Shop Small for Mother’s Day
05/07/21

Look, I’m going to be honest, I forgot Mother’s Day is THIS Sunday? I thought I had one more week to get this post out but, alas, I remembered on Tuesday of this week. Eeeps! I’m so happy to use this space to support other hustling Jews — folks out there trying to make a living and work their passion into that goal. A few weeks ago I sent out a call on Instagram for small businesses being run by Jewish artists and entreprenuers and the following artists came my way. So, if you’re like me and you STILL need a little (or big) something for your mom, bubbe, savta, ima, mum, stepmom, wife, might I suggest one of these crazy talented small business owners? Check them out and remember, Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be JUST one day. It should probably be celebrated ALL. THE. TIME. That’s just an insider tip from a tired, overworked mom. With Love, Whitney

Good Mama Made

She defines herself via her Instagram page as a “Mama, Rabbi’s wife, and Maker”, but Katie, the artist behind Good Mama Made has definitely got my number. First off, according to her Etsy page, her goal is to “have fun while creating Jewish learning experiences.” There’s gorgeous handmade tie-dye, there’s comfy, cozy sweatshirts showcasing challah in a non-kitschy way, and she’s an advocate – so much so that her linktree account has an option for donating to the Jewish Fertility Fund. Now, that’s an artist I can stand behind.

Beesential

Thanks to Molly Weisman, a follower on Instagram, I was introduced to Ohio-made (and parents of a Miami grad), Beesential.  According to their website, about 20 years ago, the self-proclaimed, “accidental beekeeper, agreed to let a co-worker put a beehive on his family farm. He didn’t plan to be responsible for it, but when life events kept him from tending to it, he became a beekeeper. He found bee science and culture fascinating, and soon began researching bees and attending workshops at The Ohio State University agricultural campus. Beyond enjoying the science, the accidental beekeeper found that tending the bees gave him time to reflect. It became a cathartic activity. Now, all these years later, we get Beesential—-a full line of natural products – lip balm, soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion – that help our customers keep their skin and hair healthy the natural way. All products are made in the USA!

 

Amy Lilley’s Ceramics

Amy reached out to me via Instagram to advocate for herself as a new business owner. She just launched a homemade ceramics Etsy shop and, being a ceramics junky, I had to check it out. The shop is small right now but it is so gorgeous. Amy’s items are very reasonably priced! Handmade and one-of-a-kind, Amy’s nested bowls would be a lovely addition to anyone’s kitchen. Good job, Amy!

The Brooklyn Teacup

Thanks to my boo, Ariel Stein, I’ve recently discovered another talented Ariel — Ariel Davis, creator and owner of The Brooklyn Teacup. I love the story of how and why Ariel created the Brooklyn Teacup. Growing up, Ariel’s mother and grandmother would bring out their fancy dinnerware for the holidays to mark a departure from our daily routines and signify the preciousness of family time. It was a way to make the day even more special. She started noticing, however, that young couples (like my hubby and I back in the day) aren’t registering for fine china anymore. And those that do end up getting fine china it is because they inherit collections from their parents or grandparents, they don’t know what to do with them. As a result, beautiful family heirlooms collect dust in cabinets and storage units until they are either donated or (gasp!) tossed in the trash. Ariel created a solution — take these hidden treasures and repurpose them into functional stands that can be used for both special occasions and everyday décor. Now instead of languishing on a shelf, they’ll be front and center for you and your family to use and enjoy for generations to come. Genius!!

 

Shop Sara Joy

Another awesome recommendation from Ariel Stein, Sara Joy is all about joy. Seriously. She exudes it. After studying art and design in college, she expanded her knowledge of textiles and fashion working in the garment center in Manhattan. She spent time in a cut + sew design studio, and many years as a print designer. Directing a team of artists and styling prints for store concept rounded out her experience in retail. What I love about her story is that she credits motherhood as giving her the inspiration to jumpstart her own label — a lifelong dream. Now, we have Sara Joy, a women’s accessories label fueled by the desire to bring happiness into this world. Each piece in my collection is thoughtfully designed from artwork that I create – a quality I’m so proud of. You’ll see prints dreamed up from ocean-inspired watercolor paintings to vibrant woven paper projects.

Halo Heart Designs

Cali and Ohio? Yes, please!! Halo Heart Designs creators, Lindsay Flack and Amanda Foley, are friends, mothers, and artists. They literally created this company on our dining room tables. Today, they work full-time from their home studios in Cleveland, OH and Los Angeles. CA. They have sold and shipped thousands of units around the world and take pride in our handmade process. Amanda and Lindsay strongly believe in giving back. Halo-Heart Designs has partnered with celebrities and nonprofits to provide handmade, personalized jewelry gifts that highlight and amplify their message. I smell a Hillel at Miami x Halo Heart Designs collab!

