Posts by Esther in Amsterdam
My son has a funny thing going on with witches and wolves. He can’t get enough of the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and also the Three Little Pigs are amongst his favourites. Especially if you make it a little more exciting with well implemented sounds and pauses, he’s completely enchanted. Never mind that he hears the same story for the gazillionest time!
This cuddly wolf from Ebulobo has therefore stolen his heart. It’s a bit of a crazy wolf, because besides Pigs and Little Red Riding Hoods he eats saucepans, mobile phones and chickens. And even though my son should have outgrown this toy a little, he and even his big sister are still majorly entertained by it!
I found it amongst many other treasures in the new online shop Peanut & Pip, which is definitely worth a visit to discover some new, cool products.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
March 11th, 2010
Need I say anything? I can just imagine the baby in my belly in 3 months time, born swift and safely, and cozied up in her Noonie after bath time. How sweet will she be?
Noonies are the original idea and design of Lala Pequenos, designer, mum, and co-owner of a rainforest (indeed). They’re made out of a 100% cotton shell in an array of colours and patterns, and have a lining so soft you wish you could squeeze yourself in. Organic choices are also available.
Now if you’ll excuse me — I’ll have to look dreamily at this picture again. Sigh.
xxx Esther
P.S. Noonies are not intended for un-supervised sleeping.
Esther in Amsterdam
March 9th, 2010
If only just for the intro you should have a look at the website of Franka Stockholm. I think it’s one of the coolest websites I’ve seen! I admit I usually have no patience for a website intro, but I promise you this one shouldn’t be missed — it will give you an immediate impression of the children’s clothing brand it represents: original, fresh, playful and interesting!
The design and quality of the clothes is great, but above all they’re functional: they’re playful clothes made for playful children. I really like the originality of the pieces and the easiness to wear, without becoming grungy or cheap.
And I really LOVE the little baby dresses — let the baby come and the summer begin (another 10 weeks to go)!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
March 6th, 2010
Before we moved to a new house a few weeks ago, we used to live in an apartment building. Parking in the basement, large elevator, and the rooms conveniently laid-out on one single level. Disadvantage: no garden. Advantage: no stairs.
Last week I came home from work and found my 4-year-old daughter sitting on the sofa with a package of frozen red cabbage wrapped in a tea towel, pressed to her forehead. A bump the size of an egg was slowly developing. You guessed it, she fell from the stairs (or, as she stated, her little brother pushed her, but I’m not sure how much of a truth there is in that). Poor girl.
Now I’m not against red cabbage, (we prepare it with a little sugar and apples — truly delicious with good sausage or game), but don’t you think this cute little elephant from Goodies of Desire would do a much better job at soothing a little (or bigger) owie? I do, and thus, from now on, I keep one in the freezer compartment of my fridge for cases of emergencies. Good to have around.
The friendly elephant is filled with cherry pits and the label says that in addition to the usual bumps and bruises it can also be useful for ‘Kopfenschmerzen & Kater’ (headache & hang-over) or ‘Milchstau’ (engorgement). VERY good to have around.
If you find it a pity however to hide the friendly fellow in the freezer, you may also warm it in a medium warm oven to treat colds or to use it for relaxation. Or, thanks to its cotton elephant skin and natural cherry pit filling, you can safely give it to a baby as a cuddling toy/rattle.
What a multi-purpose little fellow… And, to make it even better — it’s machine washable.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
March 3rd, 2010
Very recently I wrote about how we decorated our children’s new room with a wonderful wallpaper tree from Inke Heiland. Inke’s silhouettes are made from exquisite vintage wallpaper and will instantly spruce up every kid’s room.
These birds come in a set of 2 with a bag of wallpaper glue attached, so the only thing you need is a bit of time on your hands and a cute place for the birds to go. But that shouldn’t be too difficult — they’re for instance very cute on top of a cabinet, or a curtain rail, or a light switch…
Do you think you could find a good spot for a set of birds? Great! Because Inke is very kindly offering TEN sets of handmade, vintage birds to TEN lucky readers!
Just leave your comment below by Sunday, March 14th and we’ll pick a winner at random.
Good luck!!
xxx Esther
P.S. Colours and patterns will be chosen randomly.
Esther in Amsterdam
February 28th, 2010
About a year ago, I told Courtney we should start a pyjama shop. I seriously thought Europe was missing something as simple as this — I’m always on the look-out for cute and affordable pyjamas (preferable the old-fashioned 2-piece variety) of good quality and design, but they are really difficult to find. I’m not sure what happened to the idea — it certainly wasn’t carried out (one of us was probably having a baby or something), but I’m so glad to have discovered that somebody else did!
