Elegant Impressions April 2012

Nisan 5772 April 2012

Elegant Impressions

Pesach/ Spring

Volume I, Issue IV

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What’s Inside Food & Desserts

Lamb Chops with Parsley Pesto 6 Greek Garlic Chicken 8 Sorbet Ruffles 9

Thyme Garlic Hasselback Potatoes 10

Sweet & Tangy Carrot Salad 10

Choco Coco French Macarons 12 Fruit Garden 14 Spiced Apple Cake 16 Flourless Orange Cake 18 Chocolate Cupcakes with Meringue 19

Read the magazine online at ElegantImpressions.com

Passover Seder Tablescapes 20

Gold Dipped Wine Glasses 22 Napkin Rings 23 Organizing Your Space 24

Contact info@elegantimpressions.com 917-830-4262

Home

Features

The Professor’s Perspective Chol Hamoed Travel Guide GPS! Navigation for Your Soul Philadelphia International Flower Show

Editor In Chief Amy Oren

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Health & Nutrition

Seasonal Allergies 42

You Are What You Eat 44 Carrot Scrub 45

The Bitter Side of Sweeteners 46

Just For Kids

The New York International Toy Fair

Contributing Writers Esther Ben-Hamu Avi Fishoff Jordan Leibzig Maggie Mograby Margalit Romano Esty Saadia Dr. Jack Sadacka, M.D. Rabbi Yaakov Shain Judith Tobal Betesh Creative Design Amy Oren

Editor Jacob Mograby

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Photography Maggie Mograby Ad Sales Barbra Panigel Steven SorscherOne Stop Marketing Group Judith Tobal Betesh Published By Elegant Impressions All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form without prior written consent from the publisher is prohibited. Elegant Impressions Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content of articles or advertisements in the magazine. Elegant Impressions is not responsible for typographical errors.

Readers should always verify kashrut status independently.

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Cookbook: Passover by Design

A Revolutionary New Cookbook Offers Innovative Techniques for Creating a Limitless Kosher Recipe Repertoire

Kosher Revolution

By Geila Hocherman and Arthur Boehm “Kosher is a set of rules, not a cuisine, and, as Geila Hocherman amply proves, you can be kosher and cook Chinese, French, Italian, Indian, New American—any cuisine in the world. With Geila’s ‘tool box’ and system, and with so many exotic ingredients getting kosher certification, there’s no excuse for kosher cooks not to turn out interesting, even sophisticated, and, of course, very delicious meals every day and every holiday.”

—Arthur Schwartz, author of Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking

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Lamb Chops with Parslery Pesto

By Susie Fishbein Passover by Design This delicious green sauce can just as easily go over sliced steak or chicken, but the hints of mint, garlic, and rosemary really complement lamb beautifully. If you have a mini-food processor, it will work even better than a full-sized one to really grind the ingredients to a good, thick paste.

2 cloves fresh garlic 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 teaspoon dried rosemary ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice (can be bottled) ½ cup olive oil 18 baby lamb chops

Preheat broiler to high.

In the bowl of food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the garlic, salt, and rosemary. Add the cayenne, mint leaves, parsley leaves, and lemon juice. Pulse. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil and allow the mixture to fully combine.

With a flexible spatula, transfer one-third of the pesto to a small bowl and reserve for serving after the chops are cooked. Pour the rest into a second bowl.

Place the lamb chops on a broiler pan. Lightly brush both sides of the lamb chops with the pesto.

Broil the lamb chops, 6–8 inches from the heat, for 7 minutes. Turn the lamb chops over and broil for another 3 minutes.

To serve, place 3 lamb chops on each plate with a dollop of the reserved parsley pesto.

In this fifth cookbook in the celebrated Kosher by Design series, Susie Fishbein makes Passover preparations elegantly simple.

Featuring a blend of Passover-adjusted Kosher by Design favorites, with over thirty brand-new recipes and full-color photos, this is one cookbook you’ll love to use throughout the holiday.

Also includes over 130 gluten-free recipes which makes this the perfect year-round cookbook for those on a gluten-free diet.

• Over 30 brand-new recipes, many developed with kosher catering star, Moshe David • Over 130 Kosher by Design favorites reformulated and retested for Passover • Over 140 full-color images throughout, with over 40 brandnew photos • Quick and easy table decor and entertaining ideas • Useful, year-round healthy cooking techniques • Comprehensive index for easy cross-referencing

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Greek Garlic Chicken Cookbook: Passover by Design

By Susie Fishbein Passover by Design

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Pitting Kalamata olives is a breeze. Just smack each olive with your palm and the pit pops right out. If you don’t have Kalamata olives, you can use canned black olives, but the Kalamata are more authentic and richer-tasting.

Garnish this delicious dish with some of the ingredients used to flavor it, such as fresh oregano sprigs and whole olives. It brings some of those vibrant colors back to the dish.

2 chickens, cut into eighths freshly ground black pepper

2 onions, cut into large chunks ½ cup olive oil

2 lemons 1 cup white wine

12-16 sprigs fresh oregano 1½ cups Kalamata olives, pitted & coarsely

8 cloves fresh garlic, halved chopped

fine sea salt ½ cup Kalamata olives, whole, for garnish

Preheat oven to 450˚F. Place the chicken pieces in single layers, skin-side-up, into two 9- by 13-inch baking pans.

Add the onion chunks. Slice the lemons in half lengthwise. Squeeze the lemon halves over the chicken.

Cut each lemon half into 4 pieces; add to the chicken.

Set aside 4 sprigs of oregano and strip the oregano leaves from the rest. Scatter the leaves and the stripped sprigs over the chicken; they will add their perfume to the dish.

Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil and wine. Toss the mixture together.

Sprinkle the chopped olives over the chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink, or a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 180˚F. Transfer to a platter and garnish with whole olives and reserved oregano sprigs.

Sorbet  Ruffles 1 pint raspberry sorbet 1 pint vanilla ice-cream, can be parve 1 pint mango, passion fruit, or lemon sorbet 16 (2 1/2-inch) pleated paper baking cups (muffin sized) dessert sauces or chocolate syrup 16 raspberries Let the sorbets and the ice-cream sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften. Transfer the sorbets and ice-cream to bowls to better stir them and make them spreadable.

Place the muffin cups into silcione or metal muffin trays. If you don’t have muffin tins, create a double thickness of the paper muffin cups and place them into a metal baking pan so that they support each other.

Spread an even layer of raspberry sorbet into the bottom third of each cup. Place into the freezer for 15 minutes.

Remove from freezer and spread dollops of vanilla icecream to evenly cover the raspberry layer and come up to the second third of the cup. Return to the freezer for 15 minutes. Repeat procedure with the mango sorbet. Cover the pan with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight. Can be made 4 days ahead; keep frozen.

When ready to serve, invert each sorbet cup onto a dessert plate. Remove muffin cup. Decorate plate with desired sauce. Top each with a fresh raspberry.

Makes 16 servings

By Susie Fishbein Passover by Design

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Recipes

Thyme Garlic Hasselback Potatoes Ingredients: 6 to 8 small sized Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and dried 1/4 cup olive oil 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Recipe & Photography Fanny Lam

Salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions: Preheat oven to 425Ëš F. On a cutting board, place one potato in a wooden spoon. Starting from one end of the potato, make slits about 1/8 inch apart. Try to cut at the very bottom of the potato, but not all the way through it. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.

Put slices of garlic in between every few slits of the potatoes.

Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Brush them all over with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thyme.

Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Sweet & Tangy Carrot Salad

By Paula Bareket and Mia Anahory 1 pound baby carrots 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons mustard 1 tsp. Salt 2 oz. Lemon juice 2 oz. White vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup craisins 1/4 cup peeled and sliced almonds

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Shred carrots in food processor. Add oil, mustard, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, craisins, and almonds. Stir well.

Let sit for couple of hours in fridge until the carrots soak up the taste of the liquid. Use a spoon with holes to serve, in order to drain out the excess liquid * Sugar can be replaced with splenda in order to make this recipe more dietetic. (around 10 packets or 3/4 cup granulated splenda.)

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Recipes

Choco Coco French Macarons Recipe & Photography Josie Tavares 115 grams almond flour 230 grams confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1 tablespoon dessicated coconut 105 grams egg whites 20 grams granulated sugar

Note: It’s important to measure the ingredients precisely, so use a kitchen scale.

In a bowl, whisk together the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and dessicated coconut. Sift through a sieve twice and set aside.

With a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites until they appear foamy, approximately 30 seconds. While the mixer is running, carefully pour in the granulated sugar in a slow stream and continue beating the whites on high until they reach a consistency similar to that of shaving cream. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites, or the meringue will be too dry.

