Driinn!
Have you ever kicked, stepped on, or hit your mobile phone (or PDA or ipod) while it was charging? I bet you have — it has happened to me way too many times. So I was quite happy when I saw Driinn in a bookshop the other day. It’s a plastic support that hangs between the charger and the wall socket, giving storage to the phone and its cord. Such a clever idea, and it looks nice too! 
It is 11cm high, it weighs only 26 grams and it is made of a special mix of plastic and rubber. Driinn is the product of a successful joint venture between an Italian firm (design and production) and a Dutch one (sales and marketing) and it’s now retailed all over Europe, in the US, Australia and New Zealand. But you can also buy it from the main website and they will ship it all over the world.
-Michela
Lullabies and Wildflowers
The last time I opened up a new CD and plopped it into the machine was probably 3 years ago before my first son was born (around the time I watched my last film)! These days I just don’t have time to think about new music or films, and we just always listen to a syndicated version of NPR radio from our computer. There you go, I’ve just shown all my cards: I’m indeed as nerdy as I believed my own mother to be when I was a teenager! Darn!
So imagine my delight when I received Melissa Errico’s new album, Lullabies and Wildflowers
Diptyque (and Zara Home)
Amongst the best scented candles in the world are without doubt the ones from Dyptique… Who doesn’t know those beautiful glass jars with the sober black and white design and elegant lettering, often beautifuly displayed in exquisite stores?
These famous candles come in a variety of 53 divine scents (woodsy, spicy, green, floral or fruity), and all fragrances are completely natural and inspired by the scents one can encounter when traveling through the Mediterranean and the Near East…
When I was working in NYC I once went shopping with the famous interior designer Jacques Grange, and as we were standing in front of the beautiful Diptyque display in an exquisite store on 5th Avenue, he pointed out to me which Diptyque fragrance is preferred by what royalty or star. (If his aim was to impress me with his former clientele he surely succeeded!) Unfortunately I’ve forgotten all the information he gave me, so if I’m ever going to be the house-guest of Princess Caroline or Yves Saint Laurent, unfortunately I won’t be able to bring them their favourite Diptyque candle… Blast! (more…)
Design, Michelin stars and kids
What have they got in common? Nothing you’d think. But they successfully coalesce in the new Coffee Design here in Milan, which reopened in full swing this April.
The place has just been refurbished by Michele De Lucchi, and it is now more sleek and airy. The kitchen is now behind a huge glass wall and chefs can been seen working from the main bar counter. The menu is the fruit of the cooperation of Carlo Cracco — a Michelin starred chef, and the Autogrill group, already present in more than 50 locations where food and culture mix, like the Prado museum, the Jardin de Versailles or the Empire State Building. 
The menu is a balanced mix between delicious sandwiches, healthy salads, selections of cheese and cold cuts and a few warm traditional Italian dishes presented in a very modern way. There is also an impressive wine list!
So where do the kids fit in? You can get every dish in a child’s portion for about 2/3 of the price! So civilized, and so rare in Milan…
-Michela
Le Train Fantome
Could these dolls be any cuter? Don’t you just love that girl with the scarf? And the darling little bunny…
Le Train Fantome is a small line of endearing creations, all handmade by Fanja — a French woman living here in England. All her creatures are either unique or available only in limited editions, and are made with great attention to details and fabrics.
She also has a small selection of paper goods and very cute stickers!
I just love the old-world charm and very French look of all her designs. Makes me wish I had daughters to appreciate them!
-Courtney
I wish I was a bunny…
…not a Playboy Bunny, of course (although…?), but this überly cute, rich and fashionable bunny called Fifi Lapin…
xxx Esther
P.S. Thanks to Kirby for the tip!
SWAT (Smart Women with Available Time)
I read on the WSJ about the new trend of mums in the U.S. taking up temporary executive jobs, and I think this concept is so cool!
Many women — highly educated and with secure career paths — leave work to be stay-at-home-mums. They realize that the rhythm and demands of their careers cannot be easily reconciled with raising a family first hand, and so they quit their jobs when their careers are on the ascent…. Which often means that they end up missing some of the (different) challenges of a professional life, and would still like the feeling of being able to use their hard-earned skills. SWAT mum teams are being hired by corporations to fill the skills gap, or to complete a particular project. (more…)
Vote tote!
