I recently had a collaboration with Vichy and their  Slow Âge Nuit night creme and it was a hit. I’m already working on my second jar of the good stuff. 

So when they asked me if I wanted to try out their new Minéral 89 Booster and Slow Âge day cream as a part of my morning routine, I jumped at the chance.

I love collaborating with brands and products that actually do what it says on the box and I either already use or really fancy trying out.

I have to admit I have been a bit of a skin-snob in the past. It had to be all kinds of fancy and expensive to be good, or so I thought. These days I have realized that it’s what’s on the inside of the product that matters and that I don’t have to spend a small fortune to have a good skincare routine.

Vichy is a hypoallergenic pharmacy brand that is dermatologically tested to suit even the most sensitive of skins. I love that the brand is positioned at a decent price point and that they make products that actually do what they claim. It’s a lot harder to find than one expects.

I have realized that what my skin actually needs the most in moisture, tonnes of moisture. Preferably I would like a 12-step Korean beauty routine, but I don’t have the time nor the energy to commit to that every morning.

That’s why Vichy’s new Minéral 89 Booster is the perfect product for me. I can add it either as an extra step in my skincare routine, before my serum, when I have the time. Or, if I’m in a hurry, I can use a few drops of the booster as a serum under my day cream.

What Minéral 89 mainly does is to add even a bit more moisture to the skin in the shape of hyaluronic acid and mineral-rich thermal water.

It’s a gel that sinks into the skin straight away and is so light that it would suit even you who have slightly oilier skin or find serums a bit too much. Just use the booster instead of the serum and add your day cream on top.

I’m ridiculously careful with what I put on my skin, mainly because I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup. So I rather put my energy into prepping my face so my skin looks healthy on its own. This is the secret to that glow I really like.

This is my new skincare routine;

1. I was my face with a gentle and moisturizing cleanser that doesn’t strip my already slightly dry skin from its natural oils.
2. I add the Minéral 89 booster all over my face.
3. (If I have the time I add another serum on top).
4. I use Vichy Slow Âge day cream, for even more moisture and SPF 30. This way I know that my skin always is protected against the sun.
5. Vichy Slow Âge eye cream for the sensitive skin around my eyes.
6. I’m ready for makeup unless I’m having a “good skin day” and choose to go without.

Guys, remember that you will have your skin all your life. Clothes and all the other material things we choose to spend our money on comes and goes. But you can’t buy or make new skin, so make sure to take good care of it every day, you won’t get a second chance.

It’s never too late to start a good skincare routine.

So, have inspired you to try a serum or a booster now? If you don’t already have it as a step in your skincare routine, then I think you should give it a try. You get a lot of result for a fairly small input.

I have asked Vichy to give you guys a 20% discount on Minéral 89 . Just click here or use the code “Min89_20” at Swedish online pharmacy Apotea to try out the new booster at a great price. 

This post is sponsored by Vichy.

Jumper – New Look, trousers – Y.A.S, cap – Brixton. (adlinks) Location – Westminster Bridge. Photo – Ida Zander. 

This is a slightly unusual start of the week for me. I’m sitting at my regular table at Minnow with Olive, as usual. But I have a sleeping Ace in the buggy next to me. 

This morning when we got to his nursery there was a power cut, so they couldn’t safely take any of the children. I had to bring little Acie face along to the café, bribe him with a big buttery croissant and let him dance on the table before he fell asleep in the buggy.

Not ideal from a work point of view, but shit happens. You have to be flexible when it comes to small children and make sure not to get too stressed and to be nice to ourselves. Things that are out of our control, are out of our control and that’s that.

As usual we are starting our week with affirmations, mantras, goals, visions, and dreams:

The mantra of the week – “There are no wrong decisions.” Everything happens for a reason and it will either work out perfectly or not at all and we have learnt that lesson until next time. As long as we have made the choice with our hearts and truly believe it’s the right option, there are no regrets. This is a good thing to remember those days when we stand in front of a big choice or just small everyday decisions. Sometimes it’s more important to make a choice than what we actually choose.

The affirmation of the week – “I  attract positive and supportive people because I am myself a positive and supportive person”. We become like the people we spend time with and as an adult, most of our friendship circles are already full. When you are young, your circles are constantly growing, but as we get older they shrink again. Some go because of life and others we clear out, rarely to be replaced. We get more and more selective about who we want to spend our time with and it’s incredibly important that the people in the inner circle believe in us and makes us feel good about ourselves.

