An Interview with a Homeschool Alumini

Meet my friend Devora. She is a beautiful, smart, funny and very spiritual woman in her early 20's. She was homeschooled until the age of 9 and is here to share her homeschooling experience with all us nervous mothers wondering and praying how our kids will turn out because we homeschooled them...

A Homeschooling Interview with Devora:

Me: Until what age were you Homeschooled? 

Devora: Until 3rd grade (9 years old).

M: What was your mothers teaching method? Did she follow a Curriculum? 

D: My mother visited different schools in different states and collected the curriculums to see what each grade level is up to. She took the information and lessons she wanted to give us and made it real and alive! For example, when learning about the Exodus from Egypt, the house was transformed into a dessert (we live in the Midwest). She put tarp on floor covered with sand on top, a huge sun mural on the wall and heaters to feel the desert heat. We also drove over to the hardware store and bought cement to make our own bricks at home. 

We would learn Chumash one on one in the morning followed by other Torah subjects. Then in the afternoon English, math and other secular subjects along with lots of extracurricular opportunities (I took ceramics, art, gymnastics, Karate, Basketball, ballet, ice skating with homeschoolers and drama. We had so much fun being outside, exploring nature… nature is the best playground! We'd go to amusement parks and museums for kids.

M: What did you enjoy about being homeschooled?  

D: I really enjoyed the freedom to blossom in a nurturing place, where parents are sensitively catering to each of their children's specific needs. Parents are always there to directly take care of any issue that might come up immediately and they are there to constantly create a loving and accepting atmosphere. Another aspect that's great about homeschooling is that children's curiosity is allowed to flow and the learning can be based on where the child's curiosity leads them. 

M: What were some of your biggest challenges being homeschooled? 

D: It was challenging that there were no kids like us, and my parents were worried that our lack of social experiences with children of the same age might affect us negatively.

M: How were those challenges overcome? 

D: It came naturally. By having an open and loving home and utilizing any sort of social experiences, it did not cause us to lack in our social skills.

M: Would you homeschool your children?

D: YES!! I cannot imagine not. My children would be nurtured in the best possible way by people who care about them the most and know each child’s individual needs. The parents set the tone of the environment the children are in and that is key! An accepting, genuine, open minded, free, adventurous feel along with  rules, values and morals let the curious and quick minds of children to express themselves and be the best they can be!

M: Where did you go after 3rd grade? 

D: To a Hebrew Academy for half a day (Judaic Studies) 1 ½ hours away and all secular subjects taught at home. By 5th grade I was a full day in the Hebrew Academy and by 6th grade (11 years old) I went away from home to school 6 hours away from home.

M: Were there any issues socially? 

D: Definitely no negative differences. More children in schools have issues from being bullied and there is no space and time to calm down or think. When in a safe environment the child could talk about their feelings, and be taught effective coping skills, good communication skills and model good examples.

M: What were the biggest challenges entering a mainstream school? 

D: Academically, I was not used to school rules and the classroom structure. I had to catch up on some material, but after a few months of learning with tutors I was on par with the class. Socially, it was weird being around all these kids that are the same age as you and to see people being mean and bullying is almost a normal thing in schools. Parents should prepare their child before entering a school from homeschooling very well so there is less things that could be a little shocking. For example,  the style of learning, how other children might act, what kind of clothes is generally worn in that school etc.

M: What is your message to mom’s homeschooling their children? 

D: Tune into your children! Figure out their specific needs so you can help them grow. You also don't need to be scared that you might not be doing everything like a regular school..it's ok, you are not a typical school, you are YOUR unique school. Make adventures, be creative, give experiences. Of course always be on top of  your game, tracking what skills your children are accomplishing and where they might be taking a longer time to advance. 

Also remember, homeschooling is not for everyone, it can be very stressful for parents and not the most beneficial to children if not done properly. However, if one is committed to making it work and being 100% dedicated to their children's education and growth in all areas, it can be the most rewarding path for parents and their children!

Thank you my dear Devora!

