Fashion fuels death threats

Vogue recently reported that Peter Jensen is at the centre of a fashion feud over his interpretation of Greenland's national costume. Following the presentation of Peter Jensen's AW09 collection the designer received a series of complaints including a death threat.

Of particular concern to the native Greenlanders is Peter Jensen's interpretation of the kamic boots. Peter Jensen told Vogue "The collection and the boots were made out of pure love and meant as a celebration from the trip which we went on in November. That I am now getting death threats is really taking this thing out of proportion."

I love the boots and was disappointed to learn that they're only available from a certain high street retailer... We have however placed our AW09 order for the clothing. I can't wait for the beaded sweater dress and the digital print Citizens of the World blazer. This blazer is just so versatile and can be interpreted in so many ways from preppy to layered and geek chic. Preorders are now open with delivery in September.

Master R's new game

Source: Levintel.com

Master R has a new game. One that he finds hilarious. It must have started when I was changing him one day and he peed on me. I must have made a big deal about it and now it's turned into a game. Now whenever I'm changing him I can see him squeezing and squeezing. When a tiny dribble emerges he giggles away. When a large fountain appears he seems quite amazed.

Little boys...

Vogue on Vogue

Vogue Editor Alexandra Shulman. Source: FBC

On Thursday I went along to the Fashion Business Club meeting “Vogue on Vogue”. Online editor Dolly Jones was interviewing Vogue magazine editor Alexandra Shulman. While I’m not a magazine junky and prefer online to magazines, I was interested in what Alexandra had to say about supporting young British designers and her perceived or obligation of role of Vogue. One interesting fact for me is that we both have the same favorite magazine, The New Yorker.

Alexandra spoke openly and candidly about her experience and was actually quite witty. Upon taking the job she had no idea or even interest in fashion. She didn’t realize that fashion was in seasons and still claims to have a more pedestrian view of fashion while her fashion staff talk about referencing great artists and events.

Dolly (not her real name by the way) asked if Alexandra felt that she fitted the fashion mold. The crowded room laughed when Alexandra said that one comment she hears continuously is that she doesn’t look like the editor of Vogue magazine. She always replies that she’s been the editor for 17 years now so this is what the editor of Vogue looks like.

She believes that fashion has become the whipping post for the celeb culture, eating disorders and other woes of the world. She said it’s just wrong and she actually enjoys the debate. Vogue was recently heavily criticized for putting Cheryl Cole on the cover. Alexandra said she enjoyed having Cheryl and believes she is a face of fashion. Besides, it was incredible for sales.

I was about to ask about Vogue’s role and obligation in the support of young designers. Alexandra said she feels a duty to support them despite the fact that they don’t give a single penny of advertising revenue. She believes that during the last recession some of the greatest trends emerged and this time is no different. She saw signs of that at the recent LFW. In reply to Dolly’s questions about how Vogue are dealing with the recession and changes in spending habits Alexandra said that Vogue has always been about an aspirational lifestyle and it will continue to present that lifestyle in a way that is not offensive.

There were a lot of questions from the audience, most just wanting to draw Alexandra’s attention to their brand. Something I should really do but it’s not my style. I do hope that Vogue can continue to support young British designers, especially in these times.
On the way home from the meeting I did pick up the latest copy of Vogue. I haven’t read it yet though. Had a delivery of New Yorkers instead!

First day of nursery school - not quite as expected

Masters R's first day of nursery school today. I was excited and couldn't wait to drop him off so he could have some interaction with other kiddies. He's always been a mummy's boy and suffers from separation anxiety. But generally he'll cry for 5-10mins and then be fine. He was in a crèche at Snowbird in January and was fine so I thought this would be the same.

It's a 50 minute walk from our current temporary apartment. (It will be about 15mins from our new house.) So I trekked over there in the cold wind utterly exhausted and with an aching back. Master R was a little apprehensive and clingy when we first got there but it was food time and all the others were eating apple so soon enough he joined them and attempted to stuff as much apple into his mouth as possible and steal other kid's apple if they weren't eating fast enough. Because he’s quite big, running around and a bit rough, he’s actually in with a class of bigger kids. They were all born around June 07 and he’s the youngest by months with a birthday in February 08.

