NEW :: Clare Vivier!

The Clare Vivier Simple Tote in tan with hair-on and black leather handles and shoulder strap

We just received new Clare Vivier and, in my opinion, it's my FAVORITE!! (Do I always say that!?) - but really this time you can't beat it! I like Celiné just like any other fashion 'freak' but I like these better! you tell me.... (if I don't scoop them all up before you that is...)

Clare Vivier simple tote

Clare Vivier foldover clutch (tan lamba and tan hair-on)

There is something about the hair-on effect (is there another word for this that I am missing... cause I can't think of a better way to explain it!) and in NAVY totally chic as well

Clare Vivier :: navy -hair-on- flat clutch

and somehow, Clare has made the fanny pack cool again... below is a photo of Clare while in New York at fashion week... looking fashionable! This is a GREAT travel tool and hands-free handbag (fanny-bag)

Clare wearing the fanny pack in red...

we have it in BLACK!

And just in case your favorite look is BLACK and WHITE (hey... so is MINE!) then you can take a look at this flat clutch in black and white, hair-on!

Clare Vivier :: black/white flat clutch

click here to shop the Clare Vivier collection - shop soon...!! or I will take it all!

Guest Blogger: Florence Rolando's Portugal

Portugal is a country that is dear to my heart and when I heard that Florence was going to be living there I knew I was going to learn more about this beautifully fascinating place. I am a friend on Instagram, which you should do too! and so we keep up... I love her posts because no one takes better photos than Florence! Today she is going to share her corner of Portugal... listen UP and lean-IN! And thank you for sharing your story with us Florence!

Up until very recently, we lived in big cities : Paris, Milan, London, New York. We are an urban-centered family, used to being surrounded by people of various colours and citizenship, used to finding foods from all over the world, to spending weekends around museums, busy streets, shopping, cinema. 

When the occasion to change lifestyle came up, at the beginning of this year, we jumped on it. 

I think some of our friends or acquaintances didn't really get it. Porto? Why?! A small city, and in a country facing economic difficulties? After New York and London, the only logical next step is a move to Hong Kong or Singapore, they seemed to imply. We don't regret our decision for a moment, however, and here are a few reasons why.

Space 

Those who have done the jump know that already: for what you get in a metropole, in a smaller town you can double or triple your living space, plus a garden and a garage. The simple fact of living in a house is so new and so great for our kids, who love climbing the tree in our garden.

Time / Southern Feel

Everything is a lot slower here, and in some parts of town, Porto seems delightfully stuck in the 50's with its old shop signs, mom & pop shops, the many old people, relatively few advertisements. We love that old world aesthetic, like something of a time capsule. Houses with laundry hanging out of the windows, late evenings, fiesta in the streets, family gatherings…

Porto sometimes reminds us of Madrid, Tangier, Naples all together.

New culture 

We love the immersion in a totally new culture and learning Portuguese is great. Very difficult for us adults, so easy for the kids. Portuguese is spoken in Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and it has also got co-official language status in Macau (China) and in East Timor (Southeast Asia). Might be useful abroad one day! For now, it's proving handy every day. 

Beach Within Reach 

That's such a bonus: imagine working all day and, rather than a quick pint at the pub, taking in a chilled white port aperitif on the beach, maybe even for less than an hour, just to watch the sun go down. OK, it's not Rio, but Porto has small charming urban beaches, with cute bars and a beach scene. And you never know what to expect: a flat ocean like a mirror, or crazy big waves that break with huge splashes against the piers. Endlessly fascinating. Not to mention the surf, a real paradise for the boys.

Praia da Luz

Food and Drink

Fish, vegetables, creative "pesticos" (tapas), cheese, Portuguese food is healthy and most of the time very genuine, home cooked. There is so much more to eat than the rightly famous Bacalhau. And so much more to drink than port wine. The vineyards of the Duoro valley and the Alentejo are consistently pleasing. 

People

Locals are very nice, always happy to welcome foreigners, to exchange kind words, to share their favourite places. Portuguese people reside on the shores of the Atlantic, but are Mediterranean at heart with a British facade. Quite reserved outside, warm inside. There's a melancholy side, but with great warmth. 

