La cavia morte

During last's weeks' schoolholiday, Timo watched way too many dvd's. And a lot of dvd's that are not really meant for his age. Nothing sexual but several stand up comedians for instance. And i dont know why homework doesnt stick in his mind after seeing it once, coz whatever he hears on these dvd's does.
There is this guy called Ronald Goedemondt who does a scene about how people stink in the morning (as la cavia morte/the dead guinnea pig).

Anyway, as some of you know we are getting a new bathroom this year and last Saturday we went to check out some wholesales stores for sinks, bathrooms, cranes, the lot.
Robbert and I were discussing the fact that he'd rather have two separate sinks in the bathroom for him and I then one bigger one.
Timo nodded understandingly and said:
La cavia morte.

Some of the highlights of the last 3 days.

• Caroline won at bowling
• Sam told Caroline that when he is with the boys, he thinks she 's stupid, but when he is on his own he thinks she's nice.
• Both Timo and Caroline are sleeping tonight at the mattresses that were there for their cousins. For some reason this is very exciting to them.
• Sam didn't have one "accident" while with us. The moment his mum steps into our house, he pees in his pants.
• The cats would rather go outside in the rain, than stay inside with a bunch of 7 crazy kids.
• With 7 (crazy) kids, you have 3 dishwash loads a day and AT LEAST 1 wash load a day.
• With 12 people at the dinner table this night, we ate about 3 kilo of chicken, 3 kilo of vegetables, 2 kilo of gratin potatoes and about a pound of potato croquettes.
• We drank 2 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of juice and 2 cans of lemonade. For desert we had almost 2 liter of ice cream and about 6 apples.
• With 10 people in the house you use about 1,5 toilet paper roll in a day and 2 bin bags full of rubbish.
• And last but not least; Job read 54 comic books the last 3 days!

Full house

This is what you get when cousins are over. We use about 1 rol of 'beschuit met muisjes' per breakfast.

Valentines day

I think Valentines Day, overall, is not such a big deal as in the States. Sure teens send each other cards or give gifts but in the almost 20 yrs I know Robbert my total count is about 1 heart cushion and 2 cards. Maybe flowers.

Anyway, yesterday evening at the dinner table I said to the kids that if they wanted to give someone a card, they had to buy it today, coz sunday most of the shops here are closed. And the post for sure doesnt work.

Caroline blurted out she wanted to send Pieter a card. Now she knew he was already taken (by Olga, her 2nd best friend), but we all agreed that you can never be loved enough and that Pieter would be happy with his card.

Then we asked Morten whom he would like to send a card.
No one.
Ally suggested Claire (Claires mom also made an apple pie -like i did- for the class's christmas dinner and of course mine was way better).
No not Claire he said, coz Clair was dumb.
Good point Morten.
We then opted for several other class mates until Ally said he should go higher up and consider the 8 graders.
Hey, that's a good point. A whole new world to explore.
We suggested Charlie (yes a girl) but according to Morten Charlie was already taken by Sengim (the older brother of his best friends, the twim Cem & Emre). Ok, so Charlie was no go.
Pity, coz she lives just a couple of doors down the block so he could even drop the card at her place. AND Charlie is doing to the gymnasium, so Smart. But still, taken.
THEN.... Robbert suggested Paula (a girl they have judo with and who lives nearby so the Sunday morning Robbert picks her up and then Paula's mom brings the boys home again).
Morten flipped, in which we of course saw our proof of something being right.
He stomped Robbert in the back and kept on shouting Paula was not his girl.
Yah, ja.....something was happening for else he wouldnt react so fiercely.

We then went over to Timo and right away suggested Florien.
Florien is a tough girl, one of the boys basically and Timo could approve our suggestion.
Morten then opted for Lotte, who is very sportive (very good in gymnastics). The way he brought it though, was, that he said Lotte was so bendy.
Ally almost choked, thinking way to far ahead, coz all he meant, she was a sports girl and they could play monkey (whereup ally asked if thats what the kids called it these days, but that was just her dirty mind).
Anyway.

