Have you heard Total Barre?

After Pilates probably Total Barre is one of the most amazing exercising on the market. I started it few weeks back, thanks to friend of mine who mentioned that there is a boutique gym and wonderful instructors who offer barre classes. Otherwise I had no idea about this places, which is only 10kms away from my house. I have been here over two years and never heard of it!!! In places like Kenya, word of mouth is such a great tool:) So keep in mind, when you move into a new place do not waste anytime start making new friends!

Honestly, I have never thought it would be this challenging, working every single muscle only in just 50 min class. I have been feeling kind a sore after each class and loving it. Proof that it is working just in right spot:) To see the change in a short period of time is amazing.  I can say so much about it.

If you have a chance, definitely gotta try it. When I mentioned this to my friends they said 'we like cardio'. Me too, I love running outside, and believe that's one of the best exercise ever for legs, abs, hips and thighs. But we all need to keep our core strong as well. And barre is not only a core workout, also with short but fast and intensive repetitions it is a powerful cardio as well. I find it very dynamic, and never bored of the moves (I can really get bored easily if I do the same exercise over and over again, also our body gets used to same moves pretty quickly, it does not become a challenge after a while. I know that's not fair, but it is want it is:)!  So, barre integrates dance, pilates, cardio and strength training.  So do not wait, try it:)

Bright colours and Sunday's

I love locally made Kenyan dresses. Even though, new generation wears more western style, especially woman in rural areas and old generation still prefer to wear their authentic and characteristic dresses. The texture, bright colours and patterns are amazing. They are nicely done and opposite colours sit so well. Actually I have been looking for a local shop that sells these dresses and tops, if I feel brave enough, will even plan to get one for myself. Masai Market sell some fabrics, like dresses, skirts and tops, even though they are wonderful, but not as authentic. I asked Theresia to take me one of these shops, and cannot wait to go.

Like in any big city, rush hour is very busy in Nairobi as well. You can see the roads, matatus, buses are packed with people who are trying to get to work. And no matter what the road and weather conditions are, ladies do not give up on their high heels. And that is admirable and I do envy that. Probably I like my comfort way too much!

My favourite day of the week is Sunday here. Traffic is not as bad as rest of the week and everybody dresses so nice, girls are in bright colourful dresses with their hair nicely done, little handsome boys wears sometimes even cute suites, holding their parent's hands. The streets are busy with people who go to church, do some shopping, or just out to socialise.

Sundays make me travel back in time...It reminds me holidays in back home years ago, where people used to put their best dresses on, to visit the elderly. I loved that tradition. Unfortunately, now holidays are an excuse to get away from work or big cities, is not that sad...

Another term break, seriously

We are in another term break. I feel like we have so many of them! This is fairly a short one, total of 5 days including Madaraka Day. On the other side, I am having difficulty with finding/creating activities for my children! At least the weather is on my side. By the way, we did not have rainy season this year, it gets unseasonably warm these days, wonder what expects us next year. Lets hope for the best.

While I was driving along Junction last week, I noticed there is a new Masai Market at Green House. Not sure they changed their location on Fridays, it does not seem like a big one from outside, so definitely gonna check it out and let you know whats out there. There are also new shops at Green House, such as a bakery and butcher. I cannot wait to take a peek inside.  Is that me who gets excited about a butcher:))) Anyway, love to discover new places. That can be a nice activity with  my daughter, not the butcher of course, Masai Market:) And our annual long holiday is ahead of us, so Masai Market is a place to get wonderful Kenyan souvenirs.

My daughter is turning 8 soon, can not believe how much she grow and how fast time went by. She has been asking for a mountain bike for sometime. And this past weekend, we have decided it is time to surprise her. Honestly, we do not spoil our children with toys or technical gadgets. We want them to be as active as they can be, and live their childhood full with lots of outside activities. Luckily, both of our children love playing outside, they prefer to be out rather than sitting in front of ipad or xbox. In a few years, technology is going to be in their lives anyway, a realty of today's world. So along with her bike, Also bought a bike rack for our car and a seat for our little one. Our new plan is to take family bike trips around the wonderful forests around Nairobi. I cannot wait to bike:) Such a great activity for children.

