Happy Halloween at Home!

We had to face it - we absolutely HAD to finish the what seemed a never-ending mountain of renovation works in and outside our home. The girls' rooms upstairs, a project which started over two years ago! was finally finished last week - works validated and architecture paid. However, looking outside to what was once our cute green garden was now a sad muddy construction site crying to be finished and made beautiful again. Not to mention our bathroom, which was naked waiting to be re-tiled and furnished, our entry hall needing a fix as well as staircase thirsty of a fresh cover of paint. So. We decided to stay at home, funnel our energy and holiday budget aiming at 1) furnishing the girls rooms so they can move in 2) progress as much as possible with all the rest. I did not even sign up the kids to any camps, but would literally entertain them for 9 days! I didn't realize at that point I would be doing it alone, as my husband literally disappeared some days before dawn, came by to have lunch and next we saw him at the dinner table. Sadly, I couldn't even be jealous at him (silence/piece of mind/workout/fresh air/sense of achievement/end of day endorfins) given the crappy cold rainy wheather outside. We are now 6 days into our vacation at home and I am COMPLETELY in love with my kids. And we have achieved a lot! And we have fought a lot too We started off with a wicked family private Halloween party on last Friday. I had my final stage job interview at lunch and I literally swiched from the smart business into a bloody witch and started cooking horror food. The whole family dressed up and I was especially impressed by Eva's own face creation I named "black lady" We didn't go trick and treat though, as it was raining cats and dogs outside. Kids didn't complain and I had a tired bunch of cute witches to put in bed in the evening anyways. On Saturday, I kept my word and we did a bit shopping: the kids got their winter coats from Zara and we stopped at Crea for some crafts, they were so happy! In the evening I was tired, but decided to place the big IKEA order for the girls rooms. Not the wisest decision to make and I spend quite a fair part of the following week trying to correct the wrong delivery address encoded on their website..grrrr. I also found a good second hand deal on 3 -piece bedroom furniture for my eldest baby girl. Looked promising! But oh boy, does carrying and building two rooms of furniture take time and patience. To change the spirits, on Monday we left town to a favorite of our family - Accrobrance tree climbing park! We had so much fun! Tuesday we went with the girls to IKEA (I know, again) to get them the decor -curtains, lamps, carpets, plants. It was so nice to do this together, a sense of bonding while creating together beautiful spaces for both of them, thinking carefully each girls' tastes and personalities. We are all very pleased with the results. Obviously, with all the talk around the girls'rooms, I had to ensure my little ones did not feel left out either. Especially my baby girl being down with ear infaction, poor princess. So we build lego. Lots of it. We baked biscuits. We went to the play ground. I took my son for an evening race in the stadium to take time of his laps. We went all to the favorite parc for a walk in the next village. They got the "juices" from the store down the street. Today we sewed dragons. It has been really, really nice together. I love to see my kids thriving. My girls are in bliss in their new rooms, yesterday they were moving their clothes and books and both had the biggest smiles on their faces. The first night in the new rooms had been exciting and "little scary". As I was cleaning the rooms, with the change of little habitants, the transition also made me sad. It marked a milestone, a sign of time passing and my babies growing. God thank you they are not yet moving from home! My emotions are on the surface, as I am transitioning at the moment as well, changing jobs after 10 years in the same institution is important and does trigger feelings. And that's why I re-assure myself as a good friend would by telling change is good. It makes us feel we are alivemand we evolve. Thank you Universe for everything I am priviledged to experience.

