I always look forward to a new school year and the potential for growth and change that lay ahead for my kids. I also love how the High Holidays are so perfectly aligned with the start of school. September is a fresh start, a way to clean the slate from the year before. Read more…
Kveller
The One and Only Way I Spoil My Kids
When my kids were toddlers, I read Wendy Mogel’s “The Blessings of a Skinned Knee.”
I didn’t feel the need to read another parenting book after reading Mogel’s. Her no-nonsense approach to child rearing really spoke to me. Her Jewish values serve as the backdrop to her views on raising self-reliant children. I’m Jewish too, and like Wendy, I also think it’s OK for my kids to have skinned knees. Read more…
I Ditched the Dinner but Not the Shabbat
It’s Friday.
This week, I’ve cooked five dinners that included a different lean protein each night, an exciting vegetable and some kind of whole grain. I’ve made five breakfasts that are healthy, protein-filled and free of junk. I’ve packed 10 school lunches and 10 school snacks. Read more…
I Care Less About Chores, More About Kindness
This summer, my son wore his bathing suit and swim shirt for five days in a row—he slept in his bathing suit, wore it swimming the next day, and to bed that night. He did this for about five different weeks throughout July and August.
Curly Jewish Hair May be Trending But I’m Sticking to the Straightener
I’ll be 48 this year.
And I’m still at war with my hair.
I read in The New York Times last month that curly hair is making a comeback. The article by Marisa Meltzer entitled, “Curls Get Their Groove Back” featured all these really cool beautiful women who are letting their hair dry au natural. Meltzer writes, “… a curly look is both natural and modern.” Read more…
I was Embarrassed By My Jewish Looks Until I Saw Dirty Dancing
I watched “Dirty Dancing” with my daughter the other night. It was the first time she had seen it and probably my 10th.
I was super excited for our girls’ night–we bought candy, made some popcorn and changed into our pajamas–but I also felt some pressure. What if she hates the movie and thinks it’s corny and old-fashioned? Maybe next time, then, she’d ask a friend over to watch a movie instead of me. Read more…
Filling the Gaps of My Grandparents’ Jewish Past
I remember my grandfather reading The Forward (in Yiddish) on the back porch. I remember my grandmother in the kitchen cooking all the wonderful Eastern European foods from her childhood for me and my brothers and sisters. Read more…
I Need My Kids to Know That There is No Right Way To Be Jewish
I never want my kids to feel like there is a right way to be Jewish.
Because that’s the way I felt growing up. Even though both my parents are Jewish– and their parents, too. Read more…