Becoming an active parent at school

Since I have two children, I have decided to become more active at school. Most schools have now 'Parent Associations' or 'Parent Forums'. And these associations do many great things not only to school but also for the communities as well.  They are great constructive environments. Being part of PA or parent forum is a great tool to be aware what is going on in school, good and bad developments, things to be done to make it a better place for children, fundraising activities, social gatherings at school ground during the weekens' and much more.
It is also socialising environment and highly recommend it if you are a parent and have extra time to dedicate yourself. Meetings only take place once a month, and it is definitely worth to put time on it. Children also love the idea of their parent to be active at school. It makes them very proud:)

Struck by virus!

It was my turn! I hopelessly tried to not to give up! Stubbornly continued with my daily life, went to barre class, run outside, went to my daughter's netball game, until I ended up in bed with couple ibufen ready by my side, checking my temperature every couple of hours!

It comes with the package, after became a mom you also become a family doctor! Soon after my daughter was born, my medical knowledge grow so much along with medicine literature!! Probably like most of the first time parents out there, I was also taking my daughter to doctors' office in every fever she had. But second time round, having good amount of experience with fever, pains and ear infections I am fully prepared! What I still not prepared is joining them in every virus they have. As a good mom, I do not want them to feel left alone:)

Anyways, half of last week, I was lying on opposite of my son. He was so kind that he even shared his blankie with me, putting it under my head, telling himself 'momy is sick:), he even brought my water:) Is not that something? I did not mind feeling sick, my three year old son was there to care for me:)

One of the most affective thing fighting with common cold I believe is chicken broth soup with egg white and lemon juice. It tastes so yummy, cleans the body, and great immune booster. May be I should share with you the recipe, would you be interested, I wonder? My children love it, since the first day, they are never bored of it. At least once a week, they even make a special request:)

Feeling much better today so I started my day with my weekly run. After the warm bath, it feels so good. Now, I can go back to my writings. I really feel emptiness when I do not write, I think I am addicted, in a good way:)

Even though I was not feeling well, I had to go to town for a business meeting. Unfortunately, meeting did not meet my expectations...But I will continue with my plans, have few more in upcoming weeks. Hoping to finalise them before we go for our much anticipated summer break.

Dark nights in Nairobi

Lately, there have been lots of power cuts in Nairobi. Funny thing is few weeks back, power cut was in whole country. Imagine that! Is not that something? Usually the routine is, we have power cuts throughout the week, but most of the time, it is back before it gets dark. It is a smart thing to do in Africa, right? Put the power back on before it gets dark... Anyhow, after living in here for over two years now, I get used to it, and stopped complaining (seriously I do not) . That's called adjusting:) However, it really surprised me when I heard the power cut was all over Kenya, of course when you are inside of your home and do not go out after certain time of the day, you do not know this. So, word of mouth is a great resource and gotta definitely check local news. At the end end, there was a major problem in one of the circuit, which interestingly affected the whole country. I still do not get it how though...

So last week we had another major power cut, and our inverter picked-up, however even the generators/inverters sometimes not useful anymore! In this case, after somewhere around 7-8 hrs of power cut, right around 7-8pm I heard that 'beep' sound coming from our inverter. And than I thought, here we go again, so got all the candles ready! They get very handy here, not for making house look cosy but to light it up:) So, there I was with my children, my husband was away as usual (even sometimes feel like he does this intentionally, picking the right week to travel!!) Worst part was we also had a water cut as well!! We had a extra water storage but how can you use the water pump without the power!!! So we ended up with dark and no water, but thanks to tons of candles, I was able to light-up the house. That night, when I opened our upstairs window and took a peek outside, I felt little uncomfortable cause of the silence and dark, only the stars were out there. Luckily, kids do not see what we see. They love the lighting the candle or blowing them, they even play games in the dark. Sometimes, I want to be a kid as well...