Add the sifted dry ingredients to the meringue all at once. Begin folding, continue folding until the batter resembles a thick pancake batter. The folding should not take more than 50 strokes.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the batter, and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit.

Preheat the oven to 300˚ F. When ready, bake for approximately 18 minutes, depending on the macaron size they might require a longer baking time. Allow them to cool, then transfer to a wire rack.

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Choco Coco Ganache 4 ounces semisweet chocolate 4 ounces heavy whipping cream 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract 2 tablespoons dessicated coconut Bring heavy whipping cream to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the coconut extract. Pour heavy cream over chocolate chips making sure all the chocolate chips are covered with heavy whipping cream. Let the chocolate rest for a minute or two.

With a spatula or wooden spoon gently stir the chocolate chips into the heavy cream until completely smooth. Place ganache in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours allowing it to chill properly. Once chilled, remove from the refrigerator and fluff up with a whisk.

Place ganache in a piping bag fitted with a small star or plain tip and pipe ganache onto your macaron shells. Sandwich macaron shells together, place them in a sealed container in the refrigerator and let them rest for at least 24 hours. Remove macarons from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving, and enjoy within 7 days after making them.

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Fruit Garden

By Debbie Diamond 1. Insert a sheet of syrofoam at least 2 inches thick in a dish. Cover the styrofoam with aluminum foil.

2. Using a melon baller, scoop out the melon balls and cover the base of the platter.

3. Slice watermelon and pineapple into 1/2� thick slices, then cut out flower shapes using a sharp cookie cutter.

4. Using a small round cutter, cut a hole in the center of each flower and fill the holes with the circles from the fruit of a different color.

5. Cut wooden skewers to the desired lengths, then pierce the skewers through the grapes and flowers.

Recipes

6. Firmly stand the skewers into the styrofoam base.

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Recipes

Recipe & Photography Ken Leung

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Spiced Apple Cake

Ingredients: 4 medium apples, about 2-1/4 pounds, such as Golden Delicious or Crispin 1/3 cup golden raisins 1/4 cup brandy/ or wine/ or orange juice 2/3 cup canola oil 1-1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons orange zest, approximately 1 orange, freshly grated 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 3 large eggs 3/4 cup matzah cake meal Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350Ëš with a rack set in the center. Line a 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper and lightly spray pan with cooking spray, set aside.

2. Peel, core and half the apples, 1/4-inch-thick slices.

3. Combine raisins and brandy in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave at 50% power for 90 seconds. Remove bowl from microwave and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

4. Combine sugar and orange zest in a small bowl, rub with fingers until fully incorporated.

5. Combine 3/4 cup of orange/sugar mixture, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a medium bowl; set aside.

6. Add eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat in remaining 3/4 cup orange/sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until mixture is thick and foamy, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, slowly pour in oil mixture until combined.

Remove bowl from mixer and fold in matzah cake meal quickly until fully incorporated.

7. Pour half of the batter into prepared cake pan. Sprinkle over half of the walnut mixture, half of the apples, and raisins. Pour over remaining batter and top with remaining apples; sprinkle over remaining walnut mixture.

(The assembly might rise above the rim of the 2-inch tall cake pan.)

8. Transfer cake to oven and bake until the sides of the cake pull away from the baking dish very slightly and topping begins to caramelize, about 60-75 minutes.

9. Remove cake from oven, place a piece of parchment on top and press down lightly to compress the cake.

10. Leave parchment on for 5 minutes, then remove and set cake on cooling rack to cool completely, at least 3 hours, before cutting.

Cake can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, as the flavor improves with age.

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Recipes

Flourless Orange Cake 2 oranges 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 3 cups finely ground almonds 1 tsp baking powder

Recipe & Photography Maria Laitinen

Wash the oranges, place them in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, then return to pan, cover with water and bring to boil. Let simmer another 15 minutes. Drain and coarse chop the orange discarding any seeds.

Place the oranges in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

Whisk the eggs and the sugar until thick and pale. Add the orange, almond meal and baking powder and fold until just combined. Pour into a greased, 9� round pan and bake at 350˚ for about 45 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

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Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped 6 large eggs separated, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar

Recipe & Photography Susan Salzman

Preheat oven to 275째. Line mini muffin tins with paper liners.

In a glass bowl set over simmering water, melt the butter and the bittersweet chocolate. Remove from heat, let cool 5 minutes then add the egg yolks, Using an electric mixer with the whisk attached, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form. They are ready when they appear glossy. Add a cup of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate mixture and fold gently. When fully mixed, add entire mixture to remaining egg whites. fold mixture.

Using a 2 tablespoon ice cream scooper, fill paper cups 3/4 full.

Bake 14-18 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time (front to back and lower to upper shelf).

Let cool completely and then apply frosting.

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting 4 egg whites 1 cup sugar a large pinch of cream of tartar (not Kosher for Passover, you can subsitute with 1/2 tsp. lemon juice) Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of your electric mixer.

Place bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warmed to 145째 (8-12 minutes).

Remove from heat and attach bowl to your electric mixer. using the whisk attachment, beat on low speed. when foamy, Turn up to high speed and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form (8-10 minutes).

Pipe frosting on to cooled cupcakes.

Using a torch, slightly burn the meringue (optional).

These cupcakes are best eaten the day they are made.

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!gnye xyk bg Table Design by Miriam Gottlieb from Creative Occassions Party Planning Dishes & Tabletop Accessories from Silver Spoons Photography Maggie Mograby

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By Sarah Mamiye

With just a little bit of planning and imagination you can create your own unique Pesach seder tablescape. Jewish hostesses find inspiration for their party, holiday and Shabbat tables on Marlene Mamiye’s site, TheJewishHostess.com. Marlene features gorgeous tablescapes shared by Jewish hostesses everywhere. Each table setting is a fantastic reflection of each woman’s flair, imagination, and creativity. The gorgeous table below is inspired by the Splitting of the Sea, and the table above is stunning with it’s oversized vases filled with orchids and cherry blossom branches. Read more details about these tables on her blog.

By Alexis & Sarah Mizrahi

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Gold Dipped Wine Glasses

By Bettie Bergman

1. Cover the glass with newspaper or paper towels, using masking tape to secure in place.

2. Wrap a strip of masking tape towards the bottom of the stem of the glass. Make sure that the entire glass is covered except for the part you want to paint.

DIY Crafts

3. Wipe the exposed glass to remove dust.

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4. Using gold spray paint, spray the bottom of the glass and let it dry completely.

Napkin Rings Napkin rings are the perfect way to add character to your holiday table.

These napkin rings are so easy, most of the supplies can be found right in your home!

Thin napkin ring: You’ll need: Shower curtain rings Ribbon Scissors Fabric Glue Optional: button/ embellishment of your choice

Tutorial Margalit Romano Photography Maggie Mograby

1. Apply a dab of glue to one area on the ring and hold the end of the ribbon in place with your thumb.

2. Wrap the ribbon tightly around the ring.

3. Add a dab of glue and secure end of ribbon 4. Add desired embellishment 5. To prevent ribbon ends from fraying, heat for a few seconds with a lighter.

Wide napkin ring: You’ll need: Cardboard tube from paper towels Fabric glue Scissors Ribbon Optional: Button / embellishment of your choice What to do: 1. Cut cardboard roll to the desired size.

2. Starting from the inside of the tube, apply glue and ribbon.

3. Apply glue to exterior of tube and wrap with ribbon. Make sure to always pull ribbon tightly and smooth out any bumps.

4. After allowing ring to completely dry, glue on your desired embellishment.

Margalit of Swirly Curls Art, uses nontraditional techniques and materials. She teaches art classes for kids, and writes a blog dedicated to DIY.

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Image: Elisabeth Bova

Organizing Your Space

By Esther Ben-Hamu EB Design

Image: Pottery Barn Image: Pottery Barn

Image: The Container Store

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THE COAT CLOSET The coat closet always gets stuff shoved in it and somehow manages to become a dumping ground.

Start by going through all the outerwear and see what really gets used and what’s just taking up space. Coats that haven’t been used in years can make someone else really happy. Look over all the winter gear and accessories.

Any glove without a partner gets discarded. Sort hats, scarves, gloves and wraps into baskets or bins. You may want to put the adult items up top and put the kids’ items on a low shelf that’s easily accessible to them. Consider adding an extra closet rod to double the amount of hanging space.

This can be done without tools or installation by simply hooking it onto your existing closet rod, giving little ones easy access to their jackets. If your closet doesn’t have much shelving, a good

option is a door organizer. Hang one onto the closet door and designate one row per person for their personal items. In the summer months, you can replace the winter gear with sunscreen spray, flip flops, sunglasses and sun hats for quick trips to the pool. Transparent pockets make it easy to see where everything is.