Sam, this is for you!! @frostingandfettuccine

Binah Winery

What Mother’s Day post would be complete without some wine!? I’m so glad that Sarah, one of the co-founders of Binah Winery, reached out to me. I’ve actually had their wine many times before and I can absolutely testify that it is delicious! Binah Winery is a kosher boutique winery (one of only a few kosher wineries on the east coast) in Allentown, Pa. We ship to most states in the continental US. According to Kevin, Sarah’s husband and partner in the business, the mission of Binah Winery is mission is to offer up quality wines, crafted in an artistic manner. It’s clear from their website, that Kevin, the vintner, is passionately dedicate to perfecting his craft and with so many kosher options being subquality, Binah Winery is a wine I 100% endorse.

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Za’atar White Bean Salad on Malawach
05/03/17

 

How do you know when you’re done? Not done with eating, mind you, but done having kids? I thought I knew. I participated in a week-long Positive Psychology workshop last summer and spent the majority of my time digging deep and reflecting on the fact that I thought I was done. Gd had blessed me with two incredible children and that’s it. Leave the party while it’s not only good but great. I spent the many months since that workshop giving away all of our baby gear to various friends and colleagues who were not done and needed the support. “Put it to good use”, I thought, “cause I don’t need it anymore”. But then something happened (as it always does). My father-in-law died and I turned 37. Suddenly I found myself wrestling with my own mortality and with that, the questioning of whether or not I was really ready to close this chapter in my life.

My arguments for not having a third have always been the same: With the life we lead (the expenses of daycare costs, being a working-parent household, wanting to live an observant/kosher Jewish life), we can give two kids a great life but three kids? Three kids would be tough. Plus, I don’t know what you do for a living but I spend a lot of my day talking with adolescents with mental and developmental health struggles so that coupled with the statistics of giving birth after 35 (i.e. the rise of potential of certain developmental delays), I’m frikkin’ freaked. Again, Gd has blessed us with two healthy, developmentally-abled children. LEAVE THE PARTY WHILE IT’S GREAT. But what if it could be greater?

I still have no answer. We are in conversations, clearly. With baby one and two, we were closed up about our family planning but with the potential of baby three I’ve basically been polling everyone I know (and don’t know) on what their thoughts are on how many kids I should have. Yes, that means I sometimes accost strangers in the grocery store with awkward, inappropriate questions like, “Excuse me, hi, you don’t know me but, you have lots of kids. How’s that working out?”

That’s totally normal . . . right? HELP!

 

So since motherhoood and parenting has been constantly on my mind, I made y’all a Mother’s Day breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner recipe using some of my favorite ingredients. If you don’t know what malawach is you can read about it and get the recipe for this quick yet super fancy meal over at Interfaithfamily.com. Happy Mother’s Day!

 

 

 

Would not be able to parent without my besties!

 

Supporting our friends, Bear and Bud Bookclub, at the Babyccino event in LA last weekend.

 

 

 

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The Mother of Days
05/12/13
Wynwood Walls decorated for Mother's Day. Can you spot me and my girl?

Wynwood Walls decorated for Mother’s Day. Can you spot me and my girl?

I like to to fight the establishment. I do. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to be a social worker and why my focus in social work school was community outreach. I’ve participated in many the protest and spent a decent amount of time on a picket line. And while I really wanted to jump on board my husband’s cry of ‘down with all Hallmark holidays”, this time I could not. And no, before you jump to conclusions, it’s not because I wanted a new, shiny present (we decided to make a donation to a children’s organization on Mother’s and Father’s Day instead of doing gifts). It’s because in this day and age, when work and other people’s needs take precedent over our own, having a day here and there when you can say, without apologies or guilt, “I can’t work today or I can’t do ____ for you today, it’s Mother’s Day and I’m spending time with my family” and actually have folks accept that and back off, well, it’s nice and I’ll take it when I can get it. Sure, there are actual holidays but as Jews, I feel like our extensive holiday list kinda starts cancelling out the “I’m with my family now. I’ll get back to you later.” Especially when we start rolling into the High Holiday time period and you’re having to take off day after day for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, etc. You try explaining Shemini Atzeret to your boss. I dare you to try to ignore the, ‘I’m so not buying this as a holiday’ look from her eyes. For sure your boss thinks you just made that word up. Seriously? Shemini Atzeret!? So, when it’s a nationally agreed upon, bi-partisan holiday that affords me unapologetic time with my family, I’m on board.

