I started this blog in 2006 as an act of service for young mothers, as a way to share my experience in navigating the parenting path for those earlier on in their journeys.
As readers asked questions, I responded with posts addressing their points of interest. This led me to diverge from the exclusive focus on parenting that I began with, to share about health and nutrition, homeschooling, home management, frugality and more.
My life continues to evolve as time goes by. Whatever I do, I want to live consciously and with intention, to actively craft a life that is meaningful to me and that brings me contentment. That’s been my focus from the beginning and will continue to be my focus, regardless of the specifics that I share about at each given stage.
My family has expanded with the addition of foster children and that means that I continue to be actively involved as a parent to young children as well as teenagers. At the same time, I have six married children and am a grandmother to many grandchildren (the newest addition was born to my second son and his wife almost four weeks ago!). I’m now 51 and one area of reflection for me right now is about how to navigate the next stage of life gracefully.
I would like to share about whatever topics that are on my mind. However, this blog isn’t for me – it’s for you. My purpose is to share my experience, insights, tips, and struggles in an authentic way to help you. To do that, I want to know what kind of topics are of the most value and interest to you.
Your questions and comments to what I write are the most helpful way for me to know what you’re thinking. Otherwise, I’m guessing if you love it or hate it what I wrote…or are completely indifferent. Without your comments, I’m left not knowing if what I wrote was of benefit to you.
Sooooo…. I’d love to hear from you! What is it that keeps you coming back to regularly read what I share? What topics interest you, what do you love and what topics do you want to hear more about? Please share your thoughts and suggestions below!
Thanks in advance for helping me to share content that is aligned with your needs and interests!
Avivah
Hello Avivah!!! Mazel tov on your newest grandchild! I love reading your blog and although I almost never comment, I find that I appreciate most everything you post, whether parenting related, health related, money smart ideas, or whatever else. I find that you are a smart and knowledgeable out of the box thinker and I love to read about your experiences and your ideas, perspectives and suggestions based on them. Please keep it going, and if necessary, I’ll try to leave a comment occasionally (or more often) if it helps.
Thank you for the mazel tov and for your response, Iris! It’s so nice to know you’re reading here!
It’s not necessary to comment, but if I don’t see comments I tend to assume that people didn’t find it of value or interest. I find more time to write when I know that people are reading and enjoying.
Good morning Avivah,
I’m still reading your blog after all these years (I got to “know” you when you’d comment on my blog in the early days, you still lived in the U.S. then!) because I love your calm, common sense, kind approach to parenting and life in general, and I learn a lot from you!
Also I find your life interesting, whether it’s about navigating the screwy foster system there or about living in Israel, just because it’s different in some ways from my own life here in the U.S.
I read every post, but just don’t comment much.
Thank you for being my friend so far away who I’ve never met, but I feel like I know you. Also thank you over the years for the advice you’ve shared when I’ve emailed about some sticky topics that I needed a neutral ear for. 🙂
Kelly
It’s been a long time since the blog hop days, hasn’t it, Kelly!?!
If you read every post, you really do know me because I don’t try to pretend to be anything I’m not when I write. People who meet me in real life usually tell me I’m just like they expect.
You’re welcome for the advice and thank you for being here so consistently for so long. 🙂
I am in your age bracket and like you have a married child and children as young as five, so I welcome your posts on these topics as well as the other ones you post. I find them interesting and helpful.
Thank you for sharing your life and perspective with us!
Welcome, Chani and thank you for your feedback, I appreciate knowing you’re here!
Hi Aviva, I enjoy reading all your posts but particularly enjoy the parenting posts :).
I really enjoy the broad amount of subjects you share with us. i am so grateful and have tried many ideas of yours, weather in raising children, cooking or trying to save at shops. Whatever you share with us is a treat. Thank you!
Thank you, Rachelli, it’s so nice to know that you’ve applied so many ideas. And thank you for all of your comments!
Hi! I’ve been reading your blog since 2009. I don’t know how to say this in just a few words but your blog has strongly influenced my life in so many ways, I don’t know where I would be without it. From holistic health to homeschooling, to living a rich and meaningful and intentional Jewish way of life. I consider you my “cyber mom” and your family— growing family k”h- like extended family. I appreciate anything you write about. Thank you for being real and honest. I know how busy you are and I appreciate you taking the time to share with us readers ❤️.
I’m very touched, Estee, thank you so much for sharing that.
I benefit greatly from hearing how you soar through life’s ups and downs. Your open honest outview on how you manage to handle difficult situations amazes me.
It’s not like you sugar coat life, rather show us the whole story which is something you don’t see much around.
I have you alot in my mind when times are rough. I ask myself: “How would Aviva respond to this?”
Thank you so much, T! I’m so glad to know what I share has been helpful.
I originally started following you because I was interested in a Real Food Diet. Since then I’ve been very struck and inspired by your down to earth approach to things, and your quest to live an authentic life. I enjoy (and gain) from reading pretty much anything your post about – nutrition, health, raising foster children, budgeting. I’m happy to keep reading your thoughts about pretty much anything in life!
It’s so nice to hear how you found me and to know why you stuck around, Devorah! Thank you!
I think that though there are certain specific things that loop people in initially, at a point it becomes about you- the totality of you that we all love. Your perspective is invaluable to me on many levels- as a mother of children, as a wholesomely approached person to education, as someone with the guts to make aliyah, to follow your heart to Yavne’el, to foster, to have goats! And much more. Your coolness is palpable.
Thank you, Arielle. You made me laugh out loud with your final comment. 🙂
I have learned so much from you from nutrition, frugality and parenting and relationships! please keep posting.
As long as people are reading and benefitting, I’ll continue to post, Chana!
