365 Grateful

I got some interesting feedback on my birthday post. It seems these moments of reflection and gratitude seem to ignite some form of inspiration for everyone... Many women told me how reading it changed the way they looked at their morning; their day; their children. I know it works for me - in essence it's the whole reason I started this blog: to journal, document, and reflect on what I'm grateful for. And it has worked wonders! As mothers, wives, and homemakers, our lives become so busy, rushed, and non-stop that we seldom get the opportunity to stop, reflect, and celebrate! We just keep going and going...! I wanted to share with you a project - one of the most wonderful projects I have ever happened upon, in the hopes that you can take something for yourself out from the general concept, and increase the quality of your happiness.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/22100389]

I want to start this myself, care to join me? Plus, Instagram makes this cake! :)

Calling Mommies & Babies!

I posted previously about Babyccino when I was first launching the Monday morning "Mommy & Me". Now that we're starting up our 3rd series, I figured I'd let you all in on how it's been going...

The whole concept of getting together with local fellow mothers was really at the crux of the entire birth of Babyccino. The women in this community wanted a time and place where they can all get together, provide some interactive time for their children, while sharing motherhood with other women, and catching up with friends...

I figured I'd share these photos with you and hopefully inspire those of you in other communities to start up something of this nature as well. Having recently given birth, I'm constantly reminded of the dire need a new mother has to interact with other moms and simply get out of the house. It can be as simple as getting a few ladies together in a living room to share a pot of coffee while the kids play with toys on the rug! The point is to get out with your baby, meet with other mothers, and share the many trial and error stories of motherhood as well as share the many laughs that come along with raising children. Not to mention knowing your kids are benefitting from a social morning out along the way!

I also want to give you local women who haven't yet made the trek out to check it out a little kick in the pants! :) Come and join us for this next series as we help the little ones explore and discover the living world around them through 8 growth-themed Spring sessions! Come for the coffee; stay for the fun! Sharing motherhood is one of those things that really are priceless...

Also, I wanted to give a huge shout-out of thanks to all attending moms who have seriously made this whole experiment super-fun and successful!! Thank you all for joining in and bringing along your adorable and smart little people each week!! This could never have happened without you!

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!

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! :)

Weekend Round-up!

Happiest weekend wishes!! We're going for the homestretch here - each time I open my planner, my heart skips a beat seeing how close my due date is (12 days!) - so right now I'm all about last-minute pre-baby tasks. And there are heaps of them! My lists don't stop, but thankfully I've been crossing plenty off recently, and I'm starting to feel settled enough to go at any moment (besides for the unpacked hospital bag!). It was so much fun opening up boxes of stored baby gear - some things made me feel like it's been ages since my last newborn, and other things had me reeling at how recently I stored them away! Yesterday, Freida and I went through a huge box of baby things (plush rattles, swaddle blankets, newborn rompers etc.) - it was so special to be doing that with her; feeling like I've got this beautiful big girl on my hands, helping out with the newborn chores... :) So while I go through and fold this basket of freshly-laundered baby items, here are a few things I've been meaning to share over the course of this week:

- These popcorn bird-feeder garlands are such a charming fine-motor skill activity for Shabbos Shira! (Plastic needles will do the trick!)

- A whimsical read + a wonderful recipe for french toast.

- A $200 bubble blower. Baby keepsake, anyone? :)

- 2012 in Nail Laquer.

- This insanely-awesome playhouse has left me dreamy....

- This bathroom-themed survey made me laugh out loud.

- This hot-pink number got me thinking about my right to bare arms.

- I loved this honest + beautiful piece on parenhood.

- Ever wonder how much you'd earn if all your housework was done as a paying job?

- Hilarious (and ridiculous!) Super Bowl cupcakes!

Have a wonderful February weekend!!! I'll be back to share some of my hospital-bag-packing necessities next week!