Laundry Day

Today is a laundry day. With the impending onset of the nine days I will be spending the day doing load after load after load of laundry. What's the big deal, you may ask?

Doing laundry in Israel is slightly different then doing laundry in America. For starters, there are 3 compartments in an Israeli machine. The middle compartment is for powdered detergent. I have no idea what goes in the right and the left, and the Japanese instructions have proved to be completely useless. There is also a dial that will typically go from 1-25. 4 is whites, 6 is colors, 18 is done. I have no idea what the other numbers are for but I assume it's somehow directly related to the right and left compartments.

Now while an entire family's soiled garments can fit into an American washing machine, the standard Israeli washing machines can fit no more then a shirt and a sock. Furthermore, in America, a nice big load will take half an hour. In Israel, it will take an hour and a half and the black sock will come out red, and the pink top will be gone.

Starting from the moment the warranty expires, an Israeli washing machine will become possessed. It will randomly start and stop, leak all over the place, neglect its spin cycle, and will then fix itself by the time the repairman comes over, only to break again as he closes the door behind him. I have found this to be the case with many an Israeli appliance, as if to openly mock my foreign naivete.

Now for the drying. The frugal Israeli woman would never use their dryer. Laundry gets hung out on the line. As a less frugal American, I'm open to the idea of hanging my laundry out to dry, but I take issue to displaying the family's assorted underthings for all to see. I was walking down Bar Illan Street the other day to find a woman on the ground floor hanging laundry out her front window. People on the crowded street were head-butting her unmentionables. No thank you!

Furthermore I find that when I hang laundry to dry, it dries so stiff that my boys' pants can pretty much stand up and walk away on their own. In addition, if you leave it in the Israeli sun for 5 minutes too long, the front will be bleached white.

So you see, it aint easy. Wish me luck!

My Afternoons

This is the promised continuation post from the My Morning post.

So the children are home at 1:30. There's an American lunch (Sandwich, pasta, etc.), as opposed to an Israeli lunch, (soup, chicken, sides), and then homework. I need to start work at about 3:45. If all is quiet I put in some more overtime earlier then that.

From 3:45-12:00, I need to work, make supper for the yeshiva, make supper for the kids, make supper for my husband and myself, and get everyone settled. I'm very lucky in that my husband is home from teaching from about 1:30-3:00 and again from 6:45-7:30 so he can help me out at the crazier times. Until then, I rely heavily on Bourbon. Just kidding. No, really.

Making supper is the hardest part. Ideally, I try to have the supper prepared before work so I can run into the kitchen, throw an already prepared pan into the oven, and run back to work. There are many other tips and tricks, you have to find what works for you. Some working women will put everything in a crock pot in the morning. Some will freeze 6 dinners on Sunday. Find what works for you to make your life easier!

I won't lie, it's hard. And when everyone is fed and in bed I breathe a sigh of relief that another day went off without a hitch.

I think it's important (and I'm talking to myself here too)for any busy Mom to look at her day and say, "In 10 years will my kids care that growing up the house was always spotless? Or that growing up their Mom was a crazy raving wreck?" Sometimes you need to be happy with just the bare minimum. Is it really that bad if supper one day was cereal and milk instead of seared fillet mignon with a charred pomegranate chutney? Think if your kids would rather the cereal and milk with happy Mom or the fancy dinner with loony Mom. If everyone got fed that day and everyone made it into bed happy that day, then that was a successful day. Anything else (like a spotless house, all laundry folded, all dishes washed, etc.) is extra. If it happened, great. If not, okay. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe not.

Just think what your kids will remember 10 years from now.

Yesh Gleetch

Oftentimes, when something goes wrong in an Israeli government office, they blame it on a 'Gleetch B'system'. The difference between an American glitch and an Israeli 'gleetch', is that in America it really is an unforeseen computer malfunction through no human error of their own. Here in Israel though, a gleetch is entirely human error. They physically deleted your name from the system and call it a gleetch.

I'm in the process of trying to get my 4 your old son approved for speech therapy. I've been warned many times over that this is a process that will make you want to hang yourself. It takes months and months of legwork, forms, and tests (which all need to be MAILED in) before they'll even call you down for an evaluation appointment, and after that, it takes many months more while they take vacation, drink coffee, and delete your name from their system. Any attempt on your part to somehow expedite the process, such as suggesting such 21st century conveniences as fax or email, will go unheeded. I was genuinely surprised they didn't make me send over my forms via horse and buggy.

