Saturday Night Delights

In honor of having my mum and dad here for the night, as we are all flying to London in the morning, I decided to cook dinner- AND make dessert. And I decided to go for absolutely yummy recipes from my new favorite foodie crush Sophie Dahl. Now; I know you all know Sophie Dahl as that gorgeous curvy model, but did you know she is also the most amazing cook? Seriously; I totally recommend her cookbook Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights, a major lifestyle/foodie/fab inspiration. The pages all look so yum I want to crawl in and just live her life! Definitively the way a cookbook should make you feel! So anyway; I strayed quite a bit there, I cooked both main course and dessert; and my parents were seriously impressed. And the best part? Both recipes were SO easy and quick, I will definitively make them both again for future dinner guests!

Pasta Puttanesca:

(Recipe serves 2, so I just doubled the given quantities)

200 g of spelt penne
Olive oil

For the sauce

3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 a fresh red chili, deseeded and chopped
400 g of chopped tomatoes, drained
4 anchovy fillets
1/2 teaspoon of soft brown sugar
150 g of black olives, pitted
2 large tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

Sauce first: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and sweat the garlic and the chili. Make sure you don't burn the garlic, otherwise it will become bitter. Add the tomatoes and simmer on low heat. In a pestle and mortar, grind the anchovies with the remaining olive oil into a paste. Add to the sauce and carry on simmering for about 20 minutes. Add half a teaspoon of brown sugar- to taste.

Cook the pasta as directed on the box, until it is al dente. Add the olives to the sauce and serve with a big handful of the chopped parsley- tuck in!

Banana Bread

(Serves 6- ish)

75 g of soft butter, plus extra for greasing and serving
4 ripe bananas, mashed up
200 g of soft brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
1 pinch of salt
170 g of flour (spelt or whatever)

Preheat oven to 180 C/160 C fan/Gas 4. Grease a bread tin.

Pour the mashed bananas into a large mixing bowl. Mix in the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Add the baking soda and salt and mix in the flour last. Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for approximately 1 hour, remove and cool, then serve in slices with butter- or some good quality vanilla ice cream like I did!

Clap Hands

After singing the Clap Hands song for the zillion'th time, and doing the clapping so much I needed to invest in a new Dior handcream, it seems my little love is finally getting the concept of the song! My cleverest little girl!

Today's Yummy Mummy Style Crush

I know I have been crushing on Jessica Alba before, but can you blame me? She is just a total pro at this yummy mummy business! Even here, while out grocery shopping with super-cute little Honor, she manages to look incredibly stylish, yet casual; and as all of you mummies out there know; this is an accomplishment to say the least. I have since having Nahla developed a whole new admiration for women who manages to juggle babies and their every day wardrobes, because I am so very aware now of just how much of a challenge this can be. My new post-England plan is to try to get both mine and Nahla's next day outfits ready the night before, when Nahla is asleep and I am pottering around. This will save us time i the morning for sure, as well as upping the chances of what I am wearing actually looking stylish and out together. As well as this; I have myself scheduled for a major wardrobe overhaul, I need to separate, organize and tidy up my entire closet-content; and am sure this will also bring me one step closer to wardrobe-perfection!

Books!

I know my little munchkin is only three months old. Well, a few days short of four months, but that does not stop me from reading little books to her every day. I alternate between books in Norwegian and English, so aware that she has to learn both, right from the start. And she LOVES it when we read- making me laugh out loud at her eager arm-flapping and chubby little fingers trying to grasp the pages as we flip. I was always read to as a child, every night without fail, and it is most definitively a tradition I would like to pass on to my own daughter. It is such a nice way to calm down before bedtime, cuddling up on the bed or sofa together, and will also help make her both more interested in reading herself, as well as develop her language understanding and vocabulary as we go along. Currently we are alternating a few books; three of them from BBC's In The Night Garden series, so there is a lot of Igglepiggle and Ninky Nonks and Tombliboos and the lot these days!

And While On The Subject..

