazy bums and then got moving and headed to the Museum of Science. I clearly have a thing for science museums - two in one month! Mom even gave me an early b-day gift and got me a membership!

The museum is awesome! I haven't been since I was a really little kid and I was like a kid in a candy shop, or science museum! The museum sits over the Charles River so even the views were stunning!

There was an eye opening exhibit about the diets of 25 people around the world. It was amazing to learn that even a diet high in calories (except the 12,300 one) but rich in natural and whole foods can be healthier than a lower calorie diet with processed food!

Of course, we had to go visit the dinos! The T-Rex was cold too, apparently.

Of course, the views were captivating every time we walked by!

31 years ago my dad took the picture on the right of my mom, when she was pregnant with Avi at the museum. I love this picture so much and we decided to "recreate" the picture, minus the 80s hair, 80s glasses, and bun in the oven. Pretty cool!

Equally cool! Is standing in two cities at once! Even cooler when the two cities usually have a river between them!

The main exhibit right now is all about Pompeii, with actual artifacts from the city!

To think that these pieces of art and furniture survived such a horrific natural disaster is remarkable!

They had casts of the people of Pompeii who didn't make it out. It was so deep to look at the preserved facial expressions and imagine what it would have been like in the moments that the volcano was erupting.

Another awesome part of the weekend was the awesome ipad case mom made for me!

And she brought up a book shelf and an antique mirror that she wasn't using anymore! Yay for hand-me-downs!

It was a really great weekend and now it's back to the real world, but only one month until February break!

If you missed it, week 2 of my project 366 is below this one or you can click the 366 button on the right side of the blog!

Week 2 around the sun

2012-01-16T07:25:00.000-05:00

Another week, another journey. It already feels like we're farther into the year than we are! What a week, too! Back to class for me and it's going to be a great and intense semester. The week ended on a great note as mom came up to visit for the long weekend!

Thanks for joining me on week two around the sun! Hope you'll come back again soon and feel free to check out last week's journey by clicking my 366 button on the right hand side!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Soups and Skulls

2012-01-15T07:47:00.000-05:00

Stacked up:

Our kids, love the block area, and they create some amazing structures! This one from earlier in the week reminded me of National Airport in DC!

Sweet:

I am trying to be really good and not eat too much sugar right now, so this is as sweet as it gets!

Winter wonderland:

I was pretty shocked to wake up to a layer of snow on the ground on Tuesday making for a bit of a frozen walk to the gym and then to school.

Hole:

I took this to be my photo of the day on Thursday and then I realized there are several holes here. It's a skull from the science lab where I have class one day this term.

Frozen:

Winter arrived with a huge freezing cold snap. So of course, soup was in order to defrost!

Hooked, in an instant.

2012-01-13T07:31:00.000-05:00

Okay, I admit it, I was really skeptical about instagram. I was a purest, a SOOC purest.

But now, I think it's a pretty fun way to jazz up another wise boring or ordinary picture. I have no idea how this works but I think you can follow me through my handle, @tamarsb88 - happy instagraming!

ps. I have an uplifting post below this one about how my students felt about learning about segregation!

That's nonsense!

2012-01-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

This week we have been learning all about the Civil Rights movement and who Rosa Parks was and how she took a stance and made a difference.

It was so amazing to watch my class react to what we were teaching them. It can be hard to grasp, at age 6, that a long time ago (to them) people were treated so differently because they had different color skin. But, 1L blew me away! I quickly jotted down some of their quotes and I cannot stop thinking about how great my class is!

"That's nonsense!"

"But, but, that's just not fair at all, to anybody!"

"It's different than our line spots, it's just mean and because you are different"

"But, we're all the same inside, so why does it matter."

They each made a bus and again had amazing responses to what they would do if they had been in Rosa Parks position. I learned a lot from these lessons.

I learned that even 57 years later, children can really learn and understand the significance of the events that transpired in Alabama.

I learned that 6 year olds can truly "get" that segregation was wrong and that it's important to stand up for what you believe.

And I learned that these children, our future, have some really great ideas and great heads on their shoulders!

Honored and Creative

2012-01-10T10:25:00.000-05:00

I was so honored and surprised when Andrea nominated me as a Kreativ blogger. Thank you, Andrea, for your kind nomination! If nominated you are supposed to share 10 facts about yourself that others may not know. Then you get to nominate other bloggers who you find to be creative and inspirational!

So, 10 facts about me. These are so hard for me! I am actually, really bad at talking about myself like this. I spent all weekend trying to get ten!

I was a lefty until the first day of kindergarten, when I walked in and picked up a pencil with my right hand. I stil do a bunch of things as a lefty, though, just not write.

I have what is known as "episodic memory" - I have really vivid memories of much of my life, from the day I had my tonsils removed at 3.5 to what my first grade teacher wore on the first day of school. Who needs a camcorder, with this kind of memory?

I actually have a slight (slight) southern twank to my voice, because believe it or not my part of South Jersey is kinda Southern, and my mom grew up with a drawl and passed it on to me!

I am still pretty afraid of the dark. No need for a night light, but if the lights suddenly go out in a room I get pretty freaked out.

I'm also really really (really) afraid of snakes. The school science lab has one and I take it as a huge victory that I can walk by its cage each day pretending it isn't actually there.

I am a total klutz, huge klutz. Despite being a dancer for over 15 years, I am still famous for walking into things, most recently, a light pole this past week while walking to the gym. Trust me, don't ask.

I love, love, love Indian food and could happily pack my bags, move to India, and never eat "American" cuisine ever again. Although I think I would miss snow and winter.

I have strange obsessive behaviors like trying as hard as I can to get my socks to match my shirt each day or trying to make sure the yogurt cups in my fridge are organized in rows by type.

I must make my bed each morning or I spend all day thinking about how I left it all messed up.

I can read lips and am really fun to watch sporting events with because I can tell you all the dirty words the coach and players say. I can also tell you that the Queen remarked while awaiting her carriage after the royal wedding, "why that was quite lovely."

So, that's some strange and random facts about me! Thank you again Andrea for your sweet nomination!

Without further ado, 6 bloggers who really inspire me and have become great blog friends this past year are:

PS - my first week of Project 366 is the post below this one, hope you'll check it out! And I've created a button on the right to link all my 366 posts in one place! And, if you wish, I created my own blog button, also on the right side!

1 week around the sun

2012-01-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

One week done! Wow, what a week too. Back to Boston and back to teaching. My mentor teacher was out for all but one day this week with a horrid flu, which meant I was in charge! What a way to come back, but having to steer the ship that is 1L! It all went well and now I am ready for week 2 of 2012!

If your a first time visitor, welcome! This is my second time doing a Project 365/366! Hope you'll take a look around, feel free to "follow" along my good, random, fun and come back again soon!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Half empty or half full?

2012-01-08T07:46:00.000-05:00

Dozen:

Cliche, yes. But, I was jet lagged and taught my class alone all week, so please forgive me.

Soft:

I always buy avocados when they're hard and let them soften up until I decide I want them. This time when I cut it open it was the perfect amount of softness I like in my avocados!

One color:

The back stairs in my apartment building are these great rustic feeling brick walls, all in white.

Laundry:

Noam decided he wanted to help fold laundry my last morning there. It was so precious!

Empty:

Half-empty or half-full? I try hard to be a half-full type of person!

PS - come back tomorrow to see my first week in this year's Project 366! I'm super excited and have further challenged myself to not use a SHS picture for P366!

Portland

2012-01-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

Would you believe that there are other things to see and do in Oregon besides play with Noam? I know, right! On New Year's Eve, Avi and I took advantage of the un-rainy weather and went on a 5 mile hike in Forest Park.

The park is the largest park within a city's limits in the US and is stunning. We both love "Grimm" on NBC and we're pretty sure they've taped episodes here, I kept joking a bluebod may jump out of us. Anyway....

We brought Rundi along for some much needed frolicking. She had so much fun, she loves drinking water and loved all the puddles everywhere, yum.

The hike starts out along a stream. With all the rain earlier in the week it was flowing pretty quickly. There was a mist that had settled on the mountain and it was so fun to walk through the mist covered woods.

Another amazing thing about Oregon, it's so green, all year round. These are all straight out of the camera, I used the cloudy WB and voila!

The higher we got (we climbed over 900ft in 1.5 miles) the thicker the mist got. It felt like something out of a movie or fairytale.

Then we reached the top! Pittock Mansion sits at the top of the trailhead. I've been inside on another trip, but it was fun to walk around the grounds this time. Couldn't see much because of the fog, but stunning none the less.

Again, where else in the US will you find so much green in December? It's just very soggy too! We were very muddy by the end of the hike, that's for sure!

We came down a slightly different path and walked across the Thurman street bridge and came down the huge stairs.

We had a great time, and boy were we a bit sore by the end of it! We came home, inhaled some warm soup and got ready to ring in the new year!

ps: double posted and there's a special post below this one!

14 months!

2012-01-04T09:22:00.000-05:00

Happy 14 month day Noam! I cannot believe he's 14 months old! He is so grown up and at times I think he's more toddler and closer to 2 than he is!

