NO PRAY, NO PAY

July 22, 2012

A few weeks ago, I mentioned the wood playground that my hubby was building at the backyard. And here there are some pictures of it. It's an amazing Pirate Ship with a lot of accessories and games from a German brand... Ahoy Matey!!
It will hopefully keep the kids actively busy and entertained for a few minutes everyday. Adrien loves his horse swing!  However, it's still missing finish the sand area because we're looking for a way to cover it.
I took these pictures after André's tennis classes. By the way, André is very proud that he helped with the assembly of the pirate ship.

SADDLE UP WILD BOY!

July 17, 2012

 As I mentioned before, André is also taking equitation classes twice per week. I love horses and riding, so I can't be happier to find out that my son shares my passion.
Horses and riding have wonderful effects in children, physically, intellectually, emotionally and even spiritually. Why? Because of course it's a physical activity, but is unlikely any other. Like gymnastics, it improves strength, flexibility and endurance. Like dancing, requires physical skills and a "partner", so it develops skills like balance, coordination, plus intellectual, theoretical understanding, and even there's an emotional component to build a genuine relationship.
Having a partnership with horses, kids learn to be thoughtful and gentle, compassionate and empathetic. Also, they learn to be patient, and to have courage and determination. Learning to care for horses properly means learning how to take responsibility for another being which is dependent of them for its care, health and happiness.
I discovered that this activity helps my son to build his character and get values like respect, compassion, empathy, responsibility, honesty, integrity, and many more values. Who wouldn't want their children to have these values?

HUSTLE, HIT AND NEVER QUIT

July 15, 2012

André started last week his summer tennis classes for 4 year old kids. So here there are some pics of his first week. I hope he continues with this sport, because you know tennis is all about practice, practice, practice.
I couldn't help but notice that André is a lot taller than his pals of the same age. It seems my secret vitamin is working, isn't it?  ;)

THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME MOM SHOPPING GOING ON HERE

July 11, 2012

Sales season has arrived! And one the best places to go for good shopping is in the near city of Annecy in France. It's just 30 minutes from Geneva and besides of the good brands and bargains you can get in here, it's absolutely a gorgeous city.
People have been asking me which are my favorite French brands for children clothes. Here there are some:
Tartine et Chocolat (preppy and french elegance)
Cyrillus (very chic and preppy)
Grain de Blé (cheap and chic)
Petit Bateau (comfy and stylish)
Interdit de me gronder (stylish... love their tennis collection)
Catimini (not really a fan though, too colorful for my taste)
After a exhausting shopping day we took the children for some ice-cream and playtime... btw André has really with luck with girls  ;)

SOUNDS OF THE SUMMER

July 10, 2012

André started several courses this summer: piano, tennis, equitation and English classes in Gymboree.  He's excited with all the new friends he's making, and so do I!

To celebrate the end of his first week in piano lessons, we went to have some ice cream in the Yacht Club de Genève. He's having every afternoon, five days per week for a couple of hours, a musical course with emphasis in piano, and he seems to like it. I'm crossing my fingers for this trend to continue. His teacher is Greek and has a lot of patience and talent.

I always try to boost music in the life of my children, as it's proved that music has amazing effects in children. My baby Adrien was having music classes and baby disco in Gymboree when he was 5 until 7 months old. My older daughter Aimée was several years in the conservatory learning piano, as well as ballet, rhythmic gymnastics and dance courses.

The International Foundation of Music Research has published several researches about the benefits of music on early brain development. These studies have shown that children that had music education got higher SAT in intelligence scores. They say that music "benefit cognitive abilities, higher reasoning and motor skills, and higher achievements in language and math". Isn't wonderful what music can do for those little brains?

SCURVY LANDLUBBER

July 6, 2012

Our last day in Marseille, after the nice White Weekend I posted before, we enjoyed a relaxed breakfast in our hotel, surrounded by one of the most beautiful gardens I've seen in the French countryside. Next, we promenade around the city of Marseille to at least see the sea _that we don't have in Switzerland_ and have lunch, before heading back to Geneva.
Au revoir Marseille!

