Bloggers and their babies (Thursdays it's family time!)

I just love looking at pictures of people with their babies. You can always sense the joy, pride, love and vulnerability they're feeling. Some of my favorite bloggers have recently had babies, and here are a few pictures of them.

James and Gemma of Bleubird

Viv and Robert of ish and chi

Joanna and Toby of A Cup of Jo

And here's one of me and little Sam.

Bling it on!

Did the knife slip while you were cutting onions? Did you scrape your knees while gathering legos up from the floor? Now you don't have to make do with your son's Spiderman band aids, you can cover your injuries in style with these Swarowski bling plasters from designer Fabian Seibert... motherhood as glamorous as ever!

Sharing the love

I'm so thrilled to have found two new blogs that I absolutely love. First up is James of Bleubird Vintage. She's so fabulous, I have a total girl crush on her. She's the mother of two cool kiddos and manages to be cool, amazingly stylish and totally creative. I feel very inspired.

This makes me want to build a teepee in our living room too and play pretty Indians.

Next is the Cherry Blossom Girl. A stylish Parisienne who makes me want to wear dresses and heels and black seamed tights every day.

And look at that pretty printed screen behind her! And the mirror! And the floorboards!!!

And finally, I want these for summer!

I'd pair them with a chunky knit for spring, a delicate knit for summer, my dad's faded brown leather jacket and killer heals. On the days that I'm not chasing after my kids...

Today I had to laugh at myself

My husband sent me out of the house to have a relaxed cup of coffee and escape reality for about an hour. I was wearing a black dress and leggings, threw on my beige trench and grey boots. Headed downtown in my silver grey station car, stopped by the recycling station to drop off an old desk, then parked in a parking garage but bumped my car on a concrete column in the process. At this stage I was in a quiet rage, desperate not to think about how much it will cost to have this fixed (fortunately it was just a scratch so I hope I can get away with a good wash and polish). As I walked the short distance to my favorite book café I looked at my reflection in the shop windows, my sharply cut shoulder length hair matching my outfit, my fatigue clearly visible on my non made-up face. 'Motherhood', I half growled, half laughed inside.

On my way home, Nirvana's 'come as you are' played on the radio. I sang out loud, I really got into it, I was taken back to the time where I was starting my adult life, in my future I would never shout at my kids, I would never wear beige, I was always going to be the coolest person ever (whatever that entailed), I would always have time for loving my husband (energy was not something I lacked in those days) and I would never worry about trivial things, such as housework and money.

I laughed out loud in a beautiful moment of self realisation, acceptance and joy!

Wanted!

A skincare routine for a tired mum on a budget.


That's not me in the photo.

In the meantime, I'm trying to remember the recipie for a home-made face mask I made once. The base was thick porridge and then I mixed a few things in. A couple of crushed multi vitamin tablets for, well, vitamins. A bit of orange juice for gentle peeling. The contents of a green tea bag for anti oxidants I think. Perhaps there was some oil, I can't remember. And perhaps something else I've forgotten.
By the way, did you know that washing your hands with used coffee grounds not only cleans your hands incredibly well of paint and grease and such, but also leaves your hands silky smooth? The combination of scrubbing and the oils in the coffee I guess.
I also remember seeing a reicipie for a home-made foot soak at some point. I only remember that you were supposed to add lemon for whitening the nails and oil to smooth the skin. I guess you could scrub your feet with coffee grounds first, then soak them in warm water with lemon and oil.
Do you have any tips on cheap and cheerful products for tired looking skin? Something that counters the lack of sleep, stress, at times poor diet and age? Any recipies for home-made stuff? Please share :)