Currently Loving April 2025

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April has been cold, rainy, and dreary. But there is still so much that I am loving. Here it is:

 

1. Othello

 

Jake Gyllenhaal and Denzel Washington both were incredible. The whole thing was incredible — especially the second half. Loved it, and highly recommend.

 

2. Spring Cleaning

 

Spring cleaning! And in this case, it is organizing all my needlepoint threads. SO satisfying, highly recommend the act of cleaning and organizing.

 

3. Papaya

 

Is there anything as good as a fresh papaya? No, not really. Especially high quality papaya. Some lime, and VOILA, we can eat it in a half a second.

 

 

4. Cherry Blossoms

 

Every day in Central Park, the leaves and trees change. I love witnessing spring and the flowers rebirth.

 

 

5. Hell’s Kitchen

 

I have seen this broadway show twice, but this second time, I brought my daughter. Loved every minute — highly suggesting taking your daughter and going to see it. Worth it.

 

 

6. Maison Mayle

 

One of my favorite designers — Jane Mayle. Love her store, her style, and all her looks.

 

7. Flowers from Trader Joe’s

 

I love the selection of flowers at Trader Joe’s because they are inexpensive, beautiful, and last a long time. When I can’t get myself to the Flower District, I love getting fresh blooms at Trader Joe’s.

 

 

8. Doctor Rogers Beauty Products

 

I love these products so so so much. Unscented, thick, moisturizing, easy, the right price.

 

9. Love Continuum 

 

Love this love. New sculpture in Union Square.

 

10. Coconut Macaroons

 

Getting ready for passover with these coconut macaroons. Easy to make and super delicious.

 

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So that is what I am loving this month! Do share with me what you are loving!

Flower Girl Workshop

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Last week, I took my THIRD flower workshop, and I couldn’t have loved it more. In the past five years, I have taken three flower arrangement classes, all from the NYC florist, Flower Girl. Every time, I leave having more of a sense of how to create a beautiful creation. Trust me, if you have access to take a flower arrangement class, take it. So fun. So fun. And I love coming home with a new bouquet, too! WIN WIN.

 

Final Product!

 

There were 5 of us attending the class — and we were taught how to use our imagination, fill in the negative space, learn all the different flower names, and create a beautiful piece of flower art.

 

Started with greens and branches, creating a grid with Xs of the stems in the water.

Added some different heights and flowers.

Little by little, filling in the space.

Getting more full.

Different hues of purples and pinks.

Working at the table all together.

Almost done.

VOILA!

All different creations, each one unique and beautiful in it’s own way.

Taking a taxi home, trying not to spill the water.

HOME and SO HAPPY.

 

Highly suggest finding a flower class, wherever you are. And if you are in NYC, Flower Girl, creates a beautiful and informative class, which I am a huge fan of. Happy week!

Jesse Krimes at The Met

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If you are in NYC before July 13th, I highly recommend stopping by the Jesse Krimes: Corrections exhibit at the Met. It is the best exhibit I have seen in a long time — and the story behind it is amazing. And even if you don’t have the chance to see the exhibit, I highly recommend learning more about Jesse Krimes (from this post, but also the other articles link, etc…) — he is someone to know of! Long story short, Jesse was put in prison for selling drugs, and during this time, he created art with the items he has access to while in prison.

 

This piece, called “Purgatory” is when Jesse was in solitaire confinement for a year (awaiting trial as he could not afford bail).  He created this with bars of soap and decks of cards — and put the faces of people from the paper using hair gel to create an impression on to the soap.

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Juice Press Sprouted Almonds

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OK, I didn’t believe it at first — but there is NOTHING like these almonds. Nothing. Sorry, I wish you could find “sprouted raw almonds” that tasted just like this from somewhere else, but nope, not possible. Only from Juice Press.

 

These almonds. Worth the hype. I didn’t want to believe it. But they are this good. Trust me. You can buy them at Juice Press (which btw, ships nationally!)

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Green Goddess Salad

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My daughter does not eat salad. Like ever. Never have I ever seen her eat a salad before. And yet, somehow, she not only devoured this entire salad at a friend’s friend’s house (yes, friend of a friend), but demanded that I get the recipe and make it for her. So when that happens, you FOLLOW THROUGH. Thank you, Dana, for giving me a new salad to feed my child and finally saying she eats salads! Ok, so this salad is from Baked by Melissa (who knew she did anything other than cupcakes?) — and trust me, make it. Your non-salad-eating-child will change their mind. It is basically a lot of healthy, nutritious, delicious greens all in one — dressing and the salad itself.

 

Ingredients:

 

GREEENNNNNN

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Currently Loving March 2025

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Week n umber 5 million of Spring Break….and here is what I am loving.

 

1. Survivor Season 48

Granted, I am a huge Survivor fan, but there is something about this season (season 48) that is so good. I love it so much and HIGHLY recommend it — great for families or solo, but it never disappoints. And Jeff Probst — you are the best host ever.

