Happy International Children's Book Day!

Apparently April 2nd is International Children's Book Day! I thought this would be a good opportunity to share with you some of my favourite children's books.  If you're a parent, you've probably heard of and read most of these.  If you haven't, please make sure to get your hands on a copy, your kids will love them, promise!

1. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson.  I've probably read this book over 500 times.  We have a regular copy as well as the sound book and the kids love both.  This story is exciting, a little scary and oh so clever.  

2. Kitchen Disco by Clare Foges and Al Murphy.  The kids loooove this one.  I've even taken it to Kenz's class and all the kids went nuts for it.  It's goofy, it's colourful and you can make a song out of it.  Just a warning, might get the kids hyped up so possibly not the best idea right before bed time ;)

3. Not a box by Antoinette Portis. Very cool book that plays with a child's imagination.

4. Sleeping Cinderella and Other Princess Mix-ups by Stephanie Clarkson.  If you have a girl, you must get this. She will get to see a totally different side of these famous fairytale princesses. 

5. The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers.  Best book ever.  I laugh probably just as much as the kids do whenever we read this.  This is the time to bring out your best acting skills as there are a bunch of amazing characters in this book.  There's also the follow up which is just as good - The Day The Crayons Came Home. 

6. Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown.  This book illustrates big ideas (bravery, individuality and friendship) in a very cute and simple way.  

7. The Tickle Book by Ian Whybrow. So much fun to attack the kids with tickles every time the tickle monster pops up. Yousef and Kenz take turns lifting the flaps which adds to the excitement. 

8. At The Same Moment Around The World by Clotilde Perrin.  This book was a great way to explain to Yousef how there are different time zones around the world.  It was also nice for him to get a little idea of how kids from around the world go about their day. 

9. The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak.  The author is the writer of the hit comedy series The Office, so you can imagine how funny the book is.  It's something different for the kids to experience, and the parents have no choice but to act super silly while reading it :).

I'd love to hear which are your family's favourites. 

See the magic in their eyes

Some of you may have come across this on Facebook.  It is such a beautiful idea that I had to share it.

I've mentioned before my obsession with children's books.  I love reading them to my kids, especially when it involves getting into silly characters that make my kids laugh until their bellies hurt.  I love looking at the beautiful illustrations, and seeing my kids appreciate them with total wonder.  And mostly, I love the precious cuddles while we read. I was a total book worm growing up and really hope my kids will love to read as much as I do.  So anything that encourages their love for reading, I'm down for. 

I was so excited when a friend told me about lostmy.name.  I literally ordered the books for Yousef and Kenz that same day.  What a brilliant idea! Personalised children's books that really give the child a special and personal experience.  The Little Girl (or Boy) Who Lost Her/His Name is a story about the girl or boy going on a magical adventure to find their name.  It was so awesome to watch each of my kids' eyes slowly get bigger and their faces light up as they realised the book I was reading was about them. The book is not only a great story but the illustrations and the quality of the print are perfection.

 

                     

It's such a great addition to your children's libraries and ordering the book is a breeze. You fill in your child's details (including hair color etc.), you can select the characters for each letter, and voila! They ship it to you anywhere in the world for free.  I think the books I ordered took less than a week to get to me in Dubai.  And each book costs less than 20 GBP!  It can also be such a thoughtful gift.  I sent one to a girl I adore and she loved it (so did her mom).

And now they are publishing their second personalised book called The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home, where you input a child's address and the story revolves around where they live. They currently only support addresses in the UK and US but are going to expand globally soon. Can't wait!!

Check the magic out at lostmy.name

A colorful day for our princess

3 years later, it only seems fitting that I revive my blog to write about Kenz's birthday again.  Kenz has been talking about having a rainbow birthday since Yousef's birthday, which was in August. Her birthday is in March :).

So rainbows it is!

For the party favours, I decided it would be fun to get Kenz involved in part of it, so we made personalised bracelets for all the guests.  The girls got rainbow bracelets and the boys got bracelets that were more... boyish.  I got the beads and elastic from Creative Minds in Dubai.  They turned out really cute.  Of course after we were done Kenz wanted to make more bracelets for everyone we knew! Daddy had to wear his for a while too.

I ordered the personalised bags from Petite Cadeau on Etsy. 

Other than the bracelets, we filled the bags with other rainbow coloured items.  I found the pens at Candylicious in Dubai Mall.  

The lovely cake was made by Vanilla Bee Dubai

The table set up was by Sweet Life.

Kenz's awesome outfit is from No Added Sugar.

Nothing beats seeing how excited she was when she first saw the set up and how happy she was to share the day with her friends. 

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