Of Crowns and Kings

With the crux of Jewish holidays just around the corner, the ideas and concepts we want to teach children are in a heaping pile. There are so many rituals and customs creeping up on us at mach speed, getting the important messages across properly can seem simply daunting. There is one, however, that I think is of primary importance; can't greet the "King in the field" (never mind coronate Him!) until you know what a king is!

Turns out, this wasn't an easy feat. Sure, she's heard of kings - but unfortunately only of the nasty variety; Pharaoh, Achashvarosh, Antiochus etc. And crowns simply registered as "princess".

But with a little education and a lot more explanation we landed at a place of mutual agreement; G-d is the best king and "in charge" of the whole world. That worked for me. :)

(Although, once wearing the crown I did overhear her calling herself "Queen Esther" amidst all the tip-toe twirling...)

Retro Freeze

Can't hardly believe the heat today!! So much for happily heading into autumn...

After a cooler-than-usual Sunday at the beach, and a sudden torrential downpour Sunday evening, I seriously thought the summer heat waves have made their way out yonder. But standing over my kitchen elements today - with no window breeze whatsoever! - frying up Zucchini Fritters with Freida forced me into freezer fest oblivion. Gone were thoughts of garlic spiked sour cream dolloped onto a neat little stack of hot crispy fritters! I dived head first into the cooler treats below freezing; we're now moving on from paper popsicles to their actual frozen forms - retro stylin'.

Best ice pop molds ever.

Stay chilly, my friends.

Dresser De-stresser

While this really only works for very modern homes and families, there's no denying any ol' child would love to get busy sorting laundry with one of these! Pre-school classrooms have long been using a method of photo recognition, and more specifically "shadow labeling" i.e. icons,  for clean-up time and organizational purposes. Young children seem to learn at a heightened level via visual processing. Coined the Training Dresser by designer Peter Bristol, this locally crafted wooden wonder has me wanting!

(Long) Weekend Round-up!

Hope you all had a fabulous extended weekend and squeezed out the very last essential drops of summertime - just enough to get you through the year! :)

Labor Day always brings about mixed-emotional nostalgia for me. Sad to see summer go and just-happy-enough to head on straight into autumn. And with the Jewish month heralding a bitter-sweet end to the past 12 months and a brand spankin' new year just around the corner... the seasons turn and I'm ready - bring it!

Anyways, while I devise a plan to enhance my new year and create some tangible resolutions, here are a few things I've been meaning to share with you:

- dinosaur trend; an adorably edgy DIY for your tresses.

- the world via Suri Cruz (been laughing at this all weekend)!! 

- cutest-ever lunch labels (PDF) to spice up the brown bag!

- most perfect polish for fall.

- we're currently loving the Green Album!

- most gorgeous 4 piece crib set - still at a measly $71 (!!) someone grab this!

- simple dinner deliciousness!

Hope you're weekend was just lovely!! And best of luck in returning to the trenches....! :)

(P.S. Malibu beach, baby.)

Popsicle Memories

Happened upon a lovely little DIY game from eat, drink, chic that makes for the most perfect ode to a summer's end. The classic memory matching game gets a cooler twist with popsicle prints and sticks.

You can click here to download the fabulous PDF. If you're like me and out of colored ink or too lazy to stop into a print shop, all you really need is some popsicle sticks, glue, card-stock, and printed papers. I cut out some popsicle shapes from green card stock (they were actually paint chip samples :) and printed papers, glued them to mini popsicle sticks and in about 10 minutes flat had a brand new super-cute game to play with my littlest girlfriend. Plus, they doubled up as play food, and I'm pretty glad - these simple little cutouts kept her happily busy all morning long! Perfect way to spend a Labor Day afternoon-ing; a delightful game to bid adieu to summer treats and summer feats...