Sunny Squid

This will hopefully last him until puberty.

Pattern: as per general guidelines in Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. Children's size 10.

Yarn: Cascade 220

Design: 12-pointed star (sun) as per Little Squid's direction

I Can Still Embarrass My Mom

Last night I went out with Mom and Lil' Sis. We had a lovely dinner at a Thai Restaurant and then strolled through the Times Square area until showtime.

We performed some family-specific pre-show rituals (with which I will not embarrass my family by sharing) but which I was heartened to see are still intact after all this time. Take note, squidlings, the things that embarrass you about your parents now ... well they will still embarrass you twenty years from now. (Personally, I was all about the ritual, Lil' Sis was the embarrassed one.)

While out on the street, however, I had to snap this shot:

which embarrassed Mom. She was not, however, embarrassed when I put my Dad's just finished sock on my hand and started using it as a puppet. Curious.

(I cannot seem to get that photo off my phone -- my new palm software is not cooperating.)

Things to Do Today

1. Drop kids at school.

2. Drop Me at school.

3. Work

4. Work

5. Work

6. Dismiss Students

7. A little more work

8. Dismiss me

9. Fight holiday traffic

10. Start break with dinner and a show with Mom and Lil' Sis.

Sounds like a good day to me!

Teens MEN Knitting

Yes, we have MEN. Young men, but men all the same. The number of male knitters at my school jumped from one to three in the span of half an hour. Yea! Both of the newbies caught on to the cast on and knit stitch incredibly quickly.

I had more to write about this but since I started it this morning and it is now 12 hours later, I've lost the train of thought.

In other news, at 3:00 tomorrow we will shut up the school until January 2. Woo Hoo! Yes, I desperately need this break and am really looking forward to lots of slow mornings, a couple of operas, some days spent with friends and family and lots of other quiet amusements.

What I did ...

Thank you all for your wishes for a good day. The concert was, as my last post put it, awesome! I was a very proud Mama and kvelled as compliments were piled on me and mine.

After the concert I attended the holiday party (the publishing party has been pushed off until after the state ELA exams) and schmoozed with the teacher and other parents. Then I left the school with lots of time, and no plan.

My purse was packed with everything I needed for an ideal day (except a book -- it was too big) and I set off toward the West Side, figuring that at the very least, I would get a nice walk in and hang around a neighborhood that I have not done to death ala the Upper East Side.

As I ambled toward Central Park, I stopped to take photos here and there and, as I approached the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I thought about "doing" a museum. Nah, not as much fun as with a friend. That, however, set my brain whirring through things that I might not do on a regular basis but could do alone. By the time I hit the Great Lawn, I had it. A movie! Ah, but what movie? Everything I have seen in the last year or so has been animated or Harry Potter. We don't, as a general rule, "do" movies. Exiting the park, I started looking for buses and their ads. Then I hit on it, the Will Smith movie. Yup, could not think of the name of it. Bought a newspaper, found the name -- I Am Legend -- found a couple of theaters playing it. Debated walking back to the east side and then having to skip lunch, then settled for a huge theater on the West Side. Had a lovely lunch at Ollie's and then knit my way through the movie.

Loved it! I am not a horror movie kind of gal but I would not really classify this as horror. I have not read the book so I had no preconceptions and was able to enjoy it for it's own sake. I laughed, I cried, and I gasped. The set dressing was, as my son would say, awesome.
After the movie, I wandered by Knitty City to confirm that Pearl has the color cards for the yarn I want to use for Squidette's blanket and she will special order for me. Yes, I could get it on line for cheaper but I'd rather give my local shop the business.

Then, on to do some more window shopping. (Yup, only asked a question at Knitty City, didn't spend any money -- she'll get quite enough on this blanket!) As I was heading back east, Squidette called, a bit earlier then I expected, and I hustled back east for our usual Tuesday, pre Hebrew School, meet up.
She and I had hot chocolate and pastry at a local bagel shop and then I traded her for Little Squid and a nice dinner at the diner.

And there you have it. Home at last and almost ready to go to bed.

