Pasta with broccoli
Unfortunately my mum does not like broccoli so I discovered this dish once I started cooking dinners with friends, but it was love at first sight and now it is a common meal in our family. I’ve also noticed that my non-Italian friends particularly love it, possibly because it is an easy way to spice up a simple and common vegetable, and makes for a healthy pasta for kids.
Here is the recipe for four hungry people. (more…)
Tripp Trap
My two kids seem to outgrow stuff in a blink of an eye, and the top of every wardrobe or book shelf in our flat has something stored on it! I am really getting annoyed with continuously throwing things away, or finding storage solution for things that feel like they have only been used for a nano second.
This is why I really like furniture that evolves with the child and actually sticks around for a couple of years! Which is why I am just about to purchase our second Tripp Trap by Stokke.
It has been around for ages and I guess the reason it has become such a classic is because no one has come up with a better space saving, evolving high chair which isn’t an insult to the eye. In fact all of us girls have Tripp Traps! Courtney and Esther have neutral wood-coloured ones and Michela and I bright green and red ones!
- Emilie
Le Fournil
This past Saturday morning my ♥ husband treated me, our daughter and my hangover to a lie-in, and took our toddler son out for an early-morning stroll toward one of our neighbourhood treasures: Le Fournil.
Le Fournil is the first original French bakery in the Netherlands, and it is immensely popular. Getting fresh bread on a weekend morning means standing in line here, but it is worth it! The most delicious baguettes, croissants, brioches, madeleines… Yum!
Sébastien, the owner, comes from a family of many generations of bakers located in the Vendée (France). Together with his Dutch wife he owned a bakery in France for over 10 years, but when they were visiting family in the Netherlands the idea of starting a French bakery in Amsterdam slowly took form. An excellent idea, if you ask me!
Thankfully, the promise of a foamy cappucino (babyccino for my daughter, naturalmente), a basket of ultra fresh French bread and a hard-boiled egg made getting up that morning not such a punishment in the end…
xxx Esther
Plan Toys wooden drum
Here’s another toy that my mom bought for my boys, but for her house. She’s trying to fill her house with cool toys so they never want to leave… and it’s working! This Plan Toys solid drum
As with all Plan Toys products, it’s made from recycled rubber wood and coated in a non-toxic finish, and the quality is great. Which means your kids can bang away without ever breaking it… or driving you crazy!
-Courtney
Meningitis Awareness Week – What you should know!
A while ago I wrote a post about Mette Mitchel’s lovely webshop called Flawless. I’m sure you remember that post, as all the items Mette sells are seriously wonderful.
But that’s besides the point, this time.
When I was browsing Mette’s shop, I found out that Mette’s daughter Miko fell very ill with meningitis at the young age of 7 months.
Meningitis! I wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but I knew it was super scary and extremely dangerous. I sent Mette an email, and told her I was glad her baby was alive and well. In her reply she told me how frightful it had been, how happy and thankful she is that Miko is alive and well today and that she now donates 10% of all of the sales made at Flawless Home Parties to a UK Children’s Charity, the Meningitis Research Foundation. She also mentioned that it would be Meningitis Awareness Week in the UK this week…
Quickly the idea took place to help spread the awareness of meningitis (and septicaemia), as, I found out, it is EXTREMELY important to know the symptoms of this disease. Meningitis moves fast. Very fast. It’s all about recognizing the symptoms and getting help ASAP.
So… What exactly is meningitis (in short)? (more…)
My daughter had meningitis
When Esther from Babyccino told me they would run a story about meningitis and septicaemia I felt so grateful. I know that it is not the kind of stuff we normally read about in the fabulous blogs that I love so much; meningitis and septicaemia are ugly and not something we like to think about, but never the less – simply knowing the symptoms helps to save lives from this horrible disease. That, and a mother’s instinct!
My daughter battled the disease when she was nearly 7 months old…
One day, on a casual lunch out with a friend and her baby, Miko didn’t seem well. I took her home immediately. She was crying, her temperature went up and there was nothing I could do to comfort her. I took her to my GP who sent us to A&E (Accident & Emergency), simply as she put it “to rule things out”. They looked at her in A&E. They gave her paracetamol and let us stay in a room while they were running tests on blood and urine and they kept an eye on us for a couple of hours. In the end Miko seemed a lot better and they sent us home with an appointment for the next morning.
Miko got worse during the night, and we did our best to comfort her in our bed. In the morning we went back to the A&E way before we had our appointment because we were simply not happy with her. She was crying in a way that I’ve not heard her cry since, and she continued to run a temperature.
Of course everybody will tell you that babies cry, and who hasn’t heard stories about high temperatures in babies that proved to be harmless? But my instinct was telling me that something wasn’t right, and thank God I was listening.
