Princess Charlotte and the Duchess

In May, when Princess Charlotte was born to Kate Middleton, Raphaela insisted upon writing her a letter and drawing her a picture.  Raphaela dictated to me, "Mazal tov! I hope that George and Charlotte will play nicely together."

I immediately mailed it out, and actually did not expect any sort of response;  I assumed that the Duchess of Cambridge would be receiving letters and  good wishes from all over the globe, and would not bother to respond to each individually.

I was wrong, and today Raphaela received a letter from the Duchess (her personal secretary) along with a photo of the happy family after Princess Charlotte's christening.  My daughter of course was thrilled, because Kate is our personal princess, the woman who is the sole reason that Raphaela will agree to wear warm weather clothing when it is cold outside.

Color me impressed.

 

 

(Compare this experience to Disney, the supposed experts in Princess marketing:  Raphaela wrote a letter to Elsa and Anna, and didn't even get a generic post card in return.)

 

When I was in fourth grade, the boys in the class wanted to torture the girls, and told us that Judy Blume was dead.  Our favorite author at the time, we girls immediately wrote to her publisher and asked if this was true.  I remember to this day receiving a letter from Judy Blume, in which she reassured us that she was not dead, and that she would be continuing to write for many years to come.  The author also sent us (just the girls) an autographed photo, and I still have it in my keepsake box.

The SuperStorm that Wasn't

Tuesday night

Raphaela's ballet recital has not been canceled, so we brave the dust storm to get to the studio, and I take tons of pictures and video.

"In anticipation of..." the upcoming snow storm, school has been canceled for Wednesday and the mayor of Jerusalem announces that as of 9 am the following morning, the two main roads going in and out of Jerusalem - Route 443 and Route 1 - will be shut off to traffic.

I heat up the water and give Raphaela a bath, wondering if it will be her last bath for the next few days.

Wednesday

The weather report says that the snow will only start around two in the afternoon, so we celebrate a snow day without snow.  I heat up the water and take a shower, and cook a bunch of cold-weather appropriate foods, and check email, thinking that it may be the last opportunity for the next few days.

Around one pm, Raphaela and I go into bed for a nap, and I promise her that when we wake up, there will be a white landscape.  Thunder and lightning threaten as we close our eyes.  As soon as Raphaela wakes up from her nap, she asks in a frenzy, "Quick check!  Do we have water and electricity?!"

The grass outside shows barely a sprinkle of snow, children everywhere are disappointed they cannot make a snow man, and parents everywhere cannot understand why school was canceled.

I heat up the water and give Raphaela a bath, just in case.

Thursday

We wake up to watery icy sludge on the street, and the Jerusalem Municipality announces that classes will begin at 10 am.  Raphaela, who has recently split open her chin in a fall at school, decides that she does not want to slip on the ice and she would rather stay home.  Besides, if she  goes outside she will have to wear pants, and HRH the Princess simply does not wear pants. It is undignified.

I don't care one way or the other, all my patients have canceled through the weekend.  Instead, I heat up the water and take a shower, wash the dishes in the sink, back up my iPhone and throw in a load of laundry, religiously following the Girl Scout model IE "Be Prepared."

Slogging through the slush, Raphaela and I arrived at her Gan, with half the parents keeping their children home because of dangerous road conditions, and the teachers shouting and freaking out because of the danger of the streets and sidewalks.  I assure Raphaela that her teacher is not shouting at her, they are just all angry at the rain and the snow.

I consider not taking Raphaela to English class today, because there is no way in hell my car is moving out of the driveway.  I have parked in a spot that hopefully this year, when the "real snow" arrives tonight and tomorrow, it will not be buried under a fallen tree like last year.

A normal night IE bath and dinner and a little bit of Dora the Explorer and surprise NOT, school has been canceled for tomorrow in anticipation of the "real storm" that thus far has eluded the esteemed weather forecasters.

Friday Morning

The snow was supposed to have begun around four am, at 8:30 am there isn't even rain, never mind the Storm to End All Storms.  I haven't worked for three days now, Raphaela has begun to go stir crazy inside the house and away from her friends and her normal routine.

The Municipality damn well better make up these lost days of classes somewhere along the way.
At the very least, these days of bogus vacation have granted me the opportunity to spend time with my daughter, and appreciate the small and yet essential conveniences in life.

(The saddest little snow man in Jerusalem.)

The Duchess of Cambridge

In my desperation to resolve the daily issues of getting dressed for Gan in the morning, and of choosing pajamas in the evening, I had written a letter to Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge;  I had requested that she tell Raphaela that Princesses are not forbidden to wear pants, and that they retain both their royalty and their ability to dance no matter what they are wearing.

Today, I received a response:

"...in connection with your daughter Raphaela, who has decided to live her life as a Princess. I can appreciate that her insistence on wearing only skirts and dresses can cause difficulties at times.

Please let her know that real life Princesses have to dress sensibly for the weather, to make sure they don't catch a cold or get ill. It would be very difficult to do all the things that Princesses have to do every day if they got ill."

As well, Her Royal Highness sent Raphaela a children's book written by Prince Charles and translated into Hebrew.

This letter will be laminated and placed on the wall of her room, right near her dresser, a reference and a preventative measure for the trauma that is choosing clothing each day, as befits a Princess of course.