A few years ago, road tripping from Amsterdam to Tuscany, we visited the beautiful town of Zurich along the way. We spent one amazing day on the lake, enjoying the beautiful open-air beaches / swimming pools called ‘Badi’. Afterwards, we stayed the night in the pretty apartment of the Prinsloo family, who were so kind to invite us over. After the children went to bed, we chatted loads about life in Zurich and the one thing that stuck with me is that in Zurich children from the age of 4 walk to school entirely by themselves. They gather in the morning at a dedicated neighbourhood spot and in small groups, following specific pedestrian paths, they walk to their school without adult supervision. They are even trained by the police in the beginning of the school year! How amazing is that?

I’ve been super curious about the details of schools in Switzerland ever since, and asked my friend Kate to share a bit more about the practical organisation of the Swiss school system. Even though some things are similar to the Dutch school system, some things are entirely different, and I loved reading Kate’s post below. The way Swiss children are encouraged to be independent from an early age and the way the outdoors is integrated in their schooling (rain or shine!) is just so very inspirational.

Schools in Switzerland

School in Zurich is idyllic. From walking to school alone to days in the forest, kids are taught independence from an early age. Instead of helicopter parenting, kids are self sufficient, self reliant, and find their own way. Sending her kids off walking on their own at the age of four can be scary for a mom who has lived in the USA and London before (where children are dropped off and picked up by the gate, or sent by school bus).

Kindergarten
From the year they turn four years old, kids in Zurich start school: kindergarten. They have two years of kindergarten with the same teacher, five mornings a week (8:30 – 12:00) and one or two afternoons (13:45 – 15:25). Children are expected to have lunch at home daily, and to walk to and from school on their own. The first day of kindergarten the children are given an orange reflective necklace to be visible to cars. They wear this every day for two years until they start primary school.
In kindergarten, kids are expected to bring a small bag big enough for their ‘z’nuni’ (9:00 snack) to fit in. There are serious rules about what food can be in the morning snack — with a list sent home which we have posted on our refrigerator. The snack must be fruit (but not banana, which is too high on sugar!), vegetables, nuts, or certain breads or crackers. There are no sweets allowed.
Children learn social skills in kindergarten. They are not taught to read, write, or do math until primary school.

Primary School (year 1-3)
After two years of kindergarten, children start primary school in Switzerland; usually from 7-9 years old. They have one teacher for all three years (from first through third class). The reflective necklace is now yellow, signalling that these children are older than the orange kindergarteners.
In primary school, the big deal is the big school bag they wear to school. Inside is a set of colored pencils (called an etui), a turnen bag (gym bag), a swim bag, and a square hard shell where their homework will go each day. In first grade homework begins, as does learning the alphabet. And later they learn to read.
Homework is 10 minutes long. If they do not complete their homework in 10 minutes, they have to stop working and turn in how much they have completed. Also, homework is given in the before mentioned hard folder — it is very important that their homework does not get folded or creased.

Forest Days
In Kindergarten the children go to the forest regularly. They build a fire, play with sticks, roast sausages, and play. This blew my mind. An open fire! And 4 year olds roast their own sausages. Goodness this wouldn’t happen in the USA. But it is normal here, and they do not act amazed or shocked and so the children do as expected and act accordingly. This can also be seen on the many hiking trails in Switzerland. Children using their Swiss Army knives, or roasting sausages on sticks is just part of a normal childhood.
On forest days, kids bring a small backpack to school with a bottle of water and a sausage. They wear a hat in the summer, a full rain outfit in the spring, and a snow outfit in the winter. They go to the forest in all weather, which I love! They are not taught that weather decides what they do. They decide what to do, and then they dress for the weather.

The Police
The police come to school at the beginning of every year to teach the children how to be safe while walking alone. They are taught to wait until an oncoming car’s wheels have completely stopped before they are able to cross at a crosswalk. The day the police visit the schools, they give the kids a CD with fun songs (that we still listen to in the car), which teaches them the rules of walking to school. The songs translate ‘to wait, look, listen, and walk’ as a reminder of how to cross the street. The kids love when the police come to school and return home with many stories of the things they have learned.

The route to school
Kids walk one path to school. There are so many little stairways and pedestrian-only pathways in the city, that are safer for the kids to walk on than the sidewalks of the main streets. The kids usually walk with their neighbouring kids, meeting in the morning, and walking the safe path to school with the least amount of busy roads to walk on or cross. The parents on our street took turns walking the kids to school the first week or two of kindergarten until they got comfortable walking the entire way as a group.
The kids take their time walking to and from school. This is as much a part of their education as the classroom itself. Sometimes it takes my daughter an hour or more to walk 800 meters home from school. She stops to pick flowers, look at sheep, or chat with friends. A friend of mine said these were the best memories he has of his childhood. Those moments walking to and from school alone, just with nature and himself.

This carefree childhood is one of the most appealing aspects of our life here in Switzerland. Nature and independence are of prime importance. Kids are taught to be responsible from an early age and not to be micromanaged by parents. By having the children walk to and from school by themselves, the parent is taken out of the equation. The teacher interacts solely with the child. And with this great freedom comes great responsibility, and they learn about it a lot, in fun ways. We are so lucky to be living here in Switzerland.

