A friend of mine recently referred to the way my 3-year-old daughter speaks as Creole. It a great way of describing it: she speaks an absolute mixture of French and English. Phrases like “Can you s’il te please tirer my culotte” (please pull up my undies) are very normal in our household and it is so cute I don’t want it to change! But it won’t last; she is quickly learning to differentiate her two languages.

In our household I try to only speak English at home and the children are exposed to French at school and with their friends. I myself grew up with a French mother, and an Irish father but spent my childhood in Germany, so I grew up speaking English, French and German. I actually now have a bit of an accent in every language I speak! As a child I really did not enjoy coming from a multi-lingual family as I felt I was different from my friends. My girls have the great advantage of going to an inner-city Paris school where a huge amount of the kids speak at least two languages, if not more.

So now that I am trying to bring up my kids bi-lingually myself, I have done a bit of research. I am not an expect in anyway, but here are some of the facts I thought were interesting:

• Being bi-lingual or tri-lingual has nothing to do with intelligence, people of different levels of intelligence are multi-lingual.
• Children start differentiating between languages around the ages of 2-3.
• Bi-lingual children do not usually learn to speak later because of learning different languages, as previously thought.
• One of the simplest approaches towards having bilingual children seems to be the one-parent/one-language approach. It is easier for a child to differentiate a language if one person speaks one language consistently to them.

Voila! I am really interested to hear if anyone else has tips and ideas on how to bring up kids with several languages!

- Emilie

A friend recently told me about this amazing feature of video blogs on Redbook called “The Truth About Trying“.  I thought it was a fantastic way to personalize and put a face to the issues that many women silently face.  Whether you have ten children, one child, or in the midst of trying for your first  – the struggle to conceive is a difficult and emotionally taxing journey when it does not work out as planned.  Thought I would pass along and give praise to Redbook for helping to bring light to an often closely guarded subject.

-Dina

(Image from Redbook)

I just came across James Mollison’s photographic essay, Where Children Sleep, and I can’t stop staring at those touching photos. Mollison provides stories of diverse children around the world, told through portraits and pictures of their bedrooms. Some photos are simply heart wrenching, others totally fascinating. Isn’t it incredible how wide our world is and how differently people live? The book is written and presented for an audience of children 9-13 years old with the intention of showing kids the lives of other children around the world. Would you show your children? I will definitely show mine!

x Courtney

via The Littlest Blog

I must say, I am really liking that more and more information is starting to come to the forefront regarding the issues surrounding infertility.  My mother pointed me towards this article entitled “My Fertility Crisis” which ran in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago and I thought it was a real eye-opener.   All too often, when we DO actually hear about a woman’s struggle with conception, it is usually only discussed and disclosed only once “success” (aka a baby )  is achieved.  Rarely do we hear about those who have been unsuccessful in the journey to motherhood and/or have been dealt multiple blows over the course of years and years.  Infertility is still one of those closely guarded secrets that women keep to themselves, which is why I need to commend Holly Finn, the author of the article and of the new e-book “The Baby Chase” who bravely and honestly shares her experiences of IVF and the quest to have a child.  While not the usual post you would find at a place like Babyccino Kids — I know that many of the moms out there can totally relate and I thought it was a good article to share.

-Dina

If you aren’t already familiar with LMNOP Magazine (and their great website and blog!), then now is the perfect time to check it out. Their latest issue is devoted to the world of children’s books, a subject so many of us are passionate about. They’ve compiled a well-edited list of must-read books for children under five, as well as their top picks of new releases.  I love their book-themed fashion section with children dressed as book characters! Find Iggy Peck (my son is going to flip when he sees that he can actually dress like Iggy!), Freckleface Strawberry, Eloise, and others… Also check out their ‘Paper Dahls’ section by artist, Jayme McGowan, with beautiful paper doll figures of some of Rhoald Dahl’s famous characters. So cool!

-Courtney

SAY Media recognises this changing state in media, and put together a list of 100 ‘authentic, knowlegeable voices online that create engaging content, drive conversation and shape opinion’. The list is divided into 10 categories, each curated by an expert in that field — say Tina Roth Eisenberg (SwissMiss) for Design, Amanda Hesser for Food, Seth Godin for Business and former health & beauty director of Cookie magazine, Dana Wood (MomOver) for Parenting.

