Earth Hour 2009

Tonight at Chez Kosher Whine we participated in Earth Hour 2009. At 8:30pm we turned off our lights along with a billion or so other people around the world to help raise awareness and vote for more action on climate change.

I have no idea if it will change anything, but it would be nice if it did.

What I do know is that it was completely confusing to turn all the lights off right after Shabbat ended. It was even more confusing because KosherCop and I watched a dvd on the computer (via battery power - since flashlights were okay I figured the laptop was okay too).

So there we were in the dark, watching a movie - the power wasn't out so if we wanted to we could turn on the lights and they would have worked. We chose not to turn on the lights yet anything we could manage to do in the dark without breaking our necks was perfectly permissible - cooking, cleaning, writing, etc. Very confusing.

KosherCook and I always experience this same confusion on secular American holidays, especially Thanksgiving when there is a "festive meal." We always walk around all day reminding ourselves its okay to write, phone, cook, and no - we don't have to wait until sundown to eat or light candles.

But, tonight our self-imposed darkness only lasted an hour - an hour that a very tired KosherCop couldn't even make it through. He has a cold - complete with fever - and was begging to go to sleep by 9:15 - which is obviously well past his bedtime. Luckily, flashlight teethbrushing is one of KosherCook's many talents and KosherCop was too tired to ask for a story. Although KosherCook could probably have managed that as well, since he was perfectly happy to read by hurricane lamp candlelight for an hour.

What was interesting was that we talked to my Aunt this evening and KosherCop told her all about how were going to be turning off the lights and why. When I got back on the phone I clarified a few details and her answer was okay, I guess I'll turn my lights off at 8:30 too.

Now this is an 80-something year old woman who lives alone, and yet she was willing to participate in this brief bit of activism with absolutely no convincing. Pretty cool of her, and more importantly, it shows how easy it is to get people on board with this line of thinking.

Birthday Mania

Hurry! There are only a few shopping days left until KosherCop's birthday. Only 185 to be exact.

It's 6 months out and KosherCop is already talking about his next birthday party. To be fair, he actually started planning it as soon as his friends left his last party in September. But, we hadn't heard about for several months.

Now, fueled on by the sugar-coated memories of Goof Girl's in-school birthday party, KosherCop is back on track and has a clear creative vision of what the next birthday party should entail.

On Tuesday he presented his plan. I have to admit I don't remember all of it. That's mostly due to the fact that he opened with "all the kids will come to our house" and I started blacking out - even as I considered the possibility that there may still be tuna fish in the piano from his last party.

On Wednesday he interrupted his own story he had begged to tell me, to let me know that his next birthday cake would need to be a train cake again - with 2 layers - one chocolate and the other vanilla. And that he expected me to make it.

But tonight he outdid himself. He must have figured out by my previous lack of enthusiasm that this whole birthday planning project might require a little more finesse. So he took a whole new tack.

We had just arrived at the synagogue for evening minyan (my mother's yartzeit is today so I was there to say Kaddish) and the parking lot was full due to a 6th grade performance of "Fiddler on the Roof" already in progress.

KosherCook let us out so he could go look for a parking space. As we were getting out of the car, commiserating about the yuckiness of the rain, KosherCop suddenly says, "As long as we were speaking about my birthday..."

"Actually, we weren't speaking about your birthday," I told him.

"Oh," KosherCop paused thoughtfully and then continued, "well, as long as you mentioned it, let me tell you what I want for my next party..."

Of course I never heard what it was because I was laughing too loud to hear him.

Almost Spring!

Hello! Is anyone still there?

I seem to have been hibernating for the last 4 months. But, now it is almost spring and I've decided to poke my head up from my cave and start writing again.

The last few months have been very busy - mostly with getting ready for CSA season.

However, there have been some hilarious KosherCop moments along the way.

KosherCop has made big leaps in both creative and emotional growth over the last few months. We took his baby dresser out of his room and put in a big boy desk. So now he spends much of his time coloring and drawing. There have also been stories and interpretive dances (more on these later).

However, along with this increase in creativity came an increase in sensitivity.

We get a lot of "Fine! Then I guess you hate me!" if we say no about anything. There have been a lot of tears over the fact that none of us live forever and the possibility of his having to leave home someday (in the interest of him ever going to bed at night we've agreed he can live at home forever - for now anyway). There were also a few nights when he burst into tears as I sang him Oyfn Pripetchik (the Yiddish lulluby I've been singing to him since he was born) because he was overwhelmed by the beauty of the song, or how much he loves his Mommy, or the song made him sad.

And then there's his vocabulary.

KosherCook has been teaching him SAT words - the "Word of the Day" posted on the High School marquee they pass on the way to KosherCop's school. Some days he remembers them; other days he has forgotten them by the time I come home from work. And then some he actually learns and incorporates into his everyday conversations. Like the day KosherCook answered me for the 10millionth time with, "Eh, I don't know, maybe, I guess." KosherCop heard him and said, "That was a pretty tepid response, Daddy."