Quality real food is essential

I absolutely love reading bedtime stories, chatting and then singing my children to sleep. I prefer to do this with one child at a time. The downside is that it's a long time in a dark room and I have a hard time staying awake, but the benefits still win out! On the evenings when both my husband and I are home, we usually take one child each. It's so cozy to read, talk through the day and then get them to fall asleep in peace and quiet. It's so peaceful! So much else becomes unimportant at that time. Usually that's also when I really get to hear what happened during the day and if there's something in particular they need to vent about, it's right then, just before they go off to sleep that it comes out. Not when I ask on the way home from school or at the dinner table, but during bedtime itself. Sometimes there's so much talking that we have to decide on "one last question or comment" for this particular evening.

Last Friday was the birthday of our eldest daughter. For a couple of years now, we've been giving our kids experiences instead of gadgets. In this materialistic society, it seems like a wise choice. Of course there will be some physical gifts too, but the ones that are usually most appreciated are what we call "Mother's Day", "Father's Day" and "Family Day". We as parents decide when and what to do on the different days (the kids can have their wishes, of course!). Sometimes the days fall quite close to the birthday, other times we have to wait for our special days. For example, a mom's day might involve luxury coffee at a café, a trip to the cinema or a pedicure/manicure, while a dad's day usually has a sports theme such as skating, watching a live sport etc. The special thing about these days is that you get to be all alone without siblings and do something with a very present parent who isn't busy checking the phone or answering emails.

Lately, the little one has been making a lot of nice comments from a 4 year old's perspective! Thought I'd share a few of them, the others I'll keep to myself:-)

My husband travels a lot for work, so there are a lot of video calls. The last few times, the little girl has been kissing the phone hard every time, because Dad is actually on the phone! She sees him and wants to kiss him!

Everything turned out as I wished and I have now managed to book a long weekend at the wonderful Camp Salamander in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California. The place is extremely popular and is booked up more than a year in advance. I was just notified that I have access to the place thanks to a cancelation. Thanks for that!

Today I feel stressed. I am woken up far too early by the children. My night's sleep was shorter than I needed it to be. The whole morning has been negatively affected. I'm not nearly as energetic and not thinking as clearly. Everything is a bit slower.

What stresses us is very individual. I am extremely sensitive to poor sleep, others hardly react to losing a few hours of sleep here and there.

I just have to write a few words about my little girl's wonderful teacher. She is such a classic preschool teacher, with many years of experience , who really knows children! And she loves her job! I understood that already during the introduction. I feel confident leaving in the morning, because I know E will have a great day at preschool and a lot of that is down to her. Of course, she doesn't work alone, they are a team. But she's the one who does that little bit extra that you might not see, but that you feel. And I like that. I like leaving my children with people who love their job. Just wondering how I would feel if I left my kids with someone who only went to work because they had to. Extra kudos tonight to Mait for letting me bring home a happy and playful girl every afternoon!