I loved spending my vacation with him! We had so much fun. He is just a hoot, too darn smart, and just the sweetest little man ever.

He is such a thinker. Every toy he played with I could tell he was thinking everything through. Of course, we have our let's just throw things around, but he is so great at playing.

He is such a sweetie too. He loves having his doggie blanket close by and it really goes everywhere with him. It's so sweet to watch him drop what he is doing and go in search of his doggie for a little comfort.

He is so expressive too! He just cracks me up. He is babbling and chatting and starting to actually say words, like: cacka (cracker), mo (more), dada, and dundi (dog/Rundi). He also is really good at shaking his head no, and mimicking everything we say!

He is so funny. I was baking and making dinner one day and he happily played with a bin of towels. Who needs toys!

He has such a good appetite still! We got him a little table and chairs and he loves to sit there to eat snacks. He is so cute climbing into the chairs and loves to be a dare devil and sit on his knees rather then his tushie!

It just amazes me how he is suddenly a little person. And apparently this month he's launched his own mini-modeling career, I mean look at that pose! In all seriousness, he is so much harder to take pics of now that he moves, fast!

His eyes, get me every time. He just takes in the world around him.

We went swimming one day. He screamed for the first 5 minutes, but warmed up and we had a great time!

He also LOVES his shoes! So much that there were 2 mornings were he requested his shoes be put on over his footie PJs. I could die from the cuteness!

Noam, you are a joy to be around. You continue to light up the world around you and I love being your Auntie Mar! Keep being you my love and never lose your love of life and curiosity! Love you something crazy!

You Zoo too?

2012-01-03T09:40:00.000-05:00

We took advantage of the nice (albeit chilly) weather on New Year's Eve and headed to the Zoo to see some animals and the zoo lights! I just love zoo lights and haven't seen any since I was in high school (goodness me, that is now years ago!) So we bundled up and headed to the zoo!

We arrived before the zoo itself closed so we could see some of the animals. Noam was at the age where he could really watch the animals and seeing him stare through the glass was so fun.

We watched the leopards pace back and forth. He's obsessed with dogs, or dundies, so not sure what he thought of this huge cat!

Then off to polar bears! One was snoozing away, and the other was putting on a show. Walking forward and backwards, over and over. Apparently polar bears in captivity have repetitive behaviors like that, there was a sign saying they are studying it. My prediction: they are bored!

Of course we had to be silly in the midst of seeing the animals. Ben, works in the DA's office so he sees his fair share of mug shots!

Noam was all bundled up and looked so precious!! He is not a fan of his hat or gloves, but oh my word he was so precious!

Then we went inside to warm up and see the elephants. Noam was loving watch the baby elephant playing with his toys. It looked like he was "teething" too!

Of course we had to take Noam's picture on every animal statue!

Then we went over to the lions who put on a very impressive show! The lioness was licking the glass, and pawing at the small children, it was awesome to see them interacting rather than sitting around sleeping.

Then we had some fun with the mearcat display. I went through, then Noam came through, then Noam and Ben came through. We were laughing so hard!

By that time it was dark and the lights were looking amazing! They had some amazing displays, one that moved and ones that were so creative!

Of course we had to take Noam's picture by the gnomes!

And all the paths were lined with these gorgeous LED lights! They were so colorful and so beautiful!

And the trees were all aglow too! We had such a fun time at the zoo! We thawed out over delicious Thai food, then came home, drank champagne, watched the Hangover II (don't judge), and were all asleep before 2012 came in!

Memories and Reflections

2011-12-31T22:55:00.000-05:00

OMSI

2011-12-29T11:38:00.000-05:00

On Boxing Day we took advantage of Avi and Ben being home from work and headed across the River to OMSI, Oregon's science museum. Avi hadn't been there either so we were all psyched to have some fun!

Can I just say that this is my new favorite picture of Noam?! I wasn't trying to be artsy or anything, I was trying to take a picture of him with his hand stamp and voila! Love!

Anyway! We checked out the engineering section of the museum. Ben had some fun with the static electricity sphere and we explored the earthquake demo (whoa) and some other areas.

We took on the Catenary arch and won. Noam may or may not have knocked it over...

Then we headed upstairs to the little kiddo zone. They had these amazing kites on the ceiling and when I wasn't focused on the Goober, I was mesmerized by the kites.

Noam loves sand boxes. OMSI has a huge walkin sandbox for the pre-school set. He had some fun playing in the sand, he even managed to keep a bigger kid from steeling his shovel, yeah!

From sand to water! They had some great water tables to play in. Noam had some fun splashing around. I just love how serious he looks.

He was so content to be exploring. He makes chirpy noises and was chattering away as he splish-splashed in the table.

Back out in the museum they had a bunch of brain teasers, man I love these things. Two of them reminded me of questions (easy ones) you'd find on the math MTEL. I managed both of these on my first try!

I am a visual and hands on learner, this one I solved before I even tried, just looking at it gave it away to me!

We had a nice afternoon, the museum is nice and I can see Noam having a ball there as he gets bigger!

Let there be light!

2011-12-28T11:58:00.000-05:00

Another Chanukah has come and gone. Although it really isn't over until the fat lady sings. Wait, wrong reference. Rewind. It really isn't over until tonight, but the magic of lighting the menorahs is over until next year. I had a great Chanukah, spent in 2 states, with family and friends, and with latkes and sufganiyot!

I've taken to photographing my candles each night, it's amazing to watch the glow grow as the week progresses! Without further ado, my Chanukah in lights!

Avi and I decided to recreate a menorah from our childhood. We used to make an oil menorah using food coloring in the water base. We improvised this year and used baby food jars (thanks, Noam!) and in lieu of oil wicks we used regular shabbat candles! It sure is pretty!

I couldn't forget my fun artsy shots, either! I have some good contenders for next year's Chanukah card!

And it was so magical to watch the holiday through Noam's eyes. He loved lighting menorah each night, loved the latkes and apple sauce, and has been enjoying his presents!

And since I have newly become obsessed with instagram, I gramed (what's the verb here?) each night for a retro look back on the 8 crazy nights!

Sufganiyot!

2011-12-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

A Chanukah tradition is to eat fried foods, to remember the miracle of the oil. So latkes, fried jelly donuts, etc. Being gluten free it's hard to readily find sufganiyot, or donuts, so Avi and I decided to make our own! We figured it would be a total success or disaster, but fun all the same!

We found a recipe online, and read that using the Bob's Red Mill, GF pancake mix yielded good results so we tried that!

It really mixed up like a dough, with yeast and everything. We mixed it up, played with it a bit, then threw it (gently) into the oven to rise for an hour. It really rose up well, then it was time to fry!

We opted for donut hole sized donuts rather than cutting really large circles. We rolled them up, and threw them into the oil.

Our first few were still raw in the middle so we decided to flatten the rest and that was what we needed! They came out golden brown, crisp, and amazing!

Then it was time to try to fill them with jelly (try being the operative word in that sentence). We chose a strawberry pinot noir and a marionberry jam (both are amazing!). So the donuts were a bit too dense to fill with jelly so we opted for a healthy dusting (covering, whatever) of powdered sugar and then dunking/dipping/decorating them with the jelly!

Oh my word, they were so good! A total keeper for future Chanukahs!

ps - if you've been away for the holiday, keep reading to hear my big (!) news!

Four Magic Words

2011-12-24T23:22:00.000-05:00

“Met the Qualifying Score”

Four simple words. Foursimple, magic words. Four magic words that mean the world to me. Four wordsthat move me one huge step closer to my dream of becoming a teacher.

Yes, I did it. I passed(passed!) my fifth and last MTEL, the math MTEL.

I came away from that testfeeling defeated, my mind was mush, I was ready to accept having to retake it.Okay, to be honest I had my moments of freaking out that I wouldn’t be able topass it and I wouldn’t be able to graduate on time. But, eventually, I forgotabout it and life went on.

Then Monday of this pastweek, I realized that the score release day was Friday. I was filled with doseof dread mixed with a smattering of acceptance all week. Then Friday arrived. Iwas slightly grateful to be at work, slightly distracted, a few of us wereanxiously checking our phones for the all-important email (little did we knowthey changed their release policy and scores weren’t going out to 5pm).

I spent most of the day runningscenarios in my head, ready for either result. I didn’t want to feel cocky, butI was feeling calm and optimistic, with a bit of confidence mixed in.

Then as the sun went down,and the clock inched closer to 5, the nerves came back full force. I had a knotin my stomach and my heart was beating out of my chest. Five o’clock came, Irefreshed my inbox, nothing. 5:02, refresh, nothing, rinse and repeat, and Ifinally got up to take try to distract myself from the wait.

I sat back down, and I sawit.

Es-mtelreg@pearson.com

I took a deep breath.Clicked the email. Realized, while holding my breath and attempting to cover myeyes with one hand that the new score report is an attachment. I take a deep breath;click view, again while holding my breath and trying to cover my eyes. Thenclear as day there it was, the most magical four words on the planet:

I actually, closedand reopened the document a few times, then it hit me: I PASSED!!

