a few of my favorite things...

little ant design.

The newest addition to my google reader.  A fun entertaining blog full of brilliant ideas!

hold the onions.

A fabulous food blog that was just brought to my attention [thanks Melis!].  I have yet to try a recipe but have added a few ingredients to my grocery list to help get me started.  The recipes seem simple enough yet the dinner's sound delicious!  A winning combination in my book!

matt, liz & madeline.

Such a candid look inside the life of a new father.
He lost his wife the day after his little babe Madeline was born. Take a peak inside. But be prepared to cry & laugh.  Matt holds nothing back.

knock, knock : house tours.

I absolutely la la LOVE the house tours over at cookie mag.  They are so fun to browse through + you can come away with stellar ideas!  You simply must check it out.

last stop, milan.

 

How did you end up making a home in Milan?
We live in Italy because my husband was asked to move from the London office to the Milan office of the same investment bank. We are both Italian and didn't want to live in London forever, it came a bit earlier than we both wanted but we thought it was an opportunity too good to be missed.

Favorite meal of the day/favorite food?
My favorite food is sushi, not very Italian I know…. but my second favorite is pizza and you can’t get more Italian than that!
My favorite meal is dinner, especially if the kids are in bed already.

Favorite shopping spot?
My favorite shopping spot in Milan is Corso Vercelli, a shopping street in my neighborhood. It may not be so special but I like it because it is so familiar.

Favorite beauty product?
Chanel Beauté Initiale Eye cream, Touche Eclat by YSL and my GHD hair straighteners.

Favorite attraction?
I like the Navigli (open canals in Milan) on a warm summer evening. All the cafés have tables on the pavement and it’s so nice to have an aperitive sitting outside. You can also bring kids if you go early when it’s not too crowded.

Favorite time of year?
I appreciate something in every season, but spring is definitely my favorite. It’s an awakening and it builds up into the summer.

Favorite tradition?
In my family the menu for Christmas dinner and Christmas lunch is always the same. It gives me a sense of reassurance and continuation.

Favorite thing about where you live?
Milan it’s not a great place to live. It’s expensive, it’s polluted and there are no parks. BUT it’s so close to very nice places. Lakes (Lake Como or Lake Maggiore), The Alps (Mont Blanc) and the seaside (the Italian Riviera) are all within a 2 hour drive from Milan.

One interesting fact about the country you live in.
Italians love children but there are very few places built and designed with children in mind.

Thanks Michela!  Be sure to check her out at Babyccino!

A big thanks to all the women over at Babyccino for giving us a little taste of European lifestyle!  Have a great weekend and I will see you Monday.

next stop, paris.

How did you end up making a home in Paris?
We came to Paris as my husband was offered a job here and we had just had a baby so I was not working. We jumped at the opportunity to move to Paris as we had always loved the city and were ready for a change of scenery.

Favorite Meal of the day/favorite food?
I love Asian Food, specifically Thai and Vietnamese. It just tastes so fresh and healthy and I reckon a good amount of chili is good for you!
I really like having a long leisurely breakfast; it is the perfect start to the day. Unfortunately it is the one meal that often gets skipped.

Favorite shopping spot?
My personal favorite shopping spot is the Marais here in Paris, it has lots of little boutiques and furniture shops all one after the other and they are all fabulous.

Favorite beauty product?
I have become an addict of NUXE products. You can get them in almost all pharmacies here in France and I think they are also sold internationally. Their spa treatments are incredible (the do the best pregnancy massage ever).

Favorite attraction?
Now that my daughter is 2 and a bit we have started taking her to all the kids theatres I have discovered around Paris. She absolutely loves going and they are incredibly well done. I have never seen a bored kid in any of them.
My favorite attraction here in Paris is a very obvious one: The Louvre. I know it is a cliché but it is such an amazing building right in the centre of the city and you can get lost for hours in it, discovering the most incredible artifacts from all over the world.

Favorite time of year?
I love spring time when the nights are starting to get mellow and the flowers are out and you finally can pack away all of your winter clothes. Everything seems fresh and clean.

Favorite tradition?
Ever since I can remember, every day my father has gotten up first and made a cup of tea in bed for my mother. My grandfather did the same for my grandmother, my cousin’s husbands do it for them and if there is no rush, my husband does it for me!

