Category Archives: family

July 6, 2025 · 12:31 pm

Born on the 5th of July

You start out with 2 kids, and if you are lucky, they bring in 2 more that feel like they are your own.

Enter the lovely Becky, the tamer of the sweet and salty Danny. She appeared in the depths of covid and folded right into our quirky little fam with the grace and humor that was needed to not only tolerate us, but be amused and embrace us.

A few things about Becky. First, she is everyone’s dear friend. Truly. Everyone considers her their inner circle, evidenced by the amount of times she has been a brides maid. What touched me so much about this was the similarity to my mom… after Elaine was gone everyone told me she was her best friend. She would have LOVED Becky.

Second, she is grace under fire. She may not see herself that way, but we all do.

But most important is her ability to let it go and give you a pass. Example: her birthday last year and I forgot! When I brought it up this year she said, you got a pass because you had covid. Really? who does that? Your future mother in law forgets your birthday months before your wedding and you give her a pass? Gotta love that. (Hopefully this day late post will fall under that category too… don’t worry we FaceTimed yesterday, I’m not that lame)

Wishing the happiest of birthdays and the most spectacular of years to our boy’s girl. We could not love you more.

.

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June 12, 2025 · 11:25 am

This is 35!

Son #2 turns 35 today!

It is hard to put into words the way I feel about this young man. We have the unique circumstance of a long family history that transcends the customary in-law relationship. In fact, it is hard to remember a time when he was not in our family.

Watching a teen grow into an adult is such an interesting exercise. Not needing to parent that young person is liberating. However, our situation is a hybrid. Corey is not above reaching out for advice or assistance, and in turn he has also become of enormous counsel to us.

Confidence with humility is his differentiator. Pardon the othermother brag here, but there really is not much he does not excel at. Jana will tell you it is kind of annoying, actually. But we know how proud she is to have him as her husband. Top on that list is his desire to keep it real and hover under the radar of praise and attention.

If I were asked what was the one thing about him that fills my heart the most, it is dedication to his people. His family, friends and co-workers know they can always count on him. No questions asked. I mean, how many young men can head a major restoration project for his in-laws’ business and not ever lose his cool? (this one was definitely a test for everyone, and they all passed with flying colors).

Simply put, life with Corey is just better. In every way.

Happy 35, my sweet girl’s boy. May Archie cut you some slack today and may the universe (and Iko) shine down upon you today and fill your heart with all the love you deserve.

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June 8, 2025 · 9:40 am

Daddio-sir and the Big 97!

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Yep, you read that correctly, my dad is 97 today! .

The HarvZ. Zaidie. Daddio-sir. Or just plain Harvey. Call him what you will, this guy has been a constant since I hit the ground wailing. And has tolerated me for just as long.

Most of the time. (I was a challenge, to say the least)

The man that has kept my moral compass on straight, challenged me with everything from knowing I could do whatever I wanted in this world to keeping my patience in check. We have walked many paths together, but there has never been a single moment in my life that he has not been there for whatever it is that I needed. Sure we locked horns, we are cut from the same cloth. But he has never been short on praise, love and the ability to guide me to do whatever has to get done. Suck it up, little girl, you can do anything.

This guy is the king of showing up. He has NEVER used guilt and has always been grateful for what life has had in store for him. His success in business, his great love story with my mom and his undying love and pride in the 3 generations below him, keep this guy fighting the good fight to – as he says – wake up and tell the parts that work to drag around the ones that don’t.

Every day has been a gift. Every phone call ends in the sincerest ‘I love you’. Every road we have walked has been an honor. My gratitude is beyond for the luck I had in being born to my incredible parents.

Happiest of birthdays, Daddio-sir, to the moon and back.

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April 25, 2025 · 4:57 am

This is 36!

Really? Let me recalculate! Yeh, 36. Crazy.

Jana, one day you are a toddler and the next I am watching you raise one. Toddler 2.0 who sort of makes you look like you were easy. Luckily he is equally as adorable and endearing. The thing that blows me away is your infinite source of patience. Your ability to distract and stay calm, to engage and comfort, all without ever losing your cool. Sure once in a while you have to put yourself in time out (yes I am aware we don’t use that anymore). But for the most part, you are unwavering. In the face of so much, you still remain chill and continue to delight in being a mom. And in loving the life that you and Corey have built.

So THIS is 36! You are killing it.

You are the girl who knows who you are and is comfortable almost everywhere. The best wing woman to have at a social gathering, you make making friends look easy. You have the quickest wit of anyone I know, always hitting the mark and making me laugh. You are loved and respected in your professional life, where you keep the same sense of humor you use at home. You show up for all of us in a way that makes me prouder than anything on this earth. It is no wonder the skies have chosen to smile down upon us for your birthday.

