Looking at this recent picture of my father with my boys, my first reaction made me giggle. “Wow!” I thought to myself, “There are really a lot of them!” In my daily life, I don’t sit back often to reflect on where I am, or where I’ve come from. As I believe most of us… Read More One for the Mantel
Words fail me at the moment…but I feel the need to capture a tiny bit of our activities tonight on paper – or on cyber paper as you will. Yarden started his 12 hour long, one-man bike-athon tonight to raise money for families like his that have been struck by illness. He told us about… Read More Longing for a New Dawn
I’ve been in a diet group for quite awhile, and the leader of the group always talks about how we perceive food. Food, she explains, shouldn’t be used as a reward or as a celebratory focus. Well, sometimes you just have to throw that advice to the wind. Stella loves Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.… Read More The Sweet Taste of Hope
As a teacher, I’ve always impressed upon my students that their actions speak louder than their words. When I became a parent, I made this one of the cornerstones of my parenting. Your actions – not what you say – will reflect who you are and what you want to convey to others. Yarden Frankl’s… Read More Fight like Hell and Ride like the Wind
We had a great Sukkot and said goodbye longingly to the sukkah (and to my in-laws who were visiting) recently. While we had great fun in many locations, one event sticks out in my mind as so typically Israeli. The first Friday of our vacation, we decided that it would be fun to take the… Read More Woof Woof on the Lightrail
Thank Gd for my sense of humor. I think that it might not be a good idea to make Aliyah without one. Yesterday, while at the beach, I needed to try to find a sun umbrella for my mother-in-law to rent. I couldn’t remember the word for “umbrella,” so I asked Matan. Then, two minutes… Read More Mushroom Shades
I’m often amazed by what I learn from my children, rather than the other way around. Today, towards the end of Shabbat, Yehuda came running in from playing. I was engrossed in a book and Josh was reading the paper. We were both enjoying a few quiet moments while all of the kids were entertained… Read More The Sunsets of Our Lives
I am often struck by the ways that so many people’s lives intertwine. Last night we were honored to attend the bat mitzvah of our dear friends’ daughter at Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi (two hours from our home). Moshe and Chaviva Speter were part of the Torah Mitzion Kollel in Washington D.C. while we lived there.… Read More Challah, Health & The Bat Mitzvah Girl
Today, when I went to the kitchen at work to make lunch, I leaned into the refrigerator and broke into a huge smile. I pulled out a jar of green pickled tomatoes, and found myself instantly transported into my Nana’s kitchen. It was 1977 again in Los Angeles, and there I was, sitting at Nana… Read More Green Pickled Tomatoes & My Nana
Last night I had the opportunity to enjoy a special parenting moment – and a great reminder for myself. After heating up a piece of chicken for dinner that had gotten cold, Matan exited the pantry exactly as Zeli was walking by. In what appeared to me as a comedy of errors (but wasn’t funny… Read More Flying Chickens and the Lessons They Teach
