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WHY MOTHERS SPELL

“Mother” is a word with so much meaning if you give it some thought. Mother is our Earth, our nature and our true Mother. A Mother has the ability to take care of all the people of its world. Mother nature grows food for us, gives us water and tries her best to make us breathe good, clean air. It has 4 wonderful seasons with endless different kinds of blossoms. Animals that sleep through winter and are very alive during summer. So many different colors in our landscapes that change each season and which we have endless photographers trying to capture, although the best picture is the one we see with our eyes, giving us great feelings.

There is a special feeling when the first leaves start to fall to the ground in Autumn. We start to wear layers of cozy clothing and we breathe fresh crisp air each morning. It gets darker and we light candles or make fires.

When the first snow falls in Winter, children and adults go out to play in the cold, fresh, sparkly snow. The sky becomes silent when the big snow flakes fall, changing the color and atmosphere of our surroundings so magically.

In Spring, leaves start to grow again, while flowers fill our minds and senses with magical smells. The grass becomes green and cherry blossom makes us feel like we are stuck in a romantic movie. 

Endless Summer nights come with heat waves, sunshine and new and old love stories. Children play with sand and water and we get a tan, our hair goes blond. We all smile more than usual and people travel around new places to enjoy nature or the beach.

How incredibly beautiful all of this is, if you think about it! Have you ever really given all this a good thought? I can’t help but wonder: why are we ruining so much of this? How could anyone possibly ever want to do that? It seems like we forgot to think clearly, reasonably and responsibly. Like we forgot all the good things we were taught in school as kids, to be kind and treat our nature well. To not throw trash on the street and so on. Be kind to our Mother Earth, because we really really need it in order to survive.

Human beings have ruined and taken for granted so much of this beautiful gift that was given to them with life: Mother Earth. Mother nature.

Life is being created over and over again with the power of nature, and that feels and looks like a spell or magic to my eyes. It is all so wonderfully thought through from the beginning to the end that I am completely admired and fascinated by this. Every little detail has a meaning, a purpose. It is a perfectly made circle. 

Some people say God is a woman and I am one of those who believe so, no matter where God really comes from and who exactly she is. Don’t get me wrong, I love men and have great respect for them as they are very important to the circle, but given how much women can do all at the same time, it absolutely has to be that God is a woman. 

Women carry children, a little human being grows inside our body, and if you really think about it, it is wondrous. Ten little fingers with finger nails, eyebrows, ears, two little knees, a perfectly made baby that our body knows how to push out naturally but at the same time with more pain than any man could ever bear. 

After just a short while, this little baby knows where to reach and search for milk. The Mother’s breasts, which have now grown to double their size and can start contractions in the uterus through the sucking of the baby, helping it go back to its original size.

Breastfeeding Mothers will also burn calories which will help them to return to their pre-pregnancy body ( slowly, no rush). 🙂

While breastfeeding, a hormone will be released so the Mother will have more patience despite being in complete lack of good sleep. Mother nature has figured this all out a long long time ago, but with our modern lifestyles so many things are contrasting the important routines that should be there in the very beginning of a child’s life. This little baby needs its Mother’s strokes, touches, sound of her heartbeat and her voice. 

The feeling of the Mother’s love and devotion is truly important, as it will help that baby grow into a strong independent person. An infant’s brain develops faster if that baby is given love, strokes, eye contact and is spoken to through the beautiful presence of its MOTHER. 

Without the words “Mother” and “Motherhood” there would not be much. Mother also stands for comfort and safety. We all need to feel comfortable and safe and we never stop needing that. All living creatures of the Earth have a Mother.

Spell is like magic. I believe in spells and magic from the bottom of my heart. Life seems better that way. You will become what you truly desire. Sure, you have to work hard for it, but then it will happen to you, and to me this is like a spell. Mother nature, Mother Earth has spells and magic in its beautiful circle. Without the spells she puts on us which are things like love, helping us grow and providing food for us, the humanity would not survive.

This is just something that I live by and truly believe in. I felt like I wanted to share this with you. This is how I found the name Mother’s Spell. This is what I would like to share. How we can simplify days and our lives. With these feelings and attention to our surroundings and weather conditions, we can truly enjoy better days, simply through the power of our own mind. Feel free to write what your thoughts are. I would love to hear them.

love always JM

@Photo, www.mamafedona.com

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NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS AND MORE LOVE

After happy happy and merry merry….New Year and new goals: gym, yoga and Pilates studios are getting fully booked these days. People are eating way better then they did all year, and making trips to a sauna to sweat it all out if they can. Feeling clean, new and fresh, with high hopes to fit back into their skinny jeans as quickly as possible.

If this is not your case you might be thinking “Fuck it, I am fat and in bad shape anyway!” . You might be counting down the days left in January, feeling like it’s already almost the end of the month and you are behind schedule…so you’re saying “why even bother? Just because it is a new year why do I have to go crazy, changing everything in my life? It would be so much better if I could just go back to Christmas: cozy couch nights with a box of chocolate and a Netflix overdose”.

Well, goals don’t have to be so big, the problem is that often people set a goal that is too big and they quickly get crushed by it.  Setting expectations that are too high doesn’t help, as very often good things happen slowly. Don’t get me wrong, I always tend to think and dream bigger than I can ever dream of, but I feel like goals for the new year are a little different than dreams. They absolutely don’t have to be big, just big enough to fit into our days and make small, good changes, whether it be in your wellness routine and self care or for your family, children or partner. Changing small things that you know could work where you see space for improvement. Just take a little time look back into the year that has passed and think about what you would like to change or that you wish you would had done differently.

Or maybe learn a new language, like me: this year I would like to become fluent in Italian, to be able to speak Italian from the bottom of my heart. I also want to study yoga teacher training. To use my phone less. To spend my evenings reading books instead of watching TV, and so on. 

I also think it is fun to take two dull months that can feel depressing and hard, such as  February and March for many people, and make them interesting. Plan fun things to do during these two months, instead of just waiting for them to be over and for spring to come.

Learn something new. Have dinner with the girls (or boys) 🙂 Take a trip somewhere new. Light lots of candles at home to make a cozy atmosphere in this grey, cold winter. Do yoga: I suggest “Yoga with Tim” on youtube if you like to do yoga at home. Try to meditate: you can even do it just lying down with one hand on your stomach and one on your ear and just take long deep breaths with your nose. See how you feel. Just be nice to yourself and allow yourself to feel and be the way you are. Flow into the new year with self care and self love: there is nothing wrong with that. Actually, that is the key to a healthy, loving, blossoming life. It is hard to be happy when someone is mean to us all the time, and very often that mean person is ourself. 

