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Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM
Last-minute getaways...
Cookie Magazine's Going Places blog is featuring a week of last-minute getaway ideas, perfect for the holiday time.  All their ideas are for easy-to-plan and relatively affordable holidays with kids. The four of us have written about a quick, last-minute getaway from each of our cities.  Check it out here, and also make sure to ...
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AMSTERDAM
La Savonnerie
I love soap. And, much to my husband's chagrin, I love soap shops! A beautiful soap shop here in Amsterdam is La Savonnerie, where soap is being made by hand, the traditional way -- all with natural ingredients and all hand-stamped! Many, many, many beautiful bars of soap can be found here, in the most gorgeous shapes, colours ...
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AMSTERDAM
Ice skating in Amsterdam
Ice-skating has a long history in the Netherlands, and there is no child in this country who didn't grow up learning how to skate! Of course this would happen the old-fashioned way: on 'botjes' (double-bladed skates) and holding on to a chair to remain balanced. Traditionally, children living alongside the many rivers or canals in the ...
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AMSTERDAM
Sinterklaas is in the country!
Last Sunday we took our children to witness the arrival of Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) here in Amsterdam. He traveled in his private steamboat from Spain, where he resides, and changed for horseback as soon as he reached the city's shore. Escorted by over 600 'Zwarte Pieten' (Black Peets) he rode through the city, waving at thousands of ...
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AMSTERDAM
Bing Bing Bing
I have a fellow blogger here in Amsterdam who really has an amazing eye for kids' style! Sophie Chalumeau takes daily pictures of the looks of Amsterdam's cool and cute kids, very often in our city's great Vondelpark. Think Sartorialist, only for children! Totally addictive, and totally interesting! Sophie also had a little online conversation, interview style, with the 4 of us; ...
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AMSTERDAM
Cumin cheese
The Dutch are pretty famous for their cheeses. The 'normal' Gouda cheese is well known internationally, and also the plain Edam cheese is pretty much available in better cheese shops all over the world. A cheese I have never found abroad though is 'komijnekaas' ('cumin cheese') -- basically a Gouda or Edam cheese with cumin seeds in ...
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AMSTERDAM
Het Huis van Aristoteles
Amsterdam has a new attraction for kids and it is so great we immediately added it to our 'top five things to do in Amsterdam'. Het Huis van Aristoteles ('The House of Aristotle' - named after the famous philosopher and inventor of the senses), is a children's museum which offers activities 'that challenge the senses and ...
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AMSTERDAM
Luukie/Xsmall
One of my favourite kiddie shoe shops here in Amsterdam has always been, without a doubt, the super cool shop Luukie. At Luukie, they always have shoes in their collection that I love. (And I am picky!) I like kids' shoes to be quite traditional, but with a modern twist, which is why I love Italian ...
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AMSTERDAM
Macrobiotic goat farm Ridammerhoeve
On the southern outskirts of Amsterdam is a huge park/woodland called the 'Amsterdamse Bos' (Amsterdam Forest). It offers great activities for kids, like swimming pools, playgrounds, a theater, a pancakes restaurant, and one of our family's absolute favourite outdoor activities in Amsterdam: the macrobiotic goat farm 'Ridammerhoeve'. The beauty of this goat farm is that it is really, in all reality, a ...
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AMSTERDAM
Keet in Huis
KNSM island used to be quite a rough and industrial part of the Amsterdam harbor before it was transformed into a very cool residential island, and nowadays, this is where you can find one of the finest kid's lifestyle shops of Amsterdam: Keet in Huis. Keet in Huis ('Mess in the House'), sells everything from furniture, bed linen, interior accessories, baby buggies, ...
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AMSTERDAM
De Bakkerswinkel
These days we just love meeting friends for breakfast or brunch on a weekend morning. Breakfast is probably my favourite meal of the day to start with, but besides that, early in the day my kids are still well rested and thus more enjoyable (as opposed to overall crankiness at dinner time)! Also, like every other parent ...
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AMSTERDAM
Le Fournil
This past Saturday morning my ? husband treated me, our daughter and my hangover to a lie-in, and took our toddler son out for an early-morning stroll toward one of our neighbourhood treasures: Le Fournil. Le Fournil is the first original French bakery in the Netherlands, and it is immensely popular. Getting fresh bread on a ...