***

Debbie, I am not sure what I was looking for in that post -- my brain is quite mushy tonight. I know I spent a lot of time looking for the watch repair kit that I got him and we did debate several time keeping options before settling on the binary clock. The clock was chosen, mainly, because he could not wear it. *grin* As for his grandfathers and their watches, he will most likely get the only one still in existence that belonged to my father-in-law but Mike is still cherishing it as his own right now. As for my dad well ... he's got three grandsons and two sons so I suspect it might be a tough call. For now he is still wearing his watches and I hope that continues for a good long time!

AWESOME!

Four songs with the band ...One song with the chorus ...
One Awesome kid!

(pictures overly cropped to eliminate other people's children for privacy reasons)

Ready, Set, Go!

During this most chaotic of weeks, I am taking a day off to make life a little less hectic.

Little Squid's Winter Solstice concert is this morning, followed by a holiday/publishing party. Rather then worry about work and having to get to work, I am taking a personal day. I am not hiding where I am or what I am doing. I'll worry about work tomorrow -- when I'm there. Today, I can stay at the party as long as I like. Today, I can shmooze with the other parents and I can kvell in how talented my progeny is as he plays his flute with the band and his violin with the chorus. Today, I can take the time to really read his writing, and that of his classmates. My comments can be thoughtful instead of peremptory. My thoughts can be of fifth grade instead of high school.

And afterward? I can take myself to lunch. Or not. I can go for a manicure. Or not. I can snag a couch at the 85th Street Starbucks and listen to my book and knit. Or snag a couch and take a badly needed nap. I can take a long walk to Knitty City and Zabars. I can shop for a new suit (for work). I can just wander the streets of the city and look at the winter finery. My only constraint is that I wind up back on the Upper East Side by 4:00 or so -- so I will probably not go home.

The video camera is charged, a fresh battery is in my digital camera, I have my knitting and I have enough cash for my fairly modest needs. My son is relaxed despite his need to wear blue and black for the chorus and white and blue for the band. His violin is tuned and his hair is in desperate need of a trim. He is wearing a single watch on each arm, one around his neck and one in his pocket.

So, if you see me wandering the streets of the Upper East or West side today (in a bright pink parka with a pale purple hat and grey mittens), stop me. Say hi, feel free to schooze. I've got nothing but time.

Creative Cooking

We are now firmly in winter mode here at Chez Squid and Mike broke out the crock pot to stew a batch of chili for dinner. Instead of serving it over rice, as is our custom, he decided to make bread bowls.
Yes, he made the bread from scratch.


Yes, my son attempted to eat it as a sandwich. (We stopped him before he could burn his mouth.)

And yes, it was delicious!

***

And no, I have not finished Little Squid's sweater. Squidette was kind enough to give me her cold so I have spent most of my at home time this weekend just lying around and reading.

Nature vs Nuture

When the kids were little, we briefly had them trained to respond to the following question: "how did you get so ... (insert: smart, cute etc.)." Squidette answered "genetics" and Little Squid answered "environment." What we do to our kids!

Around the same time, their Grandmother was working on getting Little Squid to tell time and badgering Squidette to wear her watch (purchased by Grandma, of course).

Grandma always had a watch on. Grandma loved watches and was always punctual. If she was late, due to unforeseen circumstance, it drove her nuts.

It also drove her nuts that Squidette would not wear her watch regularly. Squidette still does not wear a watch. She does carry one in her pocket or uses her cellphone when necessary. So far she has not had any problems getting places on time.

Grandma would be proud of Little Squid with all of his watches and his love of time.(Grandma's watch collection, now in my possession.)

He received three new time pieces for Chanuckah. A stopwatch / watch from one Aunt, a pocket watch / sundial from an Uncle and a binary clock from his parents. He also received a watch repair kit. A good one.

Together, he and I have attempted to fix one of his watches and successfully repaired a second.
His Grandma would be proud!

It's Dave's Fault

that I was making french toast at 6:30 this morning.See, Dave posted about this link, which, by the way, totally meshes with our own French Toast theory (which extends to hurricanes as well as snowy weather) and then I had to explain it to the kids. And Little Squid was being a little dense this morning. And, by the time I was finished explaining it to him, we were all hungry for french toast. That, combined with the shocking lack of breakfast food in this place, had me making french toast.

