The twins were the first of our kids to attend a language academy elementary school. For the past 9 years they have been studying Mandarin for an hour a day. This lengthy study is rewarded with a trip to China in their 8th grade year.

The trip they took was part of the YES program (Young Envoys Scholarship) which helps bolster relationships between China and the US. The program they were sent to was in Beijing, and they studied Traditional Chinese Medicine. I couldn’t have been happier with both the choice of city and the choice of study.

First, there are many aspects of Chinese Medicine I believe in, most prominently the philosophy that everything in the body is related and it’s important to strike a balance. Western medicine with all of it’s glories often treats the symptom and not the cause which bothers me.

They learned about acupuncture, cupping, Chinese herbs, hot and cold foods, and Baduanjin – a traditional Chinese health exercise similar to Tai Chi.

They also shadowed at Jingshan Middle School. Later, his teacher wrote and told me after Sam introduced himself to the group, a girl pointed to the girl next to her and said to Sam, “I wanted to tell you she says you’re really handsome”

And did lots of shopping.

Here is a video of both of them bargaining in China…

They used the subway to travel many places around the city.

They also went to eat lots of amazing foods. Dumpling and noodles, Hot pot, treats like milk tea and (yikes!) McDonalds McFlurries and Dairy Queen, Peking Duck, and special rice noodles from the teachers hometown.

The Summer Palace. Which was Sam’s favorite spot of the entire trip.

Also the Forbidden City.

They also visited the National Museum of China, the Birds Nest, and QianMen, an iconic landmark street in Beijing famous for its restored Qing Dynasty-style architecture, shops and food.

They visited Tiananmen Square. While they were there the Chinese State leaders were welcoming the President of Mozambique to the Great Hall of the People and they got to see the fanfare – guards everywhere and cannons blasting.

My favorite part was hearing they visited The Great Wall. I think a big part of it was the amazing video Aaron compiled that made me really feel like I was right there with him.

While the twins were away we were down to one kid. We were able to say yes to many invitations that we normally wouldn’t have if we around keeping us tethered to carpool duties and copious amounts of shopping and cooking to fuel their growing bodies.

We were able to say yes to an invitation to see Micheal McIntyre at the Chicago Theater. We said yes to pickleball at Grant Park. And we attended Ben’s school’s annual Gala, of which I am president of the parents association.

Adam also took me out to many dinner and lunches, taking the opportunity to lighten my cooking load even more. Kameya, ZaZa’s pizza, Bongo Room, Blue Door, Maggianos and Robert’s Pizza to name a few.

I also took the extra time as an opportunity to do all the bigger chores I can never seem to get to. I donated 11 boxes and 6 bags of old clothes, also readied 2 bags of cleats for the AYSO cleat exchange, redid Ben’s closet, hand washed every cushion on the couch, and with Adam help deep cleaned the top of our kitchen cabinets. My project list is still huge but at least I I was subtracting for once instead of just adding.

The twins are back now, but not for long, stay tuned for many more adventures coming soon!

This year for the first time ever, the boys all had different Spring Breaks (except for the twins).

Jack’s Spring Break was first. He spend a week recovering from the start of a tough semester. The this point, he thought he was failing out of Physics. Now we know he is on track to get a B! We did our usual, trying to fatten him up as he seems to have reversed the Freshman 15 trend by actually losing weight his first year in college instead of gaining it.

The week after Jack’s Spring Break the Twins had school only 3 of the 5 days, then a full week off for Spring Break, so they skipped 2 days and we headed down to Florida early.

We also got to see my Aunt, my father, my girlfriends (missed getting Jessica in the picture!), and cousin Jackie.

We also went to the West Coast of Florida for a shelling trip, visit to the Salvador Dali Museum and Busch Gardens.

Besides all this we still managed to go for runs, play soccer, basketball, volleyball and pickleball and even go for a bike ride. Another wonderful time in Florida!

The next week – Ben had his Spring Break! It consisted of lots of catch up for all the time he missed while he was away.

Last Saturday I turned 53! I can hardly believe it myself!

It was a busy day for me, in the morning we had a Parent Connection Group at one of my son’s school. I am the President of the Parent Association for this school, so I try to make as many of these things as possible. This time around was especially important as we stayed on to help with the holiday gifts for the staff which our group helped collect money for.

