Hi there! It is Monday and the brilliant news is – we are finally having some sort of May weather. Facebook just showed me a picture I shared exactly one year ago. Two of my girls in summer dresses and sandals totally tired on their way back from the beach. Boom!
But hey, we will not let the weather take over our mood (tricky!) and therefore I have some fresh and fun pieces for you today. Florals in all its forms and colours! Patterns, prints, embroidery and lots of great colours and variations…
The selection definitely helped me to cheer up and it maybe helped to get the sun back in town. Let’s have a look:
1. A must-have! The perfect summer dress*.
2. I would love these embroidered sneakers* in my size!
3. ‘To make a Garden’ t-shirt* from Bobo Choses.
4. Cutest floral shorts* in green. (I love those!)
Hi there! And welcome to another reality glimpse of our family life. I am happy to see that you guys like to read these and relate.
And I think that is actually the main message here: You are not alone and we are all doing the best we can!
One topic that comes up every so often is the daily life. The normal things, the boring stuff, and the struggles. Especially when there are more children than adults. Since my usual reply to the question: “How do you do it all?” is: “I just do!” I had to write down a few points and things over a short period. Like gathering our daily stuff in bullet points to get this article together. Because I do not have every day planned out to the last detail and since we are parenting for nearly 12 years now, our routines are so implemented that I do not notice them so much or strongly anymore.
I hope you know what I mean!?
Therefore, I want to start with this: Multitasking
Making dinner and helping with homework while searching for a missing you and listening to my tween upstairs looking for her favourite earrings. This may make me seem like the ideal multitasking supermum! Like I am competently handling my life. But I can tell you, this is not how I feel. I really feel pulled in all directions, with a spinning head and especially may loose my patience when all four of them talk (to me) at the same time.
By the way, the children are 3 1/2, 6 1/2, 9 and my eldest will turn 12 this June.
Or how about sleep! Yes, they all sleep through the night B U T if they could they would all still sleep in our bed. This may have something to do with the rare alone time I think. (thoughts?) Bedtime stories usually happen in our (big) bed and then we have at least one person in there. Often two. And a sad face telling you that they also want to be in there and the mum telling you, again, that there is not enough space. Especially on weekends there is always a discussion about the bed situation.
And this: Because nothing is ever fair. And me going bananas when I have to hear for the zillion time that ‘It is not fair!’. Ahhh… the constant competition, checking on siblings and who does what. Of course we always try to give the same to everyone, but it is not seen this way through their eyes. And is it the general reply to anything they are not happy with. And it drives me crazy!
Oh and next to ‘not fair’, there is always an argument over something silly. Who got the biggest slice of pizza, who gets the shower first, or who gets the biggest apple.
And the moment you are an awesome parent for one kid means you are failing another one. Example: One child needs a big hug or my full attention to listen to something that has happened. So I do it. And I am the best mum to that child but also the worst to the other ones who think I am rejecting them.
Even when you win, you lose.
Party invitations or playdates. Except for my eldest (by now) everyone always wants to come along. I don’t know if they just inherited my curiosity but it can be awkward to pop up with a row of kids when actually only one of them was invited. Not to mention the extra time it takes to get there and to answer another million questions to where we are going, why and what and all the names.
Also, my 6 year old never got over the fact that she is not the baby in the family. She was meant to be and life decided differently. And to be honest, it is something I am often out of ideas on how to make this fact easier for her. (anyone?) It is not affecting our daily life and she is not bringing it up all the time. But it is there and every here and there she might say how she would like to be the baby in the family or why everyone is always saying that Josephine is so cute. Because that is something people do when they see a small child or baby but obviously that answer is not good enough for her.
To end with: There is no such thing as peace and quiet!
(except when finally everyone is in bed and sleeping, it may happen that I stay up longer than I should… just because I want to enjoy the peace a little longer!)
And yes, in the end it is all worth it. Like I said before in my big family life article – the hustle and bustle can be exhausting but I also love it!
The Sky Garden London at the top of the iconic Walkie Talkie building was our destination for a Sunday morning. 38-storey’s up in the air and great views of London. For free!
Afterward, we walked over to Tate Modern with children with some little stops to watch the London Marathon that day too. I did not notice when I booked the tickets that it was the same day as the marathon but all went very well and the city was super organised. I booked tickets and yet it is for free? Yes! You do not pay an entrance fee, however, you do need to book in advance and online.
The building is 160m tall, making it the sixth-tallest premises in the City of London. And on the 36th floor of the skyscraper, you are greeted with a magnificent garden and breathtaking views of famous landmarks. A true urban jungle and London’s highest public garden!
The perfect moment to put on her new Spring shoes Josephine decided.
Josephine is wearing her new Falcotto sneakers that she selected all by herself. The brand has lots of vibrant colours and cool details in its latest collection.
