The wait is over!

Good morning! I am a happy bunny now! BA have said that a substantial number of long-haul flights from Heathrow will run as planned, despite the strike, including ours to Chicago on Wednesday. wee hee!

They are also planning to take legal action to stop the strike by its cabin crew. Will be interesting to see the outcome!

Butternut squash & sweet potato

Tonight's home cooked dinner was a success (but hard work chopping the veggies!); a butternut squash and sweet potato soup which I then added a little sour cream on top and sprinkled some pumpkin seeds to finish. It was yummy!

Friday footie

Friday evening and I've taken Sean out for a little playtime with his ball before dinner

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Mind the mop!

As you can see, me and Alma are getting on just fine lol - Love her to bits, haha! Do excuse my head of hair that resembles a mop! Must stop buying handbags and invest in a good hairbrush instead ;-)

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Peonies

These beautiful fuschia Peonies are currently decorating our home

Favourite snack!

Off to Waitrose for missing ingredient for tonight's dinner and Sean is munching on his fave snack, fish finger!

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Good morning!

With the sun out already and the skies blue, we are just ready to leave with Bear and walk him to the tube station in Marble Arch.

We will then run a few errands in town, and have the rest of the day at leisure with no playgroups/arrangements AND I tidied the whole flat yesterday, so no housework either. Bliss!

secret crush

I've been harbouring a secret girl crush for quite some time, and now she's finally mine! May I introduce Alma:

Sheer beauty; Alma in ivory - the perfect Summer bag

Fab offer

Boots have currently got a fab offer on! I just bought two Diet Coke and got a free (otherwise £10) Nails Inc nail polish. I chose a gorge cerise colour for this season, that will match these shoes nicely;

update

Me and my little man earlier

At 17 months, Sean is now able to take off his top by himself, he has started using his favourite words “oh, no” with a vengeance now, and he has switched from two daytime sleeps to one (*sigh*).

He is a picky eater, which apparently is very common around this age, so I don’t waste my time preparing complicated meals only to have my efforts rejected.

He loves his big blue ball, and he know’s the difference when I tell him to throw it or kick it. He also loves to dance if i play music, and he will push and turn buttons and knobs if they're in reach.

His favourite stuffed teddy bear is a great source of comfort when it’s bedtime, and he knows it as “Nalle” (teddy bear in Swedish).

He is always on the go causing trouble, and no sooner do I sit down than he's out of sight and I have to jump up to find out what he's gotten into.

And right now, he is doing my head in, because we haven’t yet been out today (as I had my friend Anna here with her baby, who’s a similar age to Sean, and I had my hairdresser here for my regular indulgence, a professional blowdry), so we are now getting ready to get out and get rid of some of that energy and tire my little man out. lol

Friday Fun

This video is hysterical!

Chicago shoppinglist

This picture is taken almost exactly three years ago today (when I first met Bear - who took the pic), May 2007.

Being (substantially!) heavier now, with my post pregnancy body, I'm not sure the Siwy Hannah will fit though.

Below you'll find pics of the Siwy jeans that are on the top of my shopping list for our Chicago trip.

I am such a huge fan of white denim already wearing them not just in Summer, but all year around, and I am getting tired of my True Religion jeans. So these will be just the addition to my wardrobe that I need. I have no idea if they will fit now, but I remain hopeful. lol.

As its only two weeks today until we travel, I have now started on my list of things to buy once in America. Will post the full list later.

The white Siwy Hannah Crop Jeans, in Snowstorm, are very popular with the A-lists

Sakura collection

Check out this fabulous new Sakura collection of Rosé champagne by Veuve Clicquot. Its inspired by the cherry blossom and the box comes with a handy ice bucket and two plastic flutes, together with the half-bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé.

Absolutely ideal for this Spring/Summer’s hamper for a stylish picnic with your girlies LOL

Proud of my man!

A financial magazine published a profile of 'Alan' AKA Bear, as his company have won a number of awards lately.

