March 20th, 2011
By Bonne Marcus
Your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah is just around the corner. Maybe you meant to start getting in shape sooner (like back in January) but it didn’t happen. But fear not. If you work hard now and set your mind to it, you can make big changes to your body in time.
Kick up your cardio workouts.
Aerobic exercise including bicycling, running, jumping rope, kickboxing, etc draw upon energy stores and are an excellent way to burn fat. You should do some form of cardio for 30-40 minutes 5 days a week. To get more out of your workouts, strive for three 30-minute interval training sessions each week. Interval training is short, high-intensity exercise periods alternated with periods of low intensity and a great way to burn a lot of calories. The
intensity should be raised above your comfortable level for a brief period, followed by a recovery period of lesser intensity. Interval cycles can range in time, length, and intensity. A typical duration might be 30 seconds of very high-intensity work, followed by one-and-a-half minutes of low-intensity recovery. For example, after you warm-up try running 1 minute on the treadmill at 6.0 mph, followed by jogging 90 seconds at 5.0 mph. Repeat this until you have completed 2 miles.
Get buff for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah
More than doing cardio, strength training is the most effective way to sculpt the body you desire! Minimize the (fill in the blank) jiggle by hitting the weights three days a week allowing 48 hours rest in between workouts. Choose a routine that combines upper and lower body moves. It will maximize your exercise efforts and minimize the time you spend in the gym. It’s all about training smarter, not longer. If you are feeling ambitious, design a circuit; do a series of exercises followed by 3 minutes cardio. You’ll raise the intensity of your workout, burn more calories and tighten up those trouble spots in one workout. A sample circuit might include: jump rope, squats, jumping jacks, push-ups, jog in place, shoulder press, jump rope, lunges, jumping jacks, and dips.
No time for strength training? No excuse!
In the time it would take you to mull over whether “to train or not to train,” you could be halfway through best body-blasting, inch-incinerating, time efficient sculpting session you have ever experienced. This 15 minute mini- workout reaps maximum results by pumping oxygen-rich blood through every major muscle group in your body. Believe me; your heart rate will prove it as will your fabulously fit physique, if you stick with the plan.
So what’s the plan?
The workout consists of 4 cycles of 7 different exercises, 1 for every major muscle group. Each cycle lasts 3.5 minutes, and each exercise is performed for 30 seconds per cycle. This brings the complete length of the workout to a whopping 14 minutes, of which each muscle group suffers a grand total of 1 minute.
What you do:
Perform repetitions (about 20) of each exercise for 30 seconds. Once you have completed all seven exercises repeat the 7-muscle cycle again. Please consult a certified fitness professional (or ME) if you are unsure about the proper form or technique of any these exercises below:
1. Squats
2. Push-ups
3. Lunges
4. Shoulder press
5. Bent over rows
6. Bicep curls
7. Triceps dips
Photo Credit: Trainer Academy
Point to Ponder
Select weights that make the exercises challenging, but not impossible. If an exercise becomes too difficult, modify it. Remember, it’s better to modify an exercise than to risk getting injured. If after completing the 14-minute body blaster you still have a smidgen of time to spare, drop to the floor for a quick crunch-a-thon. Try to incorporate a variety of abdominal exercises such as reverse crunches, oblique crunches, and bicycles. Aim to crunch continuously for 3 to 5 minutes, or until you just can’t crunch no more!
Never underestimate the power of a workout, no matter how short
Just think, for a mere 14 extra minutes a day 4 days a week, you can add almost an hour of body revving activity to your weekly workout regime. Who knew it could be so easy?!
About Bonne Marcus
A sought after fitness expert, Bonne Marcus is a columnist for Village Connection Magazine. She is the author of The Complete Bride’s Workout Guide (New Page Books), and has written/contributed to many national magazines including Modern Bride, Bride’s, Bridal Guide, Self, Shape, Marie Claire, Family Circle, Prevention, and Fitness magazines. Marcus is the creator of three special training programs, one for brides, appropriately titled “Fit To Be Tied”, and one for moms-to-be, “Fit To be Mommy” and her latest program the “Mitzvah Mom Makeover.”