Sunday @ Zen Garden

Zen Garden is the place you want to spend your Sunday's as a family. It is one of the popular restaurants and lounge in Gigiri among expatriates and locals. Zen Garden offers both fusion and Italian cuisine, also has a tasty patisserie for little bit of indulgence. Unfortunately, we could not have a dinner, it is kind a too far from our home in Karen. But heard their dinners served under the candle light and lounge music at the background, that's my favorite:)

Make sure to have a reservation for Friday and Saturday nights and also Sunday lunch since it gets pretty crowded. Both lounge area and dining area spacious enough to make you dine comfortable with your children and it never feels too crowded. Like its name, Zen Garden sits on a beautiful lush garden, offers children plenty of space to run and play. On Sundays they have jumping castle and trampoline to keep the kids busy. You cannot imagine how much it gets handy if you have two active children like us!

Menu offers many choices so you never get bored of eating the same food. Food is delicious and nicely served, there are good amount of servers, so you do not need to wait hours for your food. We tried both pizza and sushi, very tasty and fresh. Definitely recommend it.

Try to go when the weather is nice, you do not want to stuck inside during the rainy days, better enjoy the beautiful patio dining Zen Garden offers.

http://www.zengarden.co.ke/

Heightened security

If you live in Africa, security concern becomes part of your life. Obviously, security is major concern to anyone no matter where we live. It comes in different forms though.

We are in our third year here in Kenya, first year or so I have never felt scared or concerned about my children's or our well being. Of course we always have taken our precautions when we go out, such as not going out after dark, locking our doors, not carrying expensive/out there accessories, being aware of our surroundings and much more. But lately, there has been a significantly increased number of terrorism activities in all over Kenya. And these threats are not for specific people with specific backgrounds, it is for everyone who lives here. We get security alert emails from our embassies almost everyday now. It does concern me a lot, but at the same time life goes on. We all still have to go to our works, drop off our children at school, do shopping, meet with our friends, enjoy a day out and relax.

Please be aware of your surroundings, take an extra caution when you go out, stay away from crowded places and roads.

STAY SAFE.

Zeynep

Hiking with kids @ Karura Forest

Can you hike with kids? If what we did can be called hiking, yes you can! But let me tell you something, when we got into our car after somewhere around 15-20kms of hiking, our legs were shaking. And that's me saying, who runs and works-out 4-5 days a week! But hiking with kids not only physically drains you, it drains you emotionally as well!!!

At one point my husband said "Zeynep, do we have to see the waterfalls? I think I have seen enough already!" Ok, let me give him a credit, he came from Tanzania on a 5am flight the same day. And poor man, with only 2 hours of sleep, just to make me happy, he was there to hike tons of kilometres with two children!!! ) At some point carrying our 3 yrs. old through steep steps!! Since it was weeks a go I planned to see Karura Forest waterfall, I told him " we walked 2 hrs with two children, we gotta see it and I am not going back!" I sometimes wonder if I am too demanding!!!:)

Karura Forest is place to visit if you want to get a fresh air, and walk shoulder to shoulder with baboons! While we were entering the forest, there were couple baboons following us with just few steps back!
Karura Forest has few entrances, we used the entrance on Kiambu Road, so we started from "Family Trail". After few kms of walking we had two options, either going on left or right, since there were no signs, with much of our daughter's resistance we chose to go left side!!! Somewhere after an hour walk with so sign of waterfall, we came across of locals and asked them the way to waterfall, there they showed us where we came from! Well, sometimes you gotta listen your children's naive instinct!! So, we had to go back all the way back with 10 more kilometres hiking uphill! Right there, our son decided to run and walk by himself, something triggered him, probably felt bad for us who have been pushing his bugaboo for hours!  Our little man walked and run by himself until we finally reached waterfall sign! Have I mentioned our daughter was biking, lucky her! She was biking downhill, and we were the ones pushing her bike uphill!!!

