Couverture
I have always loved the shopping of Notting Hill. Whether it’s the great finds on Portobello, the trendy restaurants on Westbourne Grove, or the great boutiques along Ledbury Road, Notting Hill is one of those areas that has it all. But in the last two years, it has become the place to shop for your trendy tot in need of a fashion fix! I was already thrilled about the arrival of Caramel Baby and Petit Aimé on Ledbury Road, but then I took a stroll down Kensington Park Road a few weeks ago and discovered yet another favorite find: Couverture!
Couverture is the kind of shop that makes you want to run straight home, replace your dingy pillows with new ones, hide all your cheap, plastic toys, make your home a bit more chic and minimal, AND give your wardrobe a re-think! (more…)
French Etiquette
Courtney sent me this link to a NY Times article called “A Guide to the French. Handle with care” about the French and the rules of living in France, and it made me laugh out loud as it rang so true.
The author is absolutely right: the only sweatpants I have ever seen on anyone in Paris were on tourists. I personally no longer even own a pair of sweatpants (though admittedly they are one of the most comfortable items of clothing in existence), just so that I am not even tempted to leave my flat in them….
-Emilie
Kinderkookcafé
On the edge of the Vondelpark in Amsterdam there is a wonderful place to bring your kids: the Kinderkookcafé (Childrens’ Cooking Café). The fact that it is a café is good news for the parents – they can meet up and have a cup of coffee and a simple snack like a sandwich, soup or apple-pie.
The good news for the kids is that while their parents are catching up and drinking coffees, they can ‘cook’! (more…)
Snag-free elastics
My hair is constantly up in a ponytail or in a messy bun. I either have a rubber band in my hair, or one on my wrist ready to use. My hair is also super-thick, so I have a difficult time finding rubber bands that are big enough to wrap around my hair, and half the time I’m stretching a band to its limit trying to get my hair up. Taking the elastic band out is always a disaster — they get caught in my ‘bird’s nest’, and I usually end up yanking out a handful of hair. Does this sound familiar? If it does, I have the solution for you…
Snag-free elastic bands are truly ingenious. I found them in Sephora last summer and was initially skeptical. Surely they wouldn’t really be snag-free… and surely they wouldn’t fit in my hair (they looked smaller than the average elastic band). But I was wrong… (more…)
Boerenbont
Another thing I’ve noticed while out shopping in Amsterdam is the abundance of gingham (called ‘boerenbont’ in Dutch). It’s everywhere: in all the children’s shops, in the magazines, in store windows, etc. I’ve seen kitchen towels in bright blue and green gingham, dolls dressed in traditional red and blue gingham, gingham wrapping paper, and my favorite — children’s bedding in fun, bright colors!
Keet in Huis, a cute kid’s store here in Amsterdam, has loads of different beds on display. All the beds are covered in different color-combinations of gingham. So cute!
Apparently it’s not just the latest fad; gingham is very Dutch. You’ll find a lot of gingham (mostly red) in traditional restaurants and homes here in The Netherlands. (more…)
Boumy brogues
If crawling contests existed, I’m sure my 12-month-old son would have a good chance of winning! My, he’s FAST!
He doesn’t, however, seem to be very interested in the whole prospect of walking –unlike Courtney’s son, who took his first steps at 8 months!
Oh well, maybe he just likes his dark-brown Boumy brogues too much – I just bought him his 3rd pair!
These slipper-shoes are all leather, so they’re warm in winter and cool in summer, and they are soft and flexible enough to leave room for those little baby feet to grow. The sole is made of non-slip rough leather. They are easy to put on, but do not easily come off, and are absolutely super cute.
‘Cause every girl’s crazy ’bout a sharp dressed man!
xxx Esther
Too many toys?
At some point there is no escape possible. You need extra storage for your kids’ toys…
This Norrebo storage bench from Ikea does the job wonderfully. What I really like about it is the fact that, unlike conventional toy chests that have a flip-up top, it works as a huge drawer. Because of that, the top stays closed and can be used as a bench for sitting, or to display more toys on top. In our case it houses my daughter’s kitchen!
It’s solid birch wood, and having said that I think the price is very reasonable. The simple design of it makes it easy to blend into any interior.
xxx Esther
PS. If you happen to be living in the U.S. and have a great storage solution, you can enter it in the ‘Now you see it, now you don’t’ children storage contest from Ohdeedoh!