2011 marks 25 years that Bonne has worked in the fitness industry and has taught for New York City’s top health clubs including Crunch, Reebok Sports Club, the JCC of Manhattan and Equinox. Bonne is married, living on Long
Island and can be found leading classes in everything from sculpting and spin to fat burning and fusion.
Have a question or want to train with Bonne? Email her at BonneMarcus@gmail.com.
March 20th, 2011
It used to be that tie dye brought on thoughts of the 1960’s and hippies, but we’ve seen lots of tie dye over the years and it’s become a popular theme or decor element for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.
We recently saw tie dyed roses that we fell in love with! We felt an inspire on this trend was in order.
Check out all we found on the Web below:
These flowers are colored by injecting pigments into the stem using hypodermic needles – the beautiful roses were from a Bat Mitzvah celebration featured on Occasions Online Magazine
This colorful invitation has a touch of tie-dye from Stationary Station in Highland Park, Illinois
T-shirt covered tie dyed chairs from Culinary Crafts in Utah
Favor bags from Startrackinc in Farmingdale, New York
As we have reported in the past, (click here) these rubber tie dye water resistant watches are a great favor option
Tie Dye head covering from Mazel Tops Yarmulkes
Tie Dye invitations from Naptime Productions
Let Tie Dye Town come to your party – kids will have a blast making their own tie-dye favors
Boxercraft Tie Dye cotton sweatpants from LogoSoftwear.com
This Tie Dye Bat Mitzvah cake for Maddie is from Sweetricia’s in Atlanta
From MarlyssandStacey.com in Michigan the tie dye centerpiece on the left and gift box on right
If you have any tie dye ideas, let us know at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
March 20th, 2011
One of the most important questions we get asked all time is about Mitzvah Projects.
Sometimes families struggle to figure out how to begin. Enter Crowdrise!
Crowdrise is a really cool Website that allows users to create their own fundraising pages for free and get friends, family and other Crowdrise participants to sponsor their volunteer projects.
For every dollar raised for charity, a user gets a Crowdrise point that can be used to win prizes. Donations are made through Amazon.com. For some great Mitzvah kids profiled on the site, click here.
Family and friends will want to follow along the leaderboard on Crowdrise and see how they are progressing which is updated daily.
For more info go to How Crowdrise Works.
Started by actor Ed Norton, some other celebrities who are on the site include: Kristen Bell, raising money for human rights organization Invisible Children and The Art of Elysium and Seth Rogen is promoting Kick Alzheimer’s In The Ass and The $10 To End (Malaria) Project for all the celebrities click here.
March 18th, 2011
We love it when a Mitzvah Mom lets us know about something special she saw at a Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration.
That was the case when Meredith Jacobs from Modern Jewish Mom attended Zach Freiman’s Bar Mitzvah last week.
Zach’s Dad is Scott Freiman, from Second Act Studio and is a composer and producer who mainly works in film and television. Zach is his middle child and he had already produced a terrific “mockumentary” for his first son’s Bar Mitzvah.
He told Mitzvah Market he wasn’t sure how he was going to top that, but he did it! With the help of Zach’s friends, this talented crew sung a song that Scott wrote specifically for him. They shot video at various locations, but the final cut of this original music video was revealed at his party during dessert.
Check it out below:
Watch “I’m Zach” here.
Now Scott is trying to figure out how to top this one for his third son. We’re sure he will come up with something!
Thank you for sharing this terrific video with Mitzvah Market and congratulations on Zach’s Bar Mitzvah!
March 16th, 2011
The Waters Edge at Giovanni’s is located in Darien, Connecticut and is known throughout New England for their culinary excellence, peerless service and picturesque waterfront location.
The Kolberts celebrated their third and final Bat Mitzvah on January 16, 2011 for their youngest daughter Samantha at this venue, the same one they used twice before.
We thank Giovanni’s and the Kolberts for sharing their daughter Samantha’s Bat Mitzvah celebration with our readers.
All photography was done by Riva Aeylon & Her Lens.
Pictured L-R: Mom Denise, Bat Mitzvah girl Samantha, Dad William, sister Jaclyn and sister Alison.
Like many Mitzvah kids, Samantha decided not to have a specific theme, but wanted a brightly colored room to celebrate in. Arlene Rosenthal from Party Ideas in Westport, Connecticut transformed the room.
