Kvetching and Baby Gift Ideas

We're gearing up for the baby around here. It's insane! I've had several conversations with my sister this week (she's also pregnant!!) and she's given me insight into things I need vs. things I can do without. She told me that unless I want to do laundry every day (which I'm likely to do anyway), get something called a sheet saver. I googled it and it turns out, I can make one on my own. DIY is way more my style anyway. It's essentially a bathroom hand-towel or smaller bath towel that you place over the sheet to keep spit up  and accidents from spreading to the sheet. Oddly enough, about a month ago, my Mom told me about something similar she made when we were babies.

After talking with her, I spoke to my Dad about what we need vs. what we want. If you didn't already know this, things in Israel are EXPENSIVE! Holy cow! We have six bottles and two pacifiers. My Dad says that's not enough... we can always re-stock later, right?

Last night, I decided I needed to get out of the house. I'm kinda on bed rest... I say kinda because I'm allowed to do things and go places but I need to take it easy. I spend most of my day in bed playing with the iPad... so I let myself go to the grocery store. I noticed two things:

1. I have no patience for the grocery store. Too crowded. Too hot. Very annoying!!
2. 5 shopping bags should not come out to 250nis ($66) - sh*t's expensive here!!!

We noticed a "sale" - 2 "large" packages of diapers for 84NIS ($22)... that is hardly what I call a sale. Craig was ready to take advantage of the sale and stock up but you can't buy size 4 diapers for a baby that hasn't even come out yet!

Photo Courtesy of GiftBasketsPlus.com

Upon venting to a friend, she asked me a very interesting question "so, what do you recommend as a gift for a bris?" Here was my answer:

1. Gift cards - in America, you can get them to Toys R Us, Target, Walmart... anywhere that sells baby stuff. You can add it on as a "little something extra" or just get a bunch of people together and make it a large gift. In Israel, get a gift card from SuperPharm or NewPharm... or better yet, look into IsraCard, a WishUCard from CAL, or a LeumiCard from Bank Leumi. I think you can also pick up gift cards from Shufersal. I did a simple Google search and found quite a few sites that offer gift cards. I do not recommend gift cards to Golf, Shilav, or individual stores where you are limited on what you can buy.
2. DIY Baby Bath Kit - I'll tell you right now, this works VERY well in Israel and the US. It consists of baby shampoo, baby body wash, lotion, baby oil, some washcloths, a baby towel or two, and diaper creams. You can put a gift basket together for less than 200NIS ($50). If you're shopping in the US, use coupons. If you're shopping in Israel, find some gift kits that contain the shampoos, lotions, and washes - and break them up. 
3. DIY Mommy Relaxation Kit - giving birth is hard work (so I've been told), so don't forget about the Mom... she will often forget to take care of herself. A pampering kit containing lotions, a gift certificate for a manicure, and maybe even a Groupon deal for a night out with the hubby really helps her keep her sanity. Also keep in mind that we've been in maternity clothes for a long time... a gift card to H&M or another favorite store REALLY helps as we're transitioning back into fashionable post-maternity clothes. We're also less likely to spend money on ourselves right now, we'd rather spend it on baby-stuff.
4. Baby clothes - Sure, onesies are cute but babies also need socks, leggings, sleepers, and hats. We have 3 pairs of baby socks that will fit the baby for now... and many others that will fit him later. If you're going to buy baby clothes, remember that we get a lot of newborn clothes - so think in advance. Clothing for 3-6 months, 6-9 months, and 1 year are often overlooked. If you buy clothing for the baby that's intended for later months, make sure it's seasonally appropriate. If a baby is born in Winter, getting him a sweatshirt for 6 months-time is probably not the best idea.

Other ideas: baby formula (if the Mom isn't breastfeeding), pacifiers, baby carriers, bottles, bottle cleaners, play mats for the baby, baby bouncy-seats, and alcohol (for the parents). 

If you're buying for a friend who lives overseas, Etsy is AMAZING! You can buy one-of-a-kind baby clothes, blankets, carriers, and baby bath kits for reasonable prices... and they'll ship it to your friend!!

In truth, we'll take whatever you give us! I got so many amazing things at our baby shower and all of it will go to good use. As I packed my hospital bag last night, I had a hard time picking out an outfit for the baby to come home in because everything is TOO CUTE!! Decisions, decisions...

As we speak, I'm being reminded to make food for Craig so he doesn't starve for the 2.5 days I'm in the hospital and for the week after the baby is born. We're not having a public bris (sorry!) but we are encouraging our friends to come by and visit whenever they want! We'll likely need the company...

Wordless Wednesday - Princess Edition

Two (princess) peas in a pod?

(Mazal tov to Lara and Oded on their wedding... where these pictures were taken!!)

and the race is on...

I'm an odd bird. I guess I'm not your typical bride. Registering for items that I already have is REALLY weird for me. I sent my cousin a reply to an email she sent me telling me that I did not register for enough stuff. Am I the only bride who registered for stuff she wanted instead of big items she didn't want? I know that a certain amount of gifts will be returned. Since we're only registering online, it's hard to see what actually looks nice and what doesn't.

Here are a few of my favorite things on the registry:
Bed Bath and Beyond
 
Nambe Elbo Bud Vase
 ... because it's pretty.






                     

Bodum® Shin Bistro 12-Cup Coffee Press

 ...because I love coffee.

