Blogmas #16: Goodbye 2016! ***** Zbogom, 2016!

Another year is coming to an and it's only right to say a few words about it. My year as a blogger has been extremely eventful despite the fact that I took a few months hiatus in the beginning of 2016 because of pregnancy. Luckily, it resulted in an incredibly happy-go-lucky baby so I can easily find time for my blog even with Baby M around.

Leto se danes zaključuje in prav je, da pod njega potegnem črto tudi na blogu. Moje blogersko leto je bilo izjemno pestro kljub dejstvu, da sem si prvih nekaj mesecev vzela prosto zaradi nosečnosti. Srečo imam, da se je ta končala z neverjetno pridnim in potrpežljivim otrokom, saj si lahko za moj blog vzamem čas tudi sedaj.

Year 2016 also brought along collaborations with a few new brands. I'm excited that Slovenian market is becoming more and more open for foreign brands, but I'm even more excited to try out new Slovenian products. Regardless of these collaborations I still want to say that I purchase around 90 % of things you see on my blog with my own money. I was always open and upfront about which products I received to review and by now you surely know that I can be a harsh critic.

Leto 2016 je prineslo sodelovanje s kar nekaj novimi znamkami. Veseli me, da se tudi slovenski trg odpira za tuje znamke, še bolj pa me veseli, kadar lahko preizkusim kakšen nov slovenski izdelek. Ne glede na vsa sodelovanja ocenjujem, da je še vedno okrog 90 % vsega, kar vam predstavim na blogu, kupljenega z mojim lastnim denarjem. Vedno sem in tudi v prihodnje ti bom odkrito povedala, kateri izdelek sem prejela v oceno, verjamem pa, da zdaj že veš, da so moje ocene lahko tudi pošteno kritične.

In the past year, Slovenian bloggers came together for different events, the piece de resistance being the Beautiful Bloggers Meetup. I thoroughly enjoyed this years' events because many of the bloggers have become true friends to be, so I am not only getting new knowledge but plenty of laughter from these events.

Tudi v tem letu smo se blogerke družile na različnih dogodkih, med katerimi je seveda glavni in osrednji dogodek Beautiful Bloggers Meetup. Letos sem v dogodkih izjemno uživala, saj smo z mnogimi dekleti postale prave prijateljice in se lahko poleg novega znanja na vsakem tovrstnem dogodku nadejam tudi veliko dobre volje in smeha.

Last but not least, I was able to finally show you my face this year. Personally, I find this decision liberating and I'll be able to blog with even more enthusiasm from now on, while I also believe that you'll find the posts more informative and better.

Nenazadnje pa sem letos končno lahko sprejela odločitev, da ti pokažem, kdo sem. Mene osebno je ta odločitev osvobodila in bom lahko blogala še z večjim veseljem, verjamem pa tudi, da bodo objave zate še bolj zanimive.

These are the most viewed posts of the year/Najbolj brane objave preteklega leta so bile:

Pink October collaboration (*click*)

Delivery services in Slovenia rant / Bes nad dostavnimi službami v Sloveniji (*click*)

Best of 2016: make-up (*click*)

My favorite posts of the year/Moje najljubše objave leta so bile:

Wellness in Hotel Špik (*click*)

Lancome Juicy Shaker (*click*)

My top 10 make-up brushes / mojih top 10 čopičev (*click*)

Thank you for sharing this year with me. Thank you for all the nice comments, wishes, for every time you asked my opinion on something, for every click and every like. Thank you for being part of the Low Maintenance Beauty family and I hope that we'll continue our journey together in 2017! Have a great New Year's Eve and a wonderful new year. Don't forget - today's secret word was the last of the bunch so you can now go through all Blogmas posts, send me the hidden thought and by that participate in the giveaway. For more instructions go to Blogmas #7. Until next time, stay beautiful!

Hvala, da si to leto delila z mano. Hvala za vse lepe komentarje, želje, za vsakič, ko si me vprašala za mnenje, za vsak klik na objavo in vsak stisnjen všeček. Hvala, da si del Low Maintenance Beauty družine in upam, da bova pot nadaljevali skupaj tudi v 2017! Želim ti čudovito silvestrovanje in nepozabno novo leto. Ne pozabi - danes sem objavila tudi zadnjo skrito besedo, tako da če pobrskaš po Blogmas objavah, mi lahko že danes pošlješ skrito misel in s tem sodeluješ v nagradni igri, več o pravilih pa lahko prebereš v Blogmas #7 objavi. Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita.

