Back to bed yelled Fred!

Lately, I have been doing what most moms should never do.  Veteran moms know not to do this. But new moms like moi...wellllll, we forget sometimes.  What is this "thing" that I am was doing?  I was congratulating myself on how well my son Kol sleeps at night. You see, a veteran mom  knows that the moment you start bragging about how great your son's sleeping habits are, said son stops sleeping so greatly!  Somehow the sleep angel hears your bragging words spilling out of your mouth and she flutters on over to your child and whispers "your Mama is bragging about your sleep, child, go ahead! It's time to show her what's what!"  And then, your peaceful night turns into not so peaceful anymore.  Last night we were up from 3:00am to 6:00am with Kol.  He woke up at 3am and I thought it was a fluke so I did a 'check-in' and told him that he's safe and we're here and love him and he should go back to sleep.  As his cries grew louder and did not quiet down as they usually do after a check-in at that hour, Dov went in for a another check-in.  And still the cries for Mama and Daddy just intensified.  So I proceeded to do it all, checked his diaper, checked the temperature in the room, made sure he was not in any pain from a possible teething situation or from a fever.  Everything was fine.  So honestly what the hell was going on??? After about an hour of check-ins, I did what I had promised myself I would never do, I gave him a bottle of milk in his crib, but honestly after an hour of screaming at 4am you are truly not to be held accountable for your actions! And anyway the bottle held him over for no more than 10 minutes.

The cries only subsided when Kol was brought into our bed but, sleep still evaded him.  Every couple of minutes,  which is when I assume that damn sleep angel would prod him to speak up,  I would hear Kol's mind moving through his mouth.  I heard him discussing with himself "fortress..ga-prise" which when decoded, means he wants to go under the blanket and make a fortress and then shout out SURPRISE to the "unsuspecting" parent above the blanket.  He also kept repeating in the same intonation as the voice on the app "peek-a-boo barn" an Ipad app that Kol loves to play (it is a fabulous app where kids learn the animal names and sounds they make.)  After every adorable sentence Kol spoke -- he truly has the cutest voice (warning I may be biased) -- I told him if he does not go back to sleep I will put him back in his crib.  That kept him quiet for a good 5 minutes each time!  Thankfully at around 6:15 am  he fell asleep til 8.

As you can imagine, we were both exhausted all day!  Even though we were both good sports about it, I stopped being angry about my night after my second cup of coffee. (Thank you coffee bean at The Grove for that!) and Kol played nicely with the bubbles lady at The Grove (God bless her- she stands there for hours entertaining all of LA's children) and he truly enjoyed the swings this afternoon at the park. He even calmed down enough to eat some dinner after a serious melt down at around 5 pm.  It is 6:45pm now, Kol is sleeping and I plan on going to bed really early tonight.  I pray we all have a quiet, restful night but I will say, if we do, I wont be telling any of you about it!

Good Night, Sleep Tight!

Gal Friday (Recipes included)

For most people, Friday is the beginning of the weekend. It is a day of excitement and the beginning of relaxation.  For those of us who keep the Sabbath, Shabbat, Shabbos or whatever you choose to call it, it is, hectic!  There is a huge dinner to prepare for the Friday night Shabbos meal and prep needed to be done for the Shabbos day meal, Saturday lunch. Included in prepping a huge meal, which is often reminiscent of a Thanksgiving feast, is also managing everything else going on in your life.  Your family, your work, your sanity.  The ladies (or men) who prep for Shabbos do not usually get a day off on Friday to leisurely shop in 5 stores and prepare the big evening meal with family standing near by  help chop all those little Brussel sprouts off the Brussel sprout stalks (you can find those awesome things in Trader Joes f.y.i.).  Unlike the prep for Thanksgiving, we are usually not drinking glasses of wine while we stir our delectable soup and slowly grab another cinnamon stick to throw in the bubbling pot.  In the actual Shabbat-prep world, for most of us, there are no other family members helping to chop and stir. There are children to take care of and work to be done and the world slowly does not exist.  In the real world of preparing for Shabbos every Friday, there is one word that is tried and true; RUSH!

