Mr Baby goes to voorschool

I knew this day would come soon, but didn't expect the feelings that I experienced , once my little baby became a big boy and started his voorschool.
He is coming home with new Dutch words and sentences everyday and loves going to school. Read here about my feelings on the first day of his voorschool:

http://www.amsterdam-mamas.nl/stories/parenting/school-age/adventures-in-parenting-first-day-of-voorschool

New house

One of the biggest news of the New Year is our move to a new house. Four years back when I came to Amsterdam, we had found a spacious apartment in a great location. Every guest who came to our flat praised it. We live in Osdorp, part of Nieuw West, Amsterdam. Tram 1 to Central Station and Bus 192 to Schipol depart from right outside our building. Basic Fit is on the ground floor of our building. Albert Heijn, Etos and good schools are all a five-minute walk away. The best part is that we live way high on the 9th floor and have a great view of the city from our windows. (Read previous blogpost The joys of living high up)
We have spent the best years in this apartment. This is the home where Mr Baby was born, thus, this home will always be special to me, just like Amsterdam itself.
But, it is time to move on. S has been wanting to buy a property since a long time now. I have always been hesitant and never really encouraged him, but everyone who we spoke to said, "Now is the time to buy". Many friends suggested to buy the apartment we are living at, but both S and I felt that a house with a backyard would be better for Mr Baby. He should have some space to play with his ball, ride his cycle and in the summer maybe even have his own little pool.
We have found a house we both like and we are going to move in soon. The boxes are packed, the addresses have been changed, and the mind is set to start a new life in a new place.
We are still going to be in the Nieuw West, this time going to Geuzenveld-Slotermeer. I had my reservations about the area, but after talking to some people in the neighbourhood, they were somewhat put to ease. The rest we shall find out for ourselves pretty soon. From Tram 1 our new best friend is going to be Tram 13, and from 192 we are going to change loyalties to bus 69.

Welcome 2015

I didn't even realise that its been more than a year since I have been absent from my blog. But 2014 was quite big for me. So hectic, that I was glad it was over, and my only hope for 2015 is, that may this year be much more peaceful for me and for the world in general.
At the beginning for 2014 I had resolved to have the first draft of my book ready. Forget the draft, I don't even a have a sentence for my book yet. The idea is still there, buried under the thousand other files and folders in my mind. If I could get a scan of my bran right now I am sure it would read 'System needs to be rebooted'.
Thus, I am not beginning 2015 with any big ambitions. In 2014 I started a lot of things, but unfortunately, nothing went past the starting phase. This year, if I have to resolve, I will try to clear the cache a bit. And maybe then, the brain might work faster and more efficiently.
Here's to a new year of new hopes!

Summer paddling pools

These days the best way to beat the summer heat and have fun is to go to one of the many paddling pools (kinderbadjes) across the city.
My favourite one these days is the one at Vondelpark, for no particular reason other than that I love Vondelpark and it is very easy for me to reach there by just a direct fifteen minute tram ride.

The first day I decided to take Mr Baby there was a hot morning when he had woken up in a very bad mood. Maybe the heat was troubling him too, so I packed a picnic blanket, a ball, some snacks and set off to the park. It was very calm and cool, only a few people around enjoying the morning soaking their feet in the cold water of the pool.
I directed Mr Baby towards the pool, but he was hesitant, so I held his hand and took him in the water, sat on the curb and let my feet soak in the pool.
Ahhh, heaven! The cold water was just what I needed to cool off my entire body. As Mr Baby saw his mom enjoying he also thought it was safe to enjoy. Slowly, he became more acquainted with the pool and started splashing and moving around. He played there for almost an hour, after which he was quite exhausted and happily sat in his buggy to make his return journey home.
Since that day I have already taken him to the pool three times, once with S, who also found the activity quite amusing.
Summers, we are glad you are here, and we are going to miss you.

New curtains

Last year I complained about how the thin curtains of my bedroom window made summer naps very difficult for me. Read here
http://myamsterdamlogue.blogspot.nl/2012/07/summer-naps.html#comment-form
This year I have been able to combat this problem with my brand new curtains that I love. They are purple - my favourite colour, and thick enough to block the sun from disrupting our sleep.
http://www.ikea.com/nl/nl/catalog/products/20206043/#/70206045

Ramadan 2013

The reason for being absent from my blog since the past month has been Ramadan. The whole schedule has been quite off, and I have often used my baby-free-writing-time to make up for my disturbed sleep.
I have always welcomed and enjoyed Ramadan and had vowed to write something about it at the start of the holy month, but this Ramadan was not very easy on me.
Unfortunately, Ramadan this year coincided with the very hot summers in Netherlands. As the temperatures soared and people enjoyed the sun to the fullest, we Muslims found ourselves at a loss of ideas on how to combat the summer heat while fasting.
Fasting hours were from 3am till 10pm. Surprisingly, to manage 19 hours without food is not as a big deal as it sounds, but to manage all this time without a sip of water can be hard in this heat.
The most challenging part for me in this Ramadan has been to combat my boredom. If I planned to go out, I was afraid of getting too tired or too thirsty. If I stayed home instead, Mr Baby and I both got exhausted by boredom.
For the first few days I managed to overcome my boredom by thinking about what to make for Iftar and then spending the last three hours of the day in the kitchen preparing some yummy delicacies.
However, after the 20th of Ramadan I felt my taste buds had died a bit. Other fasting colleagues have also agreed to this dilemma. We really don't feel like eating anything.
The coming years of Ramadan will be the same or harder. Tempers have risen, and patience has drowned taking along the essence of this month with it. It is not just about leaving food and drink, but about getting close to our spiritual self.
May God forgive us for our negligence and reward us for the little that we have done. Ameen.

Not too short to drive after all

My special height driving test finally took place this Wednesday. A middle-aged, sweet Dutch man with broken English came to greet me. He looked at me and said "You should be fine". I think based on the report of my examiner he was expecting someone much shorter. However, he still had to do his duty and so we proceeded to our car, me, my instructor and Mr Kok.
Firstly, Mr Kok, told me to adjust myself in the driver's seat and put a special gauge under the break. Then he told me to break with all the power I had, and if the pressure gauge went above 700, that meant that I can have a normal person's driving license. I easily scored 740, and heard my instructor in the background cheering for me.
Then we went for a little test drive. Mr Kok tested me on the emergency break, to see if I can enable the ABS or not. I was tested two times, and both times I did it without any problem. The instructor and Mr Kok exchanged the same look with each other, that this special test was really uncalled for.
I have a good mind to write to CBR again and asking them what good have they gotten out of this special test. It wasted my time, by now I could have had my second exam and maybe even had my license in my hand.
And more importantly, I suffered mentally for quite a few nights before allowing myself to forget how bad my first driving test went.
Well, here's wishing myself best of luck for my second attempt on getting the Dutch driving license.