A Belle Abroad

The Fabulous Fashion of Baby Girl

2014-07-31T14:38:00.000+02:00

Can I just say that this little lady right here is bringing it lately sartorially? There is so much adorable quirkiness and (unintentional) humor in her fashion choices, in her use of color, in how she wears things. She does not give one rat's patootie about what she's supposed to wear or how she's supposed to wear it. It's all just wondrous fun for her. I'll pull something out for her to wear in the morning and if she's not feeling it, she lets me know and I, for the most part, just go with it. The way I see it, life's too short to fight with your two year old about what they're wearing to school + I did buy her 75% of the stuff in her closet. And you know what? It all kinda works for her. Behold...

// upside down sunglasses //

// Batgirl shirt + red and black leopard print mini purse - her first bag! //

// ladybug costume + wizard hat + pink tights //

// purple heels + tiara + tutu + lime green binky //

// hot pink poodle pj's + bright green glasses + kitty bag //

Summer Break 2014

2014-07-29T00:14:00.002+02:00

Every year for two weeks in July things slow down here. Businesses close (for TWO WEEKS!) so people can enjoy the summer. They go to their summer homes. They jet off to warmer climes. Sometimes they do both, because, hey, two weeks vacay! For us this time of year usually means a visit from The Boy's parents, which, quiet frankly, is a godsend. This year, though, we were on our own with our wee little tykes without the benefit of (grand) parental supervision. I gotta tell you entertaining two little ones all day while trying to take care of a newborn is hard. work. I'm happy to report that we all survived. Maybe we even had a some fun. Here's a little of what we've been up to...

// We took a trip to our favorite local beach. It's our favorite because it's easy to get to by bus plus it has decent bathrooms and a snack bar. If you've ever been anywhere with little kids, then you know that's like the Holy Grail of facilities. The water, which I always find to be way too cold to even dip my toe into here, was amazing! It was cool, but not cold, and so clear that we could see all the tiny creatures swimming around our toes. We even saw some little crabs! Baby Girl thought it was the best. Her big brother not so much. //

// A visit to the Økolariet, a science museum here in Vejle, was a big hit. The best part was the LEGO room where children can build and display their creations. As you can see, my kiddos are very serious about their LEGO building. Baby Girl was particularly proud of her LEGO man standing on his LEGO plinth. //

// Toward the end of our staycation, The Boy and I screwed up enough courage to take the family to LEGOLAND. It was the little people's very first trip to an operational amusement park and a ride on the LEGO train was their very first ride. EVER! I realized two things in the first 30 minutes. One: That for the foreseeable future one of us will be having the fun while the other records it and/or takes care of the other one(s) who are not big enough to go on some of the rides. Two: The concept of lines and waiting your turn is completely lost on these two. Which made the trip to an amusement park - a place where waiting your turn in a line is like 90% of your time spent there - both frustrating for everyone and strangely amusing for me. //

// A LEGO oil rig and wind farm from a company that The Boy has done business with. //

// Hands down their favorite was the aquarium. Baby Girl ran up to these guys excitedly yelling, "NEMO! NEMO! NEMO DADDY!" She would've been happy to look at the Nemos and Dorys all day, but there were other big fish to see. The kiddos had so much fun the first time around, we had to go back again before we called it a day. //

Something else that happened over the break? This little guy turn three months! He officially wrapped up his 4th trimester, packed up his newborn bags, and moved straight into infancy!

Five on Friday

2014-07-18T22:40:00.000+02:00

I'm not exactly sure why, but B. has been asking if we can go camping a lot lately. I mean, it's not like we've ever been camping before. We don't have any storybooks about it. We haven't seen anything on TV with camping in it, so I don't know where this newfound obsession is coming from. I think I might have mentioned camping once when talking about s'mores, so maybe he thinks that camping is just one big lets eat s'marshmallows, chocolate, and cookie crackers extravaganza. If that's the case then I think that the reality of camping is going to be terribly disappointing. His persistence has gotten us thinking, though. We'd like to take the kiddos camping one day when everyone's a little older and maybe to a place that's a little more camping lite than full on Survivor.

Here's your Five on Friday: A Camping Edition

How awesome is this camping/glamping set up in your own backyard?

I'd love to stay in one of these.