MADE IN USA

July 5, 2012

André is the only one in our little family that has the US passport, and we went to renovate it as it's about to get expired. What a coincidence, yesterday July 4th, was the US National Day.  Considering that we went to the US Mission in Geneva to fill his passport's application with André dressed according to the occasion, wearing a US flag t-shirt in honor of his American nationality.
Afterwards, we took a snack in the area and as the US Mission is near to Notting Heel my favorite shoe store in Geneva, I couldn't help but stop by... what can I do? I confess I'm a shoe-addict  ;)

According with this post, another shoe addicts are: Christina Aguilera, who owns 750 pairs of shoes, Paris Hilton has about 2000 pairs, Imelda Marcos, the infamous former Filippines First Lady, had 1060 pairs (not mentioning her 888 handbags, 508 floor-length gowns, 71 sunglasses, and the list goes on)  And they mention Danielle Steel, an US author, who has 6000 pairs just of Louboutins!

I shouldn't feel bad then, even my hubby has more shoes than me. But again, his addiction is stronger than mine. You can understand now why André has a lot of shoes  ;)

WHITE WEEKEND

June 30, 2012

Good friends invited us over for a White Weekend Party in Marseille, France, to celebrate their 10 years of marriage. There were several events during the weekend and all of them had as dress code the white color. It seems that Adrien loved the theme so much that he started for the first time to walk alone and didn't even want that we touch him. It was so funny!
We're very thankful for such a great weekend with wonderful company, good music and excellent food. OMG I love the South of France!

PAPERWORK

June 27, 2012

Do you think that running errands with your baby is mission impossible? Well, I always thought that until now that I have to actually do it. So I found some very useful tips to survive:

1) I always try to do my errands in the morning while André is at the school. It's much more difficult with them both around.

2) I always have an extra diaper in the car's globe box in case I forget the baby bag. Believe me, it happens!

3) For short errands trips, I leave the diaper bag in the car and just carry a couple of diapers and wipes in my bag to have more liberty and less to worry about. You can always run out to the car if there is an emergency.

4) If your baby cries despite your efforts, just stop to worry about what other people will think about you as a mother and try to finish whatever you're doing as quickly as possible.

5) And the most important tip: send your husband to do the errands for you, whenever possible  ;)

ROLAND GARROS PARTY

June 24, 2012

It was the final match of the French Roland Garros tennis tournament between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djocovic. Despite we weren't so thrilled because the Swiss tennis player Roger Federer couldn't make it to this final match, we invited over some good friend and their children to watch it.  As André is taking his first tennis classes this summer, he needed some inspiration.
I did something small and fun to welcome our friends, so I used all over the Roland Garros logo and its green/orange colors.

TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

June 23, 2012

After André showed off his new Dinoroom, Adrien wanted to share also his French vintage nursery. Most of the furniture is in hand-carved wood.  In order to decorate this baby room, I used some items of the decoration of Adrien's Bird-cage baptism party and his Carousel birthday party. The net and crib-wear are from Italy and most of the toys, carpet and mobile are from Noukie's. I didn't use curtains because didn't want to cover the view to the lake from the window, so I just framed it with some blue ponies. The photo filter is from Pho.to.

CATCH A WAVE

June 20, 2012

School is over!! To celebrate, we took André for a bath in Aquaparc. But before, we had lunch in a charming Zen restaurant around the lake. André's favorite place in Aquaparc is the waves pool. I have almost to force him to try the other places. I think he really believes he's a surfer in his Gymboree Surfer swim outfit!

BUCKLE UP EVERYONE!

June 17, 2012

This Father's Day weekend we decided to go away with Adrien for a short trip to Berlin!
The first day of our arrival, we took a boat tour across the multitude of Berlin's rivers and canals. Did you know that Berlin has more bridges than Venice? Around 1700 bridges. We finished with a traditional German dinner.
The second day we took the risk of get a walking tour around Berlin. The weather was not the best, as the whole day we had a few rain showers. However, Adrien never complained and he even seemed to enjoy the tour so we finished it successfully. We visited most of the main sights in the city, included the Berlin Wall, Hitler's Bunker, SS and Gestapo Headquarters, the Parlament, etc, etc. Of course we were deeply moved for Berlin's touching history. But we finish with a happy end as we met great new friends in our tour! I wanna say many thanks to our superb guide!
We had an incredible dinner that night to celebrate Father's Day.
Last day, we had a short walk and then headed to the airport. We arrived just to Geneva just in time to have dessert with my in-laws for Father's Day family meeting. Congratulations to my hubby, my father and all dads! Remember that the best thing you can do for your children is love their mothers  ;)