Blogmas #15: Slovenian bloggers Secret Santa ***** Slovenske blogerke postanejo skrivne božičke

Opportunities for Slovenian beauty bloggers to connect in an informal way are rare, but this December we once again joined forces and organized a Secret Santa. Or better said, since we are all girls, Secret Clara. This year I again took on the role of organizing the whole thing which means I could not participate myself, but I enjoyed watching gifts other received and I was happy with them.

Slovenske lepotne blogerke smo se tudi letos povezale in organizirale Skrivnega božička. Bolje rečeno, glede na to, da smo sama dekleta - vse smo postale skrivne božičke. Tudi letos sem naše blogerke organizirala jaz, kar pomeni, da sodelovati nisem mogla, ampak sem z veseljem gledala darila drugih in se veselila skupaj z njimi.

We set no limits or boundaries regarding the gifts - the girls can give whatever they want to each other, but it is important that they get to know the person they're gifting to as good as possible. That way they can really put together a gift that is pretty, useful and makes the recipient happy.

Pri obdarovanju ne postavljamo nobenih meja in nobenih omejitev - dekleta se lahko obdarujejo, kakor želijo in s čimer želijo, pri čemer pa je seveda pomembno, da svojo obdarovanko čim bolje spoznajo. Tako jo res lahko obdarijo z darili, ki so lepa, uporabna in se jih obdarovanka iz srca razveseli. 

Even though organizing such a project takes quite some work, it suits my character perfectly so I enjoy doing it. I'd like to show you some of best gifts that Slovenian beauty bloggers received from their Secret Claras this year.

Čeprav je z organizacijo takšnega projekta kar nekaj dela, takšna naloga ustreza mojemu karakterju, zato se je lotim z veseljem. Tebi pa bi rada pokazala nekaj najlepših daril, ki so jih dekleta letos prejela od svojih skrivnih božičk. 

Gabi (Parokeets blog) received this gift from Kvina (Kvintopia blog)

Polona (UniqaPoly blog) received this gift from Nasja (My Last Dinner Cost Me My Lover)

 

Kvina (Kvintopia) received this gift from Nataša (Ana Krejevska blog)

Larisa (21st Century Girl) received this gift from Gabi (Parokeets)

Mikela (Dora Ward Blog) received this gift from Nina (Nina Novak blog)

Nasja (My Last Dinner Cost Me My Lover) received this gift from Polona (UniqaPoly)

Nika (Beautyfull Blog) received this gift from Cindy (All Things Artsy)

You only need to find the secret word today and the last one will follow on New Year's eve. Then, check the instructions on how to participate *here* and do it! Do you still remember the prize of the giveaway? It might be yours! Are you as eager as I am for the following year? Until next time, stay beautiful!

Današnja skrivna beseda je predzadnja, zadnjo poišči na silvestrovo, potem pa si *tu* še enkrat preberi pravila sodelovanja v nagradni igri in seveda sodeluj. Se še spomniš nagrade? Mogoče bo prav tvoja! Ali tudi ti že nestrpno pričakuješ prihodnje leto? Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita!

Blogmas #14: What I got for Christmas? ***** Kaj mi je prinesel božiček?

Santa stopped by our house and I must admit that I was more excited to see Baby M open his gifts than I was about opening my own. Not because my gifts wouldn't be great, but I was more happy to see him all excited, tearing the paper, playing with the ribbon and gushing over his building blocks and stuffed animals. But as I've been good all year long (or so they say), Santa also got me a few presents of my own.

Božiček se je ustavil tudi pri nas in priznam, da sem se letos veliko bolj veselila daril malega M-ja, kot pa svojih lastnih. Pa ne zato, ker moja darila ne bi bila super, ampak mi je veliko več pomenilo njegovo veselje, ko je trgal papir, se igral s trakci in navduševal nad kockami in plišastimi igračami. Ker pa sem bila bojda celo leto pridna, je božiček vseeno nekaj prinesel tudi meni. 

