3 Cheers!

Last Sunday we celebrated Freida, and her arrival at the big 3. There are so many things to be grateful for when a child reaches a new age, a new year... but the most important thing to celebrate is the child themselves. I can't even begin to describe the magnitude of joy that having Freida in my life has brought about for me. When we named her Freida (yiddish for joy), I did so with my great-grandmother (her namesake) in mind - there was nothing quite as joyful to me as the memory of the intense joy that older women portrayed when I met her as a young girl. She twirled me in circles singing Hava Nagillah with the brightest of smiles lighting up her warm and wrinkled face. I so wanted joy like hers in my old age as well, and so I named my firstborn daughter with what I hoped would be a guarantee for giggles, good nature, and great big smiles. This little 3-year-old blessing has in fact brought such intense happiness to every moment of my life - and while days surely go by when I take this for granted, her very special day of birth serves as a concrete reminder as to how much appreciation I truly have for the gift of birth, life, and for the special little birthday girl herself!

Naturally, having my mother in town to celebrate her with was the icing on the cake. I just kept thinking of the day after Freida was born - Shabbos morning - sleeping in my hospital bed, cuddled up with my sweet sleeping newborn, and opening my eyes to see my mother sitting there on the chair just watching us sleep... There really is nothing even close to the bond of a mother-daughter relationship, and I feel so blessed to be so close to my own mom, and even more grateful to be given the gift of a daughter!

We gathered the gang of family and cousins together for a little afternoon backyard princess-gone-medieval party :)

Freida took the "no bouncing without a costume" rule very, very seriously. To get into that bouncy house you must don some dress-up garment or accessory. No two ways about it.

Happiest Birthday wishes, little lady!! I can't believe I've only known you for 3 short years - and yet can't believe you are 3 years old!! Looking forward to sharing many more bright moments through your sweet blue eyes in the year to come! Happy Birthday!

Balloon Class

While majority of my time over the past few weeks has been spent on either settling into our new home, or planning and working on my newest project, Babyccino, it dawned on me recently that Freida's birthday is in just a few little days!! The big 3 totally and completely snuck up on me!! And though I feel guilty about it now, I've really been working on convincing myself that I had every reason in the world to neglect planning her special day: a new place, a new job, a new city, a new and final trimester in my pregnancy (!!), and to top it all off - I've just gotten blood test results that show I am severely anemic! I was low on iron while pregnant with Freida was well, but this time it looks like the deficiency is far greater. I'm just so relieved to know that something is actually wrong with me, and that what's been going on inside of me is not, in fact, normal at all. Grocery shopping takes me falling faintly on the couch upon completion, small tasks look like treacherous mountains, and no matter where I find myself - that spot on the floor looks like an amazing place to curl up for a nap! So grateful to hear that something is off, and that this will not get worse and worse as delivery draws closer...! I'll be getting onto an iron supplement immediately, and I should be seeing results within a few days of medication. Joy!! Which, brings me back to Freida's party - threw a little backyard shin-dig together for the cousins this Sunday afternoon, and looking forward to a lovely few hours spent with family (especially since my mother will be in town - we are going to fetch her at LAX after lunch today!!!) celebrating our little lady and her divine entrance into this world 3 bright and beautiful years ago!

While on my quest for some last-minute-party inspiration, I came upon the realization that balloons can have some serious class!! Not just that, but while balloons have been used as props in fashion photography for quite some time, now they seem to be seriously stealing the spotlight!! Especially the giant round ones, like we had at Freida's first birthday - they are popping up everywhere!!

It seems lots of moms these days are either suffering from balloon-overkill or seem to think the balloon era has faded the way of pin-the-tail on the donkey, in any case these fashion shots are sure a strong shout-out that ballons are very much in the here and now, and proves they can be both chic and childish - providing perfect party pictures!

And for those of you adults who are still feeling a bit balloon-weary... check out Geronimo; not just for kids anymore!! I'd totally love to order one of these babies for a friends birthday - just imagine this being delivered to your doorstep, attached to your favorite cupcake! Magic...

Wonder by Wovenplay

Once more, Wovenplay has managed to enchant me and inspire me. Fall 2011 collection is here.

The Glow

While browsing the www for some chic, new maternity threads (it's time), I happened upon a simplistic photo-themed website called The Glow. While there is nothing particularly extraordinary about this collection of images, to me there is something so intrinsically magically maternal within these shots; everyday motherhood, and the shine that comes with it.

I doubt I'm the only one who feels this way, but somehow I find that our circle of religious mothers seem to perpetually focus on the rigorous aspects of motherhood; from negative body changes, to no-sleep cycles, to loss of social life, to malnutrition due to lack of time etc. Generally speaking, there is plenty of kvetching going on. And while the complaints may all be more than validated, without focusing on the wonder as well - it simply takes away from the essential beauty that comes within the gift of mothering a child.

