My Shtub

Perfect hair tutorial: Braids

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:21:00 +0000

Yesterday I was at the doctors office with my kids, and I heard the person next to me say "ya, we tried everything even smothering in mayo." I seriously wanted to run out of that office screaming, because the only thing you smother in mayo is LICE, and she had a bunch of kids with her! Lice is the grossest and hardest thing to get rid of, and with Rozie's almost waist length hair! I don't even want to think about it.

I researched lice and read that braids are a good style for keep the bugs away. They like free flowing locks. I don't think Rozie has worn her hair down once to school since I read that. I also heard great things about this product, but I havent tried it yet.
Anyways I thought this was a great opportunity to do another hair tutorial.
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Two perfect braids
1. Shoulder length or longer hair
2. Something to part hair with like a pointed comb or even a pencil
3. Detangler spray
5. Good brush like this one

Brush the hair till it is very smooth. Spray with detangler so its slightly damp and tangle free.

Part the hair using the pointed end of a comb or a pencil. Rozie has a natural side part so i part starting in the back of her head. Once you have a perfect part hold one side out of the way with a rubber band.

Gather the hair from the loose side. Use the brush to smooth the hair and gather towards the back. I personally think back low braids take the nerdy out of the two braids look, but placement is your choice.
Once the hair is gathered and smooth ( you can use more detangler to get a smoother gather) start to braid, make sure to do it tight. Finish off with a hair elastic. I once read you should match your elastics to your hair not your outfit. I often use blond colored or clear bands.
I buy my bands at the dollar store and they are one time use.

Now braid the other side trying to match braids as much as possible in placement and length. Elastic off at the same spot as the other braid.

Tips:
Brothers are great for distracting sisters when they are getting their hair done.

So is the Ipad and Yeshiva Boys Choir videos.

I like to add a bow on the side to keep pieces from falling. Voila`perfect school hair!

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Last time I did a hair tutorial a lot of you had questions I could not answer. I decided i would ask my amazing Sheitel macher ( wig stylist) Yehudis who specializes in all hair not just wigs. She studied at Arrojo Cosmetology School and is very talented. Check out her page here. This here is a pic she took of a wig she colored and cut for me, I am sooo happy with it!
Anyways....
Q) What is the best shampoo for Rozie to use since her hair needs more now than the basic kid shampoo?
A) really any shampoo and that says moisturizing is going to be great for kids becasue it will be easier to brush through if its nice and moisturized. A 2in1 shampoo/conditioner is NOT good for anyone's hair because if its strong enough to clean your hair, it will also remove any conditioning. Make sure to use 2 separate products.
I really like the Wella Brilliance shampoo and conditioner. People that I recommended it to told me they really felt a difference in how soft their hair felt after using it.
Q) What is the best detangling product to use? We can not live without it!
A) For detangling, my favorite product is "Its a 10 miracle" leave in product. It works well on all hair types. You just spray on damp hair and comb through. It will also help prevent frizz and define curls/waves
Q) How often should i trim Rozie's long hair?
A) Hair should be trimmed at least every 3 months to keep the ends fresh and healthy. Doing so will also eliminate knotting because the dry ends often cause matting in the hair and make it hard to brush through.
* Remember, if your daughter has wavy/curly hair, NEVER brush it when it's dry, you will just create "fluff" and frizz! And remember its never too early to start using a gently soft hold mousse or smoothing cream to help keep hair more neat and polished looking.
Thank you Yehudis, and don't forget to check out her page here.

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Rozie's dress is from my FAVORITE discount website Zulily! Sign up here!

Big Bow Tutorial!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:30:00 +0000

As Yom Tov is fast approaching I realized that Rozie needed some new bows. I haven't made her a new bow in about a year, and hers were starting to look a bit droopy. This year i decided she needed a big red bow, because in case you haven't heard "The bigger the bow the better the mommy!"

The perfect extra large bigger than life bow tutorial:

To make extra large boutique style bow, that would cost a fortune in the store, you need:

1. Grosgrain ribbon 3" wide about a yard

2. Coordinating ribbon 3/8" wide

3. French clip

4. Thread and needle

5. Hot glue gun

Take a yard of your wide ribbon and fold it in half. Crease the fold and open your ribbon up flat. You should see the crease line in the center.

Take each end and create a figure eight shape. Each end should meet at that center fold crease.

Now this part gets tricky. Hold the middle of the eight and bring the ends in like the picture.

Dont let the middle slip out. You can pin it here if you want to hold it in place.

Sew a simple stitch to hold the pieces together. Pull the thread till the bow gathers up tight in the middle. Tie off your thread and adjust the bow to your liking.

Take your small piece of ribbon and put a dot of hot glue on the top of the bow. Attach the small ribbon and wrap it around to the back. Attach the french clip to the back of the bow with hot glue. Wrap the ribbon through the french clip to hold it on extra tight and glue the ends.

If there are any frayed edges or glue that got away. Take a lighter and seal the edges with the flame. Also carefully use the flame to remove hot glue strings.
Perfect!!!!

I know this tutorial was hard to understand try this video here and see if it helps ( and no you don't need to buy that alligator thing they are selling).
Have a wonderful Yom Tov everyone!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mazel Tov to Dina Fraenkel our Sparkles and Suspenders GC winner. If you didn't get a chance to enter, no problem check out their page here they have tons of great offers!

Boxed Creations

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:51:00 +0000

The weather has turned cold and rainy. Last year at this time we were beach side. This year my kids are still wearing their coats. What is so hard about it is they had a taste of spring and they want out. When it is too rainy and cold to play outside they become bored and kvetchy. Yesterday was one of those days and I had to think of something fun and it had to be quick.

I grabbed a bunch of boxes, thank you Amazon, and we started building. Not sure what or why but they were happy. In the end we built this odd shaped cool looking box house. Nothing like I've seen on pinterest, but I'm going to assume that those moms do not have the weather playing practical jokes on them.

Rozie cut up the pieces, Dovie glued them on. They were busy for hours!

Its actually pretty cool looking, but now what do I with this box sitting in my dinning room?

Today I hid in it when I needed a parental break. So it is somewhat useful.

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Now onto bigger and better things. I actually did a real project with my kids in honor of Shavuos coming up. I was asked by a very creative and craft lady if I would be interested in contributing to the new and exciting Jcreate magazine.

Check it out you won't be disappointed, so many ideas and crafts!

