It’s summer and it’s hot here! I’m not really in a cooking mood but I still want to eat fresh things. This salad is simple, colourful and quick — it makes a great light starter. It’s not Italian, I suppose it could be Greek but funnily enough I ate it many years ago in a gastro-pub in Cambridge (UK).
What follows is the recipe for one portion, but I would say that you could easily get six servings out of half a watermelon.
Here’s the recipe: (more…)
Michela in Milan
Jul 02, 2009
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Courtney wrote about Bambu bowls before, and I always thought they were really pretty until I saw one in reality: they are actually REALLY BEAUTIFUL. The shapes of the bowls, the colours, and the matte lacquer — all extremely attractive, I must say.
Bambu also makes another very cool gadget: ever heard of a spork??
A spork is obviously a cross between a spoon and a fork and it has quickly become one of our favourite food utensils. It’s fun, and really handy! I like to pop it in my daughter’s lunch box — great for yogurt and fruit! My son loves it at the dinner table and I like it because it looks so cool. And because it’s completely eco-friendly, of course.
Available at the Dutch eco-boutique Shakshuka, and guess what: if you order at Shakshuka and quote ‘BAMBU’ as a discount code, you will receive a 20% discount!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
Jul 02, 2009
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Sometimes I get fed up of living in the centre of a big city.
The traffic, the pollution the lack of green space, and space in general seems so much more oppressing in the summer time. But then I get reminded of the big advantages of city life: the huge range of cultural events right at my fingertips. From the 2nd to the 14th of July the Paris Film Festival is on and part of the festival is a great children’s program.
This year the focus is on my favourite pet subject, animation. Lots of things are on offer: workshops, lectures and, of course film screenings. The first public screening in France of the new Pixar 3D extravaganza “Up” is on offer, as are modern day classics like Wallace and Gromit and Disney’s 1963 “The Swords in the Stone”. The films are for kids aged 3 and up, and there are so many choices that it should satisfy all tastes. You can check out the program here.
I guess city life is not so bad after all….
- Emilie
Emilie in Paris
Jul 01, 2009
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I’ve just discovered this cute brand of clothing by the label tea. My daughter is really into what she calls “comfy” clothing, so I’m often on the lookout for knitwear that looks girly and cute, and not too sporty. This brand delivers just that — interesting prints, and mix-and-match styles, often with an Asian influence. You can even buy little sets of clothing (pictured), great for those kids who want to dress themselves and keep you happy by not looking like they got dressed in the dark! They have lines for babies, girls and boys, and a neat “little citizens” collection, with part of the proceeds going to the Global Fund for Children.
-Rebecca
Rebecca in Washington
Jul 01, 2009
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It’s hot here in England, and I could not be any happier! After the past couple summers of cloud and rain, we are finally, finally getting a summer! In fact, the Met office just issued a heat warning for the UK as temperatures are predicted to rise above 30° here in London. While I love the heat (the stickier the better!), this is not good news for the elderly or for babies who are at the most risk of suffering from the high temperatures.
My baby has been spending a lot of time in just a nappy these days — forget blankets and bundling! But I do think she sleeps better at night if she’s a bit swaddled, which is when a Solana swaddle wrap comes in handy. These blankets are 100% organic sheer cotton; they’re so light they’re nearly translucent! Which means your baby can be swaddled without overheating, keeping your baby safe from really high temps. They’re perfect for weather like this!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
Jun 30, 2009
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I’ve had my eyes on a pair for years now and since they were on sale AND available in my size and in an amazing colour… Hey, what can a girl do.
Shabbies were originally designed in the seventies by Dutch shoe designer Fred de la Bretoniere and are comfortable, fashionable, beautiful, and the perfect mix between nonchalant and chic. Shabby chic!
The colours of the natural leather are seriously amazing, and I really like the fact that they look equally cool with skinny trousers, a skirt or a mini dress. And of course they are much easier to chase kids with than 3 inch high heels!
