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!

When Adam asked me what I wanted to do for Mother’s Day, I just rolled my eyes at him. I had already looked on the calendar and seen a birthday party invite for Jack from 11-1, a soccer game for Jack and Ben at 3pm, followed by another soccer game for Jack at 4:30, which overlapped the twins soccer game at 4pm.

Still we started the day in the normal way, with cards and presents for me in the morning.

There is a new fancy chocolate place that just opened up down the street from us, Leonidas, and in typical Adam style, he bought me the biggest box they had. Having said that, with the four boys in the house, I’ll be lucky to eat three pieces.

I also asked for a new Weber grill and microwave. Maybe this sounds like a terribly unthoughtful gift but I’m lucky to live with a man who doesn’t curb my spending so whenever I want something I just buy it. It makes it difficult to ask for something that you want when whatever you want you just buy when you felt like it instead of saving it for Mother’s Day. But we really did need a new grill and microwave! Having Adam deal with this was the best gift I could get!

In the afternoon we picked going to the twins game over the older boys. The twins were subbing for the 2011 team and they have many friends on both sides of the field and it was too fun to miss it.

After all the games were over we had just enough time to go home and change for dinner. We headed over to one of our favorite neighborhood spots, Shine. The kids were starving after all the activity and there was complete silence when the appetizers were put down.

It was a fun evening as we spent time catching up on all the kids busy days. It seems we are in bar/bat mitzvah season lately. I attended three ceremonies in the past three weekends. Two of the kids in this picture are wearing Bar/Bat MItzvah sweatshirts! I’m not so patiently waiting for our photos to come back before I write the blog about the twins B’nai Mitzvah so stay tuned, hopefully I’ll be writing about it soon!

Some of the kids were begging to go skiing this holiday. They wanted to learn how to snowboard. They wanted to do the hard work to suit up against the elements and use their legs to propel themselves for hours each day. Adam and I offered them a chance to suit up against the elements and use their legs to propel themselves for hours each day in a different way. We offered them a chance to earn a PADI dive license in Florida.

Selfishly I was happy to get away from the cold for a while, have a chance to see my family and friends and eat at all my favorite Florida restaurants. Being back in Florida makes me so happy. Also selfishly I didn’t want to be the only family member with a dive license!

The kids agreed and about a week before our trip, they started the online portion of the license, which took much longer than expected and they were cramming right up until the last minute. There were a few times the Ben threatened to quit, but we managed to push him through it. To be honest, I wanted the license for Ben the most out of all the kids. He is always the one lingering, wanting to see more when we snorkel. There is a real beauty and calm to diving that you can’t get with snorkeling and I really wanted all of my family members to experience it.

After passing the written portion, they had 4 days of lessons. The first 2 days were in the pool and the second 2 days were in the ocean.

They managed to pass the class and get certified! Could not be more proud of how hard they worked to accomplish this. It wasn’t easy for any of them.

Grandpa came by when he could. He managed to take the boys out to lunch one day while Adam and I went to Miami to visit a friend who happened to be visiting South Florida at the same time as us.

I also managed to see many of my other good friends, Jessica, Gina and Kate, but forgot to take any pictures! Still kicking myself that I forgot.

Grandpa also spent time with the kids in other way, doing homework with Jack and teaching Sam his own method for solving the Rubix Cube. My father found a solution before there were books on how to solve it. When I was in elementary school he taught me and my sister the fix and we spent the next year or so solving everyone’s Rubix Cube for them. I remember having them lined up inside my desk at school, whenever I had a free moment I would work on them.

Our house in Florida has become a dumping ground for bikes that people no longer use. My sister’s husband has spent many hours fixing these bikes up and we are all tall enough to be able to use them now. There are only five but we did all kinds of combinations and it worked. The best part of this was that Ben had a fear of biking since he fell off his bike many years ago and had to get his knee stapled back together. This trip he overcame his fears and was able to once again ride. Jack spent lots of time running behind him, just like my own father used to do for me on on the very same road, until Ben felt comfortable. They even biked around without us one night. It was another one of those experiences I had as a kid that my own kids were now having. It was so cool to watch them experience my childhood in their own way.

My sister’s husband also spent a ton of time fixing up our old Pachinko Machine. He kitted it out with lights and sounds and when we arrived in Florida, we were able to play with that as well. Once again I had that wonderful feeling of sharing a bit of my childhood with my own kids.

We also tried out a few new places to eat in addition to our old favorites.

One day we did a nature walk at Wakodohatchee. We had been here before but never at this time of year. Many birds were nesting and it was so cool to see! We also got to see 4 alligators, which was an all time record at this place.

As usual I was very sad to come back. As I write this I’m completely ignoring all the suitcases full of clothes that need laundering and re-shelving. Until next time, Florida….

