Venus can't be a goddess

(The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli)

During the summer we have been working with LO to improve her reading comprehension. We bought her a workbook that has several stories in it and after each story there are questions about the story. Today's story was the story from Roman mythology about Venus, Psyche and Cupid.

LO was confused by all the unusual names in the story and before she answered any of the questions about the story, she asked PHD, "Wait, who's Venus?" PHD replied, "She was the goddess of love". LO replied matter-of-factly, "Well there's only one G-d, so she can't be a goddess". Nice to know that she takes the words of the Shema that we say every morning and evening to heart.

Bedtime Rituals

(Yes, those are curlers - she loves to have curly hair!)

Every night when LO goes to bed, I tuck her in and we say the Shema together. This is always followed by a series of hugs and kisses and the following dialogue:

Laila tov.

Jo tau.

Buenos noches.

Bonne nuit.

Good night.

I love you.

(Goodnight in Hebrew, Cantonese, Spanish, French and English respectively.)

I hope this is a "bedtime ritual" she nevers grows too old for.

Shabbat Shalom.

Another LO masterpiece

Certainly her Hebrew is far from perfect but I am still kvelling.

vahavta.mp3

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(It may even make you cry even more than this.)

Sing it LOUD

LO was in rare form at shul on Friday. She was singing LOUDER than usual (which I still find hard to believe). I guess I am numb to it because I didn't notice it until I realized that almost the entire congregation was looking at us.

After services, many people told her how lovely her singing is. Due to this encouragement, I shudder to think of how LOUD she will be next Shabbat.

Here for your listening pleasure...LO's version of the Shema:

shema.mp3

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Stay tuned...who knows what I can get her to sing next!

Red Blankie and the Shema

Every summer, LO spends some time visiting with my sister. This gives me a chance to have a little "me" time here and there throughout the summer. I'd like to report that I actually do something wonderful like spending the day at a spa or sitting on the beach and enjoying our weather but...what it usually means is that I do various things like clean the house, have a week go by without needing to do twelve loads of laundry, stare at the walls, give the TV a break from Disney films, etc.

LO never goes anywhere far without her blankies. These started out as one security blanket. But, as every parent is well aware, beloved items like these tend to get "loved" a whole lot and tend to need to be cleaned a whole lot, so in order to be able to wash "White Blankie", I made "Red Blankie". When we were packing her stuff to go to my sister's, she said, "I'm taking White Blankie with me and I'm leaving Red Blankie with you so you don't feel lonely without me". How cute is that?

I dropped her off at my sister's last night and the drive home (approx. 60 miles) was awfully quiet. Then when I got home, since this is her first extended time away this summer, the house seemed eerily empty. I sat down on the bed and realized how much I missed my little girl. Then the phone rang! Of course it was her. She had called to tell me that she missed me (which of course broke my heart). She had called to say "Laila Tov" and "Jo Tau" (Goodnight in Hebrew and Chinese). And she had called to say the Shema with me (which filled my heart with joy).

Some days I just can't imagine that it is possible to love her any more than I already do, but then a day like this happens. And I realize just how blessed I am to be LO's Mom.