Downhill with the little lost croackroch

I seriously should keep my "happiness highs" to myself, as every time I verbalise them it seems I am paying heavily.. 12-hours into my husband having departed for a 4-day business trip abroad the following events started to unfold: a crockrauch-like insect found in the staircase creating havoc among the sensitives (including especially myself), a clogged toilet, the babysitter whom I had interviewed carefully weeks ahead cancelled 1 h prior starting her 4day pest, ladybird invasion in the kids bedroom (what's with the insects??) and the cherry on the cake as I was almost breathing normally while showering my little ones at 8 pm..head lices (really)..!! As a result, the next 3 hours or so I was running between stairs pouring or rinsing one of the four heads (my sons were saved, but not myself) and breastfeeding the baby who of course woke up as something clearly interesting was taking place. Followed by the change of bedding of the four beds, vacuuming the ladybirds, unclogging the toilet, spraying vinagre on humid areas in the house and sterilising hair items, I started the washing marathon of bed sheets, coats, doudous.. Clearly, just "hanging out" by myself with our 5 kids including a baby with the "normal" school week routines of picnic preps, schoolbus runs, activities and doctor appointments and what not would have been utterly deadly boring. Bring it on for the spring NY business trip, mama can take it 😂

The ordinary extraordinary weekend

Just when you start questioning the concept of limitless energy, one single weekend can make a transformation. I have been poured with love and inspiration unexpected in the past 48h that I feel almost overwhelmed..My teenager unconsciously caressing my hair in the morning while waiting for the school bus, my 9-year old son waking at the dawn to prepare the family a Sunday breakfast with a special attention to Mom's seating with all my favorite trimmings, my number 2 hugging me spontaneusly of happiness as I found her lost school book or the hairdresser quoting my 6-year old for her "Favorite Princess" being Mom.. Even without the white nights, these moments bring tears to my eyes and fill my heart with joy and love beyond words. They are my fuel. Furthermore, our community, which we have perceived for so.. uninclusive, finally opened its arms.. This weekend we joined our neigbours for helping at the community garden, to plant fruit trees, bake bread, donate clothes..and I realise the shift away from the "expectant receiver" (too harsh expression but difficult to find a better one) to an "actor" makes all the dramatic difference. And without the expectation - the universe pours all back 10-fold.. I feel blessed and grateful for us being part.

September Craze

So the one concrete difference in managing life with five kids is undeniable: I have less time. Less time translates in no time for private dinners with my husband, meeting friends, starting a jogging routine not to even dream about reading or having the mind space for creative writing! This is even more evident in this particular month of September which represents new beginnings in so many forms: 1st grade primary school for nb 4, 1st secondary for nb 2, B-tests for number 1, organisation of the baptism for nb 5. Not to mention the re-launch of activities, playdates and birthdays following the long summer break. How do we manage then with my husband? New distribution of tasks. We had four parents meetings to attend during the week of preparing for the bapteme - for the first time in 12 years I delegated this honoir to my husband (and he did well!). I took on the visits to the pediatre, ONE, baby massages, coordination with support teachers, supervising homework and organising the bapteme:accomodation, menus, contacts with the church, gifts, clothes etc. And caring for the little man who is (rightly) hungry 10 times per day. Regardless of the (mind me bragging) well-established planning for the start of the school year I have been out of breath in most days without even -as mentioned earlier- glanzing over my running shoes. On the other hand, I have got to spend wonderful nights and early mornings getting to know this new wonderful person who chose to join our family. His smile enlightens all of us and brings instant joy to our days. Fortunately the children are oblivious to the above craziness of parents and are seemingly happy to find their friends, hobbies and school routines. The favorite moment of my day is to have all my kids around the table for their gouter, to hear their enthousiasm over their day reporting of any incidents during the bus trip, mishaps of friends (or teachers!) or illnesses.. If I could bottle these little exclusive moments! The baby is often present feeding during these moments, however my mind, presence and attention is with my other kids. With these early morning thoughts I leave September behind on to welcome smooth tender October 🥰