The first gift was from me to myself, namely my L'Occitane advent calendar that certainly didn't disappoint. I'm stocked up on hand creams for the year and I'll also get to try some products that I haven't tried before. I'm looking forward to a new calendar next year.

Prvo darilo sem si podarila kar sama, in sicer moj L'Occitane adventni koledar, ki me tudi letos ni razočaral. Sedaj sem za celo leto preskrbljena s kremicami za roke, preizkusila pa bom lahko tudi kar nekaj izdelkov, ki jih še poznam. Veselim se že, da bom naslednje leto preizkusila kakšnega novega.

I often mention Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue as my favorite perfume and I recently used up my last one. Santa must have noticed because I got a brand new perfume and the deodorant to match, which is very thoughtful of him.

Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue pogosto omenjam kot svoj najljubši parfum in ravno pred nekaj meseci sem porabila zadnjega. Božiček je to očitno opazil in mi prinesel novega, pa še pripadajoč deodorant po vrhu, kar je zelo pozorno od njega.

Santa has obviously been paying a lot of attention to my wishes lately since he made some serious effort to bring gifts from overseas. I must say that I was really surprised by this gift - I got two cream sticks for contouring from Colourpop and I can't wait to try them out.

Božiček je bil letos očitno tudi zelo pozoren na moje želje, saj se je potrudil in darila prinesel kar preko oceana - moram reči, da me je to darilo res presenetilo. Prejela sem dva kremna stika za senčenje in osvetljevanje Colourpop in komaj čakam, da se lotim preizkušanja. 

We've been living in our apartment for seven years now and somehow I never get around to ordering the glass for the wall in the kitchen. Santa knows that I hate it when that wall gets dirty so he brought me a gift certificate so I can choose a glass of my own choice and bring some extra color into our home.

V najinem stanovanju sva že sedem let in nekako mi kar ne uspe naročiti stekla za steno v kuhinji. Božiček ve, da ne maram umazane stene, zato mi je prinesel darilni bon, s katerim si bom lahko izbrala steklo po lastni izbiri in naš dom spet malo osvežila z nekaj barve. 

I actually asked Santa for the last gift since my previous electric toothbrush retired after seven years. He brought me the Megasonex ultrasound toothbrush thus making sure that my teeth stay clean and healthy, for which I thank him greatly.

Za zadnje darilo pa sem božička prosila, saj je moja zadnja električna ščetka po sedmih letih izdahnila. Prinesel mi je Megasonex ultrazvočno zobno ščetko in tako poskrbel, da bodo moji zobje še naprej zdravi, za kar se mu najlepše zahvaljujem. 

I must say that this Santa is really a cool guy - he knows what I need and also what will make me happy. I hope that you also received something that you wanted or needed, or that perhaps Santa surprised you as well. You know - the good men know even our most secret wishes.

Ah, ta božiček je res ena faca, točno ve, kaj potrebujem, pa tudi, s čim me bo razveselil. Upam, da si tudi ti dobila kaj, kar si res želela ali potrebovala, morda pa te je tudi s čim prijetno presenetil. Saj veš - dobri mož včasih pozna tudi naše najbolj skrivne želje in se jih potrudi uresničiti.

We are only a couple of days away from the end of the giveaway - have you found all the words yet? I'm sure that the task won't be too hard. Until next time, stay beautiful!

Samo še nekaj dni nas loči do zaključka nagradne igre - si že poiskala vse skrivne besede, potrebne za sodelovanje? Verjamem, da jih ne bo pretežko najti. Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita!

Blogmas #12 & #13: How to bake a "potica"? ***** Kako speči potico?

Two Blogmas in one? Yes, that's life. I planned my posts up front but quickly realized that baking a potica and entertaining a nine month old child is too stressful, and making photos and writing this post at the same time would be an impossible task to fulfill. But still - in our house, we eat potica long into January so it's never too late for a good recipe.

Dva Blogmasa v enem? Da, takšno je pač življenje. Seveda sem objave načrtovala vnaprej, vendar pa sem ugotovila, da je peči  potico in zabavati devetmesečnega otroka hkrati preveč naporno, da bi zraven še fotografirala proces in napisala objavo. Pa vendarle - pri nas doma potice jemo še daleč v januar, zato za en dober recept ni nikoli prezgodaj. 