Afterwards I met Adam and the boys at the gym. Adam and I played pickleball while the boys boxed. This Saturday was my last as a pickleball beginner. As of this week, I have moved up to intermediate. This was the best birthday present the instructors could have given me!

Afterwards I opened my gifts – was spoiled by many different gift cards and chocolates from my family.

We also celebrated at our go to spot – Shine Restaurant for dinner. We didn’t make as big of a dent as we did with Bubbie and Jack the week before, but we did pretty well!

It was a really lovely day. I was so thankful that my family worked so hard to make it special for me. Despite the growing evidence of age, I’m very happy to have travelled another journey around the sun!

The kids had the entire week off for Thanksgiving so we were able to have a really nice holiday together.

After changing his ticket 2 times to accommodate the last minute cancelled classes, Jack arrived on Friday night. He looked pale, with dark circles under his eyes. At home later, we weighed him and he had lost 13 pounds in the two months he has been at college.

When Jack arrived, Bubbie was on the tail end of her visit to Chicago. We were lucky to have some overlap with all of us together.

Bubbie treated us to a dinner at Shine on Saturday night. When we were done ordering, the server said he couldn’t wait to see us eat it all. I don’t think he believed we could finish it all. Not only did we finish every single thing, but we ordered dessert as well!

Sunday night Adam treated Bubbie and I to a night at the theater – we saw A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical. It was awesome. The lead singer, Nick Fradiani, won American Idol ninth season in 2014. His voice was like velvet and butter. Plus all the songs reminded me of growing up with my father, who played Neil Diamond for us many times.

As we had the whole week of Thanksgiving off, the boys decided they wanted to try boxing. We set them up 3 different times with lessons at the gym. Below is the video montage….

The instructor (a 2012 Chicago Golden Gloves boxing champion and a 2013 National USA silver medalist in Muay Thai) was impressed at how hard the boys worked and how strong they were.

Thursday morning we ran the Turkey Trot. The temperature with the wind chill was around 18 degrees. Still everyone decided to get up and go for it.

Ben won for team Calisoff, finish in 23 minutes flat (it was a 5K) so that’s 7:24 pace. He finished in the top 5% of ALL runners (over 4000 runners). Jack was 24:17, Sam was 25:59, Aaron was 26:40, I finished with 31:20. Adam got a DNF, he pulled a calf muscle. Because Ben was so fast I missed him in the video below, but you can see the other boys pass me by at the turn around.

Afterwards we felt no guilt stuffing our faces with food….

The end of the weekend Mother Nature dumped lots of snow on us and the twins took the opportunity with a friend to go sledding.

It was really nice to spend time to spend time together as a family. We spent a lot of time trying to fatten Jack up, going out to eat or just making his favorite dishes. The boys got to spend time together gaming, working out, or playing poker.

The best news is, in less than 3 weeks, we get Jack back again. This time for almost a month!

Sorry for the late post, life has been hectic!

I’m so pleased to finally sit down and write about Jack’s Graduation and move to college.

First let me start by talking about how much I’ve enjoyed watching him during this final Senior year.

So many wonderful Senior moments….

And as soon as it was all over, a new chapter was about to begin.

Jack chose to attend the University of Minnesota. He was accepted into their Engineering program.

We drove him up there last August and had a very tearful good bye. It was bittersweet. I know he is where is is suppose to be to get to the next phase of success, but as he was the first to go, it was quite a blow to break up out tight night family unit.

However, we came back a month later and got a chance to see him for Family Weekend.

It’s been about 2 months since he’s left and I would say it’s been quite an adjustment for him. But I’m please to report that he’s been keeping up with his studying and successfully feeding himself, laundering her own clothes, and still managing to find time to work out.

From coast to coast us Calisoffs travelled. Home for a few days after California then in to the minivan for an adventure east.

First we stopped in Pittsburgh for an over night stay and dinner at our favorite Pittsburgh restaurant, Burgatory.

In fact, spolier alert, this trip included a lot of eating! For breakfast we stopped by P&G Pamela’s Diner. It was another great meal, which led us to the next food fest was a stop at Hershey.

Here we got MORE milkshakes, lots of candy, clothing, and stuffed animals.

