What is the Montessori Method?

Our kids attend a montessori preschool and we love it, but I have to admit that I'm still not able to 100% answer the question above.  What exactly is the Montessori method of education?

I do know that I was intrigued by the method that after my initial school tour, I went to the library and found the biography of Maria Montessori and I read the first part of it.

This coming Monday - April 4th - a guest speaker will come to explain what the method is all about and how it works.  If you are interested, I suggest you come check it out!

Here are the details:

Date: Monday April 4th

When: 7 pm

Where: Mr. and Mrs. Ken Freedman's home @ 4300 Mildred Street, 77401

RSVP: debra.kira@uosgms.com

Speaker: Dr. Elisabeth Coe, principal and founder of School of the Woods Montessori Middle and High School and Executive Director of the houston Montessori Center.

Dr. Mitchell Bard at the JCC tonight!

Join Dr. Mitchell Bard tonight (March 31) at the JCC for a special lecture on the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (stupid) movement against Israel.  Here are the details:

The Center for Jewish Living and Learning at the Jewish Community Center of Houston presents The Vilification and De-legitimization of Israel, Thursday, March 31 at 8:00 p.m.  Join us for a lecture with guest speaker Dr. Mitchell Bard, author of The Arab Lobby: The Invisible Alliance That Undermines America's Interests in the Middle East.
The boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement is focused largely on college campuses, but it is especially nefarious because it is one element of a broader global campaign aimed at the delegitimization of Zionism and, ultimately, the elimination of Israel. The BDS campaign is also a fight about freedom of speech that seeks to stifle academic exchanges and trade with Israel and to claim for its adherents' rights it denies to Israel and its defenders.
Join Dr. Bard as he addresses the history of the BDS movement and how the Jewish community should respond.
This lecture is offered in partnership between the Jewish Community Center and Congregation Beth Yeshurun.

 The JCC is located at 5601 S. Braeswood, Houston 77096.

Today is a BIG day!!

There is a stupid worldwide movement trending right now to boycott Israeli-made products, I guess to weaken Israel's economy and destroy it that way.

Um - ok.  I guess those people can stop using Google search, online chat, cell phones, mammograms, voice mail, thumb drives (USB flash), oh - and they can stop eating cherry tomatoes because all those things have their origins in Israel.  (Who knew?  Check out here and here.)

So while they're busy doing that - what we need to do is go BIG!!  BUY ISRAELI GOODS!!

Today - March 30 - go out to your local stores and buy Israeli goods.  Find the store manager - thank them personally for carrying those products and that you appreciate them not capitulating to the idiots out there.

Here are some ideas for local goods:

• Yes To products (beauty, skincare) - found at Walgreens
• Gottex (swimwear) - Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Dillard's, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom
• Victoria's Secret (lingerie) - lots of their products are manufactured in Israel - who knew?
• Keter (home storage, hardware) - Home Depot, Costco (I saw it there a few weeks ago)
• AHAVA & Mineral Care (Dead Sea skincare) - Marshall's, Sears, Sephora
• Wine - Beldens, Kroger, maybe Spec's
• Food - Costco (Israeli Feta), Beldens, HEB, Kroger, Randalls - this should be an easy one

This is just a beginner's list.  Check out the BIG website - even though Houston isn't listed, you can click through the categories for the other cities/regions and look at Israeli brands that are sold in the chain stores we all have.

Busy this week

I'll be lucky if I post anything this week (besides this) because this is a busy week for me, both at work and personally.  My nephew will be called to the Torah for the first time this coming Shabbat and we're hosting the Shabbat lunch at our house, and the next day is my synagogue's annual gala with which we're fairly involved, so I'll be stretched thin.

Nonetheless, I'll most appreciate it if you can leave me any detox-ifying recipes in the comments in my previous post.  We really need to enter spring with a "clean" slate!!

Thanks in advance!!

The Post-Purim, pre-Pesach detox

With the weather turning beautiful, and our plans for our summer trip to Israel underway, and with my closet being restored to its walk-in self, I feel the urge to detox.  Not in the "colon cleanse" kind of way (that's hardcore), but definitely move towards a more healthy, clean living.  I want to be outdoors (maybe my lovely office view is to blame), I want to move and walk, and I want to eat clean.  I'm not sure what "eat clean" means, but I feel like my body needs something more simple than the current fare.

So - this is a general call-out for your favorite clean-living recipes.  Recipes that are more plant-based and grain-based, as opposed to meat-based (not that we eat a lot of meat during the week, fortunately!).  For example, I want more recipes that use quinoa, tofu, vegetables, etc - but also recipes that don't require a lot of cooking or baking or processing.

I get inspiration from the Gluten-Free Goddess, but I'd like you to share with me your favorite *simple* recipes.  I like crunchy salads, fish, light soups, sandwiches.  Anything dairy.  Simple desserts.

Thanks in advance!!

Purim Song #2 - fresh from Israel...

Check out this video - by students from Ein Prat in Israel...

Happy Purim!! Here's the song of the day for you...

Fresh off their success with the 2010 Chanukah song of the year, here is "the" Purim song of 2011 from the Maccabeats:



Happy Purim everyone!!