Happy Birthday Little Kenz!

I can't believe it's been a year since Kenz came into our lives. Everyone says time flies but I think with the second child syndrome, it goes by in a blink! She has been a true blessing and I'm seriously enjoying having a girl. You can see that from her birthday party pictures below. :)

The other Oscar carpets

A few friends asked how come I didn't post anything about the Oscars red carpet this year, and my honest answer is that I found the red carpet BORING.  I was totally uninspired. But then I checked out pictures of the Vanity Fair and Elton John AIDS Foundation parties and felt a lot better. These are the looks that saved the Oscars this year.  

Woman of the hour Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein Collection. While her Dior gown was pretty and sweet, it's great that she changed into something quite dark and sexy for the after party.  

Kate Bosworth in Giambattista Valli Couture. Beautiful dress that's right on trend.

Miranda Kerr in Valentino. She looked very glamorous in this baroque inspired gown.

Kate Beckinsale in Monique Lhuillier. Love this. Princess cut, modern edgy embellishment.

Natalie Portman in Dior. Can't beat the simplicity of this look with the stunning jewelry.

Rose Byrne in Lanvin. Love this. Simple, clean and sexy.

Maria Sharapova in Amanda Wakeley. This is beautiful, the navy and gold make perfect eye candy.

Amy Adams in Oscar de la Renta. This is so much cooler than the gown she wore to the Oscars. 20's inspired and really compliments her colors. 

Nina Dobrev in Naeem Khan. She looks amazing in this monochrome gown.  

Images: Glamour 

Me time must

I just got back from a little break in London. By little break, I mean 4 very precious days ALONE. Packing was so easy! No baby bottles or sterilising tablets, no changing bag and no carry on stuffed with puzzles and sticker books. I actually forgot what it's like to walk through an airport with just my handbag. Of course I was a little anxious about leaving the kids and my husband alone, I had images of the house exploding and my kids running loose on the street. I was also sad and choked up for about 5 minutes into the flight. Then it all dissolved and a sense of calm washed over me instead. I spent 4 days of walking for miles, shopping, having coffee (or the occasional glass of wine) whenever I wanted. I read. I slept. I spent time with a few close friends. And I shopped some more. Now 4 days may not seem like much, well to any singles anyway. But any mom would know that it's just enough. And I highly recommend it. Actually I insist you do it at least once a year. Make it your 2013 resolution. Work on buttering up whatever family you will need to help babysit. Decide on what kind of break will refuel you best, whether its a yoga retreat, a secluded beach or like me, some serious retail therapy. And do it. 

Image: Cig Harvey

What I fancy this week

I'm heading to London in 2 weeks so my head is already in a shopping frame of mind.  When is it not really?  Anyway, here are a few things that get my heart racing just a little faster.

1. Carven Crossover Cutout Dress in Indigo.  I LOVE this dress! The cutout is just enough to be sexy and fun without making someone like me feel self concious.

2. Céline Phantom bag in Flesh.  If you happen to follow me on Pinterest you will see that I am quite obsessed with Céline bags.  This is my latest crush, perfect for summer.

3. As a mom, I'm always looking out for pretty flats. MCQ Alexander McQueen studded leather flats, Aquazzura Roy Slippers, Eddie in Black flats by Kate Spade and Lattice D'Orsay Flats by Jenni Kayne.

4. Dragonfly Jacquard dress by Alexander McQueen. This is a must. It's perfect.

Images: Shopbop.com, Céline, Matches, thehipchick, Les Nouvelles, Liberty London

Parenting Resolutions

I've compiled a list of Parent-centric resolutions that I would like to try to stick to as much as possible. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world, and hopefully having these posted as a reference can be gentle reminders to help me be the best that I can be.

1. I won't use the excuse "I'm too tired" too often with my kids.  Note the 'too often' is not a 'never' as I am sure there will be times when I will seriously be too tired to play Lets Run Around The House Like Crazy Chimps On Speed for the 8th time within the hour.  I just dont want my kids one day remembering me as the tired old lady.  

2. Avoid using the word "hate" in front of the kids.  Whether it's in reference to another annoying Britney Spears song on the radio or while expressing dread for having to attend an awful Karaoke party.  My father always told me "hate" is a strong, ugly word and I hope to teach my kids the same.

