Babyccino

Don’t get me wrong, I am fully aware that cartoons and TV do not substitute a mother’s love and attention, but Cartoons have helped me out of a tight scrape more than once!

(more…)

Some babies sleep through the night from 6 weeks onwards. Some babies (really, I’ve heard about these babies!) even sleep through the night from birth!! Most babies eventually sleep through the night from the moment solids are introduced.

My babies are not like that. (more…)

Believe it or not, my 2.5-year-old son cannot blow his nose! Whenever he has a stuffy nose he inhales instead of blowing out, making things even worse. And often, when he is down with a cold,  I’m woken up at night by a very loud “I cannot breathe!”

It’s for this reason that I’m very grateful to the inventor of a very smart piece of equipment: the Narhinel nasal aspirator.  It’s a tube which has a mouthpiece at one end (for mummy) and a disposable mucus reservoir with an anatomic tip to put in the nose (with a filter that prevents mucus from going up the tube) at the other. My son does not love it, but it does the job brilliantly!

And we can all go back to sleep!

-Michela in Milan

Yesterday we ended a very successful Christmas dinner with a ‘Scropino’. I’d never heard of it before, but it is basically a grown-up smoothie - extremely yummy and easy to make!

3 scoops lemon sorbet

1 shot vodka

150 ml champagne

Mix it up, serve, and enjoy!

xxx

Esther in Amsterdam

It’s funny how I can really hate the cold, dark winters in London, but not be so bothered by them when I am “home” for the holidays ( all cozied up in a big house with a fire)! I love sitting around in my pajamas, listening to Christmas music and watching the rain splash against the windows (I’m in rainy Seattle, after all).

And of course, nothing makes sitting inside more enjoyable than a big plate of Christmas sugar cookies on the counter!  Every single year at this time we make these cookies (frosted in red, white and green colors), and every year they disappear off the counter more quickly than anything else!  These cookies are a tried ‘n true favorite.  They are one of my favorite things about Christmas (and fun to make with your kids).

Here is the recipe…

(more…)

……the mountain will come to Paris.
This is exactly what has happened in front of the Hotel de Ville in the 4th.  An ice skating rink and sledge lane have been erected in front of the town hall, and taking into account the sub-zero temperatures here in Paris, you might as well be in Chamonix. The sledges (or sled lanes) are only for kids under 12 and everyone gets a 10 min turn. Kids under 6 need to be accompanied, (but watching the parents going down the lane, it really did not seem like a chore). There is also a merry-go-round which my daughter loved even more than the sledge.
And the best thing of all: It’s free.

This alpine entertainment will be around ’til the 9th of March, so there is plenty of time to go and enjoy yourself.

Happy sledding!

- Emilie in Paris

Who doesn’t love Miffy? My daughter surely adores her! Dick Bruna created this little rabbit in 1955 and by now her stories have been translated to more than 40 languages! Did you know Miffy has her own website? It’s great to explore with children: there is an audio book, animation, music, games, and more! There are also links to a variety of webshops: the books are great and I can also recommend the DVDs!

Last weekend we decided to treat our children to a little trip to ‘Miffy’s House’ (a.k.a. the Dick Bruna House). (more…)

So… we have crossed the big pond and survived the 9-hour flight to Seattle (where we will be spending the first half of our holiday).  We are all settled in and cozy, (despite our 4 a.m. wake-ups), and are adjusting to things here in the States…

…like huge grocery stores with hundreds of options, big vehicles on wide streets, loads of space, and anything you want whenever you want it (I’ve seen more “open 24 hours” signs in the past few days than I’ve ever seen in Europe)!  There is really no limit to what you can find here, and how easily you can find it.

This is why I am always stumped to find that there are actually a few of my favorite European things that you can not find here in this ”land of plenty” (nor find a suitable alternative)… like my Beaba Baby Cook! (more…)

While my husband thinks I have too many handbags,  I own way fewer than I would actually like to. (Husbands don’t really get the whole handbag-per-season idea)!  Still I do not switch bags very often because of the hassle of moving all my paraphernalia from one to the other.