I stayed with him for a while and he seemed happy enough. I said goodbye and left and then waited a little while, heard that he stopped crying after less than a minute and was on my merry way. I waddled home, crashed into bed and promptly fell asleep. I woke up about 40mins later with a feeling that something was wrong. Turns out that the nursery director had called me 10mins before and I’d slept through it. The message said that I should come straight away as he “was in a great deal of distress”. Dragging on my jeans I jumped in a cab and arrived at there only to find him curled up on the playmates, snoring away with the kids running and playing around him.

Lucky I had my knitting and just sat in reception for an hour waiting for him. He woke up distressed so I took him home. Apparently he was fine until nap time and then be broke down and screamed – and yes, he really can howl! He just wouldn’t be settled and wouldn’t let anyone hold him. I’m actually dreading next week now and wondering what I can do to make it easier for him? Any suggestions?

Another mother dies needlessly

Source: Daily Mail

Today, "Mothering Sunday"*, brought news of the needless death of Jade Goody, a British celebrity. This is the needless death of yet another British mother this week, after Natasha Richardson, both mother to two boys.

Like Natasha Richardson, Jade Goody's death was preventable. She died of cervical cancer. One of the easiest to detect and easiest to treat if detected early. Jade had a positive pap test but decided to ignore it. Now she has left a husband, of a couple of weeks, and two beautiful boys, without a wife and mother. No matter what her past, it is tragic.

A number of years ago I stayed with my friend while her mother died of cervical cancer. The mother had chosen an alternative lifestyle and didn't believe in modern medicine instead treating herself with herbs and prayer, mostly prayer. The sight and smell of her dying needlessly in hospital and the turmoil it left the family in in the years after gave me a religious zeal about having regular pap tests.

Since then my mother and a very young aunt have received treatment for cervical cancer. While it's not genetic in any way, the thought of leaving my partner, beautiful boy and baby 2 will force me to endure the cold metal and discomfort of a pap test every two years, not the four recommended in the UK. That's not frequent enough. Please do it every two years. Please book yours today.

*The name has been changed from Mother's Day to Mothering Sunday after a US company bought the trademark for Mother's Day.

Children don't make you happy, says expert who doesn't have any

I read the headline and couldn't believe it! Who have they been talking to? Obviously none of the parents I know. About 4 years ago I had an overwhelming urge to have a baby. The urge physically hurt. I would beg Mr M in tears for a baby and he would say he wasn't ready (despite being together for ever!). Finally he felt we were in a position to have a baby. Then the trying started.

When it didn't happen straight away I was truly devastated. It was months of heart break when a baby didn't just materialise. Adding to this was friends bragging that they'd "fallen pregnant the first month". Shut up with your smugness! I'm sure some can relate to this. Finally when it happened I could not be happier.

The moment Master R was born was the most beautiful day of my life. A hole in my life had been filled and I was whole. I felt complete and that this was what I was born to do.

Of course not every day is a fun-filled love fest. There is days with tears of frustration and where I really have to control myself to stay calm and together. But unlike Dr Powdthavee's claims, my bursts of happiness far outweigh any drudgery of the day-to-day. What's more, I think that having number 2 in a few months is going to add to my sheer happiness.

What do you think? Are you happier?

Social scientist Dr Nattavudh Powdthavee said there was "almost zero association" between having children and happiness. He said: "In a recent study of British adults, for example, we found that parents and non-parents reported the same levels of life satisfaction."

Dr Powdthavee, from the University of York, said most parents remember milestones like a first smile, and think these rewards more than compensate them for the challenging task of raising children. But any small bursts of happiness are cancelled out by the day-to-day chores of having a family, he said in the latest issue of The Psychologist, the magazine of The British Psychological Society.

