Best Part, Worst Part

Beyond the food, and the table décor (which I’ll round up and share another week)

One of the things that makes it special is something we instituted years ago when our kids (now teenagers) were young.
We call it “best part, worst part, nicest things…”

We go around the table, in age order…youngest first (sorry, Jackson) and tell the others (guests sometimes included, but no pressure they’re not forced) the best part of our week, the worst part of our week, the nicest thing we did for someone else, and the nicest thing someone did for us.

I love that we have this to look forward to, and to reflect back upon. It also keeps us accountable of doing for others and being grateful. My kids look forward to it and remind us if we ever forget in a moment of hanger, when rushing to eat.

The list of things we include can range from holding the door for a stranger, or sharing notes with a classmate, to donating birthday presents to kids in need, or just making the bus on time so your mom doesn’t have to drive you to school.

Sometimes we’ll skip a week if half of us is away or we’re out at a friend's home. You can choose to make it a monthly highlight instead.

Since January seemed to be the never-ending month with a lot of highlights and is still technically part of this week..., here’s mine.

Best Part: Celebrating my birthday with so many fun activities I have wanted to do for a while with family and friends. Tied with: Finally starting this blog!

Worst Part: Missing my daughter Sarah who is abroad this year in Israel; we’re both January birthdays and it was our first celebration without an in-person hug. FaceTime is great and all but I had hoped I’d be able to see her by now.

Nicest thing you did for someone: Organized a hike to raise money for a cause very close to my heart, Kol Hanearim, which supports children at risk in Israel. I love to hike and I love to raise awareness for and support organizations I love. I hope to do this again soon, maybe when it's warmer.

Nicest thing someone did for me: Every one of you who sent a kind DM or compliment when I started sharing on Instagram - and gave me the inspiration to start this blog. You have no idea how much not only your words meant to me, but how much it meant to me that you took the time to let me know.

These kind words meant so much to me. This year was tough, but sharing is my passion and you’ve made me feel like I was providing information that was useful and helpful. Hearing that I was improving lives or sharing ideas or inspiration helped me get out of a creative rut and give me purpose.

Equally deserving of “nicest things” (sometimes need to take advantage of the S in things), my daughter told me that I’m a “cool mom”; to those of you who are parents to teens this is an unbelievable compliment for your kid to think, and even more to say out loud and share on social media (best present ever, thanks Ally).

Now your turn….let me know if you try this at home!

In honor of my 44th birthday and the launch of this project, here are 44 things about me.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Friday!