Old Foz

 So much to explore 

We've seen only a bit and we were amazed by the beauty of places in Alentejo and North Portugal. Lisboa, Braga, Sintra, Algarve… much for us to discover in Portugal.  Not to mention neighbouring Spain: Santiago de Compostela (only 1.5hrs away), Asturias, Andalusia.

We can even ski in winter, in Sierra Nevada or in Les Pyrenees, about 6-7 hours away by car.

 

Factories 

This is a bonus for me. I love factories, manufacturing, contact with materials. Arriving here I was able to start a little line of home products with a talented local designer. You will see more of our products soon... Carina has promised me to keep you up-to-date!!

Thank you Florence for sharing your part of Portugal with us!

Visit Florence's Blog 'Pirouette' here

see our visit to Portugal here from 2007

Moon Launch tonight! (Friday, September 6th 2013)

The East Coast has a chance at watching the first Nasa Launch, if the skies are clear Friday night around 11:27 p.m. ET, there's a fair chance that anyone from as far south as South Carolina, west into Ohio and on over to New England will be able to see something of NASA's first launch of a mission to the moon from the agency's spaceport on Wallops Island, Va.

You can bet we will be out there (if it's not cloudy) to see what we can see... telescope ready! NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer mission , is carrying "a robotic mission that will orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the structure and composition of the thin lunar atmosphere, as well as moon dust conditions near the surface." (you can also watch on NASA TV or on your iPhone NASA app).

learn more at Space.com

vitamin B-12 boost - have you tried it yet?

actually I got it in my butt... but you should know it's a needle!

The header reads "Feeling run down and tired?" - "YES" I answer. I think I have felt run down since 2001, and I have tried many things to get over this tired feeling. I'm not saying it's like a overwhelming chronic type thing, it's more of something about energy. When I run and exercise I see my levels rise, but you know when you get out of the habit, you expect those levels to still be there but they aren't...

So far, my favorite relief or boost has been from Moxi-bustion/acupuncture (I'm saying the non-exercise version). The only problem is you need to continue the sessions - at least until your energy hits a level that it will maintain on it's own. I did it for a few months and felt great and I wish I could have continued. Then, on a recent trip to California I was talking to a friend who suggested a B-12 shot, and that in fact, they do them at the grocery store near her house that Saturday. Well how could I say no to that! My only reference to a B-12 shot was an episode in Mad Men when all the guys took one and went bonkers... let's just say they are not the same, in the 60's a B-12 shot was filled with hallucinogens, etc... now, it's just plain B-12.

So there I was Saturday at Lazy Acres in Long Beach, CA (it's only one Saturday a month) and this wonderful woman, Dr. Bridget Anderson will give you a B-12 shot (for $30!), you can add-on various things, I added a B-complex which is good for Immune support, adrenal support, muscle repair, heart health and decreased inflammation -- all of which I was having trouble with at the time. I don't know what it is about travel but I am convinced it wreaks havoc on your immune system.

A vitamin B-12 boost should help you with fatigue, memory loss, numbness & tingling, stubborn weight loss and low mood... yes! I want something to fix all that! - I have to say that I think it was a huge help for me, I was so depleted of ALL OF THE ABOVE that I am convinced it helped. And at the very least gave me the attitude to just move on and not even think that I couldn't do it... ALL (you know what I mean when you travel with family, kids, husband... etc..). The effects last approx. two weeks on average, so it is an ongoing thing. My friend is pretty sure that it helps with her sleep, a more restful and deep sleep.

And hey, whatever... it's all the rage says Vanity Fair Magazine and I do everything they say!...

If you are in the Southern California area visit Lazy Acres Grocery Store and the delightful Dr. Bridget Anderson (only in California can you do this in a grocery store! LOVE it!) and give it a go...

NEW :: Fall collections...