Glamping in Mongolia (Ah, memories! Only minus the glam.)

Easy recipes for every vacation

Indoor s'mores for when you can't go camping.

Have a fantastic weekend!

movie still from Forever Darling via The Vintage Cameo

Five on Friday

2014-07-11T22:49:00.000+02:00

What are you up to this weekend? After a week of sick babies and no Daddy (he was in London) we're taking it easy. The kiddos start their two week summer vacation on Monday and I've planned lots of adventures. A few will be big (A few days at the beach! A trip to LEGOland!) but they'll mostly be small (Blowing bubbles! Riding bikes! Picnics in the park!). It will be weird having a long holiday with just the 5 (!) of us at home. We usually have someone coming coming to us here or we're going somewhere.

Here's your Five on Friday:

These animated GIFs are super adorable.

What should I read next?

Have you heard of The Anti Diet? It sounds like my kind of not diet diet!

Love this DIY portable LEGO kit .

It's hot outside. You should probably drink more water. These tasty fruity infused water recipes will help keep you hydrated.

Have a fantastic weekend!

photo of Marilyn by L.J. Willinger found her e

Sick Days

2014-07-10T00:33:00.000+02:00

There's nothing quite like a having a kiddo home for a sick day or two to completely derail your plans. It's one thing when they just lay on the couch like lumps, mostly sleeping, but occasionally asking for something to drink or eat or a cuddle. You can still kinda get stuff done then. It's something else when the only symptom they have is an off and on fever but are otherwise full of energy. They want to be entertained. They want to PLAY! They want to PAINT! They want to go on a TUR (the Danish word for trip)! But, you say to them as kindly as you can after the one billionth request do something, you are SICK! Do you make them lay on the couch in an effort to speed up the getting well process? Do you let them play quietly? It's a conundrum.

B.'s been asking for a while if I would take pictures of him and his baby brother on his bed like I did when his little sister was a baby. The only problem is his little sister. Let's see. How can I put this? Baby Girl loves her baby brother. Maybe she loves him a little too much. She's constantly trying to give him pets and kisses. It's really very sweet, but she's not the gentlest of creatures. Wrecking ball, bull in a china shop, these things come to mind when I think of Baby Girl and her exuberance. It would be impossible to try and manage her from behind a camera. My Big Boy, though, he's made of much calmer and gentler stuff and as it's just been me and my boys home alone, I decided to let them play and finally take those pictures.

B. is the sweetest showing his baby brother his LEGOlas mini fig, don't you think? (See what I just did there? LEGO-las. Legolas. Yeah. I'm really pretty sleep deprived.)

Five on Friday: Happy 4th of July!!

2014-07-04T12:30:00.000+02:00

Everything you've ever wanted to know about writing with sparklers.

Did you know the largest 4th of July celebration outside the US is here in Denmark?

I can't stop reading this blog.

How Americans abroad celebrate the 4th. We're going to a BBQ tomorrow. :)

My 4th of July outfit this year. Minus the bathing suit. It's just too cold to swim here.

Have a wonderful and safe weekend!

photo credits

1 / 2 / 3

This is giant picture of an accent chair

2014-06-30T13:30:00.000+02:00

And somehow it got posted to my blog.

We bought our current (super cheap) Ikea dining chairs when we'd just moved to Denmark, were practically poor, and trying to furnish our very first unfurnished apartment. Now here we are four years later, with a little more money in the bank, and it's time to replace them. These chairs caught my eye the other day when Dina of Honey & Fitz posted about the Ikea Trendig line. Their more traditional Windsor inspired chairs have been on my short list for a while but when I saw this armchair from the same line, I just had to know what they'd look like around my dining room table. 'Cause I'm curious like that. So I clipped them to Polyvore then went about my day. You can imagine my surprise when I opened my Feedly this weekend and saw that I'd weirdly posted just a random picture of a chair. Turns out I accidentally checked a "share" box to my blog. Oops.

Anyway, since I accidentally posted it I figured I could blog about it so here are two quick mock ups of chairs around my dining table.

I'm still leaning toward #2 but I'd love to know which you prefer!

Ikea Trendig armchairs / & dining chairs / Norden table // Stokke Tripp Trapp highchairs // Favorite Things Pendant

P.S. I also really love these chairs and this space is a favorite.

