Keeping Busy on an Airplane for 8+ Hours

Imagine yourself flying over the Atlantic, now you're stuck here for the next 8 hours...at least! We've done flights where we are stuck in one spot for 12. These flights aren't easy...quite frankly they suck, but are a part of life if you want to travel. Luckily for you...the teenager and I came up with a few ways to keep you entertained aside from zoning out to movies.

1. Play with your food. We always buy a pack of gummies before getting on a long flight, we like to close our eyes and either randomly pick a gummy or let the other person pick for us and we have to guess the flavor...or inappropriate shape 😂

   

   Only Haribo will do..we are neighbours with Germany...

   

   But, Haribo may want to rethink this *shape*...it really is scissors!
2. Meditate. We did a meditation where we turned in our seats to face each other (and we probably angered our sweet neighbour lol) or you can use an app like I do sometimes called meditations. We used both on this last flight and it was very calming. In fact, we both fell asleep for about two hours! 
3. Complete a YouTube Challenge. Normally I hate these but there are some super cute ones out there that can easily be done on an airplane, like the guess the emoji challenge. The biggest issue we had was keeping our laughter to a minimum so our seat mate didn't completely hate us! 
   
4. Have a reading challenge. Challenge your travel buddies to see who can read the most pages in their book. My teenager read an entire novella plus half a book. 
5. Make a list. Use this time to think up all the fun things you want to do at your destination...or less fun but necessary things you need to do once back home.
6. Have a wing shot photo contest. We love to take wing shots as we always seem to get the wing seats in the airplane, so take a few photos and see who gets the best one, if you two can't decide and your seat mate is nice get them in on the action or post to social media once you're on the ground!

   

   Sunrise...

   

   Sunset...anyone having flashbacks to their high school production of Fiddler on the Roof?! haha Seriously though, I love this photo, it feels very nasa-y. 

These are just a few of the ideas we came up with over our last few plane rides. They helped us keep entertained when the movie selection was no good.

What are your favorite things to keep you entertained on an airplane?

King's Day in the Netherlands

King's Day is a new name for this celebration...a short summary is King's Day came about after last year (2014) when Queen Beatrix abdicated the throne and her son, Willem-Alexander, took over. Previous to this it was Queen's Day. It stayed the same for two Queen's in a row, being held on 30 April, despite Queen Beatrix's birthday being in January.

So, this new celebration is held on the 27th of April now, know this people because inevitably people were showing up on the 30th and the celebration had come and gone. So, get with the program and know if you are planning a late April visit to the Netherlands (which I 100% recommend) be here for Kings Day on the 27th, 26th if the 27th is a Sunday.

So...moving on. We had a great time. I know I am writing about this late, but ya know, better late than never.

Our friends have an apartment down in the Jordaan, so we went there and our kids got to hang out and we got to hang out. It was a blast. There are a few things to remember for King's Day though:

1. If you want a night time party with lots of music on stage go the night of the 26th...music plays until about 3am, but know it will be crowded.
2. The morning of the 27th everyone sets out their stalls to sell pretty much everything they've saved up for the past year. This is the only day in the Netherlands where you can sell stuff without a vendor permit.
3. Be patient. Kids will be in your face to buy stuff and they will try to get to you buy access. Be firm but nice and they back off pretty quick. But, if they want to put a Dutch flag tattoo on your face for €2, just pay them and let them do it, it will totally make their day.
4. Be ready for a crowd. You know how I said the night before is crowded. The day of is too. You have to know you will be shoulder to shoulder, back to back, and you will get pushed. Keep your cool and just go with the flow...most of the time it gets you to the bar anyway so life is good.
5. Finally, above all...be patient and always have a smile. Will make for a wonderful day.

There was an oyster and caviar bar, it was right next to the champagne bar...coincidence...I think not!

Look at that crowd. It was really crazy..and all down the sides of those streets were people selling stuff!

So many people were on the canals. Personal boats and rented boats. They don't do any canal tours that day, they are only to rent a seat on for King's Day. You can also buy a ticket for a space on a party barge and they will have a DJ, drinks, etc.

We got the opportunity to walk among the vendors and talk to so many interesting people. For a lot of them this is a favorite day of the year. It is a wild party and you really get a good feel for the community of Amsterdam.

This was something someone was "selling". €2 and you could swing on the swing that had you swinging out over the canal! I tell you, the cultural experience you get here is an eye opener. I love it. But, hubby wouldn't let me swing sadly...can't say I really blame him.

Hubby and I checking out some architecture.

We ended the day with a look out from the rooftop of our friends building. They took this awesome photo of us.

If you decide to plan a trip to the Netherlands, I do feel the best time is the last weekend in April. You'll get to celebrate King's Day, see the tulips in bloom at Keukenhof Gardens, and you can enjoy a bike ride through the countryside.  

Spring truly is the best time of year for a visit...tell me, where do you live and when do you feel is the best time to visit? 

P.S, Linking up to: Tater Tots and Jello and Nap Time Creations.

Mother's Day Recap!

Mother's Day was so incredibly perfect this year. Most years we do the same thing: dinner out, maybe a movie or activity of my choosing and some gift giving. But this year, the activity choosing was out of my hands...let me explain...

The day started off with my friend and I participating in a local race. I won't even try to write the name of it, but we had a blast.

You don't have a race in Holland with out a windmill on the course!

....or some farmland...

My friend ran the 5k so was able to get some photos of me on the course!

This was the first time I'd run 6 miles consecutively in years.

