Author: littleyellownotepad

I sit up straight in my seat and hold my breath. I don’t move a muscle as my blood pressure rises and my body fills with dread. And then I hear the words again, clear as can be and there’s no mistaking. It is what I feared.

“Let’s build a tent! Let’s get our blankets and pillows and make a tent!”

The announcement is followed by cheers and a chorus of enthusiastic yays as the six brothers run off to get their gear.

And my motherly instinct is exploding. I do not want a tent! I’ve had too many shabbos tent building experiences in the past 18 years that I know the future; this will end with many little people crying. It’s hard to predict who will be the first, but I definitely know there will be tears.

Continue reading “Let’s build a tent…” →

“It’s perfect weather to have your morning coffee outside,” my husband tells me when I come into the kitchen Sunday morning.

And he’s right. Crisp low 60s, it’s quiet and still with the birds chirping. It’s my absolute favorite weather in general, and it’s perfect for sitting in my backyard and enjoying my morning caramel-macchiato flavored coffee. And this Sunday morning I’m not rushing anywhere, so the opportunity is perfect.

I head outside for some moments of morning meditation, coffee and calmness… mommy style.

If mommy goes outside, so does everyone else. I straighten out the table and chairs that tend to wander away from their dedicated spot and settle in for feeling the still freshness and sounds of nature, mingled with the sounds of my entourage.

My one year old is happily walking around in her walking/sitting rolling seat. My two year old finds a cozy coupe that’s clean enough for his liking and takes off. Two of my boys head to the trampoline. Someone heads to climb a tree and someone else goes straight to digging.

I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. The freshness, the birds chirping, the slight breeze. I take my first sip of perfectly just-right sweetened coffee, allowing myself to taste every droplet.

“Mommy!!!!” I quickly pause my mediation.

Continue reading “Enjoying my morning coffee” →

I wrote this article for the Nshei Chabad Newsletter; it was featured in the Nissan 5783 issue, celebrating one year from this miracle.

Tuesday Morning, Chai Nissan, I packed some food while grumbling that I had to take my pesach chocolate-banana-walnut muffins to eat instead of my customary boxful of Resimans brownie bars that I usually indulge in right after birth, and my husband and I headed to the hospital. Relieved to have the hecticness of the sedarim behind us, I was looking forward to giving birth and being back home in time for the second days; to bask in the joy of Pesach and enjoy the time with all my kids home.

Continue reading “Trauma ICU, Matzah and Miracles; The Full Story” →