Little Pushkin

This summer was wonderful, and we had some great times hanging out with Esther and her family (sadly it feels already sooo far away now).  First in the country, then in the city – I think our kids are now so used to each other that they just all bundle together and get on with things – it really does feel like family.

Anyway, on the way back, at the end of summer, Esther’s whole clan stopped in Paris and we had a fun weekend roving around, chatting and playing. Ava and Vivi were like two little monkeys climbing on everything they could find and trying to hang upside down as much as possible. Little dresses are not the most practical clothes for this type of activity, so we were very lucky to have just received a package for the lovely team at Little Pushkin. I really do love their style: simple, practical, funky children’s wear.

The girls felt so free and comfortable – it was so much fun to watch. The clothes are great both for girls and boys and they really well made. Violette loved her denim ensemble – a pair of culottes and a cute little jacket. Ava jumped around in a soft merino wool sweater and pants , which was super cozy and easy to wear. I love seeing kids feeling free and confortable!

There is something quite timeless about these clothes, as they do not stick to fashion you usually see.This might be because the idea of the brand was first thought of in Tokyo, designed in Milan and now is based in Moscow – so it does not follow any  specific regional trends. Instead it focuses on kids and designing clothes that children will like as much as their parents. The new winter collection is a testament to this; it really feels like a labour of love. A sports teacher of mine used to say: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only wrong clothes!” Well, I say: bring on the colder weather – we now have the right clothes to be cozy in, and stylish too!

Emilie xxx

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Hero capes! (From iwishiwasa for Little Dish)

We’ve been in contact with British brand Little Dish for a while now. They shared their fabulous family cookbook with us not so long ago, which Emilie reviewed here — we love it!!

Little Dish recently launched a new snack, the so-called GoGo biscuits — tasty little treats that are made with wholegrain oats, flax and chia seeds and protein and are designed to slowly release energy and nourishment to children (and do not have the nasty additives). According to my kids, GoGos are extremely yummy. Plus — the biscuits come in little bags, each one including a unique little round sticker, that can be used to reseal and/or individualise the bags — so fun. My kids stick them everywhere :).

To celebrate the launch of the GoGo snacks, Little Dish asked fun brand iwishiwasa to customise GoGo superhero capes for them, which they shared with Sara and Casper. Our little superheroes!

The GoGo superhero capes are super well made, easy to put on and to move around in, and they definitely make you feel like a real superhero. Casper and Ava have been going on countless adventures and have been saving the days!

Thank you so much Little Dish for treating us with these cool outfits and for sending us your yummy treats!

xxx Esther

PS Little Dish is one of the fabulous sponsors of our next London ShopUp event. Can’t wait to try out all of their yummy food and hang out with their cool team in December!

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A stick-themed 9th birthday party

Pim turned 9 in February, but something very sad happened in our close surroundings around that time, which made it difficult for me to get myself in the mood for organising a party back then. I kept postponing it, until suddenly I realised the end of the school year was near. Oops! So on the last day of term, he finally got his party. And we made it a good one! (Thankfully he had been asking for an ‘outdoor’ party, so a warmer time of year actually came as an advantage!)

From the moment he was able to walk, Pim has been an avid stick gatherer. We still keep his collection in a big pot next to our front door, and it is still being used for all sorts of pretend play. (He loves sticks so much that he even keeps stick-insects as pets in his room!) All in all, we thought it would be a fun idea to throw him a ‘sticks’ party for his 9th birthday.

On the day of the party, we took the best sticks from his collection (plus the extra ones we had found in the park a few days before). I had also made an example that I brought as well, so that it was easier to explain what we were going to do. I brought acrylic paint in some nice colours, paper plates, enough paint brushes, cotton thread, blunt-tip needles and scissors, and kitchen towel for spills. Tamar brought a hammer, big and small nails, some flat pieces of wood (one with a hole drilled in it slightly bigger than the bigger nails), and Pim’s collection of bottle caps.

As a first party activity, the children painted stripes around the stick they had chosen. It was fun to see with how much detail and concentration they were painting! When they were done with the stripes, we put the sticks to dry and had something to drink and there was time for Pim to open his presents.

