Thank God It's Friday

This woman does so much that a centipede would be jealous of her. Her primary profession is actress, but Carolien Spoor seizes everything she feels like and what she believes should be in life. For example, she developed a breastfeeding cover, invested in Maniac Nails and now has a first collection with the bag brand Cowboysbag. And yes, she was also a columnist for AMAYZINE.com for many years. I happily roll out the red carpet for Carolien Spoor.

Dear Carolien, I always start this column with the question of what number someone gives their life at this moment.
Let's get to the point: what number do you give your life now and why?

I have always been someone who likes to see the glass half full, but I have also learned recently that it's okay to sometimes see that glass half empty and allow that feeling. But at this moment, I give my life an 8 because I am incredibly grateful for all the cool projects I get to do, my boys are healthy and happy, and I am surrounded tonight by loved ones who are going to celebrate the launch of my own collection for Cowboysbag with me.

There must be something that gives you strength on dark days. What is that?

Otis and Elias: the moment I hold those little ones in my arms, the world around me can fall apart. It sounds so cliché, but that's how I really feel! I am very grateful that they are my ‘instant button to happiness’.

Back to this column: Friday afternoon, five o'clock. Where are you, with whom, and what is in your glass?

Haha, often still working. Because I don't have a 9-5 job, which I really love, I often have crazy workdays and often on the weekend too. But when I am free, we usually start prepping everything for ‘movie night’ around 5 PM: I make a whole table full of goodies (raw vegetables, fruit, but also popcorn and nowadays again pepernoten 😊) with Otis and Elias, and they get to choose which movie we are going to watch. On Friday nights, they always get to sleep in my bed, and they think, but secretly I do too, it's the biggest party. And if I have an event on Friday afternoon or go out with friends: preferably a glass of champagne or a negroni, my favorite cocktail.

It's never quiet with you. This week you launched your bag collection at that nice Trees, and I got to be there, so fun. In the meantime, you must have had four events and helped at school with the boys three times. A weekend with you is of course not just lying on a bed and reading a book.

What do you do?

Haha, you are eerily accurate 😊 Otis is really into football, so on Saturday mornings we usually stand on the sidelines. But luckily Jon usually takes care of that. We always try to go to the forest or at least get outside on the weekend. This coming weekend there is a spooky weekend ahead: we are going to Halloween Walibi! My kids are, I’m afraid thanks to me, totally Halloween freaks. Afterwards, we will eat at Hans and Grietje Pancake House and then I will be exhausted on the couch watching HNTM for the rest of the evening.

Does Sunday have a different color for you than Saturday?

Good question. I always try to keep Sunday free for ‘messing around in/around the house’: folding laundry, tidying up rooms, maintaining the garden. And the kids run around, play in the garden, or we bake an apple pie together in the afternoon. Oddly enough, I recharge from these kinds of days.

Suppose earthly matters like flight shame, time difference, money, and jet lag don't matter. What does your ideal weekend look like? A road trip with the boys through South Africa, shopping and drinking cocktails in New York, and then walking in Stratford-upon-Avon on Sunday? And who would you like to have with you if you could bring everyone along?

OMG my head is exploding with possibilities!! DEFINITELY a round at Disneyland Tokyo with the kids, then an extensive Italian lunch with my family in Rome, then walking through Sequoia Tree Park in America. And in the evening cocktails and dinner in New York with all my dear friends.

What do you read and listen to on the weekend?

I love podcasts while tidying up the house and folding laundry 😊 Together with Eva Laurenssen, I make the podcast ‘Mama is Moe’, which is definitely not just fun for mothers to listen to! We actually discuss various topics with a lot of self-mockery and humor, and as a listener, you feel part of the conversation.

And what can we picture you in?

That's quite difficult for me, as I have a different style every day 😊 For example, today I am wearing an oversized strass sweater from Supreme with a glitter jogging from Dries van Noten (both preloved 😊), but tomorrow I might feel like wearing a chic pair of trousers with an oversized blazer. I really love to experiment with styles and wear what I feel like at that moment or want to feel.

What is on your ‘I want to eat here’ list?

Oh I can hardly keep up, so many new places keep coming! My ultimate wish is to dine at ‘The Alchemist’ in Copenhagen: an immersive experience of a lifetime, I hear from others!

When you say Carolien, you say entrepreneurship. What is on the agenda for the coming time?

I am currently writing a comedy series with another actress, hope to design much more in the field of clothing/interior, and I do a lot of creative brainstorming for other brands that want to become more visible on social media. I would really like to show preloved fashion and the upcycling of clothing to a larger audience, so I am still working on a cool plan for this.

And I am very curious how this winter will look for you.

I really love winter! We live at home from event to event: Halloween, Saint Martin (big in our village), Sinterklaas, and Christmas, and I also have a birthday (just like May 😊). I still get to go on a really cool golf trip to Curaçao for work in November, and hopefully, I will shoot a short film in Costa Rica in January.

Is there anything you want to share with the people?

My sister has Huntington's disease and is unfortunately really deteriorating fast. But despite all the big changes, she still enjoys the ‘small’ things in life. I have so much respect for that. And I try to do this very consciously every day: to genuinely enjoy the warm shower I get to take in the morning, the cup of coffee I make by hand, the hug from my kids before they go to bed... Especially at moments when you no longer have an overview or feel completely overwhelmed, these small moments of gratitude make a world of difference in how you feel.