DutchInLaw

A friend of mine wrote on her blog about how she missed being able to text back and forth with two of her formerly pregnant friends, who had graduated to "all blissed out and sleep-deprived with their new babies and I'm still (thankfully) pregnant." Only I'm lacking that whole thankfulness thing at this point because 38 weeks pregnant is plennnty of time for me and I've been ready for our little one to come since about six months in. At which point I had already stocked up on food staples, toiletries staples, and baby clothing/washing/tending staples. As well as having read a ridiculous amount of articles in Dutch and English on healthy pregnancy, natural birthing, and newborn care. Which left way too much time over for me to wait for the baby to actually show up, which makes it hard to be thankful about him taking his time. I am thankful for lots of things, though. Such as popsicles (I'm averaging 1-2 a day) in our warm summer apartment. A generally workin...

Chilling out at the Hema cafe, watching a mum wrestle her baby into a front carrier. Out the window strolls the Saturday morning crowd, including a fair amount of children and strollers. I'm waiting for a new friend to join me for coffee - decaf, since we're both pregnant. We connected via a Facebook group for expatriate parents in the region, and decided it would be fun to meet up. I'm excited about the possibilities with this group - playdates with our little ones, shared concerns and questions about parenting in NL. A pregnancy tea in a few weeks. Connecting for coffee, or shopping. And I'm excited about this morning, sharing coffee and swapping stories about how we came to live here and our mutual hobbies. And, of course, talking about pregnancy, and surviving the last month or so before our due dates! It'll be a fun morning :)

Exhausted this afternoon. Biked relatively quickly this morning to ch and back, had fun subbing with the 0-3 class, and made french toast for lunch around 2 once we got home.... And then crashed on the couch for the next several hours. Dozed off while leaning against D, then eventually sat up to do some transcribing - something at least mildly productive with my afternoon. Got hit by another wave of tiredness and had to lie back down for a bit. I had asked if D would cook if I peeled the potatoes, and then realised that even that was almost more than I could handle, so he's doing everything.... So grateful for him.  Hoping to be in bed by 9 tonight, because while I'm used to the general tiredness, this is full body tiredness as though I'd been lifting weights or running 5Ks. And all I've done is bike today, and walk about 4k yesterday with D, and then random around house stuff. Well, and I swept the house today and that left me breathing hard too. Friday I biked t...

Stiff and sore again on waking. My goodness. But I managed to sleep from about 11 to 5, so that was progress. And then lay awake about half an hour, then slept til 8... then slept another half hour and then woke up, albeit grudgingly and slightly grumpily. Wondering how anyone lasts through 9 months of pregnancy, especially if they already have children. After a cuddle and some croissants and coffee, the day became tolerably decent. Found out that Cyprus was dropping their 'Iron Curtain' over the Easter weekend, which makes me happy. Lovely to read positive headlines instead of the constant war, debt, doom ones.  D turned on jazz music, which led to us following a link to  WFP.org  - World Food Programme - and discussing adding that to our charity list. And then talking about whether we'd ever move overseas and do something hands on like planting gardens or building things, or teach ESL. What would be practical given our education? What would be the drive that would...

In big apartment buildings here in the Netherlands, there's often a dumpster/castoff room in the basement where people take their trash or unwanted stuff. Other people can take things, or the trash gets picked up later.  Yesterday while babysitting I just HAPPENED to go down to the basement to recycle paper, and found an adorable baby changing table/dresser. I'm not normally a big furniture person, or fancy person at all. D and I are both really down-to-earth and frugal - we tend to save our money, or use it on plane tickets for family and experiences and not on stuff. And we have honestly just been planning to use mostly multipurpose stuff when possible for the baby, because why would we spend thousands of euros for baby cribs etc. when we can borrow them or buy them second-hand....  All that to say, our whole (tiny) apartment is very simple and pretty but not expensive, and we like it that way, plus the baby won't care  We don't even have a second bedroom, a...

Quiet morning here. Well, except for the power tools that have been used on and off since 9am, ruining my chances of sleeping in a bit. And the banging noises from whatever house is being refurbished. But I have classical piano playing, and my (almost 19 week old) baby is cuddled in my belly, and I have a big mug of Earl Grey tea... so it's all good. Unlike the last two mornings, I didn't have to hurry awake, get dressed, and head out the door, so this is definitely relaxing in comparison.  It's lovely to have the time to just sit and reflect.... I decided the other day I should start blogging again, especially through this pregnancy. I've been keeping a journal along the way, but there's something nice about adding thoughts to a blog and joining the other (expectant) mothers out there.  Yesterday I weighed in and am now up to 58.8kg, from a starting weight of 55kg... it's funny to keep track of that just for the record and not because I'm ...