If you’re interested in a pair of Shabbies, I suggest emailing this shop to ask if they would ship to your country. Or, of course, come to visit the Netherlands soon!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
Jun 30, 2009
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On my French side of my family there are very strict rules concerning salad dressing, dating at least back to my grandfather, a French gourmet of the highest degree. The very idea of using anything but good sun flower oil, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard to dress a salad is met with disdain. My grandfather pre-made his own dressing in a big bottle and never let anyone make it for him. It just needed to be shaken before pouring it into a salad bowl.
My mother married a foreigner and and on returning home would shock her relatives by telling stories about such calamities as ranch, thousand island or even salad cream dressings!
I reckon I am a bit more open to new suggestions about how to dress a salad than the average person in my family, but I do still reckon that my grandfather’s recipe is the best.
It is very easy: (more…)
Emilie in Paris
Jun 29, 2009
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The sales have started, yippee!! And there are loads of great deals to snatch up.
I’ve never been great about shopping the sales, but now that I have two growing boys and a baby girl to shop for, I have some buying to do! Plus, I’ve learned from Esther how to take advantage of the sales… (waiting, plotting, planning, convincing your husband that it was such a good deal you really ‘had’ to buy it, etc.)!
My favorite ‘deal’ of the season? The sale at Elias & Grace with up to 50% off! And what’s more — Babyccino readers will get an additional 15% off the sale price! Now that’s more like a steal than a deal!
Either enter the code BS09 on the website at check-out or present the code in the store. (Offer is good for one week, until next Monday July 6th.)
Happy sale shopping!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
Jun 29, 2009
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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…)
Courtney in London
Jun 28, 2009
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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…)
Michela in Milan
Jun 27, 2009
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Last Saturday I felt that we all needed a super-healthy dinner, but since we’d had a late lunch it needed to be light, and since it was the weekend it had to be easy. I sort of randomly started throwing vegetables in a Dutch oven, and it ended up a delicious thick vegetable soup that even my children found so yummy they didn’t need any encouragement to completely empty their plates. Check, seven vegetables in the tummy!
Here’s the recipe for a big pot:
(more…)
Esther in Amsterdam
Jun 26, 2009
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One of my favourite websites is an online “concept” shop called Smallable. I discovered it whilst searching various items I had spotted in magazines and they all lead to the same source: an e-shop in which every item makes me feel like ignoring the credit crunch….
The site feels like a great little boutique; there isn’t too much for choice, which is great for me as I get easily bored scanning through pages and pages of stuff. Everything on offer though is lovely, from the clothes to the toys and the furniture.
I hope you enjoy having a browse as much as I do….
- Emilie
Emilie in Paris
Jun 26, 2009
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I’ve always thought that putting shoes on a baby seemed a bit silly — nothing looks cuter than a baby’s bare little feet. But now that I have a little girl, I am tempted by darling little sandals and simple Mary Janes… especially these little leather sole infant sandals from Bear Feet Shoes.
Bear Feet shoes are all handmade in America. They’re shaped like bare feet to mold to the shape of the child’s foot, and are extremely flexible and comfortable to wear. The bigger sizes have rubber soles for walking and are made from natural rubber (extracted from the natural latex sap of the Hevea tree).
They make natural shoes for infants (sizes 1-4) as well as ‘walking shoes’ for bigger children (sizes 4-16). They’re cute, they’re environmentally friendly and their extremely well-made. Tempting indeed!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
Jun 25, 2009
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As I have already said I have decided to let my children play with the computer. The rule, though, is that the games have to be somewhat educational. It’s not going to be me that introduces them to the “shoot-them-all” arcade type of games.
So it’s with great pleasure that I have discovered Poisson Rouge — a French website of online games for toddlers and preschoolers. The abundance of games is amazing, and they are quite entertaining too. Children will learn shapes, numbers, play musical instruments, play with regular toys and even modern art paintings… I love them all! Some of them will even teach a few words of French, English or Chinese!
