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MEIDÄN KOTI SISUSTUSLEHDESSÄ

Tässä se vihdoin on, nimittäin uunituore Koti & Keittiö, jossa on meidän Kruununhaan koti. Lehti tuli tänään kauppoihin ja olin niin innoissani avatessani lehden! En myöskään tiennyt, että kotimme oli valittu lehden kanteen, vau!  

Olen ollut jutun kuvaamisesta aika hissukseen ja harva edes tiesi koko jutusta. Asiat menivät jutun kuvaushetkellä eteenpäin kuin juna! Vai mitäs sanotte siitä, että juuri ennen kuvauspäivää olin jäänyt äitiyslomalle, tämä koti oli myyty ja olimme jo kuvauspäivästä seuraavana päivänä muuttamassa uuteen asuntoon. Kaikki kaapitkin olivat kuvaushetkellä jo tyhjiä!Muistelen rakkaudella tätä meidän ensimmäistä yhteistä omaa kotia, josta ei puuttunut mitään muuta paitsi neliöitä. Koti oli alkujaan ihan hyvässä kunnossa, mutta ei lainkaan makumme mukainen. Tämän takia remontoimmekin kodin lattiasta kattoon. Lisää asunnosta voitte lukea lehdestä 🙂

Uudessa kodissamme on tilaa meille kaikille kolmelle, mutta remontoivaa riittää. Kyseessä on jälleen rakas jugendtalo, jossa pohjaratkaisu ja nykyajan vaatimukset eivät oikein kohtaa. Olen kuitenkin varma, että tästä tulee vielä jonain päivänä yhtä ihana kuin edeltäjästään. Tulen joka tapauksessa kertomaan täällä blogin puolella tarkemmin remppasuunnitelmistamme, jotka eivät tälläkään kertaa rajoitu pelkkään pintaremppaan. Tietenkään. Tiedossa on mm. keittiön siirtoa ja seinien hajottamista. Tällä hetkellä suunnitelmat etenevät vauva-arjen rinnalla hitaasti, kuten muukin aivotoiminta näillä unilla. Kerron kuitenkin suunnitelmista tarkemmin kun kerrottavaa on ja kun suunnitelmat tästä etenevät.

Nyt suosittelen kaikille pientä iltakävelyä lähimpään kauppaan hankkimaan uusimman Koti & Keittiö  -lehden – sieltä voitte lukea lisää! Kiitos vielä Heikki Rautiolle, joka toimitti jutun sekä sisustussuunnittelijallemme Monika Urbanille.

ROCK N´STROLL W/ BUGABOO FOX

Commercial collaboration with Bugaboo

When we first realized that we are going to have a baby, we were a bit confused as we knew NOTHING about babies. Of course it was the best news we could ever hope for, but listening to our friends´ advices about all the baby-related stuff and the seemingly endless list of necessary purchases felt a bit chaotic to say the least. On top of that, we are very precise about the stuff we buy, so we thought there was a rocky road ahead of us. There were many important decisions ahead and one of the most essential things were the baby strollers. We really needed to find versatile strollers as we move around a lot and spend a lot of time on both city and countryside. At first all of the options, the models and their different details seemed endless.
 
Even though we didn´t know much about babies we, especially my boyfriend, seemed to have a lot of opinions and criteria about the strollers. Which was good, since my main concerns were the looks and the color. “Black and stylish” was my only criteria, whereas he was more interested in usability and adjustability, etc. He is really tall and I am, well…normal height, so the stroller needed to be easily adjustable on the spot. Other necessary features were large, turning front wheels that can handle any kind of terrain.

With all this in mind, we set out to the shops one Saturday morning. We were prepared for a quick spin, since we usually know what we want as soon as we see something we like. Little did we know about all the options and different models…after about 1.5 hours, tens of models and hundreds of details later, we left the shop dazed and confused. We were trying to wrap our heads around the world of strollers and a week or two went by. Then things got even more complicated. You see, we bought a 110-year-old, 2nd story apartment with no elevator or handy storage room for strollers. So everything is a bit illogical, narrow and NOT designed for handling small babies or strollers. But old houses look nice and they are very atmospheric, right? And don´t get me wrong, we wouldn´t live in any other type of city home, so the strollers had to be able to tackle this challenge as well.
 
By now, it was clear that the strollers needed to be light and they had to fold easily as they had to fit into small gaps when stored and handled in a small packed room. So we headed out to the stroller shops again with our long
list of requirements. Pretty soon it was evident that only one stroller would meet our demands. It had all the looks and the gimmicks we needed. Our stroller of choice was Bugaboo Fox.