After three hours of walking, running and pushing stroller and a bike, we arrived! Let me tell you, it was all worth it! Seriously. Waterfall is located close to Muthaiga entrance. To reach there, you have to walk down through the steps, first you reach the caves, if you follow the small trail that will take you waterfalls. The walk path is very serene surrounding by huge trees, may be hundred years old, and caves go so deep. I could have just sit there and listen water falls on the big rocks, away from the noisy and polluted streets and roads. There were many tourists, and locals or dog walkers around, all enjoying the lovely scenery. Our kids were so amazed, they loved it!

Karura Forest offers many options to visitors, hiking, biking (you can even rent), horse riding, bird watching, walking and jogging. You can safely walk with your children. We felt very safe. There are 5, 10 and 15 kms trails available. Make sure to follow the signs, otherwise you can get lost easily, nothing to be scared of, but if you do not want to walk around for hours hopelessly make sure to pay attention. There is a very little entrance fee, 200ksh for residents.

If you have time, make sure to visit this amazing forest, and enjoy a restful and quite day.
For more information, visit http://www.friendsofkarura.org

Thoughts...

I have not been able to write lately, not because I was away, just did not feel like writing...News are not so good, hundreds of innocent young girls abducted in Nigeria (nothing being done about it so far!) , hundreds lost their lives at home in a mine accident (I cannot even say an accident, because accidents happen everywhere it happens without a fault, but this one because of a negligence!!) and innocent people are dying in Kenya almost every week now because of terrorism, and everyday we receive hightened security alerts...What can be written about all these, are the words enough to describe feeling and emotions?? Do not think so, sometimes saying nothing and keeping the silence mean much more...

My thoughts and prays with people who lost their lives in anywhere in the world...

Please Pray...

My beloved country had one of the darkest day in it's history...We lost innocent lives who were working in mine factory just to make ends meet... My heart is with moms, dads, children, wives, friends, sisters and brothers who have been waiting for the news. Just for THE NEWS...

Please pray for people who lost their lives in Soma, Turkey.,.
Please pray for people who lost their loved ones in Soma, Turkey..
Please pray...

Fever:(

My son has been sick so have not been able to write lately. I kinda felt it last week though. Having two kids made me
 doctor!! Whenever one of our children wakes up at night, it is a sign. And the sign is never a good one! Last week it was either Monday or Tuesday night, I heard a cough coming from one of the rooms and I thought "here we go again:)". Every three to four weeks my little one gets sick, nothing serious thanks God, mostly viral. I can even put it onto a calendar!!!!

Until the children reach ages 5-6 this is the routine. Expect bi-weekly colds and stomach viruses, anything they can pick from outside! My son is working hard on this! The party starts when he has all in one!!!

They used to say, mothers forget very quickly:), and yes we do, which is a good thing!!! I sometimes think if my daughter was getting sick this frequently:) It feels like long time ago. My husband is good with reminding me those sleepless nights or nightly emergency runs!!!  and right there, I remember the ear infections she had until she was 5-6 yrs old! At that time, our lovely pediatrician Dr. Meryem Hnm told me to be patient until she reaches 6-7 yrs old. It was really hard to believe by that time. But obviously she was right:)

Having second child comes with lots of experience and patience. In the first one, you are so anxiously try to do everything right, whatever that means! But later, you figure out there are no black whites in having a child, there are also lots of greys too:)

The interesting thing about toddlers, they have no idea if they have a fever or not, they are still energetic 100%!! Saturday he had a fever 38.5, he was jumping on our couch!!!! And there is no way you can explain to them they have to rest and take it easy! Their dictionary does not have the word 'resting'!!! Thankfully, he did not have fever since Sunday night, and to make sure he is fully recovered, I am keeping him at home. This is one tough job!!! Yesterday, he run outside barefoot after he heard his friends playing outside and this morning, he just laid in front of the door begging to go to school with big sister!!!! And he was showing his tummy that he was not sick anymore:))

Hopefully we will get back to our usual daily runs tomorrow morning. Than I can start work on my
new business opportunities:)

Finally had a Barre Class!

