A week in Amsterdam
Monday:
Go out for breakfast in the Bakkerswinkel. A basket of different sorts of bread, muffins, scones and croissants makes way to your table accompanied by a much needed coffee and orange juice. Fancy jams can be found on the table. Open from 7AM – what a wonderful way to start the week!
After, take your children to the Amstelpark, where there is a lovely playground and a little city farm. A ‘real train’ can take you around the park – a sure hit with your little ones.
Had enough of the park? Go to the Scheldestraat where you can find the great kids’ shoe store Meys&Co (open from 1PM onwards), with Koter&Co across the street where they sell a big selection of the cool Dutch kiddie brand Imps&Elfs (and more).
Before going back home, don’t forget to visit Italian delicatessen Feduzzi for a cappuccino and one of their mouth-watering Panini. And don’t forget the babyccino for your little angel! You can pick up something for dinner here too – I promise you, the food is great and prices are reasonable.
Sour cream blueberry muffins
With UK Mother’s Day coming up, I’m in the mood for muffins…
I suggest “accidentally” leaving a muffin recipe on the counter on Saturday night, and then sleeping in on Sunday morning. Maybe your husband and kids will get the hint!
Emilie wrote about a good banana muffin recipe, and I also have a favourite blueberry muffin recipe that is ALWAYS a hit. These muffins are delicious without being too sweet, and they’re so easy to make (which is a good thing, since we’re talking about men here).
Here is the recipe…
More from Amsterdam!
Speaking of Amsterdam, two of my fellow city dwellers wrote such nice things about us this week! The Antiques Diva wrote a really, really cute article about us. Even though she doesn’t have kids herself–she’s a self-proclaimed ‘DINK’ (double income no kids), she still follows the adventures of four ‘DKNI’s (double kids no income)! Thanks, Diva!
We were also featured on the site of Sia, who has (or had, probably by now!) beautiful circus prints and labels in her new shop.
My prints arrived today – they are beautiful and so nicely wrapped! Thanks, Sia!
xxx Esther
A toy warehouse
It was my son’s first birthday last Sunday and we figured, given our current geological location, an Amsterdam-style toy warehouse would be the ideal present.
I remember that some of my childhood friends had a warehouse like this and it was played with extensively (as a doll house for the girls and a fire station or garage for the boys). And when not being played with, it was used as toy storage (a warehouse after all)!
After having it in the house for a couple of days, I can say it is a hit! My little one-year-old loves standing next to it (he’s still smaller than the house – cute), opening and closing the doors and peeping through the windows. (He also liked the pulley but we removed it for safety reasons until he’s a bit older).
My daughter likes the fact that she can climb into it (I’m happy we went for the more expensive sturdy version with a bottom plate for this reason!), and she of course immediately put it to use as a dolls’ house.
And finally, my husband and I like the fact that it looks really cool in our living room.
In the Netherlands it is sold at Spelmaterialen.nl (they only ship to the NL, Belgium and Germany), but I also found a similar (and cheaper) warehouse at Toypost in the UK, and they will ship internationally.
xxx Esther
Other people’s kids
I never know what to do when I see someone else’s kid doing something I do not approve of. Do I tell them off or do I hope that their parents/nannies noticed what they were up to and discipline them themselves?
Every parent seems to have a different approach to dealing with a misbehaving child, so that, even as a parent yourself, it is very hard to get involved.
Also, what is perceived as misbehaving really depends on the parent. (more…)
Potty training: a family affair!
There comes a moment in every family when the process of potty-training must begin. I have tried to procrastinate as much as possible (not that I enjoyed changing my 2½-year-old– it was just that it never seemed like the right time to abandon the nappy)! Aware that forcing potty-training on a child who is not ready can cause problems and disrupt any subsequent attempt, I started to gently ask him if he wanted to go on the potty around his second birthday. He was not interested, so I thought he was not ready.
Then summer came; while on holiday at the seaside I sometimes left him without the nappy on our way home from the beach. He had “accidents” which left him quite traumatised, so even those experiments were abandoned.
I then decided that we were going to give it a go in late September; he would be older and we would be still far away from the birth of his sister (an event that is universally recognised to be the worst moment for the onset of training). No way, he refused.