It has a VERY smooth ride, big wheels, advanced suspension and a comfortable stroll. I never knew that strollers even had suspension, but this one has an all-wheel suspensions system, which works really well on the
bumpy streets of Helsinki. The seat is positioned optimally, so out height difference is not a problem when lifting the baby in and out. Everything is also easily and quickly adjustable, even on the move. Fox is also very compact and it is easy to store at home or in the car as we travel between the city and our summer house. You can even take the wheels off with a push of a button and put them back on just as easily, very handy when you have to use every square inch of your car when you load it for a weekend getaway! Fox is also very robust, so it is the ideal choice for the ever-changing terrain and weather conditions in Finland. And of course it is a product that lasts, as it is made from long lasting materials and fabrics
made from recycled materials.

So far, we have mainly used the strollers in the city, but they have been excellent so far! We literally have no complaints, the ride really is smooth and the handling is really smooth! Also, the front wheels are the best, they are so nimble in quick sharp turns and you also can lock them facing straight forward, if you are on a sketchy surface. So we are not worried about winter conditions.

And last but definitely not least, the looks! This was the ultimate challenge, since I am VERY precise about the design of the products I use. But the Fox tackled that challenge, too! I am very happy about the design and the
way they look. To me, this model is easily the best looking stroller out there. Believe me, I have had my eyes on every stroller I have seen in the past months and I haven´t seen other models that are even close with their design. So if you are looking for strollers that are safe, easy to use, have a smooth ride and style, look no further, because Bugaboo Fox is in it´s own league when it comes to modern strollers!

Read more about Bugaboo Fox

ME, MOTHER? 6 LESSONS LEARNED

It´s been seven weeks since the birth of our dear baby boy. I haven´t written anything about the subject yet, because I wanted to enjoy this time 100%. Maybe it goes without saying but still: it has been absolutely magical!

So, now that I´m writing, I thought I´d share six things that I´ve learned during these weeks:

1.THE BABY BUBBLE IS VERY REAL

When I was expecting I had terrible visions about the Baby Bubbble. I was afraid that my life would change in ways I didn´t necessarily want to. I had dreams where I was spending my days in some mommy clubs with other moms and their babies and my whole world would revolve only around diapers, milk and meetings with other moms and nothing else.

I still feel that mommy clubs are not meant for myself, but I´ve given up on the fear of the Baby Bubble -and it is wonderful! Growing into motherhood and getting to know the baby (and myself as a mother) has been mind-blowingly great. We have also done many things with the baby already, like long car trips to the summer house, weekends away from home, dinners in restaurants, etc. So, I´m still a part of the same world as I was before, but now I have a beautiful family to share it with.

2. THE PREGNANCY KILOS DO COME HOME WITH YOU

Many of my friends have left their extra kilos gained during the pregnancy to the hospital or then they have gotten rid of them by breast feeding. I gained about 15kg and still have some extra kilos. But I really don´t care, since it is only temporary and a part of the whole deal. Before I was sure that I would panic if I couldn´t get rid of extra weight right away, but I was wrong again. Of course my body feels different now, but it´s still mine and I´m actually proud of it, since it has gone through some tough times during the process!

Also, I was very worried about stretch marks before, but luckily I managed to avoid them, thanks to Bio Oil! I used 8 bottles of it and it did the job!

3. DO NOT LISTEN TO OTHERS STORIES ABOUT LABOR

This, among so many other things really depend on so many things that it is impossible to say how one´s labor will be and how will it feel like. For very labor is different and everyone experiences it vastly differently. Therefore I really hate it when people start to lecture “oh, you haven´t done it before? Just wait and see…” and then go off on a story about the horrors of giving birth. I find that very arrogant and selfish. Why would you put that kind of pressure on anyones shoulders?

I didn´t read the stories that are all over the internet and managed even not to think too much about the actual event. I mean how else could have I prepare for it, since I had no clue on what was going to happen? Also, I knew that the stories on the internet were mostly “horror stories”, so why would I read them anyway?

Of course I knew it was probably going to hurt and it really was not going to be a walk in the park. But I always thought that the pain would only last for a short period of time and the outcome would be worth it all.

So, how was it? I know some of you won´t believe me but…the whole labor experience was actually beautiful. Not easy by any means, but with the effort and the outcome combined it really was beautiful!

