Weekend Link Love

Photo credit: Daniela Talvitie via RAWR

Dear readers, this is my 64th entry.  I have not missed a single day since I first started, so I am going to take a week-long breather from blogging.  I'll see you again next Monday, rested and revved up!

In Sweden and Finland the children celebrate Easter by dressing up as "Easter witches" and go trick and treating.  How awesome is that?!

Sticking to Passover dietary restrictions is tough but it makes cooking more interesting.  I'll try this over the weekend.  Look at how creative vegan Jews are!

Helpful tips.  Look at #30--that's probably why I don't ever tear up!

I'm absent from photographs lately.  This should help.

Funny!  And I totally relate.

It's okay for kids to be bored.

Some good spring reads I want to get for Levi.

I went out for a couple drinks with my friend Christine who is on the rise.  So proud of her.  She's also the focus of this stunning video by Selby.

Savory Brei

With Passover comes dietary restrictions.  I have two lists on the pantry door in the kitchen: the chametz list and the kitniyot list.  Chametz, which means "leaven," includes the five types of grain: wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt.  Those grains are absolutely, no question about it, forbidden during Passover.  In this gluten-free age, it's not so hard to avoid those five grains.

The kitniyot list is more tricky. Ashkenazic Jews observe this, while Sephardic Jews do not.  Kitniyot, which translates into "small things," are basically foods that could be mistaken for chametz.  This list is quite long and more challenging: legumes, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, rice, corn (this includes ketchup because most ketchups are made with corn syrup!), mustard, peanuts, green beans, and so on.  The list goes on and on.

Yesterday I slathered a hearty helping of Tofutti cream cheese on my matzo cracker.  Then it dawned on me that tofu is made of soybeans.  Legumes!  Oops.  See how tricky this can get?

For breakfast we made savory matzo brei.  Brei is pretty easy to make--the basic recipe calls only for eggs, soaked matzo crackers and butter served with a side of applesauce or maple syrup.

When it comes to cooking, I like to stray from the basic recipe.  Herbs, cheese and onions can make things savory and interesting fast.

3 matzo crackers
2 eggs
salt/pepper
ghee (you could use butter or oil--I just happened to have some ghee on hand)
fresh thyme
1 cup grated cheese (I used mozzarella)
half an onion, diced

Put matzo pieces into a bowl and pour boiling water over the crackers.  Squeeze dry.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs and season to taste with salt and pepper.  

 Heat ghee in skillet; saute onions.

Add softened matzo to the pan and cook for a minute more.  Add eggs, cheese, thyme and cook until done to your liking. Yeah, the skillet I used was a mite too small.  Learn from my mistakes!

Serves two adults and one teething toddler.

The Center

Making Tradition

             

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the seder.  Uncle Jason and Aunt Po were there.  We sat there together, reading the Hagaddah.  When we came to the 10 plagues, Aunt Po shared what her own family did--her uncle made bags for the children with an object for each plague, so when each plague was read out loud, the children had to rummage through their bag to find the appropriate object.  Sunglasses represented darkness.  Adorable.

 Unbeknowst to Levi, Uncle Jason broke off a piece of matzo, wrapped it in a towel and hid it.

After the seder ended Uncle Jason asked Levi, "Where's the matzo?"  

Levi wondered.  Where, indeed?

 Tradition has it that children search for the afikomen (piece of broken matzo taken from the seder).  Some are paid a handsome reward upon finding the afikomen.

Watching this made me think about how traditions are made.

We're a new family unit.  Douglas, Levi and me.  Two out of three people in this family are new Jews--one convert, one recently born.  For almost a decade I partook in the traditions of Douglas' family during each holiday, watching and learning.  For a few years I studied Judaism and visited Israel the summer before I completed my conversion.

With Levi here, I am more acutely aware that our new little family unit is in its formative years.  With the arrival of a little Jewish person, we have the responsibility of making holidays personal and meaningful.  Traditions are handed down from generation to generation, tweaked to meld with each household and the times.  That is going to be the basis of our celebrations.  

I look forward to the years of family and sharing and remembering.

What is your favorite Passover tradition?  How do you make a Passover seder meaningful and memorable for your child?

List #13: Boston

Photo Credit: Dana Wentzel

Over the weekend we stayed in Boston with friends while Douglas performed and gave a workshop on cinematic ASL storytelling.  For some reason the only photos I took were while we were relaxing at our friends' house (and Levi was busy raiding the cabinets).

This is what we saw:

1.  Northeastern University
2.  Quincy Market
3.  Hay Market (farmer's market)
4.  Mike's Pastries
5.  Columbus Park
6.  Paul Revere's house (Levi saw a cradle and signed "baby")
7.  North End
8.  Long Wharf
9.  The Learning Center (a lovely school for the Deaf)
10.  And friends!