So I had finally gathered all the requisite paperwork. I had the ten pages filled out by his Gan teacher, I had the seven and a half pages filled out by myself, (with some linguistic assistance from my 8 year old, but that's neither here nor there.) I had the various test results from the doctor as well as the hearing test results, (Making THAT appointment would be an entire blog post on its own.), and all this was MAILED to the office for approval. Finally...FINALLY...after months of waiting...waiting...they called us for an appointment.

The day finally came. The culmination of almost a year of forms, tests, and runaround. We get to their office. We step up to the counter. They look at us, smile, and say, "Who are you? We don't have your forms here."

Turns out, she explained, that they had moved offices recently, and due to an unforeseen "gleetch", an entire carton of paperwork got "lost in the move".

Lost in the move?!
Did they lose a desk?
Did they lose a therapist?
Why did the receptionist arrive at the new location unscathed, but not my file? Frankly, I'd rather the file.

So we're starting the process again. Hopefully, there will be no 'gleetches' in the system. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if after all this I get a letter in the mail that due to a gleetch in the system, he's finally been approved...

...for a mortgage.

Amazing Deals Today!

There are some amazing deals listed today in my Daily Deals section, as well as some great sales that still haven't expired from last week. I'm really excited about some of these, I can't understand why my husband keeps hiding his debit cards.

2 of my favorite sales today are:

1. $10 off your first order PLUS $5 off every case of diapers! Code: Fiveaff Click here!

2. $26.99 for 16pc. Corelle! Click here: Click here!

Many more great sales listed in my daily deals section. Click here or click on the Daily Deals menu tab at the top of the blog. Check back every day!

Sundays It Begins Anew

I started a diet today
It's going to be different then the rest
I'm determined, I'm committed, my head's on straight
and I'm going to try my best

I'll stick to the plan completely
It isn't even a question
Healthful snacks and leafy greens
And Tums to prevent indigestion

The day started with half a grapefruit
I washed it down with some camomile
A half an hour of jogging later
I was looking forward to my next healthful meal

Lunch got a little bit iffy
Things became somewhat amiss
I had my large salad with salmon
But I washed it down with a Hershey Kiss

Listen, it was only one
You have no right to judge
I did my exercise! I drank my water!
And who can resist the taste of fudge?!

At 3 o'clock on the dot
It was time for my well-earned snack
Fat free yogurt and celery sticks
And my perseverance began to crack

It was only 7 Potato chips
4 Jelly beans- just a small taste
I deserve it! I'd worked so hard up till now!
And I wouldn't want it to go to waste

I did a couple of sit ups
A half-attempt at yoga, for argument's sake
Drank a bottle of water
Washed it down with a brownie cake

By the time supper rolled 'round
I was armed with new-found conviction
But the healthy choices I'd painstakingly planned
Just didn't come to fruition.

I started off with a protein
And a dollop of something green
But dessert was the rest of the potato chips
Behind the sofa so I wouldn't be seen

It didn't end there, though I wish it had
A box of cookies, some chocolate, what sorrow!
Pringles, ice cream, a doughnut or three
Oh well....there's always tomorrow.

My Mornings

People keep asking me how I juggle 4 kids (With my husband, sometimes 5!), 2 jobs, and 'me time'. I think the main trick here is multitasking and prioritizing.

I work for an American company from 3:45-12:00 in the afternoon/night, which means I have my mornings free. In addition, 2 years ago, I somehow volunteered to cook for a small nearby yeshiva and deliver the lunch and supper to their apartment. The job is really not that difficult: lunches are relatively simple and chicken is usually not that much prep time, just cooking time. I figured that while I'm home in the mornings cooking anyway, I might as well put my time to good use and ask my American job if I can start working overtime for them in the mornings.

