Mayim Bialik: 5 Things I Didn’t Expect About Raising Older Boys

Mayim Bialik for Kveller

My boys are 7 and 10, and so many of the troubles of being a mom of two young kids are finally over now, thank goodness! No more needing to find a potty in the middle of every major department store, or having a constant barrage of Cheerio-type products underneath every carseat all the time. No more irrational (or so it seemed at the time) tantrums and very few meltdowns, because I won’t provide another lollipop or another toy after we have just consumed lollipops and bought many toys.

But as they say, small kids small problems, big kids big problems.

Here are the top five astounding things I didn’t realize older kids would end up doing:

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My 2 year old is still waking up at night – advice from a Pediatrician

 By Becky (Your Modern Family)

A few years ago, when our child was still waking up at night (he was two at the time), I went into our Doctor’s office with this complaint…  “My 2 year old is still waking up at night .”  Her advice changed our nights!

I wanted to share this with you, because our son was the BEST sleeper.
He came home from the hospital and slept through the night.  

Once we started watching his patterns more often, we realized that it was around the same time every night.  He was going to bed around 7:00 every night (6:00 if he didn’t nap at all) and waking up in the morning around 7:00 or 8:00.  If he goes to bed at 6:00, he wakes up between 6:50 & 7:30 – he always gets at least 12 hours, sometimes 13, which is about what he needs.

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Yiddish-Speaking Tigers and Klezmer-Playing Bears for Poland’s Jewish Kids

By Penny Schwartz for Jewniverse

Playful poems of a wise owl, a menacing tiger and a klezmer-playing bear that once delighted Yiddish-speaking Polish children are making an unlikely comeback in a soon-to-be-released children’s book for a new generation of Poland’s Jewish children.

Once nearly lost to history, the delightful read-aloud poems are among others in Yiddish Zoo, featuring poems written by prominent Yiddish writers of the interwar years with new translations in Polish and English.

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For more on Jewish books for children, check out our    page.

Show & Tell: 7-Year-Old Yalta and Her Multiplying Dolls

Zivar Amrami for Kveller

This is the eleventh post in our portrait series, Show & Tell, which features children ages 4-12 photographed with their favorite object.  Who: Yalta, age 7 What: DDs (Real name is Dina) Why: She received DD from her grandparents when she was a baby. Yalta is very attached to her doll, so she was sad when her mom thought she lost it. Her mom panicked and went online, where she was able to find two more.

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101 Things to Do When Kids Say "I'm Bored"

School's out and many families are going to be home. How will you occupy the kids short of farming them out every day to a different friend or relative?  Happily, Care.com has some suggestions.

Nix boredom in the bud with this list of fun (and low cost, low stress) activities to keep your kids occupied and happy.

By Kayla Mossien, Contributor

"I'm bored!" If you’re raising or acting as a nanny or babysitter for kids, chances are you're all too familiar with this phrase. But what do you do?

For the best chance of hooking -- and holding -- kids' attention, aim for activities that engage the senses and are at the right level of difficulty (not too easy, not too challenging). And don’t get down on yourself if you're having a hard time brainstorming inventive new ideas.

“I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that kids, even young ones, are perfectly capable of entertaining themselves with a little push,” says Sarah Hamaker, parenting coach and author of "Boredom Busters."

So the next time your little one whines, “I’m bored!,” check out this list of 101 kid-friendly, parent-approved things to do.

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Show & Tell: 7-Year-Old Maayan and Her ‘Shabbat Siddur’

Zivar Amrami for Kveller

This is the tenth post in Kveller's portrait series, Show & Tell, which features children ages 4-12 photographed with their favorite object.

This is Maayan, age 7 with her Shabbat Siddur (prayer book)

Her favorite thing is her Shabbat siddur, which she received as a reward for passing Book 3 in Kriyah at Lamplighters, where she goes to school in Crown Heights. Maayan loves studying, especially the sense of accomplishment that comes with working hard. Because of this, she is ahead in her class, and enjoys challenges, especially figuring out how to conquer them. For her, the siddur reminds her of this every time she opens it.

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The Top Jewish Baby Names of 2015 Are Here

Joanna Valente (Editorial Assistant) for Kveller

It seems like Jewish baby names are going strong this year, taking up several slots in the top 25 most popular names of the year, according to Baby Center’s Top 100 list for 2015. Parents just can’t enough biblical and old-fashioned names these days, with Noah making the #5 boy name and Ava earning the #4 girl name.

It seems, however, that Jewish boy names are much more popular than Jewish girl names. We wonder why this may be the case–expectant parents everywhere, get on this. (We’re kind of kidding. Kind of.)

Without further delay, here are the most popular Jewish baby names for 2015:

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