FUN
Fresh Books for the Shelf, to help bring cultural heritage into the lives of our children
At the beginning of December we held the Babyccino Shopup event, and myself and the wonderful panel of women who joined us discussed how we are bringing our cultural heritage into the lives of our children. Some decisions seem simple, like celebrating Christmas or Eid, for example. Those around us are celebrating too and not ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Do you talk about being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender with your kids?
Earlier this week, a successful beauty blogger here in the Netherlands, Nikkie de Jager (@nikkietutorials), publicly announced that she is transgender. A very brave thing to do -- I watched her coming out video on YouTube and was incredibly impressed by her story and the way she chose to share it. I recommend you to ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
Memorizing Poetry, a lost art? Let's talk about the benefits.
I'm just back from Community Meeting at my children's school, which is a short weekly gathering of all the children in grades PreK-3 (so, ages 4 through 8 or 9 years old) and their parents. Typically at Community Meetings we sing together or listen to presentations from various classes on their studies, but the theme of ...
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PARENTING
Thursday Thoughts: Do You Make Your Kids Stay at the Table at Mealtimes?
My husband and I have had a bit of a predicament lately which has left us with this question I'd love to ask you: When your kids are finished eating, do you make them stay at the table until everyone is finished or do you excuse them? We’ve always let our girls get down when ...
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PARENTING
A new kind of list making
I made a list today, a different kind of list than I usually do. Not a to-do list, or a grocery list, or a list of errands to run, or a list in my gratitude journal that doesn't exist because I have zero extra time in my day for that. It originated as a ...
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BOOKS
Early Riser Companion: Rhythms & Rituals, Traditions & Transitions by Elizabeth Antonia
Longtime readers of this blog will remember reading posts from Elizabeth Antonia in Los Angeles. She has been a friend of ours for many years, has contributed to this blog, supported our LA-based ShopUp events and has been a wonderful supporter of Babyccino. I remember the first time she told me her idea for the ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Would you let your children get lost at night and let them find their own way back home?
Recently, an interesting article appeared in the New York Times, and so many of my friends and followers reached out to me about it. Is it true? Do you really do it? The topic of the article is about a particular 'game' we play in the Netherlands which is called 'dropping'. In a nutshell, children ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Let experiences be! How playing back memories on a mobile phone can re-shape our memories.
A couple of weeks ago Lara sent me an interesting NY Times article: Is the immediate playback of events changing children's memories? It has definitely made me re-think the way I share photos and videos to my children. Don't get me wrong -- I don't think it's bad to let them watch videos of past events, ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Are you competitive when you play games with your children?
Let me start by saying that I have huge respect for parents with an endless (endless!!) patience; parents who can play silly games with their children and let them win over and over again. I am not one of those parents. Of course I do sometimes play those silly games, and I do let my children ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Have you taken your kids to Disney?
My sister-in-law just surprised her two young girls with a trip to Disney World for spring break. Intrigued, I asked my mother-in-law a few questions who has been several times. Her ears immediately perked up at my interest. She apparently never thought I’d ask and is pretty eager to take my kids one day! I’m ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Do you carve out one-on-one time for each of your kids?
One of the things I get asked the most in relation to having a big family is whether I'm able to spend enough quality time with each of my kids. And my response to this question usually surprises people... The thing is that no, I don't really spend quality one-on-one time with each of my ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
At what age do you leave your kids home alone at night?
I had a revelation the other day when my youngest daughter told me that she had spent the evening entertaining the guest. The guest in this case was the 19-year-old babysitter whom I was paying good money to! This is when I realized that my kids were probably fine at staying home alone and very ...
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PARENTING
When teens get upset -- how best to respond
My mom sent this New York Times article to me last week, and I found it both comforting and incredibly helpful. Reading it, I had one of these 'aha!' moments of parenting clarity. I realised that whenever Easton has come to me upset lately, I have this urge to immediately try to say something or get ...
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PARENTING
Maintaining your friendships -- how do you prioritise your friends?
A longtime reader (seven years she said!) recently sent an email asking for advice on maintaining friendships and making new ones. She shared that she already feels pulled in so many directions (kids, husband, work, life in general!) and that she admittedly hasn't been able to focus on her own friendships. She wondered if we ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Thursday Thoughts: The benefits of boredom
I know we've touched on the topic of boredom in the past (in this post about after-school activities), but this new opinion piece on boredom in the New York Times really resonated with me and I thought it makes for an interesting discussion. The article touches on the fact that boredom spawns creativity and self-sufficiency, and ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
How many Christmas gifts do you give your kids?
Having recently moved house and packed all our belongings up into boxes, I have come to the realisation (once again!) that our kids really don't need anything for Christmas. As I packed up the children's bedrooms a few months ago, I found lots of broken knick-knacks and toys that I had stuck in their Christmas ...
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FOR MUMS
The Sock Solution
So I have given up! With the pairing of matching socks that is. The lost sock is a problem that I am sure has existed since the beginning of time and no one has ever found a satisfactory solution. No matter how much we catch up with our washing, at any given time there is ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Making your marriage a priority
I was asked to sit on a panel at the recent Business Chicks event in Brisbane last weekend along with four other inspiring business women and mothers. We chatted and shared tips about the juggle -- juggling motherhood and careers, taking time for yourself, carving out time for your husband, learning to say 'no', learning ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Do you argue in front of your children?
Yesterday afternoon Michael and I got in a heated argument whilst the kids were nearby in the adjacent room. As much as I tried to control my temper and stay calm, I ended up shouting and storming out of the room. Within minutes, Quin was in tears, followed by Ivy, and they both walked into ...
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GOOD READS
The Montessori Toddler, by Amsterdam Montessori teacher Simone Davies
Toddlers can be a handful. The expression 'the terrible twos' says enough: toddlers are known to be difficult and obstinate. They won't eat, won't sleep, won't listen, and in general go left when you want them to go right! Simone Davies, Montessori teacher and writer of the new publication 'The Montessori Toddler', sees things in ...
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PARENTING TIPS
Teenagers -- let them vent!
When my girls were small, their problems seemed smaller. A cuddle and a kiss solved most problems. But as they grow bigger, so does the complexity of their problems. I cannot just rush in like Batman anymore and make everything okay. One new development I have noticed as my kids getting older is the need ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Teens - Navigating the rocky waters of social media
Teens and social media is a 'hot potato' topic (as we say in French). The fact is: as much as I love the idea of a totally unplugged childhood, we will not be able to avoid social media forever. We ourselves use social media, and for good reason -- it is a simple way to ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
Dealing with teenage negativity. Tips please!
Easton will turn 13 next month, and in perfect timing, he is beginning to act like a teenager. Suddenly, it seems that I can't do anything right, and he feels compelled to complain about everything: The specific t-shirt he wants to wear isn't clean. We're not leaving on time; we'll definitely be late. The music in ...
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