Fill 'er Up

My younger daughter has been trying to be exactly like my older daughter for about as long as she's been trying to be. Which, by the way, is a precursor to complete and utter awesomeness (and incidentally what I did as a kid with my older sister). This monkey-see-monkey-do business produces children that are either twice as nice or double trouble - depending on how my older daughter is behaving - but sometimes it goes too far.

Crying it Out

My son is one of the happiest babies I've ever met. The pediatrician says he's one of the happiest babies she's ever met too, and she's met a lot of babies. He spends the whole day smiling and laughing, and if you bounce him or squeeze him, he squeals on demand. Oh, and did I mention that his BFI (baby fat index) is the perfect ratio for squishing and cuddling? 

Extreme Makeover: Orthodox Edition

Here's an article I wrote for the Jewish Press about the mission of Jew in the City. Welcome to JewintheCity.com Jewish Press readers. I hope you stay a while!

Getting a Spiritual High During a Financial Low

Although I've been reading recently that the recession is finally over and the recovery is beginning, I don't think most people are feeling recovered yet. Here are some blog posts that I wrote exactly one year ago as the financial crisis was unfolding before us, though the lessons are just as valid today as they were then.

You Gotta Have Faith, Faith, Faith

The other day, upon returning from a trip to the supermarket, groceries in tow (or rather in hand), I realized that I had left my keys at home. But just then, wouldn't you know, one of our neighbors walked through the lobby at the exact right moment to catch my flailing arms in his peripheral vision. "Hashgacha prutis" (Divine Providence) I thought to myself as he opened the door. But then I laughed to myself because, you see, if my neighbor hadn't been there, and I was locked outside, stuck for hours, rained on, poured on, I still would have said that it was "hashgacha prutis"! I know I have it both ways, and I'm OK with that. I believe that all aspects of life - no matter how challenging or incomprehensible they are - come from a Higher place.

Meter Made In Heaven

Today was a typical day: carpool pick-up, after school errands, and a trip to the local pizza store for dinner. When we got out of the car, I grabbed two quarters from my wallet for the parking meter. I handed the first quarter to my younger (four-year-old) daughter who promptly told me, "My sister can go first." "That's very generous of you," I beamed and gave her a big hug. (The girls love feeding the meters!)

New Kid on the Block

"I look fabulous!" declared my six-year-old daughter as she stood in front of my bedroom mirror wearing her first day of school ensemble. It was the night before school started and everything was just about ready. New shoes, new socks, new dress, new backpack filled with new supplies. New headband, new hair cut, new student. Oh yes, my daughter was ready for the first day of first grade at a new school, and she couldn't wait. Except that could. As she flitted and twirled around the house in her new digs, my eldest child repeated again and again, "I can't wait! But I can. I can't wait! But I can." Mixed feelings? Indeed.