...and the little one said "roll over, roll over!"

I guess you could say Leah is on a roll.

After surprising us Monday morning by being tummy down in the crib when it was time to wake up, Leah took a little break from her grilling acrobatic schedule.  But now shes back in the game and has turned over about 10 times today...well that includes the 2 times she turned over in the middle of the night.

So now she can roll from her back to her tummy, but still is having trouble with the other direction.  So she gets a bit frustrated, mostly because the toys are usually hanging over her head.

IN OTHER NEWS: Netanel "Brain Boy" Schwarzmer (no, not you Tonny) has decided he might actually like piano, and now we don't need to struggle to get him to practice.  This recent development occurred around the same time that he started playing 2 handed songs.  We are looking at getting him a real piano, so he can continue to grow.

Netanel has been busy exercising both brain and body in school.  He is learning popcorn words which are, from what i can tell, easy common words that the child will be able to find and help to foster a love of learning.  Why popcorn?   I don't know, but it's making me hungry.

Stay tuned for more news.

RMS

All that I am, I owe to him

A famous Jewish story is that of Rabbi Akiva, an ignorant shepherd who marries Rachel, the daughter of a rich man.  The father cuts her off and they are penniless.  Rachel has only one request for Akiva, to go learn Torah.  Akiva seems water dripping on a rock, and notices there is an indent from the water.  While one drop of water cannot change a rock, constant perseverance can cause even the most fluid of substances to  make an impression on the rocks hard surface.  He decides to go learn at a Yeshiva.

After 12 years, he returns home and hears his wife talking with someone about him.  The other person urges her to get a divorce, since Akiva must not be coming back.  Rachel replies, if my husband came home today, I would tell him to go back and learn for another 12 years.  Akiva, being a wise man, turned around and went right back to his yeshiva.

Twenty four years after originally leaving home he returns as a great Torah scholar with 24 thousand students.  his wife, dressed in rags tries to see him, but his students only see a poor old woman, and push her away.  Akiva stops them and says "All that I am, I owe to this woman."

Now, let me preface this by saying I am, in no way, comparing myself to the great Rabbi Akiva.  He is beyond compare.  There is though, one way in which we are similar, supportive and understanding spouses who allow us the room to grow.

I was raised in a Conservative home, where Jewish pride was important, but Jewish scholarship was not as vital as the more secular subjects.  I knew my traditional bible stories, the basics of the holidays and kosher, love of Israel, etc.  It was a very good and well rounded Conservative upbringing.

Over time though, I found I wanted more.  First, it was weekly learning with my friend  Rochel Leah Nekritz through Partners in Torah. She really helped me to explore the whys and hows of Judaism.  I took a year of classes through the Melton program, but a few weeks into the second year I found I was strangely tired every night.  Nine months later, Netanel was born.

I continued to learn with Rochel Leah, but it was not until I took a job with the state that I found another inspiration.  Every day on my walk, I saw a woman on the concourse who had a little stand set up to sell things.  Whenever she didn't have a customer, she was reading the Quaran.  I envied her and wished I could do the same thing with Torah.  Then it struck me that I could.

Suddenly I was devoting a huge amount of time to learning.  I was reading the weekly  Torah portion, reading the prophets and the writings, as well as continuing with Rochel Leah and attending a monthly womens learning-not to mention any odd event or class that was held locally that I would rush to, leaving Ra'anan home with Netanel.

During all of this, Ra'anan encouraged me, would answer my questions, get me any text I needed, guide me when I stumbled and encourage me when I became disheartened.  H never asked me to spend less time learning and more time on other things.  If there was a class we were both interested in, he insisted I have the first chance to go.

So now, as I begin to hopefully take the next step in my Jewish learning and begin learning Mishnah I want the world to know-

Every word Torah I have read, I dedicate to him.
Every question answered, I thank him.
Every theory I came up with, belongs to him.
Every moment I spent learning Torah should be in his merit.
All that I am, I owe to him.

I love you Ra'anan.


RMS

Hello, Good Morning, It is nice to see you.

