The Langham’s Children’s Afternoon Tea

Posted in london baby, product review by

I love the Langham, I love afternoon tea and now I’m a mum so I was really excited to be invited by The Langham hotel to the preview of their soon to be launched (August 1st) children’s afternoon tea in partnership with Hamleys based down the road on Regent Street.

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I’ve been to the Palm Court for afternoon tea a few times before, the location is great and the room is beautiful as you can see here:

You can take children for afternoon tea in other hotels but as far as I know there aren’t many places that cater to children in particular so The Langham is definitely leading the way! They should also probably lead the way with some chair covers because I fear for their beautiful chairs once little people get their hands on cake! In partnership with Hamleys, the Afternoon Tea is part of a series of initiatives aimed at making sure families have a great time at the hotel, whether staying guests (they are starting some new family rooms and family getaway packages.) or not.

I was the only mum not brave enough to bring their child along (I was also really looking forward to some peace!), the children got to try out the children’s tea and us mums had their Wedgwood Afternoon Tea, which was as delicious as I remembered! It is created by award winning Pastry Chef Cherish Finden, you may know her from “Crème de la Crème”

I mean look at those cakes!!!! I forgot to take a picture of the delicious scones, some of which I was lucky enough to take home (A devoured them!)

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Anyway back to the Children’s Tea, here is a copy of the menu:

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It was as cute as it sounds on paper, cookie monster went down particularly well!

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In The Langham’s own words “For the pastry, Cherish was inspired by the array of characters and storytelling within the Hamleys flagship Regent Street store to offer children a chance to emerge into an alternative reality of carefree fun” .

They have thought of everything including cutlery and the obligatory pens and paper!

All the children seemed to really enjoy it, one little girl even said it was “the best tea party ever!”. I definitely think it would be a great idea for a birthday or just a special treat! The tea is available every day at 1pm, 3.15pm and 5pm during the summer holidays, it costs 27.50 pounds and includes a complimentary Hamleys bear. I hope they keep it going afterwards because I would love to take A for her second birthday or at Christmas.

I will leave you with one last picture of the amazing cakes and I seriously recommend the Children’s Tea if you’re planning on treating your children this summer! Thanks again Langham, parents and children alike are in for a treat! And Aly (http://allmumstalk.com), Tushna (Marylebone mums) and Mia (@Miakulla), your children were all well behaved and very cute, lovely to meet you all!

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I was invited by The Langham and the Afternoon Tea was complimentary but all opinions are my own.

I Have Found The Perfect Work Dress

Posted in fashion, Life, product review by

Dresses are my go-to outfit for work because you don’t have to think about more than one thing (just add tights in the winter)! I work in the City and have to look professional  but don’t have to wear a suit so smart dresses are perfect. Now, finding a dress that fits all my criteria (comfort, style and durable) and doesn’t blow the budget isn’t always easy. Over the years, I’ve found some great bargains at TK Maxx, had some great Isabella Oliver dresses when I was pregnant and also have some really nice ones from LK Bennett, however recently I’ve found one that tops them all!

Rose and Willard are a British premium workwear brand that creates modern, stylish and feminine clothes. I came across them on Twitter, noticed they had a 50% sale on and got browsing. I chose 2 dresses, the Helix Central Drape Dress and the Hiera Diagonal Panel Dress. So far I’ve only worn the first one and it’s PERFECT! The only downside is that it is dry clean only, I will just have to be really careful so it doesn’t have to be cleaned too often.
Here’s why this is one of my favourite dresses ever:
-the material is super luxurious, it’s soft and you can feel the quality. It’s made of soft Italian luxury jersey, designed and made in the UK.
-the cut is amazing, it’s definitely perfect for me. It’s tight and the top and then sits just right below.


-the V neck top is super flattering and as its right and lined, it gives a polished look

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-the colour is beautiful
– it’s super comfortable to wear and sit in for 8 hours straight!
-it’s super light
-it’s the right mix of modern/chic/feminine
– it was 50% off!

I haven’t worn the other one yet but will do soon and will report back! I’m also very tempted to buy it in black too.
Get shopping ladies!

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So As Not to Forget What My Daughter is Like At 19 Months Old

Posted in baby, Being a mum, Motherhood, Uncategorized by

Time is flying! A will be 2 in November and when I see pictures of a year ago, I realise how much children change and you can easily forget what they were like. This blog is a great way to make sure I don’t forget. I’m not sure I could forget such cheekiness and craziness. Here are some photos from the past 4 days that sum my monster up pretty well, I wouldn’t change her for the world!