Love letter to my girl

Dear Eva, This morning as I wake up the house is silent. I listen to your breathing and the moist sound that your thumb makes as you are sucking it since you were in my belly. Curiously, you were self-sufficient to sooth yourself from your very beginnings. I know the past 18 months have not been easy for you. From your heights of 3 and half years, you have grown-up half of it under the restrictions of the pandemie. We have not been able to attend the baby-mom yoga classes together, or go to the puppet theatre "Ratinet" or the toddler music class, as with your siblings. You have't had a chance to get familier with strangers around you either, which is probably the reason you seek such an attention, when I try to hold a conversation away from you. Despite all this, you have grown such a strong and determined little girl. Your angel curls and innocent baby smile hide perfectly behind your firery nature. And we all have days we don't know what to do with your tantrums, and there are days even weekends like the one we are just finishing, when you give just the most adorable sides of you. Yesterday morning started as a perfect fall day: fresh and sunny, with autumn already in the light. Your siblings had a full program for the weekend with hockey matches, birthdays, sleepovers and scout day all-day today. I decided this will be also Eva's weekend. So yesterday morning, I completed your dream and took you swimming (and the big girls were allowed to join us). Who cares if the baby pool was closed, we had fun! I searched the "frit" and board for you and you swam several laps practicing kicking. Well done Eva! And you absolutely loved jumping from the border to mommies arms and even slide the big toboggan! Such great fun, for both of us! After the sieste in (mom's bed), we went to the playground and yes, you got a bottled orange juice from the store down the hill. What was the result of such a wonderful day spent together? A PRINCESS was born! Litterally speaking, you found all the princess accessories from the cupboards: the Elsa -dress, the silver shoes and even rabiit ears as you made a remark the tiara is missing..and you wanted to sleep with the gear over night (non you were not allowed). And we met you in breakfast table with the same uniform the next day. In addition to this big news, something huge happened. As Estelle was sleeping over at a friends house, you moved to sleep with Elias on their room for the first time in your little life. And it went perfectly! "Je suis une grande fille" we heard you say sweet little princess. Please don't grow too fast Eva. These are moments to cherish. Today, when we went for a walk only three of us with dad and yourself outside Brussels, we realized it was probably the first time that you had us all to yourself! You absolutely loved it! We saw a happy, smiling and funny girl, who did not complain or cry..Amazing Eva, and I really get you, it's not easy to be the 4th, having to share everything all the time. Well, this weekend was all yours and mommy's heart is still swallen from the love and gratefulness I saw in you eyes of this special times together, with only you, unique you❤ We love you more than words can describe little princess!

Summer 2021

September and school having started, I look back to the past two months with the taste of Southern warmth, Northern cooleness, family reunion and a great deal of nostalgie. The slight feeling of sadness as we close the summer season I have felt every year since some years. I feel there is so much of life, adventure, and unique shared experiences compressed into such a short period of time. I feel the children grow exponentially during our holidays, in all levels, as they discover the world in our travels (Diving and learning about sea urchins, medusas and other exotic sea creatures), learning new things (my 6 yo. son can now buy bread in Greek and my 3-year old learned to hold breath under water and scubadive!) and even go through challenges with us (how to get organised after car breaking down on a German highway early on our roadtrip to North). We move yet one step closer to them growing-up and leaving the nest! In honesty, they are all still young (3-11yo), which I thank every day The highlight of this summer was without a doubt meeting again our family in Estonia and Finland. We hadn't seen our parents, sisters, brothers and their families for over two years! During the time apart, my youngest grew-up from a baby to a little girl..A lot happened during the pandemie in both parts of Europe and it is difficult to even start catching-up during such a short visit. For me, the most important was to see my family in good health and happy; spending time together, sharing a meal or having an evening tea together. The sheer presence of all of us togehter was both grounding and energising. After 20 years abroad, being "home" in my native neighbourhoods simply makes me feel good. I am so pleased to see my children share this feeling, spending time in the calmness and nature, a break from the frenetic everyday city-life of ours. Despite the adversaries we encountered during this summer, it definitely stays in our minds and hearts as a summer of reunion. Blessings to all my extented family, in both sides of the Baltic sea. We miss you greatly!

Sea, sand, sieasta and that’s enough!

