“If I can just get through the holidays, then everything will slow down.” “I’ll take a break as soon as I make my next deadline.” “If I can just hold on until Friday, then I’ll be able to relax.”
I used to find myself saying some variation of these phrases quite often. It was my way of coping with a constantly overloaded schedule, until one day I stopped and realized that I was just rushing the calendar instead of taking time to enjoy the little moments. And I definitely never considered setting aside an hour or two to “de-stress.” The word was not even in my vocabulary. It is now. At least once a week I make an appointment with myself to do something simple and a little decadent. It makes me a better mother and a better person in general. (Hint: That’s my way of telling you that you should join me in making me-time appointments and that you should never feel guilty about it.)
Here are a few of my favorite ways to de-stress for an hour, an afternoon or 20 minutes:
Take a nap: Don’t underestimate the power of the nap—just 20 to 30 minutes can do wonders and revive you for the rest of the day. Also, I hereby apologize for all the naps I refused to take as a child. Can I cash in on all those unused hours of sleep now?
Plan a spa day: Probably more like a spa afternoon. “Spa days” may have existed in the land before motherhood. Now we should be proud if we can get a manicure and pedicure and actually let the polish dry. Take pleasure in small victories.
Run a bath: Buy yourself a decadent bubble bath or two, grab some reading material, light some candles and check out for as long as life will allow.
Move: Walk, hike, take a spin class or dance class, roll out your yoga mat, figure out what your body likes and do that. If you are pressed for time or can’t leave the house, search through some of these online yoga classes. There is always a way.
Sit in a park: Sometimes I go to the park by myself to gather my thoughts or read, but most often I take my children and sit on a nearby bench as they play. In my opinion, watching children at play is the best therapy in the World.
Grab lunch with friends: Eating, laughing, and catching up with friends is the second-best therapy. Especially when desserts are ordered and shared.
Enjoy some art: Take yourself to a museum, a movie, a concert, a book reading, etc. Get inspired. Get lost. Discover something NEW.
Unplug: For most of us, our phones are our lifelines, which can sometimes bring along added stress. Turn off your phone for a few hours. Don’t check your emails, your texts, your voicemail, your Instagram, your Facebook, your Twitter, your Pinterest and whatever else I’m forgetting. I promise you, every message will still be waiting for you when you turn the phone back on. Every single one.
Go ahead, moms. Enjoy a little me-time, and tell me all about it.
If I could pick one daily frivolity, it would be to have a vase in each room, full of flowers.
I believe flowers bring a room to life.
One would think that with our fine weather and fertile soil, flowers would be very affordable in Greece. They are not. If one lives in the suburbs, though, or in the countryside, where greenery is freely available, I would go for evergreens. Potted herbs are fine, too, and they come in handy!
And look how they can be impressively transformed!
The photos above perfectly illustrate my point.
They come from the very stylish and original florists, Fleria, in Athens, and the pottery is inspired by traditional embroidery exhibited at the Benaki Museum, again in Athens.
Christmas and The New Year's may be behind us, but winter is very much still ahead of us.
Don't you just love travelling at wintertime in lovely nordic places or perhaps some tropical paradise?
Let's stick with winter tours for the time being.
Come join me in St. Petersburg
and hear the music...
Frozen Neva River with The Hermitage in the background, courtesy of Jeannie Pearman
Right or Rude’s Jeannie Pearman takes us through a memorable New Year’s Eve in the storied Russian city.
“When we lived in London, my husband Dick and I always read the travel ads in the Sunday Daily Telegraph. There were trips on the Concorde to exotic places. For younger readers the Concorde, operated by British Airways and Air France, offered supersonic air travel. It broke the sound barrier with ‘sonic booms.’ It wasn’t as luxurious as you might imagine. The seats were two and two, four across and not that large. But it went to wonderful places in a hurry.
“An employee for Concorde chartered the plane when it was otherwise grounded and took groups to unusual places. For my father’s 70th birthday we took Mother and Daddy to Cairo for the day. We started the royal treatment before we boarded the plane. We rented a white Rolls-Royce to pick them up at 6 AM. We whisked them to Heathrow and then it was off to the pyramids for the day with a ride on camels and a quick trip to the museum in Cairo. Whew!
