Sarah Pachter is a wife, mother of a large family, and a full-time journalist who burns pots (occasionally), juggles work and home (not always successfully), and is a warm Yiddishe mama (always). In her new book Supermom! (Who? Me?) she shares her ups and downs—the sweet moments of parenting and those racked with guilt—openly, one friend to another, in her light engaging style that every woman can relate to.

So, how does Supermom deal (or not) with her kid’s Purim costume crisis? Read below to find out…

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Purim. The happiest holiday of the year will soon be here, so why am I feeling so far away from perfect happiness?

Faced with the huge choice of costumes and the cacophony that comes with them, the question becomes moot. The children continue gaily digging through the bags of costumes that we’ve assembled—and preserved!—over the years, and I continue staring disbelievingly at the ever-growing pile of costumes awarded a no with a capital N.

They casually reject the nicest costumes, tossing aside fancy dresses, gowns, capes, and hats. I glumly acknowledge that this is not unique to my humble home, but that the same scene is taking place in Jewish homes everywhere.

When I was a child, any colorful bit of material, any mask cut out of a simple sheet of paper, fired our imagination and could qualify as a costume. We really weren’t picky.

Am I right? Or do I have a selective memory? Keep Reading…

For all those in need of a good laugh, a good cry, or just a plain good read, please read on!

A book that you’ll think has been custom-made especially for you has just been released! It’s called The Punch Line, and trust me, it really does pack quite a punch! Brimming with entertainment, inspiration, and life’s lessons culled from some of the oddest, yet most interesting, subjects and items, The Punch Line is a book that you’ll love right from the first piece!

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Here is an excerpt l’kavod Purim:

The Purim Theme

I come from a very simple family. The mishloach manos we send usually consists of a nicely decorated bag or a plain brown basket, filled with standard nosh like potato chips, pretzels, lollipops, etc. So we were all in for a surprise when this year, my married sister announced that she’d be having a ‘theme’ for Purim. Yup, she said, everyone on her block had a ‘theme,’ and she was beginning to feel left out, backward, out-of-step with the times here in Boro Park. She explained that one neighbor last year dressed all her kids up as yellow and black striped bees. She sent mishloach manos made up of a jar of honey, honey cake and a small box of Honeycomb cereal. Another neighbor’s family was costumed as astronauts. They sent over a plastic container in the shape of a rocket ship, filled with moon-shaped sugar cookies and star fruit. So, she concluded, this year, she’d also come up with a ‘theme.’

I meekly suggested that she might want to try the original Purim theme – with Esther, Haman, Mordechai – but she looked at me like I’d just suggested she trade in her brand new Hummer for a trusty old horse and buggy. Seeing that I couldn’t talk her out of it, I shrugged my shoulders and left her to plan her Purim shebang. Keep Reading…

Psst! Looking to give your kids lots of giggles and fun this Chanukah? There’s an easy way to do it, and it’s becoming available as of today: Buy a copy of the newest The Funny Things They Say.

The third book in this hilarious series, The Funny Things They Say 3 is guaranteed to provide hours of rollicking laughter in your home, as you and your kids read and relish the adorable quotes said by other kids.

Kids really do say the cutest things, and the funniest thing is that oftentimes, it is the kids themselves who see the hilarity most in their quips and sayings! The Funny Things They Say captures the unadulterated humor of children in its adorably illustrated pages. Countless parents like you have seen the joy and excitement generated among their children by The Funny Things They Say series. Buy The Funny Things They Say 3, and you, too, will have joined the club of happy parents. Because, as well all know, happy kids create happy parents!

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The three cadets were to be interviewed at the Police Academy in Brooklyn, chosen among New York’s finest as potential candidates for the coveted Detective and Investigative Unit.

“Men,” said the Lieutenant, “we’re going to go through a little exercise to test your acumen and insightfulness for detective work. I’m going to show you a picture of a criminal for precisely twenty seconds, and I want you to tell me, simply by glancing at the picture, what type of crook we’re looking for. Jones, take a look. What do you think?”