Now I might have found the solution: VIP (very intelligent pockets) by Tintamar.

Nine pockets to help you find all your things with your eyes closed. All in a stylish and hard-wearing material that’s washable in soapy water. You move it from one bag to the other, making bag change quick and stress-free. They come in many colours and have a business version (larger, to fit in briefcases) and a men’s one too.  Another excuse to buy a new handbag!

-Michela in Milan

The French “joie de vivre” is well documented, and French women are also known for taking good care of their bodies.  But I have to say that when I first heard about state subsidized “re-education” of a certain part of the female anatomy after giving birth, I could not believe it.

But believe me girls, it’s true……

Here is an article in the New York Times I read describing the phenomenon of making mothers “as good as new.”

- Emilie in Paris

I have tried to deny it for a while, but I recently celebrated another birthday and here is the truth: I am definitely (way) over thirty now.

So.

Since my late teenage years I have always, without thinking and without a complaint, used the Clinique 3-step skincare range. Only in the mornings of course – in the evenings I was usually way to lazy (or drunk) to do much more than brush my teeth and take the pill (or 2, just in case). (more…)

Ever since that blasted day at French Class when my wallet was stolen, we have stopped going to class. (I hate that mall).  Sadly, my son really misses it.  And the few French words he knows are not doing much for him these days (unless, of course, he wants to ask for a raisin…)

Thankfully, as I was surfing one of my favorite sites, Cool Mom Picks, I came across the perfect solution:  foreign language DVDs for your kids!   The Little Pim videos are designed for babies and toddlers. (Apparently kids under the age of 6 are most capable of soaking up different languages).   Their unique method combines immersion and repetition with animation (a cute little panda named Pim), and images of children engaged in everyday activities.  The videos are now available in French, Spanish and Mandarin, but nine additional languages are soon to be released (including Enlgish- which, I thought, would be good for your Italian, Dutch and French-speaking children)!

I just bought the Little Pim: Playtime DVD in French, which promises to teach my son more than 60 new French words!
Much easier than dragging my 2 children to French class every Wednesday, (and cheaper too)!

Oh- and it’s an American company (think $$$s), but they ship worldwide! 

-Courtney in London

thanks Cool Moms!

We all know that dressing a newborn can be tricky! That’s why side-snap bodysuits are so useful. Unfortunately not all the brands have them in their range, they can be quite expensive, and your baby may only wear them for a few weeks (newborn size especially). On the other hand, if you buy cheaper ones they may not even last this little time.

At H&M you don’t have to compromise! They sell side-snap bodysuits in packs of two for 7.99 euros. One is solid colour, the other is stripy and they come in pastel colours: blue, pink, green and yellow. Good quality cotton that can be washed at 60°! What more do we want for those first few weeks?

-Michela in Milan

I married my husband out of love, not because of the country he comes from, as it is possibly the most unpractical country to travel to from Europe: New Zealand.
New Zealand certainly has a lot of advantages, namely it is 30 degrees there at the moment (not 2 degrees as in Paris), and the New Zealanders were the original inventor of the Ugg boot!  They also host important cultural events like the international gum boot throwing competition and the world famous golden shears championship!
I am actually really looking forward to being in New Zealand. It is the getting there with the 2-year-old toddler that fills me with dread. How do you keep a 2-year-old happy and quiet for a 24-hour flight there and back??

(more…)

Well, this proves that there is a lot to write about beanbags. (The third post already)! Though these ones aren’t for sitting on…

I bought these 12 tiny beanbags in NY about two years ago and they are a favourite in my family. The baby loves the different colors, texture and feel of them (they are filled with little rice grains). My 2-year-old loves stacking them (and tumbling them down, of course). I like making funny little guys or animals out of them. And we really like the way they look too! They are called Kushies Zolo Beanstax, and easily available in the US (unfortunately difficult to find in Europe, but this  American store, Babesta, ships to Europe - and stocks more of the cute Zolo range)!

-Esther in Amsterdam