Awesome Energy Bars

I get really hungry 2 times a day: Mid-morning, and late-afternoon. I've also recently taken up running...and if I don't eat a snack during these two times of the day, I'm going to be pretty slow during my workout.

I also recently found it much cheaper and not difficult to make my own Lara Bars. My favorite is the Cashew Cookie. So I decided to try making something with a bit more fiber and protein.

Mir's Energy Bars
2 cups rolled oats
4 Tbsp. Hemp Seeds
4 Tbsp. Chia Seeds
2 Packets (30g) unflavored Rice Protein Powder (or your favorite protein powder)
1 cup Raw Cashews
1 & 3/4 cups pitted Medjool Dates
1/2 cup Rice Milk, any flavor (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 Sun Flower Seeds (optional)


Line a brownie pan with parchment paper. Put Oats, Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds, Rice Protein, and Cashews into blender. Pulse on high until oats are not quite a powder and cashews are broken down. Place half of mixture into bowl and set aside. Add half of pitted dates, half of rice milk, and vanilla extract. Pulse until dates and dry mixture mix into a dough-isn like consistency. Add remaining dry ingredients from bowl, dates, and rice milk. Pulse again until everything forms into a sticky, dough consistency. (If you need to add more liquid, add 1-2 Tbsp. rice milk at a time). Remove mixture from blender, and firmly press into parchment-lined brownie pan until evenly spread. Sprinkle Sun Flower seeds on top and pushed firmly into the brownie pan mixture. Place in fridge until set. Cut into bars and wrap in wax paper. Store in fridge until ready to eat.

What a Year of Blessings!

Today, I stood still for a moment. I was overwhelmed with gratitude, and I just needed to take that in for a moment. 

Today, my beautiful daughter turns one. Avadya Esther Rose, turns one today! Sometimes its hard for me to believe after all the complications we had in pregnancy that here we are. Both of us. Healthy. Here. Alive. There are not enough prayers in my heart or energy in this universe to express the deep gratitude I have for that and the past year.  I catch myself sometimes wondering what it would have been like to know Avadya's twin... I don't think losing a baby is something anyone ever gets over. But despite the sadness I sometimes feel, it is far outweighed by the joy Avadya has brought into our lives. Avadya has been the greatest blessing to ever enter our lives!

And if that weren't enough blessings to be thankful for, today the SLP Orchestra flies to London, and in a few days will continue the journey through Paris! Three years of fundraising, hard work, planning, and now its happening! I am so very honored to be a part of the orchestra that inspired me as a child and has continued to inspire me as an adult.

I am so thankful for the many, many blessings. Sending our deepest gratitude to our family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, midwives, doulas, and community for letting us lean on you, and to be able to share the joy of Avadya in our lives. 

Mir's awesome granola.

Ok, so I might be a little on the crunchy side by saying that I have a granola addiction. Yes friends, there is no greater atrocity than running out of homemade granola. I make this recipe all the time, and usually double, triple, or even quadruple it and freeze extra.

I like to eat a 1/2 cup of this granola with greek yogurt and some fruit for a power-breakfast or snack. Also, breastfeeding mamas: Oats are great for milk production!

Here's my favorite recipe... its been altered so much, I consider it my own now!

Miriam's Favorite Granola
6 cups rolled oats
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup Maple Syrup OR Honey (I find the Honey is a bit sweeter).
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons Almond extract 
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-2 cups Pecan Pieces (or Almonds or Walnuts, both are tasty!!)
1 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
Directions:
Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine oats and shredded coconut in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook Maple Syrup (or Honey), coconut oil, and salt until just simmering. Stir in Almond and Vanilla extracts.

Pour melted mixture over the oat mixture, stirring well with a wooden spoon until fully combined. Spread this mixture out over a large sheet pan (I use parchment paper), place in oven, and bake for 10 minutes before stirring the granola. Repeat 10 minute baking time, followed by stirring, until granola is well-toasted (takes about 4-5 cycles, or about 40-50 minutes).

Cool the granola on the baking sheet, stirring occasionally. When cooled, you can store granola in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few weeks, or at room temperature for two. Enjoy!

Lactation Cookies

Lets talk about lactation. No, seriously. My supply is perfect for Avadya, but I'm going to be heading back to work in one week. ONE WEEK. This means that I have been pumping like a banshee... obsessively trying to stock a decent supply of milk in the freezer and to try to increase my supply so that I can pump when I'm at work for Avadya to use the following day when I am again, at work.

Unfortunately, despite eating very well and drinking more water than you can imagine (seriously, this was proven in the 24-hour urination test when I had pre-eclampsia!) I am not as blessed as most of my lactating friends in that I'm lucky if I get an extra 3-5 ounces a day to stash away. SO, and I can't remember where, but I was introduced to the LACTATION COOKIE. Yes my friends, there is a cookie you can make that ACTUALLY works. In two parts:

1) It gives you extra nutrition and calories you need to actually produce milk.
2) Its full of lactogenic or galactagogues which help your body make milk.

