BAGS, BAGS, BAGS!!!!!!!!!! And even more BAGS!

Most women seem to have something with shoes or bags. Well, so do I! And because I have a rather big shoesize and visiting shoe departments and shoe stores are not my most favorite place to spend money. Most shoe salepersons around the globe will tell me that I have rather big feet and that they don't carry that size in big numbers. So I decided that it would be easier to be addicted to bags in all sizes, materials and colors. Through out the years my personal collection can be considered international flavored. Because I tend to bring back a bag from every place that I have visited on this globe.

My latest assets are a nice shopping bag of Howard Castle and a tiny takealong bio-shopping bag promoting the National Treasure!! Both I got my hands on while I was in the UK. So it is not that I am only after the very chique and rather pricy hand bags. I do look for rather unique and also bags with an out of the ordinary message on them.

A few weeks ago I also spend some coins on one of those bags with a rahter high nostalgic touch to it: a tiny and on top cute 'Hello Kitty'-bag!!!! It was love at first sight! A black, red and white bag with the whole Hello Kitty family on there! Just couldn't resist that one. When P found out about this newest asset he really pulled strange faces. 'I really don't understand this! You already have tons of handbags! Still you find excuses to buy a new one! Please explain this to me! I do want to understand this!' 'Uhm? I just like bags!', was my best defense and walked on.

Not that I ever expect P to understand why I 'LOVE' bags and that I would even have a room designed just for my favorite fashion accessory. P is a guy and I don't assume that he has the ability to grasp why his girlfriend already has spend a fortune on something that men consider not the best investment ever. To them a bag is just bag!

So when I for the first time seemed to miss a few of my reuseable bags I did feel a bit out of tune. It is not these are very expensive. You can already find one for 50 cents or 1 euro. Still, I felt like I was robbed! 'P, do you know by any chance were my white linnen bags are?' 'Nope! I don't even know what they look like. Does it actually matter? You have more bags then you can use in a lifetime. Perhaps you even threw them out by accident?' I was just standing there and staring down at him and thinking:'You moron, you don't understand this! Every bag is important and comes with a story!!!!' I then just shrugg my shoulders and get the bottle of Bacardi out of the fridge!

Deep down I just have this theory of where my bags go and it is not bag-heaven! No, I just sense that there are some other women walking around with 'MY' bags!!! P forgets that when someone has gotten his or her hands on my bags he or she should better watch out for a rather less funny Stallie!!! I then turn into a private investigator who doesn't leave one stone unturned.

I have now one suspect who is after my shopping bags and it is not the easy to actually confront this person with my theory. It is just that it now happened more then once after this unusual suspect has visited the house while I am absent. When I confront P with my investigation results he just can't believe it. 'Uhm! So while I am not in the house for a few days you are then the one who takes my bags and throws them out!' 'No, no!! I wouldn't dare!' 'So, then my bags just vanish into thin air!'

So now I am big a shopper with a mission to fill up asap the big gap in my bagcollection. Some of the lost property can be replaced easily by just going back to that one shop and buy them for a second time. On my bag mission I also do encounter some rather new 'desperately want to get my hands on you'-bags. In no time I seem then to be able to replace my 'old' bags.

The issue that I have going on now is how to protect my bag collection. The best I can come up with is a huge vault with some super high tech security measurements. I am thinking in the sense of the one I have seen Tom Cruise coming down in Mission Impossible I! So, in case you are thinking about nicking one of my bags you better think twice!

S.S.E.

Don't get me wrong on this one! I do like summerbreak! The prospect of not having to get up early and being able to spend more then half of the day in my nighties makes me smile! But there are some side effects on having two whole months for yourself.

- I seem to be sleep deprived. You should see me in the mornings when I get up! Ready to be cast in one of those thrillers with zombies in a major part. Teabags won't help and none of the beauty treatments I have in my bathroom can do the trick. Give me a hammock in the garden and I would not get out of it for the rest of the day.

