“Caller – Are You There?”
Dear That’s Life, I think my Bubby called my cell phone last shabbos. The first problem is that she did not leave a message so I do not know for sure. The second issue is that she died 14 years ago. Ironically, the issue of her calling on shabbos is actually not a problem at [...]
More Than Words
Dear That’s Life, It’s fair to say I’m often unable to correctly spell or even define the winning word in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. But this year, when a 13- year old boy of Indian descent from Queens, NY correctly spelled ‘knaidel’ and with that won the national championship, I got it right. Arguments [...]
Life Has Not Changed a Bit
Dear That’s Life, There is a comfort in knowing that crazy still follows me everywhere, even after 5 months of radio silence. I know: I have been rather delinquent about posting to my blog. And I apologize. But thanks to recent events, I have made time to actually sit down at my computer and do [...]
It’s MIRAM, Stupid.
Dear That’s Life, I know I have written about my name before. And I know many of you are sick of hearing me complain about how people mispronounce my name and how much it bothers me because they butcher your name even worse than they do mine (see: my brother, Ranon). I was particularly perplexed [...]
Here Comes the Sun
Dear That’s Life, You know life has changed when my toddler tells her Morah (teacher) that I did not bring her to school that morning because, “[Mommy] is on line for gas” – and that is a completely acceptable answer, even to my daughter. It has been almost four weeks since I last posted, with [...]
Oh, Just Be Quiet.
Dear That’s Life, I often hear words or phrases coming out of my children’s mouths that I know I have said myself. Sarcastic tone, excellent timing and pitch perfect, it is as if I am a ventriloquist, able to throw my voice and have it come out of the mouths of babes. It is when [...]
Lights, Camera, Action? No, Thank you.
Dear That’s Life, Without exaggeration, I have heard the line “You guys should really have a reality TV show” no less than five times over the last few weeks. From different people under varying circumstance, it seems people around me are being entertained by my life, regardless if I find the moment entertaining or not [...]
Better Late Than Never: Thank You, Ira and Mindy
Dear Mindy and Ira, Having been given the opportunity to attend Championsgate again this year, my husband Stephen and I decided to extend our trip to Orlando and enjoy a mini-vacation. While visiting Disney’s EPCOT Center, we met a remarkable woman from Wales and her mother – a happenstance interaction with complete strangers which reinforced [...]
Our Perfect #6
Dear That’s Life, It seemed when she was born, she was the perfect #6. Amenable to everything, never talked back and simply happy being held, I took her where ever I went. She was the cutest accessory known to mankind. Even after schlepping through the Magic Kingdom when she was about a year old and [...]
Enjoy the Silence? I Don’t Think So.
Dear That’s Life, While there are plenty of people who can only work in sterile and silent conditions that make libraries look like carnivals, I flourish amidst noise and chaos. The noisier, the better. Music blaring in my ears, I cannot concentrate unless life is going on around me, with an added dose of Van [...]
Men of Few Words
Dear That’s Life, As a parent, there are numerous stages in a child’s development that register in my memory as seminal moments. A first step, a solo in the school play or a child’s first night sleeping out of the house all serve as major milestones, each with their own significance. And while we are [...]
Excuse Me, Are You Jewish?
Dear That’s Life, There is often a comfort in numbers – a benefit to having shared the same experience with others. While I appreciate that my kids are not the only children to engage in the following behavior, it does not make me feel better to know that your child does this, too. And though [...]
There’s a Bathroom on the Right
Dear That’s Life, You do not know a person until you live with them. That’s the bottom line. I joke that before we were engaged to be married, I did not know my husband was a Mets fan nor that he would never play Scrabble with me. I did not know he did not like [...]
Instant Karma Came and Got Me
Dear That’s Life, I should have known better. After all, I have warned others not to do this, and yet, I did it myself. And as a person who believes in its strength, I should have resisted temptation, though I did not. I gave in – and it is my fault. What in the world [...]
Never Left Dodge
Dear That’s Life, The “go-bags” are at the door, flashlights ready and all of our outdoor furniture has been brought inside. Religiously monitoring Irene’s track as she goes up the east coast, we did not leave our home despite the call for a mandatory evacuation of this area. “I AM emergency services,” said my husband, [...]
Intense Waiters, Y’all
Dear That’s Life, With day camp ending and my girls having returned last week from sleepaway, the school year seems to be right around the corner. Some take the opportunity to get away for a couple of days, others scour stores for back to school sales, and many do a little of both. For a [...]
Time-Out for Mommy?
Dear That’s Life, I thought the conversation was over. The jury was back, the case closed. I thought I had made myself clear, but clearly, I was wrong. Now, I needed to be punished, or so concluded my younger son. The Kletzky tragedy sent every parent into a tailspin, and for good reason. In an [...]
Old Friends (Sat on the Park Bench Like Bookends)
Dear That’s Life, There is nothing like getting together with old friends. People who still call you by your maiden name, no matter how long you’ve been married or how many kids you have, because you’re still the person they remember from fifth grade. They put up with all of your craziness, know all of [...]
Not Your Typical ‘Ninth of Av’ Reading Material
Dear That’s Life, A principal I once worked for joked that G-d was clearly not a school administrator. If He was, so many major Jewish holidays would not have been scheduled in the first month of school. As it is, between all of the days off, you can often count the number of days in [...]
Black Socks
Dear That’s Life, There are certain friends in your life that are more family than friends. You know you’re not blood relatives, although the bond between you is often tighter and stronger than some with whom you share DNA. I know I’ve said that before but it bears repeating, because it is for those individuals [...]
