Costumes, Not Booze Are the Best Part of Mardi Gras

 What's the best part about Mardi Gras in New Orleans? According to the Huffington Post, most people prefer the booze cruises. I disagree. For me, Mardi Gras is all about the parades, music and best of all the wonderful costumes. Would Mardi Gras be as fun without the alcohol? Absolutely; teetotalers get to enjoy all the color and flavor without the hangover or the unpleasant after-taste. I actually have more fun because I didn't miss everything in a drunken fugue. Costumes, Not Booze or Food, Are the Best Part of Mardi Gras

"Jerusalem: A Cookbook" Celebrates Diversity, Shares Passions

I love to cook, and it particular to experiment with different ethnic foods. I like to recreate the dishes we sample from different cuisines. I try to tie in not just the ingredients and cooking styles themselves, but the entire milieu in which they developed. As a Catholic homeschool parent, I made every experience a learning one. There's no better place than the kitchen to teach life lessons about faith and family, and no better place than the dining room table to build healthy relationships and   "Jerusalem: A Cookbook" Celebrates Diversity, Shares Passions 

Helping Children Understand Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr with Judeo-Christian Connections - Yahoo! News

Ramadan is the monthlong religious fast celebrated by Muslims, during the month of Shawwal (August this year in the western calendar). Like the Christian season of Lent, Ramadan is a penitential season. If focuses on the Five Pillars of Islam. It ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

In order for children to understand their faith and creed, they need to understand how it fits into the larger fabric of religion in general. To explain Islam to children, I've drawn parallels between Judeo-Christian faiths. This will help children understand how Muslims believe and why Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are so important. The five pillars, or tenets of Muslim faith include: (read more at)  Helping Children Understand Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr with Judeo-Christian Connections