Bug with Books
We devour books in my house. Tom can’t go to sleep unless he’s had at least 4 stories. ‘More book, more book!!’ I find it hard to keep up and what has amazed me most about it is that he has very definite preferences on what is read. If a book is not to his liking it gets hurled across the room in disgust! Is this normal?
I raid the local library weekly and hunt through Amazon reading people’s recommendations. Here is my top list of books Tom can sit through again and again.
Me and Tom on the Brooklyn Bridge
I just read an hilarious article about travelling with children - it breaks down the pros and cons and gives tips on taking kids abroad of every age. Here’s the extract that applies to Tom.
Your child will be mobile, but not fully under voice control or sleeping through the night. Sort of like an evil nocturnal puppy in diapers. Rent a child-friendly condo somewhere warm, and make the best of it. These are unquestionably the hardest years for traveling.
Consider: Going with another family. You and your spouse are less likely to kill each other if there are witnesses present.
Avoid: Tiny hotel rooms with thin walls. B&Bs.
Remember: The only thing worse than traveling with kids this age is staying home with them.
I wholeheartedly agree - I just wish I had the heart to leave him behind!
Everest
This year five:
1. Manage my time better so I get more done and feel less stressed about doing it.
2. Get to the bottom of my inbox
3. Write more blog posts
4. See more of the people I love
5. Be a nicer person
It’s going to be a busy year!
I just found this site http://www.acte-deco.fr/ . They create and sell amazing wall stickers, not just for your nursery/child’s room but as works of art on your walls.
My favorites are:
and
So cute!
They are expensive but come in various sizes and colours and they ship all round the world.
Jade Mountain
On our last evening, James and I decided to have dinner at Jade Mountain – a chic mountain-side hideaway with just 29 rooms.
Jade Mountain is an architect’s dream – literally. The owner (an architect) says he built Jade with none of the constraints that architects are usually given by clients – he was the client. The result – an angular, industrial style that makes you feel like you are in an evil bond villain’s lair. Each room is reached via a concrete walkway, the entire structure, layered like a cake is held together with steel girders clad in stone. The tops of which have been made a colourful feature. Every room has its own Jacuzzi and its own infinity pool – every single room also has an unadulterated view of the bay and the Piton mountains. They have three walls so the pool wall is open to the ocean.
A room at Jade Mountain
Our hotel was an hour’s drive away so we decided to take a water taxi. This was a thrilling 30 minute dash around the coast lit by moonlight alone. Our taxi driver had forgotten his lights (not sure he ever had any in the first place) so we felt like smugglers in the night – or perhaps MI5 agents going into a covert op. When we got to the cove, we were greeted by two Majordomos – (it was explained later that as opposed to a butler, a major domo is not supposed to simply cater for your every need but anticipate it). We were driven up the hill to Jade where I swapped my flip flops for heels (getting in and out of a boat in heels is not easy!)
The walkways at Jade Mountain
The walkways that take us to the top layers are lit with fairy lights that give the whole structure an ethereal beauty. The restaurant is just below the roof terrace and has its own infinity pool and amazing views out to the mountains. We ate in style, great wine list, all locally sourced produce, some expertly seared locally caught fish.
I wish we could have walked down our own private walkway to our open room looking out to sea but instead it was a quick drive back down the hill, on to our boat and out into the darkness from where we had come but a few hours before – which left me feeling whether or not it was really a bond-esque dream. The combination of excellent wine and all that fresh sea air had us sleeping like babies – until Tom woke us up the next morning at 4am!
That’s the end of our St Lucia adventure. Back to Blighty now and minus nine degrees brrrrrrrr
John Jones heard that a hotel was up for sale in St Lucia - he went to see it and loved it so much that he bought the entire bay. Because it’s the only bay on the island deep enough to allow the really big mega yachts in, it’s frequented by the rich and famous.
Discovery is the hotel and the views across the bay from our window are beautiful - classic Caribbean, palm trees, clear water and of course the mega-yachts!
The view from our balcony
more to come…
Tom's in flight entertainment pack
So, it’s off to St Lucia in the morning - eight and a half hour’s flight with a one and a half year old - have to say I’m slightly dreading it.
Pictured above - our hand luggage - all in aid of keeping the little one happy:
Toys - and here the list is endless
When I travelled before having Tom, I used to moan about the small amount of carry on luggage we were allowed to take - now I can’t think what I packed!
Ever been recommended something by a blog or a site only to find that the website doesn’t ship outside of the US? Well here’s a solution. MyUS.com will set up a US address for you, take payments for your goods and then ship them to you.
It’s not cheap though because you will be paying the shipping to the US address as well as to your home so make sure you can’t get what you want anywhere else!
For 0.2Kg / 0.5lbs it will cost you $29.17.
My husband left the house at 5am this morning. On his way out he whispered “Obama’s done it!”. That was it, I was awake and glued to the TV.
So - my very first post on this blog is on the day the world changed and got itself the first ever black American president. People all over the world are celebrating (our American employee brought us all donuts to the office today!) and for the first time in ages, there’s a feeling of real optimism and hope.
However - he inherits a truly enormous debt, a worldwide financial crisis, a world at war and a country where people are losing their homes left right and centre. His watchword ‘change’ cannot come at a better time. I truly hope the crushing financial situation allows him to follow through on his campaign promises. The only way is up!
Is he the first president on Twitter ?