May you all have a wonderful week and I hope this interview was helpful to you on your homeschooling journey,

Always,

Beautiful Dvar Torah Book for Kids- a Book Review

Let your child shine at the Shabbos and Yom Tov table!

This is a beautiful compilation of Divrei Torah written in a clear and simple style for children to read and share at the Shabbos table.

Here is a sample Dvar Torah from Parshas Lech Lecha:

The font is large, the words and ideas are simple. This book is such a wonderful addition to your Shabbos table.

Books can be purchased

Here

and Here

Habe a wonderful week!

Always,

TeachingMarket.com Launches New Teaching Hub Guest Post

TeachingMarket Launches New Teaching Hub 

A newly launched TeachingMarket.com is one of the fastest growing online teacher “hubs,” making online teacher resources easy to search, find, and download.  While the vast majority of the hundreds of files are geared towards pre-school and lower elementary; TeachingMarket will be launching “Middle School” in the very near future.

TeachingMarket.com is easy to use making digital files immediately available for classroom use with the touch of a button.  Simply search by subject and download  a lesson in seconds.  Gone are the days of tedious lesson planning!

Another stand-out feature of TeachingMarket is the user’s option to upload their own files and get paid for sharing.  It is a great way for teachers to share what they’ve found to be successful in the classroom while making some extra income.  Why make another lesson when surely someone has done it already? It is easy to share and give students a quality educational experience while keeping teachers sane!

With a growing number of files being uploaded every day, lesson sharing is a time saving resource for teachers!

Homeschooling has seen a huge surge as of late and TeachingMarket is now offering Jewish Homeschool blog subscribers a special.  Simply upload a file, sign up for monthly e-mails & promo codes, and you are entered to win a $10 gift card towards any educational files available for download on the website.

With Chanukah around the corner please stay tuned for discount codes and special giveaways for educators and parents.

TeachingMarket is a one-stop hub for all your teaching needs.

Looking forward to a successful year!
For more information, please visit www.TeachingMarket.com

Chew it Over- a book review

How often do we try to teach our kids (and ourselves) to think things through before doing anything. Before eating something, before going somewhere, before bringing someone into our lives, pretty much everything we do requires us to think it through or as this wonderful book written by Getzel Rubashkin says, 

'Chew it Over'.

I love how he has taken the lesson from how Kosher animals need to chew their food a few times before it gets digested and turned it into a very applicable life lesson for everyone, both adults and kids alike.

The cow chewed a mouthful, it swallowed and then

 It coughed it all up again and it chewed it again.

  All kosher animals chew that way too

 What is that lesson? What could it be?

And that is a lesson for me and for you.

  Read "Chew it Over," turn the pages and see.

Here is a peek at some of the wonderful illustrations and words from Chew it Over:

Chew it Over is such a fabulous addition to any children's library. You can purchase a copy Here- buy one for your kids, your nieces and nephews, your next door neighbor... and it makes a really special Chanukah Gift!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Always,

 

Yom Kippur Pre-Fast & Break-Fast Menu

Recipes:

Honey Whole Wheat Challah

Roasted Root Vegetable Bisque

Kreplach

Grilled Lemon Salmon

Herbed Brown Rice

Pasta with Pumpkin (I omit the dairy)

Pumpkin Spice Babka

Vanilla Almond Biscotti

Honey Butter Dinner Rolls (I use Margarine instead of Butter)

Minestrone Soup

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Easy Fast, Peaceful Shabbos and a Happy, sweet New Year!

Always,

Menus!!!

I find it humerous when people come to my house or meet me in person and tell me how organized I am. They see the charts on my walls, my printable schedules and lists and it truly does give the impression that I am, indeed, organized.

But you see, the thing is, the reason I make and post all these charts is because I am so DISorganized and I need these things to help keep me focused and somewhat sane!

I am an avid follower and admirer of organizing and time management guru Rivka Caroline (author of From Frazzeled to Focused and www.sobeorganized.com/). She often says, in her lovely English accent,  'You need to make your life as boring as possible when it comes to setting up systems. So boring that you do not have to think.'

