Yom Tov is coming up. We might not want to admit it, but it can be a tense time. There is a lot of work to be done and not so much time to do it. Kids might feel neglected, and parents feel overworked. That can set tempers flaring. We often respond to our children’s

The Jewish Holidays are right around the corner. In just 2 weeks it is Rosh Hashana. Although we are all busy cooking, and cleaning, we don’t want to forget our kids. We want to make sure that they look forward to the holidays themselves. Here are 5 ways we can do just that: 1. Don’t

Knowing how to pray is probably one of the most essential tools that a Jew needs to live his life in a meaningful way. It is through prayer that we connect with G-d. It is an anchor in times of trouble. It gives solace and is a healthy outlet for our anger at the injustices

It is that time of year again, the end of summer and the back to school grind. There are a lot of changes happening during this time. My 2 younger children are due back from sleep away camp in about an hour and they start school next week.  My 2 older boys are heading off

At the beginning of the summer we had our Lunchbreak Webinar, “School’s Out: Family Friendly Lessons to Learn”. In the class, we had some great ideas on how to manage those lazy, unstructured days of summer vacation. The last few weeks of summer are here. Most camps are done and many families take vacations or

School is out! It is so much fun; I still remember that feeling of relief and unmitigated joy on the last day of school. I am so happy for my kids, but I also know that it is a lot more work for parents. It is in the summer time that we need to deal

As we approach Shavuot,a time when the Jewish people were unified at Har Sinai, we will read The pasuk “Vayichan sham Yisrael neged ha’har–and the Jews encamped opposite the mountain.” Vayichan is the singular form, although they were talking about the entire Jewish people. Rashi comments that the Jewish people at Har Sinai were k’ish echad

Children have the best ideas on how to deal with any problems that we may have and they love it when we ask for their input. Involving kids in a problem solving session, helps increase their self-esteem, builds their cognitive flexibility muscles and teaches them that they are capable and can handle the little and

Last week I attended a mussar shiur which included Rav Avigdor Miller’s concept of “Five Diamonds Per Day;” five actions we should do every day that will help us be better people, better Jews and improve the quality of our lives. Rav Miller’s list includes: Speak to Hashem for one minute a day: You can tell

In this week’s Parsha we read the the most important mitzvah in the Torah according to Rabbi Akiva: v’ahavta l’rei’echa kamocha, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” How can we love our neighbor as ourselves? One way is to give the benefit of the doubt, dan l’kaf zchut. We want to always try to put ourselves in