Wij mogen uitzoeken wat de wensen van de Eigenaar zijn. God is een gevende God; wij mogen ook geven. Gen 12:2  Gezegend om een zegen te zijn. 2 Kor 9:11  " U bent in ieder opzicht rijk geworden om in alles vrijgevig te kunnen zijn, en uw vrijgevigheid leidt tot dankzegging aan God." Budgeten - Spreuken 27:23-24a Weten wat je hebt, omdat we verantwoordelijk zijn voor wat we hebben en uitgeven aan de Eigenaar. "Ik begon het minder te zien alsof God dingen van me afpakte, en meer dat het met vreugde mee te maken had." "(Anderen) zullen ons bekijken en ons gedrag  associëren  met de God die we dienen." -Arjen "God zegent mij niet om mijn levensstandaard te verh o gen, maar om mijn geven-standaard te verhogen." "Ga in gesprek over je levensstijl en gevens-stijl... En ouders, trek je kinderen mee- jullie zijn hun voorbeeld." Geven aan welke doelen? Kerk, anderen, armen. Hoe geef je? Niet passief of uit schuldgevoel ...

It was a hot, sunny day. I was biking into the city, when a bridge opened. I knew I'd be stuck for the next five or so minutes until it was lowered again. I glanced around at the other stranded vehicles on the bridge, and hoped I wouldn't be late for babysitting. Then I saw them. Three burly guys with motorcycles, showing off a mix of sunglasses, leather, and tattooed skin. But they weren't just chilling on their big machines, letting the engines rumble impatiently. Two had apparently parked their bikes and stood next to each other on the highway, the skyscrapers in the background. A third biker walked to the front, near the bridge guard rail. He held up what looked like a phone, or small camera. Click. Then he switched places, and while another took a picture he put his arm around his friend and posed. Click. A few minutes later, the bridge went down, and they all climbed back on their massive motors and roared away. Even scary looking people need friends. Because w...

Or bag of dirt. Because when you live in a little apartment with a little balcony, you have to buy soil if you want to grow a garden. Ironic, considering that I grew up surrounded with more dirt than I knew what to do with.

Anthropomorphism definition:  :  an interpretation of what is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics  (Merriam-Webster) I'm not a huge cheese fan, despite living in a land famous for it. To be sure, I can pronounce Gouda with a proper Dutch accent, and have even been to the city Gouda, famous for its cheese markets. While in France (another country of connoisseurs) my friends there made me taste their favourite kinds, as they explained just how cheese can be made to mold in caves. In the USA there were huge bags of grated cheddar and mozzarella, which meant we didn't have to measure out tiny expensive portions when cooking. Thanks to all these international influences, I can appreciate the flavours and varieties of cheese. I thought I had reached a certain level of enlightenment in that area. Then I saw this cheese store in Amsterdam. Apparently anthropomorphism is alive and well.

Today at the second hand store (Het Goed- my favourite) I found a steal of a plant shelf for my balcony garden, at only 3.5 euros. D, ever practical, asked, "How are you going to get that back home?" Obviously, on my bike, despite its bulkiness. We paid, then managed to secure it to my bike, upside down, with two bungee cords and my bike locks. It wobbled a bit, and brushed against my back a few times, but otherwise was fine. Told D I felt like I had achieved a new level of Dutch biking coolness; he suggested that the proper classification was 'Asian biking' but I think I'd need a refrigerator or small family on the back of my bike to qualify for that. Pleased with our adventure, though, and the speeds we notched up to on the way home . We even (unofficially) raced some 'serious' bikers for the next few km and left them in the dust. Must be embarassing to be all dressed up in spandex biking clothes and then beat by two crazies - one in flipflops and the ...

Drinking a vanilla soy coffee (almost a latte but not quite) while I proofread a thesis for a friend, jazz radio streaming. I'm a little put out that the Chabot Museum, which I wanted to visit this morning, is closed for repairs this week. I've had it on my fun-to-do list for the last three weeks and every time something has gotten in the way. Pity. D and I got the Rotterdampas last month, so I have a huge list of things I'm looking forward to try. Museums, of course, but also the PannekoekenBoot (Pancake Boat!), the Euromast tower, and other cool places. Besides attractions in Rotterdam proper, the pass covers a few in other cities in the region, like the Science Museum in Delft and the Palace in Den Haag. The biggest question I have is: what fun things should we do this summer and what should we save for nasty weather in the winter?

Funny, the last time I wrote here was during my last vacation. Next week I'm headed off on another - maybe it's something about vacation offering time to muse? There's been plenty of thinking over the last few months, but not as much musing; not as much time or interest in sitting still and reflecting about life. And a lot has changed in life in the last four months. Since then, I've started moving towards a minimalist lifestyle, doing yoga consistently (while listening to the Bible in audio form - interesting combo), and have eating primarily vegetarian style. Having the time on vacation to think about what I value the most, and then moving to a new city helped me transition into a more purposeful lifestyle, instead of a 'take what you can' one. I got home from vacay to a new apartment, with our boxes still decorating the rooms after our speedy move. I did felt guilty that my husband had been left with figuring out the last details while I went on vacation...

I had my headphones in and was trying to - methodically - work through a shopping list for this weekend's festivities. Unfortunately, the clever Albert Heijn smartphone app only has the "sort items into route order" for its own supermarkets. Which means when I'm shopping at a their competitor Bas, I  have to mentally sort all the items into their locations on my own. Are balloons or broccoli at the entrance? Is the milk or the marsala midway through the store? And so on. So there I stood, looking down at my list and trying to figure out what I needed to look for first so I wouldn't have to backtrack down the same aisle more usual. And then I realised someone was talking to me. A small someone, holding up a toy for my inspection. "Look what I have! It's an Ironman toy!" At least, that's what I think the little boy said, since his voice was a semi-muted until I pulled out my headphones. But since I have watched Ironman 1 and 2, I recognised the...