  
Thursday night post nursery snack wearing sunglasses, she loves to “accesorize” with bags, hats, glasses, my jewellery etc. She usually puts something on her arm, says “bye bye” and walks off!

   
 
Friday morning playing with mummy’s hair, this caused much laughter and I lost a few hairs in the process! Later that day, I took her for a haircut, she has very straight hair and the minute her fringe gets a bit long she literally can’t see! Here is the result:

  
A likes to give orders and on Saturday it was “off” as in we have to both take our clothes off (I was allowed to keep my underwear on!)

  
A also likes to throw and empty things and say “uh ho” as if some mysterious ghost was to blame

   
 
She loves baby but baby ended up in the bin and was “sad”, poor baby having A for a mummy!

  
Sunday night story reading was accompanied by sunglasses of course, daddy then proceeded to “help” by putting on some relevant music at 7PM

   

 
Needless to say things can get quite tiring but we’re never bored even if we both get frustrated (I’ve missed out any pictures of tantrums and moaning!), she’s my cheeks and I love her. She’s just got my crazy family’s genes!

Anyway Allez Les Bleus!

My Usual Post Girl’s Weekend in France Soul-Searching…

Posted in Life, travel by

I grew up in France and left when I was 18 in the summer of 2000 after passing the infamous “Baccalaureat”, Bac S nonetheless… At “lycee” from 1997 to 2000 I became great friends with E and P and spent this weekend with them. The same thing happened 3 years ago last time we met up, the minute I step on the plane to go back to London, I question EVERYTHING! These are the thoughts that go through my head (some rational, some not, some philosophy 101, some ridiculous but none a reflexion of my friends’ lives…):

  • Could I ever live in the same place for ever?
  • Could I live in a small town?
  • Will I ever be happy?
  • Is London the right place for me?
  • Why don’t I live in France and have 40 days holiday?
  • Why do I feel the need for so many “things”?
  • Why don’t I do more cultural things?
  • Why don’t I make the most of living in London?
  • Isn’t it incredible how much your life can change in a few years?
  • Is my life how I imagined it to be when we were at school together?
  • Should I not do a job I am more passionate about?
  • What else do I want in life?
  • What is wrong with me? Maybe I just need a holiday?
  • Why didn’t I bet more money on Brexit and Iceland to beat England then I bet I wouldn’t be feeling like this, would I?!
  • Why am I listening to sad music on the train home, this is only making things worse…

I guess seeing them makes me think about my childhood and the different paths people take but every time it really disturbs me, it’s really weird. I miss my friends and I am super happy we are still friends nearly 20 years later and I hope our daughters all get to meet one day. In the meantime, it’s back to reality and enough with the questions!

Out of interest, anybody else ask themselves these questions?

Days Out in London Maps by East Midland Trains

Posted in london baby, travel by

This is not a sponsored post.

I’ve lived in London for 16 years so I’m pretty familiar with most landmarks, museums etc. but what if you’re not and are just coming down for the day? Well East Midland Trains have put together some very handy and fun maps in conjunction with A Mummy Too that you can print off and download before you come down to London. They cover lots of different options such as the Tate Modern and also boat journeys (which reminds me I really must take A on one of those!). There are 3 different ones: Seeing London for Less, Rainy Day in the Capital and First Time Tourist. I think the rainy day one is probably a good one to print off as lets be honest there is always a chance of rain! Here is a preview of it:

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You can find them here: http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/summer

London deserves its own blog post, there are so many great places to go including ones I appreciate more now I’m a mum and also new places I have discovered since becoming a parent such as the V&A Childhood Museum in Bethnal Green. You also realise how great the parks are once you have kids and quickly figure out which tube stations are buggy friendly!

However, you still have to get to London (and travelling can be “fun” with children) so the page also includes a cute children’s activity sheet you can download and print off to keep them occupied on the train:http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/Global/Documents/EMT%20London%20Activity%20Sheet.pdf

Enjoy London!

 

 

A Quick New Blog Name Explanation

Posted in Uncategorized by

This weekend, I changed the blog name from ” My AA Life” to “European Mummy” for a few different reasons that follow.

When I first set up this blog, it was more of a diary and it was all about me basically! My initials are AA and at that time I always thought I had a great life, I work in data (very boring rating reference) and to be honest I didn’t really spend much time on the blog title (which I later regretted) so My AA Life was born. And then recently I got a few messages about addiction stuff because obviously AA also stands for Alcoholics Anonymous and MOST IMPORTANTLY the EU referendum happened and all my “European-ness” came flooding out.