Back to Normal

2014-06-11T23:29:00.000+02:00

For the first time in six weeks I am alone with the baby. No other kids. No husband home on paternity leave or vacation time or national holiday. No grandmothers here to lend a hand with the dishes or laundry or the older kids who need a little attention/play time when they get home from school. It's just me and the baby and, at the moment, quiet.

I thought that I would be able to take some time over the past few weeks to visit with you here but I should know better by now. The excitement of expecting a new little one, recovering from a birth, getting to know a new baby, adapting as a family - these things take time and a lot of attention and I am not good at multitasking at these particular moments in my life. Throw in visitors I rarely get to see except over Skype and not getting anywhere near enough sleep and, well, things get neglected. Life. What are you gonna do?

So that's what I've been up to: cuddling, learning, adapting, visiting. Not sleeping. We're slowly getting back to normal. Life is good.

*It should be noted that I started writing this post yesterday (Tuesday) morning and am just now publishing it at 11:30 ish on Wednesday night. Yeah. The road to normal is gonna be long. It'll probably ramble a lot, too.

The Boy Celebrates A Birthday

2014-05-22T17:54:00.002+02:00

Last Friday The Boy celebrated his 40th (!!) birthday and, since it's a big deal kind of birthday, I wanted to celebrate in a big way. The original plan was Bali or Thailand or someplace tropical. Then around my birthday last year when we found out we were expecting baby #3 at the end of April his present became less tropical paradise and more new baby. We spent his big day this playing and cuddling. B. helped me hang our birthday flag garland, aka the Danish flag. I made his favorite carnitas for dinner and, since he's not big on cake but LOVES brownies and chocolate chip cookies, I made s dessert that was the perfect combination of both: these super yummy chocolate chip cookie dough brownies. To top it all off, Baby Girl went around singing "Happy Birthday to Dad" all afternoon. (You can catch a little of her serenading him here.) It wasn't Bali. It was better.

Besides, Bali will be there next year.

Life Lately

2014-05-09T23:55:00.002+02:00

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you've probably seen almost all of these photos, but this has been my life the last few weeks. It's been intense and exhausting and wonderful. Have a fantastic and happy Mother's Day Weekend, friends!

Our Little Viking Is Here !

2014-04-28T14:33:00.001+02:00

He was delivered via caesarian section last Tuesday, a healthy 7 lbs 4 oz and 20 inches long. He came into the world with an appropriate roar, which was funny because as I was walking down to the operating room he was so busy moving around in my tummy that I turned to The Boy and said, "I bet he comes out kicking and screaming." And so he did. We got to come home on Friday and have been recovering/enjoying/getting to know our new little person ever since.

viking hat // jumper by Zara Mini (soldout) // blanket

In my hospital bag

2014-04-22T08:30:00.000+02:00

Since we're off to the hospital this morning to welcome our new little guy into the world, I thought I'd share a few of the things I'll be taking with us. My packing has gotten more stream lined with each baby and this is pretty much to be our essentials.

H M elastic hair tie / Gap leather jacket / Bump In The Night Relaxed Fit Maternity Pajama Set / Old Navy Maternity Maxi Tank Dress / Kimono robe / Old Navy Maternity Striped Boatneck Tee / Converse shoes / Zara Beige Slipper / Pieces black flipflop / Gilligan O'Malley Women's 2-Pack Nursing Sleep Bra

Burt s Bees Baby Ointment / Coconut oil (for washing my face and moisturizing) / Rosebud Salve / Clinique eyeshadow / Revlon Baby Stick Lip and Cheek Tint (Tahitian) / Benefit Erase Paste Fair (4.4g) / Garnier BB Cream

Burt s Bees bath body product / Mini - Kids ZARA / Burts Bees Baby Newborn Boys' Coverall and Hat Set Sail Blue / Carter's sleepsuits / jungle jam monkey giraffe classic swaddles Aden and Anais / sigikid Sweety Elefant 40cm / MAM binkies

We'll also be taking along:

Nappies

Nappy wipes

Personal toiletries and medications

A point and shoot camera

iPhone / iPad / MacBook + all their chargers

Snacks

Peppermint tea to help my tummy after the c section

Five On Friday

2014-04-18T23:54:00.002+02:00

Why yes. Yes, that is John Wayne in a lavender bunny suit. Pretty awesome, right? Here's your Five on Friday:

Imagine finally getting a postcard sent to your great grandma 73 years ago.