Oneida® Non-Stick Springform Pans

  (Set of 3) 

...because mine are terrible.

Target

Chef'n Vibe Grapefruit Sectioner

 ... because I need it. 

 Grapefruits are messy.

 

 

 

 Zyliss Quick Masher

 ...because my plastic one is gross.

 

 

 

 

 Ronco 5-Tray 

Food Dehydrator

 ...because Craig likes biltong...

 ... and because it looks cool. 

 

 

 

So, there you have it folks. Let the race begin. Enjoy shopping for us! We'll enjoy receiving the gifts! 

Popcorn Obsession

There are very few things that I am obsessed with. Honestly. I was never into Anime or comic books. I never know all the stats to Detroit sports teams. I also never cared about being the most fashionable/athletic/pretty person. There was always one thing that I've been obsessed with: Popcorn.

Rarely does a day go by where I don't think of popcorn. It came of no surprise to Craig that I put so many popcorn thingies on our registry. It was a surprise to some of my friends and some of my relatives who did not know about my obsession.

First, I am in love with cheddar cheese. Having stated that, I am more in love with cheddar cheese on popcorn. White cheddar. Yellow cheddar. Orange cheddar. Cheddar with salt. Cheddar with pepper. Spicy cheddar. OK, now I'm that guy from Forrest Gump. You get my point.

One of the things on our registry is:

 

Wabash Valley Farms Whirley Pop Complete Gift Set

I can make stove-top popcorn with flavors AND it comes with a recipe guide. Yes, I did said "I" because Craig's knowledge of making popcorn is only directed towards the microwave. I, on the other hand, mastered the art of kettle corn by 16 - right, Mom?

Another item on our registry that will fuel my addiction is:

Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper with 5 Real Theater Popcorn Kits - Silvertone Pan 

I've used this product before and I have to say, I like it! It reminds me a big of microwaveable popcorn and less like movie theater popcorn (something I have not mastered yet) but it works and tastes yummy. 

 

Have any other ideas for our registry? We'd love to hear them! Send us a note!

Going Home...

It's official! We're headed home to Detroit! Craig will finally get to see where it is I come from and I will finally get to eat a kosher hot dog at Leo's Coney Island. I know, I live in the land of Kosher food BUT they have terrible hot dogs in Israel. Yuck! I will also get to eat Buddy's Pizza. YUMMY! Oh, and go to Frankenmeuth. Awesome!

We'll be making our rounds across Michigan from March 22nd until April 8th, 2010. WHOO HOO!

Oh and just for fun, you should check out this great new site that has the FUNNIEST kid's quotes! This one had me laughing so hard:

3rd Grade Teacher - Minnesota

Posted Date: 02-04-2010

Health

Teacher: What does varicose mean? 3rd Grader: Nearby.

Go and take a look... I dare you!

Also, we're registered at Bed Bath and Beyond and Target.

That's all for now, folks!

Death of a Washing Machine

At some point, every (almost) married couple faces the fact that their washing machine is going to die. Some die more slowly than others. I got lucky. Craig had his own washing machine when we moved in together. The down side, the washing machine is dying a not-so-slow death. If we were solely based in the US, it wouldn't be that big of a problem... we'd just go straight to the store and buy a new one... after doing some research.

We're not solely based in the US. We're in Israel. The land of people trying to rip you off. Oh wait, it's the land of Milk and Honey. Same difference, right? Not at all. Anyway, we could go to hundreds of stores that sell the same washing machines and hope someone will sell us one that works. We can also go to the grocery store and buy a washing machine. They basically all cost the same amount. The down side? EVERYTHING IS IN HEBREW! My Hebrew is less than spectacular - especially when it comes to buying home goods. It is particularly worse when I need to buy something electronic. Combine the two and I sounds worse than my 5 year-old cousin. He could probably buy a washing machine without a problem. Maybe we should take him to buy a new one... it'd be funny.

I think a washing machine or מכונת כביסה in Hebrew would be GREAT to have on our wedding registry. We won't be greedy - so we won't ask for a dryer but the washing machine would be amazing to have. Think it should go on our list? Somehow, I doubt the machine will last until March.

This couldn't have come at a worse time... we have to pay to have our car fixed this month plus we need to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE for our trip to the states. We also need to pay for our wedding invites... that'll be another post.

Soon, we will say Kadish for the machine but for now, we ask you to say a m'shaberach... or prayer for the sick.

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Day one..

Well, folks - we are 8 short months away from D-Day. The day Craig and I get hitched. Technically, it's 8 months and 7 days but who's counting, right?? Time to start working on our wedding registry ... or at least what we think we might want on our registry.

Bakeware
I am only mildly obsessed with baking. The problem is, I don't have the correct bakeware so things turn out a little, um, interesting. Craig will agree with me that if I had proper bakeware like these:

... I could bake like a champion.

Now, we totally understand that living in a foreign country eliminates us from the category of electronics but, that's ok. We still want this:


The
Nintendo Wii System ... this WILL be on our registry. I had a Nintendo Wii back in Detroit, and as my stepdad can attest to, I LOVED it! It helped me lose 10lbs thanks to the Wii Fit! Amazing product. Every household should have one.

We're not picky people but we are kitchen folk, so that list will for sure be added on to.

Have suggestions of what we should put on our registry? Send us an email!

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