The Graduates

A lot of people seem to be afraid of young hairdressers right out of school... I have a different view... I look at them as excited talent with a lot of new ideas and all the latest, trendy, & fresh training under their belt!  Who knows more about make-up  & hair than the teens / 20 yr olds who devote a lot of their spare time to it!  I know I invested a lot more time in that kind of stuff when I was younger.

Being said, I have found a salon in Eindhoven that supplies just this!  The Graduates!  Their entire system is based on upcoming hair dressers that are often rotated between 3 locations (Amsterdam, Utrecht, & Eindhoven).  These women are constantly learning (even though they already have their degrees), which means they always know what's popular in the market!  And the salon itself is hip, just like the people working there!  And an added bonus are the trend boards displayed around the salon.

 

When you walk in you get a personal consult in the "living room".  Then the hair dresser runs your combined ideas by her "coach".  After that she gets started, all the while giving in depth explanations of the products and maneuvers.  And just before she finishes the "coach" pops by to double check her work and add any beneficial commentary / ideas.

I've never been afraid to give a studying hairdresser a chance, remember my post from 2012 about my free hair cut (luckily it went well).  The women at The Graduates are very professional and if I didn't know better I wouldn't have realized they were fresh out of school.

So far I've been there 3 times, the first 2 times Jamie cut my hair, and this past time Marnie.  They both have different techniques and input but I must admit Marnie did a rockin' job and I hope she'll be there when my hair gets too long & out of control again.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with going to a trusted hairdresser with their own salon and a packed client list... but have you ever wondered when they last had time to attend a training or why the books lying around their shop are starting to turn yellow?  If you're in the Eindhoven area please give The Graduates a chance, you'll be impressed.  And we both get discounts if you give me a heads up (I have a promo card)!

Of course I threw in some pics for you... and obviously I'm happy with the result of the hair mask and cut!  Wish I could just recreate it at home, but she did give me some tips to help!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Happy Rainy Days

Living in a place where it often rains means you need a good rain coat.  And yet some how after all my years here I am yet to buy one.  About a month ago when it rained for around 3 weeks straight I went in search of a cute yet adult rain coat.  I'm an online shopper so immediately a world of options opened.  And I mean it literally... I found 3 coats I adore, 1 in the US, 1 in the UK, & 1 here in NL.  The bright yellow Steve Madden jacket from Macy's in The States was sold out so that was the end of that. The black & white daisy print jacket from ASOS in England was cute but returning it if it didn't fit would prove to be a challenge.  So I'm pretty sure I've settled on a brand here, Happy Rainy Days. They have a huge variety of styles & colors and now I just have to decide which one suites me best.  And since I have a b-day coming up it will be a perfect gift to ask people to pitch in on... they're not cheap, you definitely pay for the quality.

 

What do you all think of the jackets?

Do you have a rain coat and where did you find it?

Sayonara Stroller

Goodbye (sayonara) trusty stroller!  Our heavy duty stroller finally bit the dust yesterday.  I can't actually complain considering what we put this stroller through.  We bought the Mutsy Transporter over 3 years ago and we used it to its fullest.  At least once a week it made a journey through rain, snow, or sunshine to and from swimming class (3-3.5miles).  It went on endless walks, and since I don't have a car it was also my tots mode of transportation for everything from playdates to the playground.  It also totted full groceries and purchases, I'm surprised the mesh basket underneath held up as long as it did.  It was a comfy place for my tot, even when she technically was too old and weighed too much for it.  We even used the stroller to the point there wasn't any tread left on the tires. 

Last week on the way to swimming class I pressed down on the handle bar to pop the front wheels up in order to get the stroller and tot up on to the sidewalk and I heard a pop.  I could see the stroller was leaning a little to the left but it was still working.  At that moment I knew we wouldn't have much longer together.  Then yesterday before swimming I mentioned it to my husband, probably manifesting its end.  On our trek to and from swimming class I made sure to only use ramps and avoid having to lift her up on to the sidewalks.  Luckily I did, because a few minutes from our house, on the return journey, I had no choice but to pop a wheely and sure enough the right side of the frame broke also.  If I hadn't have been in a hurry I would have told my tot to hop out and walk, but instead I lifted the back end and trucked it home (she was basically in a recliner at this point).  I was so glad this happened close to home, otherwise I'm not really sure what we would have done.  Before leaving for swimming I ran a lot of scenarios through my head and most of which were quite inconvenient.  It's not like it's an umbrella stroller and can be tossed out easily.  And after swimming she would have been too worn out to walk that far anyway.  Again, we were very lucky! 

