The lovely Gina recently posted about baby naming in Sweden. We exchanged a couple of emails about the traditions there and she explained that Swedes will sometimes take many months — even a year! — before they name their babies. It got me thinking about my own baby naming stories. As soon as we knew he was a boy, we picked Ralph’s name. But Maude’s first birth certificate said Miriam (seems so strange now, it wouldn’t fit her at all!). We ended up changing her name to Maude the day after we filed the Miriam paperwork, but we didn’t get around to getting a new birth certificate for a few months. I remember standing in line at a bland government office, arms full of little toddler Ralph and tiny baby Maude, going through the red tape to get the new certificate, feeling completely overwhelmed, and promising myself that if we had any more babies, we’d have the name figured out before we left the hospital — so that I’d never have to refile that paperwork again. Hah! What about you? Did your baby’s name come to you right away? Or did you have to search for it? Are any of you like the Swedish? Did you spend a few months after the baby was born trying on names until you decided? P.S. — I find Swedish child-rearing endlessly interesting. Remember the preschools that are entirely outdoor? Also, remember tiny Baby June?

Last month, before we flew to Rome, we stayed in Paris for couple of days. While we were there, we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower with the kids for the first time! I thought I’d share a few helpful tips for any of you with an Eiffel Tower climb in your future. (I hope it’s lots of you!) …

4 Tips for Climbing the Eiffel Tower with KidsRead More »

Would you like to see the next episode of Olive Us? In this one, Olive is having trouble getting customers at her lemonade stand. Find out what happens when she brainstorms with her brothers and sisters! Once again, it’s something completely different from the previous episodes. This is our most scripted video yet — where the kids get their first chance at reciting written lines. I hope you enjoy the show! If you’d like to stay in touch about all things Olive Us, be sure to subscribe here. You’ll receive a weekly email with updates, new videos and behind the scenes footage. For example, here are Maude & Olive demonstrating Zing, Zing, Zing — the hand game they played in episode 1. Once again, a big thank you to Pottery Barn Kids for sponsoring our first 3 episodes!   …

Olive Us: Episode 3: Lemonade StandRead More »

I’m writing from the train today. This morning, my niece Roxcy and I took the 6:00am to Paris, and then a taxi to Charles de Gaulle airport, where Roxcy boarded a non-stop flight to Salt Lake City. (I snapped the photo above while we were on the train. Even when she hasn’t had enough sleep, Roxcy is as lovely as can be.) Sending an unaccompanied child off on a Transatlantic flight is nerve-wracking. There’s such an instinct to stay with her, to make sure she’s fed and comfortable and entertained on the long journey. And mostly, to make sure she arrives home safe and sound. I will be holding my breath until I hear she’s back in her parents’ care. Roxcy’s flight today marked 3 months of staying with us — 3 months is as long as a U.S. visitor can stay in France without applying for special visas. While she was here, we enrolled her in the local school with her Blair cousins, she helped out like any member of the family, and she traveled around with us on our adventures. She’s a great kid — kind and smart and helpful. We loved having her around and Ben Blair reported lots of tears this morning as the little ones woke up and realized she was really gone. Tell me, did you ever have an adventure like Roxcy’s when you were a kid? Maybe stayed with a cousin far from home? Or traveled with a study abroad group? How long were you gone? And If you had the chance, would you offer this sort of experience to your own child? Have your kids ever taken a solo flight? (I think it’s so brave!) P.S. — My train back to Normandy left at 1:55 in the afternoon, so I had a couple of hours to run errands in Paris. I bought scissors from Muji, party banners from Hema, and macarons for Ben Blair from Ladurée. It was very multicultural shopping. : )

Are you ready for episode 2 of Olive Us? It’s something completely different from Garden Day — it’s a recipe tutorial! Make this with your kids and dip bread or crackers or veggies in it. They will love it! I hope you enjoy the show! If you’d like to stay in touch about all things Olive Us, be sure to subscribe here. You’ll receive a weekly email with updates, new videos and behind the scenes footage. For example, here’s Ralph sharing some fun facts about episode 1. Once again, a big thank you to Pottery Barn Kids for sponsoring our first 3 episodes! P.S. — At the Blair house, we love tzatziki on everything. We learned to make it when Ben Blair and I lived in Greece. We’ll make a big batch for dinner and eat it with chicken and Greek salad. Have you ever tried it? …

Olive Us: Episode 2: I’m Hungry: TzatzikiRead More »

