Flowers delivery for Berliners

My friends love flowers and many of them receive regularly beautiful bouquets every week, from as far as from Austria. But it seems that in the last two years, flowers delivery services entered the Berlin and German market in general too. For instance, Bloomon, who operates for around 2 years already.

I discovered the company during the tour of the Home and Garden show the last week. Before asking them what they are doing, the beautiful appearance of the bouquet, natural, seasonal flowers, caught my eyes. Those beautiful bouquets can be delivered at home once or regularly, accompanied with the bowls. The prices for flowers start from 23 EUR.

The website - in German - is very well done, with a lot of information about how to order. You need to choose the size of the bouquet, the delivery, indicate the address and pay. The rest is the duty of the company. It seems very simple.

If your language skills do not help, you can understand a lot just watching the graphic images. As for now, the company operates also in other big German cities, such as Hamburg and Düsseldorf.

The book every new parent should read

The first days with the new baby are quite a stress. You need to buy many new things you never knew it exist and get used with the sleep deprivation and, if you breastfeed, to be sure that everything is done right for offering the baby the right amount of nutrition. Written by an experienced professional and private maternity nurse, The Baby Book helps you turn a potential nightmare into an enjoyable, unforgettable experience. 

This new edition of the book published ten years ago is very well structured and written in an accessible style. You'll find personal short stories, useful hints and, especially, detailed to-do and to-have lists that helps you navigate smoothly through the first year of your baby. Wish I had this book before, but even now it is not too late to check and make eventual corrections.

The encouraging tone of the author makes you feel just normal. There is no perfect parent and what we can do the best is to follow the general rules and principles, while trying to write your own parenting book. In fact, we are quite priviledged nowadays with so may advice and available resources that can be used regardless of our geographical location. 

The book is organised in big chapters, covering important issues such as feeding, sleep, emotional development. The main approach is the importance to create routines and rules. The sooner the better as the kids need to get used not always with a lot of love and cuddling, but also with rules and respect. 'Toddlers often gain a great sense of security from routine in an ever-changing world; for example, using the same bowl for breakfast or having the same story at bedtime'. It is what I noticed myself during the last extended trip with the baby, when my baby had to cope with a lot of challenges due to a different weather and room setting. 

I strongly recommend this book to new or old parents, as a very useful guidance during the first year of baby life. It makes the integration of the baby into your life and your life in general much easier.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher via NetGalley.com

Baby love from DM

If you are in one of those emergency situations when your nappies are not enough or just you need a decent place to change your baby, pay a visit to your DM next door and you will have a surprise. As we travel quite a lot these days, we feel a big relief every time when we see such a drugstore, because we just feel safe and sure that our baby's sensitive part will be fine from now on. According to our experience, the changing corner is usually situated near the baby articles section.

In most cases, the place is clean, with a big changing pad. In addition, one can find nappies for different sizes, very resistant and generally good quality, plus various toiletries items you need for the delicate process: hand sanitizer, wet napkins, normal napkins. Every time we use this service we enjoyed the exprience and felt we are in a place where the wellbeing of children really matters.

A delicious pistachio sandwich

I am the biggest fan of breakfast and thus, I am trying to be as creative as possible, while keeping up with a busy schedule and a baby too cute to be left on his own any single second. The last week, as I was up early for preparing a very special recipe - details coming up soon - I had some pistachio leftover and decided to try something new for my black bread slice. 

The preparation takes around 5 minutes, which is good timing as you want to do it again and again. As long as you have enough pistachio, why not? You only live once...

Here are the ingredients and the basic directions:

10 pistachio - for the beginning - crushed in the blender

one slice of avocado cream

one drop of olive oil

one slice of yellow cheese

Everything spread on a big black bread slice

Enjoy your breakfast!

Modest high fashion in Jerusalem - Amanda K.

Being modest and being fashionable do not go always together, because being modest mostly means to not be seen, while a fashionista cannot cross the street without attracting any kind of views. But being modest does not mean either to be unkept or dress the same clothes - preferably black - every day. In the last decade, many modest, religious Jewish women in Israel and elsewhere were able to show that not showing too much of your body and not wearing extravagant clothes is not the opposite of being elegant and good-looking. 