Thank you Kate!! (If you would like to read more about Kate’s life in Zurich, and find great family travel tips and inspiration, please check her lovely blog ‘Mom in Zurich‘!)

PS For travel inspiration, do visit our travel pages!

The post Schooling in Switzerland — early independence and lots of the outdoors! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

This ‘Nins’ wooden playset is Bram’s favourite toy! The size of the little wooden peg dolls are perfect for his little baby hands. He loves to carry them around with him when he’s crawling and cruising around; often one in every hand.

Officially these wooden peg dolls are part of a season play set (ours features the winter colours). They can be used as a sort of Waldorf calendar, following the cycle of the seasons. We don’t use it that way, but the cups and coins and rings, which come with the dolls, are interesting shapes to discover and can be used to stack and nest the dolls.

The dolls also appear in other type of play in our house. They often are the ‘people’ when Ava and Casper are making up stories and they create little houses for them to live in and little beds to sleep in.

I love how pretty and simple these toys are, and how they can be used as open ended toys for a long time. I’m going to keep them in mind as a new baby or first birthday gift, as they are a lovely toy to have in any family household!

xxx Esther

PS natural rubber teethers, another toy Bram loves

The post Wooden peg dolls — a sweet and simple toy and one of Bram’s favourites appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

I took this photo a few months ago here in Amsterdam on one of the last warm and sunny days of the year. This girl was drawing on the sidewalk with pavement chalk, and had the brilliant idea to add water and brushes to the fun — resulting in deeper and brighter colours and a cool watercolour effect. So brilliant!

I’ve been meaning to try the concept of watercolour sideway chalk with my children, but the weather has turned since and it’s too chilly to play with water outside now. But it’s sunny and hot in Australia at the moment, so I thought that perhaps our friends Down Under might want to give it a try? Because seriously, how easy, straightforward and FUN is this activity!

xxx Esther

PS Decorating sticks for Pim’s 9th birthday party

The post Watercolour sidewalk chalk — such a simple but genius idea! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

Sara is in her second year of high school and she’s been following French classes for the second year as well. In the last week before the holidays, her French teacher treated the class by letting them watch a film, and Sara was so impressed with it that we watched it as a family during the vacation too — and we were all equally charmed by it.

The film is called ‘Les Choristes’ (The Chorus, 2004) and is about a boarding school for ‘difficult’ boys, set in the French countryside in 1949. The school’s headmaster is extremely strict, mean even, and the boys struggle in their depressing surroundings. One day, a new teacher comes to the school and he assembles a choir, which leads into a total transformation of the children.

This film is about talent, chances, and positivity, and how one person can make a considerable change in one’s path of life. If you haven’t seen it, do watch it. It is just absolutely wonderful and I can’t recommend it enough. Great for children aged 8 and older, I would say.

xxx Esther

The post Les Choristes (The Chorus) — a wonderful family film appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

As you can imagine, as a family of seven we wash quite a bit. In fact, I feel like I’m never not washing! There is always a load of laundry waiting, a hand wash soaking or a pile of clean laundry ready to be folded and put away…

Because I wash so much, I’ve become quite aware of the amount of environmental damage because of the detergent we use as well as the amount of plastic bottles we throw away. So over time, I have started to use ecological laundry detergents that I believe are less damaging for the environment (and at the same time, less damaging for our skin as well).

First of all, I have started to use ecological laundry detergents of brands that claim they are polluting our planet less, using plant derived and bio-degradable ingredients. I like companies that are constantly working to make their products better, not just in terms of efficiency but also in terms of sustainability. Packaging is important too — avoiding (virgin) plastics wherever we can.

I realise that in every country there are different ecological laundry detergents on the market, but still wanted to list a few products I like using here:

• Marseille soap: Marius Fabre offers a nice assortment of products for the laundry. I use the ‘Savon the Marseille’ flakes to soak especially dirty clothes (baby poo!) before I wash them in the machine. Marseille soap is 100% plant based and is entirely biodegradable. The flakes come in a cardboard box that can go in the recycling.
• Have you ever heard of the ‘soap nut’? The shells of the Sapindus mukorossi fruit, which grow in abundance in India and Nepal, will release a natural form of soap when in touch with water. It gently cleanses your laundry and acts as a natural fabric softener. It’s been used in India and Nepal for thousands of years and is now available in the Netherlands (two young guys started ‘Seepje‘ during their studies). I have been washing our clothes with soap nuts quite regularly, and it does a good job. If you want, you can add a few drops of essential oil to the compartment. (I haven’t tried this yet but I like the idea of it.)
• Seepje also provides a liquid detergent that I like to use for delicate laundry that I wash on a lower temperature. This product comes in a plastic bottle, but it is made from (Dutch) recycled plastic and is fully recyclable.
• The Laundress is a NY based company started by two women who were looking to improve the soap industry. They have an extensive range of ecological laundry and cleaning products. I love the ‘chic’ branding and the scents they use are so lovely. It makes doing the laundry feel special! However, the plastic bottles are wasteful, and the price point is high, so I only use these products sporadically. (I particularly like their wool & cashmere shampoo.)
• For all ‘normal’ laundry (towels, bedsheets, sportswear, jeans, etc) I use a powder detergent from an ecological brand (Ecover). It comes in a cardboard box, so it doesn’t create plastic waste.