Favorite thing about where you live?
I think the most amazing thing about Paris is its beauty. I can spend hours in different areas of the city wandering around and marveling at its beauty.

One interesting fact about the country you live in.
The French government officially decided a few years ago that no one should work more than 35 hours a week. It has caused havoc with the economy and it is the bane of the new government existence, but it yet again symbolizes the French “joie de vivre”

Thanks Emilie!  Be sure to check her out at Babyccino!

now on to amsterdam.

 

How did you end up making a home in Amsterdam?
We moved to Amsterdam because my husband was offered an exciting job here in a start-up company. Even though we're both Dutch, We've been away for 7 years and I've never lived in Amsterdam before, so it almost felt like moving to a whole new country!

Favorite meal of the day/favorite food?
My favorite meal is breakfast. In the Netherlands, ‘ontbijt’ (breakfast) is important and we like to enjoy it as a family – every day! We eat different sorts of bread with cold cuts, Dutch cheeses and sweet spreads.
I’m lucky, because my husband, who’s more of a morning person than I am, prepares it so I can have a lie-in…

Favorite shopping spot?
I like going to the Nine streets in Amsterdam, where there are loads of cool boutiques. I also love the Cornelis Schuyt straat and surroundings – very stylish and chic shops.
Specific shops I like for children:
Keet in huis toys, bedding, clothes
Imps&Elfs flagship store
Luukie childrens’ shoes
Koter&Co for babies, Groter&Co for bigger kids (nextdoor)
Meys&Co childrens’ shoes
Imagine for the cutest toys!

Favorite beauty product?
My perfume, Narciso Rodriguez ‘for her’. I also like Shiseido coloured moisturizer, which I use daily in winter, Guerlain Terracotta bronzer for summer, and my Mason Pearson hairbrush!

Favorite attraction?
For adults and kids it must be Artis, the Amsterdam Zoo. The Amsterdamse Bos is nice as well – there is an ecological Goat farm where the kids can feed the kids ☺.
For kids: TunFun. They have a blast there!
For adults (mums, for sure): the Aveda day spa in my building is absolutely wonderful. I love it.

Favorite time of year?
Summer! Can’t wait! Cute dresses, flip flops, eating outside… And so much more fun to cycle around Amsterdam in the sunshine instead of the rain!

Favorite tradition?
I really like Sinterklaas (St. Nicolas), every year on the 5th of December. It’s a special Dutch tradition, where the children get presents (we don’t traditionally give presents for Christmas, although a lot of people do it both these days).

Favorite thing about living where you live?
Dutch people are very liberal thinkers. Same sex marriage was legalized in 2001 and euthanasia in 2002. Abortion has been legal since 1981. Soft drugs and prostitution are legal, although in my personal opinion we’re going a bit too far there!  Dutch people are also very innovative thinkers. Some of the worlds best designers, scientists and architects come from Holland.

One interesting fact about the country you live in.
It’s very common in the Netherlands that husband and wife (or husband and husband, or wife and wife, for that matter) both work part time (each 3 or 4 days), and thus really share the working time and raising children time.
Another interesting fact about the Netherlands is that a lot of it is below sea level, and that Dutch people are the tallest in the world - but you might have known that already.
A 2007 UNICEF report on child well-being in rich countries ranked the Netherlands as the best country for children to live in.

Thanks Esther!  Be sure to check her out at Babyccino!

 

first stop, london.

 

How did you end up making a home in London?
I had only been dating my husband for 4 months when he was asked to move to London to work for a great animation company. We both loved the idea of living in Europe and traveling around, so we moved to London and started living together! At the time, we had no idea we would stay so long, but we LOVE it.  If it wasn't so far from our families (and if the weather wasn't so miserable), we would probably stay forever.

Favorite meal of the day/favorite food?
Breakfast, for sure! My husband doesn’t have to go to work until 9:30, so we all sit down and have a nice long meal together, the four of us.  I also just LOVE breakfast foods: oatmeal or cereal, pancakes or crepes, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.  I love it all!