I just recently spent a couple weeks in New York City with my husband and two children, and apart from gaining great respect for mums in that city (it was tough with two kids), I was reminded, as I always am when we go back to the States, how different the culture is in America compared to here in Europe, especially when it comes to politics. Everywhere we turned we were faced with the 2008 presidential campaign. It was the topic of every news station and every conversation. It’s great to see a country so enthused.
I love the idea of letting your bag do the talking, which is why I think this lovely tote from Poem Crown is perfect (if donkeys are your thing, I suppose). It’s made from 100% organic cotton and sends the message beautifully! (more…)
A Car Litter Bag please!
We just came back from visiting my parents in the South of France. It’s about a 12 hour drive from Amsterdam and, with two toddlers in the back, we decided to divide our journey into two stretches. On the way to, we stayed in a chateau near Orléans and on the way back we stayed in a budget hotel south of Paris (unfortunately Emilie was out of town). It was a big price difference between the two, but I actually liked both!
You might be able to imagine what my car looks like now that we’re back. Yes… A battlefield! The car-seat of my one-year-old is completely covered in banana (I said completely)! In fact, I think the whole car is covered in banana: my son tends to throw his banana away with force when he decides he has had enough thankyouverymuch.
And at some point, the only thing I could do to keep the children quiet – after they slept, read books, listened to audio CD’s and sang songs – is to feed them snacks. (Does that make me a bad mum?)
Of course I tried to maintain order in the small space by removing chunks of banana from windows and other places and by gathering empty water bottles, juice cartoons, biscuit wrappings, pieces of sandwich etc. as well as possible. But at some point the litter bags were overflowing and all the small trash unavoidably ended up on the floor.
My next road trip with kids will definitely have to be more organized.
I will have a washable cover for the car seat, I will possibly (depending on finances) have portable DVD players on both head rests, and I will DEFINITELY have a Car Litter Bag by The Mod Mobile. (more…)
Flower show in Milan
The 13th flower show of the Orticultural Association of Lombardy “Orticola” took place last weekend in Milan in the nice surroundings of Giardini Pubblici. It was obviously nice to look at all the flowers, plants and garden furniture on show, but what I thought was surprising was the effort made to make children feel welcomed! For the three days of the show, children (who enter free until they are 12) could attend all sorts of labs, where activities were designed to put them in touch with nature… and I believe city kids need all the contact they can get. (more…)
Jonathan Adler… for kids!
I’ve always been a huge fan of Jonathan Adler’s. His stylish range of pottery, bedding, lighting, furniture, etc. is funky and retro. There’s something very mid-century modern about his style and it fits perfectly in our home. (We have the bird bowl, and we love it!)
While in New York this past week, strolling the top floor of Barneys, I discovered that Jonathan Adler makes the coolest-looking piggy banks! They are just beautiful. So if you’re in the market for a great piggy bank for your kid’s room, look no further! Saving pennies has never looked so cool!
(more…)
Jip and Janneke in English!
A while ago I wrote about the super cute Jip and Janneke. Their stories are famous here in the Netherlands, not only because of the simple way they are written but also because of the adorable illustrations – all Dutch kids LOVE Jip and Janneke (and their parents too)!
And now – here comes the exciting news – ‘Jip and Janneke’ has finally been translated to English!!!
I am SO excited — finally something I’ve wished for has come true!
This coming year I will have the perfect birthday present for all my daughter’s English-speaking little friends…
You can buy the book here — the site is in Dutch but they ship internationally, so if you’re interested and can’t figure out the language, I suggest sending them an email…
xxx Esther
DOUDOU
Last winter I was looking for a nice turtle-neck shirt for my baby girl, and it had to be a muted colour to go with some gorgeous purple wool trousers I received from Esther. As I’ve written before, here in Italy baby clothes are still mostly in pink, baby blue and classic pastel colours. It was with great surprise and pleasure, that I discovered the DouDou line of clothing. They do mostly jersey pieces of very high quality and extremely cute, simple designs. Their stated mission is to design comfy, great looking clothes for everyday use. (more…)
Magical wand
This nifty little gadget is one of those things in my (small) kitchen that I use every day and LOVE!