I tried two versions, then made two of my own off each version.

First version: Paleo Lactation Cookies. They are good and have a strong Anise (black licorice) taste. I believe these are the "healthiest" of the two recipes.
Miriam's Paleo Inspired Lactation Cookies:

• 
  

• 1/2 C coconut oil, liquified

• 1/2 C maple syrup

• 1/2 C Blackstrap Mollasses (for iron and Calcium)

• 4 eggs

• 1&1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

• 2 Tbsp anise seed (I did not grind them)

• 2 C almond flour

• 2 C Oats

• 1/2 C flax meal (we used a coffee grinder on flax seeds)

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 C macadamia nuts, chopped

• 1/2 C walnuts, chopped

• 1/2 C dates, chopped

• 1 C dark chocolate chips or chunks

• 4 Tbsp Brewer's Yeast

• 2 Tbsp Fenugreek Powder

Mix everything together and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. I baked them on wax paper on metal pans. 

Second Version: General Lactation Cookies. These are very yummy! But do have sugar in them.
Miriam's General Inspired Lactation Cookies:
    
     1 C Butter (melted)
     1 C Brown Sugar (packed)
     1/2 C Blackstrap Molasses
     2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed
     4 Tbsp Brewer's Yeast
     2 Eggs
     1 Tbsp Vanilla
     2 C Flour
     3 C Oats

     1 tsp Baking Soda

     1 tsp salt

     1 cup chocolate chips (I ran out so I used white cc)

     1 cup nuts (I used macadamia)

Mix everything together and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. I baked them on wax paper on metal pans. 


I liked the taste of the second version best, BUT, the first version worked the best for me, AND the second version is more of a "desert" lactation cookie since it has sugar and white chocolate chips in it. I did replace some of the sugar in the second recipe with molasses, since there's a lot more nutrition in molasses. I also eat 2-3 right after a workout (I burn aprx. 500-750 calories on average with my daily cardio/strength training/daily walk.)

Sorry I did not get pictures of them... for me, they turned out pretty dark and chunky from the nuts and mollasses if you like a visual! 

I did cool them completely and stuck them in the freezer for when I go back to work. 

Enjoy!

Operation Tushy-Paste

First of all, I never imagined in my wildest dreams I would get so excited about butt cream. Second, it never occurred to me that I could MAKE diaper cream. For almost half the cost. The three recipes below came out to be between $3.50 - $4.50 apiece. A tube of Desitin is about $7.

We're cloth diapering, which we also made ourselves (and before you get all judge-y, they are AS EASY TO USE AS DISPOSABLE DIAPERS and save us A LOT of money. Like $2,500 per year.) But as it turns out, you can't use just any diaper cream with cloth diapers because it can ruin them. So I got a whole lot of suggestions and recommendations from my new mommy friends, the wise midwives of SLP, and of course, Dr. Internet.

After much research, I found several recipes. I had some basic ingredients at home already including olive oil, coconut oil, and some essential oils. I also searched the local co-ops and health food stores for some shea-butter, cocoa-butter, and beeswax, which were surprisingly cheap.  I tried a combination of 3 different recipes as follows:

1) I used THIS recipe, but I infused the olive oil with Chamomile, Plantain, and Calendula Flowers (more on that below). I also left out the eucalyptus oil because my mom is super allergic to it.

2) I used THE SAME RECIPE AS ABOVE and the infused olive oil, but I added 1Tbsp potato starch and a few squirts of the calendula extract. (FYI: You CAN'T use starch on bottoms that have yeast infections.)

3) I made my own recipe:

2 ounces Olive Oil

2 ounces Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp Shea Butter

1/2 Tbsp Vitamin E Oil

10 dropper squirts of Calendula Extract

3/4 ounce Beeswax 

20 drops Tea Tree Oil

10 drops Lavender Oil

3 drops Grapefruit Oil

I haven't tried them on Avadya yet, so I don't know which one I like the most, but I did like the consistency and smell of my own recipe the best thus far. Here is the basic process of what I did:

Step 1: Place dried herbs in jar.

I used (top to bottom) Chamomile Flowers, Plantain, and Calendula Flowers.

Step 2: I added Olive Oil until it completely covered the dried herbs. You can let it sit for 2-4 weeks on your windowsill, shaking everyday, OR you can place jar in water that is a low simmer to WARM the oil (you don't want the oil to get too hot... it can fry the herbs!). You can do this for 10 minutes up to 5 hours --according to Dr. Internet. I let mine warm for 2 hours and then I covered it to sit overnight after it cooled.

Step 3: I drained the olive oil from the herbs using a cheesecloth. I let it sit for an hour or so to drain and then I squeezed out the oil the remained.

Step 4: Gather the rest of the ingredients.

