KvellCorner

March 1, 2012 admin Uncategorized No Comments

Marcia Brady’s Prom Date

How do you get a famous superstar singer to be your prom date?  Without the help of a YouTube video or a Facebook page, Marcia had enough chutzpah to crash a recording session, proclaim her love for Davy Jones as the President of the Filmore Junior High Fan Club, and (ta-da)! a few hours later – her dreamy prom date is sitting in her living room. 

As I watch the tributes flow in and remember listening to my Monkees 45′s at my friend’s house many years ago, I think to myself… Marcia. Marcia. Marcia. Lucky girl. So groovy.

R.I.P Davy Jones.  Thanks for making me a believer.

February 9, 2012 admin Uncategorized No Comments

Writing My Before Picture

I am a “third time’s a charm” Weight Watchers member.  When I get around to attending WW meetings, I don’t really enjoy hearing about “food finds” because I know I will forget about them by the time I make my shopping list.  I also think it is a little ridiculous when people I don’t know clap for me after I lose 5 ounces.  My feeling is that they should hold their applause until it is 5 lbs.  Now that deserves a standing ovation!

The only time that I ever remember being extremely motivated about losing weight was when I had a personal trainer.  She trained me for my first 5K race.  She made me do countless squats and lunges and I didn’t hate her for it.  She always explained why those exercises were necessary to acheive my goal.  We started slow and steady and as my casual walks turned into 3 mile runs, it became a more enjoyable experience.  The best part was that she was there to give me a big hug when I crossed the finish line at the race – sharing in my success. 

I think that having a weight loss coach will be good for the same reasons. I need someone to explain things to me like I’m a 5 year old who knows nothing about why I need to eat kale (yuck!), swiss chard (ugh!) and those leafy greens that I like to pull off of my sandwiches.  She will motivate me to think about my food choices and – if she is a miracle worker – she may teach me to embrace cooking instead of stressing out about it constantly. 

And for those of you who know my younger sister, Karen, of Cooking with Karen – www.karencooking.com .  Yes! - We do share some of the same DNA. Just don’t ask me to  explain how by some strange twist of genetic fate that one of us loves to cook, became a healthy cooking coach, and eats kale chips for their delicious taste – and one of us doesn’t. 

Guess which sister I am.  :-(

Anyway, as I embark on this weight loss journey (again!) - I will keep you posted.  Will I learn to eat vegetables that are way, way, way outside of my comfort zone?  Will I cook something for dinner that doesn’t have whole wheat pasta or ground turkey as the main ingredient?  Will I trade in sugar for agave nectar? My crisp lettuce for spinach?  My microwave popcorn for kale chips?  The last one is very doubtful. As for the rest – who the heck knows – I’ll just give it the old college try.

January 23, 2012 admin Uncategorized No Comments

The Idiot and the Odyssey

I’m just going to admit something right now.  I’m an idiot when it comes to working the key remote for my new Odyssey.

I’m a first time mini-van mom and apparently I need some additional driveway assistance when it comes to opening the side doors of my car.

Normally, I’m a pretty smart cookie – but trust me – it’s not as easy as it looks. 

The problem is that the second row of buttons on my key remote look almost exactly the same.  These open the side doors of the mini-van.  The question is which side door does each button open?  There are very few times that I get this right on the first try.  Seriously.  Every time I do this, I take a wild guess.  Will it open the door that I’m standing right in front of or will it open the one facing the bushes?  And how long exactly do I have to hold the button down for one of these doors opens automatically?  Is five seconds enough?  10 seconds?  In the cold weather, 2 seconds is way too long.  In the dark, I just hold both buttons down and make it a race.  Why doesn’t this remote light up at night so that I can see the buttons?

My next question is –  why can’t I open these doors while I’m sitting in the driver’s seat of my vehicle?  The  first time I tried to do it I got so frustrated that I turned off my car, left my comfy heated seat, went outside and pointed the remote at the car to get them to open.  

Yes, I did look ridiculous in the car line at school.  Thanks for asking. 

After about a week of complete frustration, I broke down and took out the owner’s manual.  There is a lot of really good information in there.  I learned that the child-locks have to be manually turned off in order to open these doors from inside the vehicle.   A-HA!  Apparently, Honda made these doors both child proof and parent proof.  

One of these days, I’m going to go through the manual and find the answers to all of my questions.  In the meantime, I hope the kids will be patient with me and stop rolling their eyes next time I open the side door by the bushes.  I’ve only had the car for a month. I’ll figure it out – eventually.    

January 5, 2012 admin Uncategorized No Comments

Anyone Need A Ride?