I am also harboring a dream of having my own little Jamie Oliver'esque vegetable garden. The thought of being able to eat food so fresh it still has dirt on it sounds amazing, how organic is that, I mean? And for my little garden to look the part, I would totally need these bits from Swedish store Granit; perfect perfect perfect for that shabby chic garden look, very J.O!

My Own Little Eden..

When finding our house I will totally invest in some amazing outdoor furniture, a la these! I can just imagine long summer evening sipping rosé wine in the garden, noisy barbeque parties and Nahla running around in the grass.. Total summer bliss!


(Photo Credit from here)

While We Are Waiting..

As of yet- provided no new volcano erupts- we have our tickets to London booked for Sunday. Our flights for both Tuesday and Wednesday went up in smoke, pardon the pun, so we re-booked for Sunday, and the same flight as my parents are flying over on. In one way I must admit I am looking forward to traveling in the company of someone for once- especially now that Nahla is getting that little bit more curious and wiggely! Always great to have some extra hands.

So anyway, while waiting for our weekend flight, we have just been relaxing here in Oslo, meeting up with friends, having lovely walks and baby-coffee-mornings, doing some shopping- even managed a trip to IKEA yesterday, and generally just been enjoying ourselves in the lovely spring sunshine. Nahla seems to be growing so fast; it is slightly scary! Every day something new happens, another little milestone and development. The other day she was officially big enough to fit into her very first Up & Go diaper! Like little pants; sooo cute!

"But I Want To See Daddy NOW!"

Now, you figured that this is not really why she is crying, poor little "sure-what-do-I-know-nor-care-about-volcanic-ashclouds" princess, and more a case of GET THIS STUPID CROWN OF MY HEAD! But I just thought the image was rather fitting, considering she has to hang on an extra 5 days or so before she gets to see her beloved Daddy! Nite from Nahla and me!

xoxo Yummy Mummy

Cloud Update!

Now, having booked, re-booked and actually bought a separate new flight just to ensure we eventually would make it to London; news are out: The cloud is finally lifting! Thank God! And although my flight booked for today did not happen, nor will the one tomorrow judging form the list of which flights will actually go as planned; at least it looks as if I will make it to London on Sunday- on the same flight as my mum and dad, which will be a nice treat; actually traveling with someone for a change! I am still a bit upset that we are missing out on a few days spent with BF/Daddy, but at the end of the day I would rather fly there feeling safe, knowing that every authority possible have deemed it 100% safe to get from A to B on a plane. So now, all in all, at least we have a few extra days to pack, some more time to spend with family in Oslo and the pleasure of looking forward to a lovely week in Bristol and London with my loves!

Cath Kidston; Eat Your Heart Out!

Check out this ADORABLE outfit I got for Nahla, for going to London- if that will happen that is! Now judging form the vintage'y design you would think this was a Cath Kidston, but nope; Lindex! Cheap AND cute; a total Yummy Mummy find!

Nahla's Room...

I know, I know, we have yet to find a house, buy it, start moving in and going through the task of shipping stuff from one country to the next, but those minor details does not stop me form literally decorating the place in my head! And the room I am the most excited to get started on- naturally- is little Nahla's room. When in Sprell- awsome childrens' shop in Olso- the other day, I couldn't help but pick up a few bits and things I just fell in love with for my little girl's room.
One thing that I have seen a lot of in interior magazines and online lately, especially for childrens' rooms and nurseries, are wall stickers. Such a brilliant idea! I mean; you don't have to paint a big mural on the wall that will be both difficult and expensive to remove when you or your child get fed up with it, you can just peel the thing off! Easy peasy and just the way we like it! And the designs, colors and shapes and sizes available are dizzying. I LOVE these different tree-designs, so cute and out-of-this-world magical, giving it a sort of enchanted feel.