When our girl was just a baby the stroller had a bassinet attachment (and also attachments for the car seat), I saved them thinking we could reuse the stroller for the next kid.  But at that point so early on in my daughter's life I had no idea what I was about to ask of this stroller.  I feel like the Mutsy Transporter went above and beyond my expectations, and I would defnitely buy another one in the future. 
Sayonara stroller!

High Tea

In the last year or so High Tea has become popular here in The Netherlands. Many of the restaurants & cafes offer it on the menu.  Now it's spreading even further!  A friend & I were able to enjoy High Tea at an indoor playground while our kids ran around also enjoying themselves, win-win!  Pretty smart of the company, NoNo's Land... on a weekly basis they're guaranteed to have tons of Moms sitting around while the kids wear themselves out on the slides, jungle gyms, and ball pits. Why not offer the Mom's something too (other than the extremely strong coffee they serve that make us tremble after a couple cups)! My friend & I meet often at the indoor playground and this time she suggested we reserve the High Tea menu. The playground was happy to serve us even though she did comment it's usually for larger groups and most women actually drink tea instead of coffee, but hey, as long as you're spending money they can't really complain!  We had no idea what to expect, each restaurant is different, and to be honest it was my first High Tea.  The playground had actually decorated our table... table cloth, napkins, silverware, china plates and cups, awesome!  It's hard to remember each course, pretty sure we started with mushroom soup, then little sausages (pigs-in-a-blanket), then ragout, then chocolate mouse, and then when we thought the courses were finished, she brought out two 3-tiered trays covered in baked goods and candy.  The display looked so nice even someone else's kid came up to us asking for some goodies.  Our kids dropped by occasionally mostly just thirsty from running around, but when they spotted the 2 trays full of sweets they also decided to hover around for a while.  (Don't worry we fed our kids nutritious sandwiches before going to the playground!)  It was a fun idea and didn't cost much more than what we would have spent on food and entry anyway.  Next time we're thinking about testing out the brunch, I'll be sure to keep you updated!

Free Facial

I really lucked out, I received a free facial today.  Some how one of my family members ended up with a gift certificate for a facial, it was passed around through a couple of women and then ended up in my hands.  Do you think I passed it on?  No way, I've been wanting a facial for a while I just couldn't justify the costs... and voila, a gift certificate appeared.  Good things come to those who wait, so they say!  The gift certificate allowed me to choose from multiple different beauticians throughout the country.  Obviously I'm not going to drive across the country to get a facial, especially considering I squeezed it into the few hours my daughter attends preschool in the morning, so I found someone local.  Well sort of, one town over.  There was a beauty salon located here in town but I would have had to parallel park on a busy road and well, I wouldn't say I have up kept my parallel parking skills since I managed to get my Dutch license last year.  So I opted for a salon in Waalre called Huidverzorgings Instituut Mireille.  Considering where I live it was about the same distance to either one.  It's quite common here that women run salons out of their homes, so this meant I could easily park in a driveway, yes! 

The gift certificate turned out to be more than just a facial, they also plucked my eyebrows, treated my hands, and gave a light face & shoulder massage.  Then at some point they walk away leaving you covered in Cenzaa products so you can relax and listen to music.  It was great, I can't remember the last time I was treated to this!  (Probably was the last time I received a gift certificate, ha-ha!)  The salon turned out to be much larger than I expected, there were at least two treatment rooms and a staff of three.  This might sound small to Americans but this is large on a Dutch scale.  Now, I wasn't helped by Mirelle herself but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the beautician that pampered me for around 2 hrs.  Yeah you read that right, 2 hours!  Too bad I don't remember her name, but the next time I make an appointment (still have a little left on the gift certificate) I'll be sure to request her, they must keep records, and it's not like American's walk through their door everyday so she should remember me.  Towards the end of the appointment as the next round of customers filtered in I realized I had used the back entrance, no wonder there was a sign on the door saying the salon entrance was around the other side, oops!  But hey, I still managed to get my driveway parking spot.  My only issue now is some of the products ended up in my hair, which means shower #2 will be happening today, I'll have to keep this in mind next time.  I also cut it close picking my daughter up from school, I had no idea the appointment was going to last so long, but in the end it all worked out.  So if any of you readers are in the Waalre area, be sure to make an appointment at Huidverzorgings Instituut Mirelle!

