Yesterday, we took a family trip to Sesame Place on the way home from the weekend Bar Mitzvah. I have to be honest, I am generally not an amusement park type person. Growing up, we were not a family that frequented Disney or Great Adventure. But I liked Sesame Place. I liked how it drew an extremely diverse group of people. I liked how the place was filled with little kids - really little. I liked how Anna could go on most of the rides, even though she is only four. I liked how the place was teeming with strollers.

And I liked to see how young... more

Many of us - myself included - chose to go through our options with a reproductive endocrinologist while at the same time starting to look into adoption. My husband and I saw the road down fertility lane not going where we wanted to be, and I really felt like I was nearing the end of what I could go through. We had physically and emotionally been through a lot that although I still wanted to explore a few tests or things our doctor was suggesting, we wanted to start talking and thinking seriously about adopting.

For those of you still on the path dealing with infertility, or if you know of someone who could benefit from this event, please pass it along. Please note that A... more

A TIME of North Jersey presents Rochi Lerner, who will lead a lecture/discussion group for couples dealing with infertility on "Keeping the faith: Maintaining faith in Hashem in challenging times", this Wednesday, June 6, at 8:00 p.m. at Maayanot in Teaneck. For more information: nj@atime.org or 201-645- 1622. Couples experiencing infertility are extremely isolated in our communities that are so focused on children. A TIME of North Jersey's events provide them the rare opportunity to get out and meet with people who can relate to them and gain strength from our speakers. Even if... more

This weekend, we are going away for a cousin's Bar Mitzvah. A Bar Mitzvah is the celebration of a boy reaching the age of mitzvot - the age when he becomes responsible for his actions as a full fledged member of the Jewish community. A girl celebrates this milestone at the age of twelve or thirteen depending on the movement and community. It has special significance for the Jewish adopted child.

When Anna was adopted, we - as her parents - had her converted to Judaism. It was our choice for her. As she becomes a Bat Mitzvah, she will be affirming that she wants to accept upon her the choice that we made. Some kids actually choose to incorporate the official "act of choosing" into... more

So you've gotten a referral! You're counting down the weeks or even days! What can you do to get ready for your new arrival?

-- Have you finalized names? Now is the time to make sure that you and your spouse or partner are on the same page.

-- Does your child require conversion/ are you converting your child? Is your child Jewish already by birth? Check with your local rabbi as far as what the conversion process entails, or what documentation you will need to prove your child was born to Jewish birth parents. -- Do you need a mohel for a boy's... more

I met with the new caseworker for Adam on Friday. Adam is our one year old foster child, and we are still not sure if we will be able to adopt him. The current word is that the goal for the case is still adoption, and the caseworker - who only does adoptions - said that she wouldn't have the case at all if they (The State) didn't think he'd become available for adoption.

Anyway, while she was here, Anna popped into the living room to give the caseworker the third degree: What's your name? What's your middle name? Do you have any brothers? Why not? What's in your pocketbook? Can I look at that? Do you have a sister? What's her middle name? (As you can see, we are still working on the... more

Shavuot - translated as "The Feast of Weeks" and known in Christian circles as Pentecost, is one of my favorite holidays. Shavuot, which occurs this year on May 23rd and 24th (starting at night on the 22nd), is the holiday when we celebrate the receiving of the Torah. The day to celebrate the holiday is not specifically mentioned in the Torah, rather it says that we count seven weeks - forty nine days (the omer) from the second day of Passover. The fiftieth day - the culmination of the counting - is Shavuot, hence the name.

A great thing to do with your family before a holiday is study about it's meanings and customs. Many people have the tradition of having different members of their... more

So, you've decided it's time to find an appropriate Jewish Educational Program for your child - or maybe your current program isn't working and you want to know what's out there. So what are the options? Where do you start?

How to find a Jewish Educational Program for your child: Understanding Denominational Differences

The following is a breakdown of options based on the major denominations of Judaism in order to help you find a good fit for your family. Keep in mind that you do not always need to be affiliated with a particular movement of Judaism in order to enroll your child in their program, but your child's conversion status (if applicable) will need to be acceptable... more

Choosing the right school for your child is something that every parent deals with in some way or another. Some public school systems have programs that concentrate more on math or science or the arts. Sometimes parents move to a specific neighborhood because the schools in that district are known to be of a high caliber. I think that all parents wonder how their kid will "fit in" throughout his or her school years, and this issue is probably more on the minds of adoptive parents. Throw in the "Jewish" factor into the mix, and choosing the right school for your child becomes a big deal.

I think that Jewish adoptive families - especially those that are multiracial as well - need to... more

There has been good talk on many adoption blogs lately about Mother's Day - who is it really for? What about Birthmother's Day?

In my family, Mother's Day has always been a day for giving my mother a card and small gift. People ask me if we - as orthodox Jews - celebrate Mother's Day because it's not a Jewish holiday. While Mother's Day has no Jewish origin, it is also a secular holiday with secular founding - unlike Halloween or Valentines Day, which are mostly secular now but come from religious origins. Mother's Day is a great time to make money if you are in the flowers, chocolate or card business. We don't "celebrate" Mother's Day with a mandatory dinner or formal exchange of... more