Five on Friday!

Welcome back to another edition of Five on Friday! If you know me, you know I'm a big fan of the little things in life. With these posts, I try to introduce you to some fun new things I'm enjoying lately!

Linking up here, here, here and here-- check out the link-up!

Whoopie pies. They are funny to say, but delicious to eat:) I tend to cheat with store-bought frosting--I'll take anything that speeds up the process but still leaves me with something yummy to eat!

I used this recipe for the cookies above (again, with storebought frosting).

This Frozen Mom parody.

I know, I know, you've probably already seen this a hundred times. But in the small chance you haven't, GO SEE IT RIGHT NOW. Seriously.

It's been a long time since I've been head over heels in a love with a scrapbooking product line--but My Mind's Eye Market Street is just SO so me right now. Love.

This Bath & Body Works Sparkling Limoncello lotion is on my desk right now, and it's wonderful for very dry skin. It goes on and off the website, but there's a lotion/soap package available here.

I'm a big fan of reading, and one of my favorite genres is the cozy mystery series. Rhys Bowen has a fantastic series about an Irish woman living in turn-of-the-century New York named Molly Murphy. This particular book is late in the series, but was one of my favorites. Try it--you'll be hooked!

So these are five things I'm enjoying this week! What little thing is on YOUR mind today?

Life Lately...

The past few weeks have been AB.SO.LUTE.LY. crazy.

First, there was Passover:

Both kids were sick, and Ellie had a phase where she refused to go to sleep and screamed until 2:00 AM for a few nights, so add that in with Passover cleaning, and it was.....nutty to say the least:) But we survived, we enjoyed the seders and time with family, and we're enjoying normal life again.

So as of right now, here's what's going on Casa de Starr!

This girl...

• Has a lot to say. About everything.
• Wants to do everything "by myself"
• Loves to laugh and make jokes
• Really likes singing--yesterday she was alternating between Let It Go and Dayenu

This boy...

• Is getting huge--both literally and figuratively. He is in size 3 diapers at 4 months old!
• Is super smiley and engaging 
• Rolls from front to back AND back to front
• Eats his hands when he's hungry:)

This lady...

• Is so so SO glad to be settling back into a routine with no sick kids (knock on wood, pooh pooh pooh)
• Has been in a bit of a rut lately but is working hard to keep her head up and wait it out
• Is really in the mood for scones. Every week.
• Is loving how entertaining her kids are these days

This man...

• Is feeling really, really happy at work
• Has finally decided what he wants for his birthday--which was in August
• Is the true love of his toddler, who waits for him by the dining room window everyday

So that's a bit of our life lately. How would YOU describe yourself today?

Purim 2014 Recap

Well, it's almost Passover and I'm just coming in for Purim recap! Oy.

Life can always be crazy but add one Daddy with a new job + a Mommy very busy at her job + A baby boy under the weather, and you get one hectic few weeks. Hence the lack of blogging!

This year, our Purim was jungle themed.

The kids were supposed to be a lion and a monkey, but someone (AHEM toddler monkey) did not cooperate, so this is all the evidence I have:

Our shalach manos (gift baskets we hand out to friends) kept the theme going...

I love assembling our baskets, and I love seeing them accumulate on Purim morning!

Families get all dressed up and go door to door delivering:)

Another Purim tradition is baking hamentashen, or special Purim cookies filled with jam.  I love baking at least one batch:

I also imitated an idea I saw in a magazine, creating a giant challah hamentashen for the Purim meal!

Next year, I'm totally going to leave the filling empty and add a savory dip!

In the middle of the day, after the chaos of hearing the Megilah (the story of Purim) at the synagogue, and answering the door, and delivering baskets, we enjoyed some family time.

So delicious:)

We tried to get a great family photo, but with two little kids, you end up with something more like this:

Or this!

Finally, at the end of the day, we hosted a bunch of friends for a celebratory Purim meal. We took photos at the end after some guests had to leave, but a shot at the ladies:

and gents...

And that was our Purim! Hopefully we'll get the next  update up here before Rosh Hashana:)

What's YOUR favorite holiday?

Five on Friday

Welcome to today's edition of Five on Friday! When I get a chance, I love linking up here and noting five fun things going on lately!  I find this link-up to be a great place to share the little things in life:)

I have fallen head over heels with the mason jar candles at Bath & Body Works. The classic scents, the perfect size, and THEY ARE MASON JARS. Awesome!

