My Day
I know why you read blogs. You want to delve into the day to day minutae of others' lives, to break up your own. So here is the way I spent my day. I am neither being positive, nor negative.
7:06 After having slept with one eye open and one leg off my bed since 1:30AM, I roll over and wake up my four year old sharing a pillow with me.
7:40 Leave the house with Spaghetti and Meatballs - our 7 year old's lovebirds - in their cage to bring to said son's school for his Teva (Nature) class. It's raining.
7:45 Arrive at school and carry cage in to classroom. No teacher there yet, but there are 5 curious students in there.
7:55 Toss daughter out of car at her Gan so I don't have to get out again in the rain. She comes back to the car and says, "You forgot my umbrella, Mommy." Really.
8:12 Arrive at house worried that the service guy has come and gone. He said he'd be there between 8 and 10. I tear down note Air has left in Hebrew for service guy. At least I get a chuckle.
9:45 Service guy calls to say he'll be here in 20 minutes. I look at the clock and wonder what this means in Israel.
9:55 Second Grader calls from his cell to tell me I forgot to give him his 10 o'clock meal. I look and it's on the table. I tell him I can't bring it right now, but I will try to get it to him after service guy leaves.
10:15 Service guy arrives and works on fridge. He's very nice but complains it's too hot in here. It occurs to me that people who liv in this climate are unhappy no matter what in the winter. Outside at 50 degrees it's "freezing" and inside they refuse to turn on the heat. Interesting.
10:47 It's still raining. We both leave and I run to bring my son the meal he has forgotten, the bank to pick up my checks, the Iriya to spend them, and to the supermarket to buy out their supply of apple juice, apple sauce, and red and green apples. Note the consistency of my children's eating habits. At the Iriya I find out that I have not yet paid for something called "Mazganim" at my kids schools. I ask what it is, and the very patient lady behind the desk rolls her eyes and says, "air condition." I have no idea what she's talking about, and she tells me that everyone pays it, and I have to pay it, too. It's some kind of tax for having the kids sit in air condintioned classrooms in the summer months and heated classrooms in the winter. But....see 10:15. I pay it with a smile. I think about tuition in the US.
1:14 I arrive early at Gan and have a chance to ask one of my English-speaking friends who moved here at age 9 what the story is with this Mazganim. She pointed to the Gan and said, "I hope you didn't pay for the Mazganim here. It's a very old building. Nobody pays here." I just smile and nod. It was a whole 72 NIS for the year. It's OK, I tell myself, as I think about real tuition. It's still raining.
1:41 I pull up to Second Grader's building and ask the guard if two birds in a cage have left yet. I call out to playdate of SG and tell him to meet me at the corner. "Where???" Where you see Second Grader and a cage with birds. It's raining on the birds, and SG asks me, "Why are you so late?" Ooooh boy.
1:47-3:33 Too much to tell about playdate. Let's just say I love my own children. I know what to expect from them, and they know me pretty well. They know I hate balloons and repetitive noises, they know I like them to use a fork at lunch and they know not to put wet shoes on the white upholstery. Enough said. Play date announces he doesn't play games or toys. He only watches TV. SG and I look at each other, speechless. I serve a hot, Fleischig lunch and then sit down to eat when they are finished. I can't eat, and look at an eating kid I didn't raise, at the same time. Does this make sense to anyone?
2:30 Fifth Grader calls from his cell phone to tell me his playdate is moved to his friend's house instead of here. I dance a little. Might be my only exercise for the day.
3:33 I start laundry. I actually like to do the laundry. The machines are on the same floor as the clothes.
4:00 Play date for youngest is supposed to start, but I hate to wake the Princess from her nap because she had some trouble sleeping last night.
4:50 It's still raining and I drive youngest to her playdate a block away, but because of construction, have to drive six blocks to get there. I ask SG to separate his laundry while am gone.
5:05 SG has not separated laundry and is playing Gameboy. Sigh. Says he thought I meant to pick up laundry thrown onto the floor and put into basket.
5:55 Oldest would like to be picked up because it's still raining. I tell him Daddy will be home in a few minutes and will pick him up. I call playdate hostess of youngest and tell her to hold steady till the Daddy comes.
6:20 Air comes in and does an entire house search for the car keys, and I worry I have left them in the car. After a few panicky minutes, Air realizes he has them in his pocket. He needs to get more sleep.