I like using a soap cubes to spot clean and to pre-treat stains or difficult areas (like collars, under-arm, bra straps etc). I also use them to hand wash. Above, you see my collection :). The big block is Marseille soap. Next to it, The Laundress lovely wash & stain bar (smells so great!). And that steel tool behind is a wire soap shaker! It fits the bar shaped Marseille soap in the front and I use it to create soapy water to hand wash. To treat stubborn stains, I sometimes use an old toothbrush. The above examples are all sold plastic free and are made from natural ingredients (vegetable oils).

Additional to choosing detergents with care, here are some other things I think of when I do laundry:

• I make sure my machine is full when I wash a load (not much of a problem with 5 children!)
• Cleaning rags, towels and bedsheets are the only items I wash on high temperatures.
• Even though I do use a dryer (it is unavoidable at the moment), I try to line dry as much as I can.
• I wash our own bedsheets weekly, but the children’s beds get changed just once every 2 weeks.
• I carefully look if clothes really need to be washed or if they can be spot cleaned and worn a second or third time. (Except underwear, obviously.)
• Wintery woollens do not need a lot of washing as wool has self cleaning properties. Air drying is often sufficient.
• I NEVER use fabric conditioners. It is an extra product I believe we do n0t need to spoil our energy or money on… Plus, I feel it only creates more waste. I personally do not like the (often artificial) scents anyway. I also do not like the feeling of towels that are washed with a fabric softener. They just do not absorb well! (I actually prefer a slightly more ‘rough’ towel. As my grandmother used to say, it is a great skin exfoliator and it helps our blood circulation!) Some say a fabric conditioner makes their clothes less static. However, we almost exclusively own clothes made from natural fibers so this has never been an issue for us…

Do you have any thoughts about doing your laundry in a more environmental friendly way or do you have tips or great products to share? I would love to hear!

xxx Esther

The post Ecological laundry detergents — my attempts to wash cleaner appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

Lyndsay is a British mama who is currently living in Dubai with her husband and their two daughters. Originally an architect, she decided to follow her real passion and retrained as a food developer and stylist. She documents her recipes for nutritious, practical and (most importantly!) tasty family food on her beautiful blog I eat my Peas.

Lyndsay is sharing some yummy breakfast ideas with us in the coming days, all of which are healthy, fun and easy to make. And they all look DELICIOUS! Today we start with Lyndsay’s recipe for Quinoa Oats. I can’t wait to give these a try! (In fact, I’m going to prepare the oat mix right now!)

Thank you for the inspiration, Lyndsay!

Weekday mornings are inevitably chaotic but in our house we always try to make a conscious effort to hit the pause button and sit down together — it somehow calms the mania and makes sure that everyone is set up for the day ahead.

The coming days I’m sharing with you our top 3 breakfasts to eat as a family. They are quick to prepare, full of nutrients for the day ahead and so much fun to make together!

Quinoa Oats

I make a big batch of this to fill a kiln jar and then soak the oats in the evening so that it only takes two minutes to make in the morning. The recipe uses cup measurements so even my daughters (22 months and 3years ) can easily make it with me.

• 8 cups porridge oats
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup flax meal (or flaxseeds)
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Per person:

• 1/4 cup oat mix
• 1/2 cup milk of your choice
• 1 tsp maple syrup or honey

Mix together the oats, quinoa, flaxmeal and cinnamon in a large bowl and then in batches blend it down into a finer mix in a food processor. Once its all done then place in an airtight storage jar and store for up to 2 months although it will never last that long!

To make: Place as many servings as you need in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and then serve immediately — by itself or topped with fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup. For special occasions I add a little cocoa and it transforms into a chocolatey treat!

Happy Breakfasting!

-Lyndsay

You can follow Lyndsay on her blog I Eat My Peas and on social media under her handle @ieatmypeas.

The post Quinoa Oats — a yummy breakfast idea for chaotic family mornings! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

As promised, here is the second yummy breakfast idea from Lyndsay of I Eat My Peas (yesterday we shared her Quinoa Oats — have you tried them yet?). The Cheesy Egg Tacos she’s sharing today make me even more excited about breakfast (and it’s already my favourite meal of the day!). I happen to love tacos but I’ve never thought about making them for breakfast before. But that will change as of tomorrow!

Thanks again for another inspirational breakfast idea, Lyndsay!

Cheesy Egg Tacos

This is such a fun way to start the day! There isn’t really a better way to serve scrambled eggs. These tacos are packed full of nutrients, so quick to make and my kids love adding different toppings and personalising them.

Per person:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 small corn tacos or tortilla
• handful grated mozzarella or cheddar

Toppings: fresh tomatoes, avocado, sweetcorn, roasted peppers, pesto or siracha sauce if you like it spicy!

Place the butter in a medium frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the egg and let it set slightly and then slowly move the egg around with a wooden spoon. You don’t want to break the egg up too much but instead end up with large flakes of moist egg. Take the pan off just before the egg is fully cooked (it won’t take longer than 2 minutes) and scatter over the cheese so the cheese melts as the egg finishes cooking with the heat of the pan.

Meanwhile, warm the tortilla in the oven and put your toppings in pots on the table.

Place two tacos on each plate, fill with cheesy egg and let everyone help themselves to the toppings.

-Lyndsay

You can follow Lyndsay on her blog I Eat My Peas and on social media under her handle @ieatmypeas.

