[-- I was scanning through a bunch of old stuff this morning and just happened to come across the following --]

Although Thea has an evening shift today, all the kids went to bed tonight without any major problems. I came home around 5:15 this afternoon, and as usual, Thea had "everything" organized perfectly. Most of the kids had had a bath, and they were waiting for my arrival. Sabien was a bit tired and was lying on the couch. Maarten was crawling around with a big smile, getting into everything. Marlies came downstairs and greeted me. Lennart was still in the bathtub, pretending he was a deep sea diver.

Thea had prepared a great spaghetti dinner, which we all consumed with much delight. Of course, Sabien ate out of a "potje", but since I was sitting next to her, I could easily spoon feed her without any problems. During the dinner, Maarten kept crawling to us, pulling himself up on our chairs, trying to reach up to the table top to grab spoons and forks.

A couple of days ago, a package from Clint with his old Game Boy plus accessories arrived in the mail. During dinner, I told Lennart that I had a "verassing" for him, but only if he ate his meal and cleaned up when he was done. Marlies kept asking me what it was, but I explained to her ten times that if I told her then it would not be a "verassing" anymore. Lennart was very obedient, and I’ve never seen him eat so well and clean up so quickly. We finished the meal and allowed Marlies to look for the package, playing the "cold-warm-hot" searching game. In no time, she found it in the closet under the stairs. Lennart opened the package with glee, surrounded by his sisters. Yes, it was the Game Boy as he had expected.

Unfortunately, there were not any batteries included. Lennart knew right away that I could buy them at the gas station around the corner. So I packed all the kids in the car, except Lennart, who had to inspect his new gift and stay at home. I sped to the gas station. Maarten was so cute in the front seat, smiling at me and reaching over to pull at my many arm hairs. I bought the four batteries. I felt that the girls also deserved something for being so good, so I bought them each a bag of "Venco Winegums".

The rest of the evening centered totally around the Game Boy, and at times it was a real battle who would play next. Even Sabien got involved. It is a very addictive gadget, and once one of them started, they refused to relinquish it. Finally, after having brought Sabien to bed, I sent Lennart to his room so that he could play in peace. I played a game of chess with Marlies, and she won as usual, as I helped her check-mate me.

Now all the kids are sleeping as snug as a bug in a rug. Thea returns at 11 o’clock. Until then I will try to entertain myself. That means playing Civilization on my PC and vegetating in front of the TV. My back is pretty sore, but at least tomorrow morning I don’t have to get up so early.

[-- Something I wrote way back in 1995, on September 1 to be exact --]

Winegums. Orca. Dutch licorice. You can't buy them in the United States. My wife and I filled our suitcases with the big see through plastic cones of winegums and the rest. I think I got rotator cuff problems from the weight. Plus the stroop wafels. And the oude jenever. Game Boys, on the other hand, are empty mind calories.

Ja, heel veel lekkernij, that's for sure. But what the heck is Orca?!

"Orca" is a trade name, I guess, particular kind of licorice at Albert Hein's, a long thin string of licorice wrapped in a wheel. "Orca" was the name on the bin. A whale of a piece of licorice.