Jetting Off Again..

... tomorrow. Nahla and Mummy are heading up north for a week of family and friends and baby cuddles. BFF E (who is also nahla's Godmother) had little baby Lilly 3 weeks ago, and we are super-excited to finally get a cuddle! And when back in Oslo again next weekend, sure we only have time to unpack and repack our suitcases and head to Daddy/BF in Ireland! Bliss!

Spring Wardrobe Essentials...

I need all of these!

1. Leather jacket from Topshop, perfect for wearing over a summer dress!
2. Clutch, also from Topshop. I am torn though over one from Marc by Marc Jacobs that I also covet.
3. STUNNING but oh-so-expensive dress from Isabel Marant/Net-A-Porter.
4. High waisted 70s pants. Makes you legs go on forever and just looks super-chic.
5. White lace blouse, inspired by those divine Dolce & Gabbana dresses that popped up everywhere. Works so well woth above pants or jeans. Wardrobe staple.
6. Pop color heels! HEART! These from Zara won't break teh bank and looks fab.
7. Pastel hued nails. So so pretty and v. Paris chic. This shade is from H&M and super-cheap.

What are you spring essentials this year?!

Nwahhhh!

Melt my heart! Rachel Zoe and her handsome hubbie Rodger Berman introduced their newborn son Skyler (HEART that name!) in the above picture she posted on her blog yesterday. How precious!

The celebrity stylist, 39 (she so does not look 39!), gave birth to baby Skyler Morrison last week. The adorable tot weighed in at 6 lbs., 12 oz. and was 20 inches in length.

Having her baby boy, Zoe titled the picture: “the two loves of my life.”

And added - that feeling I know so well from having my own little bundle - “My life is complete,” . Sweet!

(Photo Credit from RachelZoe.com)

It Feels Surreal..

... that from tomorrow on I will again be a full time mama for at least 3 months. Full time might be an exaggeration as I have a pretty full freelancing schedule and trying to meet 3-5 deadlines a week. But still. More mama and Nahla time. More time with Daddy. More spring. More fun. More freedom. LIKE!

Inspiring Happy Workout

This video with Nicole Richie working out with celebrity fitness queen Tracy Anderson totally makes me long long long to up my gym routine. And what is better than to kick-start a new regime with shopping for some cute gym clothes?! Better, fitter and healther Mummy!

If I Push The Boat Out...

... maybe I could manage these Cupcakes On A Stick from the incredible Sweet Paul blog?! Doable? Watch this space!

Cupcake on a Stick
"The perfect treat for kids of all ages." Right down my alley, so!

Makes 12 large, or 24 mini cupcakes

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1 jar store bought frosting

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Add the eggs and beat well.
Add, flour, baking powder, vanilla and milk; mix well.
Fill paper cupcake liners three quarters full and bake until golden and firm to the touch, about 12 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Fill a piping bag with the frosting and decorate the cupcakes.
Gently stick each one into a bamboo skewer.

I am inspired!

Cupcakes Are On The Agenda...

... for tonight's baking efforts. Tomorrow is my last day in the office in a long time, as this mama will be enjoying a combination of freedom, freelancing and family time. And just as a little treat to my lovely and super-sweet colleagues, I plan on bringing in some homemade cupcakes for tomorrows coffee break. And luckily, I am since a little splurge yesterday, the proud owner of my own copy of the Hummingbird Bakery cook book! YUM!

B.R.O.O.D.Y

Thse images make my ovaries twist, I swear! I mean; how amazingly precious! If there is one thing I totally regret from when Nahla was only born, it is that I did not manage to get organized enough to have proper newborn pictures taken of her. And not just the kind you snap yourself, but actually at a photographers.

Newborn pictures have to be taken - ideally - before the baby is two weeks old, as the longer you leave it, the more of that distinct newborn look they'll have lost. The best pictures are those when the baby in question is deep in slumber and looks the absolute picture of innocence and miracle.

So believe me, when I have another little miracle of my own, newborn pictures are a must!

(Images from here)

This Dolce And Gabbana Ad From Last Year...