We are on our 6th day of our Greek summer adventure, in a tiny little community in the Northern part of the country, by the beautiful green Aigean sea. I am sitting in a rocking chair, looking into the darkness of the pine tree forest facing our old white 2 -storey stone house. The air is filled with the zigate singing and a wonderful cool breeze from the sea. We would never have found our way to this hidden corner of Europe without our Greek friends and their "connections". The house we are staying is not a habitual airbnb deal, but a family affair especially searched and found for our family of which we are ever grateful. Our Greek hosts, the daughter and grand-daughter of a friend of my friends husband's grandmother😊 were welcoming us at the airport and drove us to the village. It is such a lovely, low-key hidden family gem one could only dream of. The crowds are limited to local families across generations, clearly this place has a history going past decades. The beach hosts one hotel and restaurant, second home to my Greek friend. For us, the days are following a new holiday routine, kids waking-up late, slow breakfast, long morning swim, even longer sieste, snack at the terrace and another run to the sea for an evening swim. For the first time in the history of holidays, I have not already started an exercise routine, apart from walking to the beach, swimming and walking back. I tell myself it is my body and mind de-compressing slower than usual into holiday mode. Perhaps a yoga session tomorrow morning? If I wake-up on time..

Congratulations!

Congratulations my eldest E for finishing the primary school! Congratulations my middle E for finishing second primary! Congratulations my other middle E for having finished pre-school or the French maternelle! Finally, congratulations my mini E, for having started the pre-school! I love this period of the year, full of celebrations, birthdays, farewell parties. The air is filled with nostalgie for the past school year, and anticipation for the long summer holidays. Preparations started already few weeks ago, shelves full of gifts for friends, birthday girls/boys, school and music teachers. This year, the shopping took another level with three sets of school books to order and four lists of very specific school materials to order. I have to admit I spend a few thousand euros to complete all the book and material lists, sniif. No further comment on that. Back to this weekend, Friday was the last school day, and it was heart-warming to see my eldest with her friends, white roses on their hands running from the school yard. The parents had to stay out of all the ceremonies, given that the covid-19 is still present everywhere. It was quite disappointing. And yet, I was secretely relieved as knowing myself it would have been extensively emotional moment to live the primary school ending with my daughter. So we followed our own ceremonies, respecting our traditions, we drove to Capoue, our favorite ice cream parlour, for a treat, all of us. We picked-up even dad from coordinating between the workers at home, to leave the projects for a moment and join us for this unique moment. The ice cream was delicious and yes, against all the odds, tiny Estelle managed to finish her giant crepe-apple pie-ice cream dessert this year as well! The next day, I had organized a surprise with my kids best friends and we all drove to the Ardennes for tree climbing. There was an animal parc next to it and, although we were in a rush and did not get to discover it this time (had to get back to Brussels to let a next workers team in!) we all absolutely loved the tree parc and will come back here for sure! We drove back to Brussels accompanied with an impressive rain and lightning, but with a small dry window our workers managed to get the heat pump up to the girls new rooms just on time before the sky was pouring again, ouf! With my husband, the long day was rewarded, as I had booked a babysitter and a table at our favorite restaurant close by. What a nice finish to the day, just the two of us and a glass of wine. Sunday, long waited Sunday. Our son's "fake birthday", as he called it. And it actually was. For the first time we wanted him to celebrate his birthday with friends and class mates, as we were always on holidays abroad on his actual big day. Oh boy, the whole family was involved. I had made double-sure that there would be friends coming, as the holidays had indeed started, and sent the invites around and about quite loosely. And of course majority of the kids showed up! So we had 10 little heads popping in, one after the other, from the rainy front yard. Fortunately, we were geared up, girls helping out ensuring everybody washed their hands, knew were the toilet was, my husband being the master game organizer.Everything went just greatly! The rain stopped and we managed to go outside and even hunt the treasors. I was super pleased I had found a red chocolate Cars Flash McQueen cake, which I absolutely would not have found time to bake yesterday evening. Only my husband and I actually liked it. Brithday boy was more than happy with the party and gifts, and so were the rest of us. The spring rush is now OVER, let the holiday season step in!!!

I MADE IT!!!!!!!!

