Well, first I decided to bunk my 9 o'clock appointment and take all the kids to Avrom's cousin's son's brit instead. I realised that a family simcha was far more important than finding out how well Tzofia writes her name (very well, by the way). The brit was at Yeshiva University in Washington Heights and we managed to get there in time without getting lost or getting a parking ticket. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, Avrom had to rush off straight after davening for a meeting and missed the breakfast, so the kids and I were left representing the Gilbert family at yet another of Avrom's family simchas. A little bit of Jewish geography revealed that Leora was sitting next to her Gemara teacher's wife and that Avrom's cousin (the baby's father) was at yeshiva with two of Eitan's teachers. Small Jewish world, even in America.
I spent the entire afternoon at the school and was pleased to hear that the 3 big kids are all doing well. (I'll get an in-depth update on Tzofia's academic progress on Wednesday.) Their accents are still wowing the masses and they've all settled in nicely. I was informed by several of Eitan's teachers that he is occasionally distracted by the iPad during class. Shocking!!! I mean, one couldn't possibly have anticipated that giving a bunch of 11 year-old boys a state-of-the-art, shiny toy might be detrimental to their ability to focus in class.
It's interesting to be here during the "holiday season". I'd always heard that Chanuka was a big deal in the US but I hadn't realized quite how big. The New York Times was full of "Happy Chanuka" wishes from all the big stores, and the shops around here are selling lots of insanely tacky stuff like Chanuka stockings and magen david pasta. It's pretty weird.
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Today we were ultra-cultured and spent the afternoon with the kids and some friends from Raanana at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. We warned the kids that it might not be quite as fun as an amusement park or ice skating but explained that it was an important cultural experience and that we wouldn't be interested in hearing any whinging. That glowing introduction clearly did a good job of lowering expectations and they all actually greatly enjoyed the afternoon. Tzofia was especially thrilled to come face to face with a real, live Jackson Pollock. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you could have a look here.)
We then rushed back to light Chanuka candles and have dinner at friends here in Teaneck, which was a really lovely end to the day. We definitely miss Roladin doughnuts, but the local ones are passable, and we managed to get through enough to fulfill our halachic obligation (according to all opinions).
I apologise to all my 7 readers for this post being a day later than usual. I think I might be moving to a regular Sunday night slot. Obviously this makes absolutely no difference to anyone at all, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.
Have a great week!
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