Fun & Famous

CAROLIEN’S FAST LANE LIFE

Yes, another fresh weekday diary from our Carolien. Because you know: she never sits still…

Since I became a ‘wife’, I take my household tasks very seriously. I dutifully do the laundry, our fridge is always well stocked, and there is always a beautiful bouquet from Bloomon in our house (which is conveniently delivered, but that's beside the point). When we eat at home, I come up with the dishes and do the grocery shopping, but Jon always prepares the meat or fish. I think this division of kitchen tasks is used in many households, but there is one household chore that I really can't take away from my dear husband: vacuuming! And let me tell you, I absolutely hate it. So you understand that I can only encourage Jon by making his merchandise for this as attractive as possible. The result: since I brought this wireless Dyson vacuum cleaner into the house, Mr. ‘dances’ daily with his new gadget throughout the entire home. Maybe I gave up this task a bit too quickly?

What could be more fun than playing tourist in your own city? Unfortunately, I do this far too little, but when I plan a day in Amsterdam, I do it right. Together with my best friend (just had her second child, so definitely in need of a weekend break), I kicked off our tourist weekend with a huge brunch at restaurant Bluespoon, after which we wandered around in the Bijenkorf for hours. Finally, we checked in at the W Hotel. Man oh man, what a party! We couldn't be dragged out of the spa, only to flop onto the bed in our suite, order room service (burgers & fries, what else?) and order a deliciously cheesy romcom on the TV. To wake up the next morning in sheets smeared with ketchup and chocolate stains, surrounded by a sort of ’tableau vivant’ of burger leftovers and half-eaten cookies and chocolates. Yep, this was by far the best sleepover in your own town ever.

The next day, our party was not over yet. We started with a breakfast XXL at The Duchess, where we indulged in scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and the best French toast ever! Then it was time for some culture in our own city. But once we arrived at the Anne Frank House, we found out that you can only enter if you make a reservation (and unfortunately, the phrase: ‘But I damn live in Amsterdam, I'm not even a tourist!’ really doesn't help you at all...). A bit disappointed but full of good spirits, we tried the Foam Photography Museum and succeeded! At least: the exhibition was quite arty farty, so we quickly lost interest in the video installations of a naked woman with a talking plant on her back... To end the day with a sugar rush, we stuffed ourselves with warm chocolate chip cookies at Van Stapele Koekmakerij. Never thought I would say this: no more sugar for a week, please.

“Be careful what you wish for…”, I thought when I got on my bike this morning. Last week, I was begging for a bit of autumn weather so I could finally wear my new items, but now I completely take that back. Wrapped in my teddy coat, I felt the cold wind cutting across my face and I swear I just wanted to pull my gloves out of the closet. Hopefully, the temperatures will rise a bit in the afternoon! But the big advantage is that I can finally show off my new pieces. I went completely wild when I saw the new By Malene Birger collection and I had to get my hands on this fake fur coat. Half of the people will probably say I look like a grizzly bear, but hopefully, the other half understands how FANTASTIC this winter coat is! I used to worry a lot about what others thought of my clothing style, but luckily, I've completely let that go. If I like it, I should wear it, right?!

Yesterday was a very special day: Jon's niece Bo got to play a role in the new series All in Kitchen, which her great uncle is directing. I immediately had flashbacks to when I first stood on set: I thought it was fantastic! All those people running around on a set to create the perfect shot and I got to step into someone else's shoes: isn't that the most fun thing ever? I was such a huge overachiever, so my mother was instructed not to let me practice the lines at home anymore because it sounded too rehearsed. Bo had zero problems with that. She knew her lines perfectly and it sounded very natural. I got to go along as a child supervisor and together with Bo, we prepared for the scene. During the filming, she remained super relaxed and with every take, she did exactly what was asked of her: I was so proud. And the most important thing: she also found it super fun to do!