Happy Chanukah!

With literally thousands of pieces of information on the web about this holiday, I decided that a post is not necessary and am sharing this video instead. It is absolutely wonderful to watch Mandi Patankin and his mother make the latkes!

Sharing....time of year...individuation, leaving home for college......

The house and her room is clean, picked up, void of noisy music and the words "just give me one moment of silence please!" echo in my memory and are bouncing off the wall......... replaced with, "Would you at the very least just answer my text messages!" and "When will you be home for the weekend?"
     For some of our teens, the past few years in high school have been a piece of cake, lots of joyous fun times, laughter and very little stress. For too many others, the impact of an economy gone beserk, parents losing jobs and along with that, homes, health insurance and savings. The ability to provide for our families becomes a struggle unlike any other........ our self esteem and sense of who we are is altered as time goes by without successful replacement of a job lost. Serious lifestyle changes have to be implemented and many of them met with lots of resistance and resentment from teens unable to grasp the severity of the loss. In many homes, depression settles in but often is not recognized and since isolation is a by-product of job loss, there is no-one to perceive the subtle changes occurring and so life as it was succumbs to the anxiety of a survival mindset and instinct.
     I know, my job was one of the early casualties just prior to the big "crash". My teenage daughter and I were devastated, however not broken. After the announcement that I could no longer pay the tuition for her extra-curricular theater arts program, she negotiated a barter contract for herself and the studio. I was so proud of her. Today, she is sitting on excess hours earned over and above the cost of her tuition, has been hired as an assistant teacher and is very much loved by parents and peers. She has chosen her passion for the performing arts and I am certain she will always choose Sondheim and Gershwin over any current and latest pop-singer. She was accepted into the American Musical and Dramatic arts Academy but because we are in no position to pay the tuition, she's decided to attend a state college. I am so very proud of her and miss her...........and deep down inside, I know she will be okay, will make wise decisions, be a great Jewish mother some day........ "Apples do not fall too far from their tree" so my rabbi once told me......

Recipes, Recipes, Recipes....

 

Recipe submissions: Click on the postcard image on the “cookbook” tab at www.facebook.com/jewishmomsonline to submit your recipes and an optional personal story of how you include tikkun olam in your kitchen. The goal is to collect up to 126 or 144 recipes by end of June with the desire to have a printed copy just before Rosh Hashana!

Recipe submissions should have first name and at least last initial, contact email and/or phone #, and accurate measurements of ingredients, cooking temperatures etc. Since the book will include a listing of resources, please include your geographical location and organizational affiliation (optional) so that source attributions are listed appropriately All recipes will be tested and tasted, so measurement details are crucial. Adaptation potential of the recipe to keep with the theme of cookbook will be an important component of consideration. A portion of the proceeds will be split between non-profit organizations such as The International Ecotourism Society and Mazon - a Jewish response to hunger. In keeping with the commitment to eco-consciousness, the book will be primarily offered in e-book format with hard-copies as a secondary option.

 

A hearty Todah to those who have submitted recipes and stories…..

 

Shalom.

Sylvia Waxman

There is no place like "home"....

 Is it Jack or Yenta of many trades? Jewish Moms On Line™, Eco-Friendly 101™, Virtually Yours by Sylvia Waxman™, Fair Trade 101™, "Tikkun Olam in the Kitchen™ are housed under the umbrella of Jitterbug Creations™.History of Jitterbug Creations™: About 12 years ago, my then very young daughter and I began a discussion on creating a "mo...mmy at home" business and what we would name it..... At that time we were both enamored, immersed and obsessed with the the "Wizard of Oz" and discovered that the musical number "Jitterbug" was actually cut from the film. She fell in love with the energy of the song and decided this was going to be her music for a talent show performance. Simultaneously we were brainstorming for a business name and it seemed natural that we honor the energy of the music and by association the message of the film itself. Discover your own path in life, look within for your own strength, confront your problems, home is where your heart is, allow yourself to visualize future possibilities by looking over the rainbow, stay true to your values, be positive and positive things will happen, the solution is always closer to home and often are right at your feet. Today it only seems natural to house all of the different projects under Jitterbug Creations™. It is in constant motion, morphing and evolving as we expand, contract and grow....within each of these projects for self and others we have found our passions and continue humming to the tunes of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Jitterbug".......(Is it Jack or Yenta of many trades? Jewish Moms On Line™, Eco-Friendly 101™, Virtually Yours by Sylvia Waxman™, Fair Trade 101™, "Tikkun Olam in the Kitchen™ are housed under the umbrella of Jitterbug Creations™.)

 

 

A bissel background aboutJitterbug Creations™: About 12 years ago, my then very young daughter and I began a discussion on creating a "mommy at home" business and what we would name it..... At that time we were both enamored, immersed and obsessed with the the "Wizard of Oz" and discovered that the musical number "Jitterbug" was ...actually cut from the film. She fell in love with the energy of the song and decided this was going to be her music for a talent show performance. Simultaneously we were brainstorming for a business name and it seemed natural that we honor the energy of the music and by association the message of the film itself. Discover your own path in life, look within for your own strength, confront your problems, home is where your heart is, allow yourself to visualize future possibilities by looking over the rainbow, stay true to your values, be positive and positive things will happen, the solution is always closer to home and often right at your feet. Today it only seems natural to house all of the different projects under Jitterbug Creations™. It is in constant motion, morphing and evolving as we expand, contract and grow.......within each of these projects for self and others we have found our passions and continue humming to the tunes of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Jitterbug".....

