Favorites This Week: June 18th

Yay! It’s the weekend!

How did your week treat you?

Things ended out of the normal for those of us in the Greater Richmond area. We had a CRAZY storm on Thursday evening, which resulted in countless downed and uprooted trees, damage to homes, and over 160,000 people without power. To top it all off some local schools systems closed schools on the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Nuts around here I tell ya!

Enough about the crazy storm, and onto the regularly scheduled weekly favorites:

Have you ever been the victim of co-sleeping next to a child? Thes many sleep positions of co-sleeping cracked me up, because they are SO TRUE!

Being a woman has it’s moments of beauty, hello motherhood, but it also has it’s tough moments. Especially tough are the recurring moments of monthly pain from adolescents until menopause. Now the guys have had a chance to experience the pain they think is that bad. Have you seen these guys yet? If not, go see them exerpience our monthly reality.

Are you a fan of crocs for you or the children in your life? Did you know that some find them wildly unattractive, AND they are terrible for your feet? Turns out they can cause a lot of foot issues. So save the crocs for short activities in the garden, but otherwise leave them at home for your all day adventures.

Are you fan of manicures or pedicures? I definitely love getting pampered, but paying for a mani-pedi isn’t always in the budget which means I must do this myself. the downside of at home mani-pedis is waiting for your nails to dry. I am not the most patient person, but thanks to Seche Vite I no longer have to wait long. If you’re looking for a sure fire way to speed up your nail drying time, look no further!

Time to go get some fun in with my family, and prepare for company heading our way later today.

Have a beautiful weekend and make the most of your day!

100th Post!

I cannot believe that this marks our 100th post here on HebrewDawn! If you have been a reader of the blog from the beginning, thank you! If you’re new to HebrewDawn, welcome, and thank you for being a reader too! It has been a learning process of what to share, we have brought on another writer, and things have continued to grow with bringing on guest writers. The growth of HebrewDawn has been a continual learning process, and thank you for being by our side to our 100th post!

It’s time to share some favorites for this week!

Were you a fan of the Babysitter’s Club growing up? I definitely was, and dreamed of the day I could be a successful entrepreneur thanks to them. I’m still working on that last part, but I did make my fair share of babysitting money for YEARS. I love that Siobhan Gallagher has depicted our favorite ladies of childhood as adults. Who’s your favorite?

I’m so glad I’m not in school anymore! Remember the days of having to memorize the periodic table of elements? Hopefully that question doesn’t cause any flashback trauma! Well, it turns out there’s a new potential element. If approved it will be called Tennessine!

I keep hearing about these thinx panties, and I’m so intrigued! Have you tried them? Would you try them?

These engagement photos might be the best I’ve seen yet! Would you be willing to do something like this? They seem a little more environmentally friendly too if you can reuse them.

Have anything fun planned for your day? I’m off to spend a day with my little girl seeing a hot air balloon and some friends for the day. I hope your day is filled with laughter and fun! Go be awesome!

Favorites This Week: May 27th

Happy Friday! How has your week been going? I’m hoping for lots of fun and relaxation with family, but we’ll see if my two year old is on board with that. Wednesday night was an adventure in our house, so hopefully we won’t have a repeat. Have any tips for potty training at night? Enough about me, let’s get on to some of discoveries that have become favorites this week…

Enough talking about my week, but on to the regularly scheduled Friday favorites…

Do you have those songs that you love, but aren’t completely sure of all the lyrics? Oh, of course you do! We all have that song, or two, or ten that we stumble through parts of the lyrics. Now thanks to James Cordone we now know some of the tough lyrics from Gwen Stefani’s “Sweet Escape!” Thank you so much James Cordone for looking out for us all and getting to the bottom of this lyric question!

I’ve been a longtime Florence + the Machine fan, and would see her in concert almost any chance I could get. Then I learned of a teen girl with a life threatening condition had tickets to see Flo, but couldn’t go see her favorite perform, my heart was broken. Then the amazing team at Christopher House and Hospice Austin made it possible for Florence Welch and guitarist (Rob Ackroyd) to provide a private concert. Seein Florence on the big stage may have been the dream, but having her sit next to you and sing, is pretty remarkable too.

Have you heard of Primary yet? I recently stumbled upon their line of children’s clothes, and I’m in love! They’re all so classic and simple! I dare say they’ll be a go to for gifts and future clothing purchases for my little girl. FYI, this share is NOT sponsored, but I’d totally be a brand rep if they’d like to hook a blogger up 😉

I hope you have a beautiful weekend, that you take a moment to remember those that we have lost in the service of our country, and you’re able to make the most of this long weeken!

Favorites This Week: May 20th

Happy Friday! How has your week been going?

This week has been a full but good one for me.

Tuesday we volunteered at our church’s food pantry, and it was neat to watch my daughter volunteering as well. She has tagged along with her dad and I since she was itsy bitsy and bein worn in the ergo for the duration of our time there. Her role seems to be that of welcomer of other children. This week she noticed a child waiting with their dad, and she HAD to go say hi and give them a high five. It warm’s my heart to know she has this heart to welcome other kids during our time to serve others.

