Stay at Home Fun with Bagels & Locks Studios!

This #stayathome thing is really hard.

We've been basically self isolating because of some of our family members' pre-existing conditions and we are trying very hard to avoid exposure to the novel Coronavirus.

That being said, it's hard to stay at home for all this time. 

We have not had the complicating factor of our work outside our home, because our family business, the Safed Puzzle Room, being part of the tourism and entertainment sector, is closed. Unfortunately, this translates into actual, real, serious financial issues for us.

But instead of wallowing in self pity, we allowed ourselves a short period of time to absorb the shock that our business will likely not survive the pandemic, and then we decided to pick up the pieces.

So we worked night and day and day and night, and we created an amazing (if I may say so myself) online Israel-themed game that families, couples, and groups can play from the comfort of home: IsraelQuest: Challenge One, under the umbrella of Bagels & Locks Studios. More games are in the works!

I don't want to give the game away, but let's just say it's SOOO cool and fun for experienced puzzlers and escape room buffs, as well as for novice players and kids. You can choose from 3 options: IsraelQuest: Challenge One (for adults and teens 14+, novice or experienced puzzlers), IsraelQuest: Challenge One Jr. (for kids age 9-13 or novice puzzlers), or IsraelQuest: Challenge One Pro (for experienced puzzlers age 15+). And the price is amazing - it's currently available for an introductory price of just $10 (instead of $14.95) -- this way it's truly accessible to all! And best of all, you can play the game whether you know Israel well, or don't know anything about Israel! It's really that versatile.

Be sure to let me know when you've played, I'd love to hear what you all think of it!

If anyone wants to review the game, please reach out to me privately! Thank you!

Want to help out? Click on one of the share buttons on this page and share with your network! 

Follow Bagels & Locks Studios on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And of course, play the game! (And Virtual Hugs are welcome!)

Hidden Gems

It was the last long Friday of the year.

Obviously, we had to do something, as starting the week right after, we'd be ushering in Shabbat BEFORE 5 pm. We actually thought everyone else would have the same idea, and that the parks and whatnot would be packed.

I imagined finding a park and then having to help my kids navigate playground politics (just exactly how long is a child allowed to stay on a swing when there is a line forming?!).

The boys wanted to practice their baseball skills with my husband, and the girls really didn't care where we went, as long as there are slides and swings.

I know, baseball is not exactly your typical Israeli pasttime...

I was really hoping to find a park with a great playground, big wide open grassy fields, and public bathrooms.

In the end, we didn't find exactly that, but we did find a gem of a place anyhow! It was lacking the big wide open grassy fields, but we went to Park Rabin in Migdal Ha'emek, since we knew it had bathrooms and a great play area.

I really expected crowds, as we only got there in the afternoon, and schools were all out already. But it was practically empty! There was one couple with a toddler there, a family with a few little kids, and 4 kids on bikes. For most of the time we were there, those were the only other people we saw.

The boys got to practice their baseball in a field that was dotted with olive and other trees. Makes for interesting baseball.

When the girls needed the bathroom (they always need the bathroom when we are out), we found the one unlocked toilet and discovered it was very clean, but lacked toilet paper and soap. Luckily I carry toilet paper around in my backpack, and hand sanitizer too, for when we find ourselves without soap...

The girls loved the lack of playground politics in the kiddie playground.




 
But when we ventured up to the upper play area and discovered the HUGE slides... well, they were ecstatic! (And the boys had fun there too.)








 

Those were really huge slides. The kids love all those colors zooming past them as they come sliding down. We literally had to drag them away so we could go home and finish getting ready for Shabbat...

 

A day off...

Today we ventured out of our little piece of Israel, and we went to the center of the country. We played in a Eucalyptus grove at the Mekorot Hayarkon, but since it was so hot (but surprisingly less humid there than home! Who would've thought?), we ended up finding a water fountain and spraying water all over each other. It turned into a soaking wet, fun time. And I only felt a little guilty about using the extra water!