So now: my mornings consist of going to the grocery to get the lunch and supper ingredients. (I go daily because I like fresh fruits, vegetables, bread, dairy, etc. and it's not far.)Then I come home and prepare the lunch, and then I put in overtime at work until the kids come home at 1:30. This time IS flexible. I can work an hour, 2 hours, no hours, etc. I do what I feel I can do. My schedule may not always reflect it, but I'm a firm believer in 'me time', or 'down time', even if it's a nice relaxing shower or bath with a magazine. Even if it's 15 minutes in bed with a good book. Even if it's half an hour in a cafe with an iced coffee, to each their own guilty pleasure. Even a manicure or massage. It's important to always know that YOU, and YOUR well-being come first. Women can easily become shmattahs these days with our lives being juggling acts, but keep your priorities straight. I'm guilty of forgetting this myself, but a happy and calm mother change the whole atmosphere of the house!

At 1:30, I drop off the lunch at the yeshiva and pick up the kids/meet the kids bus.

I like to keep my posts (relatively) short since I know that we women are always running somewhere and doing something so I'll split my schedule into 2 posts. The next post will deal with working afternoon while making 3 different suppers. I'm getting tired just thinking about it! (And hungry!)

Raising Israelis

There are a lot of things one needs to get used to as an American raising Israeli children. On the one hand, I want my kids to be well-bred and polite. On the other hand, I don't want them to be pushed around in the tough Israeli culture. It's hard to strike the appropriate balance between the two but I think I've finally hit upon success. Rest assured, before my kids enter any aggressive confrontation with a classmate or peer, you will hear a firm but polite, "Pardon me".

I also had to get used to the Israeli insults. I had always taught my kids that we don't call people not nice words. Imagine my surprise then when I overheard them hurl the worst Israeli slur of them all, "Shokolad Banana", loosely translated, "Chocolate banana". Silly me. I had been so busy warning them against such slander as "stinky" and "stupid", that I completely neglected to address the flavored produce epithets. I learn something new every day.

Then there's the language barrier. We went on a shopping excursion to the butcher the other day to place a large order. When my turn arrived, I proudly smiled at my brood, and confidently stepped up the counter and ordered 10 'tachtonim', which logically should have meant bottoms, but was in fact underwear. At the butchers obvious confusion I turned to ask my eldest for her linguistic assistance, only to discover that she was already off in the corner trying her hardest to blend in with another family. The next 2 children seemed to had vanished as well. I looked down lovingly at my baby; at least I still had the unconditional support of my youngest child. Until I noticed that even he was flailing desperately in an obvious attempt to free himself from the reigns of his stroller.

And here I thought I wouldn't embarrass my children until they were at least 14.

Amazing Robeez Sale!

I love Robeez. I've had kids that can get themselves out of straightjackets, (Not that I've tried....no, really....) but their Robeez stayed steadfast on their feet.

For 3 days, adorable Robeez and Stride Rite are 30% off!
Click here:
30% off Stride Rite and Robeez shoes. Code: SGSTRIDE
See more daily deals by clicking the "Daily Deals" link at the top of the page.

Repairmen

I had a guy come look at my dryer. The thing wouldn't start. He stared at the dryer for a good 4 minutes, bent down and picked up a little piece off the floor with an "Aha!", and proceeded to glue it back to the door. That cost me 400 shekel. My 4 year old could have done that. Throw in some glitter and googly eyes and it could have been a fun afternoon activity. When questioned as to his astronomical fee, he explained that the problem was very complex and a dryer is nothing to fool around with, Ma'am.

Conversely, before accepting payment, my plumber insists on describing, in full detail, what went wrong, where, when, and how. Now THAT information I can do without.

New Blog Section - Daily Deals

I'm currently working on a new section to this blog, as you can see the Daily Deals tab on the top of this page. I plan to update, on a daily basis, sales and/or coupon codes from certain stores or websites that I personally frequent. Really excited about this as my husband surreptitiously hides his debit cards.

Enjoy!

Awesome Hawaiian Chicken

As I've written before, I'm a work at home Mom. I work 2 jobs, one for a large American company, and the second is that I cook for a small nearby school and deliver the meals twice daily. More about how I juggle my family and work commitments in a later post, but this post is about what the school is having for supper tonight: Awesome Hawaiian Chicken! This recipe is by Brynie Greisman and was featured in Mishpacha Magazine about 3 years ago. I cut it out and it's a family favorite here. The school keeps requesting it as well!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

LikeACoupon.com And A Word On Sales

What a great new group buying site! All you have to do is "Like" the coupon and if they reach a certain amount of people it gets unlocked! Yesterday's coupon was a great deal: $50 for $100 at Bloomingdales. It became unlocked at 100 likes, and got 2,697 likes! I especially like that they feature desirable coupons instead of some other sites: ("Buy a 4 foot tuba, get a free hamster!")