“The trip was such a success that, in 1996, when Dick read about a New Year’s Eve Ball in St. Petersburg we thought, ‘Why not?’ We asked a couple of our friends to join us and each family brought their children so we were 32 strong. I wanted to get everyone in the mood, so the night before our trip I invited our ‘comrades’ to our flat in Ennismore Gardens for borscht, chicken Kiev and moussaka. We had an enormous Christmas tree on which I hung Russian ornaments. Everyone took one home when they left as a memento of the evening. We were all so excited we could hardly sleep.
“We boarded the Concorde in the morning, the ladies all bundled up in Russian sable coats. Well, we did want to feel at home. After a day of sightseeing, seeing The Hermitage, going to the Pavlovsk Palace by sleigh (the home Catherine the Great built for her son, Paul and his wife, Maria Feodorovna) and seeing St. Ignatius (even more dramatic than St. Peter’s or Notre Dame), we prepared for the New Year’s Eve Ball at Taurida Palace!
“When we arrived, we walked through a gorgeous oval-shaped front hall to get into the ballroom. We were greeted by eight-foot ice domes, each filled with a different flavored vodka. Skol! After filling our fluted glasses with bitter lemon vodka, we walked into what looked like heaven… twinkling candlelit crystal chandeliers sparkling above tables set with silver cloths and candelabras.
“Strolling violinists played as we wandered around the elegant ballroom, looking at the other guests. Men were in black tie or tails, of course. The women radiant in velvet or satin evening dresses and were covered with jewels. Young ballet dancers — straight from the Mariinsky — were pirouetting in and out among the guests. Even Cossack dancers sprang merrily among them.
What a night. I will never forget the year we went ‘Russian off’ for New Year’s Eve!” — Jeannie
Opera singers from the Mariinsky Theatre performing at Taurida Palace, December 1996, courtesy of Jeannie Pearman
Martha Stewart is one of my favorite ladies out there. I love her style, her attitude and, needless to say, her pioneering work, and yes, that includes branding yourself!
I love her photo from NYT. Takes time and Money to keep polished, but most of all it takes the willingness and the effort. And Ms. Stewart is poised and beautiful.
It turns out that the Bedford, N.Y., bathroom cabinet of Martha Stewart, 72, is as well stocked as its gardening shed. The many products help prime Ms. Stewart for on-air appearances like her show, “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School,” which began airing its third season on PBS last week.
SKIN CARE
I get up a couple hours before I’m supposed to leave in the morning and I’ll put on a mask. I like the Yon-Ka Gommage 305 or the Susan Ciminelli Hydrating Gel Mask right now. Or I’ll use the collagen mask from Mario Badescu or the Chanel Correction Lift, a firming mask, which works great for me. I’ll do this about five days a week and I don’t repeat the same mask two days in a row. I’ve always done this — well, basically since I discovered masks. I have to wear makeup for photo shoots, television and appearances, so I have to make sure my face is extremely clean in the morning. Then I shower and I wash it all off.
I slather myself with serums. First, it’s a toning lotion. Right now it’s either the Yon-Ka Lotion or a more specific spray, like the rose spray from Mario Badescu. I spray my whole face and body and then its Susan Ciminelli Marine Lotion from head to toe. I use the same products on my body as I use on my face. I don’t think there’s really any difference between the two, so the more moisturizers and serums you use, the better off you are. Then I might use a vitamin B or SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum. I’ll also put on Clé de Peau or SkinCeuticals moisturizer. With all of these serums, I find I don’t have to put on an eye cream, although my facialist insists I put one on. Sometimes, I will and the Clé de Peau is good or Caudalie has one — it’s the fancy one from their high-end line — and it’s very good, too. At the end, before any makeup, I use SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense. If I’m not going to use foundation, I’ll use the tinted version, or if I use foundation, it’ll be the white one. Otherwise, I do my best to stay out of the sun. That’s very important. I do a lot of outdoor activity like gardening and I try to cover up and do SPF. Actually, I just bought a new sun hat that goes over your riding helmet. It’s pretty ugly, but it Works.
If I’m traveling that day, I’ll be sure to have my Yon-Ka Lotion with me, which is a spray. On a recent plane ride to L.A., I sprayed myself five times. It’s hydrating, so I don’t look like a prune after flying.
I never go to bed with makeup on. First, I steam my face with a hot washcloth and then I use the AmorePacific or Shu Uemura cleansing oils. Johnson’s baby oil works really well, too. I use those as cleansers and they’re also excellent makeup removers. I like oil because it keeps my skin very moist, and it works for me. I don’t get clogged pores.
