With spring break approaching, I am already looking for things to do during the long days at home. This is a super easy project that will also bring some spring blossoms in your home. Allergies, you say? Well, what can be more perfect and appropriate than colorful paper flowers to usher in the spring! Includes everything you will need, including a vinyl vase, so you can safely put this in your tot's room. At Amazon
I love what Ralph Lauren has for Spring! I mean, it is an easy go to brand for basics, like the polo dress, our tots all have it in every color but the ruffles is all new and super fabulous! It is the easiest thing to wear, throw on some tights and they are ready to romp around and go on slides without a hitch. Deveron Polo Dress is $45.
For boys, you have to admit, this cardigan is sooo handsome! In fact, I am going to see if they have it for grown ups because how perfect would it be for chilly summer nights? It has the perfect dash of panache yet is still very rugged for boys. The little collars are so great and the stitch details make this timeless (although tots fashion does not really only need to be timeless until they grow out of it but a good hand me down heirloom). It is 100% pima cotton for ultimate comfort. Pima Cotton Shawl Cardigan is
$135.
I'm inspired by the real castle we saw in Milan so I thought I'd feature a fake castle inspired by a real one =) How cool is this thing? I guess you REALLY love your tot to get this for her, or maybe you are ruining her by spoiling her excessively. Either way, it's awesome and their adult years will never compare. When they go to college and move into a dorm, they will not be able to exist! And if you've spoiled her properly, you will move this into her dorm room for her. That will at least ensure no boys will sleep over ;-) At Posh Tots for $15,470.
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The Huffington Post reported today that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is preparing to issue a general warning about possible suffocation deaths from small infants being carried in baby slings. These slings have been popular for ages but there have been too many deaths caused by these slings for the government to not do something about it. The warning should come out sometime this week.
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For the most part, Milan is not very tot friendly, in the sense that there is not a whole lot for them to do. But the people there are extremely nice and friendly when we showed up to restaurants and places with them. We did avoid super fancy restaurants so as to not ruin some rare date where they are spending good money on a nice meal. We decided to just do the regular things like museums and cathedral visits, which were boring for them. But I figured they will need to start learning to travel like grown ups if they want to go on grown up trips. We do enough Legoland and water park trips specifically for tots, sometimes they have to go on grown up adventures too.
We went to the Castello Sforzesco, a real life castle! It was build in 1368 as a fortress and turned into a palace in the 15th century. There were all the fixings of a fairy tale castle - turrets, draw bridges over actual motes, gates with spikey pointy ends and of course a dungeon! This place was magnificent and enormous, an inspiring and impressive sight to behold. So the modern Italians decided to honor this landmark by putting a super cheesy carnival right next to it. The historical importance of the castle was lost on the tots, but the exciting carnival was not. So maybe the modern Italians had a point. This was the strangest and most ostentatiously decorated carnival with multiple themes piled on top of one another - jungle, Hawaiian, Princess, Disney, robots, pretty much everything you'll find in the Birthday theme section of Party World. But the tots LOVED it!
We did of course do personal shopping, we had to, but it was properly rewarded with a stop for some hot chocolate. A bit of FYI if you ever order hot chocolate in Italy, by hot chocolate they mean that they just heat up chocolate and serve it to you in liquid form. It was good but only the first couple of sips. We decided to use it as a sauce on our chocolate cake, which was fantastic!!
In between, they did visit a toy shop (I missed this as I had to work) and played for 2 hours. This was an incredible store with all wooden toys, nothing was battery operated (so I heard). They came back with a few souvenirs and recharged to hit a museum. Museums are not set up for tots, nor should they be. Everything is hung at a level above their eyes and people are not looking down below for tiny feet that they may step on. Extra vigilance is required which distracts from the enjoyment of the museum, so in the end, I skipped the specific exhibits and just let my husband enjoy them in peace with his iPod plugged in. We were all happier that way.
The highlight of the trip was seeing The Last Supper. It is in a small cathedral, Santa Maria delle Grazie, a bit off the beaten path. If you are visiting during the busy tourist season, you will need to buy tickets in advance and pay the huge premium which can be as much at $20 US, while the tickets at the door are 1.50 euros ($2 US). We bought tickets at the door and had to go back later since all the tickets are for a particular time. They only allow 20 people at a time. There is a small courtyard garden connected to the cathedral (entrance is on the other side) which is charming and beautiful and definitely worth stopping in if you're already there. You get a good view of the cathedral in the background.
