lovetalla@lovetalla Fellow moms…Our day is approaching. Prepare yourselves…⁠⁠I remember my first Mother’s Day. May 2019. Lex was almost 5 months old; I was slowly dying in the throes of newborn hell. Zach asked me what I would like to do for my very first Mother’s Day. I excitedly told him that there is an adventure park near Austin that has zip lining, water slides, food, drinks…otherwise known as fun, which was something I was not having very much of during those months. His reply to me was…How will you do all these activities with a newborn in tow? Honestly, in my mind I was at that adventure park celebrating my very 1st Mother’s Day BY MYSELF. No baby. No husband. Just me, the zip lines, the wind through my hair and the fun. ⁠⁠Don’t get caught off guard this year. In case your baby daddy or baby mommy asks you what you want for Mother’s Day, here are some of my fave faves so you don’t end up with yet another robe. ⁠⁠PS. I love robes so that would be a win for me but according to Tina Fey, not everyone mom wants a robe. ⁠⁠Talla Approved Mother's Day Gifts ⁠⁠1)Shameless Love Talla plug: A fingerprint necklace of your baby or babies’ fingerprint(s) (or footprint) to cherish all the moments…even the tough ones. ⁠⁠Only 11 days left to order & upload fingerprints/footprints/paw prints to have the necklace in your hands before Mother’s Day!⁠⁠2)A day or night away! An adventure park, spa, or even just a hotel room that has room service + a fully charged iPad so you can truly Netflix & Chill ⁠⁠3)Matching Mommy & Me Tie Dye Lounge Wear from @shopmilaandme customized with whatever you want by @frankiejean. I got Mommy & Monkey for Lex and me plus a combo tie dye of our fave colors: pink & purple ⁠⁠4)Turn your baby’s first picture (ultrasound or little embryo photo for my IVF mommies) into a stunning piece of art from @kelmurphydesigns to cherish for a lifetime. ⁠⁠pic of me and 5 month old Lexi looking out at the ocean @rosewoodmiramarbeach⁠⁠#happymothersday #momsday⁠#momgiftideas #giftsformoms #shopformom #lovetalla #fingerprintnecklacesMARCH 24 • View on Instagramlovetalla@lovetalla Happy Nowruz Everyone! ⁠⁠Happy Spring equinox. March 20 @ 10:33 am CDT: A time of rebirth, rejuvenation, and renewal after a long, cold winter. Ok so Austin hasn’t really been that cold this winter but I am ready for Bluebonnets and baby chicks! Bring on the Spring! ⁠⁠One of the more exciting customs of Persian New Year is to pass out crisp dollar (sometimes $5, $10 and in good economic years it was $50) bills by the elders of the family to the youngens. ⁠⁠One of my fondest memories I have of Persian New Year is of my grandfather Hamid Hamid. Yes, he had 2 first names and they were the same name. Not sure about the story behind that but I probably should ask my mom about it…I digress: my fondest memory is of Hamid Jaan (Jaan = term of endearment) throwing down $ from the banister of my childhood home. I realize now that he was “makin’ it rain” but in a totally wholesome way. ⁠⁠I remember the joy that my brother and I would feel waiting for those bills to rain down on us and the epic wrestling matches we got into trying to grab as much dough as possible. He wanted more @Nintendo games. I wanted the @Barbie dream house and matching dream car (no surprise there). ⁠⁠This Persian New Year I want to make sure that Lexi knows about her Persian roots. I have mentioned before that we are a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural family and it is important to me to present all the opportunities for her to learn about her Iranian culture. ⁠⁠Thanks to @mysensorycelebrations Lexi will be presenting all her preschool friends with a Persian New Year Sensory Kit and a cute little card explaining all about Nowruz and its many gifts. ⁠⁠#nowrouz #PersianNewYear #IranianCulture #springequinox #LoveTalla⁠MARCH 20 • View on Instagramlovetalla@lovetalla Happy Purim Queen Esther & Queen Vashti! Women’s History Month Lesson coming through...⁠⁠Esther - A story of bravery, palace intrigue, and, of course, the origins of Purim – has always held a special place in my heart ever since I learned about it in my “Becoming Jewish 101” classes. ⁠⁠On Purim we celebrate the story of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai, who thwarted a nefarious plot by Haman – advisor to the Persian King Ahasuerus – to annihilate the Israelites.⁠⁠I highly suggest you read about Queen Esther’s story of heroism BUT I also want to send a giant high 5 to Queen Vashti. Queen Vashti was the Persian King’s first wife. A stunning beauty unlike any other woman before her. She refused to allow the King to unveil her in front of the palace. He wanted to show off her beauty to his Princes and at that time it was synonymous to asking her to be naked in front of everyone. She refused! Stood her ground with the King and set her boundaries. Never faltered even when she knew he would end her life over it. I realize this story is very intense but man, check out her courage. Her refusal to bend to anyone or accept any abuse! I bow down to both Queens. ⁠⁠It was by no accident that in March 2017 I held my Bridal Shower on Purim. It was the perfect Purim/Bridal Shower Celebration: festive, costumes, all my Purim Princesses in attendance, more Persian food than anyone could ever eat, face painting, over-the-top-debauchery…it was Pure Purim Perfection. ⁠⁠#jewishholidays #hamantaschen #lovetalla #queenesther #queenvashtiMARCH 17 • View on Instagramlovetalla@lovetalla Sibling Grief…The Silent Grievers⁠⁠Maybe you know what it feels like to be a silent griever yourself and for that I am so sorry that you are part of this terrible club but many people who are lucky enough to have their siblings around don’t realize how lonely of a world it can be for the grieving sibling.⁠⁠We are known as the Silent Grievers. We are the ones who are met with the following words from well-intentioned people: ⁠⁠💚Oh my God. How are is your MOM?⁠💚Make sure to take care of your MOM!⁠💚Let me know if there’s anything I can do for your MOM.⁠⁠Let me just say that losing a child is unfathomable and I don’t even know how my mother survived losing my brother. This post is not intended to compare pain. It is intended to highlight how siblings and their right to grieve are mostly forgotten about. We have so much to navigate when we lose what was supposed to be our life partner that adding the extra weight of caring for our parent’s grief is not the most effective way to recognize our loss. If you know of a sibling who has experienced loss then here’s a little checklist for you to remember: ⁠⁠💚It’s ok to ask about their parents but also ask about them ⁠⁠💚Please ask about their sibling or share a memory you have of their sibling. It does not make them feel uncomfortable. Say their name. Say it often. ⁠⁠💚Their grief journey will be lifelong because their sibling was supposed to be with them all their life. It will never go away because their love for their sibling will never go away. ⁠⁠Reach out to people you know who have lost their brothers and/or sisters. We need you. ⁠⁠Thank you to @sibling.grief for the inspiration for this post and I am so sorry for the loss of your older brother⁠⁠#siblinggrief #lossofabrother #lossofasister #lossofalifetime #griefjourneyMARCH 10 • View on Instagram