I did it. I passed one ofthe hardest exams I have ever taken in my life. I passed my LAST MTEL!

One, two, three, four, five,just like that! Me, a “horrible test taker.” Me, a child who at 10 was told sheshouldn’t be able to read. Me, a person whose mother was told to just let me bea C student.

Me. I. did. it.

After I stopped shaking andcrying (happy tears) I realized I am one step closer to my Masters inEducation. I am actually doing this. I willgraduate on time. I will be ateacher. And most importantly, I think I may finally beginning to believe that I am smart.

And now, I cannot stopopening the score report and looking at those four magical words. I can’t stopsmiling as I see this in the top right corner of the report:

Yes, I have passed those tests! I did it. I can and I did.

Now, it’s time for vacation.The whirlwind that was this semester and the first 73 days of teaching isfinally hitting me. I slept pretty much the entire two flights to Oregon and Ifeel the stress draining out of me.

Come 2012, it’s just 3classes, 107 days of school, and another short semester until I walk across thestage as a graduate school graduate. No more studying for a math exam, no morestandardized tests.

Because, I did it!

I met the qualifying score!

Happy Chanukah!

2011-12-21T20:39:00.001-05:00

I'm having a lovely Chanukah so far! It really snuck up on me, being up and out at work from 5:30 to nearly 3:30 does that to you, I suppose! But I am loving watching my menorahs flicker each night and am enjoying this festival of lights! Each year I photograph my candles each night, and I love looking back on it.

Here's the card I made for my family and friends this year, including my blog family!

And here's my Chanukah, in lights so far!

I cannot wait for the other nights and spending much of the holiday in Oregon with Avi, Ben, and Noam!

The best of times

2011-12-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, LivingSocial was running a offer that I couldn't refuse. A very discounted subscription to Broadway in Boston! This season's show lineup was too good to pass up so I signed up!

One of the shows showing was La Cage Aux Falles, and as a true lover of The Birdcage I was dying to see it! My fellow Heath intern and I bought tickets for the weekend after our semester ended, we couldn't wait!

Saturday night was the night! I got all ready and we headed downtown for a nice dinner and the show!

It's so funny to think that I got dressed up, when I really where this type of thing everyday! But, heck, not being in comfy clothes on a Saturday night makes it dressy!

We headed down to Legal Sea Foods, a favorite of mine! Nothing beats elegant but unpretentious dining! I just love how Legal creates a great ambiance in their restaurants!

I got my favorite grilled trout with broccoli, it was so good, and the Rose I enjoyed was perfect too! After dinner we grabbed desert at a local desert place called Finale. I got a chocolate mousse with berries, um yum! Good thing I worked out that day!

Then, show time!! I was so excited! We got to our seats, second row balcony (!) and took in the warm up act, hilarious! Then it was show time! It was everything I imagine it would be! George Hamilton was fantastic and Christopher Seiber stole the show, I was crying from laughing half the time! The curtain call even turned into a huge sing-a-long of "The Best of Times"-- just so much fun!

What a magical evening and a fun way to reward ourselves after a hard semesters worth of work! Now I am itching to watch The Birdcage! And! Next broadway show on tap? Les Mis in March!!

Make a Wish

2011-12-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

It's a tradition at my school that the first graders have a "learning shop" close to the holidays. The kids "sell" several things they have made since the start of the school year and then donate the money to charity.

We sold our maps of the world.

Our ten dots books.

Our bookmarks.

Our ancestors' countries flags.

And our hybrid animals.

The kids have been learning about money and got to be the shop owners and sell their work to the parents at rock bottom prices! We also gave them options about where they could donate the money to. Our choices were, the local Ronald McDonald house, the food bank, and the Make a Wish Foundation.

They voted for Make a Wish foundation. They really liked the idea of helping kids who have been sick or been in the hospital a long time have a fun vacation or a wish come true. For kids from very privileged homes it was really great to see them want to help other kids!

And since, we were really selling these things at rock bottom prices (the grand total would be 11.97), Jane, myself, and Stephanie (another intern in the class sometimes) told the kiddos we'd each triple what we made.

So 1L is proud to donate 108 dollars to the Make a Wish foundation! The kids were so proud of themselves and we are so proud of them!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Windows to Joy

2011-12-18T07:21:00.000-05:00

What is it?

Any guesses? Let's just say, I was practicing for Tuesday night!

Things sleeping:

I babysat over the weekend, the kiddos were fast asleep with only the sound of their breathing coming over the monitor.

Joy:

Tis my season of joy too! Chanukah starts on Tuesday night and I cannot wait to light my two menorahs and eat some yummy greasy food!

Window:

My vision is pretty awful, I've been in bifocals for years and my lens are super thick. They are truly my window(s) to the world!

Half:

Half of me? Half of the mirror? Half of the light switch?

Anniversary

2011-12-16T12:23:00.000-05:00

11 years, yowza! 11 years ago I had butterflies in my stomach as I became a bat mitzvah. How in the word can it be 11 years since that snowy morning!? I'm actually super excited for this anniversary! It's the first time I'll get to read nearly all of the Torah aliyot that I read that morning.

I still have such fond memories of that weekend. It was Chanukah, it was snowy, it was magical, and it was a day full of achievements. It's amazing to think of how much I have achieved in the 11 years since I became a "women." Now, I am a few months from really being an adult, and it's mind boggling to think that 11 years ago I was a little 7th grader! Sometimes it seems like forever ago and other times it feels like yesterday.

I am trying to find some humor in the fact that on this anniversary I am once again reading my parsha with braces on my teeth (maybe that's why it feels like yesterday...). Except this time my rubber bands are clear and not purple and blue. I also don't have a blue dress suit to wear...

Let's just hope that I don't look like a dear in headlights tomorrow...

Going...going...gone...or is it?

2011-12-15T15:51:00.000-05:00

At first when I saw this comic, I was just going to post it and that would have been that. But then, I started working on my curriculum design unit. A huge (huge) part of my portfolio here at Wheelock, basically my thesis!

My class' theme was sustainability and my group chose to design a unit on trash and it's impact on our earth. We researched all about trash and how it effects our planet. My section of the unit was all about the trash that winds up in the ocean.

Did you know that 14 billion, (yes billion) pounds of trash makes it way into the oceans each year? Nasty right?

Did you know that much of the trash in the oceans will make its way to massive trash islands floating in the oceans and that some of those islands are larger than Texas?

What I learned really opened my eyes. Never before did I know that an aluminum can can take between 200 and 500 years to biodegrade in a landfill. Yes you read that right.

In the past two months, I have learned more than I ever thought I would about trash. No, I'm not going to get all self-righteous and live a trash free life, I recognize that is impossible and impractical. But, I have been more thoughtful in my "trash practices."

I think twice now, is this trash or recycling? Can I reuse this myself? Do I need all those ziploc bags or will a container suffice?

Smart choices and big thinking got us from homo-sapien to the age of electricity and ipads. Smart choices and big thinking can lessen the impact our trash has on our planet.

One thing I also know for sure, it's a good think we turned in this unit electronically, because we couldn't in good conscience print a 58 page unit on trash!

Tis the season, Boston style

2011-12-13T10:38:00.000-05:00

I just love this time of year, the cheer that's in the air, the lights on the buildings, and the cold air. Since it finally got cold here in Boston, it really feels like the holidays are around the corner. So, Saturday night after Shabbat ended, I decided I needed some retail and holiday cheer therapy. So downtown I went in search of new boots and pretty lights!

It's not the holidays without a trip to Crate and Barrel, I just love it there and their decorations didn't disappoint this year! I even treated myself to their Chanukah candles, can't wait to put them in my menorah this year!

Then I made my way to the Common to see Boston's Christmas tree. It's really pretty and not over the top at all, just simple and bright.

From a distance the lights looked like the fancy new LED lights that are all the "rage." But, up close they were classic colorful bulb lights. Either way, so pretty!

From every angle the tree was just stunning. I loved how it wasn't a mob scene down there. When I lived in DC the National tree (understandably so) was always a mob scene, which took away from the fun and beauty of seeing the tree.

The night in general was just perfect, cold but not frigid. The State House was all lit up, apparently I missed the Occupy rally just a few hours before. And then there was the moon! The church steeple is the historic Park Street Church, dating back to the 18th century.

The frog pond has been turned into the ice rink for the season, it was hopping (bad pun) and all lit up as well, I'm determined to get there to skate this winter!

It was so fun to see Downtown all a glow. I just love all the lights and sights of this time of year. I really needed some photography therapy this weekend, I managed to fit in that and some retail therapy, too!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Holiday-gram

2011-12-09T21:09:00.001-05:00

I was really unsure of this week's prompts, between an insanely intese week ahead of me and it feeling very Christmas-y, I wasn't sure if I would be able to find "answers" to the prompts, but out of the stress and holiday funk came some awesome shots!

Less is more:

Had no clue what to do with this, until I was at the Apple Store downtown, the huge clear spiral staircase, somehow said less is more to me.