Hanukkah came late this year and as a result the bears ended up traveling with us to Florida to enjoy our winter vacation.

The First Night
The first night of Hanukkah was December 25th, and the bears started the day sunning themselves in the pool and playing with water guns.

The Second Night
On December 26th, the bears snuck out to the garage to drive my mother’s (Winnie’s) car.

The Third Night
On December 27th, the bears partied with all of Winnie’s other dolls.

The Fourth Night
On December 28th, the bears set up a hammock and swung on the patio.

The Fifth Night
On December 29th, the bears stole our pickleball rackets and played a game of their own. The day before, Ben fell over on the pickleball court and one of these bears is mocking him.

The Sixth Night
On December 30th, the bears were very excited for Adam, who closed three deals in one day! They “cheekily” helped him celebrate by dressing up like the girls in the poster in Winnie’s office.

The Seventh Night
On December 31st, the bears rung in the new year by banging Winnie’s gong.

The Eighth Night
On January 1st, the bears were super excited about traveling to Disney with us that evening.

Til next year, bears!

We spend this year’s holiday in Florida where I once again spent most of my time kicking myself and wondering why I ever decided to leave this paradise.

Sometimes I wonder if I had all the activities and responsibilities I have in Chicago in Florida, would I still love it as much?

I don’t know. What I do know is that many of the friends and family I have here in Florida are not in Chicago. This to me is the best part of spending time in Florida.

I was lucky to spend so much time with friends and family!

On Christmas night, which was also the first night of Hanukkah, we had a bunch of Devenskys over for a Hanukkah celebration. My cousin Alexa called it “Jewmas”. And so it was christened, if Hanukkah and Christmas ever coincide again….

We had a feast that night! A Latke bar, deviled eggs from my Uncle David, Brisket, Chicken, Kugel from Nancy, a huge salad, Matzo Ball Soup, Challah and for dessert, my father’s famous Rugalug.

Not only was a lucky to see this family, but I also got to spend a wonderful afternoon with my Auntie Doris.

Dad let us crash his friend’s party and we had a blast there together!

In addition to family, I got plenty of quality time with my girlfriends.

My girlfriend Laura made the 3 hour trek from Orlando to come see me for a night.

One day Laura and I went to the mall, the huge mall FILLED with clothes and bought the same exact dress. She went there looking for Vuori clothing but didn’t get any but I did! it was a weird shopping trip! But fun, always fun to spend time with Laura!

Even Ben got to see his friends from Chicago who also spend time in South Florida for the winter!

We also managed to spend lots of time together as a family.

One day we went to Wakodahatchee to see all the different wildlife. We even spotted 2 alligators!

Adam took the boys golfing twice at two different locations.

Also lots more sports! Basketball, Pickleball, Volleyball and many family runs.

These runs were in preparation for a family 5K run we did in Fort Lauderdale on New Year’s Day.

The boys also decided to use some of their Hanukkah money for to buy water guns. They revealed them in Florida and had a massive water gun fight. Many massive water gun fights….

But that’s not all! I know it’s hard to believe we did more, but we did! My friend Laura’s husband works for Disney and gave us Friends and Family tickets so we also GOT TO GO TO DISNEY over this holiday!!!!!!

We managed to do 10 different rides (all without fast passes), park hop to 3 different theme parks, and eat a sit down dinner at Epcot all in one day. Our step counters all read 30,000 steps.

All this activity was accompanied by copious amounts of food too! We ate our way through Florida. Dandee Donuts for breakfast, Havana 1957 for Cuban Sandwiches, Golden Krust for Jamaican food, Max’s Grill for Pop Rock Sushi, Luff’s Fish House for all things seafood, Alaskan King Crab from Pop’s, Acai bowls and Charcuterie at the Waldorf Astoria, and lots of ice cream!

Another great Florida visit. We will miss you, Florida! From our family to yours, wishing everyone reading this a Happy New Year!

But wait, what about the Hanukkah Bears? Don’t worry, they came to Florida too. Stay tuned for the next blog to hear all about the bears adventures this year.

About a year ago we signed the kids up for their first ever running race, the 8K Turkey Trot.

Adam and I used to do these races before we had kids and it’s great that they are finally at an age where they can join us. Or should I say they didn’t join us but beat us?

We paired off like Noah’s Ark for this race, Jack running with Ben, Sam running with Aaron, and Adam running with me.

Jack and Ben were fairly competitive until one of the last water stops. When Ben finished his drink he looked up to find Jack gone. Or should I say they were not fairly competitive but very competitive?

Turns out the twins did the same thing to each other, Aaron taking longer at another water stop then sneakily running past us when we weren’t looking.