Dave, the kids thank you!

Progress

While home yesterday morning, I finished Mom's socks and the "teacher" scarf. Later in the evening, I made headway on finishing Little Squid's sweater. The pieces are now lightly steam blocked and the front and back sewn together. The ends of the sun are hidden and the neck is knit. Since tonight is a late night, it is unlikely that there will be any more progress on it. Look for a finished sweater this weekend.

Little Squid's Sweater
Teacher scarf on a not so willing model
Mom's socks on the hands of the same model
And then there is my dad's first sock. Did I mention he has size 13 feet? I might actually get to the heel today, what with the middle school tour and the usual Tuesday shuffle. I'm feeling less nervous about the yardage but I'll let you know for sure once I turn the heel.

All Better!

Thanks to everyone who expressed concern over Little Squid. This was a rough one but it was mostly gone by lunch time and he went to school -- and I went to work. Tomorrow he and I are going on another Middle School tour in the morning and Thursday he has a publishing party at school. What that means is that I am going in to work late 3 days this week. As much as I hate when that happens, if you look at how many weeks in a row I have arrived early every day, it does balance out.

For the curious, a publishing party occurs when the class finishes a writing unit, this one is literary essays and personal narratives. The students show off their work and the parents write comments about it on a special comment sheet. This teacher has kept the parties to a minimum, so this is only the second one this year. Next week, however, is his winter concert followed by the class holiday party. I'm not even going to attempt to go in to work for that one, I'm just going to take a personal day and take it easy. Little Squid will be performing with both the band (flute) and the chorus (violin) so I get a double feature. Welcome to Mama Squid's busy season!

Still Here

For a brief period it looked like we were somewhat perky and ready to go but we have now resumed our position on the couch. The thing about his migraines is that I no longer worry. They eventually go away so it is just a waiting game and there is nothing so important that I have to rush to work for. Yes, I could call my folks and ask them to come in and sit with him but frankly, as Dee said, it is downright cozy.

Back to my knitting!

Quiet Morning

As I sit here, typing away, Little Squid is curled up on the couch sleeping off a migraine. I abandoned my position as pillow in order to eat some breakfast but will go back shortly with knitting in hand and another episode of Northern Exposure in the DVD player.

While I feel badly for Little Squid, I am actually pretty content right now.

Excuse me while I resume my role as pillow.

Nervous

(Please welcome Super Monkey to our home.)

I'm a bit nervous. I just started a pair of socks for my father and have carefully wound my Cabin Cove Yankee Ikat sock yarn into two roughly equal balls.

Yes, I used a scale that measures in increments of single grams.

The heels and toes will be in Jawol white.

My dad has size 13 feet.

Some encouragement here please?

A size zero circular needle (magic loop) is being employed because the yarn is of the thinner sock yarn variety. It is incredibly yummy feeling.

But my dad has size 13 feet.

They will be knit toe up and I am starting with the slightly lighter ball.

Did I mention that my dad has size 13 feet?

I know that I had plenty of a similar weight yarn left over when I knit socks for my husband (size 11), my brother (size 11.5) and my brother-in-law (size 12) but I am still nervous.

I'm going to a chanuckah party later, lots of knitting time while visiting with good friends -- I'll let you know how much progress I make after I finish mom's socks.

****

(And any sibling reading this who feels that they or their spouse is being neglected on the sock front -- I promise, you are in queue.)

Why Jeans?

Seems to me that I never did explain why I went to work in jeans yesterday (and today(yes, Saturday)).

See this room?

Imagine it filled -- and I mean FILLED. And by the way, it is twice the size that it appears. There is more room to the right of the machinery.

At the start of the day, this room was full. Every nook and cranny had boxes or old equipment in them. The room is now empty and the contents moved to either the trash or to the vault to age a bit more before they can be shredded.