In general, I'm a fan of Group Buying sites ONLY IF it was something you were going to buy anyway. The same with any sale. If, for example, your anniversary is coming up and you're going out to eat and you Group Buy a coupon for 50% off a local restaurant then great! You saved money!

BUT...and here's where it gets tricky folks, if you see the coupon and say, "That looks good. Now I want to eat out tonight!" and you buy it, you didn't save half the restaurant bill, you SPENT half a restaurant bill that you weren't planning to spend!

A neighborhood bookstores had a sale recently. 3 books for 99 shekel. That's a great deal and for months and months my kids had been begging me for Astrix books, another one of their obsessions: (Asterix Books)I was able to buy 6 books for 198 shekel instead of about 300 shekel. Amazing! My friend however, who wasn't planning on buying any books, wisely did not take advantage of the amazing sale because she realized that a great 99 shekel sale is no longer a sale if it was 99 shekel that she wasn't planning on spending.

An important lesson to remember.

BD"E Leiby Kletzky

http://matzav.com/boruch-dayan-emmes-leiby-kletzky-ah-9-year-old-boy-body-was-just-found

We are all saddened and shocked by the heinous crime committed by one of our own. Our hearts ache along with the Kletzky family. May Hashem comfort them and somehow ease the pain they're going through.

One beautiful thing to note during this horrible time is how beautiful it is to see all communities come together to search and to comfort. May we continue to come together like this, as a community, regardless of sect or affiliation, in JOYFUL times as well.

Shhhhhhhhh!

My one year old has this new thing. Whenever one of his older siblings have blessedly fallen asleep and the adults have taken to tiptoeing, whispering, holding in coughs, and not flushing toilets, he'll come over to me and yell at the top of his little toddler lungs, "MOMMMY! MOMMY! MA! MA! MOMMY! MOMMY! MA!" Then he'll point in the general direction of his no-longer-sleeping sibling and whisper "Night Night".

Gee, kid. Thanks for keeping me posted.

An Ode To The Diet

This post isn't for those
that are naturally thin
Can eat anything they want
And still look like a pin

This is for those among us
Who've watched the scale jump by fives
Atkins, Weight Watchers, Cabbage Soup
We've been dieting most of our lives.

It always starts off well
Sunday and Monday go according to plan
We sneak a brownie on Tuesday and Wednesday
And by Friday we finish the pan.

We start off with 8 cups of water,
Pilates and crunches on the floor
But by the end of the week the only workout I get
Is opening the refrigerator door

Though my husband's been dieting with me
His behavior's been way out of bounds
I eat lettuce and lose not an ounce
He eats fast food and drops away the pounds

So I'm tempted to give up
As my girth expands and grows
The only thing keeping my eye on the prize
Is that I need to fit into my clothes

So when you pass me in the supermarket, you can easily spot me
I may look hungry or determined or meek
I'll insist I'm shopping for Tofu and Salad
But there will be telltale crumbs on my cheek.

Do You Smell Something?

Do you smell something? It's coming from the shelf in my kitchen.

A local dairy company, Tenuva, is offering a raffle where you collect the empty packages of 15 dairy products and mail it to them. You will then be entered into a drawing for 50,000 shekel toward a home renovation. There are 3 winners.

There will also be 100 winners for 250 shekel worth of dairy products.

So I have a pile of dairy wrappers sitting in the kitchen. 2 cottage cheese, 4 milk bags, a couple of yogurts, some chocolate pudding and a bottle of chocolate milk. I scrubbed and I scrubbed them clean, but there is still a suspicious odor emanating from that corner of the kitchen. My husband suggested keeping the stuff in the fridge until we reach 15 but I just don't have the free fridge space right now. And I can't help thinking about the poor mail man delivering moldy envelopes to the milk company on a daily basis.

So I have mold growing in my kitchen. I guess that's why they're raffling a home renovation-people will want put their winnings toward ripping down their kitchen and fumigating their home.