Every Friday I rush and rush and rush.  You would think by now in my life, 6 years married and almost 2 years with a child, I would have organized my week better. I would shop on Wednesday and start cooking on Thursday. But no, what would be the fun if life ran smoothly?  And besides, I love bumping into all of my Friday friends at the local kosher markets in the morning.  We get to discuss what each one is making for dinner or lunch the next day and I always am inspired to make something new. 

Thankfully Kol is easily entertained and I can run back and forth between the kitchen and the living room switching records so he can dance on his own. The sunglasses are new and a must wear for my accessory man and he loves putting them on and taking them off. Notice the vacuum, yoga mat, and drum in the background. All great activities that last 3 minutes, enough time to open the oven door and place my chicken/brussel sprouts/cake inside before Kol comes rushing back into the kitchen saying "mama play!"

Through the rush I am aware of all that needs to get done before Sundown.  At sundown we light the Shabbat candles and no matter how busy or crazy my house was a minute before, peace begins to reign and it is truly magical!

I think this is why we happily go back to our Friday craziness.  There is nothing like that moment when Shabbos comes in and your world becomes calm.  There is no other time during the week that you are forced to become focused, to revel in your home and your family and to not allow any other distraction (work or play) disturb that tranquility that we bring into our home.  It is something so beautiful, real, and needed!

Everyone finds their own way to cope with the Friday rush. Mine has been creating a menu Thursday night so that when I shop on Friday, I know exactly what I need and then when I am home I know exactly what I need to do.  Since I can't be in the kitchen there with you,  I wanted to share 3 really quick and delightfully tasty dishes that may help enhance your Shabbat dinner and make your Friday run a bit smoother!

Sweet and Spicy Brussel Sprouts:

A bag of brussel sprouts, 3 Tablespoon e.v.o.o , 3 Tablespoon maple syrup, 1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt , 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper, a dash (or two if you like spicy) crushed red pepper flakes.  Bake on 350 degrees for 20 (make sure to toss the brussel sprouts during the cooking time) minutes or until the brussel sprouts are browned.

Fluffy Brown Rice:

2 cups Brown Rice (make rice according to the package) , 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon basil, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon garlic.  Add spices, fluff rice with fork and serve.

Mid cooking selfie:

Taken to share what real women look like when they are cooking a big meal and doing 1,000 other things at the same time. I love you foodie blogger world but please start posting what you look like when you spend all day in your kitchen. Thank you- Management.

Basil Chicken: 

Recipe given to me by my sister Hindel. There is no pretty plated picture on this one, I did not get a chance to plate it before sundown. That being said, this is one of the most delicious chicken recipes I have ever tasted.  It is a classic in my home and will probably stay that way for a long time!

1 Chicken, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoon fresh garlic, 2 tablespoon dried basil, 1/4 cup olive oil.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl and then pour over the chicken.  Cook chicken covered for  1 1/2 hours  on 350 degrees. (uncover for the last 1/2 hour).

This is what my kitchen looks like about 30 minutes before Shabbos starts every week.

And this was the best part of the day!

Hope you had a great weekend too!

iHeart "Gifted"

 Some people are queen B's of gifts. I use a capitol B since you all know what it stands for and I believe these incredible gift givers are major B*****.  OK, most of them are not, in actuality they are some of the kindest, generous friends we all have, I am truly just jealous. But the difference between a great gift giver and a mediocre to poor gift giver is, well, that they are poor.  The previous sentence is incorrect but up until recently I actually thought that to be true.  I have always thought myself as a terrible gift giver, and even though I would not categorize myself as poor I have always had these elaborate ideas of what gifts I would love to bestow on family and friends for such momentous occasions as one's birthday.  I would graciously like to buy my sister a pair of Christian Louboutin's shoes, Or for a graduation present...I envision trekking around the villas of Tuscany with my two,  2013 high school graduate nieces (you go Shulas!! Yes they have the same name).  Since my lofty ideas of extravagant presents have not yet come to fruition I am always disappointed and seem to get gifts last minute because honestly what could possibly trump Tuscany in the summer or Louboutin's any time of year.

