It has been a rainy, cold Passover, but we have not let that stop us.

We had a fabulous Seder with our friends on the first night and got to meet another great (incidentally home-schooled) family also with five children. All the kids came with their question and insights. Several devarim were shared by the children. Not to kvell, but we definitely had a room full of "wise" children. The night was really just too short.

On the second night we opened our doors for the "Horesh Heymish Seder."

In typical fashion we had a rough head count for somewhere between 25-35 people. Like our Chupah, our home is opened on all sides, and my husband takes that seriously. Having the twinge of OCD that I do, I was worried we would be short on food or wine or chairs or even floor space, but we were not. The night ended with the fridge stacked with left overs, wine aplenty to spill on the pillows and floors, and neighbors who shared folding chairs with us at the last minute.

We have been enjoying Chol HaMoed immensely; today with a movie and Sunday with a visit to the Arabian Horse show. 

Tonight is lovely Shabbat. Another set of dear friends will join us. Hopefully the weather will accommodate for their walk home. If not, we always have guest beds.

May we all know freedom,
Dana 

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Would you like a little relish with that?

Passover is definitely in the air when you wake up as tired as I did this morning. Who knew extricating the chametz from your life could make one so exhausted? I set out to get rid of the wheat, oats, barley, spelt, and rye and suddenly find myself painting the family room walls and rearranging bunk beds. Spending the day in the office is a welcomed break…until I go home and do it all again.

Our house is almost clean….well, in theory. True deep cleaning always makes your house look worse before it actually looks better. I keep telling myself we are going in the right direction. I do know two large pick-ups of donations have already happened and we have our third and final pick-up scheduled to occur this Friday. There is nothing more cathartic than having ‘the stuff’ leave the property!

Meanwhile the fridge is bare! We have had a blast eating condiments on everything – no questions asked! You want relish on your spaghetti – go for it! Just finish the relish, please. Sadly the ketchup was the first condiment to be finished and so now the kids have had to get a bit more daring with their pallets.

Our little kehilla is certainly not the first to get the house flipped. I secretly admire those of you who have been cooking for a week, but we like to milk it out to the very end and be good and exhausted for the Seder just like we were in Egypt. On Monday night as we sit down to retell the story, I can rest assured the medicine cabinet is neatly labeled and organized and the garage is clean and can actually fit a vehicle in there. The clothes the children have outgrown have all gone to good homes and the board games all have their appropriate pieces. Phew, because that was weighing heavily on my mind! And with all the clutter cleaned from my closets and monkey chatter deleted from work, I will be able to focus on that which is truly important – my family and our freedom.

In case I do not find the time to blog again, Chag Pesach Kasher vi-Sameach!

Dana

P.S...hopefully pictures will follow. We will see.

Unessential

There is something that just hits you like a punch in the stomach when you get a form email from your employer that you are considered to be unessential. I always thought I was immune from this, having chosen to serve my country 24/7 for 20+ years, sacrificing time from my family, deployed over holidays. So just after midnight tonight  I may be furloughed. Without television or radio, I will not know. Thankfully the children will be tucked under their blankets and we will have just finished Shabbat dinner, which tonight for dessert will be a specially requested, very delicious tiramisu....yum!!! We have made the menu milchig solely to accommodate this luscious dessert.

The most beautiful part of last night was when my husband posted for all the facebook world to read, "My wife has been declared unessential. Boy are they WRONG!" He sure knows how to make a girl's heart melt. And that is when I realized, who cares if the machine on the hill thinks I am unessential because to my husband and the five little ones under this roof - I am essential! So tonight at the Shabbat table, with the candles flickering, I will remember how blessed I really am, and perhaps this little furlough will give me a few more days to spend with baby Yair to whom I am truly essential.

Shabbat Shalom!

The little y of our DIERY

Our newest precious babe was born 12 weeks ago. He is the little "y" of our DIERY - Yair. Waiting at home were big D- Divya, I-Ilan, E-EliNoam, and R-Raviv. It is hard to imagine our family before his arrival.