Revital Shiri-Horowitz's Blog, page 6
June 21, 2011
Life is beautiful
Life is good today. After such stressful couple of months, and after sending my oldest son to his adult independent life, and yes, I did cry at the graduation ceremony, but not for the reasons you would think. I cried because he left home a couple of days later, so I cried because I knew that life won`t be the same again in our house. When I cried, my seven years old son, who saw me crying, asked why I cried, and when I told him the reason he started crying too, saying that Yotam (my oldest son) is his favorite brother (we have four boys), and that he would miss him so much too…My poor husband, he had to comfort both of us, while struggling himself not to cry.
We sent him off on Saturday morning, after helping him pack (I just did not know boys like shoes as much as women do, since he packed ten pairs…). I turned my back to him after saying goodbyes, so he won`t see me crying, but he did…I was so sorry he had to see me cry, it was hard for him too. He calls us every day; he never used to do that whenever he would stay in camp. On the second night he called at midnight, just to say goodnight, I guess it is hard on both sides.
We took the rest of the boys and drove up to Whistler BC. I love this place winter or summer, there is always so much to do, I call it my happy place, my Disney…We have been here for the last couple of days, and I can see how much I needed the break from all the craziness in my life. My husband took the two older boys mountain biking, while I took our youngest just biking around. We rode to the lost lake and had ice-creams. We then walked to Blackcomb, and took a slide ride together, had lunch and just were happy to have some quality mother-son time, which was lots of fun. With such busy schedules and many kids, I rarely have the time just to be with him, enjoying his terrific sense of humor, enjoying holding his hand (he still holds my hand…how fun!).
In the evenings the boys like to stay at the hotel, so I take my best friend (whom I am married to this July for 20 years..), and we have dinners in interesting restaurants. Later today we are all going up to the Zip lines, and I am hopping not to embarrass my family, but on the other hand, I do need a good scream, and this would be a good place to do so…
We sent him off on Saturday morning, after helping him pack (I just did not know boys like shoes as much as women do, since he packed ten pairs…). I turned my back to him after saying goodbyes, so he won`t see me crying, but he did…I was so sorry he had to see me cry, it was hard for him too. He calls us every day; he never used to do that whenever he would stay in camp. On the second night he called at midnight, just to say goodnight, I guess it is hard on both sides.
We took the rest of the boys and drove up to Whistler BC. I love this place winter or summer, there is always so much to do, I call it my happy place, my Disney…We have been here for the last couple of days, and I can see how much I needed the break from all the craziness in my life. My husband took the two older boys mountain biking, while I took our youngest just biking around. We rode to the lost lake and had ice-creams. We then walked to Blackcomb, and took a slide ride together, had lunch and just were happy to have some quality mother-son time, which was lots of fun. With such busy schedules and many kids, I rarely have the time just to be with him, enjoying his terrific sense of humor, enjoying holding his hand (he still holds my hand…how fun!).
In the evenings the boys like to stay at the hotel, so I take my best friend (whom I am married to this July for 20 years..), and we have dinners in interesting restaurants. Later today we are all going up to the Zip lines, and I am hopping not to embarrass my family, but on the other hand, I do need a good scream, and this would be a good place to do so…
June 7, 2011
A very special day
Today is my father`s 80 Birthday. My dad was born in Iraq at “Shavuot” Holliday; this is what my grandmother used to say, since it was never documented, so they always celebrated my dad`s birthday with traditional dairy Iraqi special dishes. “Shavuot” is a Holliday of the harvest; it is a Holliday that celebrates in Judaism the day that the Bible was given to Moses, and this is the day that the Jewish people start reading the Torah every year. “Shavuot” is also considered as the Holliday of visiting, and in Arabic “Id al Ziarah”, people would travel from all over to the Holly city of Jerusalem, and would bring with them “Bikurim”, the very new Harvest to the Cohanim, who served at the Holly Temple.
I love celebrating this Holliday in Israel, where the kids come to schools wearing white, holding baskets of the very new fruits, summer fruits, synagogues are open all night for “Tikun”, something that has to do with renew, with forgiveness, and learning together. It is indeed a special day which I love so much.