Lets translate that into my own life right now.

Its two and a half weeks until Rosh Hashana. Thats four entire Shabbos meals and about 54 meals to cook for my family. I have many other things going on in the next 2 weeks so the less I need to think about and plan, the better.

So today I sat down and made 3 menus: Rosh Hashana, Week day meals and Shabbos meals. I'm so happy to share them with you to give you ideas, inspiration or just the plain enjoyment in reading what we'll be eating for the next two and a half weeks and over the Holidays!

Rosh Hashana Menu

I get most of my recipes off of Pinterest and tweak them to my families liking. Feel free to search for them and tweak them to yours.

Shabbos Menu

 These are all my go to dishes. I make one type of fish, 2-3 dips, 2-3 salads, 1 soup, 1-2 Main dish, 2 sides and 1 dessert, always served with tea

Weekly Menu

~Enjoy~

Always,

When your child has ODD

I have a 7 year old son.

He has the most delicious toothless smile you have ever seen and the most infectious laugh you will ever hear. His nose is doused with freckles and he always has a band aid on at least one if not both of his knees. Everywhere we go, people tell me how cute he is and what a great personality he has. He's that kid. I'm sure most of you have at least one.

The thing is, this sweet boy of mine has some serious anger issues. Issues I figured were just a part of his passionate personality.

He has tantrums. Really bad tantrums. Tantrums that involve throwing things and ruining things, hurting anyone in his path and saying some really, really nasty things.

All my kids had their fair share of tantrums and meltdowns.

But none of them had this anger attached to it. They all would ultimately calm down and realize what they did.

Not with this little guy of mine.

He always seems to blame everyone around him. It is never his fault. He hit because... he yelled because... he always has a long drawn out reason (which always makes perfect sense, mind you) justifying his actions.

I keep telling myself he will 'grow out of it' but something just was not feeling right.

A week ago I sat down and googled 'angry child, tantrums, disrespectful, wont take responsibility for actions, disrupting family'

And I found the answer to everything.

ODD. Oppositional Defiance Disorder. Google it if you feel your child may have these qualities.

I don't like labels, but this label fits. And after a huge amount of research and professional advice, my husband and I have put a great plan into action that WORKS.

He is a new child.

I wanted to wait at least a week before blogging about this to see if the changes we implemented actually worked. And they did. And we will continue doing this until we don't need to anymore. And I truly hope that our experience and changes can help any of you that are dealing with a similar situation.

Dealing with a Child with ODD:

Step 1: 

Kids with ODD need CLEAR and CONCISE rules, along with CLEAR and CONSISTENT consequences. We have family rules, but we reworded them and put them up in the kitchen. Although the rules are geared toward this specific child, we didn't want to single him out, so we made them 'Family Rules'. My husband and I had a meeting with the kids and we all read the rules together and put them up on the wall. (Below is the unedited version that I had on my computer, aside for grammar, the edited version is exactly the same)

Step 2:

Help your child identify the things that set them off. It baffled my mind how one minute he was the perfect most adorable child and minutes later, a serious little monster, screaming and hitting and destroying things. It just made no sense. What was making him do these things?

So after some more research, I printed this paper and we went through it together. He checked off the things that he felt pressed his buttons. 

Now that he was aware that when certain things happen, he is feeling triggered, he is able to say, 'Mommy/Daddy, my buttons are being pressed,' or 'I'm being triggered.'

We told him that any time he feels this way, don't react to what is triggering him, but walk away and come tell one of us, mom or dad, and we will help him deal with it right away.

It was almost like this little sweet guy breathed a sigh of relief. I wanted to cry.

Step 3:

Kids with ODD don't WANT to be angry and out of control. They don't want to constantly argue and test us. But a child does not have the tools to change their behavior by themselves. We, as parents HAVE to step in and guide them in the most loving and gentle way we can.

So we made him his own daily checklist. Now that he is aware of the clearly marked rules, at the end of each day before he goes to sleep, we take out this sheet that I made for him. I laminated it and we keep it next to his bed. We use a dry erase marker and we told him that if he is able to put a smiley face in every single box, he gets to pick a prize. We told him he gets the opportunity to get a prize EVERY day if he can.