This recipe comes from Hungary and is a bit different because you won't be using leavened dough but potato dough. You need about an hour for preparation and 45-50 minutes for baking. The amount of ingredients in this recipe is intended for two portions, because I prepared walnut potica and a potica with poppy seeds. If you only want to prepare one just cut the ingredients in half. This dough is also very good with cheese fillings and can be used for dumplings and similar dishes.

Ta recept prihaja iz Madžarske in je nekoliko drugačen, saj se ne uporablja kvašenega testa, ampak krompirjevo testo. Za pripravo potrebuješ približno eno uro in še kakšnih 45-50 minut za peko. Vse količine so navedene za dvojno porcijo, saj sem naredila in makovo in orehovo potico - v kolikor želiš pripraviti samo eno, jih enostavno razpoloviš. To testo je zelo dobro tudi s kakšnim sirovim nadevom, uporabiš pa ga lahko tudi za svaljke, cmoke in podobno. 

Za pripravo testa potrebuješ/To prepare the dough you will need: 

- 1 kg krompirja // 1 kg potatoes

- 1 kg moke // 1 kg flour

- 4 jajca (rumenjake za testo, beljake za premaz) // 4 eggs (yolks for the dough, whites for the spread)

- 4 pecilne praške // 4 baking powders

- 400 g masla // 400 g butter

- 400 g sladkorja // 400 g sugar

- 2 vrečki rumovega sladkorja (opcijsko) // 2 bags of rum sugar (optional) 

Za pripravo makovega nadeva potrebuješ / To prepare the poppy seed filling you will need:

- 400 g mletega maka // 400 g ground poppy seeds

- 100 g sladkorja // 100 g sugar

- 300 ml mleka // 300 ml milk

Za pripravo orehovega nadeva potrebuješ // To prepare the walnut filling you will need:

- 400 g mletih orehov // 400 g ground walnuts

- 100 g sladkorja // 100 g sugar

- 300 ml mleka // 300 ml milk

- 200 g rozin (opcijsko) // 200 g raisins (optional)

Peel and cut the potatoes, cook them and mash them really well. Add butter, egg yolks, baking powder and sugar. Mix well and start adding flour and making dough. This dough is quite crumbly so it's important to add the flour slowly. After kneading the dough well, separate it into four pieces (or two, if you have an enormously big oven).

Krompir olupiš, narežeš, skuhaš in dobro pretlačiš. Dodaš maslo, rumenjake, pecilni prašek ter sladkor. Dobro premešaš in počasi dodajaš moko ter pričneš oblikovati testo. Takšno testo ni gibko, ampak se rado drobi, zato je počasno dodajanje moke res pomembno. Po tem, ko testo dobro pregneteš, ga razdeli v štiri dele (ali pa dva, če imaš res ogromno pečico).

Both fillings are super simple to make. Mix the poppy seeds/walnuts with sugar, boil 300ml of milk and simply mix it in. That's it.

Oba nadeva sta super enostavna za pripravo. Mak/orehe zmešaš s sladkorjem ter dodaš 300ml vrelega mleka. In to je to!

When rolling the potica, I suggest you use a baking paper so you don't need to touch the dough much as it tends to fall apart. Don't put the filling on the top and the bottom of the dough, but rather in the middle. After you're done rolling, you can put a bit of the filling at both ends and tuck them in. Spread some egg white on top. Now, your potica can go straight into the oven. Bake at 190' C for 45-50 minutes.

Pri zavijanju potice ti priporočam uporabo pekovskega papirja, da se ne boš preveč dotikala testa, ki rado razpade. Nadeva ne razmaži čisto na vrh in na konec testa, ampak bolj proti sredini. Ko končaš z zvijanjem, lahko malo nadeva potlačiš še na oba konca, nato pa testo zaviješ skupaj. Po vrhu potico premaži z beljakom. Sedaj je tvoja potica pripravljena za v pečico. Peci jo pri 190'C 45-50 minut.

And this is the final result. This kind of potica is a bit different but a big hit in our home since my grandmother used to make it following this recipe. It's not too sweet and the walnuts or poppy seeds add a bit of bitterness so I can guarantee you it's really awesome. 

