I currently can't get enough of: boyish accessories with girly-getups! It's so fun for me to be able to go so girly and frilly and bring it all back down to earth with some raw and casual accents from the boys department...
(The hat was $2.50 at the Gap and was much too cute to leave there! Plus, Freida rocked it!)
Freida and I celebrated this lovely little holiday by reaping some early-spring garden-bounty, and planting some little seeds. At the Mommy & Me session this morning, Freida got to play around with the textures of seeds and soil while potting some dill and parsley. She never held little seeds before and she seemed to find it rather intriguing...
Later that day, we stopped into Freida's Bubby's backyard to pluck some of the ripened Meyer Lemons from one of her trees. I would have never thought this fruit would grow so ripe this early in the year! In a few months from now these sweet and fragrant fruits will be sold by the (way-overpriced!) case-full at the Farmer's Market; I thought I'd take advantage of this early spring bounty!! Plus, was a perfect little lesson for Freida on Tu B'Shvat (not to mention we could make a legitimate Shehecheyanu blessing on them)... There's something so significant about the way children respond to seeing fruit on trees - her expression always amazes me. Taking children fruit-picking is one of the very important ways we can help to improve the way the future generation will relate to food - we are teaching them it is not just something that comes in bulk from the shelves at Costco, but rather something that is planted, cultivated, and reaped - by man working the earth and God making it grow. They should know that food comes from someplace much more special than the grocery store...!
(She even found a lone little pomegranate - either a left-over or an early-bloomer - from the neighboring tree!)
Later that afternoon (after a good long nap for her and lots of errands for me), we put the lemon-y treasures to use by making little meyer lemon pies. I had ripped out the recipe from an old Cookie magazine, and never got around to actually trying it. It was basically little graham-cracker crusts (baked), with a filling made of blended firm tofu (I used Mori-Nu), lemon zest and juice, and confectioners sugar. I guess it's meant to be like a little cheese-less cheesecake (all that protein-rich tofu in the filling made me think this would be great as a super-healthy dessert). While Freida was most definitely fond of licking up the filling, I personally wasn't so keen on the outcome... but it is supposed to set fully overnight, so I can let ya'll know in the morning. Maybe we'll attempt a Tofu-Meyer-Lemon-Pie breakfast! :)
Here's the recipe, in case you want to give it a go... but I'd probably just add the zest and juice to a basic cheesecake instead. Chag Sameach!!
When I was a kid, my mother's stash of (what she considered) "candy" ranged from carob-covered rice cakes to oatmeal plum & raisin bars (dubbed "poop bars" by my younger siblings) to a tiny box of Sunmaid raisins. There were some Glenny's lollipops in the mix, but they were far from "yummy". I made a promise to myself when I was a little girl that I would never subject my children to the sort of candy-withdrawal I felt as a kid... I was always stuffing birthday party candy in my pockets, and hoarding the cupcakes because who knew when the next time I'd meet sugar would be? (Sorry Mother! I do understand you though...)
Well, thank God I live in a time where markets are filled with heaps of goodies that are made of goodness! I discovered Yummy Earth Organic candies when I was pregnant with Freida. It seemed that every baby boutique we frequented had a bucket of Yummy Earth pops at the checkout counter (after snagging a few at a time - I was hooked). Now we go through bags of these natural and truly delicious "Poppies" (Frieda named them that, and it stuck); I always have one of their pop pouches in my bag (I refill it on demand - it's the perfect public-meltdown-prevention tactic), the play-daters go directly to our pantry in search of Tooberry Blueberry or Strawberry Smash (Freida already knows to pluck out a "white one for mommy" - Sour Apple Tart), and even the adults can't seem to pass up a round of Yummy Earth suckers!
Invented by two Daddies looking for some sort of healthy candy for their children to consume guilt-free, this line of lollipops and candy drops are made from only the most natural and organic ingredients - including the flavors and colors! There's a tag-line on all the bags, "The best lollipop I've ever tasted!", and it is so damn straight!
P.S. We snag bags of the Vitamin C variety at Marshalls - $5 for 50 pops!
You can find out more about the making of these wonderfully succulent candies here:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlFrEFb0Dmg&feature=player_embedded]
During the extent of our month of rain (plus my 2 week virus), I was forced to recall any and all things I have seen or heard of doing indoors with children in order to keep up with my toddler's activity demands. I vaguely remembered seeing a juice box sail boat featured in a Parents magazine once, and with some help from my main man Google (why would anyone use any other search engine???), I happened upon the very magazine image I was looking for!
Here's some photos of the how-to via Inchamark:
Freida really enjoyed the process of watching something as simple as her apple juice box + a piece of scribbled paper turn into a sail boat (and I felt good knowing this type of "play" was great for her cognitive advancement of understanding cause and effect). Plus, setting the boats adrift was definitely a hit! It kept her busy for a nice little while (she even took them out to play with again after her nap - score!).
(I'd advise you not to use marker on the sails like I did - the ink bled all over as soon as the little boat tipped...)
This Babushka sure got a modern makeover!! Being seeing an overload of Matryoshka themed gimmicks on the market - some may be a bit more cuter than the next, but either way, these are most definitely not your Bubby's russian nesting dolls! 1. Ninja/Robot 2. Play Quilt + Wooden Teether 3. Babushkups
4. Bento Box 5. Bath Mat 6. Measuring Cups
7. Tape 8. Modern Graphics 9. Crochet Pattern PDF
10. Stamps 11. DIY 12. Gift Tags
13. Throw Pillow 14. Pantone 15. Buttons
16. Tea for Two 17. Nesting Birds 18. Pepper Grinder
I think the whole theme is really fun and charming, don't you?
(For those of you ladies skilled in needle-work - those crochet PDF's would be so lovely made with a rattle inside. What an adorable handmade baby gift!!)