As you know from my FB status, I bought a brand new mini-van and crossed a new threshold in my career as a parent.  This is my first mini-van ever.  I’ve been a mom for almost 11 years and I really don’t know how I’ve gotten this far without it. 

I’ve relied on the kindness of my friends who owned mini-vans  that could fit up to 8 people in their car with car seats, sports equipment, birthday presents and more!  For those of you who don’t have children yet or don’t remember these days, this is huge!  I was so jealous. I would just sit and watch with mini-van envy. While I loved my 5 seater CR-V, it just wasn’t the same.

Until now, I’ve had to beg and plead to get into a carpool going to a random birthday party.  Luckily, the other moms took pity on me, picked up and brought home my child without expecting anything in return.  I’d like to take a moment at this time to thank them for including me in their carpools. 

This year when my daughter joined Reading Olympics at school, I was fortunate enough to get into a carpool with 4 other families. But, I had some work to do.  Six kids in 5 seats plus all of their backpacks, lunch bags, etc.  You do the math.  I made it work, but there was a catch.  When it was my turn to drive, I had to leave my other child with someone while I took the others to school.  The only other alternative was to draw straws and the kid with the shortest straw would have to sit in the trunk. Hey, its only a 4 minute ride, right? (Just kidding).

But, today is a new day.  I have seen the light at the end of the tunnel.  Times have changed for the better.  I am finally sitting at the grown-ups table with the other mini-van moms.  I can play with the other moms without feeling guilty, join the cool clique and get invited to all of the big time carpools.

Honestly, I just can’t wait to return the favor and pile all of the neighborhood kids into my car. I’ll watch them file out saying – “Thanks, Mrs. Heisman.”   It will be so cool.

January 4, 2012 admin Uncategorized 1 Comment

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

December 27, 2011 admin Uncategorized No Comments

Chanukah 2011 – A Recap

It all started 8 days ago.  And now, Chanukah is almost over. Here is a recap of our Chanukah holiday.

Pre-Chanukah checklist

• Make endless trips to the mall to buy 8 presents for the kids and several more for parents, sisters, brothers in law, nephews, teachers, pollyanna gifts, etc., etc., etc. 
• Buy gelt and Chanukah candles and decorations because I can’t find the decorations from last year.
• Get out the dreidels and menorahs. 
• Write nicely and appropriately toned letter to Hallmark asking why they once again do not carry more than 2 rolls of wrapping paper for Chanukah – both of them really ugly.
• Promise myself to not support Hallmark stores in the future because they never answered my letter.  So many other places to buy cards. (I usually forget this promise by Valentine’s Day).

Pre-Chanukah celebration

Four days before Chanukah, we attend our first holiday party.  After spending a week at a professional conference, I was greeted by my family who missed me terribly and was whisked away to a Chanukah party thrown by my Chavurah friends.  It was so nice to be with friends.  We enjoyed the first homemade potato latkes of the season with the appropriate condiments of ketchup, sour cream, or  applesauce.  Followed by plenty of sufganiot (a definition for my non-Jewish friends – they are jelly donuts). 

The next day, we celebrated Chanukah with my wonderful in-laws because it was the only day we could all get together.  We had a breakfast of more homemade latkes, sour cream, applesauce, bagels, cream cheese and other treats. We did the first big exchange of Chanukah presents and my sister in law did a great job ushering in the holiday for us.

8 Nights of Chanukah

On the first night of Chanukah … – Well, the actual start of Chanukah was bit bumpy.  By the time we got home from Hebrew School and cub scouts and a third trip to CVS for gift cards, scotch tape and scissors that we forgot to add to the pre-Chanukah checklist, it was already 8:45 pm.  We got out all 3 menorahs, lit the first candle on each one, said the three blessings, put the menorah in the window, exchanged gifts and put the kids to bed. Good thing I had 7 more days to get this right. It was just too rushed. 

Day 2 – This evening was much better. We were all home for dinner which is a true gift in and of itself.  We lit the candles on two menorahs and exchanged presents. Since I was getting over a cold after spending the week in a hotel, and traveling back and forth by train – I decided that I wasn’t feeling well enough to go to a meeting downtown.  I opted to play a little Yatzhee with Andrew (his Chanukah present for the night) before heading off to bed.

Day 3 – This was a perfect night of Chanukah.  We were delighted that our neighbors – who are originally from India – wanted to come over and watch us light the menorah.  We sang the blessings, taught them a little about the holiday and got down to business. Dreidels and gelt for everyone! Everyone was a winner.