In the baby bubble

We have the first month at home with our adorable new baby boy. Sweet days and long nights❤️ How could I have forgotten the joys of congested breasts, nightly colics, but also the magic moments of admiring my new baby!!The siblings have been completely mesmerised by this little bundle and volunteering to help with the nappies change, bathing or holding him in their arms. It is heartwarming to see the proudness of my number 4 in her new role of big sister. All of them are kissing him on passing or running to get the tute on the slightest demand of the baby. My husband is assuring the functioning of the family: managing the kids drives, groceries and what not. I recognize it is tough on him, and I am greatly appreciative for his efforts. To keep him operational, I take care of the busy night shift with frequent wakes with the baby. In consequence, admittedly my biggest achievements in most days reduce to taking my shower,going for a walk, preparing lunch and snacks for the kids. And caring for the baby and napping ! I have even put away my task list for the moment. With the fifth baby I am finally gentler towards myself than in the previous post-partum periods. Prioritising rest to be fit for the family has become my guiding principle. I feel ever grateful to have yet again the opportunity to experience the uncomparable magic of motherhood 😍

Zeeland in May celebrations

Wonderful week in Zeeland😍 Only 1.5h drive and we were welcomed with sun, beaches and a cute holiday house in a quaint neighbourhood. Our previous visit to the area dated a while ago and I had not realized how child friendly the Dutch can be. Free play grounds or Provincial domaines with great facilities; restaurants had kid menus, boxes and activities to keep them busy while waiting. Every day we visited a new attraction: Mini Mundo, Tropical zoo, Marine museum..With my husband we enjoyed the visits to the capital Middebourgh, Vliessingen and beach resort Domburg all with plenty of pedestrian streets in the old center to stroll on. The kids were obviously thrilled and considered this one of the best holidays ever (auts, and only with 1/10 of our caribbean holiday budget😊 ) Today, on Mother's day, I was pampered with hand-made cards, love poems, drawings and hand-made berry pavlova cake..Mommy's heart is spilling over of gratitude ❤️

Easter à la Maltaise

I look at the beautiful azur-blue Mediterranian sea. My four mermaids are playing in the sand and dipping in the sea. Another relaxed afternoon at the beach near St. Thomas' Bay and our holiday appartment. It is simply too tempting not to enjoy the sun and sea, especially in these early days of spring. I feel the joy is twice as strong after the long rainy winter months just behind. Malta has taken us by a positive surprise. The sun, affordability and plethora of activities (for both parents and kids) for a full week. It took us a few days to dwelve into the Island's relaxed atmosphere. Well, by relaxed I mean when not behind the wheel. My husband has had a chance to practice "the other side" of the brain while navigating in the left-side Easter traffic. After a few days we got hang of it, although feel still uncertain on where to look when crossing the street. People are reserved, but polite. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of our holidays has been the excursions. And we have covered a lot in a week! Kids' highlight was the village of Popeye which was originally built for the Disney musical of the same name starring Robin Williams. The village has since turned into a thematic parc for families with several shows that kept us enterteined the whole morning. The setting is really beautiful, as it built in the Bay between rocky falaises with amazing views. The close-by historical Mdina is a wortwhile visit, however be sure to check the wheather forecast as we were welcomed with a glacial wind accompanied with zaharienne sand storm! Rarely have we appreciated so much to find refuge in a restaurant with an open fire and indulging with the local desserts - simply a perfect afternoon pause. Among my own favorite was the day trip to the Cozo island. We took the car on the ferry and enjoyed the nature and calmness of the island contrasting nicely with the business of the main Island. Our final day in Malta will stay in our memories while admiring the near by lagoons and villages on a half-day cruise. My youngest ones were very brave and dipped again in the 17 degrees celcius sea! The winter coats are definitely thrown out now😁 The cherry on the cake - all flights took place and were on time..yey!

Paris with my Girl

Thank you my dear teen for the delightful and long-waited weekend in Paris! 6h45 on Saturday we started our marathon weekend and 23hoo on Sunday we returned. I am again amazed by how much one can experience in such a short period of time: shopping, high end vintage market (with entry fee?!), Dior show, musical comedie, not to forget the bitter taste of the most expensive capuccino (9 eur..). Thanks to my teen, I got to discover whole new face of Paris! It was so refreshing not to have to visit and line any of the usual suspect tourist attractions either. The program and itineries were planned for and partly by our girls, it was their weekend. What did I observe? How well dressed the Parisians (even with babies) still undeniably are. The mom breastfeeding her baby in the middle of the restaurant while eating raw minced meat (I am not sure it is harmful, but it did make me an impression). Preparations for the Olympic games in June were full on - restaurations of parcs and interestingly the tourist tax had increased 4-fold since the beginning of the year. Finally, the Parisians can, regardless of what is said, be nicesh (=treat tourists well) and fortunately we had a chance to interact with several of them. The biggest source of joy for me, however, was of course to spend some private time with my girl❤️ Thank you love.