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AMSTERDAM
The Hollandsche Manege
The Hollandsche Manege translates to 'The Dutch Riding School', and the manner in which it is spelled (in Dutch) conveys that we are talking about an OLD riding school here. The building, based on the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and located on the Northern edge of the Vondelpark, dates back to 1882 and was ...
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AMSTERDAM
De Taart van m'n Tante
Yesterday I took my little family for a treat: we went to 'De Taart van m'n Tante' (Cakes of my Aunt) for coffee and cake. 'De Taart van m'n Tante' is not just an ordinary tearoom with your everyday kind of cake -- in fact, it might be the most kitschy tearoom of Amsterdam, with ...
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AMSTERDAM
De Parade
Once a year, a magical event hits the city of Amsterdam... De Parade! Although 'De Parade' does translate into 'The Parade', it is nothing like one - it is in fact a theater festival, disguised in an old-fashioned looking fair ground! 'De Parade' offers a mix of art, theater, film, magic, comedy and music, together ...
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AMSTERDAM
Raining? Go tropical!
The Tropenmuseum (Tropical Institute) of Amsterdam is one of those museums where you walk in and feel the grandeur of what once was... I have that same feeling in similar beautiful buildings, like the Natural History Museum in London, or the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Brussels... It's about anthropology, discovery, history, about dangerous ...
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AMSTERDAM
Strand Zuid
Last week we finally had a nice and warm, summery day in the Netherlands, so a girlfriend and I took our children to one of the hip & cool city beaches here in Amsterdam: Strand Zuid (South Beach). Behind the (big & ugly) congress centre, 'Amsterdam Rai', and on the border of the Beatrix Park ...
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AMSTERDAM
Tony Chocolonely
Since we moved back to the Netherlands, about half a year ago, I've noticed these brightly-coloured 'Tony's Chocolonely' chocolate bars around. The wrapping is very garish and in-your-face (cool though), and not at all like the packaging I usually go for in Chocolate Land (meaning matte dark-brown paper, golden accents and names like 'La Maison ...
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AMSTERDAM
Airport fun...
If you're flying with children, make sure that you check the website of the airport you depart from beforehand. With kids, it's advisable to arrive at the airport in time; not only to avoid stress (and fights with your husband :-)), but also to make sure that you get good seats (meaning next to each ...
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AMSTERDAM
Issa
Every now and then, when I really don't feel like cooking and it is still early in the evening, we take the kids to Issa, a little Japanese restaurant around the corner from us here in Amsterdam. This restaurant is particularly popular in our family because not only do we all love Japanese food (even ...
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AMSTERDAM
Praq
Last weekend Courtney came to visit us with her family - such fun! Thankfully the weather in Amsterdam was nice for a change, so on Saturday we loaded all the children on the bikes, and off we went to our favourite kid-friendly restaurant: Praq. Praq is located along the Amstel river in the beautiful little ...
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AMSTERDAM
White asparagus
It's that season again! Currently, white asparagus is available all over the Netherlands... Originally from the south of the Netherlands (which is considered the asparagus epicenter of the country), I remember that as a small child eating the first asparagus of the season was considered a 'special meal'! And this special meal usually took place ...
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AMSTERDAM
Tall people
When I was living in New York City, about 5 years ago (gosh, time flies), I considered myself reasonably tall (I'm 1.76m, or 5'-9") compared to the average American gal. And my husband, with his 1.91 m (6'-4") literally stood out of the average crowd... Until we would go to the monthly NL borrels gathering, ...
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There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing! We love these 3 in 1 scampsuits by @muddypuddlesuk that are waterproof!
9 months ago
Homemade Happy Halloween bunting made from stamps! So simple with a few materials and so effective too! Craft link in bio.
9 months ago
One week until Halloween… we can’t wait to make our traditional Brown Butter Maple Pecan Popcorn! Link in bio.
9 months ago
Make your own super-sized spiderwebs!!! Just paper & scissors. Decorations, games, and fun to follow! Spin the spider on the spiderweb even. Link in bio to make this amazingness!
9 months ago
Sustainable halloween costumes – dressing up capsule tips! See our archive post, link in bio. We love this one!
9 months ago
Two autumn bakes to warm up the soul, see our new post, link in bio.
9 months ago
Slow Sunday = simple and relaxing leaf rubbings. All you need are some leaves (very newly picked or pressed ones), think copy paper, and a writing tool. Make tjem@into cards to send to loved ones. ️ Link in bio for full post.