This ‘magical’ wand by Danish designer, Jakob Wagner, unfolds (like a fan) into a trivet, protecting your table or counter-tops from heat, cold or liquids. And when you’re finished, it folds back effortlessly into a small stick that fits into your cutlery drawer!
It’s small, space-saving, and like most Danish designs – cool looking. You can buy it online from Scandinavian Design Center, or you can pay a visit to Skandium on Marylebone High Street here in London, where you’ll find loads of other Scandinavian design goods!
-Courtney
Transport for tots
I know Courtney and Esther have both sung its praises… I am talking about the Phil and Teds double stroller — a sort of stroller equivalent to a skyscraper, cleverly designed to get as many kids comfortably into as small a space as possible.
Now that my kid ratio has doubled to two, I also have a Phil & Teds, and proudly cart it around Paris. My favourite part of the buggy is the Cocoon — a sort of sports bag you put your baby into so that you can easily lift the baby out of the buggy and carry her around without waking her up. (more…)
Happy Mother’s Day!
To all our mum readers in the US, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Iceland, Malaysia, Switzerland, Singapore, Philippines, New Zealand, Colombia, Finland, Japan… and many many more!
She does not look older than 25…
….but she is 40!! I am talking about the Sacco chair by Zanotta.
It was designed in 1968 by three architects: Gatti, Paolini and Teodoro, and it hasn’t gone out of fashion since. The cover can be leather, leather-like, heavy cloth or plastic, and it is filled with highly resistant polystyrene pellets. Over the years it has been produced in every possible colour! In 1972 it went on display at the MoMA and now a total of 26 museums have included Sacco in their permanent collection of contemporary or applied art. (more…)
Tall people
When I was living in New York City, about 5 years ago (gosh, time flies), I considered myself reasonably tall (I’m 1.76m, or 5′-9″) compared to the average American gal. And my husband, with his 1.91 m (6′-4″) literally stood out of the average crowd…
Until we would go to the monthly NL borrels gathering, where we would meet our Dutch friends and get drunk on Heineken beer instead of cocktails 
. Surrounded by fellow Dutchmen, I would immediately shrink to the size of a midget and my husband would definitely become one of the shorter guys around!
Did you know that the Dutch are the tallest people in the world? And did you know that until the 1950s, the American people held this position, but that since then they actually shrank a little while the Dutch (and other Northern European people) started shooting up? And did you know that this has more to do with an equal distribution of income and less with the fact that we drink a lot of milk?
If you want to know more about it, I suggest reading this article; it’s really interesting…
xxx Esther
Tyrannosaurus Drip
British author, Julia Donaldson, is hugely famous for her clever rhyming tales. (Just who hasn’t heard of The Gruffalo, or Monkey Puzzle)?! Her books are very popular in our house — I’m a sucker for rhyming books — and my boys love them too!
One of our favorites is the less-known Tyrannosaurus Drip
This clever tale about a peaceful duckbill dinosaur’s egg that accidentally ends up in a tyrannosaurus nest, is — like all her other books — fun to read aloud, with it’s rhyming poetic verses and repetitive refrains.
And what little boy doesn’t like a story about dinosaurs?
-Courtney
Electric is best!
When I had my first daughter I had not even the slightest clue on how to raise a child or what accessories where necessary. My learning curve was huge and I reckon part of the reason I had a second child is because I did not want this hard acquired knowledge to go to waste! But now with number two I am learning even more, so following my former logic this would mean that I never stop having kids….
One of the things that completely passed me by first time around was the use of an electric breast pump. It has totally revolutionised breast pumping for me! I plop myself down with a good book in hand, start up the pump and voilà — a few minutes later I am finished! A friend lent me her mini electric Medela pump, but here in France you can rent electric breast pumps from the pharmacy for about 12 euros a week, of which you get about 11 euros reimbursed by social security.
- Emilie