Carnaval & Ski

This is a holiday to my liking for a change. I have my morning coffee and sunny snowy slopes in front. The kids already left for ski with my husband and my aquagym is waiting. No extensive planning, my daily program includes meditation, walks, aquagym, reading and journaling. It took a few days to get to the relaxed mode though. Those disturbing thoughts about work and the rest are persistant, but finally give in and fade away in the breathtaking beauty of the mountains. The kids enjoy as well. They are so proud of their ski achievements, draw their ski itineries, areas needing of improvement, and funny stories heard in the ski cabins. Perhaps my ado is the least enthousiast about her class with much younger kids and I do understand her. Fortunately our good friends are here and the big girls were treated with a late movie night. Last night makes my heart warm, a traditional raclette evening at our friends appartement to celebrate the Valentine's day, new jobs, babies, friendship..I had forgotten how resourcing those discussions and sharings are for us bringing meaningfulness and joy. Thank you dear friends, we are grateful to have you❤️ p.s almost already forgotten that our car broke down after 200 km on our way here and is safe back home in a garage..no journey without an adventure for us!

Arctic New Year

Wonderful beginning, horrid ending. The only unelegant way to describe this year's adventure to the North. We often get admirable nods from our surroundings when describing our traditional journey up North: two flights to Estonia, few days stay visiting the family, early departure to catch a 2h ferry ride over to Helsinki, short tram ride to the central train station followed by a 5,5h/6h train ride up North. This is one-way journey. And then there is the return. With four young kids it is an exhausting trip when following the plan, and this year we had the luck hiding taking our return trip to a whole new level. I conclude, today, every journey - short or long - involving air/train transport may become an ordeal. But not to jump events, I share the events as they unfolded in front of us. To stay within budget (or "to create family traditions at home" as presented to the kids), we had opted to stay home for Christmas and go greet out families up North only for the New Year. We flew to Tallinn via Riga and arrived to beautiful white Tallinn on time. Our appartment downtown was spacious and warm. As if ordered for children, it had snowed just a few days earlier. The kids got to enjoy sleigh rides with the grand-parents and us an adult-only dinner. Few days flew by quickly and it was time to say good buy to Estonia and take the ferry over to Helsinki followed by the longuish train journey up to the North. I had looked up the wheather forecast for our stay in Finland, but prayed it was only a forecast: we were going to experience a record cold wheather! After the springy +10 degrees celsius back home, we thought the first day felt already extreme as the temperature decended to - 15 C. I reminded wearing layers is of essence in these conditions. Fortunately, we jumped on the opportunity to ski and truly enjoyed the magic scenery of icy lake and snow covered forest. I had forgotten how beautiful the sun set here was - at 14h30 ! We whole heartidly enjoyed the loving welcome of the grand-parents. In the next days, records were beaten: -25 C, -32,5 C and on our day of departure --34,5 C. So what do you do to keep kids active indoors in those temperatures? We visited the new communal swimming pool, played board games, read, and watched cartoons. A 20-minute brisk walk to the lake ended in tears however, as even with "mom's layers" one cannot really protect from that extreme coldness. I am writing this entry on a plane in Oslo heading to Frankfurt with three unplanned hotel/air bnb/hotel nights behind. It is Saturday - we were supposed to be back home on Thursday evening. We had to change our train from the North (1st extra night in Helsinki), our first flight was postponed to Friday (2nd night in Helsinki, in a different place), and the connecting flight from Oslo was cancelled on Friday (3rd night in an airport hotel in Oslo). Oh, and did I tell, we have all been sick with the noro-virus during the return journey? Meditating on "landing home safe" has become part of my recent morning yoga routines. Perhaps we will arrive home by Monday? Did somebody dare say it is not about reaching the destination, but the journey?