Have you every heard exercise called "Total Barre". I guess it was either last year or year before I read about it. I think I read it on Goop, and I love the idea of using ballet bar, and focusing only on core. Because techniques have changed so much, no matter how hard you work out (by the way I stop using the machines long time ago!) core is the one makes the posture, bone and muscle structure strong. As we age, it makes a big difference. And since we all come with different body types, weaknesses and strengths I believe it is very important to choose the right exercise regimen and what feels right for you. Not all exercise work for everyone.

So as an exercise enthusiast, after reading so much about it, I wanted to try it right away. Unfortunately not until few weeks ago, I could not find anyone who teaches it in Nairobi. Then through a friend I came across a barre instructor and went to her class today. Now I know what the fuss was all about! Without moving a lot and by using ballet bar, it was one of the best core training I had so far! I definitely recommend! Cannot wait for next class, but first my muscles need to rest! Have pains all over now!

Another Cross Country!

I was again proud and excited when I heard my daughter has been chosen for school team for up country cross country event. My excitement got faded when I heard it is four hours drive away, in Tuli! Then my motherly instinct came alive after I heard this time they are up to 5 km run! That I think it is way too much even to walk for 8 yrs old...

After I have seen some kids got fainted in previous event, my excitement was gone totally. Probably, I can hear some of you say I am over protected. From a point, that may be right and I accept.

We had two options, either we let her go by the bus with others by Friday and let her sleep in sleeping bags and tent. She did this last year in school trip and loved it:) Even though I am not a tent or sleeping bag person- I was very quite and proud myself to not saying anything:). (Sometimes it is very hard for mother's to keep it quite!!!!) Anyway, or we would all go together either by Friday evening or Saturday morning. Because of distance we decided to not let her go by bus, if something would have happened there is no way we could be there on time. And since my husband was Uganda, I was not brave enough to go there by myself and stay in the tent with 3 and 8 yrs. old! I am neither adventures nor a tent person. Now, it was time to tell this to my daughter.

When we said all these to Dilara, first she got upset, but after few minutes later, she said "I understand, may be next time it will be closer". And since our conversation, she never complained neither talked about it again. That told us how much my little girl grow and mature...

Wonderful birthday party for my son:)

I have written this piece a month ago, but never gotten a chance to complete it. Before it is too late, let me post it today, otherwise my son, Onur, will be turning four soon!!!

If someone told me, I will be celebrating my son's birthday in Africa, I would never ever believe it! How an earth we could have end up in Africa, right? But life is full of surprises, in today's fast moving world, we never know what happens tomorrow, we only hope for the best...

I think first two birthdays are for parents! Obviously, babies have no idea what that means! But as parents, we anxiously wait for birthdays, celebration of a life that we wait for nine months to meet these littlest version of human.

One of the best thing living in Nairobi is wonderful climate. Kids are able to play outside year round bare feet and they are loving it. After we have been in couple birthday parties in here, we decided to definitely celebrate our children birthdays in our backyard. There are wonderful small entertainment companies run by local young artists. After meeting one of these young and friendly people at our friend's daughter's birthday party, they were a perfect match for us. They were very professional, on time, and loved to keep 20 kids busy all day.