Today is a sad day for me, you see; I lost my dad to Lung Cancer three years ago, and since my dad was our family`s chef, he would cook all these yummy foods for us. My mom and sister paid my dad a visit in the Cemetery today, and my mom even brought him some fresh flowers for his birthday, to put on his grave.
I live in the US now, and I cook for “Shavuot” and invite some friends to try those interesting foods. My dad`s picture is standing on the kitchen counter for the last three years, and today I gave him a big kiss and told him how much I love him. He is very much alive in my mind, every single day. As I call my mom, and I call her every day, (she lives in Israel), I can still hear his voice telling me, that my mom cannot wait to talk to me, and he is passing the phone to her.
Happy Birthday dad, I love and miss you so much!
Here is my dad`s and mom`s special recipe for “Kitchri”, a traditional “Shavuot” dish:
PRODUCTS
1. Two cups of long rice
2. One cup of red lentils
3. 2 spoons of tomato paste
4. 2 spoons of vegetable oil
5. 3 spoons of butter
6. 2-3 spoons of ground Cumin
7. 4-5 chopped garlic cloves.
8. salt
Preparation
1. Wash the rice a few times, and put in a pot. Add a little salt and the oil. Add water up to a little less than an inch, and mix in the tomato paste.
2. Stir a little and boil. When is boiling add the lentil, let the water soak, and reduce the heat to low.
3. Let it cook for about 20 minutes.
4. In a pan put the butter and the garlic and fry for 2 minutes, and then add the Cumin and salt, and let it fry for 2-3 minutes (the smell is so great…)
5. After the rice is done, add the fried cumin to the rice, blend it in and let it cook on very low for a few minutes.
You can add Yogurt when all is done, it is delicious.
I love celebrating this Holliday in Israel, where the kids come to schools wearing white, holding baskets of the very new fruits, summer fruits, synagogues are open all night for “Tikun”, something that has to do with renew, with forgiveness, and learning together. It is indeed a special day which I love so much.
Today is a sad day for me, you see; I lost my dad to Lung Cancer three years ago, and since my dad was our family`s chef, he would cook all these yummy foods for us. My mom and sister paid my dad a visit in the Cemetery today, and my mom even brought him some fresh flowers for his birthday, to put on his grave.
I live in the US now, and I cook for “Shavuot” and invite some friends to try those interesting foods. My dad`s picture is standing on the kitchen counter for the last three years, and today I gave him a big kiss and told him how much I love him. He is very much alive in my mind, every single day. As I call my mom, and I call her every day, (she lives in Israel), I can still hear his voice telling me, that my mom cannot wait to talk to me, and he is passing the phone to her.
Happy Birthday dad, I love and miss you so much!
Here is my dad`s and mom`s special recipe for “Kitchri”, a traditional “Shavuot” dish:
PRODUCTS
1. Two cups of long rice
2. One cup of red lentils
3. 2 spoons of tomato paste
4. 2 spoons of vegetable oil
5. 3 spoons of butter
6. 2-3 spoons of ground Cumin
7. 4-5 chopped garlic cloves.
8. salt
Preparation
1. Wash the rice a few times, and put in a pot. Add a little salt and the oil. Add water up to a little less than an inch, and mix in the tomato paste.
2. Stir a little and boil. When is boiling add the lentil, let the water soak, and reduce the heat to low.
3. Let it cook for about 20 minutes.
4. In a pan put the butter and the garlic and fry for 2 minutes, and then add the Cumin and salt, and let it fry for 2-3 minutes (the smell is so great…)
5. After the rice is done, add the fried cumin to the rice, blend it in and let it cook on very low for a few minutes.
You can add Yogurt when all is done, it is delicious.
June 1, 2011
Oh boy…Or, how to start bloging...
If I had to
start writing a blog what would I write about? You see, I am an
Israeli-American woman, who is never sure where she should be living, in the US
or in Israel. It seems that my feelings are always divided, influenced by the
politics (sometimes like it here, sometimes there), the time of the year (I
vote for winters over there, while summers definitely for the Northwest), Holidays
(definitely like it there. Oh wait, I just remembered how I hated the family pressure,
so maybe I like celebrating my Holliday here…), and I dislike the distance…
It is hard to live thousands of miles away from your elderly parents, siblings,
and nephews. When I am here I feel so Israeli, and when I am there I sometimes feel
like I do not belong anymore.