9 months ago
The best way to avoid pre-bought Halloween costumes that aren’t environmentally friendly… make your own! But finding the time is another thing. So why don’t you make superhero leaf masks this year. Go for a walk. Collect leaves. Press them this weekend, and then decorate them in a week or so. What a great way to embrace Autumn and have fun! Totally free too. Your superpower, a creative & cool solution! 🦸‍️ 🦸‍️ 🦸‍️🦸‍️🦸‍️ Link in bio from @soloskates lovely post a few years ago!
10 months ago
Pretty sure pumpkin season is in full effect. Try our Pumpkin Laksa, yum!
10 months ago
Do you know our gorgeous #babyccinoboutiques ? This one, MookieMerino offers a premium and luxurious baby sleep bag made of pure organic merino wool. @mookiemerino is award-winning sleeping bag is perfect for all four seasons, lightweight, safe, extremely soft on the skin and unisex.
10 months ago
Like a cross between a donut and a pancake. What's not to love?! Here's the recipe that has been in our family for generations.
3 weeks ago
Decorating children’s bedrooms is an opportunity to be more playful and fun with accessories, colours and decor. Here are 10 tips for decorating a room that reflects your child and looks cute too. 💛
3 weeks ago
Multiplication flowers! Get your kids to draw these pretty flowers and they will learn their math at the same time! A great creative activity.
3 weeks ago
Children’s art is so cute, and of course it’s so unique. No one else will have an art piece like yours! Why not use it to make your home a reflection of the people who live there. Here are some fun ways to display your children’s art in your home.
3 weeks ago
This is a fun and easy knitting project for kids. My mum taught this to me and my siblings and we used to knit our own slippers each winter. It’s a great project for beginner knitters, and easily adjustable for different sizes of feet.
3 weeks ago
If your teens are anything like mine, you’ll find their reluctance to doing chores has grown and their attentiveness to doing things well has deteriorated. Here are some helpful tips to encouraging your tweens & teens to help out around the house.
3 weeks ago
Ask any busy mother who works from home — it certainly isn’t as easy as it sounds! Whether working from home is your norm or your new normal, here are some helpful tips for making the most of it whilst juggling family demands on the side.
3 weeks ago
Do you feel like your children’s stuff is taking over your home? Do your kids have too many toys? Here are some helpful tips for reducing the clutter.
3 weeks ago
Tried and tested family games your kids will love!
3 months ago
Use an egg carton to create a rainbow scavenger hunt for your toddler. All they have to do is find an object of the right colour!
3 months ago
Here’s a video of our latest ShopUp in East London (shot and edited by our lovely and talented friend Nadine Brandt). It encapsulates the ShopUp atmosphere really, really well, and it makes us so excited for the next one!
4 years ago
Our beautiful new book, '9 months: A month by month guide to pregnancy' for the family to share, is AVAILABLE NOW! You can order it here: UK: http://amzn.to/2n6eCT7 / US: http://amzn.to/2nVWOZo / AUS: http://bit.ly/2nDYggy
5 years ago
Check out our new book! 9 months: A month by month guide to pregnancy for the family to share. PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY HERE: UK: http://amzn.to/2n6eCT7 / US: http://amzn.to/2nVWOZo / AUS: http://bit.ly/2nDYggy
5 years ago
Check out the cool vibes of our Shop Up event in London in December!
5 years ago
Our 2nd live shopping event in Brooklyn was amazing! Great shopping, delicious treats, tons of kids activities and a super cool family photo booth!
5 years ago
Esther shows us her recipe for delicious mint syrup.
5 years ago
Our live shopping event in London at Chelsea Old Town Hall in 2015 was a big success and so much fun.
5 years ago
Here we show you how to harvest rhubarb from the garden, and make it into a delicious compote. If you make oatmeal at the same time, you have made a delicious and nutritious breakfast that your family will love! (Ours do!)
6 years ago
This gym bag is such a fun and easy project, also for beginners this is a nice sewing project. Esther, Emilie and the kids had so much fun going to the market choosing all the supplies. The fabrics from Little Cube are the cutest!
6 years ago
Our first live shopping event in Brooklyn was a great success. We loved seeing the best boutiques under one roof, combined with great food and fun activities...and some dancing! Hope to see everyone this year again on September 18th & 19th at 501 Union, 501 Union Street in Brooklyn.
6 years ago