Then there were the 15 boxes of stuff that got shredded. They came OUT of the vault. (They were sufficiently aged.) And the six boxes of books which were deaccessed (or something like that) from the library. Our custodian arranged for a dumpster for us, a big one. Like the size of an 18 wheeler. It was empty at the start of the day. It was half full at the end of it.

We did a lot. There is still much to do, but every little bit counts. There were eight staff members (not including me) and 25 kids.

Oh and tomorrow? I am going to be VERY sore. Theoretically, the person running the show should not be doing the schlepping but since my style of leadership is "by example," I lifted and tugged at many, many boxes and bags. Basically, non stop movement for 5 hours. I think I got my workout for the day. What do you think?

Anyhow, yesterday I had to do the shopping and set up which involved schlepping dusty boxes and shredders and such. Hence the jeans.

And by the way, I think work make-up adds 10 years to my face when worn with jeans. I may have to rethink the face next year. (Or lighten the lipstick.)

Jeans

I wore jeans to work today.

Got your jaw back in your head?

O.k., I know that most of you do not realize that it has been YEARS since I have worn jeans to work. I think the last time I did it was before Squidette was born.

Over the years, my working wardrobe has slowly gotten more and more formal to the point where I almost wish I had enough suits to wear one every day. The older I get, the less I want to be casual in my work place. There is a certain distance I want to have between me and the kids, and me and my staff.

Why? Because I find that when students get too comfortable with a teacher, they assume that they can do things that are not allowed, like whip out a cell phone or assume privileges to which they are not entitled. Yes, even my knitters eventually reach this point. That said, it only takes a look to return things, with a smile, to their proper order.

When I first became an Assistant Principal, it bothered me that teachers and support staff would call me Mrs. Squid. While we are a "traditional" school and use Mr and Ms with the students, we do call each other by our first names if not in the presence of kids. Over the years, though, it has become normal to just call everyone Mr and Ms and only use first names occasionally. While I miss the camaraderie that first names imply, I only rarely mind the formality that Mr and Ms imply. After 16 years I have very few personal friends in the school and with those I use Mr and Ms almost teasingly.

Interesting, I meant this to be an explanation of why I wore jeans and instead wound up reflecting on the place of formality in a school setting. Hm ...

So what are your feelings regarding how dress governs attitude? (Oh, and I did were full "work" make up and a school T shirt over a turtleneck to make a "uniform"despite the jeans. And shiney earrings that Squidette gave me, for a little "bling.")

Teens Knittng: Blanket Number 3

While I was inculcating 3 more newbies, and teaching cabling, purling and sock knitting to some "older" knitters, a few young ladies were organizing this:
There are actually enough blocks for 1.5 blankets so we are well on our way to number 4.

The blocks are now neatly stacked and bagged in my office, waiting for me to attach them all. I put two big ones together earlier and hope to do a few each day before I leave work. Whatever is left on the 21st will come home for finishing over the break. Yes, I will wash the blanket before we donate it. Promise!

Kang and Kodos Ride Again!

Yes, it is true, Kang and Kodos hibernate for the summer.

When asked if they were concerned that their tentacles would get caught in the bicycle chain, Kang responded:

"Silly earthling. We have total control of our appendages. No wimpy bicycle chain will mess with us!"

Kodos just kind of whimpered.Afterwards they both apparently commented that they found the experience "exhilarating."

More Clarification Needed

Apparently, I over stepped my bounds as a mother yesterday when I mentioned the "B" word. Squidette was mortified. Apparently, she no longer plays with the Barbies. And, she promised to pack them and their belongings up and give them to her younger cousin.

Now that that's cleared up, I have to show you some of the Barbie clothes. We have the best dressed Barbies in town.

The crocheted dresses were made by my sister and the knit dress and sweater by her Grammy. There are many, many more items, this was just a quick sampling as I dug through the bag looking for more mittens (found 2 pair) and socks (found 3 pair).

Snuggles

Much of Saturday was spent with Squidette snuggled up next to me. Now I have Little Squid doing the snuggle thing. Life is good.

What Mothers Do ...