I would like to wish all of you a very special 2018, truly and from the bottom of my heart. I look forward to exploring Mother’s Spell with all of you and grow my team, as I would love to do videos and more recipes, yoga, Pilates and street style for mothers and kids too. Full action this year on spells and magic! Spreading love and light as usual, just stronger and more than ever before. I am enjoying your emails so much ladies and gentlemen, keep them coming, they are a true inspiration. I cherish every single word that comes from you all and write down your ideas and put them to action. I love this Mother’s Spell community and I hope to keep growing and learning from you and your incredible stories. Sharing is caring and in a strong community people stand together. Back to back. Let’s all set one goal together, to bring more love into the new year! 

love JM

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RITA MERLINI

Tell us about your brand: when did you start to think about this project?

I was born and grown in Tuscany and I always admired artisans and their manual skills. After university and a period living in the USA, I enrolled at a school of  accessory model making in Florence. I then graduated from the leather school in the same city. I immediately got the chance to work closely with the florentine craftsmen masters in the manual leather process: so, I decided to take this project forward.

As a child, had you ever thought about taking this path? I have always been curious and enthusiatic about learning new things. My grandfather was a tailor and I started to appreciate fashion and design while spending time in his tailor shop between counters and textiles. I worked in tourism and travelled extensively for a period of time, but ultimately I chose to follow this path.

Have you involved your friends and relatives in the project? Who is your team composed of? Some friends and contributors help me commercially and logistically, while some artisans who live and work in the beatiful Tuscany deal with manufacture and creation of the bags.

Do you remember what you thought when you created your first model? It was a great pleasure! Seeing an idea come to life is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you. The name of my first bag was Eva -as the first woman- and, since then, I have given all my creations names of women: in this way I feel I am giving value to an idea to which I have worked with passion.

The Rita Merlini’s bags collection is entirely handmade-produced with natural hides: how important is being environmentally-friendly to you?

Care for the environment is a real priority for me. I choose exclusively vegetable-tanned leather: I favor natural tannins origintaing from the Consorzio Vera Pelle al Vegetale. Every bag is also finally polished using uniquely beeswax and wollen cloth.

 Which steps are required in order to consider a leather “natural”?

The vegetable-tanned leather comes from bovines addressed to food industry, it does not contain toxic substances (as azocolourants or nickel and chromium) dangerous both for men and the environment. We only use natural tannins extracts obtained from tree bark, such as chestnut and mimosa.

What does the certification issued by the Consorzio consist of?

The warranty card of every single bag is issued by the Consorzio, it is numbered and it attests the quality, the naturalness and the origin of the laether bought by the associated tanneries.

Tuscany has always been the touchstone for leather processing. Was it easy for you to find tanneries and artisans to work with?

No, it was not easy. It is the result of a great and constant work in continuous search of the last artisans, custodians of the ancient traditional techniques passed on from generation to generation in the Tuscan area.

What is the approximate time needed to create a Rita Merlini bag, from the initial project to its creation?

The planning of a single bag takes place during the preparation of every collection,  already having in mind the shade, shape and manufacturing . The subsequent preparation of every single piece includes the manual cut of the stripes, the manual bind, the packaging and the polishing with beeswax and woollen cloth.

Nature is a clear source of inspiration for your collection. Which is your favourite place to work on the new models? Do you seek refuge in nature or do you work in an office?

I usually work in an office, where there is my old counter, the leathers we will use, my models and all the instruments I need. But I often work from home.  I’m inspired by nature: I always carry a notebook with me because inspiration may come during a walk in the woods or in the country or at the beach…even in winter. I’m glad to be living between two wonderful lands, the regions of Tuscany and Liguria, so I’m full of inspiration…

How do you manage to balance your career with the need to take care of the family? Do you have children?

Yes, I have two children. Becoming a mother switched me into a higher gear. I am very grateful to my children for my personal growth.  Balancing a career and family is not easy but I am happy thinking that this will transmit the importance of running a project, an idea wih enthusiasm, determination and care to my children.

The colours of your bags are timeless, but at the same time they are never boring. How important is the choice of shades for you?

I like the earth tones and I choose colours like ash gray, mud, walnut, sand-colored, brown and…I am in love with red, especially in the summer. While designing a new collection the choice of the colours is important, but even more are the shapes, the proportions and the manufacturing.

On your website www.ritamerlini.it  we see that every bag of your collection is made by hand: do you want to tell us the reason of this choice?

Yes, every piece is handmade. We cut the stripes of different length depending on the model, then we carry out an irregular procedure, particular and unique in its genre, interweaving the stripes. This is a specific technique of the Tuscan artisans, from the pleating to embroidery.

This choice is the nucleus of the project: to create a product which values the Italian craftsmanship excellence and which is different from the numerous poorer-quality and mass-produced items.

Are you planning to sell your bags online in the future or do you prefer that your customers touch with hand your products, considering the high quality of them?

Some of the shops with which we work sell our bags online on their websites. On our website we choose to just present our products and styles: we prefer direct contact. Sometimes people mail us and we point them to the nearest shop or we directly send them the product. Sometimes people come to visit us in our showroom in Chiavari.

Can you give us a preview for next season?

I am still working on it…we present our a/w 2018 collection in New York and Paris from the end of February, we will show you new interweaves and other interesting manufacturing….

Tnx

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RAKEL HALLDORSDOTTIR

A beautiful mother of five children who looks like an Icelandic fairy. She speaks softly and gently and I can’t imagine her ever using a bad word. After listening to her whole story I came to the understanding that she has real Viking bones. She fell in love at 18, lived abroad, both in Italy and Boston, studied at Harvard University all while starting a family. As if that was not enough she also opened an organic shop in Reykjavik with products from Italy and Icelandic farms. Drinking tea with her and listening to all her stories and adventures made me want five children too. Our conversation went on for almost two hours and here are the pieces I want to share with you.

What made you move to Italy from Iceland?

My ex-husband and I moved there because he was writing and studying music. We moved to a little town called Campeggio close to Monghidoro between Bologna and Florence. I stayed home with my firstborn daughter but was always painting on the side. I had been a painter in Iceland where I was studying political science and history at the University of Iceland. We lived there for a beautiful year in this lovely little town surrounded by nature and amazing food.

Then you moved to Boston, what were you doing?

