We're On the Tutu Train

Freida's infatuation with severely gnarly tutus (or any tulle, for that matter!) is rapidly spiraling out of control. Sometimes I have to literally wrestle her to get them off before bath or bed! She cries and holds onto the elastic waistband with such tight fists that her knuckles go white, whimpering "princess, princess". I know it's quite pathetic. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be one of those moms, whose kids show up at preschool each and every day sporting the same Buzz Lightyear rain-boots, or (worse!) Cinderella princess dress. I thought I was destined for a tomboy, a daughter after my own heart... not a fairy-wing loving, lipstick adoring, pirouette perfecting, tea-party obsessing child --- but I absolutely adore her, even more for all the unfamiliar princess quirks that come along with her!! Plus, she's teaching me a thing or two about being a lady (I never wore pink - now it's my favorite color!), and I must admit, tea-time with a group of stuffed animals and my little love calling out "pinkies up!" has proven to be rather relaxing and satisfying.

But, the gnarly Tutus must be nipped in the bud - especially now that I'm quite certain she will be seen in public adorned in "princess" garb at some future point...

That's what brings me to currently coveting these beauties:

How breathtaking are these??? By the incredibly awesome Australian tutu producers: TutuDuMonde. All tutus are hand-made and hand-dyed - lending each a one-of-a-kind feel inspired by vintage couture. Now that's more like it!

Covering the Fashion Trends

I hope you all enjoyed the extra little bit of weekend we were graced with. The weather here spiked to the 80's (!!), so I've simply been frolicking outdoors - it was the kind of weather that brings you an intense amount of actual physical pleasure - and it was glorious! On Sunday I found myself leafing through the Urban Outfitters early spring catalogue and wound up in a state of shock a few pages in; a full-headscarf wearing, high buttoned blouse sporting, long sleeved clad women - who looked an awfully lot like my 2nd grade Hebrew teacher - was splashed across their main spread! Is that model from Boro Park? Did the folks over at Urban find some fashion inspiration from the many religious jewish women who frequent their stores? How is that now a trend?? After studying the photoshoot a bit more, I realized that this whole thing was in fact shot in Israel (looks like Tel-Aviv). So while the headscarfs and blouses are part of the Urban spring collection, I know beyond a reasonable doubt that these style trends were most definitely sparked by the ultra-orthodox ladies of the land. I mean, when I'm in Vegas with friends we get a nice amount of stares for covering out hair by the pool - I never thought I'd see a fashion lineup of hot models at the Dead Sea shore in bikini tops and tichels! Someone should tell Urban to start carrying the Milano WiGrip! :)

But that was early Sunday morning. Sunday evening brought something entirely more stupefying altogether: the couture at the Golden Globes. Hollywood's red carpet was a shroud of coverage! I honestly couldn't get over the long-sleeved revolution (we won't mention the low-dip backs, it's the front that's topic of interest)! I know the runways have been getting much more coverage over the past 3 seasons, but this was absurd! Apparently the right to bare arms has been eclipsed by the sleek long-sleeve trend... and they all look ravishing, to boot!

There's just something so astonishing about seeing Angelina Jolie, a sex-symbol of today's world, with her partner Brad Pitt, an absolute classic Hollywood icon - in a dress that is far more modest than anything I can manage to bring myself to wear!!

Modestly seems to be the latest in fashion trend policy... good luck keeping up!!

The "Freedom" of Freelance

Spotted this "work for free" flow-chart from Jessica Hische and I think it's worthy of some lofty office wall space. Print it, frame it, hang it. This is the freelancer's/working-girl's guide!! Made me smile (and cringe, a little).

(You gotta click and open it up to get the full genius effect.)

NestRest

How awesome is this??? What a way to redefine words like, cozy corner, reading nook, nesting etc. This even manages to make the classic hammock look muted!

Conjures up images of chilled glasses filled with lemonade, well-worn books; pages rustling in the wind, and romantic balmy summer nights spent nestled with your loved one; beers chilling nearby (don't worry, I'm also wondering why all my daydreams involve beverages)....

These are simply beautiful!!!

Nestrest by designers Daniel Pouzet and Fred Frety

Happy (Solar) New Year!!

Wishing you all the happiest of new beginnings, and a fresh start to one of the most important aspects to a mom: the Calendar. Be it a life-sized family-shared wall calendar that keeps track of ballet recitals, soccer practice, PTA meetings, and the birthday party that you thought was this Sunday but was (oops!) last Tuesday, or your own personal planner filled with weekly meal plans, an abundance of "to-dos", preschool performance dates, a year's worth of work meetings, and way too many lists... 2011 is bringing us a fresh page, making us feel (even just a teeny-tiny bit) more organized than yesterday.

Just don't forget to squeeze yourself into all that family planning!! From a simple pedicure, to a girls weekend beach getaway, to unwinding after bedtimes with a glass of red wine; taking care of ourselves is an integral part of being a good mother and a good wife. A bit of tweaking to the scheduling and you won't believe how much you can fit in for you!

Dr. Christiane Northrup is most famously quoted for having said, "Healthy caregiving absolutely must include the mother herself.", and I think that is the most timeless of advice.

Here's to resolving in setting aside time for us this year...!