The last few Mondays have been rough for Little Squid so this morning I called an end to it. I did the Curse Breaking Dance. Please imagine, if you will ('cause you are NOT getting a picture of this), a Mama Squid, clad in purple silk kimono (I kid you not), with damp hair and bare feet, jumping and leaping around the living room in order to break the Monday Curse.

The child in question went off laughing, so I think it worked. Keep your fingers crossed.

***

We found the woolies!!! The missing hats and mittens and glove (yes, singular) were mixed in with Squidette's Barbie clothes. We are now ready for winter.

And yes, she kind of knew it all along. She knew that the Dumb Donald hat was there but did not realize that if one hat was there, then the rest probably were there as well.

***

I did pick up my knitting last night and made major progress on Little Squid's sleeve. My finger is pretty much back to normal this morning. Woo Hoo!

Do I have to go to work now?

I Don't Claim to Make Sense, I'm Your Mother

Every night we have a disagreement as to which "child" bathes first. Tonight I settled the feud in a non-sensical manner. I don't have to make sense, I'm the mother.

Much of today was spent like this.Or in a similar position with a book on my lap. I have now finished three of my "math"* books in under a month -- a fourth is waiting for me to resume reading. All of these books have been works in progress for a year or more. Next on deck "Breaking the Spell, Religion as Natural Phenomenon" by Daniel C. Dennett. I'm on page 30 of 339.

Actually, I was productive. Did the laundry, paid the bills, took Squidette to Old Navy and purchased her first pairs of "adult" sized jeans. She is now a size zero. Ack! Researched bike trainers and MP3 players. Perused watches for Little Squid (yes, we feed his obsessions).

Indeed, despite serious itching, I did not pick up my knitting needles so far today. I may give them a try once my nails are dry but won't force it. My finger is definitely getting better. I must have jammed it or pulled it or something. Whatever.

For those of you who cared about our Bat Mitzvah saga, it is essentially concluded. Mike traded a few emails with the Senior Rabbi, who asked for the band schedule and, comparing it to the master b'nai mitzvah schedule, determined that there are 6 shabbot that work for us. He also promised to look into the lack of clarity of the regulation. Problem solved. Yes, I know that I way over reacted. Thanks for bearing with me. Oh, and another mom confirmed our interpretation of the rule. She also did not realize that only specific services counted. So, it wasn't just us.

*"Math book" is a euphemism for any non-fiction that requires serious thought while reading. Therefore, when "Math Books" is yelled in our home, it is a call for the kids to take out their supplemental math books (subject, mathematics) and the parents to take out something thought provoking.

Winter?

The view from my window this morning ...
And of my stash on the balcony ...
Yes, my stash now has a light coating of snow!

Meanwhile, inside the apartment ...
we are now the owners of a front, back and partial sleeve for Little Squid's sweater.

Unfortunately, that is probably where it will stand for the next day or two. I did something to my left index finger last night (no idea what) and it is now a little stiff and painful. It was a lot more so last night so I am sure that this too shall pass but I suspect I will be catching up on my reading today instead of my knitting and spinning. I think I gave it a good bang at one point, yesterday -- that or all the knitting it took to get to this point on the sleeve, twice. Yup. After doing all the calculations (since Ann Budd is great for gauges involving whole stitches but requires some work if you have, oh say 4.5 stitches per inch) I gleefully cast on for the sleeve and was practically up to the elbow when I compared the number of stitches to what I was supposed to have ... and realized that I cast on 32 instead of 36 stitches. Oops!

Such is life. No big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Super Mommy Explained and Some Knitting

All semester, Squidette has been struggling with managing to get her Bat Mitzvah folder into the car for her Wednesday night class. For a while we tried just leaving it in the car and that worked until last week when she met with the Assistant Rabbi. After the meeting, she put it in her back pack and forgot to leave it in the car. Fast forward a week (no class the night before Thanksgiving) and she can't find the folder. Again.

I looked around the living room but I was pretty convinced that it was in the car. After suggesting that Squidette go down to the parking lot to look, I went back to unwinding and let the subject drop. In the morning we tore the car apart, to no avail. So, quietly dripping tears, Squidette got out of the car and went to school. I dropped off Little Squid and set out to my own school.

