“Hedgehog” Mixture #1 3 tablespoons of sour cream 3 tablespoons of honey 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda Salt Mixture #2 1 cup of sugar 50g of butter (melted with sugar)…

“Cottage Cheese Pie” 400 g of cottage cheese 50 g of margarine (melted) 2-3 eggs 1 cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream 2-3 tablespoons of sunflower oil 0.5…

“Apple Pie” 200g of margarine (melted) 4 eggs 1.5 cups of sugar 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower oil 1 packet of baking powder 2.5 cups of…

Curry Sauce 1.1 lbs ground chicken (or minced chicken) garlic onion mushroom bouillon cube curry powder salt, pepper (including red) water sour cream Start by sautéing finely chopped onion and…

Reflections on Love for Ukraine I absolutely love this song by Katya Buzhinskaya. When the kids sang it at graduation, we were almost in tears. I never thought I would…

Letting Go: A Parent’s Challenge I believe the hardest part of being a parent is the moment you have to let your child go, to hand over the reins of…

Finding Balance in Life I never realized how much our sense of balance affects our lives. In the past, I was so unsteady, constantly swinging between extremes: one moment life…

Something incredibly significant happened in my life today – I helped a dying person confess and take communion. It’s incredibly tough when someone close to you is dying, especially when…

People often crave fame, money, and power, dreaming of running corporations and even the world… yet, in reality, they struggle to manage themselves first and foremost. Our bodies are directly…

Time Flies… It’s hard to believe how quickly time passes. Here we are at the first parent-teacher meeting, and suddenly it’s graduation night! Our kids have grown up so fast……

Understanding Communication Between the Genders It’s a shame that neither schools nor universities teach us how to communicate with the opposite sex. Sometimes it feels like men and women live…

Born a Little Early My sister Irka and I didn’t arrive on August 25th as expected, but rather on May 25th… (maybe I was aiming for my husband). I weighed…

I just remembered another unique ability that Ira and I share: wherever there are texts—be it in books, on store windows, or anywhere else—we often find ourselves reading things incorrectly,…

What Is Beauty? It’s interesting to ponder the question: what is beauty? It’s a tough one to answer because we are all different, perceiving and interpreting the world in our…

To a Son A small, fragile creature, Yet already stronger than me. He is destined to outlive me, To do what I couldn’t. And he will go where I haven’t.…

A Dream So warm! The sand caresses my feet And the sun warms my body’s essence. I run forward, the water shines, Playing with the radiant sun’s waves. I don’t…

Life keeps moving, the minutes just race, Like a train speeding down the track. Its roads and its paths can be steep and rough, But life goes on – and…

Today, someone asked me, “What kind of gift do you want?” I was so taken aback… At one point, I thought I wanted SO much, and then it felt like…

Five Years of Friendship: The Joys and Challenges Sometimes it’s so easy, and other times it’s incredibly hard to have a five-year-old friend. At this age, kids hit another developmental…

Thoughts, Thoughts… Sometimes I think about how a person is almost constantly under the influence of their thoughts. It’s rare to be able to force oneself out of this “noise”…

How Important It Is to Cherish Every Day with Loved Ones Recently, I’ve been reflecting on what I would change if I were truly limited in my time on this…

Bedtime Conversations: A Special Bond with My Son I have two children: my son is 6 years old, and my daughter is 2. Every day brings its own challenges. But…

Family Adventures in the Woods We spent the weekend exploring the forest as a family. Just as we were getting ready to leave, Sasha, not wanting to go, turned away…

Finding Joy in the Little Things I often think about how we struggle to appreciate the small joys in life, and how crucial that is—especially in sports. We tend to…

Oh, it seems like the time has come to explain to my daughter where she came from. She’s been curious about this for a while, but my previous answer—something along…

How Important It Is to Have a Dream! I’m convinced that everyone has a dream; it’s just that some people forget about it as the years go by, or worse,…

Celebrating a Bright Holiday How I love this bright holiday! It’s right up there with Christmas, I’d say. Although… I’m afraid to say too much since I know so little…

I truly love it; I’m so immersed in the idea of how it works that I could explain the process down to the molecular level, even in the middle of…

Time Flies: A Reflection on Life’s Rush It feels like I wrote my last article a hundred years ago! It’s awful; time is just mocking me, proving its superiority at…

A Creative Way to Teach Kids About Money This idea was recently suggested to me by my sister, and it really works. I think it could be helpful for many…

Happy International Women’s Day to all the women around the world! Just one day a year, and it’s all about US – women!!! After all, we, women, may be considered…

I’m taking Sasha to preschool. Frustrated after her attempts to ask for a little brother, she exclaims in exasperation: “Mom, just tell me already, how are babies born?! I’ll just…

Gratitude in Times of Illness Thank you to my husband, who stayed by my side throughout my illness. He called for “Boris” and without hesitation took me to the hospital.…

I wrote this letter while I was still in the hospital, and I ended up there due to a ridiculous series of events and my own carelessness. I fell ill…

To all the lovers, those in love, and those searching for their love, I wish you a wonderful and bright celebration of Valentine’s Day! Love is undoubtedly a force unmatched…

Our kids are 100% reflections of ourselves. Sure, there are exceptions—some children grow up completely different from their parents (for better or worse), and I’ve seen that too. But sometimes,…

Sometimes, when life throws us a curveball, I find myself wondering: how am I supposed to live with this now??? Surely, everyone will remember this forever… and honestly, I know…

A couple of years ago, I read an excellent book: “The Joy of Parenting: How to Raise Without Punishment”. It was quite dense, and I didn’t get through it on…

Two monks were walking along a path when they came across a river that needed to be crossed on foot. On the bank stood a woman, looking confused and unsure…

We’re heading to Grandma’s. Sasha and I are walking to the bus stop, dragging our bags—mine is huge and awkward, filled with clothes; hers is a tiny bag with a…

The Versatile Ball: A Must-Have for Kids I wanted to share my thoughts on a ball. It’s big, rubbery, and comes with a handle or horns—perfect for children’s play. But…

Over the past year, I’ve seen so many friends and acquaintances grow apart… I don’t even have the words to comment on it, because I know one thing for sure:…

How often we ourselves become those very actors… I often catch myself when I get too caught up in a game instead of truly living! When we immerse ourselves in…

Transformative Weight Loss Journeys of My Friends I wanted to share the experiences of my friends who lost 44 pounds and have managed to maintain their new weight. The first,…

What is a home? It’s so much more than just walls, furniture, and belongings. It’s something far deeper and more significant in a person’s life. A home is our cherished…

Finally, we got some snow and a little frost. I’m walking home from preschool with Sasha when she suddenly shouts: – MOM! I see ICE SKATING!!! Turns out, it was…

I’m picking Sasha up from kindergarten. I ask: “How was your day? Were you good? Everything okay?” Sasha, super cheerful, goes: “Mommy, everything was GREAT!!!… just don’t ask the teacher!”