So you think you know who you are? Love your true DNA story

/
So you think you know who you are? Love your true DNA story

I’m sure many of you will feel you know exactly where your family origins lie. Maybe you’re aware of many interlocking layers of language, culture and nationality. Maybe you are convinced that you are 100% British/French/Chinese.

I love hearing stories passed down through families where one Grandma, like my own was convinced that there is a Spanish connection and no one. Not even her own Brother agrees! I always wonder how much of this is true?

Read More

Our hilarious travel mishaps and how to avoid them

/
Our hilarious travel mishaps and how to avoid them

Our hilarious travel mishaps and how to avoid them (#Dolcevitabloggers)

Pre-children Hubby and I used to travel A LOT! We do it much less now but there was a time when we would rather travel than do much else with our spare time.

I remember 2010 it got to Christmas and I said to my Husband that I didn’t want to go anywhere, I was so exhausted. He agreed we would do nothing for Christmas and New Years Eve. Then at the last minute we booked a quiet trip to Cornwall. I guess this is what people now call ‘FOMO’ meaning - Fear of missing out!

Of course this is what life can be like when you’re young, spritely and both earning a salary without any kids in tow.

But that doesn’t mean we always got things right then, or now!

This month on the Dolce Vita Bloggers linkup we are all writing about ‘Hilarious travel mishaps’.

Read More

How fluent would you like your child's language to be?

/
How fluent would you like your child's language to be?

How fluent would you like your child's language to be?

Bilingual Children - Week #21

This week on Bilingual children I’m sharing a document I’ve created on levels of fluency.

It’s very easy to have in your mind that you would like your child to be bilingual without maybe considering what this really means.

If you think long and hard about how you would like your child to use a language; where they will use it? How well they will speak it? This will help you decide how much learning and effort needs to go into the process.

Read More

German Bilingual Children's Books - Week #20

/
German Bilingual Children's Books - Week #20

German Bilingual Children's Books

Bilingual Children - Week #20

This week on our Bilingual Children series I'm focusing on German resources. 

This is actually a language I studied at school and although I'm very rusty, I'm considering introducing it to my son as his third language. 

Read More

The trials of raising a bilingual child in small-town Italy

/
The trials of raising a bilingual child in small-town Italy

The trials of raising a bilingual child in small-town Italy - Guest post by Rochelle Del Borrello

This week I'm delighted to welcome Rochelle Del Borrello from the wonderful blog Sicily Inside & Out Rochelle is an Australian with Italian heritage and lives in Sicily. She is married to an Italian and has been raising her little boy with her native English from birth. I love that she explains so well the real daily challenge of raising a bilingual child. You do need to be persistent but the rewards are immense! I’m very excited to look for podcasts for children as well!

Have a read of her lovely insights into raising a child in the minority language but in an area of Italy where English is not widely spoken.

Read More

Road Trip Survival Tips for New Parents

/
Road Trip Survival Tips for New Parents

Road Trip Survival Tips for New Parents

You might think that going on a road trip with a baby might be a crazy idea, but in fact it might be less challenging than dealing with boisterous toddlers and teenagers. Babies just need to be fed and comfortable, and they need some caring. Toddlers will need discipline and constant entertainment. If you are determined to see more of the world, you might want to know that many babies seem to fall asleep as soon as the car starts moving. Below you will find a few tips on how to make the most out of your family trip.

Read More

4 Stunning European holidays to warm you up in 2019

/
4 Stunning European holidays to warm you up in 2019

4 Stunning European holidays to warm you up in 2019

If the change in weather has you turning up the heating this weekend, start dreaming of your holidays now!

Though it’s always tempting to stick to what you know and head off for sunny Spain! There are some stunning destinations to discover in Europe, if you’re prepared to try the unknown!

Travel group HolidayGems.co.uk have ten years experience taking holidaymakers on their much deserved breaks; and we’ve been brainstorming where we’d like to go in 2019!

Read More

The Reasons A Luxury Watch Needs To Be Your Next Big Fashion Spend

/
The Reasons A Luxury Watch Needs To Be Your Next Big Fashion Spend

The Reasons A Luxury Watch Needs To Be Your Next Big Fashion Spend

Your smart watch might be useful and fun, like the way it tracks your steps so you know how much exercise you are getting. And how it alerts you with incoming mail, so you’ll never miss your boss again.

But, what about lifestyle, luxury & joy?

Read More

Why Sicily is the ultimate family holiday destination

/
Why Sicily is the ultimate family holiday destination

Why Sicily is the ultimate family holiday destination

If you’re planning your next trip for you and your family, and are unsure of where to go, Sicily has your name written all over it. The perfect place for families, Sicily has different activities for every family member. Thanks to its sprawling nature that includes both beach and mountain options (including the famous Etna volcano), the infinite culinary options that are great for family meals, and its many different monuments, you will hardly be bored on this vacation.