Holiday lights:

I love (love!) holiday lights, really gorgeous tasteful ones. I went to check out the Boston Christmas tree and had some fun taking pics of the lights!

Ornaments:

This picture brought to you by the decorations at my neighborhood Trader Joe's! No ornaments in my apartment, this time of year!

Cup of cheer:

My friend Robyn gave me this fun mug a few years ago for a Chanukah gift, I keep him on my desk to give me cheer all year round!

Nativity:

So, no nativity scene in this apartment, so I was kinda stumped. Until I looked up the word nativity - it also just means birth. So a birthday card it is!

PS: I finally created a blog button, feel free to grab it off the right side of my blog!

Grammar Police

2011-12-09T11:26:00.000-05:00

Can't escape the grammar police, regardless of what century you're from!

Another trip around the sun

2011-12-08T10:42:00.000-05:00

In late 2008, during my junior year in college, I caught wind of a little thing called Project 365. Curious, I did a quick google search and was quite intrigued by what I found. I had been getting more into photography and thought it was the perfect "in," so I decided to take the challenge on. I posted my pictures of my "365 Day Trip Around the Sun" on the first blog I created and eventually created a book of all my pictures.

And man, I loved the challenge. Sure some days were a picture of my dinner, but for the most part I really honed my craft. The really cool part? I can look at any picture from that year and tell you where I was, what was happening, and why I wanted to take the picture!

January: Winter Wonderlights February: Shedding tree at AU March: Visiting Las Vegas

April: First lavender on campus May: Procrastinating during finals June: PSU farmer's market

July: July 4th at Kensico August: Bronx River Pathway September: Senior year at AU

October: Sky and Stone November: Reflections December: NYC in winter

Then of course there are the sublime and ridiculous shots - but they're memories!

January: Meeting Ann Curry February: Cleaning day March: Nature's java

April: Civic duty: taxes May: Relaxing after finals June: Rundi and me a selfie

July: In 2009, really? August: Ridiculous, see? September: New fridge (slow day)

October: Christmas in Oct November: Very rainy month December: Santa got run over?

Anyway! I took 2010 and 2011 off, mainly because I was tired of lugging a camera with me all the time. But clearly I kept taking pictures and really fell in love with photography, eventually starting and really getting this blog rolling.

All this to say, I'm taking the challenge on again! I'm super stoked to document my year again (with followers this time, ha!). I'm in a different place in life, a different city, and with much better photography skills!

So, hope you'll follow along and I'll see you in 2012, or before, I will be blogging before 2012!

I see tree people...

2011-12-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

Before heading back to Boston after Thanksgiving break, mom, Avi, Noam, and I headed up to the Katonah Art Museum to see their "Tree People" exhibit. It's an amazing exhibit of, well, trees made to look like people, abstract people, but people none the less.

They were just stunning and huge! The details and size of the sculptures was simply amazing.

There were 3 large sculptures in the garden on the museum and the light was shining through the trees and highlighting their size and beauty.

Noam was pretty impressed by there size, he kept looking up at the giant trees and his eyes were wide with wonder.

He wandered over to one of the tree people and just looked up. Then he thought it would be fun to pic a tree fungus off the tree. My nephew, defacing art, I suppose I shouldn't be proud of that...

Noam was also showing off his walking skills on the rocky surface. Love this montage, it looks like one foot is nailed down and he is walking in a circle!

From every angle the tree people were amazing. Although Noam photo bombed me, guess he thought I wasn't taking enough pictures of him!

The two sculptures outside the museum has the most amazing faces. Just amazing!

And of course Noam and I soaked up every last moment together before I left to come back to Boston. He is a gem and I cannot wait to spend a week with him over my winter vacation!

13

2011-12-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

How is it possible that this little goober turned 13 months old yesterday!? Time surely does fly and Noam is more like a little boy each day.

He's independent, sharp as a tack, and just all around sweet and squish-able. He's beginning to talk and use his signs for milk, food, and please.

There are times I look at him and can't even fathom that 13 months ago he was a little peanut curled up in footed pjs that were too big. Now, he's off exploring his world and still super adorable in his footed pjs.

It really is an absolute joy to watch this goober grow. The 4 days over Thanksgiving were just so fantastic and I am counting down the days (21!) until I get to see him again!

Happy 13th month Noam! Crazy to think that we're celebrating you're 13th month now but in 12 years we'll be gather for your bar mitzvah! Enjoy the month, kiddo, Auntie Mar loves you something crazy!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Time for more Noam

2011-12-04T07:01:00.000-05:00

Portrait:

Mr. Personality was loving the great out doors and was turning on his charm for the camera!

Nostalgic:

We pulled down several of my old toys for Noam to play with, the "Little People" look so different now!

Time:

The clock on the building in my town's "center" has been wrong since the time change, keeps confusing me too!

Full of light:

Before catching the train back to Boston we went to an small exhibit with trees made to look like people. The setting sun was streaming down behind this one, so amazing!

Motion:

I love this series of Noam from lat Sunday. Looks like his foot is nailed down and he's walking around one pivot point! He is always in motion now, that's for sure!

Noam the book worm.

2011-12-01T15:40:00.000-05:00

Avi and I were raised in a house where reading was special and loved. Mom read to us each night until we were in middle school and to this day books line the shelves in her house, and now mine. Now I get to watch Noam develop his own love of books and there can be nothing sweeter!

One day over Thanksgiving we looked over at Noam to see him sitting down reading a book, all by himself! He was flipping through "Doggies" and pointing out the "dundies" - he get's what reading is!

"Doggies" quickly became a Noam favorite. We read it again, and again. Nothing sweeter than Noam sitting in my lap while we read about the dogs and make our various barking sounds.

Noam loved showing everyone the doggies in his story and we all loved watching him engrossed in a book at such a tender age.

Eventually we moved onto "Moo, Baa, Lala" but it's clear that "Doggies" is a Noam favorite!

I can't wait to read many more books with Noam later this month!

Playtime with Noam!

2011-11-29T10:12:00.000-05:00

Playtime with Noam is so much fun! My mom pulled down a bunch of my old toys: a shape sorter, my Little People "Space Mountain," plus some new toys.

He gets so into his play! He wouldn't just pick up a toy and move on. He really played. He was able to use the shape sorter, and do it well! As in, getting shapes in the right hole on the first try!

It was also so fun to watch him interact and think things out. With the peg toy, he realized it was toppling so he took the yellow ones off and stacked them somewhere else! That is super good for a 12.5 month old!

And of course, there is typical toddler cause and effect! We built many a tower just so Mr. Noam can knock it down!

And of course, because of teething, toys are for playing and chewing on!

I miss this little goober so much already! But am counting the days until we're reunited!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Noam and Thanks

2011-11-26T07:52:00.001-05:00

Waiting:

At South Station, everyone waits in front of the time board to see which track their train is leaving from. I was just waiting to leave to get to Noam!

Foliage:

Nothing like a little fresh air before Thanksgiving. Noam had some fun playing with the foliage that is left on the ground.

Candid:

Noam just sat down and opened his book and was turning the pages looking for the "dundies" (doggies).

Knife, Fork, Spoon:

Eating pumpkin pie with a silver spoon, what a sophisticated 1 year old.

Thirds:

Those eyes. Get me every, single, time.

Let them eat pie!

2011-11-24T21:40:00.001-05:00

We had a lovely Thanksgiving! We were lazy bums in the morning, starting on the cooking and playing with Noam. Avi and I ventured out to the gym, did some last minute grocery shopping, and we even played out on the grass with Noam for a bit.

As dinner crept closer, I pulled out the Turkey Day decorations and we set the table with the finest: china and silver and then, it was time to feast!

The Benjamin cousins popped in for a little visit and of course we seized the chance to get a Benjamin/O'Glasser family picture. Yona, Shoshana, and Aunt Lisa hadn't met Noam until this trip and are soaking up their time with the little goober.

After the family departed, it was really time to feast. And feast we did. We had such a lovely spread. vegetable stew with chickpeas, sweet potato fluff, bourbon maple sweet potatoes with mini-marshmallows, corn bread stuffing, balsamic mushrooms, and cranberry sauce.

Everything was just delicious and it was so fun to watch Noam digging in. Last Thanksgiving his menu consisted on a few ounces of milk, this year, he was keeping up with the rest of us! Of course, best laid plans to eat only a small amount were thrown out the window, but heck, it's a feast!

But, of course, no matter how full you are, there is always room for pie! I used a new GF pie crust this year and it was so much better! I think it's the best pumpkin pie I've made, ever! The whipped cream, just added to it's yumminess!

Noam sure did love his pie! And Mr. Sophisticated ate it with a silver spoon! We actually think he had more pie than regular dinner!

It really was a perfect Thanksgiving. A day full of family, relaxation, and super good food!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:02:00.001-05:00

I have so much to be grateful for this year. In the craziness of life, teaching, and grad-student-ing, I may forget that I really have a life full of love and people who care about me.

But today, I am surrounded by those I love most, my mom, Avi, Ben, and Noam. I am so grateful and so happy I have them in my life and that I can celebrate with them.

