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Homemade Purim Costume Ideas

Feb 22nd, 2010
by Leah.
2 comments

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 run-of-the-mill offerings available for sale. None of these costumes require any sewing, so you can make them yourself from items you already have at home. Now that’s something even moms can enjoy.

Shulchan Arukh or Purim seuda

Here is an original costume idea. Start with a disposable tablecloth. Cut an opening for the head in the middle. Using a stapler or a glue gun attach disposable dishes, napkins, and silverware (preferably colorful).

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Family-Work – Is there a Balance?

Feb 20th, 2010
by Leah.
3 comments

This week’s Matzav Haruach (a Shabbat newspaper popular in the religious Zionist community) published a story recently related by former Knesset member Gila Finkelstein from the National religious Party. Apparently, before Mrs. Finkelstein decided to take part in the previous Knesset elections, she and her husband consulted Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. Rabbi Eliyahu started the meeting by asking the husband whether he was willing to give up proper meals three times a day to accommodate his wife’s new job. After getting an affirmative answer, Rav Eliyahu advised Gila Finkelstein to run for office and wished her success.

This story is very relevant for many women deliberating how to strike a balance between the needs of the family, the desire for self-actualization, and the ability to impact the world at large. A couple of months ago, I was asked to run for our community’s executive committee. It was a hard decision, because while I felt I had what to contribute, it was not in the best interests of my family at that time.

So what do YOU think? Is it possible to work for the community or pursue a career without losing sight of the family? What’s the best way to do that?


 

Game Theory Exercises for Children

Feb 6th, 2010
by Leah.
10 comments
game theory3 223x300 Game Theory Exercises for Children

Game theory 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 activity that also stimulates thinking, teaches decision-making, and creates an opening for meaningful discussions about choices and relationships.

We’ve played the games both theoretically and with props, such as pennies, chocolate chips, small candy, and Monopoly money. At the outset, each player is provided with an equal amount of “cash” to be used throughout the game. After each game, we discuss why the child has chosen to do what she did, what she had learned from her choice, and would she have done anything differently given a second chance. We also try to look for practical applications relevant to the kids’ lives. (more…)

Do We Value Children?

Jan 23rd, 2010
by Leah.
7 comments

A month ago, I visited my relatives in Russia. From the few TV programs I watched while there, it appeared that children are the number one issue on the Russian agenda. Yet, there seemed to be a cognitive dissonance between the declarations about the importance and the value of children and the fact that Russians are just not having them. Most women that decide to bring a child into the world, suffice themselves with one. Three children in a family are a rarity.

It is true that Russian women are an integral part of the workforce and that stay-at-home moms are almost unheard of in urban areas (except for the very rich of course). Getting childcare could also be tricky. (My cousin told me that in order to send her daughter to a day care center at the age of two, she had to sign up as soon as the baby was born, and it would probably take a bribe to really get in.) However, similar challenges exist in other countries as well without affecting demographics. (more…)

First glasses

Dec 29th, 2009
by Leah.
4 comments

Do you remember getting your first glasses? I do. I was six when my Mom took me into a dark office, where a doctor placed a gigantic piece of equipment on my nose and told me to read off signs of dogs, boats, and cups from a chart, as he kept changing the lenses. I had been reading for a couple of years by then and told him I could do the other chart with letters on it, too.

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A Light for Greytowers – Movie Review

Dec 23rd, 2009
by Leah.
No comments yet

On the first night of Chanuka, I took my 13-year-old daughter to the Jerusalem Cinematheque screening of A Light for Greytowers. Although the Jewish-themed musical was advertised as playing for women only, several men did make their way into the audience (most of them left fairly quickly – the movie was clearly made with women in mind).

First of all, I was thrilled to have an opportunity for a cultural outing with my daughter. In the past, I used to take my girls to ballet productions, but eventually stopped because of the halachic mixed message the girls were receiving. Unfortunately, “kosher” quality cultural events geared to children and teens are very scarce, so just the thought of a “girls’ night out” with her made me happy.

A Light for Greytowers was unlike any other movie I have ever seen. I had a hard time taking in the religious message when conveyed through the medium of professional cinematography. The music, the camerawork, the sets were very Hollywoodian and seeing them at the service of a Jewish ideas took getting used to.