Freebies (aka Monsters)

Freebies!!!  Who doesn't love getting a free sample of something???  In Dutch freebies or samples are called "monsters".  Sounds funny to an American, but so what, I love "monsters"!
 

Every once in a while I go in search of freebies online.  I wouldn't say they're as common here as in The States but you can still find them.  One website I use is ProefMonsters.nl  (I pulled it up to get the link for you and they had an offer for dog Dentastix, great!  Signed up and invited friends too!)  Now if you're not in The Netherlands this site will be of little use to you, but I am sure you can find one of your own.  My last round on this website has delivered at least 2 freebies so far:
 

I'm really happy with this one, it arrived a week or so ago!  It's a lid for cottage cheese.  Sounds so simple yet I didn't have it.  We often open a container of cottage cheese, eat half, and then leave it poorly sealed in the fridge.  Usually it gets tossed out because we don't trust our sealing capabilities (if we bothered at all).  Now, thanks to Danone's nifty little lid, we can rest assure that the cottage cheese will be good the next day and if we happen to tip it over (happened before) there will not be unwanted cottage cheese juice all over the fridge!  Thanks Danone!
 

My other freebie arrived today in the mail, it's a small mixed sample pack of labels/stickers from Avery.  Since I no longer have an office job I almost never print things out on stickers.  Even though I do occasionally feel like getting organized I can't bring myself to buy a pack of expensive labels at the store.  Again, through the freebie website I only had to give my address, wait a couple weeks, and voila, I now have stickers for my printer.  I'm just curious how long it will take me to get the hankering to actually get labels printed out and stuck on whatever the project of the month might be.  I do have some storage boxes in the shed that could use labels!!!
 

Hope you all find a website of your own and start signing up for freebies.  They're extra rewarding because they take so long to arrive that you tend to forget about them!

Other Bloggers #2

Just like me there are many men, women, and teens sitting behind their computers typing away.  All providing something different... a heartfelt story, a journey through hard times, an exercise plan, cooking tips, decorating ideas, stories of travel, photography appreciation... the list goes on and on.  It's amazing to me at times how this world of blogging becomes so intertwined and how we cross paths with people from all over the world.  For some of you connecting and getting your blog out there is easy and for others you might be wondering if anyone is reading at all.  I found one of the best ways to get connected is through a blog with energy and full of fun ideas, like blog hops.  And I happen to know of one : Sincerely, Paula. 

Maybe you've stumbled across her blog in the past, maybe this is the first you've heard of it, but no matter what it's worth checking out.  There's something for everyone when it comes to finding blogs you're interested in or just promoting your own blog.  She has two main blog hops, "Wordless Wednesday Blog Party" & "No Rules Weekend Blog Party".  These blog parties attract an array of bloggers... personally I've gained quite a few new followers this way and linked up to blogs I might not have found on my own.  Who knows, maybe one will get mentioned next round!  If you enjoy my blog love, be sure to check out the first "Other Bloggers".

Expat Blog

Here's another short post, but worth while to bloggers.  If you've followed my blog long enough you've realized I love "plugging" companies, other blogs, websites, and stores I like.  If any of you are unfamiliar with the term plugging, it means to advertise something... like in the movies where people only seem to drink Coke products.  Unfortunately I don't get paid to advertise even though I could (long-live Google AdSense).  Anyway, I side-tracked like usual...   

Expat Blog Community, the name of the website/company speaks for itself.  For those bloggers out there who want to find a place where you can inform people of your little piece of the internet or find other bloggers like yourself Expat Blog Community is for you.  Since signing up I have found a lot of interesting blogs throughout the world, ones I never would have thought to look for.  And a lot of new people have started popping up on my blog.  So if you're interested in networking, it's a good place for bloggers to start.  Just a tip!