Musings from a Jerusalem Mom

By Ayala Gordesky 
Ayala Gordesky resides in Israel with her husband, gorgeous daughter and not so gorgeous Boston Terrier. Nestled in the beautiful hills of Jerusalem she is enjoying her solo career as a social media marketer. She is grateful to have attracted small businesses, start-ups and even an international singer. Ayala may be reached at ayala.gordesky@gmail.com.

MUSINGS FROM A JERUSALEM MOM

Jerusalem is a pulsing entity of radiance, freedom, strength and defiance. At the Kotel wall on the women's side there is a sea of color; bright head scarves, patterned skirts and exotic jewelry. The colors are outlined with desert tan as they meander through the tunnels and shops and spill out into the streets. In some areas they gain momentum and in some they are muted and withheld. Up where I live, near Baka and the German Colony the colors shine brightly in the sunshine of the tree-lined streets. During the rare hours of leisure we laugh or argue on our mirpesets barefoot and cross-legged while drinking ice water. The tan of the Jerusalem stone which lingers at our heels and follows our eyes as we raise them to the hills contrasts neatly with the vibrancy of our garb. Our Naot clad feet purposefully jostle strollers through the winding, rain gullied sidewalks and no one seems to really notice as our feet get blacker and blacker from the mixture of sun-tan and Jerusalem dust. We shove one another roughly as we get on the the bright green buses in the heat of shopping at the shuk and with the next breath we volunteer to hold each others freckled, messy haired children so City Minis and groceries can be loaded onto the bus with ease. I see street corners that are hot spots for older Israeli gentlemen in dingy jeans and tee-shirts and loud kipot to drink Turkish coffee and vehemently argue about the state of the country. My friends faces shine, makeup clad or not, I think they are all beautiful as we watch our kids dance in a fountain or feed them lunch together from our white walled and speckle tiled apartments. My face is naked of makeup and I wear my constant tan with pride since it is the branding of our our glorious city that burns the skin on my face.

[1] Momming with Mimi l The Beginning of Something

The Beginning of Something 

Somewhere deep beneath the spit up, buggers, tears (yes, I cried today and admitting that feels awesome) and ketchup smeared all over my semi-semblance of an outfit, a part of me is coming to life. 

I've been feeling for a long time now that I'm not truly fulfilling my potential with LadyMama (which is an easier way to say not fulfilling my potential in general). Even though people like to think I have a popular blog (I get called "LadyMama" in the street. Very interesting for my husband), this little blogger space sits miles away from the aspirations I had for it to be a tool to awaken my own personal conscious and share my discoveries. I had really hoped that I would entice other women and mothers to join me on my daily ride as a mom striving to stay smart, stylish, spiritual....and sane. I wanted to open up, to share and to truly use my life as a platform for involving other LadyMamas out there in a public discussion we were all privately having. But alas, life got busy. And my amazing authors have been entertaining and inspiring my readers so well! 

But here I am, post-Rosh Hashana, feeling the magnetic pull of the potential in this moment. Sitting in a dim and quiet apartment, writing away, to the chagrin of all the things I am ignoring (like dishes from last night's dinner, which will tomorrow become "dishes from two nights ago."). 

The baby just woke up. I let him cry for a minute—because I'm in a flow!— and now he's quiet. Is it normal I didn't go running to his rescue? Is it crazy to admit that the feeling of writing right now is far more glorious than the ego-boost, the answer-to-responsibility, the coziness of comforting his cries? Is something wrong with me? What is it that I am craving so much in the experience of writing and expressing and publicizing my thoughts? Do any women out there relate? Why does sitting and blogging feel so much more...more epic than doing something so unadulteratedly motherly? [So this is the Jewish mother's guilt!]

I guess the baby did interrupt my flow. But we've come full circle. I was speaking about sitting down to write, even though there are things I am ignoring—and then the baby became one more thing I am ignoring! 

Which is why I am still here, feeling the high of having written something semi-coherent after all. I guess you have to ignore everything sometimes (even the guilt) to tap into a little piece of yourself. 