Vibrant hot pink and lime green linens were used
Special swag decor by Arlene
The lounge area for the young guests
For her place cards, personalized chocolate bars were used.
Todd Yahney Entertainment provided the music for Samantha’s party.
Now that Mitzvah Mom Denise has planned all 3 of her daughters Bat Mitzvah celebrations, we asked her for some advice: “Keep in mind that this is a celebration for your child and it should be a fun and joyful experience for your entire family. We loved working with the staff at The Waters Edge (3 times!). They are professionals who coordinate events like ours daily. Enjoy the moment!”
Here is a list of vendors that made Samantha’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please make sure you tell them you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: The Waters Edge at Giovanni’s 203-325-9979
Party Planner: Arlene Rosenthal; arlene@partyideasct.com; 203-226-3672
Music Entertainment: Todd Yahney Entertainment, MC Cousin Craig; 516-781-4700
Invitation: Paper Dolls/formerly Wilton Stationers; rsvp@wiltonstationers.com; 203-762-0781
Cake: DiMare Bakery 203-967-2253
Dresses for family members: All Dressed Up; (914) 690-1593
Hair/makeup: Headliners of Westport 203-227-9597
Photographer: Riva Aeylon & Her Lens; 203-222-9177
March 15th, 2011
The Milbauer family from Rye Brook, New York celebrated their son Mitchell’s Bar Mitzvah on October 2, 2010 at Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel (KTI). Following services they were off to Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, New York.
A lover of hockey Bar Mitzvah boy Mitchell wanted a hockey theme party and they transformed Trump National into “Mitchell’s Square Garden.”
Featured L-R: Dad Seth, brother Alec, Bar Mitzvah boy Mitchell, Mitzvah Mom Tracey and sister Gillian.
Vendor information is listed at the bottom of this feature. We thank the Milbauer family for sharing all their great ideas with our Mitzvah Market readers.
All party photography was done by Mark Leslie.
The Milbauer family did something unique. Their invitation, a DVD created by Soundshore Productions was sent to family and friends
Above: A screen shot from the video invitation
If you would like to see this invite video, download here
This clever phrase was inscribed inside his yarmulke, “Don’t go through life without goals.”
Daniel Florist and Events created the adults decor with hockey elegance. The kids sat in Mitchell’s VIP hockey lounge fully equipped with bleachers, lounge furniture and benches separated by hockey boards. The place cards were chocolate hockey pucks displayed on a plexiglass rink!
Mitchell’s lounge area was splashed with his favorite teams colors – the Rangers of course!
The ballroom was black and silver with mini Stanley Cup centerpieces
Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist or Mitchell Milbauer!?
The official time and scoreboard hung for all to see
The sign-in locker, also from Daniel Florals and Events was filled with some of Mitchell’s hockey equipment
Talk about “making an entrance’ – we love this! Mitchell got introduced under a tunnel of hockey sticks held up by his hockey teammates!
The sweatshirts for the boys had a Mitchell Square Garden logo and the ones for the girls said Peace Gloves Hockey (as pictured above).
Here is a list of the vendors who made Mitchell’s Bar Mitzvah special. If you call any of them, please let them know you heard about their services on MitzvahMarket.com. Thanks!
Venue: Trump National Golf Club 914-944-0900
Music: Avisso Events MC Exsence and percussionist Jason 516-798-8880
Decor/Sign-in: Daniel Florals and Events, 914–481-5528
Entertainment: Creative Games: photo booth, live goalie to shoot on, arcade games, and traveling trivia guy
Favors: Special Forces Art Department and printing by Aztec Screenprint
Photographer: Mark Leslie Photography, 973-305-1088
Videographer/Invitation Video: Soundshore Productions 914-914-933-0792
Mom’s dress: Fontanas
Daughter’s dress: All Dressed Up
Boy’s Suits: Lubin’s of Westchester 914-713-0300
Hair/Makeup: Magnolia Salon 203-354-3564
March 15th, 2011
The Ives family celebrated their son Alex’s Bar Mitzvah on December 4, 2010. The service took place at Temple Beth El in Chappaqua, New York and the reception was held at the Renaissance Westchester Hotel in the Mansion in West Harrison, New York.