I attended evening and summer classes at Harvard so I could stay home with my daughter during the day.I have a graduate degree in Museum Studies and a Master of Liberal Arts with a concentration in the history of art and architecture. After residing and studying in Boston for three years we decided to move back to Italy where we both finished our papers. We moved to La Romola close to San Casciano in Val di Pesa and lived there for a year and a half. We absolutely adored the landscape and wine yards. By that time I was pregnant with my second child, a boy, who was born in Italy.

How was your experience delivering your son in Italy – a foreign hospital?

I had a great experience, they took very good care of me and followed up very well with my pregnancy. They also do more exams there than in Iceland. Every month we had all sorts of tests done. J

Did you have any complications during pregnancy?

Well, I always felt great during pregnancy, full of energy and very active but there is a whole story about my son, Halldor . My mother travelled to Italy so she could help us with him but he ended up being born two weeks and a half after his due date. Unfortunately, my mother’s return trip flight back to Iceland was the same morning that he actually was born, so we were alone in Italy at that point. It was just us and my older daughter who was in kindergarten class that morning. That day I felt contractions and we had to ask the doctor to give me a drip to induce labor so my son would be born in time for my husband to pick our daughter up from school.

When he was born his nervous system and eye focus were not very responsive. His whole development progress was a bit slower in comparison to my other children. He easily caught infections and colds. At age three he started having very bad headaches and I had become increasingly more worried about him. At that time I was 6 months pregnant with our third child.

One evening, for the first time, he experienced something called an absence seizure. It was super scary as I had no idea this condition existed. It was like he just froze, did not blink or make a sound and his lips turned blue. He had some liquid running down his nose until all of a sudden he started crying and then throwing up from the excruciating pain in his head. I have never been so terrified in my entire life. Then we started taking him to doctors that conducted many tests. To our relief the doctor explained that this could be an isolated incident but then it happened again a month later. He started medication but his condition developed into epilepsy even though he was taking a heavy amount of medication at that point.

I just wasn’t seeing the recovery in him that I was looking and hoping for so I started researching and looking for answers. Poor boy was so low on energy feeling bad and in pain all the time that he was having a hard time staying focused in school and making friends. He just seemed to not have any interest and energy. During my pregnancy with him, I was tested as being low in iron. When I think back today, I can see a connection between his health and my iron deficiency. I noticed that every time I gave him dinner or food containing iron, he ate a lot and fast. He seemed to be craving it more than my other children.

So while reading and trying to educate myself on the topic the thing that kept popping up, time after time, was how iron intake produces energy in our body. One night I had an AHA moment and it just all made sense. I started giving him a small amount of iron each day and soon noticed some improvements. I asked his doctor if we could maybe lower his medication to find out if there was a link between the two, but he said his blood was fine and we should leave it be.

I went in search of a second opinion. I found a female doctor, a mother of eight, and she also said there wasn’t a link as his blood tests seemed fine but she did agree on my suggestion since we had seen some improvements. We tried this for a few months and as time passed we slowly lowered the medication down to none. He was rid of the seizures! Now years later he is still seizure free and doing much better. Mothers are the ones who watch their children while they sleep and we know every breath they take. We have a natural maternal instinct and that is nature’s gift. In some cases we just are right 🙂

How did you take care of your self during pregnancy what did you to for your self? Any tips for our pregnant readers?

I tried my best to keep my days calm and peaceful. I love to take hot baths but then I learned that hot baths could be harmful so I always kept the water at body temperature. I absolutely love massages so a foot massage to me feels heavenly during pregnancy. I also always made sure to eat well, fresh and clean. For me, food and eating well has always been important. I tried to stay fit and lifted some light weights for my arms and legs and I still do this today. I also tried not to over think this whole process, not to plan my delivery too much and so on. I like to just go with the flow and let life take it’s turns. All my deliveries went well, thank God. My son only had complications in his early years but other than that we have been very blessed. I really believe in eating well during this time – both before and after pregnancy but also during breastfeeding.

You opened a store in Iceland, organic farmers market. How did that come about?

When we lived abroad we got used to buying our foods straight from the farm or store who brought the food straight from the farm. Like with fresh eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish. It is very different to do grocery shopping in Italy than in Iceland. Vegetables and fruit are so fresh and tasty there. Our number one medicine is food. Eating clean and well. Preparing home cooked meals for my family is what I always prefer.

Moving back home to Iceland we felt like we would love to open an Icelandic version with products straight from farms. We drove around Iceland and found farms that were interested in collaborating with us. This was soon after the economic collapse so we found an affordable space for our store and got baskets for vegetables and fruit. Fortunately, people liked the store very much and also enjoyed supporting Icelandic farms and eating locally. By the time we added some high-quality products from Italy such as olive oil, chocolate and so on it was a perfect mix.

A few years passed and unfortunately my ex husband developed a serious illness. We lost our store and as time went on the two of us decided that divorcing was the best option for our children. At that point it was healthier for both them and us.

The store is still running with new owners. Fru Lauga, I was working for them for a while but then felt I needed to move on and build a new phase in my life.

What is your favorite thing about being a mother?

Oh, I just love it!! I love all moments especially the sound of their little voices and the things they say. I always try to keep in mind that every moment is very temporary, sometimes I am tired and things are difficult but then I whisper to myself that each stage is temporary. Plus time flies so fast . My oldest is now 21 and although I gave her a lot I still wish I did more. I think every mother thinks like this so my advice is to enjoy as much as possible.

The least favorite thing?

Oh, it has always been difficult for me to say negative things. But of course, it can be hard and chaotic to be a mother. Sometimes I feel I just need some peace. Often when I go to the bathroom somehow I am never alone! Now I just close and lock the door and when they come knocking I just reply that it is occupied J In the evenings when they ask for water and this and that over and over again I sometimes just say, ” no, I have closed the kitchen for the evening. Self-service only now.” J

Rakel told me she is looking forward to the future and looking into a new adventure moving for a year or so to the countryside in Iceland. Spend time with nature and close to her children and new working opportunity. I look forward to hearing about it over our next tea date in Iceland. I would like to wish her and her children all the best and for all their dreams to come true. If you would like to follow her new adventure in Icelandic nature she will keep an Instagram page of her new journey @miomondo.skagafjordur.

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MARGRÉT YR

How many children do you have?

“I have two lovely little girls, Salka and Katla.

How where your pregnancies? How did you feel?