SCHOOL MATTERS

June 11, 2012

André is finishing school next week! To celebrate this year's memories, challenges and accomplishments, he and his classmates had an end of school trip to the Vivarium of Geneva.
We're so looking forward to start the vacations soon!
The region around Geneva is world famous for the finest private schools that for decades attracted the children of kings, celebrities, diplomats and presidents. Geneva has 289 private schools, that means the highest number of international schools per inhabitant of Europe!
However, Geneva's public school are also exceptional and among the highest level in the world. Probably, this is because of the high quality of the private schools that set the bar high for the whole educative system. Whether public or private, all Geneva's schools have a multicultural level for the high percentage of foreigners in the city.
Public schools in Geneva are free, and are pretty small, compared to schools elsewhere. The children have a lunch break to go to take it at home, as it is Swiss tradition, but in some schools is possible to take it at the school at reasonable prices (as André does).

LITTLE GREEN RIDING HOOD

June 9, 2012

We went to our way to a Minnie Mouse birthday party of a little friend of us from India, who came to Adrien's Carousel party last month as well.  André had a lot of fun playing with his friends and watching the clown/magician shows, while we enjoyed the great Indian food buffet.

We did our best to be a green matching family. Some people think that matching outfits are cute, some think that are cheesy... I do match my family up every once in a while! Specially I like to use coordinate clothes, like the same color in different shapes. I think it would be cheesy if it was all the time, but once in a while is fun! The more important thing is if they want it, and my children love it!  It melts my heart when they dress alike.

HEAD-TO-TOE

June 8, 2012

It's so nice to have good weather so we can take the children for short trips in charming French and Swiss towns. This time we went to Thonon-les-Bains in the Haute Savoie region of France, less than one hour away from Geneva. This city has an interesting history for its past as a French Dukedom and one of the most impressive and breathtaking views to the Léman Lake.
We had a nice walk with the children, a delicious French lunch and some shopping, where André got a two-heads dragon, which he doesn't separate now.

DON'T STOP THE MUSIC

June 7, 2012

"Music washes away from the soul the dusty of everyday life" said Auerbach.  We can't help but agree while we were dancing with the Putumayo Kids  new cd's that we got for Adrien's Carousel Party. They are great!  But if you don't believe me, check here all the awards they have won over the last years, including the "Best of the Year" lists in the best educational and parenting magazines.
Putumayo Kids are CD's collections with children music from all around the world that introduce children to other cultures. They have child-friendly music with African, Asian, European, American and Latin songs in several languages.
My favorites collections, which I played during Adrien's first birthday party, are (you can click on the links to listen a portion of each song):

• Animal Playground, animal songs from around the world. It's my favorite and a percentage of the sale of this album is donated to preservate the famous Bronx Zoo.
• Sing Along with Putumayo, a selection of classic blues and folks.
• Sesame Street Playground, multilingual songs from Sesame Street.
• World Playground, songs from all around the world.
• Latin Playground, Latin songs. My favorite is a Guantanamera version, sung by children.
• African Playground, African songs.
• French Playground, famous French songs.
• Jazz Playground, cool jazz songs.

And there are a lot more collections...

DINOROOM

June 5, 2012

How to decorate a boy's room and not die trying? In Switzerland we don't have a lot of options for a fun and innovative children's room decoration. I guess because everything is too expensive. I have more limitations as well. First, I didn't want to buy just hackneyed Ikea children's furniture. Second André wanted a Dinoroom because he's still obsessed with dinosaurs. Not as easy as a cars theme. And third, I didn't have enough budget to change the existent blue walls and furniture. So I decided to buy online thematic deco objects at Jojo's site, paste removable stickers to the furniture and add murals on the walls.
This is the result! Andrésaurus and his Tyrannosaurus are happy and my pocket too. I'm looking forward to improve it little by little with some DIY craft work.

