Some interesting ways to contribute this Purim

There are four main mitzvot that are associated with Purim.
1. Hearing the Megillah read
2. Seudah Purim (what Jewish holiday doesn't have something to either eating or not eating)
3. Mishloach Manot (sending small gifts to friends)
4. Matanot L'evyonim (gifts to the poor)

I am truly fascinated by the creativity and the energy that people put into making Mishloah Manot. It's even more amazing that they people figure out how to match their Purim costumes with their Mishloah manot. I wish I had the time to be so creative in thinking far enough ahead to be able to be so thematic. But my concentration is usually on where we are donating our money and thinking about different places that we can help. We usually focus on Jewish organizations that help people who are hungry during Purim.

Here are some of the few I have donated to in the past:

1. SOVA- this is what I grew up with contributing to in Los Angeles. I remember we would often do food drives before Yom Kippur and Purim/Pesach. When I was in High School, the youth group I was part of would not only collect money to donate, but we would also volunteer our time for SOVA.
2. Mazon- In the past we have found it easy to make Purim donations.
3. Leket Israel - Leket is by far the easiest one to make Purim donations. They are set up and ready to go for the Purim holiday. You can easily make donations in honor of people.

Have you thought about thought about how you are following along with Megillah reading:

I'd like to point out an app for Megillah Reading that's a couple years old. It's easy to follow along or even learn how to read Megillah with. It's available for the desktop, iOS, and Android. It's built using the same technology as Pocket Torah. It's really easy to use to learn how to read or just to follow along during the reading. When you are juggling children and listening, sometimes it's much easier to have something to follow on your phone instead of a book.

Needlepoint Tallit Bag

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I learned how to do regular needle point stitches when I was in Middle school. When I met my husband, his mother had made him a beautiful tallis bag with his name on it that had many different types of stitches. I hadn't really realized how many different kinds of stitches existed.

My mother had done some beautiful needlepoint of teddy bears when I was little, but the piece had spent most of my childhood in broken frame tucked away in a closet. It wasn't until our first child was born that my mother had it her bears redone that I really noticed and how beautiful a basic design could be made from all the different types of stitches and designs.

Here is a kit I found on Amazon for a Tallit.

Tallit 4 Needlepoint Kit

101 Needlepoint Stitches and How to Use Them: Fully Illustrated with Photographs and Diagrams (Dover Embroidery, Needlepoint)

Here's a video from Needlepoint for Fun that might help you get started:

Captain America superhero theme for Purim

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There are some great deals on costumes right now at Amazon. Purim is only a few weeks away.

Rubie's Marvel Universe Classic Collection Metallic American Dream Costume, Child Medium for $4.08

Rubie's Marvel Universe Classic Collection American Dream Costume, Child Medium for $3.57

The Winter Soldier Suit Captain America Costume, Child Medium for $8.89

Avengers Assemble: Captain America Kids Costume for $2.08

Marvel Captain America Distressed Shield S/S Jersey T-Shirt

Some ideas to fill in Mishloah Manot

Hershey's Kisses, Cookies N Creme, 10.5 Ounce bag

Jelly Belly Berry Blue Jelly Beans 1LB (Pound Bag)

Gatorade Thirst Quencher, Fruit Punch, 20 Ounce (Pack of 8)

Color-Your-Own Superhero Masks (12 Pack)

Classic Cherry 5 Shelf Bookcase for $86.96

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Sauder Heritage Hill Open Bookcase, Classic Cherry

• Three adjustable shelves and enclosed back with cord access.
• Classic Cherry finish.
• Classic Cherry

$86.96

Traveling with Kids: My Packing List

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For many years I have numerous Google Docs that I have put together for keeping an idea of what we need to pack. I haven't included quantities as those always change depending on where we are going and how many days, but this is a starting point. I am sure there are things that I have left off the list.

No matter how many times I look at the weather, I am always off on what I pack. I think it's because 50 degrees in Cleveland feels much warmer than 50 degrees in Los Angeles or New Jersey. Perhaps because it gets so cold outside. Or I always forget to pack an appropriate jacket for the weather and we need to end up borrowing.

Traveling with three kids on a plane can be overwhelming with luggage and since I don't rent car seats and bring my own it just adds a layer of complexity while traveling through the airport. But we have been pretty efficient on our last three trips with the kids and have minimized to 2 Large Suitcases, 2 Bags for (Three Car Seats), 1 Stroller, 3 Carry On Bags, 1 Diaper Bag, 1 Purse.

Another thing we have done the last couple trips is flying out of a smaller airport, we always use the sky cap. My husband parks the car and the sky cap helps me check all the luggage in. By the time my husband gets back from dropping off the car we are all checked in. When we flew to LA, we used the Curbside Checkin and they were even able to deal with the infant boarding pass and saved us tons of time in the check-in process.

Here are a few things that I have found useful when traveling:

Mighty Clean Baby Disposable Placemats
They are great for helping contain the mess of a baby who loves eating, but gets food all over the place. They easily stick to the table and I can peel up the mess.

Master Electrician CT-023 2-Outlet Surge Tap With 2 USB Ports White
I find that often when we are staying in a hotel, the outlets are often hard to get to and there aren't enough places to charge all the electronics. The mini shelf for the phone has been great when we couldn't get to any of the outlets next to nightstand in the hotel room.

