Alexandra, Faas, Simon & Hella

 

What has changed in your life since you became a mother?
I don’t want to sound radical, but I think a lot has changed in the past five year. Live’s less spontaneous (at least for me, not for the kids) and I’m far less unprejusticied. But I don’t want to change a thing, being a mom of three great kids is the best!

What do you want to teach your child?
To love who they are and don’t change it for their environment. Every person has his or her shortcomings, but when you focus on your best characteristics you’re always be a happier person for yourself and the people around you. I’m always scared the fragile character of one of my boys is going to hurt him at least once in his life. I hope I taught him he to be happy with the open and honest heart he has.

Furthermore, I hope my kids will follow their dreams and use their skills. It took way to long for me to use mine as a profession. I only quit my job last year to to what I like best, creating with fabrics. My kids see my love and devotion in creating the most beautiful playmats. Although I’m quit busy with building a brand and improving my playmats, I hope they see I have fun in working.

What do you like most to do all together?
We always love making cookies or preparing diner in the kitchen. The kids are smart and know I love good food, and that’s how they get my attention. I try to make the cooking like a little game, we count and sing and try to guess what’s heavier, butter or eggs.

What’s the best thing about being a mother?
Being loved by them.

How would you describe your children?
Faas is a funny guy who can make you laugh with his beautiful bright face at the most awkward moments. Simon is the smart guy who is pretending eating his pasta but instead brought some chocolate at the table (never know how he does it). And little Hella is a sweetie, she is never complaining and loves to watch her big brothers play.

What did surprise you about motherhood?
My patience with them, and how that helps them to explore the world on their own.

What are you looking for when it comes to toys and playing?
Some might see me as a creep, but I hate bright colored plastic toys. In my opinion they are not fun to explore and most of all ugly to see. I love toys where you need use to your imagination to play with and can be used in different ways. We have loads of wooden building blocks. Simon is making a big pile and counts them. Hella is throwing them over. And Faas makes the most beautiful castles and space shuttles out of them. We are all playing and having fun at the same time.

What are your favourite places to take your kids to?
The beach on an early summer day, simply because there are no boundaries

What are the things you can’t live without since you became a mother?
Rain boots for me and the kids. Nothing worse than wet feet at the playground.

What’s your advice to all newbie moms?
Don’t try to keep your ‘old’ live, embrace your new one.

ALEXANDRA IS  WEARING:

What do you find difficult as a parent and how do you try to solve the difficulties?
Every step on the road is a challenge. Once you think you have managed it all, something changes by one or another and you can re-organize the routine and rethink how to coop with it. Life’s always in motion. Right now we are in the middle of nap-time/ no nap-time for our almost 3-year old. When he does sleep, he’s a sweet guy until bedtime, when he skips nap-time (because we run around to catch Faas from school and go to a judo-class) he is the little devil himself at dinner. We need to find a new daily balance in activities and moments to rest.

What’s your favourite moment of the day?
When they are all wearing a cute pj’s and we read a book together, I can feel their love when they are cuddling next to me. And afterwards a cup up tea on the coach… finally a moment of rest for myself!

How do you unwind? What is a nice treat for yourself?
Life’s sometimes quite hectic with three kids, a husband with a fulltime job and building my own business in playmats. I just need to take time off and be on myself. I always feel reloaded after an afternoon strolling around town. Clear my head and get new inspiration from the people passing by and the shops I visit.

What do you do to make sure everything is ‘in balance’, work, family, friends?
I want it all, like most of our generation’s women. But the thing is… you cannot have it all (augh).

 How do you combine motherhood and work?
That’s the hardest part of both motherhood and work. When I had my fulltime job, I wanted to be home with the kids. When I quit my job as a policy advisor at the government, I soon got restless and wanted to work again. For me there is no perfect balance, because I always feel to lack one part of me. What I do is ‘focus’: be with the kids, of be at work with my playmats. Don’t try to mix things up to much.

This sound quit organized and well-balances, but one day it works… the other day I mess up.

Name a couple of your favourite things in general. List a top 5.
Food, Friends, Fabrics, Fun and Family

Can you tell a little about how you decorated the kids room?
Our first nursery was perfectly balanced with wall paper of Ferm Living, a steel crib and perfect vintage commode. But by time passing by it more and more became a mix of IKEA and vintage stuff my mom kept over the years. Actually I do like this better. When I look at Snow White and her draws, made by my grandfather for my dad, I feel the criss-cross family connections. I recently added my playmats in both rooms. That’s their favourite place to play with cars and to read a book before bedtime.

What’s important to you interior-wise, when it comes to creating a home?
I want good looking and solid stuff for my home. I better invest in some design items than buying a cheap rip-off. I look at it most of the day, and it really irritates me of stuff is broken or not properly made. The cheap closets in the kids room is falling apart after five years, while our custom made doors in the living room are in perfect shape after these years.

Because I love quality for my own home, I hope my playmats are a solid contribution to many others and last in good shape. The fabrics and filling are of suburb quality and are selected for baby-snoozing and for toddlers building slides and forts. Having fun at home is the most important part for any interior.

Where do you shop for your kid(s)?
I make quite a few clothes myself, I have a big pile of fabrics waiting to be turned into little dresses and shorts. And I mostly go to Big & Belg in Amsterdam. It’s a fun place and love their brands (especially Mini Rodini, Mingo, Tiny Cottons and Munster).

What are your favorite clothing brands and stores?
Ai, you have to see my closet, it has a range from See by Cloe to H&M. I love fabrics that are just a little bit different from the regular and get weak by edgy prints and colors. I only have one LBD and loads of colorful ones. The shop that’s always a hit in COS (also for kids).

How do you stay in shape, physically and emotionally?
With running and fitness I have a love and hate relationship. I feel great when I’ve accomplished a goal (a distance or a weight). But somehow I cannot hold on to it. Lately I do Hot Yoga, which is the perfect balance for me to exercise (I sweat the hell out) and mindfulness. I always see things more clearly afterwards.

What’s the nicest piece of art you ever got from kid(s)?
The creative gene is not something I passed to my kids, sorry I only get the regular kids-works.

When does your heart melt?
The creative gene is not something I passed to my kids, sorry I only get the regular kids-works.

Which city do you like to visit and why?
I love to go to Berlin with the whole family upcoming spring. It’s such a vibrant city with great art, good food and fab family activities.  And I treat myself to a trip to Copenhagen, for business… but I actually want to go there just for fun.

What’s important for you when you go on holiday with family?
I love to go to Berlin with the whole family upcoming spring. It’s such a vibrant city with great art, good food and fab family activities. And I treat myself to a trip to Copenhagen, for business… but I actually want to go there just for fun.

What do you like about your partner as a father?
Pieter brings joy to the kids. When he comes home at night he drops his bag and starts wresting with the boys. He is playing like a kid himself, he loves it and the kids love it for sure!

How does your date-night look like?
Pieter and I most like to talk with each other (simply because if we are together there is one kid asking or telling something and another one is screaming) , so we go for diner or just for a couple of beers. We (try to) plan a date night at home once a week. When the kids are in bed I make a proper diner and with a good glass of wine we can spend the evening talking at the kitchen table. Love it!