Alex is a snow boarder and Mom Jen is a graphic artist and owns her own company, Chives Creative, so you know there were some very special touches at this party.
Additional vendor information is at the bottom of this spotlight.
All event photography was done by Philip Callaci of Mitzvah Gallery: A Division Of Peanut Portraits.
Pictured L-R: Oldest son Noah, Mitzvah Mom Jen, Bar Mitzvah Boy Alex, daughter Lily and Dad Alan.
The invitation was custom made by Mitzvah Mom Jen – the colors are navy and beige and incorporated a logo that was used throughout the party decor.
Alex’s love of snowboarding set the tone for the party and with his Mom’s graphic expertise they were able to incorporate his favorite sport in a variety of ways.
Mom Jen made lift tickets as place cards which hung on a snowy mountain
A close-up of the cards
The “Mash” sign alerted guests to the different mountains
Alex’s lodge is where the kids hung out
Mom Jen made this poster that decorated the reception
A cut out of Alex snowboarding was on each table
When Alex is not snowboarding he is playing lacrosse!
A real snow board was used as the sign-in “board!”
Young guests were asked to sign this snowboard
Starlight Entertainment provided the music for Alex’s celebration.
Alex “makes his entrance” with two of the Starlight Express dancers
Kids of all ages had fun at this party!
The blue and green cake from Lulu’s Bakery incorporated their version of the Burton logo deliciously!
Notice the detail of the evergreens on the side
A candy bar was set up for guests to enjoy!
Creative Mitzvah Mom Jen made this “Candy Buffet” sign
Another sign and beautiful candy display by Jen
The kids enjoying the candy buffet
Young guests received a sweatshirt favor by ABPromowear.
Great hooded grey sweatshirts with Alex’s snowboarding logo
Silver bags with Alex’s logo fit into the snowboarding theme perfectly
Mitzvah Mom Jen has some advice for our readers:
“Everything will get done before the big day…just keep saying that to yourself. Enjoy every moment! The party goes by so quickly. Remember it is a very special day for your child. Take lots of photos. Have fun and eat!”
As part of his Mitzvah Project, Alex volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester. He teaches 3rd-5th graders how to play lacrosse. He also donated new and old lacrosse sticks to the club. In addition, Alex and his Dad delivered meals to the home bound elderly through City Meals on Wheels in New York City.
The following Mitzvah vendors worked with the Ives family to make Alex’s celebration special. If you call any of them, please let them know you read about their product or service on MitzvahMarket.com.
March 12th, 2011
By Cindy Silvert, www.easybreezygourmet.com
A friend who just planned a Bar Mitzvah suggested I go over my numbers. OK, so I was off by 50%, which means I need 50% of my neighbor’s backyard if I’m going to host a reception at home. (And do I really want to stock the downstairs bathroom with that much toilet paper?) I would have thought being a writer/chef/artist/recluse would have kept the riff-raff out. Apparently not.
Do you have any idea how much money and time I just saved? So what if an impersonal five star hall costs five times the tent? I no longer have to slip the gardener an extra fifty to trim the bushes, hide the recycling bin, stain the deck, refinish the floors or put up certain family photos. (His side of the family is perfectly happy in the linen closet.) So I’m back to square one (which incidentally, I never left). All I have to figure out is where to have the reception, what to serve and when to start my diet-binge-diet-binge-diet-binge-diet.
But I’ve got an angle. See, I’m going to inform all vendors that I have a blog! Yes, on the World Wide Web! Who in their right mind would give up the chance to be skewered in front of millions of readers? Didn’t a certain reality housewife suggest that NYC’s snazziest vendors throw her the wedding of the century for free for no particular reason? Me too! But seriously folks, even if I could have the Bar Mitzvah of the century, that is, the kind you read about in the New York Times, I really hope I wouldn’t.
My dream Bar Mitzvah Party would be good clean fun, relaxed not stuffy, not same old same old and have great food. I don’t want to break the bank, nor appear cheap. The problem is, if you want to fit and feed the masses, and if the masses happen to be strictly kosher, your options are limited. If your numbers are smallish, you can afford to think out of the box: maybe hire waiters to serve frozen hors d’ouerves from Costco (its best to defrost & heat prior to serving), hire a few musicians… But since we seem to have outgrown the cozy tent option, back in the trenches we go.