He said: "To imagine what it's like being a mother or a father we're likely to focus more on the good things about being a parent than the bad things. "This is mainly because we believe that the rare but meaningful experiences like a child's first smile, or graduating from university, or seeing them get married will give us massive and long-lasting increases in happiness.

"These boosts in wellbeing tend not to last for very long. Instead, parents spend much of their time attending to the very core processes of childcare – problems at school, cooking and laundry – which are much more frequent. "It is these small but negative experiences that are more likely to impact on our day-to-day levels of happiness and life satisfaction."

Despite his research Dr Powdthavee, 30, and his girlfriend are thinking about starting a family of their own.

Children don't make you happy, says expert who doesn't have any - Telegraph

My new mama blog

Any mothers out there check out the new blog TightKnitMamas I've started with a few of my mama friends in New York. While we're now spread out over oceans and the US, we're blogging about parenting, knitting and other random things that means a lot to us mums.

Book review: Supernanny by Jo Frost

Source: Amazon

While I'm waiting for Mama H to post me my New Yorkers, I'm desperate for reading material. I've even swiped Mr M's hard reading The Forgotten Man as I await my mags.

I was visiting a friend, M, last week to meet her new little baby (and raid her bookshelf). He was just one week old and does nothing but sleep - remember those days? She also has a perfectly angelic little three year old. He is a dream child. He won't eat anything but never fusses and is so respectful. I asked her how she's disciplined him over the years and she didn't really say anything specific. She said that her husband did most of it. I didn't buy it considering M's a preschool teacher by training and is a fulltime mum who has never had anyone but close family care for him.

Picking the Supernanny book off the shelf M said it was great and she really agreed with the book. We went on to discuss how sad it is to see mothers sleep train 8 week old babies and the whole Gina Ford movement in the UK of babies trained into routines from birth like little robots. I followed more of a Dr Sears approach for Master R and believe in most of Sear's attachment parenting philosophy. M said I would probably enjoy Supernanny in that case so I took it home for a read.

Most of you would know Jo Frost from her TV show both in the UK and US called Supernanny. The few times I've watched it I've been moved to tears at the sheer frustration of the parents and wonderment that such beautiful babies can turn into horrendous monsters hitting and screaming at their parents. Unfortunately I've seen it happen with a friend's little boy. As a result Mr M and I are determined not to let that happen to Master R and we're probably a little on the firm side with him. Loving of course, but firm.

Jo Frost sums up her philosophy with ten rules:

1. Praise and rewards
2. Consistency
3. Routine
4. Boundaries
5. Discipline
6. Warnings
7. Explanations
8. Restraint
9. Responsibility
10. Relaxation

These rules are then adapted to the different issues at each stage in a child's life such as feeding, sleeping, dressing, bedtime etc.

The book is set out in a very reader friendly manner and is a quick read. She has a no nonsense approach that I agree with and is all about common sense. Most of the book is more relevant to older children and she does say she doesn't recommend most of her methods until they're 2-3 years old. I really like how Frost admits that she's never had any children of her own or even any formal qualifications but she has been in hundreds of homes and looked after hundreds of children and that it does make her an expert in the field. I can appreciate that and don't believe you need to have children of your own to spot trouble or an alphabet of letters after your name.

A good read and probably a good reference to have sitting on the shelf in case your angel's halo slips as he/she gets a little older and starts showing defiance. But let's hope that doesn't happen!

The shoe issue resolved

Source: Clarks

Thank you mamas for your offer of shoes for my poor little man! The issue is now resolved.

Saturday morning Mr M kindly offered to feed Master R and take him for a walk when he awoke at 6:30am allowing me a sleep in. My blissful snoozing was rudely disturbed by Mr M storming into the room with a teary Master R following.

Mr M was furious with me for buying too small shoes for Master R causing him to scream every time they were on. I agree that I don't think the shoes fit all that well but they were expertly fitted in a baby shoe store and I just thought Master R was fussing because he didn't want his shoes on. Mr M threw the shoes in the bin (I later rescued them), got his old torn Pedis and went outside to play.

