Right here, right now

I usually post about things from the past, pop culture stuff or stories about my friends. I don't post much about what I'm doing in my daily life, other than maybe about my progress with FlyLady (on which I've slacked off) or knitting (on which I've also slacked off).

Where do I begin?
I could talk about Pesach first, I suppose. This year, it was hectic getting ready for Pesach, but once all was said and done, it was a pleasant experience. My mother-in-law and stepfather-in-law came for the first days and nights. We all went to our friends' house for the first seder. It was really nice and the food was delicious. My younger son had a throw-up incident (we think he has reflux), but the female host is a pediatrician so it didn't faze her much. I also enjoyed talking to the female host's older sister. She and I had a lot in common. My in-laws got to talk to the female host's parents and they seemed to enjoy themselves too. After the little ones went to sleep, my older son found the afikomen. It's funny to give "hot and cold" clues to a 4 year-old. They just don't get it. I remember trying it with my cousin at that age and she didn't get it either.

The rest of the Yom Tov meals were just for the 6 of us. My husband made some delicious dishes that didn't taste Pesach-like at all. I made some food from boxes and my mother-in-law put together some tasty treats too. The best dessert I made that week came from a box...chocolate chip cookies. They were so soft and flavorful. My in-laws also got these delicious almond cookies and macaroons from a local bakery.

The second night seder was a lot of fun. My husband planned an activity for the boys where Pharoah would "call" them and request that they build a pyramid. Then they got to play with blocks for a while. When we got to the plagues, my husband had a toy or activity for each plague. When it came to lice, he took straws and inspected everyone's hair, like the school nurses used to do.

For the first day of Chol Hamoed, the boys and I took a day trip to Lancaster, PA. My brother-in-law and his family were staying there for all of Pesach, as my sister-in-law's family lives there. We wanted to see them and meet the new baby. It was a beautiful day out, so the kids got to play outside a lot. And I got to enjoy my sister-in-law's mother's delicious matzah lasagna and matzah mac and cheese.

During the time of Chol Hamoed, we ate lots of matzah pizza, enjoyed a relaxing Shabbat with some friends, watched "The Blind Side" and went to see the cherry blossoms in DC. Then we were back to Yom Tov again. The first night, we hosted a guy who was new to the community and also single. We had lunch with friends on both days (The second day was a potluck meal.) Even with how nice our first Pesach in Maryland was, it was nice to get back to chometz and our regular activities. I did some shopping and watched "The Time Traveler's Wife," as well as caught up on "90210."

This past week, I went back to work. It was so nice to be back and get into my routine again. I have never been at a job where I could say I missed going to work. (It's like when I was on a short break from college and I missed being there while I was home.) I liked the people I worked for in NJ, but I worked from home, so it just meant I was at "the office" without anything to do for a week. Also, "Glee" came back last Tuesday and I got to watch it with my friend from last week's "Friendship Friday" post. :) I was excited to see Adam Lambert on "American Idol" too. He is still amazing! I am not as impressed with "American Idol" this year overall. While Crystal is great, no one really has put forth what Adam did last year. He set the bar too high, in my opinion. It's like when my sister and I saw "Grease" the day after we saw "Rent" (both were on stage). Or like finishing a really good novel and not knowing what to read next that won't take away from the feel of that novel. In any case, I feel like I'm starting to lose interest in "American Idol" this year. I am more interested in who gets sent home than in what they choose to sing. Yikes!

I finished "The Brightest Star in the Sky" (by Marian Keyes) and loved it! I'm now reading "True Colors" by Kristin Hannah and enjoying that, as well. It's hard to put down. At Shabbos lunch yesterday, I was talking to some friends who are also bookaholics and we thought it would be a good idea to have gatherings where people could just read and not feel bad about not talking to each other or not doing housework instead. Only true bookaholics would get how relaxing and enjoyable that would be.

I know I'll have more to talk about at my next "check-in," as some very exciting things are happening this week (one for sure, and one potentially). Stay tuned!