I had the honor of attending one of Rabbi Moshe Bomzer's study sessions this evening where he was discussing various Talmudic Rabbi's.  One of the Rabbis we spoke about was Rabbi Yochanon ben Zakkai who lived in the 1st century C.E. (common era).  One of his most notable attributes was his friendliness to everyone.  Whenever he passed someone on the street he would greet them -Jewish, non-Jewish-it didn't matter.  Everyone was the same in his eyes.  He remembered that Na'aseh et ha'adam be'tzlem Elokim, Man was created in G-d's image.  That applied to all men, not only those who were like him.

In pre-holocaust Poland, the Bluzhever Rebbe, Rabbi Yisroel Spiro was also in the habit of warmly greeting everyone he met on the street by name, including a young man named Muller.  Later, when the rabbi was taken to a concentration camp along with his family, he stood in line waiting to find out his fate.  If he was sent to the left, he was destined for the gas chamber. If he was motioned to the right, he was bound for misery, but a chance of survival. As he got close to front of the line he looked up and saw someone he recognized.  "Good Day, Herr Muller"  he said.  "good day rabbi"  the Nazi officer responded-and he motioned the Rabbi to the right. (see http://tinyurl.com/yz5b95j )


We need to remember that those around us are not nameless others. They are worthy of our respect.


I have been following a blog by a wonderful writer, Aliza Hausman, a Dominican-American-Jewish convert who 
chronicles her struggles with racism within the Jewish community, and Antisemitism within the Dominican community. I highly recommend her blog. She reminds us that we need to stop trying to categorize people, forget about which little box they fit in, and just greet them as equals. 


Hello, How are you today?




RMS

Leah turned over!

I was getting ready for dinner, so I put the princess (please hold the jokes) on her tummy time mat.  I heard her crying about 30 seconds later so I came back in and she was on her tummy.  My first thought was that Netanel had flipped her, but he had no idea what I was talking about.  So Leah turned over for the first time AND I MISSED IT!

RMS

Leah's first meal

We went to the ped. for Leah's 4 month checkup today.  She is now 15 lbs, 14 oz, 25 inches long and, as always, very cute.

The ped. reccomended we introduce solids so, with a little bit of hesitation on my part, we did.

Enjoy.




RMS

Here's That Video I Promised...

   I had to upload it to YouTube to post it here.  Here it is!  Search for Schwarzmer on YT to find it.



Most of her audible reactions were caught on the video, but a few didn't make it. I guess I'll have to try harder.


RSS

"Stop Talking That Crazy Talk"

     I'm not sure where I've heard that before, but I'm pretty sure it's from a movie I might or might not have seen.  Regardless, I wanted to post a video for people to enjoy, one that will surely warm the cockles of hearts for miles and countries all around.  Yes, I have degenerated myself in this video.  What parent hasn't, for the sake of making our children do something?  I might be embarrassed by it at some point, I'm not now.  Enjoy the video, and I promise to try to post here more often.  Don't worry, the video will go up in a few minutes, as soon as I fugre out how to post from my jailbroken iPhone.


     Ra'anan (a.k.a., the "2.1")

Crying it out.

This post, from Jew in the City, Allison Josephs (which is an amazing blog BTW) pretty much sums exactly how I feel about crying it out.

Note: I take no credit for the following post.

Crying it Out by Allison Josephs

My son is one of the happiest babies I've ever met. The pediatrician says he's one of the happiest babies she's ever met too, and she's met a lot of babies. He spends the whole day smiling and laughing, and if you bounce him or squeeze him, he squeals on demand. Oh, and did I mention that his BFI (baby fat index) is the perfect ratio for squishing and cuddling? 

OK. I'll admit it. I'm smitten; but I'm not one of those crazy Jewish smothers,er, mothers. I'll definitely let him get married (as long as I get to pick out the girl). I'm perfectly fine with him moving away (provided he moves nearby). And visits often. And has a special cell phone designated for my calls only.

Although I'm (mostly) joking about the lengths I'll go to to keep my boychikleclose by, I do worry that I spoil him because he's just so darn happy - unless of course it's nap time, and I try to get him to go to sleep on his own. Then the laughing, giggling baby becomes the screaming, wailing baby.

Now I believe (in theory) that it's important for babies to learn how to fall asleep by themselves. I just have a very hard time (in practice) executing my theory. And so I got to thinking the other night (or rather early morning) about the conflict brewing within me. I was twenty minutes into a "crying it out" session. My utter exhaustion and frustration had given me an extra dose of will power to not go into him this time, but every minute spent listening to his screaming was complete torture. 