The post Cheesy Egg Tacos — another delicious breakfast idea! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

Here is the third and last breakfast recipe brought to us but the lovely Lyndsay from the food blog I Eat My Peas (we shared her Quinoa Oats and Cheesy Egg Tacos earlier this week). These Mix’n’Match Morning Muffins are a must make family recipe Lyndsay claims, so we’ll definitely be making them this weekend. I like the way the recipe is so flexible — it works with whatever is in season and you have in your fridge. So good!

Thanks again, Lyndsay, for sharing your wonderful recipes with us!

Mix’n’Match Morning Muffins

Mix ‘n ‘Match morning MuffinsThis recipe is a must have for any busy family! You can use a whole host of different fruit and vegetable combinations depending on what you have leftover and they are always delicious. We love them for breakfast or as a mid afternoon snack or quite frankly — straight out of the oven! There is only a little syrup in the recipe, so much of the sweetness in these muffins comes from the natural sweetness of the fruit and vegetables. I’ve been making them since my eldest was 9 months and they are still a firm favourite.

Makes 12 small muffins or 6 large:

• 150g spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 200g grated ‘hard’ fruit or veg [carrot, butternut, parsnip, courgette, sweet potato, apple or pear]
• 100g lightly mashed ‘soft’ fruit [banana, mango or berries]
• 30g dried fruit, chopped if large [raisins, cranberries, blueberries, sour cherries, dates, figs, prunes, apples]
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 100ml full fat milk- use coconut if you are looking for a dairy free alternative
• 2-3 tbsp syrup (maple, agave or honey)

Preheat the oven to 180oC and line a muffin tin.

In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and dried fruit. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients to a food processor (or blender) and blitz to a rough puree. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir everything together until evenly combined.

Place 2 heaped tablespoons of mixture into each lined muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until risen, golden and they bounce back when touched. Remove and allow to cool before serving.

-Lyndsay

You can follow Lyndsay on her blog I Eat My Peas and on social media under her handle @ieatmypeas.

The post Mix’n’Match Morning Muffins — a must have breakfast recipe for every busy family appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

I’m writing this post as I have Ava laying on the sofa with a mild sinus / ear infection. I just checked on her to make sure she’s comfortable, with her own pillow and the ‘sick sleeping bag’ — the sleeping bag that belonged to me when I was a little child. It has the manic orange colour combinations which are so typical for the ’70s, with cute circus illustrations, and is wild and fun enough to brighten up any sick day. I brought her tea and some fruit and nuts on a tray, and put my cool hand on her warm forehead to measure her temperature (I never use a thermometer!).

It made me think of sick day traditions. When I was a child, I remember the food on a tray — I was always supposed to eat at the table, but when I was sick my mum would bring me tea, fresh orange juice and toast & fruit on a tray. To my bed or to the sofa, depending on how sick I was. And she would put her cool hand on my forehead to measure my temperature and read me my favourite story. : ) I still remember those soothing traditions, little things, but oh so important when you are feeling miserable!

And I was wondering — what sort of traditions do other people have when their children are sick? Do you make chicken soup? Fruit mandalas? Do you have a special pillow or blanket perhaps? Do you remember being sick as a child?

OK, time to check on my little girl. Happy (and healthy!) weekend everyone!

xxx Esther

PS Always in my handbag!

The post Sick day traditions — do you do anything special when your child is ill? appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

We’re going to Athens this weekend! It’s going to be a short trip but we’re all super exited. I’ve been to Athens a few times before, and I just love that city — the mix of the old and the new is so magical.
To get everyone in the spirit of the (Old) Greeks and their Gods, I started reading the myths to Ava and Casper. They are fascinated by the stories! And Sara and Pim started reading the Percy Jackson series — it’s been an instant hit as well.

I must say I found it quite difficult to find much about the Greek Myths for children, which is a pity because the stories really are so wonderful. So any advice is welcome :)! But here’s what I have found so far:

Greek Myths for Children

• As I said above, Pim and Sara are reading the Percy Jackson series, which they LOVE. Percy Jackson is a teenager who discovers he is a half God — the descendant of a Greek god! This explains the fact that he is dyslexic (he appears to be hard wired to read Ancient Greek) and has ADHD (which are, of course, ‘battlefield reflexes’). Percy is submerged into the battle of the Gods and has to use his special powers to fight monsters and deal with all sorts of difficulties.
  These are essentially the Greek myths translated to modern times! Two films have been made of the Percy Jackson series (The Lighting Thief and Sea of Monsters) which we will obviously watch as well. (Although I’ve read that the films are nowhere as good as the books!)
  Fun fact about the writer of Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan: his own son, whom the character of Percy Jackson is based on, has dyslexia and ADHD. When he was 9, he refused to read and hated school so much that he would hide under the table and cry. But he loved the Greek Myths, so his father would recount them to him, eventually inventing all sorts of new characters — and this is how Percy Jackson was ‘born’.  The books became a hit, Percy Jackson a hero, and Riordan started to receive fan mail from children who had ADHD or dyslexia. And instead of telling him they were feeling ashamed, they said they were now so proud of their disorder which connects them with the hero in their favourite books!
• I’m reading the classic Greek Myths to Ava and Casper — a book published by Orchard in the ’90s which was recommended to me by my local bookseller. We really enjoy the stories which are told in such a clear and captivating way! So whenever we walk in the park now, where the Narcissus are slowly starting to bloom, Casper tells me — Look mama! There are those flowers that fell in love with themselves!
• Lastly, we watched Disney’s Hercules — a romanticised animated film, also from the ’90s. It’s about the super strong half god who has to defeat monsters to prove to his father (Zeus) that he is worthy of living on the Olympus as a true God. Not great, but quite entertaining!