Oreo cookie/fried chicken hack

38 wonderful words we could use in English

No dye Easter egg ideas

How Cadbury makes a creme egg

Aaaaand... cute bunny. Just 'cause.

Have a Wonderful and Happy Easter Weekend!

photo found here

A Mini Babymoon

2014-04-17T23:59:00.002+02:00

Happy almost Friday! How has your week been so far? The Boy took this week off from work to help me get ready for my parents, who arrive on Friday, and Baby, who arrives next week. We've been so busy finishing up little projects (putting together the new stroller, raising the crib - those sorts of things) that I decided to surprise him today with a teeny tiny babymoon.

Our first stop was Caroline Bjerring Spa for massages - pregnancy for me, Swedish for him. Pregnancy massages are the best. If you ever have the opportunity I do highly recommend them. Understandably, it is a kinder and gentler massage (no one wants to put anyone into labor, after all) and wonderfully indulgent. It's just what a new mama to be (again) needs before all those long and sometimes hard days and nights taking care of a newborn.

Caroline Bjerring

Grønnegade 24 Vejle

Afterward we went to lunch Brød & Co - a newish artisanal bakery here in town that specializes in sourdough bread and has just re opened to include a coffeehouse. We've been dying to try it for a while and I thought a day out our own without our picky eater and fidgety toddler was the perfect time to just enjoy a long lunch with my fella. I had a chicken salad sandwich that featured a smokey bacon mayo on the most delicious sourdough I've had in a long long time. It was yum. Very yum.

Brød & Co
Nørregade 69 Vejle

Five on Friday

2014-04-11T12:25:00.002+02:00

What are your plans for the weekend? It's our 7 year Japanese marriage anniversary Saturday so we've hired a babysitter and are going out to dinner. Normally that would mean sushi, 'cause Japan, but this year I think we're gonna go Greek.

Here's your Five on Friday:

Design cheat sheets

Cute, age appropriate bras for young girls

10 reasons you should never ever get a tattoo (but having a baby is totally fine)

Kids around the world and their toys

This Catalan fideua (it's like paella but with noodles) looks AH-MAZING!

Have a fantastic weekend!

photo of American diva Maria Callas as Cio Cio San in Puccini's Madame Butterfly found here

Making Childhood Magical

2014-04-08T23:49:00.000+02:00

Have you read Bunmi Laditan's article, I'm Done Making My Kid's Childhood Magical? In it, Laditan (aka The Honest Toddler), talks about our desire as parents to create magical adventures everyday with elaborate crafts / parties / playdates / themed bedrooms / stylish wardrobes/ etc. vs. letting kids mostly find and make their own magic organically. From Laditan's story...

"If our grandmothers and great-grandmothers could see the pressure modern mothers put on themselves, they'd think we were insane. Since when does being a good mom mean you spend your days creating elaborate crafts for your children, making sure their rooms are decked out Pottery Barn Ikea masterpieces worthy of children's magazine's, and dressing them to the nines in trendy coordinated outfits? I don't believe for a moment that mothers today love their kids any more than out great-grandmothers loved theirs. We just feel compelled to prove it through ridiculously expensive themed birthday parties that have do it yourself cupcake stations with 18 types of toppings and over-the-top gifts.

"For a few years, I got caught up in the "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" parenting model, which mandates you scour Pinterest for the best ideas, execute them flawlessly, and then share the photo evidence with strangers and friends via blogs and Facebook posts.

"Suddenly, it came to me: We do not need to make our children's childhood magical. Childhood is inherently magical, even when it isn't perfect. My childhood wasn't perfect and we weren't rich by any stretch of the imagination, but my birthdays were still happy because my friends came over. It's wasn't about the party bags, perfect decorations, or any of that. We popped balloons, ran around in the backyard, and we had cake. Simple. But when I look back on those times, they were magical."