As I lay in bed, I started thinking about what was probably going through my baby's head at that moment (he's very gifted, you know): "Where's Mommy? Doesn't she hear me? Why isn't she helping me? I'm so alone and sad. Please somebody, anybody, get me out of here!" If only my little boy understood that his mommy was right there, listening to his every sob, crying along with him, dreaming of scooping him up in her arms, but stopping herself because she knew better.

Perhaps our Parent in heaven goes through a similar turmoil when we cry out in life - knowing that we must endure whatever pain we are in, but hating every moment of it. Some people see so much sorrow in the world they adopt a deist philosophy and believe that God made a universe only to pick up and leave it. But Judaism teaches that the relationships we see in this world are mirrored in the spiritual realm, and no normal parent is immune to her child's pain.

When we go through hardships in life; when we feel all alone in our troubles, we must remember that our pain is not a result of an absentee God, but rather a very devoted Spritual Parent who loves each and everyone of usalmost as much as I love my boy.

Lessons my children teach me #2: Keep trying every day...

...hold you head up high and you'll find a way.


Years ago, Netanel used to watch a show called the doodlebops. Each episode had a theme, and a song associated with the theme. One of the more memorable tunes was "Keep Trying" .

Recently, I purchased a tummy time mat for Leah, with toys that get tied on to the mat itself

I am always putting her with the toys slightly out of reach, hoping she will try to reach for them.  She thinks the game is quite fun, and she keeps trying.  Today I noticed she took a different approach.  instead of reaching out with her hands, she started scrunching the mat with her hand, slowly pulling the toys closer.   While it never made it into her hand, the ingenuity was astonishing.  I am such a proud Mamma.

She had the right idea.  In life, sometimes the 'accepted way' is not the right way for the individual.  We have to look inside ourselves, find which was of accomplishing a task is best suited to our skills and temperament and try new things all the time.  Only by thinking outside the box can we learn to move forward.

pumkin seeds

Today Netanel brought a pumpkin home from school.  Now I had to decide what to do with it.

Since we don't celebrate Halloween, the obvious answer, make a jack-o-lantern, was not really on our radar (although Netanel is interested, we might still do that).  I didnt want to waste it, so now its time to brainstorm.

Step one was easy: toasted pumpkin seeds.  Those are in the oven right now.

Step 2, what do we do with the rest?  ideas anyone?

I see this as a teaching experience.  How to use all of the pumpkin without creating waste - but first I have to teach myself.

Lessons my children teach me #1: I love you

Netanel came home from school  and excitedly showed me a piece of paper he had worked on in school.  Written on the paper, in  bright  pink marker were the words "I love my parents".

I know that he loves us, we are a very open family and we show our affection toward each other quite easily. But this paper was more than that - it was a labor of love.  Netanel is in kindergarten, and the number of words he can spell on his own right now I can count on one hand (For the record: the, zoo, and, Leah and Netanel).  That meant he had to ask his teacher to write it out, and he copied it.

Not once.

Not twice.

He had written "I love my parents" all over the paper.  

As I look at the paper, it occurred to me that prayer is much the same.  We may be copying something that existed before but it is up to us to utilize those prayers; to decide how often and determine how much time and effort we will put into them.

Of course G-d knows we love him, and he loves us unconditionally.  He doesn't need us to tell him how much he means to us.  So who benefits from prayer?  Who befitted from that piece of paper?

When I saw what Netanel had worked so hard on, I gave him a smile and a hug.  His face lit up by my reaction, and proceeded to tell me about his work in detail. While I appreciated his effort, he most certainly benefited from it.

It is the same with prayer.  HaShem appreciates the time and effort we put in, but we are the true recipients of prayer's benefits. It brings a sense of closeness with G-d, give us a sense of accomplishment, and allows step out of our comfort zone-and to grow with the experience.

As Netanel skipped away, thrilled at my reaction, I  thought to myself "ok, what does he want now?"  Does HaShem feel the same way about us?? 

:-)

RMS

Hey, that's not what they taught me in Yeshiva #1: Sunset, Sunrise

Please see Hey, that's not what they taught me in Yeshiva: Intro before reading this post.

The Jewish day starts the night before.  Therefore, all Jewish holidays start at sunset of the night before, and end at dark of the final day.