So again, if you have any tips to share, we would love to hear. Any general tips about Athens are welcome too, of course!

xxx Esther

The post Greek myths for children — fascinating and magical! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

When Van Gogh famously cut off his ear, the question arose — what happened to the ear without its head? Estonian writer and illustrator Piret Raud was inspired, and wrote a beautifully illustrated story about that one lonely ear.

The ear at first is quite helpless, as she is alone and without guidance. But before long, she learns that her one and only talent, the art of listening, is the recipe for dear friendships. When she is captured by a nasty spider who is badmouthing everyone she knows, it becomes clear that true friends can help you fill in your personal shortcomings with their own unique skills.

The Ear is a beautiful book in all of its simplicity, and the illustrations are truly little pieces of art. Very inspiring!

xxx Esther

The post ‘The Ear’ by Piret Raud. A book about the importance of listening. appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

A few weeks ago, Tamar was telling me about an article he was reading in the newspaper. About a certain kind of super-marathons, where athletes run for days and days with hardly any sleep or rest. I had never heard of these kind of races, but when he mentioned that the article discussed the fact that in these kind of extreme endurance sports women are thought to be more likely to win than men, I was intrigued. How interesting!

Recently, there’s been a race in the UK with an overall length of 268 miles (that’s more than 10 marathons!), and a total ascent of 13.135m (one and a half times the Mount Everest). It took the winner, Jasmin Paris, 83 hours to complete the track — beating the course record by 12 hours and finishing 15 hours before the next person (a man). Amazing!

It’s debatable if women are indeed stronger in these extreme sports than men. There simply isn’t enough convincing evidence to support the theory. But what I thought is astonishing about the story is the fact that during the few and very short stops Jasmin allowed herself during the days she was running, she not only ate and slept a tiny bit, but she also expressed milk for her baby daughter. How amazing is that?

The feature image of the article says it all. It’s not Jasmin Paris you see here but another female endurance racer, Sophie Power. Sophie was photographed during a short break almost halfway of an extreme race of 106 miles (that’s 4 marathons). While next to her another runner lies flat out on his back with his feet up, Sophie is breastfeeding her 3-month-old son. “I’d gone through the first night with no sleep, as a lot of runners had. But as a mother I was really prepared for that. In terms of sleep deprivation, I was probably the best trained person on the start line,” she says in another article I read. She finished the race in just under 44 hours of running, proudly carrying her baby over the finish line while trying to keep up with her three year old boy! : )

Aren’t women just amazing? We can run such extreme distance races, win them even — and we can nourish our babies while doing so! (Says she, writing these lines while breastfeeding her baby…)

xxx Esther

PS the beautiful and powerful photo is by Alexis Berg.

The post The power of women — an interesting article about female endurance appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

We recently were at the birthday party of our godson (who turned 11 already!), and one of the presents he received proved to be an instant hit: the board game Otrio. Have you heard of it?

Otrio is a super fun strategy game, based on the universally known classic tic-tac-toe. To win from your opponent, you have to get three pieces of the same colour in a row, either in ascending or descending order, or within the same space with the three concentric circles. The rules are super simple, but it can actually be a tough challenge to win!

The game was an immediate hit with all of the people present. It is so engaging! And as the board is made from solid wood, it is also a beautiful game to play. A really fun present!

xxx Esther

PS Seventeen travel games we love

The post Otrio — a super simple but incredibly fun strategy game! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

I attended a dinner on Monday to launch the ‘waste free’ campaign here in The Netherlands. It was really lovely as it was prepared by a Dutch cook who is known for cooking completely waste-free with only local ingredients. For example, the peels of vegetables were used to make a tasty vegetable stock, leftover cake became a delicious crumble dessert, and even (!!) the little partitions in between the walnut halves were used to add flavour to a gravy. Everything was delicious and healthy and made according to her principle: ‘0% waste, 100% taste’.

During the dinner, many guests were interviewed who are actively working on creating a waste-free society. People behind initiatives like a restaurant which cooks solely with surplus products unsold by local supermarkets and other producers. An app which lets you buy a ‘surprise box’ filled with unsold fresh goodies of the day for a fraction of the price. A company that creates soups out of vegetables which otherwise would be thrown away because they are either too small, too fat, or too crooked to sell. It was so inspirational to hear their stories!

Worldwide, we waste about a third of the entire food production. A third!! Food loss occurs in all segments of the value chain, but it is the end consumer (us!) who is responsible for a fat chuck of worldwide food waste. Here in the Netherlands, we throw away an average of 41 kg of perfectly fine food per person per year! Throwing away food doesn’t just cost us money, the energy that goes in to the production of the products (cultivation, packaging, transport, refrigeration) goes to waste as well.

