Chag Sameach!!!

Just a very quick post to say Chag Sameach to everyone. Been a little busy here - had to make Pesach from scratch and buy all new stuff, plus we have Avrom's brother and family from London staying with us for two weeks. So there's been a lot going on. It's been great fun so far, but there hasn't been much time available to write here. I'll fill everyone in on what we've been up to when I get some time.

Looking forward to next Pesach back in sunny Raanana, instead of sleety Teaneck!
Wishing you all a Chag Sameach!

"MOMA? Check."

These were Avrom's words as we left MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art) in Manhattan last Sunday afternoon, after two hours of baffled art "appreciation". You see, we Gilberts are simple folk, and hence many of the exhibits struck us as odd, rather than impressive. We had instructed the kids not to make too many "I could do that!" or "How is that art?" pronouncements during our visit, but at times it was a little hard to argue with them. How do you explain a 20-foot yellow square of sprinkled pollen? We managed to snap a quick pic of the kids in front of Munch's The Scream, though the guard was clearly not too happy with our irreverence.

We were pleased to see one or two other pieces that we recognised. Tzofia, of course, was the best-informed of all of us, thanks to her extensive art education in kindergarten. She enjoyed seeing some Matisse, Warhol, Van Gogh (which she pronounced the American way: "Van Go"), Monet and her favourite, Pollock. I'm pleased we went - it was on our list of New York-y things to do. But Maya has made it abundantly clear that she has no intention of stepping foot inside another museum for a very long time. She is all museum-ed out. I'm sure they'll all thank us when they're older.

Purim in Teaneck went well. Here are the obligatory costume pics:

A mime, a punk, Hermione Granger and a pirate. Can you spot the theme? Think gematria...

Megilla was quite soon after Shabbat so there wasn't much time for costumes. Avrom asked someone in shul whether adults come dressed up for megilla and he was told that they most certainly do. Who said Americans don't have a sense of humour? That guy must have had a good chuckle to himself as Avrom showed up in a huge red hat, a giant stripey tie and oversized glasses with fake nose. He was one of approximately 3 men in costume that evening. Avrom wasn't bothered. But the kids will never be able to show their faces in that shul ever again.

Another highlight of recent weeks was our trip to see Annie on Broadway. All 6 of us went, and no-one was more excited than Avrom, who, despite a vehement dislike for musicals, couldn't wait to see Annie. The evening was a great success and we can now tick off "Broadway show" from our New York checklist. And hopefully we'll soon be able to afford to buy food again. 

Apologies, by the way, for my absence here in recent weeks. I'd like to say that I haven't had a moment to write because I've been so incredibly busy with my Pesach preparations. But anyone that knows me at all would quickly spot that this is a complete lie. I am just coming to the end of the Denial stage and am now prepared to think about starting the List stage. We are looking forward to having Avrom's brother and family from London joining us for Pesach, so I should probably buy some Pesach utensils and food, as I'm pretty sure they're going to expect to eat when they're here. 

I'm hoping Pesach shopping will be easier here than in Israel. I've already seen whole aisles stacked high with Pesach products in the supermarkets, which definitely beats the Israeli way of scattering the kosher-for-Pesach items around the shop, so the customers need to embark on an elaborate scavenger hunt to locate the correct products. And of course we will barely have to deal with the whole kitniyot issue here. In fact, I realised recently that one of the things I miss about Israel is Sephardim. I have only met one or two Sephardi people since we arrived here. It's quite weird. 

Anyway, I'd better go and search for some Cheerios under the couch. 

Have a great week!