“I became pregnant with Salka pretty young. I feel like I was only a teenager, when I think back. I didn’t know what I wanted to become or what I wanted to study, so all of the sudden being responsible for another human being was quite a leap. I had to grow up really fast, without really being prepared for it. The first three months of the pregnancy were terrible. I couldn’t keep anything down and lost a lot ofweight. The only things I managed to eat were bacon-flavored Ritz crackers, salted liquorice and alphabet soups. I slept 24/7 aside from the moments when I had my head jammed down the toilet. So can’t say I was productive at that time. When I finally managed to shake this off, I started feeling wonderful. I loved having a pregnant tummy. At the last trimester Salkadecided to get her foot stuck in my ribs and kicked me there, nonstop for two months. At that point in time, I already felt I was a mom and just sucked it up. I was excited to become a mom but terrified at the same time. I was afraid of not managing to take on this role, but as soon as she was placed in my arms, I felt like I had this.” “Becoming pregnant with Katla was a little bit more complex. Only two days after having Salka I had an epileptic seizure for the first time in my life – and was later diagnosed with epilepsy. So when we decided that we wanted to have another child, it was quite a bit of process that needed to be initiated. I wasn’t a 100% ready for baby no. 2, I was 200% ready. That pregnancy was considerably easier for me. Maybe just because I had grown quite a bit as a person and I knew that I wasn’t entitled to whine or moan about non-trivial things, since I already had a baby that I needed to take care off – and another one in the cooker! So I toughed it out.” “When I was pregnant with Katla I was quite scared. I was taking medications for my epilepsy which had a chance of harming the fetus. A statistically insignificant chance, but still a chance. It troubled me. And it troubled my husband. But we were both so scared of it that we never dared speaking out about it until after Katla was born.” “I remember thinking during my first pregnancy that I hoped she’d be beautiful (something I’d never think today!), but during my second pregnancy, all I could think about was how much I hoped she’d be healthy. I was also very concerned about not being able to love another child as much as I loved my first-born. Was there really room for more love? But as soon as I held her in my arms for the first time, I felt how my heart doubled in size! You could say that during my second pregnancy I learned that there was enough love to go around for everyone and that you shouldn’t take it for granted that your children are healthy.”

What did you do during pregnancy to take care of yourself?

“I ate basically what I wanted. During my first pregnancy I had cravings for hot dogs with a lot of mustard, but during the second I ate crunched ice cubes like I was getting paid for it. Bucket loads each day. So I can’t say that my health took first place when it came to my diet, but I got nourishment from other places as well. I went swimming a lot, did pregnancy yoga, had massages and made sure I had clothes that felt good wearing.”

Did you breastfeed and for how long?

“My boobs grew a lot during the pregnancies but I can’t say they produced as much as they looked like they’d do! I breastfed Salka for seven months and I didn’t realize until later that I probably didn’t produce enough milk for her. She didn’t sleep much and I think a lot of the time it was simply because the poor child was hungry. So when it came to Katla, I decided that she’d get formula alongside breast milk. I breastfed her for five months and gave her formula with it. She slept much better than her big sister – as you do when you’re fully fed!”

Was your husband very involved pre and after birth? If so how?

“In general I think men find it hard to connect emotionally to unborn children, especially when it’s their first child. To them, this may feel a bit distant and they can’t feel the child moving in the same way mothers do.” “After we had a 3D sonar when I can was carrying Salka, I think it became a bit more real to my husband. Then he became more excited about this whole thing. When it came to our second daughter, I experienced him completely different – he knew what was coming.” “Our first daughter was a huge mommy’s girl and my husband had to work quite a lot soon after she was born. I also spent a lot of time with her – much more so than my husband. When I think back, I didn’t think they connected in a strong way until I was back in the maternity ward with my second child. From that time on, I feel as if they spent more time together and began connecting more on an emotional level. They are extremely good friends.” “When Katla came around, however, my husband had a different job and was able to spend more time at home. It became his job to give her formula after I had breastfed her. In return, Katla became a huge daddy’s girl and couldn’t even fall asleep unless lying on her daddy’s belly. Their connection was strong almost from the word “go” and I think this connection they have is similar to a connection a mother has to a child that she has breastfed. In a funny way, Katla is also much more like her father, both in temperament and looks. Salka, on the other hand, is a bit of a mini me!”

How is to be a mother in Iceland?

I think it’s wonderful to be a mother in Iceland. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

What do you believe is the good and the bed part?

“I think there is a lot of pressure from our society to have the ability to do everything. That everything has to be spot on but in reality it is easier said than done. We live in a society where everything has to be so perfect. It’s hard to keep up and I think mothers that try to will eventually give under the pressure. I think it’s important to face the fact that as parents we will make mistakes and we can’t have things perfect. Mistakes are made for us to learn from them. We just have to do our best and try to do it well. I think children need two things – love and structure. I think with those two things they blossom.”

You are a working mother a school teacher, you must really love children. Which age do you teach?

“Children are my favorite kind of human beings. They are so honest. They just tell you everything that comes into their mind. That’s why I love children and that’s why I love teaching children. Every day with them is so fun. I’m proud to be a teacher. I’m proud to shape the lives of children in this country and give them a proper education. I teach 2nd graders and I am a project manager as well at my school. I know I didn’t pick the easiest job but boy it’s a very rewarding job. Often they forget themselves and call me mommy. When they realize the put their hand over their mouth and giggle. It really melts my heart because then I know how important I’m to them. I play a big part in their lives so I want them to experience the school as safe place where they learn a lot in a fun and versatile way.

I heard you also wrote a children’s book, how did that come about?

“I’ve always carried a children’s book in my stomach. The book started with a drawing of a little bird called Mia. Then I crafted and drew her world and friends. When that all was over I wrote the book. The moral of the book is to open children’s eyes to their own qualities and talents. I feel that children can easily spot qualities of others but often forget their own.”

Would you like more children?

“I am extremely happy with my two healthy children. I feel that there is a pressure from the society to have more. That two isn’t enough. I would probably be asked less if I had a boy and a girl instead of two girls. I am often asked ‘So, when is the boy coming?’”

Is there anything you do that is just for you in your daily routine?

“Singing in the car in the morning while driving to work! Just blasting Adele and Whitney. Thankfully, no one can hear me because I am a crappy singer! On weekly basis I put masks from the Blue Lagoon that makes my skin so smooth and nice. I go swimming or use the hot tub in my backyard a lot. Hot water really relaxes me. I then write, read, draw and craft. All those things give me happy vibes.”

What is your favorite part about being a mother?

“Love. No question about it. This endless love you have for these amazing individuals you bring into this world. I sometimes think my heart is just bursting of love to them. I know, bit cheesy, but the honest truth. I just love watching my kids grow up and see what kind a characters they are growing into. I also love the closeness between a mother and her children. How much they depend on you and trust. It is just one of those beautiful things of life.”