(Photo Credits from here, here and here)

Hair Aspirations

Is it bad to be hooked on Gossip Girl at the age of 29?? Surely not, as in fairness I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am not alone. I mean, for me anyway, it is the fashion and the shameless style-watching that is so gripping. Seriously, how dowdy did we think headbands were before Blair Waldorf single-handedly made them uber-hot again. And plaid totally got a second fashion-wind after the show first aired. And then there is the fabulous Blake Lively; or Oh-My-God-I-Want-Her-Hair-And-Her-Wardrobe, as we also know her. Seriously, from her Boho-Luxe clothes, to her lushious locks, the woman doesn't seem to put a single well-heeled foot wrong in the style department! So for summer 2010, I am totally channeling Blake and her hippie-lux-chic looks; flowing hair and all!

Future Sunday Evenings..

I would like to spend cuddled up on this AMAZING sofa by Danish company Bolia. Furthermore; my oh-my-God-I-love-it-so-much Missoni throw would look stunning casually draped over the armrest! Me, BF and baby Nahla cuddled up here, watching TV and drinking hot chocolate on a lazy weekend evening? Total bliss!


(Photo Credit from here)

Booties-licious Babe!

While web-browsing this afternoon, in an attempt to keep my mind from worrying about the possible cancellation of my flight to London on Tuesday, I came across these super-cute baby booties- perfect for babies from around 6 months and up to about the age of three. I have to order a pair (or two!) for Nahla for the autumn, when she will be sitting up in her pram, as well as come late fall, have started to crawl. These soft-soled booties will keep her little feet toasty and snug- and I just LOVE their cute design! A total must-buy!

Order from here.

Stressful Sunday...

You all know how much I LOVE Sundays, right? They are usually my favorite day of the week; just made for long lazy mornings, brunches with friends, either around your own kitchen table, or out in some lovely restaurant, walks in the park, window-shopping, and in general just blissful lazy evenings in front of the TV, cuddled up with your family. This is the way all Sundays should go down, nothing but fun, family and friends to make you high on life, and ready for the week ahead.

But this Sunday, much as I still enjoyed a nice day with my beautiful baby, and had a lovely dinner in my auntie and uncle's house, where I got to spend time with my adorable cousins, today was just filled with angst and stress. Europe is still engulfed in black volcanic ash from Iceland and their stupid erupting volcano, and air-travel is still pretty much at a stand-still, with only little pockets throughout the continent open for travel. Which sucks. For me personally- and for all the other thousands of people who are stuck and can not make it home, or on holidays, or both. Trains are full. Buses are over-crowded. Taxies are making money like never before. And hotels in all the major cities have upped their prices with thousands; knowing that people will book rooms anyway, they don't have a choice at this stage. I spent the day glued to BBC News, as well as catching all the Norwegian news broadcasts. There is no real reason for optimism in sight. A little pocket of clean air tomorrow, but then more ashes throughout the week. The UK remains closed too. Which means my Tuesday morning flight to London is looking a bit unlikely to happen at this stage. Which upsets me greatly. Not only does it mean that I won't get to see BF, it also possibly means that my parents flights for Friday and Sunday- as they were to join us in Bristol and London for a few days- is also hanging by a thread. We had all been looking forward to this trip for ages, I know they miss Nahla so much, not being able to see her every day, and I just know they will be so disappointed if everything falls through at this stage. Please please Weather Gods, blow that ashes in a totally different direction!



(Photo Credit from here)

If Yoga Can Do This...

These pictures of an AMAZING looking Jennifer Aniston promoting her new perfume Lovalie makes me hopeful those early morning downward dog's will pay off! My God; at 41 Jen looks better than ever, and have in previous interviews said it was all down to a healthy but in no way rigid diet, yoga, and allowing herself little treats along the way. Well, it sure looks like whatever she is doing it is working- and working well! Go Team Aniston!


(Photo Credit from here)

16 Weeks Tomorrow! Where Did The Time Go??

Look at my little angel, she was so new and tiny and fragile here in these pictures! In one way it seems like only yesterday they handed her to us in the hospital, and I fell in love with her instantly- yet little did I know how million billion times more I would love her a few weeks down the line! Sometimes you would think your heart is not big enough to contain so much love, and yet nature seems to have designed it in such a way that it naturally expands as your love grows!

