How adorable are these matchbox valentines?? I love that they are created from little everyday matchboxes and are made to look so customized and special! I also love that Valentines falls out so close to Purim, and always lends me a bit of last-minute Shalach Manos inspiration! :)
New love always has me giddy with excitement and nostalgia...! So here's what's been going down that has just stolen my heart: my beautiful, sensitive, and intimidatingly-fashionable younger sister is engaged!!! I've been so excited I feel like my heart is full of sunshine! Her husband-to-be is so perfect for her, that when we're together with them it feels like the most natural family bond - like we've known him forever... I'm so excited to watch them grow together as a unit, and I'm even more excited knowing how intensely the relationship of sisters deepens as they become part of the sisterhood of wives, and of course, at some point, mothers. :) I love you so much Rivkee, and I'm so happy and excited, and overwhelmed with joy for you!!! xoxo
On that note, here are some links of love from the www that have made me look:
- For Like Ever. May be overexposed, but I still love it enough to hang it.
- Romeo + Juliet - what some rebranding can do to romance.
- I still love Helvetica.
- Most beautiful corset I've ever seen. Swoon!
Also, this love story by Pixar still makes me cry every time I see it!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTBQYAE-pMk
Happy weekend, dear readers! Hope it's a long one for you and you're getting a bit of a break thanks to MLK! I usually teach Hebrew School for Shul By the Shore on Sundays, but on this sunny Sunday off my day started out with a very early morning "sweet shop" set-up by my two favorite little ladies...
Lots of people I know find it ridiculous (and even a little obnoxious) when parents "take turns". And I must say, before I had kids I definitely felt the same way. That was until we tried "taking turns". Since Freida was about 9 months old we've had pretty much a solid sleep-in schedule. I sleep in on Shabbos morning while Manasseh plays with the kids until he has to get ready for Shul, at which point he rises the slumbering mother-queen and I take over. On Sundays I wake with the kids and he sleeps in until he has to get up for minyan. As I said, we started it years ago just to give it a try, and it's worked so seamlessly that we've never stopped. Obviously, it's not something that's never tampered with, but for the most part we love it and stick with it. Honestly, just the thought of sleeping in so late one morning a week gets me through some of the toughest days ever. And let me tell you, when I go to sleep every Friday night knowing I most likely won't wake until an ungodly teenage hour - the pleasure and relaxation of conking out is so awesome!!
Anyways! Now that I've finished my little rant on parenting... :)
Here's a few things I thought you might like to check out over this extended weekend:
- This art form has got me in stitches - so cool!!
- This week's Babyccino is Mexico-themed and while googling snacks I happened upon these - yumm!
- Lovely printable wrapping paper!
- With the Superbowl coming up, score some brownie points by being a good NFL wife and email your man this hilariously bad lip reading!!
- I'd love to use this retro barber board as my new babysitter info center.
- Talk about playing "sweet shoppe"....
- #MLK
- Freida's school has been going on about the flu - this non-alarmist guide cracked me up!
Hope you have a good one!!
Vacationing in a different city always leaves me pondering my daily productivity. Not like how many tasks I crossed of my "to do" list, but more about how many quality activities I've gotten around to doing. While traveling, the common focus is usually about squeezing in as many activities as possible (...if we're on the beach by 10am we could do lunch nearby at that hot new cafe, and check out the street art exhibit in the afternoon, stop for ice cream, visit our cousins, be by sheva brachot for dinner, make it home on time to put the kids to sleep and still have a late-night swim and some fun in bed...!), and I'm often left wondering why I don't push myself to do even close to that much on a regular day in my regular life!
I'm lucky enough to live somewhere I absolutely love (every time I return home from traveling I realize just how much I love LA!), and I feel like I don't take nearly as much advantage as I should! For instance, Runyon Canyon (gasp below!) is practically in my backyard, and I really don't go often enough. It takes me about 7 minutes to get there and always makes me feel brighter, more alive, and much much happier. If we were tourists vacationing here, I'd probably try and knock out an early morning hike each day! Not to mention the weather - how often do we actually hit up the ocean? Sure, in the summertime we go every weekend, but all spring long the beach trips are next-to-none...
While I was making a plan to figure out how I can accomplish more quality time on a regular day-to-day, I happened upon a site this week that inspired me even more - So, How Was Your Day? is the most simple journal-like content filled website that interviews a slew of random men and women about their day-to-day life, routines, food, and habits. It's almost pathetic, reading these strangers journal-like logs on life, but on the other hand before I'm finished with an entry I realize I've learnt something new about how to be more effective, more efficient. Plus, it's weirdly entertaining to find that people in similar lines of work develop similar routine habits, and I love reading about all these different business women and how they seem to juggle their lives...
I'm going to try and revert my journal entries to 8th grade-esque, and log my mundane daily doings, for a little while anyway, and see if it helps me fit in more than usual. Starting with this weekend! :)
Have a happy long one!
So! Who's ready for 2013? Because it's here.
Hope your holiday was super-special and adventurous! Mine wasn't. But that was okay. We were getting back into routine after having Freida home sick for a week with a temp' of 102! 'Twas not much fun. So with her finally back to normal; our New Year's was spent hanging out at home, going for a long walk, doing arts & crafts, having a family dance-off, a casual playdate, and ordering in some dinner. :)
Personally, the solar new year doesn't really mean much to me, but what it does mean is switching over my planner. And that's a pretty big deal. I love looking back at the year and seeing how much I accomplished and how far along I've come since this time last year. 2012 was huge for us as a family: we settled into a new city, a new home, and welcomed a new baby!! Plus, I started up a new work venture with Babyccino and it has been a fabulous experience, and growing ever since! Plus, I even started doing another one on Tuesdays in Burbank. It's been truly wonderful and I'm so grateful that it all worked out so well, and mostly grateful to all the moms who make it happen by continuously showing up for the fun!! This year ahead of me looks like it will hopefully be one of growth and stability as opposed to last year's change and novelty. (Thank G-d we are very happy and settled here in Los Angeles, and we've grown so accustomed to our life and routine here. It's kinda like we've been here forever... Freida started school this year and is absolutely in love with it, Hudi has her own little schedule and social circle of playmates, and I've been relishing in being able to head out to dinner or a movie with a girlfriend and be home before 10pm, as well as loving having my husband at home for dinner with the family since negating his daily commute.) I'm anticipating lots of growth in the coming year, as Manasseh and I are on the precipice of a very exciting joint career path - I'll tell you more about that as it continues to develop! :)
But for now, here's what's going down on my desktop! Here's to a very happy and prosperous 2013!
P.S. New Year image via.
