Holiday: Succah Decor

From creativejewishmom.com

With the fabulous Jewish holiday of succot beginning next Sunday night, well the pressure is on to get crafting! We dwell in our succahs for 7 days (8 days outside Israel) so filling it with beautiful crafts is certainly a great thing to do!  One of the simplest things to do is to craft with paper, though if you think it might rain, see if you can take these ideas and make them from something rainproof!

For starters, I just love these quilled paper ornaments, that I really want to try using craft foam! There are so many possibilities, and even youngish kids can get the hang of it, or if you choose to go the easiest route and staple everything together, so you can make a bunch together. For complete instructions check out my quilled paper succah decorations.

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 The High Holidays are upon us, check out our High Holidays Spotlight Kit

Battling My Son’s Major Back-to-School Anxiety

Samantha Taylor for Kveller    

Last year, when we moved my 10-year-old out of public school and into a private school that would help him with his learning issues, social skills, and anxiety, we knew it was the right move for him.

This year, he started school with no hesitation. He was happy to return to his routine and start fifth grade. The second week of school he got into my car clutching a “Code of Conduct” book they had given the students that day. As we pulled out of the parking lot, his voice started to quiver.

“We talked about this book today,” he said. “If I’m late to school three times or have more than 10 unexcused absences, I could have detention or Saturday school.”

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 The High Holidays are upon us, check out our High Holidays Spotlight Kit

Why I Always Admit My Mistakes to My Children

Lela Casey for Kveller

My kids have no delusions about me being a perfect mother. Dishes slip from my fingers just as easily as parent-teacher conference dates slip from my mind. I make mistakes just as readily as I forgive theirs.

I’m OK with this. In fact, I’m glad about it. I want them to understand that no one, not even their mother, is perfect. So, if they hear me slip out an occasional swear word, or if they have to suffer through a dinner of mushy pasta, or cringe watching me trip over my too-high heels, or even miss a karate class here and there because I just can’t get my act together, it will only serve to make our relationship more authentic.

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New Things To Do for Rosh Hashanah

By Amy Deutsch for Kveller

Every fall, the air gets cooler, the kids go back to school, and Rosh Hashanah rolls around. The holiday itself celebrates the Jewish new year, but also deals with some more serious topics, like renewal, forgiveness, and thinking hard about how to be a better person in the next year. There are many ways to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, from huge family dinners to going to services at synagogue to eating apples and honey.

But what if you and your family want to do something different this year? We know that not everyone celebrates in the same way, so we’ve come up with a list of our favorite Rosh Hashanah-y activities that are great to do with young kids. Try one out, and if all goes well, you could have a new family tradition on your hands.

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Check out Jvillage’s High Holiday+    page.

For more information and ideas visit our High Holidays Spotlight Kit