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Baked salmon garnished with asparagus and tomatoes with herbs

19 Shabbat Recipes for Families with All the Allergies

11 Delicious Ways to Use All the Food Your Kids Waste

RECIPE: Challah Pizza Roll-Ups

Home made Chicken Rice Soup - from above Horizontal

Instant Pot Chicken Soup Recipe That's Just Like Bubbe's

8 Jewish Comfort Food Recipes You Need for the Hard Times

More Recipes

Emily Aronoff Teck,is a multi-tasking Mom,Musician,Educator and Student who enjoys food,dogs,and 苹果beplayFacebook in addition to her work and family."Miss" Emily visits many Jewish communities to share celebrations and songs with young children and their grown ups,managesJewishLearningMatters.com, and is finishing her doctoral work in Jewish Education at Gratz College (learn more and download her music for free fromwww.MissEmilyCelebrates.com). Emily lives in Palm Beach County,FL with her super awesome husband,Jason and their ridiculously delicious daughter,Talya.

synagogue

Seriously,Stop With the Shushing!

Emily Aronoff Teck

I'm going to go out on a limb here and bet that,whenever you were most recently at synagogue,you witnessed someone shushing,eye-rolling,audible sighing,or glaring at another person during… services.And if you have small kids,I'm going to take this a step further and bet that this behavior was directed at you or your offspring.But I'm here to say that this needs to be stopped.Finished.Shut down,once and for all.And,to be clear,I'm talking about the shushing and…>> Read More

Israel

Here's How To Make Israeli Independence Day Mean Something for Little Kids

Emily Aronoff Teck

以色列新生儿以色列国旗。Concept photo Israel,Israeli,citizen,patriotism,family,childhood,fertility rate.

I love Israel,but I also recognize that it isn't a perfect place.I have mixed feelings about the Jewish state's politics and policies — but that matters exactly 0% in the approach I take… toward sharing Israel's Independence Day,Yom Ha'atzmaut,with my kids.The definition of "independence" is not something most little kids can easily articulate,which can make a meaningful recognition of Yom Ha'atzmaut — which starts this year on the evening of Wednesday,April 18 — difficult with very young children.Difficult,perhaps — but not impossible.…>> Read More

Passover

Four Hacks To Make Your Passover Seder More Fun

Emily Aronoff Teck

No joke: I love hosting the Passover seder.I love feeding people — I'm both Jewish and Southern,so this is deeply engrained in me.I love educating people,and I love being Jewish,so the… seder is a perfect opportunity to gather the ones I love for a meal — a meal during which they are actually open to me sharing all sorts of fun facts,songs,and stories.If it were up to me,I'd fill every shared meal with readings and inspired discussions.That's not realistic,of course.…>> Read More

kids

5 Things Your Little Kid Isn't (I Promise)

Emily Aronoff Teck

There is a part of the Jewish morning service in which we thank God for giving us a soul that is pure.The first story in the Torah teaches is that we are made ‘in God's image'.I try to… remember these things when people are jerks.I believe that we are all responsible for ourselves,so I'm comfortable accepting that some of the adults that I interact with are a**holes.Little kids,however,are awesome.Yet they are sometimes described with adjectives they don't deserve.I'm calling shenanigans on unkind words I hear assigned…>> Read More

parenting

Stop Teaching Kids That This Holiday is About Saying "Sorry"

Emily Aronoff Teck

Can we stop teaching little kids that Yom Kippur is a day for saying "I'm sorry"?That seems to be the big idea that I keep hearing—from smart people!But we can do better.I know this… might seem counterintuitive.There are lots of children's books,songs and videos and likely many a children's service sermon that disagrees.Yom Kippur is a day of repentance,and Jewish tradition teaches that the days leading up to it are for introspection,reflection,and apologies.We take inventory of ourselves and our behavior;we pray,…>> Read More

shabbat

I Was Leading a Kids' Service,but My Kid's Behavior Still Embarrassed Me

Emily Aronoff Teck

Toddler in pink tutu and ballet shoes standing in vintage hallway (cropped)

It is a pretty common scene,I think: early on a Friday evening,(tired) families gather for a short service before the ‘main' worship service.Before it begins,we play simple,upbeat,Shabbat… music while the parents schmooze and settle,the kids color name tags.We always start a few minutes after the "start" time because "Jewish" time + getting kids in car seats = tardiness.The sanctuary has the first few rows of chairs removed,leaving a carpet where kids can sit and move,with chairs on…>> Read More

breastfeeding

What Happened When I Breastfed in a Mosque,Synagogue & Church

Emily Aronoff Teck

I recently had occasion to visit a mosque,and it was a wonderful experience.The building was beautiful,the people were welcoming and the education I received was fascinating.I walked in with my… 22 month-old in my arms and my 2-month-baby in a stroller and accidentally steered the whole family right into the men's section.Regardless of my mistake,I was greeted with a sea of smiles,and a man asked if he could help me with my stroller to get to a seat.I accepted the help…>> Read More

3 Awful Questions Not to Ask a New Parent (And What to Ask Instead)

Emily Aronoff Teck

I am a new mom,and I took the classes,read the blogs,and thought I prepared thoroughly—but I did not anticipate what feels like a barrage of questions from both strangers and loved ones that the… simple act of holding a baby seems to invite.People generally mean well,but they often say lame things that lead to uncomfortable or awkward moments that don't feel good for parents.With a touch more consideration and kindness,we can improve the experience of people with babies in public places who are often the target…>> Read More

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