Step 4:

All kids, but especially kids with ODD, need constant positive reinforcement. Its not easy as a parent to be conscious all the time and to recognize seemingly normal behaviour in our kids when that is what they are 'supposed' to be doing.

But here are some things we have been telling our little guy as often as we can:

'Thank you for taking your plate to the sink, that's so helpful!'

'Your bedroom is so tidy, you must have worked really hard.'

'I really appreciate you telling me your sister was triggering you. Great job in not reacting and telling us right away, can I give you High Five?'

'Wow, I saw how you took a deep breath when you were starting to get upset. What a responsible thing to do, keep up the great work.'

'I see you are beginning to feel worked up, lets go sit outside for a few minutes and work it out.'

His eyes light up when we say these things. 

It took a few days before he was able to get ALL smiley faces.

BUT- since implementing this new system he has not had a tantrum ONCE. He has not been disrespectful ONCE. He has not lost his temper in a week, which is HUGE.

Mind you, he has faught with his siblings and yelled and did things that most 7 year old boys do. He is far from the perfect child! But for HIM, to not completely lose his cool for one week straight is nothing short of miraculous.

So last night, after an entire day of being calm and dealing with issues as they came along, my sweet little guy was able to get an entire page of smileys.

I need to remind you that it is not easy for him to get a full page of smileys, and every day is a huge challenge for him to work through keeping calm and dealing with issues that come up. I know it will not be easy to get another full page. But I know how good he is feeling about himself. The prize is just an added bonus.

He was so excited to pick a prize.

We printed this from a website and are tweaking it a bit.

But it works. And he feels so good about himself and so in control of himself.

Something he has never been able to do.

Finally.

He picked the Trophy, by the way. I bought 8 5" Plastic Gold trophies on Amazon and gave him one with his name written on it. He proudly displays it on his shelf next to his bed.

So please, do your own research. And if you find that your child fits the description of having ODD, deal with it as soon as you can. It will save your life and most importantly, your childs life.

Good Luck, and have a wonderful week,

FOMO

We've all suffered from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) at some stage of our lives.

Tonight was July 4 and we had plans to join friends on the roof top of their apartment building and watch the fireworks together.

As life goes, a few of my kids got sore throats and a late night was the last thing they needed if they want to get better faster. So being the mom that I am, I sent my oldest to join his buddies and watch the fireworks while I put the rest of the gang to bed.

My 8 year old was literally sobbing that its just not fair that her older brother gets to 'have the best time ever' while she's stuck in bed at home.

I told her to imagine she had a garden. And that her neighbor had a garden. Imagine she was always looking at the neighbors garden and wondering what the neighbor was going to plant and how he takes care of his garden.

If she spent all her time looking at the neighbors garden, whats going to happen to HER garden?

Nothing. Either all her plants will die or it will be overtaken by weeds. But it definitely will not be a pretty garden.

So whats the moral of the story? Take care of your own garden, then when your garden is doing well, go ahead and look at your neighbors.

We both agreed she had a sore throat. And the best thing to do when we have a sore throat is take a warm bath, have some nice not tea with honey and an early night. That helps us heal. Its taking care of our garden.

And yes, her big brother was having fun, but it wouldn't have helped her get better to go out and have a late night.

And she really understood it. And she was okay, and she hopped into bed with her tea and went to sleep.

And really, thats what it boils down to. Taking care of our own gardens. Doing the things that work for us without worrying about what everyone else is doing.

When we are happy and content with who we are, what we are doing and where we are, then 'fear of missing out' will never really apply to you because for the most part, you will always be exactly where YOU want to be, not where 'everyone else' is.

So water your garden, plant some flowers, rip out those weeds. And have a fabulous summer doing the things that work for YOU.

Always,

Alef Bet Reading Curriculum Review

A few months ago I posted a review on the Alef is for Apple Hebrew Reading Curriculum. You can take a quick peak at the Review by clicking HERE.

