Fall break

It's fall break! Woohoo! As I am a teacher, it means I get two weeks off and have some time for family, friends and myself. We headed to the Dutch coast for some days and enjoyed the beach, cold sunshine and coffee in the beach café. Big L didn't go with us as he was experiencing the joys of his first vacation without us. He came back on Friday more than tired, but happy. He went to bed early and after fourteen hours of good old sleep, he was back to his happy self.

Yesterday, we went to the pumpkin patch and the kids carved pumpkins and afterwards we went to my cousins place for coffee and cookies. It was such a great and relaxing day and I feel like my batteries are full again. And then today I got an unplanned day for myself and I curled up on the couch, read my first Christmas novel and went to town. Which was crazy as we have two holidays tomorrow and on Wednesday.

Tomorrow we are having family over to celebrate Halloween and I got a it over the top with decorations and the candy table. My children will suffer from sugar shock tomorrow night. I will post about party over the next days, I think.

So, from my family to yours, have a great Halloween and don't eat all your kids' candy.

Love, Sanna

Such a girl

When I was a kid, my mom was more the convenient type of mom, which means I was a girl with short hair, because it was easy to handle. I wore brown and red and blue, because it was easy to keep clean. I was a tomboy. not by heart, but by looks.
Then, in my teens, I let my hair grow. And in my early twenties, when I moved out and started living my own life, I really found the girl in me.

It was like discovering a whole new world. Pink clothes, lots of it. Long hair and all kinds of different hair does. Skirts and high heels. Make up! Nailpolish!! Oh, how I love it!

Today, I am living with three boys and I couldn't be more girly. I love to be surrounded by beautiful things. Here is what I love most.

• Books. As in books about baking, cooking, decorations. I love the Farm chicks books and Martha Stewart and everything similar to that.
• Decoration. I have lots of decoration matching the seasons. I have a big box of decorations for NYE in silver and gold and glitter. I cannot wait to bring them up from the basement. And don't let me even get started on Christmas decorations. ;o)
• Crafting. I am really happy that Little L still likes to craft with me. Therefore I own A LOT OF craft supplies. Way too much to use during this lifetime, but hey, whenever there is a crisis concerning arts supplies, I can offer worldwide support.
• Nailpolish. I own hundreds of bottles of nailpolish and I would wear the right color matching my outfit. Always.
• Paper napkins. My family thinks that I am crazy, but I LOVE paper napkins. I would NEVER set a table without them and they would ALWAYS fit the occasion or season. I own paper napkins in every shape and colour and I love it.

There's a lot more, but I honestly won't have the time to write it all down. Plus, I have a movie date with the kids this afternoon. How about you? Are you a girly girl?

Have a great Sunday! Love, Sanna

Long time no see

Oh man, I cannot believe it's been six weeks since my last post. Time really flies, especially as we were so busy these last weeks.

We celebrated DH's 40th birthday and Linus' fifth. We are back to school for some time now and heading into fall break in two weeks time. So life is back to normal and fall really is here. The leaves are yellow and red and orange and I am back on wearing scarves and boots. We light candles with our tea time and cuddle up with books and movies. The kids play Playmobil for hours straight and I get lost in book after book.

Fall really is a wonderful time. It took me some days to adjust to real shoes (no flipflops!) and the cooler weather, but now I am just loving it. Right now, Linus is in the backyard and playing with his little friend, while I will do some laundry and then will start reading my first Christmas book. Call me crazy, but it's only six more weeks until December. I already have the first presents, so I am getting slowly prepared.

But before that, we will have a Halloween party with my SIL's family and I got a bit crazy with decorations and stuff. I am planning on doing a candy table with creepy snacks and I might have shopped Halloween t-shirts for the kids. It might seem too much or over the top for you, but I feel like it's the best I can give my kids...memories. Being a good parent is about a lot of things, but I will be so happy when in twenty years, they will remember that night and talk about it with gleaming eyes. Like "Do you remember that year Halloween when mom made us eat candy brains?" or "I will never forget the night when we ruined the carpet with  fake blood!". I will laugh with them and be happy to have created a memory that lasts a lifetime.

Because when looking back on the best days of my life, I remember the fun I had, the love I felt and the people that were by my side.

Have a great week! Love, Sanna