- I hate my white leggs! Once I have to get my shorts on to get through the very hot days or go to the beach for the day I really freak out. I feel so white and it seems to be a mission impossible to get the membership of WST-club (Wonderful Sun Tanned). Not that I have tried but I can tell you that some of these tan lotions seem to have not the promised effect on my skin. At the end of the summer I can renew then my membership of the FWS-club. (FreakyWhiteSkin)

- I feel lonely!!! Due to the fact being a teacher I am blessed with a two months break but the majority of people is not that lucky!! Meaning that when others have their summer break they are not home but somewhere else on this globe. I seem to be home base in case some person out , visiting an Mexican temple, sailing the Caribbean island, enjoying Tuscan cuisine or at Omaha beach in Normandy or some other less or more exotic spots gets into trouble. Not that I have not been away myself but meeting up with old friends is that not easy because they are not just that close by as you wish they would be.

- I don't have the energy to study and this is really a problem!!!! It seems such a mission impossible to actually combine a five year old with studybooks. But let me be honest for once I just seem unable to find the study boost that I am after. It feels like I have a major melt down in my system and the vitamine supplement that I take is not really having the promised effect! And now don't start me sending supporting mails to cheer me on! It just won't do this time. I can't explain why not but I just can't feel the spirit I have been walking around with at work or when being in class this year. Seems I really needed a break.

- I am still waiting!!!! I really do and yes I have mentioned in an other piece that it doesn't matter anymore when or how!!! Still, around me more and more people get married or are heading for their next chapter in their lives and I am still status quo! I had some fierce arguments this years with P and also felt let down by some close friends because it seems so hard to get there. For me attending wedding receptions is rather a nightmare!!!!! I hate it!!!!!!!!

The truth is out!!! Others might have some issues with kids or finding a husband! I even fear the fact that I will die of Mexican flu without being married!!!! I really do!!! Call be mad but that is my biggest fear next to loosing A! But don't be afraid that I will crash your wedding. No way!! I can behave after I had a drink or two and then I just smile throughout the day or night. I might end up in the car with a major headache and won't be that talkative to P because he just senses that the touchy subject is on the tip of my tongue. I will even leave some very nice supportive words in your guestbook! And you can be sure I mean 100% of what I write down in such books.
- I stil have not the dream job I am after!!! God, I had some very tempting job offers this year but I all let them pass. Yip! I did because I felt that it was not the right moment or place to leave my present job. Now I am facing once more having to write my CV and even translate into German or having to scan the internet or newspaper for some interesting job description. This summer I once felt that I am still not where I want to be, jobwise I mean. I need a more challenging job where I can actually dig into the raw material. On top of things will one of my close collegues not be that close anymore and now I will feel so lonely during meetings because she did speak up when I did not dare.

- I think too much! It happens over and over again that once I am half way through my summer break that my brain is in overdrive. I seem to bewitched and feel rather restless. Instead of being a carefree person in vacation mode I am the most indecisive human being around. Seem unable to make up my mind about some very straightforward stuff like milk, sugar or both and what about having to choose between vanilla or passion fruit flavor. So when P asks me where I want to go for the day I am flabbergasted and just stare out of the window and my brain is of for a very long cruise.

Not that I am surprised about all of this because it reoccurs every year again. It is a nuisance but deep down it seems like my mind and body use this break as a kind of signal. I do admit that during the schoolyear I seem never really to run out of energy. Perhaps some setbacks but in general I will manage without really freaking out or having to take some absence of work because I am sick. So, all the above I consider SSE (SummerSideEffects) and I hope that I will find very soon the best alternative medication. So that I can spend some of my break at least carefree! Wish me luck because the next thing I am going to try is some chocolate!!

In need for some pixiedust!