Putting shelving off the floor makes space for rain and snow boots. A big bin can be handy to keep all “returns” and other errand bags. Finally be sure to designate space for knapsacks and handbags. Hooks on the door or back wall work well. Consider labeling beneath the hooks to give each family member their own place.

Image: Real Simple

Home

We’re all in the cleaning mode, and while we’re putting in all the effort, we might as well use the opportunity to organize our space as well. Organizing trouble spots will give a fresh overall feel and more importantly keep it neater long term.

The following tips and images will help you conquer some key areas in your home.

THE MEDICINE CABINET The medicine cabinet can easily be neglected.

Begin by going through all medicines and creams.

Anything passed the expiration date goes. Keep essentials like toothpaste, mouthwash, nail clippers, q-tips and cotton balls easily accessible in the cabinet.

Cosmetic organizers keep items neat and within reach, while utilizing shelf

another to save the most space.

Dedicate each one for a different item; blocks, cars, puzzles…etc. Using the same type of container throughout, gives a neat organized look and is pleasing to the eye.

Setting up toys in box cubbies is a beautiful way to display toys that don’t neatly fit in boxes or bins. It’s easy for children to find their favortie toys and put them away when they’re done playing with them.

Sometimes games can get messy when their original boxes tear or begin to fall apart.

Put each game in its own clear container as well. Bigger items like trucks or stuffed animals can go into large bins or baskets on the floor or lowest shelf. Sporting gear can go in a big basket as well.

A three tiered drawer set is great for storing doll clothes and accessories.

Set up a fun Art Center by putting all art and craft related items in a three drawer organizer on wheels. Roll it into the kitchen while you prep dinner to keep kids happily occupied. Keep coloring books, crafting paper, crayons, markers and more all in one area. Kids will get used to putting all their supplies where they belong and keep them from getting lost.

Image: The Container Store

Image: Badger Baskets

space more efficiently.

Sort items of infrequent use in a vanity below. Mesh stacking bins are great for holding bulkier paraphernalia.

Arrange a few plastic baskets and gather similar items together. Not commonly used in bathrooms, lazy suzans are perfect for storing a lot in a small space. A quick spin gives you full view of its contents.

A small three drawer organizer works here too. These can be labeled for different family member’s personal items.

Alternately, you can designate one drawer for creams, one for meds, one for first aid, etc.

Keep a basket of all mini sized toiletries together. You can label this basket TRAVEL for easy assessment of your essentials before a trip. Throw in any sample size perfumes or creams you come across. You can also use these items to prep a cute bin of basics for your weekend guests.

Keeping flat surfaces clean really de-clutters a space.

Keep your counter top display to a minimum.

Image: Eisner Design

Image: Elle Decor

THE TOYS There are many attractive ways to make your toy area look good. A great way to streamline everything is to separate toys by category into similar containers. Clear containers with easy open lids are great for little hands.

Choose boxes and totes that stack securely on top of one

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together. Stackable bins are great for assorted bagged items. Labeled pull out drawers keep your knickknacks and gadgets out of the way.

Create specific areas for baking, bbq prep, spices, snacks and cereals. Loose snacks and drinks are best kept in baskets on lower shelves, easily accessible to the kids.

Storing dry goods in air tight containers keep them fresh longer and also streamline your pantry. Choose ones that stack nicely to save the most space.

Bins and transparent drawers are great for the fridge and freezer, keeping dairy and packaged items tidy.

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Image: The Container Store

Image: Crate & Barrel

Image: The Container Store

Home THE PANTRY An organized pantry has tremendous impact on your kitchen and food prep. It allows you to take stock of what you have. It also tells you what you should and shouldn’t buy in bulk.

Begin by going through your pantry and discarding any expired items or stuff you don’t like or use.

Keep similar items

Image: Wm. H. Fry Construction Company

THE LAUNDRY ROOM Having a neat and tidy laundry room can actually make doing laundry fun!

Put together ‘kits’ for different tasks in bins on a low shelf: ‘minor sewing repairs’, ‘shoe care’ and ‘stain removal’. Keeping these close at hand save time when something needs a quick fix.

A stain removal chart provides instructions on how to remove common stains. Keep it readily available, by tacking it on the back of the door or inside your closet.

A tension rod or expandable drying rack works great in small spaces allowing you to hang clothes to dry up and out of the way.

Sectional laundry carts keep darks, whites and delicates separate, speeding up the laundry process.

Don’t forget about valuable space behind the door.

Installing hanging bins and organizers make it fully functional in keeping your products handy.

Remember, an organized space is an organized mind. Happy Cleaning!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Esther Ben-Hamu of EB Design is a certified interior designer. She is passionate about home decor and is also the owner of The Satin Stripe, a wallpaper boutique in Lakewood, NJ. To ask any decorating questions or comment on featured articles, email her at ebdesign@ymail.com.

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The Professor’s Perspective...

By: Professor Jordan Leibniz (no, of course that’s not my real name)

Dear Professor, My husband works very hard to support our family, but recently he’s been feeling more and more depressed and unmotivated in his work. He feels that the company he has put years of his life into is crumbling and that his time and energy were invested without a proper return.

I have told him that work does not define who he is, but I think that he really does define himself by how successful he is in the workplace. It’s hard to see him so deflated, especially when things are down in the world at large and that this is not a direct result of something he did or did not do.

Please tell me what I can do to help him through this time.

- A Wife

doing something else right away. It’s hard to start over but at least he will be doing something worthwhile. As someone who has succeeded in the past, you can bet that he has a good chance to succeed again.

Dear Professor, When I hear the news these days, about the ‘existential threat’ to Israel and the Jewish people, it terrifies me.

It’s difficult for me to plan for the future when today is so uncertain. On top of that, there are frightening prophecies that describe the End of Days, the period leading up to the coming of Mashiach, which many people believe we are now in. I feel immobilized, just waiting to see what will come. How can I move forward? Am I wasting time or is it a waste of time to invest in the future?

- Anxious

Dear Supportive Wife, It is one of the hardest things in the world to look back on years of wasted hard work. Life is too precious and fleeting to waste, and when we do waste it we are full of regret over the opportunity lost. I doubt that your husband’s work really was all a waste of time (if nothing else, it kept your family housed, fed, and clothed) but if he feels that it was, then it would explain his depressed state. There is not really much you can do except keep on being supportive and reminding him that it’s not his fault and that even if his company crumbles his work still did so much good by supporting your family. I don’t think you can overdo it in this regard, as he may change his attitude if you can convince him that you sincerely see him as a success.

Of course, it is your husband more than you who should be asking himself what he should do now.

There is no way to recapture the past. Has he given up on his company for the future, or does he think there is still hope? As long as he thinks things can come back together, it makes sense for him to keep at it and try to keep his mood from affecting others. But if he has given up, he should cut his losses and start

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Dear Anxious, You can’t stop the world as we know it from ending, if it is going to end. Not even by worrying about it constantly. It is a waste of your energy to focus on it.

On the other hand, as long as the world continues to exist you have everything to lose by allowing yourself to be immobilized by fear and uncertainty. Life is not forever and yet most people spend their entire lives investing in and planning for their future. If a person does nothing because he is constantly afraid that life will end before he sees payoff, then he will never accomplish anything and has thrown his life away.

You have to get past it and live life.

No one will tell you that there is nothing to be afraid of, just that you can’t allow yourself to be consumed by fear. Try to live a good life, follow what you believe is right, and take a wait-and-see attitude to the things you can’t predict or plan for. And do your best to plan for the future assuming there is one. You have nothing to lose if you are wrong, just a full life to live if you are right.

Dear Professor, My sister has always been “the pretty daughter”, “the smart daughter”, even the “obedient daughter”. Now of course, she’s become “the rich daughter”. To make matters worse, she really is sweet and helpful, so it’s really difficult not to like her. Naturally, I can’t stand her. All of my childhood, I could never measure up to her- her grades, her talent, her good behavior and now that we’re both married, it’s even worse.

With her rich husband and perfect children, it’s like she’s succeeded everywhere that I’m lacking and she’s the pride of my parents’ lives. I try to avoid her, and my parents as well, I just feel like a failure when I’m around them. Professor, how can I come to love my sister? I don’t like feeling jealous and resentment towards her, but I do!

- The Black Sheep

everyone else has strengths and weaknesses. You’ve done a great job of noticing some of your sister’s strengths, and now you need to think about your own strengths and work on your self-esteem. What do you do well? What are things you know about yourself that make you proud? Look at how you are managing to take care of a family on limited resources and take pride in that. Focus on what you are good at and keep getting better at it. Stop indulging in self criticism and stop trying to be like someone else.

