Family vacations
I admit I’m lucky — my academic work gives me a lot of flexibility and, especially in the summer, I can take a lot of time off to spend with my family. My husband is not as free but still he spent 2 weeks with us in the mountains. This is absolutely normal in Italy. Depending on family income the destination may vary but 2 or 3 weeks of holiday in August is definitely not a luxury.
Spending so much time with my children is physically draining but extremely emotionally rewarding. We somehow get to know each other better and enjoy new experiences together. Every night now my husband tells me how his relationship with our moody and recently-mother-needy daughter improves by the day as he gets to spend more time with her.
So when I read this article on Babble I was pretty shocked — I knew that European workers were kind of lucky in terms of paid vacations but I had no idea that most American workers have about one week of holiday a year. (more…)
Choice of buggies
At the moment I am really enjoying cutting corners, recycling and making do with what we have, embracing a simple lifestyle. However, there are a few things that are not worth skimping on and children’s security is one of them, but being security conscious does not mean breaking the bank.
I found this article in the Guardian about how to choose a buggy sensibly and they had some really good tips.
I actually wish I had read it before getting mine. I am the proud owner of three buggies, and that is exactly two buggies too many!
- Emilie
Do they always need a fig leaf?
The other day I read an article in an Italian newspaper about child nudity that quoted this article in the New York Times. The article discusses, with the aid of interviews and psycologists’ opinions, whether it is appropriate to let children play around in the nude, and until when. The article also discusses whether it could be appropriate at home but not in public places, and also whether the presence of unknown adults matters.
From the sheer number of comments (on the online article) I realized this topic is quite hot and controversial.
I think I have an “average” attitude toward the issue, in the sense that I typically encourage my children to have their clothes on at home (or outside of it), but do let them run around naked on the beach or in a friend’s garden if they so wish. Even at home we take a relaxed approach; I never go about doing my business in the nude but I also never hide myself when dressing or coming out of the shower. Sometimes my children point at me, after all my body is different from theirs, and sometimes they just don’t care.
Although I’m pretty sure that any child below the age of 3 should not offend anyone’s feeling if he or she is seen naked, I’m not too sure about when, and if, this freedom should stop for the comfort of the child and the people surrounding him/her. (more…)
The science of shopping
I’m usually a fashion magazine reader, but lately I’ve been tempted (while stuck in line at the checkout) to grab the mags that promise easy weeknight dinners or dresses that make you look thinner, like plenty of hurried moms out there. My latest purchase was the July issue of O Magazine, in which I’ve discovered a very interesting article on shopping. I consider myself a bit of a shopping expert, or shopaholic at the least, and I’ve even managed to make a career out of it with my shopping tours in Paris. (When I was 2, someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I answered, “A shopper like my Mommy!”)
And this article, entitled 6 Common Shopping Traps, proves what I’ve known all along– shopping does something to the brain to make you feel better! That is, in some individuals, anyway — it seems that “feel good” parts of the brain are activated when they shop, and others have strong reactions in the pain centers in the brain. Think I can convince my husband that shopping is actually making me healthy? Check out the article for more info and other tips on how not to overspend. Thanks, Oprah!
xx Rebecca
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Kids and Jet Lag• The perfect travel outfit
• Cash in the car
• Traveling in Italy
• Traveling with kids!
Is there a right way to space out siblings?
I came across this article on Parenting, about the pros and cons of different age gaps between siblings.
They came up with three classes: less than 2 years apart, 2 to 3 years apart, and more than 4 years apart. I have to admit they seem to list them perfectly. The authors, in fact, mention the logistical nightmares of having 2-under-2 children around, but also stress the strong bonds they will develop. For the second group they highlight the fact that the older son may better understand what’s going on, but still may not react well to the new arrival. The wider spacing instead has the logistical and financial benefits of not having two children in daycare or college, but they most likely will be less involved with each other.
They also talk about the effects on marriage with each option. It’s good food for thought in my opinion. (more…)
Brio Zento
Last week I wrote about rear-facing car seats, about how much safer they’ve proven to be for children under 4 years old, and about how difficult they are to find here in the UK. Since then I’ve received a few different e-mails in support of rear-facing car seats, including one from the lovely Corina of KIDSEN — a cute Scandinavian kid’s shop here in London.
Originally from Sweden (where rear-facing seats are standard practice), Corina couldn’t imagine putting her 2-year-old in a forward-facing seat. So she went on a search for a rear-facing seat which would fit a UK car and ended up buying the Brio Zento.
The Zento is one of the most versatile combination seats on the market. It meets the more stringent Nordic safety standards, it fits most UK cars, and is approved for rear-facing for kids up to 25kg. (more…)
A late Father’s Day reading
Last Sunday was Father’s Day in many countries (not in Italy though) and reading a few blogs I discovered the essay President Obama wrote on the occasion for Parade magazine.
