Power up your speech, prep for the fast, and erase stains

Hi!

JUST A THOUGHT

If the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed over the way we spoke, where does that leave us?

Cleaning up your speech is hard. But here's a reframe that helps: it's not just about stopping the bad stuff. When you commit to cleaner speech — less lashon hara, rechilus, complaining, cynicism you're purifying the instrument.

Because it's the same mouth. The mouth that’s a little too sharp, shares a little too much, retells an iffy story, is the one is the same one you’re using to send up a thousand tefilos a day, that’s guiding your kids, that’s having the hard conversation.

So remember, the space you clear of one kind of speech, you're making room for another to have so much more koach.

^{Inspired by Jackie Bitton}

JUST A Q

Reader M wants to know: Any recommendations for spill-proof, easy to clean (and without a rubber straw) water bottles for Mommy & kids? (I stopped liking Contigo because the straw always gets moldy so fast).

JUST FOR YOU

🎨TIP: Prep for Tisha B’av. Here are some tips I hope you won’t have to use (let the last one be the only practical IYH! 🙏)

• Start hydrating (yesterday). It’s really the #1 difference-maker.

  • Adding electrolytes, via a homemade drink, powder or slow release pills, can make a huge difference as well.

• Prep easy-to-serve foods, even better if the kids can grab and go.

  • Pancakes, pasta, sandwiches, fish sticks, and yogurts can all be bagged in advance and left accessible to kids.

  • I prepare a snack bin that I’m happy to help themselves to, and leave it out so they can nosh without asking. 

  • (Of course there are treats that are under lock-and-key :) 

• Prepare activity bins, so when “I’m bored” hits, you can pull something out. Have a few to rotate. 

• Say a tefillah that the day should be as meaningful and smooth as you’d like it to be – and know that it will be exactly as it’s meant to be.

• As my grandfather does every year, buy a nice meat for the YT seudah we hope to have! 

🧼HACK: Get Folex if you have fabrics to keep clean. It’s been recommended to me a thousand times as a magic solution for carpets and other fabrics, and I finally got it for a fabric (white 😱) couch. The spots disappeared instantly. 

🖥️REC: Find the right path for your daughter. She's back from seminary–and still didn’t figure out what’s next? That's normal. If your daughter is still figuring it out, aptitude testing, personality testing, and one-on-one career coaching can give her the clarity to choose a path that’s right for her. Reach out to [email protected] for a free 15-minute consultation. Trained and certified by Shaina Keren through Rockport Institute. 

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JUST FOR LAUGHS

MOTHERHOOD MUSING

Have a meaningful Nine Days and fast / see you in Yerushalayim IYH!

That’s all for today!💜☕

The JAM Fam

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