The goal of the week – I have quite a lot of work to get done this week, so the goal is to get it all done without putting too much pressure on myself. With Ace not going to nursery today and a school tour on Wednesday I will have to be very efficient. But I will get it done. I have my tools to avoid stressing myself out and I will use them.

The dream of the week – Am I allowed to dream of spending a few months in the Caribbean? I have only surfed once, in Barbados, but I really loved it and would love to learn properly. To bring my little family and go and live somewhere like Barbados or Antigua one winter would be the dream. I will just have to wait until Ace is old enough to stand on a board first.

The vision of the week – A big walk-in closet filled with only clothes I truly love and feel good wearing. One side is mine, the other one is Garth’s and in the middle is a display cabinet with my wedding dress (why keep it in a box not to be seen?) I actually had a walk-in planned on the original drawings for this flat, but to get planning permission we had to change a few things prioritized bigger bedrooms over a walk-in. But in the next house!

Focus of the week – To get all my work done, do 2 yoga sessions, clean and tidy up at home after the party and clear out more items from my wardrobe. I’m getting better and better at letting go of old things and “Save the children” here in Clapham is getting the bulk of it.

The event of the week – This will in contrast to last week, be a calm one for us. I have noticed that an every-other system works really well. The only thing planned is to go and tour a potential school for Ace on Wednesday. We have registered him at two different schools and will choose what would suit him better when he is a little bit older. The whole school conundrum here in London is completely mental.

The lesson from last week – Kids parties are great fun. I have never thrown one before and it all went really well. So it’s a positive lesson this time.

The week’s everyday luxury – Cathy who plays with Ace for a couple of hours each week will be back from a long trip on Wednesday. This means I will have 4 more hours to work. But I have decided I need a treat for carrying, birthing and sustaining a life for a full year, so I’m going to use the 2 hours on Friday to do something for myself. The question is what to do. Any suggestions?

Inspiration of the week – There is this show on Netflix called “Chef´s Table” and I find it really inpiring. Not that I want to become a chef or open a restaurant, but becasue of the different life stories. All of them come from different background, but have one thing in common – they want to open a top restaurant. I love how determined they are, how hard they have worked and how they finally have succeeded. It’s also filmed really well. (However don’t watch on an empty stomach, you will want to eat your tv).

Yesterday we hosted our very first birthday party. Ace turned 1 year old and we celebrated with all of our friends and the world’s cutest animal cake.

We love having people over and have had lots of parties and dinners at our place over the years. But this was a completely new kind of party and it was important for us that Ace would enjoy it at least as much as we did.

25 people made it, half of them grown-ups and the rest were Ace’s little friends. There were kids from 7 months up to 5 years old. We had loads of food and a gorgeous animal cake that Garth’s mom Merrill made. She is such a talent, she made all the decorations for our wedding cake too.

Our theme was African animals and Ace was wearing the cutest little lion outfit. I’m going to see if I can find a picture, he looked sooo adorable.

Steffi, Nalle and Harry flew over from Sweden and stayed in the flat above all weekend. Dad and Aja came over too and the world’s best godmother came and suprised us all. On Garths side of the family we had his parents and also his siter Tanya with all 3 kids. They stayed in the second bedroom upstairs, so there were 5 wild little cousins running all over the place having a blast.

We surprised all the non-swedes at the party with a traditional Swedish game called “go fish”. All the kids line up in front of a door covered with a big sheet. Then there is a “fishing rod” and all of them get to “fish” for something on the other side of the sheet. Sometimes they get old boots and have to throw them back other times they get candy or a soft toy. Nanna was head fisherman and I think she had even more fun than the kids. We could not have picked a better godmother for Ace <3

We couldn’t really decide on what to do regarding alcohol. So we offered everyone a glass of champagne when they arrived and then we put a few bits in the garden for people to get if they wanted. It was cold and rainy, so most of us only had that one glass. It felt appropriate. It’s not up to me to decide if people should be drinking or not, but personally, I think one glass is enough when there are children around. So this was a great compromise.