I cannot tell you enough how wonderful this curriculum is. I have used it with every one of my kids as well as Hebrew School kids and they ALL love it.

I was fortunate enough to review The Teacher's Guide CD which contains the "5 Step" teaching method, game templates and homework.

Here are a few sample pages from the CD:

I highly highly recommend this package- hop on over to their website and get it for your little ones-

http://www.alefisforapple.com/

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos!

Always,

Simple Solutions

We went to the playground this morning. My oldest son who's almost 11 made it VERY clear that he did NOT want to join us for the trip.

I don't leave him home alone just yet so he didn't really have a choice but to come.

He stomped to the car, slammed the door and looked out the window the entire 5 minute drive.

When we arrived, he got out of the car, slammed the door and stomped to the nearest bench, plonked himself down, arms folded and made it very clear that he had no interest in being there.

All the other kids were playing on the swings, the slide, baseball, soccer, having a ball (no pun intended).

I sat down next to my usually easy going happy go lucky kid wondering what on earth was going on with him.

Could it be he's just growing up? Did something happen with a friend or a sibling or me or my husband? Is it school? Is he not well? What on earth is going on with my child? Do I need a therapists intervention? Is it physical? Is it emotional?

I started asking him questions, trying to figure out what was going on. The answer seemed to be 'NO' to every question I asked. 'Did someone say something to hurt your feelings?' No. 'Is something going on at school?' No. Every answer was a dead end.

After about a half hour of the kids playing and him pouting, I finally turned to him and asked, 'Did you eat anything for breakfast this morning?'

To which I got the answer that made so much sense... 'No.'

The second we got home, he made himself a grilled cheese sandwich, had a banana and a plate of scrambled eggs followed by a big cup of milk... and a laugh that he will never ever forget to eat breakfast again.

He was hungry.

That was it.

No therapist needed. No emotional issues going on. He just need a nice big breakfast.

So yes, there are times when things need to be dealt with and proper help and intervention is needed.

But there are also times when all our kids need is a sandwich. Or a hug.

When you're an Introverted Mama

'Mommy, how come the electrical wires are always lined up along the streets and not just randomly placed?'

'Mommy, how can you tell the difference between a satellite and a star?'

'Mommy, you know that bridge by the beach near Roses house that you can open that gate to get to and when you stand on it you can look down and see the water come under you and its near the hotel that had the Luau that we saw when Bubby and Zaidy came to visit and blah... blah... blah... blah...'

'Mommy, can we get a pet eagle?'

'Mommy, are you even listening???'

Honestly, sometimes mommy is not listening. Actually very often mommy needs to switch off for a little bit as the talking and questions can just be so much that at times, mommy wants to scream.

But she wont scream, because she loves you more then life itself. Because she understands your need to be heard and will do her absolute best to listen to you and answer your questions as often as possible.

But my darling children, there are many moments that mommy just needs silence. Mommy needs to be left alone with her thoughts and not answer any questions or make any decisions or give any opinions.

There are times during the day that mommy needs to switch off to recharge because mommy simply cannot listen right now.

Being an Introvert has its amazing strengths, but being a homeschooling mother, who is with her children all day, yet really longs for silence is one of the biggest challenges I have faced as a mother so far.

I haven't found the perfect solution yet. But I'm sure it will all work out. It always does.

Have a wonderful week,

Always

Pesach Dollars, Pesach Jobs

Ah, that time of year where its so easy to get overwhelmed with the mere thought of cleaning, cooking and planning for Pesach.

Last year I came up with a system that was so fabulous and have started using it again this year. I needed to share it because if it helps you as much as it helps me, it will make me very happy!

Step 1:

Print out these Pesach Dollars on card stock and cut them out.

Step 2:

Tell your kids that for every Pesach job they do, they will get one Pesach dollar.

Step 3: 

Tell your kids that on Chol Hamoed Pesach, they get to cash in their dollars and go to the store and buy whatever they would like. Pesach dollars expire on Yom Tov so they only have 3 weeks to start earning.