In to je končni rezultat. Takšna potica je nekoliko drugačna, pri nas doma pa je vedno velik hit, saj je po tem receptu potico pekla že moja babica. Ni presladka, mak ali orehi dodajo tudi malo grenkobe in garantiram ti, da je res odlična! 

Ne pozabi, da danes v tekstu iščeš dve skrivni besedi, nova objava pa sledi že jutri, ko ti bom pokazala, kaj mi je letos prinesel božiček. 

Until next time, stay beautiful! ***** Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita!

Blogmas #11: How to cure a hangover? ***** Kako se znebiti mačka?

As I have learned in my 32 years on earth, December parties are fun! Sometimes they are too much fun, to be quite honest. For me, this has been the case, especially in the past few years when my general alcohol intake is quite small during the year and consequently, I lack the stamina, for a lack of a better word. This means that my December mornings are often plagued with hangover and since nobody likes that, here are a few tips on how to help your body recover.

V svojih 32 letih na svetu sem se naučila, da so decembrske zabave res super! Včasih so celo preveč zabavne, če sem čisto iskrena. Meni osebno se to pogosto zgodi, še posebej zato, ker zadnja leta skozi celo leto ne pijem kaj veliko alkohola in nimam “vzdržljivosti” – boljše besede pač ne najdem. To pomeni, da so decembrska jutra pogosto zaznamovana z mačkom, ki ga nihče ne mara, zato je tu nekaj namigov, kako lahko v takšnih primerih pomagaš svojemu telesu.

There are a couple of things you can do the night before. That kebab at 3 a.m. won’t help you cure a looming hangover, but anything you eat before you have your drinks will – so make sure not to drink on an empty stomach! Also, try to remember the 1-1 (or better yet, 1-2) rule: for each unit of alcohol, you have to have a unit of water, or even better, two units.  While this might up the number of your toilet breaks, you’ll thank me in the morning. I always remember to drink half of liter of water directly before bed as well.

Nekaj stvari lahko storiš že prejšnji večer. Kebab ob treh zjutraj ti ne bo pomagal pozdraviti prihajajočega mačka, vendar pa bo pozitivno delovalo vse, kar boš pojedla pred pitjem – nikakor ne pij na prazen želodec! Poizkusi imeti v mislih pravilo 1-1 (ali še bolje, 1-2): za vsako enoto alkohola, ki jo spiješ, moraš popiti tudi enoto vode, ali še bolje, dve! Čeprav bo to povišalo število tvojih izletov v toaletne prostore, se mi boš zjutraj zahvalila. Sama obvezno spijem pol litra vode tudi tik preden se zvalim v posteljo.

But if you still wake up with a hangover, make sure to drink plenty of fluids. No, not alcohol! Sugary drinks won’t do you much good, either. Try to reach for water or tea. Have a small coffee if you’re used to it, but it will make you even more dehydrated so if you’re not an avid coffee drinker, stay away if you can. Some say that sports drinks will help your electrolyte imbalance, but from my experience, they didn’t help any better than plain water.

Če se kljub temu zbudiš z mačkom, je najpomembnejše, da piješ veliko tekočine. Ne, ne mislim alkohola. Prav tako ti v nobeno pomoč ne bodo sladkane pijače. Poizkusi se držati vode ali čaja. Če jo potrebuješ in redno piješ, spij kavico, vendar pa jo izpusti, če ne čutiš potrebe po njej, saj te bo kofein še bolj dehidriral. Nekateri sicer pravijo, da napitki za športnike pomagajo vzpostaviti elektrolitsko ravnovesje v telesu, vendar pa po mojih izkušnjah ne pomagajo nič bolj kot navadna voda.

Next, eat something, even if you don’t feel like it. Even if your mind is craving things like fried eggs and chocolate, go for something that will bring your blood sugar levels back up, such as crackers, toast or a light cheese and veggie sandwich. I would strongly suggest a shower. It will do nothing to wash away the alcohol from your bloodstream, but it will help you feel better. If the weather is normal, I would also suggest a brisk walk around the block to get some fresh air into your system.

