FREELANCE JOURNALIST & PR CONSULTANT
“SOMETIMES I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO!”
Amalie Nebelong
Alongside being a young city mum to two school-aged kids, Carl (9) and Rebecca (6), Amalie Nebelong (35) has written for some of Denmark’s biggest fashion magazines. And even though her children’s many collections don’t always mesh with Amalie’s love of order and simplicity, she’s an advocate for meditating your way out of the biggest frustrations!
Work space, Home in Copenhagen
Carl and Rebecca
What do you find most challenging about being a mother of two?
That you can rarely do precisely what you want at any particular moment.
What has changed most since your children started school?
Suddenly, both children have their own lives with schedules full of play dates, after-school activities, and birthday parties. Everything is less flexible than when they were in kindergarten.
Carl and Rebecca
Do you think life has gotten easier as the children have gotten older?
I get more sleep now, but on the other hand, there are bigger challenges to help my children through. And sometimes I have no idea what to do!
What’s your motto when it comes to children and interior design?
We believe everything should have its place, and that we should only have things we actually use. That means we don’t have especially many things, but the things we have are of high quality. But my kids, like other kids, are little collectors. And that should be allowed. But by the evening, all the toys need to be out of the living room and back in place in the children’s rooms. By that time, I’ve got a toe in the mean-mummy zone!
One of Amalie's favourites, Creative Cork
What’s your parenting philosophy?
Routines and lots of family-only time, which I would say has given us confident, well-balanced, happy children. Not to suggest that they aren’t hopeless once in a while!
Name three things that make life with children fantastic.
The funny things they say, the hugs, and seeing them slowly becoming their own people.
What’s your favourite Nofred product?
I’d have to pick two! We keep the Creative Cork Village building blocks in their lovely bag in the living room, always ready to play with. We’re wild about the shapes and the cork material, which makes them lightweight, but strong. Also the Mouse Bench in grey, which we have in the entry hall. Even my grown-up bum can fit there while I put on my shoes!
What are your mornings like?
You wouldn’t be able to tell two mornings apart. Everything runs on a set schedule, and that works for us and the kids. No one is in doubt about what to do, nor who is responsible for what. But my son isn’t a type-A person, so that can be a little hard sometimes.
What two habits would you like to break your children of?
My son has the biggest sweet tooth in the world. And my daughter has been coming into our bed almost every night for the past two years.
What do you do to tank up on energy?
I meditate at least twenty minutes every day, and that’s made a huge difference for me. Both in terms of avoiding work-related stress, and in becoming a calmer, more present mum. And I try to take a half-hour walk every midday—one of the benefits of being self-employed!
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