Two weeks went by fast but I was ready to go home. So were the tots. But we had one final hurdle, the flight home. I have to say, I am still upset by the Milan airport - they make you check in your stroller at check in! I have a system for the airport and it was all broken down when I lost my stroller!! I rely on the stroller to not only carry my tot, but all of my carry on items! To make matters worse, we had a layover in Paris and our connecting gate was 3 terminals away!! By now everyone was cranky (me, most of all) and hot, so all the coats and sweaters were piled in my arms in addition to the enormous amount of carry ons I already had. And then there was the 12 hour flight back to LA. Jetlagged and exhausted but I would do it all over again. I love to travel and I want to show my tots the world. And in a few years, life will change for all of us when they can carry their own carry ons and not cry on the flight!!
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After a long trip, all I want to do when I got home was lounge comfortably in my robe. And my daughter did the same thing, she is in love with her Little Giraffe satin chenille robe. I had no idea how hard it was to find nice robes for tots until I started looking, apparently it is not something tots wear very often. But why not? What do you do on the weekends when you wake up to a chilly morning and want to spend a good part of the day in your pajamas? Or if you're my daughter, you wear it out like a coat over regular clothes. She did this at a birthday party and all the dads started calling her "Hef", kinda hard to explain to her why =) There is absolutely nothing like this luxurious Little Giraffe, comes in several luxe colors for $98.
We are staying within walking distance of the Duomo, the third largest cathedral of the world. I've been to St. Peter's cathedral at the Vatican (the largest in the world) and I cannot remember how it could possibly be bigger than this. The ceiling was 100 feet high with richly colored stained glass extending the entire height. An impressive sight to behold to say the least. As expected, the area is full of tourist traps but we walk there daily because we don't know how to take the electric cars that run throughout the city. But we'll get there now that Fashion Week is over. There are 7 of us so although taking cabs is doable it's not exactly affordable since we need 2 cabs and it seems like everywhere we go amounts to 15 euros (around $20).
We did take cabs to dinner one night when it was raining, which meant $80 in roundtrip cab fares. Luckily, the dinner was incredible!! Da Gaspare on via Ravizza, 19 (apparently owned by a famous soccer player here, but don't ask me who, I couldn't exactly make out the name when it was said) is called a Pizzeria and looks like an average café but we learned quickly not to let looks and name fool us. As soon as we walked in to the fresh display of seafood, I knew I was in heaven. Razor clams grilled to absolute perfection - sweet and just tender was sooo good just in its own goodness without need of seasoning. Branzino, we've had it everyday, but here, the whole live fish cleaned and immediately grilled is probably what mermaids experience when they eat fish. Spaghetti with clams, yeah, I thought I've had this dish before but apparently I have been eating a very mediocre imitation. It is so simple with just olive oil and parsley but with the clams pan fried and the pasta soaking up with precious nectar, it was seriously life altering. It was recommended to me by a sales associate at Stefanel (a trendier version of Club Monaco), I think I will go back and ask for more!
You know what summer means, strawberries and strawberry picking! Strawberry picking is one of the best activities with your tots. You don't have to worry about falling out of trees like when you go cherry picking (that happened to me when I was 7) because the bushes are the perfect height for tots, close to the ground! I go to an organic farm so if they decide to sample, I don't have to worry. Of course you must go dresses appropriately and what could be more fabulous and cute than this dress with a giant strawberry appliqué? Just be careful your tot doesn't get picked wearing this ;) Decaf Plush "Big Strawberry" Dress is $54 at Kitsel.com.
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Even Barbie is more connected than I am here in Milan with no cell service nor Wifi. Now I have more to be jealous about! ;). I guess Mattel is trying to encourage science and technology in the young but hello, can her outfit be any worse? This should not be the way to portray the new elite nerds. I am a blogger and consider myself to be on the cutting edge of technology, albeit I'm a fashion blogger, but I would never where this!! Anyhow this might still be good reinforcement amongst the Malibu and Louboutin Barbies. Will be available holiday season at the end of this year.