I'm Back!

So I'm back from my monthly shlep across the city to shop at the cheapest supermarket. Whenever I go I realize anew how much this saves me. Even with the 30 shekel delivery charge, and even with public transportation one way (we walked back) and 20 shekel to the babysitter, each item so significantly cheaper then in the local grocery, it's ridiculous.

I strongly suggest reviewing all your options before making a decision. Say you have a local grocery, a nearby supermarket chain and a faraway supermarket chain. There's nothing wrong with taking a day to walk up and down the aisles with a notebook and calculator, making columns of the the items you regularly buy. Sure, you may get some odd stares, but who cares? You're saving money! If someone is looking at your strangely just look right back and say something like, "Excuse me, have you seen my cat?" More often then not, they'll avoid you for the rest of your research excursion.

Two notes about supermarket sales. There's a large popular supermarket chain near my house that puts out regular advertisements. HOWEVER, if you read the fine print, there are ALWAYS conditions. You need to spend 75/100/200 shekel on non-sale items before you can take advantage of the advertised sale, and even then it's a limited amount per customer. Often, the sale is only available if you use their store credit card. Not club card, but their actual credit card. It's just not a sale when there are 5 catches and conditions.

Furthermore, if you buy something because it's on sale that you would never normally buy, it's not really a sale. Let's say I want to get crackers for the kids to snack on. If I was going to buy it at 5 shekel and I buy it on sale for 4 shekel, I saved money. But if I buy crackers and then I also pick up Prune Flavored Marzipan Macaroons With Marshmallow Bits because it's buy one get one free....that wasn't a sale. They just tricked me into buying something that I would never buy because I thought I was saving money. I didn't save money. I SPENT money I would have never spent.

Groceries!

Where do you do your shopping?
How often do you do your shopping?

These questions have been hounding my conscience in one form or another since I began budgeting in ernest. Back in the day, we purchased everything at our local grocery. It's a small, friendly place about 4 minutes from my home by foot. The proprietor knows my kids by name and I know where everything is on the shelves.

There's just a teeny problem. Everything is a ridiculous fortune. Then again, there are pros and cons to be weighed. Let's say I shop at a large supermarket chain. Sure, everything would be cheaper, plus there's several BRANDS of each item, allowing me to choose among the selection the best tasting product at the cheapest price.

However, since it's far, I need to pay for transportation, as well as babysitting. There's also a delivery charge, while my local grocery delivers for free.

So it's a toss up. Not a simple decision. Not so clear cut at all. Well, it took years of much back and forth and careful research (Involving me walking up and down aisles of large supermarkets with a calculator, notebook, and pen scribbling frantically. If ever a woman looked like a candidate for the loony bin....) we determined that going to a certain supermarket would come out cheaper. Sure, we would have to pay for transportation at least one way, and there's the issue of sending a child to a babysitter for an hour, but the prices are unbelievable and more importantly there's selection.

For example, my local grocery sells couscous for about $2.50. The supermarket sells that same couscous for $2.00, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, sells a less famous brand which tastes just as good for $1.50! We've been going to this supermarket once a month and while it's far from convenient, our grocery expenses have lessened dramatically. I still go to the local grocery almost daily for fresh dairy, fresh bread, and the like, but very few staples and the savings have been substantial. Less money spend that the grocery equals more money into saving for future expenses. Hooray!

I love Amazon!

I wrote in a previous post how Israel is relatively short on reasonably priced department stores. Needless to say, I do A LOT of online shopping. Aside from being cheaper, I work between 10-12 hours every day so there's not much time to hit the malls. I love ordering from Amazon because I find that they have great sales, and because I cash in my rewards from my Swagbucks account for Amazon coupons.

I'd like to feature 2 of my most recent purchases that I'm thrilled with.
The first, is the Where's Waldo Collection, all 6 Where's Waldo? books in a cardboard case. I bought a Where's Waldo book here in Israel (thought it was called "Effo Affi.") for 89 shekel! When I saw 6 books on Amazon for under $30 I was THRILLED.