Miko was very ill. We were sitting in the waiting room of the A&E unit when a nurse came to listen to her heart, and from that second it all became a blur of doctors and nurses, orders being shouted out, medication and what seemed like 100 beeping machines attached to my baby. As a parent standing on the side it felt as if my child had been robbed away from me. While the doctors do whatever it takes to save the child, you feel useless, helpless and your heart is being crushed into a million pieces. (more…)
Ultrabib from Bibetta
I know the name may be a bit over the top but these neoprene bibs from Bibetta are really fabulous. Ultrabib seem to be the best of both worlds: plastic and cloth bibs. They are waterproof, stain-proof and retain some shape like the plastic ones yet they are soft and comfortable like the cloth ones.
We got a large one (in lavender) for my daughter and we used it this summer; it worked great and even got many looks of admiration in un-savvy Italy!
I bought ours in Milan at Salina, but you can buy them from Amazon (UK) or directly from their online shop (they ship worldwide for a very reasonable fee).
-Michela
A little museum just for little ones
I am really enjoying the fact that my oldest daughter is morphing into a little person with whom I can actually start having interesting conversations with. Don’t get me wrong, we are not spending hours discussing the details of the theory of relativity, nor does she have a particular view on who should be the next US president, but she has started asking interesting questions and describing what she is feeling and seeing, which is really rewarding after 2½ years….
The flip side of this is that she is not content anymore to play for hours with a tupperware container filled with a couple of pasta tubes, but now needs to be stimulated and entertained. This is not always an easy thing to do especially now that the summer is over. (more…)
Poof!
With regards to my daughter’s obsession with pink and princesses alike, the one item that could not be missed in her wardrobe was a big, fat & cloudy tutu…
Some research on the web revealed that the fullest and most carefully made tutus are sold at Prissy Poofs, and lucky me, they also come in a gazillion colours other than pink! My daughter proudly owns a dark blue one now, and it is seriously wonderful. I even allow her to wear it on the street (which can’t be said for other combinations she has recently made)!
xxx Esther
Blossom Maternity
Why does it always happen that I find the cutest maternity clothes when I’m NOT pregnant?! Well, it’s happened again… and I’m thinking I should just stockpile some cute pieces for when the inevitable happens again!
Blossom’s new Autum/Winter collection is so, so cute! They have a ton of really great tops, pretty dresses and even some trendy skinny trousers! I’m really impressed! I’ve been browsing on-line all day…
Blossom also sells great basics, like the feeding camisoles I’ve mentioned before. So, if you’re pregnant and in need of a fashion fix, look no further!
-Courtney
Sage soup
Sage is a herb I love, but don’t really use that much. Of course I need it in order to make the super-tasty pumpkin pasta invented by Courtney’s husband, and of course I use it to make saltimbocca. I have also added sage to applesauce before (a great combination with pork), but that’s about as far as my adventures with sage go…
Last week we were visiting my dad in France and I learned about a whole new way to use sage: sage soup! I know, I too had my doubts at first, but my curiosity won, so I made it the next day and am now convinced: it’s truly special… and delicious.
Here’s how to make it – it’s really simple! (more…)
Wheely Bug
My daughter loves her wheely bug. In fact, all of her friends love her wheely bug too. In fact, I have to put away the wheely bug when kids come over to play at our place as I don’t actually like to see 4 toddlers getting in touch with their primal side and assaulting each other over a toy in my living room!
A piece of genuine Ozzy ingenuity! The reason the wheely bug is so popular with the toddler market (which, as we all know is a very demanding market) is because it is incredibly easy to ride. The wheels are like desk chair wheels so they swivel easily in whatever direction the kid want to go.
The wheely bug comes in the guise of lots of different animals and they look super cute, especially with a little toddler on it, laughing her little head off with delight!
- Emilie
A new community
Although Babyccino is likely your favourite stop on the web, if you are like us, you may be reading other blogs for mums and written by mums. So you may already now about the story of Stephanie Nielson and her husband, which was also featured in the New York Times. I find these events quite moving and heartwarming, and possibly proof that once women occupy some space, they turn it into something special. These new communities that are growing around blogs have really brought people closer who live all over the world and share tastes, interests and problems.
Here in Italy mums still have to fully join the new blogging craze and have yet to understand their full potential. Quite often when I talk about blogs I get weird looks and I clearly feel that these people are thinking that I might be some weird un-social geek that does not have a rewarding social life. While it’s true that my social life could have a boost, I have faced the fact that with two kids below the age of four it’s not that I can go out and meet friends every night of the week, so instead of watching television I write on Babyccino and read other blogs.
I’m sure all of the other girls have the same feeling I have, that at Babyccino we are slowly but surely building a new community of friends, and that is what keeps us going!
-Michela
Pumpkin pasta
I always keep a butternut squash in my kitchen. They last for ages without going bad, and always seem to come in handy when your cupboards are bare and there’s nothing else to cook. A couple years ago, on a Sunday evening in the middle of winter, my husband decided to be creative with the butternut squash.