We are feverishly working on getting all the new collections ready for you!  Photographing and all that comes with getting it ready... We just finished a photoshoot with ESP no1 and it was SO cute!! My kids loved everything (usually a good sign...), ESP is always one of my kids favorite to photograph - and we had FUN! Here is a sneak look at some of our favorite looks!

Online now... ESP no1 click here

cute right... watch out for more!!

LACMA :: James Turrell exhibit and MORE!

LACMA - perfect sunday!

On Sundays at LACMA they have a 'kids day' or what they call Arts for Nexgen - kids are able to sign up for free museum membership for life and they can take one adult with them! (not for use on the special exhibits but for general admission) super cute AND they have great little projects for kids which relate to each of the exhibits, changing weekly. It's really a great place for kids, and it wasn't crowded at all.. this shot above is at noon on a Sunday!

we were not allowed to take photos so I found this online, in case you are not familiar with James Turrell.. you get the idea

We had the chance to see the James Turrell :: A Retrospective exhibit (now through April 6th, 2014) and so the kids and I grabbed it! FANTASTIC! I think that it's one of those very special opportunities in which the moment you are in it, it may not hit you - but you walk away from this thing and you will never forget it! I know my kids won't! The really loved it, going into these rooms of color and space, it's very trippy, and kids take their time here, it's just how it goes. By the end they were crazy about James Turrell - and just wanted to know more about him.

cars moving like crazy all over the place through the Metropolis!

It just so happens that there was also the Chris Burden :: Metropolis exhibit going on at the same time, fantastic! Cars, Trains and all else whizzing by at great speeds, going up ramps, then rambling down. The guards are surprisingly sweet about making sure you get your kids to the right exhibits - love that in a museum. This is just plain FUN.

More short-lived (this exhibit ends September 15th) but if you can make it GREAT is the Architecture exhibit - The Presence of the Past : Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA - I don't know about you but both of my kids are crazy for Mind Craft and so this Architecture exhibit really hit home for them. They were so into all of the scale models and the fact that some of them are from the 1930's is really fascinating to them!

A little lunch in one of their FANTASTIC cafe's and that was all we had time for.. it was a very delightful day.

Visit LACMA for more information

Guest Blogger :: Florence - Meet Michelle Marshall

My friend Florence Rolando is going to guest blog a bit while I am on vacation. Florence is one of my favorite In-the-know people in the kids business, her favorites somehow become mine, so I was excited when she wanted to share some blogs with us. You can always catch a tip or two from her on style and fashion and the kids industry at her amazing blog: Pirouette.

Today she introduces us to  Michelle Marshall:

Meet Michelle Marshall, Fashion/Lifestyle Photographer , Kids Stylist and Founder of e-store Quirky Collective.
Michelle Marshall is French, born and bred in Lyon.

In 1992,  she moved to the Midlands to study photography at the University of Derby, where she met her husband Philip, a Retail Interior designer. She then moved to London and worked as a studio manager for two award winning design studios (retail interiors and product design). Michelle and Philip have two daughters, Sissi and  Lola (6 and 8 y old) The family lives in North London and spends most of their holidays in France, at the beach in summer or on the alpine slopes in the winter.

photo by Michelle Marshall

In 2010, Michelle launched, e-store Quirky Collective and blog I Am Quirky, a committee of taste featuring cutting edge children's clothing brands. Michelle has gained a great following and a loyal client base since but today she is back to her first love : photography. Styling and the 'mise en scene' that are inherent to her image-making process are areas that she's hoping to explore more too.  Latest shoots include Sun-San/Salt-Water UK 2013 Lookbook and fashion story for Chalk and Wild.  

photo by Michelle Marshall

A foodie, Michelle knows some great places to eat in London and she recommends, whether travelling there with young ones or not,  Shrimpy's at the King's Cross Filling Station (work off the Soft shell Crab Burger with a walk by the Canal and/or splash about the fountains in Granary Sq),  or freaky chicken (as nicknamed by one of the girls' friends) at Mark Hix's Tramshed in Shoreditch. Michelle would love to spend even more time now with her daughters and seeing them blossom day after day.  Something she captures wonderfully with her lens and that also gives her tons of inspiration and material to use when creating narratives for her clients.

photo by Michelle Marshall

Thank you again Florence for sharing your kids networking knowledge with Nonchalantmom!
 

