Mommy School

Did your daughters enroll? Did they like it? Did they graduate? Are they planning on getting an advanced degree?

Each week I’ll share personal stories, insights, and tips on healthy food, movement, intuition, and growth—always with a touch of spirituality. My path has been anything but straight, shaped by family, friends, gratitude, and love, and I hope my experiences resonate with you. As a trained Holistic Health Coach and passionate foodie, I love all things clean, organic, and nourishing—and I’m excited to share that passion with you.

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Let’s Dive In…

When Julie was little, starting around five years old, she’d watch me in the kitchen. I’d be making something simple like toasted frozen waffles or something fun with her, like chocolate chip cookies, or maybe I was making a big holiday dinner. She’d ask, “where did you learn to do that?” My answer was always the same, “In Mommy School!” Julie’s reply would always be the same too, “when do I get to go to mommy school?” And I’d reply “oh, you’re already in it, girlfriend!”

Growing up, I was not familiar with the term ‘Mommy School,’ but I was definitely enrolled. The simple act of being a daughter and observing your mother as you grow up is, in fact, mommy school. You spend 18 years watching your mother move through life and you learn things. Right? Well, not necessarily. As we know, Mommy School is not accessible to all little girls. Every mother-daughter relationship is different, and every mother is not June Cleaver! But I was blessed to have a mother that was special. She was loving, funny, a creative dynamo in business, and somehow, managed to cook dinner five nights a week. Nothing fancy, but there was dinner on the table for a family of six, Monday through Friday. Without realizing it, I watched her, learned from her, and successfully graduated from what I eventually dubbed, ‘Mommy School.’

I made an 11-lb. brisket for Rosh Hashanah

This is a two-day project and not for the faint of heart! It’s what we call in Yiddish, “a potchke!” In other words, it’s a lot of work! But I love a good cooking project, and I was mentally and physically prepared to dive in. Day one went smoothly. With texting support from my sister Becca, the real Queen of the kitchen, I cooked that brisket for close to seven hours. The house smelled amazing! After it cooled a bit, I covered it tightly and put it in the fridge overnight. Day two is about slicing and freezing the brisket. It’s in the freezing that the ‘magic’ happens! This is when the flavor angels come and sprinkle their magic dust to make the brisket delicious and a crowd pleaser.

My daughter Allie was hanging in the kitchen on Monday morning when I started day two of the project. I recruited her to help me slice and freeze. (My elbow is still somewhat of an issue and slicing an 11-lb. piece of meat was not in my wheelhouse at that moment!) I set Allie up with a sharp knife, a carving board, an apron, and specific instructions about cutting against the grain. There’s a lot of fat on a big piece of brisket, so the job is messy, yet that did not scare Allie off. She followed my directions to a T, and we now have three bags of brisket in its sauce, in the freezer, waiting for its special debut.

Afterwards, Allie said, “I’m so happy I learned how to do that. Next time I’ll learn how to actually make the brisket itself.” Well, that made my day. Nothing makes me happier than giving my girls a cooking lesson. And nothing makes me happier than when my girls are in Mommy School.

Scheduling a Mommy School class :)

Recently, Julie texted me a picture of a frozen steak and asked about cooking it for dinner. The text thread warmed my heart. And gave me a good laugh!

Julie is now a professional at cooking a steak! The next cooking lesson includes my chicken meatballs recipe.

I believe that learning to cook — simple cooking — is an important life skill. Having control over what you eat on a daily basis gives you control over your health and well-being. Not knowing how to cook can often lead people to eat out too much, eat packaged food, eat processed food, eat fast food, and ultimately, put themselves at risk of eating foods that potentially lead to chronic disease.

Teaching my daughters, Allie and Julie to cook, has always been important to me

Teaching my girls how to shop, cook, and eat healthy was a priority for me. So, I created Mommy School as a way to inspire them to learn. And I’m grateful that today at ages 32 and 28 they are still interested in learning from their mother.

And guess what, I’m still interested in learning from them. Having adult daughters is a gift. I’m able to stay on top of the latest music, trendy speech, youthful fashion, boys, and more. I love when they help me with anything technology or logistics related. I’m open to their two cents, and they’re open to mine. How fortunate am I to have such a beautiful relationship with my girls?

What about you? Did you go through Mommy School? Did you put your daughters through Mommy School? What did you consider a priority to teach your girls? Please share.

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