Mommash: The Oy & Joy of Family with Lori Fein

An absolutely incredible conversation with Avigail Gimpel, mother of three sons and three daughters, author of two books on raising a child with ADHD symptoms, college professor, community activist, and exercise enthusiast. Avigail shares how her early experience teaching a class full of rowdy boys led her to think deeply about root causes for ADHD behaviors, and search for diet, exercise, and behavioral strategies to nurture each child's strengths. She discusses the centrality of fun to family life, sending her children off to war, relying on her kids as a multiplier for her work, and how Jewish practice and belief centers her family life. Avigail also shares reflections on her work preparing women for burial after 10/7. Plus, a three-year jaunt to Moscow with toddlers in tow, running marathons as a family, monthly trips to the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Maarat ha Machpelah) in Hebron, avoiding using your kids as your therapists, and building a close community to guide each other in tough times.

While raising eight sons and daughters, Ahava Ehrenpreis overcame numerous challenges to provide her children with a rich experience including world travel, academic achievement, and deep support from family. An incredibly positive and spiritual person, and an accomplished author of numerous articles and three books, Ahava shares her experiences raising her large family, including a child with Down's Syndrome, her son Saadya; we dive deep into how the siblings both supported him and grew themselves through love of and interactions with their brother. We discuss fostering Saadya's independence, including riding NY subways and attending college, and draw lessons applicable to all children. We also discuss how parents and families can overcome tragedy, including how Ahava dealt with the loss of two sons. Plus, schlepping kids to Japan, summers in Israel, finding balance in a busy life, and unique ways her Jewish community supported her in good and bad times. Ahava Ehrenpreis is author of  More than Special: Perspectives from the World of Special Needs, On My Own…but Not Alone and My Special Uncle, a book for children about special needs adults in their lives.

Best-selling author, top-in-category podcaster, non-profit Director and mother of three daughters and five sons, Gila Ross relies on Jewish wisdom to guide her very modern life. Whether moving her tribe from England to Denver, searching for a family outing suitable for ages 3 to 19, or chilling out together on a Shabbat evening, Gila approaches family life as a way for children and parents to become their best selves, together. Was your kid who has a tantrum in the supermarket was sent here to teach you a lesson in Empathy? Pride? Forgiveness? Plus, embracing imperfection, creating a culture of balance at work, tapping into lessons written thousands of years ago to navigate today's challenges, and the comfort of a mentor's advice on living life at 100%. Gila is the author of Living Beautifully: How to Bring Meaning, Joy, and Love Into Your Life Based on the Timeless Wisdom of Pirkei Avos, available at https://www.amazon.com/Living-Beautifully-meaning-timeless-wisdom/dp/1957579811/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3VKX74HF5DNE5&keywords=living+beautifully+gila+ross&qid=1703822843&s=books&sprefix=living+beautifully+gila+ross%2Cstripbooks%2C62&sr=1-1 Pray for the release of the hostages!

Shana Tova! In a wonderful start to the year, Rebbetzin Tova Rapoport shares her Oys and Joys in raising a family of fourteen sons and daughters, born over a twenty-six year span (and yes, there are grandchildren older than her youngest children). She shares how she kept her sanity and "raised a healthy mom," stories of family trips in their 15 passenger van, her thoughts on extracurricular activities, how she changed from her early to later parenting days, letting go of perfection goals, and what kids need most to thrive. May all our community of over 2000 listeners continue to thrive in the coming year, and may you have a meaningful Yom Kippur full of reflection, gratitude, and Teshuvah, returning to your true self and your true purpose. There's Mommash nothing like it! Please continue to subscribe, rate, review, comment, and drop a note in our [email protected]!

In this bonus episode, Lori recounts some recent family adventures, schlepping seven people to move Daughter #3 into college (the minivan miracle -- it fit!), making a colossal mess on the eve of a trip, summer rituals that imprint for life, and how to make memorable moments of both ordinary and extraordinary, Joy and Oy events. Enjoy Labor Day weekend and your family -- there's Mommash Nothing like it! If you like this podcast, please share, rate, review, and write to us at [email protected]. Visit us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092588952517 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mommash.oyjoy/

