Lost in the Woods
Israelis call it “The end of the world, turn left.” That’s how remote my mother-in-law’s cottage is. No phone line. No internet (I drove 20 minutes to a wifi-for-rent spot to the write this). One neighbor a mile over, who is almost never there. So it’s just us and the loons and the lake–SO gorgeous, […]
Read MoreHow it Feels to be Alone with my Baby
For the last two days, my 7 older children have been spread out among their grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, and uncles across North America, and I have been on my own with our baby, 19-month-old Yonatan. You would think that going from mothering 8 children to mothering 1 child would mean I am working only 1/8th […]
Read MoreWhy I am Furious Today
I am sitting at my childhood pool in Baltimore, and I am furious. Yaakov and Yonatan are playing in the baby pool along with 2 or 3 other babies and young children. In the middle of the pool, two bikini-clad sisters, one around 10 and another around 15, are playing catch as they keep an […]
Read More4 Jewish Mothers I Met in Baltimore
As you probably know, I am visiting my parents in Baltimore this week. On Monday, my mom and I went to a UPS drop-off place, when a woman in her thirties wearing a shoulder-length wig gave me a big smile. “Oh, good to see you in Baltimore!” “Thanks! Remind me how I know you…?” She […]
Read MoreMy Heart-to-Heart with The Thinker
On Sunday, my mom took me to the Baltimore Art Museum. And it felt quite wonderful, even magical, to be back at one of my favorite high-school haunts for the first time in over 20 years. As a teenager, when I was feeling very down about this or that, I would cry copious tears and […]
Read MoreAmerica through my 3-Year-Old’s Eyes
We just arrived in Baltimore for my parents’ 50th anniversary celebration next weekend. On Friday, on the way to the kosher grocery store in the Orthodox area, I thought it would be fun to play “Who sees a Jew?” with 3-year-old Yaakov. So I called out “Jew!” several times and pointed to men in kippahs […]
Read MoreJewishMOM.com on Summer Vacation From July 5th-August 4th
Shalom all, We are travelling to the US and Canada to visit family for a few weeks. So while I might pop in from time to time to post stuff, my regular daily posts will resume only on August 4th. With blessings for a wonderful, healthy, and safe summer for all JewishMOMs everywhere:) love, Chana […]
Read MoreThe Strange Women in the Pool
This morning, I attended a community-center event for neighborhood women to “fill up their fuel tanks” for the long summer vacation ahead. The event started out with a few hours at a nearby hotel spa, and the first thing I and a lot of the women did was take a dip in the pool. Funny […]
Read MoreJust Say “No” (11-Minute Mommy Peptalk)
Figuring out when to push ourselves past our “stretch” zone, and when to just say “No.” https://vimeo.com/173233401
Read MoreWhat the Mother of Hallel Yaffa HY”D is Asking You to Do
This morning, while asleep in her bed, 13-year-old Hallel Yaffa Ariel, a dual Israeli and American citizen, was brutally murdered by an Arab terrorist. Rena, Hallel’s mother, told Arutz Sheva, “This morning our daughter, a 13-and-a-half-year-old, an amazing girl, was murdered in her sleep. A girl who never committed a sin her entire life. “Every […]
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