25+ Picture Books for Hanukkah, Chanukkah, Hanukah, and Chanukah

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The great thing about Hanukkah books is that they're supposed to be full of miracles and the unbelievable. So don't even have to think twice when latkes get up to walk away or an old woman thinks a bear is a human or a polar bear decides NOT to eat a lonely traveler for lunch.

I've grouped these books for older kids and younger kids, but it really depends on the maturity of the child, so mix and match!  I've started with the ones for older kids and sort of worked back.

Chanukah and Hanukkah books for elementary aged kids:

Simon is saved rather than eaten by a polar bear. The pictures in this book are just beautiful:

Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale

Bears are well represented in Chanukah books. And Hanukkah books. In this story, Bubba Brayna doesn't realize her guest is a bear:

The Chanukkah Guest

Latkes taste even better after they've gotten their heart rate up running around all over town:

The Runaway Latkes

The basic story from beginning to end:

The Story of Hanukkah

A goblin gives Jacob special dreidels, but first he has to foil Fruma Sarah's plans to steal them:

Is Your Life Too Chaotic? Take this quick, easy quiz to find out!

If you're at all like us, you'll soon be hosting the big Thanksgiving feast this year sans countertops.

Yes! Those are our plans. We're going to cook a giant dead bird with all the fixings in a gorgeous almost done kitchen with no kitchen counters.

Welcome insects one and all! Just kidding. I'm sure we'll find a way to clean the plywood. And the kitchen really is coming along though (you can see the progress in the last picture of this post).

There's no telling when it could all spin out of control though, so I invented an easy test to help determine when life might be getting too chaotic.

Want to give it a try? It's easy and only takes a second - take the test and score it all at the same time!

The Sock Drawer Life Litmus Test

Take a quick look at your sock drawer and then compare it to one of the following pictures -

A) Nice neat pairs.

If your socks look like picture A, you're on an upswing! Great time to adopt a dog.

B) A few pairs, but little order.

If a few of your socks are paired, you're still doing semi-okay. Try not to make any major life decisions.

C) No pairs, no order.

If you have no matches to any of your socks and they're thrown in willynilly, you might need a short vacation. Or a long vacation. Or fewer children. Your pick.

Hope you had fun and learned something about the state of your footwear! All pictures except the middle one are courtesy of Dollar Photo Club. Because I got tired of taking pictures of my socks.

Have a great Thanksgiving all!

Get Used to Wearing Dull Colors (More of Where I've Been When I Wasn't Here)

I happen to know that even though I haven't been posting much recently that a few people still stop by here every now and then to see what I'm up to (or not up to, as the case may be). In Blogsilvania, this is not called being "unpopular". It is called having an "intimate audience" (Hi Mom! Hi Dad!).

And so, for you select few I offer these excuses reasons for my absence:

1) Staph. Always staph. In a contest between writing and laundry, I would always, always choose writing. But being the neurotic mom that I am, I have decided to launder the entire household within an inch of its very life. It doesn't seem to help my boy, but it does make me feel like I'm fighting the good fight. Or, as my husband told my boy -

"Get used to wearing dull colors." 

Did I mention I always wash on the hottest available water these days?

2) Worry. I've taken it up as a full time job. I sent my boy to Israel again, only this time instead of sending him during a war, I sent him with a staph infection. He could have been in perfect health and vacationing at a lake house in Cleveland though. I'd have found just as many things to worry about. I'm a total expert that way. If I could find a way to make an income from worrying, we wouldn't even have to worry about those college scholarship things that take up so much of our time these days.

3) College. Which brings me to college. It is SO much harder to apply than when I went! Luckily I get to see the process in all its glory as my boy tries to forge method from madness.

4) Sammiches and Psych Meds. You know those kids who sit in the car and rarely complain, only asking where you're going once you're halfway there? You don't!?!?!? You might enjoy my post Driving Under the Influence. Go ahead! Click on it! It's good for you.

5) Memes. I got a little bit into making these, although I'm generally better at making them than actually posting them:

6) Halloween. Sometimes Facebook shows you stuff and sometimes not. So in case you didn't see my kid as Gymbo from Gymboree:

And that's pretty much it folks! It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Hope you are all well!