Category: KIDS

Easter arrived. 30 something years plus one week late.

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Yesterday, I went with the girls and Elie to an Easter egg hunt at my friends house. Having grown up in an orthodox Jewish neighborhood, and going to an orthodox Jewish school my whole life, you can understand why I was well into my teens before I ever really had any good friends that were not orthodox jewish friends, or even, not Jewish friends at all. But as an adult, I get to make my own decisions and a big one for me is welcoming and appreciating and absorbing the diversity that life has to offer. And yesterday, that diversity took the form of an Easter egg hunt. I was an Easter egg hunt virgin. The closest to egg painting I’ve got is looking longingly at the egg tie-dye kits in the supermarket and wondering if they make the egg inedible.
We had a great time and it was nice to spend the day with friends and meet some new ones.

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In related news, I often wonder if there is something pathological to the fact that I love to dress these girls alike.

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But then my eyes remind me how stinkin cute they are and how excited Molly gets to wear the same thing as Liat and how much easier it is to get them dressed when Molly is excited to wear the same thing as Liat and then I wrap all the way back around to how stinkin cute they look and tell that annoying little voice in my head to kiss my ass.

Drama. Never leave home without it.

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I lied today. Not a big lie, but an important one.

Heres how it went down. I went to the store to get stuff for Molly’s birthday party. It’s a glorified dollar store and they have the bestest, more random stuff on earth.

I walked the aisles, browsing, photographing, texting… I filled my cart, got to the checkout, Look in my bag and my wallet is GONE! Total freak out. troll the aisles, talk to manager. Pull hair…. check the car. storm aisles…. call cousin who says to call the police. Call the police. they’re on their way. Call my neighbor who has a spare key and just in case, ask her to check the house.

Behold. My wallet was on the counter.

So I lied. I told the store my neighbor found it in the driveway. It must’ve fallen out while I was getting in the car. (Because what kind of idiot would leave the house without their wallet and then swear on all that is good and holy she had it with her when she entered the store.)

Despite my embarrassment- I just went back and bought the stuff I was gonna get for Mollys disco party. I mean- $2 for these!! Worth the mortification.

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ToMnCwzvU&feature=youtu.be”]

They Flash!!!!!

May The Muchness Be with You

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A few weeks ago was my 7 year old nephews birthday party!!! My sister is going all kookie with this Star Wars theme. Apparently, he’s obsessed.

About a month before, she asked me to make the invitation. um hmmm:

Two weeks later, she called me up to ask me to figure out how the kids can make their own light sabers. So, I went with her to the art store, got some acrylic sheets,  some fancy double stick tape, and some flashlights and we figured out how a room full of 7 years olds can make light sabers:

And then, it occurred to me this morning I don’t have a gift for the kid. I thought about running to Toys R Us and getting a Star Wars themed Lego set, but everyone’s gonna do that and I like to think myself a little more creative than “everyone”. So, I decided to stop thinking about him and procrastinate till the last minute and go instead to Christmas Tree Shops and see what kinda pink, sparkly Valentines Day crap they had for sale that week. It was disappointing. I must’ve been a little late to the party. Everything was pastel and covered with bunnies.

But anyway.

As I strolled the aisles talking myself out of buying every random knick-knack I never knew I couldn’t live without, I came to the Picture Frame aisle. Now, I always troll the picture frame aisle and think “Oh, I could spray paint that and glue some rhinestones on it and make it super cute….. one day. I’m not in the mood to spend $4 and add more clutter to my basement today.”

And then inspiration hit and I decided to buy my nephew a picture frame and mini photo album.

Behold:

I mean, what 7 year old boy would not be thrilled with this???

Well, I brought myself down to the basement (AKA: MUCHNESS COMMAND CENTER) and commenced, the Muchification!

 The Album

Grab Star Wars images from internet:

print onto iron-on paper and get moving!

The Frame

Spraypaint: (I just happened to have some black chalkboard paint lying around the house. Who doesn’t??)

Decoupage the art:

Yes. I framed the frame with a little sticky backed glitter foam. YES, I know he’s a boy. He’s cool like that. 🙂

The Bonus

Midway through printing my iron-on, my ink started to fade. That paper is expensive! and so is the ink! I didn’t wanna just trash it. Hmmmmm…

Muchy Problem Solving!

I cut off the bottom, rounded the edges and put it into the home-made card!

Presto! The most magnificently muchtastic Star Wars custom made birthday gift EVER!