Number Beads, 6mm White Cube with Black Numbers, 80/pkg (Pack of 1)

White Elastic Cord 100yd - Medium

Travel ID Bands

I saw on Pinterest a couple months ago to make bracelets with your phone number on it and have the kids where them in case they get loss. The only problem is when I went to Michael's or any of our general arts and crafts stores the number beads were no where to be found. So my older two and I made bracelets before we went away last summer for them to keep on them at all times. I keep the Tavel ID Bands on me, just in case we are somewhere and I didn't think about the bracelets so I can quickly put them on.

Menu Planning for January

Starting for December, we started planning our menus a little bit more regularly and consistently. The idea builds upon Kosher on a Budget's November Meal Plan. But instead of doing the exact same thing every week, we settled on the same type of thing for each night. Read more here.

Our kids were actually dealt better with the meals when they knew what was coming up and could make a decision based upon the theme of the night. There is a lot of evening meetings in January, so I think we'll need to figure out a lot easier meals.

For January, we are going to try to stick to this routine, but add one night besides Friday Night that will be of Variety.

Sunday Lunches- 
Grilled Cheese

Sunday Dinners-
Leftovers from Shabbat or Pizza

Monday-
Mexican (Quesadillas, Burritos, Enchiladas)

Tuesday (Dance Class)- 
Sandwhiches for the kids & Fish for the Adults

Wednesday (Prep for Shabbat Evening)-
Fleish (Hamburgers, Sloppy Joes)

Thursday
Pasta

Shabbat Lunches
We usually do Sandwiches for the kids as they are exhausted from the walk back and forth, especially when it's cold and just need time to vedge.
For the adults, we have been doing deli and soup.

Soup Ideas:
Mushroom Barley (Jan 3)
Lentil Soup (Jan 10)
Tomato Basil
Split Pea Soup
Mediterranean Tomato Soup

Beautiful Kiddush Fountains

One of our most favorite gifts that we got for our wedding was the Yair Emanuel Kiddush Fountain in wood. It's so beautiful. Sometime this year we are going to add a second one that is not of wood. The wood just hasn't held up for drinking purposes and we want to keep it as a display item.

Amazing Wine Fountain Shabbat Judaica 6 Cup & 1 Kiddush Cup .Karshi D Crystal From Israel  $118.99

• Amazing Wine Fountain Shabbat Judaica 6 cup & 1 Kiddush cup .Karshi D crystal
• crystal
• Size: h- 21cm / 8.4" 6 goblets 4.5 cm / 1.7" cup- 7.5 cm / 3"
• holyland souvenir
• ship from israel to USA & Canada---------- 14-22 working days.

 

Yair Emanuel Anodized Aluminum Kiddush Fountain with Shades of Blue $148

• Made in Israel
• Aluminium
• 9.5" x 8"
• This Yair Emanuel Anodized Aluminum Kiddush Fountain with Shades of Blue features nine cups that have a dark blue top and silver bottom and a tray and fountain that are navy blue.

Flower Quilted Design Pewter 8 Cup Kiddush Wine Fountain $77

• Beautifully crafted out of pewter Material
• Pretty flowers and quilting design Make this an elegant piece
• Wine fountain measures 14.5" in height; Big cup measures 3.25" in height; small cups Measure 3.5" in height
• imported from Israel

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Car Seat Deals

There are some great drops in prices on Car Seats this week at Amazon. We have had at least one car seat from each of these brands. I love the Diono's because they take up the least amount of space and have a long life span.

Britax Pavilion G4 Convertible Car Seat, Gridline $206.42 (Best Price)

• Base with safecell technology features safecells designed to compress in a crash, significantly lowering the center of gravity and counteracting the forward rotation of the child seat which normally propels the child toward the front seat
• Hugs with safecell technology manages crash energy and forward head movement while keeping the chest clip properly positioned.
• True side impact protection offers a head restraint creating an extra layer of energy absorbing EPP foam, keeping the head, neck and spine in true or aligned, and deep side walls lined with EPP foam to distribute crash forces
• Tangle free, five point harness distributes crash forces across the strongest parts of the body and provides a secure fit
• Click and safe snug harness indicator is an audible aid that provides extra assurance when the harness is within range of appropriate snugness

Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat, Matrix $119 (Good Price)

• 3 in 1 multi-mode Car Seat for longer use 20 pounds to 100 pounds
• Extended 5-point harness for children 20 to 65 pounds
• Converts to High back belt positioning booster for child 30 pounds to 100 pounds
• Converts to backless booster for child 40 pounds to 100 pounds
• Steel reinforced frame for durability
• 3-in-1 multi-mode Car Seat for longer use 20 pounds to 100 pounds
• Extended 5-point harness for children 20-65 pounds
• Converts to High-back belt positioning booster for child 30 pounds to 100 pounds

Diono Rainier Convertible Plus Booster with Adjustable Head Support, Graphite $251.99 (best Price)

• 100% Polyester
• Imported
• Steel frame gives unmatched protection and durability for a 12-year product life
• 12-position adjustable head support and reinforced deep side walls with energy-absorbing foam for maximum head and body side impact protection
• Accommodates children rear facing 5-50 pounds and forward facing 20-90 pounds and in booster mode 50-120 pounds and up to 57" tall
• Luxurious two-piece infant body pillow provides extra support and comfort along with memory foam in the seating area
• Space saving design allows extra room for passengers while providing spacious interior for child

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