Step 5: Place everything except essential oils, vitamin E oil, and/or calendula extract into jar. Place in simmering water. Again, you don't want the oil to burn, but everything needs to melt.

Step 6: (No picture) I transferred the melted oil to a bowl. I let is cool for a few minutes then added the essential oils and/or vitamin E and/or calendula extract. I then beat on high with a hand mixer. (Which happened to be the hand mixer my great aunts used to own... never though it'd be used for tushy cream!) The oil will transfer into a cream as its mixed and cools.

Step 7: Transfer to jars/tins and label. Store in a cool, dry place up to a year!

Step 8: Store the remaining Infused Olive Oil in a cool dry place in a jar for up to a year.

Avadya Esther Rose's Birth Story: Born March 27, 2013 at 5:18am

After all the complications we had with this pregnancy, it was no surprise that we would have one last complication at our 36-week appointment when I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. I had been experiencing bad swelling around my ankles and after I had my blood pressure taken it did not occur to me that this could happen to us. I had been taking such good care of myself, eating well, not staying on my feet too-long with work. Looking back, I really had a hard time accepting that pre-eclampsia was something that just happens to pregnant women and that there wasn’t anything I could have done differently.  The words bed rest, seizure risk, and possible induction shocked me and after having a short panic of tears, our amazing mid-wives at Morningstar Birth Center took some blood, and sent us home with two giant orange containers in which I was to collect my urine in for 24 hours to be tested for protein. Oh yes, after the snoring and morning sickness, pregnancy remains glamorous!

In the meantime, while I was situated at home in bed later that evening, my mom made me some food, and Scott contacted our doula Ashley and my maternity-leave sub at school as there was now the possibility we would be induced that evening. While trying to calm down to some hypnobaby pregnancy affirmations, we waited anxiously for the results from the blood work. Meanwhile, Rachel, the amazing midwife we had seen that evening contacted Dr. Hartung in Hudson, Wisconsin to see if he would be open to taking me on as a patient despite being so late in the pregnancy. With the likeliness we would not be able to deliver at the birth center anymore, it was time to prepare ourselves for a change in plans, and I knew in my heart if we stayed in the cities, we would most likely end-up with a c-section and run the risk of baby ending up in NICU... NOT what I wanted unless medically necessary for baby and I. Either way, this was not in our plan, but I kept telling myself “healthy mom, healthy baby.” I knew that whatever the outcome, things would be OK, and I kept telling myself that. I said many, many prayers to G-d that evening for the safety of baby. My blood work came back completely normal that evening, but the next day the protein level in my 24 hour urine test was over 700 (when 300 is the normal limit). It was time to transfer our care: I did indeed have pre-eclampsia.

I called Dr. Hartung’s office the next morning (which was Thursday), and we were able to get in to see him that afternoon. Despite it being safe to deliver baby at any point, Dr. Hartung felt it would be best to keep baby on the inside for as long as possible. I was put on complete bed rest with the only exception to use the bathroom/shower. While my blood pressure remained high, we were able to keep it below the danger-zone and we were scheduled to come back for a follow-up the next Monday to see where we were at. I was able to focus on resting, but by Sunday evening, I began having blurry vision in my left eye and no matter how relaxed I remained with the use of my yoga-breathing and hypnobabies skills, I could not keep my blood pressure below 140/90. We called Dr. Hartung, and decided to hold off until our appointment in the morning unless my blood pressure rose some more, or if I developed any other symptoms, in which case we were to promptly head in.

As we headed to the Monday appointment, part of me knew that we would be induced that Monday, and yet, I was mentally in denial about it. It was the first night of Passover, and despite joking about having a Pesach baby with our family for the entire pregnancy, part of me felt like we couldn’t have our baby yet since it was Passover… clearly very logical! Dr. Hartung monitored baby’s heartbeat for 20 minutes. Baby’s head was engaged, I was 1 cm dilated, and 75% effaced; all great signs for a successful induction. After our appointment on Monday, March 25, Dr. Hartung sent us directly to the birth center to be induced.

Passover was about to begin in a few short hours, I hadn’t eaten since that morning, the “bag” of birth stuff we packed still remained in the car, and… well, so much going on at once! When we got to the birth center, there were 3-4 nurses talking to me, taking my blood pressure, taking blood, etc. at any given time for the next two hours. While Scott called our families, Ashley our Doula, and Rachel our Midwife to let them know I was being induced as we spoke, I was just trying not to have an anxiety attack from all that was happening at once... I was feeling quite overwhelmed. By the time Ashley arrived I had been put on a monitor, and as it turns out, I had began having a few contractions on my own. I had also been put on an IV with Pitocin (to start labor), Magnesium Sulfate (to prevent me from having a life-threatening seizure), and a fluid drip. I felt a little like Captain Picard when he was turned into a borg.