Life is complicated. We're all a bunch of busy bees trying to actualize our potential. We're juggling many jobs, many roles—just trying to keep our s#*! together. We're on a roll and then the baby wakes up and then we have to struggle to find our bookmark, wondering all the while why it can't just be simpler and easier and then somewhere in between finding the centeredness to feel sort of grateful to be given the lives we have. 

Some days we take a step forward and feel like we've conquered the world. And others days we're driving backwards with the speed of a racehorse. It's all part of the beautiful chaos that I will hopefully succeed in blogging about, with honesty and humor. 

So here's to beginnings—and the strength to see it through.

Now, aren't you going to ask why I cried today? (Stay tuned.) 


With love from a modern matriarch, 

Interview (and Rosh Hashana Recipe!) with "Kosher In The Kitch" star Nina Safar!

LadyMama had a virtual "sit-down" with Nina Safar, creator of KosherInTheKitch.com.Read her honest take on life in the kitch, her memorable dish flops, great buying tips for the kitch and what she cares about more than Prada and Chanel (you guessed it, her dream kitchen!). 


Saving the best for last!  **RECIPE!**
Don't miss the incredible Rosh Hashana recipe Nina shares at the end of the interview! 

When did you start appreciating food and being in the kitchen?

Growing up, there was always a warm home cooked meal and yummy snacks waiting for us after school. My moms cinnamon buns and chocolate babka are still my favorite desserts and I love the fact that I can always count on there being freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in her cookie jar!

What are the challenges of keeping Kosher in the Kitch? Have you ever craved making a non-kosher recipe? Be honest.

I am a food-show addict. In fact, when I was pregnant with my son I was too sick to eat but still had the usual pregnancy cravings so I would watch “Man Vs. Food” and lived vicariously through Adam Richman. I always get jealous watching him travel the states and sample grub from all over. Thick juicy burgers, cheesy pizza, sweet and savory breakfasts like french toast with sunny side up eggs on top, dripping with syrup. It always looks AMAZING. The orthodox foodie in me is furious that us Kosher eaters don’t seem to have as many options when it comes to eating out. Kosher food does not have to be boring. Why is it that most Kosher spots only serve scrambled eggs and bland potatoes for breakfast? It’s not non Kosher food I crave, it’s the adventurous and unique options non Kosher eaters have available to them that I am envious of.

Tznius [Modesty] Sexy — an oxymoron?

Orthodox Dress Gets Sexy from Jewish Forward on Vimeo.

In this video are my friends Chaya and Simi (sisters!) talking about their clothing business, Frock Swap [Check 'em out on Facebook!]

Their appearance is getting quite a bit of attention from people who feel that modesty and sexiness cannot go together. (Of course, this was no-doubt the interviewers pushing—a great topic to get people talking. And it worked.)

In a new age, perhaps a woman's desire to feel "sexy" isn't necessarily as "sexual" as the conservative-minded folk may think. Maybe "sexy" is more synonymous with "trendy" and "edgy" and "super-feminine"—feelings which many Jewish women desire to achieve through their dress. And maybe that's okay.  Perhaps we should applaud Chaya and Simi's efforts to offer today's religious women a more modest— yet high-fashion—option.

Or is it an oxymoron? Can you be tznius and sexy? What do YOU think?

Getting makeup-ready for FALL - here's how.

By Ettel Chava Rosenbaum

Chava is a 26 year old mother of two girls living in Kensington, NY.  She has been a practicing makeup artist for nearly seven years and recently began doing makeup for the exploding field of religious women's theater...in which she also loves to perform! Chava offers lessons to women, teaching them how to apply their own makeup like a professional. In addition to makeup, her passions are singing, comedy and keeping her kids out of her shoe rack. Chava is available to do makeup for simchas and productions in New York. You can contact her to book a consultation or job by e-mailing beautybychava@rocketmail.com

   Bold eyebrows are back big time, so put down those tweezers!

GETTING MAKEUP-READY FOR FALL

Hello Ladies!

Believe it or not, Summer has nearly passed us by. Fall will soon arrive, so it's time to make some changes to your makeup routine. 

I will choose to ignore the fact that red eye shadow is supposedly a big thing coming this fall, because no matter how expertly applied it is, it always reminds me of conjunctivitis. Ew.

