Normally for work I like to dress up a little - slacks and a button down shirt or a skirt and a button down shirt. But all these button down shirts require ironing to which I am allergic. My ironing basket is generally in a state of overflow and maybe once in 3 months I get around to knocking it all the head in one go and then it's like Christmas b/c all of a sudden I HAVE MY WARDROBE BACK. But sadly my shirts must be washed which lands them right back in the ironing basket.
So last week I got FED UP with button down shirts and went shopping in search of cute, casual knit tops that don't require ironing but that still look put together enough to wear to work - not the "schlumpy look", as I call it.
There is a store called Tamnoon (which in Hebrew means "octopus") in the mall here that my daughter and I both like for cute, casual, conservative tops. All the stores are having end of season sales now (how come the stores have end of season sales when the season just started??) so they had a section of 2 tops for 100 NIS, another with 3 for 100 NIS and another with 4 for 100 NIS. I came home with 6 really cute tops - good for home or work - so I was happy.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
School update.....
My ex and I had that long talk Weds. morning. I felt a bit better after it even though he was saying we should fight to keep her at GW.
So then I get a call yesterday (Thursday) at work from T. She sounded awful. She said her Dad turned up at her school late Weds. night. He brought food and they talked. She said, "Ima, he tried for AN HOUR to convince me to stay here. I kept telling him 'no, Abba, no, I don't want, no, no". He doesn't listen. What's his PROBLEM? He's so annoying!" She's totally had it with him but is too polite to let fly and give him a piece of her mind. She said he said, "You have friends here and there's a swimming pool....." She told him, "And a swimming pool is going to help me study next year????" THAT'S MY GIRL! After she told me how their conversation went my heart was in my toes. I told her to keep pestering him - sms's, phone calls - every day and I promised her that I would try again to speak to him late that night which I did.
Before I made the call I was thinking, "OK. What can I say that I haven't already said?" Then I had a wicked idea.
I phoned him up. We were both like "What's up? What's new?" I said, "I just thought you should know that you left your daughter in a very fragile emotional state Wednesday night." He was startled, "What do you mean?" I said, "She is angry, frustrated and very disappointed in you and you left her feeling that you were belittling her choice, her desires and that she hadn't been heard."
Him: "All I did was talk to her. What. I'm not allowed to speak to my own daughter? Yes, I tried to convince her to stay but that's not a crime."
Me: "No. That's all fine. But she felt you didn't hear her side. She feels that you are going to try to force her to stay at GW."
Him: "I would never force her to stay in a place where she's suffering. If you ask me, she's depressed because of the Ritalin. I want her to stop taking it NOW. And she's depressed because you forced her to go for these two weeks of summer camp when she doesn't want to be there. If she thinks she'll do better and be happy at WIZO then let her go to WIZO. I can't force her to stay anywhere. I think you should go NOW (10:30 pm) and take her home. You want me to go get her? I'll go right this minute.
Me: "Um. Let me talk to her first and see if she wants to come home or finish the summer camp."
Him: "We don't need their stupid summer camp. It's a waste of her time, they're not really learning anything, the food is terrible and she's bored."
Me: "If T feels the Ritalin is not helping or is harming her she will stop it. And if one of us does go get her tonight or tomorrow morning and brings T home early from the summer camp you DO realize that there's no going back and asking them to keep her next year. And if you are serious about what you're saying then I'm going to expect to receive your agreement that she goes to WIZO in writing. This child has been through enough and I DO NOT want you to change your mind and cause legal problems for her in the middle of the year."
Him: "You have always chosen her schools and I never said anything. I wouldn't do that to her. Just don't come to me next year crying that it's not a good school or that she's going down the wrong path!"
Me: "Don't worry. Wouldn't dream of it."
I have never seen such a quick turnaround! MEN!
After I hung up with him, I called T and told her the gist. She was HORRIFIED that I'd put it in such terms as "fragile emotional state". She said, "OMG, he probably thinks I'm dying." Me: "Well, when you talk to him in the morning you can reassure him that you're not." I told her drastic means require drastic measures. And it looks like it worked! I need him to sign something fast before he changes his mind.
That is my project for this week.
What a rollercoaster ride!
So then I get a call yesterday (Thursday) at work from T. She sounded awful. She said her Dad turned up at her school late Weds. night. He brought food and they talked. She said, "Ima, he tried for AN HOUR to convince me to stay here. I kept telling him 'no, Abba, no, I don't want, no, no". He doesn't listen. What's his PROBLEM? He's so annoying!" She's totally had it with him but is too polite to let fly and give him a piece of her mind. She said he said, "You have friends here and there's a swimming pool....." She told him, "And a swimming pool is going to help me study next year????" THAT'S MY GIRL! After she told me how their conversation went my heart was in my toes. I told her to keep pestering him - sms's, phone calls - every day and I promised her that I would try again to speak to him late that night which I did.