Even if Ace won’t remember this birthday, it will probably be the most important one for me. His first year and his first ever party. In that one single year, he has changed my life in more ways than I thought was possible. <3

You only turn one once, and since it’s the very first birthday, it will always be an extra special one for us. 

I felt like it was time to take Aces nursery away from changing and breastfeeding and make it more fun and available for play. So the other day I asked Garth for a little DIY project. I wanted to build him his very own market stall.

I found these super cute little baskets of fruits and veg at IKEA and even though he doesn’t really get the concept of a shop yet, he can still have fun playing with all the little bits and bobs.

His favorite thing to do at the moment is to draw on the blackboard with the chalk. He doesn’t quite know how to hold the pen yet, but he can see that he is making marks and it makes him mega excited.

He even enjoys the cash register, anything with buttons you can push are a big hit.

Of course his first customer was Olive…

She bought a sausage…

It actually wasn’t all that hard making this little shop (ha, not at all, since Garth did most of it anyway). A Couple of Youtube tutorials, a trip to IKEA, some plastic pipes, fabric and a glue gun later I have to say it turned out better than expected.

It fits perfectly in the alcove where the changing unit was before. It was really weird to tak it down and to pack up the breastfeeding chair and tae it all down into the basement. But he is getting big now and his room has to grow with him.

I can’t wait to have all of his little friends over for his party on Saturday. At the moment 25 people will make it. Steffi, Nalle and HArry arrived from Sweden earlier today and are at the moment fas asleep in the flat upstairs.

I can’t believe I have a 1-year old. Time has gone so incredibly fast!

It has now been almost exactly a year since I had Ace and I’m still suffering from Diastasis Recti. 

Quite a few of you have been emailing me over the year, to share your own stories, ask for advice and just give me a bit of encouragement. You are amazing, thank you<3

I understand now that this effects more of us than I thought at first. It’s easy to just look at whats shown in media and blog. Bellies disappearing the same day as the baby is out and perfect flat tummies only weeks after birth. It makes us who have to struggle to feel like our bodies aren’t normal.

I took a few photos this morning to show you what my belly looks like today. Excuse the 06.00-in-the-morning-face. I have quite a lot of extra skin, a few stretch marks and my belly button is a disaster. But I want you to focus on the protruding of my belly, this is because of the diastasis.

It has gotten a lot better, especially since I got help from my woman’s physio. But I still have some way to go, before I feel and look back to normal again.

I have always been a person with a very flat stomach. I often had a 6-pack and my core has always been amazing. I think a lot of it comes from horseriding, lots of Ashtanga yoga and CrossFit. I was actually in great shape when I fell pregnant with Ace.

I did pregnancy yoga all the way through my pregnancy, even in week 42 (yup, the other Mums-to-be got a bit scared by my huge belly). So I actually had the very best base for my body to go back to normal straight away.

However – I’m petite, Ace was big and I went over for 2 full weeks.

To weigh 47 kg at the start and produce a 4 kg baby is quite a lot. My belly had to move far forwards early on to make the space he needed. I felt already in week 12 how my belly popped out. Yes, I actually felt it over a few seconds. It was a bit like holding a balloon under water and letting it float up. It was such a strange feeling, but kind of cool too.

So it’s not all that strange that my abs had to separate quite a lot to give room. Add a c-section to get my big bubba out and you have Diastasis Recti.

Mostly it seems to be twin and triplet-moms that struggles the most with this condition. But you can like me, get it with only one baby too.

I have been reading lots of blogs, books and spoken to my physio on the subject and this is what I know;

– The body will do its job and try to pull the muscles together for the first 2 months after birth. After that, it will need a bit of help. I went to my GP who told me “9 months to grow, 9 months to go”. Incredibly stupid! If I have known how it was I would have made sure I got help a lot sooner. I still looked pregnant when Ace was 5 months old!

– Diastasis Recti can give you a prolapse, incontinence, problems with your lower back and umbilical hernias. I have done quite well and only have some backache and a small hernia in my belly button.

– It’s not the “sixpack” that is the important muscles to focus on. All the core muscles are super important and even more so the “corset” and pelvic floor.

– The best thing to do to help the muscles get stronger is to do exercises that focus on the lower muscles in the belly and the pelvic floor. The worst thing to do is to work out the abs with exercises like situps. They make the belly dome and will stretch the connective tissue even more.