Read More

Achieve An Italian Styling With These 5 Beautiful Venetian Blinds

/
Achieve An Italian Styling With These 5 Beautiful Venetian Blinds

Achieve An Italian Styling With These 5 Beautiful Venetian Blinds

With the italians being well known for their wonderfully stylish interiors. The way that they accomplish this is by using soft furnishings and window dressings, with colours and styles that help to match their homes interior styling. Back in the 18th century Venetian traders discovered window blinds which were constructed using a number of horizontal slats which had the ability to be adjusted. Allowing or blocking out the light entering a room. They brought them back to Paris and Venice.

Read More

7 of the greatest time saving Italian gadgets for your kitchen

/
7 of the greatest time saving Italian gadgets for your kitchen

7 of the greatest time saving Italian gadgets for your kitchen

As you can imagine the kitchen is quite important in our house! It’s not always easy without a nonna to recreate all those freshly cooked pasta dishes and homemade gnocchi.

We definitely don’t have time for this amount of preparation! I’ve been searching for a while now for gadgets that give us the essence of being back in Italy without quite so much effort!

I recently stumbled upon LionsHome, a site which helps you find the most beautiful furnishings and accessories for living spaces. They offer inspiration on homes, gardens, DIY and have gathered together a myriad of practical products to discover.

Read More

How to find the best regional Italian dishes from Piedmont

/
How to find the best regional Italian dishes from Piedmont

How to find the best regional Italian dishes from Piedmont

This month myself, Jasmine of Questadolcevita and Kelly of Italianatheart are hosting an Italophile linkup called #Dolcevitabloggers. Every month we encourage people to write on a different topic and in September we're sharing our 'Favourite Italian Recipes'. 

So what better way to find some new special meals to create than to ask a community of Italians and those living in Italy absorbing the culture!

Read More

How to warm up this Autumn with heavenly leek and potato soup!

/
How to warm up this Autumn with heavenly leek and potato soup!

How to warm up this Autumn with heavenly leek and potato soup!

Happy September to you all!

As you may have read elsewhere on the blog. This is the week where myself, Jasmine of Questadolcevita and Kelly of Italianatheart host an Italophile linkup called #Dolcevitabloggers. Every month we encourage people to write on a different topic and in September we're sharing our 'Favourite Italian Recipes'. 

I decided on a quick creamy Gorgonzola pasta recipe for mine. To my delight some of the wonderful Italy loving community have contributed recipes of their own!

Here we have a super, comforting leek and potato soup shared with us by Mary.

Mary is from Chicago and now lives in Italy, in the Province of Ascoli Piceno. This dish is a huge hit in her house and we can’t wait to try it!

Read More

How to nurture happy bilingual babies, minus the anxiety

/
How to nurture happy bilingual babies, minus the anxiety

How to nurture happy bilingual babies, minus the anxiety

Bilingual Children - Week #19

Welcome back to Mammaprada! I feel like we are starting afresh with the new school term. 

I hope you all had a lovely Summer and had some time with friends and family either at home or abroad. What did you get up to? Tell me below in the comments!

Thank you to everyone who is a regular reader of Mammaprada. It's great to have you back again and there is A LOT coming over the next few months. I will have both of my children in school finally! So my capacity has increased and all the little projects I've been dying to get off the ground I am hoping will come to fruition! 

Read More

Les Petits Tigres! French classes for children

/
Les Petits Tigres! French classes for children

Les Petits Tigres! French classes for children

Bilingual Children - Week #18

Guest post by Jackie Colchester

This week on our 'Bilingual children' series, I'm delighted to welcome Jackie Colchester, founder of the brilliant Les Petits Tigres!

A wonderful company offering French language classes for children. Jackie is passionate in her quest to help us all learn through music, song, her creative props and Monsieur Le Tigre! 

Read More

Italian culture shock (#Dolcevitabloggers)

/
Italian culture shock (#Dolcevitabloggers)

Italian culture shock (#Dolcevitabloggers)

This month for the #Dolcevitabloggers link up we're writing about our experience of 'Culture shock' in Italy. 

You may think that being married to an Italian is plain sailing and you just gaze into each others eyes while your partner gesticulates, talks loudly and cooks you heaps of pasta.

The pasta part is quite true! However there have been many times over the years when I have wondered if I could have taken an easier route. 

Read More

Homemade Pizza recipe

/
Homemade Pizza recipe

Homemade Pizza recipe - Guest post by Kirsty of Winnette

Homemade pizza is one of our favourite dinners in our house. The best thing about it is that it is completely personalisable to your own tastes. You want all the cheese? Then go ahead. Only one person likes mushrooms? No problem. Need to keep it vegan? I've got you covered. Not only that, but the kids can get involved with this recipe from start to finish. It is an all round great family dinner.

Read More

The Bittersweet Life; a perfect podcast on life in Italy

/
The Bittersweet Life; a perfect podcast on life in Italy

The Bittersweet Life; a perfect podcast on life in Italy

If you love a podcast or need a reason to start listening in, this is your chance!

The Bittersweet Life is a podcast run by two expats, writer Tiffany Parks and radio producer Katy Sewell. It's based on their unique experiences of life in Rome. The wonder and yet sometimes the bittersweet aspects of life abroad.

Read More