Indeed I was born in England, lived in France for 11 years, lived in Berlin for one year, have a BA in European Studies, met my husband in Hungary, the list goes on…

And so European Mummy it is now!

Our Holiday at The Almyra Hotel in Cyprus

Posted in travel by

Earlier in the year, I decided to go on holiday before it got too hot and before the whole of Europe goes on holiday basically.

The criteria were:

  • guaranteed sun
  • no longer than 5 hours on a plane
  • no jetlag or hardly any
  • a kids club that accepts children under 2
  • somewhere I had never been
  • good local food

This year was my  mum’s 60th so I decided to take her along so ideally I was looking for somewhere she would like too. After much researching (I get a bit obsessed with these things), Kuoni  came up with The Almyra hotel in Cyprus on a half board package that ticked all the boxes! I have never used a travel agent but it was actually a great experience as they organized transfers with car seat, got us free half board and were there to answer my questions.

So what was great about it and why is it REALLY family friendly ?

The four pictures sum it up pretty well:

A COVERED pool so little ones don’t get burnt, genius idea! There is another smaller pool very close for babies that is very calm and where we spent a lot of time, A’s favourite thing to do was to “empty” the pool, this went on for days…

If they get  bored of the pool, there is quite a good playground that is 100% in the shade where we spent a lot of time too.

They are tons of highchairs and they have a children’s tea from 6 to 7pm where the kids can eat and mummy can have an Aperol Spritz! The staff are super friendly and happy to move high chairs around and don’t make you feel bad about the mess!

They have this service called “baby go lightly’, where you can order EVERYTHING you might need before arriving so not only was there a cot ready prepared in the room (the mattress was quite thick, which is not always the case in hotel rooms) but the nappies I had ordered (this is not free) and the puzzles (this was free) and books I had requested were already there. The list of stuff available is very long, they have thought of everything!

Now it isn’t perfect and there are some things that could be improved, for example:

  • no children’s cutlery is provided
  • some of the high chairs didn’t have harnesses
  • you have to go down steep steps to the toilet by the pool
  • some of the playground equipment, despite being quite new was showing signs or wear and tear.
  • if your child is scared of cats then be prepared because there are quite a few hanging around

A spent 3 mornings and one whole day at the kids club run by Scott Dunn, this was really well organised and the staff were enthusiastic and caring, so whilst she was there , mum and I went to the adults only pool at the spa, utter bliss…

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We found a small but clean beach nearby where we rented 2 sunbeds and an umbrella for 7 euros a day and it was a nice change from the pool. As A decided to go to bed early and get up early (not what you want on holiday!), we were often the first on the beach!

And what happens to a toddler, who goes to bed at 9PM but wakes up at 6.30AM? They nap (never for very long but still it was a nice break!):

Post boob nap

One thing that wasn’t so great was the effect the plane and the air conditioning had on A, she coughed like mad the whole time and this kept waking her up 😦

Talking of the plane, what do you do for nearly 5 hours with an 18 month old on a plane?

  • Mummy thanks the man who was kind enough to move seats on the way out (on the way back, the person wouldn’t move…) so your toddler has their own seat (made such a difference!)
  • You spend a lot of time playing with the children in the row behind us (3 under 3, don’t know how the parents managed!)
  • You spend a lot of time cleaning things with wipes
  • iPad, iPad, iPad
  • Snacks, snacks and more snacks (houmous pot to dip stuff in worked very well)
  • you open new toys and get very excited
  • read books
  • walk around
  • don’t sleep

When we got off the plane, she stole a little boy’s Trunki, this entertained her whilst we waited for the bags.

All in all, it was a lovely holiday, the weather was perfect, I got to meet up with my colleague and his family, enjoyed drinks in the sun. I really recommend The Almyra, it’s so family friendly that a couple told my mum at breakfast “We didn’t realise it was half term and we didn’t realise it was that kind of hotel”. They would probably have been better off at the hotel next door where we had a great “traditional Cyprus” evening and where A danced her little heart away:

The food was really good, we really like the little restaurant by the water and Café Pinguino near the harbor.

It was really nice and even made me a bit philosophical (Some End of Holiday Reflexions).

Cyprus we will be back!

