Succot Inspiration and Crafts!

Succot is almost here and I can hardly wait!

For the first time in a really long time, we will be spending the holiday with my family. There is nothing more enjoyable then spending quality time with cousins, sisters, and brothers. Plus, no mess for me! I get to go away!

Although we will not be building a Succah this year, I still want to send you guys some great inspirational Sukkah ideas!

ENJOY!!!

Dip yarn in watered down glue, wrap around balloon and pop balloon when dry

Another Sequin Ornament Idea from Creative Jewish Mom


Hang them from fishline, singly with some beads knotted on the string, or hang a few sizes on the same string for something that one might hang in a window or on a wall.

You'll Need:

- Styrofoam Balls

- Patterned Napkins

- Mod Podge or any decoupage medium

- Sequins and sequin pins

- A very long needle (For making the hole through the ball for hanging. 

How To: 

check out the instructions HERE. 

For some more CRAFT IDEAS Check out......
Challah Crumbs 
AMOTHERINISRAEL
CHADISCRAFTS

Now if  I was making a sukkah this year, I would go fall all the way. Totally inspired by the cooler weather here on the East Coast!

Chag Samayach! 

Abbey 

Kosher Art

What I love about the new Empire Turkey packaging, and I swear this in not a solicitation, nor did I get paid to write about this :) is their germ free sealed tightness!  I cannot stand the slimy meat packages that you find in the store.

The only problem is what do you do with all the left over containers???

I found that they are the perfect size for kids lunches - salad, macaroni, and even fruit! The only problem is they are pretty plain.

Here's an idea of how to jazz them up!

Step 1: Find any image you want on google images. Cut and paste the image into a word document and print. 

Step 2: Cut out the image and place it behind the plastic. Using a Sharpie black marker copy the image onto the plastic.

Step 3: Color in the image with a variety of Sharpie PAINT Pens or DecoColor markers.


                          AWESOME RIGHT???

Musical Chairs

I'm taking a short break from filling my Rosh Hashanah orders to write about an interesting thing I heard from my sister yesterday.......

Today is the day that most kids FINALLY go back to school. (Can you tell that I am slightly overjoyed??) Our schedules and lives can go back to normal and we can start to turn our attention to Yom Tov preparations and menus. However, for a select few though, "Back to School" means "Back to Work." 

If you have been following me, you know that for the past dozen or so years I have been a teacher, and that this past June I said goodbye to teaching so I could focus more time on my growing company. I can't tell you how hard it is watching my fellow teachers return to their classrooms, it's kind of weird taking my son to school and feeling like I am not apart of it anymore.

So how does this tie in to what my sister told me? Well, as we were hanging out at my parents house last night, she had to rush home. Not only because it was her sons first day of Yeshiva (school) and she wanted him to have a good rest, but she needed to make sure that she saved her son a seat in the class before all the good seats were taken. 

Apparently, it's a "minhag" (custom) to save a seat in their child's new classroom by placing a card with their sons name on it on the desk. The next day the teacher and children will know where everyone is to sit because their parents have placed them.

There are a few serious issues with this that have me FUMING.
1) What happens to those children who's parents have not saved them a seat? How bad do they feel??

2) Who's to say where your child should sit within the classroom? A child spends more time at school with their teacher then at home. A child should sit where it's best for them to learn. Not where it is best for the parent.

My sister told me that she doesn't like doing it, but doesn't want her kid to feel left out, or to sit in the back of the classroom. Sometimes the back of the classroom is the BEST place for him/her. A classroom is a living organism that needs to work efficiently. Every place a child sits is maneuvered by those around him and the distance form the teacher. There are a variety of factors that come into play when sitting a student in a classroom.

3) The teacher/parent relationship must be based on mutual respect and open communication. By placing a card on the table and saying that this is where "MY" child needs to sit without consulting the teacher first, is not open communication, it's entitlement.

So if I was coming back to school tomorrow and I entered my classrom to see names on desks that were written by parents, I wouldn't take all the cards off the desks. Instead, I would just suffle all the desks around the room and when the parents would come that night for Back to School Night, I would watch them scratch their heads in confusion and SMILE.

What would you do?