Step 4:

Watch and smile as your children happily help clean the house for Pesach!

At present, my kids, including my 5 year old, have cleaned their entire bedrooms for Pesach on their own. They emptied their drawers and closets, cleaned with a spray and a wipe and put everything back.They have started on the playroom, different shelves and also the bookshelves.

Our kids are SO capable, just make it exciting, give them some time every day to go on Amazon to see what prize they plan to buy, something to really look forward to. If you would pay $ for cleaning help, you can use that $ towards these gifts. Its a win win.

Good Luck!

Its a Giveaway! *** Dubys Pesach List***

Okay everyone, its that awesome time of year again, where we get to scrub our homes from top to bottom, plan meals, Seders, guests, trips and ALL that super fun stuff!

I am so excited to share with you a review as well as a Giveaway of Duby's Pesach List. Click Here to check out her website and take a peek at what its all about.

Here is the table of contents to give you a really good idea of what is inside this fabulous Pesach Planner:

And now, in honor of all of you being such awesome readers of this blog, Duby is giving a 10% discount to you using the code JHS613. So RUN on over to her website DubysPesachLists.com and buy a copy for yourself, your mom, your sisters and your best friends. They will love you and you will love the Planner.

And while you're at it, enter the Giveaway below so you can have an extra copy to save for your daughter when she grows up and makes Pesach on her own... Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wishing you a wonderful week and Happy Pesach Cleaning!

Always,

Bribery vs. Compensation

I grew up with full time cleaning help and never had to lift a finger in my house, so this whole 'delegating chores to your kids' thing really does not come naturally to me.

I read all these articles on how important it is for kids to have chores etc. and I agree with every detail in these articles. The only thing that is very hard for me is to nag or fight with my kids to do something. I honestly would rather just do it myself if I am going to have to give up a huge amount of emotional energy to get my kid to sweep the kitchen floor. Yes, I am sure in the long run it will be good for her blah blah blah, but this is me, and I just cant go the begging, fighting, threatening route.

BUT... Baruch Hashem, I have come up with a system that really really works for me.

Cleaning help is very unreliable and expensive where we live, so I have someone who comes in 1-2 times a week to CLEAN- not tidy. She scrubs the floors, bathrooms, under beds and couches, windows etc. So thats really good. But I need the man power for day to day activities to keep the house tidy: loading and unloading dishwasher, sweeping, laundry, bedroom and playroom maintenance, vacuuming, counter and table wipe down, even cooking.

So here is what I came up with and it has been working amazingly for over a month and apparently it takes 30 days to establish a new habit, so I can consider this a success!

Each child gets to pick something on Amazon for $20 and put it in the cart. They then get a chart with their name on it and 40 boxes to fill in. For every chore they do, they color in a box. When all the boxes are full, we buy the item they put aside.

I am not joking when I tell you that my 10 year old walks into the kitchen and unloads the dishwasher every morning, without me having to say a word. My 7 year old vacuums the living room, no questions asked. My 5 year old sets and clears the dinner table. I KNOW kids should do these things naturally without being rewarded, but the way I see it, they are learning that when they work hard, they will get nice things. I also believe the more they do it, the more naturally it will become, case in point, my 10 year old got his Lego after a month of doing chores, and continues to do things without me asking- not as vigilantly as before, but he's doing it until his next chart goes up.

The kids are so happy to help, to fold and put away laundry, sweep the kitchen etc. and there has been NO nagging, begging, fighting or pleading on my end which honestly was my main goal. And everything is getting done.

And now when I do need to ask one of the kids to do something in the house, it is not met with any excuses. It just gets done and they run and color in a square. Thats it.

I really don't consider this bribery. I consider it compensation for chipping in in keeping the house clean. The kids bedrooms are clean every day without me having to ask. The laundry is folded and put away daily. The dishes are washed and put away daily, and things are running smoothly. Kudos to the moms who have their kids doing this without a reward system- hats off to you. But for me this works wonders. Worth every penny.

Good Luck in your home management endeavors!