Pomembno je tudi, da nekaj poješ, čeprav ti morda ta misel ni najbolj pri srcu. Tudi če tvoje srce hrepeni po pečenih jajčkih ali čokoladi, raje poseži po nečem, kar bo dvignilo tvojo raven sladkorja v krvi na normalen nivo, na primer toastu, krekerjih (neslanih) ali pa sendviču z malce sira in zelenjavo. Toplo ti priporočam tudi, da se stuširaš. Čeprav voda ne bo odplaknila alkohola iz tvojega telesa, se boš vseeno počutila boljše. Če je vreme dobro, ti predlagam tudi kratek sprehod, da v sistem spraviš nekaj čistega zraka.

If you have a pounding headache, you have two options. You can wait it out, which can take up to 12 hours, or take a pill which will have an almost instant effect. Remember to follow the instructions of the pharmacist while doing so and also keep in mind that your liver is already working overtime and want some rest, so don’t pop those pills like Tic Tac’s because you’ll burden them even more.

V primeru glavobola imaš dve možnosti. Lahko počakaš, da izzveni sam od sebe, kar lahko traja do 12 ur, ali pa vzameš tableto, ki ima skoraj nemuden učinek. Ne pozabi slediti navodilom proizvajalca, v mislih pa imej tudi, da tvoja jetra že delajo nadure, zato jih ne obremenjuj s tem, da tablete glodaš kot Tic Tace.

Last but not least, give your body time to recover. Depending on your age, that’s anywhere from a day to five days for full recovery of  the entire system, but since this is the season to be jolly, at least try to skip one night of drinking. If you’ve got the option to sleep it out, take it! Rest is one of the things that your body needs in order to start functioning properly once again.

Nenazadnje je pomembno, da svojemu telesu daš čas, da si opomore. To lahko traja od enega dneva do petih dni, kar je nekoliko odvisno od tvoje starosti, zato ti predlagam, da vsaj za en večer preskočiš pitje tudi v tej sezoni rajanja. Če imaš možnost, da mačka odspiš, jo izkoristi. Počitek je ena od stvari, ki jih tvoje telo potrebuje, da lahko spet prične normalno delovati.

Hopefully, you’re reading this before you actually need it. I’m not encouraging drinking in any way, but if you’re an adult, nothing or nobody can stop you from doing it and the least I can do is give you a few pointers on how to survive during the mad month of December, right? I’m once again reminding you of the secret word for my holiday giveaway (for the prize and rules, click *here*), since the prize is really awesome and I’d hate for you to miss out. Until next time, stay beautiful!

Upam, da si ta zapis prebrala, preden ga boš dejansko potrebovala. Vsekakor pitja alkohola ne spodbujam, vendar pa ti kot odrasli osebi tega nihče ne more preprečiti, zato ti lahko ponudim vsaj nekaj nasvetov, kako preživeti ta nor december, kaj ne? Ponovno te spomnim, da poišči skrivno besedo za mojo božično nagradno igro (za ogled nagrade in pravila klikni *tu*), ker je nagrada res super in želim, da imaš tudi ti možnost, da jo osvojiš. Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita!

Blogmas #10: Silent night or Driving home for Christmas

I must admit I'm a complete sucker when it comes to Christmas music. When at work, I start listening to my YouTube playlist sometime in mid November and don't stop until mid January. Sometimes, I'll even annoy my coworkers with it - all for a bit of Christmas spirit. 

Priznam, ljubim božično glasbo. V službi sem božične pesmi preko YouTuba običajno začela poslušati že sredi novembra in jih poslušala še dober čas v januarju. Včasih sem s kakšno posebej super pesmijo malo jezila tudi moje sodelavce - vse v duhu čarobnega božiča, seveda.

This year I'm spending more time in my car since baby M and I are doing some light shopping each day and I love playing the Christmas tunes out loud to him while singing along. I'm sure he doesn't get the whole X-mas thing just yet, but better start early, right?

Letos se z malim M-jem skoraj vsak dan odpraviva na kakšen potep (in v nakupe), kar pomeni, da veliko časa preživim v avtu. Tudi njemu seveda naglas predvajam božične pesmi in si seveda popevam obenem. Čeprav sem prepričana, da koncepta božiča še ne razume, ni nikoli prezgodaj za nekaj pozitivnega vpliva, mar ne?