(And, in doing "research" for this post, I discovered there are some new flavors. Dangerous!)

This recipe by the fabulous Melanie Makes is fantastic. As soon as I saw it, I knew I'd need to try it, because easy + cute is always a win in my book! And they were unbelievably delicious! In fact, I'm making them again this Shabbos!

Here they are fresh out of the oven on my first try (I used chocolate and butterscotch chips):

I heard about this new ice cream style from Kelly Purkey's blog--it's two flavors of ice cream with a topping in the middle! I immediately ran out to try it, and it did not disappoint! It's like a sundae with a pint. As someone who doesn't even usually go for ice cream, I'm in love.

This creamer. 'Nuff said.

This post by the awesome Molly Stillman. Budgeting is still something I'm learning to do, and this post is super helpful for anyone wanting to get started.

So tell me, what are YOU loving on this Friday?

Reasons my Toddler is Throwing a Tantrum

Have you ever seen the site Reasons my son is crying?  It's pretty funny. If you've ever spent time with a toddler, you know that their moods can be...mercurial. Luckily, as stressful as it is, it can also be very entertaining:)

I love remembering the little bits and pieces of each stage, especially this one--as hectic as it is, I love toddlerhood!

So without further ado, I give you Reasons my Kid Threw a Tantrum This Week:

1. She wanted a lollipop. [I said no.]

2. [Twenty seconds later...] She still wanted a lollipop.

3. She wanted a bottle of rum that someone had delivered to us on Purim (Purim recap coming soon!). Yes, RUM.

4. She wanted peanut butter on her crackers that already had peanut butter sandwiched between them. When I tried to show her the existing peanut butter, she cried.

5. She wanted to wear her brother's size 2 diapers.

6. I gave her chocolate milk in the wrong color cup. (Obviously a rookie mistake--CLEARLY if you're dining with a pint sized companion, it's only polite to inquire what hued cup they would appreciate.)

And that's it for this week....but hey, it's only Wednesday!

What funny things have happened to YOU this week?

On Hosting

In Jewish communities, we do a lot of hosting. We host family, friends, and neighbors. We invite new families looking to integrate into the communtiy. We host friends who have had a hard week and need a break. We invite people who don't fit in perfectly.  In Judaism, it's a mitzvah (commandment) to welcome guests, especially those who need a place.

As a mom of two little ones who works outside the home, I've thought a lot about finding my groove with this mitzvah. On one hand, my own family keeps me busy enough that I could easily stop there. On the other hand, I have always wanted to have an open home, full of guests, and I can't give up on that so easily.

My solution? (Trying) to balance. I don't host every week, but I host. When someone offers to contribute something to the meal, I enthusiastically accept. I cook food that I like to prepare and eat, and try to accept that there's no way to please everyone.

Most of all, I try to remember that quote above. Just recently, I hosted a friend who lives in a home much bigger and fancier than mine, and I was nervous to have her over. But I told myself--I'm happy with what I have, which is what matters, and I'm sure my friend would rather be invited over than not!  And of course, it turned out just fine--wonderful, even.

Do YOU ever get nervous having guests over? How do you handle it?

Life Right Now

Life right now is sometimes slow and sweet, and sometimes (often) overwhelming.  Hence the unplanned blog break:)

Ellie is now two years old, and due to some over-emphasizing of her birthday on my part, she now thinks that her birthday comes every Sunday. But at the very least she doesn't get too upset when there aren't gifts and a whole party waiting for her!

At two, she has a whole lot of personality. "Mommy, sit down!" "Read to!" "No share!" and "Mommy, lollipop? Mommy lollipop PEASE?" are heard throughout the day.

She keeps me busy but oh, how I love her.

Here she is at the Purim carnival this past week. Lots and lots of personality:)

Moshe is now two months and starting to smile, look around and coo. I love seeing his personality emerge. I miss him during the day at work and love catching up on snuggles in the evening.

As for me, I've been doing the usual tightrope-balancing-act of trying to take care of two little people, work, and still have time to dream.

I took some time a few weeks ago to drink an iced Caramel Flan Latte and read a book that made me think.

And I've been doing a ton of cooking. Hello, grilled steak (thanks to the hubs) and cinnamon roll cookies!

And that's a little peek into our life right now:)

What has the best thing YOU've seen, read or eaten lately?