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I couldn't imagine turning a photo of myself -- Andy Warhol-style -- into a piece of artwork, but when it comes to immortalizing a photo of a loved one, that's a whole other story! Me Art is an online site that lets you turn photos of your tot (or any loved one), into custom works of art printed on premium, artist-grade, archival canvas, which is ready for hanging. You can either have a work of art created based on a photo -- just take a regular photo of your child and then choose from six artist-inspired styles (prices range from $285 for a 12"x12" piece, to $665 for a 42"x42" piece). Alternatively you can create Me Art from your tot's artwork! The site uses your child's artwork as the background and then you choose to have your child's initial or full name printed on top ($75 for an 8'x8' single block version). The more elaborate options take either 25 images (12"x12" at $245) or 49 images (18"x18" at $325) of your tot's artwork, along with his or her photo and name and turns it into a truly unique collage.
I smell a Mother's Day splurge....
JFK with Trunki (hoping to wear them out, didn't work); Overcast but a beautiful view of Milan from our apartment
New York to Milan on a redeye. The risk associated with taking a redeye with tots does not justify the rewards, whatever those are. Saving a day? No, you are actually ruining 2 days. Our flight was at 6pm, the flight was 8 hours long, so best case scenario, say we slept the whole way, we still arrive at 2am New York time. A 6pm flight pretty much ensures that there will be no sleep and just the last 2 hours of the flight if any. Which is exactly what happened. But prior to falling asleep though, there was misery, for all on board. Tired but not tired enough to conk out means cranky incessant whining with actual crying sprinkled throughout. They were doing horrifying things: i.e. standing up on the seat facing the passengers sitting behind us and coughing right at them (I stretched my hand out to cover her mouth but not in time for that first spray); escaping her seat and clawing and crying and waking up passengers all along the aisle. I have often been complimented on how well my tots are on flights. Clearly not this time, they thought we were wolves.
We arrive with too much luggage (there were 5 of us, 3 adults and 2 tots) and 2 car seats. Cars in Italy are small. We called for a van but a small sedan arrived instead. We gave it a college try to get all people and luggage in the car, but we ended up leaving my husband behind at the airport with still more luggage for a return trip back. I couldn't leave a tot behind but both car seats would not fit, so I did the unthinkable (unthinkable if we were home), one sat on my lap. Milan Milpensa airport is an hour away from the city, and we arrived at 8am local time which means rush hour, so it took us about 80 minutes. Everyone smokes here, I am not sure if that was the cause but the car smelled like cigarettes and my older daughter got sick - car sick probably from the stop and go traffic and smell. I was afraid she would have an Exorcist moment but thankfully, it was just stomach slosh that came out. Luckily, I had a Travel John with me in case she did actually vomit.
We arrived at a friend's apartment we are staying while we're here; it is on Corso Italia, right in the center of the city. I was happy but delirious from not sleeping. Good thing I have a friend here who arrived a day earlier so she was in good shape to watch my one tot while I headed straight for the bed with the other. One long nap and a perfect meal later, I am recovered but wide-awake at 4am feeding the tots the dinner they didn't eat at dinner time. Let's see what tomorrow brings, our first full day in Milan. Oh, and there's not internet connection at the apartment so who knows when you will here from me again!
If you aren't that parent - you know, those who fantasizes about their sons becoming major league sluggers - I am sure you know one, or a few. For those with girls, the fantasy does not seem to wane - maybe she will be the first girl in MLB!! These gloves are way cuter than those plain old Rawlings and these can be personalized. Either for your own tot or as a gift, you know the perfect person to give these to. At Go To Baby for $99.95.
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I decided to spend the money on a car service so that we can get more done and have car seats. It was totally worth it!! The day was relaxing and we had the BEST time ever. No logistical nightmares to speak of. It allowed us to hit every place we wanted to go so to rationalize the expense I figured it would be cheaper than having to come back for a return trip. We even stopped by a street vendor for gyros and ate them in the car instead of having to stand on the street. Were were able to hop in and out and go anywhere we wanted without the headache of having to find parking (if we got your own car, which I would not recommend), getting in and out of cabs (no car seats), schlepping the entire gang through the subway, getting lost, walking endlessly, getting tired and cranky, carrying all the packages we acquired along the way and most of all, wasting time in transit. As you can see, Day 2 was A LOT more productive than Day 1 =)
FAO Shwarz - 767 5th Avenue, New York - (212) 644-9400
This is a must for tots. It's the biggest toy store in the world, and nicest!! They are known for their life size stuffed animals but they have it all. The Giant Piano (seen in the movie Big) is pretty much the most fun you can have. Don't miss the show, check for times because you do not want to miss that.