 

Shabbat Shalom

Sylvia Waxman

 

 

G_dcast

Parshat Bemidbar from G-dcast.com

More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

Why our word choice matters | Exchange | Ode Magazine

Why our word choice matters Exchange Ode Magazine

"Tikkun Olam in the Kitchen"

This Jewish Mom On Line had not seen Julie & Julia until last night.....and while some may have absorbed the delightful character of Julia Child and her delicious recipes.... at the end of the movie I was in tears...... my emotional connectedness was via the character of Julie. Her focus and knowledge that she had to commit to a goal set by the internal need to satisfy her love of writing and simultaneously, cooking.  I have owned the book referenced in this movie for at least 25 years but I am also the owner of about 300 or so cookbooks!! Always with the want of someday gathering all my recipes and begin to write...... I did not want my book to be just any cookbook, I needed it to also be a book with a connection to the core of my values. A project started 15 years ago and has morphed, evolved and grown as I have has finally rested into a cookbook titled "Tikkun Olam in the Kitchen". I love to cook, I am a vegetarian, am the creator of Eco-Friendly 101 and know from my own experience with creating recipes, shopping for ingredients and cooking that it is definitely on my list of the most satisfying, endorphin inducing and many times has been the ultimate expression of a deep spiritual self...... Stay tuned for the progress of "Tikkun Olam in the Kitchen"......

@HebrewU, 4/12/10 12:24 AM

Hebrew University (@HebrewU) 4/12/10 12:24 AM In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day check out the amazing historical films at the #HebrewU #StevenSpielbergArchives http://bit.ly/40WdKH

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Sharing Tikkun Daily

Sharing some excellent blog posts on Tikkun Daily!
http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2010/04/01/the-obama-cult-part-two/

Standing room only at wilshire blvd temple for LAAAJC African American Jewish Seder. Awesome! http://twitpic.com/1cikom

Tweet from AJC Los Angeles(@ajcla) Standing room only at wilshire blvd temple for LAAAJC African American Jewish Seder. Awesome! http://twitpic.com/1cikom

6h ago via TwitBird iPhone

See More: http://twitter.com/ajcla/status/11455816485

Sylvia Waxman

(559) 349-6368

Sent from my IPhone

Charoset with a kick and a warning....

Just finished making Yemenite Charoset - with a little kick of chili pepper!! Getting four questions ready in multiple languages .... here is a tip from OU. It seems that pre Passover preparations increases kitchen accidents........

 

Passover Safety Tips

provided by the New York Board of Rabbis

The week prior to Pesach is a high scald and burn time within the Jewish community. Special burn prevention care needs to be taken at this time.

1. Never allow children near boiling water when cleaning for Pesach. Adults need to take extra precautions at this time as well.

2. Be aware that oven cleaners (such as Easy-Off) cause severe burns. Be extremely cautious when using these products.

3. Bedikat Chametz (Searching for Chametz)

a. Keep the candle away from all flammable objects, especially curtains, sofas, tablecloths.

b. SUPERVISE CHILDREN CLOSELY AT ALL TIMES!

4. Burning Chametz

a. Keep an extra close eye on children at this time.

b. If possible, set up a buddy system where an older child is placed with a younger child.

c. Never use any type of accelerant to increase the flame. Never put any type of aerosol can in or near the flame.

5. Preparing for Seder in the kitchen - Increased activity and excitement often make people less careful just when they should be most cautious. A "NO ZONE" around both the stove and the blech should be created and children forbidden to enter these areas.

6. Always turn pot handles inward to keep pots from being pulled down by a child or knocked off by an adult.

7. Candles/Licht - Keep Shabbat, Yom Tov and Yahrzeit candles on sideboards, out of the reach of small children. If candles are on the table, keep them in the center where they are less likely to be pulled down by a small child.

With best wishes for a safe and enjoyable yomtov!

Safe Homes, Safe Shuls, Safe Schools

The OU.ORG Pesach section is compiled from different sources, including The Book of Our Heritage by Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov.

Moroccan Charoset

Morrocan Charoset and other recipes at Jewish Moms On Line website

Degrees of social media separation!

33 years ago we lived in a small community with a fledgling brand new
congregation and a fairly youn rabbi! We moved to another city during
which was then a highly mobile population. Over the years our lives
went on and we lost touch with rabbi and family. Tonight, by sheer
coincidence and serendipity, Jewish Moms On Line was communicating
with another FB friend when I realized that she was the daughter of
the rabbi we lost touch with!!!! I have to ask the readers, how is
your life richer because of social media?

"Tikkun Olam in the Kitchen"

Jewish Moms On Line is currently accepting recipes for a new vegetarian cookbook with the Jewish theme of "Tikkun Olam", repairing the world.

 

Facebook, Twitter and Blogging! Oy Vay!

Working on cookbook and b l o g g i n g !!