What can we do to start making a difference? First of all, I think it is simply important to become aware of the problem, so you can think twice before you throw away food. But here are some ideas we were given during the dinner:

If you are not interested in leftovers, it is important to make sure you prepare exact amounts.  I personally love leftovers — I use them for Bram’s lunch the next day, or Sara and Pim eat them before their afternoon sports. Or I put them in the children’s lunch boxes. We also have ‘leftover night’ every now and then, and eat what we need to finish. (I bought vintage fondue plates from the ’70s for this purpose — every segment of the plate is filled with a little leftover dish. Fun!)

Another good tip I heard during the dinner is to put the temperature of your fridge on 4ºC. I was given a special fridge thermometer, which I used, and I discovered that the temperature of our fridge is set 2 degrees too high! Also, it is good to know that the shell life of pantry products is often longer than the ‘best before’ date indicates. Use your senses to judge if food is still ok. (Perishable foods obviously need to be consumed before the use by date.)

Lastly, check your stock before you go to the supermarket. Look in your fridge so you know what you have and what needs to be finished. Make a grocery list — it can even be helpful to make a meal plan for the week.

So tell me — how waste free are you? I personally think I am not super bad, but there are definitely areas where I can improve. Like the fridge! It can become a real mess — things are pushed to the back, or not labeled well, and I forget about them and consequently have to throw them away. What a waste! So in the next weeks, I’m going to work on a good fridge system. I’ll report back!

xxx Esther

The post How waste-free are you? Tips and thoughts about food waste. appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

A few weeks ago I posted about Ava being sick, and about our ‘sick day’ family traditions. I loved reading about all of your families’ sick-day traditions too, and I thought it was especially amazing to hear that most of us still remember being sick as a child ourselves. We seem to have such warm and happy memories of those days — even though we must have been in pain and discomfort at the time. Apparently the extra bit of love and care we received during those sick days long ago have become special, lovely memories for the rest of our lives.

In the end, I had Ava at home with me for over a week. She had a sinus and ear infection on both sides, and was feeling so very miserable. I kept her on the sofa in that special orange sleeping bag, and gave her ear drops, spoon fed her vanilla yoghurt (a treat!) and put cold washcloths on her warm forehead. I also made a big pot of delicious, homemade chicken soup.

Apparently it is scientifically proven — homemade chicken soup is said to help open the airways and fight infections. In any case, it is delicious, and I do tell my children that all of the love I pour into the soup will make them feel better instantaneously. And so it does :).

Homemade chicken soup

My chicken soup basically consists of a couple of phases. First, I make the stock, using an entire chicken, skin, bones and all. I let it simmer for half a day. The house smells lovely when the pot is simmering away!

I then carefully fish out the chicken to get rid of the skin and bones, keeping all of the meat separate in a bowl, together with the carrot. I strain the rest of the soup through a colander and then a sieve, and at this point, I serve everyone a cup of broth in which I quickly cooked some vermicelli, with a few slices of carrot and some of the chicken.

Then, the broth stays in the fridge overnight (or outside if it’s cold enough). The next morning I skim off the fat of the soup, which I use to make the matzo balls. The next round of soup will have the matzo balls and the remainder of the carrot in it. Finally, I add some fresh vegetables and vermicelli for the last round of chicken soup goodness.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, skin on, about 2 kg
• around 8 normal sized carrots (if you use big storage carrots, obviously use less!)
• 3 medium sized (or 2 large) onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• the stalks of one bunch of parsley (the leaves are not used — but do save them for other recipes!)
• one bunch of dill, stalks and leaves separate (some of the leaves are used to garnish the soup, the rest for the matzo balls)
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper corns
• 1 teaspoon of (kosher) salt
• 2 to 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 3 to 4 bay leaves
• vermicelli (soup noodles)

For matzo balls:

• 1 cup matzo meal (or grind your own in a food processor — 100 grams matzo crackers makes about one cup)
• 3 tablespoons of (the before mentioned) chicken fat
• 3 large (or 4 small) eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (freshly ground)
• dill leaves

Method:

Rinse the chicken with cold water and place it in a big stockpot. Cover it completely with cold water. Put the lid on, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and let simmer for around half an hour. In the meantime, prep you veggies: wash the carrots and cut in thirds. Peel the onions and cut in half. Peel the garlic cloves. Wash the herbs.

Then, skim off the scum on top of the chicken (discard) and add the carrots, onions and garlic to the pot, together with the parsley stalks, the stalks of the dill, the thyme, bay leaves, salt and peppercorns. Let simmer (lid on) for at least two hours (or better, half a day).

Turn off the heat. Ladle out the chicken (I like using a flat round slotted spoon), and put it in a bowl. Fish out the carrot as well. Then, put a colander over a big bowl and ladle the soup through. Discard of everything except the chicken and the carrot (and that beautiful, golden chicken stock, of course!). Then, pull the meat off the bones of the chicken with your hands (it is as soft as butter now!). It’s a messy but fun thing to do :). Get rid of all of the bones, as well as the skin.

I like to strain the stock through a sieve to make it extra clear. Now put the clear stock back in to the pot. I like to keep the chicken and the carrot separate. At this point, you could be done — just ladle some of the stock in a smaller pot, add a bit of vermicelli, cook for 7 minutes, and serve in bowls over some of the chicken, slices of the carrot and with a sprinkle of the dill leaves (leave some of the dill behind for the matzo balls though!). Keep the stock, the chicken and the carrots in the fridge and heat up sections as needed. The stock freezes well too!

