4 Things I’m Determined To Do This Summer With Or Without My Kids

Maurie Backman for Kveller

If there’s one thing I love about living out in suburbia, it’s that summertime offers a host of family-friendly activities that are easily accessible from my very own driveway. And so every summer, I compile a list (usually just in my head) of things I want to do before Labor Day rolls around (because as we all know, no matter how old we are, summer just seems to fly by).

But here’s the problem: While these activities always seem like fun in theory, they tend to be less so in practice. And a big reason has to do with the kids—well, my kids. And not so much my toddler, as my twin infant daughters, who are a handful (though my toddler can be quite demanding in his own right).

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

13 Weeknight Dinners You Can Prep in 30 Minutes or Less

By Shannon Sarna for Kveller

Dinner on weeknights can just be the worst, right?

Some people spend their Sundays prepping meals for the week, and while that might work on some weekends (for some people), other people want to enjoy their time away from the hectic-ness of the week.

But you can still throw together a family-friendly dinner with just a little menu planning and less than 30 minutes of prep time, even on the busiest nights. And I’m not talking about opening a box of pasta and dousing it in butter and parmesan, although sometimes that’s fine, too.

Continue reading.

For more great Jewish cooking ideas, check out our    page.

Sheryl Sandberg Admits She Got It Wrong with ‘Lean In’

Joanna Valente for Kveller

Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg recently announced that she got some parts of her popular book, “Lean In,” wrong. Namely, she didn’t realize just how hard single parenting is until her husband died a year ago.

In light of Mother’s Day, Sandberg wrote a post on Facebook where she admitted that single moms get a raw deal–and much of their lives are determined by forces out of their control. Many work multiple jobs and don’t have access to paid leave. She wrote:

“I did not really get how hard it is to succeed at work when you are overwhelmed at home.

Continue reading. 

Follow us on   

Does God care about how you parent?

By Jeffrey Salkin for Martini Judaism

For my parents, it was Dr. Benjamin Spock.

For us, it was T. Berry Brazelton and Penelope Leach.

And for this generation, it might be Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg.

It’s not that Rabbi Ruttenberg is an expert on child-rearing. Not quite. You’re not going to be consulting her new book — Nurture The Wow: Finding Spirituality in the Frustration, Boredom, Tears, Poop, Desperation, Wonder, and Radical Amazement of Parenting — for advice on, say, dealing with colic.

(And, in fact, there are several great books on Jewish parenting — including by my colleagues, Paul Kipnes and Michelle November  — as well as the books by Wendy Mogel, which are totally informed and influenced by a Jewish read on the world).

No; here is what Danya does — and it is unique.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

I send my kids to sleep-away camp to give them a competitive advantage in life

By Laura Clydesdale for The Washington Post

“Do you even like your children?” the woman I had just met asked me.

The audacity of the question took my breath away. I had been chatting with her, explaining that my kids go to sleep-away camp for two months every year.

I quickly realized two things at once: She was obnoxious, and she actually didn’t care if I missed my kids during the summer. She was talking about something else.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

All the Respect

Papa Plony is obsessed with beating the Baloney family in the annual relay race. But when Yasmin flakes out on practice, and a new team member shows up with an unexpected physical difference - he panics. SHABOOM! Sparks Gabi and Rafel come to the rescue with incredible upsie-downie magic, including an upside-down rainbow ramp, a giant stuffie and a lesson in showing kavod, or respect. Tune in and find out who wins the race. Kol hakavod!

Continue reading.

Sending My Daughter to Jewish Preschool Reconnected Me with My Roots

Rebecca Givens Rolland for Kveller

My daughter Sophie will be 3 this November. My husband Philippe and I have decided to let her start half-day preschool (she’s begged). Still, we’re late starting to look at options. I can’t settle on anything, and as a doctoral student in education, I fear my knowledge of the research—my vise-grip on “how things should be”— has gotten in the way.

Ironically, in the world of parenting and education, it seems as though you can really know too much, or at least can be too critical. Then, I see an ad for a Jewish preschool not far from our home.

Continue reading.

Follow us on