CHILDREN'S DAY MBA

June 1, 2012

Children's Day is different almost in each country. Unicef has a different day also for the International Children's Day. World Children's Day is on November 20th to protect children for working in bad conditions.  Anyway in our family, we celebrate Children's Day (Día del Niño) on June 1st, ant this year we took advantage that we had a wonderful weather.
We started the day with brunch in a cowboy & indians restaurant. Then, we bought for the kids an inflatable pool so they spent the afternoon splashing and laughing. In the meanwhile, my hubby started to build his next project for the children: an amazing wood playground that I'll show later.
In this important day, we all adults should try to impersonate our children, as they have valuable lessons to teach us. My children probably don't know how to behave properly yet, but they're so freaking happy!  We should be watching our kids, not just for proper parental supervision, but to learn how to be as happy. It's actually wise to try to catch some of their self-esteem and confidence, their ability to make friends quickly without worries to be rejected, their honesty to tell what they think, their curiosity to learn about almost everything, their desire to do things just for pleasure and don't for hidden purposes, their indifference for prices and brands, their disinhibition as they're not at all afraid to show their feelings. They do fight, but when it's over, it's over, they don't keep resentments or stay mad for months or even gossip about their friends.  They, our little kids, can see the best in people!

FLOWERS FOR BREAKFAST

May 28, 2012

A good friend of mine invited us over for a brunch, so André wanted to bring her some flowers. We were in the task to collect some beautiful flowers when suddenly a back window opened in front of us and my hubby scared the hell of André. We were laughing long time about this.

I decided to add to the flores a quickly scrapbook card with this picture.

Switzerland is not just cows, clocks and chocolates, it's also a paradise of flowers. You can find beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. The national flower is the Edelweiss, which grows high in the Alps.  This little silvery and hairy flower is the national symbol and a real alpine celebrity. You can find it to market all kind of Swiss product, but its real origins come from the Himalayas.

CAROUSEL PARTY

May 21, 2012

We threw a Carousel Party for the first birthday of Adrien. Most of the decoration and food was hand made by me.  I'll explain in detail below each one of the elements we had.

In addition, we had a real carousel as the main attraction for the children. It was a blast!!

It was also a windy day, so I couldn't take the best pictures. But we were so lucky that in a week full or raindrops, we had the whole day a bright and shiny sun. Thanks God!

FROGS, BUGS AND PUPPETS

May 17, 2012

We took the children for a puppet show about racism and prejudices which I found with great content and message!

I found great as well their Gymboree clothes. I bought for them several matching outfits that I'll be posting asap. The best part of Adrien's outfit? Its green frogs match with the children bathroom. What could be more fun than a fizzy amphibian with big green lips all around bath time?  ;)

BOYISH MOTHER'S DAY

May 13, 2012

What a better way to celebrate Mother's Day than surrounded by some of my favorite boys. We had lunch with my in-laws in Lausanne, and Adrien played all day long with his cousin Matéo.
I'm glad I have "only" 3 children. My grandmother Elba had 12 children! But do you know that a Russian woman had 69 children? According to the Guinness Book of Records, during 27 pregnancies she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, 7 set of triplets and 4 set of quadruplets.
I correct: I'm relieved that I have only 3 children...

FASHIONISTA PARTY

May 2, 2012

Some days after her birthday, Abu (grandma) came back to Switzerland. Adrien and I received her with a little Fashionista Party for just the three of us.  We had some fat-free Weight Watchers cupcakes with shoes, bags and lipstick candles.  She was surprised and it was truly fun!

We mixed fashion and chocolate in this Shopoholic and Chocoholic little party for our favorite girl.
With all that pink and glitter, Adrien wanted to wear tougher colors.

MOMMY MAKEOVER

April 28, 2012

It was the birthday of "abu" (grandma), but she was away having fun in a Cruise around the Scandinavian countries.  Adrien sent her this sweet postcard in Spanish.

That day we went to visit daddy's plastic surgery center and then to an outdoor cafe, taking advantage of the sunny weather. I hope we'll have more days full of sunshine to warm our hearts.