If you would like to make matzo balls, however, there is a step two :). Cool the stock overnight (in the fridge or outside if it’s cold enough). Next morning, skim off three tablespoons of the fat layer on top of the soup. You will need this fat to make the matzo balls. (If you prefer, you can also skim off all of the fat at this point.) Put all of the matzo ball ingredients in a bowl and mix them up with a wooden spoon until it’s well blended. Leave in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

Using cold and clean hands, start rolling the matzo balls. I make around 30 with these amounts, but I don’t like my balls too big ;). If your hands get sticky, wash them and continue rolling! You can try rolling them with wet hands too. Carefully drop your matzo balls in the boiling water, one by one, and cook them for 30 minutes (40 min if you made bigger balls). Using a slotted spoon, take out the cooked matzo balls and discard of the cooking water.

Now serve your soup with the matzo balls, yum! You can add the carrot, the chicken, some vermicelli, perhaps some spring onion… with a sprinkle of dill.

Feel better, feel good, feel great!

xxx Esther

The post Homemade chicken soup — deliciously healthy and healing appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

Ava decided to make pompoms the other day and before long she (and Pim, who joined the fun) had made a bowl full of them. Pompoms are so easy and fun to make! We were expecting dinner guests that evening, and I had no fresh flowers for the table so I asked them to create pompom flowers. They ended up being so cute!

Making pompom flowers really is so simple that writing a how-to feels silly. If you know how to make pompoms, you’re basically set. (If you need a reminder, you can check out this post here.) We glued the pompoms to the pointy side of a skewer using hot glue. To give the pompom flowers different heights, we cut off a part of some of the skewers with a hand pruner.

And voila! Done. So pretty! I now have them in the windowsill where they are adding a pop of colour to an otherwise grey day.

xxx Esther

The post Pompom flowers — a pop of colour in your house! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

Yesterday I took Pim to the funeral of the mother of a dear friend. She has two sons Pim’s age (11 and 13) and I decided to bring him along so that he could offer support to his friends. Even though he had once been to a funeral before, I don’t think he quite knew what to expect now that he is a bit older. To see our friends (and their friends and family) so full of sadness, and to see me so sad as well, was quite overwhelming for him.

After the ceremony we went to the house of that friend’s mum for a little while and before long the boys were happily playing with Lego again and chatting about the newest Marvell film. I think it was good for Pim to experience that grief and happiness go hand in hand. That deep and sad emotions do not overtake everything, but that there is also place for lightness and laughter.

My own childhood was quite sheltered. My grandfather passed away but I didn’t really understand what was going on. I remember our dog, she was dying, and I didn’t know how to deal with the volcano of emotions inside of me. Ignoring the situation, I remember staring at the television without even noticing it. I was afraid of that boiling volcano, which would surely erupt if I went to my dog for a cuddle; if I even looked at her.

I never really learned how to deal with death until later in life, when I lost my grandmothers and not much later my own mother. It was very hard for me as I was unprepared — I still didn’t know how to manage that volcano of emotions, how to give these passings a place.

Over the years we experienced more loss. Bibian, a close friend (and a mother of three little children) died. The sudden illness and death of Ava’s little friend Laurens. Our sweet friend and neighbour Gideon, also a young father, who passed away… I slowly learned how to deal with loss a little bit better, how to give my emotions a place. I learned how to say farewell and to accept death as part of our lives and our loves.

I learned that grief and loss will not always remain so raw and overwhelming and unmanageable as they first appear. That although they will always stay with us, deep inside of us, that life goes on… that there will be other experiences to balance out the sadness. Happy days, love and laughter, silliness and sunshine. The loss will not go away, it won’t even become smaller or less important, but the rest of our experiences will grow and get bigger, and it will allow us to remember fondly and grieve with perspective.

I wanted to prepare our children for the losses in life a little bit better than I had been. So we haven’t shielded them from sickness and death. We have been honest to them — obviously within their realm of understanding and being careful not to make them afraid or insecure. We’ve brought them to funerals when appropriate. We have let them experience how death is so very difficult and hard but that at the same time, it brings people closer together. That it makes us love and live harder. I think this is a valuable life lesson and one that we shouldn’t be afraid to carefully start teaching our children at a young age.

Feel free to share your experiences and thoughts below — it is not your everyday kind of Babyccino post, but very much a part of life…

Thank you,
xxx Esther

PS– posts about Bibian, the blanket we made for Laurens, and the death and funeral of my mother.

The post Talking about death with your children. Some thoughts. appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

I’ve been making crunchy nut granola for a long time now, and over the years I think I have perfected the recipe we use. This granola is crunchy, with a hint of cinnamon and honey, and chockfull of nuts. We like it best served with a creamy and thick Greek or Bulgarian yoghurt, and we add our own topping according to our personal taste. So dried fruits, roasted coconut flakes, fresh fruits and/or berries (or fruit compotes) are served on the table separately.

Making crunchy nut granola is something that I usually do on a Sunday morning, so we have a fresh batch ready for the week to come. I love the smell of cinnamon and roasted nuts in the house!