Brooke Fish and her family are moving — just a few streets away — because their current house was unable to grow with them, no matter how hard they tried to make it work or how often they battled city codes! So this tour of their just-sold home is a little less of a tour, and much more a love letter to the place where their earliest family memories were made. Enjoy it, Friends! Q: Tell us who lives in this sweet home…for the next few weeks! A: My little love, laughter, and grace filled home consists of a complete outnumbering of boys three to one: my amazing husband of nine years, photographer Adam Fish, and our two boys  Jude, who is nearly seven, and Liam, who is almost four. Due to allergies, we have no dogs or cats, but over the years there has been a Beta fish named Pinky Toe, a caterpillar named Herbert, and a turtle named Sherbet. Q: How did it become yours? A: Purchasing our first home was a grueling experience. We looked for months and months, knowing that we wanted to live in a little sub-division of Dallas called Lake Highlands. We had hoped to find a mid-century modern within our budget, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices knowing that your first home doesn’t necessarily mean your forever home. We didn’t fall in love with this house right away, but it did offer some great things, like a fully remodeled kitchen, original hardwoods, and walk-in closets. Over the years we made it ours with paint in every single room, a remodeled bookcase, and new doors in the rear entries. I’m so very blessed to have a skilled carpenter for a father-in-law! …

Living With Kids: Brooke FishRead More »

It’s here! Olive Us has officially launched. Tiger in a Jar — the amazing video crew who put this together — has been working round the clock to finish up the edits. And I’m crazy excited about how it turned out! I hope you are too. : ) I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. Things you can do to join in the fun: – Watch our pilot episode. It’s called Garden Day. It was made with love! – Check out the new Olive Us website. You can find out more about the show there, including FAQs and bios of the kids. There’s even a video of Ben Blair talking about the aims of the series. – Subscribe to Olive Us! We’ll be sharing new videos every week and we don’t want you to miss out. – Tell your friends. We’d love help getting the word out about Olive Us. If you like what you see, feel free to share the videos on Facebook or your own blog or wherever you like to share things. We hope you enjoy the first episode. A huge thanks to Pottery Barn Kids for being the sponsor — they’ve been so fun to work with, and their faith in the idea made the series a possibility. P.S. — Oscar made up the song at the end on the video. Hah! …

Olive Us Launch! Episode 1: GardeningRead More »

Question: Hi Gabrielle! Could you please give me some advice? My baby is turning 3 this year and I’m thinking about getting pregnant again. How did you decide to space your kids? How do you know it’s time to have another one or if you’re done? I appreciate your thoughts. — Thanks, Jeannie. Answer: Wow. That’s a big question, Jeannie! But I’m game. As far as spacing goes, in my head, I always thought I’d have babies about two years apart until I was done. But that never happened. Here’s what did happen: Ralph and Maude are 18 months apart. Maude and Olive are 2 1/2 years apart. Olive and Oscar are 3 1/2 years apart. Oscar and Betty are 16 months apart. Betty and June are 4 years apart. It turns out, not everyone has control of when and if they’ll conceive (or adopt). Me included. So first off, even if you make a plan, know that you may or may not be able to stick with it. And that it will all work out either way. Here are my thoughts on what I experienced. Sixteen months apart was definitely the trickiest. It’s not twins, but it’s still two babies. I won’t lie, it can be rough. But the nice thing is, if you have a hard time enjoying a certain stage — say the diaper years, or the preschool phase —  you move on to the next part of life really fast. Having kids close in age is efficient! Another nice thing is a built in playmate. Oscar and Betty have been inseparable for years. I’m sure that will change at some point, but it’s been wonderful as we’ve moved from New York to Colorado to France. …

Ask Design Mom: Spacing KidsRead More »

Scrolling through Cortnie’s photos made me a little sleepy, and I mean that in the most wonderful way! Her home — despite being filled with twin boys who probably fill up the space with lots of laughter, dirt, and noise! — seems so calm, content, and positively airy. All the perfect conditions for the perfect nap, wouldn’t you agree? It honestly made me think back on my own childhood, especially those lazy afternoons with the ceiling fan making the curtains dance, lulling me into an unexpected slumber. Enjoy the tour, Friends, and be sure to tell me if you had the same reaction to this sweetly sleepy home! Q: Tell us all about the family who lives here! A: In our home lives my husband Gary, myself, one huge black and white tomcat, one petite calico, and our twin three year old boys, August and Liam. …

Living With Kids: Cortnie EnnsRead More »

Hello, Friends! How are you? I just arrived back in France from Miami. It was a short trip, but it feels so good to be home! My kids have school off today and tomorrow so they were all home when I arrived and came running out of the house with a big welcome sign. Love! My jet lag is comical at this point, so I’m going to head straight to bed, but I just wanted to say hello and share this fantastic project from Gina of WillowDay. So chic looking! Find the whole tutorial here. Enjoy! And I’ll see you tomorrow. P.S. — Did you have a good weekend?

