From the time of the end of Passover until Shavuot (which ended last Thursday night), many Jews place restrictions on their behavior which I have written about before during the period of counting the Omer (49 days from Passover to the giving of the 10 Commandments at Mt. Sinai).

Historically, this period was also one of a horrible plague that struck the students of the great Rabbi Akiva, and so certain mourning rituals were adopted during this period such as no weddings, no purchasing new clothing, and no listening to live music. Read more →

This week’s most popular posts, in case you missed them.

-The Book of Ruth–A Story Close to this Convert’s Heart On Shavuot, the Book of Ruth is traditionally read. After her husband dies, Ruth, a Moabite woman, follows her Israelite mother-in-law into the Jewish people with the famous words, “Whither you go, I will go, wherever you lodge, I will lodge, your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” For Tamara, who converted to Judaism six years ago, this story hits especially close to home.

-Today, I’m Thankful for the Other Mothers in My Life. Here’s a lovely piece about recognizing the importance of the other mothers in your life, the ones who accept and love your kids for who they are.

-Jewish Mother’s Day, With a Side of Guilt What does it mean when your son gives you a Mother’s Day card with a drawing of Darth Vader on it? For Jordana, it was a Jewish Mother’s Day with an extra side order of guilt

-Let’s Stop Fat Shaming at the Bris For her nephew’s bris, Tamar baked a delicious array of goodies. Upon seeing them, all the women in the family began the traditional recitation of guilt: “Uch, this is SO BAD. I should NOT eat any of this.” “Don’t let me have ANY of this.” “This isn’t going to help me stay good.” And then she yelled at them to stop

Publicity is an important part of my job. That means I have a publicist (who is really cool and she’s from Houston and has tattoos and wears spiky heels and skinny jeans to the office and she’s really fun) and my publicist has me do interviews with magazines and websites and arranges photo shoots (like the one I did in Paris last week–whaaa!?).

My publicist is happy when “big” outlets want to interview me because that means visibility. It means the possibility for even bigger outlets to take notice of me. It also means that as I try to go for my second Emmy nomination, my name is “out there” in ways that actually do matter and help in the nomination/popularity contest that is my industry.  Read more →

I was in Paris last week for a photo shoot for CBS Watch magazine.

We did a vintage couture retro photo shoot at Hotel Le Bristol. It was very high fashion; big hats, gloves, posing awkwardly like I’m a 6 foot tall 120 pound model in Vogue magazine or something. It was crazy and super strange to be the “model” mostly because I am only 5’4″ and haven’t weighed 120 pounds since my Sweet 16. But it was also neat. And once I got my passport and actually arrived in Paris, it turned out to be a nice trip, if brief. Because I forgot my passport and had to have it overnighted and thus my trip got cut short by a day.  Read more →

This week’s most popular posts from Raising Kvell, in case you missed them.

- My God Rants Are Rubbing Off On My Kids. Pia is going through a lot: a divorce underway, she lost her job, her father is sick, etc. So, she hasn’t been so happy with God, and now she knows her kids can tell.

- When Mom Gets a Tattoo. With kids aged 22, 19, and 3, the one thing Gayle’s learned is how fast time flies by. So, she got a tattoo to commemorate her kids, to remind herself that while they will move on, she will always be their permanent home.

- How a Mormon Teaches Her Child to Pray. As part of our ongoing series about God and kids, Joyce tells her how she’s making sure her Mormon faith will be passed down to her son–by teaching him to pray.

- No Matter How Many Kids You Have, You’ll Be Stressed. A recent survey determined that moms with three kids are the most stressed out, but Jordana, a soon-to-be mom of five, assures us that no matter how many kids you have, you’ll be stressed out.

I spent the weekend in Atlanta. I had Shabbos with my best friend and her husband and their two very cute and sweet sons and some really neat friends of theirs. I also spoke at a STEM event to benefit Yeshiva Atlanta sponsored by the Hebrew Order of David, a sort of grown-up fraternity for Jewish men which I never knew existed. It was a lovely weekend.

I was supposed to go to Paris Monday, because I am doing a photo shoot for CBS Watch magazine, and although it was to be a short trip, I was trying to be excited. Read more →

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Remember Ezra? The little boy I met through The Gift of Life who needs a bone marrow match? And remember I did a whole Miracle Match campaign with The Maccabeats to raise money to process cheek-swab kits and encourage people to get swabbed and become registered as donors?

Sadly, Ezra has not found a match…

However! Peter Yarrow (as in Peter, Paul, and Mary) recently learned about Ezra and is holding a benefit concert on behalf of Ezra and The Gift of Life. I happen to be a huge fan of Peter, Paul, and Mary and I am clearly a huge fan of Ezra so this is a win-win event, am I right!?

Please support this wonderful cause and visit www.makesomemiracles.com for more information about how you can get involved and possibly be the match that literally saves someone’s life.

The most popular posts from Raising Kvell this week, in case you missed them.

- Overcoming My Eating Disorder & Raising a Healthy Daughter. Tova was hospitilized for her eating disorder 10 years before her daughter was born. Now, she’s extra cautious with how she talks about food and health around her little girl.

- How to Announce Your Fifth Pregnancy When Your Friends are Still Trying for One. Jordana is pregnant with her fifth, but is keenly aware of how painful her news can be to friends struggling with infertility.

- My Sensory Sensitive Son Will Only Wear His Shabbos Clothes. Two-year-old Shaya is sensory sensitive, which effects everything from how he wears his hair to what clothes he will (or will not) wear.

- A Potential Client Told Me I Shouldn’t Become a Mother. After a potential client Googled me and read my posts about trying to become a single mother, she told I shouldn’t do it, that I’d be making a huge mistake and harming my career.

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As a lactation educator counselor and someone who struggled to breastfeed both of my sons, I’d like to weigh in on this measuring breast milk stuff (in which a new device measures how much milk is in your breast before and after a feeding; Carla Naumburg wrote about it on Kveller yesterday).

What I think is important to know is something I learned when I went to the Los Angeles County Fair several years ago. (It was the first and last time, since I did not expect pig races and that was totally not cool with me nor will it ever be.) There was a “dairy” display and they had dozens of different types of cows on display. Next to each cow’s pen was a little sign with their name, and the type of cow they are, and a list of what their milk is best used for.  Read more →

I know that I have so much to be grateful for, and I am. I live in a country of democratic ideals (even though it’s not perfect), I have a roof over my head, money for food and clothing and medicine, I am in fairly good health, I am employed, I have friends and family who love me.

I’ve talked a lot here on Kveller about my religious faith, even in the face of my horrible car accident, and even in the face of doubt and fear. And I think I have realized that it is that sense of faith that helps me get through my moments/hours/days/weeks/months of despair. Read more →