I originally purchased this for my 4 year old, but my 7 and 8 year old refuse to put it down either. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I've wiled away an afternoon myself with these books.This set was also the most economical at $15 off! Where's Waldo? The Complete Collection



Another recent purchase is:Playmobil Ghost Pirate
I bought this pirate just last week after literally weeks of my son begging for it. The kids are all going through a playmobil stage right now. A word on playmobil: although it tends to be expensive, it is one of the few toys (Along with Clics) that can keep my kids busy for HOURS. Anything that can keep my children occupied for THAT long is a winner in my book, so we do buy a lot of playmobil. A good idea though is to first buy one of the sets that come with a carrier case. That way, all subsequent teeny tiny pieces, like a spoon the size of an ant, fit right into the case. My son's first playmobil set was this:Playmobil Pirate Treasure Chest
and I believe that's the reason we don't lose any pieces since everything goes right in there.

So...Who Wears The Pants?

Who handles the finances in your home? You? Your husband? Is it a joint effort? Or is one person in charge of everything and the other gets some sort of 'allowance'. (Weird, but I've been hearing of this sort of arrangement more and more lately.)

I handle the family finances. I review the accounts and make the decisions. My husband handles the bill paying.
There are some financial issues that I feel very strongly about and him, less so.

1. NO credit cards. When my husband and I were engaged, my in laws asked an older family friend, in our presence, what the secret to a happy marriage is. His reply? Never get a credit card. We took this tidbit to heart, we never got one, and we have been very happy with our decision. Now I know that many people will think me from the dark ages, and I understand that. But as a young immature couple striking out on our own, we didn't trust ourselves enough to use a credit card responsibly, so we made sure not to get one. We have been happy with our decision thusfar, especially with the rampant credit card debt we see around us. We do have 2 debit cards for online purchases and whatnot. The money gets removed from out bank account immediately so we can never use it irresponsibly. If we spend money that we don't have, it just won't go through.

2. SAVE like crazy. This is so major, I wish it was taught in some sort of mandatory premarital class. Save money every month, no matter what. I don't care if it's $100 or $10. It's a must. Everyone needs and emergency fund and everyone needs to be saving for the future. $10 a month, after a year, is still $120 that you wouldn't have had otherwise and with G-d's help, as your income increases, you will already be used to putting money aside monthly. People wake up when their child is 12 and wonder how they'll pay for a bar mitzva. Or they realize that their child needs braces and theirs no money to pay for them. It's never too early to save now, when your children are young, for the future.

What are some pieces of financial advice that you feel strongly about?

My Blog

I feel like as my blog develops, I discover more of what I want it to be about.

I basically want to encourage other frum women who's lives are one big balancing act. It really doesn't matter if you work or are a stay at home mom. Whether you have large or small families. We, as women, are always balancing the responsibilities of the home, whatever they may be. Let's face it: As helpful as our husband's may be, when all is said and done, the running of the home falls on our shoulders.

For example: when I host my husband's students for a meal, I like to have a large variety of delicious food. My husband doesn't understand this. After a 50 or 60 hour work week, as Thursday night rolls around and I lay my head on my soft marshmellowy pillow and my husband says something like, "Good night, andwe'erhostingtenguystomorrownight, and sleep well.", he just doesn't understand the big deal. To quote him, "You throw in a chicken, you whip up a kugel, and you're done!"

So yeah, our husbands may be helpful, but at the end of the day, if we want things to be neat and clean, if we want the food to be plentiful and tasty, if we want our children to go to school in appropriate clothing, ("Dear, why is the 8 year old wearing the baby's pajama bottoms as a scarf?"), then the responsibility will most likely fall on our shoulders. And that's a big responsibility. And it only gets bigger.

Y'know, back in the day, a woman's day revolved around the cooking, the cleaning, the home making, and little else. These days we all have so much on our plates. As a working mom certainly, but even as a stay at home mom, the day seems to start and end with one big 'To Do' List. So how? How does the modern woman balance everything?

I'd like this blog to show some insight into my very busy life. A life with 4 children and a husband with difficult hours. A life with 2 full time jobs, about 12 hours a day. A life with parents and in laws 6,000 miles away-there's no such thing as 'dropping the kids off by Grandma so I can run errands'. A life of being in 5 places at once and doing 5 things at once so that everyone and everything has my utmost attention and I come out and the end of the day alive!