Weekend Link Love

Found via www.happinessisblog.com

My sister's friend does this with his son.  Inspiring!


Cute tea towels.  I'd like to see a big fuzzy beach towel by ee cummings.

Want.

Read the chart to see what you're doing wrong as a parent (funny, I swear!).

Pantyhose for people who don't want to take that leap.

Never fold again?  Really?  One of my friends is on the creative team for this simple yet clever idea.

What would your tiny wee fiction be?

This is a reminder to keep our eyes open.

What to pack when traveling to Paris...

This weekend the Ridloff family will be in Boston for the ASL Festival hosted by Northeastern University!  My husband's performing.

Seeing Red

Ahem.  This is a brag post.  Be forewarned.

So Levi woke up when I was in the middle of pampering myself.  I told him I was painting my toenails red.  A sleepy but very curious boy sat next to me and watched as I finished one of the worst self pedicures ever.

For the remainder of that day, he kept on pointing at my toes.  "Red," he signed and laughed.  I thought he misunderstood the word red--maybe he meant my toes, not the color.  I also began to suspect he was laughing at my joke of a pedicure.

The next day he pointed to my feet again and then at his red car.  "Red," he said.  I thought it was just pure coincidence.

Then at school it happened again in front of a couple witnesses (his teacher and Grammy).  He tapped a red bucket in a book and signed that color again.  Red.  So there it is--he's seeing red.  His first color identified!

Sleuth

Rabbit At Rest

It happens every now and then in the midst of mayhem.  This little rabbit topples the pile of pillows and blankets off the chair and lies down for a few minutes among the scattered goods.  He closes his eyes and opens his mouth into a dimpled grin.  This is his self-imposed siesta, his moment of meditation before he picks up from where he left off and plows through the rest of the day.  Levi rests.

List #12: Where Levi Hangs Out

One summer in college I read The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.  The author writes about the struggle to find his "spot." He spends a restless uncomfortable night squatting, crawling, lying down, rolling and even sleeping in different areas of the house trying to find a place within his home where he felt complete.  In retrospect I realize he was probably writing metaphorically, but this idea stayed with me: everybody has a spot that nourishes them.  

While browsing through Levi's albums, it dawned on me that Levi found his spot in the house ever since he began walking.  It's on the mat by the stove and the glass door leading to the backyard.  I think he likes the area because it's the perfect vantage point.  Or maybe it's because the mat is thin and soft.  Sometimes the neighbor's cat comes up to the door to say hello.  Grammy thinks it's because of the warm stove.  Douglas said the sunlight draws him there.  Whatever the reason is, this is where Levi hangs out.  

Weekend Link Love

(Taken by Gabriele Galimberti)

A friend sent me the link to this photographer who captured kids around the world with their toys.  Fantastic project!  Check his work out.

This would make for good Passover reading (and practice) for Levi next week.

The seder can be a pretty long event for a wee kid.  This would make it fun!

I love Dexter.  So it was cool to see his apartment this way.  

Maybe we could do something like this with Levi when we travel!  

I had to look twice.  Amazing photographs.

Two friends sent me the same article!  I dream of living with less, but this guy takes the cake.

Can you imagine living in a 40 square foot home?  

I'm a sucker when it comes to romantic stuff.  Turns out I'm not the only one.

My friend is hosting this event.  We're going!

OMG

This is Levi's OMG face.  What this photo does not show is the way his fingers dance and the way his whole body shakes when he is this excited.  What this photo does not show is why he is so elated.  

This next photo shows what gets Levi lit.  

  

Mason jar screw bands.  

Seriously.  

We have a kitchen drawer dedicated to Levi.  Plastic lids, bowls, sippy cups and assorted unbreakable kitchen things.  And of course those rings.  

Levi rummages around looking for those rings and once he locates one,  he slides it onto his arm.  Then he lets them slide off one by one.  

He spins the rings and watches them roll around until they fall over (or not).  The spinning is what Levi finds titillating (which is actually why Levi had that face--he was signing "spin!").  He puts the ring on his face and tries to fit his eyes, nose and mouth inside the inner circle (he can't).  Levi peeks through the rings and sees a different world.

I would be untruthful if I said he is content playing with those rings.  He is not.  He is genuinely heart-thumping thrilled.

I see Levi as an example, a reminder for me when I feel compelled to run out and buy new toys which is often.  I am one of those people in the less-is-more minimalist camp.  Or at least I try to be.  

Lately I find myself fighting the urge to take Levi out for a walk to the toy store (five amazing toy stores are within walking distance.  The torture!).   I just want to buy buy buy, get get get.  

But I know that the appeal of those stores are more for me than for Levi and that thrill is short-lived.  The new toys quickly become more stuff.  Nothing trumps the imagination.  The world is truly a fun place.

All it takes is an open mind to go OMG.