And let me tell you, epidural is the best invention ever!

4. THERE´S STILL LIFE OUTSIDE HOME

Now my intention is not jinx anyones labor. I also try not to preach and lecture about it all, at least not more than I already have done. But it´s not easy, since I´m in the Baby Bubble myself

From very early on, we decided that we would continue on living our everyday lives in the same way we had done before. I mean as much as we could, of course. Basically this meant that we wanted to go out for dinners, continue on with our hobbies, etc. We also wanted avoiding overscheduling and worrying too much about everything so we could keep our heads straight as individual persons.

So far we have succeeded pretty well with this plan. The baby was on his first brunch 10 days old and after 3 weeks he made his first 5 hour car trip to the summer house to spend the weekend with my family.

Of course having a baby does limit your social and other life in many ways, but it doesn´t end it. A small baby is easy to carry around if you plan things and know what you are doing. I have to admit that I´m even a little proud that we have actually went and done things from the very first weeks on.

Our baby mainly sleeps in the car and even in the stroller, which are huge benefits, but there are many things to be considered when you leave home with the baby, such as:

Where can you change the diaper? How about the babys clothes, will it fry or freeze? Why is every old lady coming over to make comments on how I should do this and that?

But to sum it up, this again is really up to you. If you want to sanitize everything and stay at home, you can do it. But you can also go on and do things like you´ve always done before!

5. WHEN LEAVING SOMEWHERE, PREPARATIONS TAKE 3X MORE TIME THAN YOU THINK

Being late sucks. So does rush and stress. When you thought you were ready to leave home in time, things usually happen. And you´re gonna have to change the diaper or clothes or feed the baby or just about anything else. EVERYTHING seems to be possible and almost always at the wrong time.

And you can never find baby socks anywhere, for instance. At least when you need them. But when not needed, they appear in the most funniest places. Right now I have a rule of thumb -when I think something will take X amount of time, I multiply it with three.

6. BAKE AND FREEZE

We have lately had more visitors than ever before. Everybody wants to see the baby and that of course is really nice! But I was told before about how I should bake stuff and put them in the freezer in time. Me being me, of course, I didn´t listen. So we´ve really had some stressful moments when in the middle of all the chaos we´ve realized we have nothing to offer for our guests. So, keep this mind: when you have a baby, ALWAYS have the fridge and the freezer full of food and bakings!

So there you go, I´ll go back into The Bubble again, bye!

HOW AM I?

Our little man turned 39 weeks this week. My maternity leave has lasted for a good while now, and it has been wonderful. The little man is really active and it is moving around to the extent that I already thought that I wouldn’t even make it to maternity leave at all. It’s hard to believe that the moment we have been waiting for almost 9 months is soon at hand and life as we know it, is about to change forever. This April will be something special, that is for sure!

All this time expecting has been so wonderful. Now that I’ve had the time to stay at home all by myself, I’ve done exactly the things I always thought I would do on my maternity leave. I’ve been to breakfasts -alone and with friends, prepared for the time with the baby by washing and ironing his tiny clothes. We have purchased all kinds of baby related things, but only the essentials, since we have tried to avoid getting unneccessary stuff.

I’ve been to a beautician a couple of times and eaten tons of oranges. Last weekend my friends surprised me with a baby shower, that my sister had organized. The shower was even better than I had expected. Kudos to my sister, she really knows me.They took me for a surprise brunch to Hotel Kämp, which is one of my favourite brunches in Helsinki.Thanks to everyone who participated, never in a million years was expecting such a wonderful event like that!

So, everything is ready and we are all set for the baby. At first we thought this was going to be all chaos with the baby related stuff, but it has been surprisingly smooth. Maybe 9 months is enough to mentally prepare and get all the things you are supposed to have when the baby arrives. I’m also surprised about how well we are prepared, because that’s not very typical of us. But hey, there’s a first time for everything!

I’m really proud about the fact that we don’t have too much stuff. Everything has it’s purpose and if it turns we need anything, we’ll get it later. But I haven’t completely lost it, not yet at least. Many people have told me to store food in the freezer, but I’ve refused to do it. I have my own reasons for that, but lately I’ve also had really hard time in the kitchen…or what do you think about dropping a pot full of pancake dough on the floor, for instance? We should also find the time to plan our upcoming renovation project before our little one is born. But more about that project later, now it’s time to focus on more important things!

    Pictures Visuelli Erja

    @visuelli.erja