6 Tips to Help You Focus and Successfully Manage Kids, Work, and Home I remember the days, when I had less than half as many kids, and less than half as many work projects…and I thought I was sooo busy. Life doesn’t usually get simpler as time goes on. I likely felt more overwhelmed back…
The Games I Play with My Kids
My favorite aisle in the toy store is the game aisle. And though I’m always on the lookout for new, these are the games I’ll always love. In my house, games do not belong in the playroom. That’s where they’re bound to lose pieces. Games are way too fun and valuable to be left to…
How to Check Vegetables for Bugs
Do you know the right way to check vegetables for insects? And even if you do, do you know what you’re looking for? These resources can help. A few years ago, I remember thinking that I couldn’t let a summer go by without enjoying at least one salad made from fresh baby spinach. But it…
My Top Four Jewish Book Reads
Give me a well-written biography that I can’t put down. After being engrossed in the magazine world all week long, I do try to escape into a Jewish book every Shabbat (if I’m hosting, though, one book may take two Shabbats to finish). What kind of books do I like? After earning a bachelor’s degree…
How to Be Madly Organized This Yom Tov Season – FREE google sheets menu template
Stay cool under pressure. A customizable spreadsheet can help make prepping for Yom Tov easy. Free download! Excel (or Google Spreadsheets, to be more accurate) is the tool that makes my life work. I plan my weekly menus and shopping lists on spreadsheets and I organize my task lists on spreadsheets. All my projects, from…
Why I Will Never Drive a Minivan
People tell me it’s inevitable. I say not. Because I have a truck. No, I will never drive a minivan, and it’s not because I’m so tied to the need to feel like a young and hip mom. I just find my truck so much more practical. A) Who cares about sliding doors. I need…
The answer to seamless bedtime
I love mornings. I love the energy and the rush to accomplish “X” number of things before the bus comes. I love the feeling of accomplishment after I dressed, fed, and packed up the kids for their day and sent them off. I love that feeling at the outset of the day, when I have…
Hope Lake Lodge: The Kids Are Entertained. The Adults Are Relaxed. Does Such a Vacation Exist?
Every year, I look forward to our summer road trip to Hope Lake Lodge Out of all the vacations I’ve enjoyed with my family, there’s one spot that has given me the best memories. It doesn’t entail a plane ride either (if you live within driving distance of New York State). That’s my visits to…
Shrinky Dinks: Keep Kids Busy for Two Whole Hours
Who knew that Shrinky Dinks (and some key rings) could be the answer? I have officially banished melty beads from my house. They might be one inexpensive craft project that keeps my kids busy for a long, long time but I hate carrying those carefully crafted bead boards to the laundry room, where I have…
Kid-Friendly Things to Do on Your Pennsylvania Road Trip
Because Google does not understand that you can’t take kids to a museum. Here are some great kid-friendly things to do on your Pennsylvania road trip. Crayola Factory Easton, Pennsylvania may or may not be on your way home (it’s on the Northern side of the Pennsylvania-NJ border), and there’s not much else to do…