I have to say that her article made a lot of sense to me. Thinking back to my own childhood and how I spent my days I know my parents were pretty hands off. That was mostly because they both worked but even if one of them had been home, I'm not sure it would've been that different. There was never kid specific organized craft time. The crafts that my mom and I did together were things that she was already making. She taught me to cross stitch after I showed some interest in a piece that she was working on. I sorta learned to sew by helping her make any number of costumes for plays I was doing. My dad taught me the fine art of barbecuing. If I wanted to color, I colored. If I wanted to play dress up and pretend to be a princess, I knew where the old sheets were. My room was always my room. I was allowed to decorate it how I wanted. The only thing my parents demanded was that it be kept marginally clean. I had birthday parties, but I only remember three. Nothing was ever "themed". I never had playdates. I spent summers roaming fields and forests picking blackberries. I collected tadpoles from ditches and caught fireflies. I rode my bike - sometimes to a friend's house, sometimes just by myself - for the entire day. I spent afternoons building really dangerous bike trails and pretending to be Princess Leia on a speeder. I feel like I had a really magical childhood and the only real things that my parents contributed to that were books and the freedom to use my imagination.

Still, I get caught up in wanting to make my kids' childhoods magical, as if somehow mine wasn't. I'm on Pinterest. I have boards for kids' crafts and bedrooms and parties and fashion. I'll probably do almost none of them, but I really admire the moms out there who have the time, energy, and creativity to make those things happen. Me? I can't do it. Not everyday. I used to feel badly about that. Sometimes I still do. Then I realize things like my kids aren't into crafts right now. They hate sitting down for "organized craft time". Trying to get them to color ANYTHING gets me a "I cannot do it. You do it for me," whine from B. while Baby Girl might scribble a little but mainly she likes taking all the colors out of the box and putting them back in. They'd much rather help me dust or vacuum or cook. I'm quickly giving up on fashion. B. only has 5 shirts he'll wear without protest. Baby Girl already has her own ideas about what she wears. Their room has evolved organically, filled with the things they love. I don't believe in super awesome birthday parties every year. They'll have lots of parties. Some of them will be big to do's, but mostly they'll be small. Sometimes it will be just us but it will always be a big day with something special planned and their favorite meal topped off with presents, cake, and ice cream. My motto when it comes to making things magical for my kids is loosely based on a line from The Incredibles: If everything is special, then nothing is.

Last night there was a rare thunderstorm here in Denmark. This morning on the walk to school there were earthworms everywhere and I took noticed of them only enough not to step on them. Once I pointed them out to my kids, though, they couldn't stop looking at the tiny, slimy alien worms as they slowly inched their way across the pavement. Baby Girl let out high pitched "Worm!" squeals of delight at this new discovery in a way she never does for anything I've so carefully planned. B. had a million questions. My kids are teaching me that there is as much magic in the small, every day things for them as there might be for me in the big moments that I sometimes try to create for them. Right now they are so young that every thing is new and magical. That doesn't mean that I should or will stop trying to give them big magical moments, but it does take the pressure off knowing that magic will happen whether I create it or not.

What did you think of Laditan's article? Do you think we put too much pressure on ourselves as moms to create magical moments for our kids?

Five on Friday

2014-04-04T23:59:00.000+02:00

"Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops."

- Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace

Happy Friday, all! What are your plans for the weekend? My big project is to get the kiddo's closets cleaned and sorted. I know. Exciting stuff. Saturday night, though, The Boy is very kindly agreed to put the kids to bed so that I can meet some girlfriends for mocktails (for me) and nibbles.

Here's your five on Friday:

Hipsters Love Coffee

Sirs Patrick and Ian are the best

What a fun, great idea: Bring children's book to life

A funny/helpful/interesting guide to London

This episode of BBC's Peep Show made me laugh to tears. (Adults only language)

Have a fantastic weekend!

photo found here

One Day in Copenhagen

2014-04-04T00:27:00.000+02:00

A friend of mine from home recently contacted me to say that he'd be in Copenhagen on business and wondered if I could recommend some Denmarky things to do while he's in town. We don't get to Copenhagen much. It's two hours away by train, so sadly we don't get to explore very often. When we do go it's never for very long and so we play tourist, too. I'm by no means an expert on the city, but here are a few things that I can recommend if you ever find yourself with just a day in Copenhagen.