Happy Thanksgiving, may your celebration be delicious, and your time with loved ones precious!

24 hours!

2011-11-22T11:04:00.000-05:00

In 24 hours...

I will be reunited with...

This big one year old!

And I cannot wait!

Auntie Mar is on her way, Noam! What a long 6 months it's been!!

Stop the presses!

2011-11-21T15:37:00.001-05:00

Katz Gluten Free is offering a special offer to my blog readers today! With every order over $30 you can get a free (free!) bag of GF bread crumbs! Just enter the code GOBBLE at the checkout!

So, go stock up on your gluten-free pies, cookies, breads, and other baked yumminess for your Thanksgiving table!

Bon Appétit!

Math coming out my ears...

2011-11-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

I took my 5th MTEl this past weekend. I saved the ~~best~~ toughest for last, math. Now, this isn't your typical math, this is math you haven't done since 8th grade. Yes, I want to teach the early elementary grades, but this is the test for all potential 1-6 teachers...

I studied my heart out, at least a half an hour each night for several months, I felt like I was actually learning certain topics, for example I finally understand radicals and square roots. But I still didn't feel 100% confident going into the test. Seriously, if anyone can solve the question from the practice test (which I still don't get!) you can be my tutor!

So this weekend was the big day, I had to schlep to Somerville High School, with my number 2 pencils in tow. You get four hours for the exam, I took 3 1/2. I left feeling pretty wiped, actually totally wiped. I know I did my best, but holy moly, I just don't know what to think.

What I do know is that I am able to successfully teach first grade math. I know that whatever my score on this test is it isn't a reflection on me as a person or a teacher, I know I will one day pass this exam, and I will be fine no matter what the outcome is. So tomorrow it's back to cross-number puzzles and addition and subtraction, because that I can solve and teach, well!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Pencils and Pots

2011-11-17T17:55:00.001-05:00

Mainly one color:

These little leaves caught my eye on my walk home one day. Their mostly red or mostly a creamy-white, all depends on how you look at it. Added bonus, the close up shot with my iphone makes it look like I added texture, nope, SOCC!

Around the home:

A simple Saturday night at home, catching up on magazines and drinking some tea.

Reflection:

What else does one do with a zabaglione pot? Why you hang it from a hook in your ceiling and take pictures in it?

Writing:

Number 2's anyone? I am typically a mechanical pencil type of gal, but my latest (and hopefully last) MTEL necessitated bringing out the handy Ticonderogas.

Water:

The window in my shower gets great am light and it often hits the shower water in amazing ways.

Outside my window...

2011-11-17T12:45:00.000-05:00

Outside my window...a gray November sky, as sundown approaches and the rain beating down on the last leaf, hanging onto its branch.

I'm thinking...how ready I am for Thanksgiving break. Thinking about how far I've come since September and how much I've learned in just 48 days of school.

I'm hoping...that I can make it through the next four weeks leading up to the end of the semester, all while being able to enjoy life and get some time for myself in there.

I'm hearing...the rhythmic pattering of the rain on the leaf covered sidewalk. There is something about a constant rain that is soothing and comforting, as long as I am listening from inside.

Some of my favorite things...this time of year, the holiday cheer is building and I love the coziness and happiness that is floating in the air.

47

2011-11-16T08:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my supervising classroom teacher (I have 3 supervisors, it's complicated!) was out all day at a training. This meant it was just me and the kids (and the sub). My head was spinning by 2:20, but I did it!
This is my journal entry for the day...thought I'd post my thoughts on making it through a day as the sole teacher here too.
___________________________________________________________________________________
I learned...that I can successfully teach an entire day's lessons and manage the class!

Something great that happened was...I did it! I ran the classroom from arrival to dismissal, without my supervising teacher and only a sub, (who honestly wasn't more than a warm body).

Something challenging that happened was... essentially being the only teacher in the room. Having to deal with conflicts and behavior issues alone, and try to teach everything, somethings for the first time (when did handwriting get so involved!)

A question I have is...how in the world do teacher's run a classroom of 19 kids without an aid or an intern to be there as support?

I wonder about...if I really did well today, did they learn what I was trying to teach, did they understand my expectations...

To the moon

2011-11-15T07:43:00.000-05:00

I love the power, the beauty, and the mystery of the moon. I really don't even know how to describe the mystique I see in the moon.

I'm fascinated by its cycle, the changing view each evening, the knowing that when I look up at night that the moon will be there.

Just like we look to the horizon on earth, not knowing what's next, to me, looking at the moon's horizon makes me wonder, what is on the other side of the moon?

Something so close, yet so far away, it really is magical and powerful. It impacts the tides and even children's (and adults) behaviors and in Judaism our calendar revolved around it.

One day, I would love to travel to the moon. I'd love to look down on Earth what a view that would be! For now, I am content with my view of the moon, in all its glory, rising in the sky outside my window.

Denial.

2011-11-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Scav Hunt Sunday: "Eats, Shoes, and Leaves"

2011-11-13T07:09:00.000-05:00

Before and After:

I am not a huge photo editor person. I like my photos au natural, I may from time to time convert to B&W or kick up the color, so this was a stretch, but, oh I love how it turned out!

Bokeh:

Okay, so it's not custom, but I am just happy I naturally got a bokeh!

Opposing Lines:

I just love how the lines of the atrium windows reflect off the base of the Chihuly sculpture at the MFA.

Shoes:

I really only wear my fun dressy shoes on Shabbat, since I wear some sort of sneakers (helps with ~~running~~ walking around the classroom) to work. So I love figuring out which pair of fun shoes will go best with my shabbat clothes that week!

Little Features:

Avi gave me these adorable glass hedgehogs as a birthday gift one year, I just love how tiny they are!

Take that grammar.

2011-11-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

45th day of school!

2011-11-10T16:17:00.000-05:00

How can 1/4 of the school year be over? I'll be honest, sometimes the past 45 days have whizzed by and on other days it feels more like 450 days. But, still, wow how has 45 days gone by!?

And I'm loving it. I love my students. I love the school I am teaching at. And I love the opportunity to work with and learn from the other educators at the school.

I have taken on many teaching responsibilities. I teach math once or twice a week, I lead my reading group three times a week, and I teach phonics a few times a week. I am also planning for and leading my student's session in the Learning Center. Just writing all that out, makes me amazed at how far I've come since September!

I've sat in and participated in our students' conferences and I am a part of our weekly team consult meetings where I bring my insights and ideas to the table regarding a few of our students with special learning needs. I've even spoken up about what I have seen in a certain student and that insight has been valued! I really feel valued, even as an intern!

I really am loving me experience as an intern. To me, I know I am loving it when I don't mind (99% of the time) getting up at 5:30am. I am excited to get to school and see what the day holds for all of 1L.

I really feel like I am coming into my role as a teacher. I can't wait to see what the next 135 days of school hold for me and the class!

But, for now, bring on the 3 day weekend!

An Afternoon at the MFA

2011-11-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

After a long week that included several students have a hard week and my getting braces, I needed some fun this weekend. Fun for me? A trip down the road to the Museum of Fine Arts! Wheelock students can get in free on weekends, (no need for a membership!) so why not!!

I was excited to check out their new contemporary art wing. I love late 19th century European art, but also love modern and contemporary pieces and was excited to see what they had in their collection.

Even more exciting, was walking into the big atrium and seeing this huge Chihuly piece that the museum aquired for their collection after the amazing Chihuly exhibit left late this past summer. I'm glad I'll always be able to see an amazing piece of his each time I visit the MFA.

The main rotunda is amazing too. It's really amazing how the museum has mixed the old sections of the building with new modern sections. This rotunda dates back to the first years of the museum!

Now, onto the new! The new addition is stunning! I love all the natural light that it lets in, I love me some art museums but let's face it they can be cavernous.

They have some great pieces too! Lots of sculpture type pieces which really intrigue me. I love the lighted sign's message.

This piece was so cool! It was these shiny bottles in a case that was all mirrors, so it seemed like there were bottles forever, such a great optical illusion.

And of course, I cannot resist snapping selfies in any shiny object!

This xylophone inspired painting is so fun and whimsical! And these colorful prints are so fun, I'd totally hang these up in my apartment!

This print is Jackson Pollock inspired - it's weirding me out that it looks like it's out of focus, but it's just the swirly paint strokes. And this fun sphere that I may or may not have tripped over accidentally...

I love modern art, but sometimes I have to say, really? This is just a wall of light bulbs. At age 7 or 8 I critiqued a similar piece at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Just don't get it.

They also had some funky sculptures. The white one on the left reminds me of Moore sculpture.

These were in a section on modern glass words. The middle piece photographed so well, it has a really light white edge that the natural light made "glow" - so cool!

And then my old favorites. The Degas, Renoir, Monet, and Van Gogh collections. I just love their use of color and brush strokes. My favorite Monets are in Philly, but I love any of their works!

The violin is an actual Stradivarius from the 1700s! It makes me think of a Dharma and Greg episode.

