a mother's haiku

no words are as sweet
music to my ringing ears
school is back wednesday

back to school

This past weekend dear husband and I attended my ten year high school reunion. Walking into a room full of adults resembling their former selves was, to say the least, a real trip (one requiring a stiff drink). My graduating class was pretty small, only about 135 kids. The same kids I had grown up with since kindergarten in a cozy (read: nosy) Long Island community. (Note: table nine is a college ba'al teshuvah and attended public high school).

The evening mainly consisted of what I imagine speed-dating must be like: seven and a half minute micro-exchanges mainly focusing on careers, marriage and family (or future plans for the like). Pass the Dramamine.

There were some definite surprises. One former cheerleader revealed to me that she is marrying a rabbinic student (reform), and gushed for nearly 15 minutes about the pleasures of Shabbat observance in Israel. My best friend's fifth grade "ex-boyfriend" (does that count as baggage?) lost what must have been at least 125 lbs. since graduation (think Jared from Subway). And I'll admit it was slightly rewarding to find a particular high school crush now considerably heavier and balding. And wearing a horrible plaid sports coat to boot.

But all in all the truth is that most of the people who wouldn't give me the time of day in the cafeteria turned out to be quite lovely adults. The majority of my classmates grew into polite, (mostly) productive members of society. Many of them lawyers (why am I not surprised?).

However, my husband and I finally realized it was time to go when I found myself picking up a former friend off the bar floor.

But the highlight of my evening wasn't catching up on old school gossip. It wasn't even realizing that the cool kids aren't so cool after all (although rewarding nonetheless), or being told that I seem like I am "really happy in life." The best part of my night was leaving. Yep. Getting back into my boring family car and coming home to my two snoring children with my husband. Ah, home.

High school is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

meme's the word

Yee-ha, I've been tagged (thanks RaggedyMom)! Wow, this is so unexpected. I'd like to thank the academy, my fans, my family and friends, the four people who read my blog... Below are a bunch of things I have (and have not) done thus far in my lifetime. Enjoy learning a little randomness about table nine!

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (Masada anyone?)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise (Is there another way to do a term paper?)
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper (With two kids, is this even a question?!)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne (Table Nine doesn't have much tolerance)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight (Layer cake is a suprisingly good hair conditioner)
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse of the moon
34. Ridden a roller coaster (Barf)
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment (maybe two)
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (Again, Table Nine has no tolerance)
59. Lounged around in bed all day (One word: College)
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater (I wish they had more of them!)
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight (though unfortunately know some who have)
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie (among 30,000 strangers)
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house (Do apartments count?)
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking (on a daily basis)
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth (note: feral cats will continue to reproduce until they are spayed!)
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (too traumatized by my father's hunting)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach (Killed a waterbug with my husband's shoe!)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (actually I just went to my high school ten year this past weekend...stayed tuned!)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts (I can barely figure out HTML)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair (Blue-Black is NOT attractive on a brown freckled girl)
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life (Does a cat count?)

toy mountain

Growing up, my husband and his brother shared the smaller of two bedrooms in a cozy, Queens apartment. Due to space limitations, most of their belongings were either closeted or relegated into piles. One such accumulation, lovingly dubbed "toy mountain," bore the most coveted of childhood booty: G.I. Joe's, Transformers, He-Man and his arch nemesis, Skeletor. Over the years the stockpile has dwindled, lending it's contents to younger relatives' toy baskets and Salvation Army bins. But from time to time, my husband still waxes nostalgic over that tall mound of goodies in the corner of his bedroom.

In our apartment, our daughter has created her own "toy mountain," so to speak. It similarly rests in a corner, though one demonstrably more noticeable in our living room. While I've provided D with a basket to contain her treasures, the majority of toys usually find themselves in it's vicinity, but rarely within.

Lately it seems mountains are popping up everywhere in our home. We have Shoe Mountain at the top of the stairs, Laundry Mountain on the living room chair (do we really go through this many clothes?!), Ziploc Mountain (mainly of the sandwich and freezer varieties) under the kitchen sink...the list goes on.