Once you start liking yourself as you are, I think you’ll be able to work things out with your sister. You clearly think highly of her, as your problem with her is only that you feel overshadowed by her. So step out of her shadow and start being yourself.

Dear Black Sheep, You don’t need to learn how to love your sister, you need to learn how to love yourself. The only person who is “perfect in every way” is Mary Poppins;

Do you agree, disagree, or have something to say?

Add to the discussion by emailing the professor.

Email your questions & comments to professor@elegantimpressions.com.

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Museums & Zoos American Museum of Natural History

Central Park W. at 79th St., New York (212) 769-5100 amnh.org The Museum boasts habitat dioramas of African, Asian and North American mammals, a full-size model of a Blue Whale suspended in the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, a massive 31 ton piece of the Cape York meteorite, and the Star of India, the largest star sapphire in the world, and the Hayden Planetarium.

Chol Hamoed Travel Guide

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn (718) 623-7220 bbg.org A gorgeous spot to take pictures of the kids or even have a family photo contest to see who can take the best pictures.

Some highlights are the Japanese Hill-andPond Garden with the lake surrounded by rocks, bridges, and lanterns, the Fragrance Garden where visitors can sniff out aromatic flowers and plants with scented leaves. the bonsai trees in the Steinhardt Conservatory, and the Cherry Esplanade, a green field bordered by two allées of the dazzlingcherry blossom trees that typically bloom at the end of April.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn (718) 735-4400 brooklynkids.org Offers engaging exhibits of all sorts for kids. The Totally Tots area has sand and water stations, a climbing area, a reading room, kid-sized cars, and more. Together in the City features dozens of stations inspiring creativity and roleplay for older children -- from Grandma’s Attic to the Pizza Parlor. The Animal Outpost features birds, snakes, turtles and bugs. In MusicMix, kids can play drums, xylophones, and whistles and learn about instruments from around the world. Daily activities include arts and crafts projects, theater performances and more.

Bronx Zoo

Exit 6 off the Bronx River Parkway, Bronx (718) 367-1010 bronxzoo.com This world famous zoo boasts more than 4,000 animals on its sprawling 265 acres of land. The Congo Gorilla Forest is the largest facsimile of an African rain forest in on the planet.

Other highlights include daily sea lion feedings and beeeating birds that catch their prey in mid-flight. Head to Tiger Mountain to check out the daily keeper demonstrations with the giant Siberians, or venture through the indoor, tropical Asian rainforest at Jungle World.

Kids can hop from the Congo Gorilla Forest to

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the Himalayan Highlands to the African Plains to see a whopping 4,000-plus animals in naturalistic environments. Special attractions include camel rides, the Skyfari (glide over the zoo for a bird’seye view of the animals), daily feedings, and the Tiger Mountain exhibit featuring Siberian tigers. Nearly one acre in size, the Butterfly Garden is home to a greenhouse, sculptured gardens, a giant insect carousel, and over 1,000 butterflies with free rein.

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

212 West 83rd Street, New York cmom.org Kids can crawl through a giant mouth to learn about digestion, plop down for a giggle-inducing guitar concert, or join artisans in hands-on pottery workshops. The CMOM emphasizes temporary and rotating installations—the first and second floor main attractions stick around for one or two years, while the fourth floor and lower level exhibitions change every three and six months.

Jewish Children’s Museum

792 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn 718-467-0600 jcm.museum Who wouldn’t have a good time playing Jewpardy and Spiel of Fortune in a very realistic game-show studio? The 50,000-squarefoot, six-story building is loaded with interactive high-tech exhibits teaching children about the Torah and Jewish life. A crawlthrough giant challah, a Jacuzzi-size bowl of chicken soup, and an overgrown kiddush cup offer a fun Shabbat experience. Walk through the seven days of creation, stand at Har Sinai, dress up and reenact the Purim story -there are endless activities here!

New York Hall of Science 47-01 111th Street, Queens (718) 699-0005 info@nysci. org Features more than 450 interactive exhibits, including the award-winning Science Playground, Preschool Place, and the new Rocket Park Mini Golf.

Prospect Park Zoo

450 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn (718) 399-7339 prospectparkzoo.com Prospect Park focuses on educational exhibits that promote wildlife exploration. Children can watch baboon families interact in their natural environment, walk among prairie dogs and red pandas, or feed barnyard friends such as goats, alpacas, and, a favorite, Aggie the cow.

Staten Island Children’s Museum

1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301 (718) 273-2060 statenislandkids.org The Museum features an insect exhibit with a human size ant hill and a theatre complete with costumes and props for children to play with. At 3pm, children can feed the Museum’s collection of guinea pigs, fish, toads and bugs.

The museum is also fronted by broad lawns which are perfect for games and picnics. In addition, workshops, performances and special events are presented year round.

Attraction Stores American Girl Place

609 Fifth Avenue at 49th Street, New York americangirl.com You’ll find “boutiques” for different types of American Girl dolls where you can explore outfits, accessories, and furniture that help make every doll’s world complete, a Doll Hair Salon where you can choose a new hairdo for your doll and maybe a facial scrub or an ear piercing. The store also has a photo studio. Check the website for special events.

Build-A-Bear Workshop

565 Fifth Avenue, New York buildabear.com The biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop in the world and features “local hero” outfits (bear-sized FDNY and NYPD uniforms). Kids and parents have great fun creating their very own customized furry friend.

FAO Schwartz

767 5th Avenue, New York (212) 644-9400 fao.com For nearly 150 years, FAO Schwarz has enchanted children and adults alike with its unequaled collection of toys and other fine children’s products. The store features a breathtaking Grand Hall adorned with more than 20,000 computer-controlled colored lights, a giant danceon piano keyboard, store mascots who meet-and-greet.

Stuffed animals are a specialty: and where else in the world could you walk in and find a giant stuffed elephant? (Price tag: $15,000).

The Scholastic Store

557 Broadway, New York (212) 343-6166 scholastic.com/sohostore The store has big colorful displays featuring favorite book characters, daily events, an Activity Loft with crafts and organized activities, and a demo area to test toys and games.

Toys R Us in Times Square

1514 Broadway, New York (646) 366-8800 This 110,000 square foot toy store offers on-site “attractions” such as: a 60-foot tall indoor ferris wheel, a 34-foot animatronic Jurassic Park T-Rex, Barbie’s Dollhouse that spans two floors, life-size Candyland board game, and a giant skyline of NYC built with LEGO bricks. In the “Filled with Love” area, kids make their own plush animal toy with official birth certificate.

This mega- toy store also has special events and performances (bubble artists, preschool bands...)

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Double Tree by Hilton www.WillowValley.com 800-444-1714 This remodeled hotel (formerly Willow Valley) is a beautiful and relaxing mini vacation spot for families. The hotel has an indoor kiddie pool with slides and sprinklers, daily activities for kids, a duck pond with a gazebo, and a great playground.

There are many area attractions, here a few to get you started: Dutch Wonderland Hershey Park Cherry Crest Adventure Farms Farmland Horse & buggy Rides

Poconos, Pennsylvania The Village at Pocono www.villageatpocono.com

800- 2-Pocono

This beautiful hotel is a great getaway for families. The villas are modern and clean and are surrounded by picturesque woods.

The hotel has an indoor pool with rock waterfall and palm trees, fireside lounge, game room with ping pong, air hockey, a pool table (all free of charge). There are tennis and basketball courts (equipment is free). Take a stroll along the trails, have a picnic in a gazebo, or let the kids play in the playground.

There are many area attractions, here a few to get you started: Snowtubing in the winter Whitewater Rafting in the spring Pocono Raceway Paintball Boating and Fishing Stock Car Racing

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By Avi Fishoff & Yaakov Shain

Chapter 2: Getting real with understanding GPS! Navigation for Your Soul

our relationship with Hashem

‫"נמצא כי יפליג הכתוב באהבת השם יתברך את ישראל‬ ”.‫כאב לבן מכל צד שאפשר שתהיה האהבה ביניהם‬ ‫ספר העיקרים מאמר שלישי פרק ל"ז‬ Sefer Ha’Ikrim: “The Torah emphasizes that the love Hashem feels toward Klal Yisrael is comparable in every way to a father's love for his child.”

Hashem has been caring for us for a very long time; let’s roll back the tape to when we became His nation: ”!‫ בני בכרי ישראל‬:'‫“כה אמר ה‬ ‫כב‬:‫שמות ד‬

“So said Hashem: My firstborn son is Yisrael!”

“My firstborn son” is a symbolic term of affection and love. Just as a firstborn has a special place in his parents’ hearts, so too Klal Yisrael is Hashem’s most worthy and beloved people!