Wednesday kept the week rocking and rolling as I went bridesmaid dress shopping. I’m so blessed to have a friend that has a beautiful wedding color and good taste in bridesmaid fashion. Unlike some bridesmaid dress shopping trips that can be a shot to the ego less than flattering dress, this experience was filled with many cute dresses. Now begins the process of choosing.

Thursday was the end of this season of Grey’s Anatomy, but it ended better than I could have hoped. For the record, I have no plans of spoiling the episode or giving anything away if you haven’t watched it. So if you’ve watched Grey’s for multiple seasons you know how it ends with taking a hit to your heart and mind. This might be the first finale where I don’t feel like I’ve been hit by the emotions truck when it was over.

Enough talking about my week, but on to the regularly scheduled Friday favorites…

I loved Emily Henderson’s tips on how to style a bed like a pro. Do you have a strong eye for design or do you need help from a professional? I’m definitely the later, and thankful for girlfriends who have the eye.

Have you been sucked into the LulaRoe craze? I had fought it for so long, but resistance was futile. I had a co-worker had these amazing pineapple pants for sale, and I’m sucker for pineapples and black. Once I tried them on, there was no taking them off, well except for the fact I was in the work bathroom. Also, it turns out that my work wouldn’t find pineapple leggings as acceptable in our workplace (I’m thinking I need to convince them otherwise 😉 ). So off came the most leggings for the remainder of the work day, but right back on when I got home. So my advice on LuLaRoe is just give in and try it on, and start looking for your unicorn. You won’t regret it!

Have a beautiful weekend and make the most of your day!

You are Beautiful

HebrewDawn: How do you eat an elephant? Bite, by bite. — Bite, by bite.

How has your week been? I’m grateful that today is Friday, and to be back blogging with you. I’m sorry that we’ve been MIA this week, but we’ve both had some things going on personally that got in the way. We didn’t want to write a post for post sake, so we neglected you. I hope you can forgive us…

Every now then I find some things on the Internet, that I can’t help but share. Ready for a giggle to end your week? Check out the weird things women do with their girls. I can honestly say I haven’t intentially ate off of my mine, but I’m grateful for the food they’ve saved from hitting the floor.

Have you seen the previews for bad mom yet? I seriously hope it’s as funny as it looks. I hope this will be a funny way to remind us to have a little more fun on the journey of motherhood, and to stop stressing about “what we’re supposed to do” so much.

If you follow on Instagram, the above picture may be familiar to you. If not, I want to share with you what I shared yesterday. I have been hearing from too many ladies around me that they aren’t that pretty or that they’re not good enough. Each and everytime I hear this it breaking my heart. Why? Because each woman saying this is absolutely beautiful on the INSIDE and OUTSIDE. Do you ever find yourself saying this? If yes, stop it and begin something new. Each day look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that YOU are BEAUTIFUL. Continue doing this until you believe it deep in your bones. Do you have a woman in your life needing this reminder? Please remind them of that they are beautiful too.

Have a lovely weekend!

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Favorites This Week: May 6th

How has your week been? It’s been a very full week for me, and I cannot wait for this Mother’s Day weekend. I know that this weekend is not always an easy one for everyone, but I hope that we can shower the women in our lives with love. Shout out that you love the women who love and support you each and every day of the year. These women may be the one who gave birth to you, who chose to love, who raised you, or came into your life at the needed moment. These women may not have children of their own, and may be they do. May be you are the closest thing they will have to their own children. Whoever the women are in your life, I hope you’ll let them know you love them. I’m ever so grateful for all the women in my life that love me, and whom I have the privilege to love.

Speaking of love, it may have taken me until college to fully appreciate and LOVE living and growing up in Richmond, Virginia, but I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I was giddy to see, and also made hungry, leaving that one of my absolute favorite Richmond restaurants was included on the list of best “hole in the walls” to try in Virgina. If you’re ever looking for a great Italian meal in Richmond, hurry your way to Mama Zu’s (just make sure to bring cash or American Express)!

Are you a Mo Willems fan? I’ve been a longtime fan since he released Knuffle Bunny, and I’ve only grown to love his writing more through his Elephant and Piggie Series. Sadly his last book in the series is coming out, but I can only imagine it will be just as great as all the others.

Do you like drinking sparkling water, seltzer, or mineral water? I do, and so does my family! BUT there’s been terrible press about it lately, specifically how it’s bad for your teeth. Thankfully, reports are coming out to debunk that lie and I’m so thankful! This article had some interesting information, and I love that when it was first invented by chemist Joseph Priestley, he titled his paper “Directions for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air.” I guess I’m a fan of drinking air impregnanted water

Have anything fun planned for the weekend? I’m looking forward to a picnic with my family, and some ladies that I’m lucky to love and have in my life.

Have a beautiful weekend!

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Favorites of the Moment

On any given day of the week there are a few things that will always be my favorite: coffee, chocolate, red wine, Grey’s Anatomy, Friends, gummy bears, Florence + the Machine, and Carla Bruni. One of these things can help turn a less than stellar day right around to happy town.

