4-Year-Old Gems
Yesterday 4-year-old Yaakov told me, “From now on, I’m going to be in charge that the kids don’t fight in this house.” I was surprised to hear about Yaakov’s new self-appointed role, because he’s never been one to shy away from a fight with his siblings. “So how are you going to make sure that […]
Read MoreMy Experience of the Houston Flood by Rebbetzin Gabi Gelman
I am originally from Belle Harbor, New York, and we moved to Houston 14 years ago so my husband could become the rabbi of an Orthodox shul here. There are about 50,000 Jews living in the Houston area. This is the 3rd time our house has flooded. In 2015 we were living in a house […]
Read More15-Minute Summer Vacation
Yesterday I ran into an old friend in the pharmacy line. She is a successful businesswoman who makes million-dollar deals without batting an eyelash. Tough as nails, heart of gold, you know the type? She is also the mother of several school age children. “How’s it going?” I asked her. “Just waiting for school to […]
Read MoreAn Amazing Experience from my Vacation (14-Minute Mommy Peptalk)
Our unforgettable experience living with a Chassidic family in Montreal.
Read MoreGrandma Wanda’s Necklace
A few weeks ago we hosted the Mantell family, visiting Israel from the US for their son’s bar mitzvah, for Friday-night dinner. We had such a great time with them, what a lovely family. And at one point during the dinner I noticed the unusual necklace of the bar-mitzvah boy’s grandmother, Wanda. Wanda explained to […]
Read MoreElevate Your Elul, Transform your Life for $1
It will be 8 years this winter, and I’m still listening and learning and growing week by week thanks to Rabbi Nivin’s weekly chaburas, accessible by phone and webinar. I could not recommend this program more highly, it has changed me and my life so dramatically, for the better! Something new this Elul, Rabbi Nivin […]
Read MoreWhen You Walk Through a Storm (2-Minute Musical Excerpt)
Yesterday, for the first time ever, I did karaoke at my friend’s surprise 40th birthday party. It was so fun! Before she arrived, all the people there chose out the songs we would sing, and after looking through the names of a few hundred songs I didn’t know or didn’t know well enough to perform, […]
Read MoreFeeling Summer Vacation
Summer vacation? Ha! It is summer, I agree, but vacation? Maybe for my kids, but not for me… For me, vacation begins when vacation ends, and the kids go back to school and I have some space to breathe and think my own thoughts without lots of little people around all day. So I was […]
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Rabbanit Tzippy’s Parenting Secret
As long as I don’t get up from lying position, I can get through Tisha b’Av without feeling overly awful. So I generally spend Tisha b’Av resting and sleeping but mostly reading. And the book that moved me the most deeply this Tisha b’Av, often to tears, was the memorial booklet compiled by the family […]
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