Not much happened for a long time. I was definitely having contractions, but I was able to talk through them… they were not bad. The headache I had from pre-eclampsia was worse than the contractions I was having. I also had my Hypnobaby-skills and with the Hypnobaby CD playing in the background, it was very easy for me to go to my happy place and relax. That night, since it was clear there would not be a baby for awhile, the nurse gave me something to help me sleep so I could get as much rest as possible to help my body prepare for the rest of labor.

The next morning around 8:30, I was only 1.5 cm dilated, so Dr. Hartung broke my water to try to speed up labor. I was a bit sad about this, as I really wanted my water to break on its own, but my blood pressure was definitely not going down any time soon and it was time to speed up labor. My contractions became much stronger and I was starting to feel nausea from the Magnesium Sulfate. (More on that below). Despite it being Passover, the only thing that sounded good to me to eat was toast, so Scott fed me little pieces of toast with some jam between contractions. What a sweet husband to cut up little pieces of toast for his wife to eat! After getting two pieces of toast down, I headed back into “labor land” and hunkered down with my hypnobaby CD. I was able to relax enough to fall asleep between contractions. Scott and Ashley later said I was even snoring between contractions! By afternoon, my contractions were turning into back labor and were much more intense. Scott was placing lots of counter-pressure on my lower back while Ashley was talking me through contractions. I started to become frustrated and anxious because I was not allowed to leave the bed due to the Magnesium Sulfate… contractions were so much worse having to lie down!

This was the hardest part of labor for me: the Magnesium Sulfate. It was such a blessing and a curse at the same time. On one hand, without the Magnesium Sulfate, it wouldn’t have been safe for me to deliver naturally due to the risk of having a seizure from pre-eclampsia. On the other hand, Magnesium Sulfate is basically a muscle-relaxer and I was not allowed to leave the bed unless I had to go to the bathroom and I was assisted by a nurse. I felt very trapped in bed. In addition to the hypnobabies, I had counted on being able to move around and to use the shower/bathtub/birth ball to deal with pain.

By 26 hours in labor I was absolutely exhausted and feeling defeated. I knew if I wasn’t able to get some rest or be allowed to move around outside of bed, I would not make it to the other side of birth. At this point, due to the exhaustion, I greatly considered an epidural. This was NOT in my birth plan in any way shape or form, especially since I have a spinal injury and an epidural could cause permanent damage to my spine and nerves. Furthermore, I was also contracting very strongly, but not dilating, which was not helping my blood pressure, nor serving as productive contractions… this is common with Pitocin.  The anesthesiologist came down and said she could do a low-lumbar epidural, which would be far away from the injury in my neck. After talking it through with the anesthesiologist, Ashley, Scott, and my nurse, I was sad about it, but decided an epidural was the best decision at that point.

Since I had been on Pitocin for more than 24 hours at that point, the nurse turned off the IV to allow my uterus to rest and so I could eat something before the epidural. I also sat up for awhile which felt SO GOOD. I was still having back labor between bites of food, but Scott would run over and put pressure on my back. I remember having conversations with Scott and the nurse and having to stop talking to focus on contractions at that point too. From what I remember of getting the epidural, it wasn’t that bad. I was also extremely out of it from having been on Magnesium Sulfate and exhausted from more than 24 hours of labor.

Once I was all settled again in bed, Ashley went home for a bit to get some rest and Scott called Rachel and our families to give an update. I slept for a few hours with the nurse checking in every 30-minutes or so to check/adjust the pitocin and check my vitals. Around 2:30am the nurse checked to see how dilated I was… she had a funny look on her face and said “Let me check that again…” Turns out, I was fully dilated, and baby’s head was all the way down! After such a long induction, she had another nurse come in and check to make sure I was indeed fully dilated since she was in disbelief. The nurses then told me to do a “test push”. As soon as I tried the test push, the nurses said very quickly to stop, not to push at all because baby was rarin’ and ready to go, and that they’d better go call Dr. Hartung. Scott also called both Ashley and Rachel… I recall there being some disbelief about having gone from 1.5cm to fully dilated/ready to push while I rested!

By this point, between the exhaustion and Magnesium Sulfate, I had no concept of time anymore and things became kind of blurry at this point. Things were surprisingly calm, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye much like the Wizard of Oz, everyone was there… Dr. Hartung, Ashley, and Rachel had all arrived. I also remember being put on an oxygen mask in between contractions. I do remember feeling anxious about pushing at first since I couldn’t even curl my hands into a fist from being on the Magnesium Sulfate for almost 40 hours at this point, but everyone was super supportive and encouraging… it almost felt like a birthing party! I pushed for about an hour… I had contractions about every 10 minutes. Dr. Hartung could see the head and could tell baby had a head full of hair! At one point the nurse held up a mirror for me so I could see too! Things seemed to be moving slow at this point so Dr. Hartung left to get a cup of coffee. When he came back, I felt another contraction, so he came over to check it out while I pushed and at 5:18am baby came flying out in one push! Dr. Hartung didn’t even get a chance to put on his gloves when he caught her! Baby was promptly handed to me, and placed right on my chest… by far the best feeling in the world: fresh, warm baby right on your chest! She was so alert with her big, blue eyes wide open. Scott said she cried a lot right when she was born… but I don’t remember that at all… I was pretty out of it! I delivered the placenta with the next contraction and very much enjoyed getting to see where baby had been residing for the past 9 months!