The title, “We need fathers to step up“, is very powerful and so is the whole essay, simply to the point — as the President has got us used to. He grew up without a father and still managed to be elected to the most important position in the world, so this means that everything is possible in spite of your upbringing.
Still he writes that fathers have to be present in body, mind and soul for their children. They have to be there through thick and thin and to make an effort of shielding the younger ones from the problems in their own adult life. They have to be role models because parents are the primary teachers in a child’s life. (more…)
Madonna and the Malawi orphans
There has been so much in the newspapers lately about Madonna adopting from Malawi. I am not an expert in adoption and cannot claim to understand the complexities both legally and ethically of adopting from another country and culture. But I do wonder whether it’s okay to take a child away from the culture it is deeply rooted in and whisk them away to a completely different environment. I honestly don’t know.
Maybe naively I have always considered adoption as a very viable option if I had not been able to have my own children. I do think that I could love a child as my own irrelevant of whether it is genetically related to me and my husband or not. There seem to be so many children in the world without a family who need a home and a loving environment.
But, in the case of Madonna, is this a mother honestly trying to give a little girl a home and love and support, or is she a celebrity used to getting whatever she wants and not thinking of the impact her decisions have on the life of this little girl?
Would love to hear what you guys think…
- Emilie
Is rear-facing the way forward?
I’ve lived here in the UK for six years now and I’ve never actually seen a rear-facing car seat (apart from the Maxi Cosi baby car seat we use). Unlike in Scandinavia where rear-facing seats are the norm, here in the UK it is common practice to put your child in a forward facing car seat at the age of 8 months or so. In fact, rear facing car seats are surprisingly hard to find and are expensive if you manage to find them.
This might all be about to change, as a new report by the British Medical Journal advises the use of rear-facing car seats for children under 4 years old. Apparently frontal collisions account for almost 80% of accidents, and it is proven that a rear-facing car seat is better at protecting the child’s head, neck and spine in these accidents.
Here are two good websites which explain rear-facing: RearFacing and CarSeat. I’m not sure I will run out and buy rear-facing car seats for all my kids, but I think it’s definitely something to consider.
Do any of you have your kids in rear-facing seats?
-Courtney
Hello Kitty Hospital
This story is just too good to be true, I needed to share it with you!
Taiwan has just opened up its very first Hello Kitty Maternity Hospital. How crazy is that?!
Imagine arriving at a hospital in full labour and being greeted by nurses and doctors dressed in Hello Kitty gear, not to mention the rooms being completely decorated with Hello Kitty accessories. I think I would be so shocked that I would forget about the pain!
Whatever works to make birth a pleasurable experience for other people is fine by me. But I think there is a fair chance that I would feel like bopping a ‘Hello Kitty’-dressed doctor on the head while he was trying to give me an epidural.
I also would love to know if kids born in this hospital are going to have a secret Hello Kitty addiction…
- Emilie
Skirt length
Summer is around the corner and it will bring bare legs and arms. But those of us who are not in perfect shape may be a bit reluctant to follow suit.
This entertaining article on the Guardian gives some nice and intelligent style tips to help you achieve a smart look while avoiding faux pas down that slippery road. The tips include not baring too much chest if legs are on show or never to buy a skirt with a hem at mid-calf, mid-knee or mid-thigh – that would just be too unflattering. There is also a cute way of finding out the right length for your leg shape, because, as the author reminds us, the beauty of legs is in the shape, and they do not have to be extra-slim to look nice. Apparently they are also the last part of your body to age!
Go on, show your LTZ (lower thigh zone)!
-Michela
The perfect cocktail
Lets face it girls, we all deserve a drink from time to time. Though, with children at home, we cannot quickly slip on our heels and head down to the nearest bar. But sometimes a little something to celebrate the end of a long week on a Friday night is an absolute necessity!
Not just any old drink, but something that tickles the taste buds and makes you feel like there is more to life than snot.
I am a very partial to a well made mojito. Then again…. a perfectly mixed martini is hard to beat! Here are some of the best classic cocktail recipes I have seen in a long time, but if you have any to recommend — I would love to hear! I am always up for a new experience when it comes to cocktails!
- Emilie
Boy or girl?
I have a boy and a girl and wanted to know the sex with both my pregnancies as soon as it was possible. Courtney didn’t, and I admire her for this. It must be one of the biggest surprises ever… but I’m just too curious and could not resist.
With my first pregnancy I wanted a girl, and got a boy. In the end I could not be happier.
The second time around I was honestly indifferent. I would have been happy with another boy — a good playmate for number one, or a girl– a new challenge. But what kept amazing me was how direct people were in telling me how I must have been hoping for a girl. Once I knew, people kept remarking how lucky I had been to get one of each. Even in front of friends that had same sex children.