Anyway, today I wanted to share with you my top 5 Christmas songs that I could listen to all year long. Maybe use them as a background while you're creating a holiday manicure, baking cookies or simply relax, close your eyes and drift along. The choice is yours.

Danes želim s tabo deliti svojih top 5 božičnih pesmi, ki bi jih lahko poslušala skozi celo leto. Morda jih lahko uporabiš kot ozadje pri ustvarjanju božične manikure, pri peki piškotov, lahko pa se celo sprostiš, zapreš oči in se prepustiš glasbi. Izbira je tvoja.

#1: Let It Snow (Frank Sinatra)

 

#2: Driving Home For Christmas (Chris Rea)

#3: Santa Baby (Ariana Grande)

 

#4: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (Michael Buble)

#5: All I Want For Christmas is You (Mariah Carey)

 

You didn't forget about the giveaway, right? Today's word is the 10th in a row so you already have more than two thirds of all words you'll need to participate in the giveaway. The rules and everything you need to know are *here* and the prize is pretty sweet, if I can say so myself.

Seveda nisi pozabila tudi na nagradno igro, kaj ne? Današnja skrivna beseda je že deseta po vrsti in sedaj imaš že več kot dve tretjini besed, ki jih potrebuješ za sodelovanje. Pravila in vsa ostala navodila najdeš *tu*, nagrada pa je - vsak po mojem mnenju - res super.

Until next time, stay beautiful! ***** Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita!

Blogmas #9: What's baby M getting for Xmas? ***** Kaj bo moj mali M. dobil za prvi božič?

I always loved buying gifts for children but looking back, I didn’t always make the best choices. I’m sure the kids were happy, but the parents probably less so – think sticky things, loud things and presents that include glitter. Now that baby M is about to turn 9 months old (where did the time go?) and is about to celebrate his first Christmas, I’ve become much more picky. 

Od nekdaj sem z užitkom nakupovala za otroke, vendar verjetno moje odločitve niso bile vedno najboljše. Otroci so bili vsekakor vedno veseli, vendar pa so bili starši najbrž nekoliko manj – v mislih imam razna lepljiva darila, glasna darila in darila z bleščicami. Moj mali M. bo kmalu dopolnil 9 mesecev (kam je šel čas?) in bo pravkar praznoval svoj prvi božič. Pri njegovih darilih sem seveda bolj izbirčna.

Today, I’m only showing you things he’s getting from us – if you’d like to see other presents he receives, let me know in the comments below. Since he’s my parents’ first grandchild and my mum has been waiting for him for so long, I’m sure that they won’t be holding back (she’s shown lack of restraint in the past nine months, and that’s saying it kindly) and the gifts he receives from them will be much more abundant. That’s also one of the reasons I was trying to hold back and little M. doesn't exactly express his wishes just yet.

Danes ti bom pokazala le darila, ki jih bo dobil od naju – če bi želela videti še vsa druga darila, ki jih bo prejel, mi to lahko sporočiš v komentarju. Ker je mali M. prvi vnuk mojih staršev in je moja mama nanj čakala kar nekaj časa, sem prepričana, da se ne bo zadrževala pri nakupih (že v preteklih devetih mesecih je jasno pokazala, da ji na tem področju manjka nekaj samokontrole, če se izrazim najlepše, kot znam) in bo prejel kar nekaj daril. To je tudi eden od razlogov, zakaj sem skušala biti sama bolj razumna, želje malega pa so zaenkrat tudi še skrivnost.

The first gift that is his main gift this year is the Tiny Tot Balance Bike & Tricycle. I bought this at Mali Zakladi online store. I love it because it transforms from a tricycle into a balance bike very simply so it’s a 2in1 product. I also like the design and they have a bunch of accessories to go along with it (think helmets, baskets etc.) He’ll have to wait a few months to really start using it but I’m sure he’ll do great.

Njegovo prvo in glavno darilo letos je Tiny Tot Balance Bike & Tricycle, torej poganjalček in tricikel v enem, ki sem ga kupila v spletni trgovini Mali zakladi. Všeč mi je, ker se iz tricikla povsem enostavno preobrazi v poganjalčka, torej gre za dva izdelka v enem. Čudovit je tudi sam dizajn, na voljo pa imajo kar precej dodatkov (čelade, košarice in podobno). Na uporabo bo moral počakati še nekaj mesecev, vendar sem prepričana, da mu bo šlo odlično.

