The Last Drops in the Bowl

Eitan loves when I share my cereal with him. I give him a few bites here and there (it's my breakfast, okay?) and he's always asking for maaaaaawwww.

So today when we finished all the cereal to be had, I gave him the bowl to show him that it really was done and I wasn't just being stingy.

Here was his reaction:

And he showed me that he would finish every last drop. Well played buddy.

Take that Dollar Store!

I like a bargain. I guess I get it from my mom, an amazing bargain hunter, who had the foresight to go to look for a Purim costume for Eitan when he was two weeks old the day after Halloween last year (and she did good!).  I just get really excited when I get get something that's great for a little bit of money.

Now take my Kirschenbaum bargain loving nature and couple it with 6 years in the Rozmaryn family with rituals such as getting up at 4 am for Black Friday, trips to wal-mart to "rent/borrow" furniture on vacations (buying folding tables on Thursday, using them for two days, and returning on Sunday) and frequently asking salespeople "what's your best price?" (seriously, and it works!) and there's some serious retail price aversions.

So long story short- I like sales, and I like getting good things for cheap.

I take Eitan to a gymboree a few times a week in Tapliot, a neighborhood just a few minute walk from our apartment. Talpiot is a fairly industrial area, and the streets are lined with furniture stores, hardware shops, lots of grocery stores and random other stuff, unlike our neighborhood which is filled with French and American tourists and lots of very nice restaurants, coffee shops and very expensive jewelery and other "extras". Needless to say, I do all of our shopping in Talpiot. But, back to gymboree. And bargains.

So in the same building as our gymboree, on the first floor, is a ONE SHEKEL STORE. Not a dollar store, but a store, filled with things that are the equivalent of 26 cents. So, to start, a lot of the stuff that dollar stores have in America they don't have at the Shekel store. It's not exactly taking a US dollar store, and converting everything over to one quarter of the value. No, you can't decorate your home at the Shekel store,  and you can't create the amazing projects of this favorite website of mine, but, that being said, the Shekel store is amazing, and filled with treasures.

There are standbys, things I know will always be there, or have at least been in the rotation the few months I've been frequenting.

In this category is lots of candy; gummy worms in particular, that I buy (four little worms to a little 1 shekel packet) and chow down on while Eitan's too busy playing with big trucks and running around at the gymboree to notice and ask for some.

They also regularly stock lots of lollipops, chocolates and most recently packaged muffins. Second most important item in the store however is 1 shekel (regular size) bags of bamba, Eitan's snack of choice of which I buy 4-5 at a time to always have in my bag in case of a baby tantrum emergency.

But there is so much more then just candy treats there! They have a huge supply of hair bands, clips, headbands and such accessories.  All colors, all types, 1 Shekel. It's a 7 year old girl's dream.

There are also lots of toys. Small rubber balls, which Eitan loves to bounce around and are so stupidly easy to replace if one goes missing. Cars! There is literally a huge display of just cars. All sizes, colors. It's nuts. Another favorite of Eitan's. I just let him hold onto one while we browse around, and I put it back before we check out and go up to playtime.

One thing I've mentioned that I love about living here is living in the Jewish calendar. Around Chanuka, they stocked lots of driedels and chocolate gelt. Now, Purim is a month and a half away, and the Shekel store reminds me by adding tons of masks into their stock. Now that's an economical costume that would even beat the post-Halloween sale price.

Last but not least, jewelery. Yes, the Shekel store has jewelery. Don't get any ideas for our next anniversary, Ami, or mother's day Eitan, but still...there are tons of little jewelery available for a quarter. Rings, bracelets, necklaces. The whole shebang. Check out these little rings?!

 

 And party decorations. Balloons, streamers, garlands. Holy crap get ready for Eitan's second birthday! Or Ami's 30th birthday! This place is going to be decked. Omygosh and the stationary! Pens and little pads, and gift bags and tape.

So, it may not have all of the stuff that a US Dollar store has (for those big spenders!), but on a recent trip I came out with: a bottle brush (for my water bottle that has seen better days now that we're dishwasher-less), 4 little bags of gummies, 4 bags of bamba, a fork and spoon for Nina to take to the Army with her,  all for less then $3! 

Get ready for more posts on my hauls from this amazing little oasis. It's just too good to write up in one post.

House Tour

So a bunch of people have asked for a virtual tour of our apartment here, so here you go!




A few things to note:

In the living room you may notice a space heater right in front of the TV. It's our baby gate to prevent Eitan to turning everything on, or opening and getting his fingers into the VCR.

Also in the hallway near all of the rooms, check out the light switches. Those four switches control both halves of the bathroom, the hallway light and Eitan's room light. They are crazy - their placements don't relate to where they are, and they all open different ways. Hence the little sticky notes so we don't turn on the light in Eitan's room after bedtime while meaning to turn on the bathroom light. Just a funny little quirk about this place.

Beer and Pizza Night

One night Nina came over after Eitan's bedtime. She was a little sad that she missed seeing him, and I think sent him a telepathic message to wake up.

Lo and Behold, almost on cue, Eitan starts crying and crying. I brought him out to say hi to her, and they ended up chilling for a bit before he went back to sleep, and no, he did not get any beer. Even though he was fascinated by the bottle, he was perfectly happy chugging milk.

I'd like to note that Nina didn't offer ME any pizza, but just went ahead and let Eitan chow down. Just know that...

Anyways, some (very bad) snapshots (sorry):

Days with Daddy

I'm home! After a couple more days after a few nights in Jerusalem with the two boys, I'm back and not going anywhere for a while. I'm buried both in emails and dirty laundry (from my Masada/Dead sea/Beduin tent days), and will get back to posting next week.

But, in case you're wondering, this is how the two Rozmaryn boys kept busy during their mornings together- soccer practice. We think Eitan has a lot of potential.

By the way...

Did I forget to mention that we got Eitan a real toy? Like one actually intended for children?

Well I did. And I saw it in this crazy Israeli Amazing Savings type place for 100 something Shekels and I snapped that baby up and CARRIED IT HOME, balancing it on top of the stroller handlebars all the way from town- a 25 minute walk. For some reason, it seemed too daunting to try to get on the bus with all of the stuff, but walking seemed do-able. I don't know. But we made it. And Ami didn't even get too mad.

And Eitan loves it. He loves putting things in the basket, most recently a plunger and two socks, loves riding on it and pushing it. It's just the best. Now we just have to figure out what to do when we go home. I'm thinking this one will probably stay here in Israel...

Best Buds

Since I've been away, these two boys have become tight! Ami's holding down the fort, and Eitan must know he's not messing, because he's been getting up later in the morning, taking longer naps and just being a total angel.

Seriously, he's been so behaved, towards his daddy. He is rebelling against my absence by tearing my closet apart. Ami came into our room to see this one day...

We're all together for Shabbat with the 5 Birthright groups, I'm home over Saturday and Sunday nights and then back on the road until Wednesday night.