We are back from Disneyland Paris!!! In a way I am quite relieved because it is quite a challenge to guide a five year old through a funpark of that gigantic size. Needless to say that A was quite impressed by everything he saw, smelled, felt, heared and tasted!! Because I had been there before I knew what to expect but still there were some nice surprises.

And now we have unpacked all, did some laundry, put the Mickey Mouse mug and tin in the cupboard and have integrated the Toy-Story figurines with some old residents. The digital camera still needs to be downloaded. On there tons of nice visual memories of three days pure magical fun! I even dare to call it the best therapy out there! Still, taking your own children to a place like Disneyland is quite different then when you go there on your own.

As a mother I loved the fact that I was able to take A there and see how much fun he had. Some of the looks he had in his eyes were priceless. That you have an excuse to wave at Disney cartoon characters, can buy some nice Mickey Mouse stuff without being considered too old for it, singing songs out of tune and still feel good about it, scream as loud as you can when you are on a fast ride, ride a merry go round and don't feel out of place, and last but not least are able to travel back into your childhood when you thaught that Snowhite and her 7 dwarfs, Tinkerbell her Pixiedust, the magic sword of king Arthur, the big ears of Dumbo, the dragon of the Sleeping Beauty were almost true to life in your own imagination!!!

A pointed out that he loved the castle, the merry go round of Lancelot, the Pirates Beach, the Disneyland railroad, the fishtanks of the Rainforest Cafe in the Disney Village and also their food, posing with Winnie The Pooh (thanks to a very professional photographer named Alexandre!!!), driving Buzz Lightning, turning wild in the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, flying up and down in Dumbo the flying elephant and screaming at Stich with other kids.

He also let us know over and over that he had an issue or two with having to wait in line, having to stay close to his concerned mother, facing the very long waiting times, having to hold up his pee, not being able to buy that cool pirate sword, having to wait at every corner instead of running of for a new adventure, that he couldn't finish his popcorn in one go or couldn't have soda drinks from dusk till dawn!

I did understand him because I had also some issues with having to say more then 1000 times a day:NO!!!! On top of that I hated myself for sounding like one of those overconcerned mothers who try to sound like teachers. Honestly, there were moments that this fun trip seemed more like challenge. A was challenging me and using all the tricks he knew in order to make his mother go wild. While trying to point out once more that I did not have won the lotery and that he couldn't have one of those Disney gadgets I just felt so much alike my mother. I had this stern look in my eyes and I was looking down at a five year old with big crocodile tears in his eyes! Do I need to point out that A, being a premature and considered stuborn and hard to bargain with that, did take rather long to put back on his happy face! There were some moments that I have wished for some pixie dust but I guess that Tinkerbell was not just not up to this tremendous big task because I seemed not to be the only one who was the evil witch coming straight out of the tale of Snowhite!

At the end I have to say that going to Disneyland is more then just funrides, posing in front of the camera with your favorite Disney character or watching the parade going to Main Street! It is seeing your kid growing up and wishing you could travel back in time and be a kid. A his best punchline when he came home from three days of Disneyfun:'Dad, you need to give mum some more money!! She does not have that much money as you do! Mum needs to buy me stuff!' Believe it or not, I did not have whispered that one into his ears! I swear it on the big Micky Mouse ears! Next time P will need to come along because I really want to get into all these wild rides that we now did not end up doing because of A. Guess that we will be back in Mousekingdom!! Miss it already and I am now under the attack of Buzz Lightyear who thinks that I imprisoned his friend Woody!!! Help!!!!!!

P.S.: If you would ask me what Disney character I love best!! Guess twice there is only one who loves books and is after a big adventure out there in the world. A, I now rather compare with Stich!!! Can be cute when handled with care!

Matters of the heart.

P and I are now almost 8 years together! Quite a nice number of years and I must admit that there are moments that time catches up with me. For the moment there is still no wedding band in sight but that is fine. Really I feel now rather relaxed about. There will be a day it is my turn and that is good enough for me. I am aware of the fact that less and less people consider us even getting in front of the alter. But I don't care anymore. Almost tempted to elope! I am not kidding!