PS- FYI,  I totally made fun of my sister for going over-the-top for this shindig. Molly’s 4th birthday is in two weeks. I could not help myself. It is going to be a disco extravaganza. So sue me.

Valentines Day Muchness!

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It’s Valentine’s Day!!

Last year, when Valentine’s Day rolled around, I didn’t really pay much attention. Ya know why? Because I didn’t really care. We’re not big into that stuff in our house so it never really seemed important. But then, Molly came home from school with a bag full of Valentines treats from the other kids and I felt like the biggest loser of a mom ever. So this year, when they announced the Valentines Day dance I’d like to tell you I ran out and picked the perfect little gifts and planned a whole special thing. But I didn’t. I pretty much ignored it.

But today, as I was getting ready to pick up the girls from Daycare I started to feel bad. So I looped the car around, ran into CVS and grabbed some pink stuff.

After Elie came home, I instructed him to give Liat a bath so she wouldn’t try to grab at everything and Me and Molly got to work.

We cut the stickers into strips:

 

Molly carefully selected the correct number and color of kisses:

 

Then she started signing the name tags I made (which are really extra pieces of Muchness Band Wish Strip Book covers)

 

After writing her name 10 or 12 times, she started to get creative with it! See the smiles on each letter? Love this girl!!

 

Every kid got an eraser:

 

and it all went into little treat bags I just happened to have in the basement with my craft stuff. Doesn’t everyone have those little baggies just hanging around??

TA-DA!!

 

Then, after Molly was in bed I remembered I have these little clips that were practically free because they were all broken:

 

1 glue gun and 5 minutes later:

The Muchiest Valentines Day packets EVER!!!

Are You Doing anything extra Muchtastic for Valentines Day??

The Muchtastic Family Pic!!!

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So, you remember I spent WAY too much on the amazing Betsey Johnson Dress for the family photo shoot?

And then I went and spent  WAY WAY too much for the framed print?

The picture we fell in love with... before.

So, the picture we wanted mounted and framed, we loved with the white background, but I asked them to retouch it in photoshop in the same style as another picture from our group had been retouched. They warned me that it might be “a bit much” and I explained to them that I would be the one to decide that. MY version of “a bit much” and other peoples versions are not exactly the same thing. So, against their better judgement, they Muchified our family pic.

I LOVE IT!!!!!

LOVE IT  LOVE IT LOVE IT!!

I cant wait to get it and hang it on the wall!!!

What do you think???? Be honest!!! (But only if you love it. If you think it sucks, go tell someone else. haha!! 🙂 )


OUR FIRST MUCHNESS TEAM!!! AMBER & COURTNEY TAKE THE CHALLENGE!!

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Amber is new friend and TTTS Mom that sadly lost both of her boys. She does a pretty good job describing herself and her step-daughter Courtney in her introduction. I have “known” Amber since she her loss and I am thrilled that she has agreed to take the challenge… She is clearly a woman with A Lot of Muchness inside of her… I am so excited to see how this journey puts her back in touch with it…

Let’s meet Amber & Courtney!

Amber writes: Courtney is my step daughter (well will be August 6th) she lives with us full time. Last summer I lost my twin baby boys to TTTS. Courtneys little brothers. Since then we have just started to live the same day over and over and over again. I had forgotten how to laugh, how to have fun. My dreams and hopes were shattered, I began living life as though I was waiting for it to be over. I used to wake up in the morning and think what am I going to do today, but since the loss the question became, what do I have to do today? My muchness was gone. Then the past few days I thought I would give this a try. Wasn’t sure if 30 days was going to work for me or not. Wasnt sure what Muchness was. Seemed like more of a hassle then anything. But then after the first day, I realized KIDS are my muchness, and I still have one. The smile on her face. the hugs and kisses before bed, the laughter, everything. I may have lost my boys but Courtney and I are very much alive. So for her and  for me  we are going to get our Muchness back. Maybe she never lost hers but I’m going to make sure she never does! Together we can and WILL do this. So from today on we are going to do something together. Something that says MUCHNESS to both of us!

Here’s an awesome pic of Amber and Courtney getting IN TOUCH WITH THE MUCH!!! (And colored sprinkles…. 🙂 )

IN TOUCH WITH THE MUCH- Mmmmmm cake.

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This is my cousin L’via with my niece. One is related to me through my dad and the other through my husband. They are not related to each other at all. Yet somehow the two of them joined forces to create this incredible cake that is overloaded with Tons of Muchness.

That cake is awe-some.

Seriously.

L’via makes tons of awesome cakes. She is to cakes what I am to glitter. She also makes cakes with glitter. That’s hot.