:)

Hee hee!!

So Quiet!!

Who knew that sending one kid off to camp could make such a big difference?

Bad Hair Day?

My Kids Are Too Tall!

Am spending the night tonight letting down hems so that I can lengthen skirts for my girls. I think I needed shorter kids!

Oh Ye of Eastern European Descent

I gave you more than enough time. Not one of you picked up on this.

Anything look bizarre about this picture?

Can't Make This Up: Part II

So Baby Rant calls the couch. Don't know if I would have slept there, but I wasn't gonna complain. What else was I gonna do with her? Rant Jr. decides to sleep in his garment bag.

But that still leaves Uncle Rant and me with bare mattresses that have been slept on by I-have-no-idea-who. Mind you, they looked fairly new and fresh, but am I really going to sleep on that mattress??? Ugh, no!

So I'm figuring, I'm gonna layer clothing all over the mattress. And B'H, we have raincoats, which are great, as long as we don't need to wear them outside. I open up my big black poncho, which is essentially a huge circle, rubberized on one side and B'H, cloth on the other side. That covers half my bed. My long denim skirt. A few assorted shirts. Two black zip up's rolled up together for my pillow. Uncle Rant gets Baby Rant's new GAP sweatshirt for his pillow.

Not great, but certainly more hygienic than the mattress.

And it's the end of the meal when I'm looking at the clear plastic tablecloth when it hits me. Tablecloths.

Got a few from the kitchen and spread them out over the mattresses. (Sh'koyach Uncle A! Great minds think alike!) Now, you have to realize that plastic is slippery. And crinkly. But at least not creepy and disgusting.

I will tell you that Uncle Rant's raincoat did not make an ideal blanket. But still think it was a better choice than the shower curtain, my backup plan.

This was definitely one for the books!!

Can't Make This Up: Part I

So, we're driving up to the Poconos to spend Shabbos at a boy's high school retreat, where Uncle Rant donates lots of his time and energy. For those of you who don't know, road signs in Pennsylvania were put up by drunken Irishmen on St. Patrick's day, after they drink up all the beverages in their local tavern. Wish I had remembered that when I decided we didn't need to take the GPS.

After several detous, we got to our destination, Camp Dora Golding, 15 minutes before Mincha, 50 minutes before licht bentshing. (Early Shabbos, we didn't cut it that close!) As you can imagine, Uncle Rant was not in a good mood. He hates getting lost.

Our accomodations were lovely. A three bedroom bungalow, five beds, with kitchenette, living room, full bathroom and most importantly, air conditioning. Only one thing was missing.

Linen. Last retreat we went to, the Rabbeim were all told to bring linen, but board members were not. They supplied us with everything.

But not this time. Five beds, bare mattresses. No time to run out before Shabbos to get linen.

What would you do???

(For those of you who know what we did, no giving away the answers, please!!)

Drink Up!!

So what do you think? Do we let the kid take a fridge to camp?

On the one hand, if he takes the fridge, in the long run, he'll save money not buying drinks in the canteen. And we can control what he's drinking. He'll be happy to drink water and/or diet soda.

On the other hand, it seems sooooo jappy.

Mogo The Third Warthog: Part II

Before I take this one back to the library, I know you've all been dying to hear what this book was all about. So, without further ado...

Mogo may be the runt of the litter, but he's determined to make in in the tough African savanna. When he and his two brothers are cast out of their burrow in order to make space for a new litter, it's time for each of them to venture out and build a new home and anew life.

But the savanna is full of dangerous predators and Mogo's bossy and lazy older brothers may not have what it takes to survive. On his own, Mogo must learn to battle not just lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs, but also fear and loneliness. Luckily, the friendship of a young baboon who has also been cast out of his community helps Mogo find what he's been looking for: a life not just based on survival, but that relishes the joys of friendship and love.

Time To Cast Your Vote!

So what do you think.

Have our kids outgrown the traditional summer story? I only have two kids going to camp this summer, one of whom has already told me not to send it to him in camp because he won't have time to read it.

Are we perhaps running out of ideas? Getting stale?

Should we quit while we're not too far behind?

(And yes, DG and Tom, I'll send you the old ones if you want, but don't know if you'll like them...)

An Actual Rant. Can You Believe It?

I can tell you in advance exactly how the comments on this one are gonna go. But I won't. That would spoil all the fun.

So, I went to Shul tonight, during Mincha/Maariv to drop off some fruit platters for a Bris tomorrow morning. Why did I go? Because neither of my boys came home before heading to Shul, and I had to get them there somehow. I knew the Shul would be open (duh, they were davening then, weren't they?) and figured I could just run in and out unnoticed.

I figured wrong. Which means I probably should have put on a sheitel and changed out of my Crocs. Whatever.

For starters, there were like 25 cars in the parking lot. And more coming every minute. Constantly guys going in and out. Even my own two missing menfolk were there.

So here's the thing. Every night and every morning, guys have this major social event. I could go an entire week without seeing everyone I know and here guys see a million people twice a day. Major culture shock for me.

Who knew all this was going on every day?

Is Your Fridge Running?

Via cooljew.net

I Love My Brother!

Took this out of the library just because I loved the name.