Then the day you comes when you discover new favorites. You wonder if they could ever replace your previous true loves. May be they can’t, may be they can, or at least they can come pretty darn close. I’ve recently discovered some new favorites working their way to my always a favorite list.

My recent discoveries:
Have you heard Jess Glynne’s album I Cry When I Laugh? If not, it’s a must! I’ve had this album on repeat ALLLLL week! I. Am. In. Love.

Do you love ice cream? I do, and I was DEVASTED to realize I had a dairy allergy a few years ago. I’ve been on the hunt for a good dairy free alternative, but nothing matched up to what I was missing. I could find nothing with interesting flavor combos until I discovered Ben & Jerry’s dairy-free ice cream. I had high hopes for this being delicious, and oh is it scrumptious. If you haven’t given it a try, go do it now!

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Blog writing, watching @greysabc and enjoying @benandjerrys dairy free ice cream make this the perfect way to end my Thursday.

A post shared by The91Rewind (@the91rewind) on Apr 21, 2016 at 6:34pm PDT

There’s been lots of talk here on HebrewDawn about caring of ourselves physically… drinking enough water or getting healthy through exercise. Something we haven’t talked about yet is taking care of our skin. My favorite way to take care of my skin is using Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. We all know we need to use sunscreen to protect our skin, but we often forget our lips. I am in LOVE with this stuff. It’s worth every penny and I’m on my second tube of this stuff!

Do you have any favorite things making your days a little bit happier?

Happy weekend!

Strong Women

With Tuesday being Equal Pay Day, helping women be strong has been on my mind a lot. Getting us to a point of equality in our pay checks still requires much work, but I believe there are a few things that can help us get there.

1. Support one another. No matter how old we may be, we always need encouragement to be the strongest we can be, AND we have a role in encouraging the women around us. If you’re a woman or know a woman that could benefit from a group of women encouraging you or them through ups and downs, I have the Facebook group for you. It’s a small but mighty group of women, who share words of encouragement are there to support one another.

2. Look out for one another. I’m slightly sad that it took a man to create a safer alternative to Uber and other taxis services, but glad that he did. No matter who we are, or what gender we may be, looking out for each other is what we should do. I’m excited to see if Chariot for Women is as good and safe as it sounds.

3. Don’t stop speaking up for one another. Some of us be unable to speak out about their situation, and it’s up to those of us that can to do it. A great is example, is our First Lady is speaking up on the importance of education for girls. How else are we going to get equal pay here in the U.S.A and internationally if we are not equally educated?

4. Give up competiting with one another. Far too often we want to show how we are bigger, better, or stronger than the person next to us. We are each trying to do the best we can, the last thing we need is to belittle one another.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Happy Friday and April everyone! 2016 is moving swiftly, but today is a little slower in Richmond with the rainy skies. Here’s hoping all this rain brings beautiful spring flowers. What fun things do you have planned for this weekend?

I’m hoping to make it by the VCU French Film Festival here in RVA. If you are a lover of French movies, it worth making the trip to Richmond for it. You have the opportunity to see films that may never be available in the United States, ask actors, directors, and producers questions about their film. Lots of fun and a great opportunity!
It’s Cherry Blossom season, and this Japanese girl is super excited about it. Locally we have the VCU Japanese Students Association putting on a Cherry Blossom Festival locally this weekend. Don’t forget this also the great festival in Washington D.C..

I found this great recipe over on the minimalist baker, and I cannot wait to try it. It’s a vegan and gluten free mac ‘n cheese, and this girl here with a dairy allergy is always looking for good options, though I’m not sure I’d make this gluten free (LOVE ME SOME PASTA!). I’ll let you know how my attempt at making this goes!

Hope you have a beautiful weekend!

Hello Sunshine

How has the weather been where you are this week? It’s be delightfully sunny, and it’s put me in the best mood. I forgot how much the sunshine affects my mood for the good. Despite having a VERY full week, it’s been manageable with all the sunshine!

So there are some fun things in the works for HebrewDawn, and I cannot wait until I can share them with you. If you follow the blog on Facebook, you’ll have an idea about one thing that’s coming. As for the other, you’ll have to hold tight for now. Just know that I’m excited for what’s coming, and I hope it encourages and inspires you on your journey.

Now it’s time for some Friday Fun!

Ready to feel old, or at least thankful for how far we’ve come? Check out this video of teens reacting to Windows 95. Oh the days of dial-up!

Have you seen this story about this mom of triplets? Apparently a Delta employee gave her a first-class seat so she could pump in private! I’m super impressed this mama is nursing three babies! One was hard enough for me. So glad this mama received well deserved rock star treatment!

Do you like to bargain shop? Only a couple more days left for Target’s sales and coupons on clothing! I was able to snag some super cute things for my daughter, nieces, and nephews.

Oh toddlers! They have such a way with words, or making them amusing for us adults!

Are you a candle person? I love having a few around the house to keep things smelling delightful. I’ve tried one of the Herb & Irma candles, and thinking about trying more. Do you have a signature home scent? I’m thinking mine might be lemon and sage, because I want this candle burning all the time.

Have anything fun going on this weekend? We have dinner with friends, an ordination service, and a baby shower So much celebration in such a short window of time.

Have a beautiful weekend!