... makes me even more set for summer! Maybe it is time for another holiday in amazing Sardinia?! Glamour, style and all things Italian! (NOTE: Expect Italian men. They are always a bit OTT and I am quite happy with my Irishman!)

Why, Oh Why...

... did I not have the fashion foresight to get my hands on the ENTIRE Louis Vuitton Monogram Scuba Collection from the Cruise 2009 range by Marc Jacobs when it excisted?! How stupid can you be, I ask. Or maybe, how non-rich would be more accurate. But still. Isn't that what Mastercards are for?? I mean, neon and LV - especially for the summer when your skin is all yummy and tanned?! To. Die. For. Now the best i can do is hope for (and possibly write some begging letters to important decision makers!) LV to realise this range needs to come back again. Pronto!


(Images from here)

You Know You Have Children When...

1. ... you utter weird sentences like "Don't dip your sisters hair in the strawberry jam and lick it off!"


2. ... you openly discuss poop and color and consistency at the dinner table. And is mystified by the fact that others think it's gross.

3. ... you feel the need to inform 378 Facebook friends about your little bundle's new tooth. Guilty as charged!

4. ... you have no problem giving random strangers a bloody and detailed desription of your labor...

5. ... you hear yourself telling new mums that time just flies by too quickly - even though you vividly remember being annoyed by those very words only a few months back.


6. ... you now fantazise about sleep where before it was sex.

7. ... you consider sleeping til 7 AM a luxury.


8. ... you find yourself worshipping at the altar of caffeine.

9. ... you realize that you are capable of showering, getting dressed and made-up in less than 7,5 minutes.

12. ... you feel like you are missing a limb when you are out on your own with no pram and no baby.

13. ... you praise your newfound liberty when baby can hold his own bottle so you get a chance to empty the washing machine.

14. ... your shopping trips now generate more for baby and less for yourself.

15. ... your filled with gratitude when kind souls bring toys that make no noise and requre no batteries.


16. ... you find yourself googling "rash" and "red bumps" and "signs of meningites" at 3 AM...


17. ... you wipe your childs snotty nose on the sleeve of your very expensive coat - without even cringing.

18. ... find yourself rocking the shopping trolley while queing up to pay in Tesco.

19. ... sharing your bed with toddlers and plastic animals and a flashing Disney sword feels like the most natural thing in the world.

20. ... you open your fridge and find a shoe size 23....

21. ... is amazed at how much you can get done before 8 AM on a Sunday morning. 3 cups of coffee, 2 machines of washing, 1 accidental pool of pee on the floor wiped up and a loaf of bread baking away in the oven.


22. ... you can change a nappy in the dark. At the speed of light.



23. ... you find yourself humming along and doing the moves to all the shows on CBeebies. Zingzillas, Maca Paca; you know them all.

24. ... you find yourself sifting through 4000something pictures on your computer - not one of them not containing your little pride and joy.

25. ... you have an afternoon off and seriously wonder what to do. What the hell DID you do before you had a baby?!


Nodding in recognition? You most definitively have kids!

A Party Fit For The Easter Bunny...

... is what I want to throw when Easter actually rolls around in a few weeks. Lots of color. Lots of twigs and leaves and eggs. Lots of optimism and spring time feeling! Balmy weather, long bright evenings, cold drinks, pretty dresses and garden parties; I am ready!

(Photo Credit from Good Housekeeping magazine)

Oh, This Dress...

... would make me so happy! Daria Verboven for Karl Lagerfeldt and Chanel. Perfection.

Mummy Mornings...

... are so much more fun and colorful than other mornings!

It's Monday!

And my last week in the office for a long time, as this mama will be enjoying some months of freelancing, family time and spring! Lucky lucky me!

Daddy Duty

It looked like they were out and about running some very happy errands when yummy daddy Cash Warren and his adorable Honor Marie, 2-1/2, were snapped out and about in L.A: over the weekend. The father daughter duo looked super-cool in their
coordinating sneakers, denim and plaid. Maybe they were looking for a little treat for mum, Jessica Alba, who is expecting her second child with Cash later this year?


It was father son day for Scott Disick and his little Mason Dash over the weekend, when the handsome pair was spotted without mama Kourtney Kardashian on Saturday. The duo hit a playground in a local park and looked like they were having a great time in the balmy spring weather.


