September 2013 - The Culture Mom

29Sep

On Nicole Holofcener’s “Enough Said”

I knew I would love Enough Said. It had my name written all over it. Besides, it was written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, director ofWalking & Talking, Lovely & Amazing, Friends With Money, and Please Give, four movies I adore. My sister worked on the production of Lovely & Amazing, and I went to the NYC premiere and even met her briefly. Her films speak volumes to me and to other women. They’re smart, female-driven stories about flawed individuals like you and me. They're snippets from real life and are completely relatable. There Read More

26Sep

A Disappointing Romeo & Juliet

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Six years ago, I saw a production of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet in NYC's Central Park and it was magical. For one thing, the set and lighting played an instrumental part in the production. The set was surrounded by water, providing a sense of urgency and the stage was alive with the fighting between the Montagues and Capulets. But most of all, Lauren Ambrose played a fiercely passionate Juliet to Oscar Isaac's Romeo and her performance has forever lingered in my mind. Back then the New York Times' Ben Brantley best summed up her performance: Read More

26Sep

Me and My Shadow at the New Victory

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A shadow takes the lead role in Me and My Shadow, a visually rich and whimsical play by the renowned Patch Theatre Company (Pigs, Bears and Billy Goats Gruff, New Vic 2008), Australia’s flagship theater company for children ages four to eight. A Helpmann Award winner for Best Presentation for Children in Australia, Me and My Shadowmakes its U.S. Debut at The New Victory Theater for a limited engagement from October 19 – 20, 2013. In a playground of paper, light, music and magic, a whimsical story about childhood friendship comes to life when one young Read More

23Sep

Keeping Global Promises to Mothers and Children

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I can't believe that I had my first daughter 10-1/2 years ago. It feels like yesterday, and for some reason, the images are more vivid than when I had my second child a few years later. It was an induced pregnancy, so we went in to the hospital rather leisurely on a week night. I laid on a table and was given medication to send my soon-to-be child a signal that it was time to come into the world. After nine months of carrying her around in my belly and readying the house and my life to include a new child, my husband and I were more than ready to Read More

23Sep

A Return to the Land of the Living

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When I left my full time job after my first daughter was born, I don’t think I was fully functioning. Call it post partum. Call it temporary insanity. I don’t know what you would call it. All I know is that within days after my departure, I felt a hole in my gut and I knew I had made the wrong decision. I had looked to stay-at-home moms with a tinge of jealousy before leaving the work-force and I really wanted to be home with my daughter. Then I got pregnant and had two babies at home, and I knew it was wrong. For me, anyway (please don't read this Read More

20Sep

A Homemade Sukkah and Challah

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Raising my kids with Jewish tradition in their lives has always been a priority for me, but it's something that I've had to teach myself. I wasn't raised observing all of the Jewish holidays, just the major ones. But when I joined a conservative shul as an adult, I immediately felt a pull toward a lot of the traditions and I've embraced them...in my own way. I wouldn't call my family observant at all, and I often wish I could do more, but I do know that my kids know who they are, where they came from and that they will take what we do through their Read More

18Sep

A Tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

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On our recent trip to London while exploring the city with the kids, I came to a realization that we were minutes from Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and that in all the many times I've visited, I've never been. A Shakespeare fan since high school, I really wanted to visit the home of all his early works. One caveat: my kids were with me. Would they make it through the 45 minute tour? And I had my niece. It would be a daring feat, but I was determined to try. A bit of history about the theatre: It was up and running in 1599 and Shakespeare started to have Read More

18Sep

When Do Working Moms Sleep?

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Working Moms. Hmmmm. I've recently gone back to work in an office after working from home for the last year, and it's quite a change. Granted, my kids are no longer young. But there is a lot of activities to keep up with and I think they kind of got used to me being around. However, when I call to check in late in the day, they sound pretty happy and our mornings are actually much more sane and civilized than they've been in a long time. My kids are more punctual than ever before and are giving us enough time to walk to school, now that I have to Read More

17Sep

Guest Post: Expedia + St. Jude – Travel that gives back

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The Culture Mom was invited to Memphis, Tennessee to participate in an informative few days with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The trip was sponsored by Expedia. September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Expedia is doing their part in all of this by launching over 150 travel giveaways and exclusive hotel coupons to help travelers support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It’s such a great way to be a part of this amazing hospital and everything St Jude has created. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital opened in 1962 and Read More

15Sep

Teaching Kids at the Museum of Jewish Heritage

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On a recent afternoon, I took my children to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in downtown NYC. Located in the center of Battery Park City, the mission of the Museum is to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the broad tapestry of Jewish life in the 20th and 21st centuries—before, during, and after the Holocaust. While I personally have a deep-rooted interest in the Holocaust, I wondered if the museum would appeal to my two young children and I feared that the exhibit’s content would be too provocative for them. Fortunately, the museum offers Read More