We don't have any toys in our house. Well, I guess there is the xbox, but we use that now for watching DVD's. I am not a huge gamer, but we do own two board games. Scrabble, and the only game I like: Rummikub. I got it for Christmas. Anybody want to come over and play it? 

Trash is interesting here in The Netherlands. For months after we moved into our apartment, there was a dumpster as construction crews were still working on the building next door. We now have these contraptions on our street. You put your trash in them and it disappears. Sometimes, household items are put out by them, but they almost always disappear into someone else's house before the garbage truck comes. 

When you get bigger bottles here, they charge you .25. If you return the bottles you get that money back. If you want a grocery bag here, you have to buy it. For other recycling, some grocery stores have mini recycling centers in front of them.

All and all, it is a pretty cool system. If only people would use it! There are some serious litterbugs here! 

*Disclaimer, this is not the breakfast I had today, this is actually the breakfast I had the first time I visited Den Haag (The Hague). I was by myself and had to get some papers legalized. So, I stopped by this little cafe and got all this for less than 3 Euros. Isn't the decor cute? 

I am not a big breakfast eater. Mornings for me are typically a pot of french-pressed coffee. On the weekends though, we try to do a nice brunch. Today, I had mini-baguettes with goat cheese and honey. I can tell a difference in the season just by the fact that I am eating a lot lighter! Maybe next weekend we will do some fresh fruit and slagroom (whipped cream) 

Any expats out there notice a huge change in their eating habits? 

• Day 19 of the March Photo Challenge, I showed the worst picture of me EVER taken!
• Day 20, was all about the cuteness that is my cat.
• Day 21, I posted my meatloaf. I'm making it again for the verlos- birthday so maybe you will get the recipe next week
• Day 23, oops I skipped a day! Was about the moon! Or, I got all sentimental! 
• Day 24, seagulls, they are everywhere! 

• I went to see the Hunger Games! 

I'm feeling a little under the weather, so instead of going to take a picture of the moon, I am posting this one Loek took for today's challenge. 

Whenever I look up at the moon, I remind myself that eventually tonight everyone in the world will see this same moon. It makes me feel not nearly as far away from people I miss. Every time I look up, I get one of these two songs from my childhood stuck in my head, so I thought I would share them.

I see the Moon and the Moon sees me,

And the moon sees the one that I can't see.

God Bless the Moon and God Bless me,

And God Bless the one that I can't see.

 

and "Somewhere out there" from Fievel Goes West

Somewhere out there,

beneath the pale moonlight,

someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight.

Somewhere out there,

someone's saying a prayer,

that we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there.

And even though I know how very far apart we are,

it helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star.

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,

it helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky.

Somewhere out there,

if love can see us through,

then we'll be together, somewhere out there,

out where dreams come true.

How do you deal with homesickness? 

Atti when I first got him vs. Atti in The Netherlands and all his cabinet climbing glory!