Yesterday on our Whats App, my sister Rik sent us photos of a beautiful leather bag a friend of hers bought her as a gift after a recent trip to...you guessed it...Italy.  As we all drooled over the deep moss color and how soft the leather looked and I imagined felt, I complained how I never buy anyone great gifts.  My other sister Hindel went on a bit of a rampage, most people find rampaging sisters too intense but I was honored by what she had to say and honestly doesn't intensity just mean passion!?!  Hindel reminded me (passionately) that I was always getting her stuff, lipsticks, nail polishes, magazines, books, Ziploc bags (yes you heard right, ?iplocks, she lives out of the country and this is a HUGE gift) and her list went on.  She is right! To be honest I get very excited when Dov comes home with a $1 Slurpee from seven eleven.  It really is not the amount you spend on a gift that matters  but the thought, and the excitement of not expecting a gift.  OK and maybe it should matter an eensy weensy bit that the gift represents the receiver in some way.  A friend told me once that a gift is always a little bit of the giver and a little bit of the receiver. That line completely resonates with me, as I'm sure it does with you, when you look back on the gifts you have been given!

Tomorrow I have a birthday dinner to go to.  And though I can not afford the Chanel bag that I know the birthday girl is coveting, I will be picking out a luxurious Chanel lipstick and a matching nail color for her. Because we all know the next best thing to your shoes matching your bag,  is a matching lip and nail color!

 

                                       Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in La Somptueuse

                                             Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Dragon

Happy Foodie New Year

Wednesday night started the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana.  This is the new year for the Jews, the time of rebirth, the time of making new and old resolutions of renewing our faith and... blah blah blah. OK let's be honest: This is really a time for showing off our gourmet culinary skills!  As the foodie movement hits all corners of the world and then some, the orthodox Jewish women have jumped on the #instayum train with much gusto. The three days leading up to the Jewish new year had my instagram, facebook, and twitter feeds flooded with round challah's and exquisite pomegranate salads, marinades, and fuzzy beverages. The fresh recipes, delicious-looking food, and creative presentation were astounding; not only in the abundance of posts but in their frequency (all-day, all-night!)

I looked at every picture and then circled back to check out almost everyone's blogs and websites. I had to see the food from all sides and read what the recipes entailed.  And let's face it, I was a little bit jealous I was not posting my gourmet High Holiday meals.  But alas, a practical problem got in the way... The 2 meals I was hosting were going to be on the last two days of the holiday, which meant I was going to be doing most of my cooking on the day I was actually serving my food.  And as an orthodox Jew I do not use my cell phone on Rosh Hashana which means no instagram, no facebook and no twitter pages to show off my tasty delights.  I did make a couple of things before the holiday, but, my round challahs, although incredibly yummy, looked more like 2 curvy boobs from every angle. I kid you not, this is the truth. [Sorry readers, no pictures here.]

So I looked and I drooled and thoroughly enjoyed myself, living vicariously through every friend and blogger posting dish, after plate, after dish - including my creatively talented sister-in-law Esther who ALWAYS has the best place cards. See exhibit A below. (Mini apples, drizzled with chocolate, and names written on paper leaves.)

Then the holiday came in and miraculously everything stopped. The computers shut down, phones shut off, Ipads hidden behind the couch (from tiny little fingers who love Elmo).  My obsession with the internet food display slowly dissipated as I lit the holiday candles and thought about our new year to come. I focused on myself, my family, my friends, and our life. And I realized it's nice to be in the moment sometimes, even more than being in - or seeing - or taking the picture.

Later that night, we hosted a "half-meal" in which we invited a handful of friends to come over after services for just soup, challah, chummus, and wine.  Luckily I grew up in a home with 12 kids (hence blog name, Lucky #9) and about 60 people filtering through our home every Friday night for Shabbat dinner so when I make a pot of soup it is always a LARGE pot of soup.  I say 'luckily' because in true "Schwartz"style (my maiden name), my youngest brother showed up with 6 extra people, turning our 'handful' into a total of 16!!! No sweat. We took the party outside to the backyard, set up some more tables and chairs and brought a few extra bottles of wine to celebrate.  I have no pictures of the hot summery evening with our backyard lights brightening the night sky. No pictures of the tasty mushroom barley soup served in plastic bowls or the guests gathered around my holiday table, helping themselves to the very last drop. And no pictures of the emotions of happiness and comfort that were palpable amongst our family and friends on that first Rosh Hashana night. But what I do have are permanent memories, a warm recharged feeling that is still present and...and...an idea for a great Rosh Hashana Mushroom Barley picture blog.