Dylan's Candy Bar on 3rd Ave at 60th St.
This isn't just a candy store, it is a candy museum (except you can eat everything). There are 3 floors of sweetness - the bottom floor has nostalgic candy from when you were a tiny tot. There are things you cannot even conceive of. Just make sure you set limits before you step foot in there.
Serendipity 3 - 225 East 60th Street, New York - (212) 838-3531
Right around the corner from Dylan's Candy Bar is the famous Serendipity (seen in "You've Got Mail") for their frozen hot chocolate. Sounds like chocolate milk you say? No, this has the richness of hot chocolate but it is frozen. The wait is long though but go during lunch or dinner hours because nobody goes there for meals (and you shouldn't either, have an early lunch and head straight over before 1pm).
Scholastic Book Store in Soho - 557 Broadway, New York - (212) 343-6166
This requires you to trek all the way downtown but again, it is a must. The store is on the first floor of the Scholastic Books offices. There is a life size "Magic School Bus" where you can sit and read. I don't have to tell you the selection is extensive. They do focus on their own titles but they are like Clifford the Big Red Dog and other favorites like the Pinkalicious series and Fancy Nancy. The beginning readers section is amazing.
Sweetie Pie - 19 Greenwich Avenue (212) 337-3333
Since you are downtown and if you aren't already overdosing on sugar, Sweetie Pie is another super cute place you should check out. They have good meals (their tomato bisque is crazy good) so you can opt to have a real meal instead of just dessert. But having said that, they have this personal cake which is a miniature 2 tier wedding cake. The front of the restaurant has a bird cage that you can actually reserve, so I would recommend calling days in advance to make sure you get that table! This is where I had brunch with Sarah Jessica Parker for her SJP NYC fragrance.
The exhaustion of Fashion Week has nothing on a weekend with tots in New York. I have been in NY by myself for a week for shows, meeting and showroom visits - like 10-12 appointments a day and I feel fine at the end of the day. My two tots and husband joined me Friday night and we spent the weekend together doing nothing but fun tots' stuff. Taking the subway to avoid cabs (no carseats!) and walking from one destination to another, along with tantrums, bathroom runs and settling fights between my 2 tots, is to say the least, draining and taxing. I spent a lot of time on this most amazing ultimate itinerary but it is very ambitious. We were not able to get to all of them because we either ran out of time or energy but I will share them all with you.
Day 1
The first day was spent all on the upper west side because that's where all the tots' stuff are. It was easy to enough (or so I thought) to take the subway up there and just walk around once there. Our first stop was the marionette show of Three Little Pigs at The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre at 79th St at West Drive, Central Park (212-988-9093). We walked from the 72nd St stop but we didn't realize this was IN the park so we got lost, did a lot of traversing back and forth and was 10 minutes late. You must make a reservation (by calling) but if you're late, they give the reservation away. Luckily, the lady at the door was nice enough to let us in but it was very difficult to find a seat in the dark. It was all worth it though, the show was super cute and everyone loved it. This is a very high quality production and the Swedish cottage was actually a cottage, very quaint and lovely.
Next on the schedule was the Natural History Museum. Uh, yeah, that was not going to happen. They have the giant dinosaur bones and the squid and the whale. Some tots love it, some are scared. I didn't have the chance to find out which would be the case for my tots, but let's hope if you try this itinerary you are more time efficient.
We decided to scrap the day by at least going to Alice's Tea Cup, a tea shop that looks like Alice in Wonderland. It doesn't totally look like it, but they sprinkle fairy dust on you when you walk in and give you a pair of fairy wings to wear while you dine. The scones are ridiculously good and the pot of tea (they have a huge selection) is much appreciated after a long hard day (even though we didn't get much accomplished but wearing just the same). We were so defeated, and both tots were asleep at this point, that we gave up going to Peasant, a restaurant both my husband and I have been eager to go to. Thanks goodness for delivery in NY, we still had a good meal to end the day.
Day 2 is much much better so stay tuned!!
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