It's raining again...

But then Autumn has arrived. Yesterday I even thought Winter arrived too...as my car was frozen from the outside ánd the inside.
Don't you just love the colours Autumn gives to us? All those reds and golden yellows...and the smell of nature when walking through the woods. No walk today. It is raining. Again. Instead I'm sitting here. Lurking around. Enjoying a hot steamy cup of chocolate. And trying to find some creative inspiration.
Have a nice rainy autumn day to all.....

Spending the day in Scheveningen.

Most people have heard of The Hague (Den Haag). I'm sure of it. Now....If you visit The Hague, be sure to do that in the morning. In the afternoon you will visit the beach, you will visit Scheveningen. Eat something small in one of many restaurants. And how about a nice walk across the beach? We did this during our summer vacation on a day that was not so warm, but still had a nice temperature.

Visiting carcássonne

We visited Carcassonne. A medieval town in the south of France. The French part of Catalonië to be precise. It was impressive. To see how well kept this little town is.

Every summer we go to France or to Italy or.....well we take a vacation. We pack everything in our big Renault and of we go. This year we visited the coast near Perpignan, which is in France. The smell of fresh bread in the mornings, the flavours of the South of France, the people.....Time went by and before we new it, it was time to go home. All that is left are the pictures, a reminder of our happy family vacation.














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Summer is coming to an end...

And I finally granted myself some time to give some attention to this blog.....I even read a reply which was written a while ago and I must admit.....a forgot to thank the autor...* Thank You Melissa *, You pointed out what I already knew deep down inside of me. Life just isn't perfect. And I live life by the day. I enjoy sitting in the garden with my children. Their laughter, their bantering, their joy. And the sparkling of their eyes, without worries and sorrow. But summer is coming to an end. Time for serious business is knocking on our door.
Marlou will turn 14 on the 7th of september, the first day of school and future plans are just around the corner with the start in the 3rd year of the Atheneum. She still wants to do someting in the medical world....we'll see. Joeri, my 12 year old, will start in the first year of the VMBO-T. He wants to be an architect; "And then I'll give you a fantastic house mummy!" Inge, she's 9, starts in group 6 and Britt, she's 8, will start in group 5.
And I? I will teach the twelve year olds this year for two days a week and I'll help children who need special care for another two days a week. So the next weeks events are mostly preparing for school in a very relaxed way. There is no hurry...yet. It will be a week of enjoying summer while it lasts, grasping life with both my hands. Playing games of scrabble and rummykub with the whole family is part of it.
Next week I'll write some more about our glorious summer.
Have a nice weekend!



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Today...we celebrate!

Liberty Day, bevrijdingsdag!
We celebrate life, we celebrate freedom!











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Yesterday, may 4th, the day we remember

the people who gave their life during World War II. The day we remember all the pain this war caused. The day we remember them who died after WW II, who made a sacrifice.
We remember 9/11, Iraque, Afghanistan, Apeldoorn.......we remember them all.
Two minutes of silence. Two minutes....to remember.




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History

I found this also....take a look



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My home town

I saw this on the internet. And I thought I'd share it with you all....an impression of the town I live in...





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Spring, remember, celebrating

Spring is finally showing its flowers. How I enjoy spending time in the garden with a nice cup of tea. The garden isn't finished yet but we are allmost there.
This week we all enjoy spring break. Relaxing, visiting fun places with the children and some more relaxing...My husbands aunt and Britt's godmother celebrated her birthday. She wanted a special day for the children and we visited "Toverland"(Magic Land). The smiles on their faces, their sparkling eyes.....it was a day to remember. And we will through all the pictures that were taken.
pictures later today

The things I don't love

-Fighting about.....nothing
-Cleaning
-Rain
-Not having enough time for doing the things I love
-Endless meetings
-Parents who aren't realistic and don't understand the importancy of children needing help
-People driving exactly at speed limit
-People driving under speed limit
-Fines for speeding (really, I just drove 59 km/hr! Go catch some bad guys!)
-Lost keys (never happens to me)
-Waking up in the middle of the night
-Getting up at 6.30
-The noise of the alarm
-Chasing after my dog (how did she ever get out?!)
-Running out of coffee

The things I love....

-Marlou, Joeri, Inge and Britt (my children of course)
-Teaching
-Reading
-Swimming
-My garden
-Being creative
-Enjoy sunday afternoons doing...nothing
-My Siberean Husky named Sita
-Watching the children during a swim meet
-Watching the children practice on their instruments
-Searching the little green frog that lives in my garden
-The sun in the morning
-Eating outside
-Cooking a lovely meal
-Baking apple pie
-Visiting little new born lambs

The secret of living easy.

It has been a while...but I have been extremely busy. Teaching kids, talking to parents, taking care of my own four lovely children, cooking, cleaning and escorting everybody to swim practice, music lessons, swim meets, concerts etc.
Time for some relaxation. Lurking around the internet and creating some nice decorations for eastern. I already put together some beautiful pieces. Pictures are taken later today or perhaps tomorrow afternoon (I think it'll be the last option).
Some time ago I started reading a blog called 'a little loveliness'. This blog reflects everything I wish for the perfect family life. The creativity, the spirituality etc. And I always wonder; why does it seem I'm always busy, I barely have time to be creative at home. I'm always cleaning, cooking, working, driving.....what am I doing wrong. Because as I look at other blogs and especially the one named above, I get the feeling of living a hectic chaotic life. What's their secret? How do they do it? I really want to know. So. If anyone can tell me....don't hesitate!

gr. Christina

Oops

I kind of deleted everything. Don't how. But I did. Sorry.
But no worries. I'm starting all over again. With all kinds of small talk that doesn't make sense etc..
I've got big news though. One of my Daughters qualified for Nationals. She came in fourth last sunday in Dordrecht during the ILSE. I'm proud of her. My son came in 9th or 10th. And my other daughter 11th (it was her first time)Unfortunately there are no pictures as someone forgot to take them I guess.