As I was strolling the streets of Jerusalem, in the growingly popular Emek Refaim area, I discovered Amanda K store. It uses fade colours and pastel materials, creating attractive dresses, skirts and blouses. Without being extravagant, you keep a sense of wellbeing and natural beauty. And this, in my opinion, is the essence of tzniut: praising the beauty of natural woman.

An important section is represented by the headgear, including very fine silky scarves, items that I really love - a long post about modest headgears, coming up in the next days. The colours are from the same discrete yet elegant palette, sending modest statements. 

For the husband, fancy velvet covering for prayer books and shawls are also available, but somehow I've found them a bit extravagant for the kind of man I fancy - who will not cover his tefillin in a sequins bag.

The prices are middle to high, and the customer service is very friendly too. 

Skin spa from L'Oréal

Source: L'Oréal

I haven't tried too many skin oils because I just prefer to use the right product at the right moment. Right now, after three weeks spent in a relatively polluted part of the world and with a different temperature heights I am back to the chilly yet hot once in a while climate of Berlin. The first victim of such changes is the skin and thus, decided that I should pay more attention and care to it.

Thus, my decision to give my skin a spa for a week with Luxurious oils from L'Oréal Paris. It is available in Germany at any Douglas or Rossmann store, for prices starting with 15 EUR. I used 5 drops each time, in the morning and for the night. The recommendation is to use less for the day, but somehow I decided that I need more soothening. I applied the oil on the entire skin, plus the neck. In the evening treatment, I did a bit of extra massage. 

The overall experience was from good to excellent. It is well absorbed by the skin and I haven't developed any allergy. The skin looked revigorated and shining. The first minutes after applying, the skin is a bit too greasy, but maybe I was too excited about the products and overdid the recommended dosis.

L'Oréal aimed to offer a real spa feeling to the skin, with a mixture of many fragrances among which: olive fruit oil, jojoba seed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, rosemary, cucumber fruit extract, turmeric root extract, jasmine extract, orange peel, lemon. Unfortunately, the predominant fragrance is lavender, which I fancy the least, so for me, was not the happiest olphactive experience.

The general impression about this product is very good, with a good value for money and visible effects on skin. Recommended, especially if you like the lavender smell.

At Home and Garden Exhibition in Berlin

 The Home and Garden Exhibition is celebrating 20 years in 2016. With a special focus on outdoor decorations and inspiration, it is an itinerant event organised between May and September in several big cities across Germany, such as Cologne, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Stuttgart or Essen. In Berlin, it was organised at the Ritterstadium Olympia. 

Reuniting exhibitors from all over Germany, it offers a variety of products and ideas especially to private owners. Swimming pools were one of the main products featured, even though the usually rainy weather in Germany does not allow it a long time use. The prices for such special whirlpools may vary between 2,000 and 8,000 EUR.

Some outdoor products are also adapted for indoors. Those tables, for instance, have a detacheable platform that can be used as a tray in the house too. 

Ideas for the garden abund. With a minimal investment, you can make your dream corner in the middle of the nature. Personally, I am for keeping the garden as wild as possible, but some may want just to bring some city feeling there too.

As lon as I can have a lazy corner where I can read and write, I am happy. Hopefully, it is not that difficult to find the right pieces of furniture.

Decorations for the garden are a different category of products, with many statues and colourful items to hang out. These metal cones with filigran cuttings can bring a lot of entertainment in the night, when you burn something as trivial as toilet paper in the middle.

From your comfy, beach-like chair, you can just watch the show - or the latest soccer challenges. The choice is yours!

 Or to get ready for a barbecue, by using these massive, but easy to use machines.

For a big family gathering, you need not only your Zen moment, but also a serious furniture. This corner costs at this fair 7,995 EUR.

Some antiques stores are also present, suggesting some classical, high-end and top notch price corners. First and foremost, you need the big space and the money. The rest just can be arranged.

Overall, the exhibition was a good experience, with a lot of interactions and interesting ideas and products. It also had some food and clothes section, not necessarily outstanding but offering some affordable shopping options if you do not want to leave this place without some purchase.

Strongly recommended to anyone looking for good deals of products for garden and outdoors decorations.