Opinion Archives - Page 3 of 23

27Mar

Week 3: Middle-Aged Personal Training at Encore Fitness

This week I had my 3rd training session with Robert Lankard, one of the two founders at Encore Fitness. It may have been session #3, but I have to admit it was the first time I actually felt pain the next day. It was also the first time I actually felt like the work outs were starting to have an effect. As soon as I left Encore, I felt sensation in my legs walking up steps in the subway. I took that as a good sign. As the days have come and gone since my work-out, I have felt more compelled to work-out, and that in its own rite is an achievement. For Read More

12Mar

Week 1: Middle-Aged Personal Training at Encore Fitness

Posted by The Culture Mom 14 Comments

My body changed after I had kids. There's no explanation other than hormones, change of daily eating habits and a combination of having less time to exercise and take care of myself. For both my husband and myself, it's real work just to get to the gym. But you know how it is, the less you go, the lazier you get. It's just so much easier to stay in bed for longer periods or do something else - anything else - other than working out. But I know the importance of having a strict exercise regime, especially after enduring major health issues as I have Read More

08Mar

Review: A Happy End at the Abingdon Theatre

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When I got the invite to A HAPPY END, a play by Iddo Netanyaho, a physician and playwright who happens to be the Israeli Prime Minister's brother, I accepted immediately. I tend to gravitate toward Holocaust themed films, plays and TV shows. In 2015, I feel it is moe important than ever to be reminded what happened, as Anti-Semitism is taking hold in places not so very far away, like in Paris and other parts of Europe. The play is appearing at the Abingdon Theatre, in an off-Broadway run through March, and is about a Jewish family in Berlin Read More

06Mar

How I Face My Fears Through Travel

Posted by The Culture Mom 2 Comments

Like anyone else, I have my share of fears. I always have from a very young age. As the youngest of three children, I felt a sense of closeness to my mother that was hard to break away from, and I used to wonder how I would ever leave her behind. But there is one thing that's helped me spread my wings, and that has been travel. I have learned to face my fears through travel. I left home for the first time at age 16 for a semester in Israel. We were pretty poor and didn't really have the money to send me, but my grandfather offered to fund the Read More

27Feb

Going Back in Time with Netflix

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One of the things I love about Netflix is that it takes me back in time to my own childhood. We’ve already watched many of my own favorite films from childhood like Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science and I’ve recently come across a whole slew of films based on books I grew with like A Wrinkle in Time, The Babysitters Club, Hugo, The Babysitter’s Club, James and the Giant Peach, Escape to Witch Mountain and Goosebumps. We've also watched some of my favorite shows like Gilmore Girls, a show that I loved (but after rewatching nearly 200 Read More

15Feb

Fund The Skinny and Get People Talking About Eating Disorders

Posted by The Culture Mom 2 Comments

A little over a year ago, I wrote a piece on Jessie Kahnweiler. Her video series called Meet My Rapist spoke to me on many levels. It was a blunt response to her own rape that occurred as a college student while in Vietnam by playing herself being followed by her rapist. She took an extremely bad moment in her life and used it to teach people through storytelling and it was really powerful. Since then, Kahnweiler has gone on to do more great things that wake people up, including me, every single time. Using the power of comedy and video, she produces Read More

13Feb

A Mom in Pursuit of Solo Travel (Sans Guilt)

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I've just spent a few days in the Florida Keys at a resort that's ideal for families. While I'm here, I've experienced several activities my kids would love - from fly fishing to jet skiing to a sunset cruise to a bike ride beyond the property. Only there's one catch - my kids aren't here. I'm on my own after a pursuit of solo travel. I'm actually covering the resort. It was recently renovated and I'll reviewing its new features for several publications I write for. I'm on a press trip with four other journalists. Some have kids, some don't. There Read More

07Feb

Where You’ll Find Me

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Very happy to say that this blog has led to so many freelance writing opportunities over the course of the last few years and that my Journalism degree is paying off! This is the time of month where I share some of my clips, which are listed here, too. My travels, with the kids and without, took me far and near in mid 2014 and I've been writing about them all over the web. Look for future clips on some of my upcoming trips including Hawaii, Washington, DC and Florida (and the year just started): Parade Magazine Five Family-Friendly Read More

25Jan

Up Close and Personal with Paddington’s Nicole Kidman

Posted by The Culture Mom 6 Comments

When I had a last minute opportunity to interview Nicole Kidman a few days ago to promote her new film, Paddington, I was thrilled. A long time fan, I have been following her career of superb performances in some of my favorite films such as To Die For, The Hours, Rabbit Hole, Far and Away, The Portrait of a Lady, Moulin Rouge, The Birthday Girl, Dogville and so many others. She's been in the public spotlight for years, and we all feel like we know her. We've seen her go through a very public break-up, move on to marry a very famous country singer and Read More

22Jan

Something to Get Excited About: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt #StreamTeam

Posted by The Culture Mom 1 Comment

I've written about Netflix often here on ye olde blog. I've written about my binge watching habits, getting my Indie film fix, what I watch with my tween and my deep, fervent love for Orange is the New Black. In a piece on The Broad Side, I wrote that Netflix is championing women's voices: With a staff full of female executives starting from the top down, Netflix is producing original programs that truly are telling important stories about women and raising the bar like no other network to date. Now I'm excited about another one of their Read More