In our family we cherish a few important things: family, music, laughter, hard work, hard play and showing up. You check every one of those boxes, my sweet daughter. I am so lucky to have you.

Yep, I would say it was worth the first 3 years of your life. You are proof that challenging toddlers grow into stellar adults.

Love you to the moon, Petunes. Happy 36!

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March 10, 2025 · 11:51 am

Lucky 7

There are so many photos from this wonderful celebration seven years ago today, but a quick scan this morning turned this one up and it struck me. This is the essence of my girl and her boy.

To be in their presence is to feel the ease of true partnership. They just get each other. They are a team. Sure, there is the deep love that you dream of for your child, but more than that, they support one another no matter what the situation. Mutually. And on solid ground. And support all those around them in the same way. They show up, for each other and for all of their people. In turn, people show up for them. Truly a gift of a way to live.

Life has been quite the roller coaster for these two, but luckily, they love roller coasters. They have weathered it all with grace, humor and a love for life that has made their marriage strong and so much fun. A zest for adventure, lack of drama and the ability to pivot has made their life truly extraordinary.

Here’s to all that the last seven years has given our family by being joined with the Glasers. And thank you to Jana and Corey for marrying us all together. We love our tribe more than we can say.

Happy Anniversary to Archie’s parents!!! Lucky 7 indeed.

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October 7, 2024 · 4:21 pm

The Day After

Sitting here in a moment of ultimate personal joy and unthinkable global sadness it is hard for me to do much today. So much emotion. And I usually do emotion well.

The marriage of my son to the woman of all our dreams this weekend was one of the highest highs a parent can experience. The love in the room, the joining of two strong supportive families, the beautiful traditions and all the people who mean so much to all of us… THIS. This is what makes life so rich.

And yet we cannot ignore the significance of this date. And the current world situation.

I was inspired to write this by a beautiful, strong young woman I met this weekend. She is an American who lives in Tel Aviv. And I am so very honored to have met her and have our families joined. She flew out of Israel for this wedding, luckily in a sliver of time when she could. I asked her how she was doing. Her answer to me was this: we are at a Jewish simcha. This is what it is all about. This is what makes us exist. Got to love the Israeli mindset and Jewish outlook on life.

The Jewish wedding ceremony, the signing of the Katubah, the breaking of the glass, the seven blessings, the Hora… every one of those precious moments that always bring us closer to our culture and faith, had such a heightened significance at this time. Sitting in the middle of the two most sacred holidays of the year was that much more meaningful.

We are Jews.

We are those Jews. The ones that stand strong and proud, that love and care deeply for all humankind, and will never let anyone shake that.

There is no room for hate in a room filled with that much love.

May all who are suffering today feel the power of our heritage. May we stand tall and proud and never tolerate the evil and propaganda that threaten our existence. May those who are defending our freedoms stay safe and continue the job of ridding the world of this poison. May we NEVER forget. And let us say… Amen.

Am Yisrael Chai.

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October 12, 2023 · 4:43 pm

Never Again

Never Again. We were raised on these words. We were sure that this could never happen again. This past week so much has been written that I did not feel the need to add my voice to this repetition. Until I realized that as a Jew I have an obligation to not remain silent.

We are Jews. We are Jews before we are our nationality. We are Jews before we are our professions. We worry about the safety of our children and grandchildren, our elders, our peers, because no one appears to be spared. We have lived our entire lives knowing there are places we are not comfortable for they are filled with the hate and rage of those who want us dead. For centuries.

We did not expect our homes to be one of these places… again.

We don’t own this space. But what we do fear is that even those who have had to suffer a similar plight, or those who habitually speak out in their defense, are finding it hard to stand by us. The knowledge that this is going to get much worse sickens us. That other innocents will suffer in the wake of our only option for survival is counter to all our beliefs.

Our collective shock from the terrorism is horrifying enough, but the reactions that reflect how truly broken our country and our world have become; these are what frighten us most.

I am left here, to bring to our lives the only thing that can help us bear what has happened.

Hatikva (The Hope). I hear this anthem and I am brought back to the Hebrew school days of my childhood. When I complained about having to attend and now I am so very grateful to my parents for giving me a solid Jewish education.

Now I get chills when I hear the soldiers waiting to go into battle singing this in unison. When I read of communities around the world gathering to chant these words together. NYC organizing to sing this out their windows at a set time the way they cheered for healthcare workers each night during the pandemic.

HOPE. All caps. Because when there is chaos the only antidote is hope.

Please note: commenting will be turned off for this post, because… I would like to end with hope.

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April 24, 2023 · 11:44 pm

This is 34

You are 34, right? I keep having to recount by doing the year you were born math and we all know what Mom Math looks like.

