Two separate articles came through my inbox during the past few days. The first was the announcement of a new piece of technology called Aristotle which supposedly can understand the speech of very young children, allowing it to answer their questions and play simple games. The device will even read the child a bedtime stories, […]
To let the kids stay up, or not to let the kids stay up. That is the question. And I have no answer for you because you know your kids way better than I do. Late nights can bring out the worst or the super worst in kids depending on his or her disposition. […]
Everyone loves winter break, right? Um, yeah, right. Love it. Definitely. Winner. The most wonderful time of the year. So you sense some sarcasm? Here’s the thing: My kids are home. It’s cold out (at least where I live) so outdoor activities are difficult. Friends are away so arranging playtime with other kids is […]
The candles! I mean the candles! It’s been reported that 72 percent of Jewish people in the United States celebrate Hanukkah. This is a bigger percentage than those who partake of any other Jewish rite, including attending a Passover seder or fasting on Yom Kippur. Yet it is one of the most commonly misunderstood […]
What is a leader? A leader is a person who unites us and inspires us to work together toward a common goal. A leader is a person who is responsible for guiding the group toward new heights of success, individually and collectively, and for bringing out the best in each of us. In a symphony, […]
The holidays are here and suddenly I have no pans left in my kitchen. One daughter is participating in a cookie exchange. The other has a potluck. And guess who is NOT supplementing the goods this year. That’s right – they are on their own. In case you can’t hear them whining where you […]
Last year around this time, I posted a blog about holiday shopping, or more accurately, holiday overspending. In it, I repeated some good advice that I got and still abide by: When it comes to gifts, try the rule of four for your kids: one gift they want, one gift they need, one gift […]
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. As I do every year. I heard much of the Midwest got slammed with snow recently, and they probably don’t understand my desire for it. In truth, I don’t love snow, but having a white Christmas is so rare where I live that you’ll have better luck spotting a […]
The seating chart was changed in my daughter’s elementary school classroom last week and ever since I have heard daily stories about the boy who now sits across from her: about how he is mean to her, how he threw (multiple) pencils at her, how he called her names, how every time she opens her […]
The Story Behind the Origami Originally, the folks at the Bronx Zoo set out to collect 35,000 elephants representing the heartbreaking number of 35,000 elephants (96 per day) killed each year for their ivory tusks. The overall goal of the initiative is to help gain a wider awareness of the elephant ivory trafficking crisis […]