(more…)
UK Mother’s Day
I think it’s very bizarre that Mother’s Day doesn’t have a universal date. Mother’s Day here in the UK is called ‘Mothering Day’ and falls on the 4th Sunday of Lent, exactly 3 weeks before Easter Sunday (which happens to be this coming Sunday, March 2nd). It is believed to have originated from the 16th-century Christian practice of visiting ones mother’s church annually, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day.
Mother’s Day in the States and many other countries is the 2nd Sunday in May, while in France it is the last Sunday of May, unless it coincides with Pentecost Day, in which case Mother’s Day will be shifted to the first Sunday of June. It’s all very confusing! (See more about it here).
You can probably imagine how confused I was when we first moved to London. There’s always the dilemma of which Mother’s Day to celebrate in our family (I vote for both!), and then remembering both dates (I have to buy cards in March so that I can send them in May to my own mom)! It’s complicated, but VERY important none the less.
So with Mother’s Day on my mind, here are a few suggestions to forward on to your husbands/children… (more…)
Monchhichi
Did you girls have a Monchhichi when you were young(er) or was it just me? I remember it was a big hype in the ’80’s, but my Monchhichi dates back to 1974 according to the Sekiguchi label on its back.
Monchhichi comes from Japan, where he/she was created in 1974. In 1975 they were first exported to Europe, where they were an immediate success. In the UK, the original name was changed to “Chicaboo”; in Italy they were known as “Mon Cicci” and in France as “Kiki”. In 1979 the Monchhichi reached the North American shores, where he was successful – there was apparently even a television series, but I’ve never seen it. (more…)
Teach your kids their shapes!
My 2½-year-old son speaks two languages: English and ‘Engine’. Whether it’s trains, planes, cars or tractors, he can truly speak the lingo!
So when it came time to teach him his shapes, I decided I would speak his language: Diggers!
A digger made up of squares, circles, rectangles, ovals and a triangle! All you need are scissors, paper and a glue stick! Easy peasy…
-Courtney
To kiss or not to kiss and how many times? This is the question
I am so happy to be in France as the greeting etiquette here is simple. Everyone kisses everyone on each cheek. It doesn’t matter if you are old, young, female or male. Kids kiss all their classmates every morning when they get to school and grown-ups kiss every member of their office when they get into work. It is maybe not the most productive way of starting the day but that is just the way it is. A quick kiss on each cheek, minimal body contact, et voila, all is good.
Then suddenly last week, here in Paris, I met a German, who, while I was happily offering him my cheek decided that he wanted to shake my hand… very embarrassing! He obviously thought I was quite forward. And I am not the only one who has this problem… The French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, almost caused an international incident when he decided to kiss the newly elected German chancellor, Angela Merkel, instead of accepting her outstretched hand. (She apparently did not know how to deal with the heavy dose of Gallic charm). (more…)
Snow & kids
My family spent last week in Pozza di Fassa, in the Dolomites region of northern Italy. I knew from the start that it was not going to be an intensive skiing holiday (my daughter is breastfed and my older son has become quite clingy since the birth of his sister). There was no way I could escape for a whole day for some much needed activity on the slopes… but I was hoping for a few hours of freedom here and there.
My plans were immediately offset when my mother-in-law broke her wrist on the first day. (She was supposed to help me entertain the kids and let me have some alone-time).
It was then that the ParkBimboNeve, a sort of ‘kinderheim’ (which I didn’t take into great account at the very beginning of the holiday), suddenly looked like the best invention after the pill and the washing machine–all of which work in favour of women liberation! (more…)
Breakfast!
When I was living in New York City, my typical breakfast would exist of a black coffee, no sugar, and a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese, that I would pick up daily from the Greek café 3 buildings east from where I worked and that I would consume while starting up my computer and checking my emails.
Fact is, I’m not much of a morning person – I’d rather stay in bed an extra 1/2 hour than have a proper breakfast.
Ludanimo: 3 games in 1
Right before Esther and her family left us for Amsterdam, she gave us this Djeco game set (hoping that a present would keep our minds off the fact that they were moving away)! We LOVE it! (But still haven’t forgiven them for leaving…)
Ludamino consists of three different games in one box. Using the differently-sized cubes and cups, 6 animals and two dice, you can play either a memory game (hide the animals under the cups), a balancing game (stack everything up), or a circuit game (roll the die and move the animals along the cups).
