Like most people I have a hard time looking at personal emails while at work, but a friend sent this link to me and I was as amazed as she said I would be. How can anyone be this talented?

Enjoy!: Kseniya Simonova

I recently returned from vacationing in Hong Kong and am ready to swoon about what a fantastic time I had:

The architecture!

The cultural sites!

The food!

The shopping!

And of course, the people! All truly amazing. Though, if you’d told me three or four months ago that you were going to Hong Kong I would’ve merely feigned polite enthusiasm. Due solely to my own naivety, Hong Kong was not even on my radar as a top vacation destination until the invitation to travel with a friend (and her parents who were born and raised in Hong Kong!) presented itself. The more I read up and heard firsthand from friends who’d visited, I realized this was truly an opportunity of a lifetime.

Before I go into the highlights of my trip, first things first: preparation and packing. I’m a bit of a Type-A planner and enjoy making lists and checking things off. A little peek at my list of to-dos for international travel:

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I just caught this piece on Elle (the UK version) about friendship bracelets. They are all the rage in Europe right now. These ones are beautiful – I have a soft spot for the Day Birger Mikkelsen one.

I still prefer the Bebe au Lait ones though. I love that our girls always have them on, it helps us feel connected. A very good friend of ours sent me these images of her kids wearing the bracelets – she says the kids are thrilled to match with Mom and Dads accessories.

Together, when apart…I love friendship bracelets!

Green tea is all the rage these days. There have been several claims that the beverage has several health benefits due to the polyphenols present in the leaves of the tea plant. Many of these studies focus on green tea’s effects on cardiovascular health, which have shown that green tea consumption may reduce heart disease. Other studies have tried to connect green tea with the reduction of cholesterol, which have been promising, but so far inconclusive. Other studies have linked green tea consumption to protecting brain cells from dying when affected by Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. There have also been claims that green tea can lower blood pressure, and may help people lose weight.

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No, not your American Express card. Your breast pump. Your electric breast pump. Because here’s what happened when I did…

My husband Jason and I were headed to New York for the weekend. We were leaving our 2-year-old son and 5-month-old nursing daughter in the capable hands of Susie, our life-saving baby sitter. I packed all the cute clothes I could fit into and headed for the airport. I felt so relaxed, sitting in the terminal, reading a magazine. We boarded our plane and took our seats. Then I remembered.

“Oh no! Jason, I forgot the pump.” Not just my pump. THE pump. The miraculous little machine that gathers those drops of gold to be frozen for baby. The pump that let mommy go out with her friends last Thursday night. The pump that gives a few extra hours of sleep when early-rising Dad takes a feeding. The pump that enables a nursing mom to take a weekend getaway to New York. THE pump. And we had just begun our six-hour flight.

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I was at my Sip and See: sip champagne and see the new baby.  Because she is my fourth child, a traditional baby shower complete with games and a gift registry was unnecessary.  In fact, I begged for the invitation to read “No Gifts Please,” but was ignored by my gracious hostesses.   And so I sat in a chair amidst a pile of gifts and began to add to my already vast collection of baby gear.

At this point in my parenting career, I’m ready to purge. I can’t wait until the baby outgrows the infant car seat, so I can FINALLY give it away. I can’t wait until she’s too big for the swing, so it can cease being part of my family room furniture. As I opened my gifts, I thought, “there can’t possibly be anything this baby needs.” How wrong I was.

So, here in reverse order is my top ten:  all new items that I discovered on this, my fourth and final child. How did I ever live without…

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