Minions are small, yellow creatures who have existed since the beginning of time, and certainly since the beginning of my children's time. I couldn’t have hoped for three more lovable characters than Stuart, Kevin and Bob - the cute yellow heroes of the new movie out this week, Minions. Uh Oh! I took my children (ages 7 and 11) to see a preview of the movie last weekend. There has been a lot of build up to the prequel to Despicable Me (2010) and Despicable Me 2 (2013), and I was hopeful it would live up to our expectations. Needless to say, it Read More
On Motherless Children (and Nearly Making My Own Kids Motherless)
I have several friends who are motherless. I still have my mom, so my heart is full of sympathy when I hear and read their stories, but I've never been able to fully relate because she's here....very much here, living just 25 minutes away. But how often did I ever think that I would possibly leave my own children motherless? Pretty much never. I'm scared of dying in a car crash, but I just drive slower as a result. So, several weeks ago, when I nearly died, saving myself by breaking my wrist in the worst place possible, breaking a rib, spraining a Read More
Where I’ve Been
Since I last wrote a piece on where I've been, I've certainly fed into my strong, evergrowing wanderlust. I've circled the globe and have visited ah-mazing, breathtaking places like Hawaii, Mexico and Iceland. And I've managed to hold down a job, raise a family and write A LOT: Huffington Post 10 Places You Must Visit with Kids Skip the Crowds: Peak Days to Avoid Disney World (and When to Go!) Today's Mama A Family-Friendly Film and TV Bus Tour of NYC Five NYC Hotels That Are a Favorite Among Celebrities Four Affordable Hotels in Read More
A Second Chance
A few short weeks ago, I stared death in the face. I didn't realize it then but now that reality has sunk in, I realize something very important: I've been given a second chance. Death almost came knocking on my door, nearly making my children motherless and my husband a widower. Since the incident, I've had time to think about a lot of things and can say without question these five things: I want to be more present in the moment. I want to disconnect more often and make sure I experience every moment I'm living in this crazy world we live Read More
Diary of a Breeder
It is with immense interest that I've been following the conversation that has developing around what is being coined "non breeders," women my age who have decided not to conceive, or have set out to explain why they are not conceiving. From Meghan Daum's book Shallow, Selfish and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids to , the conversation has been both deep and contemplative about a new generation of women who are not having children. I respect every single one of these women's decisions. As the mother of a 10 and 12 Read More
Review: Finding Neverland
This a guest post written by writer Lisa Gerstel-Zach: A diverse and seasoned executive who has spent her career in Children’s and Family Entertainment via Publishing, Live Events and Broadcast before stepping back to take a much earned reprieve from the Corporate world in order to reinvent herself and remember why she moved to New York. She lives in the latest hip neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her husband and daughter. We seem to be in the midst of, or maybe just emerging, from an overload of reconstructed/deconstructed children’s Read More
How Travel Has Transformed Me
"As you move though this life ...you leave marks behind, however small. And in return , life -- and travel -- leaves marks on you." - Anthony Boudain Do you want to hear how travel has transformed me? I'm about to tell you. Last week I was in the middle of the most amazing trip in Iceland when something quite unexpected happened to me. I got hurt. Not just hurt, badly hurt. Without going into detail on what happened, I will just say that I'm okay and that everything was done to make me comfortable while I was in Europe. I got home a few days ago Read More
Guest Post: Pinkalicious the Musical Teaches Kids Tolerance
Liat Ginsberg is a mother and a former Journalist for the Israeli newspaper Maariv. She taught at the Film and Media department at Hunter College. If you have read the book Pinkalicious to your children and are sure that you and your kids know the story by heart, you can add one more layer to the story, after watching the play Pinkalicious. The play gives legitimacy to boys who choose pink as their favorite color, legitimacy that society doesn't give very easily. I have 6 year old twins, a boy and girl, my boy always liked the color blue Read More
Week 6: Middle-Aged Personal Training at Encore Fitness NY and a Giveaway
If you've been following my mid-life crisis fitness blog posts, you may have noticed a lull. I wasn't avoiding my routine, but trips do seem to knock me off my momentum a bit. However, since my weight gain from week 4, I've been more determined than ever to keep everything I'm learning at Encore Fitness NY up, particularly while traveling. I've also managed to challenge myself to a few new forms of exercise to keep my body moving and my keen interest up. So, when I walked into Encore the other day for my sixth session with Robert, I felt confident and Read More