Until then, he has this gizmo to tie him over. This is a 2-1 walker and ride car which also shoots balls out of it, but we’ll try to keep that particular feature from baby M ;) He’ll be able to use this indoors if he wants to go for a little spin. By the way, he’s already standing up quite a lot and trying to walk along different furniture, so I’m sure it will help with his walking as well. And I’ll need a darker color to cover my graying hair ;)

Do takrat bo lahko uporabljal naslednji gizmo. Gre za 2-1 hojico in avtomobilček, iz katerega lahko dete strelja žogice (vendar pa mu bomo skušali to funkcijo zamolčati). Ta avtomobilček bo lahko uporabljal tudi znotraj, v kolikor se bo želel malo popeljati. Mimogrede, glede na to, da mali M. že kar dobro stoji in poskuša ob pohištvu že malo hoditi, sem prepričana, da mu bo zelo prav prišla tudi hojica. Jaz pa bom potrebovala temnejšo barvo za moje sive lase ;)

Next is his rucksack. He’ll be starting kindergarten in March and as much as I’m not really looking forward to that, I want to make sure that he looks dashing on his first day of “school”. I love this Nici rucksack and I’m sure he will, too.

Naslednje darilo je njegov nahrbtnik. V marcu bo začel hoditi v vrtec in čeprav se tega nič kaj ne veselim, bi rada, da vsaj za prvi dan “šole” izgleda res super. Ta Nici nahrbtnik mi je super všeč in prepričana sem, da bo tudi njemu.

He chose this owl a few months ago at a children’s store and I bought it and hid it from him. He’s not that into stuffed animals so I buy them for him if he shows interest. I must admit, it’s pretty cute.

To sovico si je izbral že nekaj mesecev nazaj v trgovini z igračami, zato sem mu jo kupila in jo še malo skrila. Plišaste igračke mu niso pretirano všeč, zato mu jih kupim, kadar za kakšno pokaže veliko zanimanje. Priznati moram, da je res simpatična.

 

He’ll also be getting a box of soft building blocks. I can’t wait until I can start buying him proper Duplo and Lego blocks (and play with them myself all day long) but until then, we’ll be playing with these. He loves to stack things and then pull them down so I’m sure these will be a big hit. 

Božiček bo malemu M-ju prinesel tudi škatlo mehkih kock za sestavljanje. Komaj čakam, da mu bom lahko začela kupovati Duplo in Lego kocke (da se bom z njimi lahko cele dneve igrala tudi sama), do tedaj, pa se bo igral s temi. Ker rad postavlja stvari skupaj in jih potem podira, bodo verjetno velik hit.

As you’re reading this, my hubby and I are on a small getaway. Yes, just the two of us – it’s our 10^th anniversary in a few weeks and since we really can’t go on a long trip with baby M yet, we’re taking a long weekend off to really enjoy each other’s company. That being said, I have no doubt in my mind that on our trip we’ll be adding a few more gifts for baby M to the stash. If you’re a parent, you’ll understand.

Medtem ko to bereš, sva z dragim na mini oddihu. Da, sama. Čez nekaj tednov praznujeva deseto obletnico in ker malega M-ja še ne moreva peljati na daljše potovanje, si bova vzela podaljšan vikend, ko bova lahko uživala v družbi en drugega. Že vnaprej sklepam, da bom tudi med tem oddihom kupila kaj za malega. Če si tudi sama starš, to gotovo lahko razumeš.

What are you getting your children, nephews, nieces, children of your friends for Christmas? I’d love to hear some ideas – maybe I can jot them down for years to come! Until next time, stay beautiful (and don’t forget to find today’s secret word)!

Kaj pa boš ti letos podarila svojim otrokom, nečakom in nečakinjam ali otrokom svojih prijateljev? Z veseljem bi slišala kakšno idejo – morda si jih tudi zapišem za prihajajoča leta! Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita (in ne pozabi poiskati današnje skrivne besede)!