Poisson Rouge doesn’t allow advertising and it runs only thanks to donations and the sale of merchandising. It is definitely a safe place on the web for your computer-savvy children!
-Michela
Michela in Milan
Jun 25, 2009
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When I had my first daughter, my mother pulled out several of my childhood books to give me. I instantly recognized the quaint, ’70s-ish illustrations of one of them, Mother Goose, by Gyo Fujikawa, and am so excited to share this one with my girls. When researching Fujikawa for this post, I found out that her books have been published in 22 countries, and that she was one of the first well-known illustrators to include pictures of children of all races in her book. The book is filled with little rhymes, poems, songs and stories that you will recognize from your childhood — and probably quite a few that are new to you as well. The book is available from
Amazon
in the US.
-Rebecca
Rebecca in Washington
Jun 24, 2009
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A while ago I was sitting in my neighbour’s kitchen and spotted some brown bananas. Thinking of Courtney’s delicious banana bread recipe, I asked her if I could have the bananas if she was planning to throw them out (I knew she wouldn’t make banana bread herself – it’s not common at all here in the Netherlands)! She kindly refused, explaining that they had a family addiction to smoothies, so every over-ripe banana was very much needed!
Smoothies? It started to make me think:
- Smoothies are yummy
- Smoothies are healthy
- I finally found the excuse to buy one of those cool blenders!!!
So, the next weekend I convinced my husband that for the health of our family we needed a KitchenAid blender. (I admit, I completely went for the look of it; I didn’t read one review and didn’t compare prices!) And I love it.
Now, having just entered the world of smoothie making, I’ve discovered it’s an art by itself! There are a million recipes to find; you can use fruit, (soy)milk, yogurt, frozen berries, nuts, tofu, cereal, even egg whites!
(more…)
Esther in Amsterdam
Jun 24, 2009
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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
Emilie in Paris
Jun 23, 2009
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I’m not normally such a sucker (excuse the pun) for pre-packaged gift bouquets, but I received one of these lollipop onesies the other day, and it’s actually quite a cute idea!
It’s a little cotton onesie cleverly rolled and wrapped in cellophane and sold on a stick. Available in either red, pink or blue stripes (I got the red one and it’s darling)!
I think it makes a cute addition to a gift, placed on top of the packaging to add a little extra detail. Or… just as is, if you want to give something small but cute!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
Jun 23, 2009
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Giving birth is exhausting, physically and emotionally, and once the baby is born the mother is typically not that free or in the mood to go to a spa. A new business in the Minneapolis area, which is expanding in other cities, has decided to bring the mountain to Mohammed!
Go Home Gorgeous will send a massage specialist to the hospital room to give the new mother the pampering she deserves. Apparently the massage therapists are also doulas so they’re quite trained in post-partum care. Their packages, not surprisingly, have proved to be excellent baby shower gifts.
A new business run by women to cater for women during an economic downturn — this is excellent news!
-Michela
Michela in Milan
Jun 22, 2009
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Vacationing is great. We love going to the south of France, La Douce France, with its beautiful countryside, yummy food and good weather (at least better than Amsterdam). The trip to France however is less fantastic — it’s an 11-hour car drive! Kind of a challenge to keep the kids entertained… I’m getting more and more organized though. This time we left with plenty of books, snacks (good & bad, pardon me), portable DVD players, blankets, crayons and loads and loads of bottles of water and wipes.
To keep everything sort of tidy in the car I installed an Auto Trash Bag on our stick shift. And I must say this little invention came in really handy! It’s designed and made by Allyson of The Mod Mobile, and besides the fact that it looks very cute, it’s also very sturdy and cleverly designed. The Auto Trash Bag comes with an adjustable strap and can be installed on the stick shift, the head rest or wherever you think handy, and fits standard degradable bags from the pet store.
A must for every car with kids, I daresay!
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
Jun 22, 2009
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