And why am I telling you all of this? Because we have been proudly chosen to be one of those voices! You can’t believe how flattered we are to find ourselves amongst some of our heroes like Heather Armstrong (Dooce), Gabrielle Blair (Design Mom), Irene Hoofs (Bloesem Living), Joy Deangdeelert Cho (Oh Joy!) and Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist). To see the whole list, look here, and this little video explains a little more about the SAY 100 list.

xxx Esther

I love eating out and, of course, I love kids… but sometimes the two don’t mix.  I do still get annoyed, even after having my own kids, when there are children in a restaurant creating havoc. For me, eating out is a moment to relax, talk and enjoy good food, and a screaming kid can completely spoil the mood. In France, most children are taught from the moment they are conceived to behave well in a restaurant. But even here, occasionally, you wonder why people don’t just pick up their child and take him outside until he calms down, to let the other guests have their meal in piece.

I just read a piece in the Guardian about an owner of a restaurant who has decreed that “Screaming children will not be tolerated”. I think that is the best restaurant rule I have ever heard of! I am obviously not talking about kid-friendly cafés which are basically interior playgrounds, but I do think that screaming kids in a grown-up cafe or restaurant should not have to be tolerated, whilst well behaved kids who are happily eating their food are a pleasure to see in any restaurant. What are your thoughts?

- Emilie

I just read this post on A Cup Of Jo and loved it — it’s a great, stylish and sensible list of must-have items for mothers with a newborn baby. I totally agree that easy, slip-on shoes and a wristwatch are essential. I also like the tip about the backpack — it has inspired me to get one, as I am sick of having a stiff back from carrying around a shoulder bag that weighs a ton. I love the retro feel of these backpacks, it reminds me of the backpack my dad had as a student in the ’60s.

I would add to this list a pashmina, as you can use it as a blanket, nursing cover and rain protection. I also am addicted to my baker boy cap as I have no free hand for an umbrella anymore. I wear it 24/7 in the cold and rainy climate I live in. What about you? Do you have any items you can recommend that make getting out and about with a newborn just a little bit easier?

- Emilie

The great thing about Foccacia is that you can garnish it with whatever you have handy in your kitchen: cherry tomatoes cut in half, cheese, olives, any kind of herb or just plain salt and olive oil. I do love this kind of recipe — it’s super simple and whatever you do with it, it always turns out great.

- Emilie

- Emilie

There is no denying that motherhood is as amazing and enjoyable as it is difficult, stressful and monotonous, and while I would not trade it for anything in the entire world I do appreciate some of the honesty of this recent feature that ran this week in New York Magazine titled “I Love My Children. I Hate My Life”. It seems to be the modern problem — and especially for those women who had children later in life after a long stretch on independence. I can only speak for myself here but all too often I find myself in a never ending inner dialogue of “am I getting this right?”, “am I a failure because I feel stressed out about meal planning” and “am I a bad mom for taking a break from time to time?”  Not to mention feeling discombobulated in general about my role OUTSIDE of being a mother.  

The bar for motherhood is so high these days and I think the pressure has stripped a lot of the pure joy out of it, and although I try not to succumb to it too much it’s difficult to ignore.  Am I a bad mom because I don’t LOVE sitting on the floor doing art projects for hours or reading the same book again and again every single night? Is a piece of me missing because I am not smiling ear-to-ear when I am begging my kids to go to bed or scrambling to get them off to school in the morning? Sometimes I would just love to play with my girls and not be thinking about what I am going to make for dinner.   Anyway – for what it is worth, I thought it was an interesting article, if somewhat depressing, but worth a read.

-Dina

I do worry that my children are not being given the freedom we had and are missing out on an incredibly important lesson in life, namely being able to be responsible and independent in a safe environment. There is even a term for this now “Nature Deficit Disorder”, coined by American author Richard Louv. I just read this article in the UK Guardian and thought you might be interested. I am now obsessed with turning my little town dwellers into outside adventurers…

The photo, by the way, is of my daughter and Courtney’s son playing together this weekend in London and roaming around trees and fields — they had the best time.

-Emilie

Here are our ideas for a fabulous date night that won’t break the bank:

1. Prepare a cheese fondue following this recipe, add some French bread and serve a good, dry white wine. Imagine you’re in the Swiss mountains.

2. Buy a (tango) dance instruction DVD and get moving!

3. Borrow (or rent) a display projector and play something hopelessly romantic on a big screen (a piece of white wall or a white bed sheet) in the living room. Cook up some popcorn and make yourselves comfy on a big blanket with pillows.