Did I mention
I am mother of four boys? I am, really a mother of four boys, and my boys
always tell everyone how I tried for a girl four times. The truth is I did want
four girls, but the reason would sound unusual for someone who was not born in
the Holly Land, where everyone is obligated to serve in the Army, and I was always
a worrier, and thought about being afraid to send my boys to fight. I guess
this is pretty selfish, I admit, but not every feeling we have is under our
control, and yet, as I already told you, I ended up having four adorable boys
ages 18, 15, 12 and 7.
Life is
packed, and life is complicated. Next week my oldest son is graduating from High
school. He is eighteen and is off to College in the fall. My son has learning
disabilities, and since he was in first grade he had to work extra hard just to
be able to make it, and next week he is graduating, and not only he is
graduating, he was accepted to one of the finest schools in the Northwest. I
know I need to carry with me tons of tissues, since I am going to sob there,
and I really do not care if I am going to embarrass myself or him, after all, I
do deserve at least one good cry of pride and delight. After the graduation he
will say goodbye to us, and go work all summer in a Summer Camp.
I do not
know how other mothers feel about their kids leaving home. I know that this is
going to be really tuff. I love having all these boys’ energy around me, lots
of good laughters, active games, and yes lots of farts too, but this is all a
part of having all boys surrounding you. In just a few weeks my oldest son will
leave home, when he was born his weight was less than 5 ponds, and now he is a
fine young man. I will have less laundry to do, and more driving to do, since
he helps driving his brothers (a good kid, did I mention that?), oh my god it
is unbearable even to think about it. How do you all do it? Am I the only one
ready to go back to College just to be with him? I am telling you, I would if I
could…
start writing a blog what would I write about? You see, I am an
Israeli-American woman, who is never sure where she should be living, in the US
or in Israel. It seems that my feelings are always divided, influenced by the
politics (sometimes like it here, sometimes there), the time of the year (I
vote for winters over there, while summers definitely for the Northwest), Holidays
(definitely like it there. Oh wait, I just remembered how I hated the family pressure,
so maybe I like celebrating my Holliday here…), and I dislike the distance…
It is hard to live thousands of miles away from your elderly parents, siblings,
and nephews. When I am here I feel so Israeli, and when I am there I sometimes feel
like I do not belong anymore.
Did I mention
I am mother of four boys? I am, really a mother of four boys, and my boys
always tell everyone how I tried for a girl four times. The truth is I did want
four girls, but the reason would sound unusual for someone who was not born in
the Holly Land, where everyone is obligated to serve in the Army, and I was always
a worrier, and thought about being afraid to send my boys to fight. I guess
this is pretty selfish, I admit, but not every feeling we have is under our
control, and yet, as I already told you, I ended up having four adorable boys
ages 18, 15, 12 and 7.
Life is
packed, and life is complicated. Next week my oldest son is graduating from High
school. He is eighteen and is off to College in the fall. My son has learning
disabilities, and since he was in first grade he had to work extra hard just to
be able to make it, and next week he is graduating, and not only he is
graduating, he was accepted to one of the finest schools in the Northwest. I
know I need to carry with me tons of tissues, since I am going to sob there,
and I really do not care if I am going to embarrass myself or him, after all, I
do deserve at least one good cry of pride and delight. After the graduation he
will say goodbye to us, and go work all summer in a Summer Camp.
I do not
know how other mothers feel about their kids leaving home. I know that this is
going to be really tuff. I love having all these boys’ energy around me, lots
of good laughters, active games, and yes lots of farts too, but this is all a
part of having all boys surrounding you. In just a few weeks my oldest son will
leave home, when he was born his weight was less than 5 ponds, and now he is a
fine young man. I will have less laundry to do, and more driving to do, since
he helps driving his brothers (a good kid, did I mention that?), oh my god it
is unbearable even to think about it. How do you all do it? Am I the only one
ready to go back to College just to be with him? I am telling you, I would if I
could…