Sean and I so proud of you! ♥ ♥ ♥

my little sleeping beauty

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On our way to baby Olivia's christening

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Our children

Sean, here less than 24 hours old, is my legacy, my footprint on the world

SOME, OF ALL THE REASONS THERE ARE, TO BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR CHILDREN:

They Are Love – There is no better, no stronger, no more unconditional and wonderful love than the love of a parent for their child.

They are constant companions/company – A home with children is never dull, never quiet and never lonely. Whether you need to pop out to the shop, or get your daily caffeine fix at Starbuck, or just have someone to sit next to on the sofa, with your baba around, you always have someone to tag along.

They are real entertainment – If you are a parent and you are ever bored, it is your own fault, pardon me for saying that, but children can provide you with constant entertainment, with anything from the faces they make to the things they say and do.

They are really good students– Your baby is always a student by your side, more eager to learn from you than any other (so therefore you should share all your experiences and knowledge whether great or small)

They are our legacy – I think I speak for most people when I say it’s our dream to leave a mark on the world, which is what we do through our children. Here is a very relevant and lovely quote to go with that:

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body" ~Elizabeth Stone


And with that, I'm going to say good bye for now, wishing you all a lovely Bank Holiday weekend. Should you by any chance live in Sweden, you will no doubt be celebrating a very loved tradition tonight, called Valborg (Walpurgis). In any case, where ever you are; make it a good one :-) Cheers, and see you soon!

Catharina
XXX

Happy Birthday, Mum!

Courchevel, March 2010


Thank you universe, God, higher powers or whatever... Because if I was born again, I would ask that my Mum yet again were my mother. I simply couldn’t ask for a better Mum and Grandmum for Sean!



We love you and miss you, and can't wait to see you here in London in a couple of weeks. Now, hurry up, get out of bed, and log on to MSN video, so we can sing to you! :-D



XXX

Connaught Village

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OMG

This cool new track, "OMG", from Usher feat. Will.I.AM is the latest addition to my playlist

Tuesday afternoon at leisure

Today..

New beauty buys: FCUK polished sugarscrub, extra rich shampoo + extra rich self warming mask both by Wella Professional, Lancome Aqua fusion day cream with SPF15 and Estee Lauder Double Wear mascara

Today I feel...that the weekend wasn't long enough
Song of the moment: "Rock your body" by Black Eyed Peas
Currently I spend a lot of time...looking for a suitable nursery for Sean
Currently I spend too much money on: beauty products
Quote for week: There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart ~Charles Dickens
Favourite food right now? Lemon sole, aka "Bergskädda" in Swedish (Thanks for your tip, Viv!)

News I'm thrilled to share: Sean said "mormor" (grandma) for the first time today
Currently reading... what's worth doing/seeing when in Chicago, USA

One major plan for the week: Attending the christening of a close friend's daughter in a central London church, followed by party on Saturday

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Mother & son playtime

Me and my little man having fun this morning. He loves when I lightly bite his stomach. He laughes out loud and then pulls my head down to do it again and again. Motherhood in it's glory ♥

Say "mamma"

Here's proof of when my baby finally saying "mamma" yesterday(mum in Swedish as u might have guessed). I nearly burst with pride! LOL

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30% off Gap from today

Good morning! When theres a good deal out there, I just have to share it. Get a whopping 30% off at Gap in store with a voucher, valid from Thurs 22 Apr-Sun 2 May. The offer is valid at all Gap stores and concessions in the UK and Ireland.

Just register here (takes less than one minute) and then print it off to start enjoying the discount. I quite like this cool western style denim shirt for baby boys at babyGap. Yee-haw! :D

Sean, the entertainer

Holding hands

After viewing a second nursery today, bestest mates Sean and Oskar, didn't wanna let go of each other's hand - They just looked so adorable!

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Gratitude

This picture really gets to me, and I can't look at it without tears welling up in my eyes, and without an overwhelming feeling of gratitude of being a full time Mum, not having to be away from Sean for long periods of time and not having to return to work.

Like I’ve said before, it is so easy to forget the "little" things in life, that we should be grateful for. If we only take a few minutes sometimes to reflect on the good things that are in our lives, we would realise how blessed we are.