What is the least favorite part?

“Diapers with number two! Me and my husband used the game “stone, paper and scissors” all the time to decide who was the “lucky” one. When looking back I feel like I lost a lot in that game!”

Do you have any specific preference when it comes to food for you and your family?

“We eat healthy and versatile food on weekdays. All the family eats together and everybody need to taste their food. My husband is a great cook and he cooks a lot from Jamie Oliver. We have also used “Let’s cook right” which is a company that sends us all the ingredients and a recipe as well. Top quality food and healthy as well. During weekends we are a lot more relaxed but don´t overdo it. We believe that everything is good in moderation.”

Is there something you and your husband do to keep fire on the relationship? 🙂

“The first thing that pops into my head is friendly teasing. We do that a lot. For example just two weeks ago I was talking to my girlfriend outside our home in her car. My husband sneaked behind the car with this horrible clown mask and starts punching the window on the car. We screamed like crazy and almost peed our pants! Then he has thrown fake spiders at me for fun because I am so scared of them. I freak out every time. Then just last week I came home and the whole house had been decorated with Christmas lights! And yes it was still September when it was up! I hope we never grow up.”

Love JM

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FOOD DURING PREGNANCY : WHAT AND WHY

A healthy diet is extremely important in our everyday lives. It’s actually much more important than many of us seem to know, and not many truly understand the reason why it is so vital to eat well, together with what it means. 

We don’t learn enough in schools or from our society about the right and good food choices, and the advertising commercials make us think much too often  that we are eating what’s right for us and our family, but this is really only a brand that has paid a lot of money to make us think we are buying and eating the right food and food products. 

In my opinion food, nutrition and the reasons why we need fuel for our bodies and minds to maintain the optimal function and health should be taught in schools throughout childhood starting very early, even in kindergarden. That way our wonderful, precious children will have a great, strong foundation of well balanced life and will bring healthy eating habits into their adulthood, therefore maintaining a stronger form of wellness and overall wellbeing all their lives. So to me, you see, it only makes sense that this should be done, and I do not quite understand why this has not already been happening for some years now. It would be just wonderful if all of us parents would just stick together and convince kindergartens and schools to FINALLY change their menus into more heathy, fresh, clean foods and snacks for our kids.

 The strangest thing is that even doctors don’t study nutrition and the real connection between food and our bodies thoroughly during their studies in school, unless they are specializing in topics that are food related. I believe this is something that is not so complicated to add into our society and should have been done much more and much earlier, since the relation to what we eat has been proven to be so important.Many people are now changing this themselves and there seems to be a lot of confusion among people about what is really healthy and how we should really be eating. Why are doctors still advising mothers to feed their young babies parmesan cheese and prosciutto?  (which small children should NOT be eating, in case you are wondering)

Like I have written here before on the blog, when I got pregnant with my first son many of my friends would say to me “oh you are so lucky you’re pregnant you can eat whatever you want, go nuts on the ice-cream and pizza!”. Meanwhile, I felt just the opposite. During pregnancy and then breastfeeding later on, was exactly the time I would have to take very good care of myself, my health and be careful about what I ate. During pregnancy so many things are being created, growing and changing each day in our body and if we want our baby in the making to reach the optimal start for a good life we need to eat well and be sure nutrition is high and regularly entering your body. Vitamins, minerals, protein, calcium and fat for most meals of the day will not only give you and your baby the power you need each day while maintaining a healthy weight, but could also be a key to a delivery without to many complications. A healthy mamma, healthy baby.

Eating well and regularly also maintains your blood sugar  at the right level so you don’t feel super hungry and eat a whole bunch of the wrong food due to a craving. Instead, you will feel balanced and will crave more heathy food. 

You don’t have to eat for two, this is an old saying that is not true. Your baby foetus does not need a large plate of food, rather a regular sized meal that will be easy on your digestion and count as good source of vitamins, minerals, folate,  protein, calcium and fat. You may want to have a snack in the afternoon that includes nuts, seeds or fruit, if you are pregnant now in this lovely december season I recommend tangerines or clementine as a snack as they are now in season and you have them so juicy and fresh on every other corner in town.

Maintaining healthy weight is also important for you and your baby  during pregnancy. The whole baby progress will feel better, and it will be easier to carry your baby belly if you are not too much overweight, helping not to strain your joints and ligaments, but you should definitely not be thinking about being too skinny ether. It is best to speak with your doctor and he should suggest you the weight that is the best for you and your body type and height.

I tried to eat a lot of vegetables when I was pregnant and actually I still do even when I am not pregnant. Vegetables and fruit was my main food choice, plus some legumes, fish, eggs, whole grains. Every now and then my body would go crazy and crave meat, and in general personally I feel better when I eat meat every now and then (from an organic farm of course, I am very careful and mindful about where I buy my meat from). Drinking lots of water and exercising regularly are also very important. Believe me, if you are pregnant with your first baby you will need that abdominal strength to push that baby out 🙂

Here are some ideas to maintain good health and food choices during pregnancy.

Whole grain toast with smashed avocado: squeeze lemon over and add some hemp seeds and/or pumpkin seeds on top. This is great for breakfast or lunch. You may also scramble some eggs ( I do my eggs plain with no butter and no milk) or add a salad with dark leafy greens, extra virgin olive oil with carrots and beets .

If you are pregnant during summertime watermelon is wonderful, I ate so much watermelon during my pregnancy and then I was so happy to learn that watermelon is naturally high in amino acids, vitamin A and folate.

Brown rice or quinoa with steamed vegetables such as kale, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green peas, zucchini or any of your favorite greens. 

Roasted beets with walnuts and apples: Beets are are known for lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow in your body, have B vitamin folate which helps reduce the risk of birth defects and fight inflammation. However, the sugar levels are high in beets, so it is a good idea to eat them with some kale or something very green.

I use to do my own mix of nuts and dried fruit in a bag or a box and kept it with me in my purse on the go, just in case I started to crave something or run out of energy. Walnuts, almonds, cashews mixed with dates, goji berries and mulberries are known to be high in iron as well so they go well with the protein from the nuts.

Always carry your water bottle with you everywhere you go. Make sure your water source is good and it is good to invest in a good water bottle that is BPA free, something like Klean Kanteen, or a glass bottle. It is also better for the environment.  

 I just love Almond Butter. I used to slice an apple and dip it in some almond butter…. so yummy!

Home made hummus: spread it on a wholewheat toast with some fresh tomatoes and basil. Or use it as a dip with raw fresh organic vegetables.