P is one of those work addicts who loves his job above all. Patients come first and there are moments that I feel so left out. We have missed out quite a number of nice parties and receptions because he is one of those people who needs to be on call! On top of that P is rather modest. For him being a doctor is so natural. He just happened to study hard and was able to become a specialist. Not a big deal!!!

When I met him I felt quite impressed because he was not the typical young doctor that I had so many times met in my life. Very down to earth but also rather ambitious in his field. I have seen him in action and I know that he just then pushes him self to the edge. When is up there trying to find an opening with a stent then he is there where he feels best. I just sense then that is where he gets the best professional results.

Once someone asked me if having a relationship with a doctor is different. Perhaps a rather strange question. It is only a fact that P his profession seems to be in the list of sexy professions. There are tons of people that buy these cheesy doctor stories. And yes, there are many girls and women (have to admit that I am one of them) who like ER, Grey's Anatomy or House MD and fall for the guy in the white jacket or the green scrubs. They seem to be so powerful and have that bit extra that we women fall for. They are lifesafers and never give up in the heat of the action. But is this the reality?

Getting together with P was quite an adventure. When I saw him for the first time whe had already talked hours over the phone and I just was intrigued by his warm voice with his rather French accent! When I saw him for the first time with his wild curls and his cute glasses, his nice hands (which are very caring and his most precious asset of his body!!!!! He would take an extra insurrance if he could afford it) and his blue shirt and nice suit I just melted!!!

While walking in Central Park in NYC with N (still have the best memories ever of that trip) I just knew that I wanted him to walk next to me. I fell in love in NYC and he was not even there with me. I ached for him and I just was after that one kiss in the moonlight that you just dream of! With him I wanted to go against stream, take risks, discover the world, get kids, feel alive, share my deepest feelings and grow old!!!!

So eight years ago I had that one date that was the best ever!!! We went out for dinner and then

drove to Alden Biesen. It was already around midnight and it was full moon. Inside I was just aching and I just wanted to grab his hands. But I helt back and when he suddenly stopped I even walked by and kept talking. P then grabed my hands and he then gave me a kiss that I still sense, still can give me goosebumps and still can make me smile. He took my face in his hands and then looked me straight in the eyes!

Now, eight years later, we live together, are the parents of A and eight years older and wiser. I know now some facts about relationships that are not that romantic and rather harsh. We do have arguments about many things but I do see still a man who really tries to do the best out there. He can be rather stuborn and he goes against the stream once in a while. And believe it or not is also of the rather insecure kind.

When he woke up this morning he got dressed (blue shirt and nice pair of pants) and left for work I wished he could stay a bit longer with m in bed but duty calls at eight! He was ready to face a new day and you can assure that when you ever end up with him that he will be the best doctor. You might wonder if he is not the resident because he hates that white jacket! And to be honest white is not his color. At the end the day I am the one who gets the honor to watch with him all these medical prime-time-doctor-series!!! And not a single one of them (even not Doctor Chase or Doctor Mac Dreamy) can beat the real thing!!

A, the dirt devil.

Ever since the break out of Mexican flu I am a bit over sensitive about this subject. For me any disease where there is sneezing involved I become very uncomfortable. There was a time that I was blessed with sinusinfections and that my best friend were tissues in all colors and sizes. Thanks to a very nice doctor who took a very deep look into my nose and made very clear to my father that a sinusoperation might work I feel now much better. Every year for me 9/11 is rather a happy date to celebrate 365 infection free days!

Still every time when I catch a cold I feel not that safe! I had the flu once and I felt horrible. I even remember that I had the impression that I would never recover. Do I need to point out how I feel about this most recent blue virus who seems to have a global party? On top of that I am one of those people who just reads everything there is on the internet. Not good!!!! Your head starts to spin and after a while you just don't know who or what to believe.