MSN – Windows Live Messenger is so great for keeping in contact with friends and family, and I use it every day (mostly video) without failure, mailnly with my Mum though.

Laughter. - Research has shown that laughter helps us live longer and stay healthier. I truly believe it. Yesterday I laughed out so loud at something Bear told me, and it rubbed off on Sean who also started laughing, and eventually I was crying from laughter, so Bear too started to laugh. Unfortunately I can’t share what he said ;-)

Nap times - Almost every day Sean has his midday nap for an hour or two. I then usually make a cup of tea and watch something I have recorded on Sky + planner, read my book, or just write a blog post. I really cherish these times of peace.

Sean's cuddles - For some reason, cuddles seem to cure any problem I might be having.

Caller ID on our home phone

Anytime I can get a full night's rest, I wake up thinking anything is possible!

I'm thankful for toast (or any newly baked bread) - how something so simple makes your kitchen smell so good!

Travelling - Any opportunity to get out and explore the world with my family is wonderful and I really look forward to our next trip - Chicago in mid May

Good morning! !

Monday morning and me and my little man are in Waitrose where I'm having a cappuccino after a little shopping.

Earlier I realised we have not a single nappy in the flat and our weekly grocery is not delivered until tomorrow. Bad planning by moi, I know!

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Second bottle of bubbly later and we're still here...

Time to go home perhaps? And b responsible parents? The sensational 20 odd degrees made me go to toilet and put on the white floaty dress with lace on and big bat wings, that I bought on our way here at our local market, for £15. Worth it, don't u think? I love it, and I love a bargain! :-) Cheers!

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Lunching in the sun

At an amazing canal side pub garden in Little Venice where we got a perfect.

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Six o clock is sushi time

Having dinner and cocktails in fab Japanese restaurant, Roka, Zuma's sister restaurant- with my boys. Spotted a couple of celebs already!

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Sardinia on my mind

Bon Voyage!

It's booked and confirmed - we are going on a family holiday (as opposed to our upcoming Chicago and Lake Como trip, when Sean won't come) to Sardinia!

The hotel is located in beautiful natural settings of the island, with the famous unspoilt white sand dune beaches that have been awarded for environmental conservation, and we will have a huge terrace/balcony where an amazing view of the sea can be admired. So exciting :-) This is where we will be staying:

The terrace will be perfect for enjoying an evening aperitif and watching the sunset

Brave Britney

I take my hat of to Brit for bravery

Britney Spears has done what other celebrities don't dare to. She has bravely allowed Candie's to realease the unaltered version of her latest shoot for their label.

Oh my, I was so pleased when I saw the non digitally altered pictures. She's human after all LOL. No doubt will this exert of a lot of pressure girl and women to look perfect.

Personally I think the ads are great, but she looks fab in the "before" shots too. For a mother of two, she has got an envious body, and I wish I will look like her once I've given Sean a sibling, that's for sure!

Head banging

Good morning!

Imagine the sheer joy I get to experience these days when Sean interacts to music, especially like this morning, to the famous Swedish nursery rhyme "hallon saft" (excuse the poor quality, as I filmed on the Blackberry).

Pink is the new blue, didn't ya know ;-)

New shopping: A very summerish baby pink polo top and shirt for our little man , choosen by none other than Bear himself

Today's yummy lunch

Brown rice prawn California rolls from Wholefoods

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wardrobe clearout

So, I'm a very happy bunny. Today whilst I was clearing out my wardrobe, I thought it was time to dust off my old black Chloe bag, and at the same time I found my 10 year old (if not more!) short dark denim jacket with white stiching, from French Connection.

I just couldnt believe I have saved it all these years, but with demin being such a fashion trend at the moment, I will definitely make use of my discovery! :-)

buying in bulk

Since becoming a mother, I have a tendency of bulk buying. And here is an example of just that; these three(!) bottles of my favourite salon treatment, Goldwell Kerasilk, just arrived in the post. That should last me to till the end of the year I'm guessing! ;-)