How to Pack a Carry-On Suitcase - for a Long Haul Flight with Kids!

Kiddies on-board British Airways. Eating home made pasta salad with fruits and juice provided by airline.

My babies are now three and five. I have been traveling with them (solo) since they were as little as 4 months old. Though they can be little monsters at home sometimes, touch wood, they are absolute angels on the flight. My airline of choice is British Airways as they even have a Premium Economy class where the seats are wider and leg room is ample. Some of our journeys have lasted us over 26 hours door-to-door. If I've survived, I'm here to tell you, so can you! Here's how...

It doesn't matter how many checked-in suitcases I have, but on board I only carry 2 things -
1. SAMSONITE ROLLING LUGGAGE
2. LOUIS VUITTON NEVERFULL GM

Here's what I pack in them:
1. Diapers/ Training Pants
2. Bibs
3. Baby Food in disposable containers
4. Disposable Cups, especially for milk!
5. Baby Bottle/ Sippy cup (if needed)
6. Stainless steel cutlery (in case you need to spoon-feed)
7. Change of clothes for kids and me!
8. Changing Pad (with wipes of course)
9. Disposable bags/ Toilet seat covers
10. Kleenex
11. Purell
12. Toiletries - makeup, toothbrushes, facewash, cream etc.
13. Hairbrush
14. Medicines - Tylenol, Mylecon, Vicks and Benadryl (less than 3 ounces), Homeopathy medicines such as Acconite, Bryonia, Belladona, Arnica
15. Bottled Water
16. Passport/ Travel Docs
17. Pen
18. Jewelry
19. Forex/ Currency
20. Sunglasses
21. Medical Records! Super important! Don't travel without a copy of your kids' immunization records for emergencies
22. iPhone
23. iPad (THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEM HANDS DOWN, WITHOUT WHICH KIDS WILL DRIVE YOU NUTS!)

TIP: Make sure your load up your iPhone and iPad with lots of new apps to keep them occupied. From the iTunes store, I also download, a few seasons of their favorite shows (Max & Ruby, Fresh Beat Band, Austin & Ally etc) to keep them happy!

I've never done a vblog before, but maybe I should do one of those, "What's in my Handbag" videos for this segment!

Hope you find this info useful! XOXO!

Outfit of the Day

Finally got a chance to wear my new Alexander McQueen scarf! Headed out for some weekend lunch and shopping with family as the weather finally decided to warm up a bit!

Throwback Thursday!

Since it seems to be Throwback Thursday today, thought I'd post a picture of a family wedding that I attended last year. Ping me if you are interested in seeing my Indian designer clothes collection and shoes/ accessories that I match with the outfits.

I'm wearing a Ritu Kumar salwar kameez with Cole Haan peep-tow pumps, jewelry from C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons, Cartier Roadster watch and Burberry wristlet bag. My little one's outfit is from Mogra. 

Perfect Artwork for a Kid's Room!

I love shopping for vintage items and I can spend hours browsing for such pieces, especially at One King's Lane. When I'm looking for vintage photography or eclectic art, I am sure to find something there. I recently purchased these three pieces of framed artwork on their site and think they will be perfect for the kiddies' playroom!

Dreaming of spring!!

Winter weather has been un-relenting this year! I mean, the snow does looks beautiful and all but I'm a summer person for sure! I was organizing (still am) my iPhoto collection on my computer and stumbled upon this picture of my patio from last spring. Craving warmer weather...

A happy spring morning in my patio, with flowers blooming post rainfall
 

Twilight on a spring day. Patio table set for a soiree! 

How to make a simple shirt glamorous!

Good morning everyone! I wanted to share a photo of one of my favorite go to outfits - a simple silk shirt, statement jewelry and a classic "it bag".

My J.Crew silk Blyth Blouse, J.Crew statement necklace and Chanel bag from Spring Summer 2014 Pre-collection

Those of you who know me, know that a am a HUGE J.Crew fan! I love Jenna Lyons' eclectic meets preppy style. My personal stylist at the local J.Crew, Ida Palumbo (she is truly the best!) suggested that I wear my statement necklace on top of a button-down shirt, close to the collar. Believe me wearing it this way looks incredibly chic and gives a polished, professional look.

Hope you give this style a try!

XOXO

Shelf-scaping - How to arrange and decorate your shelf-space

Hi again! Since I seem to be on the topic of decorating, I figured, why not put an article out there about "Shelf-scaping", i.e. the art of decorating a shelf.

Many of you might be familiar with the word "table-scaping", which involves decorating a coffee-table or a dinner table. Most of the time this is done through pretty dinnerware, flowers, glasses and trays to corral things. However, when it comes to open shelves, here are few tips to keep in mind:

1. ADD A PERSONAL TOUCH
This can be easily done with pictures, photographs and items that are meaningful to you.

2. BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS!
I cannot stress on this enough. Books add character to the space but make sure they are hardbound and have an eye-catching/ colorful cover.

3. MAKE IT PRACTICAL
Baskets are to shelves what trays are to coffee-tables. By adding rustic woven straw baskets to my shelf, I am able to hide clutter, art-work and communication that comes from my kids' school everyday. Nobody can tell what's inside!

SHELF-SCAPING! Parson's shelf and Rattan baskets from West Elm, Photo frames and framed photograph from Pottery Barn, Vintage-looking orange owl from Anthropologie.