Entertainers came in the morning to setup everything, they were all ready once the party started. And throughout the birthday party they were fun and very entertaining. I even wished I were a child too:)

Even though Onur still was not sure what birthday meant, he was very much excited about the birthday cake (it had to be chocolate!) and candle blowing time (four times!!!). He had so much fun with other kids from our compound. We had a huge jumping castle (at one point we saw my mom jumping on it secretly before the party started!!! And she confessed, ever since she saw it, she wanted to do this! Then she added 'we did not have jumping castle in Turkey when I was a kid!, and what can I say to that:). The children had a puppet show, face painting, fun games and a clown. It could not get better than this:) my children and our guests had so much fun, when the party ended they all had a big smile on their face.
Thank you so much Salto  Jamboree Entertainers making this celebration unforgettable for us. You were wonderful. We cannot wait for next year:)

Happy Blogaversary!

Ok, this is not your typical birthday or anniversary celebration. This one is virtual, and we can all celebrate together, we do not need to be in the same room:)  I must admit, that would be lovely to meet you in person though:)

Today is my blogaversary!

It was exactly a year ago when I started my blog. I had no idea what to write and how to write! But I know it would help me big time, and hoped, it would also help others, and it did:) Writing a blog opened my horizon. It was a hidden gem for me, and our life has crossed in Kenya...

What an amazing experience this has been for me...

When I write I feel so free and blissful. Every time I sit in front of my laptop, I feel excited and each piece gives me the creativity and independence I have been looking for all my life.

I would never guess my blog would be read from all over the world! I feel so blessed to be able to reach so many people coming with different backgrounds! Thank you for reading me my friends from Kenya, Germany, US, Ukraine, Canada, S. Africa, UK, Turkey, China, Mozambique, Switzerland, China, Macedonia and the ones I forgot to mention here.

Thank you.

Zeynep

Happy 1 Year Blogaversary!

                                                                   

Motherhood...

I wanted to write about motherhood and my thoughts on that. So much to share and tell on this subject, imagine there are millions of book out there. My plan is to talk and share about me being a mom of two children. 

Motherhood is one of the greatest thing a human can achieve in life. And I strongly believe, there is no empowering feeling stronger than that. It is that simple! 

After living a single life and four years of marriage with no kids, 'the clock started to tick for me'!  if you want to have a child, after certain age time does not work on your side:) Since we have never imagined ourselves without a child in our marriage, it was time for us.

During my first pregnancy, we were living in Washington, DC. I got many friends coming from different background, and they had one thing in common! they told me same stories about having kids, and there I developed a scare, a real one!  I did not have much support mechanism, my parents were living thousands miles away, so was my sister! I was working fulltime and counting the days to become a mom! Whoever became  mom or pregnant now heard all these horrific stories, and I think it is a global scare!!! Here is the list I heard from my friends and family members, let me warn you none of them are good! I wonder why?!

- After you become a mom, your life is going to change!
- Do not expect to sit at the table and have a nice dinner!
- Forget about a good sleep!
- Breastfeeding, no way, it is so painful!
- Worst is "Terrible 2, 3..." keep counting!
- Are you going to stop working??
- Stay home mom? That's terrible.
- You should start look for a nanny!
- This is nothing just wait for time that they talk back to you

List can go on and on...But I really want to stop here:)

Believe it or not until that moment I've never paid attention kids in the malls who were screaming, yelling, throwing themselves from one place to another, or moms just buying anything they want just to make them stop screaming! Or babies with nannies spending time in the malls! Or moms who are driving their kids around just to put them to a sleep!!!They were never in my horizon! I saw them but I never see them, probably you know what I mean. Then one day, I started to really see what was going around me!!!! I thought "is this it? is this what's waiting for me few months ahead!!!" I was horrified!

 After my daughter was born, I forgot all about it in one second! Totally focused on this amazing experience. But day after day, once the hoopla was ended, I stared to realise, some of the things I heard became reality of my daily life! Like no sleep, a decision to be a stay home mom without a nanny, and by the way have I mentioned non stop breastfeeding! (During those days, people said 'you will forget, and will not remember these in the future!, that's not right by the way!)  I do still remember!!!'. But somehow, there is this huge power and a strong feeling makes your day go through. And every new day is a new challenge, and right, my life was changed, it was never like the old days anymore...