That's why I don't blog more. Because everyone else seems to be doing it [and life] better and cooler than me. I have one friend who blogs with almost excessive doses of hilarity, humour, and humility about being a mother and a TCK at  Ink Blots , for example. Another blogger,  Ali Rae , whom I would love to meet some day is aboard the Africa Mercy and blogs about life-changing operations in Togo and the fragile, beautiful life moments between life and death and hope. Other bloggers send out challenges to live intentionally in eastern Europe, California, and so on. And if I had the guts and/or discipline I'd be blogging about life here in Holland. About the way I hoist my bike onto my shoulder to carry it up the stone bridge stairs, and hope that the two Muslim women in full black robes behind me don't think I'm a shameless girl. About the way I make a mental note every time I actually see someone in wooden clogs (once or twice a year.) About how the job(s) I hol...

Before this fall, I never thought very much about having an eco-friendly, safe home. Then I started reading more simplify-your-life blogs, which are often written by low-impact on the earth, high-impact in life people. Which I'm a fan of. I've recycled and upcycled for years, but now that I'm a 'grown-up' and have a house (and a husband and some day a family), I feel more responsible for the impact I make - good and bad. The blogs, thankfully, are more inspirational than alarmist. I don't shut my computer thinking, "I am a horrible person who uses plastic containers, occasionally buys new clothes instead of making my own, and ruins the planet by eating meat." Instead, I shut my computer thinking, "Wow, ____ is a great idea! I could totally do that and make my life/the planet slightly better." Whether it's being a 'weekday vegetarian', making more eco-friendly choices in how I shop, or getting creative with re-purposing clothe...

Something that is not a full-fledged reality (yet) : children. The timing has been weighing on my mind, so this is a good moment to wonder through some thoughts. I think I've gotten over the 'Yikes! Three years in one place!' reactions about stability as far as a country is concerned. That was a good building block. Also, God and i have had some really good talks about motivations (right, wrong, and iffy) for having kids. I am now more aware of why I shouldn't want children: because I'm bored, or because I want more purpose in my life. I shouldn't want them just because they would open doors to making friends in our neighborhood and overseas, or so I instant get an identity that lets me connect with other moms and can 'belong' to a group. Or because I think I'd be a great mom and could produce perfectly-behaved, impressive offspring. Those reasons could be side effects, but not the main purpose, or there could be trouble. I am more certain of...

spending an hour on pinterest/stickies planning storage solutions in our new home. looking at several pretty houses and realising suddenly how distasteful i find all that *stuff*. no matter how beautiful or well stored. i'm definitely becoming more minimal - these months of moving, cleaning, and traveling worked well together. this last move went pretty well, all in all, but there was definitely stress. besides finding and renting a house, and getting all the utilities and paperwork figured out, there was stress to get all our stuff packed. i do not want to do that again.  at least not the 'all our stuff' bit. there will always be some stress related to moving. it's pretty much unavoidable. what is avoidable is having 'all our stuff' to pack. when i moved usa- poland, poland-usa, and usa-netherlands, i took two duffels, a backpack with me, and shipped two boxes of books/notebooks. all my necessary stuff - clothes, toiletries, books + notebooks, co...

Week #1 Challenge: Create a list of everything that went “right” in 2011 What energised you?     Photography! The warmth and photo ops in Spain, a family getaway in the Dutch woods and misty light, a kids' camp in Rotterdam and lots of happy multicultural faces. Dutch festivals in our region  - orange flags and boats with banners and yummy treats! What made you feel at peace?     Quiet evenings at home with D or taking walks through the woods with him and enjoying being married. Beautiful music at church and time to reflect. A good friend from PL visiting in December and helping us decorate our house for Christmas in between good talks. The moments of calm and hugs after times of crying about culture shock and isolation. What positive people lifted you up?     My family-in-law, with cheek kisses (though they eventually hugged me back :) ) and encouragement that my language learning was coming along and that D's and my house was a comfortable p...

The rethinking life part is right on. At the moment, I'm actually on vacation, in someone else's home. It's easier to rethink my life with some distance from daily habits and plans, I find. Normally, I make plans and think of new ideas... then promptly get distracted by work, plans, and people. Here, I help tidy up, and have good conversations, and have so much more mental space to wonder about who I want to be and what I want my life to look like. I've also thoroughly enjoyed spending hours cleaning out my photo collection (three years of travelling and living in Europe = more than 20,000 high-resolution photos) and reading blogs (especially zenhabits  and  lovingsimpleliving .) The last few months have been full of travelling, work (at multiple part time jobs) and then moving house, so the peace here is fantastic. Along with all the inspiration to simplify life, I found a cool challenge on homelifesimplified - 52 Weeks To Simplify Your Life. The challenge is suppo...