Then, we brought out the cotton thread, and we winded thread around the sticks (securing them with the needles). The children also found feathers in the park which they attached to their sticks as well. And taking turns, Tamar helped them to flatten bottle caps with a hammer, make a hole in them using a large nail and the hole in the board, and then nail them to their sticks in stacks with the smaller nails — a cool detail because now the sticks could rattle!

With some football, climbing trees and cake-eating activities in between, a collection of beautiful ornamental sticks were the result of this super fun party. The children were all so super engaged making their sticks (some of the boys couldn’t be dragged away by their parents at the end of the party!) and they were so proud to take their treasure home. It was such a wonderful afternoon — and Pim said it had definitely been worth the wait.

xxx Esther

PS Pim’s knight party for his 4th, the fun disco party for his 5th, the exciting treasure hunt for his 7th, and the fun Lego party for his 8th birthday. For Sara’s 9th birthday, we organised a strawberry high tea.

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Nap & Pack, A Beautiful Moses Basket with Multi Purposes

This Moses Basket, hand woven by Design Dua in Ghana, is simply beautiful. It would be a great shower gift, or a unique addition to your home if you are expecting a new baby, and it is also practical as well as pretty! Made by traditional craftspeople, this multifunctional item is really a work of art.

Normally I’m not a big fan of Moses Baskets. They are big, bulky, and have a short shelf life, only lasting a few months until the baby has outgrown them. And since we are fans of co-sleeping, I don’t love investing in an item to be used so little. But let’s be honest, I can’t co-sleep all day (unfortunately), and in the heat of summer even baby carrier naps can be too sweaty, especially when I have a toddler to take care of. So I needed a safe ‘place’ to put Joseph for his frequent naps.

At the start of our summer stateside, I was lucky enough to use the Nap & Pack Basket from Design Dua (they ship worldwide). We brought it with us everywhere. It was great for napping and also for lazy afternoons on a shady picnic blanket while Beatrice and her friends played and ran nearby in the grass and swam in the lake. I’d carry it in and out of the rental cottage about 6 times a day. It was sturdy, strong, and easy to use. And if it got dirty, we could just wipe it clean. And every few days new friends would arrive to stay with us, and each would remark about how beautiful the basket was!

Then Joseph began to grow (he is a long baby!) and he began to roll, and he (sadly) outgrew the Nap & Pack Basket. So I gave the basket a new purpose and used the basket for storing toys and also for sorting and folding fresh sun-dried laundry. And look at that mountain of laundry! The uses for this basket are endless — stacks of blankets, gardening, organising mud rooms, storing balls, etc…

Design Dua are prolific in their colours and styles of baskets, including changing mats, laundry baskets, or, if you have any furry family members (of the canine variety) they make sleeping baskets for them too. And most importantly they support trade not aid, so it is a gift with heart.

As we packed up from our summer holidays last week, I had to leave our Nap & Pack at my mother’s house before our transatlantic flight. And you know what, that basket reminded me of sweet summer memories and our smiley son looking up at as the light glowed thru the basket and tickled his toes. Ah, they grow too fast! Who knows, hopefully another baby will be able to enjoy it one day!

And as a special treat to Babyccino readers, they are treating us to a 15% discount with code babyccino off of their online shop on full priced items over $150 USD (or the equivalent) for the next week. Enjoy!

Lara. xx

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NY ShopUp — what a fabulous first day!

Courtney and I just arrived back to our hotel here in Brooklyn — with sore throats and burning legs from talking and walking so much. But we couldn’t be more pleased with the turn-out of our first day of the NY ShopUp 2016! It was so busy and bustling, with so many hip mamas and their darling kiddos (and handsome husbands)!

We’re so proud of all of the super stylish shops, who all did such an amazing job decorating their booths and displaying their (very want-able) goodies in such stylish ways.

We loved having Tula there, showcasing their collection of stylish-yet-super-practical baby carriers, with next to them BloomThat, handing out the most gorgeous little flower bouquets. GLOSSYBOX took care of last-minute make-up touch-ups, which was so fun!

