Carolien thinks back to the birth of Otis

Every mother will say the same: on your child's birthday, you briefly return in thought to the day that little one was born. The same sweltering days preceded this year, and when we went to sing for Otis in the afternoon, I realized: two years ago, I was still groaning in a hospital bed at this same time... In the meantime, we have a running, non-stop babbling little one at home, and it really gets more fun by the day. Congratulations, dearest little man on earth, may we celebrate your birthday together very often and I can pause for a moment to reflect on that memorable day.

I also wanted to give a small gift to my sister and mother for Otis’ birthday, because they carry Otis with so much love and support our family. This beautiful bracelet from MAMALOVES can be engraved with initials or a name, and I found it so lovely that I immediately ordered three. Now it has also become a family bracelet.

Last weekend it was that time again: my favorite sale of sales, from Les Coyotes de Paris, was in Amsterdam. Fortunately, I managed to get my girlfriend just as excited, and we stood an hour before opening time, at eight in the morning, dutifully in front of the Posthoornkerk. We turned out not to be the only crazies: in no time there was a line of about a hundred ladies eager to get inside. I don't know what it is, but a certain excitement is released in women as soon as they enter such a sale: one minute you're standing politely next to each other in line like civilized people, and a moment later you're running through a kind of war zone, and the clothes are almost being pulled out of your hands. With an extremely good score and an empty debit card, I happily cycled home and immediately thought that a ‘shopping stop‘ would be implemented for the time being. Fortunately, their next sale is not for another six months...

I envy women on the street who I see going through life with perfectly blow-dried, quasi-nonchalant loose hair. Either they set their alarm an hour earlier or they secretly go to the hairdresser twice a week, but I can't manage to wear beautiful loose hair for more than a day. And especially with these temperatures, it quickly ends up in a bun or ponytail. Fortunately, I have a few nice scrunchies from Atelier des Femmes that brighten up that little mess on my head a bit. Because as much as I want it: that perfectly blow-dried loose hairstyle will never happen...

Although I have been away almost non-stop in recent weeks, Jon and I were really looking forward to finally going on vacation with the family to Ibiza this week. Those trips look fantastic, but they remain work trips. So now the phones are on silent, the suitcase is filled with books and games, and we can't wait to enjoy chatting together as a trio. I promise to occasionally share a nice vacation snapshot with you.