Stung

We should have known, because if something looks to good to be true, usually it is, and there is a catch. Today we went to a local event where they were selling some cows and organizing some games for the kids. There was also a picnic area, and we were in luck. There was still one table available. Well, we thought we were in luck, until we got closer. Alex was the first because he set of running once we had spotted the table.

To my surprise he came back running even faster. Wasps! Wasps! he was screaming, and he was right. Alex had found a wasps nest, and they had stung him three times in the legs. Au!

Luckily there was an ambulance nearby, and Alex got some cold ice cubes applied to his legs, and the pain quickly subsided. Add a gift to make things better and the rest of the day was spend without incident.
Stung!

7 years!

Alex has his seventh birthday today and that calls for a big party. At times we have some difficulty with him, but if we look at the big picture we can only conclude that he did very very well the last year. At his school we turned out to be a very good student, even getting selected to be the personal aid for his teacher. At his music classes he turned out just a bit better than the other kids, so that as a reward he was selected to sit in the spotlights all the way up front at the closing concert. At taekwondo Alex got promoted two times within the year. First to white-yellow and a short while later to yellow.

Alex has worked hard and made tremendous improvements this last year. We have a boy that in situations of authority (like with teacher) is a very disciplined boy. In all he has deserved a birthday with a nice stack of presents.

Yellow

Alex has only recently started and he already got the yellow band. To get yellow he needed to learn a few taek wondo routines and execute them without any mistake during his exams. The exact movements are a mistery to me, so we could not help Alex, and still it all went perfect. *super proud*

Taek wondo – White Yellow

Taek Wondo - Wit Geel!Sport is not only fun, it is also very healthy. Alex goes to taek wondo twice a week, and these classes are basically running, jumping, doing obstacle courses and every now and then also kicking and hitting an imaginary enemy.

His taek wondo teacher is a nice man who has quite a bit of authority (great for getting all the kids in the class to behave). He knows very well how make all those kids behave and we can really see the discipline in all those kids. Sometimes the teacher gives a compliment, and you can almost see the complimented kid grow a little. Bad behavior results in a punishment of a couple of pushups or sitting on the side for a while without participating in the current game. Simple and effective.

After a little getting used to Alex is going really great. So good that after a couple of month he already had the basic 20 taek wondo moves down, and this is enough for a promotion to the white-yellow band!

*Proud*

Vlogging and real value

I feel like I don’t have much to tell the world, but thinking about this issue made me realize that is not really true. I did move from Holland to Spain to a new environment and basically a new life. This made my own personal insights a lot more valuable. My life lessons could and should be shared with the world, so we can all get (a little bit) better. Sadly I don’t really feel like sharing, I feel the content I can provide will not be up to the task, and I think/feel there would be a very limited interest, so I’ll pass.

On the other hand there is something in my life that is even more exciting. My sons Alex and Alan also live in two worlds. Dutch and Spanish influences that help shape their realities and their vision of the world around them. The views these two boys have of the world is not contaminated by prejudice, assumptions, fear and diplomacy. Their view is still youthfully naive and full of hope, trust and faith. This is much more interesting and represents the real value. Even if the actual content does not mean so much these are the raisins in the cake.

Coincidentally I have been making small movie clips of our kids since their births, so all the need is a little tweaking. We need to add an intro, and at the and a nice “See you next time!”, and they will have a super interesting vlog. Lets just give it a try.

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Taekwondo

More then a year ago we went to a tryout of Taekwondo with little Alex. The gym was very close by so it could have been perfect, but sadly Alex didn’t like it one bit. If fact after the first time just looking it was difficult to get his inside the building without protest.

Now, more than a year later the tables have turned. This time it was Alex who requested that we take him on a test class a the same Taekwondo gym we went last time. We were quite amazed by this turnaround, and we suspect it is because Alex’ friend Miguel also goes to Taekwondo and he already earned his yellow-white belt. Miguel was so positive about this sport that he somehow convinced Alex to give it a try. What could be better than a couple of hours of sports and discipline each week.

Big box

Box!It arrived! A big box was delivered to my home. I am very happy because I know what is inside. Do you know? The kids will be happy for sure, even though Alan will need to be a bit patient. He is still a little small for this box. Alex will be very happy, as it fits perfectly with the small collection he already has.

My problem now? How do I get a huge box (47cm x 55cm x 40cm) with number 75192, weighing about 15 kilos safely to Spain.