After Scott and I got a chance to meet her, we named her Avadya Esther Rose…I think that’s when she became a little person with a personality, when we named her.  We named her Avadya after my grandfather, who had passed away the day after we found out we were pregnant, and his birthday was the day before her original due date. Esther after Scott’s grandmother Emma, and Rose after my cousin Rebecca who had passed away shortly after her 17^th birthday. Because there wasn’t enough B’sheret to go around, we later learned Avadya was also born on my other grandfather’s birthday, who had also passed away less than 2 months earlier. We said the “Shehecheyanu” with Rachel (a prayer to celebrate special occasions) and Rachel also knew the words for the blessing for a daughter, so as warm and fresh baby Avadya lay on my chest, Rachel helped Scott and I recited the blessing for Avadya, our beautiful daughter! These were my favorite moments from her birth and I felt the most blessed I have ever felt in my life. Avadya weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces, and was 19 inches long… a little peanut!

The next few hours are also extremely blurry. I was so exhausted after her birth, I fell asleep when Ashley was having a conversation with me!  After Scott, Baby, and I slept a bit, I ate something (I think) and one of the nurses helped me so I could take a bath. We called our families to share the good news and we moved from the birth room to the hospital room down the hall. The day seemed so separated from the 40 hours of labor… Dr. Hartung lowered the Magnesium Sulfate so I could actually move easier. I still couldn’t pick-up Avadya, but I could hold her to my heart’s content! I was incredibly swollen still from pre-eclampsia and I was in disbelief when 2 weeks after I had given birth I had lost 42 pounds… mostly from fluid. That evening our parents and siblings came to meet Avadya for the first time! How wonderful it was to see everyone meet their new family member and next generation!

Despite our birth going in no way we had originally planned, I feel everything worked out just as it should. Everything was OK, and it is with deepest gratitude Scott and I have to Dr. Hartung/Hudson Hospital, Ashley our Doula, Rachel and the rest of the Morningstar Birth Center Midwives, and the entire labor and delivery nurses (whom over the course of 40 hours I had met almost all of them!) We received the best care I could have ever imagined despite the situation, and we are so blessed to have Avadya safe and healthy! 

Are we having a GIRL or BOY?? 90% chance Baby Yonkel is a...

Shout out to Emily Miner for making this AMAZING cake that we used to tell my Senior High Orchestra students if we are having a boy or a girl!

And then comes baby.

I found out I was pregnant the day before my grandfather passed away. Later, we would learn our April 17th due-date was one-day before my grandfather's birthday!

I had taken a pregnancy test, and was surprised to see it wasn't just a little-bit positive, but that it was blaring positive. I was kind of in shock and I remember yelling to Scott "Oh my gosh, I think we're pregnant!" Folks, I have never seen my husband run faster in his life. The first thing Scott said when he saw the test was "Quick! Pee on some more tests!" So, three tests later, we were pretty sure I might be pregnant.

My grandfather, Zaydie Alvin had been in hospice for many weeks, and knowing he was at the end of his life, at that moment, all I wanted to do was to go be with him, even if he couldn't talk or was even aware we were there with him. So, Scott and I drove over and spent most of the evening with my Zaydie and my family that stayed there. He passed away the next day. I made an appointment with the Dr. office on Monday, and just after confirming I was indeed VERY pregnant, I headed over to Hodroffs to be with my family as we made funeral arrangements.

I honestly can't remember if it was the day of the funeral or the day before, but I returned to the Dr. office for another blood draw. Not only was I VERY pregnant, but my levels of HCG (the pregnancy hormone) had exponentially increased and were off the charts... as in measuring at a woman who was 6 weeks pregnant. The Dr. told us that it might be likely that we were carrying multiples.

Our first ultrasound was at 7 weeks, 3 days! The nurse showed us a baby with a beautiful heartbeat, and we were over the moon! Then, the nurse said "Oh, we're not done... here's the other one!" I'm pretty sure I said "What?" about three times before it clearly went through my head that we were pregnant with twins! We were lucky enough to see both heartbeats again at 8 weeks, 2 days.

But then, tragedy struck. At our 11 week appointment, only one heartbeat could be found. The other baby was doing wonderful, but we were devastated. We had lost "Baby B" to genetic complications. As sad as we were, we were still so thankful to have a healthy "Baby A" and we moved forward as best we could during a bittersweet time. Over the next 4 weeks I was monitored very often and was on a no-anything other than sleeping, short shower, 4-6 hours of bed rest/day, and work IF I agreed to lead rehearsals sitting down. In the meantime, I learned having to slow down was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. We are currently waiting on a series of genetic tests for Baby A, but things are looking good.

