I have to say that each year, as the school year winds down and summer approaches, I start to get a little nervous about what I’ll be doing over vacation. A couple years ago, a friend of mine realized that there were limited options for summer programs targeted to singles, and she took the plunge and started her own. …
Sometimes I think my dating life is like Harry Potter’s visit to Ollivander’s to buy a wand. It’s an encouraging thought. (Can we expect great things?) …”Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave.” Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it …
Since elementary and high school, when we celebrated Lag B’Omer by going on field trips or having special activities, I’ve learned more about the spiritual significance of the day. I listened to this shiur by Rav Ahron Lopiansky shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of Greater Washington, about five years ago, and it still inspires me. Here are some …
I just love housewares. Sometimes when I’m running errands, I’ll pop into Pier 1 or Williams-Sonoma or Bed Bath and Beyond just to poke around. I love scrolling through couples’ bridal registries. When I was in high school, I even created a fictitious registry online at Macy’s. It was a labor of love developed slowly and steadily over a few …
Over Pesach at my grandparents’, I read parts of Tuesday at Dawn by Ruth Attias, a short collection of the teachings of Rebbetzin Kanievsky a”h. The rebbetzin was known to advise people in need of a yeshuah to add a new tefillah to their daily line-up. Well, I’m in need of a yeshuah. Since high school and seminary, …
This has been our go-to recipe to celebrate every occasion for as long as I can remember. These cupcakes are so delicious. Recipe slightly adapted from The Heimishe Kitchen. Makes 18. 4 eggs 1 ¼ c. sugar 2 c. flour ½ c. orange juice ⅜ c. oil ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda 1 T. vanilla sugar chocolate …
My friend and I went out for lunch after her one-hundredth date. We ordered ourselves a milchig spread and talked for over an hour, about how much we’ve grown over our years of dating, how we’ve learned how to make ourselves happy, how we’ve found teachers and books and learning modalities that have helped us develop. How proud we are …
A little while ago, my engaged friend asked me if I knew of any lesson-a-day type emails (think SAT prep or Merriam-Webster word of the day) for homemaking. I thought that was a great idea but neither of us could find anything like that. I did find a few checklists, though. These look helpful. Martha Stewart’s cleaning checklists – including …
So I’ve mentioned before that I work in a school setting, and that I recently changed jobs. Earlier this year, I divided my time between two schools in a nearby district. For the first time, I had no frum coworkers. I figured it wouldn’t be much of an issue. I’m a friendly person and pretty comfortable with anyone. I was …
Ok, did you read “Time-Out,” by Rikki Ehrlich, in last week’s Family First? I thought it was terrific! So creative and different and real and funny. I laughed my head off. The story is about 31-year-old Shuli, who is invited to a shidduch retreat to take a “brake” from decision-making. She’s seriously dating someone and feeling stuck. The retreat …
