Let's talk about fashion...

Food and fashion.
Krisatomic's post about what fashion week actually looks like made me laugh.
Toby and I went to the NARS store recently (it's dangerously located across the street from the playground) and I was psyched to get the beautiful red Vesuvio for the summer.
What to do when your kid is embarrassed by your fashion sense.
A summer trend: Knot your shirt!
This gold watch is at the top of my wishlist. Chic and timeless.
Summer hair idea: Teeny braids.
Part Nouveau is an amazing blog that reveals how current fashion photography is inspired by old paintings, art and movies.
Funny descriptions of what 13 people wore to interview with Anna Wintour. And have you seen The September Issue? The documentary takes a fascinating peek behind the scenes at Vogue. The takeaway: Anna Wintour is scary!

P.S. Tomboy style, and a tote bag for grammer lovers. Plus, 16 hair tutorials.

(Part Nouveau and knot shirts via Honestly...WTF; braid photo by Stockholm Style)

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10 Surprising Things About Parenting in Norway

For our Motherhood Around the World series, our first interview is with American photographer Rebecca Zeller, who lives in Oslo with her husband and three children. Here, she shares 10 things that have surprised her about raising kids in Norway...
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American mothers around the world

Since I’ll be spending the next few weeks focusing on Anton and Toby, I’ve prepared some posts ahead of time. I’m especially excited about a new weekly series called Motherhood Around the World. Every Monday, we’ll feature an American mother living abroad in a different country around the world with her family. (First up today: Norway!) Honestly, the interviews have been FASCINATING. While working on them, I kept running into the living room to tell Alex the surprising things these mothers were revealing. Thank you so much to all the incredible mothers who shared their stories.

We spoke to American mothers abroad–versus mothers who were born and bred in those countries—because we wanted to hear how motherhood around the world compared and contrasted with motherhood in America. It can be surprisingly hard to realize what's unique about your own country ("don't all kids eat snails?"), and it's much easier to identify differences as an outsider.

A disclaimer: We wanted to hear from these individual mothers about their particular experiences, but of course everyone’s impressions, circumstances, social-economic levels and lifestyles are different, so these interviews are in no way meant to explain, describe or reduce entire cultures. (I can’t imagine if someone tried to explain America as a whole!) These interviews are more about women’s personal stories and observations. That’s probably a no-brainer, but I wanted to point that out regardless. We also chose women who were more or less from the same demographic so we could see what it was like within that similar demographic around the world. I'm curious to hear from people born and bred in each country as well, in terms of what you think rings true and what surprises you; and also from people from other countries who are living in the United States.

Anyway, I'm so excited to share these interviews every Monday and discuss parenting customs with you, and a huge thank you to my brilliant writer friend Lina Perl for helping put it together. Hope you enjoy it! xoxo

A few other Cup of Jo series, if you’re in the mood:
* Mothers talk about trying to find work/life/baby balance
* Guide to NYC
* Funny Dos and Don’ts
* 15 Hair Tutorials
* Delicious Recipes
* Home Tours
* More about Careers
* More about Weddings
* More about Motherhood
And, of course, please feel free to check out the archives at the top of the blog anytime.

Thank you so much!
(Top photos of my parents with us in France; bottom photo of a sweet boy in Madrid by The Sartorialist)

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Have a great weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? We're heading to our friend's house in the suburbs. They'll be out of town this weekend, so they're letting us escape from our tiny apartment and spread out at their house—with a backyard! We're taking these balloon rockets (which actually shoot above trees) and (overzealously) ordered a kiddie pool. Hope you have a good one, and here are a few fun links from around the web...

Just Jack laughing.

Smart tip: How to keep herbs fresh.

Parties we should have instead of weddings.

England now has a Colin Firth statue.

Science tells us how to build a better pie.

Sky art.

What a great shirt. I think it will be my first post-maternity purchase!

Lesson from Martha Stewart: Don't give a damn.

Clever jars.

Cute sandals under $50. Also, these.

Plus, three past posts you may have missed:
* Banana bites.
* Museum touch tours.
* Vintage ad sexism.

Have a good one!

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Toby meets Anton for the first time

Thank you again for all the sweet notes about the new baby! I'd love to share a few photos of Toby meeting his brother for the first time...Read More >

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Manhattanhenge

Twice a year, the sunset aligns perfectly with the east-west grid of New York City, and the golden rays shoot down the streets. This beautiful phenomenon has been nicknamed Manhattanhenge. Head's up: it happens this Friday and Saturday around 8:20pm, and you can see it from any crosstown street. xoxo

(Photo by Ashley)

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Wednesday giveaway

Today's giveaway is from ONA Bags, known for camera bags that are both gorgeous and functional. Today, they're offering the beautiful new Bowery bag ($229), handcrafted with soft Italian leather and detailed with antique brass accents. The bag can carry a camera, an extra lens and small personal items.

One lucky reader will get to choose between the dark truffle color and the antique cognac color. For a chance to win, please visit ONA's online shop, and leave a comment below telling us your favorite. Please be sure to leave a way for us to contact you, and the winner must have a mailing address in the continental USA. Good luck! Update: The winner has been emailed. Thanks for playing. xo

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