A Not-Unhappy Halloween

by | Nov 1, 2016 | Family Life

And Halloween had a happy ending. My son has decided at thirteen he’s too old to trick or treat and too lazy to throw a party. Since I hate Halloween, we agreed to watch a movie together. The earlier part of the evening was spent at a much-more-game...

Books, Travels, and Sasquatch

by | Oct 14, 2016 | Book Promotion, Family Life

So speaking of becoming a man (as I’ve done the past few blog posts), one of my oldest, dearest friends from college finally tied the knot this past weekend. I say “finally,” because I remember the two of us in Mona’s bar on Avenue B in New...

Bar Mitzvah Then & Now: 1953 vs. 2016

by | Sep 23, 2016 | Family Life, Jewish

Sixty-three years ago, my father had his bar mitzvah. Six days ago, my son had his bar mitzvah. While the ceremonies themselves were likely the same–and since both were in Conservative synagogues, there are no photos documenting either event, although we staged...

Tomorrow, He Is a Man

by | Sep 16, 2016 | Family Life, Jewish

My time as a blogger for the Deb Ball is over, which is both sad—I enjoyed the camaraderie of the group blog—and happy—my book has launched and I’m now working on my sophomore effort. What that means, though, in theory is that I will be back on this blog more...
An Independence Story

An Independence Story

by | Jul 11, 2016 | Family Life

My son turns 13 next month, and I’m trying to give him more responsibility and independence. While we were still in NYC, my husband had to work and I took my daughter to Queens to visit one of her camp friends. I gave my son a few bucks and told him he was...