Super-comfortable sneakers for a truly spunky summer! And they are ergonomic, practical, comfortable, and super-stylish too. Aren’t these star sneakers adorable? Definitely for trendy little girls who can wear them with anything, from jeans to chic dresses.
By the way, Josephine’s t-shirt is from Naturino. The brand famous for its shoes launched an apparel collection to complete your look!
We enjoyed the 360-degree view of London, spotted the Tower Bridge, St Paul’s, the Shard, the Gherkin, the ‘Cheesegrater’, and, of course, the River Thames.
We wandered around the foliage-filled atrium, and the kids loved the open air terrace. (which is totally safe by the way) And with the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, you get fantastic views of the famous rooftops of London from almost everywhere.
The kids really enjoyed it, and Josephine could try out her new shoes by running around and doing some little ‘gymnastic’ moves on the top floor of the garden too. Personally, I love to see cities from above. It is quite fascinating and shows you how big it is but also all the things it has to offer.
Can you believe that in exactly 6 weeks I will be on my way to Florence? It really feels like I visited Pitti Bimbo just last week. But of course I am looking very much forward to it…
I love a good trade show, catching up, finding new brands and discovering trends and themes. Fun! Watching the catwalk shows (this year Portugal will prepare a show as well) is another favourite. Listening to the latest achievements as well as obstacles. And visiting some dear friends and giving them a cheer-leading moment if necessary.
And the theme of Pitti Bimbo 89 is called: The Pitti Special Click
(it is actually the theme for all Pitti Immagine trade shows) The Pitti Special Click theme of Pitti Bimbo 89 sums up the energy that circulates around the Fortezza and suddenly finds a direction. Therefore the Main Forecourt of the Fortezza da Basso will once again be transformed through a set design curated by life-styler Sergio Colantuoni.The resulting spark is capable of producing an alchemy that is always different, a surge of energy and emotion it is difficult to stem. Along with the “X Factor” that decrees the success of every rendezvous, something that makes people come – and continue to come – to Florence to see, learn and understand.
A new exhibition project at the Top Floor of the Main Pavilion will be the biggest and most important change for the summer edition of Pitti Bimbo. It revolutionizes the fair’s exhibition spaces in homage to the most creative mood in children’s wear: here we go with The Kid’s Lab! Here you will find the different sections depicting the world of research onto kids’ fashion: KidzFIZZ, #ACTIVELAB, The Nest, EcoEthic and Kid’s Evolution. And with an innovative and colourful layout, designed by Storage Milano, it welcomes the brands and experiments with common spaces for special projects.
Here will also be space for The Extraordinary Library, a selection of talented international illustrators, photo exhibitions and “The Playful Living” space. I cannot wait to discover all of this!
Fashion newcomers:
Araia Kids, G-Star Raw, Jacob Cohen Junior, Lotto, Pinko and TiA CiBANi KiDS.
Lifestyle newcomers:
Seletti, Meri Meri with their famous partyware, stationery and other fun creations; and the latest ideas from the Danish cult brand Maileg.
Where:
FORTEZZA DA BASSO
Viale Filippo Strozzi 1 – Florence
20 – 22 June 2019
every day 9.00 am – 6.00 pm
last day 9.00 am – 4.00 pm
If you love island life, Scandinavian design and want to move into a stunning home that is all ready – this is your place!
You can find this stunning architect family villa on the island of Brännö, Sweden.
And Brännö is an island in the Southern Göteborg Archipelago and famous for its traditional summer dances and child-friendly beaches. On the island, cars are banned and there are only around 800 inhabitants.
Connected via ferry service from the city, here you can climb the cliffs and enjoy amazing views. The narrow roads and small wooden houses add to the island’s old-fashioned charm.
Today’s house is built of Gotland nuclear pine – an outstanding material with low maintenance that ages beautifully. The interior has a lot of wood as well and is painted in beautiful soft colors and clean lines. The lush garden is, thanks to the L-formation, protected from both wind and visibility.
Let’s have a look at this architect family villa:
The floor to ceiling windows really make this a very airy and light space that is both inviting and very stylish. I love that they used plywood for their kitchen, bathroom and more. It is a very underrated material with good longevity.
Can you imagine sitting on this deck with a cup of tea or working on projects? I can! I will admit that I am not an island person and could never imagine to live here permanently but luckily we are all different.
Because I can imagine this very nicely as a holiday home… a very luxury one!
Upstairs is a very nice and big children’s room that even has a little built-in playhouse!
Also painted in some lovely subtle shades and, again, lots of plywood. And those mint, rose and beige colour cimbination I find really very inspiring!
The master bedroom that houses a little baby at the moment as well. And that includes great built-in wardrobes too.
What do you think about this place? Open space, four lovely rooms, bright and in the middle of nature.