I haven't run since. I need to rectify that. I need some running buddies me thinks.

They had a nice festival after with some delicious food.

A Pina Colada in a coconut!

A real burrito made by a real Mexican and some real BBQ ribs made by a Roy. Life was good this day.

After, we biked home I changed and met up with the kiddo and we went down to meet the hubby/her dad at his work. He was running behind so we grabbed some Starbucks..

White chocolate mocha bliss.

Then this pulls up:

How adorable are they?! That is my hubby and our friend Jim. They rented a boat for the day and surprised me...it was pretty epic!

Iconic bridge.

We had a nice ride around the canals.

Makes ya feel like your in there with me right?!

I must say we took a canal cruise last year right after Jim got here and it was ok, but not having the top on the boat really gave you a good look at the architecture.

Very pinterest worthy wine bottle trees...I bet they drank all that on King's Day.

There were tons of other people on the canal that day. After cruising for a solid 90 minutes I think we pulled over and had dinner at this place called Antonio's..it was really good and the service was amazing as well.

I did have something healthy that day!

Veggie lasagna? Yes, please!

We then got back into the boat and cruised around a bit more as the sunset.

I swear this is a different bridge! haha

This was almost a week after all the VE Day stuff, these were laid out on the 4th. All holocaust memorials were covered in flowers. This is the AIDS Memorial.

Going under on of the many bridges.

I love this city!

It truly was a very memorable day. I was even gifted a great top and a very cute skirt that if Amsterdam ever decides it wants to hold on to the warm weather I could actually wear the outfit sometime.

We hope you had a lovely day celebrating your mother in your life!

How did you celebrate Mother's Day? Does your family have any fun traditions?

Christmas Day Recap!

Now that we are done with the 2nd Day of Christmas, aka Boxing Day I thought I would do a recap! We had such a lovely, wonderful two days. Christmas, even with a teenager is still magical. It is so funny because sometimes, this "in between" time where they aren't really kids anymore but they aren't grown up are the times when we have to work harder to make it even more magical than we did when they were little.

My kiddo's birthday is 10 days before Christmas. She just turned 15, she is loving being "Santa" and giving gifts, but she is also still obsessed with the magic of Christmas as if she were 5. So...here is our recap of Christmas...

Breakfast

Since our kiddo is older, and there is just her we get up and have coffee and breakfast first. No presents are opened, just stockings. I've found this helps to extend things and gets the anticipation high!

Gift time.
Once breakfast has commenced and is cleaned up we begin opening presents. We guess at what we think it could be and then open.

Guessing first gets everyone involved and puts the spotlight on that gift.

As you can see for the kiddo her favorite was her Nike Air Force One's and her guitar. Due to having to replace her laptop for school in early November since it is a required item and being treated to an iPhone 6 when we started a new contract in the Netherlands. Christmas was smaller than we would normally make it, which I think made these two gifts all the better.

The Nike's she'd been asking for for months and I told her after her laptop she would just have to do without. I had these things in the closet for over a month, it was killing me not to give them to her! haha

YES!!!! hahaha I think this is the best one!

She has long been a music lover and had been asking for a guitar for months. This was a last minute purchase (thanks to a lovely woman on Marketplaats) and has brought her much joy. She is great at teaching herself to play and has devoted a few hours everyday to playing it.

For hubby, his favorite gifts were his Assasin's Creed Unity jacket and his Sandalwood shorts.

The jacket I found at this great store called Pop Cult on the Kalverstraat. Being a video game producer you can never have too much video game apparel and this is such a different item.

The Sandalwood shorts were a gift from my mom to him. Totally unexpected, as that is his old high school where he played basketball all 4 years of his high school career. He is very nostalgic about his school and was excited for this to be a surprise item!

As for me, no one ever takes pictures of me opening gifts, I need to change that next year! haha my two favorites are the special edition plum compact from MAC and this necklace my parents got me.

The compact I found months ago at MAC but didn't treat myself too...not sure why just didn't want to splurge so for hubby and the kiddo to remember that meant a lot...plus, look how pretty and sparkly it is!!!

It is also so versatile. With my brown eyes these are great day colours in the top row and fantastic night colours in the bottom.

Plus, look at the new brushes the compacts come with! I love the blender...I will never lose this thing! haha

This Brighton necklace from my parents is a gem. The background is topaz, my birthstone and the back says:

...which is me completely. To find something that described me so well and to buy and send it to me really meant a lot.

After opening gifts I did my daily workouts: Cardio Recovery. No photos but woke up boxing day with sore ribs and back!

After that we got dressed and headed out to dinner and to the movies the movies.

We went out to the Bijlmer ArenA area, they had some adorable Christmas Decor up and hubby and the kiddo were goofballs as usual.

Dinner was at this great little restaurant called Mamaris....check back Wednesday for the in-depth review! It was fantastic and just what we needed for Christmas Day!

After dinner we decided to treat ourselves to Unlimited Gold Passes at our local theater.

We did this for a couple of reasons: 1) we have a teenager that is constantly asking for money for movies so this will resolve that problem 2) we never go to the movies because they are so expensive, this eliminates that 3) hopefully this will help hubby deal with not having a proper surround sound and a 60" television.

So far we've seen The Hobbit in IMAX 3D and Mockingjay, Part I. Totally worth the €26 a month!

When we got home we decided to cuddle up and watch The Santa Claus and drink cocoa...

We ended with the lights off enjoying the glow of the tree...

How were your holidays? What do you celebrate this time of year?