We wanted to tell everyone so badly what was going on in our lives... but we wanted to wait to make sure things were going OK first. I was worried my students would figure out I was pregnant as I wore baggier, and baggier clothing as my stomach became obviously round with a baby. For the first time in my life, I prayed people would just think I had been having some stress eating.

But, the days went by, and soon enough, we were (Thank G-d!) out of the first trimester. We had a series of follow-up appointments, and with everything looking great, we decided it was time to make "Baby Yonkel" public. We decided we would tell our close family and friends first, then the night of my first concert (The Halloween Benefit Concert), I would tell students by wearing the shirt to the right. It was a pretty exciting announcement telling my orchestra students! There was a series of excited screaming, followed by hugs, and my favorite comment "You mean, were having an ORCHESTRA BABY?!!" It was such a blessing to be able to share joy in this pregnancy with others!

So, for now, we leave you with a picture of "Baby Yonkel" which we've titled "Lounging Baby" and a picture of my ever-expanding belly from almost 15 weeks!

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Our House is in the Middle of the Street.

Well, this June we are officially moving back to St. Louis Park. We just can't stay away... this will be my THIRD move back to SLP in the last 5 years!

We had hoped to stay in our amazing dream apartment for the next 5-7 years until we could buy a house. We have been incredibly happy here, but with our student loans in full effect and Scott's car being given the "lucky if you make it one-more-year death sentence" last week, we really need to be able to save up a good sturdy nest-egg. My parents (Scott's in-laws) offered us a place to live with them, and while it would normally seem embarrassing to move back in with your family when we're both almost 30, I'm actually looking forward to Shabbat Dinners, sharing meal responsibilities, and getting to spend time with Daisy (my parent's third child... er, dog.) And isn't it every Jewish Mother's dream to have her married children move back in?? (Only kidding!)

At first I wasn't completely sold on the idea... after all, we are still newlyweds. But, our משפחה (family) tends to be very close... think "Full House" or "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" ... so now we'll be close again in the same way as I grew up. And what could be more important than משפחה?

We'll also be downsizing A LOT. If there ever was a time to get rid of junk, this is our golden opportunity. Everything else (such as our kosher sets of dishes) will temporarily have to go into storage. Which is funny in a way, because I am reminded of Sukkot when I think of our "temporary storage". As we are reminded on Sukkot that our time here on Earth is only temporary, so is this living arrangement. And while a bit of a challenge, putting the majority of our belongings into storage is indeed humbling.

I'll also be able to teach privately again, which is something I have missed terribly over the past three years. I love my job as an orchestra director, and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. But I miss being able to work with students one-on-one and having individual relationships with student's families.

I don't think there is much of anything I dislike more than moving. Its just such a pain. But we are incredibly grateful to have family willing to help us build our future, and as we move once again, we're hoping, PRAYING that the next move we make after this will finally be into our own Jewish home filled with friends, family, and lots of love.

Christmas Day Post

Why Hello Big Fat Jewish Blog; Its been awhile. And I CAN'T BELIEVE ITS CHRISTMAS ALREADY!! Where did the time go?!?

Things are going well! Scott's band (Union Shakedown) had their CD release party back in November, and despite the scary snow, had a great turn out and a fun time! Scott has also gone full time at work, which is a very good thing for us financially...he will now be entitled to benefits!

Scott and I also got to watch my baby sister and her now husband get married! I can't believe Talya is all grown up! (And definitely not a baby anymore!) Here are a few photos from the snowy, but romantic weekend:

Since family came into town a few days early to help with wedding stuff, My Auntie Ann and Auntie Heidi joined me to see Scott's band at the Whiskey Junction Thursday night (the night before the "official" wedding festivities began). We even got checked out by a very drunk 60-something guy (we are HOT BABES!), and witnessed an older couple making out on the dance floor for over an hour. It was cute at first, but then....not so much. Ew. But we certainly enjoyed the Union Shakedown show!

The next night, Friday was Talya's Bachelorette festivities! A big thank you to Rachel (DINO LOVE! ROAR!!) for hosting the shindig at her apartment. So we played lots of bachelorette type games, ate puppy chow (made with special peanut butter that won't kill Talya or I), and being that WE ARE CLASSY LADIES, we took Talya to the Macaroni Grill in all her bachelorette flair where she was then serenaded to Puccini by an AMAZING singer. The video is on Facebook...you should check it out. I don't think Talya quite knew what to do! Anyways, here's a picture of the Bridal party + company taking Talya out on the town. We call this one "Jazz Hands":

The next day, Saturday, it snowed like banshee. Talya and Stephen (her fiance) had an aufruf, which is where after they are blessed for the last time as single-folk and proceeding this blessing, attendants of the service "shower" them with candy! Its supposed to be wishing them sweet blessings in their life to come! Well, since 5 MILLION INCHES OF SNOW decided to fall on MN, here is a picture of the bride herself, Rachel (bridesmaid), and my dad (father of the bride) pushing a car out of the snow AFTER epic aufruf at shabat services. Rachel and I ended up leaving our cars in the parking lot overnight after 45 minutes of attempting to dig our cars out of the massive snow that evening. Shovel FAIL.