Actually, I had a meeting to go to at the New York Academy of Medicine over on Fifth Avenue. My intention was to park the car in front of my school and then walk to my meeting which was about a mile or so away. Strangely, however, all the spots in front of the school were taken and I really didn't want to park in back and risk getting into a conversation that would make me late. So, I drove to the meeting, figuring that I'd find a lot nearby. Yeah, right. No such thing in that neighborhood.

Finally, after circling the super block that is Mount Sinai Medical Center, I pulled into their garage and hot footed it a few blocks north for my meeting.

Fast forward through an uneventful meeting. Now, I have my car nearby and am feeling guilty about the missing folder. I should have searched her room the night before says my heart and my brain chirps in "um ... you could go home and look for it." And I did. And I found it. In under 5 minutes. And, because I am a serious geek, I shouted "I AM SUPER MOMMY!" over and over to the empty apartment. Then I called Mike and left a voice mail to that effect. Then I shouted it some more. Then Maria came in and I figured I should stop being such a dork.

Then I called work and determined that they really did not need me for the last two hours of the day. So I sat on the floor by our All-in-one printer and copied the contents of the folder. Page by page.

And then I got back in the car (now clad in jeans instead of my work slacks) and head uptown to this place:
Yup, the new one, just blocks from my next stop -- Knitty City. between the two, my wallet was just a tad lighter.

Then I set out for my usual Wednesday rendezvous with my daughter. And made her VERY happy.

While waiting for her to finish her class, I finished this hat for Papa Squid.
Won't lose him anytime soon.

Mike decided to break out the Futurama Socks yesterday, in honor of the series release on DVD.
After riding to work in them, he has decided that Zoidberg belongs on the left otherwise his tentacles risk getting caught in the bike chain.
Yes, he really did ride to work like that. Just wait until he breaks out the Kang and Kodos socks!

SUPER MOMMY!!!

Faster then a cross town bus.

More powerful then a nasty rumor.

Able to find lost objects in five minutes flat!

LOOK! Down in the kitchen. (No, wait! Mommy would never be found in the kitchen.)

It's a spinner, it's a knitter, it's SUPER MOMMY!!!

Yes, it's Super Mommy. Strange visitor from another planet who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of normal mommies.

Super Mommy, who can find your folder, wash your gym shorts and knit a hat;

And who, disguised as Mama Squid,

Mild mannered Assistant Principal for a Major Metropolitan High School,

Fights a never ending battle for Truth, Justice and Warm Feet.

***

Go ahead, ASK!

Ode to My Aunt

Blackberries

My trips to my Aunt's house were like blackberries

With their sweetness and tartness

I loved seeing my family

My aunt, uncle and cousin

Sweet, like the blackberries across the road

And even in the winter,

The sweetness of the blackberries remains



I love you Aunt Marni! Happy birthday and may you have many more!

-Squidette

Ode to My Elder Sister

When we were kids

And birthday's came.

I often thought,

It's all the same.

For many years

Our cakes were one.

And yet it was,

Still such fun.

Now at times,

We're apart.

And our husbands work

To do their part.

.... Umm ... at this point I realized that 1. my brain is fried, 2. I am not very good at writing poetry, and 3., that an excellent poet is attempting to go to sleep in a nearby bedroom.

Yo, Squidette! Help me out!

Yum!

I have to admit it. I love my family.


(Cross stitch present courtesy of Little Squid who diligently worked on it throughout our delightful dinner together, tonight. What a wonderful dining companion my son is.)

Birthdays!

Presents In
(Pretty tea canisters from my big sister, CD from Mike and poem from Squidette)

Presents Out(Envelope containing b'day and chanuckah presents to big sis and nephew, box containing, very belated, b'day and, early, chanuckah, presents to youngest niece.)

Tomorrow, an ode to my big sis.

I Have Decreed ...

because I am a beneficent mother, and because there are battles not worth fighting, that I will no longer make socks for my daughter. Instead, I will make for me and share freely.