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One last thing: Don't forget to enter the Giveaway it ends tomorrow.Good Luck!

Public restroom, fun....

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Mon, 06 May 2013 02:58:00 +0000

Some of you may know, but for those who don't, Rozie has been potty trained for almost a year now. Yup, I started potty training my girl at 2.5 and we have not looked back. I would like to say it went easy and she was trained before we knew it, but honestly, it took the entire year and it was a hard year. There were many times my husband and I wanted to throw in the towel, but we kept on, and in the end we were so thankful we did. We are officially a diaper free house, and it feels good.
But this is not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to discuss my new found familiarity with most public restrooms. See, potty training a child means you get to drop everything and run to the nearest public restroom even if it has never been cleaned in its entire life. With my boys it was easy. I used to stand them up on the actual seat, (the bottom of shoes are already gross), but girls are soooooo different.

First the smell, and all around yuckiness really encouraged Rozie's speech. She can now say "ohhh yuck" like a champ, and usually says it backing away and refusing to go. I can't blame her.
Second, when you have a child that is already small for her age at 2.5 there is no way she can sit on the seat alone. Just picture sitting a child the size of a small 18 month old on a public toilet. Usually she would scream and hold onto my neck forcing me to squat allowing my long skirts to become close and comfy with the public restroom floors.

We finally bought one of those keep in your purse fold-able kids size seat that had random princesses that her little tush happily sat upon, until the toilet flushed on it own. Whoever thought of this invention, sucks. Sorry for my words, but its true. Nothing instills fear in a pint size two year like automatic flushing toilets. May they all be removed and never heard from again. For the rest of the summer she used a portable toilet that is sat in the back of my car. Gross yes, but not as gross as having an accident in the Target shopping cart.
My top 5 gross Baltimore public restrooms:
1. Target on Reistertown near the 695. I have complained but they can't get it together. It's so gross.
2. Walmart on Reistertown. Again, so gross.
3. TJ Max on Reistertown. Not becasue they are gross but because someone has to unlock them for you and no one ever wants to. That is a guranteed accident.
4. 7 Mile Market on Reistertown. They are always soooo smelly.
5. Any establishment that has only one stall, because if that bad boy is occupied than I'm using the men's room. I don't care!
So what is my point to all of this? Well today something miraculous happened. I was dragged, actually tricked, into going to Comp-USA* with my husband and the kids today. It's this horrible store where grown nerd men (like my husband, love you dear) giggle and drool over things like Gigabytes and Terabytes (I learned that new word today).
Anyways, as I was knocking my head against a display of CD-Roms Rozie informed me that she needed to go. We quickly found the restroom and to my unexpected surprise it was spotless and smelled normal, actually good. I'm not sure if it was because women rarely use it, or because they were trying to make it up to me for being the most boring store in the world. All I know is it was bliss and there were even hand sanitizers in each stall. Hello dream come true.

Comp-USA* not on Reistertown, you are my number one public restroom that smelled like soft coconuts and a beach waves.
* My husband has just informed after reading this article that it was actually Micro-Center, not Comp-USA. I don't even know what to say to that.
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Potty training tips and tricks:
1. Most children with Down syndrome train on aaverage between the ages of 5-7, so dont pressure your little ones.
2. They need to show some cognitive awareness, Rozie was taking off dirty diapers and bringing them to me.
3. I use a system that I made up: I train pressure free and take a long time to do it. Rozie took a little less than a year to train 100%. ( BTW we still do have accidents and that is 100% normal)
4. Offering rewards is fine but what I think works best is making it a fun stress free thing that you are relaxed about. Children vibe off of you and your stress. Stress= no potty usage
5. Don't listen to what others said, listen to your child and watch for the signs. You don't want to miss that window of opportunity. Everyone told me that she was too young, and kids with Ds train much later, but she was showing the signs of readiness. Her size has been a huge factor in the training, she still can not get on and off without help. That is the only DS related issue we are having.
6. I can not say this enough but it needs to be a relaxed pressure free environment. That means being casual about it when they refuse to go and a casual good job when they do go. It is the last things kids have control over and pressure makes them hold that control longer. Good luck and if you have more questions please ask.

One Sparkly Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Fri, 03 May 2013 03:09:00 +0000

I am really excited about this giveaway. Mostly because I am such a sucker for beautiful clothes for my kids. I will buy something gorgeous for my kids without a second thought, but for some reason for myself, I debate and usually end up leaving the item on the shelf. I recently discovered this online store, Sparkles and Suspenders, and fell in love because, and let me quote the company website, "Our name says it all!" Which little girl doesn't love a little extra sparkle in her wardrobe? And suspenders? They speak for themselves!" Don't you love that?

They were kind enough to send Rozie one of their gorgeous dresses by Holt and Lulu called the French Dress for me to review, and we are in heaven. First of all it is so beautifully made and 100% cotton. I am very picky about the fabrics I put on my kids, and cotton wins every time. This dress falls beautifully and the quality shows through. We put a little cardigan with it because we are having a very chilly spring (insert sad face here).

What really sold me on this dress is the huge peter pan collar. Is that not the cutest?

After I was finished with the photo shoot, I asked Rozie if we could take the dress off to save for a special day. She promptly informed me that that would not be happening with a simple "NO!!!!"

Right now Sparkles and Suspenders is having a store wide sale : 25% off entire site. Use coupon code sparkle13 during checkout. Just in time for Yom Tov! Can you see my ordering finger shaking? Hold me back! :)
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Sparkles and Suspenders would also like to give a MyShtub reader a gift certificate to their store!

Pretty exciting, and it's very easy to enter. Just follow the tab below and it will walk you through! Good luck!

iphone? Who has the time?

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Wed, 01 May 2013 01:40:00 +0000

I was at a Lag BaOmer carnival last Sunday talking with my friend and fellow blogger Rivki from Life in the married lane. There were about 400 people at this carnival and neither one of us could take our eyes off our kids.

We spoke in a sideways kind of way that is familiar to many moms. Your eyes are darting around following your kids, while trying to speak about something deep and meaningful with a friend. The inevitable happens and you start using the side of your mouth to talk mafia stye, hoping the person can hear you better. They usually can't. In the end Rivki had to dart off mid conversation as one of her boys was no longer in sight. I wasn't offended, and honestly it took me a second to realize she was gone, because my Rozie was no longer in my sight and I was doing the "where's my kid dance" luckily I spotted her big bow in the crowd. See its not just a fashion statement.