I know I may very well be one of those people who live in a dream world, and have a la-dee-da attitude about life, but it works for me. Finding the good and beauty and the whit and the whimsy makes me feel good. It makes me function well. And, as a bonus, it makes me happy. It may not always be the easiest thing for me to do, especially when I'm looking at a just-been-cleaned room strewn with toys, or a sensory exploration gone awry all over the subjects clothing and hair, or an early-morning wake up call after a rather sleepless night... but there is always something within all of that that can bring about a smile.

There's always some glory within the mess to wonder about. There is always a cheeky 2 year old smile, a witty and genius kid-sized response to the wrongdoing, a set of pudgy little hands reaching up for an embrace... it's all there within the day-to-day rigor of parenting in general, and mothering in particular.

I may need a grande latte to get to that vantage point, but when I'm there - everything is better. And more beautiful. And when we're looking at beauty, we radiate beauty. If we choose to look at the agony, that's what we'll look like. Our bodies may be warping, but if we choose to keep our self-image intact throughout the many changes, we will in fact be more beautiful than ever before.

I know I'm ranting. More to myself than to you all, but this little collection of glamorous photography has inspired my morning! :)

So weather you are packing up perpetual lunches for your 5 children, whipping up a gourmet breakfast for your one and only, or rubbing your first growing belly, try to find that glow! And capture it.

Well I'm off to the park for the next few hours with my baby girl and my baby bump! Wishing you all a glamorous day in the motherhood! :)

On the Move + Weekend Round-up!

So much commotion has been going down in the cozy little home of ours! We are so excited to announce that, thank God, we signed off on a duplex lease last week and are mid-move to the glorious city of Los Angeles!!  While we have been looking to move for about a year now, we did not expect it to happen this fast (but some incredibly undeniable offers have been thrown our way and so we jumped at opportunity!), and we're still sort of in shock-drop-and roll mode; packing up boxes, picking paint colors, but not quite grasping the entirety of the transition just yet... But, with the hecticness of the holidays behind us now, and on the recovery from our annual post-Tishrei sick week, reality should be hitting home any time now. :)

About those opportunities; Manasseh has been offered a really fulfilling job that is right up his favorite alley - revamping the youth program for our new Shul and community, Shaarei Tefilah. We are supremely excited to be joining such a young, growing, and thriving community, and can't wait to get started. The first plan of action will be renovating the youth rooms (Freidafroo style!), and the before and after photos should prove to make some really fun blog posts in the next few weeks - look forward!

Also (yes there's even more!), I'm so totally stoked to be announcing that I will, God Willing, be starting a Mommy & Me class!! As a collaboration between Congregation Shaarei Tefilah and a wonderfully kind group of women behind the organization Yad Le'Ima, I was offered the job and can not be more excited to get it off the ground!!! If you live in the greater Los Angeles area, have a child under 2 years old, and are looking for an insanely awesome way to spend a weekday morning (a creative round of exploration and bonding for the tots, a lovely morning of coffee, socializing, and parent-networking for the moms!), stay on the lookout for the exact dates and times and how to get yourself and your brood signed up to the classes! I will keep you posted, but if you know you are interested right off the bat, please email me (freidafroo@gmail.com) so that I know if I am looking at some crazy number of mamas! :)

At the moment, I am pondering how will get through our last Shabbos in Long Beach, being that Freida has diligently dumped all her toys into some empty moving boxes and her room is practically reeking: vacancy. On the upside, she's been sleeping in our bed, which has proved to be super cozily delicious!  Thankfully, our move in date is Tuesday, November 1st (!!), so it won't be long now. Can't wait to give you a peek at the new place, and share the transition and home improvements with you all...!

On a side note, being that I've been so swamped, I've been feeling guilty and figured I'd at least leave you with a little weekend round-up to make up for lost posts. Here are some things I would have blogged about had I had the time:

- Crewcuts for Babies debuted this week - sheer deliciousness!

- Clever wall treatment for a shared bedroom.

- How to make your own pinatas!

- These office prints made me laugh out loud.

- Great gift for moms of boys!

- Handmade Charlotte at Anthropologie!!

- Black smoke is back!

- Hoooked Zpagetti looks awesome!

- Autumn soup at it's best!

Wishing you all the lovliest of weekends!! Enjoy the beautiful fall weather, and take advantage of all the pumpkin patches and fall festivals going on in your town! I'm very much looking forward to the peace of Shabbos, and relishing in the last weekend with our family here on this side of town.... here's to bittersweet beginnings!