And now that they have decided to get the army involved to pass out Tamiflu and mouthcaps I just start to worry even a bit more. Personal I already pay a bit more attention concerning my personal hygiene. Not that hard. I love washing my hands and I prefer paper tissues to fabric handkerchiefs that need ironing! But my biggest challening in this whole flu-story is A!!

A 5 year old seems to me more and more an health hazard!!! He just leaves behind so much dirt and produces so much body fluids that I just can't imagine that he won't be the one who brings this into our house. Washing his hands seems to be a waste of time and so I am running after him with soap and a wet cloth. I try to point out that he can't go with spitting that much. A then gives me one of those looks that he considers me an alien coming from Mars! He moves on and happily touches everything on his way leaving behind tons of invisible germs.

And then there is the body contact you have with that lovely dirt devil!! For the moment he kisses me and huggs me more then ever. In the mornings he climbs into our bed and he then looks for a way to crawl as close to us as possible. He loves to put his face close to mine, look me straight in the eyes and then puts on his most happy smile ever!!! Best wake call ever but not bug-free!

So the be honest I think that we are not going to be able to hide for this one. P, being a doctor and me being a teacher qualifies us being a risk as well. I am not afraid of getting sick. The average virus, has P told me with his doctor voice on, has only one mission and that is to multiply as much as possible and not to kill. There are some exceptions to the rule but in general a virus is not a lethal weapon.

P his words are also backed up by one of our national health advisors Marc Van Ranst in the national press. In one of the interviews that he gave to our national press he pointed that he even considers a virus something rather intriguing. Tons of stuff that we even take for granted seems to be able because of those tiny little creatures!!!!! When our minster of health called it a 'courageous' virus it must have been one of her hallmark translations when she has to speak Dutch. But it was the first time in all these weeks that it made me smile. Courageous virus or not it seems like A will be happy to spread it around. In the end I might even end up with some extra time off from work. Guess that it won't be long till the first profile pictures on Facebook turn up with mouthcaps!

Detox with English teabags!!

After spending about a week down in Yorkshire I am back in Overijse. It was so much fun to see an overexciting A who jumped up ad down in his carseat when he saw me back and said out loud that he had missed me! But at the other hand every year when I say goodbye at the airport down in Bradford I know that I won't be back for two years. Meaning that I will have to miss the next things for the following 24 months:

- I won't be drinking tea all the time. 'I'll put on the kettle!', was one of those sentences you are thaught in English class and when you hear them spoken out lout more then once you know it for sure: you are in a household were coffee is just not done. On the record, I drank most of the time out of a mug but once I was allowed to drink out of the Royal Doulton China cup!!! Eat that Mrs Bucket!!!

- No Torchwood episodes!!! While being over I ended up becoming a Torchwood fanatic. Okay, I do think that Captain Jack is jummy jummy but those most recent five episodes really made me go wild!!! Long time that I was able to really being caught up in a story! I am even tempted now to get into the so well know Doctor Who-stories. But God, Collin Firth has some competition with a guy called John Barrowman!!!

- Raving on about all the big mansions that I visited!! Top of the bill: Howard Castle!! Once I saw the Atlas-fountain and the Temple of the four winds I just wanted to get into a time machine! The closest I got was buying the most recent DVD of 'Brideshead revisted'!! If you ever happen to be close by then it is worth a visit and many views to kill with your camera. The farmer store is also a gem and the angus beef burgers are just so good on their nice freshly baked pumpkin seed bread!!! And the notorious cat Garfield will agree with me!! He was there to film 'The tale of 2 kitties'! and loved the place!!

- Having three kids running around in one house who just add some color to your holiday. R, who happens to pass by once in while and tries to send out messages with the least amount of words. The very talented P, who celebrated her 11th birthday this week, will get her ears pierced and who is just good in everything she does. And last but not least, T, who won a coconut at her school's fair and ended up dresssing it up and dragging along everywhere. She is just one of these dotting girls who decided one day to put a sign on her bedroom door saying:'T is in Argentina!'