Things To Eat

Let's start with breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day, after all. If you're in a hurry to start your sightseeing, grab a pastry and a coffee from a local bakery. (My favorite is Lagkagehuset.) The danish in Denmark is full of buttery, cinnamon goodness. If, however, you're looking for a more leisurely morning, nothing beats a Danish brunch. Served pretty much all day, brunch usually features some combination of small helpings of eggs, bacon or sausage, fruit, greek yogurt with muesli, mini pancakes, cheese, cold cuts and comes with coffee and/or juice and a basket of bread. It's a fantastic way to start your day!

After a few hours of wandering around (Copenhagen is a great city for wandering) you might feel a little peckish and when that happens remember this word: smørrebrød. These famous opened faced sandwiches taste as amazing as they look. My favorite is the roast beef with pickles, horseradish, fried onions, and remoulade. Yum!

Things to Do

So you're only in Copenhagen for a day or so and you want to see as much as you can. My suggestion is that you focus on downtown Copenhagen known as Indre By.

Start off your day with a trip to the Amalienborg Palace. If you're there around noon, you can catch the changing of the guard.

Walk down Bredgade to Nyhavn where you can take a boat tour. It's a great way to see the city, its canals, the Little Mermaid statue, and the new opera house.

Stroll down Europe's longest pedestrian shopping street, Strøget. It's not just about shopping, though. There are cafes and street performers and you'll never be disappointed if you stumble off to explore a side street. One of those side streets, Købmagergade, will take you to the 17th century Round Tower Observatory with it's unique spiral ramp instead of stairs and excellent views over the city.

End your day with dinner at the world's second oldest amusement park, Tivoli. Even if amusements parks aren't your thing, the grounds and gardens alone are worth a look. And it's especially enchanting at night.

And there you have it! One leisurely but full day in Copenhagen! Enjoy!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

p.s. Brunch from Cafe Norden and smørrebrød from Aaman's. Directions here and here.

Nesting

2014-04-01T13:09:00.001+02:00

It's 22 days until my due date and that means that I am in full on, serious nesting mode. For me this starts with making lists. Lots and lots of lists. Lists of things to buy, things to get rid of, things to clean, things to fix, and things to enjoy before there's a huge shift in the universe and we have to find our footing again. And here's the kicker: I spend weeks - months, even - coming up with things to put on the lists and then I wait until the last month or so of my pregnancy to try and get it all done. Add to this the fact that I am easily distracted and exhausted these days and it's easy to see how things it takes me hours to clean our tiny bathroom instead of the 45 minutes (tops) that it should. It's not exactly procrastination, but it's not far from it.

I was reading up on the nesting phenomenon last night ('cause, hello!, easily distracted here) and some women do some pretty crazy things - like cleaning the entire house...with a toothbrush. Yikes! What's your craziest nesting story?

Something for your monday

2014-03-31T23:58:00.000+02:00

Yes, that is my Baby Girl riding a vacuum cleaner. She does funny things like that, things that make you smile and laugh 8 months later. I'm just glad I happened to catch this one on the iPhone.

Have you captured a funny moment lately? I'd love to see! Feel free to share with a link!

p.s See more funny videos to make you smile here, here, and here.

Five on Friday

2014-03-28T12:47:00.000+01:00

I've been mega stressed out this week. I'm at that point in my pregnancy (35 weeks) where everything is kinda of speeding toward the end. There seem to be a million things I need to accomplish in the next three weeks (!) and I've got that whole "There's so much to do I don't even know where to begin" thing going on. I want to nest and clean and get ready for baby. I want to spend oodles of time snuggling and cuddling and playing with the two we've already got. I want to spend quality time with my husband. I want to write and take pictures and blog it all. The problem is that there are only so many hours in a day. My brain is freezing up and I find myself spending a lot of time on Pinterest because it's the new Calgon.

Here's your five on Friday:

Washi tape manicures are genius!

A new parenting study all parents should read.

Gorgeous recipes for spring

Is selfie activism letting women down?

Do it for Denmark!

Have a super awesome weekend!

p.s. If you're and mom who had your little one is a foreign country, please consider telling your story here on A Belle Abroad as part of my "Having A Baby In..." series starting April 28!

photo of Liz Taylor making a funny face found here

Five on Friday: It's Spring!