Like all other Djeco toys, its bright colors and graphics make learning fun! My 2½-year-old plays with it every day (one game after the other)! It’s perfect for toddlers because it’s cute, simple and easy to play!
In-depth interviews and time in the spotlight…
Gosh, we feel rather important this week…
The girls at Tangled and True just did a week-long feature about us (and some of their favourite things from Europe). They interviewed each of us on separate days, making us feel oh–so special and very cool. We’re so flattered that they like our site and are interested in our daily lives. It was a privilege to be featured on their very lovely site!
Thank you • Dank u wel • Merci • Grazie!!!
Lamb brain and pig trotters
One of the things I would miss the most if we were to move away from Paris would be the Parisian food markets. Every single neighbourhood has at least one, if not two, that are open at least a couple days a week (check out the link to see the locations and opening times). They are amazing, especially if you are used to shopping in supermarkets as I was after 10 years of living in London. The food is always fresh and beautiful to look at, and you can find anything from lamb brain to incredible smelly blue cheeses and fresh lobster. The best part is that after going for a while you get to know the market sellers and they get to know you. My daughter comes home stuffed full of goodies when we go to the market as everyone is always trying to fill her up with cherry tomatoes, little bits of cheese and chocolate. She gets really upset if I even think of going without her. (more…)
Villandry
I just got back from a lunch date with a girlfriend… We drank wine, ate mussels and squid, felt very stylish and enjoyed ourselves immensely! Surely,the kids must not have been there, right? Wrong. They came too, and it was still lovely and enjoyable! (That never happens).
Why? We went to Villandry, the gorgeous gourmet food-shop and restaurant on Great Portland Street in central London. Stylish décor, buzzing ambience, great food, charming staff…and VERY kid-friendly. (They even have a “paint your own ice cream” dessert plate for kids, complete with paint brush and “paints” (chocolate, strawberry and white chocolate sauces). (more…)
Pingu!
Pingu happily entered our lives nearly two years ago. He is a plasticine penguin who lives at the South Pole and is the main character of a TV series for children. The show is produced in Switzerland using an animation technique called Claynimation (like Wallace&Gromit and Chicken Run).
The short episodes tell the adventures of Pingu and his family and friends. He likes to push boundaries and get in all sort of trouble; he is full of energy, life and love and will immediately win you over!
Cupcakes!
Cupcakes are big in America (I’ll never forget my first bite of a Magnolia Bakery cupcake… mmm), and they are becoming more and more popular. Bakeries are opening up across the U.S. selling “freshly made and hand-frosted” cupcakes. They’re the new “it” treat!
They are perfect for birthday parties (if you have the Magnolia cookbook, you can even bake them yourself), and always a hit at baby showers (which is also very American, so I suppose they go hand-in-hand). I just LOVE them!
So you can imagine my disappointment when we moved to London 4 years ago and there was nothing here that could compare. Unlike America, handmade cupcakes didn’t seem to be on the rise.
Thankfully, Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas of Primrose Bakery are taking charge, and London now seems to be catching up!
Elle a Paris
I have found an unlikely guide to life in Paris. Elle Magazine (but not any old Elle). For us fortunate Parisiennes there is a special edition, called “Elle à Paris”, that comes out every two months. I love it! Every edition focuses on the shops and cafés in a different area of Paris (and every single time they look so good I just want to up sticks and move there). I have found my yoga class and my hair dresser this way.
They have great articles about what is going on in Paris and my favourite part is the section specialising in current events that are being put on all over the city for kids!
-Emilie
Red and yellow and pink and green…
Enter any average kid’s store these days and you’ll be overwhelmed by the amount of prints, slogans, embroidered butterflies, flowers, etc. This is great if you’re into this… but if you’re like me and prefer to see your children in a simple pinafore dress or overalls with a plain-coloured T-shirt underneath, you know how difficult it is to find good, simple basics in plain colours – without having to pay a fortune.
Rainbowbabies sells T-shirts, onesies and much more in a variety of great colours (the obvious ones, but also grey, brown, black and anthracite)! (more…)
