Summer Fun

Summer fun? Riiiight. For me it's school and studying. Except for the project I did for my mom today. She bequeathed to me a business that she owned back when I was in middle school, since she hadn't really done anything with it since my father passed away. The business is called Names Unlimited, and I make personalized pictures. My mother ordered the one below for a new cousin.

My website isn't nearly finished, but you can at least peruse the different pictures by name. For example, this one is the Little Boy with Train. I just thought I'd share with you something crafty that I do. :-)

Cutest Baby Ever

I finally figured out the reason Tzipora had been activating the pull cord on her bouncy seat with her feet rather than her hands. (You'll see what I mean in the pictures below...it's a ring attached to a lion that plays music when you pull the ring.) Anyway, this is something Dovid had figured out - to use his hands to pull the cord - when he was like 4 months old, and I realized that Tzipora just couldn't reach because the bar had been bent out of shape a bit. I knew that the cords looked really far away, but I hadn't realized that the bar was bent out of shape and could be moved back. So I bent it back, and BOY WAS SHE HAPPY ABOUT IT!! :-) Now she can reach with her hands, which she did immediately. You can see below that I have the cutest baby in the whole world...and I'm not biased one bit. (Click on each picture for a larger version)

Rolling Over

Guess who rolled over from back to front for the first time today... Yup,it's Tzipora! She did it twice...both times when I was out of the room. Hopefully she won't start sleeping on her belly now...

2 Fandango Movie Tickets for $9

Anyone out there planning to see Harry Potter next month? How about going to the movies and still having enough money left over to grab some popcorn?

LivingSocial's deal today is 2 movie tickets for $9!! That's a flipping steal for these days (when many tickets are $15+ for just one person). So go and see a movie, take a friend and have a great time! Just click here and enjoy!

Shalom

For those of you who don't know what the Hebrew word shalom means, I'll explain it. Shalom literally means peace, although many people use it as "hello" or "goodbye," since you're basically wishing that person to have peace. Ever heard someone say "peace out" as a goodbye? Well this is the same idea.

In any case, I bring this up because I have been offered the proverbial olive branch by the family. They want shalom. They're not angry with me and hope I won't be angry with them any longer...and I think I can do that. All I wanted was to be appreciated and for my feelings to be recognized, and by this I think they get that. Now hopefully we'll be able to go back to how we were before things got out of control. I really, really hope so, because all this stress isn't good for anyone involved.

And on some completely unrelated topics...

The twins are now sleeping in toddler beds! Tonight we made the decision to take the railings off of their cribs because Chana was starting to try to climb out of her crib and we didn't want an accident. We installed a gate over their doorway so they can't get out, and we toddler-proofed their room as best we could. We plugged in the video monitor that my sister gave us for Chanukkah this past year so we can hear and see them, just in case they wake up before we do. Most likely that won't happen, but you never know. They were a bit cranky when they first realized that the railing was gone, but by the time the lights were out, they were mostly ok and Chana climbed right in.

Tzipora started laughing about a week or so ago, and it's so cute. She doesn't do it often, but if you tickle her chin/neck sometimes she'll give you a giggle. What a sweetie!! But she's still not growing as much as the doctor wants her to, and they're urging me to supplement with formula. I'm trying to only supplement her with the milk I pump and so far I haven't needed to pull out the formula. We'll see how this goes! We have another weigh-in in two weeks. *sigh*

I start school tomorrow. YIKES!!! Wish me luck for Microbiology this summer and a continuation of my straight A's. :-D

I have a special note to Auntie Beh who got injured while attacking the weeds outside Mom's house the other day. We hope that the doctor can de-thorn your "paw" and that you stop injuring yourself. :-) (Sorry, but when Shmuel told me you got a thorn in your hand it gave me a picture in my head of a dog or a bear with a thorn in its paw.)

I'm Angry and Depressed...

I'm Angry and Depressed...

because no one would listen to me, and therefore a huge deal was made out of absolutely nothing.

because lashon hara was spread about me that was a lie.

for being blamed for something that was not my idea, my fault or my intention.

because my motives were completely pure.

because I feel (and others who I've talked to feel) that I did absolutely nothing wrong, even if others have misinterpreted my actions.

because some 60-year-old document is apparently more important than my feelings and all the good I do in my home.

because whatever was written in the document was not my fault in the least. I had no idea what was written there before I saw it, and I thought no one else knew as well.

because I called with the document expecting accolades for finding it, and instead I received a virtual slap in the face.

because I feel I should have received an apology saying that they were wrong for accusing me of publishing the document to a public website, when I did nothing of the sort. The document was ALREADY PUBLIC and I put it on a PRIVATE website.

because I’ve been picked on incessantly since Pesach.

because I don’t appreciate people second guessing my decisions about my own children and trying to run my life.

because they think they know what’s best for me.

because apparently being on the computer after going to school, getting all A's, going shopping for food and nursing the baby makes me lazy.

because they expect me not to talk about my feelings to my friends. I make sure everything is completely anonymous – NEVER lashon hara.

And the moral of the story is...

Please listen when someone is trying to tell you something! Read their emails in full and digest what they have to say. Take their calls and speak without arguing. Listen to what's being said, mull it over and then respond. No yelling, accusing or talking over the other person. And always return their phone calls. If they're calling, they obviously have something important to tell you.

Even if you don't think that what they have to say is important...most likely what they're trying to tell you is very important.

Even if you don't think what they'll tell you will change your mind...you just might be surprised with what they have to say, especially when they know exactly what the situation is and you are coming in as an outsider.

Try not to react (or overreact) to a situation without full knowledge of what's going on.

Always ask why! (Why did I send the document to X's email? Because X's mom said I should when I asked her. Why did I post the document to the website? Because I wanted the cousins to be able to see it. Why did I go looking for it in the first place? Because the cousins asked me to.) The answers might just explain the entire situation and make you go "Oh, ok! Nevermind, then."

Don't make judgments about people you don't know.

And, most importantly, don't ever speak lashon hara about anyone else. Even if if you think you're telling the truth, it still could be a lie. When in doubt, ask a rabbi and have the rabbi speak to the other party as well to get the full picture of the situation. If the rabbi only gets it from one ear, then he'll have a biased opinion and answer.

Thank You

Thanks to all of the commenters for supporting me. That's why I have this blog, for support. Writing in a private journal is one thing, but a private journal can't give you a hug and tell you that you're right for feeling this way and that others are really being unrealistic and irrational. I've had requests from the previous parties mentioned to stop posting about the family, but I cannot and will not withhold my feelings from supportive parties. Yes, I get great support from my mom and my husband, but I need friend support as well, especially when things get really rough around here. I made a point not to use names or even to disclose what side of the family is causing this. Could be anyone, really! Could be first cousins, second cousins, or third cousins even! But I will not let anyone else tell me what to do or how to run my life. When I was told "get rid of your nanny," I put my foot down and said no. When I was told "get rid of that document," I acquiesced even though it was pointless, just to make them stop badgering me. (Didn't work...still got badgered!) When I'm told "stop posting about the family," I say don't read my blog if you don't want to know how I'm feeling. You don't read and absorb my emails, so why bother reading my blog? The point didn't get across in either way...

Anyways, I appreciate so very much the support from you guys but I would appreciate no name calling of my family in your comments. As angry as I am at them and especially knowing that they do read my blog, I can imagine it would really hurt their feelings to see some of the things you guys have called them. Thanks a million! The comments are like virtual hugs, and I need a lot of them right now.

The plus side is that all of this stress is causing me to lose weight...over 2 lbs in the last few days!