The Timeliness of Now- Summer Days in Haarlem
It is my first European summer with kids. Last time I spent summer in Europe was at University in Nottingham. At the time, my biggest issue was what time was I going to go to the park with a book and a drink and enjoy the sunny weather.
Now with two littles, we are still going to the park just with a lot more things and the promise of more running in circles and less lying down and savouring the sun on your skin.
Dutch summer holidays are 6 weeks from mid July to end of August and it seems everything slows down. Offices get emptier, independent shops are shut for Vakantie (Vacation) and the café terraces are full with linen clad and Rayban wearing stylish people.
Theo just started school a few months after landing in the Netherlands which was a huge transition and was very disappointed to be going into school holidays. Oh the joys of starting school. He’s then had to embrace the change of slower school holidays. I am also transitioning to doing a lot more work which means I am busier and having to balance work, the kids being home and everything that comes with it.
I talked with Bene Katabua on how to handle transitions here;
Our summer days are looking like a lot like this;
Slow leisurely TV breakfasts with Hey Duggee, Bluey (current fave) and Octonauts while I get some work in. I have no guilt about TV time especially with all the Marine Biology facts that we all keep being briefed on every 5 mins,
Being intentional about morning walks while the weather is still good. I am so thankful for all the green space that we have here in Haarlem. We can go to a different park everyday. We also have a little aviary and arboretum with lots of different birds, amphibians etc. The kids spend a lot of time exploring, getting dirty with insects and sliding in the playground. I cannot tell you how much courage I have walking in the little woods here knowing that the worst thing to crawl around is a frog or slug. You cannot say the same about forests back home, python in Karura anyone?
Easy lunches and Whatsapp calls with family. Our lunches are so simple with lots of cheese, yoghurt, fruit, wraps. I am able to catch up on my content creation and we have been giving ourselves some grace to join Asiya as she naps and we all get a nap in,
Some free play time in the terrace or on the sofa in the afternoon with a bit of reading thrown in. We sometimes set up simple activities, painting, drawing, cutting or stickers. I juggle preparing dinner, tidying and working whilst refereeing the siblings and playing with them,
Dinner is always ready at 5 and we sit at the table and catch up on the day. Dinner at 5 means that my husband and I always have dessert at 7-8 because of course we are hungry.
Our bedtime routine starts at 6 with bath, bedtime reading and asleep by 7. One parent does bedtime whilst the other tidying the kitchen and living room. This is the reality of not having help, we all have to get stuck in and do chores.
Our first summer in Haarlem whilst in the second year of the pandemic is panning out to be very slow with a gentle flow and the joy of appreciating and choosing joy. Someone asked us recently how hard it must be that we are alone in a new country during a pandemic. I laughed and said how we are truly enjoying the timeliness of now and the beauty in simple delights.