Always, 

Shira: My Design Sketchbook Review

I was so happy to have my 8 year old daughter and her best friend review a copy of Shira: My Design Sketchbook by Y. Nadell.   A few months ago we reviewed the first book, Adina: My Design Sketchbook (see Review Here)  so she was so excited to get her copy of Shira.

Honestly, having her design modest outfits is so fabulous. The book teaches her how to make different patterns and designs, prints and color combinations. It keeps her so busy.

Her best friend ran home (she's also our neighbor) and asked her mom to buy her BOTH books.

Get this for your daughter. Get this for your niece, your cousin and your neighbor. Its the perfect gift and their moms with thank you profusely.

I know you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Always,

                         

Worst Day Ever!

My 5 year old daughter is very emotional and sensitive.

Recently I have noticed that when she gets upset or frustrated about something, she makes a very dramatic comment like, 'this is the worst day of my life!' or 'I am having the worst day ever!' which is often followed by a river of tears.

In her little world, things need to go according to plan. Things need to look a certain way and be a certain way. And when they don't, it really is, to her, the worst day ever.

A few days ago, we were headed out in the car and her sister sat in her booster chair. She looked at me and wailed, 'mommy, this is just the worst day ever!'

I looked at her and very calmly said, 'No. It FEELS very frustrating when someone sits in your booster chair. They don't belong there, you do. It's a difficult MOMENT. Lets ask your sister to move so we can get through this moment.'

She looked at me and very calmly asked her sister to move. Her sister moved, and she got into her own booster chair and we were off.

Ever since that day, when something happens, she comes over to me and says, 'mommy, I'm having a difficult moment, can you help me.' And we work through it.

I think it is so important to teach kids the importance of how our lives are made up of moments. And sure, there are going to be some really hard or sad or frustrating moments in our lives. But that does not mean that those moments need to define our day, or week or existence.

For my little one, she caught on pretty fast. Lets deal with this moment. Then the rest of the day can be pretty great. Its just something that has happened and we will get through it, giving the rest of the day the chance to be wonderful.

May we all be blessed to get through our own difficult moments. Let them not define our day or our lives.

Have a peaceful and restful Shabbos,

Always,

5 Steps to Stopping that Cold in its Tracks!

It's that time of year- even in Hawaii... where the kids start complaining about a sore throat, headaches, mouth boogers, stuffy noses, runny noses, all those symptoms of a cold.

Over the years I have developed a 5 step program for my family that we do at the very first sign of a cold. The older we are, the more aware we are of these symptoms and can catch them before they turn into a full blown cold.

I really want to share these steps with you because Baruch Hashem, it works.

The moment you feel something different in your throat or neck, start drinking. We are talking ALL day, all week, until you feel good again. The second I hear the word 'sore throat' my poor family are put on a chicken soup diet for the week, we are talking every night for dinner and sometimes even for lunch. Make sure to throw an entire head of garlic in there. Then its tea with honey all day and water water water. Lemon Ginger tea, Echinacea tea, plain hot water with lemon and honey. Its all good. All the liquids really dont give the cold a place to live and flushes all the toxins out of our bodies.

The moment you feel the tiniest bit stuffy, or headache, twice a day use this Sinus Rinse. It will destroy any bacteria that wants to settle in those passages. Do it twice a day until symptoms disappear. For younger kids, use the Saline kids spray.

Zinc, Echinacea and Vitamin C are great at the onset of a cold. It wont make it go away but it will make it last so much less time. Oregano Oil is really strong and not pleasant to take but it is incredible. If you can handle it, do it.

 From the moment you feel something brewing in your body, take a really really hot bath for at least 40 minutes. Add 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup Epsom Salt and a few drops of Lavender essential oil. The reason you stay in for so long is so your body can sweat out the toxins. Try do this at night before bed, even if you do it 3 nights in a row, it will knock that cold out of the ball park.

 After the bath, go strait to sleep. This is really important as your body needs time to heel. Forget laundry, house work, get yourself a week of early nights. Your body will thank you.

May you all have a healthy winter and hope this is helpful! 

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Always,