I guess people think that because my hubby is a plastic surgeon I should look better. The truth is, as any other mom, I have to diet and exercise as a regular basis, because there is a little detail missing: he's a SWISS plastic surgeon. That means, he likes a woman to look natural, so doesn't want that I look like the cliché "plastic surgeon's wife". 

It's not a secret that pregnancies, childbirths and breastfeeding are hard for any woman's body. Would you consider a Mommy Makeover to restore your pre-pregnancy body? A Mommy Makeover is one or several esthetic procedures custom designed to solve this needs. According with my hubby, it's better to wait a year after breastfeeding to give the body the time to recover. Also, be aware that surgery is not a solution for overweight.  Plastic surgery removes fat that won't responde to diet or exercise. Having saying that, the most common Mommy Makeover's procedures are the following:

Breast: could be a lift, a reduction, or an augmentation (to restaure lost volumen).

Tummy: Abdominoplasty or Liposuction. Liposuction can also work for other areas.

With any surgery, you need someone to assist you with the children because bending and lifting are restricted during the post-op recovery period. I guess then, that is the real reason why I'm still in the wait list! 

For more tips, check his facebook page.

GANGWAY FOR A NAVAL OFFICER!

April 22, 2012

Dear friends from Nyon invited us over for a bbq. We had the great idea to go by boat instead of by car, crossing the Léman Lake. André was so excited as he loves boats  :)
Switzerland has several nice lakes with breathtaking views to the mountains and fancy boats on them. However, my favorite is Léman Lake. It's 70 km long and is skirted by vineyards and beautiful sun-drenched towns with shoreside castles and an amazing view to the Alps.

There are a variety routes that you can choose. For example, the Upper Lake (Haute Lac) trough to Lausanne. There are cruises with fancy restaurants for shorter excursions. My favorite routes are towards the beautiful French towns of Yvoire (a medieval town) and Evian-les-Bains.

To learn more about boat schedules and the trip/meal cruise options, visit this website.

EGG-STRA SPECIAL EASTER!

April 19, 2012

Back to Switzerland, after the Spring break, we're all still recovering from a trip with too much fun. So we're planning on taking it slow this week.
I'm now uploading some pictures from before the break. When the family had an Easter get-together in a charming relative's chalet in the Swiss woods. It was a cold day, so we took just a few pictures in the surroundings before to head straight to the warm fireplace to eat chocolate eggs. Easter is the only time when it's perfectly safe to put all your eggs in a basket  ;)

ONCE UPON A TIME...

April 15, 2012

During our trip to Germany, we went to the civil wedding of a cousin. There, André fell in love with a cute little German girl. Since he saw her, he called her "my princess".  It seems that the "coup de foudre" was in both sides and they didn't separate from each other the whole day  :)

GERMAN CRUSADE

April 12, 2012

Spring break is a great time for family bonding. We went to the south of Germany with the children, and despite the cold weather, we enjoyed this spring break getaway and even did some shopping.  I'm starting to realize that any country in the world is cheaper than Switzerland.

LEATHER WEATHER

March 31, 2012

This crazy weather can be scary for children, and indeed for parents. Kids have to dress well for confort and movement so I usually use the approach of layers. You know what people say: "No bad weather, only bad clothing".

Here a mix of Adrien's pics of these last two difficult months. In the first picture, we had a parents meeting at his brother school and Adrien loved it!! He's wearing a D&G navy leather jacket.

CHOCOLATE BUNNY

March 26, 2012

Spring has sprung and Easter break is coming soon. André had a celebration at his school before Easter. This time of the year is a big deal in Switzerland and you can see chocolate bunnies and eggs EVERY WHERE.  Nobody can compete with the Swiss when it comes with Easter chocolates consumption. The Swiss eat 12 kilos of chocolate per person, per year, and Easter chocolate consumption starts even in February... Oh My...
Having said that, of course my son was pretty excited with the day ahead, while we were waiting for the school bus to arrive. 

I forgot my camera so I took these pictures with my iPhone. Because of the bad quality, I used this filter of Pho.To to actually make more interesting the pictures and give them a vintage chocolate touch  ;)

ANDRESAURUS

March 19, 2012

Andresaurus, the terror of the dinosaurs, went to a dino park in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Oh boy... big is beautiful! He had a wonderful time exploring the fascinating world or this prehistoric animals. Since then, he's driving us crazy with his dinosaurs addiction... somebody help us!!  

