Kate Spade 75% off Sale

Too good to be true. Right on time for summer, and right on time after Mother’s Day, so you can get the gift for yourself that you didn’t get but you deserve – Kate Spade has an amazing ONE day only online sale with deals as good as -75% off normal prices. Goodies start from $15. Yes, that’s happening right now.

Above some examples from the Kate Spade sale, but check it out yourself!

Monte Carlo, Monaco is the playground of the rich, and I loved visiting Monte Carlo for two short days this spring. I felt like I was transported to another world, that is not attainable for normal humankind, only for the Richie Rich-kind. But like my friend Zippy says, “you can live rich life without being rich” and boy did this come to my mind in Monte Carlo in so many ways.

We quite literally were homeless when we visited Monte Carlo – it was a week before we got our new home in Sweden, and our belongings from New York were still in transit and we left our luggage with friends in Sweden, and had no address anywhere in the world.

And right there between taking a photo of a 60 foot yacht and peeking through the window of a McLaren store I got it.

I got what the Monte Carlo experience for me was all about.

It wasn’t about the most luxurious experience of my lifetime (because we couldn’t afford it done right in Monte Carlo).
It wasn’t about feeling for one day you played in the same playground as the richest of the world (because walking on the same street doesn’t really qualify).

It was this huge realization how happy I was to be right there right on that moment with my family, and having no regrets in life, or wishes we had more money to do Monte Carlo “the right way.”

With so much of the best what money can buy surrounding us I felt prouder than ever that I knew how to be happy with less.

I had been semi-obsessed about visiting Monte Carlo, but once I got there I realized how silly I had been, and I knew immediately that the highlight of my life, year or even that week wasn’t seeing the richest country in the world. The real highlight of my visit to Monte Carlo was getting reminded how truly rich I was for having my family and for the amazing life we have together traveling around the world.

I was “homeless” in Monte Carlo, but felt the richest in the world.

Read more about our trip to Monte Carlo, in case you missed.

During our two week trip touring from Venice to Tuscany to French Riviera and we stopped for a day in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Visiting this luxurious destination for über-rich with your family is a MUST DO for anyone’s bucket list.

Monaco is the second smallest country in the world (right after Vatican) and has 0% unemployment and 0% income tax for its residents, but there is nothing else small about Monaco. This income tax free heaven on earth is nested in French Riviera, with over 4 miles coastline on Mediterranean Sea, between Nice, France and Italian border. The country is for rich and famous, and the playground for European royalty, and has the highest GDP nominal per capita in the world, and the most expensive real estate in the world. Monaco also has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires per capita in the world. Monte Carlo is the administrative part of Monaco, and the main tourist attraction for visitors with the world famous Monte Carlo Casino.

If you truly want to experience Monaco, add a few zeros to your typical vacation budget, but we were pleasantly surprised that the prices weren’t even higher (and I say this after living close to New York City, now in Sweden and visiting Monte Carlo on the same trip as Venice — all these three places are expensive travel destinations as well). We had done very little research prior our visit, we love exploring and finding new things as we go, but now in retrospect a better planning probably would have given us a more glorious experience. We had been driving most of the day from Tuscany, and would have liked to find a nice restaurant for early dinner. I was ready to pay for the most expensive meal of our lives, but we learned that most restaurants opened for dinner very late, and were not in the walking distance of our hotel.

Not to go: Le Méridien Beach Plaza, Monte Carlo

We stayed at the Le Meridien Beach Plaza hotel, close to the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort, both about one mile from the marina area and little less from the Casino. We paid around $400 for the night, and it was the cheapest place we were able to find on last minute. The room was fairly small for a double, but the bathroom was luxurious with wooden floor, and the room had a gorgeous balcony with a view. Overall it was not a luxurious experience, and definitely not what you would expect when visiting Monte Carlo. The customer service was bad in the entire hotel, and the food in the hotel restaurant was so bad we didn’t even finish it all (call us food snobs, but I think you are allowed to in a place like Monte Carlo). I wouldn’t recommend Le Meridien Beach Plaza hotel to anyone, unless you are OK for paying a ridiculously expensive price as the cheapest place to stay. Next time I go to Monte Carlo, I will be happy to pay more to truly feel pampered. In fact, next time I go, I want to stay on a yacht. (Reminding myself to buy a lottery ticket.)