They really have an amazing collection at the MFA and I cannot wait until I make my way back again soon!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: Jello and Sunsets

2011-11-06T06:42:00.000-05:00

Food:

Since I got my braces on Thursday, it's been the soft food diet. So lots of jello, yogurt, pudding, and soups. Nothing better than "strawberry" ko-jel - although the closest it ever came to a real strawberry was probably when the truck drove by a strawberry field on the way to the store...

Purple:

Purple poison? I think not! I love eggplant, either roasted, grilled, broiled, or in a Moroccan Eggplant stew that I made for Shabbat dinner!

In disguise:

It's a pumpkin, disguised as a jack-o-lantern. But, it is also Rube in Vase, a famous optical illusion! You either see a vase or two faces looking at each other - your eyes and brain disguise one, while you see the other.

Shapes:

A sphere and its shadows at the new Contemporary Art wing at the MFA. Such a great addition to the museum, a post of pics on that coming Tuesday!

Choice:

I had 4 bazillion other ideas for this, but then I saw this sunset Thursday night! Hello, amazing!! What a way to end the day, the colors were even more amazing in person!

Happy birthday, Noam!!!!

2011-11-04T07:04:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday, Noam!!! How can it be that one year ago I was looking at this picture and today I am looking at pictures of a little boy? I cannot imagine a year without Noam! What an amazing year it has been!

It's crazy to think that just one year ago Noam slept like a baby burrito all wrapped up and today he moves all around his crib with his lovies, his burrito days far behind him.

It feels like just yesterday his pacifier was almost as big as his face. Today he is much bigger than it is, but I still love how adorable and innocent he looks when he's soothing himself with his pacifier. That dreamy look in his eyes is still ever present.

Noam is in the driver's seat now, he's a big boy whose feet touch the ground when he's relaxing in his walker, no longer just sitting back with Mr. Moose. Today he'll chase after Rundi or just go cruising around the kitchen in pursuit of something to play with.

Noam's palate has improved from bibs and bumbos and onto kale, puffs, avocados, and pears! He's an amazing eater and it's crazy to think that mere months ago his meal times were simply a bottle and some rice cereal. Now it's table food at the table for my little kiddlet!

I really never thought I could love a little person like I love Noam. He's been sunshine in my life this past year and I am honored to be his Auntie Mar. I love to show off pictures and telling stories of his adorable antics. His smile makes any bad day dissolve away and I cannot imagine life without this little ball of energy!

This month, much like the past 12, has been another exciting month for the Noam-ster. He took his first steps, went to an apple orchard, and continued being cute! He is one active kiddo and loves exploring his little world.

I cannot wait to watch him grow and continue to explore the world around him. I couldn't imagine Noam turning one and I cannot imagine the amazingness that this year will hold for my little buddy.

Noam even celebrated his first Halloween! It's insane to think that just days after Avi was a pregnant skeleton last year Noam made his appearance. So of course he was a Noam-skeleton this year! He was a super big-boy and walked around his neighborhood and took some candy! Amazing the difference a year can make!

Noam my wish for you, on this amazing first birthday, is that you never stop wondering and exploring. That you always know how much your family loves and cherishes life with you in it. Noam, may you continue to make everyone you meet smile, may you continue to light up the world, and make even the rainest days full of sunshine. I love you something crazy, and I am so happy to call you my nephew.

Love, Auntie Mar!

PS - only 20 days until I get too see you and hug you in person!! I can't wait!

Back in the habbit brackets

2011-11-03T16:27:00.002-04:00

Notice anything different?

Here's a clue, it's in my mouth....

What about now? Can you see it yet?

What about now? And by the way, if you haven't been able to tell yet, I love you!

But in case you think I'm off my rocker, nope. I went back into, yes back into, braces today. Nearly 10 years to the day when I got them off the first time around (after 4.5 years of being in them too!) I am back for unexpected round 2.

I went with the clear brackets and it's actually pretty hard to see them, unless of course, I hang my mouth open and practically stick my iphone into my mouth. And of course within minutes of returning to school one of my students loudly proclaimed, "what happened to your teeth?" Ah, 6 year olds with no filters...

It is weird to feel something like this in my mouth, but I have a feeling in a few days I'll forget they are even in there (wishful thinking, maybe?). So for now, it's all about the soft food diet: lots of yogurt, pudding, ko-jel, and soups.

Snow in October?

2011-11-01T05:31:00.000-04:00

It is October, right? Well it was a slight dud in my neighborhood, but it sure packed a punch for much of the state. This was the forecast map early Saturday evening, I mean, really?

By dinner time, it was 34º, and snowing! Insane, I never expected to have to put together my full winter jacket before Halloween, but it is Massachusetts so you never know...

We woke up to really nothing more than a wet sloppy inch or so in the greater Boston/Brookline area. I was mentally not ready to see cars blanketed in a layer of white, it was just weird!

The poor mums looked so chilly buried under the slush. I was just cold looking at them, but that also may have been because I was not wearing gloves or a hat and it was 34º...

I made my way to the main road to head to the gym. It was so quiet out, even quieter than usual on a Sunday. People were hunkered down inside staying warm or pinching themselves thinking it was a weird dream.

It is something else for sure to see such stunning leaves with a blanket of snow around them. Very odd indeed!

Alright New England, bring on winter, I think I'm ready...

Scav Hunt Sunday: Leaves and Snow

2011-10-30T06:35:00.000-04:00

Found texture:

I was sorta stumped until I walked by this house's amazing landscaping on my way to work. I love the natural stone and the prickly ground cover.

Home:

This is a beautiful wall hanging my mom bought me her last trip to Israel. It says Blessing for the Home and has a prayer blessing the house (or apartment), I love the colors and meaning it has!

Cover:

I intended on using the street covered in leaves and then it snowed (yup, snowed, and is still snowing). So now you get both...

Close-up:

In Tzafat, a city in Israel they make amazing micro-calligraphy. I bought this when I was there a few years ago. So from a far it looks like an ordinary picture, then as you get closer you see the words that make up the lines.

Tree:

A tree stands in Brookline. The colors on this tree on the small playground at my school are just stunning.

Noah in 2011

2011-10-28T10:23:00.000-04:00

In honor of Parshat Noah being read this week, a new Noah story!

In the year 2011, G-d came to Noah and said, "Once again, the earth is filled with evil and I see the end of the world before me. Build another ark and save two of every living thing along with a few good humans." G-d gave Noah the blue prints and six months to build the ark.

Six months later, Noah had no ark. G-d questioned where the ark was, as the rains were poised to begin and Noah begged for forgiveness claiming things had changed. He said, "G-d, I need a building permit and I've been arguing with the inspector about a sprinkler system for ark. And my neighbors claim that I violated the neighborhood by-laws by building the ark in my backyard. I had to go to the local planning committee and am still waiting for their decision.""

He continued, "Then the electric company demanded an ark load of money for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark's move to sea. I told them the sea would be coming to the ark, but they would hear nothing of it. And getting wood was another problem. There's a ban on cutting local trees in order to save an endangered owl. I tried to convince them I need the wood to build an ark to save the animals, but no go!"

"When I started gathering the animals the ASPCA took me to court. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the accommodations were too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space. Then the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood."

"I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I'm supposed to hire for my building crew. Immigration are checking the Visa status of most of the people who want to work. And what's more, the trades unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to hire only Union workers with ark-building experience."

"To make matters worse, the Internal Revenue Service seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species. So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this Ark."

"Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky. Noah looked up in wonder and asked G-d, "You mean you're not going to destroy the world?"

"No," said G-d" The Government beat me to it."

Pumpkin Cookies

2011-10-26T08:45:00.000-04:00

No fall would be complete without baking with pumpkin! These delectable pumpkins cookies are out of this world good. I posted a picture in my Scav Hunt from this past week and people were swooning and begging for the recipe! SO without further ado...

Pumpkin Cookies

1/2 cup butter - room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 can pumpkin

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

Chocolate chips of your choosing (optional but oh so good!!)

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin. Add in dry ingredients and mix to blend.

Add in any chocolate chips you want. I've used semi-sweet and white chocolate. I've used peanut and milk chocolate. I've made them plain, you get the idea!

Drop by tablespoon full onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bottoms are slightly browned! Should make 3 dozen or so amazing cookies. These are good fresh from the oven or fresh from the freezer! Enjoy!

Autumn in New York England

2011-10-25T06:26:00.000-04:00

I love fall in New England. The colors are so vibrant, the air is so crisp, the feeling in the air is just so refreshing after a long summer.

The transformation just happens over night. One night the sun sets on green leaves and dawn rises on leaves of crimson and gold.

Leaves scatter the sides of the road and sides of the pathways and the familiar crunch of the leaves beneath my feat has returned once more. I even find myself going out of my way to walk through the leaf piles, it wouldn't be fall without it.

The weather has been perfect. Just calling out for a walk along the Fenway. Hearing the breeze blowing through the trees, and watching the leaves slowly fall to the ground is just so relaxing.

The river has been super muddy from all the rain, hence the name the Muddy River. But despite the muddiness the reflection of the trees and bridges was just stunning!

And nothing says fall more than pumpkins, harvest corn, gords, and various squashes. If I could have I would have brought home a few of each of these.

