Flash Sale Favorites

Hey there! Just spotted a few things on some flash sale websites that I thought I'd share with you all today... Firstly, Gilt is featuring a wide selection of kids shoes by Livie & Luca (I blogged previously about them here.) - these soles with soul are wonderful for little walkers, and make for a perfect back-to-school pair of shoes!

Meanwhile, over at Zulily - summer is in full swing! Check out a slew of the most super-cool organic threads for kids from Boys&Girls.

And Fab.com is selling modular lunch boxes by OOTS! Use the "bento" method to up the ante on lunchtime!

Enjoy the steals!!

Potted Purim Gifts

(I posted this picture on Facebook and some folks wanted the tutorial, so here it is! We made a few little Purim Shalach Manos for Freida's friends from Gan Chai, and I figured I'd go with a child-led theme...)

Freida has been on a green-thumb trip ever since Tu B'Shvat, and when I asked her what she wanted to give for Shalach Manos this Purim, her response of "flowers!!" was no surprise.

We started out with some tiny plastic pink planters, and crushed up some oreo cookies for the soil.

I cut little yellow flowers out of some cardstock paper and had her color them up.

Then I punched a hole in the middle of the flower, stuck a lillipop through it, and used some tape to secure it.

Next I had her fill her planters with the soil, and cover the top with a layer of chocolate rocks.

The chocolate rocks helped hold the flowers securely in place.

We wrapped each in a bit of cellophane and added a little gift tag.

And there you are, potted Purim gifts for under a buck each! :)

Happy Purim flowers from my little bumble bee!!

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...

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/37824410]

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!!

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! :)

Menorah Magic

The week before Chanukah it suddenly dawned on me that Freida needed a Menorah. Last year I was able to excuse the lack of a little holiday candelabra with the fact that my little bug was simply too young to be playing with fire (hence, the magnetic variety). This year, after her 3rd birthday and her arrival at the "age of education", came her entering into the covenant of Jewish women through the igniting of a Shabbos flame (more on that beatific ritual and her arrival at the threshold later), there was no getting around the colorful little Chanukah candles!

When I asked Freida what kind of Menorah she wanted to light, she was quick to reply "a war elephant!". That majestic battle animal had graced the full-colored spreads of her many Chanukah books (especially this one), and apparently she took to the beast. :)

I found the idea online of using Model Magic clay to create a Menorah out of any form (toy, object etc.), and we walked down the block to Blick to pick up a $2 bag of white clay. We then picked up a big pack of colorful Chanukah candles and headed home to get crafting.

I opted out of using Freida's beloved Shleich elephant, and opted for the plastic $1 Target version instead (it was bigger anyways).

You basically just smoosh some model magic onto the top of any object of your choice, stick in the candles securely and let the whole thing dry with the candles in it.

Once dry, remove the candles and spray paint (or simply paint) the whole thing. You can even get bling-y and add some glue and glitter for a more glam effect.

Light up!!

You don't need to worry about the wax dripping all over - it pops right off the painted surface. The most important thing with this Menorah is to never let those candles burn all the way down - spray paint is rather flammable, if you know what I'm saying. Also, the Model Magic burns to a char. :)