- Trying to understand all these so typical sports that are only played by Anglo-saxons. Cricket lawns and men in white who seem to know the secret of getting grass out of white fabric!!! Rugby, not just a bunch of wild men who are after a ball! They really do have some tactic when they are out one the field:'Crouch, touch, pause, ENGAGE!!!'

- Getting in on the right side of the car and ending up on a passenger's seat. Needless to say that this was rather a tricky one. Was tempted a few times to get behind the steering wheel but then I might have ended up in hospital and wrecked my host her lovely little red car!

- The cat Vince, who ended up not being a Tomcat after all! She is still called Vince and is spoiled to death by all of the B-family. She did talk back when I admited that I had forgotten to bring her a gift.

-English Bookstores at every corner of the street to spend a fortune at! I had to restrain myself when I was in one of them. Walking through WH Smith and Border's was really tough!!!! But this time I did not go over my budget and ended up buying some chicklit as well when I just need a break for the heavy reading. Nicest bookstore that I was in on this trip: the one at the Salts in the UNESCO hallmark village of Saltaire!

- Having to pay with Pounds Sterling. Foreign currency does make travelling a bit more special. Have to admit that it was also nice that this time my checking account won't suffer that much because of the rather low rate!

- No plugs in bathroom and other healthy&safety regulations that English rave about. Yes, I must have seemed an idiot to R when I told him that I couldn't have figured out on my own what the function of that long cord hanging down in the bathroom was for!

- Travelling with BMI!!!! They promise you they will leave at time and they even end up arriving sooner! And you still get a sandwich and a drink on a 45 minute flight and don't have to pay extra for it. Only it would come in handy that they don't forget to turn on the sign of their bagage drop off at Brussels airport!

-Homemade English Cuisine: food prepared with love and some of the best dishes come out the tiniest cookbook I have ever seen. Nice were as well the bags of crisps with rather strange sounding ingredients and the fish and chips! But why does there have to be cucumber in the Pimm's or why is a 99 flake called 99 even A did not know!!

- Being part of the daily life of the B-family! Who dragged me along on many happy occasions: the graduation of A! Who is now a qualified math teacher and ended up winning a prize!!! Or going to P her yearly concert where I ended up listening to some damn good music. But unfortunately did not win one of the raffle prizes!

-Trying to teach some Dutch or typical Flemish words to some eager students like P and A. Top of the bill was the word 'hogedrukreiniger'!!! Very happy to state that some of my pupils had some very nice accents. Keep up the good work!

- Calling the Mexican flu the Swine flu! I must admit that I was a bit more anxious to be at an airport and when one of the ladies in the bookstore (where do you think do I spend the last minutes of my stay in the UK!!!) sneezed very loud and numerous times I did go out of the way. I was also not so happy to get that extra folder with the information they give to passengers returning of country where Mexican flu is going around. It ended up in the bin because it did no tell me anything new!

I also guess that the last lines are not something that I will be able to live without. It is rather getting used to live with the constant fear that you catch that blue bug that causes you to feel horrible! For the moment I still feel fine but I can officially state that I caught something else! The UK-bug and that seems one with rather fun side-effects!! Uhm, I am going to put on the kettle, next I am going to walk through my improvised rose garden, after that I am going to bake scones and perhaps watching some rugby!!!

P.S.: If time won't catch up too much I will get back with some more from across the Channel!

And once more a thousand times THANK YOU to the B-family!!!! You were all fab and created precious memories that I will cherish for a very long time!!!

My kid, smart kid!!!!????