But why start the day at night?  Wouldn't it have been easier to start the day at dawn?

During the day, the sun illuminates the sky.  It provides us heat, light, allows our foods to grow, and is now even being harnessed to create energy.  It is a vital part of our existence.  Yet, when the sun is shining, we forget that the stars are also in the sky.  They are hidden by the brilliance of the sun.  While the sun is necessary, it blinds us to what is beyond it.

The stars and moon are our nightly companions.   The moons impact on us, while not as intense as the sun, can be felt nonetheless. The tides are constantly at the mercy of the moons gravitational field, and the life of anyone living or working near the sea is ruled by the tides.  The myriad of stars we see each night  look practically identical to the naked eye; they are a community of equals, no matter how different they may be when closely examined. They may not offer us an overt benefit, but what lessons can we learn from them.

Just like the sun, people are, by necessity, providers: We provide food, warmths and shelter to ourselves and those who are entrusted to our care.  Yet, in this daily struggle for survival, we sometimes forget we are part of a greater whole.  Which is why we have the moon and stars to remind us of how we can effect others just by our presence, and to ensure we never forget that we are part of a larger community.  A community that, when you take the time to closely examine it, is larger, more beautiful and more unifying than we realize.

HaShem gave us the sun, moon and stars so that each can teach us a lesson -how to provide the essentials, but also how to be a part of the whole.  In fact, the sun itself is a star...one of that myriad.  Even if we cannot see beyond it, we will never be alone.

Many people, if they had the chance, would be the sun all the time. Businessmen and women who are workaholics, parents who are so busy cooking and cleaning, running errands and carpooling that they forget to play cars or dolly with their children.  We need to stop- take some time to be the moon and stars.

So how does this relate to the original question "why do days start at night"?  Perhaps HaShem is trying to remind us that we need to always remember the bigger picture, even when we feel we need to dedicate our whole time to the essentials .

So next time the sun sets, the stars come out and it's the beginning of a new day, take a lesson from the stars. Stop trying to provide every second of the day and enjoy the beauty of your whole -whether it is your family, your community or your friends - take a minute to appreciate those around you.

RMS

"Hey, that's not what they taught me in Yeshiva" intro

I will be doing a series of posts dealing with my alternative theories about Jewish topics.  I AM NOT saying I am right.  I am far from learned, and I will probably be off base, but I enjoy developing these ideas....and for all I know, these could all be old theories!

If you have something you would like to add to "Hey, that's not what they taught me in Yeshiva", please email it to me and I will post it.


RMS

I miss Savta

Ra'anan's grandmother, Toby Schwarzmer (Savta is Hebrew for Grandma) was an incredible woman.  I was extremely close with her and would speak with her constantly.  I turned to her for advice, and always called whenever I had a  problem.  She could always help.  She loved hearing stories about Netanel, and I always called her as soon as he  did or said something cute.

Savta passed away over a year ago, yet I still feel her loss.  Hardly a week goes by without Netanel or Leah doing something cute, that makes me want to reach for the phone to call Savta.  Ra'anan and I will look at each other, and in unison say " I miss Savta"  Sometimes we don't even need to say it-we see it in each others eyes.

Savta is probably my closest loss since becoming an adult.  My mother, maternal grandmother, paternal grandfather and step-mother all passed away by the time I was 20.  Papa passed away while I was pregnant with Netanel and, although we spoke often, I never felt like I could confide in him. Zaidy (step-mom's father) died a few years ago, but unfortunately I had not seen him in over 10 years.
Savta, on the other hand, I met as an adult and only knew as an adult.  I shared everything with her: cute stories, my fears, my growth in Judaism- even my favorite series of books (which she loved as well).  Her loss ghaunts me to this day.

I just hope I can do  justice to her memory by raising my children to be proud, strong Jewish children, honest and kind and filled with stories of their Savta-Savta who loved -still loves- them very much.


RMS

Recent pictures.

These pictures were taken about 3 weeks ago

RMS

Netanels day at school

(In Netanel's word)
I had a very good day at school.  I played soccer in gym class today. I learned the letter 'Bet' בּ.   I played skunk ( a game) during recess.  It was a good day.

RMS

2 years and narry a post

its been 2 years sine I've posted. Shame on me! Starting today- IM BACK (I hope)

RMS