Give a Giggle!

Having a sister in Scottsdale Arizona lends itself to some very serious shopping; the city was built on retail therapy! From the hottest most luxurious modern shopping structures, and fantastic novel boutiques, all the way to one-of-a-find designer consignment shops (think barely-worn Marc Jacobs dresses from last seasons collection, and Chloé tops with tags still intact!), this city delivers the ultimate fashion/retail experience!!

We spent one afternoon out with the kids at an outdoor mall, and stopped in at the grand opening of a Giggle boutique. I've mentioned Giggle in a previous post about these awesome stroller hooks, but I never quite got how fabulous this shop is. It's basically all the best in baby gear, furniture, and toys - compiled into one easy-to-navigate minimalistic-forward one-stop-baby-shop. They do all the work, find all the goodies - you just drop in once to browse and buy your favorites. They've got the regular run-of-the-mill top-of-the-line cribs, strollers, highchairs, play tables etc., plus plenty of Giggle originals and exclusives (like the Buggup, and Better Basics).

As of now they have store/s in New York, Boston, Connecticut, Chicago, California, Maryland, and Scottsdale. If you're out of that loop, I'd definitely check out the website here for some online shopping...

The Arts (Party) & Photography

It was raining the morning of Freida's birthday party, and while the weather stayed quite clear through the afternoon, I opted to have her get-together indoors (last minute!) due to the wet, muddy elements that would no doubt grace the park. Last minutes stink. So do bad-weather-forecasts. They really do. But we made it happen, and held her 2nd birthday party at our home. Was crowded, but we managed to work out a little something for everybody. We planted the "art" table smack in middle of the kitchen (easier floor cleanup, and a kitchen sink for washing art-covered little hands), all the eats in the dining room, and the Colts/Patriots game going in the living room for the guys (they seem to be the absolute easiest to entertain). We had a Toy Story 3 "screening" (with popcorn) in our bedroom for the older kids, and Freida's room was, naturally, the play zone. It worked out beautifully, and we had a lovely afternoon sharing Freida's 2nd year with family and friends. Unfortunately, the lighting indoors made for horrific photography... thankfully, the Berkowitz family joined in the festivities - along with their photo-shooting Pop, Zalmy. Who, brought along his trusty every-charming-moment-capturing lens! Thanks so much for the priceless photos!!!

How epic is that "skype" picture??? Freida's Bubby was broadcasting birthday wishes live from Chicago. A generation - defined by a moment, captured in a photograph.

I've previously written about the importance of honest photography, and I strongly advise all parents to make the effort in capturing time. Zalmy Berkowitz is an incredibly gifted photographer, who manages to capture the most real and inspiring/ humorous of moments - at the most beautiful angles. An artistic photographer is worth every ounce of effort, time, and money. I promise you, this is the guy you want to snag your greatest images!!  Here's a little peek at his style and some of his work, these are a few of my favoties:

(Yes, it definitely helps that he has his 3 beautiful children as models...!)

You can check out some more of his work on his website, and have at look at what other goodies he offers here.

Happy snapping!

Menorah On-the-Go

Those pre-made oil & wick capsules are making Chanukah on the road easier than ever! Here's a fun little upgrade from those flimsy gold tin menorahs, this stash-able design  is great for on-the-go - just add a (always available) bottle of booze!

Cork Menorah, $14.75

A Tally of Two Cities

Watched Amélie last night, and I'm now dreaming of taking a holiday in Paris..... I'm currently loving Paris versus New York, a artistic blog by Parisian graphic-designer Vahram Muratyan. These humorous comparisons would make for lovely art in guest room/back house...

FreidaFroo Special Offer: WorldMark Resorts!

For those of you local lucky folk who get to vacation during those 8 crazy nights (Chanukah) as opposed to the popular "winter break", I have a fabulous family-vacation opportunity for you. We (our extended family) have spent many holidays vacationing in the WorldMark Indio Resorts, and we enjoyed heaps of family-style fun! These resorts are specifically incredible when vacationing with small children or large groups due to the diversity of activities and personal-suite amenities. Vacationing with a family is meant to be easy-going and relaxing - not over-the-top and stressful. I find that while going away to the most chic and up-scale hotels/resorts may be indulgent and luxurious - it is definitely not what I would look forward to when vacationing with tots-in-toe. The Indio resorts feature: 2 huge (gradual-depth) pools, a splash-pad, a lazy river (the kids love the tubing!), playgrounds, a full equipped gym (sweat out the stress!), a basketball court, a game room (pool tables, air hockey, ping-pong) plus an arcade area, a library, media room, and in-house spa treatments (a girl can do some time!).

All suites are equipped with central air/heat, full kitchen/living room/dining room, flat-screens, private outdoor space and BBQ, a washer and dryer (plus detergent!), and (towel-laden) bathrooms. There are 1, 2, and 3 bedroom suites available - some with outdoor hot-tubs on deck! You can check out more about the resort here. At about a 2 hour drive from LA, this is really a fantastic place to vacation with the kiddies! I have a shareholder who is offering all you local FreidaFroo readers incredible rates (for off-peak times):

Monday - Thursday: 1 Bedroom (sleeps 4)  $85/night,  2 Bedroom  2 bath (sleeps 6) $120/night, 3 bedroom 3 bath (sleeps 8)   $150/night.

Friday - Saturday: 1 Bedroom $130/night, 2 Bedroom $165/night, 3 Bedroom $ 200/night.

You can book up to 60 days in advance (if you need to you can cancel without a fee up to a week in advance). These rates include all fees and taxes!

Feel free to e-mail me (freidafroo@gmail.com) for more information, or when you are ready to book your much-needed, much-deserved family-getaway!