Luxury Yachts & Cars Galore

Is anyone else obsessed with boats? In case you love boats like I do, Monte Carlo is like candy store for kids for luxury yacht sightings. Same goes for car enthusiast – if you want to see Ferraris, McLarens, Porches and Lamborghinis in their natural habitat, Monte Carlo it is. And I am not just talking about the Formula-1 weekend each year – the F1 Monaco Grand Prix is on 24-27 May 2012- but any day of the year.

The ideal Monte Carlo experience would be of course watching the high octane F-1 race from a luxurious yacht. But if you don’t have the zeros to add to your vacation budget, visiting off season and when there are no large events can be thrilling as well.

Monte Carlo Sights

When walking the marina and the streets of Monte Carlo close to the famous Monte Carlo Casino and the famous Hotel de Paris, you couldn’t but feel like you were in a movie, and James Bond could drive by in any minute. Fifth Avenue in New York comes second when it comes to shopping – you could even buy a million dollar car with your casino winnings right from the luxury car stores close to the Monte Carlo Casino.

Monte Carlo is full of museums and historic buildings. Our visit was so short, that unfortunately we didn’t visit any museums. Most of the museums are located in the Monaco-Ville area, and while looking from the map it looks like from a walking distance from the Casino area, it is on the top of a huge hill, and we didn’t even think of walking it with the kids after all of the traveling we had already done. Driving around Monte Carlo might be mission impossible unless you have a GPS, which made it easy to find parking halls etc. and adventure out from the walking distance of the hotel.

Every day at precisely 11:55am the changing of the guard takes place in front of the Princely Palace, and we enjoyed seeing our second royal guard change within a month.

We visited the Monaco-Ville area on the second day of our visit, and the touristy shopping streets and cheap cafe galore surprised me. You CAN do Monte Carlo on a budget, and this was the area where the majority of the tourists were hanging out. Now, this wasn’t the Monte Carlo I wanted to see, but it was a relief to see Monte Carlo had so much to offer even for those of us who travel with a limited budget.

Our mission here at Skimbaco Lifestyle is to bring you ideas to live life to the fullest every day. Sometimes happiness requires big life changes, but sometimes making your day better starts with as simple thing as wearing the right shoes. And if you ask Cinderella – having the shoes fit you can be life changing. When it comes to shoe fitting well and comfort, and yet the shoes looking fun and fashionable, we often draw a blank (we did find Earthies and love them!). Sometimes in fashion it’s difficult to combine it all.

Hush Puppies has been there for as long as we all can remember (50 years to be exact), and Hush Puppies is one of those brands that have always also focused on the comfort. This year they teamed up with world-renowned fashion designer Anna Sui to bring us a footwear collection that combines happy feet and fashionable mind. Anna Sui for Hush Puppies shoe collection is a happily-ever-after marriage of classic American footwear and today’s pop culture spirit. The collection has a vintage with a rock and roll vibe, and above all – you can’t help but smile when you look at many of these styles. Anna Sui interpreted many of the Hush Puppies classics in her own way, adding shearling to a motorcycle boot to give it a new vibe, and selecting additional fashion colors for the collection.

Now, these shoes are meant for enjoying life, now aren’t they? Which one is your favorite? Check out the entire Anna Sui for Hush Puppies collection on their website.

If you are not one of the close to million people who have already seen this cover-song-gone-viral video, watch this cover of LMFAO’s ‘Sexy and I Know It’ by Noah. Honestly I’m not into cover songs on YouTube, unless it’s my friends singing. But this cover of ‘Sexy and I Know It’ is amazing, a blues version, performed by Noah, an 18-year old YouTuber from South Carolina.

Give a Little

So often we live our everyday lives thinking how we can get things, and get more of it all. If you are a mother, maybe you are even thinking right now what you got – or didn’t get – for Mother’s Day, and even comparing what you got with other moms. I admit, I want things, experiences, emotions, and I want more of it all to feel I am living life to the fullest. My thirst for wanting more will probably never be fully satisfied.

And that’s OK. It’s OK to want and get more in life, but balance it with GIVING.

