As you might have noticed, I’ve been on a little break from blogging lately. I’m bubbling over with ideas, so I don’t think it will be much longer before I start up again. Until then, please like Mini Piccolini on Facebook so you don’t miss out when I start posting again. I am also doing a ton of Instagraming lately. Follow me on Instagram here. And meet back here soon!
Louis’ little friend Flora is turning one soon!
She’s an April baby, and, being an April girl myself, I happen to know that her birth stone is diamond. So what better theme for her first birthday party than Breakfast at Tiffany’s!? LOVE it! My mind is teeming with ideas.
There are a ton of gorgeous Tiffany’s-inspired invitations available on Etsy. Here are the ones I like best (click on the pic for sources):
This is the most delicious banana bread in the universe. You will never taste a yummier banana bread. I promise.
Here is the recipe:
CHUNKY MONKEY BANANA BREAD
When we were expecting Alec I considered little lambs as a theme for his nursery. It’s really the perfect nursery theme: there are a ton of lamb things available to buy and the color palette is lends itself to is so restful and serene, dreamy, airy, comforting and fluffy. Just look at this beautiful “sleepy sheep” nursery for Baby E.
By Simply Bloom Photography via Spearmint Baby.
I am on a mission to lessen our use of plastic. Especially for the children. And especially for things that end up in their mouths (which is most things they come into contact with). It’s a health thing for me, but there are of course environmental aspects as well.
I’m not going crazy with this but I am trying to make some changes:
GLASS BABY BOTTLES
I started with the most obvious: baby bottles. We’ve switched to Life Factory glass bottles.
I love these bottles. They make me so happy. Read More
We recently switched Little Baby L from his stroller bassinet to a regular seat. Previously he was mostly sleeping when we were out with the stroller, but now he is obviously much more awake and not always happy to be lying on his back. So he’s in the seat all tucked into Alec’s old 7 AM Le Sac Igloo.
I have also taken some steps to lighten my load when we are out and about with the stroller – which can often be all day long. We often head out before 9, drop Alec (and his stroller seat) off at nursery school and then spend the day doing errands, walking, and having lunch and coffee and play dates with friends. We pick Alec up at 3pm and sometimes head to the park for an hour or so after that. On days like that, the children and I really live out of our stroller and I need to know that we have everything we need with us.
At the same time, our set-up with a stroller room in the foyer of our building and the smallest elevator known to man (fits two adults, but you would really want to know each other quite well), means that I don’t want to be lugging a huge diaper bag and a bunch of extras up and down with me every time I go out. Now that Louis is out of his cocoon, I have him in my arms as I maneuver both kids into the elevator with whatever we are carrying with us that day (and garbage bags, recycling etc), get ourselves into the foyer, unlock the stroller room, pull out as many strollers as are parked in front of ours, and finally drag our own stroller into the entryway to get both kids settled. Right now, I need my diaper bag to be as light and small as possible.
So I decided to follow some great advice (thank you Dulcinea!) from one of you readers (in the comments here) – I decided to pare down the essentials I need to have with me for each child (Alec, 2 years old, and Louis, 7 months old) and use a Bugaboo organizer strapped to each seat. Basically, the organizers act as the diaper bag for each child. For most outings, all I have to add is my wallet, phone and keys and everything else I need is already in the organizers waiting for us. On longer excursions, I just throw any additional items I will need into my diaper bag which isn’t already and constantly stuffed to the max now that most things have moved into the organizers.
Here is what each organizer contains:
