Do you still have your eyes closed? Oh, no, please open them. We need our eyes open to see this picture. Here we can see Horea, almost 8 years old, in the centre of Europe, Ukraine and his mum. What do you think his mimic express?

I am still wondering. Is the centre of our continent really there? Hmmm…But until we can check for real using a compass and a map, we can have a look at Ukrainian flag together and learn more about this country. Have a look at the picture. What can we notice?

The flag has two colours: blue and yellow. These colours are arranged in two congruent rectangles. Or we can say it in a different way, the same way as it is stipulated in the Constitution of Ukraine, Article 20: the flag of Ukraine is a banner of two equally sized horizontal bands of blue and yellow. Is this clear for you or I have confused you already?

Now, I am wondering why having these colours on the flag? Are these colours picked randomly or they have a special meaning? Is blue any kind of blue or a special blue? Is yellow any kind of yellow or a special yellow?

Yes, you are right. They have a special meaning and these are special colours.

Why blue? Not any kind of blue, azure blue. When you are seeing blue what are you thinking of? Yes, the sky. So the blue represents the wide blue sky, streams, and mountains of Ukraine. What about yellow? Yep, not any kind of yellow, but golden yellow… Any ideas what the yellow colour might represent? Golden yellow symbolizes the golden wheat fields and the richness of the earth that characterize this country.

So, we can say that the Ukrainian flag represents the azure blue sky above the golden yellow field of wheat. Can you picture this into your mind? How does it look? You may want to draw a painting with the landscape you have designed with your imagination.

This flag as we can see it now is not very old. It has been adopted on 1992, so it has around 20 years old. But the use of these colours is going back in the history with more than 170 years when the Ukrainian people wanted to gain their independence from Austria-Hungary dominance. But soon after this struggle, Soviet Russia conquered Ukraine and the flag was prohibited until 1991 when Ukraine was declared independent. What a joy! People were dancing and singing on the streets. Why do you think they were so happy?

Isn’t that amazing how much the flag of a country can tell us about its history, its people, and its values and believes? It is fascinating indeed. Now go and pick up a paper, a ruler, a pencil, and two coloured pencils: azure blue and golden yellow. YAY! You are going to draw the Ukrainian flag.

We can do this together now or later on, when you are ready for this activity. If you feel like do it now, let’s do it.

Sources:

1. The Lonely Planet, Geographical Centre of Europe - Monument in Rakhiv (https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ukraine/the-carpathians/rakhiv/attractions/geographical-centre-of-europe/a/poi-sig/1383331/360939)
2. Wikipedia, Flag of Ukraine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ukraine)
3. World Atlas, Flags, Symbols & Currency of Ukraine (https://www.worldatlas.com/flags/ukraine)

So, without any bookings made, without any other ideas in the middle of the night, our first stop was an island near Trogir.

Parking in Okrug Donji, Croatia – useful information

Location:

• address: 15 Ulica Zrinsko Frankopanska, 21223 Okrug Donji, Croatia
• GPS coordinates: Latitude: 43.4922.86; Longitude: 16.208082

Website: not available

Camping size: this is not a camping, just a regular parking between two beaches. There are 20 spots for parking (as per park4night.com), but I would say there were more than that, around 40.

Dedicated space for one camping spot: as this is just a parking there are no dedicated spots 

Opening hours: all year round, 24 h

Prices as of 2021: free

Animal friendly: there are two beaches close to each other; on one of them dogs are welcomed

Kids friendly: being just a parking, I would say it is not very friendly with children

Facilities for free: toilets, shower with cold-water

Facilities with extra cost: there is a small bar and restaurant with a view over sea

Good to know:  there is lots of dust in the parking due to lack of pavement; the beaches are clean and with some shades from the bushes and the pine trees.

You will love:

• Staying near the sea and waking up with a splendid view
• Enjoying the sunset and shooting nice pictures
• Enjoying a good wine on the beach hearing the sound of the waves

So, I really recommend this parking which is situated on the west part of Island Ciovo. The island of Ciovo is connected to mainland by the bridge in ancient Trogir. Okrug Donji is the smallest place on Ciovo island.

We have enjoyed our 3 nights stay here. But on our last morning somebody came to let us know there is not a camping and we have to leave. The man was really polite. There were also other two campers in the same parking.

The second place was a campsite chosen by Bogdi, near the second largest artificial lake in Croatia, located in inland Dalmatia, south of the source of the River Cetina.

Camping Peruča, Croatia – useful information

Location:

• address: Garjak 1, 21236 Vrlika, Croatia
• GPS coordinates: Latitude: 43.9051; Longitude: 16.44431

Website: Camping Peruča

Camping size: an area of 40.000 m² with grasslands. You can choose where to stay, the pitches are not delimited.

Dedicated space for one camping spot: there is no predefined dedicated space

Opening hours: non-stop as there are no gates or barriers to enter the camping and there is a self check-in service; the campsite is open from April until October as per park4night.com

Prices as of 2021: 

• 160 KUNA (HRK) (22 Euro) (at the moment only payable with cash).
  • Prices include camping pitch for 2 persons, toilet/shower, water, electricity, waste/disposal, tourist tax
• Extra Person:  40 KN (5 €)
• Children (7-12 years old): 40 KN (5 €)
• Children up to 7 years.: free
• Pets up to 2 per pitch: 20 KN (2,5 €)

Animal friendly: pets are more than welcomed; there is also a facility where they can be washed.

Kids friendly: the campsite does not have any playgrounds created by man, only the ones created by nature ; the lake is near the campsite, while the forest and the grass land can be explored by children. We had used the time to explore the leaves, the insects, the birds. We have seen how a cross spider was building its web and how it was eating its prey.

Facilities for free: electricity and water, WC/hot showers, dish washing basins, dog wash, camper-disposal/sewage

Facilities with extra cost: there was a vending machine with some snacks, juices, beer, coffee, and hot chocolate

Good to know: we have enjoyed this campsite during high-season, it was not crowded at all. You should have the exact amount of money you have to pay for your staying as the check- in service is a self one, which means you leave the money in an envelope and deposit it with the check-in details in a secured box.

During night the electricity is turned off.

You will love:

• The 40.000 m² of grasslands and forests at Peruča Lake
• The fantastic canopy of stars you can enjoy during night
• The wonderful nature which can be explored by children and you can create a wonderful educational experience
• Stunning panoramic view at Dinara and Svilaja mountains & Peruča Lake
• Splashing the water of Peruča Lake; you can also swim in the lake
• The tranquility and the relaxation you will get
• The shades from the trees
• Many activities like rowing, kayaking, standup-paddling, diving, horse riding, hiking, mountain biking, road cycling, fishing, natural rock climbing are available either at the camping site, either near by. Unfortunately, this year not many activities were available. It might be due to pandemics.

So, I really recommend this place for the immersion in nature you can get, for the tranquility and the sound of wind, the songs of birds and insects. I got the most amazing pictures from campsites here, enjoying the sunset over the lake.

You can see in our pictures that Peruča Lake level of water was very low this season. And I cannot help myself thinking: what are we doing to our home?

The next one was a small camping close to Krka National Park. We have spent only one night here.

Camping "Camp Europa", Croatia – useful information

Location:

• Address: 222222 Rupe, Croatia
• GPS coordinates: Latitude: 43.913502; Longitude: 15.9457

Website:  not available

Camping size: 25 pitches (as per park4night.com)

Dedicated space for one camping spot: the pitches are not delimited and you can take as much space as desired, but of course keeping in mind the other guests

Opening hours: non-stop as the gate is always open

Prices as of 2021: 100 KN (13.5 €) per night

Animal friendly: pets are welcomed

Kids friendly: there was a pool available for adults and children as well

Facilities for free: electricity and water, WC/hot showers, dish washing basins, camper-disposal/sewage, pool access

Facilities with extra cost: 20 KN (2.5 €) for washing your clothes

Good to know: This is a small campsite, near the main road, but very tranquil, with a nice pool, and the owners are very friendly and eager to help. You will be able to find shades and what I really liked were the different designed areas to enjoy your meals which were covered by plants. They were the perfect spots to run away from sun's rays.

You will love:

• The pool for sure during the hot days
• Enjoying birds’ song, insects
• The owners are very helpful and eager to help. They had improvised a clothes dryer for us: using a rope and two trees close to our van.

So, I really recommend this camping if you are planning to relax in a pool or you want to pay a visit to Krka National Park. Also, there are many bicycles trails around.

The last choice was a very large camping, in Šibenik, at sea side. We have spent here our last 3 nights.

Camping "Solaris Camping Resort", Croatia – useful information

Location:

• Address: 43 Ulica Braće Nakić, Šibenik, Croatia
• GPS coordinates: Latitude: 43.698799; Longitude: 15.878

Website: Solaris Camping Resort

Camping size: 729 pitches (as per park4night.com)

Dedicated space for one camping spot: the pitches are delimited and the space is between 80 and 120 m²  depending on the zone where you choose your pitch.

Opening hours: the campsite is open from April until October as per park4night.com

Prices as of 2021:  we have paid for a pitch in zone A closer to the beach, for two adults and one child in August (high season) and a van: 82 €/night; the final price for a pitch depends on so many variables (how close to the beach you are, is there high season, the age of the child, the numbers of children, do you have a pet or not?, etc) and my suggestion is to go on their website and simulate a booking to get the most accurate price.

Animal friendly: pets are welcomed, but for an extra fee

Kids friendly: there was a pool available for adults and children as well; on the beach there was a small playground (Horea hasn't showed any interest on it); as an extra cost, there was a sea aquapark.

Facilities for free: electricity and water, WC/hot showers, dish washing basins, camper-disposal/sewage, pool access

Facilities with extra cost: 

• restaurants and supermarket available on the campsite
• laundry facilities: washing and drying
• sea aquapark 

Good to know: This is a huge campsite, with many facilities, but also noisy, with loads of traffic inside the campsite. 

You will love:

• The pool for sure during the hot days
• The beach and the proximity of things: aqua park, supermarket, restaurants
• The children's play ground
• The squirrels playing in the pine trees

To be honest, this is the only campsite we are going to avoid for the future. It is too expensive for what it offers, plus, for us the smaller campsites are more cozy and private, offering us the needed tranquility we are looking for.

The first impression when you have reached here was a nice one, we have occupied our pitch, close to sea and pool, big enough, under the pines, clean restrooms. But then the evening had come: we had to use the showers, the restrooms, the common spaces. They were not that clean anymore, they were showing their ages as well.

The night was really noisy as a group of adolescents were screaming, partying in the pool area though this area was closed. I can put myself in their shoes, but there were families with children, elder people, young people who wanted to rest. The cars were passing by our pitch often ... so my sleep was vanished, but also the first impression of the campsite.

The pool was not very clean, we have seen also poop near the pool. I have announced a waitress about this situation, but her reaction was very casual and normal, as poop near pool is something usual.

Disclaimer: The reviews published on this website are intended solely for the purpose of providing general information and comments, and they are PURELY OUR OPINIONS. We cannot guarantee that these reviews are still accurate at the point of reading, up to date, or free from error.

It is difficult to find a campsite which is 100% designed for everyone expectations. Also one person may love a busy campsite with lots of activities, while someone else may love a quiet campsite close to nature. Actually we tend to be the latter!

So what we have done is to highlight the good points of the campsites and maybe point out a few of what we have found as slightly negative points. However we strongly recommend that you make full use of internet sources before deciding about your holiday, including other review sites, Google maps, etc.

With Love and Gratitude,                                                                                                                                      Simina Șerban

It was 23.09.2019, a sensational Saturday for us.

We have started thinking about what this day will be from the moment we bought our tickets. Until then, we haven't been to a TED event so we didn't know exactly what to expect, but the list of speakers was impressive and the theme of the edition very exciting: BUILDING BRIDGES.

Besides the fact that it was a sensational day , as I said before, it was also quite difficult for us. Once because we came to Baia Mare after 2000 km road trip in 3 days, and the second reason because we had to activate our sleeping neurons to "take" with us everything that was presented. The whole event had a very strong impact on us. We met SUPERHEROES!

You probably think that I'm exaggerating, but in my opinion, nowadays, the people who ACT are superheroes. Let's take it gradually and try to find the superpower of each speaker.

EDUARD NOVAK

SUPER PERFORMANCE. If I would design a dictionary, in this dictionary for the definition of super performance, you would find written in bold: EDUARD NOVAK. Even though he entered the stage alone, his presence made it seem that there was a whole band. CONFIDENCE, COMMON SENSE, DECISION and COURAGE were each in their place in the orchestra sensationally directed by the champion.

The story of this superhero's life made me realize that we, humans, have no limits. We have only barriers created by our own minds. I felt Eduard Novak's human quality also after his speech, in a break when I timidly approached to congratulate him for everything he has done and built, but also to thank him for his kindness to share with us everything he had experienced. Without making me feel weird, he has talked to me for a few minutes, strengthening everything I felt while he was on the stage.

GASPAR GYORGY

One of Gaspar Gyorgy's superpowers, as he declares, is CURIOSITY. It helps us build connections. Connections between us and other people, between us and our feelings, between us and everything around. If we want to try to develop this ability, we must pay close attention to "the way we are curious." Curiosity can also be toxic. But, if it is guided by empathy, it can create magic. Another piece of advice that remained stuck in my mind after Gaspar's presentation was that the suffering lived in solitude is heartbreaking, but the one lived in the presence of a trusted person is life-changing... so true .

MELANIA MEDELEANU

Sometimes for children, sometimes for parents, sometimes for parents and children, Melania Medeleanu is the good fairy. She does not have a magic wand to do the good deeds. She has an iron will through which she coordinates people who believe in the same values ​​and who have the same unstoppable desire to be kind and good. If a project in which Melania truly believes ends up in her hands, it is known from the beginning that everything that is humanly possible will be done so that the project will be completed. The satisfaction of people who will benefit from it is a priority.

Even though during the presentation Melania had a trembling and full of emotion voice, she transmitted enormous energy and power to the audience. She made us realize how important is to make decisions, whether they are good or bad, radical or simple, making a decision is the most important step. It is actually the moment when we get up from the chair and start acting in one direction.

WALTER UBELHART

Many of us have the impression that if they set out on a journey in life they can no longer change their direction. They have the feeling that if they make a change of 180 degrees (or maybe only 45 degrees), everything around them will collapse and they won't be able to start over. You have to know that it is not our fault . Our brain makes us always choose the most beaten and known path.

Living proof of the fact that changes of direction can be made in life and that you can be successful after that is Walter Ubelhart. He gave me the feeling that he is part of the TRANSFORMERS team. His superpower to move from one profession to another, to achieve his goal and do what he likes and makes him happy, impressed me. The fact that in life the process is more important than the result was confirmed by the numerous professions that our superhero had. He worked as a botanist, as an entrepreneur, as a detective, as a writer or as a director and in every moment of his life he enjoyed what he was doing and he was giving his best.

BIANCA MUNTEAN

I am sure that until now you have not heard anything about a superhero called BRIDGER. If you want to know the superpowers of this superhero, it would be good to analyze the activity of Mrs Bianca Munteanu. In short, if you have a task for this superhero, he/she will manage to bring together the right people, at the right place and time to find the ideal solution.
Although many people have not heard about Bridger, what is fascinating about this character is that his power can be found in almost every person. How so? Well, it's simple: it's in our power to create bridges between parallel roads, it's in our power to be a "CHANGE MAKER".

Everything seems very simple, but there is one more step. Great attention: THE CHANGE HAS TO BE EXECUTED NOT ONLY DREAMED!

DANIEL LEȘ

A man entered the stage. A piece of clay was present in his hand. Such a simple image. An image that suggested the sacred bound between human and earth. He was Daniel Leș. He is the superhero of SIMPLICITY. Nowadays we really need this kind of superheroes. We need to see that we can be happy without having an expensive phone in our hand, without having to ride in a fancy car and without taking into consideration the opinion of those around us.

Through simplicity in life, we ​​gain time. Time is one of the most coveted resources of modern man. Having enough time will give us the opportunity to sit at the table with our fellow man, we will get to know what is really in his soul.

For all those who have difficulties and challenges in daily life, Daniel Leș conveys an encouragement in a simple and direct way: the worries and difficulties of life bring to the surface all our impurities ... and thus we become a malleable clay, and from there, anything can be created.

CHARLEY OTTLEY

Have you heard about Captain Planet? No? If you haven't heard about him, take a look here: Captain Planet. He was one of the superheroes of my childhood. Why did I mention this character? Because I was thinking about him when Charley Ottley started to share with us his energy and thoughts. In my eyes, he became Captain Romania. A superhero who fights for normality, for history, for heritage and for the healthy development of human and nature. Through the passion he unleashed, through the desire to do good and stop any kind of destruction, through his actions, Captain Romania made the audience believe that each of us can be a piece in this puzzle. Each action matters when you fight to save your country.

But if we think that we are small and insignificant, can we really do something??? YES! We can protest, we can educate future generations to keep the traditions, we can be proud of our country and we can promote our values and traditions in many, many ways. And when we see something illegal happening near us, we have to take action. We have to report all the problems found and we have to act constantly,  not just one time, we don't have to stop. We have to keep on going, this is the only way in which we can change something around us.

NICOLAE WEISZ 

A superhero which can adapt to any new situation. This is what I felt when I saw professor Nicolae Weisz on stage. It was the first time I had the privilege of listening to him. Even if he did not have a "modern" presentation, we were completely surprised by the fresh and provocative way in which he transmitted his message and the lessons he learned throughout his life.

As a true master of teaching, while presenting different ideas and suggestions, he was creating a place for us, the listeners, to form our own idea, to create our own opinion. The topic that marked me the most after his presentation was that some education systems, from the desire to learn us everything, to prepare us for life, they do the opposite ending up squeezing our creativity.

CAMELIA ȘUCU

All I want to say about Camelia Șucu is that she is a real serial entrepreneur. I think that this title is resuming all we need to know about her. A thrilling life, a life with ups and downs, a life that is showing us that everything is possible when you dedicate yourself to your dreams and you work hard to achieve these dreams with determination and some luck.

ROXANA PAMFIL

Simina was really impressed by Roxana Pamfil. I think that she sees in Roxana the superhero of connecting the actual numbers with real-life scenarios from our lives. Roxana started her speech by explaining the Wisdom of the Crowds. This occurs when we have independent and diverse answers. We are social beings, and the way each of us interprets the world is influenced by what people around us say and believe, and that means we are not independent. We all prefer to interact with people who are like us and we get to reduce the number of interactions with the different ones. This is how we reach environments where the diversity of opinions is lacking. In an interconnected world, where opinions are influenced, can we have a Wisdom of the Crowds?

VLAD MIXICH and RADU GOLOGAN

What I wrote in the description of Walter Ubelhart's presentation about the brain, actually  I have learned from the nerdy speaker (as he described himself ), Vlad Mixich. He was the one who asked us from the stage if we like what the brain looks like. From his point of view, the brain is very beautiful. Beautiful or not, if we know how to train it, we obtain a very useful tool . Speaking about ​​superheroes, I see Vlad Mixich as the scientist who is living in the shadows, in a cave hidden somewhere in a mountain. From there he helps those who need to push the boundaries, those who need to understand why certain things happen in a certain way. From him, in a very short time, we received a lot of useful information about unknown subjects. Very interesting.

Do you know who else gave us pieces of information regarding the brain? Professor Radu Gologan. He presented the important moments of brain development in human evolution and also how the brain is influenced by technology nowadays. I think that the professor would get along very well with Vlad Mixich in the same cave. Or does he have his own cave ?

ADRIAN HĂDEAN and MATTHEW K. CROSS

Adrian and Matthew were the two bridge destroyers at this conference. Although the other speakers were builders, they started from the idea that it is important to be able to destroy.

All I knew about Adrian Hădean was that he is a sensational chef and a well-known entertainer. In my mind, he was the SUPER CHEF superhero. With all this information in my head, I was eager to see what will follow. When I saw that he appeared on stage barefoot, without the chef's apron and with the title of the presentation "Burning bridges" I became more and more interested in what was to come.

About Matthew K. Cross, I read before the conference that he is a world-renowned author, strategist, founder and CEO. So I was expecting something very interesting.

In the case of the two, I will not give you exact details about their presentations because one of them is quite personal, and the other has a very interesting technical side. But here are some tips:

• Adrian Hădean is a person who manages to see his pains, his sufferings with joy.  This man is teaching us that everyone needs the right drama in their life. This drama is pure gold and we have to embrace it.
• Matthew K. Cross will help us discover the benefits of scientifically tested methods to guide us to live in the present, he will help us become aware of our desires, he will help us understand the role of chaos, he will help us become a better version of ourselves even if this means, in some cases, destroying the safe road from our lives and rebuilding new bridges that will connect us with new sensational things.

How shell we combine them, what the taste will be, Horea will like it? So many questions for one simple juice. In order to eliminate all the tension and unknown, we have decided to take our super-weapon, our helper in the kitchen, the super squeezer. With him, in our team, no vegetable or fruit can stand in our way .

So with Horea's help, some ingredients...we have started the adventure into juicy-land. We have picked these quantities:

While the squeezer was working, we started to feel the fresh smell of leaves like we were on an open field. The colours in the vessel started to fight for supremacy and Horea was fascinated by the fact that from the squeezing green leaves the juice have started to flow.

Before putting the magic liqueur in our glasses we had to mix the result with a long spoon because when our kid saw the result he said briefly: "I will not drink THIS !"  .  After the mixture was finished, once again we had  Horea on our side and he poured the refreshing and delicious juice in 3 glasses so that we can all drink it and start the day with energy and good mood.

We all know the challenges we have in the morning with breakfast and how hard kids can decide what they want to eat: I want this, no...wait, I want something else, or maybe nothing.

Even if sometimes I find it difficult to deal with all the madness, the veggie juice is just mandatory to support our immune system with all the amazing vitamins and minerals.

And because #Monday is all about #HealthyFood & #HealthyFoodHabits got something nice and delicious for a perfect #HealthyMonday. 

 Beetroot Juice - energizer and a hero of the immune system

Ingredients for beetroot juice (serving 2 adults and one kid):

You drink it fresh and enjoy the benefits, but also the incredible taste.

Why beetroot? Well, beetroot provides a wide range of possible health benefits, such as reducing blood pressure, improving digestion, and lowering the risk of diabetes.

Enjoy!

With Love and Gratitude,                                                                                                                                                Simina Șerban

What can we do during this period?  First of all, I  know it might sound very difficult with all the tragic events that are happening in the world due to the coronavirus but try not to panic.

Now is the perfect moment to reevaluate our lives, is the perfect moment to stay together with our families, with our thoughts and decide what is important to us. When was the last moment when you were able to say STOP to all the rush, to all that stress? I think that our world has taken a road which is leading us to the Zombi Kingdom, a kingdom inhabited by people who are just like walking-deaths: waking up in the morning, going to their jobs, ordering food, picking up the kids from school at 6-7 pm, going to bed ...and next day will be the same. In this kingdom there is no place for good words, there is no place for a hug, for a bad day, for a break.

As human activity has calmed down a bit on our planet, we can see that: finally, the planet can breathe, the pollution falls all over the world, the dolphins in Italy are swimming once again near the shores, the canal water in Venice is clean again, children are spending finally more time with their families.

As a family, during this period we are trying to:

• enjoy the small moments: smelling a coffee, hugging each other, making jokes and smiling;
• spend quality time together: supporting Horea with his Montessori school activities, talking and really listening to each other, cooking together more often (actually 3 meals a day), reading more and more books together;
• see the good in others: have you seen the work that doctors and medical staff are doing these days, weeks, months? Yes, they are our heroes. Plus, have you seen how people started to offer to help? Here in Romania NGO organizations and people are offering their time to do the shopping for the elderly and those in need;
• support the local businesses: buying food as much as we can from local producers (Ferma Eco Turda, Pastravaria Bologa, HealthyLicious - the healthiest food in town); We have also seen that here in Romania local cloth ateliers (EDITH VAL) are sewing facial masks with multiple layers and they are also donating to doctors and medical stuff these facial masks in a time when other businesses are trying to make a huge profit based on this tragedy.

Is it difficult to be locked down in your house? Yes, it is. Do you feel sometimes you might go crazy? Yes, I feel it and it is just the beginning. But let's stay positive and make the most out of these moments.

How are you coping during this time? What activities are you doing with your children to keep everyone sane? What businesses can be supported in your area?

With Love and Gratitude,

Simina

This December, I was taking Horea to one of his friends' birthday party. At the radio, in the car, we were listening Europa FM and on the air was the "Parents' Coach"/"Antrenorul părinților" show with Mirela Retegan and the special guest was Gaspar Gyorgy, psychologist and relational psychotherapist. I was not able to listen until the end of the show due to the fact that we have reached the party (way too fast from my point of view). But this show remained in my mind.

After almost a week, when the Xmas spirit could be seen in every corner, I had remembered part from the radio show when they were talking about evaluating your year : analyzing what you have done and how beneficial it is for you as an individual and also for your family to have this type of analysis. The objective of this analysis is to communicate with your loved once and to speak out what was nice in your year, what challenges you had encountered, what behaviors you would love to change , how you can see the relationship with them, etc.. So, with this in mind, I have started to search online for the radio show and I found it on YouTube..

In this radio show I found a lot of useful information, but what I want to share with you is an idea that we would like to implement in our family. Mirela Retegan, from Gașca Zurli, created the Zurli Calendar, a calendar where before going to bed you colour your day according to the feelings that you had using a predefined list of activities. You can order the calendar from Gașca Zurli here: Zurli Calendar

Almost at the same time, while I was depicting all this useful information, we have received from our friend, Sabina Coman, our new calendar for 2020. This is another tradition of our family, but this is a story for another article.  With all this information in mind and the new calendar in my hand I have run to my wife to present her the GREAT DISCOVERY of 2019. She was listening to me, she has added some new ideas and in the end, we have decided to make our own EMOTIONS CALENDAR.

How this calendar works? You choose a calendar you want to use for this purpose and you have a list of questions you ask yourself and your children. The scope is to define an emotion at the end of each question. Each emotion has a symbol attached to it. After the emotion was revealed you write the symbol of that emotion in your calendar.

We have designed this calendar for our family: 2 adults and a 6 year old child. So, taking this into account you will find 7 questions to be asked and 4 emotions to be highlighted in the calendar. See the info graphic for the questions and the emotions we have designed.

At the end of the day you will have a summary of your emotions during that day. Can you imagine how your calendar will look at the end of the year?

