Czech and German explore the world

Another year passed and it is here again. The best part of the year. The nicest time we always spend together. Multiday hiking trip with kids. This year - Sumava in CR. It is not easy, maybe it is not for everybody, but it works like a magic.  Leaving behind all the daily duties, work tasks, computer, signal, restaurants, kids demands, unnecessary things. Putting yourself on a border of own powers. As well as kids. During the hike, you might not yet feel happy, as well as kids don't, but in the end, they jump around your neck, telling you that they love you. It is so simple. Just being together. Clean your mind, forget about everything. It is never that easy as when walking with super heavy backpack through the nature. You only focus on the weight of the backpack, next steps, views, hunger...I might repeat myself a bit, but I think it is worth to repeat yourself once a year about these things, which make me really truly happy. I love the forced minimalism which I can enjoy for some...

More kids means more fun, more bikes, and more wheels that means more area which can collect thorns and needles and glass. Last year we cycled to Berlin and got totally no defect. This year we found out, how lucky we were. We got some thunderstorms, rain and almost everyday some fun with fixing our lovely horses. Collecting for a week all the bacteria from Ludek (2 years old boy who stayed with us on our accommodation) meant that we started cycling with Robert who had a bit temperature, running nose, coughing, and all those things which he managed to avoid during his last year and half. The weather forecast was not really pleasant, but as we say in Czech: "Kdo se bojí, nesmí do lesa." (Who is scared cannot go to the forest). We decided to go, he seemed quite fine and happy over all.  Some highlights from the trip. 1. Don't tell kids that there is only the first hill in the beginning and then it goes down or flat if you are not 200% sure. Those small bumps in the elevation...

 Being a kid in a household with 3 different languages has to be quite challenging. But Robert seems to be fine with that so far. He communicates mainly with smiles, laughing and squeaking. But slowly he starts also to speak.  For quite some time he is able to say "mama" and "tata" and "brm brm". Now there are slowly more words coming. "Hop" or "hap" as he really likes to jump from things and asks for a hand, and "haf". "Haf" is a great word. He uses it mainly instead of "baf" as he learnt that dogs are making also "haf" to us to scare us when they suddenly appear behind the fence. So he runs around the house and when he sees us, he says "haf". Oh, and he loves the word "bum". More and more. He likes to throw things to the ground, smiling to us with his innocent smile and saying "bum". "Aaaah" like a 50 years old guy after finishing his drink is his typical ...

Every year on Silvester and New Years we go for vacations with other families and their kids. Walking during the day, playing, working or sleeping in the evening. This year, covid changed our plans a bit. We went for the vacations in the spring instead of the New years and then we decided to go once again together for the vacations in the summer. I was a bit suspicious, if it will be fun, you know, we have all the kids 1-10 apart of 9 in our group. But it turned out to be a great time. Really, even for adults. Kids are bigger now, meaning that we can do way more with them.  The key to the success was that we decided to make them a whole week game. The main initiator was Danka, who made the legend and the map for the treasure. Each of us then contributed by some game and letters, which enabled them to collect another piece of their needed map. 1. Map which is written in text in a spiral really works great - they did not manage to find out too early where to find a treasure 2. They l...

Everybody is reflecting on the last year. And thus I thought I could also. Why? Because it was definitely a memorable year. Our small son Robert was born. He brought light and meaning to all our days, he managed that when girls come home from school, their first reaction is very often smile instead of frowning. He made us to learn to share even more, created a schedule for days and nights, taught us how to be more effective when we are given any free time. It is impossible to be angry when seeing those happy eyes watching you, smiling to you with his four teeth. And on top, every day bringing some new features, some new skills, which provides you with the best theatre you can wish for. Right after when Robert was born (just in time that Jan could be by delivery before covid restrictions started), Jan's mum was coming for a week, which was a truly pleasant week full of trips, her help and nice talks. Oh, yeah, there were things in this year. Masks, covid, closed schools, lockdown....

Next week it will be half a year since we got to our household a small little boy. The cutest and the most smiley creature you can imagine. Filling our days with warmth, smiles, surprises and love. He is amazing in every way. It is great to get again an option to see how the little baby is exploring the world, learning step by step more and more. But even with the most lovely kid and the most perfect partner, who hugs you a lot and tries to make you smile even in your bad moments, even when you have quite some time to work and not to forget that you are not only a mum, a milk container and a cleaning lady, but also an independent being who has brain, even then comes always the moment, when the tiredness overwhelms you.  When you feel desperate, tired, annoy by everything, upset and want to cry and give up. This is something, which is so much and so often overseen. We somehow think that parents are adults and they should manage when they get tired, that they should lift their head...

Last year, we went with kids (6 and 9 years) for 110 km hike in Lapland – Kungsladen and it was the best vacations I ever had with kids. This year, we were doubting if we can at all make a multi-day hike as we have additional 7kg+7 kg luggage which has legs but is still not able to use them for carrying his body weight. And then it happened without any big planning, that we appeared in the middle of GR20 on Corsica. How it was on Corsica? And how we made it, that we could make at all multiday hike with this time 3 kids (5 months, 7 years and 9 years)? Some highlights and disclaimers:  We did only 3 days of the whole GR 20 - that was 2 days more than we expected 😊.  Hiking with kids was great and it was again a great experience.  Sleeping in one tent with 3 kids is a challenge, but it is fine if you do not have a sleeping mat which makes terrible noise whenever the kid moves on it.  Taking a baby for a hike is a great choice. Whenever you are sweating too ...