A goes after the summer to prep-school and it scares me so much! It really does! Not that I am the oh-so-typical-over-concerned-mother who doesn't want to let go her kid! Nope! Just the fact that A then will have to start getting used to less play time and goofing off makes me a bit anxious! Knowing A, I just sense that he will have a less nice time with having to do this. He is a very outgoing kid! He goes for it all and he just loves to be alive. There was a moment that I was actually so afraid that he wouldn't win the battle against nature. Still very proud that A was such a little hero in his incubator but still.....

Being a special teacher and reading tons of files of kids with birth defects I sometimes see the future of A less carefree. Not that I want him to become a genius! In the first place I want to have a happy kid who actually encounters the world with an open mind and wants to suck up everything! Not a robot who can reproduce facts, numbers and will do what he is considered to do.

So when P came back home from parent's evening and told me that A still can't write his name I was a bit surprised! 'Hey, he is only five! Are you sure that this is something they have to be able to do?', I asked P. P seemed not be sure and neither I seemed to know what a 5 year old child really has to be able to do. Times have changed and I know that there are some 'smart' kids out there that are able to read and write before they start grade school but still....

I then felt a bit out of tune and started to question some professionals. Most of them seemed to be sure that A had not to be able to write a book yet. I then wanted to be the very responsible parent and got tons of exercisebooks to prep A! We now end up every day writing, counting, concentrating and drawing! The effect of using my teacher voice and bribing A with candy mice when he does his exercises is visible. He now copies his name without a mistake and yes, I do regret for a tiny bit the fact that he has got a rather long name.

In a record time I now have turned in one of these parents who want her kid to deliver results. Even when we go out for grocery shopping we end up doing counting exercises and when he is sitting in the car I practice with him the traffic signs and numbers! I make him write his name on greeting cards! It looks rather shaky and not that artful but it his name! But if his teacher will be satified I don't have a clue!

So the ratrace has started! A will have to deliver and proof that he wants to partake in a society where human beings have to make profit. I am blessed with three five year old ones in the family and A is not the one who is most eager to start multiplying or figuring out how he can read those children's stories himself. I end up thinking once in a while that A must seem rather an idiot when they try to boast about their children.

I mean, can I actually show of with a kid who always smiles, is so happy to go out, likes adventures, plays the air guitar with lots of flair, can run faster then his mum, draw a space rocket and knows that Frank De Winne is living in space, walks around with the American flag screaming that Obama has won (!), listens to English bedtime stories, shakes his a** with his mum in the kitchen, can eat tons of pasta as an Italian, can kick a football like David Beckham, who is very sincere when he says that he loves you ....? Personally I don't think so! I feel sometimes so ashamed when A seems so outgoing! On top of that he is not one of those zombies who are glued to their parents when they go out. A attacks the world like he is a pirate sailing the seven seas!

Niether it helps that his school seems a bit pressured by inspection! They only do what they are told to do. The teachers want to be sure that have the evidence black on white that they have done what the manuel says. Rightly so! Inspection can be without remorse because if you get funding you have to spend it wisely!

But what if I sense that those teachers seem to have less time to focus on their pupils? They still teach my kid but they seem to have lost the drive! Delivering the proof that he can't write his name they can do flawless! But the last few months A did not bring home any artwork but worksheets! Not very colorful pieces you can put on your corkboard!

So now I am actually trying to observe A more closely and find out if he gets the space he needs to discover the world. I am more then even tempted not to just settle for the obvious choice. I have been around the world and visited many different schools! You can bet that there are some very interesting school visions out there that consider some attention. It is rather strange to suddenly have to question the system that you have been a result of. I survived and was able to resist the pressure because I was given the space and time to pursue what I really wanted to do!

So if things don't work out and his teacher tells us that A needs more time then he will get this. No hard feelings but I am not going to push him. I don't want a stressy kid who suddenly feels like he ran out of breath! A loves to run and I want to make sure that he can keep on running! Have to run now because the sales are on and I am in need of a new pair of running shoes for A! Now that I come to think of it! I better buy myself a pair as well so that I can keep up with him!