Mothers do what's right for them, my motherhood was never by the book, or what's been told me to do, or trendy ever changing technics. Of course I read books, search internet, and listen experienced people and get their advice, luckily I also have a older sister who I can always trust and lean on (have I mentioned she is Psychiatrist and Professor:)). But at the end of the day, I still choose what is natural, and right for me and for us as a family.

Today, I am mother of two health and happy children, ageing three and eight.

Trip to Mauritius

If you live in Kenya, and do not want to do a long flight in the future, this is the right time to travel islands of Mauritius and Sychelles. I can easily hear your thoughts, 'they are one of the few most expensive destinations on earth!!' and I do agree with that. But it does not stop me to write about them:)

Flying to Mauritius is very convenient, only 4hrs from Nairobi with a direct flight by Kenya Airways.

Last few years, not only for travel, but for business purposes it also became a popular place. The government provides lots of incentives to companies and business minded people. And it is also still one of the popular upscale travel destination.

We decided to take an advantage of living this close to Mauritius, and were fortunate enough to spend our Christmas and New Year there. From accommodation point, there are many options for low to high cost, depending on your budget. And because overall quality of life is average or above average, majority of hotels provide great service and amenities. Climate is wonderfully pleasant, allows year round visit. Rainy season is between end of December and April, somewhat same in here. During our stay it rained a day or so, but the weather was still warm enough to enjoy.

Whenever, we decide to go somewhere, without wasting a minute, I logon to my Tripadvisor account. I love this website, if I have more time I would love to contribute more.

So after much searching and reading comments, I decided we stay at Heritage Awali Golf & Spa Resort. And it was a great decision, tnx to honest reviews from Tripadvisor. We had a lovely Christmas and New Years Eve. Even the celebrations were not over the board, nice food and local dance and fire place on the beach. Resort had also a children centre, it could have been much better, but at least we had an option.  Heritage Awali, had one of the best spa I have been to. Resort offers all inclusive packages with few restaurant choices to make for dining, you have to make reservations though, otherwise you may end up with room service!!!! Rooms kept nice and clean, spacious enough to accommodate two adults with two children. Pool was amazing, kids were able to play freely. There was also a beach with a golden sand, and my kids loved it. There were local shows almost every evening, which were delightful to watch.

If I am not mistaking there are two Heritage Resorts in Mauritius, this was the most friendly one, but I think the other one was couples only. We did not have time to go to town centre, but heard it is lovely to take a stroll around and dine. Having two kids kinda limits your options:) if you ever plan to go to  Mauritius, definitely recommend Heritage Awali.

Macaron

My daughter loves this chic looking cookie, and she cannot have enough, can even eat whole box of macaron if I let her!! When I introduced to macaron many years ago at one of popular local pastry in DC, I became an instant fan! So once in a while, macarons become something whole family looked forward to eat! Even yesterday, when I was on Skype with my parents, my dad asked my son what he wants from him, and without an hesitation my son said 'macaron, grandpa!!' I was in shock, where did it come from?? Is it something he loves so much, or what!!!!

I was so into it, I even searched internet and found out macaron's history! I know, I sound kind a weird here, but I did!!! Not much of a surprise, the Macaron cookie was born in Italy, introduced by the chef of Catherine de Medicis in 1533, who married the Duc d'Orleans who became king of France in 1547 as Henry II.  The term "macaron" has the same origin as that the word "macaroni" -- both mean "fine dough".  Interesting enough,  first Macarons were simple cookies, made of almond powder, sugar and egg whites.  Beginning of the 20th century the Macaron become a "double-decker" affair.  Pierre Desfontaines, the grandson of Louis Ernest Laduree (Laduree pastry and salon de the rue Royale in Paris) had the idea to fill them with a "chocolate panache" and to stick them together.  Since that day, French Macaron has been nationally acclaimed in France and remains the best-selling cookie in pastry in all over the world. And I totally agree!