I just bought 2 cards. One for Pieter and one for Florien.
In Pieters one Caroline wrote "
Liefe Pieter,
Ik vind je leuk, maar dat weet je al.
Maar je bent niet op mij en dat vind ik niet leuk.
groetjes, Haas

Deer Pieter,
I like you but you know that already
But you are not into me and i dont like that
Greetings, Haas

In Florien one's Timo wrote:
Forien (i pushed in an L)
ik wil je graag zien
je bent een mooi en stoer meisje
en je staat bovenaan mijn lijstje

Florien,
i like to see you (in dutch it all rhymed)
you are a beautiful and cool girl
and on top of my list

Ofcourse everyone is sworn to secrecy by especially Timo, (Caroline just spills her heart out to anyone, so is less bothered) so thats why i am writing it here for the whole world to know. Hush!!

the 100 most dangerous errr. dangers

I bought the kids some books today and gave Timo a book about the 100 most dangerous.... dangers.
At the dinnertable he told me he had come to page 58 and so far he thought a Firebal would be one of the most dangerous things. Luckily chances of that happening are equally small, but then he told me that the chances of it raining animals was bigger.
Sure I said (thinking he was thinking about the expression; it's raining cats & dogs).
Seriously, he said, when there is a tornado at sea, it sucks up the water with all the animals in it and then throws them miles away on the land.
O right, i said.
I thought you meant the expression.
Well Timo said, maybe thats literally possibly too. One day it WAS simply raining cats and dogs.
Sure Timo I said. And another day it is raining man.

Then Robbert starting singing : its raining men and Timo joined in witt Halleluja.
How come you now this song, Robbert said.
From Shrek.

Ok.
so after some debating about how fast you had to run to avoid lava coming down from the vulcano (general opionion was not even that fast) and whether it was better to run up a hill when the lave came (Timo's idea) or simply run away (Mortens idea) and how long it would take the lava to be cooled down so you could walk over it because by that time you could be starved to death sitting on top of your hill (again, morten defending his idea) and then Caroline asking everyone whether we could change the subject, 'coz these talks always make me feel bad" ,
they took a bath and this is how they came out.

Caroline with her huge teeth gap:

Morten with his hair brushed backwards:
And then his usual way of wearing it (he wants to grow his hair!):

And then the 2 of them helping Timo out with deciding what style to be photographed in:

And finally Timo with some sort of a mohawk:

view from our backyard on the full moon.

after the relative stable weather (cold and snow) we now have rain and hail showers.
Lovely.

This past weekend we had a waterpolo match (Saturday) and a judo match (Sunday) for both boys. The judo took place in Groesbeek of all places, which is practically in Germany (i kid you not). The quickest way to get there was even with taking a route through Germany. Coz we were running late i told the boys i would drop them off in front of the entrance and then they had to go the weighing room while i parked the car.
Timo stumbled; but I can't ask where the weighing is in German.
quite relieved when he learned that by now we were in the Netherlands again.
It didn't help him much though; he lost all his matches.
Morten on the other hand, won all his and got the first prize in his poule.

Sitting on a bench and literally seeing your kid fight for what he is worth, is one of the hardest things to do.
I have to put a hand before my mouth or i will go and shout things like: KILL HIM MORTEN.
Also i try not to applaud and cheer too loud when he wins (there is also someone like my other son who looses).
Seriously, i can absolutely understand parents taking the law in to their own hands when their child is attacked. My mind tells me i shouldn't but no one better ever lay a finger on any of my kids, or i'll kill you.
And if I don't Robbert will.

Haha.
so. after having this removed from my chest, i leave you with Timo's adorable last words when we left the building;
I am glad at least Morten held the family name high today.

Honestly.
tears in my eyes.