Twentieth Episode!!! Thank you to all our amazing listeners who have helped us grow and grow to reach this point! Write us at [email protected]! This week Mommash: The Oy & Joy of Family features twos mom devoted not only their own amazing families, but to enriching Jewish family life worldwide through their work for Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). JFNA Board Chair Julie Platt shares stories of how she nurtured family bonds, personal passions, Jewish commitment, and philanthropic values in her two daughters and three sons (including your Broadway-obsessed kid's favorite star, Ben!), drawing on her Shabbat-observant upbringing as the only Jew in her 671` student class in Wichita, her star turns in the Camp Ramah shows (with Hebrew lyrics still memorized decades later), and putting her values into action through volunteer leadership across the Jewish world. Bonus guest, Broward Federation CEO Audra Berg, mom of two teen sons, shares her experiences working at Federation and bringing her kids along for the ride. Plus, cultivating close siblings, perfecting the brisket recipe (while abandoning the quest for the perfect challah), camp as a life changing endeavor, empowering our children through our communal work, moving from Chicago to Boca, handling rejection, rallying around the kid who needs it, and plenty of kvelling! Follow MommashOyJoy on Instagram or Facebook! Like! Rate! Subscribe! Share! Write to Lori at [email protected]! We love your feedback -- there's Mommash Nothing Like It!

With five sons and a daughter, calm doesn't just show up on its own, so Rivka Stern shows us how to invite it into our lives based on her experience as a mother and as an occupational therapist & parent coach. Lori and Rivka discuss how to cultivate independence, letting kids work things out on their own, addressing mental health concerns, and when to call in the professionals. Plus, hoarding candy, craving attention, messy baking, forgetting your shoes at the bowling alley, and why watching kids on the swings can be a transformative experience. Write to Lori at [email protected]! Follow or DM on Instagram/Facebook at Mommash.OyJoy! Enjoy your family -- there's Mommash nothing like it!

This week on Mommash, Brie Reich, mother of four sons and two daughters, speaks from the heart about the women who guided her -- the self-sacrifice and dedication of her own mother, who allowed Brie to follow her spiritual and intellectual path while raising her as an only child after a divorce when Brie was tiny, and the determined, insistent teacher who guided Brie after high school to a life-changing decision. Now, Brie guides her own six children as well as her students as the Director of Student Life at Amudim, a gap year program in Jerusalem. Brie speaks about flourishing after failure, making decisions in the moment, cultivating resilience, and suppressing parts of yourself to allow other parts to thrive. Plus, deciding whether to medicate your child, letting teens grow at their own pace, arranging vacations for teens and toddlers together, brutal honesty in preschoolers, overriding Cardinal Family Rules and proper oral hygiene.

A mother to six and grandmother to OMG 36!!!, Bracha is also an author of 42 books and a Harvard grad. She speaks of her personal search for joy and purpose, how she found it by focusing on gratitude, the root of Judaism, and how her current work centers on spreading that joy to others. Plus, dropping out of med school, addiction and anorexia, teaching children about tough issues in life, finding your joy and purpose, countering the epidemic of entitlement, and how to reset your child's "Happiness set point" (and your own). Write to us at [email protected]! Rate, Comment, Like, Subscribe, and Share with your friends -- there's Mommash nothing like it! Bracha's books are available on Amazon or purchase directly at https://www.goetzbookshop.com/

Mommash presents..Daddash (a dash of dad)! In this episode, Lori chats with father of six, rabbi, teacher, Israel advocate, political force and devoted husband Rabbi Uri Pilichowski. He shares his top tips for a happy home and well-adjusted kids, describes his own "doggy paddling" through the river of parenthood, and praises his wife...a lot! Plus, preemptive therapy to support mental health, communicating your values, DIY builds for family bonding, and why white water rafting is a metaphor for the ups and downs of life. You can help bring Mommash to a wider audience! Like, Share, Rate, Review! Please invite yourself on the show -- there's Mommash nothing like having wonderful guests share their family journey! Drop a note in our [email protected].

Hi Mommashers! Mommash is reposting this identical audio to the full episode 15 because of a technical quirk. Those who listened to the teaser on Apple did not get the extended audio when it was released, so this is the fix for those listeners. Those who listen on Spotify or other platforms should get the extended audio automatically. Hope you enjoy!