Happy Foodie New Year!

P.s. Here are  some pictures I snuck in right before lighting the Holiday candles.

Forced Outlet

I tried to force a blog yesterday. It was about balancing life and work and family. I was forcing it because I have not written a blog in about 5 months and I really wanted to put something out there. I had originally told myself I would write one blog per month and if I had extra time or the writing bug hit me I would write more.  So after 5 months of being a complete slacker when it came to writing and then constantly seeing all these half written and half ass blog ideas on the notes pages of my iphone I decided to put something to paper computer and get it out there.

So I forced it.  I took a paragraph from one blog idea and mashed it with a paragraph from another. I took random pictures that had nothing to do with my words and shmushed them in between the paragraphs so my friends and family would not be as bored as I was reading the damn thing.  I added some new ideas but most of it was a confused work of writing from thoughts I had 3, 4, 5 months ago and the feelings were not the same anymore. How was I even trying to write about going to work for the first time after having a baby and my world being turned upside down and dealing with that.  I dealt with that! I have been there, I have done that. I figured out how to make the wheels of my home/life spin again even if I am not there every minute of every day. That's not where I am at and yet I was trying to recreate the feelings for the sake of writing something...anything.

The real question is why am I feeling the need to force writing?!?!  Writing is my extra curricular activity.  It is pure pleasure for me! I get no monetary reward I get no publishing credits, it is supposed to be a fun outlet.  And then I figured it out...well it was not all that fast...it is more like a- and then 5 months later I figured it out.  I have forgotten to give myself an outlet.  I have figured out my work life into my home life. I have figured out how to stay on top of my work schedule I get paid for and how to stay on top of my other work projects I will hopefully one day get paid for.  I have figured out how to go from working for quite a few hours and coming straight home to Kol, doing dinner, bath, bed all with a great attitude and a lot of love (most nights - lets be realistic I am human here!) And I have figured out how to, somehow between all the work and mothering, get a healthy homemade dinner ready for my husband and I to sit down and enjoy together on most nights (once again - human here.) 

But, then I realized I forgot to schedule in some me "outlet" time.  I have not gotten my nails done in months, I have not had a girls night out in a while and though I have been usually good about doing some cardio bar in the mornings a couple days a week I have skipped it all this week and half of last.  So instead of those 'luxurious' activities, I decided to try to force a blog.  And though it wasn't great, aside from the title - "The ultimate balancing act"- it was good for me to see what I am missing in my perfectly  almost-perfectly-still-human run household.  And so I will be heading out in 20 minutes to drinks with my girlfriends.  I already feel my shoulders relaxing. Namaste!

                                                    Drinks on the town wearing m.r.s

Butternut Squash--2 ways

Today, my friend Nina and I were discussing how much we love Butternut squash. She was commenting on a dish she planned on making this evening for dinner and I was telling her about my favorite fall soup recipe. She excitedly informed me that she now gets the squash pre-cut which saves her because she has a fear of cutting the squash.  Turns out she has a fear of using big knives and since Butternut squash is a large vegetable and has a pretty tough exterior, the best - and probably only - way to cut into it is with a big 8 inch chef knife.  The irony is that Nina happens to run a very successful recipe website called Kosherinthekitch.com and is constantly trying new recipes to post to her fans.  So in her honor I decided to post my soup recipe and try her vegi/quinoa recipe.  I am hoping this will inspire her to cut her own Butternut Squash, especially since you can get a 3 lb. squash at Trader Joes for $1.63 and I cannot even imagine how many $3 bags of cut squash you would need to make this fall soup (have you seen the bags? They are tiny!)

     This recipe has become a family and friend favorite. I  found it one Thanksgiving on Epicurious.com and used it for my annual NYC Thanksgiving meal. Even though we moved to LA and our Fall and Winter seasons are not that cold, we still love this soup during the holiday season.  I paired the soup this evening with a cheese and kale quesadilla, the quesadilla was buttery and crispy and turned out to be a wonderful addition for dipping into the soup.

