Big news for little ones from Beth Yeshurun Day School! They are starting a new program for parents and babies. BYDS Admissions Director Mireille Chait explains more about the program here.

"We are very happy to announce that this year, Beth Yeshurun Day School is starting a new Parent Toddler class for children 3-12 months.  This will be held every Tuesday from 9:00am to 10:30am starting on September 3.  

This class will be taught by one of our very experienced Twos teachers, Natascha Gotesky, and will include story time, song time, finger plays, a nutritious snack, mommy support and lots more. We will be incorporating an ABC Music and Me Program, created by Kindermusik International.  This is a research based early childhood curriculum that uses bundled, thematic lessons to help young children learn important language, listening and social skills."

They will also continue with their already established Parent Toddler class for children 12 months and up, on Thursdays from 9:00am-10:30am, starting on September 12. 

Please contact BYDS Admissions Director Mireille Chait, at mchait@byds.org or 713-666-1884, for more information.

I don't know who was more excited to receive this product, me or my kids! They could not wait for it to charge so they could start cleaning! The Bissell Perfect Sweep Turbo comes in handy when cleaning the floors after a lunch playdate or any meal. It is also great for dirt and dust that are tracked in. And because of it's window on the bottom you can vacuum up LEGOs or other small toys and see what you have trapped inside. The tray on the bottom comes out easily to throw away or save whatever you have swept up!  

Coupon Code: Use code sweepupLEGO at checkout on www.bissell.com to receive $5 off on all Perfect Sweep Turbo purchases. Code valid through 12/31/13. This purchase qualifies for free shipping as well. 

We received a free product in exchange for this review, but all opinions are our own. 


Posted by Rachel Teichman

Here is a sweet twist on a classic grilled cheese sandwich just in time for Rosh Hashanah! It is an easy and delicious way to start off the New Year! It is also a great was to use up leftover challah year round. 







Ingredients
Challah 
Sliced cheese
Apples
Butter
Honey
Sprinkles

Directions
Thinly slice the challah. Melt butter and honey together in a skillet, or on a griddle, on low heat. Place two challah slices in the pan. Let them toast up a little and then flip them. Add more butter and honey to the pan. Place thinly sliced cheese on one piece of bread. Drizzle the cheese with honey. Top the honey with thin apple slices. Top the apples with the second challah slice. Flip the whole sandwich over. Cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Cover with a lid if you like to help the melting process. Remove the sandwich from the pan, top with sprinkles, slice and enjoy! Serve with honey for dipping if you like. 

Posted by Rachel Teichman

People of all ages in our house love the toddler snacks from Sprout! The textures and real fruity and veggie flavors are yummy and innovative! Pack after pack we just kept opening and sharing them, proclaiming our favorite flavors! "Orange Fruit & Carrot! Red Berry & Beet! Banana Pumpkin! Yum!" 

They make snack time fun and easy, especially on the go. If they last until you need them for a trip!

We have always liked their meal pouches, and are happy to see Sprout in the snack category as well. 

We received free products in exchange for this review, but all opinions are our own. 


Posted by Rachel Teichman

We were like kids in a popcorn store when our box full of Oogie's popcorn arrived! They have so many sweet and savory flavors, and of course Movie Lovers, which we do love! Using butter, sugar, spices and cheeses, they create so many popcorn flavors that both kids and adults like. We like to microwave our movie popcorn in a bowl for a few seconds too just to make it a little more authentic! Popcorn is a great travel snack as well!

The company name spoke to us since it sounds so similar to OOGIAH! And they are from Denver, which is a city we love too!

Coupon Code: Use OOGIAHFANS in the promo code box when checking out of www.oogiesnacks.com to get 25% off of your purchase. They always offer free shipping! Enjoy!
Code valid through 12/31/13.

We received free products in exchange for this review, but all opinions are our own. 


Posted by Rachel Teichman

We were so excited to receive a copy of Bean Appétit, by Shannon Payette Seip, Kelly Parthen & Carisa Dixon. We all wanted to make something from this fun healthy cookbook right away, and we realized that with a few modifications we had everything we needed to make a Mama Mato! The kids called ours Baby Matos since we used small tomatoes. We used smashed crackers for the bread crumb filling, cream cheese for the cheese, capers for eyes and cilantro for the mouth. We baked ours in the toaster oven since they were so small! These snacks were so yummy too, and I told the kids that now they knew how to make stuffed tomatoes, which is actually a real dish, and a great veggie treat! 

What is so great about these recipes is that they can be tailored to your kids' tastes and the ingredients you have on hand. The book is full of great food photos and games and craft ideas too! 

We received a free product in exchange for this review, but all opinions are our own. 


Posted by Rachel Teichman

After living in Austin with a baby, and then visiting with two kids, we have a lot of favorite spots there. I have been asked to compile these for recent visitors, and am sharing them all here now. Have fun and let us know where you go!

EATS
-Moonshine, southern food
-Rudy’s BBQ, quick to get food, fun experience
-Taco Deli, breakfast tacos
-Galaxy Cafe
-Salt Lick BBQ if you want a day trip
-The Shady Grove, music sometimes
-Opal Divine’s
-Iron Works BBQ
-Eastside Cafe for breakfast
-Waterloo Ice House, the south one has a playground outside
-Quick food: Freebird’s Burritos, Thundercloud Subs, Poke-e-Jo’s BBQ, Austin Java,
Food Truck lot on S. Congress (have to go to Hey Cupcake! So good.)

TREATS
Amy’s Ice Creams (yummy ice cream with mix-ins, and they will throw the ice cream up in the air or across the street!)

PLAY
-Alamo Drafthouse (movie theatre with food and baby cry days. South Lamar one closed now)
-The Austin Aquarium
-Austin Children’s Museum
-Bullock Texas State History Museum
-Greune is a fun day trip
-Peter Pan Mini Golf
-Texas State Capitol Building Tour
-Lyndon B. Johnson Museum
-Walk around UT/Guadalupe St.
-Zilker Park, big park, small train for kids to ride all around it
-Walk around Lady Bird Lake, in Zilker park, then get smoothie at Daily Juice
-Zilker Botanical Garden
-Lady Bird Gardens, out of town
-Umlauf Sculpture Garden
-Barton Springs
-Seeing the bats

SHOP
-2nd Street District (fancy)
-South Congress (vintage/true Austin)
-Whole Foods on S. Lamar and Central Market on N. Lamar are really worth seeing. I used to take everyone there! The Central Market has an outdoor playground and grassy area too. Sometimes have music playing too. BookPeople is a great store next to Whole Foods too.

HEAR
-If any adults get a night out there is tons of music on 6th St.
-Also the new Austin City Limits theatre might have something going on.

101 Great Things to Do in Austin A great resource!

Posted by Rachel Teichman