Ooh, I do love these! Thanks to Homeshuling for tagging me with the Jewish Mommy (Sh)meme:

“I’m discovering a whole world of Jewish mommy bloggers, and I’m fantasizing about having one giant shabbat dinner together…..or maybe even a shabbaton? But for now a virtual shabbat will have to do. So here’s my shabbat meme, otherwise known as a shmeme. (Someone has to make these up, right?)”

1. Challah – home baked or bought?

*sigh* I was not told there would be skills involved. Before I was a working out-of-home (as opposed to “from”) I tried to a few times to replicate the fluffy, cinnamony-buttery yeasty goodness created the balabustas who ran my son’s preschool: FAIL. Now as a bizzybizzy lady who sometimes dashes into the grocery store high heels a’clackin’ ten minutes before sundown on Fridays, I have found that the fresh-baked challah from Publix smells and tastes almost as good as the balabusta’s and makes killer French Toast.

2. Favorite shabbat meal:

I don’t know if it’s because it’s everyone’s favorite or because both me and El Yenta Man can make it with our eyes closed, but our Friday night meal rarely varies from the following: Roast chicken stuffed with lemons and rosemary from the garden, steamed kale dressed with oil and vinegar, quinoa or brown rice, and wine, baby, wine. Tastes like strength, tradition and love – week after week.

3. Any creative shabbat rituals?

EYM makes fun of me, but I won’t light the candles until everyone’s quiet and breathes together three times. In that little pocket of silence, something magical happens and it really feels like Shabbat the second I strike the match. But sometimes I ruin the moment by getting pissy at EYM for making farting noises.

4. Shul? With or without the kids? (yes, I know some of you are rabbis)

Notsomuch. Unless there’s a specific reason, like a kid service or a b’nai mitzvah or EYM is sittin’ pretty on the bima doing his turn on the Board of Adjunta. After a long week, Friday evenings are for home, and since I teach Sunday School during the year, Saturday is for rest, not fighting tourists for parking spaces.

Which brings up a point I’d like to expound upon further at some point this summer: Who thinks if Reform and Conservative shuls replaces Sunday School for Saturday children’s programs, everyone might come back to synagogue? I know I would attend Saturday services more regularly if I didn’t have to shlep back and forth both days of the weekend.

5. Traditionally shomer shabbat? If not, what’s your definition/style?

Well, no. I drive if I must, and ride my bike ’cause I wanna. I believe our Creator wants us to rest on the Sabbath in order to enjoy and take in the world. Mostly that means no laundry, dishes, work, blogging, talking about work or blogging and usually no shopping or spending money so we can walk through the wildlife refuge or sit on the beach or hang out in the backyard mimicking birds. But because I’m not so into limitations, sometimes Shabbat is going to “a real movie at a real movie theater” (Little Yenta Girl’s quote) and then looking at shoes. I do believe in the commandment of keeping the Sabbath – if it feels like work, I don’t do it. If cleaning out my closet is creating a feeling of closeness with God, so be it.

6. Favorite shabbat story/book

Ooh, I have a lot of ’em. But this year it’s definitely Shabbat Angels by Maxine Segal Handelman. It’s about how important Shabbat is to the overall shalom bayit (peace at home) but also that it takes effort – it doesn’t just happen on its own. (EYM, the part about bringing flowers to the table is about you. And though this version says nothing about not making farting noises during candlelighting, the original Talmudic story just might.)

And thanks to this meme, I’m also looking forward to reading Homeshuling’s Shabbat book when it comes out in Fall 2011!

7. No seventh question – time to rest.
Homeshuling, I like your style. Y’all go read her answers here!

I’m not much of a tagger, but I’m hitting ModernJewishMom with this one. Youse J-Mamas I didn’t tag, please participate on your own blog and trackback here, or just post in the comments section!

Oh, and yeah, it’s a real t-shirt!