Next stop, Philadelphia! We got a quick glance at the Liberty bell. Did you know that the bell cracked in its first use and even after multiple repairs it never really worked again. Yet despite it’s flaws it became a symbol of America. While we dined on homemade pasta at Spasso laster that evening, we joked how something so flawed could symbolize our country so absolutely, and what this said about America.

The next day we walked over 30,000 steps, traversing the city from Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and down to South Philadelphia to Pat’s King of Steaks for their famous Philly Cheesesteaks.

Aaron made this video of us running the Rocky Steps at the Museum of Art.

No trip to Philly would be complete without trying the cheesesteaks! This was my first one. Did you know they serve them with Cheese Whiz as a topping?!

But these culinary adventures were just the beginning. The next stop was New York City.

We arrived in time for a late dinner of Famous Original Ray’s Pizza.

After all that gluten, you’d think we would be too stuffed to eat more but we managed to find more room when we passed the HOT DONUTS NOW sign at Krispy Kreme.

Adam went crazy and got the kids expensive New York Apple Donuts. They were so special that when you buy them, the entire staff give you a cheer.

The next day we started the morning with New York Style Bagels at Liberty Bagels. They had so many different bagels and smears! It was a lot of fun to order.

Afterwards, we went to see the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. I was living in Hong Kong when it happened and after moving back to the United States and talking to people about their experiences, I’ve come to realize I missed a real moment in American History.

Because of this I’m really glad we saw the museum and not just the memorial fountain. After all, the kids were not alive during this moment either. I didn’t take any pictures but there was one moment, when you first walk into the museum, where they show the faces of everyone watching the towers fall that put a lump in my throat. To see something like that first hand must have changed those people forever.

Then it was time for a New York style Deli. We ordered Matzo Ball soup and Pastrami at Friedmans. We also went to see The Fantastic Four First Steps that evening.

The next day we explored Central Park.

That evening we booked a special dinner for Ben’s birthday. His birthday was a month ago but he did not get a special dinner because there was a track meet that night.

We also got another dinner in Din Tai Fong. Yes they opened on in NYC recently. Twice in one month I got to eat at my favorite restaurant in Asia!

We also booked a show – The Book of Mormon. It was hilarious and the boys thought it was really good. There were a lot of naughty language and some adult themes and I did notice we were the only one with two 13 years olds in the crowd, but I think the boys were mature enough to handle it.

Finally on the last day we met up with my friend Greg for a quick breakfast. It was really nice to see him in person and catch up. I love all our group texts but it doesn’t replace a face to face hang out.

It was another fun vacation. The kids really enjoyed it and at the same time after all that travel, they are enjoying being back in the comfort of their own home.

In a week, school starts for the twins and then soon after we drop Jack off at college.

The Calisoffs travelled once again to the AYSO National Games in Irvine California. We competed in the National Games tournament in 2023. The tournament is held every 2 years and after the one two years ago, I figured we would never go back again.

Luckily a lot of the unpleasantness of 2023 did not repeat itself in 2025.

In 2023 the average temperature was 91°. In 2025 it was in the mid 70°s most days. In 2023 we had 3 games a day between the two different days, meaning we spent most of our days at the Great Park. In 2025 everyday except for our last day we had 2 games a day. Every day the games were either right after each other or at the same time, freeing us up to enjoy sunny California much more. In 2023 we stayed in an Airbnb. In 2025 we stayed at a Marriott Vacation rental.

Besides soccer, one other wonderful bonus was being able to meet up with Adam’s fraternity brothers. They rented a fire pit on Huntington Beach from the Hyatt. It was a great way for the boys to play while the adults hung out.

We also got to eat at at so many wonderful places. My favorite restaurant in Asia, Din Tai Fung, had a location in Costa Mesa. The kids dutifully waited 2 hours to eat here.

And no stop in LA is complete without eating at In N Out Burger.

We also spent our last day on Huntington Beach watching a surf competition and motorcycle exhibition.

Because we had more time, the boys were able to get an afternoon at the waterpark with their teammates as well as an afternoon at Newport Beach.

The Marriott Vacation rental had a ton of fun stuff to do just outside our doorstep – ping pong, pool tables, basketball and tetherball.

But mostly we played soccer… lots and lots of soccer….

After the tournament, the coach pulled me aside to let me know Sam was his best player on the team. He thwarted countless attempts at goals. I’m sure our record would look much different without him in the back field.