Why keeping such a calendar? There are couple of benefits to do the Emotions Calendar activity at the end of each day:

1. Quality time together with the whole family;
2. Sharing your day with the others: the happy moments, the sad ones, the bored and the content times;
3. Identifying your emotions;
4. Having an overview of how you felt in that day;
5. Understanding that each day can bring all sort of emotions and moments;
6. Bounding time with your children;
7. A way to have an overview of your children's emotions and activities (I am not sure how are your children but mine never tells us anything about his day, what he has done, how was his day - except fine, etc no matter what strategies we have applied; and I think that we have to start communicating better as the adolescence period is approaching and this habit might save us  from interesting situations - let's put it in this way).

With Love and Gratitude,

Kids of the Nature

So, I had to share with you our recipe. We just love it so much to keep it only for us!!!! Now, it is with tangerine flavour

What is your favourite dessert in autumn  ?

Mine: Chestnut purée - my childhood love

So, the lovely recipe with the best success in our family:

Step 1: 700 g chestnuts are cooked in the oven for 25-30 min at 180°C

Step 2: Peel the chestnut

Step 3: Mix the chestnut very well until you obtain the chestnut flour

Step 4: To the chestnut flour add and mix them together:

3 bananas

40 g honey

13 drops of tangerine essential oil or lemon essential oil (make sure they are labeled as FOOD SUPPLEMENT)

100 g -120 g milk or vegetable milk

You can serve the purée with different fruits. Horea had chosen raspberry . Actually, he is always choosing raspberry Love this little guy!!! If you are wondering if you can serve this dessert to your child taking into account it has essential oils, just write me a message and I would be happy to help you

Before buying this dog crate, Droopy had other ways of travelling with us.

He came into our family before our boy Horea. So at first, he was the king of our backseat. We used a dog seat cover for cars. It was easy to install by simply putting the straps over the headrests and tucking in the seat anchors. The only disadvantage was that the hair was flying all over the car.

After Horea came into our life, Droopy's place has moved into our Peugeot 207 trunk. Because we used the trunk only for him, we did not need to buy a crate. I don't think that we could found one to fit perfectly in the boot of the car and give him all the comfort that he needed. Also, Droopy was safe there, he could stand on his feet and he could turn around whenever he wanted. He also could watch outside whenever he wanted.

At first, Horea was travelling in a rear-facing car seat so in this way, they could see each other. Horea was very happy to see our dog while we were road-tripping. Also Droopy had the freedom to check on us whenever he wanted. The same problem was present in this situation too... the hair.

We think that raising a child with a pet in the same house is very beneficial for the child and also for the future adult. Welcoming a pet into your life and make him part of all your adventures is amazing for everyone and comes with so much joy, but responsibilities as well.

With love for animals,

Bogdi

Dough:
 1 egg
 50 g organic olive oil
 80 g honey
 a pinch of salt
 7 drops Orange essential oils ***
 200 g whole wheat flour
 150 g einkorn wheat flour
 100 g vegetable milk

*** Make sure you choose an essential oil which is labelled as a food supplement.
- blend together all the ingredients except the flours and the milk. After that, you can add the flours and the milk to your blender.

Put the dough in a tart tray, pinch the dough with a fork from place to place, and then put the tart tray in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Raspberry cream:
 500 g raspberry (you can choose whatever fruits you like: I have also tried it with blueberries, blackberry, kaki)
 100 g honey
 1 teaspoon agar-agar
 2 spoons chia seeds

 Step 1: Put the raspberry in a pot on the fire and add the honey. Mix until you get a jam consistency.
 Step 2: Stop the fire and wait for 3 minutes, add the agar-agar and mix it very well.
 Step 3: Wait until it cools a bit (so that you can eat it) and then add the chia seeds. Mix very well.
 Step 4: Wait for 10 minutes and after that add the raspberry cream on the tart tray.

Final step: you cook the tart in the oven for 30 minutes at 160 Celsius degrees. It can be served after cooling.

Either you will have this tart in the morning, or during the day, or in the evening, you will just LOVE IT! 

With Love and Gratitude,                                                                                                                                                                      Simina Șerban