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La Veste Striped Pants

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For the past several years, I have been following a European brand, La Veste, on instagram. But not until last week when in Paris, did I ever purchase anything. I happened to stumble upon the store, and instantly knew I had to go in and buy something. And I am so glad that I did. I absolutely love love love the brand, the style, the colors, and the brand!

 

I loved every part of the store — even the carpet! Look how beautiful the floral carpet is!

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Paris Art Exhibits

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For the final three days of our trip to Europe, we went to Paris, where the days were filled with walking, shopping, eating, and art. We saw two different art exhibits that I absolutely loved. Although they are closed now (we went to both in the final days), if you have the chance to see either of these artists in the future, I highly highly recommend.

 

1. Olga de Amaral

Olga de Amaral is a Columbian artist known for her fiber art — and holy crap — this was one of the best exhibitions I have ever ever ever seen. It was in the Cartier Foundation — a museum, I had never stepped foot in before — so it was also fun to see a new spot (randomly, it closed this past weekend and will be moved to the different side of Paris in the next couple of years).

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Crans-Montana, Switzerland

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One of the difficulties of having two kids in two different schools (in two different states!), means that they have different spring breaks. Our son, Cruz, had the first two weeks of March off, and my daughter, Tusia, has the last two weeks of March off. FUN FUN FUN! So for Cruzzie’s second week, I went with my friend Catherine,  her son, and another one of their friends to Crans-Montana and Paris. Crans- Montana — NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE — but you should keep on your radar, because it is such an incredible place.

 

Crans-Montana is a ski town in Switzerland. It is a 90 minute drive from Geneva, and super easy to get in and out of. And don’t you love meat, cheese, and pickles?

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Catbird Rings

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My 7th grade daughter, Tusia, has been on the search for the perfect rings for quite some time. Problem is, she has tiny little fingers, and we didn’t want to break the bank with a ring. So when I remembered Catbird — a Brooklyn based Jewelry company that I fell in love with two decades ago, I knew it was the perfect place for us to go look at for rings. And it was EVERYTHING and more than we had hoped for. The staff was incredible, all the jewelry beyond perfect, reasonable prices, and exactly what we were looking for.

 

We ended up getting two rings so she could stack them. She wanted them on her pointer finger — and they literally had every size imaginable — so it was perfect.

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Chocolate Croissants x 2

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YUMMMMMMM. One of my family’s favorite food items is chocolate croissants — I mean, WHO doesn’t love chocolate croissants??? So when in the Flatiron area of Manhattan last Friday, I fell upon not one, but two, different bakeries, that were so beautiful and scrumptious, that I had to get something at each. First off….

 

Lysee

 

The store looked like a museum. On the ground floor, there was a sit down cafe, and to order take out, you walked up the stairs to where the baked goods were all displayed and where you placed the order. Even the bags are beyond chic and beautiful.

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NY Historical Society Exhibits

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It has been exactly one year since Flaco died, RIP. If you don’t remember, Flaco, was an escaped owl from Central Park Zoo, who roamed Central Park for a year’s time. I, along with many other New Yorkers, became enthralled and fascinated with Flaco (see my post here from March 2023)

 

I spent many many hours (and steps) searching for Flaco. I followed specific websites to find location, and just fell in love with the story of Flaco being free.

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Currently Loving February 2025

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February has been an insanely busy month. On top of the normal parts of life, I have also traveled to California, Montana, and Florida. Yes, lots of times on planes, but of course, all worth it. Here is what I have loved this month.

 

1. Family Time

 

We went to California to present with my uncle his story on the Holocaust to the Thacher School. It was an incredible assembly and experience, and I was so happy to have been a part of this special event. And yes, Cruzzie’s jeans are gigantic.

 

2. Erewhon Hailey Bieber Shake

 

While we were in CA, we stopped in at Erewhon, which is the most incredible health food store I have ever been to. Had I not had a carry on, I would have bought everything to bring back to NYC. In particular, this smoothie was delicious. Worth the hype.

 

3. The Getty

 

Despite rainy and cold weather, we went to The Getty to kill time before our red eye that night. We loved looking at the views, the art collection, and just being there. Highly recommend. And did you know it was free?

 

4. Governors Island

 

In between all the travel, the family went to Governor’s Island to see the Ice Sculpture competition. Although it was fun to see the ice sculpture, it was even more fun just to walk around the island, even in the cold weather.

 

5. Bedazzling

 

Bedazzling!!! The new fun hobby! It takes a lot of patience and time — you have to glue every single one of the pieces of glitter (!), but look how fun and cool my AirPods look. Thank you, Tusia!

 

6. Blockus

 

This has always been one of my favorite board games — but I always seem to lose the pieces (not good!). We just bought a new set, so here we are playing it. Love this game!

 

7. The Motherload

 

I devoured this book in two days (which says a lot because these days I am a very bad reader). Dark, raw, vulnerable — loved this book.