Aaron played in the midfield, pushing the ball up every chance he got.

Jack also plays defense and is super hard to beat.

Even Ben got a role. Jack’s coach asked him to be the Team Manager. While Jack played, Ben recorded the stats for the team.

Both teams did much better this tournament as well, finishing a solid 3rd place in both of their divisions.

Overall it was a much better experience than the first time, but not sure if it means I want to do it a third time. However, as we were leaving, the Commissioner for our AYSO division pulled Adam aside and asked if he would consider coaching for the next National Games in 2027, in Huntsville AL. So, maybe we will go a third time? Stay tuned to find out!

For the first and last time ever, all four boys competed in a soccer tournament together.

Jack and Ben were on two separate teams in the same division. The first game of the day they played each other.

Sam and Aaron were on the same team, but not on the same part of the field as one usually plays defense and one usually plays offense.

Between all the kids there were 14 games that Adam and I hustled between. The pictures don’t show that we are having a heat wave right now, temperatures are in the high 90s and feel 10 degrees hotter than that, especially with no shade on these fields. We constantly leaked sweat all day, even when we were just sitting. At one point I walked between Jack’s game and Ben’s game and felt woozy. I checked my heart rate and it was 142bpm. I’m not sure how the kids played soccer 14 times in this heat.

But not only did they play it, but they played it well. Jack’s team finished in 2nd place. The twins team also finished in 2nd place. Ben’s team did not place as well but they played their hearts out and I couldn’t have been more proud of how hard they worked.

The day after, we went to a track meet. Did I tell you all four of them are ALSO signed up for track now? That’s for another blog….

The pictures have arrived! I’m happy to give you my first person view to the event, however you are also welcome to peruse and download photos for yourself. Just click on this LINK TO CALISOFF B’NAI MITZVAH PHOTOS.

Where shall we start? Perhaps at the entrance, where 141 name place cards were carefully placed for each and every guest. The week before this event, there were 130 names on this list. When Sam and Aaron made the guest list 8 months before, they were adamant that NO GIRLS be invited. Girls were yucky! Then a week before their own B’nai Mitzvah, they went to a school friend’s Bat Mitzvah. They woke up the next morning and decided that girls were not yucky, they were fun! They then proceeded to throw me in a frenzy by inviting 11 more people. I rushed an order for more name place cards and quickly emailed all the moms. It turned out fine and everyone was able to make the last minute invite. The girls were so good at organizing themselves that there was even a girl there who was not on the list!

Tables were arranged in rounds of 10 for the adults and two large table for the kids, one for each twin.

You can see the there is a balcony off to one side that overlooked the Chicago River. People used it to cool down during the evening. You may also notice I didn’t bother with table decorations, instead I printed photos of the twins, photoshopped numbers on them, laminated them and stuck them in stands.

While the adults cocktailed, the kids got up and told stories about Sam and Aaron.

Afterwards we asked Jessica to do the blessing on the wine and bread.

Next it was time for the speeches from Adam and I as well as Ben and Jack.

Next, while the adults were given their first course and the kids were playing games, they set up the montage. Then they sat the kids on the dance floor and played it.

The Emcee kept everything moving smoothly and pretty soon we were into the mother/son dance. Since they were twins, I enlisted my sister Lara as a second mom.

At some point the main course was served but I missed it, my body would not move off the dance floor…

No B’nai Mitzvah would be complete without dancing the Hora!

Besides the twins, Adam and I as well as Jack and Ben were lifted up.

And while all this was happening the photo booth was open all night. I chaperoned an over night trip for the twins last year and the girls in my dorm room now call me ‘Mom’. I managed to get a photo with them as well as many others.

Many other people enjoyed the photo booth too!

We also had a separate room filled with basketball games, foosball and air hockey.

It was popular for kids AND adults alike!

Of course, we commandeered the room for our own folly.

Yes, I’m wearing grip socks. We ordered Sam&Aaron B’Nai Mitzvah grip socks for anyone who didn’t want to dance in uncomfortable shoes. Many people used them. One even forgot their shoe! We picked it up and brought it home. Turns out the Cinderella of the evening was Adam’s sister Joy.

We also ordered candy boxes for take away presents for our guests.

