As if I didn’t feel inferior enough, here comes Sarah Lipman, an Orthodox Israeli former schoolteacher and mother of FIVE who, in her spare time, has invented a “stylus for use with Palm Pilots and other devices that emits an invisible light, allowing for ‘three-dimensional interaction'” and is a star at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas this week. (Hat tip to Jewish Blogmeister.)

The Yenta has never been in danger of inventing anything (for which you should all be very grateful — I can make a toaster explode with nothing more than a piece of spelt bread and a deep yawn.) I can’t imagine keeping a kosher house with five shrieking mouths to feed, then creating technologically advanced products after they go to bed. She undoubtedly has domestic help and the children are in school part of the day, but even if I had a maid, a cook and a full-time nanny, I’d still end up serving butter with the brisket. It’s the life of a bad Jewish mother, but it’s my life.

On the other hand, my son made a “tzedakah machine” out of the Tinker Toys he got for Chanukah. Let it be known that this was completely his own idea, because I was blogging rather than being the kind of mother who gets down on the crusty carpet and plays with Tinker Toys.

In his own words, “it spins around and money comes out, so I’m going to send it other countries, like in Africa, and then when they buy all the food and medicine they need there, they can send it back and I’ll send it somewhere else.”

My accomplishments may not ever make me rich, famous or even fulfilled, but man, is my kid a mensch. And that, my brothers and sisters, is the best thing a bad Jewish mother could ask for.