(Dovie and his best friend since he was 2 Menachem Mendel)

This entire dance routine got me thinking about all those articles you read about how we are so tuned into our iPhone and Facebook that we don't even see our kids anymore. I don't know about those moms who have time to Facebook at the park and actually know where their phones are, but for me social media is not even on my mind as my kids play the lets hide from mommy game.

Maybe these iPhone mom's ( and I have an iPhone BTW) have kids that sit nicely on the swings while they text their friends and update their status. I on the other hand have a small child named Rozie that is faster than an eye blink, and oh so quiet about it. She can be gone and in the next town updating her Facebook status all about it, before I can pull my phone from my purse that most likely is lost anyways.

The CLEAN UP!!! Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:32:00 +0000

One day my kids were doing impersonations of my husband. It was pretty funny, I thought. They were in his bed pulling the covers over their heads whining "just a few more minutes, I'm too tired." I was laughing along with them agreeing that that is their tatty alright. Then my husband asked them to impersonate me, and without missing a beat Dovie said in a strong mommy voice, "Cleanup! Everyone clean up! NOW!!" Honestly, this pinched a bit. My husband wasn't so bothered by his impersonation because it is true . He wakes up around 5:30 most morning for work, and on the weekends he likes to sleep. The kids only see him get up weekend mornings, so this is all they know. But they are with me 24/7, and in their eyes, I'm the clean up sergeant, and truth be told, they are right. I am constantly hounding everyone in our house to pick their junk up and put it away. If I didn't say a thing nobody would lift a finger, husband included. Sorry tired guy, but it's true. I go on and on to my husband all the time about how I need him to pick his stuff up, and he just glazes over. He has been to my boot camp so many times that he is no longer phased, either are my kids.
I decided that I was fed up with ruling my home with an iron duster. I went on clean up strike. I decided for one week I was not going to say one word, not one word to anyone about cleaning up. I would clean up my messes and the messes I usually clean up, but I wasn't cleaning anyone else's mess.
I told nobody about my expirement and waited.

(Yes the kitchen needs a a major overhaul, but it is clean)

(Dining room, before)

( More before kitchen)

Day 1: Not too bad. Husband was doing his best to pick up. Most likely because I gave him the good glazing over talk the night before.
Day 2: The mess started to grow. It was unreal how much stuff can accumulate in one short day.
Day 3: It got bad, and trust me the pics do it no justice. Pans were left on the stove, with open bread bags also left on the stove ( why is the bread bag even on the stove?).

Food and crumbs everywhere, it was like we were feeding the birds.

( Those crumbs were there for TWO DAYS! Gross!)

Toys took over, and the paper accumulation started accumulating within itself.

( The kids were using their books as stepping stones, and I don't even know why their is a huge pile of tablecloths or whatever it is, over there)

I couldn't take it anymore and at the end of day three i cleaned up, and no one noticed.

Conclusion:
Project no clean up, sergeant free mom=fail big time. Could you imagine this place if I actually went the entire week. This was only 3 days! Actually more like two.
So what is the answer, how do keep your life and home tidy with becoming a "cleanup" mommy?

Recipe ideas for picky little eaters: Guest post from Busy in Brooklyn

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:38:00 +0000

I am so excited to have a guest post here on MyShtub from one of my favorite food bloggers Busy in Brooklyn. I discovered Chanie's blog almost a year ago when I did a guest post for her. I love her ideas, especially the kid friendly recipes. I personally do not love to cook and often go to the internet for help. Busy in Brooklyn is always the first blog I check to inspire me to cook at home and not order take out. You can learn more about Chanie here and her adventures with three little ones and one husband. If you aren't impressed yet, Chanie recently graduated from The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts. Mazel Tov!!
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I recently saw Sheva's desperate plea for help with weeknight dinners on Facebook. As a mom of three picky little eaters, I can definitely relate to her predicament. I'm a food blogger, so being creative in the kitchen is what I do, but that doesn't always appeal to my kid's pizza-loving palates. As much as I'd love if they ate chicken curry and sea bass en papillote, it just isn't realistic. Instead, I try to stick to quick & easy basics like mac 'n cheese or tacos. If I'm craving adult-fare, I'll just set aside some of the pasta or ground beef, and whip up something a bit more gourmet for my husband and I (like pasta florentine with poached eggs or spicy sriracha burgers with all the fixings).

For the culinary-challenged, or the harried mom who wants a quick fix meal, here are some super easy ideas that even your picky eaters will love!

MENU IDEAS:

Dairy:

1-2-3 Baked Ziti
Quesadillas
French Toast with Peanut Butter, Bananas & Maple Syrup

Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Fruit & Yogurt

Pareve:

Stuffed Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Gefilte Fish Latkes

Meat:

Meat Pizza

Pulled Chicken Sammies
Spaghetti Sloppy Joes
Chicken Lollipops
Turkey Pinwheels with veggies & dip

RECIPES:

1-2-3 BAKED ZITI

1 package ziti pasta, cooked and drained

1 jar marinara sauce

1 12oz. container cottage cheese

1 8 oz. bag mozzarella cheese, divided

4 oz. cheddar cheese

Mix ziti with marinara, cottage cheese and 1/2 bag mozzarella. Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the top. Bake at 400 degrees until the cheese melts and begins to brown around the edges.

QUESADILLAS

whole wheat wraps
shredded mozzarella cheese
fillings of choice
marinara sauce, for dipping

Heat a nonstick pan and spray with cooking spray. Place tortilla in pan and sprinkle cheese and fillings of choice (olives, tomatoes, peppers, onions etc). Place a second tortilla over the top and press down with a spatula. When the bottom tortilla is browned and toasted, flip over the quesadilla and brown the second side. Cut into wedges and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

NOTE: You may spread ketchup or marinara over the wraps before putting on the cheese, if desired.

FRENCH TOAST

My kids don't eat eggs, so I sneak in the protein in their french toast!

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp sugar

pinch of salt
leftover challa or bread

oil, or butter, for frying

Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar and salt. Dip bread into egg mixture on both sides, making sure to fully saturate the bread (you can soak it in the mixture for a minute or so). Fry the bread in an oiled skillet on medium heat until golden on both sides (about 2 minutes per side).

Serve with peanut butter (for added protein!), bananas and maple syrup.