“Sir! I think this guy has only one ear.”

“No, no, Jones! This is a profile. It only shows one side. What do you say, Burns?”

“Sir! This perpetrator only has one eye.”

“No, Burns. Don’t you understand? This is only a profile. Forget about it!”

About to give up, the Lieutenant showed the picture to the third cadet. “What do you say, Jackson?”

Without looking for more than five seconds, Jackson blurted out with confidence, “Boss! This outlaw wears contact lenses!”

“That’s right, Jackson! You’re incredible! How did you know that?”

“It’s simple, Chief! With one ear and one eye, how in the world is the guy gonna wear glasses?”

It is rare that we are privileged to see “the whole picture” of something. When we do see it, we need to indelibly imprint that image upon our minds and hearts, so that it can resurface and strengthen us anew whenever we are faced with challenges and confusion.

One of those auspicious moments is at Ne’ilah on Yom Kippur. As the holiest day ebbs away, we come face to face with the unmistakable truth that, “Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim—Hashem is G-d!” Seven times we recite those words, each time with more conviction and assuredness.

Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim! All the pettiness of the world suddenly seems to us like just that—petty and insignificant.

Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim! All the pent-up desires for the pleasures of Olam Hazeh, desires that have occupied our minds and our hearts for more hours than we care to admit, fade into oblivion, and are instead replaced with a yearning to cling to the Ribono Shel Olam.

Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim! All the fantasizing about living the “good life” is defused by the realization that the greatest joy is the unraveling of doubts and the clarity of mission, purpose, and destination.

Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim! How privileged and thrilled we are to be His servants, knowing as we do, with absolute conviction, that to be His servant is to have gained ourselves freedom.

Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim! What an amazing feeling to be able to think on a spiritual level, without any earthly interference!

Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim! The majesty of the Ribono Shel Olam is breathtaking; His kingdom is omnipresent. I am in awe of His greatness, which inspires and generates my love for Him.

Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim! I see light. I feel pure. I have been privileged to a glimpse of the whole picture, for which I am eternally grateful.

(excerpted from A Time to Laugh, A Time to Listen vol. 2.  Copyright © 2010 Rabbi Yehoshua Kurland)

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In this new collection of forty-five original and inspirational articles, Rabbi Yehoshua Kurland, noted rebbi and magid shiur of Yeshivah Shor Yoshuv, once again explores various topics in hashkafah in a most palatable and appealing way.  Tap into the richness and pleasure that this book has to offer, as it evokes within you the ability to laugh, and most importantly, the desire to listen.

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Just in time for Yom Tov and Parshas Bereishis!

There’s nothing like a new sefer on the parshah with which to start off the new cycle of parshiyos ha’shavuah, and then stay with throughout the year. And when that sefer is a brand new volume of Torah Tavlin, well, what more could you ask for?

We like to think of Torah Tavlin as a menu that includes something for everyone—from satisfying divrei Torah and savory stories of our gedolim to the “spicy” quotes of famous Chassidishe masters, and everything in between. A delectable dish is comprised of a vast assortment of ingredients, and in much the same way, the secret to Torah Tavlin’s popularity seems to lie in its diverse variety of stories, parables, and divrei Torah on the parshah each week. Also, the fact that Torah Tavlin is neatly categorized according the days of the week ensures that you could learn something short and sweet on the parshah every single day!

When Torah Tavlin Volume 1 made its grand debut, readers grabbed it, and then returned clamoring for more. Torah Tavlin on the Haggadah was our initial response to that demand, but now we’ve got even more for you—Torah Tavlin Volume 2! So get out there and pick up your own copy of Torah Tavlin Volume 2, before it sells out! With Parshas Bereishis right around the corner, you know, that may happen sooner than you think!

Click here for a free Rosh Hashanah Sample to add some “spice” to your Yom Tov table!

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