I was baking cookies with my kids on a recent Saturday afternoon, and realized we were low on butter. I handed my 7-year-old son, Nate, a five-dollar bill. “Want to go to Sam’s?” I asked him. Sam’s is the convenience store on our block where we stop a few times a week for milk, cereal,…
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Parenting
Parenting
My grandpa’s story of survival in Ukraine is our story, too
Even though my grandfather Jacob died when I was 24 and it would be another 10 years before I had children, he’s helped me raise our kids. Throughout his…
Parenting
My kids do well in public. But at home? That’s another story
We had a good 20 minutes in Yom Kippur services this year. My 3-year-old, Harvey, napped on my husband, then woke up and gazed around with a tired,…
Kids & Family
A working parent’s Yom Kippur apology
Like so many of you, I’m a working mom trying to juggle it all — my kid, my job and, you know, my life. For the High Holidays, I was inspired to write a…
Parenting
My daughter started college, and I’m back at Mommy 101
As a new mother, I had a dedicated bookshelf for parenting books. Classics such as “What to Expect the First Year,” “The Womanly Art of…
Parenting
As a parent, how can I do what’s best for the climate?
My 7-year-old son, Nate, loves airplanes. He has folded hundreds of paper airplanes. He built a large cardboard airplane out of our recycling. We have…
Parenting
Apples and honey, back-to-school, and pressing reset
I love how the new school year aligns so closely with the new Jewish year. And as summer winds down, in our house, we begin to get ready for both. The…
Parenting
Summertime parenting can be magical — and miserable
I unrolled a scroll of butcher paper, tore off a piece and drew 10 empty boxes in a line, under the heading, “Nate and Harvey play nice together.” Each…
Music
Spotify’s Jewish music makes me feel like a kid again
When searching for songs for a playlist I was putting together for my kids on Spotify, I came across a tune — “Pana HaGeshem” (“The Rain has Gone Away”)…