In Israel, the holiday of Tu Beshvat is associated with tree planting and dried fruit. The tradition of eating dried fruit is rooted in the years of exile, where fresh fruit was generally unavailable in the middle of winter. Despite the veritable cornucopia of fresh fruit available at any local grocery, most Israelis still go [...]
Posts under ‘Kids’
Successful Parenting – Tough or Love
All parents want to raise successful kids. While the vision of success may change from parent to parent, the underlying desire for performance remains the same. No matter the definition of “successful,” be it intellectual achievement, financial wealth, or social acceptance, our desire is driven by the perception of kids as extensions of ourselves and [...]
Learn from this dog…
I got this in the email, so I don’t have whom to credit for this priceless joke. I am sure all the busy moms and dads out there will relate to this. An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and [...]
Pomegranate Art
Hannah over at the Cooking Manager posted a great video on how to cut a pomegranate. It came right in time. Although we had a bunch of pomegranates sitting around in our fruit bowl, I was too intimidated by the looming mess to actually cut them. As always, Hannah saved the day with her video. [...]
The Rain is Here…
Today was the first day of rain this season here in Israel. Although we’ve had some occasional drops here and there in the past few weeks, the first real rain came this night. Somehow, all my kids managed to hear the rain at 2 AM and by the time they were up at 7, running [...]
School Lunches – What in the World do You Pack in that Box?
Hadassah over at In the Pink has raised a poignant question that haunts many a parent – what can I pack in the lunch box that will keep the kids happy, satiated, and healthy, without getting bored. Here are a few ideas I have used to feed my kids at school: Make several dozen shnitzels [...]
The Nutramigen Hoax
Nutramigen. If you know the name, chances are your baby is allergic to milk, soy, or both. (Mine is allergic to milk, eggs, and sesame). If you are like me, you’ve probably felt at a loss what to feed your hypersensitive baby. And if you are like me, you hate shelling out $15-30 per jar [...]
Parental Control – Will It Do the Trick?
Over at Minnesota Mamaleh, Galit has written an excellent post on the importance of boundaries, direct communications, and lots of love as the way for turning out value-centered, drug-free kids. I completely agree with Galit’s approach to parenting. All too often, we are so concerned with letting children develop their own identities that we give [...]
Homemade Purim Costume Ideas
Yesterday, while looking through a family album, I spotted some pictures of homemade Purim costumes I have made over the years. I don’t particularly like store-bought costumes, so over the years I have gathered many original Purim costume ideas to dress up my kids. Homemade costumes are cheaper, more versatile, and more fun than the [...]
Game Theory Exercises for Children
A couple of weeks ago, I picked up an entertaining book on game theory. Game theory studies the strategies people use when making decisions. As I was reading about the various problems considered by the theory, I thought these could make excellent games to play with the children. Here is an opportunity for a fun [...]