George and coffee.
I’m Italian and I drink coffee, but not just any coffee. I like espresso, not too strong, not too bitter, not too sour… I’m picky!
I prefer to make it myself, but after having babies there is just no time to mess around with a traditional coffee maker! (I was happy to move back to Italy where espresso is available on every corner for less than 1 euro)!
Everything changed once we bought our first Nespresso machine. 
Nespresso is a quick and easy way to make good espresso at home. You insert a capsule, which contains the coffee powder, into the machine, and then press a button…. et voilà your coffee is ready! No need to clean afterwards as the empty capsule is automatically disposed of into a little drawer. The quality is great, and you can choose from many flavours, carefully described and rated for their strength. There are also 3 decaffeinated types and 3 in the Lungo range, for those of you who still prefer a big mug of coffee.
We have not looked back since; we love our coffee and it’s so easy to make that even my 3-year-old son offers to prepare coffee for his dad! (more…)
comingB
I’m in Amsterdam this week visiting Esther… so, of course we went shopping! What I love about shopping here in The Netherlands are all the bright colors; orange is big here and so is lime green and bright pink. The children’s stores are all very cool (or at least the ones we’ve been to). With clothing brands like Imps & Elfs, Kidscase, and Bergstein, these shops can not go wrong.
While out shopping today we discovered the cute brand comingB (which is actually French, not Dutch). I love this super-cute hedgehog pencil holder (in cool ‘Dutch’ green), and the felt sticker frames, which I want to stick on my fridge with cute photos of my boys!
Oh how I love Amsterdam!
-Courtney
Peppa Pig
I just realised that I am in possession of something that is considered hot property here in the Anglo community in Paris: a collection of Peppa Pig DVDs. We were given the DVDs and my little girl loves them, but I had not realised how popular Peppa Pig was with the 2-year-olds until another mom spotted the series on our bookshelf and got very excited… finally she would not have to watch the same Peppa Pig DVD over and over again!
Peppa Pig is a cute little animated series for toddlers (specifically girls). Peppa is a little pig who lives with her brother, George, and her parents and has little adventures as all kids have. If you are interested in innocent and cute little stories that have charming animation and a bit of a moral to them, this is the perfect cartoon.
-Emilie
Strumpfhosen…
In Dutch, thick, knitted tights are called a ‘maillot’. In French, a ‘maillot (de bain)’ is a swim suit. To add to the confusion, in Dutch, tights of the thin sort are called ‘panties’. (And a panty is called a ’slipje’).
I’m glad the Germans decided not to participate with all this nonsense and just call their tights ’strumpfhosen’. What a great word, don’t you think? Strumpfhosen, strumphosen… it almost sounds like the beginning of a fairytale!
Courtney already wrote about the great Falke Catspads (those fantastic in-house anti-slip socks), but I thought I had to tell you about these supercute Falke tights my daughter has been wearing this winter!
They come in a variety of beautiful colours with a classic argyle at the side. As with everything German, the quality is superb. Very cute with a simple, plain T-shirt and a pinafore dress! (more…)
Aveda ’smooth infusion’
I have used Aveda hair products for as long as I can remember, and have been a faithful fan of the Shampure range for the past few years. I like how my hair feels really clean after shampooing, and how it seems to keep my hair cleaner for longer… (Seriously, I have been known to go a (very) long time in-between washes, and I really believe it’s because of ‘Shampure’… well, and the fact that my hair is uber-thick)!
The other day I walked into the Aveda store in Kensington to stock up on shampoo and conditioner, and the lady took one look at me standing there, arms filled with the big bottles of ‘Shampure’, and said, “Do you know about our new line, Smooth Infusion? It would be great for your hair!” (Hmmm… so, obviously I’m not the only person who thinks my frizzy hair could use some help)! I took her recommendation and am very happy with my new products… (more…)
A week in Paris
Monday:
Head over to the Louvre for some culture. Older kids love the Egyptian collection with sarcophagi and amazing statues, and the whole museum is full of lifts and ramps so taking a pushchair along is no problem. There is even a special queue for moms with pushchairs so you can skip the crowds (if there are any).