Summertime, quality time!

Yesterday I wrapped up the schoolyear! It was for sure a extra-ordinary year for me and so this time I really look forward to the summer break. The first days I will walk around a bit lost like I am without a certain direction. But in a few days I will for sure be in the right summermood. This mood means that:

- I will have an alarmclock without a snoozefunction and no known wake-up time. A will be for sure the wake up call to start a new day of this two months break. He might even use the hard ways like opening up the eyes of his sleepy mum and then ask very loudly if I am still asleep!

- the sales have arrived and that I will be spending more money on A his new wardrobe and that I will settle for some leftovers found in the last week of the sales.

- my booktower needs to come down. I have enlisted myself for the summerread and on top of that I hope to read some of these books that I have saved for the summer. I will be traveling to Peru, China, Sweden and Africa while reading!

- studying for retakes! I don't know if it will be only one or two. I don't consider this a mission impossible but I just hope that I will find enough time to squeeze in some study work.

- trying out new recipes that I have come along in my Delecious magazine and just didn't find time for to prepare because of not enough energy and time.

- entertaining friends and family. I hope to have our neighbours over for the very first time. After three years time has come to let them in and hopefully create some new friendships.

- travelling!!!! I will travelling solo again but I don't mind. First trip takes me to the lovely Brown Family in the UK! Next stop is Disney Land Paris! Can't wait to see A his reactions when he sees Mickey Mouse walking by or the Disney castle right in front of him when walking down on Main Street! And last but least I will take my mother for a trip to Switserland where we are going to visit my sister L in her new natural habitat!

- entertaining A! Won't be easy the whole time. But he is going on his first kidscamp this year! It will be exciting to see how he responds to new surroundings and experiences. On top of that I have been spending a fortune on activity books to practice. Kindergarding is more and more a very long preptime for gradeschool! A can copy his name now and sometimes he even puts something down that you can recognise being his name!

- contemplating about my work! I have almost finished my English CV and will be putting together my German one as well in order to apply for a a new challenge. The few last days have convinced me that I really need change.

- going to see my mum and staying a bit longer to see old friends! Can't wait to have breakfast in the shadown with a breathtaking view on the garden!

- calling my dentist to make an appointment, getting my hair cut and colored, one more relaxing shiatsu massage from N (you have golden hands), going to that one fantastic spa that I have my mind set on, getting my feet and hand manicured, getting my leggs sugarwaxed,etc

- attending wedding receptions and for sure then have some blue moods that my own wedding is still not a fact and that more and more people give me the impression that they have already have given up on attending that happy occassion! But I won't give up hoping!

- applying sun screen, wearing flip flops, sandals, getting mosquitobites and wearing all these summeroutfits that seem so much more colorful!

- trying to deal with my laundry and ironing that I have tried to ignore! It lying there waiting for me, a soapy wash and a hot iron! Hate that but someimes a woman needs to do what she not prefers to do!

- dealing with the so typical Belgian summer weather! One moment it will be very hot and the next moment it will be rainy. There might me days that you seem to have the idea that Autumn already has arrived. In my purse you will find sunglasses, sun screen and an umbrella! I don't want to get surprised when I walk in a shop when the sun is shining and by the time I have paid that it will be raining cats and dogs!

- keeping up with this blog that now celebrates its first birthday! I am happy to see that I still try to keep this thing going. There are moments that I wonder who reads this but then I consider this my diary and I don't feel that bad about not having that many hits! Just be so kind to leave once in a while a comment because these can inspire me when I am having a writer's block!

Seems like I will have a very busy summer and that I hope that I will at least get done 80% done of the things listed her above! I am ready for summer break that will be filled up with many moments to cherish, not too many mosquito bites or Mexican flu (but then chances are that it will find me when Autumn or Winter time comes along!) and that I won't get sunburned! Have yourself a wonderful summer and always welcome for a nice mojito! Cheers!