December 2011 - The Culture Mom

29Dec

Our Winter Family Getaway to the Hamptons

We recently spent a few nights in Montauk. I know what you're thinking. Why go there in the winter time? What could there possibly be to do? Well, we were thinking the same thing at first, but our love for the area won out and we decided to spend part of our winter break there. We headed to the Panoramic View Resort & Residences where we stayed in an oceanfront room in one their beach cottages. We stayed in a one bedroom suite which has a separate living room with a sofa bed. It has a small kitchen with a refrigerator and stove top Read More

28Dec

Review and Discount Code: The Amazing Max and the Box of Interesting Things

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On Christmas Eve, we made our way into the city to catch The Amazing Max and The Box of Interesting Things at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. We had seen Freckleface Strawberry two weeks prior at the same theater, and my son, also named Max, was eager to return to catch his namesake performing magic. The Amazing Max is a young, eclectic magician who declares himself as psychic at the show's start. After every magic trick, he asks that the audience shout out "AMAZING!" He utilizes audience participation to the max during the course of the Read More

27Dec

My Personal and Professional Achievements in 2011

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At the end of last year I wrote about how social media had opened doors for me that I never imagined would open. This year, that continued and there were many wonderful opportunities that presented themselves as a result of my work. To name a few: *My work at Ruckus Media Group has continued to thrive and I have been able to oversee their campaign as a partner of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. For the last six weeks, we have donated a portion of sales to children who need it most and I am very proud of our work. *I launched a company Read More

27Dec

My Pop Culture Best of List 2011

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Here's a short top 10 of my richest pop cultural experiences of 2011: Best Movies: I loved that my son enjoyed the dazzling film directed by Martin Scorcese, Hugo, just as much as I did. A long time fan of Woody Allen, I adored Midnight in Paris and found it just as compelling and genuine as some of his early films. I saw it in a Brooklyn film house with other longtime Woody Allen fans and it was one of my most memorable cinematic experiences of the year. I laughed out loud with all the ladies of the hit movie Bridesmaids and am thrilled that Read More

26Dec

Candle Seven: Growing Up a Fish Out Of Water

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When I was growing up in Atlanta, there were less than 100,000 Jewish residents in a city of several million. My parents had moved there from Philadelphia, and they retained much of that Northern Jewishness that set us apart growing up. Much of that was cultural - bagels and lox on Sunday mornings, for example, instead of grits and fried chicken. We were members of the Temple, the biggest Reform shul in the city, and my sisters and I went to Sunday School and were had Bat Mitzvahs and confirmations. We were involved members of the community, and it Read More

25Dec

Snowshoeing for the First Time in Beaver Creek

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Last week, while vacationing in Beaver Creek, Colorado, I went snowshoeing for the first time. It was a sport I'd never thought about before, and I was eager to try it. It's also a sport that has a big following all over the world. You can either snowshoe for pleasure, or you can race competitively (believe me, I know what I'm talking about, I met several people who do it). According to the Snow Sports Industries America, snowshoe sales are up 21% in units and up 20% in dollars sold through February this season. If you like sports, particularly Read More

25Dec

Digging up an Old Post: Our Jewish Christmas

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(This is a repost from last year. I will be posting a new Hanukkah tomorrow, as well, as part of the Hanukkah Hooplah blogger Hanukkah showdown) I grew up in a home with a mother who was desperately trying to shed some of her Jewish identity that she felt was forced down her throat. Her parents had kept a strictly Kosher house. Though they weren’t religious, she felt denied…..denied of having the experience of even just knowing how other people lived. She lived in a very Italian neighborhood, so I am sure that Jewish people were a minority. She Read More

23Dec

A Hit in My House: Ricotta Cheese Latkes

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Every since I mentioned my Ricotta Latke recipe at the Hanukkah Hooplah Twitter Party, I have been asked by several people for the recipe. I wanted to make it one more time this year before I released it to you, and I'm happy that I did tonight. We hosted our annual party with two other families and I decided to add it to the menu. It was a diary meal, and I wanted to add it to the repertoire of food, which did include potato latkes, as well. It was a good thing I did. They were wildly successful, and I have to say, much easier to make than the Read More

23Dec

Eating Out in Beaver Creek Resort (With and Without the Kids)

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Beaver Creek Village has all kinds of choices for families of all shapes and sizes when it comes to finding something to please everyone after a day on the snow. Whether you're eating out with the family, or manage to slip away on your own on a date, there are wonderful options all over the resort. You can go low key, or slightly fancy, and it's always possible to find solid options. Here are some of our favorite culinary spots to check out while you're visiting, both with and without the kids: Starting with the kids: Toscanini is located in Read More

21Dec

Capturing Ski Memories with the Help of Epic Mix

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I was really excited when I was skiing in Vail recently and learned about Epic Mix. Epic Mix is a whole new way of skiing and capturing yourself on camera. You no longer have to worry about carrying your camera on the slopes and having to stop in your tracks on the mountain. Photographers are scattered around the mountain taking photographs and the photos are captured on your EpixMix card, which also serves as your lift ticket. It's inside your pocket, not even out, and manages to capture all the day's memories. It doesn't only take pictures, it Read More