C’mon, am I the only mom who has not read 50 Shades?

I swear, everywhere I go, women are getting excited about erotica—dubbed romantica—like teens used to gush over Twilight. The other day, for example, I was in the middle school office signing out my daughter for an orthodontist appointment, and a retired sixth grade language arts teacher asked out loud if I read it yet. She thought the writing was repetitive. At a soccer game, my in-laws quizzed me about S&M. Awkward. In water aerobics where the average age is 77, they blushed about bondage in their bathing suits. TMI from ladies who cover their hairdos with shower caps. Read the rest of this entry »

As hard as they may try, moms who are rabbis or cantors can’t leave their work at the office. It’s impossible. These St. Louis Imas on the bima are so fully dedicated to both their clergy life and family life that their cup runneth over, literally, and hopefully the blessings that they bestow come back to them tenfold.

After all, these working moms redefine multitasking by what they can accomplish in one day, such as run a full marathon in the morning, officiate a funeral in the afternoon, read a story to their children at bedtime, write a sermon at night, and blog about it the next day. If it wasn’t for their supportive husbands, yoga sessions, silent meditations, and out-of-town retreats at the Institute of Jewish Spirituality, their hectic schedules that require them to lead a Shabbat service on Friday, conduct a bar or bat mitzvah on Saturday, and teach religious school on Sunday, would be their demise instead of their destiny.

Obviously, they don’t get weekends off, either. After devoting so many years to religious studies and helping people, it seems only fair that they be recognized for a job well done.

Maybe this Mother’s Day they’ll get to sleep in.
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Typically, my children don’t ask for my advice on anything—except maybe, “Does this meat taste better with honey mustard or ketchup?” So I jump at any opportunity to share my opinion with someone who actually appreciates it. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Mom Colored Glasses for featuring me in your inspiring, information-packed website–a great resource for parents. Read my Q&A here.

Being a teenager is tough, and so is parenting one. Think about it. Moms go through pre-menopause around the same time their children go through puberty, and that means a household full of mood swings, raging hormones, sugar cravings, weight fluctuations, bad hair days, forgetfulness, exhaustion, and inability to focus due to habitual multi-tasking. (Not a good time for a husband to have a mid-life crisis). Scientific studies prove that neurological changes in the brain peak at certain stages in life, including the time parents are raising their teens, so I’m not making this stuff up. Read the rest of this entry »

Is it just me or is Halloween getting old? It used to be that I looked forward to making a big pot of chili and cornbread and then greeting ghosts and goblins with a caldron filled with mini chocolate bars. Now every time the doorbell rings, I’m annoyed that I have to take off my reader glasses, put a book mark in between pages of Tina Fey’s “Bossy Pants,” and drag my butt off the couch to hand over candy to a 10-year-old wearing gym shorts and a Nike t-shirt who brags that he’s dressed like a fifth grader (because he is one). Read the rest of this entry »

Just when I think my volunteer days at school are over, the other day I decide to help at my daughter’s Scholastic book fair. I realize that nothing is more embarrassing for a seventh grader than to spot her mom in the school library, especially when the stranger wears a red sticker on her blouse that has the same last name as her daughter. Read the rest of this entry »

Ten years ago, on the morning of September 11, my day started out ordinary. My husband Scott went to work; Jack, in first grade, was at school learning how to tell the time; and Sari, only 2 years old, dressed her dolls in beads and bows, oblivious to the national crisis that was about to explode before our very eyes. Read the rest of this entry »

Finally, I have a column/blog of my own. I’m Luci, the apricot toy poodle whom many of you have come to know from reading my mom’s “Mishegas of Motherhood” columns over the years. Only this time I’m doing the talking. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t mean to sound cliché, but attending my son’s confirmation service at temple earlier this month reminds me, once again, how time passes so quickly. It doesn’t just remind me of how grown up our children are, it hits me like a ton of bricks as Jack and his fellow Class of 5771, many whom he went to preschool with, proudly stand on the bima and lead the service, chant the Mi Chamocha, and, most significantly, share their personal thoughts on what being a Jew means to them. Read the rest of this entry »