This time instead of a "specialist" shoe store I went to John Lewis. They also have a fitter - and one who actually spoke a coherent English this time. She was excellent and said that the other fitter had measured his feet incorrectly and he was a whole 1.5 sizes longer and 1 size wider than thought. She also recommended against the Start Rite shoes for his fat foot preferring the Clarks. By the way, they sold both so I felt it was unbiased.

Master R is now happily playing in his new Clarks shoes and doesn't make a fuss when I'm putting them on. Mr M is now smug in the knowledge that he is more "attuned" to his son than I am. Whatever Mr M!

Sometimes beauty does not mean suffering

As a mad snowboarder the death of anyone while skiing or boarding really shakes me. But the death of Natasha Richardson is especially shocking. It's not just because she's a young mother but because these types of injuries can be avoided by wearing a helmet.

In 2000 when I was learning to snowboard I took an especially nasty fall. It really shook me and I could see stars for days and had a sore spot on the back of my head for months after. After the initial panic attack wore off I went to the nearest ski store and bought a helmet.

At that time in our little ski resort of Fieberbrunn I was the only adult wearing a helmet. I did not care how silly I looked, I just knew that I needed protection.

Now more and more adults are wearing helmets. In January I noticed that in Fieberbrunn more people were wearing helmets than not and Snowbird was the same.

In the same way that the terminal illness of Jade Goody has increased the number of women seeking pap tests, I hope that the tragic death of Natasha Richardson will encourage you all to forsake beauty and wear a helmet on the slopes.

My child was an angel, what happened?

Source: Angel Gift

It seems that when Master R wants to instigate change is starts on a Sunday. This past Sunday we were braced for a little grump after a busy day visiting friends and flying remote control planes with his Papi and no naps. But instead our little angel slept until 7am, came straight into bed with us and proceeded to cuddle first me and then Mr M. It was truly incredible. Normally he hates to be cuddled for long periods as he doesn't like the constraint and tries to run away. We were amazed but it's continued.

And not just with us. Nanny G was amazed on Monday that while playing in the park Master R would run back to her at regular intervals, cuddle a bit then run (well more of a drunken sailor waddle) back to his plaything of choice.

But it's not just the affection that's got us puzzled. He's eating everything, drinking everything and in such vast quantities that we can't believe it. The absolute best bit is that he's telling me when he's sleepy and wants a nap! Monday morning we were playing and cuddling on the sofa when he pointed to his bedroom. Upon entering his room he pointed to his bed, lay down and went straight to sleep - with blanky of course.

It's incredible. Sorry mamas to be smug. You must hate me. I know this is not going to continue but I'm relishing it while it's here.

The latest in London youth trends

London Fashion Weekend is over. After a gruelling 5 days I slept most of Monday and wouldn't mind a little kip now too!

After moving back to London from New York a mere 3 weeks ago, LFW'end was the first time I've been immersed in London Fashion. And what an eye opener. The girls in the East Village are tame compared to London girls.

LFW'end really was an eye opener as far as trends. There were so many young girls in attendance - we're talking 16-22 - and they're just so fashion forward. I'd like to say imaginative too but while it was, they mostly all stuck my rules.

The first thing I noticed is that skirts are short. And I mean SHORT!! Bum skimming. This fact didn't escape the security guards at the show either. They really thought they were in heaven. Many girls weren't even wearing skirts or dresses, just tops that barely covered their bum and semi opaque tights. Even girls who didn't have the legs have embraced this trend. I saw a couple bend over and yes, I saw everything! Should we blame Sienna Miller for this?

Source: Stylebakery

The second thing I noticed was the hair styles. This is one area that there was not much of a deviation from the trend. That trend seems to be an evolution of the bed head and side party which is now lightly teased with an exaggerated side part that is swept right across the forehead.

Source: Stylescout

While I appreciate the power of a trend, many of these young girls should really take a look in the mirror and decide if these bum skimming tops/skirts and forehead covering styles really suit them. Perhaps they could modify the trend and wear what actually suits them.

