Sinterklaaaaaas!

Last night we were paid a visit by Sinterklaas and his helpers, the Zwarte Pieten.  They left heaps of gifts for the boys - a Playmobil castle, a Playmobil Noah's Ark, lego and Hotweels race tracks for Son#1 and Son#2. 

Nothing for the parents. We must have been very bad this year.

Two boys were so overwhelmed by the magic of it all, that they had trouble sleeping, prowling the room in the dark at 3 in the morning.

The weather has turned here in the Northern Hemisphere, and our sunny extended autumn days have turned into wet snow, hail and rain.

Taking my cue from the weather, I plan on cocooning for the rest of the winter, starting this week.

I plan on cleaning my house, kissing my kids, and going to bed as early as possible.

Calm, peace, rest be my motto from now on.

The ideal babysitter

We have the most wonderful babysitter on the planet.  

We fondly refer to her as the Samsung Television Set.  She is always ready to teach and entertain the kids, interacting with them in such a special way.  We really would be lost without her.

Now, our kids spend a lot of time with the babysitter, they love all the stories that she's always willing to tell.  They spend more time with the babysitter than your average child.  But, although I have some maternal guilt about this - ideally I would involve my boisterous boys in cooking dinner and other general chores around the house - I truly believe that this is the most ideal and fantastic synergy we have going at the moment.  Because either they spend time with the babysitter, or I go stark raving mad.

And, we all know:  A happy mother, is a good mother.