These are exciting days, because next Monday is the final of Holland’s Next Top Modeland as you know Anouk is hosting (and May is on the jury), so you would think that the preparations are already in full swing this week. Nothing could be further from the truth, because when I called Anouk she had just come out of the cinema where she was watching a Sinterklaas movie with the kids and had three kilos of M&M’s. “And I still have to fit into a very tight dress on Monday!” Oh yes, it’s autumn break. Let’s ask how things are going at the Smulders’ house.

Autumn break, lovely. How does that go?

“We were actually supposed to go to Spain for a week, but the weather there wasn’t great, so we decided to stay home. I haven’t scheduled a single appointment all week (except for exercising), and no alarms are set. We’re just at home and we’ll see.”

Who cooks?

“We take turns. Yesterday we were all at a brown pub with friends and this week we also had sushi once. Tonight Edwin is cooking and I’m really into the HelloFresh boxes these days. The fun thing about vacation is that we can easily spend two hours talking about cooking. So cozy.”

And what kind of music is playing?

“Phew, on the weekend I always enjoy Café del Mar, but most of the noise comes from the PlayStation or the iPad. The youngest dances all day to Beyoncé or Eurovision songs. There’s really no time to set something up ourselves.”

Are you all doing everything together this week?

“Yes, Edwin is also off, so that’s even more fun. I’ve been abroad a lot lately, so the kids deserve extra attention. Last night I did sneak out for the opening of W Hotel for a bit. At some point, I did feel like having a Gin Tonic.”

What does Saturday look like?

“With the whole family to Tijn Akersloot. Just to get some fresh air and then I have to start preparing the texts for Monday: the final of Holland’s Next Top Model.”

And? What are you wearing?

“Yeah… I can easily change clothes an hour before the show, but I’m not going to say anything about it, because the show is going to be very spectacular and that also has to do with my outfit. Okay, my first dress is vintage, that’s the only thing I’ll say.”

What time does the alarm go off on Monday?

“Quarter to 8. Quite reasonable, right?”

And when do the nerves start for the final?

“Two hours before the show.”