In the end the Jack finished first in 45:52, Aaron finished second in 50:46, Ben finished third with Sam in 52:05, then Nikki in 52:11 and Adam in 53:30. Poor Adam didn’t get to train like the rest of us due to that pesky job he has!

The kids were so excited about this race that we immediately signed up for another one – the Shamrock Shuffle 8K in March of this year.

Jack was hurt for this race so he was not able to participate. The five of us finished as in this order – Ben 44:37, Aaron 46:34, Adam 51:53, Sam 52:51, and Nikki 53:22.

Ben had been running all summer on his own and the effort paid off!

This running trend continued over the summer. I would drag the twins and sometimes Jack but Ben would go out on his own, sometimes running up to 10 miles on his own. He was hooked.

We signed up for another race in August, upping the mileage. The Dim Sum 10K.

This time the kids all smoked us, but Ben’s training showed the most. Remember this is a 10K, not an 8K like the previous two races – results – Ben 53:21, Jack 55:36, Aaron 1:02:02, Sam 1:02:32, Nikki 1:08:30, and Adam 1:10:40.

It was a superhot day and I was so impressed with how well the kids did. It was also a smaller race then the first two. As a result two of our kids metalled in the race! Ben was 3rd in his age group (Jack was 4th) and Aaron was 3rd in his age group (Sam was 4th).

Finally we decided to sign Ben up for a running club. We heard about one from a friend whose daughter is a member. The nice thing about running is that you can compete without a school affiliation at any age. Since Ben’s school is smaller, organized sports is not one of the things they offer.

After three months of training with his new running club, Ben competed in his first race.

It was a tough one. He went out too fast and got a headache, then was confused about the race course. In the end he finished last place. However, since there were only 11 people in the race and the first 15 get to move onto Regionals, he was selected to compete again the following week. The race was a 5K. He finished with a time of 27:18.

I was super worried that he wouldn’t want to run again after this set back, but we did a lot of perspective taking, looking at this race from every angle. He placed 3rd for his age group in the Dim Sum 10K, so clearly he was running among elite athletes for this race. By the end of the talk Ben was joking about looking forward to finishing last again next week.

The next week he ran the same course. He was much less anxious, since now he knew the course he needed to run. He also practiced hard all week. One night it was snowing so he skipped his normal run club practice and Adam took him and Jack to the gym. Adam had Jack pace him so he could understand exactly the level of effort he would need.

At Regionals he ran again with basically the same 11 people as the first race. This time he had a much better race. It was the same 5K course. He finished with a time of 24:46. AND he didn’t finish last!

This small race meant that once again everyone qualified for the next race, which was Nationals. They switch the destination for Nationals every year but luckily this year it was only a 4 hour drive from us, in Shelbyville, IN.

The Nationals race included everyone in the country so the start line was crowded with over 100 runners. We were worried that Ben would once again get confused and lost on the course but with all the runners we were hopeful he would have someone to follow. He did veer off for a few seconds and we managed to right him back on track. Even with this small mess up, he still managed to get a new personal best. He finished the race with a time of 24:15.

It was a really cool experience and I hope Ben continues to enjoy it and decides to sign up again next year.

In the meantime, I have signed the family up for another fun run in January…

My the numbers keep climbing! As scary as it can be to see my face slowly sagging and grey hairs starting to sprout, it’s better than the alternative (as my sister always says!).

We started the morning with the usual birthday donuts and gifts.

I was spoiled rotten this year.

Adam gave me large sum of cash, a gift card to the Intercontinental spa that can be used many times, foot massage gift cards, and a gift card to my favorite running store. Adam’s mother also sent me very thoughtful card with a check. It is amazing how she always remembers to send these cards so that they arrive before our actual birthdays. At 85 she still keeps this up meticulously for our entire family! She has always done this, even before smartphones! My sister spoiled me with new clothes (both high end stuff and fun stuff) and a warm snuggly throw blanket that the twins immediately stole. My father gave me a huge gift card to Lululemon (my weekday uniform).

On my birthday I cashed in my half day at the Peninsula Spa gift that Adam gave me for Mother’s Day.

I got there early and used the gym then spent the afternoon getting massaged like Kobe Beef.

While I was doing this Adam picked up the twins and got them new indoor soccer cleats and made it back home in time to take us all out for my birthday dinner.

The next day we booked a show for my birthday, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I told the kids they could go or not go but they couldn’t complain about sitting there for 3 hours. Turns out they liked the show. Seriously what’s not to like? They all read Harry Potter and the show was really clever, filled with magic and cool special effects.

Or maybe they just like it because Adam bought them chocolate wands during intermission?

It was another wonderful birthday, only made possible by the incredible family I am so lucky to have around me. Thank you all so much!!!!