Then we went to visit my aunt and uncle in Hod Hasharon. Sometimes you just need to see family in order to feel anchored. The kids love going there, it's like having another Saba and Savta who spoil them! And honestly, it was really great for us adults too. It's nice to spend time with family, I highly recommend it to everyone!

We always will do things differently, but there is no denying that we come from the same family! I can't help but see bits of *my* grandparents in my aunt, and bits of my mother too. Makes me feel all happy/sad.


A little homesick and missing those not with us and those no longer with us, but also anchored to family in the here and now...

More musings on family

I have been mulling over the theme of family and belonging lately, and I started writing about it last week.

There are so many ways to define family. Most of us think of family as our closest relatives - spouse, children, parents, siblings. Then, there are some families who are very much enmeshed with a larger circle of relatives - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. Some, and I have been lucky enough at times to enjoy this, even embrace second cousins and beyond. I have second cousins and second cousins once removed dotting this country up and down. MOST are in the Jerusalem area, but some are even here in the North. I have first cousins here in the North too. All of this is great. Sometimes we'll be out somewhere and bump into one of those 100 or so cousins (first or second, no matter), and then the country feels like one big family to me.

Other days, we feel like we're all alone. And that's where the other "family" comes in. Those people whom you adopt as your family. We have a small group of homeschooling families, from all around, 1/2 an hour or so in every direction, who get together regularly. In a way, we have become family.

How can I say this? No, it's not that I take the definition of family lightly. But let me explain. When I first made Aliyah (yes, I've done this twice), I really really wanted my sister to do so with me. She didn't. (This was about 20 yrs ago.) So, I went to university here, and made friends with the other olim (there were quite a few, even 20 yrs ago), and we all took care of each other, like family. We didn't have a "home" to go to like our Sabra counterparts, when we were sick, or on vacation, or just to rest on Shabbat. So we made our own little homes, and carved out our own little groups who acted as family.

So when one of our homeschooling friends told us she was pregnant, and worried about feeling all alone right after the birth, we all decided to pitch in. Some people live really close to her, and have been able to help out with her older kids. Some of us cooked up a storm and are storing food in our freezers for her, which will be delivered later in the week... We all call, and sent gifts, and we're all trying to fill in for her absent family. I truly hope that she, and other olim, no longer have to feel alone. We can all support each other, even just emotionally...

Family and Belonging

My cousins finally made it here for a visit! To be honest, it is not their fault that it took so long. I have been delaying the invitation, hoping for the day that my house is guest worthy and I'm not too tired to make guest worthy food. My cousins and I grew up 6000 miles apart, and I wanted to be sure they enjoy coming to my house!

Making aliyah does strange things, like taking these cousins who are your blood relatives but you hardly ever got to know in the earlier years of your life, and puts them within driving distance of your new home (of course, the flip side of that is that many other relatives are now 6000 miles away. But while we were in the States, we spent many years living between 900 and 1500 miles from our families. So although 6000 miles is further, but I think I have seen my younger sister MORE often since making aliyah than I did in the 3+ yrs prior to that. And she lives in the NY area. Go figure.).

So, Purim day, we tried to spiff up our house, the weather was gorgeous, our Rakafot are in bloom, cascading down the rocky area in front of our house, our lemon tree is still full with lemons (not sure we will manage to use them all), and I think I made guest-worthy food (to find out more about THAT, you'll have to check out my other blog here, although I haven't written up our Purim menu yet)!

And 2 of my cousins with various delegations from their families, came to visit! How amazing to have relatives who live within 1/2 an hour of my home. Now that we are all grown up, we can get to know each other in a way that is different if we had been cousins who played together throughout our childhood. Most of our conversations are in Hebrew (my second language, their first), although from time to time they try out their English on us. Usually they are forgiving of my mistakes...

This visit really made our family's day. It's good to feel like we belong.