COTTAGE CHEESE PANCAKES

Your kids won't even notice there's cottage cheese in there! You may substitute with ricotta as well.

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 8 oz. container cottage cheese (drain, if needed)

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

oil or butter, for frying

Mix all ingredients besides for oil until smooth. Heat up a skillet and grease with butter or oil. Add batter 1 tbsp at a time and fry until golden on both sides. Continue with remaining batter, adding additional oil or butter, as needed.

Serve with fruit & yogurt.

STUFFED ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

Wash potatoes, pat dry and place in a 9×13 pan. Bake at 400 degree until soft and syrupy, about 1 hour.

Fill with vegetarian chili, rice 'n beans, quinoa, cottage cheese, shredded chicken, or any other leftovers!

GEFILTE FISH LATKES

Remove a loaf of gefilte fish from the freezer and thaw on the counter for about 1-2 hours, just enough that you can slice it with a knife, but still mostly frozen.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the fish until golden on both sides.

Alternatively, you may oven-fry the latkes by placing them on a well-greased cookie sheet, and spraying generously with cooking spray (or brushing with oil). Bake at 350 degrees until browned.

Serve with Israeli couscous and salad.

MEAT PIZZA

store-bought pizza dough
1 jar pizza sauce
1 pkg ground beef

toppings of choice

Roll out pizza dough and stretch to fit on a greased cookie sheet. Cook the ground beef in a pan, breaking it up and stirring until browned. Top the pizza dough with sauce, ground beef crumbles and toppings of choice. Bake until dough is browned.

PULLED CHICKEN SAMMIES

1 pkg boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2-1 jar BBQ sauce (I like the Bone Suckin’ Sauce brand)

burger buns

avocado, sliced

tomatoes, sliced

Method:

Put chicken in a pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from pot and cool (discard water). Using two forks, pull the chicken apart. Return to pot and add BBQ sauce (start off with about 1/2 of the jar, add more if necessary). Serve warm on burger buns topped with avocado and tomato slices.

Alternatively, you may use store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of making your own.

SPAGHETTI SLOPPY JOES

Just like spaghetti and meatballs, but so much easier!

1 box spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 pkg ground beef (chicken or turkey can also work)
1 jar marinara sauce
additional veggies of choice

Cook the ground beef, breaking it up, until browned. Add marinara sauce and bring to a boil. Toss in spaghetti.

You may saute additional veggies and add to the pot, or used canned beans or corn.

CHICKEN LOLLIPOPS

Instead of serving up plain old "chicken", use only chicken legs and call them LOLLIPOPS. Works every time!

Leave skin on chicken and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce. Bake at 400 degrees until skin is browned and crispy, 45 minutes -1 hours. Remove skin (save for yourself!) and wrap the bones in a napkin. Serve with mashed potatoes and baked beans.

TURKEY PINWHEELS WITH VEGGIES & DIP

whole wheat wraps
sliced turkey
ketchup
veggie sticks

dip

Spread ketchup on wraps and lay out slices of turkey. Roll the wraps up tightly and slice roll into thin slices. Serve with veggie sticks and dip.

Some of my kid's favorites from the blog:

http://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/blogoversary-bbq-brisket/

http://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/melt-in-your-mouth-veal-meatballs/

http://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/easy-pineapple-fried-rice/

http://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/linguini-lasagna/

http://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/kid-friendly-dirty-rice/

http://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/fruit-skewers-with-dipping-sauce/

http://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/home-made-fish-sticks/
http://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/rice-pilaf-from-leftover-pasta/

Spray Paint Tutorial, Legally, I don't want trouble

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:40:00 +0000

Have I ever told you about my best friend? Oh she is amazing, and colorful. She knows how to turn the dull into bright, and can coat a piece of furniture in seconds flat. Ok so I'm talking about my best friend the spray paint can not a human, but whatever. I love spray paint and paint most objects in my home with it. Seriously most objects in my home are spray painted, and I'm not talkin old skool graffiti style. So how about a spray paint tutorial?????
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Spray paint, its not just for graffiti, tutorial
What you need:
1. Krylon spray paint ( don't even mess with the other brands , its not worth your precious time, trust me)
2. Spray primer in gray or white, any brand
3. Sanding block
4. Some paintable furniture
The first thing you want to do is sand your furniture. This will help remove any shiny finish. Spary paint does not stick well to shiny. I got these two cute little chairs for free on a local Facebook Craigslist type group. They were cute but just not bright enough for me. I took me maybe 10 minutes to sand these guys with a small sanding block.

Now its time to prime . I recently started priming my objects. I use to juast paint till i messed up my bed. My husband an I have these white metal bed frames, and I wanted them yellow. I was telling a friend and she was like "you should prime first" and i was like "What???" " Prime like no way who has the like time, hellllooooo." Well needless to say the paint chipped and i cant fix it unless we take the beds apart again shlep them downstairs and outside, not happening, who has the like time, whatever.
Anyways i now prime first. This gives the color a nice solid surface to cling to.

Last but not least, the color. I like gloss becasue it is easier to wipe down. Cover in light strokes , and dont get too close or else you will have drips. It is better to do light multiple coats to get a solid clean look. These chairs have three light coats on them.

Also make sure you do it in a well ventilated area, cause helllooooo spray paint stinks. I only paint outside and i also learned the hard way it has to be above 50 degrees, or the paint will crack.
I also leave the item outside for a day so the stinky spraypaint smell has worn off before i bring indoors.

Happy spray painting!!!!!

This post is sponsored by my favorite store!!!!! Check them out and their sale this week!

Garden Variety

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:08:00 +0000

It is garden time again. Some of you may remember that last year we grew an actual successful garden. The first time in my life. Unfortunately the neighborhood deer were also excited about the garden and ate most of it, you can read about it here . Who knew that deer liked tomatoes? We tried many anti-deer tactics such as sprinkling hair clipping, eggshells, cayenne pepper, but our deer are above all that. They have no fear, not even when I am standing 12" inches from them yelling "get away from my garden, you really gentle awesome beast!"
This year I'm going to try this

Have any of you tried it, do you think it will work? I hope so because it is so sad for the kids to check their little garden only to find plant stubs.
Last year we used a very simple method for our garden its called a soil bag method. Pretty much you lay soil bags directly onto the grass and cut windows on the top and plant directly into the bag. This year we turned and composted the soil from last years bags and hope to plant directly into the ground. Wish us luck.
It looked good with lots of worms, that is a good sign right?