That said, I've unplugged my GHDs, teased up the roots of my hair and will test drive the full side part today. It's not a far cry from my usual and it will be interesting to see the looks I get - although I am pushing a pram, hardly a style accessory of the 16-22s!

Weaning mama

Source: Childbirth Connection

Sunday morning Master R awakes at his usual time of 6:30am and starts calling out "mama!". I stumble into his room semi awake and bring him back to our bed, bring down the strap of my nighty and put my breast to his mouth. Nothing unusual yet. But then instead of suckling ferociously as usual he chomped on me and started screaming! I tried again and nothing. He was refusing the breast.

I took him to the kitchen and poured milk into his sippy cup, returned to bed and he gulped it down in less than a minute, returned to bed and slept for another hour. He might have been content, I was devastated.

While I know that now I'm pregnant weaning was inevitable. I had just imagined switching from one baby to the next. I really enjoyed those morning feeds and cuddles. But Master R has had the final say on this matter, as usual!

Why are boys shoes so girly here?

Source: Startrite

New York mummies, will someone send me over some Pedipeds? Pretty please? The shoes here are terrible and Master R really needs some new ones. I stupidly bought some precious Pedis but packed them in our sea freight which won't get here until April. Master R's feet are growing at such a rapid rate that he put a hole right through the toe of the old ones.

So off to Igloo I went. Normally an internet shopper Master R needed shoes immediately and I had noticed this shop on Upper Street when I'm met a friend there. They offered specialised fittings and a wide range of sizes.

At the time I wasn't convinced the "fitter" knew what she was talking about. The shoes just didn't seem to fit right. And, let's face it, they're so girly! But in desperation and frustration I bought them. Now I'm looking at the Startrite website and these shoes are pre-walkers and Master R is most definitely walking and she could see that. No wonder they don't fit.

I also said I wanted velcro and not a buckle - have you tried to put shoes on a wiggly 1 year old? She was struggling and failed to do it solo but insisted that a buckle was better. Hmmm he's on the last hole, surely more flexible velcro would be better?

Returning them is out of the question now because Master R really needs shoes and for £30 he just has to wear them out (under long trousers/pants so no one can see how girly they are...)

So please mommies, if I order some beautiful Pedipeds will someone post them to me? Their shipping rates to the UK are $20 which is just far too much for a pair of $35 shoes.

Thanks in advance xx

Falling in love with baby 2

Source: NHS

The day I had Master R was one of the happiest and yet most traumatic days of my life (he was admitted to ICU, but that's another blog post...). From the moment I discovered I was pregnant I was in love with this mystery being growing inside me. I sang to him, rubbed my stomach and reclined on the sofa dreaming of his future. Months of trying to get pregnant had worked and now I had fulfilled my destiny. I worked from home and had the luxury of this time to ponder my baby developing inside.

As the months have gone by the love I feel for Master R is indescribable, as most mothers understand. It grows stronger and stronger as time goes by and I just want to protect him before all else (sorry Mr M).

Now baby 2 is growing inside of me. But this time it's different. I don't have time to lie on the sofa rubbing my belly and dreaming of his/her future. I don't have time to sing to the fetus while having a shower (I'm lucky to get a shower). My time is spent bowing to the needs of Master R while attempting to keep a young business on track.

Now it's not that I don't want baby 2. Of course I do! I was so thrilled when I discovered I was pregnant and feel blessed that pregnancy number 2 came easily to me after my struggle with number 1. It's a combination of factors.

First I don't want my beautiful Master R to miss out on anything by having a sibling so close. I'm also feeling apprehensive about dealing with two under 18mths. But as I ponder this issue during the wee hours of morning when I can't sleep, a little too often, I realise that there is one main factor - I don't have time!

When baby two comes late in August I know that I'll feel overwhelming love for him or her just as I did for Master R. I know I'll love both babies equally and will attempt to give them equal attention, or attention as required. But right now I just don't have the time to think about it so I'll take it as it comes.