LA VITA E BELLA!

March 7, 2012

Oh yes, life is beautiful in Italy!! We went four days to Bergamo in order to accompany my hubby to a Plastic Surgery Congress there. Adrien and I spent our days strolling the beautiful city of Bergamo and the nights all the family had dinner together in lovely restaurants. The last day we visited my cousins that live there before to heading back to Geneva.

I have a deep love for Italian food!  Each time that I happen to travel to this country, I look forward to eating as much as possible and discover new places for the best pizza, gelato, tiramisu and pasta.
Searching the Internet for good restaurants in Bergamo, I found this list of the Top 10 Italian Food Blogs. I know that I'll come back with extra killos, but I'm sure it will be all worth.
BTW, my favorite Italian restaurant in Geneva is Les Tilleuls, located in the street of the same name. Great quality-price-service-children friendly for Geneva's standards... if you know what I mean  ;)
I'm going to stop this post now because my mouth is watering and my stomach growls!

VINTAGE TREASURES

February 28, 2012

Adrien is 9 months old and his great-grandfather Otti, of 96 years old, came for lunch to celebrate this special day. Otti is a special person that speaks several languages, has written a book and even has a Facebook profile. He's pretty active on the social media!
Adrien is the only of his six great-grandchildren that got his blue eyes, and is the only one who lives in Geneva as well, so they're very close.  May God give them many days together!

CHRISTENING IN THE VATICAN

February 23, 2012

After having Adrien's Christening, I just couldn't help but to remember the baptism of my other son André.  It was held in the best venue in the world to have a Christening: The Vatican.
We were so lucky that we were accepted!  We were living in Dubai at that time, where André was born, and we traveled to Italy for his magical Christening.  The ceremony was in English and Italian by a priest from Philippines in december 2007.  André was three months old and his sister Aimée was the godmother.
André had such a good luck that after the ceremony, the Pope Benedict looked out a window to give the blessing.

MOVING ON UP, MOVING ON OUT

February 19, 2012

We're in the process of moving to our new house... a very difficult and thorough time. But at the same time, it's exciting to wait for our new live. Our new house even has a name: El Dorado  :)
This illustration is from Angéline Mélin, a French talented artist... check out her work here. I love her blog

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

February 14, 2012

"I claim there aren't another Saint as great as Valentine" - Nash

Feeling thankful for all the love that surrounds me. May you all get so much love that fill your hearts with happiness!

André: brown pull (old)

Adrien Grain de Blé bunny snowsuit

TOO COLD TO THINK

February 7, 2012

The weather is terrible, the temperatures are freezing, the internet signal is collapsing therefore... and of course the children get sick... Oh My!!
Here are some pics of André before and after a visit to the doctor and then to my hubby's medical office before going back to home.
I'm not a fan of medication, neither for adults or children. I prefer natural medicine, and I'm a huge fan of a children vitamin called Emulsion Scott. Basically, it's cod liver oil and yes, the taste is weird, but children seem to like it. I've been given it to my children since they were babies and my own experience is that it makes them stronger, healthier and TALLER. I'm not joking, my older children, Aimée and André are a lot taller than other children of the same age (17 and 4 years old), and I don't think I have good height genes. If this hypothesis works with my new baby Adrien as well, I'll come back to you.
Anyway, it's a rich natural source of vitamins A and D, calcium, sodium, etc, which help to build a barrier against infections, such as colds and coughs. Also, is good for bones development and strong teeth.
If you can't find it in regular supermarkets or pharmacies, you could always buy it in Amazon.

BIRD-CAGE CHRISTENING

January 29, 2012

This month we had something wonderful for our little family, the Christening of our baby Adrien. It was celebrated at the old St Georges church of Hermance, Geneva, by Father Anton. The father came from Zurich for the Christening and applied oil consecrated for the Pope to Adrien. A relative played the antique organ of the XVIII century during the ceremony.
We made a little reception at home with a French vintage bird-cage theme. Most of the decoration was made by myself. We had classic French songs and a saxophone interlude.

