PARENTING TIPS
Thursday Thoughts: 'Read the Room' -- advice for kids
I have recently realised that a lot of my parenting philosophies can be synthesised down into a few short phrases or even words. The phrases have changed with the years (I don't seem to be screaming a simple "Stop!" that often anymore). Some phrases, I am sure, have been used since the dawn of time. ...
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HOME AND DÉCOR
Hibou Home wallpapers and bedroom accessories
I have been spending my year renovating my flat and it has been exhausting, exhilarating, tiring and also energising at the same time. After being in the new flat for a couple of months now, we are starting to settle in. But every morning I wake up with new ideas and plans - some of ...
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FASHION
Stylish swimwear from Surlaplage
Summer is arriving and we did not even see it coming! One day it is cold and grey and then next the sun is everywhere and people are walking in the streets with a big smile on their face! I do love this time of year. Summer also means digging out all the summer clothes ...
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OUTDOORS
The Micro Beach Wagon -- an excellent companion, even in the city
One of the pesky little things of living in this beautiful city of mine is transport. All my friends who live outside of Paris own a car. The simplicity of jumping into a car and driving to a shop, loading the groceries or bigger items from the trolly to the boot of the car and ...
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SHOPUP
The LA ShopUp -- a recap in photos
I know we say it every single time we get back from a ShopUp event, but the ShopUp in downtown Los Angeles this weekend was just so so great. We are still buzzing about now! We absolutely loved The Springs venue and its location in downtown LA. We had never been to the downtown area before ...
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SHOPUP
Coming up very soon: A springtime ShopUp in East London!
It is exciting times over here at Babyccino! Not only are we off to Los Angeles this week for the LA ShopUp, we are also in the midst of planning our very first London Spring ShopUp (taking place the weekend of the 6th of May)! We are super excited as not only will we have loads of new shops ...
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KIDS
Zozu Baby -- pretty bows for girls and for boys
Please let me introduce you to another one of our inspiring portal members, Sandy the founder of Zozu Baby, an adorable shop making bows for girls and, my personal favourite, for boys too. Sandy got the idea for Zozu Baby when she had her daughter. She wanted to find items for her baby that reflected ...
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KIDS ROOMS
Sweetcase - beautiful essentials for newborns (and gorgeous room decor)
The other day I was having a coffee with the lovely Murielle from Sweetcase -- I do love talking to the people we work with and discuss what inspired them to start their businesses! We touched base on how she was inspired to create Sweetcase... Murielle was expecting her second child when she realised that ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
My thoughts on child birth
I was on the phone to Courtney the other night and we were laughing about how people can have such different attitudes towards child birth. There is a world of difference between the hippie town of Byron Bay and inner city Paris! Here is my theory: for me birth is a bit like a long-haul ...
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BEAUTY
My favourite cruelty-free skincare products
My daughter has started developing her activist streak and it is really making me think about my shopping habits and attitudes. I absolutely agree with her that testing on animals is not a great thing, but have to admit I can easily forget to think about it when out shopping. But seeing the earnestness in ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
One of my rules
One of the reasons I like writing posts for Babyccino is because it gives me a chance to stop and think and analyse my parenting philosophies. So often when I tell my kids to do something and they ask me why, my answer is the same as every parent since the dawn of time: because I ...
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KIDS
Beautiful, European-style shoes at Munchkin et Moi
Shoes -- we cannot live without them so we might as well embrace them! Here in continental Europe we have some very specific styles of shoes for children. I swear you can often recognise a European child by the kind of shoes he/she is wearing! We like brogues, buckled shoes and shoes that get passed ...
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HOME AND DÉCOR
The flap between my girls' rooms
Renovating a flat has been a fun, if a bit stressful event in my life. I had no idea how all consuming it was going to be. I spent nights pinning on Pinterest, researching flats in every corner of the world, searching for inspiration and checking out every possible Ikea hack there was in the ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
When to consider speech therapy and other types of educational support
About a year ago my youngest daughter, who was holding a book, turned to me and said, "Mommy, it is really interesting -- I can see this letter in my head, but I cannot manage to write it on a piece of paper". I was intrigued, and like a good French person, went straight to ...
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SHOPUP
The London 2016 ShopUp (a recap in photos)
The London ShopUp wrapped up last night and it was, if I may say so, our best one yet! Even the weather was kind to us this year with not a single cloud in the sky (our rain curse must finally be over!). We had more than 3,000 visitors stop by, browse, shop and say hello. What a ...
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THE SHOPUP
Powder Byrne -- and the chance to win a family ski holiday!
We are literally counting down to the ShopUp over here at Babyccino and I am super excited to introduce you to yet another one of our amazing sponsors -- the luxury family travel specialist Powder Byrne. Powder Byrne has been creating the perfect ski holidays for families for more than 30 years, so these guys know what ...
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COOK BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
Little Dish -- sponsors of our London ShopUp event
A while ago, I was sent a cook book by the lovely Little Dish Team. Honestly, it is still one of my main go-to books for when I need inspiration for a well-balanced, easy to make meal (you know the way you sometimes get into a rut of always cooking the same thing? It happens ...
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TEAM FAVOURITES
Team Favourites: Water bottles
I was having a chat to my kids the other day about the environment and the amount of unnecessary waste we produce. One of my pet peeves is plastic water bottles. So we are going to try and make a concerted effort of taking a water bottle with us when we are out and about, instead ...
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WEEKEND GETAWAYS
Weekend Getaway: Edinburgh
When I visited Edinburgh for the first time it was in the middle of February. It was cold and dark and wet -- but it was so beautiful. The cold and the darkness suited the city and there was always a warm, cosy pub close by if we needed to warm up. I loved it ...
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TOYS & GAMES
Our annual Holiday Gift Guides!
I am literally still finding places to stash the Halloween candies away... and holiday season is already slowly making its way into our consciousness. To top it all off, it has even started snowing in Paris! Not long and it did not settle -- but enough to get us into the mood and bring out ...
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BABY ESSENTIALS
Minois Paris natural baby products
Our lovely Paris City Guide writer Lara, has a beautiful baby boy called Oscar and like every new mama, she is getting to know all the wonderful products that are out there for young babies. After all, there is nothing like a sweet smelling baby! Lara recently discovered a new French label called Minois Paris, a natural skincare ...
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RECIPES
Mint Syrup -- a video and recipe
This summer in the country Esther and I decided to see if we could create some of our own mint syrup. You see, Sirop à la Menthe is the ubiquitous summer drink for French children. The original version is luminous green and you will find it at every cafe in France. It is oddly refreshing ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
The power of the embarrassing parent!
My kids are wonderful (of course I would say that), strong willed, independent little women and on the whole, they are easy to get along with. But there are moments where they seem to feel that, by repeating over and over and over again that they want a packet of chocolate eggs in the isle of ...
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