Read to your kids with PJ Library The Jewish Federations are distributing free of charge, age-appropriate Jewish-content books and music on a monthly basis to families with children from 6 months to age 5½. I love this program! Reading to children improves everything – their reading skills, their bonding with you, their listening and learning…
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Joy instead of Just Hassle
The big crush of Chanukah meets Christmas will begin this coming weekend when Chanukah starts on Sunday night. With it comes the question of just how many presents do we give the kids? How will we wrap them? Where and when will we open them? I vote for fewer presents and more memories. Every…
Read More »Holiday Happiness Guidelines
Every year I advocate for memories over materialism. Be with the people you love instead of shopping for them. I always send you a list of things you can do with loved ones. Take each night of Chanukah, and add any nights for Christmas or other holidays you observe this month and have fun with…
Read More »Thinking about Santa
Thinking about Christmas I have spoken to several people about Christmas and I want to reiterate what I hope you all will do – don’t try to change your observance of the holidays now. It’s too late in the year to suddenly tell your sweetheart that you can’t bear to have a Christmas tree…
Read More »Growing Up in an Interfaith Home
What is it really like growing up in an interfaith home? Ask a few people who did and you’re likely to hear a variety of stories. Where there things their parents did that they would do differently? Sure. Do they grow up to identify as Jewish? Not always. What makes one person feel Jewish and…
Read More »Raising Smart Kids
Kids are so darn smart, be a smart Parent The mother of one of my favorite three year olds told me this story. She, her husband, and three year old Sarah were emerging from a pizza parlor. Sarah was screaming. “You know, just practicing the sound,” her mama told me, as in – open mouth…
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