I title this one "Mom and Mir: SNOW WARRIORS."

Talya all ready for the Groom's dinner... notice the AMAZING snow pants?? This was taken after we made 5 million flowers for the wedding in between trying to dig our cars out of the snow. HILARIOUS!

Possibly one of my favorite photos from the wedding weekend. Anyone who knows our family, knows that 1) We have a laughing control problem and 2) We are pretty weird. Rachel and I are being dinosaurs in this photo and Talya is being a Ninja Bride. This photo is EPIC.

"The Matron" and Rachel the bridesmaid.

My wonderful husband and I after an afternoon of attempting to dig our cars out of the snow followed by making 5 million flowers for the wedding the next day:

As for work, I'm still loving my new job! So much has happened since I last posted:

SH Halloween Benefit Concert: Was AWESOME despite the power outage and underground fire before the concert, and then having to evacuate 300 people directly after the concert due to a chlorine leak/ventilation system failing. But, we raised almost $3,000 (including grants) for our upcoming NY tour!

SH Observes a Rehearsal with Osmo Vanska: Some students that attended this are still talking about it! So I'm taking that as a good sign.

Viva Latino Concert: The other SLP orchestra director and I took 110 amazing 6-12 grade orchestra students and chaperones to Orchestra hall. It was awesome. This is what almost 110 kids/chaperones looks like, since a few were off going to the bathroom:

SH Winter Alumni Concert: Was also AWESOME. Senior High Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra students played a great concert, and we had alumni from SLP 2000-2010 join us on stage!

AWESOME VIOLINISTS!! Talya (2004) and Lindsey (2000) and I (2001) after the concert:

The BATCAVE: One of our practice rooms was in serious need of a makeover. After students had nicknamed it the "Batcave", we thought it necessary to actually turn it into the batcave. Besides the fact that it turned out awesome (thank you black paint), I find myself contemplating "I would have practiced more if I'd had a batcave to practice in as a child."

Up and coming:

Concerto Concert: Senior High students seriously impress me. With Bruch and Beethoven on the docket, how could you not be impressed??

SH "Orchestra Rocks" Benefit Concert: This will be rock n' roll meets orchestra. It will be awesome. And 100% of donations will go towards our trip to New York.

Did I mention we're going to NY? I'm also taking the Junior High students to Iowa this spring from some amazing playing opportunities amongst the cornfields. I'm like a little kid: I get so excited about these things I can't sleep at night! AHHHHH!

I have been very blessed to be working back home, and I continue to feel energized in a way I have not experienced in a job before. While I've been quite happy at my former jobs, including Kennedy, at SLP I have yet to feel the Monday blues, and I'm hoping this feeling of contentment sticks around.

So, things have been busy! Scott and I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a rejuvenating New Year with lots of good health in the year to come!

So much to update!

So, life's been a bit busy, and thus, we have not updated our blog in quite a few months!

First of all, we have been happily living in our new apartment for almost 4 months now! We have definitely enjoyed getting to know our new community as well as taking advantage of the perks of our new place! My two favorite perks are having a washer/dryer in our apartment, and being able to fit ALL of our kitchen stuff in our kitchen! Yay for not having to store utensils and canned goods in our bedroom anymore! Oh yes, and I can practice my violin now without making our neighbors with new-born babies mad!

Here is a picture of my husband enjoying our new apartment while eating a chicken. Yes, a whole chicken!

The move went well, thanks to the *AMAZING* help of our good friends and family! Having a spinal injury means I can't really lift much without risk of re-injuring my back. One thing Scott and I have decided: Next time we move, we are hiring movers.

Here are a few pics from the eventful moving day:

Here is my mom scrapping off my hand-painted ceramic Turkish hot-plates that I got from the shopping market in Istanbul from our toaster! We had been storing the hot-plates on top of our toaster, without thinking the bottoms would melt. (They're supposed to handle heat, right? Well, it turns out only from the top!) Anyways, we still get a slight chemical smell when we toast something, but at least I have my Turkish hot-plates back!

Here are the boys moving our couch! The old apartment complex was so narrow, we had to ask the neighbors across from us if we could open their door to get the couch out of our apartment...what a sight! I'm recalling the same adventure when we were moving the couch into my apartment! You can see in this photo Mike is devising a plan to get the couch out of our apartment!