6:45 That's now. Air is home. Have a good night.
7:06 After having slept with one eye open and one leg off my bed since 1:30AM, I roll over and wake up my four year old sharing a pillow with me.
7:40 Leave the house with Spaghetti and Meatballs - our 7 year old's lovebirds - in their cage to bring to said son's school for his Teva (Nature) class. It's raining.
7:45 Arrive at school and carry cage in to classroom. No teacher there yet, but there are 5 curious students in there.
7:55 Toss daughter out of car at her Gan so I don't have to get out again in the rain. She comes back to the car and says, "You forgot my umbrella, Mommy." Really.
8:12 Arrive at house worried that the service guy has come and gone. He said he'd be there between 8 and 10. I tear down note Air has left in Hebrew for service guy. At least I get a chuckle.
9:45 Service guy calls to say he'll be here in 20 minutes. I look at the clock and wonder what this means in Israel.
9:55 Second Grader calls from his cell to tell me I forgot to give him his 10 o'clock meal. I look and it's on the table. I tell him I can't bring it right now, but I will try to get it to him after service guy leaves.
10:15 Service guy arrives and works on fridge. He's very nice but complains it's too hot in here. It occurs to me that people who liv in this climate are unhappy no matter what in the winter. Outside at 50 degrees it's "freezing" and inside they refuse to turn on the heat. Interesting.
10:47 It's still raining. We both leave and I run to bring my son the meal he has forgotten, the bank to pick up my checks, the Iriya to spend them, and to the supermarket to buy out their supply of apple juice, apple sauce, and red and green apples. Note the consistency of my children's eating habits. At the Iriya I find out that I have not yet paid for something called "Mazganim" at my kids schools. I ask what it is, and the very patient lady behind the desk rolls her eyes and says, "air condition." I have no idea what she's talking about, and she tells me that everyone pays it, and I have to pay it, too. It's some kind of tax for having the kids sit in air condintioned classrooms in the summer months and heated classrooms in the winter. But....see 10:15. I pay it with a smile. I think about tuition in the US.
1:14 I arrive early at Gan and have a chance to ask one of my English-speaking friends who moved here at age 9 what the story is with this Mazganim. She pointed to the Gan and said, "I hope you didn't pay for the Mazganim here. It's a very old building. Nobody pays here." I just smile and nod. It was a whole 72 NIS for the year. It's OK, I tell myself, as I think about real tuition. It's still raining.
1:41 I pull up to Second Grader's building and ask the guard if two birds in a cage have left yet. I call out to playdate of SG and tell him to meet me at the corner. "Where???" Where you see Second Grader and a cage with birds. It's raining on the birds, and SG asks me, "Why are you so late?" Ooooh boy.
1:47-3:33 Too much to tell about playdate. Let's just say I love my own children. I know what to expect from them, and they know me pretty well. They know I hate balloons and repetitive noises, they know I like them to use a fork at lunch and they know not to put wet shoes on the white upholstery. Enough said. Play date announces he doesn't play games or toys. He only watches TV. SG and I look at each other, speechless. I serve a hot, Fleischig lunch and then sit down to eat when they are finished. I can't eat, and look at an eating kid I didn't raise, at the same time. Does this make sense to anyone?
2:30 Fifth Grader calls from his cell phone to tell me his playdate is moved to his friend's house instead of here. I dance a little. Might be my only exercise for the day.
3:33 I start laundry. I actually like to do the laundry. The machines are on the same floor as the clothes.
4:00 Play date for youngest is supposed to start, but I hate to wake the Princess from her nap because she had some trouble sleeping last night.
4:50 It's still raining and I drive youngest to her playdate a block away, but because of construction, have to drive six blocks to get there. I ask SG to separate his laundry while am gone.
5:05 SG has not separated laundry and is playing Gameboy. Sigh. Says he thought I meant to pick up laundry thrown onto the floor and put into basket.
5:55 Oldest would like to be picked up because it's still raining. I tell him Daddy will be home in a few minutes and will pick him up. I call playdate hostess of youngest and tell her to hold steady till the Daddy comes.
6:20 Air comes in and does an entire house search for the car keys, and I worry I have left them in the car. After a few panicky minutes, Air realizes he has them in his pocket. He needs to get more sleep.
6:45 That's now. Air is home. Have a good night.
posted by Veev at 10:04 AM
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