(Photo Credit from here)

New Smells...

... for my bathroom. YUM! God, I think I have a slight scented candle abuse issue...

Today's Yummy Mummy Style Crush

It's not hard to understand how Heidi Klum earned her supermodel credits when you see pictures like these. The 37-year old model-turned-TV-Presenter was spotted taking her family shopping over the weekend and with daughter Leni was the picture of mother and daughter bliss. I HEART her bright scarf - exactly what I need to spruce up some of my navy and beige jackets for spring!

(Photo Credit from here)

Mummy's Only Red Lipstick...

... is now history. Not that I wore it much, but still. Note to self: Move EVERYTHING in the bathroom cabinets up higher. A lot higher...

Nahla And Mummy Fight...

... over who gets the froth on Mummy's lattes!

Today's Yummy Mummy Style Crush

My all time favorite reality mama Kourtney Kardashian and her beau, Scott Disick, were spotted taking 15-month-old Mason for some retail therapy in Beverly Hills yesterday. Among other stores, the cute trio visited the Tom Ford flagship store on Rodeo Drive - swoon!

Kourtney recently spoke of how motherhood has made her feel so much sexier than before, and that it must "bring out a special glow or something." I hear you, Kourt, being a mama IS pretty sexy. I remember how incredibly womanly I felt when I was pregnant and had Nahla, how fertile and amazing and in connection with women I felt, like never before. So here's to sexy mamas everywhere, motherhood is no reason to forget about how fabulous you used to be. No, it is more the opposite, your chance to becoming the even more sexy and fabulous and amazing woman you were always meant to be!

(Photo Credit from here)

And Who Can Blame Me...

... if all the babies I am meant to have are gonna look as cute as this?!

Uh-Oh...

... I find myself staring longingly at beautiful pregnant bellies lately. Have I really forgotten how sick I was when it was 10 days past my due date and little Nahla still hadn't arrived? Or just how painful giving birth was? Or how in a world of your own you are for the first few weeks after you come home from the hospital with your bundle?

Yup. looks that way. Now all I can think of is just how AMAZING being a mum is. How incredibly blessed I feel when I look at Nahla. How perfect it feels raising a family with BF. How I want to fill our house with beautiful babies and be barefoot and pregnant as much as possibly. OK, that was possibly taking it a tad far, it is not like I am planning to have 10. Or even 5. But 4 sounds pretty good, no??

And now, I am not ready just yet, but still, looking at all the lovely pregnant bellies that I see EVERYWHERE these days, I am certainly not planning not to do it again. Just not RIGHT now.

(Picture from April edition, Mama magazine)

Skin Food...

... a caramel latte and the latest issue of Living Etc. makes for a pretty perfect night!

Maca Paca Cupcakes...

... would sure go down a treat with my own little cupcake. These will have to be made at some point - possibly next Friday when my little muffin is having her 15-month check-up and two shots at the health station. If that doesn't call for cupcakes, then what does?!

A Two Bedroom Suite All To Myself...

... surely isn't the worst way one can spend a luxurious night away with work?! That combined with lots of creative meetings of planning magazines, a 2-hour anti-stress aromatherapy massage, yummy food, a fully stocked mini-bar and on top of it all, stunning scenery right outside my window, made for a lovely little out-of-Oslo trip with amazing colleagues. Now, back home with my beloved Princess, in a half-messy apartment with a half-empty fridge and no masseuse waiting in my bathroom, it still feels pretty amazing to be home. That is true love!

New Dress Love

This super-structured white dress that I picked up in Zara the other day is totally my new super-hero. It works for work and play, can go from day to night and just made my legs look super-long (helped off course by these new Jeffrey Campell boots I just could not resist!). Away at my work seminar - which was amazing, especially the SPA treatments - I got to wear the above cannot-now-live-without-it for the first time - and LOVED it. It is super similar to a dress from COS I tried on in Dublin a couple of weeks ago, but that they did not have in my size. So imagine my joy when I found this one in Zara - is it any wonder it is my go-to store for just about every event and situation?!