PJ Basics is an initiative by a Dutch lady called Elsina, and her webshop focusses mainly on kids pyjamas, but there are also some other cute bedroom-related products. I have the pictured pyjamas for my son and they are our all-time favourites. The quality is great, they stay in perfect shape and are seriously cute on. They are also super comfortable as they don’t have itchy labels or annoying seams. I ordered some for my daughter too and they arrived this morning — they have the cutest flowery fabrics and I love the embroidery details. I seriously can’t recommend these pyjamas enough!
Elsina just translated her web-site in English, and ships worldwide. Bravo!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 25th, 2010
As you know we recently moved to a new house. It has a little garden, but it’s by no means bigger than the previous apartment, so our children are still (happily) sharing a room. My husband and I went through some effort to make it a lovely, cosy space (we have really sweet kids, you know), so we painted, hung bookshelves, assembled cabinets, and glued an enormous, wonderful wallpaper tree to the wall.
Inke Heiland originally designed her wallpaper silhouettes for her little boy’s room, but after great results and very positive feedback she decided to start producing the designs, which are now available from her webshop. All handmade from the most exquisite vintage wallpaper, these trees come as a do-it-yourself kit, completely cut out, with clear instructions, wallpaper glue and brush present in the tube. It was a bit scary at first as neither of us have wallpapered before, but the application process was surprisingly easy, and though I’m not saying it was 3 minutes work — more certainly we spent over 3 hours — the result is absolutely fantastic. The kids are super proud and adore their room. And yes, I admit, it did turn out rather nicely.
I really recommend Inke’s designs — they’re highly original, will instantly spice up every kids room and they certainly complement different interior styles very easily. They’re available through her webshop, or through our favourite eco shop ShakShuka.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 23rd, 2010
How superbly cute is this card? I just sent it out for my son’s third birthday party (which will be this week, and still needs to planned completely). Don’t you think it looks like the real thing?
Well, it’s not… not really. I just discovered Cocodot, a wonderful source of the most gorgeous designs and, best of all, paperless for perfect simplicity and extreme eco-sensibility!
I must say I was always a bit skeptical about using e-mailed invites, but after having sent out my first one, I’m a convert. Completely.
How extremely easy it is! How perfect to keep track of the guest list and interact with the invitees! How sweet are the designs! How wonderful for an at-the-moment-not-very-organised, overworked mama…
The service is not free, but compared to paper mail it’s quite cheap, and the ease of creating, sending and planning your correspondence is great. I’m planning to use it loads.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 21st, 2010
Here in Amsterdam, cold and dreary February just takes too long. How is it possible — it has littler days than any other month and seems to take twice as long!
I just can’t wait for summer because I’m so in love with this cute playsuit I got for my daughter. How I love the retro look of it — it could have been something we wore ourselves in the eighties!
I had no clue Marc Jacobs makes kids clothes, but I guess all the big designers do so these days, hence, 10 points for originality: he does too. But he does it well!
This playsuit is just the perfect summer outfit for a 5-year-old girl; not too childish, not too grown-up (I’m not a fan of too-grown-up on little girls), not too trendy, but just trendy enough.
Available through Alex and Alexa.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 19th, 2010
My daughter really loves audio books — she curls up on the floor in front of the speaker behind the couch and patiently listens to the story. So cute, and much more calming than television.
I strongly believe that reading a book (or listening to an audio book) enhances creativity and imagination more than watching television. In fact, even though we do have a television for watching the occasional DVD, we don’t have a cable connection in the house and I’m pretty sure we don’t miss much.
In an effort to bring more peace and calm to our household after dinnertime, I’m currently testing out a fairytales relaxation CD from Relax Kids. (My son especially needs to unwind; last night we caught him making a complex puzzle in his room 45 minutes after we put him to bed!)
The CDs from Relax Kids are meant to help children relax with the aid of meditative stories and soothing music, believing that a calm and confident child will have an easier time falling asleep. The CDs can also be helpful for over-active or anxious children, or for kids with specific problems like bed-wetting or nightmares. You can listen to an intro of each CD on the website, and you’ll get the gist.
Even though my kids need to get used to it still, their mama gets so super relaxed I’m sure it must eventually rub off on them! There are specific themes available, we have ‘Up, up and away‘ but I’m also very intrigued by the Princess and Superheroes CDs.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 17th, 2010
Love, the girls from Babyccino Kids
Esther in Amsterdam
February 14th, 2010
Courtney gave us her recipe for sugar cookies a while ago, and it’s truly great. What else to make for Valentines Day than these beautiful, yummy, pink and red hearts? I’m surely making a batch today so the glazing will be perfectly dry tomorrow.
