Break It Down

Been doing some "basics" shopping for Freida lately. Since she was born so teeny-tiny, she seems to grow at a glacial pace... which means less shopping and buying. She outgrows jeans about once a year, and I only need to replace her pajamas and basics (leggings, tanks, sweatshirts) when they show signs of threadbare! So much for hand-me-downs. :) American Apparel has the most wonderful collection of basic clothing for kids, and I instantly fell for this ad campaign - "Break It Down" i.e. down to the wardrobe basics.

Plus, with all the breakdancing my Mr. does, it was no surprise that I was partial to viewing the signature moves in slow-mo. Enjoy the quirkiness! :)

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/24580218]

iSpy Bottle DIY

  About that in-flight, time-consuming activity.....

I've been seeing this concept in all the toy stores recently, and I figure it's one of those toy fads. Anyways, I figured it was easy enough to make one of my own. All you need is a collection of small trinkets from around the house, a good (dry!) water bottle, and rice. Plus, a camera to photograph the objects before inserting them into the abyss, and some hot glue to keep things tidy. :)

I gathered a slew of little toys and random house objects, and lay them out on a white paper to photograph. I then began layering rice and toys into the water bottle. Make sure you leave a nice amount (more than an inch) at the top of the bottle so that the kids have room to shake it and move things around. Cover the bottle, and glue it shut. I printed the photo and laminated it so that Freida can hold it and go from object to object on her own. We assembled it together (which was part of the fun), but then I hid it away until on the flight, at which point she was ecstatic to play with it, and spent ample time problem solving with each little shake.

Enjoy!!

Blame it on: Cousins, Ice Cream, and Sunshine!

Hello, friends. I think it's been about a week since I've last made your acquaintance. And so I play the blame game, namely: cousins, ice cream, sunshine.

Freida and I touched down in Chicago O'hare last Sunday afternoon, and have been relishing in summertime ever since. Our flight was seamless (in partial thanks to a simple, yet just-tricky-enough activity I brought along for the ride), and we headed straight from the airport into full-on Independence Day backyard-barbecue-land at my aunts house (thank you Finkels!!). That evening, after baths and bedtimes, we sat outside in our jammies on my parent's porch watching the Skokie firework display. It was perfect.

Since then, it's been a week of trying to get on Central Standard Time, amidst frolicking in the sunshine, post-pool ice creams, and trips to the Lake Michigan shoreline. Freida has been immensely enjoying the extra attention, and she's been palling with her cousins non-stop!!

It's so amazing to be all together, and I'm so grateful that my folks have the space to put us all up with out families, and provide us with this prime vacation spot each summer! It's simply divine.

Anyways, I'll definitely still be around... part of my relaxation is web browsing, which in turn translates to blogging and posting - it just may not turn out as often as usual. But I'll try and keep you all posted on our summer whereabouts, adventures, and discoveries! :)

Garden Eats!

Nothing like pausing the backyard play to pick some garden bounty and ring the snack bell! It's amazing how much more open children are to eating new things when they partake in the process. Picking the fruits and veggies from the earth, cutting, mashing, and tossing made it that much more plausible for curious, yet timid, little palettes. (Thank you again Estee Berkowitz - now start with your radical-homemakers mom blog already!!!) Chunks of avacado, cherry tomatos, and chopped leek was never consumed by children with such gusto! Plus, watching it go straight from earth to mouth... the nutrient viability must have been intense! :)

Freida pulled a leek from the ground and exclaimed "that was freaking awesome!" - to my delight and Estee's horror. :))

Bouncy House Now

At the final Mommy & Me meet of the season, Morah Chanie whipped out one of the most wish-listed toddler activities - a bouncy house. But not just any ol' rented bouncy house, this one came out of a simple lidded box - from a classroom closet!! Apparently Little Tykes makes a line of these inflatable party-on-the-spots - just plug it in and watch in pop up! What an incredible thing to have in your garage repertoire - takes play dates to the next level, and birthday parties are cake! You can check it out here.