Well, this was a big year, wouldn’t you say? As a recruiter, you have learned how to add working mom to your resume. Huge skill set! But you have absorbed the role into your life so naturally. Not easily, but with the grace and whole heart that you do all things.

The best part of you becoming a mom for me has been the moments when the light bulb goes on for you. Like this one:

In the long list of our daily correspondence about the happenings in our family and all the “how did he do last night?” texts, this one sticks out for me. There are moments in a parent’s journey that they can’t ever fully forget. Nor should they. A restaurant name shakes loose a particularly trying time. We revisit that time and have a knee-jerk reaction.

A non-parent child will sort of get it at best, or roll their eyes at worst. But after squeaking out a puppy, you completely understood this.

And yes. I loved that moment. And all the other moments, both wonderful and trying, in which I get to witness your parenting experience.

Life is surely different for you now. The new road has been a challenge. And yet every day you find another moment to prove what a wonderful mom you are. And share how much joy you can derive from even the smallest experience.

The juggle is real. Watching me do it may have prepared you for it. It is not always pretty but it is never boring.

I will end this post with my best parenting advise. No condition is permanent. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Use your intuition. Never say ‘my child will never ____”. Love every moment, even the shitty ones. And never say no to a grandparent when they offer to babysit!

May 34 bring you more joy than pain, and the ability to adjust the volume of each to make life the best it can be.

Love you to the moon, Petunes.

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April 25, 2022 · 12:01 am

This is 33

Thirty-three. How about that. Well, that went fast. (Ok, maybe not really.)

But here we are, with you being all grown up. Like really all grown up. And me, well, you know, it’s a hit or miss thing depending on the day. And yet you are still entertained by me, so that’s good.

Last week when you told me under no circumstances could I have a cup of coffee at 5PM, someone asked when you became my parent. I had to think about it, but then I said, “Oh, about 5 years ago”.

Somewhere around then the roles shifted ever so slightly. You started stepping in when you saw me circling the drain. Or maybe I thought it was ok to let you witness that dance. No, I don’t really think you are the parent, I still have plenty of parenting left to do. But I do trust your judgement probably more than anyone else. And with the utmost of grace, you have pivoted into a role of family authority. The handler. The fixer. The plan maker. All with very little effort and always with the joy and confidence in which you do most things.

Sure, you will still utter an ‘it’s not fair’ or ‘its fine’ now and then. Who doesn’t? But the way in which you have grown into this force to reckon with, while still being there for all who need you, is so much fun to witness.

You take friendship very seriously. That is evident by your side hustle as wedding officiant. You are committed to having a good time with equal gusto. You plan the adventures and never leave out a detail.

But of all your wonderful qualities – and there are so very many – the one that gets me the most is your commitment to family. Knowing you are not only always there, but Always There, is the greatest comfort in life. I could not be any more proud, and certainly any more excited, about watching you grow this family. The role of mom is going to come very natural to you, of that I am sure. Always know that I am on your shoulder, at your back and only a phone call or quick drive away when you need me. Just like Gram was for me. And believe me, you’ve got this, even when you think you don’t.

Happy three three, my sweet girl. May you always be surrounded by love. And keep radiating it back into the universe.

To the moon.

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June 20, 2021 · 9:34 am

Daddio-sir

Daddio-sir. Not sure when I started calling you that, but it just fits!

TheHarvZ. My dad. The first man in my life. And he did it pretty damn gracefully (excluding those teen years that we all know are pretty much temporary insanity). Coining the phrase, ‘doing it the Amy way’, he taught me to navigate the easier roads to travel.

To know my dad is to to know his warmth. His no nonsense, massive love for his family. There is nothing more important to him. And if you marry in, you are his now too. This is evidenced by his famous ‘birthday letters’. He does not buy cards. (I think it may have something to do with the fact that my mom single-handedly supported Hallmark’s stock price for her entire life). The way he expresses emotions so freely is a gift we all cherish. His support and interest in every one of our lives and accomplishments is astounding. And he is the first to dust us off during challenges and failures. There is no better cheerleader.

Harv is a funny guy. He can become wildly aggravated by the inefficiencies of the postal service or the dining room in his place, but never once complained about being locked into his apartment for almost a year during the pandemic.

He has sucked up more things in his lifetime than I can count, and always keeps a smile on his face, a humorous twist and a positive lesson.

There is no greater gift a daughter can have than a dad who remains her champion her entire life. After the loss of my mom, he took on the role of the daily chatter. We never miss a morning, and when I am pressed for time there is never any guilt. Only the greatest support for getting through my day.

A big fat wish I were there with you Happy Fathers Day to my hero.

Love you to the moon, Daddio Sir.

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