If you’re in the mood for a laugh, let me remind you of the ‘romantic evening‘ my husband and I hoped for two years ago. If you’re planning something similar for tomorrow, make sure you won’t be disturbed!
And do you remember the heart-shaped paper clips that we used to make as children and Michela wrote about last year? I think my daughter would love to make some to decorate her drawings…
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 13th, 2010
If you have a sewing machine, this Valentines decoration is easily made, and my kids really liked the project!
Just potato-stamp hearts on paper; I used recycled paper but you can use any sort really, even newspaper. No need to be perfect here, my 2-year-old had quite some production going. Let the paint dry and cut the hearts out. Again, slightly outside the outline of the stamp is fine, my 4-year-old girl was perfectly capable of doing it all herself! How typical for this age…
My machine had black thread in it and I didn’t bother changing it. I think it actually looks quite nice like this. Make sure to leave some thread at the ends for attaching!
My daughter’s bed looked lovely instantaneously! (The wallpaper bird is from Inke, more about that later.)
xxx Esther
P.S. Inspiration for this project came from Maya*Made
Esther in Amsterdam
February 12th, 2010
This little gem landed on my doormat yesterday — perfectly in time to post about for Valentines!
Sture & Lisa is a Swedish brand that manufactures trendy and fresh baby basics, with that funky style that is oh-so-typical for Swedish design. All made from 100% eco and fairtrade cotton and printed with low-impact ink, these onesies are safe for your baby as well as for the environment.
Through Musjes.com — they ship internationally.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 11th, 2010
With Valentine’s Day approaching soon, I couldn’t resist purchasing this amazingly cool heart shaped frying pan. I’m not yet sure whether I’ll serve the pancakes or the eggs, or maybe both… But I’m positive my family will love them (and me)!
I got mine from this shop here in the Netherlands, but it’s — among other places — also available from this UK website.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 9th, 2010
We experienced again that moving house with a family is not an overnight job — it’s like giving birth, you sort of forget how painful it actually is! The new house is very nice though, and room by room it’s slowly coming together.
Here are some tips that I have found helpful for before, during and after the move:
1. Take measurements (including ceiling heights) of the new place before the move and make a basic plan of what furniture should go where. Think about how you will get bigger pieces into the new house — is the doorway big enough? And the stairwell? Does it fit through the windows, maybe?
2. Clearly label the boxes. It should be extremely clear to what room what box should go — don’t worry too much about the content. Your kids can help label / decorate the boxes!
3. Don’t overload boxes with heavy items (books), they will be too hard to handle and they will only break. Keep inserts of drawers together: dump them in a ziplock bag, in the new house you can easily dump them in the drawer again. Only bother wrapping breakable pieces and keep them in a separate, clearly labeled box.
4. Keep handbags, laptops, telephones, passports, jewelry and other small valuables together and move them in your own car. Also keep a box with power cables, extension cables, router for internet connection and a couple of table lights with you. And the tool box!
5. Pack a suitcase with overnight essentials for your family, toilet paper, clean bedding for the beds and some towels. Make the beds in the new house as soon as possible, chances are high you’ll be too exhausted later!
6. Buy plenty of drinks and some beers. Think about cups and glasses. Make sure to have plenty of bread and cheese available for sandwiches, and ingredients for coffee. Buy some bags of crisps and apples. Keep all of the food in a separate bag, and keep telephone numbers for delivery services handy. Don’t even dream about cooking!
7. Try to have the kitchen and bathroom cabinets in the new place clean before you move, so you can start unpacking in these rooms. It’s nice to have these rooms in working order as soon as possible!
8. The kids should be ‘out of the way’. Ask if they can play at a friend’s house for the day, and ask if they can have dinner there as well. Make sure the kid’s room is cozy and their beds are made before they come home from their day activity!
9. Buy some new DVD’s for the kids, these days are exhausting for them as well and they will love to lounge on the couch, while you can focus on some more unwrapping and organizing.
10. Get plenty of garbage bags for all the stuff you decide you don’t need after all. Think of the new place as a new start!
xxx Esther
P.S. Thanks Bibi, Rebecca, Katie, Destri, Sandra and Vicky for your advice, we followed it all and it really helped!
P.P.S. Do you have more tips for a smooth move? Please leave a comment!