Day 4 – Another wonderful night of Chanukah was spent celebrating at our synagogue.  We had a community menorah lighting, sang Ma’oz Tzur (Rock of Ages), participated in the Glow Stick/Shabbat/Chanukah service, and enjoyed a concert by our Junior Choir.  Contrary to popular belief, there are many different Chanukah songs besides I Had a Little Dreidel and the Adam Sandler song.  We finished the evening off with a little Israeli dancing.

Day 5 – Spent this 5th night/Christmas Eve watching the Eagles game at our neighbor’s house. Enjoyed pizza and lighting the menorah with our fellow MOT’s on our street.  This also led to a Chanukah sleepover.

Day 6 – Travelled to South Jersey to spend Chanukah with my parents, my sister and her family.  More homemade latkes! (Hello, Weight Watchers? See you in January).  Since cooking is not my strong suit, I watched while my daughter learned how to make potato latkes with her grandmother.  Someday, I will take on potato latkes – after I master hamantaschen, matzah ball soup and brisket.

Day 7 – Somehow, I miscounted the presents and realize that I am one present short for my daughter and two short for my son.  I fix the problem by taking my daughter with me for Chanukah manicures and my son to Five Below. 

Day 8 – Tonight is the last night of Chanukah.  We lit the menorah one last time and I took time to watch the candles flicker as we ate dinner.  Another Chanukah has come and gone.  All of the presents have been given and received.  We are looking forward to a post-Chanukah trip to see the King and I this week in Philly.

And now, the holiday is just about done.  There is no more shopping to do – only the bills to pay.  And, there is only one question in my mind.

What are we doing for New Years?

November 17, 2011 admin Uncategorized No Comments

I Won!

So there I was last night, spending a wonderful evening with some of my favorite gal pals at Ladies Bingo at the synagogue.  We were having a great time – enjoying each other’s company while passing around the delicious treats that everyone brought.  Cheese and crackers. Hummus and chips. Brie and french bread. 2 bottles of wine. And of course, the triple  chocolate chip cookies! 

It was time to pull more raffle tickets for the fantastic baskets that filled the room.  Earlier in the evening, I stuffed my tickets into several different boxes.  I wanted Flyers tickets for my husband to give to him for Chanukah.  My daughter would have loved the BFF package complete with manicures and bracelets.  My son would have had a great time at  bowling and Bounce U.  I was also crossing my fingers that they would pick me for the weekend at a hotel in Philadelphia or the free week tuition for summer camp this year.

All of a sudden, my name was called!  I was so excited!  What did I win? What did I win?

I won the perfect package and it was all for me.  The person who spends countless hours at work and puts in a full day’s work every night at home.  The one who is driving around running errands and dropping off and picking up kids.  The person who can never find enough time to take care of herself.

I stood up.  I sucked in my stomach.  I wiped the cheese and cracker crumbs from the front of my shirt and walked up to claim my prize.  I was seated in the back and it was a long walk to the front – so I had some time to think. 

Can everyone tell that my thighs touch? 

Can they see that there is a little too much around my middle? 

I smiled to myself as I picked up my basket including 3 months with a personal weight loss coach and a 1 hour nutritional session.  I suddenly imagined myself not in a Weight Watchers meeting with a bunch of strangers (or even worse – people who know me). I’m getting a personalized plan. 

And where I can buy some yoga pants so that I have something to wear when I try out  yoga for the very first time? 

And I thought to myself – this is exactly what I wanted.

October 21, 2011 admin Mom Moments No Comments

Tweens On Bikes (and the Moms that Love Them)

Almost six months ago (to the day!), I let my daughter ride her bike to school for the first time all by herself.

Well, almost all by herself, I followed her the entire way in the car to make sure that she arrived safely.  You can read about that here.

But today, I want to tell you how far I’ve come since then.

Almost every morning when the weather is nice and not raining, the phone rings.  I don’t even bother to reach for it.  I know it is not for me.

“Do you want to ride bikes to school?” the voice says.

“MOM! Can I ride with (enter friend’s name here)?” my daughter says.

“What time is she leaving?” I ask knowing the answer is anywhere between 10-15 minutes from now.  After answering in the affirmative, she moves fast as lightning to get all of her stuff together, take her bike out of the garage, put on her bike helmet (unassisted) and be on her way.  She yells a quick goodbye before she leaves.

She thinks she is home free.  She thinks I’m not going to check in on her.  She is wrong.

The minute she runs out the door my internal, maternal clock starts ticking.  I’ve got this down to a science.

5 minutes to ride around the corner and meet her friend, plus

7 minutes to conquer the big hill between the corner and the crossing guard at the next corner, plus

another 3 or 4 minutes for her to socialize with her other friends before she gets to school, equals

approximately 15 minutes to get my son and I out the door, drive him to school and wait.

