Lizrael Update

Tag: kids

  • By the time he’s older, neither will matter.

    Nerdy fact: My kid had an email address – nay, two email addresses – over a year before he had an American social security number. To file my American taxes, I realized I needed – and didn’t have – Koala’s social security number. You’re actually supposed to just apply for it while getting the Consular…

  • Koala update: Fifteen months.

    Toddler. Tired. Tantrum. This koala update is brought to you by the letter ‘T.’ He walk-runs. He reaches tabletops. He knows what he wants and he will damn well tell you. Also, don’t bother feeding him. He will feed himself, thankyouverymuch. With a fork. And a spoon. Simultaneously. Language is getting fun. Not only does he…

  • Lemonade stand.

    Walking in Jerusalem today, on HaPalmach street, I spotted a 6ish year old boy operating… a lemonade stand (!) Did you grow up in the 80s? I remember having ‘computer class’ in elementary school, which meant playing Lemonade Stand on an Apple II or Commodore 64 for 45 minutes while the teacher read a book. This…

  • Reliving Sesame Street.

    One of the best re-giftings I’ve ever gotten was being able to watch Sesame Street all over again, as much as I want, from now until my last kid turns to me and says, “Ma, c’mon, I’m too old for Sesame Street,” as he walks out the door for first year of army service.

  • Being a kid all over again.

    I don’t think I ever really stopped being a kid. There are a few things I always held on to: the covered slide, Disney movies, fruit snacks. Ok, who am I kidding… there are about 20875691346 things I never let go of to become an adult. Anyway, having a kid is a 24/7 excuse to…

  • My travel agent’s words of wisdom.

    Today my travel agent (la di da) and I were commiserating over traveling cross-Atlantic with kids. Can I get a hell, yeah? She had some words of wisdom; not necessarily advice but an appropriate sentiment I had not been able to express until she mentioned it: Flying with children is like giving birth – it…

  • Koala update: Fourteen months.

    Word of the month: cheeky. Looks like Koala has started conquering the Big Three… climbing, walking, speaking. The climbing must be something he’s known to do for a while; I just never let him go up the stairs in the apartment until this week. But he managed stairs a couple weeks ago at a friend’s…

  • Petting zoo don'ts.

    You know what’s always fun? Zoos. We took Koala to Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo on erev Shavuot to meet the animals, just like Curious George in that version of the book where he pretty much gets rewarded for feeding the animals when he wasn’t supposed to and I never really understood that, considering you’re supposed to…

  • Motherhood inferiority complex.

    More than once I’ve been told I’m a pretty laid-back first-time mom. I think when I got pregnant, I became so overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of what I was about to do and I kinda just let go of trying to even attempt to control the situation. I’ve just been able to take one…

  • The Jewish State of education.

    I feel a parental rite of passage has been reached tonight: next year’s daycare decisions. And so I begin the rant that I know others have had and yet here I am, new parent, new experiences, joining the fray. Someone explain this to me: This is a family-friendly country. Walk anywhere and easily spot a…

  • On kids, memorials, and what brings them together.

    So it’s come to this: I go to Holocaust memorial services in Israel and all I can think about is how my kids may turn out in this culture. Well, in the first place, I have yet to be impressed by an Israeli-made Holocaust memorial service. They’ve lacked intensity, empathy and authenticity so far. It…