I had visualised the moment of arrival of the automatic message on my email annoucing the results are available on my personal EPSO account, how I would resist the urge to consult these news I have been waiting for the past two (8!) years. I had spent evenings visualizing my name on the reserve list and internalised the feeling of success. Did it happen this way? I was just about to step out of the door to pick-up the little ones when the message arrived. Did I wait for the calm evening moment to receive the news? Of course not, my body reacted and opened the message and soon I had the phrase in front of me: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been placed at the reserve list". The joy comes out with tears and laughter and my husband and girls look at me with amazement. Soon they understand what is happening and we hug to each others arms! The years of preparation has been a joint effort, a huge one, and the success is of all of ours! I cannot beleive the moment arrived! The bubbly warm energy is swelling inside me and pouring out without control. The feeling is equal to my wedding day and the births of each of my child. It is not difficult at all to describe. It is feeling light, joy, bubbless and bliss. I share the news with my parents and family, with friends and my mentors. I receive so many genuine congratulations it makes me feel incredibly blessed. If somebody asks what does it take to pass open EU competitions, where candidates from all memberstates can attend, I have three immeadiate answers: 1. Faith with a bit of craziness to dream big and believe one can be among the 2,2% who passed this particular competition 2. Perseverance. You have to prepare a plan and study through the critical hours. Every day. 3. Little bit of luck. Without the pandemie, I would not have had the circumstances, next to work and family to prepare. I am also quite sure the suspension of the competition for 1 more year and the new virtual test format worked for my benefit. Having said all this, the first idea that comes to my mind is, I should share my knowledge and experience and help others reach their dreams. The first audience is obviously my children, I want to be the role model for them to dream big, work hard and make it happen! All my dreams have come true. That is an amazing feeling to have. The future looks hopeful with new opportunities arizing. I want to swell in this moment and share the good vibes with all my surroundings. Most importantly, I want to thank my parents for their upbringing, of believing in me and for their unconditional love. My husband for his support, encouragement and deep love during this journey, and my four little stars who were the most important source of motivation to reach this goal of which the results we will all get to enjoy. Sincere, humble gratefulness to the universal intelligence that manifests all of the wonders we are blessed with.

Birthday bliss

What a wonderful weekend my loved ones arranged for me to celebrate my birthday! Saturday at the seaside enjoying the first sunny and warm spring day, building sand castles, eating icescream and admiring both the beauty of the natural reserve, as well as the close-by luxorius villas. It is always a debate, weather the 3h a day is worth it, but at the end of the day it always turns out to be. We ended the day sipping a glass of cava at a relaxed lounge bar while kids were playing at the playground. These moments really fill and stay in my heart❤ My birthday started with a toilet session with my toddler, but fortunately I just made it back to bed eyes closed, before the door opened with the birthday ceremonies, a happy birthday song, group hugs and a mountain of presents! They are SO CUTE my bunch of smaller and bigger babies!!Of course, by group pressure, I had to start opening my gifts from the Neuhouse chocolate box and share a tour with each little party goer. My 8 and 11 year old girls had picked me two sweet pink bottles from Rituals described as "crackling shower gel sensation" and something else that resembled 1st of May celebration foam flying around my shower cabine when on test drive. They smelled as sweet as my little girls. (In parenthesis, I learned these two angels had managed to bargain a tube of mascara each from dad during the shopping fare, sneaky ones.) I also got a portable coffee thermos, that resembled a huge camera zoom "to the photographer of life", as well as a XL size tea cup, which stated in French: Avant mon cafe du matin, je suis a) gentille b) fresch c) de bonne humour d) ta gueule. The last one was selected. The kids looked worried about my expression, as I actually am a morning person always greeting them with a cheery smile, hug and good morning breakfast served. Apparently it was the only mug in store. The fabulous moms was sold-out To compensate the lazy Saturday strolling, today was the sporty day. We packed the car again, 5 bikes up and headed towards the Lakes (Lac de l'eau de l'heure) an hour away. It was so refreshing again o change the scenery from the city dust. We arrived at noon to this holiday district with every possible water sport activity available . The biking trail was beautiful,by the lake side waterfront. No crowds, just the nature and shimmering lake. The whole family enjoyed greatly and 20 Km went flying. Definitely worth a return visit!
To finish the day a glass of cava and Roland Garros, as a new tennis enthousiast I am. Thank you my loved ones for being in my life. Happy and grateful mama.