Then, as an antidote for the kids, walk over to the Tuileries Gardens. They have trampolines (for kids over 2), and a merry-go-round situated in the middle of the gardens. Try to go before 4pm as this is the time school finishes and the parks get packed. To treat yourself, go for a hot chocolate at Angelina’s (226 rue de Rivoli). Rumour has it, that this is the best hot chocolate in the Northern Hemisphere…. (more…)
Egg warmer
My friend Martine came by the other day and she gave us these adorable, home made ‘egg warmers’ — cute little bunnies made from felt. They’ll make my Easter table look very festive!
I especially like the bright colours (Courtney would call them Dutch colours) and the flappy ears…
Have a great Easter!
xxx Esther
Pasen
Pasen in the Netherlands involves hiding chocolate eggs, but the only lamb we eat is in the shape of butter!
Traditional Dutch Easter brunch takes place on a beautifully decorated table with candles, yellow flowers, brightly coloured eggs and an ‘Easter Tree’ (a few willow branches decorated with chocolate or wooden eggs). There are the typical Dutch breakfast items like bread, cheese, cold cuts and sweet spreads, but this time we add a few typical Easter dishes.
Paasstol (easter bread) is a sweet raisin bread with almond paste inside. We also serve scrambled eggs with dill and smoked salmon. Smoked eel is good too.
Cress tastes really good with the hard-boiled eggs, so I always have it on my Easter table!
Pasqua
Easter is quite an important day in Italy given our Catholic inheritance.
It comes at the end of Lent — a period during which for religious reasons (or simply for tradition) many people make sacrifices and give something up… like sweets, or shoe shopping! During lent it is also quite common not to eat meat on Fridays; fasting is instead prerogative of the very religious.
Despite this period of abstinence, the windows of patisseries and confectionery shops are full of chocolate in the shape of eggs, rabbits and lambs, all in very sweet pastel colours resembling the coming of spring. Children open their eggs on Easter morning and find a little surprise in them. If you have something special you wish to give on Easter day, you can ask a confectionery to prepare an egg especially for you and insert your little gift inside (quite romantic I must say). Egg hunts are not part of our tradition here in Italy. (more…)
End of ‘having babies’ theme week
Thanks to everyone who left comments and shared their personal stories. We loved hearing all the different birthing experiences from all over the world. We’re also thankful for all the tips we received. I took good notes and will (hopefully soon) be able to put all this good advice to use!
If you’re also expecting (so exciting!) we hope our tips were helpful, and we wish you all the best! Let us know how it goes…
-Emilie
Wrap dress, again…
Sorry that we keep repeating ourselves (Michela wrote about this a while ago), but a wrap dress is an absolute must-have if you’re going to have a baby soon. Not only is it the most comfortable thing to wear in those last few weeks of pregnancy, it is also indispensable for the first few months after you’ve had the baby! It is easy for breastfeeding, comfortable, and elegant (and conceals that belly really well)!
Michela got hers at Isabella Oliver, I got mine at Topshop, and I like the look of this one from Mothercare too.
xxx Esther
Tricotti, again…
I know I’ve raved about the Tricotti before, but now that we are having this theme week I felt I had to just remind you of it. I used this sling so much in the first months…
In the house: at some point my baby would only sleep in my arms – but they would be equally happy in the Tricotti and this left my hands free! Out of the house: I always kept the Tricotti in my push-chair – there were moments that my babies absolutely refused to be in the push-chair for a second longer!
The Tricotti consists of 2 tubular jersey bands that you wear crosswise over the shoulders. It’s very easy to use (although it’s handy to have some clear instructions). It can be worn in 4 different positions: comma (from birth), face in to wearer (6 weeks) or out towards the world (3 months), or a bit later in hip position (up to 2 years). It can also be used for discreet breastfeeding. (more…)
Got milk?
The wonderful midwife who saw me through both my pregnancies is also a homoeopath, so she had all sorts of tricks up her sleeve and advice for all my pregnancy ailments. After the birth of my first baby, when I thought my milk supply wasn’t meeting my baby’s demands, she suggested eating almonds and drinking fennel tea! Apparently almonds work wonders for increasing breast milk supply!
She also advised drinking loads of water (every time you sit down to nurse you should drink a glass), and getting plenty of sleep… Oh you know — that thing you get if you lie in your bed, close your eyes and dream away for a solid, uninterrupted period of time! Hmm… so maybe sleep is out of the question, but at least the almonds will work!
-Courtney