In our garden everyone helps. I want the kids to learn, and understand. More than I want actual veggies for our table, yes that would be nice, but it is not the goal.

My kids are loving the warm weather. I'm loving how much better of a parent I can be in warm weather. My kids haven't even asked once to watch a video. They are outside until it gets dark. We even eat dinner outside.

After the garden my kids asked if the could wash all their outdoor toys. Who am I to say no?

Ohhh Spring you are bringing this mama some joy!

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On another not i just wanted to say how saddened and beyond words I am today. The tragedy in Boston was too close to home for me. Many of you my not know that we actually lived in Boston for a few years after Arizona. My husband went to graduate school there. Today I spent most of the afternoon trying to frantically place all my Boston friends, making sure they all were safe. My heart and prayers go out to all the innocent victims and their families. May Moshiach come speedily in our days, because it is enough! Ad Mosai!!!!

Tucson Girl!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 01:43:00 +0000

We are all slowly adjusting back to Baltimore life. The weather has been amazing and warm. The kids are back in school, and I'm excited to see all my friends. The only person not quite adjusting is Rozie. Girl is still on Tucson time!!!!!!

Desert Home

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:16:00 +0000

There is no place like home, no place like home. I must have said that over and over again while clicking my nude colored Lucky Brand Ballet flats. There really is no place like home and I sure missed mine.

We went back to Arizona and spent Passover in the desert. My home is actually a little town called Tucson, and in case I didn't get my point across, there is no place like home.

By day 8 of our trip I was explaining to my husband that there was no possible way I was getting on that plane to go back. Every time he laughed, he thought I was joking, and I almost threw my heal clicking nude colored Lucky Brand ballet flats right at him.

The strange thing is, I haven't lived there in over 10 years, but I still consider it home. I never used my GPS, and remembered where everything was, like I had never left.

It's hard to explain my attachment to this place because honestly there isn't a lot there for a Jewish family, but I'm not trying to insert logic here.

It's my home and you can't pry that fact away from me. Needless to say our Passover was wonderful. We spent it with family and good friends. We ate our Yom Tov meals with the BEST of company, and in general felt at home.

Tucson is a laid back town to say the least. People say hello in the street, and at first we kept looking over our shoulder, we were confused. The general attitude is a year round flip flop wearing relaxed atmosphere, where people paint there little adobe homes bright colors and have twinkle lights on year round.

Walking home to our little rented casita among these lights and colors where enough to for me to rip my ticket back to Baltimore right up.

I miss my home! I grew up there, I lived barefoot in the desert and I want to go back! We arrived back to Baltimore late Wednesday night and it was below freezing. Rozie still had sandals on.

The next day I went to the market and a woman screamed at me for stopping her from backing into my car. "Don't you see me backing up!!!!!!" "Not only do I see you lady, but I also see you are about to hit MY car!" I said. That was my welcome back greeting. I'm back and yes I see you lady and the rest of my town. What I don't see are twinkle lights and bright colors. I found some twinkle light in my storage shed and they will be going up on my deck this week!

FYI that is my actual childhood home peaking way in the back there

Spring???

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 01:23:00 +0000

I know its hard to believe but spring is actually making an appearance. I opened all the windows and did kind of a virus exorcism, "Get out of here!!!!!" I yelled this with a shooing hand motion . Not sure if it will work , but it can't hurt. We went out back swung on the swings, rode bikes in the driveway, and opened the sandbox to discover it full of worms. No joke like hundreds of them, it was way gross and way weird. Im still trying to get better and hopefully this round of antibiotics will work.

I'm so ready for winter to be over, so ready.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I want to thank everyone who entered the Label-Land Giveaway and Mazel Tov to the winner Yitty Nussbaum! For those of you still interested our friends at label-Land want to offer MyShtub readers a special 10% discount. That way everyone has a chance to purchase these awesome labels. Just use the code MYSHTUB at checkout ( expires 5-21-2013) so hurry hurry, Enjoy!

Sick of this sick

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:10:00 +0000

Remember back on the Purim post i was saying how i was sick. Well guess what? I'm still sick. I actually figured out that i have been sick for 22 days, 528 hours.

If you can imagine its taking a bit of a toll. I wish i could just get over this, but for whatever reason my immune system is taking a holiday. My doctors claim that my immune system is fine and it's a virus I have to get over. A 22 day long virus, I guess. I thought maybe i got the flu, but i have had the flu before and honestly this is not as bad, besides no fever.

( Dovie was also home sick, his virus lasted 2 days)

This is more bothersome, up all night coughing, up all day coughing, sore throat, achy yuck feeling, exhaustion, congestion, you know the drill. I started antibiotics a few days ago and today I'm starting to see a glimmer of hope for my future healthy self. I honestly think its this crazy winter weather and everyone is claiming this winter has been the worst. Well im right up there with them, this is the worst.

Maybe a trip to Arizona is in my future. Im looking into my glass ball and i'm seeing warm weather and desert landscapes. I wonder if my prediction will come true? Hmmmmmmm
Have a wonderful healthy Shabbos everyone, and don't forget to enter the giveaway it ends Monday!

Label-Land Giveaway!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:23:00 +0000

One day i picked up Rozie from school and her coat was gone. I asked her teacher and the director if they had seen it, but nobody had.

The director told me usually they can identify Rozie style clothes a mile away, like her leopard coat. This was a plain gray coat so I guess it didnt look like a "Rozie coat." Lucky for us Dovie saw it hanging in someone's cubby and it made it safety home. We often refer to Dovie as the "finder of all things." The next day I took out a trusty Sharpie and scrawled her name on the inside in a messy black ink. I felt guilty to ruin the coat but it was better than lost.
Recently I got some labels from Label-Land and it has changed the way I label. No more black ink and ruined coats.
The first item i tried was their waterproof mini labels. I thought these would be great for my kids lunch gear, in hopes that it will all return home.

What is amazing abut these is they are genuinely waterproof. I (and by I, I mean my husband) have washed this stuff a bunch of times!

We also got the amazing iron-ons, so we never do this to a coat again.

Not in the pictures, but we had our last name and phone number on all our labels. I thought this would be best if we really want all our goods to make it home.
Would you like to win your own set of Labels from Label-Land?