4. Buy one of those super big jigsaw puzzles and solve it together. Sweet and cozy.

5. On a hot summer night sleep outside on your balcony or in your garden, use a tent if necessary.

6. Play a stupid board game together. We recommend Twister.

7. Prepare an iTunes playlist of old favorite songs, write down your love memoirs, and look at old photos. Don’t get too sentimental!

8. Dress up for the occasion. Your wedding dress might still fit.

9. Even if you don’t go out, send the kids out. Arrange for kids to sleepover somewhere else so you have the space to yourselves!

10. Romance doesn’t have to end that evening. Make sure to have everything handy for a lovely breakfast in bed the next morning.

I really don’t like the term “date night.”  I feel like there is so much pressure  — like we are supposed to easily switch off our day-to-day roles and somehow slip back to the carefree days of our old selves…. days, say, when my husband did not openly pick his nose in front of me…. days when I could drink a bottle of wine and not be completely incapacitated the next day.

People talk about it a lot here but rarely stick to it and I totally get it.  It’s just so hard to feel romantic and energized when you have young kids pulling at you all day long and what’s worse, a dinner out at a restaurant really just does not cut it.

But it is so important to do!  To feel connected to your significant other as well as reclaim the side of yourself that exists outside of your daily role.

That being said, I decided to do a little internet search to find what cyberspace suggested to do on a “Date” and I nearly had an aneurysm at the thought of some of these suggestions.  Surely they can’t be serious?  Granted it’s from RedBook mag but COME ON!!!!

Run don’t walk to read this…..100 Date Ideas

So when I was finished feeling VERY creeped out out over the RedBook list I tried to think of date ideas in NYC that would be transporting and memorable.  Since I can’t ride in a hot air balloon over NYC without getting shot down by the military and I certainly can’t ask the pizza guy to cut a pie into the shape of a heart without being laughed out of town I thought that it’s best to look for ideas that put you in a new environment.

And just this morning, literally, I was at the checkout counter at Whole Foods when I noticed the new Time Out Magazine.  The cover said “Great Dates! – the most romantic New York nights out.” Check it out.

Do you have a date night?  What do you like to do?

-Dina

I think Gaby Hinsliff touches on a lot of interesting points, namely how the recession might actually be an opportunity for us to redefine how we work and what is important to us.

I personally have now decided to go down the freelance option so that I can continue working but can also take long breaks. I earn less than I used to, but have decided that less expensive holidays and clothes are easy to give up for a few years at least. I would love to hear how other woman are coping. Has anyone found the “ideal” solution?

- Emilie

-Michela

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xoxo, The Babyccino girls

And this is my favourite way of making a Croque Monsieur:

Croque Monsieur for 4 people:

-8 big slices of  Poulaine Bread (I love Poulaine bread, but any type of sour dough bread works)
-4 slices of ham
-3 good healthy handfuls of gruyere cheese
-butter
-1 egg

Bechamel sauce:

-200 ml milk
-1 tablespoon of flour
-20 g butter

To make the bechamel sauce: Melt the butter in a pan and add in the flour. Gradually add the milk, mixing constantly to avoid lumps. When the sauce starts to thicken continue cooking it for 2 minutes and then let it cool down to make the Croque Monsieur. (If you want to be really decadent, add an extra handful of gruyere to the bechamel).

Beat the egg and mixed it together with the cheese. Generously butter the slices of bread. Place a slice of bread with the buttered side down on a grill pan. Add on a slice of ham and some of cheese on top of the slice of bread and close the sandwich with a second slice of bread this time with the butter side facing up. Spread some bechamel sauce on top of the sandwich and finish off with more cheese. Repeat with the rest of the sandwiches and then grill until all the cheese is melted.

Now this is the basic recipe. Here are some of the variations I have come up with:

• I love adding some mustard onto my bread and some tomatoes, but my girls hate it!
• Add a fried egg on top of the croque to turn the Croque Monsieur into a Croque Madame.
• And finally the vegetarian option, leave out the ham and add in sundried tomato or olive tapanade.

Oh, and if you serve it with a green salad dressed with vinaigrette, I promise you will feel like you are sitting at a bistro in Paris! Enjoy!

You can download the recipe for Croque Monsieur here.

- Emilie

-Michela

-Michela