Hey, her feet are only going to keep growing for a few more years and mine have stopped. Why make more socks for her to grow out of when I can make them all in my size and we can both wear them? Then, by the time she goes off to college, I will have enough, in the proper size, to send her off with.

What say you?

Free Range Socks

Apparently we are now in that stage where Mama's clothing is up for grabs. Just look at the socks below -- then look at the person wearing them. Take a good look, I'll wait.
Looked hard enough yet? Notice something about the person wearing them? Yeah, it's not me. And those are my socks! Apparently they were in her sock drawer. Hmm ... I think she's plotting with Maria ... and maybe the turtles.

Knitting Up A Storm!

Yes, there has been knitting here at Chez Squid but first, an aside to Cygknit.

*I was not taken aback or at all offended, by your comment. It actually helped me to see things in a more balanced light. I have, however, lost your email address due to the great "contact purge" that I performed in the wake of my accidental spamming. If you can email me off-blog, I'd love to reply properly.*

And now, some finished knitting!A hat, scarf and mitt set to match my new grey wool coat.

Socks for Papa Squid. Homespun Blue Faced Leiscester purchased last year at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival. Yes, over a year in the making. They are a little bit big to allow for some felting on his feet.

And, some projects in progress:Teacher scarf. Recipient as yet undetermined. Either Little Squid's classroom teacher, our violin teacher or a colleague of mine.

Hat for Papa Squid as one of his was lost during the great buggie instigated clean-up and the other felted during the same process.

Little Squid's sweater. Which I keep swearing I will finish the front of already. Yes, the yarn for Papa's hat is left over from the center of Little's star.

Also in progress are socks for Mom but I was too lazy to take a picture and she knows what they look like. I promise to photograph them once they are done.

Clarification

Because I know that I did not share certain things in an earlier post, I feel I must clarify why I am upset.

I understand the requirements and why they exist. My issues are 1. that this particular twist to the attendance requirement was not explained either verbally or in writing. 2. That the number of services that fill the requirement is very limited since they are not every weekend and run only from September to mid-May and tend to not be on long weekends or secular holidays. That, in itself, has to be a concession to some issue that arose in earlier years. If we had known about the twist, we would have knocked two of the five out earlier in the year. But, instead, we gave in to our inner-sloths and stayed home one of the two Saturdays because I was sick and we thought we had time.

Originally, this was not an onerous requirement as we rarely go out of town and had no standing commitments on Saturdays. Our kids do not participate in sports, so there is never any conflict like that. The music opportunity was unexpected, and the additional qualification for the special program with-in it was even more unexpected. All of a sudden, the service requirement was difficult, but not too tricky since we do not go away for vacations or long weekends. Then we found out that these same weekends are usually without the specific type of service that we need to attend. Now we are looking at having to pull her out of up to 3 rehearsals in a program with 18 remaining sessions. She's willing to miss one or, maybe, two. So again, we are talking about some sort of work around for maybe two of the five. She will go to the two immediately preceding her own which makes sense as the format will be fresh in her memory after a summer of nothing.

My other issue is that we cannot get a hold of the b'nai mitzvah schedule so that we can figure out which rehearsals she will miss. Right now, all of this is happening in my head so anything is possible. Next week should see some resolution. Hey, we are willing to do lots of other stuff. She will do the "high honors" program because, frankly, it is far too easy not to do. She's already fulfilled something like 8 of the 15 requirements and has blown away the community service requirement, for both regular requirements and high honors, with her participation in the monthly knitting program.

I do not disagree with the policy, I just wish it had been made clearer when we had our orientation in September. Had we known then, we would have acted appropriately at the time and would not, now, be in this pickle.

Finished!

With the holiday shopping. Without spending a dime this weekend. Woo Hoo!

During the last two years I've gone a bit overboard with picking up little gifties here and there for the assorted cousins, friend-kids and office staff that need gifting. So much overboard that I had lots of extras that got lost in the depths of my closet.

During the great clean-up and throw out that accompanied our little buggy debacle, I consolidated all of the gifts and today hauled them all out. With the aid of some post-it notes and the ever helpful Squidette, we figured out what could go to who and have declared ourselves DONE! A few of the gifts were picked up this year, but most were purchased at least a year ago. I even wrapped all (save one) of the chanuckah gifts. The Christmas ones will have to wait until I have appropriate paper.

