Siri, Almost 2!

I don't think any of my kids were quite like my Siri. At number four, she gets a lot of attention from the minute she wakes up, until she goes to sleep. The other kids play with her, make her "cuppy," feed her cereal and yogurt for breakfast, put her to bed (every so often), and take baths with her (if they are lucky!).

The older children are finally old enough to be helpful. They usually don't tease or bother Siri. Instead they parent her (sometimes a little too much) and care for her. I can trust them to watch her in the morning and while I'm busy doing something else. I can send them outside to the yard (gates closed) to run around and play. The older girls have learned responsibility by watching her.

This has made my parenting experience much easier, despite the fact that I have 4 (4!) children.

That's me and my big girl, Siri!

Siri is growing up so fast too. She repeats just about every word we say, runs around the house chattering, and has a little ponytail and curls that make her look like a big girl. Her sparkly eyes are curious and she loves to explore. She's a real pleasure tantrums and all. 

I'm truly grateful for all that we have.

Keeping Cool vs. the Emotional Wreck

I consider myself to be fairly intelligent. I'm street smart and can work well with others. I can negotiate deals and plan events.
But sometimes, I'm downright ditzy.
Today I took the wrong train. This is unfortunately not the first time I've done that. It's a slight inconvenience that costs me a lot of time. But it's fixable. There's a solution, a train that takes me back to my point of origin.
Today I decided to leave a few minutes early, hoping to shop for Shabbos. I apparently read the Penn Station board incorrectly (after 5 years commuting from NJ) and took a train that skipped the Secaucus transfer station. After arriving in Newark, I ran for the train back to Secaucus. Except the train skips Secaucus and goes straight to Hoboken. I needed that train, but let it pass because I was confused. Our track system is complex to say the least.
I finally found a staff member who told me to go to Hoboken where I could catch the train I needed home. OF COURSE!
My main question is, why can't I keep cool when I'm lost? As soon as I began talking to the man who WAS HELPING ME, tears began to flow. Slowly, but I couldn't control them.
I tried to keep my cool, but I lost it. There have been other, worse, more stressful train hazards and all of them make me an emotional train wreck (<-- intentional pun).
What happened to my put together, street smart negotiator? Where does she go when I board that train?!?

Kosher Tuna?

The other day I was in Costco shopping for the usual. You know, I was buying more stuff than I imagine we could ever finish. Yet somehow we end up in that store every week.

I picked out my items and headed to the checkout line.

Pro tip: check your shopping list before you leave!

I of course forgot one item on the list so I let the woman behind me go first as I ran back to the aisles to pick it up. The woman behind me happened to be a religious woman but I did not know her. She gladly accepted my offer and watched my cart as I ran.

When I went to my car to unload I found a container of tuna, the prepared kind. I knew I had not purchased that and as I examined it, I wondered what the odds were that I got a kosher tuna in my cart. Kosher! It must be from the woman ahead of me (the woman who should have been behind me)! 

I checked my receipt to make sure I did not pay for it then quickly finished loading the trunk, determined to find the rightful tuna owner. At first I considered posting the story on the local Facebook page. Maybe someone would claim it. Then I realized that I had seen her schmoozing as she left the store with another woman. There was a chance that she was still in the parking lot. 

On my first aisle, I found the two women yapping away in front of her car. I pulled over and asked her if she had purchased the tuna.

"Yes! And it is missing!" 

As I handed it to her, she asked me my name and she promptly replied, "I know you from online, from the local Facebook group!" I recognized her name as well and thus began a new Facebook friendship.  I am happy I tried to return the tuna!

I know this is a random story but it was just too insane not to share. All's well that ends well. :)

Earrings!

This past weekend we celebrated Arielle's eighth birthday. I am proud to say she has really matured beautifully. We told her that if she was behaved like an eight year old, she could get her ears pierced.

Thursday was the fateful day. We took her before her Sunday party so she could show them off to the whole family.

Words cannot describe the sheer joy and pride on Arielle's face when she saw those new earrings. Her face was literally shining!

I was proud of her, but I think she was equally proud of herself. To Arielle, pierced ears is an inauguration into maturity (even though many of her friends have had them since they were babies).
She is prepared to accept the challenge... which begins with her independent ear care!