 Big kid by day, baby by night (Yael)
posted Thu May 17th 2012 @ 2:20 AM
All day long, my newly-three-year-old daughter is a big kid and proud of it. She's a sparkling conversationalist, a talented writer of very meaningful (to her) little squiggles, and a daring adventurer who loves to balance on the edge of the couch and swing "higher." But at night, she's just my baby. Read More »
 Sounds of Silence (Yael)
posted Mon May 14th 2012 @ 3:02 AM
Not that we really "do" Mother's Day particularly, but it's sweet, it's there, and it leads to lovely things like my seven-year-old's MOMMY acrostic poem and the funny, right-on-target store-bought cards my older kids surprised me with this morning. My children don't generally buy me "stuff" as gifts, so when there are gift-giving occasions, I'm the happy recipient of drawings and poems and coupons for "a day of cleaning" and things like that. If you asked them what I want most of all, they will all tell you without hesitating, "Peace in the house." If you asked what else I want, they will say, "Quiet." Read More »
 My Road to Healthy Eating (Devorah)
posted Sun May 13th 2012 @ 10:00 AM
There are times in life when things suddenly become clear to you and you realize that perhaps the way you were living your life was not the best way to do so. My moment came when I was pregnant with my precious daughter. Read More »
 To Scar or Not to Scar (Channie)
posted Sun May 13th 2012 @ 8:53 AM
Personal development is equal parts imagination and rigor. The former helps us conceptualize the changes we want to make and the latter helps us move ourselves toward those goals. Sometimes, though, our good intentions and our hard-won discipline are insufficient. We don’t always reach our desired ends. In cases, for instance, when our children are self-destructive or when other folks hurt our children, we can easily run out of ideas of how to act. Read More »
 Ratatouille (Devorah)
posted Tue May 8th 2012 @ 7:16 AM
The best thing about fruits and vegetables is that you don't need a real recipe in order to come up with something yummy. It is also very difficult to mess up fruits and veggies to the point of being unfixable or inedible. This recipe, while a Frenchman might not recognize it as 'genuine' ratatouille, is very simple and tasty. Read More »
 Bees (DrMilotay)
posted Sun May 6th 2012 @ 2:27 AM
We’ve decided to add bees to our urban farm. The hive we’ve decided to go with is called a Honey Cow. It is designed to be as close to the type of structure bees would build their hive in nature. Unlike the usual square commercial hives that we are familiar with, it does not have frames, foundation or excluders. Instead, it has top bars which allow the bees to build as they would in a fallen log; beautiful, natural combs. As it is less intrusive to the bees, it's easier to make and manage, which makes it a perfect beginners backyard hive. Read More »
 Mixed Farming (DrMilotay)
posted Sun May 6th 2012 @ 1:25 AM
I have been playing around for a while with the idea of what I call ‘Mixed Farming.’ This isn’t the traditional model where a farmer raises different crops. Instead, it is about being self-sufficient through a variety of means both through gardening/farming, as well as other ventures, and through building a network you can draw upon for the things you can’t produce. Read More »
 Two more questions posted on Ask Mayim page (Yael)
posted Fri May 4th 2012 @ 1:02 AM
More of your questions (and Mayim's answers) are now posted in our "Ask Mayim" column. Read More »
 10 Ways You Know You Have a Toddler (Devorah)
posted Tue May 1st 2012 @ 5:56 AM
1. When "crunchy" parenting refers to the sound your feet make when you put on your Cheerios-laden shoes. Read More »
 Snapshots (Channie)
posted Mon April 30th 2012 @ 6:44 AM
I wish I had taken more snapshots of my kids when they were in diapers, in training pants, and in preschool. I wish I had more frequently captured their drooling faces, their sing-song awe of creation, and the manifestation of that drooling awe which was the collections of dead animal parts, mud, twigs, and leaves that they stuffed under our sofa cushions. I wish, as well, I had believed that the physically wearisome span of parenting would pass quickly, but I “knew too much” to abide by the wisdoms of more experienced mothers. Read More »
 About Pesach and Giving Thanks (Channie)
posted Tue April 17th 2012 @ 3:24 PM
I think gratitude needs to be practiced more often and needs to be practiced concerning more matters. Sure, we mouth words of thanks, beginning with Moda Ani, continuing with Brachot HaShachar, and onward, throughout our daily prayers. Sure, when we sit still long enough to observe, rather than to police, our children, we feel glad for their existence. Sure, when our spouses fall asleep before we do, we look at their peaceful selves and say “thanks.” Read More »
 The End of the Road (Devorah)
posted Mon April 16th 2012 @ 6:07 PM
"You're still breastfeeding? Isn't she a little old for that? I mean, don't you want her to eat real food?" Read More »
 Involving Children in Babywearing (Devorah)
posted Sun April 1st 2012 @ 4:42 PM
Babywearing is something that the whole family can be involved in. Both parents, of course, can enjoy the benefits of comfortably toting around babies and toddlers, and babies and toddlers themselves love being held close and viewing the world from an adult level. But let's not forget about older siblings. Read More »
 Pesach cleaning? Read this and RELAX! (Yael)
posted Thu March 29th 2012 @ 3:03 AM
Well, I'm too busy cleaning for Pesach to write a long, meaty post about Pesach cleaning... and you're all probably too busy to read one. But take time to read this article by Rav Shlomo Aviner. It will make you feel so much happier as you move into the home stretch! Read More »
 Progress (Channie)
posted Sun March 25th 2012 @ 6:46 AM
Some of my dishes are packed. Others are not. Some of my linens are washed. Others are not. Incidental items, like my light fixtures, have been dusted, but my windows have not yet been washed. Yes, I am spring cleaning as well as am getting rid of chametz. Yes, my routine is highly imperfect both in terms of my execution of it and in terms of the sanity of my desired ends. Read More »
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