NEW :: Nico Nico is HERE!!

The new Fall Nico Nico collection is here and I LOVE it... the colors.. the styles... SO cute!! and all of my favorites, including this Moto Jacket!

lined in tartan plaid and with zippers... SO cool!

We have your favorites leggings too... this time I THINK we got enough for everyone, but since they always go fast get yours NOW! We will have more photos online soon, but for now check out our favorites for the season!

My favorite for the season is blue... but we also have a red graffiti t (red is always so cute on kids!) and MORE - dot graffiti, line graffiti and more.. Sue Tsai always makes her printed t's with a tasteful tonal look - love THEM! Plus they are the most comfortable T's, my kids won't wear anything else!

More coming in for FALL at Nonchalantmom

shop Nico Nico here

on the road: El Segundo, CA

YES, who can resist sunny Southern California! We are specifically spending some time in the tiny 'hamlet' of El Segundo, California, surfing and checking out the west coast for a spell...! Actually, my husband was offered an artist-in-residence and teaching stint at the privately owned ESMoA (www.esmoa.org) - a fantastic new addition to the area. My husband calls the collection here 'the Mini Getty' which he argues is not an exaggeration! So here we are since we always have to do everything together! At least it seemed a good opportunity to latch onto his good fortune to have to be here. I would LOVE to have told you that we were able to come out here for the entire 3 month duration of his residency, but as 'reality' would have it, we are only able to come out for the tail end of it and spend a couple of lazy Summer weeks here. Still, who's going to complain about that? So, while he paints in the studio, or teaches in the museum, the kids and I take advantage of the location to go off exploring. And, it only takes a day or two to realize that there is way to much to see in such a short time! So, using that limitation as an excuse, we've mostly hooked up with family here to catch up and go surfing! Our preferred location are some 'secret' spots near Huntington Beach - there seems to be a long history of my husband's family using that area, so we just tag along! So far, the locals haven't noticed that we are outsiders! 

the 'studio'

We love El Segundo! It's not difficult when the couple who own the museum have been nothing short of generous - and if you've ever needed an excuse to visit El Segundo then this would be the little museum to give you that nudge. It's an incredible and interesting collection of works on display, and the upcoming exhibitions (including the one my husband is part of right now) are just eccentric enough to make them worth seeing!  El Segundo is an odd arrangement in an otherwise bustling LA. It's managed to maintain an almost small town feel. The neighbors attribute that to a bit of good and 'bad' fortune. The good fortune is that nearby places like Manhattan Beach and Venice take all the attention (and visitors). The 'bad' fortune (if you can say that) is that El Segundo is sandwiched in between the LAX Airport and the historically huge Chevron plant (who knows what takes place in there!). It sounds like a bit of a nightmare scenario, but actually it makes sense when you get here. It has managed, over the years, to shape El Segundo into this 'small town' atmosphere - just one visit to the Main Street will prove that. We've already managed to find some great little places for food and drink - including a little place off the main street that devotes its entire ambiance to the 'Tiki Lounge' of the 1950's. As well, we've also discovered an antique lovers shop (truthfully a treasure junk shop) tucked into a quiet tree lined street - a place that looks just like the cluttered antique shops of a small town in England, which is the point I think, considering the owner is from England originally. The other great thing about El Segundo is its proximity to other more popular places perhaps, without being as crowded or trendy. It provides a perfect place to make your home base. I'm still infatuated with the nearby Abbot Kinney in Venice, so being in El Segundo, I'm only minutes from there and take FULL advantage of it! When we leave our quiet little bubble in El Segundo, we are easily in reach of many of the places we want to visit around here. We can get down to the beaches all along the coast from Huntington to Santa Monica (the kids LOVE the pier) and each one manages to have it's own little flavor. We can also reach inland to downtown LA (which is worth the exploration for many reasons, old and new) and Hollywood. To help with our daily journeys the locals (including family) have kindly given us several expert tips in avoiding the famous traffic congestion so that we feel like old pros. But, it's hard not to feel like you are in the Southern California of the 1960's when you are in El Segundo, which is just the ticket when you want to really relax. Who would have thought that there would be some great benefits (travel excuses) to having a husband who is a starving artist!