 

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger:
Serving 6

2 Butternut Squash (about 4 lbs. total)
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 Cups thinly sliced onion
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
1/2 cinnamon stick
5 Cups chicken or vegetable broth Or half broth and half water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375, cut squash in half and discard of seeds. Place squash cut side down on baking sheet for 50 minutes until it's soft.  Let cool so it is comfortable to the touch and discard of peel. Cut squash into pieces.  Heat oil over medium/low heat, add onions, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 15 minutes till onions are tender. Add squash and broth bring to a boil, then let simmer for at least an hour. Take out cinnamon stick and Puree.

I love using the same ingredients for two back-to-back dinners. Since I am already peeling and chopping, I tend to take some of my ingredients and put them aside for the next night and then half of my dinner is already done. I wanted to try the recipe Nina was talking about so I took some of the cooked butternut squash, chopped onions and ginger, put it in a tupperware and tucked it in the fridge to be used the next day for my Vegi/quinoa dinner.

  Cooked butternut squash, chopped onion and ginger all ready for my vegi quinoa dinner.

Vegetable quinoa with Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Garbanzo beans.

Here is the recipe Nina sent me. I tweaked the recipe a bit. I added the butternut squash and used fresh ginger instead of powder. I also skipped the coconut milk -- I would suggest using it because my dish was too thick for my liking.

Sorry there is no picture of the finished dish. I was so hungry that I ate my dinner before I could get my camera out of my purse.

iHeart

Being in the beauty world has many perks. Some of them are working backstage at Fashion Week, meeting celebrities, and going to parties, to name a few. But my all time favorite perk of being in this world is that I get beauty products for free! Being a self proclaimed product junkie this brings an abundance of  happiness to my life and skin.  I have a make-up closet that friends and sisters alike come to delve into every once in awhile (I can already hear the phantom knocking on my front door of all my friends, acquaintances and neighbors who did not know this closet heaven exists).  I get lucky enough to test, at no charge, many different products to see which ones I want to use on my clients. The importance of this system is that I and many other make-up artists can recommend to their clients what really works as far as anti-aging moisturizers, glowy foundations, and lipsticks that last all day. I know many beauty product junkies who would benefit from and love this system.

If only there were a way that everyone who buys beauty essentials could have the ability to try the products first, before they decide what to spend their hard earned money on. Imagine if all the women of the world could see if the eye make up remover they are purchasing burns their sensitive eyes or not.  If the body moisturizer the sales lady convinces you to purchase really absorbs into your skin right away so you do not have to wait an extra half hour before you lay down on on your sheets! If only the real clientele out there had something close to the perks that beauty experts have.  And then it happened! As if the beauty gods heard the collective plea, the New Beauty Test Tube appeared.  Well not so much appeared, as... I just found out about it!

Those lucky ladies who live in LA can go to the Fred Segal Santa Monica store and head to the New Beauty section and find a wall with all the test tube goodies displayed (see exhibit A below).  For $30 you can go and pick out which products you would like to try. The best part is that most of these "sample" products are full size so you can really try them for a while and see if you like them enough to purchase.

For those of you who love living elsewhere, you too can get the perk of trying out these beauty "samples" for $30.  The only difference is that the New Beauty, beauty experts will pick which products you will receive in your Test Tube. This amazing offer is available every 3 months and it comes with a magazine (see exhibit B below) that has an enourmous amount of information from the world of skin, weight-loss, hair, nails, and more. It is a huge magazine and could possibly take you 3 months to finish it...it is most definitely taking me that long (having a 9 month old boy may be the cause of that).

For more information you can visit  https://testtube.newbeauty.com/

I am very excited about the SuperSmile whitening toothpaste and I am using the sunscreen daily. See exhibit C below for my picks...what will yours be?!

                                                                      Exhibit A

                                                                     Exhibit B

                                                                      Exhibit C


--It's hard to see the picture clearly so here are my picks

-Supersmile whitening toothpaste
-Klorane eyemake-up remover with cornflower water
-Ahava intensive nourishing body cream
-YonKa anti-age intense moisture time release mask
-Pur-lisse spf 30 essential daily moisturizer
-Moroccanoil treatment
-Dr. Ci:Labo Aqua-collagen-Gel Super moisture