And I don’t talk about the Mother’s Day gift you forgot to buy. I am not big on giving gifts for adults on a day in a calendar either (sorry mom!), and that’s why I am talking about giving right after Mother’s Day. Because giving when it is not expected, and when it’s not culturally demanded is often more valuable and meaningful. I’m talking about giving with no agenda and no exchange.

Today I am encouraging you to GIVE.

There is a saying:

If you have much, give your wealth; if you have little, give your heart.

I believe that the best things in life money can’t buy, and often giving kindness, your time, your sympathy can be more valuable than anything you can buy. In fact, sometimes giving from your wealth how ever small or large it may be can be easier to do than giving from your heart or giving your time. I don’t care how you do it. Just do it, give a little, everyone can pay it forward, regardless how limited our resources may be.

Buy a cup of coffee for strangers, or donate to your favorite charity. Babysit the single-moms kids so she can have a moment to herself. Invite a lonely neighbor for dinner. Give the last seat in the subway to someone else. Leave an encouraging blog comment.

GIVE without any expectation getting anything in return, and you will realize that you will get more in life than you asked for. Some call it Karma, I just call it part of Skimbaco lifestyle. Good things come to people who do good, and paying it forward is essential for living life to the fullest.

Live a Little

Participate to Live a Little
Participate to Live a Little blog hop! Write a blog post how you “live a little,” what’s your small way of living life to the fullest and add your blog post to the InLinkz widget above. Rules: Link either to Skimbacolifestyle.com, OR get the InLinkz code for your post – or do both!- and we will promote your post also via Twitter and Pinterest. If you post the widget in your blog post, please add the rules as well.

You can also find Live a Little banners here, and use them in your Live a Little blog posts.

I’m busy cooking something new. Literally.

I’m so happy to be out of our New York apartment and have a larger kitchen and a space to take food photography, and I can’t wait to start sharing more some of our family’s favorite recipes, and new recipes I am inspired to try now when living back in Scandinavia. I was talking about this with a few friends, and Dawn of Party Bluprints said “you should name it Swe-DISHES!” And so here we are… Stay tuned, the first Swe-DISHES with Skimbaco post is coming soon.

When you think of Nordic food – what comes to your mind?

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) launched Discover the Other You campaign to promote creative tourism in Thailand and it really resonates with the Skimbaco Lifestyle. The Discover the Other You campaign promotes wanting to try something new and learn new skills while enjoying your vacation while it educates about Thai culture and offers a chance to win one of three 7-day creative tourism experiences for two people in the Land of Smiles.

While the giveaway sounds great and all, but what really made me think how often we just look at resorts, hotels, tourist attractions and flights when we plan our trips. I noticed on our last trip in Italy that I was still searching for unique opportunities to go to an olive oil farm or something while there, but of course the cooking classes etc. what I was able to find last minute were not available while we where there. And of course many we could have made happen with a little more planning.

I love how the Tourism Authority of Thailand partnered with several different unique experience providers around the country to showcase what Thailand really is about. From craft making to Thai boxing; learning about agricultural cornerstones such as rice farming to massage instruction; and lessons in preparing the Thai cuisine, you can experience so many new things in Thailand. And come how like a new person, with new skills to cherish a lifetime.

I think especially when you have traveled a lot, the experience and the thrill of traveling isn’t really in the sleeping in a different, even fancier bed than at home, and checking the must see sights off your list. The real essence of traveling really is in what you can learn from the other culture, people and life – and how it changes you as a person when you come back. Now, while the beach vacations in Bahamas are nice, we don’t often come home describing them as life-changing experiences. But when you truly take time to learn something new and immerse yourself to a different culture when traveling, well, you just might discover the other you.

Read more about traveling in Thailand at Discover the Other You.

Finnish airline Finnair is doing an excellent job cornering the Europe-Asia flight market.

They have been adding several new routes to Asia the past few years, and as many of you might remember, I was able to even attend their virgin flight from Helsinki to Singapore last fall. On the flight to Singapore Angry Birds entertained us. On this weeks first flight to China’s Chongqing, a surprise concert was performed to the passengers among other fun festivities in the flight terminal prior the departure. While this may not be the first-ever on-air concert (you might even remember news of Kanye West singing impromptu on Delta flight a few years ago), it sure makes a cool viral video. Finnair has been doing a phenomenal job with bringing smile to their customers with a series of YouTube videos from dancing stewardesses and flash mobs to boarding Angry Birds and now an on-air concert.