Scott and I also celebrated the first anniversary of our wedding ceremony! We took a little vacation up to the Cotton Mansion over 4th of July weekend, which was *GEORGEOUS*. It was nice to eat breakfast on the balcony and watch Lake Supperior as well as spending some time hiking the Gooseberry Falls loop. Very romantic! We're already starting to think about a new adventure for this coming summer...we'd love to backpack through Thailand, or Europe, but financially that most likely won't happen. Scott's never been to Canada before, so perhaps we will have to spend some time around the Thunder Bay area.

By the Aerial Bridge in Duluth! I think we had just missed a ship that wasn't supposed to go under the bridge for another hour or two:

Other big news is I have changed jobs! I definitely was not planning on changing jobs right now, but an opportunity to teach at the program in SLP where I came from opened up. It was definitely a tough decision, and I had to decide if I was willing to give up tenure and the students/families I had built a relationship with over the past two years at Kennedy! But, after interviewing, it was clear in my heart that I wanted to go back to my Alma Matter and teach next to my own teachers and former private students. We have a lot planned this year including a trip to New York in April! It will be a lot of work this year, but I am enjoying every minute of it!

A few days before I was officially hired, Scott and I were at his family reunion! While talking about my potential job prospects, these two rainbows appeared behind us!! Anyways, my mother-in-law suggested making a wish/saying a prayer, and it came true! G-d doesn't mess around with his rainbows! My brother-in-law took a picture for me:

The day that I was officially hired, Scott brought me some roses! I also love this photo because its the epitome of my husband!

I'm also playing violin as a sub with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra! It feels kind of like GTCYS for adults...lol. But, I am having a lot of fun having the opportunity to play with a professional orchestra! And it gives me a reason to practice new music.

Scott is getting pretty excited for the Union Shakedown CD release party on November 13th! Its going to be a pretty big deal, so if you haven't bought your tickets yet, you'd better get on that! I'll be playing with the band that night, and it sounds like most or all of the musicians on the CD will also be there in person to perform!

Overall, the past few months have been filled with nothing but blessings! Between the new apartment, the new job, and living happily ever after, there's not much more a girl could ask for!

We're moving!

Well, now that we're all settled into our apartment...we have decided to move! It came time to renew our lease, and Scott and I really had to think about if it was worth staying where were are. We do love it here, especially the location, but even with just the two of us, we're pretty squished on space. While we'd love to buy a house, we simply cannot afford a down payment yet, and neither of our job situations are 100% secure yet.

So after doing some research, we fell in love with an apartment complex about 10 minutes away from where we currently are. The four requirements we had were:

1. It has to be within 10 minutes of our parents. We are family oriented people! And we host Shabbat often.

2. It has to be close to our Synagogue.

3. It needs to have a MUCH BIGGER KITCHEN. We keep kosher, and 2 sets of dishes is a pain with only 2 cabinets. We are currently storing utensils in our bedroom...the only place there is room for them! Also, we have no counter space.

4. It needed to have an in-unit washer and dryer. Don't even get me started on how much money we spend to do a dinky load of laundry on top of having to stake out the washers and dryers at an inconvenient time.

For less than the cost of what we are paying between rent, our gym membership, and laundry, we were lucky enough to find a wonderful apartment with more amenities than we could dream of for less than what we are paying now! When we went to go look at it, Scott and I got the same kind of feeling when we first started dating: we knew it was meant to be.

Here is the layout and some pictures...

The layout is exactly how the apartment is laid out. The bedrooms are significantly smaller, but we are gaining an extra bathroom and almost 200 more square feet everywhere else. One of my favorite parts is that there is an actual designated spot for our dinner table! The deck also faces a beautiful grove of trees + a green space to play soccer/bocce ball/etc. There is a 7 mile walking/biking trail in our backyard too, which we will enjoy using! I cannot wait to sit and sip my morning coffee on the deck! And the washer/dryer unit is in the master bedroom, so no more carrying heavy loads of laundry.:

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This isn't our kitchen, but it looks just like it...but with an Island (which you can see in the layout above)! I'm *SO* excited to actually have some counter space, and a space for a drying rack in the sink! Plus, the Island gives us more storage in the kitchen. We got to pick out our paint colors, and they do all the painting! We chose an earthy/neutral brown (think carmel coffee) for the kitchen Our cabinets are white, which I admit I'm not crazy about, but the contrast of the paint really brought them up a few notches.

Here is the outdoor pool...there is an outdoor pool, and indoor pool, and a fitness center! It will be nice to just walk across the street to work out each day!:

We also get heated parking + a bay wash area! This will be so nice on early mornings when I have a meeting or rehearsal and in the winter, we can give it a wash-down. There is also a party room in which we can host Passover and such, which will be nice!

So, as you can tell, we are both pretty stoked about moving in a month or so! Until then, its concerts, graduations, weddings, and packing!