Label-Land will be giving away to one MyShtub a complete Camp Pack that includes:

100 iron-on labels
30 medium waterproof labels
50 mini labels
2 bag tags
14 shoes labels

It is so easy to enter!

Purim sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:48:00 +0000

Purim comes into our house every year with a whirlwind of cellophane, ribbon, and thread. It hits quick, and is over before you know it. It is 4 days later and im still finding pieces of Purim everywhere. Truth be told i love it. It is my yearly creative outlet, my time to shine. But the hard reality is i have been sick almost every Purim since moving to the east coast. It is still the bitter winter here, and with my crappy immune system i just cant win. I did my best this year, but i ended up spending most of the day in bed. I am becoming very fed up with the cold and my immune system. They are not a match and its time for this relationship to end. If i go back and read all my past Purim posts they pretty much say the same thing: I love Purim but i feel like garbage. There is just something so wrong with that combination.

Even so i pulled through and this year i let my kids dress up as whatever they wanted. I gave up on a family theme. When did we all become so obsessed with family themes anyway?
Dovie dressed as his favorite singer Shwekey.

He came up with this costume all on his own. It was hilarious.

Rozie wanted to be a rainbow. It was also her idea. I asked her what she wanted to be for Purim and she answered "a rainbow." I'm not sure she completely understood what i was asking, but she does love rainbows so i went with it.

I made her tutu using this tutorial i made a few years ago.

I saw these Shalach Manos ideas on Kosher on a Budget and knew they would be perfect for my little rainbow.

For the family Shalach Manos i coudn't think of anything better, but to send some sunshine

I hope your Purim was full of sunshine and simcha!

Purim roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:21:00 +0000

I thought it would be fun to do a MyShtub Purim roundup of past projects. These are my Purim ideas over the past few years . Enjoy!

1. Purim 2012 Storybook theme
2. Gragger tutorial
3. Mini crown tutorial
4. Tutu tutorial
4. Purim 2011

BFFs

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:42:00 +0000

When I was a little girl I remember having best friends. When i was in kindergarten I remember a little girl with a blond bowl cut. We wanted to wear matching dresses on a certain holiday, and I some how convinced my mother to buy me the matching dress. I can see that dress as clear as day, it was white jersey with tiny red hearts. I didn't stay friends with that little girl, and with the many other best friends I had through elementary school. When middle school came we all sort of went our own ways. It was like the teen years hit and all of the sudden our differences felt more significant. Kids you knew since kindergarten all of the sudden felt like strangers.

Rozie has a best friend named Essie. They have know each other since they were born. This year they are even in the same class. They both play with other kids but when it comes down to it these two are BFFs. Essie recently turned three and had a candle lighting birthday party.

All Rozie talks about now is Essie's Birthday. If anyone even mentions a Birthday now Rozie will happily inform you that "Essie had a Birthday."

Since Rozie and Essie are three neither one of them has noticed that there might be a possible difference between the two of them. They both like baby dolls, toy carriages, and celebrating Birthdays. A small little difference, like one of the pair having Down syndrome, does not fit into their life priorties of Birthday cake and tutus. But what will happen when they are older? Will their friendship remain when differences become relevant? One day soon Essie will realize that Rozie has Down syndrome, and Rozie will realize that Essie doesn't. In my life friendships failed because i liked alternative Rock, and my best friend liked country. Small potatoes but enough to end a long friendship.

Down syndrome is a much bigger potato and i fear for their friendship. I know there are many people who have grown up with someone with Down syndrome, but was it a real friendship? Did you consider that person an actual friend or was it someone you felt a kindness for because of their differences?
I would love to hear personal experiences.

I would love to find out how this little friendship will survive, because i know two little girls that would be heartbroken if it doesn't.

Too smart!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:07:00 +0000

My Rozie is a bit of a star in our community B"H. She is outspoken and makes herself known. She is also cute as a button, if I don't say so myself. People often comment on how pretty she is. I usually thank them and comment on how smart she is also. This is when things get awkward. For some reason it's ok for people to step out of their comfort zone and say, "Wow! This little girl is so pretty, even with Down Syndrome." They can do this because they see her with their own eyes and come to that conclusion, but intelligence is often hard to see.

People with Down syndrome are not suppose to be smart, they have mental retardation, right? They are slow, stupid, dumb, delayed, and disabled. I know this because my daughter has been given every single one of those labels. Her newest label, since she is turning four and needs coding for her Individualized Educational Program, is: "Intellectual Disability (formerly referred to as Mental Retardation)." Not so pretty, right? So here is my little girl who is smart as a whip, but gets this little coding and stigma attached to her for life. A pretty face doesn't feel so important anymore.
I know this is just a label and it is needed to give her the therapy and services she needs, but for whatever reason I can't shake the title. Mostly because my daughter does not have an intellectual disability. I don't care what the tests say, but the little girl that I hang out with on a daily basis is not delayed. In my eyes she is right where she needs to be and honestly I don't care where that scores with the general public.

Let's think about why. Every society and community has their standards for what they find intelligent. For example, in my community, most moms are stay at home moms. When I see a mom who is organized and is able to run her home with efficiency, I usually think, "that is one smart mommy." To a high powered corporate mom, running an efficient home may not be a sign of intelligence. Going to a Ivy League school, and climbing the corporate ladder may be her standard. Do you see what I'm getting at? It's impossible to say who is and who isn't smart. Is someone who uses big words, never misspells, can solve huge unsolvable math problems, but can not navigate basic social settings, smarter than someone who is "street smart?"

(Rozie's faces)

Honestly I do see where my daughter is delayed. I see on paper where her cognitive ability may be different than the general public. I also see how incredibility smart she is. I see that she has figured out on her own where all the groceries go, and helps me put them away without asking. I see that she knows how to take care of her dolls with an efficiency that is hard to top. I see her stop in the market and run to the child that is crying to ask them if they are ok. I see that she is naturally drawn to good hearted people, and she can pick them out of crowds. There is no testing for this kind of wisdom.

I hope my daughter never has to see her school records. I hope she never knows that someone said that she was intellectually delayed, or worse, mentally retarded. I hope she never knows those words were used to describe one of the smartest, kindest, beautiful little girl I know. Just in case someone ever tells her differently, I'll make sure to remind her of who she really is every single day, so words like delayed just roll of her sharp little shoulders.