In this episode, Chana Jenny Weisberg, mother of eight, Jerusalem resident, blogger and business owner, reflects on her "next good thing" philosophy and how she stays on track to live her values day by day, even when they differ from what she thought they would be. We go deep on the internal conflicts raised by devoting your full time to parenting in a world of "what do you do" focus on one's professional achievements, and what Chana Jenny does to accept her own choices and support others in theirs. Plus, hear how a mother of ten turned twenty-five years of counseling her kids into a new career counseling cancer patients, taking baby steps to make great leaps forward, removing that "last straw" to lighten your load (or your kid's), meditating to mend relationships, sibling combat and closeness, finding new fulfillment in a new business, consistency as a super power, and how a woman she never met inspired her to change her life. For daily inspiration from Chana Jenny, check out JewishMOM.com. To help Mommash grow, Like, Share, Subscribe, Review! Drop a note in our lunchbox! Write to [email protected]! Special shout out to my amazing sister, Dr. Ali Blech. Love you so much!

In this Mommash Special Father's Day Episode, Lori drags...er...invites on Marty, her husband and partner in parenting crime. Marty talks about what he brings to the partnership, what he learned from his parents and grandparents, his favorite childhood activities (hint: saws and explosives), what he appreciates about his father now that he's tried out this parent thing himself, how his mom kept her kids in line (including how she practiced on her siblings), weekend mornings with soapy water in a pot and Mariachi music blasting, when mess is worth it, how his love of Israel relates to Johnny Cash, modeling social life, major impact of lazy Shabbat afternoons, how he parented differently between first and last kid, and why seeing his own face in his first baby was way better than he had imagined. Don't forget to Like, Rate, Follow, and most of all SHARE with your own family & friends -- there's Mommash Nothing Like It! Drop a note in our [email protected]. Keep the feedback coming! This show is for YOU, let us know what you think and like to hear. Nominate a guest -- yourself or an amazing mom in your life. Thanks for listening! Hope you enjoy and walkaway with a little wisdom for your own family.

In this episode, STEM educator and mom to five (triplets plus two younger siblings) Hannah Shekhter talks about her own journey from a secular childhood with a single sibling to an orthodox mother of five, her husband's immigration from Russia after the fall of the USSR, and the values that guided them in building their family. We discuss the role of technology in kids' lives and how parents can keep it healthy, how to react when your growing kids choose paths you hadn't planned for, and when to embrace vs. advise against those changes. Plus, Lazy River mishaps, "leadership skills" based in bossing around your siblings, personality traits kids are born with, pros & cons of "cookie cutter" lives, respect for your own parents, successful (and unsuccessful) instruction in neatness, and how many scoops it took to get her kids to stay in the kiddie camp on vacation. Drop a note in our [email protected]! Spread the word -- TIA for every share, like, follow, rate, comment!

While wrangling with four kids, full time work, and municipal public service in Cleveland, Jessica Chavi Cohen felt her bucket could still be a little more full, so she went to law school (at night, still working) AND had a fifth kid before graduation. No big whoop. Jessica Chavi's boundless energy and positive outlook feeds her ambition to have a full family life without sacrificing professional and personal fulfillment, even with an eye to her hyper-impressive classmates (ever heard of Zuckerberg?). In this episode she shares the tough moments and the highlights, her evolving vision for her own goals, and how she weaves it all together (minus a few frayed edges), and why announcing her need to go pump was part of her plan to normalize women in the workplace. Plus, the toddler streaking through her law school zoom, issues of first impression in law and child rearing, why her 14 year old still has no phone, finding faith at Harvard, feeling the link to thousands year old traditions while facing today's issues, public office dreams, older kids fighting to change a sibling's diaper, and why she jumped back into the baby years well after ditching her other car seats. Follow Mommash on: Instagram: Mommash.OyJoy Join our Facebook group, Mommash: The Oy & Joy of Family Drop a note in our lunchbox! Write to [email protected]! Don't forget to follow! Rate! Comment! Thank you so much! See the book that centers many conversations with Jessica's family, Achas Sha'alti by Rabbi Erez Chazani.  Reach Jessica here: Instagram - JessicaChaviCohen Twitter - @JessCohen18 Facebook - Jessica Chavi Cohen LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacohen18/

LIVE unedited wisdom from Lori’s mom Deedee Fein as we sit on the steps of Widener Library waiting to see Aviva graduate from Harvard. Lots of Joy!

