I want to be a WAHM

There, I said it. I want to be a Work At Home Mom.

I'm very lucky to be able to stay at home right now to take care of my youngest daughter, but eventually, when my leave is up, I will have to go back to work.  Now, I like my job. It's a part-time job at a small company but when I am totally honest I would prefer to be a WAHM.  And also because due to the bad economic situation my job might not actually be there anymore when my leave is up.

So I have to start making up a plan now, see if it works, turn my dreams into something real. I'm already preparing something but I keep delaying: it's not good enough yet, I have to do this first, tweak some more, etc...

I'm getting this off my chest and onto my blog since I know that if I don't push that publish button soon, I would not tell you. But if I do tell you, you will expect to see something on my blog.  It's not that my motivation isn't big enough (staying home with my children while feeling rewarded for something that I made and contributing to the household financially). But I know I will work even harder to make my dream happen if I have your support.

So please, leave me a comment if you read this. Kick me in the butt (well,...).

(found this on Pinterest)

Love is

when he 'gets' you.

Given to me by my husband after his business trip to the States.

Love you so, so much.



A late Halloween post

At Halloween we had a Harry Potter inspired dinner with some friends.  I had made invitations for each member of the family with an owl printed onto the address label (since we don't really send things by owl in this part of the country ;). I don't have a picture of the actual invitation, but the true reason for this post is that I wanted to show off something my husband made. Or baked I should say. He made a "Monster Book of Monsters" inspired cake which not only turned out great, it also tasted delicious (sponge cake with whipped cream, pineapple and ganache (the top chocolate layer)).



Monstrilicious!

Adventures in Bali - Part II

On the very same day I wrote my 'Adventures in Bali' post there was an earthquake in Bali. At 6.1 it was no little one, but luckily the damage was only minor with only a few wounded and no deaths.  My sister is safe and still very much enjoying herself. She is heading for the Gili Islands now and will probably do something I'd never do like diving between sharks or something like that...

Adventures in Bali

No, I'm not the one who is currently backpacking through Bali on my own... but my little sister is!  Thank heavens for the internet as this seems to be our only way of keeping in touch during her three week long adventure.  She left last Sunday and stayed in Sanur for a few days and now she will be moving along to Ubud. 

Besides being slightly worried (maternal instincts seem to cover baby sisters too) I'm also very proud of her that she is following her dreams and traveling the world.  I would definitely not dare to travel on my own, with only a backpack as a companion at the age of (almost) 24. 

If possible, she would love to travel for a year in 2013 and visit New Zealand and Australia for six months combined with six months in South America.  Personally I would opt for the first two since they are on my wish (but-probably-will-never-get-there)- list.

Themed Birthday Party: "Alice in Wonderland " - preparation

For my children's birthdays I have always come up with a specific theme for their parties.  Cowboys, Indians, Princesses, Fairies, Pirates,... They have always been a LOT of fun, but also a lot of work. Timely preparation is therefore needed. 

In February my daughter is turning 9 and we've decided on an "Alice in Wonderland" party after watching Tim Burton's movie. I've been doing lots of research on the theme and my mind is already full of ideas.  However, turning those ideas into something tangible isn't always easy.

I would love to make her a dress, just as similar to the one Alice wears in the movie (so not the blue dress with the white apron as in the cartoon, though, an apron would be convenient... hmm, must think further about that).

I plan to use an easy pattern and I would love to find a light blue fabric that is slightly irredescent. There's a huge fabric sale in November that I would love to go to. (edit: just went through my fabric stash and came across 2 metres of blue satin, so I'll probably use what I have).

The rest of the family also dresses up for these parties (which means I've been a pirate bride, Pocahontas, a Queen, etc). I'm thinking Queen of Hearts for myself and there can't be a Wonderland party without a Mad Hatter of course (uhm, sweetheart...?)

And then of course there is also the invitation to think about, decorations, food, games... ooh, mustn't be late!!

6 months already!

At 6 months you

• are starting to sit up a little bit on your own (but if I leave you without support for more than a few seconds you topple over)
• have 2 teeth
• just started eating solids (as of 2 days ago)
• are still breastfeeding
• are not sleeping through the night yet
• can transfer your toys or your pacifier from one hand to another
• can put your pacifier into your mouth (with the occasional hit and miss)
• have had a few rough days falling asleep