Crunchy nut granola

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups rolled rye, spelt and/or barley (or rolled oats if you prefer)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or 2 tsp if you love cinnamon — we do!)
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup raw nuts (for example hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews… ). Add in an extra hand of nuts if you feel like it. I love nuts!
• 1 cup raw seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, linseeds, chia seeds…)
• 1/3 cup rapeseed oil (I prefer rapeseed or canola oil because it doesn’t leave a taste but olive or coconut oil work well too)
• 1/3 cup (raw) honey, melted on a low fire to make it fluid (you can also use maple or agave sirop)
• 2 egg whites (3 if small eggs), just loosened up a bit with a whisk

Line an oven tray with paper. Preheat the oven to 140ºC (280F). Combine all dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix well! Evenly spread the mixture out on the paper lined tray and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. There’s no need to touch it during the baking! After 45 minutes turn off the heat and let the granola cool in the oven.

Break up and store in an airtight container, and serve with your choice of toppings.

Enjoy!

xxx Esther

PS Delicious banana pancakes — only 4 ingredients!

The post Crunchy nut granola — here’s my favourite recipe! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

Ava has been working for weeks on her ‘mouse house’ — a collection of old shoe, cereal etc boxes with all sorts of different functions inside. It’s really becoming such an extensive project! Sara, Pim and Casper have joined the fun as well — they each have houses too now, but also business. For example Sara has a print shop and makes kitchenware, Ava sells pillows, Pim runs the bank and a public transport company…

I thought it would be fun to show you some photos of their city — it’s truly ingenious what they have invented. And best part of it that it’s all made of junk! (Haha, yesterday Pim made me drink a beer because he needed the cap for another wheel of his bus!)

This is Ava’s original house, with upstairs the lounge with a sofa, a rug (woven herself), pillows (hand sewn), a fire place with logs, a bed, a flat screen television (can be folded away). Downstairs there’s a bathroom with a shower, toilet, a washing machine, wash basin with hot and cold water… There are towels which hang from hooks of the walls, there are tooth brushes, tooth paste, shower gel (and a shelf for the shower gel), a basket for spare rolls of loo paper…

There also is a kitchen with a fridge filled with delicious food. In the cabinets there are plates, pizza boxes, cups… Flowers are on the table, a door leads to the garden. (Or you can take the slide from upstairs, of course!)

In the garden a pool, a trampoline, lounge chairs, a swing, and a clothes line.

Yesterday Ava had one of her girlfriends over for a play date and the girls added a roof terrace — with a bar, restaurant and a podium for performances. There’s a menu to order from, and all of the drinks and food and snacks hang from baskets from the side. Ha, I would love to hang out there, what cool space!

In Ava’s city, there’s a place for old people too. All the mice wear glasses here! With a grand piano, cool art on the walls and a games table.

Pim’s house (above) is as tidy as his own room — with neatly ordered sushi on plates, and a cool artwork (made by Sara) above the table. Sara’s house (below) has a cute table also with sushi rolls, and a little notebook. There even are miniature chopsticks and pencils!

Each of the children have a car, a phone and a wallet. In their wallets is a tiny debit card which they use to buy goods from each other. They go up to Pim’s cash machine, pay, and in the ‘bank’ money is transferred from one person to another. They also each have a public transport card (Pim runs a bus company). They all have a mail box attached to their houses where the newspaper is delivered, plus fun magazines.

Here’s a photo of the bank, and the ‘Patent sheet’ used to protect their intellectual properties, to make their economy work. For example, Sara is the only one entitled to make sushi, chopsticks, dinner plates and magazines. Pim makes cars and televisions with remote controls. He also is the owner of the cash machine and publishes the newspaper. Ava makes telephones and debit cards and has made quite some money by selling her hand sewn pillows.

Isn’t this just adorable? They have such fun and I think it is just the sweetest and most creative thing ever. And so clever, with their patent system and the way they make their finances work!

Almost all of it is made with things they find in the recycling! The only things I needed to buy as they finished all of the supplies are masking tape, hot glue sticks and black duct tape.

Perhaps your children will be inspired to make something similar. If they do, please tag us as I would love to see their creations!

Have a happy weekend!

xxx Esther

The post Ava’s mouse house! A super fun (and extensive!) craft project. appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

If you’re in The Pijp and feel like some of the best pizza in town, look no further. Located in the middle of this hip and happening neighbourhood, Toni Loco offers a straightforward but successful formula: a small menu of seriously delicious pizza made from only the very best ingredients, combined with an excellent drinks menu and homemade gelato. What else could anyone wish for?

Both children as their parents will love the XL size American-Italian style pizza Toni Loco has to offer. Hand-tossed with a crunchy sesame crust, pizzas come with a selection of carefully selected authentic toppings of your choice. It is so fun to share your own tailor-made pizza with your family or friends! Sides are simple but great as well. Toni’s house salad is all there is for choice but it is all one needs since it’s perfect! While munching away the pizza, kids can have a lemonade while parents can try a local craft beer or an excellent glass of wine. Or, why not?, champagne. For desert, there’s home made ice gelato.

Not only the food is recommendable, the atmosphere is so fun too. Locals have already found their way to Toni Loco and people are constantly coming in to collect their take-away pizza while chatting happily away with the pizza maestros behind the counter. It does indeed feel like a local Italian pizza place at times!

xxx Esther

The post Toni Loco — a simple and fun formula for some of the best pizza in town! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.