Famille Summerbelle

The last big change (for a while)

So we haven't made a post for a while for which we apologise but I think we've a good excuse..... we've made our final big move for a while, shipping ourselves lock stock to France.

We spent a few months traveling around the world hoping that we decide with certainty on somewhere to live, but you know it's a tough decision!

We loved life in London - most of our friends live there - and we really felt at home in some of the places we visited. Particularly New Zealand and San Francisco. We'd really love a year or two in Japan.

But finally we settled on France - and Paris in particular. Why? Well maybe it's better we give you an idea across a number of posts.

It's not perfect - nowhere is, and that's something we definitely have learnt during our big trip. I think we've learnt to see the best in every place, and hope to keep an open mind and keep on traveling!

But for starters, we love it here because it takes less than half an hour to reach the centre of Paris, and yet we live right next to an enormous forest. Maybe not the most practical footwear for a forest, but Ophelia's shoes look mighty fine amongst the fallen leaves....

Kids Modern this weekend

The car is loaded (actually over-loaded), all the new products have turned up and we're on our way to London for Kids Modern this weekend.

If you're in London, or indeed anywhere near London then do try and make it along to say hi. This is the second year for Kids Modern and if it's anything like last year then it's definitely worth a detour.

Lots of great stuff for families: furniture, fashion, toys, accessories, plus food & entertainment to keep the children occupied!

We hope to see you there.

It's in Dulwich College on Sunday 15th February from 10am until 4pm. Or click here for directions.

Simon

Home inspiration

We're moving to a new home soon which i'm very excited about. We've been 'homeless' for the past 6 months traveling the World and staying with family and friends. It has been great but I am really looking forward to having our own space and taking out of boxes our belongings. This is some great work by husband and wife team Oona Bannon and Russell Pinch. I found some images on Bloesem and fell in love with the furniture and especially the black board designs they did for Neals Yard Remedies head office.
Julie

Our top 5 kids travel essentials

We fought our way around the world over luggage. I think we take too much, Julie defends every last item as essential. There is no regular winner.

Here though, are a few things that we definitely agree on as essentials for taking a 2 year old around the world.

1. The travel rucksack by Deuter was a very good alternative to the MacLaren stroller (that we also took - and love!) in busy cities like Singapore or Tokyo and great for walks off the beaten track.
It's comfortable and has a big pocket at the back to store nappies, wipes, water, toys etc. It comes with a 'roof' protection for the sun or rain.

2. Ophelia loved her LittleLife Ladybird day sack. She was happy to carry her dolly in there and for us it was peace of mind to be able to hang on to her with the added lead. This was especially useful in busy airports or when she wanted to walk down busy streets.

3.JVC tiny headphones. We bought them at Heathrow airport (you can also buy them online here) just before boarding for a 12 hour flight to Japan. Why, when you can get headphones on any plane? Well, the headphones you get on planes are always too big for children, and these headphones have a decibel restriction which is great for little ears. Oh, and from Ophelia's point of view....they were pink. We used them throughout our trip - plugged into the iPod with Ophelia's favourite movies or shows...... 'Mary Poppins', 'Charlie & Lola', 'Pingu' and 'Petit Ours Brun'.

4. This is my personal favourite - and still very much in use. The LittleLife tent. Ophelia's real home from home. One thing I think can be occasionally difficult on children when you're travelling is the constant change of sleeping venue. It's just a bit unsettling (and confusing when you wake up!). This little tent neatly overcame that problem, in fact Ophelia loved it which made bedtime a real pleasure for all. It takes less than a minute to put together and it's light and compact (and not so expensive as I remember).

5. Finally, we've bought lots of these little Muji bags. They are cheap, have lots of pockets, and bits can be pulled on or off with their velcro attachments. It's on this list because we used one of the larger bags to house all of Ophelia's toys for travelling. Farm yard animals in one, In the Night Garden dolls in another and pens pencils and crayons spread across a few more compartments. You'd be surprised by just how much these little bags can hold, and how easily they will slot into a larger rucksack to take on a plane (to be whipped out as things turn pear shaped....).

Anyway that's our top 5 for Ophelia. We'd love to know any of your essentials that you would add to our list - let us know!

Simon

Interview

Thanks to Jenny at Little Big Magazine for interviewing us on our World Tour. You can read the article here.

Also sorry for not posting anything this week, we've been in Paris trying to find a home to live. I forgot how much paper work you need to provide and how complicated the administrative procedure is in France. Let's hope it will be worth the headaches!
We will be coming to London very often for work (weekly for Simon). We still love the place and all our friends are there. We are also very excited to get a new life in Paris to get closer to more friends and my family. It will be a nice change after 10 years in London for me. Simon is even more excited to improve his French.
We're back tomorrow in the UK to prepare for Kids Modern show next weekend. I hope you can come if you live in London (it's in Dulwich).

Playtime Paris

Playtime is an international trade show dedicated to a child's universe and it's in Paris twice a year. We took a trip over last weekend to have a browse and check the latest trends in fashion and interior design that will be available in stores soon.

The fair was superbly designed and arranged. They had great visuals, creative workshops and even a culinary workshop for kids. For the adults a 'crea.tif' space to meet textile designers, illustrators and clothing designers.

Ophelia enjoyed it more than us. She was very happy to sprint through the aisles, sampling all of the toys, furniture and clothes along the way. I always feel a little sorry for the exhibitors - smiling nervously as Ophelia manhandles their wares (it wouldn't be good to scold a child at a child's show...)

This is my selection for the interior products:
Swedish designer Bo Ekstrom is the father of 4 childrens and had used his experience to design this clever wooden changing table. Mounted on a wall or behind a door, you can change your baby securely and in style. I love the fact that you can fold it so create more space in the room.

Spanish company Nine to Nine designs creative furniture for kids bedroom. We love the Zebra cot whose 'head' serves as both handle and also a shelf for bottle, dummies or anything else you want close by.
The Toys and Crayons oak shelf and bench have different sized holes into which you can suspend baby's toys and smile at their legs dangling down the other side.