– Hormones have an effect on the connective tissue in the body. So when you stop breastfeeding you can notice that the belly will pull together a bit better. It’s because of the hormone “relaxin” we are so much more flexible during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

–  Posture, how we carry the babies and our habits can affect any diastasis. If we are constantly pushing our bellies out, then the tissue never gets a chance to pull back and the muscles stay stretched out. So try to avoid sticking your bum either in or out too much. Keep your spine straight and be aware of your pelvic floor and to pull your bellybutton in.

I wear Spanx daily to help keep my belly tight and to remind me to focus on my posture.

These days I do 2.5h of hot yoga a week and it’s completely fine. I only have to do a modified core workout, but then I just use my exercises my physio has given me. I still can’t do any situps or similar movements.

It’s a lot better already, 6 months ago I wasn’t allowed to do anything. My belly was like jelly and I had zero support. I had a constant backache and felt really weak.

My physio started me off with these simple exercises;

1. 10 x 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off. I tense my pelvic floor, all three steps and then I pull my belly button in towards my spine and hold for 10 seconds. Then I rest for 10 seconds and do it all over again 10 times.

2. Same as above, but I do it in a squat, pressing my palms together for extra support.

3. Same again, but on the floor whilst sliding one leg at the time up to a bent position.

4. On the floor, on my back, lift both legs and keep them lifted whilst I hold the pelvic floor and belly button pulled for 10 seconds 10 times with breaks.

I try to do at least one of these exercises daily and I do all of them when I get the chance to in yoga class. The pelvic floor exercises has really made a difference for me so far. It was when I did these exercises regularly I could finally fit into my clothes again.

I’m not there yet, but soon. I have about 10-15% left of my way to go. Now my separation is only 1.5 cm wide, still fairly deep, but not very long. The day I’m all done having babies I will most likely look into the option of surgically help my muscles come together. I have a hard time imagining them doing too well after having had yet another pregnancy, so I will most likely need some help.

If you, like me, suffer from Diastasis Recti – make sure you get help, do the exercises and don’t lose hope!

1. Chanel ”classic” 2. Saint Laurent ”Chyc”, 3. Céline ”Phantom”, 4. Chanel ”Grand shopping”, 5. Prada clutch, 6. Louis Vuitton ”Neverfull”. (adlinks).

I’m so happy to hear you are just as into second-hand designer items as I am.

Not just because it’s cheaper and way more fun, but also for the environment. I’m pro-consumption, it’s in the end what makes our economy work. But I believe that sustainable shopping is the way forward. Buy what you want, use it well and sell or give it away to charity once you are done.

I would lie if I said this is something I have lived by all my life. I was the queen of buying cheap trendy high-street items that got used once or twice and then disappeared into the dark dusty corners of my wardrobe, never to be seen again.

But recently I have admitted I have a problem and I’m now a sober shopaholic. I got rid of 10 pairs of shoes and took them straight to charity this week. Now it’s time for me to do the same with my bags.

When I buy something from now on it has to be something I love and want to use for many years. And when I’m done with it, I will make sure it moves on to a new home, not the back of my closet.

Quality over quantity, second-hand in good condition, everyday mom-clothes that are comfortable and things I really love will get a green light. Trend-led items from the big chains and impulse buys are a big fat no.

Anyone fancy joining me?

In the collage you will find 6 timeless second-hand designer bags from Vestiaire Collective. I love the little dusty pink clutch from Prada and I would love to have the LV Neverfull for my holiday wardrobe.

My next step is to list all my designer items I want to move on from on Vestiaire Collective. I’m going to ask Garth to take Ace for a few hours on a Saturday soon. To give me some time to take photos and list them all. You can find my profile here. I have a couple of things listed on there from before. 

Skirt – Boohoo, poloneck – Lindex (old, you can find a similar one here), boots – Marzio & bag – Saint Laurent. (adlinks) Location – Rocky coffee truck at Waterloo (how cute?!). Photo – Ida Zander.

Monday morning and I’m already sitting in Minnow with a latte and a porridge in front of me. It’s another week and I think we should kick it off with this week’s mantra, affirmation, dreams, and goals. 