Let’s stop and think about this for a moment: If G-d decided to select one nation from the entire planet to be His “chosen” people for all of time, don’t you think it should have been the most successful people on the planet?

... ‫“בחירת הקדוש ברוך הוא בישראל להיות לו לעם‬ ,‫לא היתה כאשר הם כבני מלכים‬ ”!‫אלא בהיותם בתכלית שפל המצב‬ ‫נתיבות שלום חלק ב' עמוד שס“ד‬

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Imagine the SHOCK when He chose a broken people who were physically enslaved, emotionally broken, and spiritually corrupt!

We were extremely LOW in every category: Physically, we were poor and powerless slaves!

Emotionally, we were swallowed up by our masters with no voice of our own! Spiritually, we had drifted far from the lofty levels of our Holy Avos and the twelve sons of Yaakov, and we were now lowly idol worshipers!

‫] שערי טומאה‬49[ ‫“במצב כזה שהיו שקועים במ“ט‬ ‫ונתונים בבית עבדים שיא השפלות ברוחניות‬ :‫ובגשמיות קורא להם הקדוש ברוך הוא‬ ‫׳בני בכורי ישראל‘ להודיע שלא מפני מעשיהם‬ ‫הטובים הם ׳בני׳ אלא הם בעצם‬ ”!‫בני בכורי וממילא אין נפקא מינה מה מצבם‬ '‫נתיבות שלום עניני חנוכה מאמר שני “חג האמונה והבטחון” אות ב‬

It was specifically when we were in this terribly low situation that Hashem referred to us with incredible love and pride, in order to PROVE to us for all of time that we were NOT chosen because of our ACTIONS; rather we are essentially His beloved child — and therefore His love for us is unconditional and indestructible!

‫ה‬-‫“שכדי להוציא את ישראל ממ״ט שערי טומאה הי‬ ‫הכרח שירד הקדוש ברוך הוא בגילוי שכינה‬ ‫אפילו בתוך מצרים והכל לגודל אהבתו יתברך את ישראל‬ ”!‫כדי להצילם ולעשותם עם הנבחר‬ ‫נתיבות שלום חלק ב' עניני פסח דף רס״ה‬

Hashem lowered Himself lekiak (so to speak) to “ux`d zexr” the most disgusting and perverted place on earth, in order to personally rescue His beloved children who were gasping for their last spiritual breath.

Hashem’s extraction of an unworthy people who had already given up on themselves, and then His appointing these people to be His exalted chosen nation and ambassador to the world, was an outrageously monumental event as shocking as a toothless janitor winning the lottery and then being asked to marry the princess of England on the same day!

‫"אתם עמוסים ונשואים מבטן ומרחם אמכם‬ ... ‫וכן אשא ואסבול עלי אתכם עד שיבה‬ ”!‫כל ימיכם לא אטוש אתכם‬ ‫ג‬:‫רד"ק ישעיהו מו‬

Hashem told us: “You have been carried as a child in a mother’s womb, and so I will carry you and I will tolerate you until the end of time … all of your days [good and bad] and I will never leave you forever.”

(What an amazing Hallmark card this would make!)

This answers another question: Why did Hashem rescue us from Mitzrayim specifically while we were immersed in the lowest level of tumah?

‫"ואף שהיה ביד הקדוש ברוך הוא לטהר אותם ממ"ט‬ ‫] שערי טומאה ותפסוק זוהמתם עוד קודם יציאת‬49[ ‫ חפץ הקדוש ברוך הוא להראות לישראל‬,‫מצרים‬ ‫לדורות שהוציא אותם כשהיו בתכלית שפל המצב ללמד‬ ”!‫שגם במצב כזה לא כהתה אהבתו יתברך להם‬ "‫נתיבות שלום עניני חנוכה מאמר שני "חג האמונה והבטחון‬

Had Hashem pulled us out of Mitzrayim when we were on a higher level, then in the future, if we would ever spiral down below the level we were on when Hashem took us out of Egypt, we might think that Hashem does NOT love us anymore!

When a son comes to his father with a test mark of

“80” and his father still shows that he loves his son and is proud to be his father, then the son will only know that his father feels that way as long as he gets at least an “80.” But if a son comes home with a “0” and the father STILL pours out his love, pride, and affection, then the child knows that his father’s love is truly UNCONDITIONAL! Had Hashem taken us out of Mitzrayim while we were on the “30th” level of spiritual contamination — then we would have no way to know that we are STILL the apple of His eye and He is STILL crazy about us if we would ever sink below that level in the future!

So it turns out that the reason that Hashem arranged that the Jews in Egypt 3,000+ years ago would be at the lowest level when He called them “My beloved firstborn child” was because He wanted to send YOU — yes, YOU — a clear message: YOU should know and internalize that I truly love YOU, and nothing you do can ever diminish My love for you!!

But it Gets Even Better! :‫״ישראל נקראו בנים שנאמר‬ )‫א‬:‫’ (דברים יד‬.‫׳בנים אתם לה' אלקיכם‬ :‫ומלאכי השרת נקראו בנים שנאמר‬ )‫ו‬:‫’ (איוב א‬.‫׳ויבואו בני האלקים‬ :‫ כשהוא אומר‬.‫״ואי אתה יודע איזה אהוב מהם‬ )‫כב‬:‫’ (שמות ד‬.‫׳בני בכורי ישראל‬ ”!!!‫[ישראל] אתם חביבין לפני יותר ממלאכי השרת‬ ‫מסכתות קטנות מסכת אבות דרבי נתן נוסחא ב' פרק מ“ד‬

The Medrash says: “The Yidden are called Hashem’s “children” and angels are also called Hashem’s “children” — but which “child” does Hashem loves more?”

Now hold on a second — this is absolutely incredible!

Angels NEVER sin! Angels NEVER mess up! Angels NEVER go against the will of Hashem! Yet, there is still a question of whether Hashem loves YOU even more than He loves an angel!?! That’s truly amazing!

But the answer — is even MORE amazing!

The Medrash answers: “Since it says ‘MY FIRSTBORN

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SON YISRAEL’ — and that is a term of love and affection — this proves that the Yidden are MORE BELOVED THAN ANGELS!” This is almost impossible to imagine!

But wait — it gets even MORE amazing!

GPS! Navigation for Your Soul

The PROOF that Hashem loves every Jew more than He loves heavenly angels comes from the pasuk that Hashem used to describe the Yidden while we were slaves in Mitzrayim and doing what …? That’s right: SERVING IDOLS!

Do you realize what this means?

Hashem LOVES a spiritually contaminated Yid who is defying G-d in the worst possible way — even MORE than He loves pure divine angels!

Yes, you read that right! This proves that even if you REBEL against Hashem in the WORST POSSIBLE WAY — He still LOVES YOU and wants to be close to you!

Don’t believe us? Read this: ‫ אפילו מכעיסין וממרים לפניו‬:‫“ה' אלקיו עמו‬ ”!‫אינו זז מתוכן‬ ‫כא‬:‫רש“י פרשת בלק כג‬

When the Torah says “Hashem, your G-d, is with you,” it means that even if you REBEL and ANGER Him — He will NEVER leave your side!

Authentic Yiddishkeit believes that Hashem loves a Jew who is on the LOWEST POSSIBLE LEVEL — even more than He loves a perfect holy angel on the HIGHEST level!

‫“בן המלך נשאר תמיד בן המלך‬ ”!‫בכל המצבים שנמצא‬ ‫הרב הקדוש מ'רוזין זי“ע מובא בספר נתיבות שלום עניני פורים עמוד נ“ה‬

“A prince always remains a prince, regardless of what situation he is in!”

Even if you are not loyal to Hashem and you do not uphold your side of the relationship — the fact remains that you are still a SON and

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Hashem is still your FATHER and this title can never be revoked!

This is truly something to be thankful for — and we certainly are! ‫“ברוך המקום ברוך הוא‬ .‫ברוך שנתן תורה לעמו ישראל ברוך הוא‬ :‫כנגד ארבעה בנים דברה תורה‬ ,‫ אחד תם‬,‫ אחד רשע‬,‫אחד חכם‬ ”.‫ואחד שאינו יודע לשאול‬ ‫הגדה של פסח‬

Every year on Pesach we say these famous words from the Haggadah: “Blessed is He who is everywhere, blessed is He, blessed is He who gave Klal Yisrael the Torah, blessed is He! The Torah speaks to the four types of children: the wise, the wicked, the simpleton, and the one who does not know to ask.”