 

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What are you loving this month? Do share! I hope you have a great week.

Achilles NYC

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If you are a long time reader, you know that I have run two marathons with Achilles Interntational — an organization that transforms the lives of people with disabilities through athletic programs and social connection. The marathon experiences guiding my blind athlete, Eddie, have been absolutely incredible.

 

My first time running the NYC Marathon as an Achilles Guide was back in November 2018. It was an unforgettable experience.

Even back then, I had the habit of taking selfies of my coffee before the marathon. Love how things never change.

That year, Eddie ran a 3:36 — which was an incredible feat for him! I was so happy that day!

We ran again together in 2022 — it was a very very very very difficult marathon.

It was extremely hot that day and Eddie ended up fainting at mile 26. ALL THAT SAID, Achilles is the most incredible organization and I believe in it and its athletes 100 percent.

This was before he fainted.

Mid faint

 

Why am I telling you about Achilles now? 2 plus years later? Because we decided that it would be a great community even for 12 year old Tusia to get involved with. So after watching videos, passing all these different tests, and forms, we completed our first workout on Saturday morning.

 

We ran 2 miles with Andrew in Central Park. Andrew was INCREDIBLE. Such a brilliant, calm, patient, soothing blind athlete, who helped Tusia learn how to use the toggle and how to speak with him when he ran.

We are so excited to be involved with this organization and look forward to many more Saturday runs together.

And yes, Tusia was the youngest volunteer by far, and yes I have to be present for all the workouts, but I cannot wait. Such an incredible organization and I love being a part of it — with and without Tusia.

 

Hope you have a great week!

 

Comedy Cellar

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This past Friday, instead of going out to dinner, I went to Comedy Cellar with a friend (Ken and Tusia were skiing for the weekend). Not only was it fun to mix things up — instead of a typical Friday just going to dinner with other couples or friends, but doing an activity. Always love an activity — especially when it is a super fun activity like STAND UP COMEDY. Can it get any better or more fun? We LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED and omg, I want to go back as soon as I can. It was that much fun.

 

Comedy Cellar — the best place for comedy. It was my first time going, but definitely not my last!

 

There are a bajillion shows per day — and on this Friday night, we attended the 6:45 pm show (there were 3 shows AFTER this one!). You must reserve in advance on line (it sells out quickly) and the cost is 2 drinks minimum. We showed up in the rain hungry, so we went to Artichoke Pizza and ate a slice of pizza at the counter — another fun highlight. (When was the last time that happened? Loved it)

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Alex Talks AI

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Over winter break, I spent the day with some of Ken’s classmates from Stanford Business School. Not only was it fun, but also super informative. One of the friends, Alex, left her job in technology, and is building a company on teaching AI to those who don’t know how to use it (like ME!). She has been giving workshops on “Time-Saving AI Solutions for Busy Moms,” and as a clueless, busy mom, I decided to host a workshop.

 

Alex, our friend and fearless AI leader.

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Currently Loving January 2025

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Last week of January — longest month EVER!!!! — it (always) feels like it lasts a full year instead of just a month. Especially this year. Here is what I am loving this month!

 

1.  The Let Them Theory

 

I am currently listening to this as an audio book — and I love it so much. Every part of it — and it feels like Mel Robbins is speaking to you as a friend. HIGHLY highly recommend reading it — but even more, listening to it.

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Sleeping Bag Suit

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It is so cold in NYC that it is hard to go outside. But that makes life VERY hard, because city living requires you to go outside at all times. ESPECIALLY when you have a dog that needs to be walked. And even MORE so for the people who are avid dog park lovers. (I have a dog, I love my dog, I don’t go to dog parks). But one of my besties goes to Central Park with all her dog friends EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. of EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. So as a gift, I got her a sleeping bag suit — so that she would be warm and cozy on even the coldest of cold days. Not sure if she loves the present, but I LOVE it for her.

 

Not my friend, but isn’t it so cute?

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Amazon Socks

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I know that this is weird, but I discovered the best socks on Amazon, and I need to share them with you. 10 socks for less than 25 dollars. Not only is the price amazing (some times socks cost 25 dollars per PAIR!!! This is 10 pairs for 25 dollars!!!), but the socks themselves are the perfect sock. The colors, the fit, the comfort, the appropriate thickness — they check every box. Every time I reach for a pair of socks in my (unorganized) sock bin, I hope to grab one of these pairs. They are hands down the best socks.

 

Technically, they are men’s socks, but they are a perfect fit for men and women! I love the Fall color scheme of them, too.

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Old Stone Trade Sweaters

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My favorite sweater this season is the most INCREDIBLY warm, thick, luscious layer that I have been wearing it NON STOP. Literally, the moment I wake up to walk the dog, I put it on top of my workout clothes, under my jacket, and start my day off like that. Then, I wear it all day long over any other sweater.  (It has been VERY VERY VERY cold in NYC recently…)

 

SO THICK and warm.

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