Category - Monday TakeAway

Did you know that on the day of your birthday, you are granted the superpower of blessing others? Mazal tov! I’m 41 today, and I’m about to take advantage of this privilege. Some background before I give you my birthday blessing: I want you to know how much this mother admires your courage to have become a parent. It’s because you care so much about evolving and growing through your experience as a mother (or father!) that I know I’m not alone in looking for more in parenting than is conventionally spoken about. You don’t only inspire me, encourage me, and[…]

These days I’m still very busy crawling out of the summer vacation, one of the worst summers I’ve had with my kids in a LONG time. My head’s still spinning from toilet training LY, my 3 year old, trying to make his older siblings happy as each one of them pulls in a different direction, and making sure to be home when my other son’s back from school (he started school two weeks before everyone else). I ended up napping on the couch almost every morning, after trying to fit in some time for myself when all the daily meshugas or[…]

My first child-free vacation took place after nearly 10 years of stay-at-home parenting. It really was an ideal vacation—followed by a shock when I was back with my kids in the same space. That shocking, even depressing ending to the break I had been starving for, was a large-scale version of my difficult transitions from quiet mid-mornings to afternoons filled with noise and disharmony. “But you should be grateful for the hours you had to yourself”, my husband would say. And wasn’t he right? Somehow I could weave my interests in and out of baby Eliana’s schedule for 3 years[…]

This week, in honor of our children’s vacation, I have two things for you: #1:  This week I’ll be giving you a glimpse into my reading habits that are—I shamelessly admit–an extreme example of pursuing your hobbies and passions while ignoring your vacationing kids, who just woke up in yesterday’s clothes. It would be a great loss, in my opinion, to let this summer vacation come and go without at least challenging yourself to read or flip through a magazine before the kids finally collapse in their beds. That’s why I broke it down for you into 3 parts—watch the[…]