Now let’s look deeper and uncover an incredible message:

‫“ענין ההקדמה הזאת מהמגיד לומר ד' פעמים‬ ‫בלשון ׳ברוך’ והודיה להשם יתברך היא על זה‬ ”!‫[גופא] שדברה תורה כנגד ד' בנים‬ ‫ספר נתיבות שלום חלק ב' עניני פסח רנ“ג‬

The reason that the Haggadah begins with praising Hashem FOUR times, is to acknowledge and thank Hashem for wanting to engage each of the FOUR types of children!

In essence, we say: BLESS YOU, Hashem, for accepting and wanting to have a relationship with EVERY kind of person; the WISE, the WICKED, the SIMPLETON, and even the one who doesn’t even have a clue!

But wait — it gets SOOOO MUCH BETTER!!! ‫“היינו שיש בה עניני חיזוק בעבודת ה' לכל אחד‬ ‫באשר הוא שבכל מצביו הרוחניים יכול להתחזק‬ ”!‫כי לבן נחשב לפני המקום‬ ‫ספר נתיבות שלום חלק ב' עניני פסח רנ“ג‬

The Haggadah is not just referring to four different people — it is also referring to EACH PERSON: Sometimes you proudly act like a WISE person.

However other times, you may find yourself acting out like a WICKED sinful person! Then there are times that you act and think without any depth — just like a SIMPLETON! And sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where you are so lost that you just don’t even know what to say!

The message is very clear: ‫“הן אם הוא במצב של בן חכם‬ ‫והן אם הוא במצב של בן רשע‬ ‫יש לו את התואר 'בן' ויש לו תשובה‬ ”!‫על השאלות המעיקות עליו‬ ‫ספר נתיבות שלום חלק ב' עניני פסח רנ“ג‬

Authentic Yiddishkeit believes that whatever situation you will ever find yourself in, you will always retain your title of being Hashem’s beloved SON, and Hashem is always ready, willing, and available to communicate with you!

Now we can uncover something very special: ‫ ברוך אתה ה' אלוקי ישראל‬:‫“ויאמר דוד‬ ”!‫אבינו מעולם ועד עולם‬ ‫תפילת שחרית‬

Dovid HaMelech says: “Blessed are You, Hashem, the Lord of Yisrael, our Father forever and ever.”

The word “mler” can have two meanings: “forever” or “world.” Although the simple meaning in this verse is “forever,” we can also explain the verse using the meaning “world.”

‫ אתה אלוקי ישראל‬:‫“פירוש‬ !‫הנך 'אבינו' באיזה 'עולם’ שאנו נמצאים‬ ,’‫כמו שהנך אבינו במצב של 'אסק שמים שם אתה‬ ”!‫ 'ואציעה שאול’ — הנך אבינו‬,‫כך גם‬ .‫ספר נתיבות שלום חלק א' דף נ‬

The verse now reads: “Blessed are You, Hashem, the Lord of Klal Yisrael, OUR FATHER regardless of which ‘world’ we are in!” Just as when you find yourself immersed in a world of spirituality and holiness you know and believe that Hashem is

your Father, so too, when you are immersed in filthy activities — you must know and believe that Hashem is still your Father! That is certainly something to thank Hashem for! ‫“החטא הגדול ביותר‬ ”!‫כשיהודי שוכח שהוא בן מלך‬ ‫ר' שלמה מקארלין מובא בספר פתגמים נבחרים‬

Therefore, the greatest mistake you can possibly make is to forget that no matter what — YOU ARE A PRINCE! The SON of the Creator and Master of the Universe!

The trick is to LIVE with this feeling on a daily basis ‫“יהודי מזכיר את יציאת מצרים ב' פעמים בכל יום בבוקר‬ ‫ובערב לידע שהקדוש ברוך הוא הוציא את ישראל מארץ‬ ,‫] שערי טומאה‬49[ ‫מצרים בהיותם משוקעים במ״ט‬ ”!‫שזה יסוד האמונה כי חלק ה' עמו יעקב חבל נחלתו‬ '‫נתיבות שלום עניני חנוכה אות ב‬

Every morning and every night of every day, everyone is required to recall that Hashem took us out of Egypt. Why on earth is this SO important to us that we need to always repeat the same story over and over?

The reason we recall this every “morning” and every “night” is to ingrain into ourselves that regardless of whether we are going through a period of “morning” or “night” — Hashem is right there by our side! We must INTERNALIZE that Hashem rescued us out of slavery even while we were on the LOWEST LEVEL of spiritual contamination! This is the foundation of our faith — not just our faith in Hashem — but the faith that we must have IN OURSELVES! You can never do anything to cause Hashem to give up on you and “write you off” …

So why give up on yourself?

To reach the authors: GPSFORYOURSOUL@gmail.com GPS! Navigation for Your Soul takes some of the brilliant concepts and themes of Nesivos Shalom and "translates" them into contermporary languge and terms. You will find answers to fundamental questions like: How can I know if Hashem still loves me? Is my essence damaged from the sins that I have done? Why does Hashem make me suffer? What is the current phase of our exile all about? And many, many more!

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The Philadelphia International Flower Show

By Maggie Mograby Every year Philadelphia hosts The Philadelphia International Flower Show, the world’s largest indoor flower show that lasts for one week in March. This year the show’s theme, Hawaii – Islands of Aloha, was beautifully presented by a host of contributors who spent eighteen months preparing for the show. For those of us dreaming of sunny islands, beautiful palm trees, and flowers emitting the luscious smell of summer, this show is the perfect tropical retreat!

Visitors were wowed as soon as they entered the hall, as a massive projection of Hawaiian waves cascaded overhead. The Hawaiian theme continued throughout the floor (more than 10 acres) with exhibits featuring palm trees, thousands of orchids, bamboo, lush ferns, and exotic Hawaiian flowers. Showcased was a twenty-eight foot tall waterfall in the center of the Hawaiian rainforest, as well as a beautiful rock garden and a surfer’s haven. Visitors even strolled alongside a glowing lava pit!

To make sure they will be blooming and beautiful, many of the exotic flowers actually came from Hawaii and other tropical areas such as Japan, New Zealand, and South America. However, others had to be tricked into full bloom by putting the perennials and shrubs into controlled conditions of the perfect light and temperature.

The flower show doesn’t only feature large landscape gardens; it also has a great variety of smaller arrangements that visitors can try at home. In fact, many demonstrations were shown on the art of ornamental horticulture, organic gardening, lawn care and floral care.

Many landscape designers created heavenly Hawaiian retreats that can be replicated in our own backyards.

Other designers created large floral arrangements that presented different aspects of Hawaiian art and culture. Gorgeous tablescapes were displayed featuring many creative ways to decorate using an explosion of colorful flowers.

The Philadelphia International Flower Show strives to strike a balance between big, showy set-pieces and more down to earth gardening ideas that visiting amateurs can replicate at home.

Photography Maggie Mograby

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The Philadelphia International Flower Show

10th annual

���� ��l�

��i���� �u��i�� and

in memory of r’ kuessous a’’h

Tuesday April 24, 2012 at the home of

Ezra & Joyce Erani 1432 East 8th St. Doors open: 9:00 am Drawing: 9:00 pm 12:45 p.m. Guest speaker:

R’ meyer yedid

Ho�te����:

Lauren Shalam • Adele Raful Tzivi Gluck • Beilu Freund • Rivky Klein Baila Koplowitz • Chana Langsam

Info:

Frieda Toussoun: 347.219.3334 Esther Ozeri: 718.627.3304 Miriam Benedek: 718.986.8687

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The Philadelphia International Flower Show

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Seasonal Allergies

Health & Nutrition

By Dr. Jack Sadacka, M.D. Early last week a patient was complaining that she was unable to distinguish whether she was suffering from a cold or allergies. In fact, it can be difficult to differentiate between the common cold and rhinitis- the technical name for hay fever.

However, normally a cold will last between seven to fourteen days. Seasonal allergies extend as long as the allergen is present in the environment.

The following are cold and allergy symptoms that overlap: runny nose, watery eyes, coughing, sneezing, and fatigue. Besides the duration there are other differences: colds can be accomplished by aches, pains, and sometimes fever. Mucus in colds tends to be yellowish-green, in allergies mucus is almost always clear.

According to the FDA as many as 30 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, approximately 6 million of whom are children.

Thanks in part to a mild winter, this year allergy season is two to three weeks ahead of schedule.

Firstly, let’s explain the basics about allergies.

Normally the immune system protects our body against harmful substances, such as bacteria and viruses. However, in people with allergies there seems to be a case of mistaken identity.

The immune system reacts to a normally harmless substance in the environment. Once these allergens come into contact with specific antigens in our blood they trigger a response and histamine is released.

