Spring Neglect

I have been neglecting you an i know it. Im sorry but things have been hard, my body is breaking down lately and i can not fight this sinus infection or the many other bugs that seem to be taking over.

I keep telling my little immune system soldiers to fight fight fight, but they told me they need a rest right now and i'll just have to suffer until the feel good and ready to fight again.

I actually have an appointment this week with my oncologist and i fear the worst, i know i know i know, think good think good,but I'm worried that he'll also be a bit concerned about my resting immune system, so please keep me in mind this week Elisheva Bas Esther ( it feels so weird to put my own name out there).

Spring has been in the air here, we had a few warm days and some more cold ones, but spring is peaking through.

(this kid has decided that ties go with everything,including PJs)

This Sunday the weather gave a very high chance for snow but it didn't snow, Hashem knew i needed that, he knew i couldn't handle it, not this week.We still have some snow in the forecast but i know Hashem is just teasing me now.

When the weather is warm its like everyone snaps out of their personal "moods" and just runs ands skips through the brown grass that is desperately trying to turn green.

My kids need outside they need to breath the air of springtime, wintertime cold just doesn't feel good on our lungs anymore.
They need backyard swimming pools and night time walks on the beach. They need fireflies and bike rides at dusk. Really i also need those things they fill my soul and give me a that little spark that makes me feel so sparkly.

I know a lot of you are thinking springtime also means Pesach ( Passover), and i know, trust me i know that it is right around the corner, but this year as you guys know im trying to make everything a bit easier. One of the things ive decided to do is buy already certified Pesach Makeup. I'm sick of scanning the books to see if the one brand of mascara left in Target is kosher for Pesach, and usually its not, because the mascara that is, is already sold out.Im also here to make your springtime a little more enjoyable and to make your Pesach a bit easier by doing a Pesach Makeup Giveaway......

One of the MyShtub sponsors MikvahMinder is giving away a Shabbos lipstick set.That is also Kosher for Pesach! Hooray one step to an easier Pesach. All you have to do to enter is do one or all the things below ( each item you do gets you an extra entry to the Giveaway)and make sure to comment separately for each completed task.This contest will end in one week from today....
1. Go to MikvahMinder.com and check out their store here, and comment here about your favorite item
2. Friend MikvahMinder on Facebook here
3. Share this Giveaway with your friends on Facebook or your blog
and for a bonus entry
4. Go to MikvahMinder and register for a free 3 month trial of their amazing Mikvah calender here
Please go to MikvahMinder and read about their amazing calender and take advantage of their free introductory offer, it has changed my life,and it will your too!
* MikvahMinder is rabbinically certified please see link here

My Purim obsession confession...

Isnt amazing how something can consume you for so long and then in one day its over. I was like that with Purim this year. I was obsessed i was thinking eating and sleeping Purim.I neglected my blog, we ordered pizza because i was putting finishing touches on costumes. I think i obsessed so much because of Rozie being so sick and in the hospital last year and i just really wanted to give my family a perfect day, and it was a GREAT day.

I was fighting a sinus infection (still am) and i worried that would damper the day, but i fought through like a champ. I did not wear my costume like i planned, because my face hurt too much to even think about putting makeup on. I instead put a bunch of flowers in my hair and said i was spring. The day was wonderful and the seudah ( meal) in the evening was also good, but at that point i was done, and tired, and my face and head felt like someone beat me up, but the kids didn't mind they were just as tired.

My Rozie dressed like a pretty princess,
but you guys knew that.


Remember the toilet paper roll crowns from here but i added a clip instead.

Dovie dressed lie Hatzalah (EMT). Now this was an interesting choice for him. He is actually terrified of Hatzalah, and wakes up many nights with the fear of sirens blaring. I know this has a lot to do with the fact that Hatzalah has visited our home a few times, and the end always resulted in his sister having a hospital stay. Poor little guy , but kids are different than us and can cope if they are given the tools.

My guy was very specific about his costume, hence the fact that we didn't buy a store bought version, it needed to say Baltimore and he needed to wear a white shirt black pants and a tie. Who was i to question him, this was his therapy and that was how he needed it.

