Sisters + Previous Purim Posts

Due to my current condition (confined to my home, determined to rest and recover) as a new mom (while it’s the most wonderful state to be in – nuzzling a newborn bundle all night and day – I admit I am going a little stir-crazy), I am so glad that I have had Freida’s Purim costume hanging idly in her closet since October! :) I happened upon a charming little bumble bee costume on clearance post-Halloween, and knew I’d likely be housebound post-birth by the time Purim came around, and I was grateful to find a perfectly non-handmade getup for my dress-up-loving 3 year old.

So thankfully, I’m immensely relaxed about Purim – and all the DIY’s that can come with it! :) Sending my husband on a quick run for some chocolate rocks (to go at the bottom of 4 plastic planters for Freida’s “flower” Shalach Manos she’ll be giving her little friends at Gan) is the one and only thing on my Purim to-do list. Which leaves me ample time to cultivate a loving bond between Freida and her brand-spanking-new little sister. Naturally, Freida’s been emotional over the changes and novelties that have entered our home… she had a few temper tantrums, and is generally acting like a hormonal teenager – seriously PMS all day long. The slightest offense can send her whimpering and weeping all the way to her room – door slamming behind her. It’s awfully endearing, and rather adorable – but at times it makes me sad about how much emotion she must be dealing with in order to get her to that point. Thankfully, her sister gets to see a much brighter side; Freida has been amazing with the new baby! I guess she figured she can take out her frustration on me and leave the baby out of it (thank God!!). She’s gently and affectionate and protective, and an all-around great big sister, and I’m just entranced by watching the bond between them unfold…

On the blog front, I’m feeling kind of guilty that I’m not doing much for Purim and have virtually nothing to share with you all, I thought I’d go through some of my old Purim posts and link them here for you – all on one page:

- Tea-time in a jar.

- Crayon molds make such a cute addition to a child’s Shalach Manos!

- A few funky ideas to inspire a last minute costume.

- Prep your toddlers to avoid costume fright.

- Easy DIY Purim puppets.

- A flaky and delicious Hamantaschen recipe.

- Shalach Manos in a jar.

- A cheap, easy, and adorable child’s Shalach Manos concept.

- Breakfast cupcakes in a jar. (I know, get over the jar!)

- Insanely adorable “sushi” cupcakes! (by Chani of Pleasant Cakes)

- Easy “indian princess” headdress DIY.

Hope all your over-the-weekend Purim planning goes swimmingly! Joy to the happy holiday!!

BabyFroo

This is where we were a week ago, today.

In total awe and gratitude over the birth of our new beautiful baby girl, Yehudis.

While she looks like quite a chunkster in this post-birth photo, she only weighed-in at 5.13 :)

And it’s the most precious 5 pound bundle on earth.

While Freida adjusts to her new baby doll sister (she is over the moon about the baby, not so much about the changes), and I rest up here at home while bonding with the sweetest big-eyed, button-nosed little lady, I just wanted to let you all in on the birth of our newest family member, and let you know that, thank God, we are doing just great!

For now, my mom is here taking care of us – feeding me nonstop and spending an impeccable amount of time playing with Freida and giving her heaps of much-needed attention. I’ve been sleeping and sleeping and trying my best to stay off my feet and listen to my mothers orders. :)

I really want to write up the birth story (as well as finally write up Freida’s birth story), and post a few pregnancy posts that have been sitting in my draft box for over a week! I hope to do so as soon as I’m up for a bit more screen time, but for now I’ll just leave you with a few pictures of the new baby, and a promise to write more about it all later…

 

Sticky Sapling

(This post is over a week late in the coming, but the activity concept was so fun that I want to shoot it out there to you all either way – before I forget about it and it gets lost in a pile of neglected blog “drafts”.)

In honor of Tu B’Shvat, I broke out a new form of art for Freida. It was quite the hit! While I personally feel she was too old to truly reap the benefits of such an activity, she seemed to enjoy the tactile observation either way. Ideally, this is the perfect art form for a 2 year old; mess-free, removable, and extensively creative.

The general concept is contact paper. Simply tape a nice big sheet of contact paper on the wall – sticky side forward. Give your toddler enough art materials to get insanely creative with (feathers, foam cutouts, scraps of colored paper, sequins etc.), and demonstrate the method! Watch their little hands discover the world of sticky goodness, and explore the properties of weight and layout. They’ll learn so much from this activity, and you’ll definitely get a nice chunk of time to yourself!

