You might imagine that I constantly have music playing in my house, subtly influencing my children and setting a beautiful tone for my life. You would be mistaken. I don’t know what it is, but background music is often a very very late afterthought for me. It’s the kind of thing where I will walk… Continue reading Using Music to Set A Mood
Yes, you read that correctly. When I opened the refrigerator on Thursday night to take out the food for the next meal, I noticed that the temperature inside the fridge was . . . not cold. I closed the door and immediately re-opened it, thinking maybe I was imagining things. But, no, it was definitely… Continue reading Things I Learned When My Fridge Stopped Working on Rosh Hashana
The winners of the sectioned-plate giveaway are announced at the bottom of the post, so if that’s all you’re here for, scroll on down! It’s really amazing what you can get used to living without. Like the time our oven door was broken and I had to cook everything on the stovetop until it was… Continue reading Spiritual Materialism
Buy a house, they said. Do it while the interest rates are low, they said. Don’t wait, they said. Well, we did it. Not because of those reasons, but more because we found a house we liked. After the initial phase of being extremely overwhelmed, we entered what I like to call the why-would-anyone-buy-a-house-it’s-so-much-work-and-money phase.… Continue reading Owning a Home, Murphy’s Law, and Sewage
So, it’s Elul. It’s that time of year for introspection, and thoughts of self-improvement, and taking a good, hard look at what’s been working for us and what hasn’t been. Rosh Chodesh came and went, and amid the hubbub of moving and having all my kids home with me all day, I was feeling kind… Continue reading Maybe I Shouldn’t Have Internet in My Home
*while it isn’t entirely accurate, I liked this title (thanks Renée A. Schuls-Jacobson!) so much more than my other choice, which was “It’s not moving until someone’s laughing maniacally.” Growing up, we moved a lot. Like, approximately every two-and-half to four years. Downside: I was always the new girl. Upside: My family is expert at… Continue reading How I Packed Up My Whole Life Without Losing My Mind*
I haven’t been reading much of the news from the bombing; it was making me far too sad. My heart is aching for everyone in Boston, and for our country. I mean, yeah. It’s just heartbreaking. But sometimes the best way to combat the evil and to show our enemies that our spirit will not… Continue reading Clear Surfaces, Clear Mind. Part One: Above the Fridge
I got the idea for this poll after having a conversation with my friend, E. She was mentioning something about paying bills or managing finances. It came out in the course of the conversation that my husband manages all of our finances. She was surprised, since in her marriage, she’s the one who handles all… Continue reading What’s Your Take Results: Who manages the finances in your house?
Hi! Welcome to my blog! Maybe you came to find something to cook for the nine days, but you can certainly stay and read a little more about the truth about feeding small children, maybe get a little inspired by a shift in perspective, or just laugh about the time I had to disassemble my oven.… Continue reading Menu Ideas for the Nine Days
A week or so ago, I received an email from a moving company, TSI, asking if a couple of articles they wrote would be appealing as guest posts. In the past, my guest posts have only been from people I know (either IRL, or through the J-blogosphere), but I was intrigued by one of the… Continue reading Guest Post: Keeping Kids Busy During Your Move
Rivki Silver ~ thoughts & music 