Hello, Friends! Remember Plan A? It looked like this: Move to France for one year. February 1st 2011 to February 1st 2012. Then, last January I announced an adjusted plan. Let’s call it Plan B: Stay a few more months — through the end of the school year. February 1st 2011 to July 1st 2012. And today, here’s another update, another adjustment. Plan C: Stay another school year. Or 2 1/2 years total! February 1st 2011 to July 1st 2013. Then we’re really, truly moving back. For reals. How do I know? The lovely family we’re renting La Cressonnière from will be moving back in. We feel good about Plan C. In fact, we’re super excited to get another year here! It gives our kids a chance to get even more comfortable with French. And gives us more time to find our next home. The kids are excited too! But it’s been over a year since they’ve been to America and they’re craving a visit with friends and family. So we’re planning a long trip to the U.S. this summer. We’ll be spending the month of July with the Blairs and the Stanleys in Utah and Colorado. Then we’ll come back here for another year. Tell me: Are you surprised? Or did you suspect an extension all along? : ) Would you stay if you were us? P.S. — The countryside is covered with yellow fields right now — I snapped the photo above yesterday evening. I was told the plant is moutarde (mustard), but not the sort of mustard we eat. It’s grown for farm animals, and because it improves the soil. So pretty!

It makes perfect sense that a landscape designer would grow an enviable outdoor paradise, but did you ever wonder how a skill like that would translate to interior decorating? I hope you have! Friends, I’m happy to share Rochelle Greayer‘s home with you. Please be prepared for some verdant goodness, indoors and out. There’s a definite secret garden vibe happening in this home: twinkly lights, firmly-rooted collections, and not a weed in sight — unless you count the Lego city that took two weeks to build on the dining room table! Enjoy the tour. Q: Who’s lucky enough to grow in this home? A: Rob, Rochelle, our nine year old daughter Meredith, and our six year old son Isaac. There’s also Lyle the Cat who is 14, and Earvin Zippance Greayer, also known as Zippy the Puppy, who is 12 weeks old and just arrived in our home a few weeks ago. Also, we have nine chickens: our rooster, Precious, Bones, Mutmee, Whitey, Chippy, Glinda, Scoob, Dooby, and Daphne. Add two turkeys called Tank and Chrissy — short for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which was my husband’s idea, but they were pardoned by me two years ago and have remained with us ever since! …

Living With Kids: Rochelle GreayerRead More »

Have you ever heard of May Baskets? I hadn’t. But Amy of This Heart of Mine told me about the sweet May Basket tradition she experienced as a child and I thought it sounded so lovely! Amy came up with a bunch of little May Basket ideas, and I asked her to share a tutorial for 3 of the baskets here. Enjoy! And please do chime in if you have your own May Basket memories. I’d love to hear them! — Gabrielle May Day is coming! And May Day means May baskets. I remember as a child feeling so excited about the pretty little baskets of treats left on our doorstep by kind friends. The treats were nice but the baskets were my favorite part. Even now, many years later, I have two of the very best saved in my keepsake box. I don’t think we really celebrate May Day for its official purpose but it does give us reason to make beautiful, colorful baskets filled with treats for our friends. Maybe you’d like to make some too? …

DIY: May Day BasketsRead More »

It’s planting time around these parts, and I’ve got plants and seeds and soil on the brain. Everything in Normandy seems to grow and thrive like gangbusters. Last year, we had so many herbs on our hands, I didn’t know what to do with our loot! So I asked Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia to teach us how to dry herbs — I don’t want to waste a sprig!  — Gabrielle —— Spring is here and my little garden is already springing forth with herbs.  I love to enjoy them fresh all through the warmer months. When it starts to turn cold out, I start harvesting my herbs so I can dry them to use all winter long too. Hopefully this will inspire you to get your hands dirty and plant a little herb garden to enjoy all year long — fresh and dried. This is the perfect time to plant seeds or seedlings for a boom crop. (Check your local garden centers for seedlings and advice on planting herbs in your climate.) Or if gardening isn’t your thing, maybe this will prevent you from throwing away the extra fresh herbs you bought and can’t use up. There are some herbs that are definitely better fresh than dried, but when you dry them yourself, you are able to better preserve the essential oils in the herbs and they are infinitely fresher than the dried herbs you’ll find on the supermarket shelves. …

DIY: Drying HerbsRead More »

