Last week was a special and emotional week: at RTL Late Night I spoke about Huntington's disease, which my father passed away from and which has been affecting my sister for a few years now... My goal is to raise awareness about this terrible brain disease and to break the taboo surrounding it. All the reactions were overwhelming! I am deeply moved by all the emails/messages of personal stories from those in the same situation and living with the same questions as we are. In the Netherlands, the Huntington campaign team is working to raise money for research. Hopefully, a medicine will be discovered soon to eradicate this terrible disease...

A lightning visit to Amayzine headquarters: besides all the commotion that Otis is in the building, there is something else causing a stir. And that stir can be attributed to a store in the PC that has all of shopping Amsterdam in its grip with a 70% discount: Shoebaloo. Some Amayzine ladies have already been there multiple times and ‘as we speak’ one of the editors is back on location... And then comes the inevitable: the next day I happen to need to stop by the PC to pick up a birthday gift (no, not for myself). But when the store in question is closed, I can't help myself: a quick look can't hurt, right?! 15 minutes, 2 pairs of shoes, and a still smoldering credit card later, I'm in the car: what just happened?

For weeks I've been looking forward to this moment: escaping to the sun with the family. Now I hear you thinking: ‘you just got back from Curacao?!’ That's right. But poor Jon worked nonstop there, while our son and wife were counting down the hours on the lovely beach. So it was time for a sunny vacation à trois to Club Med Cancun Mexico! After a long flight where Otis was declared the mascot of the plane, we arrived at the beautiful resort. And during dinner, it is immediately confirmed why this is the best choice for a family vacation: the ‘baby’ buffet is filled with fresh vegetables, fruit, 3 types of milk formula, and all the necessities to warm up and blend. Well Otis, eat your heart out, because at home it’s just whatever is on the table...

Now you might think that vacation is the moment for most people to not think about exercising. But because we literally have no time for it at home, vacation is the place to work up a sweat. Not that it’s done with enthusiasm, but there are zero excuses not to go here. And the gym here is also beautiful and fully equipped with the latest equipment. So yesterday afternoon I was sweating it out in the cycling class and Jon was found this morning at 6:15 AM at the leg press. And after two days it feels like a wonderful routine! Yes, you are absolutely right: you make time for exercise. Curious if we can maintain this good intention when we have to bike to the gym in the Netherlands at minus 5 in the early morning instead of a 3-minute walk in a temperature of 28 degrees...