The Sum of Summer

Happy summer, girls!! Can't quite believe it's already that time of year again!! As you well know by now, I love comparing growth at the start of each season... can't get over how much has changed! (This time last year I was newly pregnant, and my sweet baby girl is by far my greatest accomplishment of the year! :) Anyways, I've been summer-bucket-listing sporadically for a few weeks now, and I just want to reiterate just how helpful this method of list-making is! For instance, you know how when Sunday comes around it can take about an hour or more of bickering back-and-forth before settling on something everyone wants to do for the day? Bucket Lists nip that baby in the bud! Sunday comes around, you look at your list (of already agreed on fun and enjoyable trips and activities) and pick one that suits the time and weather. It's pie!

Anyways, I think yesterday was the perfect kick-start to the season: Camp Mom (plus the next-door-neighbor :) spent the entire afternoon in our backyard - swimming, fresh cherry-bombing, tricycling, gardening, and generally frolicking! Freida was so wiped out that she cried all the way through bath and dinner until I finally let her conk out in bed at 6:10pm! :)

But that's when the fun really started - and this is where "bucket listing" comes in to play; it was the first day of Summer and Manash and I were scheduled for a date night... We jumped head-in to that list of Summer-goodness and knocked off one of our want-to's: hiking Runyan Canyon together at sunset and going for sushi and drinks afterwards. It was a lovely start to the season, and I'm so looking forward to many, many more pre-determined moments with my kids, husband, family, and friends!

I'll be posting more about some of the things on my list this year, but I'd love to hear some of yours! Anything awesome or simply relaxing you have planned for this Summer?? Would love some more new ideas!!

P.S. Apologies for the instagram photos - my camera is busted after I jumped in a pool on Sunday with it still in hand. Drowning is a very real, very frightening, and hauntingly silent thing - please exert serious caution this summer!!!!

Together Alone

Little humans never cease to amaze me. They are so much smarter and more in-tune with their small world than we'd ever imagine...

On Shabbos the eruv in our city was down, and since my sister (thanks Rivkee!) was staying with me for the weekend I was able to leave Hudi at home with her and walk to Shul with Freida. As we were leaving she was a little perturbed as to why Hudi had to stay behind, but after asking a few questions about why her and Rivkee weren't coming along, she seemed satisfied that all was alright. We were walking about half a block when she stopped and said "Mommy I want to tell you something important. I really, really love doing something alone with you like this!", and flashed me the brightest, more hopeful smile ever.

Naturally, I melted. And suddenly realized just how seldom she and I get time alone together. And I mean alone (as in not with a napping baby that will wake any minute and a sink full of dishes calling my name). She completely opened my eyes as to how important this is for our relationship. The same way I make it a priority to spend time with my husband alone, I need to find the time to spend with my daughter alone. So! Today I am coming up with a little list of teeny-tiny one-on-one activities we can share together throughout the week (an evening tricycle ride around the block after dinner, a Sunday morning cartoon screening before dad and baby wake etc.), and I'm so looking forward to seeing how these small one-on-one snippets of time with her will enhance the development of the very complex mother/daughter relationship we share.

I smiled right back at her, squeezed her still-pudgy hand a little tighter than usual, and made a promise to share many more times like this with her - together, and alone.

Happy Father Day + Weekend Round-up!!

Hello friends! "Mommy Camp" had commenced on Friday, and with a sweet, bright and sunshine-filled start (frozen yogurt and hours at Coldwater Canyon Park), I'm very much looking forward to Summer filled with heaps of fresh air, frequent trips, and lots of hands-on learning! So happy to be able to spend the next few months watching my little girls laugh,eat, play, and grow - together.

Anyways, while I re-arrange and pencil in some more of our June lessons plans, and decide just how decadently we'll be treating Mr. Dad tomorrow morning, here's a list of things I've been checking out this week:

- A hilarious song (that Freida and I have been singing non-stop!) to kickstart your weekend!

- Can't wait to make these oats + caramel bars this week to keep in stock for impromptu summer picnics.

- Wondering if I can pull-off neon eyeliner...?

- The absolute cutest little pair of baby girl shoes!!

- Water blob's look freaking awesome!! Will definitely be trying this out over the summer!

- More elephant awesomeness!

- Coveting this grey bathing beauty.

- This new iPad app looks like heaps of artistic fun!

- Ha! Love this!!

Have a lovely weekend! And special thanks to all the Daddies out there - you make it all worthwhile!!!

Poppies!

Poppies leave me breathless!

Meltdown Meltaways

Being on the go with a baby-in-tow was always something I was able to handle easily, thankfully. (I mean all this gossip about baby Aleph crying in a restaurant? He's a baby; you're a Mama. It happens!) With a newborn - you simply put them to the breast. With a baby - you break out a little squeaky toy, or a cookie and all tears have left the building. But a 3 and half year old? This takes some more-than-simple tactics, skillfully executed to specifically meet the needs of the child-in-tantrum.

For now, and I'm certain this will constantly need to be on rotation, we've found Tegu blocks - and they work their magic! We use them in doctor office waiting rooms, restaurants, Shul, dining at friends homes, long car rides, even! Her pout melts away and she happily sits and plays, building everything from dinosaurs to rainbows, and proudly showing her creations to anyone who will look her way. :)

I think the trick to toys-on-the-go that actually succeed in taking your child from meltdown to manageable is to never, ever let them play with these toys any other time, and especially not at home!

When I was growing up, my parents had some built-in storage installed in our basement playroom and had majority of our toys stashed inside them. We only got to play with toys on rotation - us kids would pick out new toys each month and the previous ones would go back into storage. It was like having a toy store in my basement!! I always felt like I was getting new toys, and it kept us busy since we never got tired out and "bored" of the same toys.

(Freida built a "bed". Not bad, little lady. Not bad at all. :)

I also discovered that bringing along tiny little versions of her favorite books seemed to be helpful as well. Firstly, she thought they were super cute little "baby books", and just loved looking through the itty-bitty familiar illustrations. But mostly, since I picked books she has heard thousands of times, she is able to "read" them aloud to her little sister - freeing up even more time for me to enjoy my fish & chips in peace! :)

What about you? What kind of tricks and tips do you have up your sleeve when it comes to dealing with preschoolers in public? Please share, as I'm sure mine will get old soon!!