I wait in my SUV with my blinkers on so that the other drivers know to go around me.  I park on the black top and can’t go anywhere until I know that she made it to school in one piece.

As the girls come around the bend and ride towards the bike rack, I breathe a sigh of relief and then I drive off.  And yes, I pretend not to hear the tween-filled angst call of  ”MOM!” as she rolls her eyes in embarrassment at me.

And I think to myself – give me a break! I’ve already curbed the urge to get out of my car and give her an extra kiss goodbye.

Now that would be bad.

September 15, 2011 admin RemembeRED No Comments

Word Processor to Word Perfect to Word

When I went shopping with my parents to prepare for my first year of college, one of the first things we bought was a word processor.  It was from Brother and totally state of the art for 1989.  I didn’t have to lug a big, heavy typewriter to college.  I had a portable computer with a cute, little, green screen that showed six lines at a time.  The  best feature of all was the delete button.  No more white out!  That was so 1985.  This was the future!

By my senior year of college, I sat in the basement of a friend’s house typing up my final history paper about Harry Truman’s role in establishing the state of Israel – 25 pages on Word Perfect.  I could even print it out on a separate printer on special computer paper that had these perforated edges.  This made for a much more polished presentation.  I could type as many lines as I wanted against the big blue computer screen.  My beloved delete button was still there along with other neat functions. Press F3 to save.  Press F7 to print.  Press F10 to spell-check. Or something like that. 

I was a whiz at Word Perfect. I used it in my first office job.  In addition to my word processing skils, I made all kinds of cool spreadsheets in LOTUS and managed an entire database of customers in FileMaker.  I was so glad to have all of this great experience under my belt.

Little did I realize that these programs would soon become obsolete.  Three years later, Word Perfect was abbreviated to Word.  LOTUS was upgraded to Excel and FileMaker was replaced by Access.  By 1994, Microsoft Office 4.x had arrived shortly followed by Office 95, Office 97, Office 2000 and so on.  The Internet brought about great big chat rooms of strangers with common interests to “talk” to when I couldn’t sleep.  Once I learned how to “surf the net,” I joined Classmates.com – foolishly thinking that this would be the only way to reconnect with my long lost friends.  

All of this experience has taught me not to get too comfortable with today’s technology.  I just purchased a new laptop fully loaded with Microsoft Office 2010 and the Windows 7 operating system.  It has a camera so I can Skype with my nephew in Maryland.  There are great speakers for my YouTube videos.  It is hooked up to Wi-Fi so I can log on wherever life take me.  The point is that you just never know what is going to come next.  How will they top Skype?  What will be the next Facebook?  (Please don’t say Twitter).  One must keep up with these things and always take the opportunity to learn the next new thing.  If I didn’t, I’d be typing this post in Word Perfect.

For this week’s prompt, Write On Edge asked bloggers to recall those early memories of being online. But there are two catches: Please do not use the phrase “I remember…” Also? No laundry lists. Try to focus on one small memory and share that with us.

September 9, 2011 admin RemembeRED No Comments

The Deep End

Sometimes, I miss my childhood and sometimes I don’t. 

I didn’t learn to swim until I was about 16.  I was too afraid to go under the water.  I  still don’t enjoy it.  Because I didn’t know how to swim, you would find me reading a book and getting a tan on one of the lounge chairs.  You wouldn’t see me on the water slides.  I missed out on the deep end was where everyone else hung out.  The deep end was fun.  The risk takers were there.  It was sink or swim and if I had gone there – I would surely have sunk. 

I stayed in the shallow end for a good part of my childhood too.  At school, I rarely stood up for myself even though I may have been screaming inside.  It was easier and safer to keep to myself in the shallow end.  But then I learned to swim.  I made my way to the deep end and never looked back.  I took risks that I wouldn’t have taken before.  I became more confident and found myself along the way.

I would go back to my childhood to roll down the grassy hills behind my grandparent’s house.  I would visit with them, eat Milano cookies at their dining room tables while playing cards and checkers.  I would go back and hang with my friends at Skater’s Choice and the local movie theater.  I would go back to summer camp – one of the few places where I could be myself. 

But for the most part, I don’t think you could pay me to go back and relive those days.  I’d go back to college in a heartbeat - talk about the deep end!  Elementary school, middle school and high school – no thanks.  I like the deep end of my life now and it’s where I’m going to stay. 

 This prompt came from Write On Edge where we were asked to write a piece that started with the sentence, “I miss my childhood.”