I love fall in Boston, it makes me want to curl up under a blanket and enjoy the falling leaves. Of course, before I know it, I'll be watching the snow flakes fall... I better enjoy fall while I can!

A whole new set of elements

2011-10-24T13:18:00.000-04:00

via Behance and Tina

Scav Hunt Sunday: Cookies and Rainbows

2011-10-23T07:16:00.000-04:00

Words:

Isn't a picture worth a thousand words?

Under:

This is along the Fenway. This bridge is a main road and underneath it runs a lovely muddy river and a great walking path, I love this part of my neighborhood.

Orange:

These little amazing cookies simply, rock. Pumpkin cookies with chocolate and peanut-butter chips. They also rock with chocolate and white chocolate chips and of course they rock plain. Simply put, they rock!

Fly:

We let our last painted lady butterfly free today. This fellow was our late bloomer and emerged from its chrysalis long after it's butterfly brethren flew away.

Always look on the bright side:

Wednesday, it was torrentially down pouring. I was soaked after walking two blocks (and getting sprayed by 2 cars) and then I saw this grease rainbow and pulled out my phone in the pouring rain. Even in the rain there is a silver/rainbow lining!

A Boy and His Dog: Revisited

2011-10-20T10:05:00.001-04:00

Their friendship has continued to grow and is just so special...

A dynamic duo for sure! Look out world, here come Noam and Rundi!

It's beginning to look like...

2011-10-19T09:09:00.000-04:00

fall. And I couldn't be happier about it!

Book Festival

2011-10-18T06:36:00.000-04:00

I went downtown this weekend to check out the Boston Boo Festival. The weather was finally gorgeous and it was the perfect fall weekend to meander around Boston.

I passed by the local Apple Store, the largest in the US, the memorial to Steve Jobs was really touching. A true visionary gone, but not forgotten, I suppose.

Then a few blocks away, book time! It was really hopping and I was excited to check out the various booths and sights.

The festival was in Copley Square, in the shadow of the famous Boston Public Library. There were various vendors and performances. Sadly, none of the performances occurring during my time at the festival were really interesting, but they sure did have a lot going on!

And of course there were lots of books. Lots and lots of books! No Boston Book Festival would be complete without an entire book dedicated to the Red Sox!

There were books for sale at many booths, children's books, fiction, non-fiction, best-sellers, and new titles. Some booths were overflowing as people paged though all the books.

There were lots of fun activities too, a fortune teller who used Bananagrams to look into your future, story times, balloon animal makers, the Cat in the Hat, and more!

I came away with a free shirt (courtesy of Google eBooks), tons of coupons for my favorite yogurt, a free Boston Magazine, and lots of other misc goodies. It was a fun afternoon out, for sure!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Cosmic Edition

2011-10-16T07:39:00.000-04:00

Abstract:

Funky sculptures outside an eye glass shop on trendy Newbury Street.

Round:

Such a gorgeous full moon!

Stars:

I got these stars from my sister several years back and they have been a special part of my apartments ever since.

Fire:

I'm the granddaughter of a president of a Propane company, the only way to cook is with gas! I love the blue fire it produces, too.

Seeing Faces:

Do you see it? The Person in the Moon looks more like Edvard Munch's "The Scream" in my mind!

Guest Posting and Quinoa

2011-10-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

I'm super excited to be guest posting (my first time) over at Sherri Lynn's wonderful blog! I wrote about quinoa and a new quinoa recipe I made recently.

Feast your eyes on this tasty plate and click on over to Life of a Wife and read more!

And if you're coming over from Sherri Lynn's blog, welcome! I hope you'll look around my little corner of the interwebs and become a follower and come back again!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Hanging in the balance

2011-10-13T07:04:00.001-04:00

I've always found spiderwebs fascinating. The delicateness, the intricateness, the uniqueness. It's so amazing how spiders build these webs, often spanning amazing distances to weave such intricate designs. It reminds you that life, like these webs hangs by a balance. One we weave and take care of. It can be fragile but so beautiful as well.

I found these stunning webs on my walk to school one morning. What started off as a frazzling morning quickly became a morning where I appreciated the balance I have found in my life. The intricate web I have woven. One where I string together my hopes and ambitions, fun and work.

I wish I saw webs like these more often. They remind me that life may be delicate and intricate at times but, from a distance it's beautiful and amazing.

Good thing I like yogurt.

2011-10-11T06:25:00.000-04:00

When I went carb free in August, many of my usual breakfast foods were no longer options. I used to enjoy cereal, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, cream of rice, and yogurt. Well, my options suddenly became yogurt!

I'm pretty committed to eating as few chemicals as possible and to eating organic dairy products. My favorite brand is Stonyfield Farms. Their yogurt is organic and delicious and family owned. I think I should buy stock in their company too...

I quickly became creative ways to make plain yogurt taste good and be filling. I've taken to adding a tablespoon of peanut or sunbutter and then adding a dash of stevia for sweetness and vanilla extract for flavor. Yum-o! And so filling, I eat breakfast around 6:30 most days and am not hungry until close to 11 or 11:30!

I've also been making yogurt/nutbutter smoothies with yogurt or kefir. And I've discovered some healthy and low carb drinkable yogurts too. Even the kiddie yogurt tubes have made their appearance in my yogurt filled fridge. And the odd bottle of wine, apparently!

The other awesome thing about Stonyfield, is their rewards system. Each yogurt has a reward code on the lid. I enter it into my rewards account and get points to get free stuff. I've already earned a year suscription to Whole Living magazine and have also earned 7 free yogurts. At the rate I am going I will be earning so much more!

It's a good thing I like yogurt, but there are times that I think I am going to turn into a yogurt!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Hints of Fall

2011-10-09T07:10:00.002-04:00

Landscape:

Mums just scream fall to me! I love walking by these on the way into my apartment, a nice welcome home after a long day.

Triadic Variation:

Nothing says fall more than gords (well that and mums)!

Black and White:

My gym has a real industrial feel - lots of black and white - this was shot in color - that's how much black and white there is!

Food:

Interesting prompt, spiritually, for me this week. Since yesterday was Yom Kippur. This was my pre-fast meal, broiled salmon steak, roasted red onions, and quinoa with roasted brussel sprouts and leeks. It was a delicious start to a meaningful fast.

Blank Space:

A really cool alley near my apartment, something about it is blank, but at the same time full of amazing lines and angles.

Next chapter

2011-10-07T11:14:00.000-04:00

“On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed: How many shall leave this world and how many shall be born into it, who shall live and who shall die, who shall live out the limit of his days and who shall not." - Una Tana Tokef

Since I was a small child this prayer and the idea of each of our fate's being sealed on Yom Kippur, used to freak me out. I was petrified that I was doomed; for I had been bad, or told on my sister, or lied to my mom, etc etc. I was convinced I wouldn't be written into the book of life for the next year.

This year though, thanks to my mom, I have a new view on this imagery. She suggested that on each Yom Kippur we seal one chapter of our life and move onto a new chapter. It's about letting go of the acts and events of the past year in one's life and moving onto a clean ~~slate~~ chapter for the new year.

I love this notion. Since it's all about your own book you can learn from your past chapters. It's not about wiping the slate totally clean, it's about recalling the mistakes and lessons and learning from them. Using your past chapters to grow in the coming year.

Now, there's no need for me to fear Yom Kippur and my fate. I am in control of this year's chapter. I have the power to learn from last year's chapter. I have the control to fill the blank pages of this new year's chapter my life.

With this in mind, I ask that if I have done anything to hurt or offend any of you, please forgive me.

G'mar chantimah tova, may we be sealed for a good (and sweet) year.

Wawa

2011-10-06T10:02:00.000-04:00

Since leaving NJ I've come to notice that NY and MA are severely lacking in Wawas. And by severely, I mean completely. But, what is a Wawa? Wawa is a convenience store extraordinaire. It is not a 7-11, trust me, it isn't. You can run into a Wawa for a soda, coffee (oh their coffee!), made to order sandwiches, a dozen eggs, a pre-made salad, the list can go on and on.

I grew up knowing where every Wawa in the area was. Now living in NY and MA has a left a Wawa void within me. Seriously, not joking. So, natutaly to fill this void, I took pictures of nearly every Wawa we happened to drive by while in South Jersey back in August.

Margate Wawa

Somers Point Wawa

Marmora Wawa

Other Somers Point Wawa

Egg Harbor Township Wawa

Ventnor Wawa

Oh Wawa, how do I live without thee?

Eleven Months!

2011-10-04T09:11:00.000-04:00

How is it October 4th? How is Noam 11 (11!) months old? How can it possibly be 11 months since he made his spectacular entrance into the world! In some ways I cannot even remember life without this ball of sunshine in our lives and in others last October feels like yesterday.

Suddenly, Mr. Noam is more like a little boy than a small infant. He fills out his car seat, no longer bundled up in a little ball. He's babbling, he's moving and shaking, he's waving, he's teething, he's nearly walking!

