ABOUT US

I live with my 6 children and their father in The Netherlands.
It's a little country that can be found this way:
point your finger at the middle of England, go to the right, cross the water, and there it is, before Germany.
We live in the town of my birth, in a house that feels to be too little.
We're all fond of ballet. Lars even went to the balletacademy for over 5 years. The girls enjoy their balletlessons.
I myself have danced a lot in the past and restarted when I was 42. Four years ago I had to stop because of health problems. I had been able to manage asthma, anemia and hyperhomocystenemia quite well, even during pregnancies, but diabetes and hemochromatosis were too much. After diabetes was diagnosed I started to "grow", and now I feel like I'm in the wrong body. I still feel the thin balletdancer! LOL!
I'm a clinical psychologist and for many years I have been working with parents of deceased babies, parents with high risk pregnancies and those who work with these parents professionally. I'm the first birth-counseller, and I'm gratefull that the importance of this work is accepted now and spreading.
I'm writing: work, but I've never asked money for it, because it's my opinion that grief councelling should be available to everybody, and not only to those who can pay the bills.
Which means that we have to turn each coin, each month.
I'm in the middle of starting an advice practice for parents of children and adolescents who might have ADHD, PDD-NOS, or autism.
I have a lot of hobbies, and internet is one of them. Through internet I have met some wonderful friends, and I can't do without them. I hope to be able to meet them... someday... somewhere....

The youngest two are twingirls of 10 years old. They were born as rhesusbabies.
They love ballet, playing with barbies (real and fake), drawing, glueing together everything than can be glued lol!
Their room is a multicoloured heaven on earth, with a large moon hanging above their bed, and dolls and bears about everywhere.
They love pink and a matching rubyred, but they didn't mind the lighter pink, purple and turqoise too!
They've started learning to play bagpipe, so we three can make music together.

The next one is Nyo, a boy of 13 years young. He's diagnosed with PDD-NOS and strong autistic features, which is called here autistic too.
He looks like Harry Potter and always attracts lots of attention when we go to town.
The people on the road to school and those at school are used to his looks.
He visits a school for children with special needs.
We were lucky to have found him a place there.
Before that he went to a normal school and the troubles started when he had a teacher weho didn't understand children like him.
I even homescholled him, which is forbidden in our country under normal circumstances.
He's very bright.
His hobbies are: the computer, the computer and the computer. LOL!
Puberty turned out to be a very bad time for him, so we saw no other way than to try medication.
He uses Risperdal and does far better. A therapist is trying to teach him what I couldn't. Sometimes a stranger is more lucky. Up till now she hasn't had much luck. LOL!

Thami is 15. He's got an informationprocessing disturbance, resulting in, among others, ADHD and dyslexia.
He now visits the same school as Nyo and does very well.
He want to become a paramedic, which means that he still has a long way to go.
He loves playing games and watching movies with his friends.
Last year he's been to Bulgaria with a dance ensemble that dances Bulgarian dances.
The ensemble stopped, much to our regret. Thami, though, is looking for another group to dance with.
He has had balletlessons many years so we're confident if he'll find something he'll be admitted.

Lars is 16. Wants to become a photographer.
His puberty isn't a very noiseless time. Right now he's growing his hair. Yea, up till the moment I cut it when he's asleep!
He's a skateboarder and specialised in videoing and photographing skateboarders.
It started with imitating me photographing ballet.
It's a thrill to be able to put movement into a single photo.
If you want to hire him, do!

The oldest boy is Stef, 19 years. He's got ADD and Asperger.
The ADD interferes with a normal schoolcarreer and we can only hope he'll pass the school he attends now.
Meaning he will be working at his hobby: computers.
I know so much from computers because I wanted to know what he was doing. LOL!

I also am mother of Jenny and Winnie, who have died, and I had four miscarriages. About two I know more: one of twins, and one of a boy.

Jim is their father, works 4 days at a council in the middle of the country.
He's got undiagnosed ADD and Asperger too. It became more obvious when he grew older.
He isn't the man he used to be anymore at all.
It ruined our marriage.
We're only married on paper.
I'm lucky his hobby is buying groceries. LOL! So I'm not doing "everything" alone.



We live in a house that is far too little, but the neighbourhood is good and quiet. There's a railwaystation nearby, shops, and the school of the girls.
And I have a garden, my garden. With the very old willow, that has the feel of a holy tree.