• Defending Against Those Jewish Calories — Mama's 5 Tips
"Eat only when standing up."

• A Girl Is Not A Woman and A Tushie Is Not A...
"The children today...they don't know how to speak correctly."

• Jose Rubio Is Dead
"I'm not afraid of commas anymore."

• Bubbie — Tzedakah, Discipline, and Arms Designed for Hugs.
In halting English she said, "You come!"

• The Academy 'Reward' for Making New Friends
"The children need a father...not an old Jewish Bubbie."

• Papa's Battle — Checker Tournament vs. The Job
"This was only a game. A job was a job."

• Making a Choice: Complain & Whine or Be Funny & Clever
"Maybe good things come in small packages, but so does poison So watch out."

• Wishing for More Display of Love
"I never heard them speak to each other of love."

• Prizes, Charity, and A Trip To Church
And the second prize was ... a ham!

• Grandkids & Havdallah Services
"So go. It's a mitzvah. Never refuse a child."

• Signs, Righteous Gentiles, and Chocolate
"I had warned her about good manners and proper decorum because this was a very important person."

• Papa & Picket Duty
"It wouldn't be half bad if we could pick our signs."

• A Visit To Mama Must Entail Food
"It would be un-Jewish and inappropriate...to say the least."

• Growing Things ... Like Plants & Children
"You've got to speak to them."

• The "Emes" — The Truth vs. Superstition
"Now that you gotta do, or otherwise you're liable to get a k'nine a hara."

• Dressing For An Affair
"You call that a dress? Pheh, pheh."

• Mama's Sugar Bowl Philosophy
"Let Mrs. Rockefeller worry about where to buy a fur coat."

• The Importance of Breakfast
"Cholesterol? Not in our vocabulary..."

• A Grandchild's Audition for "Stardom"
"It might not be my acting ability that caught her attention."

• Mama Never Got A Diploma
"But there was a salary."

• Uncle Max — Who Is A Jew?
"The message didn't come from Mt. Sinai, but from Memphis."

• "Schmeerers" vs. Painters
"Today you don't find real workers any more."

• A Bris & A Nosh
"The first time they have wine, they associate it with...you know."

• What's In A Name?
"He was dubbed "The Lokesh" because of his resemblance to a long noodle."

• Doggie Bags, Mitzvahs, & Free Samples
"But if it's all the same to you, we prefer to pick our own."

• The Bar Mitzvah Speech Bribe
"And after services, I'll bring my chopped liver, made from my mother's secret recipe..."

• Keeping Kosher At Someone Else's Home
"Sometimes it's more important what comes out of your mouth than what goes in."

• And "The Kid" Makes A Minyan
"Kid! That's what he called me!"

• Tanta Pesha and 'Looking Good on Shabbos'
"Where should I be going? To a dance hall you think?"

• Yiddish Theater and 'The Truth'
"The rules of the theater were all forgotten."

• Leaving the Old Neighborhood
"But that's life. Nothing stays the same."

• The Candy Store – From Treats to Chatschkas
"Every shelf was laden with treasures..."

• The Automat
"Such elegance! Such a special event!"

• The Barbershop
"This was part of being allowed into a man's world."

• The Dumb Waiter
"And from this means of garbage disposal, we learned so much more."

• Stayin' Cool In Summer
"Kids could get into bathing suits and dash under the cold water, screeching and yelling..."

• Getting A Library Card
"All this was now mine because I could sign my name."

• Moving
"And then last, but not least, there was the matter of concession. This required a bit of careful bargaining."

• Giving and Getting an Honor
"If you run from honors, honors will run after you."

• The High Holidays
"Those of us without tickets ... had to use our ingenuity to enter the shul."

• Making a New Year's Resolution
"I'll promise not to talk."

• Mama Loved Succos
"Oy, such a sweet taste ... I can become a regular Shikkur."

• Chanukah and The Great Latke Debate
"So she served latkes with apple sauce and he thought the tradition argued for sour cream..."

• The Great Purim Debate
"Which is the most important Jewish delicacy – the latke or hamantaschen?"

• Passover – No Longer the Lenten Season of Deprivation
"There's even bagel mixes and pancake mixes and pizza!"

• Wedding Plans
"A wedding without chopped liver is one thing, but no soup or kugel – this is unheard of."

• Birthdays Are Special
"Now as far as Mama was concerned, she never wanted anyone to make a big fuss over her 'day.'"

• Third grade — Eraser Monitor and Crushed Feelings
"I was afraid to look at Miss Goldman to see if she was laughing."

• Test Day and Demons
"And then it happened. Lulu gagged and threw up."

• Learning How To Save Money
"I came to school on Monday to put a dime in the bank envelope and when I looked into my pocket – no dime."

• Not Being Chosen "I laughed and told Little Billy that we had a special position – 'left out.'"

• Assembly Day
"And we recited, 'I pledge allegiance...and to the country of witches stands...'"

• A School Wish About 'Hitler The Meshuganeh'
"Miss Dugan told the Principal, "They're all alike."

• Mama and the Topic of Condoms
"I could speak easily about the facts of life to my college students...but to my mother?"

• The Sweet Smell of Success and Ripe Cantaloupes
"I know you. You're the one who writes. And the last one was not bad."

• So, Language Changes
"In those days, all chocolates were Hersheys."

• The Importance Of Asking Questions
"When I asked why every conversation seemed to be concluded with a question, she said, 'So what's wrong with that?'"

• Knowing Good Advice From Bad
"Whenever I'm told something is for my own good, I get nervous..."

• New Math, New Stockings, and New Batteries
"But if one pair is $3.25, why is three pair $10?"

• A Moment of Silence...The Pause That Refreshes
"I expected to get the response that this was the time for creative reflection."

• Yes, Age Is Only a Number
"There, looking back at me in the mirror was an elderly – quite elderly – man."

• Politics, Religion, and Ruggelach.
"My mouth still waters from the memory."

• Righteous Gentiles
"This is the way she is paying her back by doing good deeds, real mitzvahs, in her Mama's name."

• Even the President Forgets Once in A While.
"My son tells me that if I didn't have my head attached..."

• Those Great Radio Programs We Used To Listen To
"Today we have television and videos and computers... does this stifle imagination?"

• My, How Libraries Have Changed!
"One little seven-year-old smiles at me and asks if I need help. He'll show me how to use the computer."