This week I intend to call around to see what the catering damage will be. Call me picky, but I’m not looking forward to being overcharged for parve tasting, pasty looking, been-there-done-that food. A dear friend has been begging me to cater the whole thing. I have no doubt he would do a stellar job, I just dread losing (another) dear friend when my week of the event fangs emerge. Isn’t that what husbands are for?
About Cindy Silvert
Cindy Lynn Silvert took the long route to the States from Canada via Israel, where she studied, worked and had her first two children. A lover of the Arts, Cindy is a professionally trained actor, prolific artist and writer. She has designed educational software, curricula and museums exhibits in addition to editing two books. She writes for a number of sites including easybreezygourmet.com where she shares culinary secrets, shortcuts and tips. She is also a featured chef and lead contributor of metroimma.com.
Follow Cindy’s new blog Eat Pray Save, right here on MitzvahMarket.com as she challenges the status quo all the way to the Bimah, while planning her son’s upcoming Bar Mitzvah. Eat Pray Save will be the place to get a fresh perspective and a classy, yet fun and affordable solution to the out of control phenomenon of the American Bar Mitzvah.
It’s funny stuff we know you will enjoy!
Share your thoughts by writing to us at Sheri@MitzvahMarket.com.
Catch up on what you missed!
Read Part 1
Read Part 2
Read Part 3
March 12th, 2011
Have you noticed that banquet tables are coming in all shapes and sizes?
Of course there are still round tables at Bar/Bat Mitzvah venues for 8-10 guests. But nowadays tables come in all shapes and sizes and many Mitzvah celebrations are mixing it up.
So what is the new “it” table? Linzi Etzion of Linzi Events in Boca Raton, Florida is our guest columnist today and she has put it all in perspective for us.
Check out her descriptions below:
Standard Round Table and Banquet Chair
Reception halls normally will offer you a standard round table with ballroom chairs.
The table can be dressed with a fun linen and the chair covered with a chair cover and sash to work with the table linen
Bamboo chiavari chairs can be used instead of the ballroom chair
Square Tables
For a more modern cutting edge feel Chiavari chairs are best used with square tables.
Chiavari chairs can be rented in gold, silver , white, mahogany as well as fun primary colors
Royal Table
The Royal table is a 8′ by 4′ banquet table which seats up to 12 guests. Floral decorations are set across the length of the tables creating a beautiful look. Royal tables are often joined together to create long lines of table seating.
In this picture above, white leather Valencia chairs from Classic Party Rental were used
When designing your space you can also combine tables. We have done Royals with Square tables and Squares with Round tables to create a fun eclectic look for the reception.
We want to thank Linzi from Linzi Events for her valuable insights and tips. Be sure to check out more of her fabulous events on her Website.
March 12th, 2011
With so many of our readers planning B’nai (used for two boys or a boy and a girl) or B’not Mitzvahs (used for two girls) we thought we would do a round-up of cool invitation options.
Trying to plan a celebration for two unique personalities can be challenging. Serving these multiple desires takes great planning and attention to detail to keep everyone in the spotlight.
Finding the perfect invite is challenging enough when there is one child, we can only imagine how much more difficult it becomes when there are more decision makers!
The invitation above is from Brighten My Day Studios. This modern invite with pops of color is ala Lichtenstein.
Check out these additional samples below:
The clever invitation by Dear Friends was an authentic Teen Vogue magazine with a customized front and back cover.
Elegant and appropriate for a boy and a girl from Proper Notice
This colorful invitation for twin girls is from MyPaperCapers.com
We loved this idea from Dear Friends 516-367-7877. This invite is two-sided, so each child got their own creation
Also from Proper Notice, invitations using photos
Two Paper Dolls designed a very masculine invitation and used a different font for each child’s name
Custom made by award-winning artist Michelle Rummel of Mitzvah Artistree
Nota bene created a custom die-cut and beautiful floral pattern for twin girls
Outoftheboxny.com created a light blue and yellow modern card for this B’nai Mitzvah
If you had a creative invitation for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration, please let us know at info@MitzvahMarket.com.
