Some of my favorite home upgrades come from the conscious habit of making use of what is no longer perfect and perfecting reused objects.
Upgrade, Downgrade
Planning for Pesach Already?
Pesach is one of the biggest projects we undertake as frum families. One of the most powerful planning tools in my toolkit—one I use for managing projects both at work and at home—is the after-action report. While any project or endeavor I will undertake again in the future is fresh in my mind, I make notes about what worked, what didn’t work, and what could have worked better with a little bit of tweaking. This way, I can reduce, reuse, and refuse my way to a more sustainable, less stressful holiday.
What About That Milk?
There’s a funny story that involves HaShem asking an angel about some human behavior He’s observed. “What are they doing down there?” He asks. “They’re making milk from nuts,” the angel replies. “But I gave them animals to get milk from: cows, goats, sheep, even buffalo.” “They don’t like that milk,” the animal explains. When... Continue Reading →
These Boots are Made for Walking (Away from Shopping)
At the beginning of November, I set an intention not to buy anything except food and household necessities that month. I called it a "Mostly No-Buy November Challenge," and it's good that I included the word "mostly," because I mostly accomplished my goal.
As Right as Rain
I feel a bit of a letdown when we, during sefiras haomer, leave off from davening “mashiv haruach u’morid hageshem” in the Amidah. Those words have always touched me, evoking how HaShem’s spirit hovered on the face of the waters at the beginning of His acts of creation. Our rav, Rabbi Aaron David Lebovics, gave... Continue Reading →
If It Can’t Kill Me, Is It Really Cleaning?
A lot of cleaning products are marketed as if they are going to war: they attack grease and grime and wipe out soap scum. When I was growing up, getting set to clean the house certainly had a military feel (in part because my father was in the United States Army). If we were doing... Continue Reading →
The Bal Tashchit Balabusta 