At the Side of the 70-Year-Old Bride
This week I had unusual experience. A dear friend of ours, a widow in her 70s, got married again. And I had the privilege of accompanying her to the Mikveh. We were all so excited–the bride, the mikveh lady, and me. Taking any bride-to-be to the mikveh is exciting, but an older widow who has […]
Read MoreMy Name Dance
This Friday night, as we do every year, we will be hosting the Ethiopian students from Nishmat, where my husband is a teacher. Hosting the Ethiopian girls is one of the highlights of my year, not only because they are always so remarkably lovely… but because I LOVE hearing the girls’ names. Each girl’s name […]
Read MoreThe Strange Phone Call
One evening last week I called the home of Yaakov’s wonderful kindergarten teacher, Racheli, to get her advice about Yaakov. When I called, her husband answered. “Shalom, may I please speak with Racheli?” The husband sounded surprised, “Shalom, how are you? Racheli? She’s not home now. You didn’t try her cellphone? Is something the matter?” […]
Read MoreThe OB/GYN’s Miracle Birth
My neighbor, Rachel, is a resident in OB/GYN who works in a busy Jerusalem delivery room. She has attended hundreds of births, but her own self-described “miracle birth” to her 7th child last week ended up catching her completely by surprise. This is the story Rachel shared with me: “For the last few weeks of […]
Read MoreOur Weaknesses are the Key to Our Success (9-Minute Mommy Peptalk)
How our weaknesses enable us to invest in and develop our strengths and achieve our ultimate goals.
Read MoreMy ADHD Child
When my daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, she was beside herself. She’s a great girl, a fine student (pretty much), a devoted friend, an amazing daughter. But when I told her she has ADHD, she was extremely upset. “Having ADHD means I’m problematic! I don’t WANT to be problematic!” So I shared with her something […]
Read MoreMy Terrible Bedtime Tale
One of the main reasons that my mothering life is easier now with 8 children than it was when my family was smaller is that nowadays I don’t do bedtime. By 7 PM I’m off duty! So I can run errands, go on a walk, clean up my hurricane-hit kitchen in peace, while my older […]
Read MoreWhen I Had 4 Little Girls
This morning I went to pick up 3-year-old Yoni’s chalake photos, from his 1st haircutting with the Slonimer Rebbe last month. I know the photographer, an elderly man who owns a photo store, from the chalakes of my 2 older sons by the Rebbe. And as he handed me the photos he blessed me with […]
Read MoreDon’t be a Tsooler!
One of the bonuses of being the mother of several Israeli teenagers is that I’m intimately familiar with the latest Israeli slang. I try not to do any fadichot to my kids–mortify them in public. I try not to be choferet–repetitive and boring. And I try to only give them presents that are shaveh–awesome. The […]
Read MoreSelf Awareness (12-Minute Mommy Peptalk)
The glasses we wear that distort the way we see ourselves and those around us.
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