Other times it feels like she was here forever, always a part of all of our lives, like my dad put it: "She was meant to be here, our family feels complete now that she is here." I am trying to remind myself every day to enjoy and savour every second, every cuddle, every cry, every smile; because this time is so precious, so intense, so full of change and growth and flies by so much too quickly. I smile when I look at her, it makes me feel like the luckiest mummy in all the world!

A Black Cloud...

Having spent the last two days in the company of Lise, who by no choice of her own is stuck in Oslo for the time being due to the Icelandic volcano eruption, I have now started to fear for my own flight to London this Tuesday. According to most news agencies the lock-down of British airports is set to stay the same until lunchtime Monday- at the earliest, meaning that my Tuesday morning flight from Oslo to Gatwick is starting to look like it might not happen. Which would be upsetting to say the least. Stupid mean volcano, playing havoc with peoples' holiday plans like that!


(Photo Credits from here)

Chillin' in the Tub

There is nothing quite as relaxing as reading a good book in the bath. It has to be one of my absolute favorite things to do. And as this picture shows; like mother, like daughter! How cute is she??

House Doctor

Now I know I am meant to hold off buying more home stuff until we are actually, eh, have a home. But having fallen in love Danish label House Doctor, I just had to order this. I just have it in my head how AMAZING this Station Board will look propped up behind my dining table- that I have yet to buy, but know in my head exactly what it will look like. I had to order it from Denmark though, so it turned out that it cost more to ship it than it actually cost to buy it, but still; it needed to be mine. Now all I have to get is the house. And the dining room. And the table. It's a long road!


(Photo Credits from here)

Today's Yummy Mummy Style Crush

After my little play-day in the park today, I am as you know full of admiration for parents juggling several kids. And more so even when they on top of having four children, manages to look as good as Brooke Burke does. The American TV personality, who is mum to kids Neriah, 10, Sierra, 8, Heaven Rain, 3, and Shaya Braven, 2, is totally my new "Busy Mummies Can Totally Look Amazing" inspiration! And now on top of her other obligations, Burke, 38, is working on a parenting book she is calling "The Naked Mom", where she plans to write about the task of balancing both career and kids and to give an "uncensored, revealing, vulnerable and sexy" account of her experience with motherhood." Sign me up, Brooke! Throw in some fashion advice as well, and I am sold!


(Photo Credits from here)

How Do People Do It?

Ok, I am officially EXHAUSTED. Seriously. So much so that it is now 9.16 p.m, and I am already halfway down a rather large glass of Chablis. And I am at home. By myself. In my Juicy bottoms. You get the drift; it was one of those days. To take it from the top; in a fit of kindness and good karma, I rang my little cousin yesterday and asked if she, instead of going to kindergarden today, would like to come to the park with Nahla and me, as the weather was beyond amazing and warm for mid-April and I figured a trip to the park would be rather idyllic. And it was. In ways. It was just extremely exhausting on top of that. So much so that it really made me wonder how people juggle having two kids? Or a baby and a kid? Seriously, it takes some upper-level management skills. Getting to the park went ok-ish. There were a few "I-just-want-to-see-if-Nahla-is-sleeping-uups-I-think-I-woke-her-up" moments. A few "I-have-to-pee-now" moments, and (as we happened to be walking past a McDonald's) "I-am-really-hungry-I-need-food-now" moments. But apart from that we were good. So far, so inexperienced, I hear you say. And you are right. When we finally made it to the park, one Happy Meal, one awoken baby and one double-shot latte later, I thought the worst was over. Who was I kidding? It turned out getting to the park was a mere (haha) walk in the park. This was when the fun began.

