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.

Shalom! Reporting live from the couch where I’m currently enjoying our 2nd day of winter break. I’m trying to ignore the ridiculous episode of Miraculous that my oldest is enjoying after her hour of quiet reading time. Yes, you heard me correctly — an hour of quiet time. This is not me bragging. This is me celebrating! This is the first winter break where we’ve finally nailed down a schedule and nailed it down quickly + it’s going well (I mean, it’s day 2 so . . . ).  Anyway, our schedule is looking like this:

1. Wake up ( no TV before 7 AM)
2. 2 Shows + play
3. Breakfast
4. Shower/get dressed
5. Morning activity out of the house
6. Lunch
7. Nap for littles + quiet for Siona
8. 1 hour afternoon TV time
9. Pre-dinner play
10. Dinner
11. After dinner play + 1 episode of Nailed It!
12. Bed

Good Lord. When you look at it it’s a bit more exhausting. The husband + I are SO blessed to have this break alongside the kiddos since we both work in schools. It’s the time we get to actually enjoy the kids instead of running around like maniacs on a Sunday trying to balance errands with quality time with the kids. The first semester of this year has been insanely busy as I started doing consulting and facilitating workshops on adolescent development and diet culture outside of my regular work at the school I work for plus trying to be present for the kids + this here blog. It’s a lot to juggle and sometimes I can do it and sometimes, well, not-so-much.

Today’s morning activity, however, was truly a study in how joy can facilitate connection + deeper relationships. I find that sometimes, even though I truly love the life I live, I’m not having as much fun living it as I could because I am constantly moving from one thing to the other. I feel like I’m constantly telling my kids to, ‘Hurry! We’re late!” So this 2-week break I am committing myself to one thing — taking it easy and being more present in the moment. So this morning we grabbed the kids + headed out to Santa Monica where we rented a family-sized bucket bike and went riding on the boardwalk path along the beach. I’m not sure the last time I laughed that much. And sure, I almost ran the family into a sand dune but still! The sun was shining, we were smart enough to bring snacks, the girls had their scooters and we just went for it!

The other place I am taking it easy this winter break is in the kitchen! And while I’d love to be eating out nonstop because I love eating at restaurants + also I love someone else doing the cleaning + cooking, we can’t afford that life. That said, I do plan on keeping meals simple + using leftovers as much as possible. Case in point, this 6-layer Mediterranean dip featuring my favorite labaneh + feta from Tnuva. I made the fried eggplant for another dish from earlier in the week so when it came to making something fresh and yummy for a Chanukah gathering we were hosting, I snagged those leftovers + added my favorite flavors to make a Mediterranean version of a classic 7-layer dip taco (only minus one layer mainly because it wouldn’t fit into my cute little glass dish — if it would have, I would have added roasted cauliflower). This dip can be made in individual little containers like this one or in a giant dip bowl for sharing. If you aren’t afraid of a little spice, the feta and labaneh would pair wonderfully with a spicy harrisa. You can also take this dip out of the bowl and enjoy it over some tortilla chips as Mediterranean nachos or pair it with some falafel balls for a yummy falafel pita sandwich or deconstructed salad. The world is your delicious, kosher oyster, people! Go for it!

6-Layer Mediterranean Dip with Tnuva Labaneh + Feta

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, chopped

Canola oil for frying (roughly 2 – 3 cups)

kosher salt

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup of Tnuva labaneh, divided

1/2 chopped feta, divided

1/4 cup sliced Israeli green olives

Handful of cilantro, finely chopped

Method:

For frying the eggplant –  Layout paper towels. Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick rounds and place onto the paper towels making sure they aren’t overlapping. Sprinkle the slices with kosher salt and let sit for about 25 – 30 minutes. This will draw out the moisture making sure the eggplant is crispy and not soggy. After 30 minutes, dab the eggplants with one of the paper towels already out to soak up the water that’s collected on top of the eggplant. Next, place a large frying pan with enough oil to fill the pan to the midway up the pan. While the oil is heating, chop eggplants into cubes. Once the oil is fully hot (test this by dropping a small droplet of water into the pan. If it immediately sizzles, the oil is hot enough and ready for frying). Place about half the eggplant cubes into the pan (you don’t want the eggplant cubes to be on top of each other). Let the eggplant cubes fry until golden brown while occasionally stirring throughout the process. Once one batch is done, remove from frying pan and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Finish this process until all cubes are fried.

Assembly (this is to your discretion but I went with the following) –

Put labaneh on the bottom layer. Next, add the eggplant + chopped tomatoes + feta cheese + green olives + chopped cilantro. Top with a drizzle of your favorite hot sauce or harrisa to add a little kick to your dip (and to get you to an even 7-layers).

*This post was absolutely sponsored by Tnuva, a company whose products I genuinely love to eat.

It’s been coming for a while. It’s not great seeing as how my entire side-hustle relies on it, but I have slowly and surely been finding myself removing my need and want to be so attached to my phone. If you follow me on Instagram, you might notice that I got through spurts of inactivity. A lot of the time my inactivity is a result of being busy with work and home. Sometimes I look at my phone and I feel actual heebie-jeebies. Like I know I’m supposed to be posting on Instagram at least 2 to 3 times a day if I want my follower numbers to increase, yada yada yada. But here’s the thing, I spend a lot of my job trying to educate parents and teachers about how to create boundaries around cell phone and social media use so I feel like a real big hypocrite if I’m on it all the time. The worst is at night. I’m now 35 weeks pregnant and sleeping has become a bit of a chore but I do want to sleep and I don’t want that little blue light inhibiting what melatonin development is actually happening. And yet, I’ve become reliant on it — especially for the time. A simple press of that home button and I get the time but I also open the gateway drug for social media usage. That simple look at the time is like an invitation to just open it and start scrolling and so when the JORD watch company contacted me about their gorgeous, luxury handmade wood watches, I was intrigued. Thanks to my former addiction to my cell phone, I hadn’t worn an actual watch in years. But I love to accessorize and I need something to stop me from hitting that home button of doom on my cell so I accepted their offer for one of their gorgeous watches and I’m so glad I did!

The watch is absolutely stunning and unique. After learning more about JORD watches, I discovered this watch company values sustainability and efficiency. Their watches are built to sustain usage. It’s not just something beautiful to look at but it’s also a watch that can sustain a full-time working mother of 2.5 kids. That’s saying something! Also, for folks with a nickel allergy (like my mama), you can relax! JORD watches are made with 100% natural wood and we refrain from the use of toxic chemicals to either treat or protect the wood and  feature stainless steel (304) clasps.

So I’m hoping I’ve whet your appetite for one of these chic watches because you have the opportunity to win by click here a $100 credit towards a watch of your choosing. JORD watches offers free shipping worldwide so my friends who live overseas can participate as well! Hooray! Inclusion! I absolutely love the variety of watches offered, which you can check them out here. I ordered the Frankie Series, which you can see here, and I highly recommend. Since every day is ‘Treat yo’self’ Day and Mother’s Day AND Father’s Day are both fast approaching, you’ve got a variety of ways to use that very generous $100 credit.

One lucky winner will receive the $100 gift card to spend on any time piece of your choice but you only have until April 1st to enter so get going and good luck!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by JORD Watches. All opinions are my own.

Luxury Wooden Watch