Oatmeal: I cook mine with water and add  home made almond milk at the very end. While I cook it I also add cinnamon, walnuts, a full teaspoon of coconut oil and chopped up medjool dates.

I was crazy about trying out new soup recipes, so I made all different kinds of vegetable soups.

Home made gluten free breads: you can search the internet for so many easy recipes!  I will share mine very soon here on the blog.

Smoothies: I made a smoothie every morning and I added some muesli with it for some crunchiness as everything I ate in my pregnancy had to be crunchy otherwise I would get nauseous, especially in the first 4 months 🙂

Do NOT SMOKE!!!!!! I can not believe I am even writing this, but I do see women here in Italy smoking during pregnancy and that is a pure violation to your child. Remember, you are not bound to have a child,  but if you do, you are bound to protect it in the best way you can. You must set your needs aside for the next year or so, and this means also after your child is born. Smoking around a new born can have serious side effects on the child. Keep this in mind also when you take your child to an aperitivo which I see often in Italy: just keep your baby away from the smoke. Also remember that drinking alcohol during pregnancy is not ok either. I know the culture here in Italy is different, but why bother, it is just a period of your life and you must think of your child’s needs above yours. 

Pregnancy can be a confusing time for many women. So many changes and so many new confusing things to keep in mind. Plus, many women are very sick in the first months and some even through the whole pregnancy. But this is in most cases, I hope, also thankfully a beautiful time to do as much as you can to just enjoy this special moment. You are a goddess, and you are making a baby inside your body: plus, you are very lucky that you are able to make one. There are women who can’t get pregnant so we must be thankful for this miracle. Keep in mind this is just temporary, and you will look back to this time one day with warm thoughts while you watch your child grow up. Do the best you can to treat yourself well, relax and enjoy. More than listening to your friends and the internet, listen to yourself and your instincts. Most of the time you will know what is best for you and your baby. Follow your heart, you are doing the best you can and you don’t have to be perfect, just do your best. Your body will change so much and you will grow, but if you keep your pregnancy as healthy as you can you will stay pretty close to your old body , but keep in mind the miracle you are creating! What you get from all of this is so much better than a perfect body 🙂 

be proud of yourself, you are doing a wonderful job.

love JM

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EMBLA YR GUDMUNDSDOTTIR

A mother of three children, how is that like I am sure you run a busy house hold?

Well, it´s great to tell you the truth. I´m extremely lucky. They are all so much fun to be around, and Saga (my 7 year old daughter) and Dagur (my 5 year old son) are great friends (around 85% of the time-I just hope it will last) so they can play while I nurse and get Blær (my 6 months old daughter) to bed/nap. It´s busy, don´t get me wrong, but in a good way. Now I´m at home with my youngest, for a year, so my typical day, is waking up just before seven, we get dressed, eat breakfast, listen to some music and then my husband Daniel takes Saga and Dagur to school just before eight. He then goes swimming before work, and me and Blær have some quality time for an hour, before she takes her nap. While she´s napping, I´m cleaning the house, do laundry, work, shower, drink coffee or rest, it all depends on my energy and mood. Blær´s naps vary from 30 min-2 hours. Then she most often naps again at around 14 and we go take a walk and pick up the kids from school just before four a clock. We go home and I prepare dinner, do homework with Saga, we eat at six, the kids take a bath and go to bed at eight. First Blær goes to sleep, then we try to read and spend some good time in bed before sleep. Sometimes it´s hard to let every body wind down and relax, and I´m stressed to get everybody to sleep, but then I try to remind myself that it´s hard to relax around a stressed person so… you know I try to breathe and relax my self and most of the time it really works. But I go to sleep at the same time as they do, most of the time.. It just, you know, life works well if I´m not tired and I need to take good care of that, or me, and if not, I get frustrated about the laundry, preparing food and everything, hence if I´m not tired, everything is ok, I´m smiling and the kids smile too.

I understand your husband works a lot, do you have any help with the children?

I do, nothing scheduled, just whenever I need to. From our mothers. We both (me and my husband Daníel) have the best moms outthere and they love spending time with the children. So if I need to work or study or see my friends (which I really need to do more of), I do call them and ask if they can lend me a hand or two. But I have been on my way to contact a babysitter for perhaps 3 years, to being able to go out with my husband or friends, see a movie or just take a walk or go to the swimmingpool. I´m working on it – lets see where I´ll stand in 3 years time.

You have an incredible job as a midwife, tell me a little bit about how you got interested and how is to work as one?

Well, it´s a bit complicated. I think it was allways ment to be honestly. When I was a kid I picked books at the library about how a child is born, how they are made and I was fascinated about it. I remember seeing pregnant women in showers at the swimmingpool like goddesses and I just really was fascinated about this journey and first I wanted to become a doctor because I thought they delivered babies, but then I found out I was wrong. They do take care of the women if something goes wrong here in Iceland but they´re not with every woman and they don’t see the healthy women that go through pregnancy and birth without complications. So that was easy for me, a midwife I would be. It´s great to work as a midwife. It´s never the same, you know. We meet all these different women during pregnancy, each one for at least seven times, and then we take care of them during labour and we take care of them and their newborn during home visits for aprox. 7 times during the first ten days, so the work is never the same and extremely rewarding. Sometimes I feel like I float home smiling from work at the delivery department at the hospital- but I work shifts, so sometimes it´s hard to go home and take of the gown without finishing, for example after a hard labour, you know, get to see it through the end, and feel the joy, but of course it´s not the end for everybody, not the right word, it´s just the beginning for them J My high at work was having the honour of delivering my nephew, and my best friends children and it was just amazing. Just seeing my sister and friends during their most important moments of their life, seeing this vulnerable yet strong side of them, its hard to describe in words.

How old were you when you had your first child?

I was thirtyone years old, and I couldn´t wait. So I had finished my studies as a nurse and a midwife, and read all the books outhere about pregnancy, birth and the newborn. I was very ready to say the least.

 

How were your pregnancies? How did you feel?