To top off his therapy session we decided to stop by the house where the ambulance is kept. The very sweet family that lived there allowed us to take pictures of him on the ambulance, and gave him a tour of the inside. This was amazing it gave him such a good feeling, he was so proud. The cheapest child therapy ever.

If you don't know about Hatzalah please google them they are unbelievable service made up of volunteers that have been there for our family more times than i like to admit.

I know this year i said i was taking it easy because i wasn't feeling well , but its hard my creative side burns. I only made 25 Shalach Manos ( gift baskets) this year but i also made extra for teachers and for Dovie's class. So in the end i made so many, and i really dont know where the energy came from. Thank you Hashem.
Our family did a small stack of kraft brown boxes that i filled with baked goods and fudge.

I did it very easy i made cookie bars that are so much easier that spooning out hundreds of cookies, and i found the easiest fudge recipe here.
I tied them up and made a quick label, and done!

Dovies were also easy and cute thank to commenter here on MyShtub that gave me the idea.

It was a great day we delivered all the packages around the neighborhood and even though Rozie fussed after about an hour in the car, i found a solution to that too.

ok it didn't really work , but i thought i was funny.
The kids gave extra Tzedakah ( charity) and loved doing it, as always.


And to finish off our day, Tatty played his trafaphone, or whatever that thing is called, at Shul, and i happen to know two little ones and one big teenager who absolutely love it when their Tatty plays for them. What a wonderful day it was worth every bit of my obsession.

(yes hes wearing his graduation gown, as a sorry costume attempt)
Please stayed tuned folks because we have another giveaway coming, need a hint..
Check out this site Mikvah Minder and their store, i bet you didn't know there was an online Mikvah calender

Spring Victory!!!

Have you missed me? I have missed you. I know some of you have been worried, wondering where i am , but no need to worry, just busy. Purim is Sunday so I'm baking, wrapping, and tying perfect bows.

I'm not going to share pics yet, because i don't want to spoil the surprise for my local readers.

The weather is warming up, along with my bones. I can feel the warmth from the top of my head to my tippy toes. and its giving me back my energy. I'm dreaming of beaches and grass, and its not so far off.

I can feel it, this summer is going to be good, along with my health, i need heat to heal my aches and revive my spirit, and i can feel it coming! Hurry up my sunshine , i need you.

Every Purim i wear the same costume. It is some sort of retro look, and every year i go back to this costume hoping to do better than the year before, perfecting my look. Its funny because really its not a costume all the clothes and accessorizes are my own, including the glasses. This year i am determined to walk out the door in perfect victory rolls ( retro style, rolled hair)and after a late night of YouTube how to videos, by golly i think i got it.

Here is the problem . I really don't see this as much of a costume i love this look and can see myself shopping and running errands with my hair ( ok my sheitel) in perfect rolls. Could you imagine the looks. You have to remember the ladies in my community don't get out much. Anyways, i think Purim I'm going to have to exaggerate the rolls more so it feels more costume like for me. I hope all your Purim plans are coming along, and i promise to be back to share all my Purim fun!

And the Winner is....

I am so sorry for the delay but i have been overtaken by the terrorist attack on the Fogel family in Israel and i haven't been able to function, but life must go one.
So how about a little excitement, the winner of the Oh Nuts $30 Gift certificate is.....

Using Random Number generator Comment
#49 "Mrs" Menucha
Mazel Tov!!

Purim Cartwheels..

I love Purim! I could spend hours here talking about why i love Purim, the costumes, the gifts, the fun. That feeling in the air that makes you want to just run and do a cartwheel on the nearest patch of grass. That is Purim for you, the holiday of joy and cartwheels. I also don't think it's a coincidence that this year Purim's English date also falls on the first day of spring. WooHooo i made it spring is almost here!

When deciding on Rozie's costume ( the other two have decided their own) i tried to be original, i tried to be unique, but i realized it didn't matter this girl had to be a princess.I don't care how many other princess will be walking around Purim day because none of them will have the gown i just made my Rozie, but then i felt guilty so how about a...

Perfect Princess Costume Tutorial:
For a size 12 month tutu you will need....

