this one's for ally's mom

see, Ally is our new au pair as of end August.
but her mom is anxious and wants to know we
1. exist
2. have children at all
3. will not use her as a A Slave, B hooker
4. or simply abuse her

I would like to know that too if Caroline were to go abroad for a year :)

so to all you readers out there; do Ally's mom a favour and leave a comment about how fantastic we are!!!

new rule

whatever you dont tidy, i will after a couple of days.
and my tidying means i'll throw it away.
have mastered that skill and am also sick and tired of asking everyone.

bet you can't tell pre holiday stress is hitting me hard.

i am telling you, whomever you are we are somehow related

the other day i was at the bakeries and noticed a 10 euro paper on the ground.
O that's from mr. Brezet, the 92 yr old from across the street she said.
he always pays me in small coins so i have change but then the empties his whole wallet and this note must have escaped his attention. Would you mind bringing it over to him?
No i didnot and rang his bell.
it took mr Brezet a while to climb down the stairs and when he had done so, he opened the little window in his door.
goodmorning i said. I think you may have just lost 10 euro at the bakery and i am bringing it back to you.
Do you know who i am then? he asked.
no i said, but the woman at the bakery knows where you live and she told me.
he looked at me again and then asked; but do you know me from the school then? The Van Oldenbarneveltschool?
No, i said, although my children attend that school.
Turns out, he has been teaching there forever and his daughter (who can't be that young anymore either) is going to do some administrative work after the vacation.
What is my name he asks.
I tell him my name (not that common a last name, practically every one named like that in the Netherlands is my family)
I once knew a high civil servant working at the city hall department of education called like that he says.
Thats my father!

That evening the bell rings.
It's mr. Brezet with a bunch of roses which must have cost him practically the whole 10 euro, thanking me for bringing the note back.

Yesterday back at work I tell my colleague about the woman that was leading the cremation for my mother and how she was doing a good job and how it was nice to see a young, pragmatic woman there.
Does she have blond/reddish hair and is she goodlooking my colleague asks?
Yes... i say.
that's a friend of her brothers!

To make my statement complete:
her brother has a boyfriend who's last name is the same as mine.
I rest my case.

When I was young we still called these Indians

But then again, we have never been known for our political correctness.

Some crazy week

Yesterday the boys had to be picked up from their sailing camp. In these last 2 (little) boats you see some yellow hoods. That's them.
It wasn't just raining, it was pouring when we picked them up.
Morten full of bravoury and Timo in the last boat singing/shouting some sailor songs.

Getting ashore

Yeah, Timo's diploma:

And Morten being older, already got a card proving he was half way through to the next exam:

That morning i had told Caroline she had to be quiet about 2 secrets: 1 the present we bought for his birthday, and 2 Oma Ans having died.

While there she constantly asked me 'when are we going to tell the secret about oma Ans" so in the end we told the boys in the car on the way home.

They were pretty shaken up and although the presents at home made up for a lot, Morten didn't want to eat his cake and kept wiping his eyes.
Timo on the other hand, put some extra cream on his cake.

Lenny, Timo and Sam:

Morten:

Abel:

Eating dinner:

The other table with Toos in the back, my niece Ella and Marcel and his eldest; Job

This morning I have to make up my mind about our new aupair, scan the mourning card at the office so we can mail all the official organisations about her death, wash the boys laundry and then my sister will bring her children over and the 4 grown ups are going back to the flat to see if we can empty it today.

As Abel remarked with glinstering eyes yesterday; So we will be in the house then without grown ups?

Yes, they will.

I told him we just couldn't take any more deaths this week so they'd better behave.

This morning:
This evening:

When she came back from pony camp i told her oma Ans had died.

The only thing she wanted to know was, what she could wear to the funeral.

About 24 hrs ago

my mum died.
at that moment robbert was packing the boys bags for their sailing camp and after I had phoned him we decided to not tell them for the moment and simply go ahead with life.

by now my sister and i have started cleaning up the house and emptying drawers with youth photo's of family we didn't even know we had, administration dating back till 1988, an oven with food it in etc.

What i can't believe and even annoys me, is that i am having such a hard time believing it.
Come on now.
we saw this one coming for years in a row.
YEARS!
every time she wouldn't pick up the phone i would go there to check she was still alive.

and its almost insulting to see how ordinary life goes on.

caroline had to be brought to pony camp (we hadn't told her yet)
there is laundry to be done.
people on the street greet me and i am flabbergasted they can't see my mother died.

the cremation is this friday.
ttyl.

Summer time

Saturday morning after having visited my mother who is deteriorating quickly, we had a beach party planned with friends in Scheveningen.
The weather was gorgeous and despite the family stress had a fantastic time.

Gerdien and her oldest daughter Pepijn:
The men discussing important matters such as kites and boats.
Morten giving it his all.

Merle after she just hit the ball:

I, Deir & Annemiek:

Timo lurking:

Yummy fingerfood:

Oooh, she can give you looks; Mayte:

Laura chatting to Tom:

Laura's dad Peter and her brother Max:

Merle:

Gerdien's daughters: Isa & Pepijn:

Robbert with Caroline who was not feeling good :

Tricks for the photo:

Even if you are almost 10, building a sand castle never bores; Morten:

Timo rolling down his wet sleeves:

Luckily Caroline fell asleep:

The kids table with the grown-ups in the back:

Timo playing the clown:

Morten's b day party

There was cake with hagelslag and wipped cream, there were presents, a quiz, crisps, kites, boomerangs and frisbees and finally there was lasergaming.
Best b-day evah one of his friends said.
Then you know you've done it again :)

A festival in Schiedam

I couldn't find my cell phone all weekend so after yoga (where i almost fainted but nuff said about that) i rushed to the office to pick it up from my desk.
Then when i came home, Robbert said, he looked on the internet and their was a festival going on in Schiedam where he wanted to go have a look.
Robbert!

I mean, i usually am the one dragging everyone out, saying i have to shoot photos for rotterdamDP.

Anyway, the kids were quite reluctant in the beginning (ahhh, why can't i stay at home (they'd already had been watching tv for 3 hrs i think)) but once there, things changed rapidly.
Caroline was all about paint.
A henna tattoo on her arm and her face as a girlie vampire (the woman making her up was so happy she didnt have to do 'a princess' or a flower, she absolutely went for it.
Timo and Morten had their t-shirts airbrushed, then Morten went and tried a sailboat and last but not least, both boys went into one of those sickening fair things that make you spill out whatever you just had.
Take a look for yourself.