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I have to admit that the backend technology of my blogging is terribly disorganized. So, you can find Swiss Lark here: www.swisslark.com

The page you are on now is an older version and hasn't been updated in a long time. I tried to import all of the posts and that didn't really work either. HA! Anyway, the blog you're looking for is HERE.

Thanks, and see you there! -Lindsey

Coco's First Birthday

Last month, Coco turned one and we had the absolute best first birthday party for her. (I think the adults had more fun than the kids! ;)

On the invitation we asked that instead of gifts, everyone bring a bottle of champagne or a snack to share. Way more champagne than snacks came through the door and everyone toasted the birthday girl and parents. The babies crawled around, the bigger kids played and the adults had lots of time to mingle, chat and drink bubbly. After a little while, we brought out the cupcakes. Coco was so curious about her cupcake and candle. 

She tried a little frosting and wasn't too sure about it. 

Then she decided she didn't like it.

But she continued to play with it, just for fun.

By the time everyone had had a cupcake, it was late afternoon and most of our guests were ready to go home. We liked that the party was short and sweet and simple. Of course, not everyone followed the no-presents request, so we opened Coco's presents with our neighbors and a few friends who were still there.

She was super excited about the baby doll she got and didn't really understand the concept of opening presents, but that's okay. The first birthday party (and maybe even the second?) are really more for the parents. We had an amazing day celebrating our first year as parents, with all of our friends around us, remembering the incredible day of Coco's birth. It was absolutely perfect. How did you celebrate your baby's first birthday? A party? A trip together? Something else? 

Montessori Mondays: Routines

No sooner do you become a parent, than you're hearing right, left and center the importance of routines. If you are a Montessori teacher becoming a parent, you already know this, and you think to yourself, that's right, nothing is more important to children and babies than a reliable and consistent routine. But setting routines is way more difficult than I ever imagined it would be. Sigh! We did find a really amazing groove when Coco was about 4 weeks old and I read Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. I didn't read it until she was already 4 weeks, but I would recommend getting this book while you're still pregnant and reading it during those last weeks when all you want to do is sit with your feet up anyway. :) The baby whisperer covers everything from coming home from the hospital to bathing to feeding and sleeping, and makes it all easy as can be. Honestly. We enjoyed that period so much. But then, at around six months, Coco grew out of the newborn phase and the tips and tricks in the baby whisperer weren't working anymore. 

While daytime has always been fine, things progressively became more complicated in the evening. Coco started eating solid food, needing a dedicated dinner time, which conflicted with our dinner time. Then she started moving around, which meant that putting her to sleep for the night by herself in our bed was suddenly hazardous! The evening period between 5 and 7:30 became my most dreaded time of day and I'm still trying to figure it all out. I've read The No-Cry Sleep Solution, Dr. Sears' The Sleep Book and now I'm reading The Sleepeasy Solution. It's not all that easy. On the one hand, I'm questioning the choice to co-sleep. But then again, it wasn't really a choice as Coco wouldn't sleep at all unless we were touching! I'm sort of shocked and upset with myself that so much time has passed (she is already one year old!) and that we haven't managed to sort out a better nighttime routine. But, that is silly too, I guess, because you can only move forward when you and your baby are both ready. 

As of now, I'm determined to get our ducks in a row and develop a good nighttime routine - before Coco can walk and talk! I know she is old enough and ready. And finally, I am ready. I did a full year of very much baby-lead routines and parenting and now it's time to come up with something more sustainable. We all need good sleep, J needs to be rested for work, I need to wake up without a kink in my neck! And what if I go back to work at some point? And what about when we have the next baby in a couple of years? And what about when Coco starts Montessori pre-school? Having a good nighttime routine is necessary for all of these scenarios to function well. Plus, having a routine is kind of great, don't you think? What is your routine like during that dreaded evening period? How do you fit it all in peacefully and still have time for your spouse and yourself? 

Have an amazing fall weekend!

This weekend, I am looking forward to bright blue skies, warm sun-filled afternoons, long shadows from golden evening rays, fiery pink sunsets and extra cold nights that make for extra crisp mornings. Tonight my mom and I are going to have a fire in her chiminea in the backyard and make s'mores. Yum! Saturday, my uncle is taking us to an Apple Smash party. We will enjoy the fall weather and help make fresh-pressed cider out of the gorgeous, world-famous Washington apples. Sunday night, I'm thinking of making a sage-y beef stew. What are you doing this weekend? Is the weather beautiful where you are? 

Here are a few things that caught my eye this week. 

We just received our beautiful free trial. 

Coco's favorite toy these days.

Simply dazzling. 

My weekend reading. 

I am so inspired by this story!

Darling non-toxic shoes from Germany.

Definitely worth watching if you haven't already.

Folio Rose has a new Facebook page. Please like us!

Enjoy your weekend and see you back here Monday! xo

Perfect Fall Weather

Technically it's a high desert climate, so it gets super hot in the summer, crazy cold in the winter and has textbook spring and fall days with extreme temperature drops at night. Here, each of the seasons is distinct and intense. This week we are having the most beautiful fall weather possible.

Coco's American Identity

Of course Coco is American. That is really important to us because we are American. But I now understand, in a very concrete way, that her American identity is much more than a passport she carries. Yesterday, the lawn guy came to mow the lawn, and Coco was absolutely amazed! 

(She had no idea what was going on! ;) Get the whole story after the jump. 

When she first heard it, she looked alarmed and scared. I casually said, "Oh, sounds like someone is mowing their lawn" and carried on with whatever we were doing. Then she crawled over to the back door, pulled up and stood there, squealing and pounding on the door and I realized. Oh my goodness. My child has never seen a lawnmower before.

When he went around to the front and she could still hear it, nothing would satisfy her but being taken out on the front steps to watch. He stopped, smiled at us like we were crazy people and asked nicely, "She likes the lawnmower, huh?" That was when I actually had to explain that she's never even seen a lawnmower. It's a good thing for these visits to the US. Otherwise, Coco would find the place entirely foreign when we move back in a few years. As she gets older and more curious, I really see how different her life is in Zurich than it would be here. What sort of things are quintessentially American to you? What other experiences that shape us do we take completely for granted?

Winter Skincare for Dry Skin

I have super dry skin, so in the winter, it's always necessary for me to have a more moisturizing skincare routine. My favorite wintertime cleanser is Lancôme's Huile Douceur. At first it seems so crazy to rub oil all over your face, but actually it is really lovely. First, you apply the oil to a dry face and massage in, then bring to the eye area and gently massage to remove eye makeup. (It's such a bonus to not need a separate eye-makeup remover. It really works, and with no raccoon eyes! ;) Then you wet your hands with warm water and mix into the oil already on your face. When you do this, the oil magically emulsifies and becomes a creamy cleanser. Finally, rinse with warm water or use a washcloth to remove for extra exfoliation. This cleanser leaves my skin feeling smooth and protected and it smells wonderful. 

For the past year and a half, I've been using Arbonne's RE9 skincare year-round. It's wonderful stuff, and really delivers, but this year I decided to trim the budget, so I'm making a switch. That means I am without an eye cream, night cream and day cream. I've been sampling a few different brands, but so far I haven't found a winner. I'd really like to find a drugstore or health food store brand that works well, but is still inexpensive. Do you have dry skin? What creams do you use in the winter? I'm curious, do you find that you spend too much on skincare, too?

(photo from Lancôme)