Toadally Charming

Wanted to take a minute to introduce you all to a new boutique out of Israel. Shana and Toad is a chic and charming childrens boutique for boys, girls, and babes, and carries a slew of fashion-forward favorites from all across the spectrum. To be honest, I have never ordered from them before as they are relatively new on the market (and I've only just discovered them!), but I figure that in instances when I'm tempted to purchase from European sights (like Little Fashion Gallery etc.) I might as well buy from Shan and Toad and support an Israeli-owned small business. Shana and Toad features a wonderful lineup of some of the most fabulous childrens labels, including Bobo Choses (my favorite!), Little Marc, TALC, Maan, La Petite Luce, No Sugar Added, and many more!! They have beautiful collections for both boys and girls - definitely worth taking a minute to check out their collections!

Also, their winter collection all on sale now and you can grab some serious steals!! Remember this chunky-knit umbrella sweater?? Snag it today for $35!

And this insanely adorable Bunny Ears Sweatshirt from TALC!

Zip-up Wellies!

Remember "the" yellow boots??

Best deal of the day!

50% off at StellaMcCartneyKids!!

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. :)

Lava Lamps: An Oily Exploration

I know it totally bites that I'm posting Chanukah activities after the holiday festivities have ended, but I was so not used to my new big-city life that I really couldn't keep up over holiday break!! And some crafts and activities were too fun not to share - even if you wait until next year to utilize them! Freida had her first little chemistry lesson this week: water vs. oil. She was mesmerized!

I initially made these "lava lamps" for Babyccino, and while those little guys sure enjoyed shaking the bajeebers out of these contrasting elements, there was another slightly-larger part of the lesson waiting to be explored by a little lady at home: add alka seltzer to the mix!

To make these lava lamps you'll need a water bottle with the label removed, oil, water, food coloring, and alka seltzer tablets. Fill the bottle with 3 part oil/1 part water. Add 10 drops food coloring (and point out the balls of color as they slowly go from floating in oil to bursting in the water at the bottom - way cool!!). Once the water is fully colored, break an alka seltzer tablet in four pieces and slowly drop them in one at a time (wait until each piece stops bubbling) - then watch the magic!!

Afterwards, keep the bottles around for the kids to manipulate and discover the properties by shaking, straightening, and observing.

Freida took this whole thing very seriously, and I was blown away by how long she explored the whole thing!! Definitely a great way to teach the properties of oil/water to a kid around Chanukah time, but would make a fantastic rainy-day activity for any ol' time of the year!

Holiday Cookie Art

Freida had some serious Chanukah fun with this box-of-cookie-crafts that her Zaidy sent her for Chanukah (thanks Ta!). It was such a fun and simple way to engage her in the holiday prep (peeling potatoes is exciting and all but doesn't hold a little candle to making and decking-out a tray of holiday desserts!), and get her creatively involved in hosting a Chanukah dinner. She was literally able to do the whole thing on her own (with a little help from the Kitchen Aid), and the box included everything you need to make a super-cute sweet and edible Chanukah display.

The instructions were written out with little icons making the recipe reading skill-free.

It was basically just a regular sugar cookie mix (you add margarine, eggs, and water), Chanukah cookie cutters, and a mix of white royal icing.

After the royal icing hardens, the kids can literally "paint" onto the cookies with the most adorable little food-coloring paint palette and water color brushes!

Basically, 'twas a super-fun way to deck the holiday table! Just thought you might want to keep this in mind for a great pre-Chanukah gift next year! :)