COUCOU COUSIN COLIN!

January 20, 2012

I should call this post cousin craziness instead  ;)  How many adventures this month we had, despite the cold wave that is hitting Europe.
In the picture above they are enjoying (well, not all of them) a day in Aquaparc.

APRES-SKI

January 5, 2012

Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always lead.... André enjoys his sled though. Definitely, Switzerland has the best ski places. The view from its mountains is breath-taking and you feel that you're close to God.
My favorite part is après-ski time! Relax time in the hot spring spas around or gathering in the chalet of family/friends for a Swiss fondue.

ⒽⒶⓅⓅⓨ ⓃⒺⓌ ⓎⒺⒶⓇ

January 1st, 2012

Swiss usually go to the mountains during the New Year holiday. So these days we're off to adventure in Adrien's first snow, first new year, first... everything!
We're so looking forward to enjoying as much as we can...  Cheese fondue with a glass of wine, snow covered picks, huge breakfasts, thermal baths, being closer to God... it doesn't have a price!

SERIOUSLY HANDSOME

December 30, 2011

Adrien is getting bigger and these two last months have been so overwhelming, surreal and extremely exiting!!  Here there are some pics of November and December...

BETWEEN BUMBLES AND BUBBLES

December 27, 2011

We took the children and cousins for a day after Christmas in the winter playground of Palexpo. André couldn't be happier... life is good lately!  Warm and comfy is the key to have fun in winter.
Adrien finished exhausted... too much for a little baby. Back home, I had to recompose him with a hot bath and salts... finishing with and an oil massage  ;)

SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS

December 26, 2011

So this is the first Christmas for Adrien!! And as Celine Dion says, the young and the old had fun... actually a lot of fun! Relatives came to Switzerland for the holidays and all the cousins gathered together for the first time, so we're welcoming a entirely month full of excitement and happiness.
We had Christmas dinner in my in-laws' place. Santa Claus came personally and brought loads of gifts, but for my children, cousins were the best presents under the tree  :)
A very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012!!

WINTER WONDERLAND

December 10, 2011

Winter season is here! And this year, I promised myself to not complain about the weather (sigh).
Schilliger is my favorite garden center. You can find there nice inspiration for plants and flower settings. For the new holiday season launching, they had activities and entertainment for children, cookies and even a delicious warm wine with fruits. They shared the receipt furthermore  ;)

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

November 25, 2011

After the Rain, a spa in Geneva is launching a Children's Spa! Could you believe it? We'll have to wait a little bit because it's for children aged 7 to 17. They have massages for kids, manicures, chocolate baths and treatments specially developed and designed for children. The name of the treatments are truly appropriate, such as: The Little Prince (a light back and leg massage with almond oil), Thousand and One Nights (a sparking bath with beverage and a candy chest included), Snow White (a pearl and silk facial), Charly and the Chocolate Factory (a chocolate bath accompanied by a chocolate fondue with marshmallows), etc.
They say they want to teach kids to be aware and treat better their own bodies. I like the idea that the products they use are adapted to children as well. Along with the spa treatments, the children receive candy cotton, strawberry milk, everything sounds delicious and fun!!
In the meantime, we're going to a birthday party with a Batman theme. It's the first birthday party for Adrien!! 

SEE YOU LATER ALLIGATOR

November 16, 2011

We took the children for a visit to the Vivarium of Geneva where they found alligators, serpents, frogs, and all kind of amphibians. Maybe it's not the best place for girls, but boys love it!! Oh boys!
The best part? I found out it's possible to make a birthday party there for children over 6 years old. I can't way that my boys grow up enough to throw a Swamp Birthday Party  ;)

PALEOADVENTURES

November 3, 2011

What would be better for a dino-crazed kid that a dinosaur dig? Balexert, the biggest shopping mall in Geneva organized a Dinosaur Exposition with fossils and dino-dig for children. It was fun and educational!

THIS IS BLISS

October 31, 2011

I know I haven't taken all the pics for the blog that I should... sorry about that. But I've been enjoying my new baby Adrien every minute of his firsts five months. Here is a mix of some of his pictures from August, September and October.
This first picture is about Adrien starting his Gymboree classes. He loves it!!