Esther in Amsterdam
February 7th, 2010
I have such a bad memory for names, it’s just terrible. I don’t understand how people do it (remembering names) — it has something to do with immediately saying the name out loud as soon as you hear it, like ‘Nice to meet you, Eileen’, or ‘How do you do, Ronald?’. Doesn’t help me much though.
My little boy started school a few weeks ago, and you can imagine how difficult I regard the teacher’s job of remembering 20 to 30 names in a few days time. I decided to help her a little, and simultaneously boost my son’s confidence of course, by dressing him in a personalized T-shirt with his name (and a fire-truck) on the back. Although the teacher never said, I imagine she must have been immensely thankful for the help…
I got Pim’s personalized name T-shirt at Simply Colors, a good place because there are unlimited combinations of fonts, sizes, images and colours, and you can play with your design on-line and will see instant results. Another good place to go is the designer’s collection of Stuck on You, where there are plenty of cute designs available and the quality of the T-shirts is really good.
I’m thinking, maybe the whole world should start wearing clothes with their names on it — how easy that would make life for me!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 4th, 2010
Thanks to its flat (meaning not hilly) landscape, the Netherlands is the perfect place for getting around on bike. It’s also quite safe: bike lanes are virtually everywhere, and drivers are so used to the many bikes around that they take them in careful consideration. So the ‘fiets’ is the preferred means of transportation for most, if not all Dutchmen. We cycle to work, we cycle to school, we cycle to the shops and we also grab the bike if we go out at night (this will also conveniently save us the money for a parking ticket or a taxi).
Kids? No problem. We just take them in front with us when they are little, in a special seat hanging from the steer. When they grow bigger, they get a seat on the back of the bike, if necessary combined with the pre-mentioned seat on the front for a little sibling.
If you have three or more children though, it’s probably time to get a bakfiets. A bakfiets is kind of a cross between a bike and a beach wagon, and you can conveniently fit in as many as 4 children (although I’ve seen people squeeze in even more!). If you’ve ever been in Amsterdam, chances are high that you’ve noticed them around.
Bakfietsen come in many shapes and varieties. Foreigners usually choose the variety with two wheels in the front for more stability, but most Dutchmen get one with just one wheel in the front because it’s lighter to cycle and easier to maneuver… I think if we were to (finally) get one, we would get the one pictured.
If you’re ever in Amsterdam with children and are interested in doing as the Dutch do, I suggest renting a bakfiets in one of the many places in the city. It’s the most convenient way to get around, and super fun!
xxx Esther
P.S. We typically don’t put helmets on in the Netherlands, not even on the kids!
Esther in Amsterdam
February 2nd, 2010
I just love how Kellie from BB+++ keeps coming up with the utmost original ideas for her children’s clothing. There’s always something different, funky or unconventional about her pieces, but yet they are always very easy to wear.
Take the blue Mary Jane dress my daughter was wearing today. The blue knit top part has a semi-tight fit, but is super comfy due to the stretchy nature of the material. The lower skirt part of the dress is made from black cotton, and is detailed exactly like an up-side-down man’s dress shirt, complete with buttons and windsor collar. It is really a super cool dress, and if you fasten the buttons irregularly (or not at all, as my daughter prefers), you get a rather unconventional, sweet look.
A real recommendation if you have daughters (especially now that I noticed they are on sale)!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
January 31st, 2010
We’re moving. This weekend. To a tiny little house in the same neighbourhood. We’ve been in an apartment for the last few years, so we’re super excited to have a garden, even though it will be teeny tiny!
Although we’ve moved a couple of times before, from country to country, and even with kids, it seems like we have never had so much STUFF to move as we have now!! When my husband (then boyfriend) and I moved to NYC 9 years ago, (and moved in together for the first time), our ‘things’ consisted of 8 boxes. It seems like we must have around 80 now!
Last week, in a faint attempt to get organized, I decided to go through all of the old baby and kids clothes that I’d gathered in big garbage bags in our basement… Ouch. Who knew that two children (admittedly of different sex) could have gone through so many clothes?
Now that I know I’m having a girl, I could at least give away most of the baby boy clothes. But of course we have kept the girly things, the baby bath, the tummy tub, the bath seat, the Bumbo seat, the activity mat, the moving music mobile, the play pen, the toddler bed… I think we’ll need a moving van by itself just for the kids stuff!
Did you move house with children before? Any tips?? Tell me, is there any secret that I should know about that will make the transition as easy as possible? (And please don’t tell me I should have been preparing for weeks already!)
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
January 28th, 2010
Previous Posts