2014-03-21T23:18:00.000+01:00

I know. Two Audrey Hepburn pictures in a row for Five on Friday. Can't I be more original? Sheesh! But I don't even care. This is EXACTLY how I feel today. It's SPRING and it is GLORIOUS! OK, so it's not exactly warm yet, but it is warm-ER. The daffodils are blooming and there are more bird songs in the air. When Baby Girl toddles into our room to wake me at 6:30 the sun is already up so it doesn't feel so awfully early. I'll take it!

These photographs were taken by Phillipe Halsman in 1955 as part of his "Jump" series, a collection of famous people jumping. A fantastic photographer who took some of the most iconic images of his generation, Halsman's work is filled with imagination and humor. Clicking through the gallery is well worth the time not just for the images but also for the insights into his photography philosophy in each section.

Here's your Five on Friday:

Can you imagine finding a lost work of art worth over $30 million at a flea market?

I do believe I've found my new bucket list : 48 epic dream hotels to visit before you die

A print to help decipher those laundry hieroglyphics

Do you overprotect your kids? Sometimes I think we do.

I sure could've used this last weekend when I gave B. his quarterly haircut.

Have a fantastic weekend!

1 // 2 // 3

Kate Spade Saturday

2014-03-20T23:52:00.002+01:00

I am a big fan of Kate Spade. She was responsible for my all time favorite perfume, Beauty. It was the perfect combination of honeysuckle and gardenia and jasmine. When I wore it I felt like I was walking through a Southern garden on a summer night. It smelled ah-mazing on me and I don't say that very often. Sadly, it was discontinued long ago and I've been trying to find something that comes close to its awesomeness ever since. *sigh*

Anyway, I was cruising around the internet today when I discovered Kate Spade's little sister brand, Kate Spade Saturday, and all I can say is holy cuteness! How have I never heard about this before today!?! (shakes head in shame)

Here are just a few of the many many things I love:

The Wrap Around Raincoat in Lemon Yellow // Because it rains here. A lot. And yellow is just a happy color!

Reversible Trapeze Top // Two adorable tops in one!

Design Your Own Weekender Bag // This was probably my most favorite thing because, hey, I designed this!

Seamed Dress in Brick Red // Classic and cute and very very Audrey!

Is this the first you've heard of Kate Spade's Saturday, too? Or am I really the last to know?

Having A Baby In A Foreign Country

2014-03-18T23:42:00.000+01:00

Yup. That's me four and a half years ago and about 12 hours into a very uneventful, unsuccessful induced labor. Don't I look awesome? (You don't have to answer that. I know I look terrified and exhausted.) If all goes as currently planned, I will be checking into the hospital exactly five weeks from today to give birth our very bouncy baby boy via planned cesarean. Between now and then there will be lots to tell you about how we're all getting ready for baby #3.

Three of the things I will be sharing with you - finally - are my kiddos birth stories. They all were/will be born in three different cities in two different countries. It's really got me thinking: Being pregnant and having a baby is such an exciting/frightening time. When you're in your own country, surrounded by the women in your life who've been there and done that, you have access to all the wisdom they've gained from their experience. When you're an expat expecting you really have no idea. I can remember spending hours and hours on the internet trying to find information and stories about what I could expect from pregnancy, birth, and after in my new country. In London, there were mommie message boards (Mumsnet was a fav) and tons of articles from newspapers and the NHS with information ranging from matter of fact to practical to terrifying. There weren't a lot of first hand accounts from other moms - especially expat moms - about their pregnancy and birth experience. It was even worse in Denmark. Not knowing what I was supposed to be doing or if the things I was doing were right was so very stressful. Honestly, any information would've been comforting. At the very least it would've helped me manage my expectations and make informed decisions. I think a lot of expat moms to be feel the same.

So, this spring, while we're getting to know our new little guy, I'd like to run a series featuring expat mothers from around the world who have had a baby in a country not their own here on A Belle Abroad. If you (or someone you know) fit that description, I'd love to hear from you! Please email me at abelleabroadblog (at) gmail (dot) com for a chat!

Three Irish Blessings

2014-03-17T22:59:00.000+01:00

Happy St Patrick's Day!

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