Before I made the call I was thinking, "OK. What can I say that I haven't already said?" Then I had a wicked idea.
I phoned him up. We were both like "What's up? What's new?" I said, "I just thought you should know that you left your daughter in a very fragile emotional state Wednesday night." He was startled, "What do you mean?" I said, "She is angry, frustrated and very disappointed in you and you left her feeling that you were belittling her choice, her desires and that she hadn't been heard."
Him: "All I did was talk to her. What. I'm not allowed to speak to my own daughter? Yes, I tried to convince her to stay but that's not a crime."
Me: "No. That's all fine. But she felt you didn't hear her side. She feels that you are going to try to force her to stay at GW."
Him: "I would never force her to stay in a place where she's suffering. If you ask me, she's depressed because of the Ritalin. I want her to stop taking it NOW. And she's depressed because you forced her to go for these two weeks of summer camp when she doesn't want to be there. If she thinks she'll do better and be happy at WIZO then let her go to WIZO. I can't force her to stay anywhere. I think you should go NOW (10:30 pm) and take her home. You want me to go get her? I'll go right this minute.
Me: "Um. Let me talk to her first and see if she wants to come home or finish the summer camp."
Him: "We don't need their stupid summer camp. It's a waste of her time, they're not really learning anything, the food is terrible and she's bored."
Me: "If T feels the Ritalin is not helping or is harming her she will stop it. And if one of us does go get her tonight or tomorrow morning and brings T home early from the summer camp you DO realize that there's no going back and asking them to keep her next year. And if you are serious about what you're saying then I'm going to expect to receive your agreement that she goes to WIZO in writing. This child has been through enough and I DO NOT want you to change your mind and cause legal problems for her in the middle of the year."
Him: "You have always chosen her schools and I never said anything. I wouldn't do that to her. Just don't come to me next year crying that it's not a good school or that she's going down the wrong path!"
Me: "Don't worry. Wouldn't dream of it."
I have never seen such a quick turnaround! MEN!
After I hung up with him, I called T and told her the gist. She was HORRIFIED that I'd put it in such terms as "fragile emotional state". She said, "OMG, he probably thinks I'm dying." Me: "Well, when you talk to him in the morning you can reassure him that you're not." I told her drastic means require drastic measures. And it looks like it worked! I need him to sign something fast before he changes his mind.
That is my project for this week.
What a rollercoaster ride!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
School issues continued......
T is now back at her school for 2 weeks of "kaytana" (summer camp - extra help in math, english and grammer). Two nights ago she asked me to bring her some clothes and food and things. I went to the school and while I was handing her the things, she gave me a look and said, "I need to talk to you." She said her Dad's wife had just called her and after pretending to be concerned and nice had started in on her about considering going to a non-religious school next year: "What makes you think you'll be able to finish there with a full matriculation? We're a religious family. Me and your father don't agree that you go there! You'll start wearing mini-skirts and find a boyfriend." Etc. Etc. You get the gist. T was crying as she was telling me this. I wouldn't like to say what I felt like doing to my ex's wife at that moment. T said she told her step-mother, "I'm already feeling low and you want to discourage me even more??" Her step-mother said she and T's father are going to "make problems" over me wanting to put T in this non-religious vocational school.
I consulted with an attorney yesterday. He said unless I get formal written consent (which I doubt T's father will give), I could be in a lot of trouble if I put her in the other school. He said if the parents can't agree, then social services should be called in. I told him we don't have time for all that. It's summer. Half the country is on vacation and in the meantime, the schools we've applied to want answers...yes or no. They're not going to hold T's spot for her.
I called my ex yesterday morning at 6:30 am and we talked until 7:45 am! I talked him through my thought processes and how I came to feel that WIZO was probably the better choice for her at this stage despite it not being a religious school. Bottom line, he thinks he and I both need to go into GW (the religious school she was in this year) and convince them to let her stay. I told him if I thought that was what she wanted, I would have no problem doing that. But to convince them to let her stay and then watch her fail or be on the bottom of the pile academically and suffer from low-self-esteem b/c of it.........when she could study a vocation she enjoys and that she'd be good at - THAT is what motivates kids.