( please ignore the sibling rivalry at the end)

She has skills!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:54:00 +0000

Rozie has been bugging me for a while now to use scissors. She tells me she wants to "cut paper." This is fine with me because cutting is an age appropriate three year old skill, and I'm excited to see her move forward with her fine motor skills. I began searching the internet for a pair of adaptive scissors that spring back open after each cut. She has been having trouble opening the scissors once they close. I don't think it's a strength issue, more of a tiny tiny hand issue that even preschool sized scissors are huge for her. Rozie is very small in stature but her hands and feet are even smaller. She still wears a infant size 5.5 shoe. Anyway, I selected a few pairs of scissors that had great reviews and planned to order them for her.
Fast forward to a few days ago and we were having a rough morning before school. You know one of those days where everything goes wrong. I sent Rozie upstairs while I grabbed her dress from the laundry. When I got upstairs, I found Rozie mid cut. She was happily lopping off a side chunk of hair. No issues here opening and closing my adult sized hair cutting shears. She turned to me and declared in an ever so proud voice, "I cut!"

Yes, Rozie cut of a bit of her hair. Nothing too bad, but her new Cindy Lauper circa 1985 look is going to put a bit of a damper on my future hair tutorials. I started parting her hair on the other side against her natural part, hoping to cover the rooster spikes.

Dear Rozie,
I'm so proud of you and your advancement of your fine motor skills. I love your coloring skills and your cutting abilities are out of this world, but I'm sorry to inform you that you will no longer be receiving any sort of OT or fine motor therapy. You are using your skills for evil and I'm worried that you have gone to the dark side my young padawan.
Love,
Mommy
Want to see a video of Rozie talking all about her new look, come over and like the MyShtub Facebook page and check out the video.

A Sassy Side Braid

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

For those of you that follow the MyShtub Facebook page know that i had a good long personal conflict about Rozie's hair. I could not decide if I wanted to cut it to a chic easy to maintain cute bob, or keep the long locks. After much debating and help from many MyShtub readers i decided to keep the locks. We bought a nice shampoo and conditioner for her, and stopped using baby shampoo. This made a night and day difference on her tangle prone hair. I took hr to have her hair trimmed and hopefully her beautiful long hair will be here to stay.

Many of you asked me about some of Rozie's hair styles, and how I do them. Let me start by saying that my key to beautiful hair on this wild one, is the IPad. I put on one of her favorite Yeshiva Boys Choir videos, and this is how long I have to make her hair.
Rozie's famous side braid/pony:

Two tiny elastics that match her hair ( the dollar store)
Detangler spray
Wet/dry brush
Pointed comb to part hair

Spray hair with detangler and brush through till smooth

Part hair on side. Rozie has a natural side part it's so cool

Section off hair with comb and create a small side pony. Secure with elastic

Gather all the hair to one side and braid about three loops. Secure with an elastic
Add a bow where the half pony is. You don't need a bow but my Rozie insists on a bow and according to her it needs to be a "big bow"

I like the partial braid instead of a full braid because the braid has a tendency to stick out. The half braid allows the hair to lay nicely.
Have you seen any past Rozie hairdos that you would like me to make a how to for?

Poncho/ Cape/ Zarape (or whatever you want to call it) Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:18:00 +0000

Anyone who knows me locally knows I am a big stickler on car seat safety. I have had a few scary car experiences in my life, and I just don't think its something you should play around with. My three year old Rozie is still rear facing, and my 6 year old Dovie is still in a five point harness. I'm not trying to be fanatic, it is just shown in study after study that rear facing is safer, and a 5 point harness is safer. I don't feel the need to rush them up to the next level, when they are safer right where they are. Both are happy to be in their seats and have never complained. I actually have never given either one of them any other option so they don't know there is something to complain about.

Anyways with the cold winter months now upon us there is another car seat safety issue that plagues me: the coat in the car seat. It just isn't safe to have all that bulk between your little one and the straps. So we were doing the coat dance. Coat on to the car, coat off in the car seat, coat back on to go in the store for a minute. We dance this dance all winter long and I'm often tempted just to put them in the car seat with the coat on and end this routine once and for all. Dovie is easier because he dances his own dance and does the coat routine all by himself, but Rozie is another story.
I decided there had to be a solution to this, besides losing my mind. I went to Facebook for the answers and discovered the idea of wearing a poncho instead of a coat, because you can just lift the poncho up and buckle the straps under it. This was an inspiration for me and I went straight to the fabric store.

Here is how I made our poncho:

One yard of pill-free fleece
One yard of contrasting color pill-free fleece
Decorative buttons ( if you want)
Thread and a sewing machine

1. The first thing I did was measure Rozie and decide how long I wanted the poncho to be. I measured from shoulder down with a bit of fabric for seam allowance.
2. Next I folded the fabric in half and cut a circle. I did this with both pieces of fleece.
3. Now its time to sew. If you don't have a machine this could be done by hand, but I'm a machine kind of gal. I sewed the two pieces of fleece inside out all along the bottom of the circle. I now had a huge circle pillow.
4. Next you cut a small hole in the middle for the head and turn the circle right side in.
5. At this point you can either turn the neck edges in and sew a hem for the neck line, or add a hood. The hood was a bit complicated and it takes a little bit more skill.

6. Hood : Trace a hood from a sweatshirt leaving about an inch for seam allowance. I cut it in two pieces and sewed a seam down the middle for better shape.
7. Now attach the hood to the neckline. I wish I had some tips here, but I kind of just did it, and threw it across the room a couple of times out of frustration. This was by far the hardest part and honestly, if I made another one, I might scratch the hood because she never wears it anyway.
8. Lastly, add any sort of decorative item. I liked the buttons but you can add a flower or anything else.
We love our poncho it makes these winter months a bit more bearable.

*Just a side note: I do pack her down coat in her back pack for outside time at school. This poncho is great for in and out of the car but for long periods of time in the cold its not warm enough.
Let me know if any of you attempt one. I would love to see pics.
If you would like to learn more about car seat safety please visit my favorite site The Car Seat Lady here.

Thanking Hashem for all you got

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Once a month Rozie has a special education evaluator come to her school to see how she is doing in class. She helps us decide if we need to make more or different accommodations. Thankfully it usually goes very well and everyone continues to be impressed with Rozie's progress.