I'm a big believer in everything has its place. The problem is that with just 825 square feet, we simply don't have enough places. And so there are always shirts without drawers, shoes without a closet, and toys without boxes. Amazingly, I can almost always find what I am looking for in our "organized" mess. But still, its too chaotic for comfort.

I know I shouldn't complain. We are certainly lucky to be home owners (or rather apartment owners). But I still can't help but dream of the day when a drawer or two sits empty, collecting dust.

Perhaps one day our children will reminisce together about their own "toy mountain" in our old two bedroom. Until then, as the saying goes, Bless This Mess.

some things are better left unsold

I’ll admit it. I’m addicted to Craig’s List. Addicted. Staying up until 1:30am, promising to sign offline in just five more minutes addicted. Oh, granted I’ve never purchased anything there, and most likely I never will. So why do I sit up alone as dawn approaches, my darling husband snoring soundly on the couch next to me, with 2 children under 3 waking in just hours? Good question. Perhaps it’s a bit like a car accident – you just can’t help but look. Who knows.

What I do know is that most of the people who post on my virtual vice are two tacos short of a combination plate. People will sell just about anything on Craig’s List, short of their own children (although I once did see a nanny up for bid). While I can almost suspend my disbelief and go along with the majority of postings, there are a few that go beyond my realm of comprehension such as, but not limited to toddler potties, “gently used” nursing, er, paraphernalia, formula that expires in 4 days…The list goes on.

I’m sorry. Sell your children’s old toys, sell their outgrown clothes. Sell your unopened (and hopefully far from mealy worm-infested) cases of Enfamil and the 33 boxes of sidewalk chalk your daughter bought at her elementary school fundraiser (I couldn’t even make that up if I tried). But people, please, please, when it comes to items such as those listed, take a deep breath, and just THROW IT AWAY. Some things just aren’t meant to be shared.

Perhaps then I can, {yawn}, once again get a decent night’s sleep.

hello my name is...

I always hated the first day of camp. Motion sickness from a turbulent bus ride, shlepping my overstuffed duffel bag up "the hill" (standard in the sleep-away world), deliberating over who gets top bunk privilege. But the worst part of that long day was the dreaded mixer. Always some lame-o game involving the last name of my first grade teacher, a roll of toilet paper or my favorite ice cream flavor. Snore. I didn't need to meet any more kids. I could've told you who my friends were going to be for the remainder of that summer by the brand of jean shorts they were wearing. Trust me, it wasn't the cool ones.

I got flashbacks of those sticky June days two years ago when I was asked to come up with an icebreaker for my fifth grade hebrew school class at the beginning of the year. I realized how corny my own summer counselors must have felt when they were forced to seperate my bunkmates and me into groups according to our astrological sign, where we would then disclose the third letter of our first pet's name.

So, here I am again, being faced with the challenge of an introducing myself to a (virtual) room full of strangers. I could toss you a bean bag and ask you to tell me how many sisters you have. We could play Mad Libs and have a tension easing laugh together. I could ask you to write a letter detailing what you are hoping to get out of this blog.

Or, I guess I could just take a deep breath, stand up straight (like you'd know the difference), and tell you a little bit about my online (and offline) self.

Phew. Okay, here goes.

My darling husband and I live with our two darling children, ages 3 months (our little boy) and almost 3 years (our big girl), respectively, in our darling (read: 825 square feet - ouch, its tight!) 2 bedroom apt. BG attends nursery school, while I stay home to take care of LB during the day. I have one older brother, but I always secretly wanted a sister too. Interests? Hmmm...that's a tough one. I love to cook (kosher, gluten-free cuisine), and much to our bank account's dismay, shop. Target is a girl's worst enemy. But I digress.

And now, my friend, I pass the bean bag along to you. Participation is optional, but encouraged. Besides, maybe this time you'll befriend one of the cool kids (who am I kidding).

Oh, and by the way, the third letter of my first pet's name was R. Just in case you were wondering.