It's What's On Everybody's Mind

Finances. This is a topic I feel very strongly about, as will become apparent.When I moved to Israel, I thought it would be easy to make it. After all, isn't everything cheaper here?

It didn't take me long to realize that no, it's not. Food costs more, housing costs more, toys and electronics cost more and all with the average income being just a smidgen of what it would be in America.
I picked up a small box of cereal in the grocery last week that cost 36 shekel. That's over 10 dollars. I put it right back. Basic food staples cost more here than in the most expensive European cities.
My son wants a certain Playmobil toy for his birthday. $95 at Toy's R Us, 1500 shekel in Israel. I can't even do conversion math that high without taking off my socks and shoes but it's roughly $440. Furthermore, bargain shopping is a concept unknown to Israelis. There's no Walmart or Target. No Payless or Sears. Sure there are cheap stores but you get exactly what you pay for. A cheap shirt or toy will rip or break before you can even make it to the check out counter.

And the salaries?

Minimum wage stands at a bit over $1000 a month before taxes and to be frank, the average salary, even for professionals is not much more. While food prices have risen 26% over the past few years, salaries have only gone up 2%. It's a system that doesn't make sense and leads to the unfortunate high rate of poverty in Israel.

I personally feel that the only way to be able to make it comfortably in Israel is to work very hard, and we do. My husband and myself both have 2 full time jobs each, 4 jobs altogether. It's not easy, but it's not magic. If you work, you will have. If you don't...well then what do you expect?

A friend's husband was complaining to my husband that after living here just a few years, they are already $30,000 in credit card debt and that making it in Israel is impossible. My husband asked him, "Well, what does your wife do?" He replied, "No wife of mine is ever going to have to work!"

I hate to break it to you sir, but many times in life there are no shortcuts. Be smart, responsible, and not lazy. That's the secret behind financial security.

My Baby Stole My Homework

There are some women in this world who are perfectly maddening. You know the type. Their house is spic n' span, their children are the positively angelic sort, always dressed in matching white outfits that stay white longer then it takes to zipper it up, and they've always breezed into the delivery room at 9 centimeters, most probably still with a spatula in hand as they passed contractions by whipping up a decadent chocolate cheese cake.

Well not I.

My one year old has been keeping me on my toes. I've never before had a child that was this mischievous at so young an age. (It usually doesn't begin to show until at LEAST 2.) He climbs into everything, rips apart everything, breaks everything, and bites everything, and puts random things up his nose. As I wrote in my previous post, my baby microwaved my digital camera. For those of you that need a recap, here's what happened: My baby microwaved my digital camera. That's the entire story.

So we spoke to an extremely helpful chap at B&H named Joseph who helped us order a new camera to suit our needs. We had it delivered to my in law's place in New York, and they had it sent to us in someone's suitcase. This was 2 weeks ago.

Yesterday my baby threw my new camera into Lake Kinneret.

Welcome To My Life

I have often been told by friends and acquaintances to start blogging my life and experiences. No, my life isn't all that fascinating. I am not a famous superstar or politician. But weird things do seem to happen to me often and I put a positive spin on it with my sense of humor.

A proper introduction is in order. I'm 28 years old and I live in Israel. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Israel with my new husband at 18 knowing not much more then my new address. My head was in the clouds and how I managed to come through is still beyond me. I still remember my mother sitting me down in the airport to give me words of wisdom as a new wife. ("Make sure to take the chicken OUT of the package before cooking it. When putting something into a pot, make sure the fire is ON.") Now, 10 years and 4 children later, I'm doing it!

My husband and myself both work 2 full time jobs each in order to be comfortable and, thank G-d, it works for us (More details on that fascinating topic later).  We often host large Shabbos (Sabbath) meals for my husband's students. My 4 children are adorable, but certainly a handful with most of them acting more like teenagers then toddlers. A brief example: A few weeks ago, my one year old microwaved my digital camera. That's not a joke. He climbed onto my dining room table, took the camera, climbed down, pushed the chair over to the microwave, climbed up, opened he door, placed the camera inside, closed the door, and pressed high. Approximate 4 minutes and 32 seconds later, I had  Canon A500 soup. Suffice it to see, our home is an active one.

 Our days are packed with work and responsibilities, but our happy home works for us. How, will be a subject explored further in this blog. Welcome!

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About me

My life