Histamine can cause airways to tighten and blood vessels to become more permeable. Moreover, most cells produce a chemical activated by allergens called eicosanoids. They can either be “good” or “bad” and have opposing actions. A balance of these opposing actions are good for our health, and imbalance can be responsible for a range of reactions that can be uncomfortable to dangerous.

Avoiding the cause of your allergies is recommended. If you are unaware as to what you’re allergic to, this can be difficult. You might want to consider allergy testing which can be done through a blood test or skin tests.

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The next step is how to deal with allergies.

- Treatments should begin a month before allergy season begins in order to boost your immune system.

- During hay fever season, keep track of pollen counts and avoid exposure if possible, by limiting your time outdoors. - If pollen forecasts are high, you can opt for a facemask if you must work outdoors.

- Keep windows and doors closed.

- Filter the air in your home and car. Pollen will collect on your personal items, so avoid drying bedding and clothes outdoors.

- Bathe nightly, and wash your hair in hot water after outdoor exposure to remove molds and pollen.

Diet can make a difference. Avoid dairy products which are known to thicken the consistency of mucus and increase irritation. Eat foods that can reduce mucus production such as lemons, pickles, garlic, onions, horseradish, parsley and watercress. Fruits and vegetables particularly rich in antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids can also reduce mucus buildup and ease inflammation.

Warm fluids, even warm milk are valuable options that can help loosen mucus and congestion.

Still, if simple treatments like those listed above are not sufficiently controlling your symptoms, your healthcare provider can offer you many options such as topical steroids, nasal sprays, oral antihistamines, nasal spray anti-histamines, prescription eye drops, nasal lavage, and allergy shots- all of which are proven effective.

A word of caution- many over the counter allergy options can elevate blood pressure and heart rate, so be sure and check with your doctor before using them.

You don’t have to be miserable during allergy season. Develop a plan. A good combination approach you can not only survive, but thrive in the spring!

Dr. Jack Sadacka M.D. is a Board Certified Pediatrician in practice for 20 years. Serving the community at 813 Quentin Road.

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You Are What You Eat Lettuce

Health & Nutrition

Regular inclusion of lettuce in salads is known to prevent osteoporosis, iron deficiency anemia and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases, ARMD, Alzheimer’s disease and cancers.

Red and dark green leafy vegetables are generally higher in nutrients than light-colored greens.

Green leaves are nutrient rich because they contain the light-catching, energy-converting machinery of plants.

Salad greens contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium, folate, fiber, and phytonutrients (which act as antioxidants, helping to prevent chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.)

Only 7 calories per 1 cup serving. Satisfy your appetite with lettuce- it’s high in volume but low in calories.

Walnuts Although they are high in fat and calories, walnuts aid in weight loss and prevention of obesity. Obesity has been clearly identified by researchers as involving chronic, unwanted inflammation. Walnuts are unique in their collection of antiinflammatory nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids and phytonutrients. Most everyday diets could remain correctly balanced in terms of calories and fat while still including fairly generous amounts of walnuts (1-3 ounces).

Walnuts also have a rich concentration of antioxidants, Vitamin E, and fiber among other nutrients.

Incorporating walnuts in a healthy diet reduces the risk of heart disease by improving blood vessel elasticity and plaque accumulation. Walnuts have also been shown to aid in the lowering LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and the C-Reactive Protein (CRP).

Red Wine

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The skins and seeds of red grapes carry a particularly powerful antioxidant called resveratrol. When red wine is made, the skins and seeds are fermented in the grapes’ juices, causing red wine to have high levels of resveratrol.

Resveratrol may help reduce the risk for heart disease and strokes.

Drinking 1 glass a day has shown to decrease coronary heart disease.

Resveratrol has blood-thinning capabilities, which helps prevent blood clots from forming. In addition, resveratrol lowers levels of LDL, (“bad” cholesterol) in the blood, preventing the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

The sweeter the wine, the fewer the antioxidants.

Neither the American Heart Association nor the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommend that you start drinking alcohol just to prevent heart disease. Alcohol can be addictive and can cause or worsen other health problems.

Beauty Tips DIY Carrot Scrub

By Esty Saadia All you need is: Carrots are fully packed with vitamins that are extremely good for your skin!

Vitamin A: Helps keep skin healthy and encourages cell & tissue growth.

Antioxidants: Protect your skin from the inside out by guarding your cells from damage and fortifying cells against free radicals.

Beta carotene: It’s the plant pigment that give carrots the beautiful orange color. When you eat foods with beta carotene your body converts it to retinol.

Retinol is the purest form or vitamin A. Retinol applied topically helps reduce acne and helps with acne scar by producing collagen.

To try it at home, make your own carrot scrub. It’s easy, cheap and great for your skin.

½ cup carrot juice (blend carrots in a blender/ store bought 100% carrot juice/carrots baby jar) 1tsp honey ¼ cup sugar Mix it all together and soak a cotton pad in the mixture, then scrub the dead skin cells off your face. Leave the scrub on for 5 minutes then rinse your face.

Your face should feel refreshed and brighter.

Don’t forget to wear sunscreen because the scrub might make your skin sensitive to sun light.

Esty Saadia is a freelance makeup artists. Her technique is referred to as elegant & sophisticated She’s known for her ability to enhance with minimal makeup & create a luminous, fresh look.

718-419-1848

Sephardic community center invites you to

Mother’s Day Walk-a-Thon Sunday, may 13 at 10:00 am at the Coney

Island Boardwalk

alSo, join uS at 8:45 am for vinyaSa yoga on the beach with diana treglia Free shuttle buses leaving from the SCC • Light breakfast will be served To sign-up, contact Frieda Tawil at Frieda@sCClive.org or 718-954-3146.

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The Bitter Side of Sweeteners

By Judith Tobal Betesh

value from them. As bad as sugar is in terms of processing, artificial sweeteners are even worse.

There are many different types of sugar and the topic of sugar substitutes can be complex and confusing. One problem is that the terminology regarding sugar substitutes is often open to interpretation. For instance, some manufacturers call their sweeteners “natural” even though they’re processed or refined, as is the case with stevia preparations. And some artificial sweeteners are derived from naturally occurring substances — sucralose comes from sugar, for example.

Health & Nutrition

Glycemic Index

The glycemic index is a comparative measurement of the amount of glucose released by a particular food over a two to three-hour period. When carbohydrates are digested, glucose is released into the bloodstream.

Foods ranked low on the GI scale release glucose slowly and steadily without a sudden spike of glucose in the blood.

A spike in glucose results in a large insulin release, which is more likely to store glucose as fat rather than use it as fuel.

Plus a high release of insulin often results in a rapid drop in blood sugar, causing hunger. So you eat candy. Your blood sugar spikes. Insulin is released. Your blood sugar drops. You eat more candy. The sugar rollercoaster ride begins.

Sugar poses enough health risks that it should be considered a controlled substance just like alcohol and tobacco, contend a team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco Through the actions of insulin, our bodies either use or store incoming glucose (either as muscle or liver glycogen or as fat). It doesn’t matter if that incoming sugar is in the form of sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, or agave nectar…the body knows that it is sugar and breaks it down accordingly.

Sugar is and will always be an empty calorie. Sure, with foods like honey and molasses, you get a few vitamins, but caloriefor-calorie, sugar, in all of its forms, is just empty calories compared to meat, vegetables, fruit, and nuts . It has few, if any, vitamins and minerals. It actually robs the body of the nutrients required for the body to process it. Sugar sends your blood sugar sky high where it does damage to your arteries. Your insulin then shoots up, clearing out the sugar, sending you into a hypoglycemic funk, and ruining your insulin sensitivity.

Sugar is also exceedingly easy to overconsume. A single tablespoon of sugar is nearly 50 calories. That pan of brownies you’re staring down? There’s probably 20-30 tablespoons of sugar in there, so you can figure out how much is in that 3” square that goes down so easily. My blood sugar is skyrocketing just thinking about it. The main reason that people find artificial sweeteners to be a better choice is that they have no calories. However, the body is unable to process them and as such, cannot derive any nutritional

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Artificial Sweeteners Never a Healthy Sugar Alternative.

All artificial chemical sweeteners are toxic and can indirectly lead to weight gain, the very reason many people consume them. They should be avoided. In fact, given a choice between high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup is recommended by far (though it’s essentially asking if you should consume poison or worse poison).

Stevia (GI Ranking: 0) Best Healthy Sugar Alternative Though it is 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar, stevia is not a sugar. Unlike other popular sweeteners, it has a glycemic index rating of less than 1 and therefore does not feed candida (yeast) or cause any of the numerous other problems associated with sugar consumption. Please note that Stevia and Truvia are not the same thing.

