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As you know, you all know how much I love the theater, and I’m happy to share that this year is an ISZN year again in Balassagyarmat! This is a literary and drama gathering held every other year for amateur theater groups, where actors perform up close—just an arm’s length away from the audience (and the professional jury). From Friday to Sunday on a February weekend, about 10 plays are performed by amateur artists from all over the country, and even from across the border. I’ve been following the festival since I was a high school girl, then as a young adult, a pregnant mom, and now for the second…

This morning, we dove into making some mouthwatering treats with the little one, which ended up with two different results… I have to admit, the walnut praline actually started as just candied walnuts, but I mismeasured the amount of water (we carefully measured drop by drop with Ruben, but somehow the scale was off). Still, it wasn’t a loss: in the end, we created a magnificent praline with our golden-haired helper, who cheered us on the whole time! ‹3 On the other hand, we started the salted hazelnuts with precise care, and while the praline took about half an hour, the second batch—salted hazelnuts—was ready in just 10 minutes! Maybe…

For days now, we’ve been eagerly waiting for the weekend when we could finally start baking a coconut birthday cake for a dear friend with our golden-haired little helper! The idea for the cake’s flavor came from the latest episode of Dora and Friends, where the characters were chasing after coconuts and getting into all sorts of adventures—perfect inspiration for the cake. Ruben had never actually eaten real coconut before, so on Friday we went to get one (in this small countryside town, I found coconut only in one single place!) and got started on processing it: We didn’t follow this exact recipe, but I wish we had, because I wasn’t…

Halloween is a bit of a mixed bag here—although it’s a real phenomenon, not everyone in Hungary pays attention to it. But just try to ignore it when you have a little one around… haha 😀 The story goes that on October 23rd, Ruben turned six months old, and that weekend, I gathered the family for a small celebration to mark our little one’s half-year milestone. That weekend happened to fall right on All Hallows’ Eve, so naturally, we embraced the skeletons, ghosts, and all the spooky fun that comes with it. From that moment, it became a tradition, and over the years, we’ve perfected our celebration of the “gate…

I’d like to share with you the highlights of our Sunday trip—at least the morning part; the afternoon adventures will have to wait for next time—which we spent at the pick-your-own apple orchard in Berkenye! For weeks, we’d been talking about how fun it would be to pick sun-warmed, juicy, “lipstick-red” apples straight from the orchard for a pie. But until Sunday, our weekends had been fully booked with other plans. This time, however, we decided to spread out the housework over the weekdays (not the best decision, considering it’s only Tuesday now…!) and drove off to Berkenye, the unofficial fruit paradise. The weather was on our side, so we…

I just can’t help but brag about this topic, because it’s so rare for a child’s talent to shine through so clearly by the age of three—in something they’re truly good at. And not just measurable by results (though those are definitely impressive too (: ), but also in balance, diligence, calmness, and fulfillment—without which, what would it all be worth? Although I don’t know much about archery myself, I can see how much this sport continues to build Ruben up. You all know he has his own personality, opinions, determination, and attachment to the things that matter to him—but we mustn’t forget he’s still just a five-year-old. And as…

One of Our Summer Friday Afternoon Bakes:  Finally Unveiling the Giant LEGO Man! This silicone cake mold has quickly become one of my favorites (right after the life-sized LEGO figure ice cube tray, which we also used to make the birthday chocolate LEGO figures). I can almost smell the lemony cake batter, which is perfect on any summer day paired with homemade black forest lemonade! What you’ll need: How to make it: Beat the margarine and sugar until fluffy, then add the vanilla and eggs and continue mixing. Combine the flour with the baking powder and your chosen flavoring, then gently fold into the wet mixture. Bake at 190°C (375°F)…

Hello, Autumn! Hello, new feelings! Since the weather cooled down while we were in Tihany, I’ve felt autumn in the air—a change that surpasses the turning of any other season. It marks the closing of freedom, of summer, of another version of myself, and the beginning of a constructive, fulfilling, and promising new period. My second job is starting up again (which I wasn’t willing to touch over the summer, but now the thought almost calls me), I’ve enrolled in my new semester courses, and this morning I packed all the necessary and unnecessary things into Rú’s kindergarten locker to calm myself down. Speaking of kindergarten and my golden-haired boy—this…

Dated: Aug 16, 2017

Hi everyone! I want to share with you a truly summery smoothie recipe that became our favorite after the very first sip! While shopping, we couldn’t stop picking out fruits—we craved the tastes of summer cold and juicy. Then we thought, why not turn these delicious fruits into a drink for an even bigger experience? It turned into quite a fun kitchen adventure! Ruben, as always, was a total partner in our culinary creativity, and this is how our best family smoothie recipe came to be: Red Smoothie (4 servings)  (Measuring cup: a handful of a 5-year-old boy) Dated: Aug 5, 2017