I’ve seen Molly Winn’s work before, and so have you; she photographed Joanna’s house tour back in January! She’s sharing her skills with us once again, this time in her own crisp and airy home with features that will surely make you swoon. (Do not miss her stairwell nook. I mean it. I’m adding it to my always-growing list of dream home musts!) Please enjoy the tour, as well as Molly’s darling interview. After I read it the first time, I felt like I’d just had a conversation with a sweet friend. Everyone, I’d love for you to meet Molly. Q: Tell us about the family who lives here. A: My sweet husband Adam, our five year old daughter Brennan, and myself! Adam is a professor who teaches at a local university and also teaches for several other universities online, I’m a mom and a photographer, and Brennan is a flower picking, snail hunting, princess dress wearing pre- kindergartner! My husband and I both primarily work from home so the three of us are together quite a bit, which we love! …

Living With Kids: Molly WinnRead More »

For this Love the Place You Live column, I’m writing about Domain de la Galotière. It’s an apple and pear juice farm about 25 minutes from our house. This region of France produces wonderful apples, pears and all the related products like juice, cider, and a strong drink called calvados. Fun fact: this is the only region of France that doesn’t produce wine. No grapes here, it’s all about apples in Normandy. The farm couldn’t have been more charming. Every building was made from half timber construction and the whole place was picturesque — down to the friendly dog. The inside of the shop was filled with jams and bottles and baskets and everything you might expect of a country farm. We ended up buying 6 bottles of apple juice and 6 of pear. Confession: we bought the juice on Saturday and we’re down to 1 bottle of apple and 3 bottles of pear today. It’s really good! …

Love The Place You Live: Apple Juice FarmRead More »

Barb and her husband, Vinny, have spent their marriage traveling the world, ultimately planting roots in Annapolis with their young son, Ben. And luckily for this home tour today, they sent back more than a postcard or souvenir tee shirt! Their house is full of bits and pieces, both over-sized and carry-on packable, that tell a story in another language. It’s so wanderlust-inducing that I bet you’ll want to hop on a plane tomorrow. Enjoy the tour, Friends! Q: Tell us about the family who lives in this out-of-this-world home! A: Our happy little family consists of my husband, Vinny, our almost 14 month old son, Ben, our two spoiled beagles, Lincoln and Ike, and me, Barb. I own a home staging business, which I absolutely love. I spent a very long time working in sales and account management positions in the corporate world while very much desiring to pursue my passion in home design. I finally took the plunge and couldn’t be happier! Vinny works in the IT field, although he plays a big role in the day to day operations of my business, Wall to Wall Home Staging. Ben is the joy of our lives and is a very active and energetic toddler! And, our beagles….well, they lead a glorified life…essentially they are waited on, take frequent naps throughout the day and sleep anywhere they desire in the house. And, they are rewarded with long walks and lots of treats and affection. …

Living With Kids: Barb PerezRead More »

Here’s a little update from our trip. On Tuesday we visited the Vatican Museum. I didn’t really understand what it was. I thought we were just getting to see the Sistine Chapel, but instead, it’s a huge art museum with the Sistine Chapel as the finale. I had such an emotional reaction to the collection and it caught me off guard. Near the end of the tour, you come upon this huge (huge like 15 or 20 feet high) sketch of Mary, offering her baby to the World. I started crying as I approached it. It was so beautiful! And then I realized it was by Matisse and I started crying even harder. (Oh dear!) I love lots of Matisse’s work, but am especially drawn to his oversize pieces that look super simple and child like — created from line drawings and cut paper. I wasn’t expecting to see works by Matisse. It was such a happy surprise! Here’s a little video I found about the Matisse gallery, in case you’re curious. Then, 10 minutes later, we walked into the Sistene Chapel and I teared up all over again! It really is jaw-dropping. It made my heart beat faster. I don’t consider myself very sentimental, so it always surprises me when I cry at unexpected times. Has art ever brought you to tears? Have you ever visited the Vatican Museum? P.S. — The museum also houses the School of Athens by Raphael. It felt like an honor to see it! If you’d like, you can follow along on our adventure here and here.

Rome is treating us well. We are eating lots of gelato. LOTS. kisses, Gabrielle P.S. — Find a house tour and another fun post below.

Kelly Rae Roberts is an artist. It’s a fact I learned not from her inspiration-fueling books and e-courses or even by browsing her heart-lifting portfolio, but by simply touring her home. This is a woman who looks at peeling wallpaper and turns it into a masterpiece. This is a woman who collects scraps of fabric and turns them into something I would have ordered and hung over baby June’s crib. This is a woman who sees a corner of an attic and envisions a master bath that will make you audibly sigh. This is a woman who fills her home with everything and anything she loves, and turns it all into art. Or maybe she’s filled her home with art, and turned it all into love. Either way, welcome to Kelly Rae’s world, Friends! Q: Please tell us about the lucky ones who live in this sunshine-filled home! A: My husband, John, who is a part-time nurse anesthetist, full-time papa, and amazing husband. There’s also me, the mama and the artist. And True, our 18-month old son. …

Living With Kids: Kelly Rae RobertsRead More »