Something for Everyone.

Something for Everyone.

"You Can't Tell Now, But I'm Gonna Give My Parents Hell When They Try to Put Me to Sleep in an Hour".

“You Can’t Tell Now, But I’m Gonna Give My Parents Hell When They Try to Put Me to Sleep in an Hour”.

See, the hubby and I were chatting last night and we realized something, In the chaos of Siona’s first 2 weeks of life, people backed off. People forgive you for forgetting them or for putting them lower on the priority list than usual. Work lets you not return phone calls and emails and text messages go unanswered with no apology needed. People give you that time and it’s really, really nice. In fact, it’s kind of the nicest gift anyone can give—–space and time. As I’ve been back at work for about 6 months now, I’ve really had to fight for my time with my family. I let so much take priority over my time with them and it’s no one else’s fault but mine but it’s really hard work trying to lay those boundaries. One is so available with Smart Phones that there really isn’t an excuse as to why you didn’t answer an email or text right away. I love my job but I don’t have a lot of role models there when it comes to work/life balance. So when there’s a day on the calendar that’s kind of, “national-take-a-breath-and-hang-with-the-people-who-love-you-unconditionally-day”, I’m gonna go ahead and celebrate that and even be thankful for it.

Close Up at Wynwood Walls

Close Up at Wynwood Walls

Family Photo

Family Photo

Now, because I’m a big lover of food, today’s day revolved around just that—-food. We started the day at my most favorite coffee shop in the whole world, Panther Coffee. It’s located in the very trendy, very hipster-heavy neightborhood of Wynwood in Midtown, Miami. So, suffice-it-to-say, the people watching does not disappoint. Not only is Wynwood known for it’s hipsters and eateries but it’s also known for it’s amazing art and graffiti (see pictures before). Next on the agenda was a visit to the Pinecrest Gardens Farmer’s Market to visit our dear friend, Zak the Baker, who is a bit of a bread celebrity (look for an interview with Zak in a forth-coming post). Zak’s sourdough is the stuff of legends and as soon as we got home, the multigrain loaf he gave us sandwiched a delectable grilled cheese made with sharp white cheddar, balsamic carmelized purple onions and avocado. We also picked up some limes, which I used in a cheesecake recipe I made later in the day while the little one napped. We’re finishing this beautiful Sunday with some sushi and a movie and a dessert of warm fuzzies**. What blessings. Happy Mother’s Day!

**Quick Update: Warm fuzzies and sushi were put on hold as baby girl spent a solid hour and a half fighting sleep. That a’girl.

Oh! Before I forget! I made some quinoa ‘meatballs’ last week for a customer. I made them sort of off-the-cuff and didn’t take a lot of pictures (and the ones I did take aren’t that spectacular). I was just going to do a practice round but they came out so nicely I saved myself another go round and sacrificed the pictures. Sorry ’bout that. Anyway, I wanted to share. See below.

Quinoa Balls - Wish I Took More Pictures!

Quinoa Balls – Wish I Took More Pictures!

Baby Bella Quinoa “Meatballs”

What!?

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 3 tsp. coconut oil
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 baby portobella
  • 1 zucchini, finely chopped (skin off)
  • 1 tsp. basil or oregano
  • 3 tbsp. tomato paste*
  • 1/2 cup matzoh meal, bread crumbs (if going gluten free or paleo, try 1/2 – 3/4 cup almond meal)
  • Sea salt and pepper

How’s That Now?!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots saute for about 3 minutes or until a transparent. Next, add the zucchini and garlic and saute for another several minutes or until fragrant (you may need to add a bit more coconut oil at this point). Next, add the mushrooms and saute for another 3 – 4 minutes. (The mushrooms naturally have a little more moisture in them then the zucchini so it will soften the other ingredients as it cooks. I like my zucchini a little brown so that is why I add it first). Finally, add the oregano, tomato paste, sea salt, and pepper. Cook another several minutes until all ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Add to a bowl with the quinoa and stir to combine. Add the whole wheat bread crumbs and continue mixing until completely combined. Roll into 12 – 14 meatballs, each about the size of a ping pong ball, and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes on the first side. Flip over and bake for 12 more minutes.

*Because I made these vegan I omitted any egg that could have been used as a binding agent. The tomato paste coupled with the bread crumbs worked out perfectly and I didn’t see a need for the egg but if you do, please feel free to add one.

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