Favorite shopping spot?
There are so many great spots in London.
For kids, I like going to Notting Hill in west London. Here you can find all my favorite kid’s shops:
•    Petit Aime
•    Caramel Baby
•    Brora
•    Couverture
•    Petit Bateau
•    Elias and Grace (not in Notting Hill, but in Primrose Hill)
For me, I like to head to either Notting Hill, Primrose Hill or Marylebone High Street.  These are some of my favorite shops in London.
•    TopShop (for cheap trendy clothes)
•    Summerill and Bishop (for kitchen items)
•    Fenwick and Liberty(Good department stores)
•    Skandium (home décor)
•    Melt (best chocolates in the world)!
•    Aime (cute, French, clothing)
But I try to do most of my clothes shopping in the States (It’s much cheaper considering the weak dollar)! One of the things I miss most from the States is Barneys!

Favorite beauty product?
No matter what, I ALWAYS use an eyelash curler. I find that it just opens up my eyes and makes me look a bit less tired. ☺ My favorite is the Shu Eumura eye-lash curler. I also love Dermalogica gel facial cleanser, and Sjal cela Intuitif facial lotion. 

Favorite attraction?
For kids:
•    The (newly renovated) London Science Museum.  They have an entire floor/section of hands-on exhibits and activities for     younger kids. 
•    The London Transport Museum: Filled with trains, buses and other vehicles, this museum gives a detailed history of transportation in London. My boys love it because of all the trains!
•    The London Zoo. They have a great butterfly tent, a bug exhibit and a newly-opened Gorilla Kingdom.  (The zoo is close to my house, so I have a membership)!
•    Also, the parks of London are famous. They are big, beautiful and are everywhere.  London’s ‘green space’ is what truly makes London so live-able (especially with children).

Favorite time of year?
I love the spring time when all the trees start to bud and the flowers bloom. It’s such a hopeful, happy time (especially after such a dreary, dark winter here in London). But I’m such a warm-weather girl; I wish it would be summer all year long! (I’m living in the wrong part of the world)!

Favorite tradition?
During our first year in London, we traveled everywhere (this was before kids).  We fell in love with one place especially. Positano, on the Amalfi Coast (south of Naples). It is our favorite place to visit, and we promised that we would return there every year for the rest of our lives.   So far we haven’t missed a year.
My husband also makes us crepes every Saturday morning for breakfast!

Favorite thing about living where you live?
London is great because it’s so international, hip, and culturally aware. We have friends here who come from all over the world, and they’re interesting, well-traveled, and make me feel smarter just knowing them! It’s a great way to raise children – surrounded by such diversity.  And I also love how easy it is to travel across Europe.

One interesting fact about the country you live in.
Important politicians go on news stations and partake in live interviews: real questions/real answers.  A box of American cheerios (not the sugary kind you can find in every grocery store here in London, but the original ones in the yellow box) costs 7.50 pounds (that’s $14)! Absurd! Gun crime is much, much lower here compared to the States, while theft is a big problem (I’ve had my wallet stolen three times in the five years that we’ve lived here)!

Thanks Courtney!  Be sure to check her out at Babyccino!



 

international favorite things week.

This week I have decided to mix it up a bit and have a week full of “international favorite things.”  I am not a world traveler by any means but have been over to Australia twice and New Zealand once and while vacationing came across my most favorite menswear store.  The clothes fit my husband perfectly!  And so without further ado, let me introduce you to Tarocash.

Tarocash was the brainchild of two brothers, Stephen and Michael Leibowitz.  Tarocash was launched in 1987 in Australia and hit a huge growth spurt in 1988.  Now there are 90 stores nationwide, with stores expanding all the way to South Africa.  Unfortunately the store has not yet reached the United States, but I have hope one day they will.  Go on over though and check them out!

 

 

To further kick start my international favorite things week, meet the newest blog to make my daily reads list on my sidebar, Babyccino.  Four girls in four European cities!

“Babyccino is a fun new site for urban mums: a daily dose of city life mixed with products and parenting tips! It’s like eavesdropping on a group of girlfriends having a conversation in a café… Only we’re inviting you to take part”

Later this week you will have the chance to meet Courtney, Esther, Michela, and Emilie.  These four moms will share with you their favorite of favorites from the country they live in.  Don’t miss out.  Stop in each day this week to get a taste of four different European cities, all without having to board a plane.

sheye rosemeyer photoblog

:: Blog spotlight :: sheye rosemeyer photoblog.  Trust me when I say you will want to read her story from the beginning.  As a mother I could not help but ache in my heart for Sheye as she daily shares her story of love, loss and healing.  Tonight I will hug my boys a little tighter and be grateful for every moment they are here with me.