The living tip that Carolien wants to share with you

With the Christmas holidays in sight, we are shifting into sixth gear on the construction site to meet the holiday planning. Our entire circle of friends has already helped out for a day, and Jon is genuinely not falling short compared to any of the other builders. I have permanent stains on my neck from all the delivery times and arranging a temporary living place: because the moving deadline, we are definitely not going to meet... However, we remain positive. One consolation: the person who said that his renovation was going smoothly, I still have to run into.

In the meantime, the paint, wallpapers, and bathrooms have been selected: the most fun work, of course. A friend tipped me off about Solid Nature, and if you're a sucker for natural stone, then this is the place to be. I went completely crazy in the showroom and could point out ten slabs that I would like to use to cover my bathroom and kitchen. I'm going to give you a little preview: this will be our cooking island. I really can't wait to welcome this piece of art into our home.

My dear friend Gaite Jansen is not only one of the best actresses I know, she is also a poet. And one who knows how to put this perfectly on paper. In English. As if Dutch isn't difficult enough. To then bundle it and just think: f*ck it, I'm publishing my own poetry collection in these crazy times. Really a perfect gift for under the tree. Because what is richer than giving just a few beautifully chosen words, carefully put together, creating a whole world?

Only in photos do I see how quickly the kids are growing. And especially Elias seems to change every day in his face and behavior. Where he was searching for words last week, he now specifically calls out ‘mama’ and smacks his lips as soon as he is hungry. Oh yes, he can already walk behind his walker, so walking won't take long. And especially the interaction between Otis and Elias is getting more fun by the day: playing, wrestling, and definitely arguing over that one toy (while, so to speak, three identical ones are lying next to it). I already regret saying that I can't wait until Elias can walk. Take it easy for a while, little man, because it's really going way too fast.