Well it was not as I thought they would be, honestly. I really thought they would be all romantic and magical but for the first three months I felt very tired, and working on morning, evening and night shifts were at times a challenge. And for the last few months I had lower backpain and had trouble moving around. But I had to remind myself that I was not the same, you know, life and my feelings about everything is not the same when I´m pregnant. I have to remind my self to reconnect and rebalance myself. I had a baby growing inside me and just stop trying to do everything the same and to exspect the same from myself because I´m not the same, you know? Life is very different. It´s so strange how sensitive I was about my body. Leg irritations during evenings, and night, I had to find out what to do, and for excample I didn´t feel it if I skipped sugar and I felt so much better if I had less salt. But I really wanted sugar, and chocolate, it was challenging. I also found out I felt so good in water. So I went to the swimmingpool once every day, most often in the morning, with a bottle of water, and just focused on breathing and connecting with my growing baby and that was like a meditation for me, and very important, so I just wouldn´t forget that little one and you know let the day go by and just do what I used to do. I also felt really good doing yoga. I did pregnancy yoga during all my pregnancies, kundalini with some meditation and it supported me in connecting with myself and to give myself time just to focus on my body and baby, being able to feel some romance and magic.

Did you do anything specific for your self during pregnancy or something you suggest to your clients or pregnant women in general?

Well, just give yourself some time. Time to focus on your body, and try to enjoy the change, and if you don´t feel good or if you can´t find comfort, then talk to your midwife and get some advise. I think it´s important to be kind to yourself. Listen to your body and if your tired then you need to sleep more, and find a good balance between movement and rest. Walking is great during pregnancy and swimming as well. And a healthy diet is important, for your baby, mind and body. Be positive, look at the changes on your body as a beautiful thing. Your body is growing and changing your hole life, and it´s a huge change to grow a baby, this tiny human being, and it´s so amazing really, your heart grows a little bit bigger, did you know that? your body starts to grow more insulation and put on extra fat around your stomack and hips, to protect your baby. I find it very empowering that we women have this power to nurture and grow a new life, it´s very privilaged.

I am sure you have seen and experienced a lot through your job anything you could share or advise to our pregnant or mothers to be readers?

Just embrace it all. Remember every moment and take some pictures. Be focused and enjoy the whole journey. Life is so short and precious, just remember how lucky you are. It´s all so much worth it. Find comfort, talk to your spouse, a friend, a family member, don’t be afraid to ask for help or advise, preferably from a midwife/doctor. Also, youre not supposed to be anything, or in a certain way, just be yourself and be proud.

I am sure you breastfeed your other two children as I know you are now breastfeeding you little baby girl, how long did you breast feed and how long do you plan to breastfeed your baby girl?

Yes, I was lucky to being able to breastfeed them allwithout complications, so far. My oldest for almost two years, I just wasn´t enjoying it towards the end, I was pregnant and I was very sensitive and my nipples hurt during breastfeeding. Then I breastfed my son for around one and a half year and I plan to breastfeed Blær, my youngest, as long as we both enjoy it.

 

Do you encourage your clients and other mothers to breastfeed?

I know it is very very rare in Iceland that a mother does not breastfeed is that right? Well in Iceland it´s rather an exception if you don´t breastfeed, so yes. I do ask women if they plan to breastfeed during pregnancy and if they have any questions about it. Then we offer some good written information about it and when they have delivered their child I ask if they had planned to breastfeed and if they want me to help them with the first latch on. During the home visits for the first week a lot of time and focus goes to the breastfeeding, how to prevent complications and react if they do come. I would always recommend breastmilk for the baby if there aren´t any complicationsbut if there are any reasons not to breastfeed I definitely support the mother in her decision.

Do you ever get any ME time in the schedule? If so what do you do?

Honestly, very little. And I know I can put it in the schedule but I don´t, sadly. I guess my “me time” is during the mornings when I get my second cup of coffee and my youngest is napping and the others have gone out to school/work.

Iceland is one of very few countries in the world now who support very much the natural birth, Icelandic midwifes and doctors really encourage the mother to have faith in her self during labour we have very low percent rate of c section in compare to other countries. Anything you can tell us about that?

Yes, it´s true. I believe Icelandic women have a strong believe about natural birth. This whole experience is very personal and uniqe and an important one which can affect the social as well as the mental health of women and their families. I believe Icelandic midwifes and doctors are very aware of that and work extremely well together in respecting women and take good care of women and their families.

What do you guys do to keep your romance going in all this chaos 🙂 ?

Honestly I find it very challenging to be a good wife and a good friend whatever that means, while Im trying to be the mother I want to become. What Im trying to say is that while I put my effort on the mothering part, I see myself fail in the romance part, the friends part and the carreer part.. Don´t get me wrong, I want to do it all. But I can´t. These years Im just putting all my effort on my kids and us as a family – Im telling myself that its just a phase, it will be easier and I will have time to cuddle my husband instead of going to sleep at nine a clock in the evenings, and that I will be able to dress up and go out for the movies or a drink with my husband instead of sleeping… im constantly having a bit of guilt and deep down I know my marriage needs effort as well as my children and that my friends will stop calling me eventually – I just know, but I seem not to be able to do anything about it- i feel like if I wont put my effort on taking care of the children and clean the house for example, when I do it, or do the laundry when I do, it will all be more, harder, bigger and I wont be able to keep everything in balance.

 

What is your favorite thing about being a mother?

I guess it´s just everything about it. I love the look I get, the embrace, the honest talk in the evenings before sleep, having fun together and just the feeling that you are loved, needed and doing good I guess. We try to create good memories together, Friday pizzanight, playing cards during the weekends and so on. I think it´s important for the whole family. But when I see they are strong individuals with a big and kind heart I feel the proudest.

Your least favorite?

I´m not sure. Maby the tiredness once again. That I need to sleep so early in the evening J But when there are challenges, and they do come, it actually is a phase and it has always been for a very limited time. For example when my kids wake up during the night and wont fall asleep immedietly after comfort or something like that. I just need to remind myself that its not lasting forever.

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A LETTER FROM ON AIR PROJECT TEAM 

Is the air we breathe really bad for us? As parents, we try to protect our children from whatever may harm them, but what can we do about air pollution?

OnAir is documentary for the web, a journey through the air we breathe, to understand what is happening to us and what we need to do. We started our journey in our city, Milan, the most polluted in Western Europe, and met the experts who have spent their lives trying to understand how air quality affects our health and wellbeing. We have also measured exposure to air pollution everywhere in the city, from the periphery to Piazza Duomo, in parks and nursery schools, for those who move around by bike or in strollers, inside homes or subway trains.

We have learnt that clean air is not just a question of health, but of freedom and quality of life, every day. The freedom to enjoy a walk with our children without worrying about pollutants in the air.