Using a small packet of pine nuts, some fresh sage, and a tiny bit of dried chillies, he created what is known in our household as ‘pumpkin pasta’. The trick is to use a small pasta like orecchiette, which captures the pumpkin sauce in each bite (and is the perfect size for little mouths). This pasta dish is really easy to make and is always a hit, especially with the kids because it’s slightly sweet and very flavorful. It’s one of my boys’ favorite meals.
Here is the recipe… (more…)
Leander Cradle
I have to admit that I don’t actually own this item, but I have swooned over this Leander crib many a time. I would have gotten it in a flash if we did not live in a rented flat in which we are not allowed to make huge holes in the ceiling… but isn’t this crib just to die for?
It is a lovely Scandinavian design (trust the Danes to come up with something functional and attractive). I could not think of anything more soothing then being able to swing a newborn baby to sleep in it at night.
You can buy the crib with a sort of tripod to hang it from (which does require a fair amount of space), or it can be hung directly from the ceiling.
-Emilie
CoutureLab
What happens when Carmen Busquets, the creative mind behind Net-a-Porter, foresees a new mood in luxury on-line shopping — one that includes handcrafted products for man, woman, child and home?? An equally chic website called CoutureLab.
CoutureLab sells unique and one-off pieces created by famous designers, including jewelery, accessories for the home, and a range of luxury baby items. Their cashmere baby rompers are classically beautiful, and their baby blankets are so soft – I envy the baby who gets to be swaddled in one!
Following in the successful footsteps of Net-a-Porter, the shipping and delivery from CoutureLab is almost magical. Who can beat same-day delivery straight to your door? Not to mention, the beautiful packaging… The delivery man who dropped off my products last month looked at me like I must be the queen receiving such a beautiful package!
They ship worldwide, already covering more than 34 countries, which means you can send a gift to someone on the other side of the world! Or… treat yourself to some royal treatment!
-Courtney
Handbags’ paradise
I recently took a stroll in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the only covered gallery in Milan that connects the Duomo Square to the La Scala Square. It was built in the second half of the nineteenth century and traditionally it was considered Milan’s ‘good sitting room’. It used to be lined with luxury boutiques and nice cafés, and they all had black signs with gold writing. Then in the 1980s the quality of the shops fell and the Galleria wasn’t a shopping destination anymore. The central octagon still hosts a MacDonalds (with a very sober black sign!), but now the wind has changed and in the space of 50 meters, under the same glass volts, you can find Tod’s, Prada, Gucci and Luis Vuitton. So if you need a handbag you know where to go! (more…)
La Maternelle
Autumn has arrived here in France, and for us a monumental event: our 2½-year -old has officially started school at the local public Maternelle, and it has only now started to dawn on me how serious this all is. From now until she is 18, the French state is taking charge of her education!
In her class there are 22 kids from all walks of life supervised by 1 teacher and 1 teacher’s aid. This class is actually relatively small as most classes in Paris have about 28 kids in them. Can you imagine 28 two-year-olds with 2 adults supervising them?? Sounds crazy to me, but it seems to work!
The main aim of the Maternelle is to teach children social and motor skills (I think it is hilarious that the state feels responsible for teaching its little citizens these skills). The classrooms are actually really cute; there is a playdough table, a puzzle table, a gold fish tank, a toy garage and a toy kitchen. During the day the kids have free play time and also listen to stories, sing songs and play in the outdoor courtyard. Most stay from 8.30 – 4.00 pm and have lunch and a nap at school. Maternelle is not compulsory (that only starts here from 6 onwards) but I don’t know anyone who does not send their children. The Maternelle is a French institution as much as the croissant is! (more…)
Count the Birdies
My 3-year old is really into counting these days. Everything she sees has to be counted, first in Dutch, and then in English.
So this cute book, Count the Birdies
Simple, beautiful.
I also like the fact that the counting is not too easy – the more birds on a page (up to ten), the more difficult it gets, as they are all different sizes and are not all lined up.
Another cute book by Matthew Porter is his ABC
And I have been told these two books are the first in a set of four – opposites and colours are to come! Can’t wait (my daughter STILL doesn’t know her colours)!!!
xxx Esther
J.Crew tees
I’ve been here in the states for a month now, and I’ve been into J.Crew about five times. The Autum/Winter collection is so impressive – I want everything! But there is one item in particular that I’m now obsessed with: their new ringspun cotten tees!
They have cute ones with little jersey flower appliqués (like the one pictured), or more simple v-neck tees with no added details. They are soft and light-weight, and just fit perfectly. They come in a variety of colors, so you can buy a few… I’ve been living in them for the past month!
Unfortunately, J-Crew currently does not ship to Europe, only to the U.S., Canada and Japan. But if you can figure out a way to work around the shipping, these tees are certainly worth it! And not that expensive either…
-Courtney