I had such a great time and I hope everyone else did to. The next day I got a text from a friend of mine whose twins B’nai Mitzvah is next and she said it was a perfect event. I replied that means a lot, especially coming from her. After all, the most judgmental person in the room is the person who is having their kid’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah next…

It was a long 5 years in the making. The twins started Hebrew School in 3rd grade. For years they spent two days a week going to the Temple, learning Hebrew and about the Jewish faith. In the last year, they upped it to 3 nights a week, adding a weekly session with a private tutor to learn their torah portion.

All this work culminated in their B’nai Mitzvah ceremony, where children of the Jewish faith are asked to lead a service and read from the Torah. After this ceremony you are considered an adult.

The weekend started with many people arriving and showing up to our house by Friday.

Friday evening we gathered with out-of-town guests at the bar of the Hotel Chicago Downtown, where the room block was booked, for cocktails and apps.

We had people coming from Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Utah.

It was so nice to spend time with some of these people before the event!

Saturday the twins had an afternoon service. The boys look so handsome in their new suits!

The ceremony was perfect. In large part because the twins did such an amazing job preparing for this moment. They presented with confidence and fluency.

We had many people get up and speak at the ceremony. My cousin Alexa started us off with a very heartfelt reading, followed by Adam’s cousin Brett. We have been lucky to continue to stay close to Brett as he has a second home here in Chicago and we get to see them sometimes when they are here.

Aaron went first, his portion was parshat Acharei-Mot. He gave a speech that spoke about how important second chances are and how everyone deserves them. He told a personal story about this, how he had a second change to try out for his soccer club, after being rejected the first time. He also spoke about his mitzvah project, making sandwiches for a church on the west side of Chicago and how maybe this mitzvah could help give people in that church a second chance as well. Then it was time to read from the Torah. Before he went up, he said to the Cantor, “I’m so nervous right now”. The Rabbi’s mic was hot and everyone in the temple heard it. I love Aaron’s ability to show vulnerability. Brene Brown would be so proud.

Aaron had three Aliyahs (prayer you say before and after each Torah portion reading). They were done by 1) his Bubbie, Sherry Kaplan and Aunt, Joy Calisoff, 2) his parents Adam and Nikki Calisoff, and 3) Aaron Calisoff.

Sam’s portion was parshat Kedoshim. He chose to focus on the laws requiring people to give to strangers and those in need. He mentioned how at the time these were laws and nowadays charity is a personal choice. Through his mitzvah project he saw people in need on the West side of Chicago, which made him understand that if you can, you should help people in need.

Sam’s Aliyahs were done by 1) Walter and Doris Devensky 2) Jack and Benjamin Calisoff 3) Sam Calisoff.

Afterwards we asked my friend from high school, Jessica Ferrari, to sing Mi Sherbeirach for us. When she got up and sung, I was nearly in tears. I don’t know if it’s because we have been friends for so long, or the fact that she is our life event person (she married us and officiated my mother’s funeral), if it was because her voice is so beautiful it feels godlike, or because not only is she a cantor but also she is a healer and to watch her sing a song about healing was all wrapped up in something much bigger than just the material world in which we live in. My father recorded it and I listened to again and even without sitting in the majesty of the Temple, I was still almost in tears. I added it here below so you can be in tears too.

Afterwards another one of Adam’s cousins, Reed, who came all the way from California for the event, read the Prayer for Peace. He used to present professionally and he really did well.

We rented buses for the kids and out of towners to get from the Temple to the East Bank Club, where the reception was held.

I haven’t received the pictures yet. Only the photo booth photos. You can click on the photo below to see them all.

When I get the pictures back from the photographer I’ll do another blog with pictures at the reception along with a commentary.

The next morning we had brunch at our house.

I want to thank everyone who made this day great! The Rabbis, Cantor and staff at Temple Sholom, Monika and her staff at the East Bank Club, our EMCC Josh and his crew from Energy Productions, the game rental company, Clowning Around & Celebration Authority, the photographer Gina from NorthShore Photography, the Candy company that made the after party take home gifts, Oh Happy Day, our caterers for the Sunday Brunch, Goddess and the Baker, and most importantly the guests who filled the room with love.

Stay tuned for the blog about the B’nai Mitzvah Party! Hopefully coming soon!