Xylitol (GI Ranking: 7)

Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol sweetener found in the fibers of fruits and vegetables which can cause bloating, diarrhea, and flatulence with initial consumption. It’s said to be safe for pregnant women, and is said to possibly treat ear infections, osteoposis, respiratory infections, candida, and is it even helps fight cavities. In fact, in Finland, virtually all chewing gum is sweetened with xylitol.

Agave Nectar (GI Ranking: 15-30) Agave is, for all intents and purposes, highly concentrated sugar and neither a natural food or organic. Fully chemically processed sap from the agave plant is known as hydrolyzed

high fructose inulin syrup. It needs to be hydrolyzed so that the complex fructosans are “broken down” into fructose units or it won’t be sweet. Agave is almost all fructose, highly processed sugar with great marketing. Agave syrup is about 16 calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar. Depending upon where the agave comes from and the amount of heat used to proc­ess it, your agave syrup can be anywhere from 55 percent to 90 percent fructose, whereas sugar and honey are closer to 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Fructose is much sweeter than glucose, and this chemical makeup also explains why the glycemic index is lower (it only takes glucose into account). This range of fructose content hardly makes agave syrup a logical choice if you’re hoping to avoid the high levels of fructose in HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)

Fructose (GI Ranking: 17) Though fructose has a low glycemic index rating, fructose consumption should be limited. Fructose is linked to heart disease as it raises triglycerides and cholesterol. It is devoid of nutrition.

Turbinado (GI Ranking: 65) Turbinado sugar is partially processed sugar, also called raw sugar.

Raw Sugar (GI Ranking: 65) Raw sugar is not actually raw sugar. It is processed, though not as refined as common white table sugar. Therefore, given a choice between raw and white, choose raw. There are many different variations of raw sugar with many different names depending on how refined it is.

Corn Syrup (GI Ranking: 75) Corn syrup has very little nutrition and should be avoided.

Refined, Pasteurized Honey (GI Ranking: 75) The nutrition is gone, and there is often high fructose corn syrup added to processed honey. Refined pasteurized honey is no better than white table sugar.

Raw Honey (GI Ranking: 30) A Healthy Sugar Alternative in moderation.

With antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients, raw, unprocessed honey is considered a superfood by many alternative health care practitioners and a remedy for many health ailments. Choose your honey wisely. There is nothing beneficial about processed honey.

Refined Table Sugar GI Ranking: 80) Conventionally grown, chemically processed, and stripped of all beneficial properties, many health advocates believe that refined sugar is one of the two leading causes (high fructose corn syrup is the other) of nearly every health ailment known to man (or woman or child). Not only does it have a high GI ranking, but it also is extremely acidic to the body causing calcium and other mineral depletion from bones and organs (sugar is alkaline but has a very acidic effect on the body).

Barley Malt Syrup (GI Ranking: 42) Barley malt syrup is considered to be one of the healthiest sweeteners in the natural food industry. Barley malt is made by soaking and sprouting barley to make malt, then combining it with more barley and cooking this mixture until the starch is converted to sugar. The mash is then strained and cooked down to syrup or dried into powder.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (GI Ranking: 87) Many health advocates believe that high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar are the two biggest contributors to health ailments in our society. High fructose corn syrup is a combination of sucrose and fructose.

Sugar Cane Juice (GI Ranking: 43) Healthy Sugar Alternative in moderation Sugar cane juice has many nutrients and other beneficial properties and is said by some health practitioners to be almost as medicinal as raw honey.

Organic Sugar (GI Ranking: 47) Organic sugar comes from sugar cane grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides. It is usually darker than traditional white sugar because it contains some molasses. (It has not been processed to the degree white sugar is processed).

Maple Syrup (GI Ranking: 54) Maple syrup is made by boiling sap collected from natural growth maple trees during March & April. It is refined sap and is therefore processed. It has a high glycemic index, and though it is much more nutritious then refined table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, there are better choices.

Evaporated Cane Juice (GI Ranking: 55) Evaporated cane juice is often considered unrefined sugar, but juicing is a refining process, and evaporating refines further.

Unevaporated cane juice is a better choice as a sweetener.

Glucose (AKA Dextrose) (GI Ranking: 100) White bread was the benchmark, but for consistency glucose now holds the rating at 100.

Maltodextrin (GI Ranking: 150) Foods that have maltodextrin often say “Low Sugar” or “Complex Carbohydrate”, but this sweetener should be avoided!

Please note that the glycemic index numbers here are estimates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends substituting foods with naturally occurring sugars in them, like fruits, vegetables and milk products for foods with sugars that are added during food processing. That way, you avoid eating empty calories, since foods with added sugars tend to have fewer nutrients than foods with naturally occurring sugars. Instead of snacking on cookies, candy or chips, try fruit, low-fat cheese or vegetables. Once you get used to the taste of foods that don’t have added or processed sweeteners, you’ll find that not only are they good for you, they taste good, too!

For all things health related you can follow Judith’s blog at www.elvirasallnatural.blogspot.com

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Afikoman Toy Guide The Coolest New Toys at

Just For Kids

The American International Toy Fair 2012

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littleBits is the hottest new educational toy on the market. littleBits is a system of electronic modules that snap together with tiny magnets for prototyping and play.

No soldering, no wiring, no programming, just snap and play.

Rockboard takes boarding to an all new level in Spring 2012 with the brand-new Descender, the first of its kind! Featuring innovative highperformance treads never before applied to the boarding experience, this unique cross-over board bridges the gap for summer and winter outdoor sports enthusiasts to enable riders to “surf” down grass and allterrain hills. With its four treads positioned around triple sets of wheels for maximum traction and power, The Descender extends the fun of snowboarding and surfing into every season.

Ages: 8+ Price: $120.00

Legendary doll-maker M a d a m e Alexander showcased some beautiful new cloth play dolls featuring characters from beloved books such as Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious and Angelina Ballerina. Dolls suitable for all ages, prices range from approx. $40-$60.

Hitting stores in summer 2012, the all-new Chuggington Die-Cast Railway track system will allow fans to combine both train and construction play patterns for a whole new play experience. The new track system enables fans to build track layouts vertically for the first time by providing the stability required to achieve tall, spiraling layouts.

Easy to connect and simple enough for preschoolers to build on their own, the new track system is a durable and sturdy solution for adding elevation to train sets and creating amazing action.

Starting at $14.99

The new DUPLO Read and Build sets blend reading with construction play, encouraging youngsters to build along with the story line. The DUPLO bricks are oversized, and designed specifically for small hands, but are still compatible with the classic bricks that may already be in your collection.

The packaging doubles as storage, making clean up a breeze.

Ages: 1½ + Price: $12.99

The Crayola Digital Light Designer uses a light pen on a 360-degree domed drawing surface, so kids can create with colored, LED lights.

Three different modes allow kids to create dynamic freehand drawings with special effects and animations.

Ages: 6 + Price: $49.99.

Sbyke P-16 is the next evolution of the scooter for kids. Featuring a 16” front BMX wheel, wide maple deck for side-by-side foot placement, patented rear-steering truck technology, and the control of a hand brake.

Ages: 5+

In Fall 2012 the Air Hogs Battle Tracker brings battle play to a new level! There are 3 ways to play. Engage in an interactive battle between the all new disc firing helicopter and the missile firing Automated Robot Turret. Choose autonomous control to have the turret track and attack the helicopter automatically or take manual control of the turret and launch the 12 missiles via remote control! Fly the helicopter into position and shoot up to 7 rapid-fire discs to deactivate the turret and claim victory.

Ages 8 + Price: $99.99

Clocking in at over 4 feet tall and with more than 37 feet of track, the Atomic Coaster is “explosive” building fun for every K’NEX fan! With exciting twists & turns, bright colors, and motorized action this dueling coaster set will leave kids wondering who will make it to the bottom first! Includes over 850 K’NEX pieces, a motorized, vertical chain lift to launch the 2 dueling coasters, and 2 tracks guaranteed to induce a jaw-dropping building/racing experience. Also includes stepby-step, color-coded building instructions.

Ages: 9+

Fall 2012 brings the introduction of the newest darling pony in the Furreal Friends family – Baby Butterscotch, My Magical Show Pony pet, a miniature pony to cuddle and care for! Baby Butterscotch pony comes to life via animated facial expressions and lifelike pony sounds. The pony responds to you by moving her head, blinking her eyes, moving her ears and letting out a sweet whinny to show her excitement. Her soft, poseable legs make the pony perfect for cuddling…nuzzle with her and she will nuzzle right back! Baby Butterscotch pony will gently snore, nibbles on her carrot, and responds to petting with happy neighing sounds and lifelike movement.

Ages: 4 + Price: $119.99

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