• 2 yards pink tulle and 2 yards gold tulle, or any color combo you like ( 4yards of each color for 24month, you get the idea)
  
• Coordinating thread
  
• Scissors
  
• Ribbon for sash
  

I bought my tulle at Joann fabric it was about $1.99 a yard but it was 40% off when i went in, and make sure to google for Joann coupons. Lay your tulle on the floor like a long ribbon,and fold in half with wise. That way instead of your fabric being two layers it is now 4 layers. The more layers the fluffier it will be. Now it is time to sew. I did this by hand sewing,but it could be done on a machine on a very long basting stitch. Doing it by hand took me about 7 minutes.Your stitches don't have to perfect, and the longer the stitch the better the gather so do a in out in out quick stitch. Once the entire fabric is gathered hold it up to your child and measure to make sure it fits around. gather more or let out some if need to. When the right size has been found tie off the thread. Now lets attach the sash. I cut a piece of ribbon longer than the tutu with enough left over to tie the skirt on. I also hand stitched the ribbon right on over the gathers covering the edge to give it a clean look.Heat seal your ribbon with a match to keep the edges from fraying. Now try it on your princess, most likely it will be long, so trim to desired length. This project really shouldn't take more than an hour. use left over scraps to make a matching flower. Gorgeous!!! Just one tip keep your mini princess away from her gown or you might have a lot of this....

My Energy and a GIVEAWAY!!!

Have you ever met one of those moms that do it all? They cook, clean, and create magical birthday parties on a shoe string budget. That was me i was a supermom. I made dinner every night, and always a protein and a vegetable. I started a preschool in my home and helped it flourish into a full fledged licensed Cheder (school).

I created everything from scratch for my kids, from costumes to bread. If it could be made, i could make it.I usually had the energy after to stay up late chatting with my husband, when the day was done. Of course when i wasn't planning the Shul Shalach Manos fundraiser, or doing centerpieces for a local Chabad event, and don't forget all talks and workshops given at local Chabad houses around my state. That was me, the mommy with endless amounts of energy the mommy that could do it all. Then i got sick........

And it all came crashing down. Could you imagine a home where mommy did it all, literally all, and one day she woke up and couldn't do any of it anymore.Our house became something out of a sad movie and looked more like the show i saw in the hospital once called "Hoarders". Ok so i'm exaggerating a bit but i think you get the idea. I am learning to live with the new me, and i haven't quite figured it out.

I have figured out a few things, like i should cook dinner in the morning when i have more energy, so when i start doing that i let you know how it goes. I also know my limits now , one activity a day is all i can do. I can not run errands to a bunch of stores and take my kids for pizza afterward. I can go to one store and take a nap when i get back. Who is this person, i often think, who is this lazy person on the couch napping? I often don't even recognize myself. Today i took my kids to the zoo, i packed an amazing lunch and tons of snacks like fresh fruit and veggies. I made mini pizzas on Gluten free flats, because i knew my kids would eat them and what a special surprise over the usual PB&J. We had a great time and i didn't feel tired , the fresh air was doing me good, but im home now and the exhaustion has hit like a ton of bricks.I know i should of made dinner this morning but i didn't. Now when my husband comes home i'll have to break the news to him, again, that after his really long day of work, he will be making dinner.Who is this person, this tired person?
Purim is quickly approaching and i haven't made a thing yet. I usually make something elaborate. I cant help myself its in my nature, but this year its not happening. I'm learning to accept this and realizing this doesn't make me a bad mom, just a different mom. Im going to have to figure this mom out and learn to accept that i cant do it all, because really who can? Im learning that doing it all does not make me a better mom or even a better person, my body has slowed down, and that is ok.

How about celebrating my new mom hood with a GIVEAWAY just in time for Purim.....
Our friends at Oh Nuts want to Give you a $30 Purim Gift Certificate to their online store.Just imagine it $30 worth of Purim Bliss. No counter top filled with cookie batter and burnt brownies. No running to the market to try and get whats left of the Purim nosh. $30 to spend as you like right from your home.
OK here is what you have to do to enter.
1. Go to the Oh Nuts site here and pick out your favorite item and come back here to tell us all about the yum.
2. "Like" Oh Nuts on Facebook here
3. Also make sure to check their blog here, they have some great ideas
This Giveaway will end Friday so make sure to enter Quick!
Each of the above things you do gets you a separate entry into the contest. Comment separately because the more comments the more chance to win!
Good Luck