Parenting Archives - Page 3 of 11

10Apr

Giveaway: American Girl’s The Body Book for Girls (5 copies)

My daughter turned 10 today and we are entering the dark abyss of what could be tough conversations about her changing body. I want to teach her to make the right dietary choices, explain that growing hair under her armpits, teach her about hygiene and teach her to know what to expect when she's not expecting all these changes to transpire at some point in the next few years. There are also social pressures and situations that could impact her body image and self-esteem and I want her to understand and take them full on when they occur. When I got a Read More

03Apr

A Mother’s Day fashionABLE Gift That Will Change Lives

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

A few months ago I read my amazing friend Liz's recount over at Mom-101 of what it was like to watch her mother run a small clothing label out of her attic when she was growing up. She connected the story (beautifully) to a group of women that she met at the non-profit, FashionABLE while visiting Ethiopia. It's a place where all the proceeds on the scarves that they create go towards helping the artisans, not only through wages but with medical care, medicine for TB or HIV, counseling, a housing stipend, educational tools and daycare for their Read More

22Mar

Doing Motherhood Together

Posted by The Culture Mom 6 Comments

As the Mommy Wars are heating up again for the umpteenth time this week with Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In movement, Marissa Mayer’s ridiculous telecommuniting policies and the NY Magazine article on the “retro feminist wife,” I know only one thing. I do not judge or blame Kelly Makino, the young woman profiled in this article as a complacent stay-at-home mom who is being compared to Phyllis Schlafly for setting the woman’s movement back. Schlafly is known for her opposition to modern feminism and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Read More

12Jan

Broadway Train Your Star

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I wrote about a workshop my daughter attended to learn the art of auditioning for a Broadway show. My very shy daughter was transported into another world of music and dance for two hours. It was the real mccoy. Broadway Edge is more than just about auditioning - it's all about building confidence and allowing each child to spontaneously access their powerful instincts. As a result, they become unstoppable as their belief rises to new levels. That's why I'm bringing this information again to you now - to give you the chance to sign up Read More

05Jan

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Posted by The Culture Mom 22 Comments

We didn't have anything to do today so I told my husband to take my son to Toys R Us to spend a gift card he had received for Hanukkah while I spent some quality time with my daughter. Every now and then, we split up and focus our energies on one child at a time. She and I had your typical girl's afternoon: lunch, a haircut and manicures/pedicures filled with conversation and laughter. It was at the hair dresser that a text came through from my husband: "He won't get anything here unless he gets a phone." Put a child in a toy store, tell them they Read More

01Jan

Evolving and Entering 2013

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

I'm determined to reflect and write an account of 2012, as I do every year. It helps to think about my achievements, as I am ending the year on a bit of a low. I wasn't sure why I feel this way around this time of year until I saw this tweet from one of my favorite writers and actresses, Lena Duham, and realized I'm not the only one: Then I realized that if she, the queen of everything creative and successful, can feel this way, I'm not a total loser. I have so much to look forward to in 2013 and I need to focus on the good in my life. I'm at a Read More

13Oct

A Little Kvetching After a Long Week

Posted by The Culture Mom 1 Comment

Life as a mother is a juggle and I'm not always successful. Everyone wants to know how I do it all...work, parenting, juggling a million things at a time. Well, I do it all the best way I can, but things don't always go according to plan, just like the following few episodes from the week we've just left behind: - I loved it (not really) when the piano teacher showed up unexpected at 4:15 on Thursday. (Well, she was expected on my calendar but I neglected to look). The woman's a saint, she must think I'm the most disorganized person in the world. Read More

14Sep

Don’t Divorce Me! (An HBO Doc That Can Help Families)

Posted by The Culture Mom 1 Comment

Yesterday I had the opportunity to screen a new documentary called DON'T DIVORCE ME! a new documentary airing on HBO next week. I was instantly intrigued by the invitation, given the fact that I have newly divorced friends with young children and am the daughter of a divorced couple. My own parents divorced when I was much older than the young children shown in this film, but I have always thought about the profound impact divorce can have on children. I see it on my friend's young children and I was curious to see how one could produce a sensitive, Read More

08Sep

Rootsy.com: Getting in Touch with Your Roots via Social Networking

Posted by The Culture Mom 1 Comment

This week I was asked to try out a new social networking site called Rootsy.com. As soon as I discovered that it was a genealogy tool and a way to track my family history, I was instantly intrigued. My mother's cousin, Bill Israel, has gone to great lengths to track her family's history and has traced it back to the 1700s. He has documented all his findings and they are astounding. Our family started with a patriarch named Solomon Israel, who came to America from Amsterdam and declared "I am named Solomon and I am Jewish" when he arrived. However, Read More

26Aug

Balance. My Daily Struggle.

Posted by The Culture Mom 1 Comment

Balance. That's a word I've struggled with since the kids were born. It's not easy to have as a mom, it definitely takes work. It's a skill that I've developed over time but I'm still perfecting. I'm definitely a mom that loves being with my kids and one that needs my own time, as well. The kids take up a lot of energy and just slipping away to read a book, catch a film or play in the city, taking a long, hot shower and belting out 80s tunes gives me the power I need to march on and be a better mom. But I also see the value of spending time alone Read More