Is your family looking for a way to serve on Christmas Day? Jewish Volunteer Connection is organizing volunteers to work together to serve the community on Dec. 25. Volunteers will go to soup kitchens, visit hospital patients and nursing home residents at more than a dozen sites around Baltimore. They will also assemble more than [...]
Archive for December, 2009
Mitzvah Day
Thursday, December 24th, 2009Tis the day before Christmas
Thursday, December 24th, 2009Christmas Eve is my favorite. I love the anticipation of the day, the excitement, the traditions and the time to just be together as a family. We have a few traditions, some that only happen years that my husband doesn’t work, and some that we make happen every year. The first is that the kids [...]
5 tips to help you enjoy the holidays
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009This blog was written by co-editor Cheryl Clemens: Big meal, presents, decorated tree, out-of-town company, long distance phone calls … I’m already getting stressed about Christmas day. Here is what I’ve decided to keep in mind that day to keep everything in perspective and actually enjoy myself: 1. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect. In [...]
JCC Family Fun On Dec. 25
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009Every year the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Baltimore opens its doors on December 25th for a special Jewish-themed program specially designed for families. This year the JCC will be celebrating Shabbat – the Jewish Sabbath that arrives at sundown on Friday nights – with a day of Relaxation, Creation and ReJEWVenation. From 11:30 a.m. [...]
City firefighters visit Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009Baltimore City Firefighters played Santa for patients at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital on Dec. 17, spreading plenty of good cheer while delivering boxes and boxes of toys, t-shirts and other gifts to the children. “We’ve been doing this for the past six years — we just love doing it — and it’s very rewarding for [...]
Snow brings out the neighborhood
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009There are many great things about snow but the absolute best is the neighborliness it brings out. I love our street when it snows. First of all, you can count on the fact that someone will host a chili dinner the night of any significant snow fall. This tradition was started years ago by the [...]
When growing hurts
Monday, December 21st, 2009Katie Sopp used to wake up with excruciating pains in her knees. It would happen every other week or so from the time she was 5 until she was 9, explained her mother, Sharon Sopp of Marriottsville. She was very active at the time, and Sopp treated her daughter with ibuprofen and ice packs — [...]
Christmas kitten
Monday, December 21st, 2009Last week my husband and I brought home an early Christmas present for the kids. A small infestation of mice (we caught two in a week) was the clincher in making this purchase decision. It seemed the right time to replace Willie, our 17-year-old cat who died last spring. I have to admit that I [...]
Kwanzaa Family Day
Friday, December 18th, 2009Celebrate Kwanza this Sunday at the Baltimore Museum of Art with family activities including a costume shop, hands-on art-making activities and special family performances. Kwanza Family Day will be held Dec. 20 from 1-5 p.m. and is free. There will be a “Seven Principles of Kwanzaa” Gallery Hunt where the family can learn more about [...]
What Katie reminded me of at the holiday lunch the other day
Friday, December 18th, 2009This blog was written by my co-editor Cheryl Clemens: I spent the better part of our company holiday lunch the other day holding one of my co-worker’s 1-year-old daughter Katie. She sat on my lap, babbled sweetly, chewed on breadsticks and basically just charmed everyone at the table. I hated to give her back to [...]