This week on Mommash, Lori talks with Aleph Beta COO Malka Alweis of Teaneck, NJ, mother of three sons and three daughters, all age nine and under. Malka will blow you away with the soulful transformation she underwent at the birth of her oldest child, and how she brings her revelations to the task of developing her children's spirits, speaking their love languages, creating a child-centered home, and building a fun, supportive and spiritual home life. She shares her wisdom on how parents can tap into the unlimited potential we instinctively ascribe to our children to transform their families and themselves. Plus, creative and practical insights on systems for encouragement and discipline, sharing parenting tasks with your spouse, finding special time with each child, creating and then ditching routines, late bedtime for Shabbat, holidays and other adventures, fostering a spirit of partnership between parents and children, and between siblings, dealing differently with kids according to their personalities, limiting screen time to one night a week, developing kids' sense of agency, connecting young children to Jewish history, and how a single Chinese food lunch can lift the spirits for months. Got feedback? Know a fantastic mom (maybe you?) who should come on the show? Drop us a note in our [email protected] and let us know! Join our Facebook group for fun conversation about parenting with joy. https://m.facebook.com/groups/505644444977031/?ref=share&mibextid=jf9HGS Mommash is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and wherever you find your podcasts.

Argentine immigrant, activist, attorney, and adventurous mom to three daughters and twin sons, Mariela Markelis Dybner reflects on her priorities, choices, and how she turned a difficult episode into the memories of a lifetime by moving her troops to Disney for an entire month! Plus, delving into family history from Poland to Argentina via google and gravestones, forming a unique family identity, second thoughts at the urologist's office, attending work retreats with an entourage (ie toddler, baby, aupair), how attending Shabbat services builds your kids' community bonds, mothering as an ever evolving challenge, kids inspiring family change, and how your actions reveal your priorities in unexpected ways. We'd love to hear from you! Let us know your thoughts, suggest a friend or a topic, or come be a guest on the podcast yourself! Drop a note in [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you -- there's Mommash nothing like it!

Incisive, opinionated, unapologetic and brutally honest writer Bethany Mandel, co-author of Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation, is both fierce and loving when it comes to her four sons and two daughters. Also very, very funny. With stories about attending rock concerts at age seven, navigating an over-sharing, doctor-avoiding mom, and needing intervention to understand her "obnoxiously normal" husband, Bethany offers a raw, honest take on how her past has influenced her approach to parenting, how she decided to homeschool her tribe, how that has been a source of both freedom and stability, how keeping kosher and Shabbat sets boundaries her kids (almost) never question, how Full House and the Brady Bunch mimic real life, how delaying pain only magnifies it, the intersection of privilege and mental health, and why six kids is not nearly six times the work of one kid. Plus, the joys of a perfect dentist visit, a messy home, cereal for dinner, blowout birthday parties at the height of covid, affordable Jewish education, and her tactics for sibling rivalry and supermarket tantrums. Like us? Want to come on the show, or suggest a guest? Drop a note in our [email protected]! We value your feedback -- there's Mommash nothing like it!

Sarah Rindner Blum, an author, literature professor, and mother to a "steps and stairs" family of seven children in twelve years, shares her insights on why having "one more kid" is worth the investment. Join us for deep reflections on how each child offers something unique and priceless, how different roles for mom and dad make it work, Israeli vs. American cultural attitudes toward children, why Shabbat is the center of her homemaking all week long, spontaneity versus planning, lots of candy, her semi-broken set of devices for her family, some favorite children's books, making literature a part of your family lore, her trash-into-treasures child, a mouse named Bob, having a home life different than you had imagined, why there's nothing like an American minivan, and why a Jewish mama only needs to cook once a week. We'd love to hear from you! Drop a note in [email protected]! If you or someone you know would like to come on the podcast, we'd especially love to hear your story -- There's Mommash Nothing Like it!

Another Passover greeting from Lori—back to full episodes next week after the holiday! In this episode, Lori reflects on how to make memories that matter, how to increase participation in the seder (hint: throw candy!), why silly or embarrassing moments make the best memories, and why time to connect with each other is the most memorable gift you can give your family.

Lori is in Israel with family, so this week’s episode is a simple message wishing you a joyful Passover holiday!

Is eight enough? Dr. Mindy Schachter Lippe shares stories and wisdom from parenting eight very individual kids -- including twins born just one day apart, musicians, rocket scientists, artists, and the ever-changing sibling relationships that ensue. Mindy reflects on her will to have more kids against doctors' advice after a traumatic first birth, the study she kept on her nightstand, and the friends and neighbors who questioned her choices. Join to hear about two very different sons with autism, twin daughters with identical interests (making the older one happy), sibling love and hate, the gift of a tribe, what therapy can deliver, appreciating each as an individual, and how she would do it all over again, challenges and all. Reach us at [email protected]!