After moving here, I stopped by each and every pastry, (not many options here...)and see if they sell macaron. Honestly not for myself, but for my daughter!!! And when I dined at Lucca, something in the pastry corner was just calling me!! And there I saw these lovely cookies, and without an hesitation I got a box of it and took it home. My children would probably be never happy for something else, trust me, not even for a Barbie doll!!!

Luckily, it was a Macaron Day At Kempinski and they offered freshly baked and creatively made macarons at K Lounge. Obviously, The Chef was very busy in the kitchen, making these tasty and palatable cookies, coming with all different flavors, pistachio, lemon, strawberry, chocolate and much more. If you ever be around Kempinski, worth to stop by, everybody needs a little mindless self indulgence now and then:) As a warning, macarons are highly addictive! One is certainly not enough!

 

A gem, Lucca @ Kempinski Villa Rosa

Is it only me or do you also love to indulge yourself with nicely cooked and well served food? One of my hobby is finding out new restaurants and trying their food (ok, I am not so adventures, I have my expectations and standards:)), as soon as I hear there is a new restaurant in the market, I find an excuse to go there:) I should have been a restaurant/food critic!

Speaking of food and indulging your-self in enchanting meals, we can all admit that world’s most popular cuisine comes from the Italian kitchen.  Here is the thing, since some of you live in Africa like myself, obviously we cannot go to Italy! but Italy comes to us at Villa Rosa Kempinski!

Few weeks back, I dined at Lucca with my mom for lunch. Honestly, it was a delightful surprise for me to walk into the newly opened Lucca. Big windows, chic woodwork and pictures on the walls were so welcoming and so is the attentive local friendly staff. Lucca serves great food in an upscale yet casual atmosphere.  Waiters are so friendly and always smiling, happy to make recommendations.

Sizzling aroma of the food is impeccable, captures the entire atmosphere. The menu is the most complete Italian course oriented without the fuzz.  It offers something for everyone including an impressive range of freshly made pasta, risotto, meat or delicious oven baked pizza. Your sweet tooth will be satisfied with a rich classic tiramisu or vanilla pana cotta. The wine menu is very rich with a wide variety that suits everyone’s palate as well as budget, covers all the regions from Europe to Africa.

What I loved about about Lucca, it is simple, welcomes you with an Italian warm and comfortable colour scheme, and artistic pieces to add the final touches.  There is also a communal table for 10, which I love since the first day I saw one in NY many years back. A great spot meeting new people and sharing central plates of food. One of the greatest things dining at Lucca, there is no rush, no last call, just eating drinking and enjoying every bit of it.

Wonderful freshly cooked meals including seafood, meat, pastas, Italian specialities and pizzas are what will make Lucca a tradition in Nairobi trendsetter’s months ahead.

Proud mom:)

We had another cross country race this week. Students from five different schools, ageing 7-11, pushed their limits and run 3-5kms! My little girl, who has not turned 8 yet, run 3 km! And I am one proud mother:) Not only she was in the school team but also she finished without giving it up even though it was such a long distance and huge commitment for her age...As a mother, I was concerned little bit, but tried not to show it to her. Like most of the kids in her age, she is kind a competitive:), which is good thing as long as it is not destructive. I always tell her, surely winning is a great feeling, but also being part of an activity and happy, and to be able to finish what you start as important as winning.
Like all the school activities I was there to cheer for her, along with her brother:) While she was running for 'finish' line, I saw her face in full red (and I thought "is her face too red or what???" ok, it was when my motherly instinct came alive again:)), and she was running with such an excitement along with her friends. Right after she finished, she went to see her teachers to ask how she did:).

It was a wonderful day at outside, running under the big trees, weather was kinda warm for this time of the year, but it was lovely.