He was saying she should stay where she is and HE will come help her study (like he has time!), or he will pay someone to help her study (he claims he doesn't have money for child support so where is he getting money for private lessons all of a sudden?). (He also said he was a terrible student as well and look, he turned out a LAWYER and if he can then so can she. THAT sounds to me an awful lot like his ego talking.) It's all bullshit but I didn't say anything. Bottom line, I told him, "Right now, nothing is finalized either way. I'm waiting for T to finish these two weeks of "summer camp" at her school and then the three of us can talk again. I want to hear from her how she feels about it all, where she would prefer to be, what SHE wants and then we will decide." I told him that whether he likes it or not, T isn't 2 anymore and has ideas and opinions of her own and anything that is forced on her - whether it be staying where she is or him bringing her to live with him and enrolling her near him - is not going to be met with much, if any, cooperation from her.
The saga continues......
I consulted with an attorney yesterday. He said unless I get formal written consent (which I doubt T's father will give), I could be in a lot of trouble if I put her in the other school. He said if the parents can't agree, then social services should be called in. I told him we don't have time for all that. It's summer. Half the country is on vacation and in the meantime, the schools we've applied to want answers...yes or no. They're not going to hold T's spot for her.
I called my ex yesterday morning at 6:30 am and we talked until 7:45 am! I talked him through my thought processes and how I came to feel that WIZO was probably the better choice for her at this stage despite it not being a religious school. Bottom line, he thinks he and I both need to go into GW (the religious school she was in this year) and convince them to let her stay. I told him if I thought that was what she wanted, I would have no problem doing that. But to convince them to let her stay and then watch her fail or be on the bottom of the pile academically and suffer from low-self-esteem b/c of it.........when she could study a vocation she enjoys and that she'd be good at - THAT is what motivates kids.
He was saying she should stay where she is and HE will come help her study (like he has time!), or he will pay someone to help her study (he claims he doesn't have money for child support so where is he getting money for private lessons all of a sudden?). (He also said he was a terrible student as well and look, he turned out a LAWYER and if he can then so can she. THAT sounds to me an awful lot like his ego talking.) It's all bullshit but I didn't say anything. Bottom line, I told him, "Right now, nothing is finalized either way. I'm waiting for T to finish these two weeks of "summer camp" at her school and then the three of us can talk again. I want to hear from her how she feels about it all, where she would prefer to be, what SHE wants and then we will decide." I told him that whether he likes it or not, T isn't 2 anymore and has ideas and opinions of her own and anything that is forced on her - whether it be staying where she is or him bringing her to live with him and enrolling her near him - is not going to be met with much, if any, cooperation from her.
The saga continues......
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
For All the Moms with Summertime Blues
Is it the Mom's with "summertime blues"? Or the kids? I dunno. ANYWAY. Here's an excellent site I found with FREE educational movies on a variety of topics and also educational songs - VERY cute! - also on a variety of topics. I know from experience with my kids that they learn best whenever anything is set to music.
http://www.kidsknowit.com/interactive-educational-movies/index.php
http://www.kidsknowit.com/interactive-educational-movies/index.php
Healthy Snack
Since I hate to cook nor do I have time to, I am always looking for fast and easy kid-friendly snacks that take as close to ZERO prep time as possible.
Here is one that my Mom used to make for us and that I make for my kids from time to time. I enjoy these just as much as the kids.
2 cans chick peas
soy sauce
sweet paprika
Spread the chick peas one layer thick on a baking sheet. Pour the soy sauce liberally over them (1/3 of the chick peas should be sitting in soy sauce) and sprinkle the paprika over them too (not too much). Bake for approx. 20 minutes in the oven on the lowest setting and stir them/turn them over once or twice during that time. You don't want them to come out crunchy unless you like them that way. You just want to heat them through and give them time to absorb the soy sauce. I also sometimes sprinkle garlic powder over them in addition to the paprika. It's easy, quick, relatively healthy and sugar free.
If anyone else has fast snack ideas that involve little or no prep time and no sugar, I'd be happy to hear.
Here is one that my Mom used to make for us and that I make for my kids from time to time. I enjoy these just as much as the kids.
2 cans chick peas
soy sauce
sweet paprika
Spread the chick peas one layer thick on a baking sheet. Pour the soy sauce liberally over them (1/3 of the chick peas should be sitting in soy sauce) and sprinkle the paprika over them too (not too much). Bake for approx. 20 minutes in the oven on the lowest setting and stir them/turn them over once or twice during that time. You don't want them to come out crunchy unless you like them that way. You just want to heat them through and give them time to absorb the soy sauce. I also sometimes sprinkle garlic powder over them in addition to the paprika. It's easy, quick, relatively healthy and sugar free.
If anyone else has fast snack ideas that involve little or no prep time and no sugar, I'd be happy to hear.
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