Mother's Day and Family Day will be celebrated on February 28 in Israel, so this hard-working mom is hoping for some nice gifts - or even just some tokens of appreciation.
For kids or dads who need some gift ideas, Danon makes several Jewish ritual items and jewelry, such as a silver-colored refrigerator magnet with the text "Who loves you more than I do?" in Hebrew (NIS 24), or a picture frame with different blessings (NIS 80). Danon jewelry and gifts are available in selected gift stores.
Another cute gift is a little soap bar and greeting card-in-one, made by Green & Blue. The greeting-card soaps are wrapped to look like cards, with a top that flips open revealing the text on the inside. You have a choice between soap-cards for all kinds of occasions, such as birthdays, good luck wishes, thank you notes, the birth of a baby boy or girl, or a card that says "To mother, with love," containing a lavender scented soap. The soaps can be found in Vardinon, Steimatzky and gift stores for NIS 18.
Moms usually need a good night's sleep (I sure do), and a comfortable pillow is just as important as a good mattress. Some prefer a firm head support rather than a soft down-pillow and The King David Lullaby Memory Foam Pillow is filled with visco-elastic material that molds itself to your head and neck. The pillow is quite firm, despite the promise that it molds itself. One side of this anatomic pillow is higher than the other, and you can choose if you want a higher or lower neck support. The makers claim that this pillow helps to prevent headaches, neck pain, and insomnia, and that it prevents and relieves back pain. If you like a firmer kind of pillow, this one might help you sleep tight. The Lullaby is available at the King David factory outlet for NIS 259, or you can order it by calling 03-962-8989.
Life cosmetic products, the private brand of the SuperPharm chain, are on sale this month, and there are many deals where you can buy one Life product, and get the second one free or for only NIS 2. In addition to the sales, everyone who buys three Life products will receive a coupon entitling them to a 30-minute massage for just NIS 59. Some 30 different spas in the country are participating in this deal.
If you feel like doing some spring or pre-Pessah cleaning already, you can take advantage of a deal offered by Pledge. If you buy two spray bottles of Pledge furniture polish (available in several fragrances) you will receive Pledge Dusters for free (worth NIS 20). The Dusters contains an extendable handle and two refills of the duster that you can use to clean hard to reach spots such as the slats of Venetian blinds, upper shelves, or to clean delicate surfaces such as computer screens. The deal is valid until the end of February.
Shilav is encouraging breastfeeding this month with some special sales on breastfeeding clothes that enable women to do this in a discreet way. A tight-fitting long sleeved shirt is now NIS 70 instead of NIS 99.90, and a long-sleeved shirt with hood is now NIS 89.90 instead of NIS 129.90. Other breast-feeding related products are also on sale.
If you like to cuddle up with a good book and a nice cup of coffee on a cold winter day, the Nescaf instant coffee deal might be good for you. If you buy a 200 gr. jar of Nescaf coffee (Taster's Choice, Red Mug, or Gold), and present the sticker that's on the jar with the receipt at a Steimatzky bookstore, you will get a second book for free when buying one. The deal lasts until the end of the month.
Kalia has a new product to make your white laundry really look bright. The Kalia Vanish OxiAction Power White is a stain remover and whitener for white laundry, containing special enzymes that will ensure your white clothes really stay white. I tried it with a load of white T-shirts and towels, and the result was quite nice. The price for a 500 ml. jar of Kalia Power White is NIS 35.
If you have a baby or child who has trouble going to sleep, or is a little hyper during the day, you can try a natural medicine called Noctium Sirop made by Arkopharma. This homeopathic medicine contains four natural ingredients, and is suitable for children ages one and up. The recommended dose is one teaspoon a day or before your child goes to sleep. A 125 ml. bottle is NIS 49.
From February 16-26, a country-wide Dairy Festival will take place with a lot of activities in the different dairy farms and goat and sheep cheese farms all over the country. You can get a guided tour of a farm, take part in cheese-making, and there are special activities for kids. For a detailed list of places and activities, you can visit the website www.milk.org.il, or www.nrg.co.il/milk, where you can also download coupons for price reductions on the cheeses. In the supermarkets, you will notice a lot of sales for milk products. For example, three Tnuva white or cottage cheeses are NIS 13 at the Supersol chain, and two 250 gr. Tara yogurt containers are NIS 10 at the Coop Blue Square supermarkets.
B-Free has a new baby bottle called B-Free Plus, with a new valve for easy sucking and cleaning. The bottle does not contain Bisphenol A, the material that is suspected to cause hormonal disturbances, which has received a lot of news coverage lately. Therefore, you won't need to replace the bottle, even after a year of use. The price for a bottle, available in three different sizes, varies from NIS 44.50 to NIS 49.50.
When traveling, you don't want to bring big bottles of your toiletry articles, but you take small size bottles, if they're available. Edge now has small-size cans of the Advanced shaving gel, suitable for men with a sensitive skin. The mini-can can easily be stuffed inside a travel bag, or gym bag; the price is NIS 11.
Especially for the winter months, when you want to bring a nice hot drink with you when going out, Supersal has colorful, compact thermoses, on sale until the end of the month for NIS 29.90 (instead of NIS 39.90). The one-liter thermoses come with a pouch with string, so you can easily carry them with you. They're available in red, orange, blue, and mint-green.
Palmolive Naturals newest variety in the liquid soap series is olive milk enriched soap, suitable for dry to very dry skin. The use of olives fits in well with the trend to use natural ingredients. The soap is also enriched with cream, for an optimal moisturizing effect. A 500 ml. bottle of Palmolive Naturals is NIS 16.