I have found my work spots now and got about 5 different cafés I rotate the days when Ace is at nursery. I prefer a coffee shop in the beginning of the week and then I can work from home the rest of the time. I need a change of scenery to keep myself inspired and motivated.

The Mantra of the week – “The words I use, create my future”. This is why I always try to be positive and “the bigger person”. I value being a good person above anything else and I know that my happiness is up to me. So instead of complaining and thinking negative thoughts. I always make sure to try my best to see the positive in a situation, even if I’m feeling a bit down in the dumps.

The affirmation of the week – “My life is balanced, I don’t need to stress”. I didn’t realise how high my stress levels were until I finally got to wind down. No wonder my old stomach ulcer has been playing up, the last year has been absolutley mental. I’m so proud of myself for keeping going even though all I wanted was to give up many times. I’m so grateful to have a balanced life again.

The goal of the week – I want to get all my admin done when Ace is at the nursery the next couple of days. On Thursday the first guests arrive and on Saturday it’s Ace’s first birthday. It would be nice to be able to put my full focus on them and the party.

The dream of the week – Some days I really miss home and today is one of them. I would love to live in a villa just outside of Stockholm. Far enough to enjoy the quiet nature, but still to be able to pop in for a big city-fix whenever I needed it. The air is cleaner, the food is better and I would have my family around the corner.

The vision of the week– I can’t wait for Ace to go on his first proper beach holiday. I remember loving to go to Greece as a young girl. The sand, the sun, the food, and the people. It all felt so exotic! Ace has so far been a bit too young to enjoy a beach and water. But soon we will be able to build sand castles and snorkel together. I can’t wait!

The focus of the week – To arrange a fun 1st birthday party for Ace. I have asked the hubby for a DIY project for his room that I think he will enjoy. I have so far ordered balloons, helium, party hats, and various decorations. For now, there are about 25 people coming, most of them children.

The event of the week – Ace turning 1 of course! I can’t believe our little dude has been with us for a whole year already. It’s crazy how much he has developed and grown. Imagine if we could keep the same rate for the rest of our lives, we would be super tall, very fat and have massive heads.

The lesson from last week – I think I went a bit overboard with all my structuring and gave myself a creative block at the end of the week. I need to not put too much pressure on myself, it ruins both inspiration and motivation.

The every-day luxury of the week – I’m booked in for my second acupuncture session on Friday, but I’m thinking it might get a bit much right before the party. So I’m probably just going to order a massage home tomorrow night instead. I love that they come to me.

Veckans Inspiration – I’m out of inspiration and need your input! Hit me with all your best TED talks, documentaries and articles, please.

Bomber jacket – Tara Jarmon, jeans – Asos, yellow sweater – Uniqlo, boots – Marzio, bag – Chanel, sunnies – Triwa  & watch – Jaeger LeCoultre.

Do you want to know the best spot for taking a photo with the Eiffel Tower? –  Trocadéro!

Sure, there are lovely streets around the tower where you can take really nice shots, but if you want a sure thing, get the full tower and it to look like you are there basically on your own. Then Trocadero is your best bet.

It’s actually a whole bunch of stairs with lots of different places where you can stand and take photos. Either like I’m doing in the photos or if you feel a bit adventurous, you can stand on the ledge. Then I promise you there will be no other people in your photos, even though Trocadéro itself tends to be quite busy.

I actually feel like I should make a new little Paris guide. We have been to a bunch of new great restaurants and we stayed in a new hotel this time too. I love Paris! And the best thing of all is that we are heading back again at the beginning of October.

BTW how nice is red and yellow together?

I always shied away a bit from red shades, it just felt a bit, well, too strong for me. But lately I feel like I have finally grown to suit red and I absolutely love wearing it. Especially matched with yellow, what a color explosion!

And can we take a moment to appreciate the bomber from Tara Jarmon? It’s such a great statement piece that will liven up even the most grey of days.

I actually feel like a happier person when I wear a lot of colors. Almost like I’m more alive. …or maybe it’s just Paris, who knows?

Dress – Tara Jarmon, skor – Pretty Ballerinas, väska – Chanel. Foto – Ida Zander.

“But you are nice”

The first time someone told me this, I thought “well, yeah, I guess I am” and took it as a compliment. But then I heard the same thing from a few strangers in a relatively short amount of time and started wondering.