On the other hand, since the main characters of the movie were children, I feel it was more geared to teens than adults. However, the movie did include scenes of corporal punishment and nightmares, which my daughter found terrifying, despite her overall maturity.

I have searched high and low on the Internet for a clip from the movie, until it dawned on me that since it is for women only, the producers probably did not want to broadcast it to the world. However, the movie includes several scenes played by men and sharing them with the public would go a long way in showcasing the quality of the film.

I sincerely hope that Kol Neshama and other companies will continue making new productions for our enjoyment.

Twitteleh – Twitter for Jewish Children (and their Moms)

Dec 21st, 2009
by Leah.
No comments yet

As a proud Jewish mother (whose kids aren’t old enough to use Twitter yet), I highly recommend Twitteleh (thank you to Itamar for sharing this).

Fun Chanukah Salt Dough Project

Dec 7th, 2009
by Leah.
No comments yet

Fun Chanukah Salt Dough Project

My kids came home with an assignment to create a chanukiya (chanukah menorah) for the school’s annual competition. After lots of deliberations, we decided to do it together from homemade salt dough.

We used the leftovers to make magnets, by creating shapes with cookie cutters and pasting fridge magnets on the back.

Salt dough recipe:

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1½ cups water

  1. Mix flour with salt. Add water and knead thoroughly to form smooth dough. Shape into a ball and let dry for about 10 minutes.
  2. Create desired shapes.
  3. Place shapes on baking paper and bake at 200°C (320°F) for about 45 minutes (longer for very thick shapes).
  4. Let cool.
  5. Decorate with paint, sprinkles, beads and so on.

Delayed gratification linked to success in life

Dec 4th, 2009
by Leah.
1 comment

As a mother of five, fostering my children’s self-discipline is high on the priority list. Today, I came across a clip, which cites scientific evidence for something most parents know intuitively – self-discipline at a young age is a crucial predictor of success and happiness in adulthood.

To me, making a four-year-old wait 15 minutes in an empty room sounds more like torture than discipline training, but I am going to add the idea of get this now or more/better later to my parenting repertoire.

The Mystery Factor in Mother’s Milk

Nov 30th, 2009
by Leah.
4 comments

Have you ever considered why is it that mother’s milk cannot be measured? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to feed the baby and know exactly how much she has eaten?

The idea hit me while responding to comment on my posting about my baby’s feeding troubles. All of a sudden I realized that common advice to stop nursing, given by doctors whenever a baby doesn’t seem to follow textbook development patterns, is not rooted in opposition to Mother Nature. It is simple: formula can be measured in grams (or pints), making it possible to know just how much the baby has eaten. Armed with this knowledge, a doctor can analyze the data in terms of calorie, vitamin, and mineral intake and develop a treatment plan.

All of that is impossible with breast milk. How many grams are in a 5-minute feed? And how many calories? Unless you resort to weighing the baby before and after every feeding, as my mother had been instructed to do when I was a baby, the exact amounts remain a mystery. And what is in that breast milk anyway? It has not undergone chemical lab analysis, so who can vouch for its quality?!

There used to be a time when doctors could make diagnose an illness using just their five senses. Today, with the advent of futuristic technologies, this ability is gradually becoming extinct. So too with breast milk; if you can’t see it, measure it, take it apart in a lab, it is as if it doesn’t exist. Is it any wonder then, that when faced with a possibility of a problem, doctors prefer to play it safe and rely on quantifiable formula, rather than something as amorphic as breast milk. At least this way, there is a measure of control.

To me, surrounding breast milk with a bit of mystery makes perfect sense. From the Talmud we learn that, “[divine] blessing is not found not in that which has been weighed, not in that which has been measured, not in that which has been counted, but in that which is hidden from the eye.”  In His infinite wisdom, g-d has taken care of every detail of nursing, including leaving weights and measures out of it. This way, mothers can rely on their babies to eat as much as they want, without worrying about “filling the quota” and comparing their babies’ feeding needs with those of others. By keeping parental neurosis over food out of the equation, babies are given a chance to develop healthy eating habits from the start.

Don’t get me wrong. I have no intention of undermining doctors’ expertise or opposing the use of formula when things do not work out. That said, there is more to the decision than control over variables. After all, mother’s milk is not only immeasurable, it is also irreplaceable.

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