I gave Frieda a pile of brown paper squares, and a stack of colorful paper leaves. After some simple directions she went ahead to create her own tree! I was excited when I realized how capable she was! And the best part is when they come up with ideas on their own – she asked me if I could cut out some red apples for her to add to the mix! And after she finished her tree, she proceeded to request materials to make a “flower garden” (I stuck up some more contact paper, cut out some paper flowers, and cut up a few pipe cleaners to use as stems)! Nothing like schepping creative nachas! :)

Growing Gowns

My sister has been on a very long quest for an evening dress to wear to her girlfriends wedding this month, and all her shopping got me thinking about evening maternity wear… Somehow, both during my pregnancy with Freida and this time ’round, I haven’t had an event that called for formal evening wear or a gown. But, I’d imagine it must be thrilling and exciting to create something wondrous to show-off that goddess-like baby bump! Happened upon this image of Gisele doing a maternity shoot for Vogue, and I’m just swooning over the natural and flowing texture – perfect for relaying the message of woman and her mysterious miracles.

For more maternity formal wear inspiration check out this star-studded lineup of red-carpet worthy looks!

Nature Babies

Naturally, I’ve got babies on my mind… and these images of newborn baby animals popping up all over Pinterest have surprisingly got my heart smothered in mama-love.

If any of you are swooning over these teeny-tiny animal features like I am, check out the Sharon Montrose shop (I mentioned it previously here) for a modern menagerie of baby animal photography – worthy of even the most sleek and svelte homes!

Yeah, it’s baby fever. :)

Fruit Squeeze

I’ve been feeling super thirsty these last few weeks. Almost as thirsty as when I’m nursing! I find myself constantly craving shots of ice cold juicy fruit, carbonated splashers, and plain ol’ ice water… all. day. long. While I’ve been drinking about a gallon of water daily during this pregnancy, it suddenly seems to not be quite enough! I want juice and sweet, tart, shots of sugary goodness.

My husband did a little impromptu grocery run last week to the health food store, and brought home the most delicious and refreshing frozen treats! Jolly Lama Squeeze Ups are made of all fresh, whole ingredients that create the most silkily satisfying shot of sorbet. He was struck by the kosher symbol, natural ingredients, but mostly, the mod graphics. :) Anyways, we’ve sure been enjoying them – Freida’s hooked. And it’s a far better freezer treat for a kid than any of the other “natural” pops out there. Plus, I’ve been polishing off pregnant-sized boxes of them!

You can check them out at your local Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other stores that carry a variety of healthier fare. They’re really worth a try – especially if you’re a sorbet lover! Plus, how quirkily great is that name?? :)

LOVE.

There’s no denying that this little equation is the absolute best thing about love!

While browsing the web this afternoon, I came across 3 lovely love-themed things I’d love to share:

So many one-liners I’d love to type up for these little felted fortune cookies!

These love-struck brownies have got to be the easiest V-day dessert ever!

I would just swoon over getting one of these in the mail!

Hope you were all able to spend some special time together with you love today…

Pint Sized Consumers

Kids are consumers, too.

You’ve got to love this!!

via DaddyTypes

Little Seeds

Freida came home from Gan Chai this morning all aglow from Birthday cheer. The trees birthday, that is. She marched proudly into the house sporting a birthday crown and showing off a petite potted gift.

The excited was so uncontained that I decided to harness it and we head out back to fill up some uprooted areas in the backyard with soil and seeds.

While we’d love to start up a real live garden – dreaming of the Berkowitz’s – we’re starting off slowly, and began by hoeing and filling up the empty areas with fresh soil, and heaps of little Forget Me Not seeds to grow alongside the outer brush against the fence.

Freida enjoyed the sensory experience of working the earth, not to mention the thrill of getting muddy and grimy without a nay say from her mama. :)

Dirt pellets are a fantastic way to show kids how the earth “drinks” the water. Tightly packed dried out soil turns to volumes of moist soil instantly once watered, and the look of discovery on little faces watching is sheer deliciousness! (The Target $1 aisle has heaps of these little potted pellets for Valentines Day right now!)

P.S. Kids can play with mud forever!! Best way to keep ‘em entertained in a jiffy! :)

Book of the Week: The Giving Tree

I’ve been a long-time fan of Shel Silverstein, but this book is one of his classics, and I’m glad my daughter loved it as much as I did. The Giving Tree is the age old story of what man takes from nature, and what nature happily gives to man. Of course you can take some serious “going green” junk away from it’s storyline, but it is in fact a sweet story with the most charming of illustrations. I thought Tu B’Shvat was the perfect time to introduce her to Shel and his magical drawings…