When traveling from Europe to Asia, I highly recommend checking out Finnair. Their destinations include Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Seoul, Beijing, Bangkok and Singapore among others. And when you book your flights via Helsinki airport, make sure you will reserve some time at the airport. The Helsinki airport has a special Via Spa, where you can relax and get pampered before your long flight. The spa features several different type of saunas, steam rooms and a swimming pool.

photo: Finnair

I’m happy to bring you this interview with Laura “Lolli” Franklin of the blog Better in Bulk. Lolli is one of those bloggers who are able to balance social media and motherhood perfectly, with a discipline not to even check email before kids have left to school on the mornings. With this focus and determination to get everything in social media done by the time kids get home from school she has accomplished more than many others in the blogging space.

You can tell from Lolli’s blog and the stories she writes, what a great mom she is. I love how she shares her life and what she is passionate about in her blog. If you already don’t know Lolli, check out Better in Bulk.

Interview with Laura “Lolli” Franklin of Better in Bulk

Katja: How did you get started with your blog Better in Bulk?

Lolli: I started Better in Bulk (or it’s predecessor on Blogger) in October 2007, after hearing from my best friend and my little sister that it would be a fun way to share pictures and the things I was doing with my family. I never had any goals or aspirations for my blog during that first year. I really looked at it as a natural progression from my old scrapbooking hobby.

Katja: How has social media changed your life? Tell how social media is part of your life.

Lolli: Social media has changed so much for me! I have always been a shy person with only a small circle of friends – now that I am active in social media, I feel like I have opened up in so many ways, one of which is the fact that I count hundreds of bloggers as my friends. I have always felt more comfortable communicating through the written word, so have been able to focus on building other aspects of myself (where I otherwise would be focusing on “getting out of my comfort zone”).

Social media has also provided me with an outlet to explore my talents and do something for me (while helping to support my family of 7). I feel really good about the fact that I have found something that I am good at, that I enjoy, and that pays my bills.

Katja: You are a busy mom of 5, do you have any tips how you balance work and family, and what are some of the family values you have?

Lolli: I don’t think I could dedicate the same amount of time and energy to social media and blogging if it weren’t for the fact that my kids are older (my oldest daughter is in 10th grade, and my youngest is in 1st grade). Because they are at school all day, I have some time to work, and I love that I can do it all from home. It’s important for me to be available for my kids, and to be present. It’s still tough to balance everything – when the kids get home from school, I’m usually not done with my work, and it is challenging to stop in the middle of a task to devote some time to the kids. If anything, my house has definitely paid the highest price for my time issues (I tend to avoid cleaning my house lately).

Just this past weekend, my new sister-in-law (and brother-in-law) came to visit, and I ended up having to explain to her why we don’t go to movies or eat out on Sundays. We are a pretty traditional family and actually do observe the Sabbath day. We go to church and then spend the rest of the day napping, reading, and spending time with each other. It’s something I look forward to each week – it’s my way to replenish and renew and reconnect with my family. At the end of the day, my sister-in-law said, “You know, I kind of like your version of Sunday.”

Katja: Is there something new and exciting happening for you this year?

Lolli: On April 28, my husband and I celebrated our 17th anniversary. I consider that a pretty big accomplishment! Otherwise, this year looks like more of the same – a few trips, lots of writing, and two blogging conferences (Type-A and Blogher). The rest of the time, I’ll keep plugging forward.

Katja: What does skimbaco lifestyle mean to you? How do you live life to the fullest in your everyday life?

Lolli: These past few years have been some of the most challenging in my life. I feel like the trials keep getting poured on me. However, they have also been some of my best years ever. I consider it a great blessing that through the trials, I have been able to recognize the GOOD THINGS. And they are everywhere. I live life to the fullest by focusing on the blessings and letting the challenges roll of my back as much as possible. When my family looks back on these years, I want all of us to remember the beauty, the adventures, the friendships, the love.

Connect with Lolli online

Connect with Lolli!
Blog: Better in Bulk
Twitter: @1momof5
Facebook: facebook.com/BetterinBullk
Pinterest: pinterest.com/1momof5