 

Some End of Holiday Reflexions

Posted in travel by

I’m currently on holiday with my mum and A at the Almyra hotel in Cyprus (I will write a proper review soon, definitely recommended for a family holiday!) , we’re leaving in 2 days and boy did I need this break from “reality”. In the meantime here are some thoughts I’ve been having during our time away:

  • I had forgotten how eating outside is one of life’s great pleasures and so is reading a great book in peace by a pool
  • It is so relaxing to always be WARM, never having to worry if it’s going to rain or get cold
  • Life is full of simple pleasures that we don’t get to make the most of in London such as listening to the sound of the sea, slowing down, not rushing anywhere, not being anywhere crowded and catching your 18 month old toddler as she jumps in the pool with no fear because she saw the bigger children do it
  • Talking of toddlers, who knew you could spend half an hour emptying a pool with a bucket?! And how exciting sand and little waves can be
  • People from Essex and Russia are the friendliest we’ve met here, they both love a bit of bling and a nice chat it turns out!
  • Aperol Spritz is one of the best drinks in the world
  • I was surprised how it took me a few days to really disconnect and “slow down”, London life has a ridiculous pace, it can’t be healthy.
  • People may judge me but putting A in the kids club on a few mornings made a massive difference as we could use the quiet adult only pool and properly switch off (toddlers, pools and switching off are a match made in A&E)
  • A good trick for keeping toddlers occupied in a high chair is to give them a cup of hot chocolate and a tea spoon
  • Food poisoning on holiday really sucks but makes up for all those “treats” a little bit…
  • The majority of little girls at the hotel have names finishing in “a” : Bella, Georgia, Amelia, Ella, Jemima etc (pot calling the kettle black I know…)
  • Always do your research, we met a middle aged couple, who hasn’t realised it was half term and who hadnet realised in was such a family friendly hotel, needless to say they quickly found the adult only pool
  • The man lying on the sunbed in front of me has a seriously hot body

Back to reality soon! 

 

That Time I Thought I Was In Love With a Chav…

Posted in Life by

I haven’t blogged for ages so I thought I would try and make this post a good one. Most of you will be familiar with “Facebook memories” and this week my trip to Abu Dhabi from April 2009 popped up and brought back quite some “memories” indeed…

2009 was a big year for me and I am not going to go into all the details here so I will stick to my funny “chav” adventure, an important detail to note is that I went to Abu Dhabi single for the first time in about 5 years.

So what happened? Who is this chav? Well he was nicknamed “Gav the Chav” by my BFF, part of me thinks he doesn’t even deserve a blog post but there are some funny parts to the story and the whole thing is so out of character for me I think it deserves a mention (plus it’s a bit more interesting than baby stuff…).

So here I am, a few months after a horrible breakup on my way to Abu Dhabi to work at a festival with my sister. There was no plan to find a man out there at all but somehow I ended up flirting with this liverpudlian with curly hair, I got drunk one night and ended up telling him I liked him. He was shocked (red flag number 1) but clearly delighted, anyway he lived in the UAE, I flew back to London and about a week later he arrived in London and came to stay. This was all very fast, I hardly knew him but it was just some fun. The whole thing lasted about 2 months until he dumped ME by TEXT but here are some “highlights” of this ridiculous infatuation:

  • he only had one pair of shoes and they smelt bad so he had the genius idea to put TCP in them to get rid of smell, my whole house smelt of the stuff
  • the morning after he arrived in London, we went out for a walk and he had music playing out loud through his phone that he had attached to his shorts, WHY DID I NOT SAY ANYTHING?
  • my dad thought he was a bit “dodgy” (BIGGEST RED FLAG IN HISTORY)
  • he didn’t really have a job or anywhere to live and I ended up giving him a weekly allowance that he was going to pay me back as soon as he got a job (WHAT WAS I THINKING?!)
  • we stayed in a hotel one night and he arrived before me but couldn’t check in because he didn’t have a credit card
  • he told me he thought he had a son, he had seen the kid and he had curly hair too and the mum was one of his ex-girlfriends (for some reason I didn’t think this was that bad?!)
  • a month in I googled “can you get married at Glastonbury?” just before we went there (Thank god it isn’t possible to get married there!!!)
  • I will never forget walking down the street in a nice white dress and expensive sunglasses whilst he was wearing an Everton shirt and smelly trainers
  • I should have known I was in a haze of delirium when I didn’t want to introduce him to my granny or admit to anybody I had leant him money, deep down I knew it wasn’t right but as they say “Love” is blind
  • there are more details I couldn’t possibly discuss here…

So after about 2 months, he sent me a text to tell me that I was making him feel crap about himself and always hassling him about getting a job etc and that he couldn’t take it anymore… A blessing in disguise really, did he ever pay me back? Nope. Will I ever be that naïve again? Nope. Do I regret it? Nope. Is it part of who I am? Yes.

There are people with stories and there are people without and clearly there are people who support Everton and who have smelly feet who are best avoided.