He's so adventurous. I like to think that's a little of my DNA. Nothing is safe when Noam is on the move. He's pulling up on everything, trying to climb out of his walker, and tries to shut the laptop every time we're ichat-ing. Mr. Curious and Mr. Adventure all wrapped into one adorable package.

And he's a school boy! Avi says he's taken to his little class so well and it shows by his 12 hour night sleeps, I wish I could get that much sleep, Noam! Seriously, growing up, even bringing home artwork, I'm so proud!

And his eyes and his smile, they get me every time. Every. Time. He's so contemplative and so expressive. I would love to know what he's thinking and what makes him, him. Such a happy bubbly little fellow, I strive to be as happy as this little man!

And he got to get all dressed up for his first Rosh Hashanah! He looked so dapper in his oxford shirt and dress pants - and not to mention the shoes! He looks so grown up, it's killing me!

Noam, happy 11th month day! I love you something super crazy kiddlet!

Rosh Hashanah (w)Rap-up

2011-10-03T13:38:00.000-04:00

Another Rosh Hashanah come and gone. Another year has begun.

This was a fabulous Rosh Hashanah, a fabulous start to what I hope is a fabulous year to come.

Mom and I had a lovely holiday. We also continued the tradition we started a few years back of finding specially flavored honeys. This year we tried the Pepper - made from the pollen of the pink peppercorn plant, amazing! And our favorite, meadowfoam. Made from the pollen of the marshmellow plant, this honey is heaven sent! The perfect start to a sweet new year.

We had a great time cooking together in my little kitchen. We planned tasty menus of some holiday favorites. For the first night we had stuffed zucchini boats, roasted red onions and peppers, sweet potato fluff, and veggie soup. The second night we had salmon steaks, more roasted red onions, and ginger carrots pancakes. And of course, honey-bee cookies for desert!

But, the holiday isn't all about honey and eating lots of delicious food. I had the pleasure of helping plan the services for my minyan this year. And they were wonderful and meaningful. Warm, welcoming, full of heart and soul, good singing, and good davening.

This really was a meaningful and enjoyable start to 5772. Now onto Yom Kippur and the rest of the fall holidays! Here's to a sweet new year!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: Rosh Hashanah Edition

2011-10-02T07:03:00.000-04:00

Inspired by a movie:

Secret Life of Bees? A tradition we have for Rosh Hashanah is to find unique honey flavors to dip our apples into. This year, pepper honey, a very complex but sweet flavor. And our favorite! The rare, meadowfoam honey. It's honey from the pollen of a marshmellow plant! AMAZING!

Brown:

It wouldn't be Rosh Hashanah without Honey Bee Cookies. A lovely and delicious shade of brown.

Hazy:

It was super hazy and foggy a few mornings ago, and while the web is the focus, I love the hazy mist on the field behind it.

Coffee or Tea:

Eating pomegranate seeds is another tradition. It's said that they should have 613 seeds, the same number as commandments. My favorite tea is a Yogi Pomegranate Green tea, sweet and healthy!

Linger:

Honey, lingering on a spoon. My the sweetness of the new year linger and continue to sweeten our year!

Shana Tova Umetuka

2011-09-28T12:03:00.000-04:00

Tis' the season. The season of new. New beginnings, a new year, and new chances. Every year I sit here before Rosh Hashanah and think. Think about the past year and think about the coming year. I think about what I want to carry with me into the coming year and I think about what I want to leave behind.

This year I have the chance to leave some "stuff" behind in the past year. It's a chance to begin the year anew and fresh. It won't be easy, but I know that entering the new year with this attitude will be good for my soul, good for my psyche. I cannot let this "stuff" get in the way of my finding the sweetness around me.

And at the same time, I have so much sweetness in my life right now that I get to carry into the new year. A wonderful placement, wonderful friends, and sweet supportive family members there for me when I need them most. It may be hard to find the sweetness in life, but I'm taking it upon myself to look for the sweet lining whenever I can this year.

And as this Rosh Hashanah approaches, it marks 3 years since I saw my Bubbe. The sadness I feel surrounding her yarzheit does take away, slightly, from the sweetness of this holiday, but I try to hold onto the sweet memories I have with her. And this year I am using that to help me with my new attitude for the year.

Let go of the negative, embrace the memories, and move into the new year with an open mind and heart.

21 years in the making

2011-09-26T20:37:00.000-04:00

When I was a toddler my mom wrote a story about Rosh Hashanah. She wrote it to help little children understand what this hooplah over a "New Year" was all about. It compared old things and new things to gently and appropriately explain to young minds what and why we celebrating.

That began a new endeavor for my mom of writing her own "big books" for use in her nursery school . She wrote one for pretty much every Jewish holiday, they were illustrated by my sister or from graphics in magazines or coloring pages.

It was always her dream to get them published, which would require redoing the art due to copyright laws. She was never able to nail down an illustrator and her dream stayed a dream.

Quite a few years ago she began writing for Torah Aura Publishers, working with a friend to write weekly reader type materials about the Jewish holidays and values for nursery schools.

Suddenly, my mom's amazing dream for her books was back on the table. She brought them her big books and they agreed to publish the first book, the Rosh Hashanah book. So without further ado I give you an amazing project 21 years in the making. My mom's first book, published, available for purchase and now being used in nursery classrooms as the holiday draws near!

My mom's name on a book! She's published articles and other materials before, but a book! A book she dreamed up and wrote 2 decades ago, one that she never gave up on. I couldn't be more elated for her. This was her dream and she made it a reality. Hopefully her other books will see the same reality and be published soon!

To big books and a sweet new year!! I am so proud of you Ima!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-09-25T07:24:00.000-04:00

Low Key:

Piano anyone? I'm pretty sure those are the low keys, on a toy piano at the local toy shop. Either way, it's keys!

Color Wheel:

These awesome heirloom tomatoes were too good to pass up, eating and photographing!

Circle:

Totally not what I thought I'd do, but love this one! This is an old closed down movie theater that I pass on my walk to my school every morning. Someone apparently bought it and it's going to be developed soon, but my mom remembers this theater from the time she spent living in Boston!

Scarf:

Blog, meet Humphry. Avi made him this scarf with the yarn she had leftover after making me a scarf a few years back. It suits him very well.

Phone:

I used to play with this phone as a little kid and love that they are still making it, kuddos to Fischer Price for making sure kids know what a rotary phone is! So vintage editing for a now vintage phone!

A plus...

2011-09-22T06:33:00.000-04:00

...to being a teacher is getting paid (okay, not this year, but hopefully beginning next year) to spend my days with kids and getting to cut, glue, and create!

The kids have been making construction paper self-portraits all week and I joined in the fun on Tuesday. It felt so therapeutic to be creating and being able to just chat with my students as they created their portraits as well!

Street Art

2011-09-20T12:59:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, as I was heading back towards the T after my afternoon at the Ahts Festival I came across a group of street performers. Down at Quincy Market there are tons of performers; from dancers to dare devils, and musicians.

This group was amazing, it was a group of five men and they mixed humor with insane dance moves, they were just amazing!

They really had the crowd going. They kept making jokes at themselves and the crowd. They wouldn't begin performing until they had everyone gathered around their "stage"- they were shouting, "there is nothing to worry about, we're just Black guys dancing!" And dance they did!

Dance, flip, spin, pop, lock, the whole nine yards.

They were just amazing, the crowd grew and grew as they performed. I find these type of dance skills amazing. Plenty of gymnasts can perform like this on mats, but on a sidewalk, kuddos!

Towards the end, they called up some innocent audience members. They had them line up, bend over, and a guy went and flipped over them! Insane! I would have freaked out, but this guy just went flying over them!

It was a great way to end a nice Sunday afternoon out and about in Boston. One of the reasons I love this city, you never know what you'll find!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: Ahts Edition

2011-09-18T07:16:00.002-04:00

Street Photography:

One thing I love about Boston is the old cobble stone streets that are all around the city! This is at Quincy Market, so it's a promenade not a real street, but plenty of actual streets are like this too!

From a Distance:

This was a public art project at the Ahts Festival. Anyone could paint and it will be hung up somewhere in the city. I just loved looking at the mural from this view - and seeing the kids painting from a distance.

Sunday:

Keeping it real. Today, this is the mountain of readings and work I have to tackle. Now that school and classes are in full swing, this is what most Sundays will look like, with the occasional break for football...

Liquid:

When I saw this prompt I instantly thought about blowing glass and the demo at the festival. When glass is being made it's partially a liquid - and glass is often considered a supercooled liquid, rather then a solid. All glass starts in a molten liquid form!

Behind:

I just meant to walk around the mural being painted at the festival, and much to my surprise, people had painted from behind too!

Colors

2011-09-16T12:16:00.000-04:00

True right? I heard one of the little girls in the class describe a marker as strawberry colored and the boy (not being sexist, but what I've noticed working with children) across from her said, "what you mean this plain old red one?"

Just another way we all see the world differently!

Glitter!

2011-09-15T13:02:00.000-04:00

I aspire to be this enthusiastic. And seriously, tape that sticks parents! Tape that sticks!

And best hamster names EVER!