karin stephan :: yoga on the cape

My favorite yoga teacher, I have known her for more than 15 years and she is my inspiration in yoga, Karin Stephan runs a yoga program on Cape Cod each year which she calls the Cape Experience. I have been a few times and it is a true cleanser and spiritual uplifter of the soul... along with a delightful shape shifting of her yoga classes. If you happen to be on the Cape you can come to her classes OR if you find yourself with some time off you can stay with her and have a Macrobiotic experience as well, Yoga twice a day and two beautiful Macrobiotic meals a day.

If you can find the time to get away I can assure you it is worth it. The Cape Experience is held in Truro which is a beautiful small area that includes the breathtaking Longnook beach (within walking distance). I have been in a pose during Karin's classes and my life has changed, she is THAT inspiring - Either way, don't miss it..

more information here

Have you heard... the 5/2 diet

you can look like this... just kidding

I can't say I remember the origins of how I found out about this diet, but I think it's a really good idea. It combines a bit of fasting with daily life, each time I fast I feel so good and I have come to think that this is why it is a part of so many religions it is part of a whole body experience. And above all it makes your body work better. So the 5/2 diet IS a fad diet one of those things you read in a magazine (okay so I just realized that it's also a book) but this one made some sense to me on more levels than one. Eat what you want for 5 days, obviously I would hope that it is healthy, and then for two days Fast, or eat only 500 calories and drink as much tea as you want. It just seems so simple and I think it does work for many different types of people.

Even if you don't want to loose weight, I think a fast once a month, once a week... it's a good idea spiritually. Digging into this a bit online I realized that NPR did a story on the diet recently which is a good information base.

NPR :: Two-day diets and How Mini Fasts Can Help Maximize Weight-loss

give it a try and see how you feel... maybe it just feels good!

Tyrus Wong :: the artist behind Bambi

There is an Exhibition up at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco now until Feb 3rd, 2014 featuring the art of Tyrus Wong, he was the art director behind Bambi. The exhibition will focus on the life and work of Mr. Wong, he is a celebrated painter, muralist, kite maker, lithographer, Hollywood sketch artist, calligrapher, ceramicist, and Disney legend, at 102 he is still a practicing artist today.

In this profile for NPR it is interesting to find out how Mr. Wong took animation into another direction, the story is told in a very nice way and I thought it was beautiful how he had the vision to make something so simple, so beautiful.

Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong at the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco, CA

click here for more information on the show
click here to listen to the interview

the exhibition will focus on the life and work of Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong—a celebrated painter, muralist, kite maker, lithographer, Hollywood sketch artist, calligrapher, ceramicist, and Disney Legend. At age 102, Wong is still a practicing artist today. - See more at: http://www.waltdisney.org/wong#sthash.GCsaRCdp.dpuf

the exhibition will focus on the life and work of Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong—a celebrated painter, muralist, kite maker, lithographer, Hollywood sketch artist, calligrapher, ceramicist, and Disney Legend. At age 102, Wong is still a practicing artist today. - See more at: http://www.waltdisney.org/wong#sthash.GCsaRCdp.dpuf

the exhibition will focus on the life and work of Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong—a celebrated painter, muralist, kite maker, lithographer, Hollywood sketch artist, calligrapher, ceramicist, and Disney Legend. At age 102, Wong is still a practicing artist today. - See more at: http://www.waltdisney.org/wong#sthash.GCsaRCdp.dpuf

the exhibition will focus on the life and work of Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong—a celebrated painter, muralist, kite maker, lithographer, Hollywood sketch artist, calligrapher, ceramicist, and Disney Legend. At age 102, Wong is still a practicing artist today. - See more at: http://www.waltdisney.org/wong#sthash.GCsaRCdp.dpuf