Is it a compliment? To me, it goes without saying that I’m nice and I don’t tend to tell other people that they are nice, especially not with the word “but” before.

So next time I had a similar compliment by someone I didn’t know I decided to ask why.

Luckily the person I ended up asking didn’t get offended and actually gave me a pretty simple and forward answer. “You don’t look like someone I would assume to be nice”

What the woof!*

It’s important to add that I had never met this person before. what I know we don’t have any friends in common and I really don’t think she reads my blog.

…and still, she had a predetermined view of me and it was that I most likely wasn’t going to be a particularly nice person. What an eyeopener! And how unfair! How do you even see someone’s personality on the outside?

To my knowledge, I don’t suffer a particularly nasty case of “resting-bitch-face” I also don’t walk around wearing a necklace made of dead puppies. So why would I not look like I was a nice person?

To be honest I haven’t really got an answer to this question yet. I’m not some sourpuss and usually walk around with a little smile on my face (and it’s not the “I’m-going-to-off-you-and-tile-you-into-my-bathroom kind). I’m just happy with life. I’m almost always positive, love to talk to people and always try my best to help other people out.

…still, some people choose to judge me before I even have the chance to open my mouth.

I tried asking my friends their opinion and got an array of different answers. “You look good, people that look like you are not always nice”, “You often dress up”, “You are self-confident”, “you can sometimes look focused”, “You are blonde (?)”.

So what is it that makes us think we know something about another person before we even have spoken to them?

I mean if you are running naked down Oxford street singing hymns, yes I might judge you a little. Or if you did something inappropriate like shouted at your kids or used the horn on your car a bit too vigorously. Then I might lift an eyebrow or two. But if you just walked down the street, went shopping or sat on the tube. I would have no scooby on who you were or if you are nice or not.

What frightens me most about this is how many other people have assumed the same and just dismissed me straight away? Isn’t it weird how you can put out the opposite of what’s on the inside? It makes me a bit scared and kind of sad.

But most importantly it gives me a small idea of what other people go trough. Those who actually get judged by the way they look all the time. It’s horrible and totally not ok to be judged based on the way you look, dress, skin color, religion or disability.

What I want to say with this post is – don’t judge a book by it’s cover. It might be an old saying, but it’s very relevant, especially in this Instagram society. It’s too easy to judge with the wrong sense. It’s not our eyes who should determine who someone is or what someone stands for, it’s our ears.

Have you ever been judged based on what you look like/how you dress/the color of your skin or similar?

*(We are trying hard not to swear in front of Ace, so this is what we say.).

Ceiling light – by Rydéns, table – Ellos , flowerpot – Ellos , yellow pillow – Gant, purple pillow – Gant , pouf – Jotex, chair – Jotex , cabinet – Ellos, sheepskin – shepherd, table lamp – Ellos (adlinks)

Every fall it comes sneaking up on me, the desire to make our house cozier. 

Every summer I crave to remove, throw away and make our home clean and simple and then when September hits I want it all back again. Pillows, throws, deliciously scented candles, big tea cups for lazy mornings, sheepskin and good lightning find their way back up from the basement where it has been hibernating over the summer months.

It always baffels me how much difference you can do with very little input. At the moment I fancy jewel-colours, interesting textures like velvet and ceramic. I want more patterns, warm shades, and interesting details to look at. Our home feels a bit like an empty canvas ready to be coloured in.

I want to invite all the colors from the outside. In the collage above I have collected some of my favorites that won’t break the bank, but still make a big difference and fits perfectly into my autumn palette.

I’m removing all the light and bright, put sheer fabrics and blue and white striped items in a box to go in the basement until next spring. to make space for a new season. Of course, there are trends in interiors, but the most important thing is to create a home that’s individual and reflect my taste (and Garth’s too of course). The biggest issue at the moment is where to put things.

Ace now climbs up on the back of the sofa and tries to pull down the frames from the wall… He is growing like a weed and every week he can reach a new surface that used to be “safe”. Our home is slowly but surely moving up the walls, it’s almost comical.

BUT I won’t let it stop me. Textiles are baby friendly and things like candles, pretty pots and lamps are pretty and useful even on shelves so I will focus on those.

Maybe you have some great advice on how to decorate with a 1-year old in the house? ( apart from nailing everything to walls and cielings. Ha!)