Frognerparken is perfect for a day out with children. Not only is the park itself vast and full of little windy roads and cool statues and fountains, there is also a massive playground, surrounded by benches for parents, grandparents and other kind souls taking kids to the park. This was my vision, you see. Me on a bench, face to the sun, sipping a latte from Wayne's Coffee and gently rocking Nahla's pram with my Converse clad foot, watching Therese play on the swings. This is the scenario that actually went down: Therese running around like mad, as if she had eaten nothing but Skittles for the last fortnight. Me panicking because I kept loosing sight of her and the playground was swamped on such a sunny day. Therese climbing up in the different towers, then crying because she wasn't sure how to get down again, and because I was yelling at her for getting into that mess in the first place. Nahla waking with all the yelling and joined in. Loudly. Me having to carry Nahla around, rubbing suncream on her face as I also tried to keep track of Therese. Then a rather hefty "Oh-My-God-She-Fell-Of-The-Swings-How-Injured-On-A-One-To-Ten-Scale-Is-She?" moment. Some tears. A band-aid. Exposing my boob in public having to feed Nahla to get her settled again. More pram-rocking. More running. More yelling. More swing-pushing. More coffee. Strong.

And then; after a blissfully exhausting afternoon, I took my two little kittens home again. Back to safety, comfort and the blissful distraction of Disney Channel on TV. And now Therese, the coolest 6-year old I know, has gone home. My little cupcake is safely tucked up in bed. And I am ready for more wine. And very very ready for bed. How do people do it??

Being Scared

I know I am not alone in this. It is probably the one thing every new- and well seasoned- parent worry about the most. Cot Death. Or SIDS; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It is like someone is knocking the air out of me just thinking about it. Or writing the words. I can not IMAGINE how all-consumingly awful and horrific having this happen to you must be. And my heart bleeds for every parent who have lost a child or children to this unexplanatory "disease". I mean; I am so out of this world, head over heels in love with my daughter, so consumed by her, that if anything was to ever happen to her, I really don't think I would survive it. I wonder how people do; it must be the most horrific scenario ever imaginable.

I remember the first night, when we had Nahla home from hospital, putting her in her little moses basket. I think I sat next to her just making sure her little chest was rising and falling until she eventually woke again. And this happened more often than not. I just could not tear myself away, found that the only way I was able to get some sleep myself, was having her next to me in bed. Somehow it made me feel safer, like she was protected, all tucked up next to her mummy. And while I know there is no explanation for cot death, I have read enough to know there are certain factors that might play a part, and have ensured every single one of those possible links have been eliminated.

1. Keep the room-temperature down, around 18 degrees C is ideal.
2. Don't smoke. Neither myself nor BF are smoker. so that one was a no brainer.
3. Placing the baby on her back. Done.
4. Placing the baby's feet at the bottom of the cot, and tucking the duvet in, so that she can not wiggle herself under it.
5. Breastfeeding

All experts on the topic of SIDS underline that these are just some POSSIBLE links, no research has determined that any of the above have played a major part in cases of SIDS, but they are easy to follow and so should always be.

And to ease my mummy-mind even more, I invested in one of these. The Angelcare Monitor combines a sound monitor and a movement monitor in one system, and whether baby is awake or sound asleep, the Angelcare under-the-mattress Sensor Pad will detect all movements. Meaning that if no movement is detected within the last 20 seconds, an alarm will sound.
I know this might seem a tad OTT for some, but both in the UK and Ireland, as well as in the US, monitors like these are quite common, and it makes me sleep more restful, makes me feel more secure and makes me feel I am doing everything in my power to make sure my princess is safe.

Too Cute!

Ah, this photo makes me go all goey inside! How cute is Harlow in her little ballet tutu?? It makes me smile at all the happy times Nahla and I have ahead of us; Mummy and Daughter; it is such an amazing amazing bond; I am so lucky!

PARIS!

As you already know, my BBB (Big Birthday Bash) is coming up pretty soon; June 1st I will turn the big 3.0; and now I have the celebration plans nailed down! Monday May 31st Nahla and I will fly from Oslo to Paris, where BF/Daddy will meet us, and the three of us will then spend my birthday the next day strolling along the Seine, toasting with numerous glasses of Champagne (well me and BF anyway!), kissing under the Eiffel Tower, eating macaroons and croissants, holding hands walking through Notre Dame and in general just soaking up the atmosphere in The City of Lights! Oh- and I feel a little "Happy Birthday Present To Me From Me" moment coming on too.. Preferably in Lanvin... Paris; here we come!