We are Maria Cristina Saccuman, science communicator and  scientist, Alessandro Tosatto, director, photographer and video-maker, Paola Toia, social media expert, and Next New Media, an independent journalistic start-up dedicated to multimedia. But first of all we are parents. This is the trailer of OnAir

Thank you again for your support 🙂

Paola & co

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BREATHE IN BREATHE OUT

A few days ago I was writing about the rain and how good it is, especially for our air. The quality of the air we breathe is extremely important and if you are living in Milano like me you may often feel like the only thing missing in your lovely Milano days is a good, deep, clean breath of air. So when it rains in Milano I hear so many people around saying “oh good at least now we have cleaner air for a day or two”.

Some of you must be tired to hear me speaking of Iceland but in this case it is inescapable as in Iceland you never lack a good, deep, clean breath of air! I have been spoiled by good air and water quality all my life so for me it is easy to recognize when I am in lack of one or the other.

Since I became a mother I am more curious about these kind of things: as mothers we only want the very best for our children. In my case it means not only taking good care of my own, but I also want the very best for all children in the whole world. It is my deepest wish and hope that the day will come when every single child world wide will get the care and love it deserves.

When I take my sons to Iceland I notice they sleep better and longer. They have much less runny noses and coughs even though the weather there is for sure more taught than here in Milano. I also started noticing while I am there that when I shake their covers out the window there is less dust that shakes off. I have to clean my house less often, and there seems to be much less dust on shelves and floors .I also definitely have to wash my hair less often.

I have started to wonder how to improve my sons’ life related to this in Milano as we spend most of the winter here and I just can’t bear any more guilt when I hear them cough so much each night. I would love to share with you now what I have come to notice and the good news is that coughing in my home has gone down by a lot so it must be working.

First thing I changed was cleaning the floors more often, YES that’s what I said. I am so sorry to have to tell you this, but vacuuming more often especially in the rooms where we sleep really helps to keep dust at a minimum.

Take the shoes off when you enter in the house and leave your coat by the door all in one place preferably in a closed closet, because otherwise you will be dragging dirt from the streets into your home. And if you look under your shoes you will see why this is a good idea.

Each evening I quickly shake my sons’ covers out the window before they go to sleep and every now and then in the morning too, before making their beds. I also change the sheet covers frequently.

Going as often as possible (preferably every day) to the nearest park is also a good idea. I often taken my sons to the park’s center (so we are as far from cars and traffic as possible) and we settle down in a little spot to investigate trees, sticks and stones. Look for all different kinds of birds and birds sounds and just relax in a good air quality and find something interesting to do. I try not  to be always in my sons business so I let them also lead the way and enjoy sharing silence in the park. There is a saying that you are only comfortable in silence with people who you truly love. When my sons were still taking their afternoon nap I would take a walk with them in the park and let them take their nap in the stroller or pram ( and yes, also in the rain. :))

I made my home green by buying lots of plants for my home to help cleaning the air. I googled plants that are specially known for cleaning air and went and bought lots of them. Plus, they also cheer me up ! I feel my home is also more beautiful with so many green plants around, so here is that list of top house plants to improve air quality indoors that I found –  but feel free to google more 🙂

 

Peace Lily
Florist’s Chrysanthemum
Devil’s Ivy
Red-Edged Dracaena
Snake Plant
Lady Palm
Flamingo Lily
English Ivy
Barberton Daisy
Weeping Fig
Boston Fern
Spider Plant
Dracaena
Aloe Vera
Bamboo Palm
Gerbera daisy

Then the ultimate thing I did was to buy high quality air purifier to our home. This option costs much more than the others steps for sure but I tell you my word it REALLY works. I use it to clean the air in our living room during the day and at night I leave it in our son’s room and this way they are always breathing well, at least while at home. There is no more coughing at night in my home so for me it is worth it, but I do understand it is not an option for every one unfortunately. I wish this could be in each day care school here in Milano as most schools or kindergartens are by big streets and when you ether live, work or study on or close to a big street with lots of traffic, the air quality will be very poor and most likely to be affecting your health. So I just want you to know about this wonderful option. The one I bought was recommended to me by an air pollution specialist and you may find more information here http://www.luxinternational.com/. On this website you will find also other products they have that can improve our health such as a high performance vacuum cleaner and water purifiers.

I am pretty sure you can use some of these information well. At least this has helped me and my family and we are all feeling better since we added all of this into our life’s and home. Now I just have to hope milan will get the attention it needs to become a safer place for all of us and specially our children. We all deserve a deep clean fresh breath.

Love JM

photo credit @stefanotrovati

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MOTHER’S STYLE IN THE FALL

Here in Italy women are always looking so lovely even without apparently trying or making any effort. It seems to me that it is in the Italian DNA to look well put together and everything seems to match, whether it is a tired mother look, business woman, dress up date night or girls night out!

Almost every woman likes from time to time to do some shopping and mixing up the old with a few new things in the closet. I have always kept my favorite pieces in my wardrobe since my New York days and I like to mix with some new items. I do my best to keep up with what is going on when it comes to clothes just because I have always liked it and in Iceland and New York people often dress so freely and I have always loved that: I admire people with strong personal style. Dress like no one is looking or like every one is looking! Who cares!
When I became a mother I felt like I needed to dress more like a woman as I was being mistaken for a babysitter or an au-pair too often at my neighborhood playground 🙂

Live, learn and grow is mostly in our minds and shines through our eyes but if I am not mistaken we all like to look good too. I will now start to activate mothers style a bit more as this is the only link I feel I have not been taking care of enough here on my blog 🙂 I love browsing through blogs or my favorite Instagram for new looks and get some  inspiration.

I will always have a wild hippie heart, flower power ! I love colorful long dresses even in the winter. I wear them with warm stockings under the dress and a heavy winter coat. It cheers up cold days and long winters. Plus, all the beautiful colors of the fall are too pretty to be dressed in dull colors 🙂

Warm dresses are also ideal on cold days and you can dress them up or down with shoes, flat boots or sneakers for easy day time look or wear them with nicer boots even with heels in the evening.

Easy everyday looks are my top choice at the moment : a nice pair of jeans with cozy over sized sweaters and sneakers. It’s that time of year and I so enjoy this mood

Bomber jackets are coming in so many different styles and colors and I love that! They pop up the mood of easy jeans and sneakers for the run arounds. Busy mamma comfy shoes 🙂

love JM

Look 1 : Abito e sciarpa Iceberg – anfibi Casadei
Look 2 :  Giacca Thermakota e Uli Hernzer – borsa Coccinelle – stivali Casadei
Look 3 : Total look stella McCartney
Look 4 : Jeans Iceberg – jeans Jbrand

Stylist Benedetta Ceppi

photo credit @stefanotrovati