I’m sure all these people meant well, but it seemed to me they were all too sure of what was best for me. There I was, wondering how our family equilibrium would have changed with the 4th member, irrespective of the sex, and they were so sure that a girl would have made our life much better. (more…)
Emergency contact
I recently commissioned a feature for Real Living magazine about “what to do in an emergency”. After the recent series of devastating bush fires and floods across the country, I was talking to my mum and we were saying that it’s hard to know what you should do first in an emergency. Hence, the feature. At about the same time I received this email from a woman in my mother’s group who is a nurse. I’m not sure if you have seen this information from anyone else, but it’s the only time I’ve seen it so I thought it was worth sharing…
-Natalie
Message from the Ambulance Service:
We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory. If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn’t know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this ‘ICE’ (In Case of Emergency) Campaign. (more…)
Breast is best…or not?
I breastfed both my babies, one for 11 months, and the other for 9 months. I would have liked to do it for longer but she weaned herself unceremoniously from the breast. I loved nursing — I loved the feeling, the bonding and the practicality. I had the benefit of long maternity leaves so I was with my babies all the time and breastfeeding seemed to me the most convenient way of providing nutrition.
With baby number one it was hard at the beginning — it hurt and was not that easy to learn. But having given birth in London in 2005 after having attended pregnancy yoga classes and the NCT course, I was adamant I was going to breastfeed my babies. It was really important to me; thank God I loved the task.
I have to admit that back then I was a tiny bit judgmental and believed that those mothers who did not breastfeed were somehow denying their baby the best start in life. Years have gone by, I moved country, I met more mothers, I read more articles and now I am not so firm in my belief anymore. (more…)
We will teach you to make love again
I read this article in the Guardian by Janine di Giovanni called “We will teach you to make love again” and I could not resist mentioning it on Babyccino.
For me it reflects a lot my experiences of being a mother in France. The article is definitely written with a big pinch of irony and generalizations, but there is a lot of truth to it. The perineal re-education, the emphasis on losing weight after birth and the different attitude towards breastfeeding are all things I have experienced. Janine puts it perfectly: being a mother in the Anglo-Saxon world can be all about the baby. Being a mother in France is very much also about the mother.
-Emilie
Cookie’s new pregnancy newsletter
With six weeks left until my due date, I’m beginning to enter ‘crunch phase’ for getting everything organized before baby #3 arrives. Up until now I’ve been pretty relaxed about things, but now it seems I’ve got a long list of ‘to-dos’ that need doing.
Just as I was needing a little motivation and guidance, Cookie magazine launched a swanky new pregnancy newsletter which offers handy tips for every stage of your pregnancy, delivered weekly to your inbox.
But unlike the many other pregnancy newsletters which focus on health and fetal development, this one focuses on the mom and includes maternity fashion tips, nursery design ideas, advice for getting along with your spouse during pregnancy, etc. (Or, for week 34 in my case, tips for choosing the right rocker/glider!)
There are also loads of good discounts on baby gear and a handful of prizes to be won! Click here to subscribe.
-Courtney
Dress to impress (yourself)
A few days ago a friend of mine sent me the link to this article on the FT (also featured on the Irish Times) which was commenting on a post in one of the NYTimes blogs. This post generated a lot of discussion because of the suggestion on what to wear when you know you’re going to be fired. In their opinion it should be something that makes you look professional and (still) employable but clearly not your favourite outfit for it would be forever linked to bitter memories.
The FT journalist, after a funny introduction about socks’ etiquette, ends up agreeing with the colleagues at the NYT that in rough times un-essentials become more important. Dressing up and looking the part lifts the spirit, she says. (more…)
No-knead bread
A bit over two years ago there was a little article in the NY Times with a recipe for ‘No-Knead Bread’. I remember reading this article (I even watched the video), totally impressed with how easy it seemed and how yummy that bread looked. I scribbled down the recipe and threw it into my recipe notebook. All I needed was a cast-iron pot and I could be on my way to making this bread…
Little did I know that I was one of thousands of people who read that article, watched the video, and vowed to become the next bread baker. The ‘no-knead bread’ recipe now has quite the cult following, and there’s no doubt why: it really is that easy and that yummy!
It took me two years to finally attempt it (actually, my husband first took the plunge), but we are now completely obsessed. This bread is SO DARN GOOD! Crispy on the outside, soft and light on the inside. Seriously, you must, must try it.
-Courtney
Packing tips!
This week over at Cookie mag’s Going Places blog, they’re featuring a week of packing tips from all the traveling experts.
Of course we had to chime in… with all our traveling experience.
So head on over to ‘Going Places’ to check out our tips… some of which were learned the hard way — like forgetting nappies for the baby, holding a baby with a diarrhea explosion on your lap when the seat belt sign was ON, and waiting three days for the airline to find your lost luggage… yikes!!
-Courtney
