Don’t have time to daven in the morning? Here’s how tefillah can save time…not take time A funny thing happened when I (almost) sat down to write this post. Because my usual davening slot got filled with sandwich-making, cucumber-peeling, and a trip to my son’s cheder down the block on this hectic erev Purim morning,…
inspiration
Three Great Ways You Can Use Toys to Connect to Your Child
You don’t need to sit and build Legos for hours to spend time together. A parent and child can still connect. You walk into your kids’ playroom and marvel at the shelves that are literally caving in from the weight of the stacks of games they’re loyally storing. There are bins of colored blocks, Magna…
Listening Is a Dying Art. Let’s Revive It.
If you want to be a good friend, listen completely.“I never learned anything while I was talking.” —Larry King It’s one of my favorite quotes of all time and something I strive to remember, each and every day. Every person has a story to tell. A thought. A bit of advice. Every person and every…
The Trees and You: Three Relationship Tips in Honor of Tu B’Shvat
With Tu B’Shvat around the corner, you’re probably getting into fruit mode sooner or later, planning a menu that’s centered on the bounty we reap from the trees. But Tu B’Shvat offers way more than a fruit-filled feast. It gives us an opportunity to ponder the deeper connection we humans have with trees (sounds like…
10 Things to Say to Yourself (or think about) When You’re Overwhelmed
Life gets stressful. And often, no one can help us deal with that stress but ourselves. No one wants to hear, “You are too blessed to be stressed.” Those words are rarely helpful. Yet times do get stressful. Police stops you while the kids are crying. One of them needs to use the bathroom, and…
Three things I’ve learned from Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi
Reflections from the Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi’s English writer upon the publication of their first book Make your brilliance relatable. The very first time I heard the Rabbanit speak about three years ago, I was immediately taken by the drama. One of the touching stories she told during that speech was of a family who had…
Finding Inspiration Within the Potato Peels
With seminary days long gone, a mother today can still find Yom Tov inspiration. Picture a young girl, all of 16 years of age, waking up at 5:30 am to walk to a shul that is 1 hour away. Uphill, I might add. No, this wasn’t the only shul available. This particular girl decided to…
When Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis a”h Changed My Life
Small, but powerful…Rebbetzin Jungreis brought the light of Judaism to thousands, including myself. By Laura Labovitz. I turned on a recorded shiur (lecture) by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis a”h while cooking for Shabbos this week. Just as every time I listen to her words, I was again brought to tears, with a new understanding and love for…