(Re)-learning something new everyday...

My brain is exploding.

One of the direct results of making Aliyah is that I am attending school again. Sixth, Seventh and tenth grade. In Hebrew. Yay.

Did you know that...

...the rise of chassidism is a result of a spiritual and financial crisis amongst the Eastern European Jews of the 17th century?

...David Hamelech (King David) was a pretty aggressive guy (which is why he didn't get to build the Beit Hamikdash)? He was really mad at that nasty fellow Naval HaCarmeli and was going to wipe him out when he met Naval's wife Avigayil who convinced him it was beneath the future King to destroy Naval's household. Avigayil later became one of David's wives, after G-d himself smote the evil Naval.

..before Shlomo Hamelech (King Solomon) was annointed King, his step-brother Adoniyahu tried to steal the kingship? When David found out about this, he took care of it. Shlomo later had his hit man, Binayahu Ben Yehoyoda take care of Adoniyahu.

...after Bar Kochba's rebellion, surviving Jews fled to the Galil because they knew they could live on the agriculture there and that also they could hide from the Romans in the numerous caves.

...that adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions in Hebrew is the same as in English? But that my kids no longer no how to say "numerator" and "denominator" in their mother tongue?

I'm also learning about the circulatory system. Digestive system is up next. When I was in tenth grade, I couldn't wait to learn about the reproductive system with my bio teacher, Mr. Zeidner, who we thought was hot. Wonder if it will be as fun this time.

Add all of this to my nightly awakenings at 4 a.m. (and not being able to fall back asleep), everything else that needs to get done and you can see why Baila's feelin' just a bit cranky.

I need a vacation. Or maybe SuperRaizy's solution will work for me.

Day off. Here's what I did.

--I woke up at 5:30 a.m. (always do, not because I want to).
--Showered and dressed (quickie morning prayers).
--Got kids up and out.
--Threw a load of laundry in.
--Ate corn flakes while reading Obama's acceptance and McCain's concession speeches. (Wept a bit; I'm such a sucker for American patriotism).
--Put up the chicken soup; prepared the matzoh ball batter.
--Cleaned my bathroom.
--Unpacked a box (from our lift of last year; don't ask).
--Put the laundry on the drying thingie; threw in another load.
--Threw the matzoh balls into the boiling water.
--Cleaned my desk (basically moved papers and bills from one part of the desk to another; must start to go paperless).
--Went to the Iriyah (town hall) to take care of some stuff.
--Went to pharmacy to pick up some meds.
--Dr's appointment.
--Went to the bank (for a withdrawal, what else?)
--Dry cleaners.
--Supermarket, to pick up a few items I forgot at yesterday's big shopping.
--Home. Lunch. Moved laundry to dryer (towels get the electric one) and folded other laundry.
--Made several phone calls (school, doctors, yelling at the Jerusalem Post).
--Read two chapters of Orli's science book, in Hebrew so that I could help her prepare for a test that's coming up soon.
--Cooked:
chicken with peppers and onions.
broccoli kugel.
schug.
tachina.
marble cake (not this recipe, even though it looks amazing).
--(In between the cooking), watched an episode of Top Design with Liat and Orli. We just enjoy that stuff.
--Cleaned the kitchen.
--Did not cook dinner; Thursday is usually "Fend for yourself night". And they did.
--Blogged (actually am blogging as we speak).

(Disbursed throughout the day were various conversations with daughters and husband).

The thing of it is, I know that this is a fairly typical day for many of us. Crazy, isn't it?

What did you do today?

PS I am not exaggerating--I really did do everyone of these things. Here's some of the evidence: