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#MondayMusings, Reviews

Review: plant-based alternatives for dairy

Oat Yogurt with Berries
By | On September 18,17 | 4 Comments

Plant-based alternatives for dairy have been around for a long time, but most had been based on soy. Lately, more and more other alternatives are hitting the stores.

I’ve never been interested in these alternatives. Firstly, because I never needed to. I don’t have allergies nor intolerances. Secondly, I have tried soy milk a long, long time ago and I hated it. Maybe I simply didn’t like the unsweetened kind, but I hadn’t touched any soy-dairy ever since.

Always in for something new

Currently, there are a lot of different alternatives available and not just in health food stores. You can get more and more brands and a great variety of dairy alternatives at regular supermarkets. And those soy products from the past (more than 20 years ago) will most likely have evolved since then, for sure. And as I am of the curious type, I always want to know how something new tastes. read more

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#MondayMusings, Random Ramblings

It’s my party…

Birthday Cake
By | On September 11,17 | 12 Comments

It’s my party…

… and I cry if want to. Whenever I hear It’s my party, I think about that song instantly. And I start singing in my head. Very annoying actually, as it gets stuck in my head for hours.

Another year older

And today, it’s ‘my party’, because it’s my birthday! Yep, another year older. But don’t worry, I don’t have to cry. I’m grateful that I am allowed to get old. Some people are not as fortunate. Think about it. Though it is confronting sometimes, when you’re 46 and practically the oldest mom at school of 6 and 8-year olds. Thinking about it, I could be some other mom’s mom. Which would make me a grandma. Ouch… read more

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#MondayMusings, Random Ramblings

Goodbye summer holiday, hello first day of school!

Hello new school year
By | On September 04,17 | 4 Comments

Summer holiday – you were amazing, but now we’re done with you. We glamorously celebrated your last week, we’ve pulled out all the stops. It was time to say our farewells. Goodbye summer holiday, hello first day of school!

Two months

In Belgium, the children have two whole months of summer holiday. The holiday starts on the 1st of July and ends on the 31st of August. That is quite a long time. Not only for the parents, who have to occupy the kids for 9 weeks and/or arrange out-of-school care. Staying home from work for 9 weeks is no option for most of us. read more

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#MondayMusings, Reviews

New school year – new schoolbags

Schoolbags
By | On August 28,17 | 6 Comments

The 1st of September is just a few days away: the first day of school after the summer holidays. There was one thing we definitely had to do. Both boys needed new schoolbags. And then we have to ask ourselves: do we buy yet another ‘cheap’ schoolbag (which is still in the price range of € 40,- to € 60,- per bag), or are we going to invest in a more expensive one. If we decide to purchase a more expensive bag, the boys will have to use quite a while longer. Looking at the quality, that should be feasible. The previous schoolbags lasted respectively 1 and 2 years. They also had to agree upfront, that they would not beg for new schoolbags next year. read more

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#MondayMusings, Random Ramblings

Book Tag: random questions to ask a bookworm

Book tag
By | On August 21,17 | 12 Comments

I recently read the Book Tag on Pluseenbeetje. I am, just like Marije from Pluseenbeetje, a real bookworm. I love to read and I’ve always dreamed of my own library. You know, a room with walls of books and a comfy chair to snuggle up with a book. Oh well, a girl has to have a dream.

Unfortunately, I’m not reading as much as I would like. There is not much me-time left between the kids, a household, work and a blog. But if I do find the time to read, I can get totally lost in a story. I love it. read more

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#MondayMusings, Random Ramblings

Wild Food Foraging – enjoying what nature has to offer… or maybe not?

By | On August 14,17 | 8 Comments

Wild food foraging

Wild food foraging – I guess that everyone has picked the odd berry here and there. Bushes are now full of juicy berries, soon you will find mushrooms in abundance. I must say, I have never picked wild mushrooms before. I would probably not be able to tell the edible ones from the poisonous ones. Well, some I might, but I would be too scared to pick the wrong ones and get horribly sick from eating them.

But I have picked wild fruits before, like blackberries or blueberries. Now is the perfect season for it. While we were on holiday in the Eifel, we’ve come across many blackberry bushes, full of juicy berries, during our walks. Of course, we could not resist picking a few. So good! But… is it allowed to pick berries in the wild? Or any other fruit? Or mushrooms for that matter? I could not help but look slightly anxiously around, whether someone was watching us when we picked those berries. read more

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#MondayMusings, Random Ramblings

Holiday at the farm

By | On August 07,17 | 10 Comments

Holiday at the farm. You either hate it, or you love it. For us, it’s the perfect family holiday. It’s been four years since we’ve taken our first holiday at a farm. Unfortunately, the first two times were a bit disappointing. Other than holiday home rentals (at really good accommodations, I have to admit), this was far from what we expected from a holiday at a farm. The description of the farms let us believe that the kids would truly experience living and playing on a farm, but there was virtually nothing to do there. What a scam. Maybe we needed to adjust our expectations. But we did not want to simply rent a holiday home for a few weeks. We wanted a place where the kids could learn more about farm animals and life at a farm. read more

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#MondayMusings, Reviews

A day out: Dinosaurierpark Teufelsschlucht

Dinopark
By | On July 31,17 | 4 Comments

Crazy about dinosaurs

Those who know our kids a little bit, know that they are crazy about dinosaurs. And that even is an understatement. I don’t know how many dinosaurs we have at home, but if it’s up to the boys, more will join the crowd. While our youngest loves to play with dinosaurs and loves to watch movies and documentaries, our oldest has really started to take interest in the history of dino’s, how they came to exist, how they lived, how they developed and how they became extinct.

Dinopark Dinopark read more

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#MondayMusings, Reviews

Review: Restaurant Broertjes

Review Broertjes
By | On July 24,17 | 4 Comments

As you could read in my previous “MondayMusings” blogpost, we were all alone last week. Both the boys were at summer camp. I did have some very mixed feelings about that. But one of the advantages of being kid free for a couple of days, is that we can go out for dinner at a fancy restaurant, just the two of us.

Now I don’t mean fancy as in ‘dress code’ fancy. But with two kids at 6 and 8, not every restaurant is just as suitable. And where do we love to go? To ‘Restaurant Broertjes’ in Dommelen (small town famous for the Dutch beer brand ‘Dommelsch’). read more

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#MondayMusings, Random Ramblings

Summer camp… and now we’re alone

By | On July 17,17 | 4 Comments

Alone…

The house is so quiet. After we’ve brought the boys to summer camp, we’re coming home to an empty house. Well, not entirely empty, of course. We’re greeted happily by a dog and a cat. But it feels different. Of course it’s not the first time that I’m coming home to an empty house. When the boys are at school, at a friend’s house or at the sports club. It’s quiet then as well. But this silence feels different. Normally, I can enjoy the silence, having some peace and quiet. Because I know it will be over soon and there will be a lot of noise again. But not this time. There will be no noise. Not today. Not tomorrow. We’re alone. read more

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