What a wonderful day it was… Thank you all for visiting, and we’re looking forward to an equally amazing day tomorrow (10am to 5pm!).

Esther & Courtney x

PS Thank you Shannon Roddy for the gorgeous photos. 

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Sockerbit

We don’t eat a lot of candy in our house (or at least not while our daughter is awake…shhh!), but I’ll confess to having an abiding love for sour gummy candy. A small pouch of Sour Patch Kids can be picked up at any hour in any drug store or bodega, but a far better way to satisfy the craving – certainly a far more interesting way – is a trip to Sockerbit in the West Village. We happened to walk by the store when in the neighborhood this past weekend, and I couldn’t resist treating my daughter to her first candy store visit. Judging by the number of times we heard, “I liked that candy store!” on the way home, it was a big hit!

Sockerbit stocks Scandinavian candies of all varieties, from the sour gummy candy I love so dearly to chocolates, sweet gummy candy, and at least 15 different varieties of licorice. The store is inspired by the tradition of smågodis, or little candies, pervasive to Scandinavian culture. On a recent trip to Norway we encountered bins of bulk candy everywhere we went, and a Norwegian friend highly recommended sampling some as a very authentic treat. At Sockerbit, all of the bins in the bright white store are self serve, and there’s something incredibly appealing to kids of all ages in holding their own bag and carefully choosing just the right mix of sweets. The kind staff made several helpful suggestions as we perused the offerings, and were good-natured about the few pieces of candy my daughter managed to sneak into her mouth either straight from the bin or from her little sack of candies before we paid for it (you can’t turn your head even for a second!). In addition to candy, the store also stocks a curated selection of Scandinavian gifts, from Fjällräven Kanken backpacks to a wide range of patterned melamine tableware.

After paying we were off to the playground, and the sounds of happy munching made their way up from the stroller below. Sockerbit epitomizes one of the things I love most about New York – in such a big and multicultural city, there’s very little you can’t find here if you look for it. Happily, those not in New York can order from Sockerbit online, and they have a second location in Los Angeles. A visit is guaranteed to help you, as the candy bags say, ‘ha en söt dag!’ (Have a sweet day!).

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Our NYC ShopUp event this Sunday & Monday!!

Our annual NYC ShopUp event takes place this Sunday and Monday and we could not be more excited! Esther and I are in NY this week making final preparations for a wonderful event, and are looking forward to seeing many of you there! Here’s a summary of what to look forward to:

We’ve lined up more than 30 super stylish independent brands and boutiques to set up shop in the same wonderful venue as last year — at 501 Union in Brooklyn. One thing we can always guarantee is the very best, best shopping! In addition to all the wonderful shopping, we’ve lined up some super fun activities:

• Babysitters from British American Household Staffing to keep the little ones entertained while you shop
• Spin art and colorful crafts from Colorhouse Paint
• Make a complimentary bouquet at the BloomThat Bloom Bar on Sunday and purchase pre-arranged bouquets on Monday
• Mischievous Goddess will be onsite with cute crafts, goddess goodies and more.
• Temporary tattoos from Tattly at the activity centre!
• Family portraits by Rebecca Zeller in the activity room – a perfect opportunities to get holiday photos taken!
• Moms and kids will both be able to glam with us at the GLOSSYBOX Glam Station.

And don’t worry about packing food — we’ll also have plenty of tasty treats for sale to fuel your shopping:

• Mini popcorn from Pipcorn
• Pizza from Neapolitan Express
• Ice cream from Blue Marble (Sunday)
• Unique and delicious donuts from The Doughnut Project (Monday)
• Sample snacks from Happy Family
• Complimentary iced tea samples from Tea Pigs

Our limited edition ShopUp tote bags will be for sale for $10 and include goodies from Tea Pigs and Original Sprout. Purchase in advance online to reserve a bag or at the front desk at the event.

Thanks to Baby Bubbles for providing the stroller parking, and a special thanks to our media partners Mom Trends, Fashion Mamas, Mini Maven, Brooklyn Makers, Hey Mama. Thanks to our beautiful venue 501 Union. And to this year’s photographer Shannon Roddy!

Hope to see you there!!

Courtney xx

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