Lately...

Sunday musings, a really good Netflix series, a new restaurant to try in Paris, how Velvet is sleeping through the night, & thoughts on getting an au pair.

I hope you are all having a lovely Sunday!

It’s Mother’s Day here in France (hehe I already had such a special day celebrating Australian Mother’s Day) but there’s no harm in celebrating twice…the boys have made me the cutest love heart cards (see them below).

my current screensaver

Sammy keeps stealing my La Mer moisturiser. We share everything, but this one needs a better hiding place…

Atlas has lost his first tooth! He came home from school one day with a wobbly tooth, and it was far more emotional than I thought it would be. I’m not ready for him to grow up, he’s still my baby. He was eating a pink lady apple on the couch with me two days later, and I looked at him and said ‘cutie, where’s your tooth?’ And he ran to the mirror! He wasn’t sure when it fell out. He looks so cute with the little gap in his front bottom teeth. The tooth fairy came and left him a two euro coin, and a new notebook and box of soft pastels (he loves drawing).

Luxury sleeper trains are on my mind. Such a beautiful, nostalgic way to travel. I am sure you have all seen the Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from Paris to Venice. There’s also the Orient Express La Dolce Vita, and it looks stunning, inspired by the Italian design golden age of the Sixties and Seventies with completely restored vintage carriages. Maybe when Velvet is a little older? I’m not sure how a pram would fit in the tiny cabins — but I’m sure she would also love the gentle rocking to sleep from Venice to Portofino…

Orient Express La Dolce Vita

Velvet is sleeping though the night. And she hasn’t had her dummy for a month. We took away Ocean’s dummy at five months as well, and it’s such a good age to do it. It’s really helped with her sleep…we were deep in the three/four month regression, and I was waking up every 20 minutes. Not only to feed or re-settle, but also to put the dummy back in. She was ready to take her arms out of her sleep suit, and found her little thumb instead. We didn’t give her her dummy for her morning nap one day (the easiest), and she forgot all about it. Atlas didn’t sleep through the night until at least 18 months, I’m still worried I will jinx it with Velzy, but she is such a little angel honey bear. We put her down sleepy, but wide awake every single time and she chit chats to sleep, or sucks her thumb. White noise and a dark room also helps, or we cover her pram with a muslin when we are out. She also has this comforter to cuddle/for a familiar scent for all her sleeps.

To keep me humble, the boys bedtime routine is completely out the window. It’s almost two hours of stalling, opening the fridge, more water, more oat milk, one more snack, different doudou’s, bathroom trips, endless negotiating, and mama and dada defeat. They turn their light on and just build cubby houses together. They share a bedroom and it’s really not working at the moment. More often than not, Atlas ends up in our bed to fall asleep, and then Sammy carries him back to his bed when we go to sleep. Please just goooo to sleeeeeeeep boys.

Three kiddos is magical, crazy, wild, beautiful, over-stimulating, very very loud, and complete chaos. If we leave the house with just Velvet and Atlas, oh boy is it easy! An almost five year age gap is a dream! Throw a toddler in the mix…and….we rarely all leave the house together! I take my hat off to anyone who has two under two, honestly. And we were considering four cubs…haha

I’m trying to cut back on coffee a little bit, and swapping my morning espresso for an English breakfast tea with oat milk. It was making me feel very very dizzy…but maybe weaning is also contributing.

I don’t recommend going bra shopping in-store just a few months after having a baby. Or three kiddos. I’m not sure what I was thinking at Le Bon Marché! Buy a pretty bra online.

rebeccagoddard

A post shared by @rebeccagoddard

I feel a little lost with posting in-feed on IG at the moment. I love sharing Stories (mostly Velzy’s cute outfits), but the grid feels more overwhelming. Maybe because I take too many photos and videos and I don’t know where to begin narrowing them down into 10-20 frames. Maybe because it feels more like Tik-Tok at the moment, with trends and text over videos? (I have also taken such a good six month break from Tik-Tok, and it’s wonderful). Sharing in-feed in real time? Impossible. I also feel people aren’t really engaging with in-feed posts as much… liking, commenting. I always love all the DM’s and conversations started from Stories, it feels more natural. I always prefer viewing Stories too. What do you guys think? Leave a comment below or send me a DM :)

I’m keen to try Le Grand Café in Grand Palais. It’s the sister restaurant of Loulou, one of my favourites in Paris. I have also heard a rumour that L’Avenue will be closing, as the building has a new owner. I really hope that’s not true.

Elsa Hosk’s red carpet looks are always flawless. The attention to detail. The team she brings together. Her first Festival de Cannes look was my favourite. The art of elegance and restraint.

hoskelsa

A post shared by @hoskelsa

We just finished such a great Danish series on Netflix — Secrets We Keep. It was really good timing, as we had just interviewed an au pair last weekend, and it didn’t feel right for us. We would love some reliable and consistent help, especially on the weekends, the school holidays (the boys have two full months off for July and August), with the occasional school pick-up and bedtime. But definitely not 35-50 hours a week (what the au pair was requesting) Monday to Friday (she doesn’t work weekends, prefers not to do school drop-offs, and her preference is to finish at 5pm?!). The cost of living in Paris with three children is very high, but I can’t imagine someone else raising our chickies, just so we can get back to the hustle. I don’t want to hustle. I want to play with Velzy. And take the boys to the playground. And hear all about their day as we walk home from school. And make dinner for our family whilst Velzy laughs from her highchair. Oh, and we would be paying upwards of 6,500 euros a month to the au pair with the government fees. And she was on holiday all of August… oh dear.

Watch the series with your partner so you can really talk about the intricacies together. Being a safe place for our children to come to us, and talk to us about anything is so important. To have strong open and honest communication as a family. To listen, really listen. As partners, as parents.

On a lighter note, cherries are back in Paris!!!

Oh, and we are off to Rome in one week!

Bisous x

bonne fête maman (from ocean) & a drawing of atlas and I that he drew

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