Since I’ll be spending the next few weeks focusing on
Anton and
Toby, I’ve prepared some posts ahead of time. I’m especially excited about a new weekly series called
Motherhood Around the World. Every Monday, we’ll feature an American mother living abroad in a different country around the world with her family. (First up today: Norway!) Honestly, the interviews have been FASCINATING. While working on them, I kept running into the living room to tell Alex the surprising things these mothers were revealing. Thank you so much to all the incredible mothers who shared their stories.
We spoke to American mothers abroad–versus mothers who were born and bred in those countries—because we wanted to hear how motherhood around the world
compared and contrasted with motherhood in America. It can be surprisingly hard to realize what's unique about your own country ("don't all kids eat snails?"), and it's much easier to identify differences as an outsider.
A disclaimer: We wanted to hear from these individual mothers about their particular experiences, but of course everyone’s impressions, circumstances, social-economic levels and lifestyles are different, so these interviews are in no way meant to explain, describe or reduce entire cultures. (I can’t imagine if someone tried to explain America as a whole!) These interviews are more about women’s personal stories and observations. That’s probably a no-brainer, but I wanted to point that out regardless. We also chose women who were more or less from the same demographic so we could see what it was like within that similar demographic around the world. I'm curious to hear from people born and bred in each country as well, in terms of what you think rings true and what surprises you; and also from people from other countries who are living in the United States.
Anyway, I'm so excited to share these interviews every Monday and discuss parenting customs with you, and a huge thank you to my brilliant writer friend Lina Perl for helping put it together. Hope you enjoy it! xoxo
A few other Cup of Jo series, if you’re in the mood:
*
Mothers talk about trying to find work/life/baby balance*
Guide to NYC*
Funny Dos and Don’ts*
15 Hair Tutorials*
Delicious Recipes*
Home Tours*
More about Careers*
More about Weddings*
More about MotherhoodAnd, of course, please feel free to check out the archives at the top of the blog anytime.
Thank you so much!
(Top photos of
my parents with us in France; bottom photo of a sweet boy in Madrid by
The Sartorialist)
Today's giveaway is from Bridge & Burn, a clothing line based in Portland and inspired by life in the northwest. I love their laid-back, effortless pieces. Today they're letting one lucky reader choose her favorite item. Which would you choose? (I'd go for this or this.)
Have you seen Seinfeld's online comedy series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee? He invites funny people—David Letterman, Ricky Gervais, Chris Rock—to join him for a drive and cup of coffee. I've seen a few, and they've been okay—sometimes funny, but sometimes a little awkward. But! This one with Seth Meyers was great. It helps that Seth Meyers is totally adorable, and the fact that he seemed a little nervous around Seinfeld made him even cuter.
This mouthwatering recipe, by Stephanie of Girl Versus Dough, speaks for itself (and would be perfect for your next Saturday morning)...Read More >
Today's giveaway is from Vine.com, the fantastic online store that curates all natural and organic products for beauty, bath, baby, snacks and household cleaning. We shop there regularly for our family, and they deliver to your door in two days!
Food and fashion.
Krisatomic's post about what fashion week actually looks like made me laugh. 
Toby and I went to the NARS store recently (it's dangerously located across the street from the playground) and I was psyched to get the beautiful red Vesuvio for the summer.
What to do when your kid is embarrassed by your fashion sense.
A summer trend: Knot your shirt!
This gold watch is at the top of my wishlist. Chic and timeless.
Summer hair idea: Teeny braids.
Part Nouveau is an amazing blog that reveals how current fashion photography is inspired by old paintings, art and movies.
Funny descriptions of what 13 people wore to interview with Anna Wintour. And have you seen The September Issue? The documentary takes a fascinating peek behind the scenes at Vogue. The takeaway: Anna Wintour is scary!
For our Motherhood Around the World series, our first interview is with American photographer Rebecca Zeller, who lives in Oslo with her husband and three children. Here, she shares 10 things that have surprised her about raising kids in Norway...
Since I’ll be spending the next few weeks focusing on Anton and Toby, I’ve prepared some posts ahead of time. I’m especially excited about a new weekly series called Motherhood Around the World. Every Monday, we’ll feature an American mother living abroad in a different country around the world with her family. (First up today: Norway!) Honestly, the interviews have been FASCINATING. While working on them, I kept running into the living room to tell Alex the surprising things these mothers were revealing. Thank you so much to all the incredible mothers who shared their stories.
(Top photos of my parents with us in France; bottom photo of a sweet boy in Madrid by The Sartorialist)