3. Laugh often and laugh loudly. Maybe not when I'm totally alone though...

4. Accept that no parents are perfect, and it's OK to make mistakes.  There are a countless number of times that I go to bed with this heavy feeling of guilt, thinking I could've handled a certain situation with my kids better, I could have reacted in a calmer way or been a better role model.  I need to stop being so hard on myself and just try to learn from my mistakes.

5. I resolve that for at least half an hour a day, I will do an activity or just chill with my kids without having my iphone near me.  It's nauseating how often I look at that thing.  A half hour without instagram should be OK, right?

6. Make use of all the toys around the house.  We have so many toys that have been played with once if at all.  It's a serious shame, those toys are cool!  So, I need to find a way to rotate the toys in play.  

I saw these 3 resolutions from Jacque Grillo of the Savvy Source via the Facebook page of a lovely playspace in Dubai called apple seeds, and definitely wanted to include them:

Resolution #1: Learn to just "be". Spend more time with your little one with no specific activity planned. Show your children your carefree and spontaneous side. While structure and routine are important, it helps to shake things up every once in a while for you and them.

Resolution #2: Get out of your child's way. Provide her with time, either alone or with friends, that is largely unsupervised and where an adult will only intervene when the screams reach a high decibel level. Teach them to trust in themselves. Let them make mistakes and experience the consequences. Stop rescuing.

Resolution #3: Remember what life before children was like. Commit to having a life of your own with your own activities, friends and interests. It's not only good for you but a great model for your children. 


Do you have any parenting resolutions you would like to share?

Images: crescentmoon, Ozzy Garcia, 

Do Carrie On

I just watched the first episode of The Carrie Diaries which has taken up Gossip Girl's time slot on the CW Network.  If any guys are reading this, you can tune out now.  Yes Carrie as in Carrie Bradshaw.  This show is based on the younger, highschool Carrie, back when she was living in Connecticut.  I wasn't sure what to expect and since the last SATC film, I was wary of anything that might mess with my love of the show.  

What to expect if you decide to watch it:

• It has nothing to do with Sex and the City other than that AnnaSophia Robb is great at revealing a few, subtle charactertics of the beloved Carrie that just put a little smile on my face as I was watching, including an introduction to her eclectic fashion sense, although of course not as refined here.  She also wore a gold necklace with a delicate 'C'. :)
• The other SATC link is the love affair with New York City, which is enough to remind us of the show we all loved so much. 
• Otherwise The Carrie Diaries is a show of its own, and let me point out that it's a TEEN DRAMA.  So think more along the lines of 90210 and Gossip Girl than anything HBO would choose to air.  While it's by the same producers of GG, thank god it seems to have little more in common.  The Carrie Diaries seems to be a little more charming and down to earth.  But again, it's a teen drama, so dont expect any deep plot or smart sexual humour.  There was one sexual joke which made me cringe, the writers will need to work on that aspect or even better, just let it go.
• One thing that I felt was done really well was the nod to the 80's.  The soundtrack is great.  And little touches like how she has those koala bear clips in her bedroom were just enough.  And yes, the fashion is 80's influenced too, although I think the producers tried to tone that down just so that's not all you saw when you were watching.

I think I will give this show the benefit of the doubt, if for nothing else for the fact that Sarah Jessica Parker approves of the show herself.  After all, it can't be worse than Gossip Girl.


Images: TV.com, Mail Online, The CW

2013 - The Year To Get Fit

Some of the new years resolutions I have for 2013 have been around, sitting there unticked for a few years now.  Funny enough - GET FIT.  FOR REAL. - hasn't been on there for a few years.  This is because I was either pregnant, or knew I was going to get pregnant again soon (I've had 2 kids in less than 3 years) so the motivation wasn't really there.  Now there are no excuses.  I am done with the babies thing and want my body back. Please?

I recently found this website that I thought I would share.  It's called The DailyHiit and it's an amazing free fitness website that promotes working out right in your living room (or you can download the free app to take the workout anywhere).  Hiit stands for High Intensity Interval Training and it's the main platform of the site.  What's great is a new workout video (max 12 minutes long) is uploaded daily.  So no excuses of getting bored or not finding the time.

Different type of workouts are available

Click here to check it out.

Ok, so to show how serious I am, I'm going to share my current weight with you. Ukh. Ok I weigh 68kg. And my goal is to weigh 62kg.  NO EXCUSES!

Happy new year to all :)



All images from http://www.bodyrock.tv