From her chill "California Modern" Jewish observance to her 5 am "me time" to her mantra of God, Family & Skiing, Jessica Minkoff knows her priorities and finds creative ways to keep her cool, let her SIX kids grow into their best selves, and cultivate a close clan that relishes time with one another. Plus, schlepping your crew to Israel and the AIPAC conference, finding your confidence, throwing a quesadilla at your mother-in-law (we've all been there, right?), taming your devil child, balancing individual and whole family needs, Coachella themed bar mitzvahs (not those gummies!), office hours in your bedroom, using the "who cares more" rule, meeting in grad school at Harvard, and why her 8-year old son wants to live in Israel for the candy, and the freedom. Would you like to appear on Mommash: The Oy & Joy of Family? Do you have a friend we should meet? Drop a note in [email protected]! We appreciate your feedback and read every single email and review! Please keep them coming!

Passionate, principled, daring, and hysterically funny mom Rachel Oppenheim shares with us stories of raising her NINE children into equally passionate individuals, while cultivating a team spirit that makes her family incredibly close -- so much so that they choose to live and work together in the family business, a burger bar named Bodega in Tel Aviv.  Rachel shared her secrets for rising above the chaos, learning to prioritize, meeting each kid’s needs, making home a haven for good times and bad, being judgy, why ADHD is a superpower, and helping kids find their passions while still pursuing your own.

In this episode, Lori and Haleh share laughs, woes and wisdom with Rabbi Susan Silverman, who offers insight based on her lifetime of activism and her unique family, with three biological daughters and two sons adopted from Ethiopia.  She opens up on why she felt compelled to adopt and found Second Nurture, her nonprofit promoting adoption and fostering.  Plus, punching your BFF in the face, having your big beautiful family moment diverted by pizza, turning hope into action, fighting in front of your kids, the sacred space of Shabbat as a reason kids come home for the weekend, when to tell kids to persevere and when to find something else, passion and purpose in the Israeli Army, parenting as a tikkun (repair) for your own childhood, finding your wise parenting counselor and hanging on tight, what's kosher about eating bacon, and how you know you're nailing it when your kids see Rosa Parks in the Book of Esther.  Learn more about Second Nurture at 2Nurture.org. Reactions? Questions? Comments? Want to come on the podcast? Reach us at [email protected] -- we will reply!

This week on Mommash, our guest Natalie Sopinsky -- lawyer, rescue worker, fundraiser and Zumba teacher -- discusses her unconventional parenting choices, why five kids feels like a small family, making the ordinary meaningful, raising strong kids (including her paratrooper son) by letting them fall, car rides as bonding experiences, declining Ritalin, and why you should pull your kids out of school more often. She shares her move from suburban Delaware to Susya in the Judean Hills, and her spiritual journey from minimal observance to religious Zionism.   Lori and Haleh reflect on trusting your gut, leaning into weaknesses as strengths, and why Lori's broken boiler shows we need parents as sherpas for life.

This week Lori and Haleh talk to Kira Sirote, a mother of seven in Ra'anana, Israel, about attitudes toward kids in the Soviet Union, where she was born, US, where she moved as a young child and attended Harvard, and Israel, where she raised her family and resides today.  We also discuss kid-made legal systems, how seven kids is basically the same as three, sword play, waist deep mess, and the importance of giving kids their own toys and space. Kira reflects on the thrills of software development, the difference between classical & Biblical attitudes towards women and children, and why raising human beings is the ultimate creative act.

Introducing Mommash, a new podcast about the Oy and the Joy of creating a family, with a special focus on larger Jewish families. In this preview episode, Lori and Haleh share a bit about their big broods, their plans for the show and the Passover food their Persian and Mexican families can't live without. Questions? Want to visit? Drop a note in our lunchbox at [email protected].

In this first episode, Lori and Haleh talk to Chavie Levine Knapp, a mother of five from Teaneck, NJ, about how her kid's speech therapist helped uncover her child's passion, how to nurture family bonds while each kid pursues separate interests, and the eternal internal conflict between developing the talents of kids versus your own.  With standout kids on Broadway, TV, in competitive sports and at Penn, and her own career as a lawyer at top firms, Chavie reflects on the tradeoffs she made, and how she advises her own kids as they choose their life paths.