MAKEUP
I was told years ago by my daughter, Alexis, that I shouldn’t leave the house without makeup on. You’ll pay for it if you don’t because somebody will be there with a camera snapping away and you’ll look awful or just plain. I put on a light foundation, usually the AmorePacific tube called the Moisture Bound Tinted Moisturizer or the Clé de Peau Refining Fluid Foundation. I really like the YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch stick, which is fairly new I think. Then it’s Bobbi Brown bronzer. For mascara, I use Clinique High Impact mascara or I just got a new one from Givenchy. It has three little balls almost — it’s very cute. I got it from a makeup artist at John Barrett, when she did my eyes for the ballet. It’s a little short mascara but it makes your eyelashes look elongated. Also, I’ve used Latisse and it’s really helped. People should try that. It really works. I use a gloss on my lips. I use Buxom — I like the Samantha color — or a little bit of a lip pencil. I stick with nude colors, and maybe at night I’ll wear red and it’ll really stand out.
FRAGRANCE
I’ve been wearing Fracas since I was 19. I’ll put fragrance on three times a day. I’m thankful every day that they haven’t altered their formula. Although, I did just discover a new one by Hermès called Jour d’Hermès. It’s lovely.
HAIR
I use different shampoos. For me it’s like with skin care: I try to use a variety. I have to wash my hair almost every day because I have to have it done for pictures and stuff. Frédéric Fekkai Ageless shampoo and conditioner and Shu Uemura, the green line, are my two favorites. For styling, I don’t like a lot of mousse. I do use Sally Hershberger’s Texture Blast, which is like a hair spray, but just at the roots. I have really good hair and I don’t like to plaster it.
Parvin at John Barrett has been my colorist forever. She’s the blond expert. I think she’s the busiest colorist in New York. I like her because she does it in an hour so you don’t have to spend all day sitting there.
For cuts, I’m not fussy. I’ve been to Kevin at Frédéric Fekkai in the Mark. I’ve gotten my hair cut twice at Sally Hershberger recently, and they’re fabulous, too. There are so many fantastic haircutters in the city. Everybody’s hair looks much better than it used to.
Otherwise, Daisy Schwartzberg does my daily makeup and styling. Kevin from Fekkai will do styling for photo shoots, and Katsu from John Barrett does my blowout. They’re all good.
SERVICES
I’ve been going to Mario Badescu for 45 years for facials. I try to go at least once a month. For brows, Julia Haaland at John Barrett does them when I get my hair done. Luda, also at John Barrett — where else in New York can you get everything done at once? — does my nails almost exclusively. And she’s the best massager in the world. I stand, walk and hike and I still have good feet, and I thank her for that.
FITNESS AND DIET
Exercise is a necessary part of the day. I went to the gym this morning. I have a really great trainer in the city. We’ve worked together for at least eight years. Or I do yoga with James Murphy. I like to spin, but I don’t have enough time to do it. I also have a green juice that I drink every single morning. It’s very important. You can be the most beautiful person on earth, and if you don’t have a fitness or diet routine, you won’t be beautiful.
As read in The NY Times,
with Thanks
for the interesting article on one of my favorite TV and home personalities.
Haga Slott is the residence of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Prince Consort Daniel and their almost two year old daughter, Princess Estelle.
Haga Palace was built in 1802 according to a design by architect Carl Christoffer Gjörwell, who was commissioned by Gustav IV Adolf. Gjörwell had already worked at Haga during the time of Gustav III, as an assistant to the King's favourite architect, Louis Jean Desprez. The new palace was erected just north of Gustav III's Pavilion, and was eventually named the Queen's Pavilion. The building was intended as more of a home than a building for official purposes, and almost resembles a large villa. Haga Palace has been used as a home for several members of the Bernadotte family over the years. In the 1930s the palace was modernised for Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla, which resulted in a contemporary, functional home. The family grew, and many Swedes followed the lives of the young Haga princesses with great interest.
After standing empty for a long period, Gustaf VI Adolf granted use of the palace to the Swedish government for foreign guests. In 2009, the government transferred the right of disposal back to H.M. The King, in order to prepare a home for The Crown Princess Couple.
Since the autumn of 2010, the Crown Princess Couple live at Haga Palace.
.jpg)