I read every post and enjoy them, I don’t always leave a comment.
I am REALLY enjoying and learning from your recent frugality series, and in general it is what I was looking for when I came across your blog many years ago… More than learning about specific tips and strategies, it opened up my eyes to options and ideas that I was able to take into my own direction.
I loved your parenting posts from years ago (the kind you don’t post as much in recent years) – chinuch, discipline, raising children purposefully.
And since I feel like I “know” you and your family , it’s always nice to read an update about your life and your kids. Mazel tov on the latest addition!!!
Thank you for the feedback on the frugality posts, Kaila. I had a lot more that I was going to write about but there was no response to any of the posts so I assumed that it wasn’t of general interest. It’s demotivating to see a lack of response so I redirected my time the last couple of weeks to doing things other than writing.
Thanks also for letting me know that parenting posts are still of interest.
Thank you also for the mazel tov – she’s BH adorable!
I definitely gain the most from the parenting with intention or shifting perspectives types of posts, but I enjoy and appreciate all of them. I don’t always respond but I check in regularly and am always very happy when there is a new update! Thank you for putting in the time and energy to share with us this way.
Thanks for your feedback, Dina!
I’ve been reading your blog since probably 2009. I have always had a very different life and that’s still true. I guess I find your life interesting that’s part of why I read. But mostly I value your perspective on living an authentic life, figuring out how to stay in tune with your own core values and beliefs and then craft a life to match, things like that. So reading about how you dealt with an issue or decided on a path has been really valuable even though I may never deal with that particular problem or situation because you detail your thinking and I can apply that you my own life. Thank you for writing for all these years!
Wow, Anne, has it really been that long?!
Thank you for taking the time to share. It’s so nice to hear even with our very different lives that you find value in what I share here. 🙂
Really appreciate your insights on health, life in Israel, animals, and how you balance your family/selfcare.
Thank you for the feedback, Chaya!
I enjoy all posts but enjoy the parenting and fostering posts the most.
Thank you, that’s good to know – I thought the parenting and fostering posts might be too much and not relevant for most readers.
I honestly enjoy all your posts. Your wholesome, grounded, authentic approach is something I wish to rub off on me.
I gain a lot when you share how you work through any (internal) challenge. It models for me real growth which I try to apply in my life wherever my struggles are. (Otherwise I see you as superwoman- too far from my reality. Which is likely still true… When you share about the process of dealing with something challenging for you , it becomes clear to me how you are human and have come to this place with lots of work.. so I can’t use that excuse. )
I like reading all your shares. Whatever stage of life.
Thank you. And much brocha and Hatzlacha
Thank you so much for sharing your experience reading here, Perele.
There’s a lot of growth opportunities that life presents us all with – trust me, I’m very far from Superwoman, just another human trying to make sense of and move beyond discomfort and difficulties.
I have to echo most of the other commenters that I read and enjoy all types of posts and also enjoy having virtually (and sometimes in person!) seen your family grow over the last 12 years since I became a blog reader.
On your recommendation I bought a pressure canner which I am embarrassed to say I have not yet used. Would love to see some pressure canning recipes. It’s kind of like decluttering the house, I just need to make getting this going a priority, as having jars of ready made food around on those very hectic days would be awesome.
I know how challenging it is to write posts about the situation in Israel and the world and what is really going on but I do like to hear your opinions and have seen how right you have been about so many things, like prices skyrocketing.
Thank you for asking for our opinions, much appreciated!
Thank you, for the feedback, Rivka!
About writing about current events – that’s something I’ve chosen to stay away from here for the most part because I don’t like to be negative. I save those topics for in person conversations.
I love reading about any topic that interests you enough to write about because your centered, compassionate, thoughtful perspectives all come out in whatever you write. I hardly ever comment, but I read all of your posts. Thank you for being an amazing role model.
What a lovely comment, Aviva, and thank you for taking the time to share that with me.
Avivah, I didn’t respond initially because I thought, “I like everything I read so much… I don’t have anything to suggest!” But then I saw that that’s what most people wrote as well.
I do love what Arielle wrote above: “… at a point it becomes about you- the totality of you that we all love.”
Chaya Dina, I appreciate each and every comment and none of them are redundant. It’s very affirming and special for me to read the feedback each of you has shared, and motivates me to keep writing. A number of times I’ve thought of stopping blogging because of the lack of response and wondering if anyone cares what I’m sharing about.
Everything you write is a treat!!
I particularly like the posts where you remain true to yourself and persevere with your convictions, and we get to see how things usually play out according to plan. And if not, you adjust and course correct.
I enjoy when you share your thought processes. As you see, your thinking process is a role model for many of us.
I find the foster parents posts both inspiring and interesting.
I would love to hear more about how you handle the shidduchim process, how relationships change with your married children after they’re married and how to embrace the children in law – navigating your relationship with each of them who come along with their own way of doing things.
I hope to meet you one day!!
Hi Avivah,
I enjoyed reading everyone’s responses because they really express how I feel. I check every day if there’s a new post. I really enjoy all your post, but especially those about chinuch and health / alternative approaches. I appreciate hearing about how you approach the challenges of life. You are so honest and open and always looking to grow. You really model how to deal with these situations.
I enjoy reading about the twins even though foster care is not practically relevant to my life. There is so much to learn from how much we can transform a child by caring for them with the correct approach and also how you deal with the tremendous frustration of the system. Always looking to reframe or focus on surrender with bitachon when it’s so easy to be angry. I love hearing how much they’ve grown and that the caretakers have noticed and understood that it’s mainly because of the constant intentional work you put in.
I appreciate that you’re writing more often, knowing it’s an investment of your time and energy.