Now to just find boxes to pack up the mailables ....

Not Religious

Despite the plethora of Hebrew names in this house, we are not religious. We call ourselves Jews and pay some homage to the major Holy days, including Shabbat, but we are not religious. This presents a problem as one of us prepares for a Bat Mitzvah.

One of the requirements for "qualification" for her Bat Mitzvah is that she attend 5 Shabbot morning services. That is exactly what the handbook says and what was said in our "orientation to b'nai mitzvot." Since Squidette qualified for the Borough-wide band, which meets every Saturday from 8:30 until 1:00, we figured that we would do the required services on 3-day weekends and during the school breaks when band does not meet. Or, worst case, every Saturday in June, after band is over and the kids have done their thing in Carnegie Hall. Oh, did I mention that she will be playing with the New York Pops and will be performing in Carnegie Hall? Yes, this is a big deal.

On Monday, we met with the assistant Rabbi who is in charge of seeing the kids through this process. When she asked if we had started the 5 Shabbot requirement, we explained our issues and our solution to them. At which point we were told "oh, there are not b'nai mitzvot on 3-day weekends, it has to be a Bar/bat mitzvah service. Maybe we can count one non-mitzvah service." I've been obsessing on this all weekend long. We were going to go to services this morning. We are not going to do so now.

I am willing to pull Squidette from band for one Saturday (Mike is not even willing to do that.) I am so upset that I cannot even write a coherent letter to the Senior Rabbi (who is the final word on this). Frankly, there are two B'nai Mitzvot in the month before her's (and before Borough-wide starts up in the fall), so we are only talking about 3 which all, according to the Assistant Rabbi, have to be done before Memorial Day weekend because there are no B'nai mitzvot over the summer (which is why Squidette's is in September.)

Borough-wide is a limited run. It, too, runs only until Memorial Day weekend, with the big Carnegie performance right after that. It is, in our opinion, more important. It is not something that she can do in the future. This year and next year are it.

Is it about the religion or about learning the routine of the b'nai mitzvah service? If it is about the religion, then the smaller, non-b'nai mitzvah services should be even more important. They are, theoretically, more intimate and include actual Torah study. They sound like the kind of service that I might actually enjoy.

And, what is the actual consequence of not fulfilling this requirement? Are they going to deny her this opportunity if she is otherwise fully prepared? After 8 years of Hebrew School and the insane schedule we are following this year to provide our kids with this training so that they can make an informed decision later in life?

We are raising our kids to be good people who do good things for others. Both kids helped me during this last Mitzvah Sunday and Squidette has now done 3 of them as well as helping with the additional meetings of the Sanctuary Stitchers that I led. Will she be denied an opportunity because she only gets to 3 of the mandated b'nai mitzvah services? Will her ushering during Rosh Hashana and attendance at Yom Kippor (which was on Shabbat this year) not count?

Well? What do you think?

(Mike will be writing a letter to the Senior Rabbi later tonight. As I said, I am too angry to do this.)

Squid on Wheels -- Thanksgiving Edition

Thanksgiving morning dawned clear and warm and Mama wanted to take advantage of the unusual weather with a bike ride. Sadly and gladly (at the same time) only one other Squid was willing to join her. So, off they went, Mommy and Monster, for a Thanksgiving ride.Our goal was 10 to 15 miles but, after just 2, Little Squid asked to abbreviate the ride and turn around at Stuyvesant H.S. Mama, looking to con the little one into a longer ride, suggested skirting Battery Park City on the waterside edge. Conning accomplished, the pair wend their way through Battery Park City, stopping to admire various sculpture and plantings, something they would not have done if accompanied by Papa and Squidette. At one point we even doubled back (gasp!) to check out an apple sculpture that Little Squid spied.
Interesting

I forget the name of this one, but it was way neat.

Irish Potato Famine Memorial, side view

Apple Sculpture

All in all, a lovely morning.