Today was Rozie's monthly evaluation and afterwards her special education teacher and the director and i sat down to talk. What came next threw me for a loop. They both informed me that for the most part it would be nice if i started sending Rozie full time ( not our 3 days a week we have been doing). Rozie is thriving, she is happy and honestly she is upset, like two hour melt down, on the days she doesn't go. Truth be told Rozie doesn't go full time because i wasn't ready to let her go. Many of you read this post here where i discussed the pain and emptiness i felt sending her to school. Yes that emptiness is subsiding but i'm not ready to send her everyday. Many families keep preschoolers home, so why is this so different? Well the biggest difference is Rozie begs, pleads, cries, and yells on the days she doesn't go. I do fun things with her on her days off but she wants no part of it. So really i'm keeping her home for my own selfish reasons.
I spoke to my husband and after winter break she will start full time. She will be in 7th heaven i will be in H E double hockey sticks again. This is a new stage in my life and i'm not adapting well. Its called empty nest no need to diagnose me. I miss my little birds and i want them home.

I started thinking about stages and it brought me back to a rough time in my life. Before my husband and i had Dovie we struggled for a long time to have a baby. I was miserable all the time. I wanted another baby so much it consumed me. I obsessed about who was expecting how many babies they had and how quickly. I became envious of all my friends and couldn't participate in their simchas. I was down right pathetic. When i look back to that time i feel a lot of regret. I should have trusted in Hashem, i should have had more fun with my small family. My husband and i should have gone on a cruise. I wasted many years on what i didn't have, instead of thanking Hashem for all i had. Its hard not to feel regretful for all that wasted time, but regret is a 6 letter 4 letter word, and i refuse to say it.

I decided im not going to dwell on my emptiness. Not dwell on the fact that we may not have more children, and i no longer have babies at home. Today i went and got a manicure right smack in the middle of the day. I relaxed and enjoyed my time. I started thinking that i can get manicures all the time now. I can do whatever i want. I ran a few errands and got a fancy coffee. I'm learning to enjoy this new stage in my life, and maybe next week i'll go on a cruise.

I need sun!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 03:59:00 +0000

For some reason i have not been in the mood to blog. Nothing is really inspiring me to write. I guess I'm having a blog block. I get tidbits of ideas here and there, but those usually go up on the Facebook page. Maybe its this sunless cold weather? Maybe its this sinus infection that has moved into my face? Maybe its the lack of fresh air? Maybe its nothing?

I'm sure i'll get my write back soon, but till then i'm counting down till spring. Only 74 more days!

How do you stay inspired and motivated when the weather is uninspiring and motivating?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In case you didnt notice i now have a email sign up bar on the top right. Its a great way to stay up to date with MyShtub posts.

If you cant find me here don't forgot to check the MyShtub Facebook page here.

One last thing...You still have a chance to donate to the Cheder Dinner please click here. Every bit counts for our little school. Give up that Starbucks cup for one day and donate $6 now! You wont regret it.

Cheder Love, please help!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheva) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:26:00 +0000

So I have a little story to tell and I will try to make it short. I moved here to Baltimore about 7 years ago. We had just left Brookline, MA where my husband finished graduate school and i was pregnant with my Dovie. In Brookline I worked in The New England Hebrew Academy Lubavitch Yeshiva, but had no plans to teach in Baltimore. I was pregnant after trying for many many years and I just wanted to relax, put up my feet, enjoy my husband's new employment, and my new job as a SAHM. Little did I know that in a few short months, I would not only be working again but helping to build a school literally from the ground up.
When i was approached by a friend, Chanie Feldman, and asked if I wanted to help her create a Lubavitch Cheder, I laughed and said, "no way." About 15 phone calls later and a lot of pushing I finally gave in, and said "ok." While my husband and some Shul members spent many long nights converting our basement from storage into a classroom, my friend Chanie and I started planning to open a school. To make this long story short that has many twists turns and hurdles, that year we successfully opened a running school with 13 students. By the second year we already grew out of my basement, and under the direction of Rabbi Lisbon, our Shul bought a home to use as our new building. Again, with many hurdles including construction challenges and licensing drama, we grew into a full fledged school with a lot more than 13 students.

Around this time i became pregnant with my little Rozie. Check out this picture here. That is Rozie on the far right hanging out in my belly. I planned to have her and come back to the school part time. I had no clue about her diagnosis, so this seemed logical. When Rozie was born after a lot of hard decision making I decided to step away from the school to give all of my time and attention to her.

The Cheder has now been open for 6 years and has far outgrown my basement, the little renovated school house, and is now in a fully functional school building with the ability to house hundreds of students.
My Dovie has been going to Cheder since he turned three and has loved every day of his chinuch (education). The environment is warm and friendly. The teaching is progressive and out of the box. Each child is treated like an individual and encouraged to grow in their own special ways. This has a lot to do with my friend Chanie, her amazing love for children, and the dream her and I both had for a "new" kind of teaching.

It's funny that when it was time for Rozie to start school, I was worried. I was worried if the Cheder would accept her. It was silly of me and of course they have met all my expectations. Rozie is treated as an equal with her peers, and all accommodations she needs were taken care of with a smile on their face. I wrote about that experience here. Please take time to read it if you haven't already. Rozie looks forward to school everyday and can tell me all the names of the kids in her class.

(She is showing me everyone's cubby here)She is treated with respect and praised for her strengths. I never once had to hear that the school was making an "exception" for her, or we would do this on a trial basis. It was always assumed that she would go to Cheder, and like every other kid in her school she would treated as an individual. They help her excel and give her a warm inviting environment to do it in.
Can you tell i love this school?

Well, now it's time I ask for something from all of you. The little school I know and love is honoring my husband and I at their banquet. Completely unnecessary and actually a bit strange feeling for us, but we decided to take this honor and try to help our beloved school even more.
This is a link to an online form to donate to "Our Cheder". For any local readers i would love for you to come to the dinner and there is a place to sign up for that too! It is easy to donate and it can be any amount because every bit helps.

$6 : Could help buy specialized writing and cutting tools for Rozie
$18: Can help buy laminating packets, to laminate all the visual clue signs they have made her
$36 : Can buy a taller step stool so she can reach the sink and drinking fountains

$54: ( the cost of an add in the journal): Could help purchase specialized ride on toys.
I could go on and on here, but i think you get the idea. I hope all of you will take the time to donate to our school it will be greatly appreciated.
Let me know you pledged in either by commenting here, Emailing me, or by commenting in the pledge form "MyShtub". I want to keep you guys posted with how much we have raised!