That said, colored eye shadows are still in. The greens, oranges and purples that were bright and bold for Spring and Summer, but toned down for fall. Turn the brights of Summer to softer, deeper and more sophisticated tones. Blue eye shadow is also making a comeback (I will do a more specific how-to on blue eye shadow next time). 

My advice about trends: they only provide guidelines. If you feel blue will make you look like an old lady, take the trend and make it your own by going for blue-green, blue-grey, or just blue eyeliner. You don't have to go all or nothing with color. Use as much or as little as you feel comfortable with and find a shade that suits you!

Its also time to start toning down the bronzer a bit and bring back the blush!

Bold eyebrows are back big time, so put down those tweezers!

The pencil thin lines of the early 2000's are gone: the full, fierce dark feathered look of the nineties are back with a vengeance.You can buy eyebrow stencils to get the shape you want or just follow your brows natural shape and fill it in with brow pencil in short strokes. Full brows also make you look years younger instantly, the same way full lashes do.

I'll be back with more on blue eye shadow! Stay pretty, ladies!

Dressing Your Post-Baby Body (10 Tips from a Fashion Maven!)

By Devorah Ramey 

[AKA the "Frum Fashion Maven." Visit her at www.frumfashionmaven.com]

fashion post partum shabbat/simcha by frumfashionmaven featuring a circular skirt

10 Tips for Dressing Your Post Baby Body

After 9 plus months of pregnancy we eagerly await two events: the birth of the baby and then being able to wear non-maternity clothes again.

Thanks to the media’s obsession with fast shrinking celebrities, even observant women are under incredible pressure to return to normal in the blink of an eye. Sadly this pressure is often self-imposed.

I’m sure even Heidi Klum did not fit in her regular clothes straight out of the delivery room. So keep the “body image blues” at bay by dressing for post-partum comfort.

Having unrealistic expectations post partum can result in negative self image, insecurity and even depression. As a stylist I have seen two style camps : some women cope by shelving style for a few months and walking around in shapeless robes and the like while others walking around in obvious denial sporting “muffin tops," too tight items and other fashion faux pas.

The middle path involves awareness with a healthy dose of positive self talk and kindness.

Here are some tips to keep you looking and feeling great so you can focus on enjoying this special time in your life.

1) Be realistic. After delivery your belly will look about 5 months pregnant and won’t start to look normal until about 6 weeks (…. it takes time for your uterus to shrink to its pre pregnancy size)! Some people love bandaging the belly PP, a practice done in many cultures, I have done it with success B”H four times now and love a product called the belly bandit.

2) Dress comfortable. Start your postpartum wardrobe by creating a “home from the hospital” collection of loose fitting dresses. Try choosing dresses that are feminine, flowing and highly forgiving. Select beautiful colors that will brighten your mood. You want to look and feel presentable when visitors stop by to see the new baby, but also be comfortable for the first few weeks. For breast feeding and baby duty, I buy several deep v-necks to be layered over other tees, shells or blouses as a cheap alternative to nursing tops. Those elastic waist slinky skirts in different lengths add versatility and comfort. Clothing with details like ruching (pleating at the sides), empire waists and creative layering are all sure ways to hide the “baby fat”. Maxi dresses in dark “stain hiding” colors slim you and feel like a comfortable night gown. A loose draping cardigan works awesome and it gives you instant nursing coverage, I wear mine to run errands to avoid buying a nursing cover.

THAT CHICK I WANT TO [but probably never will] BE

By Hanna Moss

THAT CHICK I WANT TO [BUT PROBABLY NEVER WILL] BE

That chick.

You know who you are. You’re the girl I’ve always wanted to be, always tried to be, pretend to be, declare I am, but in all honesty I can never get quite right.

I’ve always wanted to be that chick that religiously only shops in Whole Foods with her recycled bags, only buys organic and grinds her own almonds to make almond butter.

I’ve always wanted to be that chick that shops at the farmers market with her two kids and oversized straw hat letting her calm kids taste all the fresh produce while happily teaching them about farmers, land, crop, trees and how buying fresh produce is so important.