Hello world it's me

"Please help, my mommy is locked in the toilet. Please call my dad; 06*******"

said the note my almost 4 yo held up while saying loud; "help, help" to passing people.

Stop laughing! I'm serious.

I have to clarify something first. Our door handles are kind of an ongoing house project. As are a few other things. My husband has spend many hours trying to fix the handles, but they keep coming of. You see, my otherwise very talented and intelligent husband is not particularly handy. Humpty Dumpty has more chance surviving a jump from a 40 story building than my husband ever fixing all our house chores. It's just not his thing.

So the door.

I'm alone at home, with Roo and Monkey. We have a great time, reading about oceans. The book ends with a few craft ideas, so I get up suggesting we'll craft a fish as soon as I come back from the toilet.

I open the door, do my thing, flush and open the door. Except. I didn't. Open.the.door.

A metal pin that should be in the other end of the door handle, had fallen off. Except, I didn't know that, at the time. The handle on the other side of the door had been missing for days as Monkey so kindly pulled it off.

For about 5 seconds I panic. The walls are closing in, the sound of the ventilator penetrates my brain and I realize my little kids are there, without me.

"Monkey??" I scream.

When he arrives, I explain I need his help.

I decide that trying to get him to call his daddy is the best solution. But he doesn't recognize all numbers yet. But I'm trying to get him to dial the last dialed number. After a few attempts and some crying and reassuring that he really is helping mommy,

Then I made him find the door handle... but unfortunately the pin is out (I didn't know that) and Monkey isn't able to place it back.

"OK honey, I'm going to try & force the door, it's going to make a lot of noise, please take your little sister to the living room. And don't be afraid, it's just mommy making noise, we'll be OK!"

But the door wasn't moving a darn inch.

Think. Think. Think. These apartments don't have the thickest walls, if someones home, they should hear me.

"Monkey, mommy is going to scream for help, don't be afraid, we'll be fine, mommy is fine, but hopefully our neighbors hear it".

Figures. When you need your neighbors to hear you... they don't.

Think. Think.

"Monkey, we'll try the phone again!"

But after he tried to dial 112 (Dutch 911), but instead dialed 778 (I later saw).

Then I notice the gap between the floor and the door.

"Honey, please get a piece of paper and a pencil"

First I thought of writing "112" but then I remembered that one of our street view windows is slightly open. We live in a ground floor apartment, and people do pass by from time to time.

With me pushing the door and Monkey being very helpful I end up with the paper and the pencil and give him the note and instruct him to say he needs help.

"Mommy, there are people there, but they are not coming!"

Damn those people, they probably think he's playing.

My iPhone! I think. If Monkey can fit a pencil through the door, my iPhone should fit too, with me pushing a little against the door. Steve Jobs, I love you! Apple to the rescue! I can just imagine the headlines.

But my iPhone was on the bookcase and Monkey couldn't reach it. Even though we thought of him climbing on a chair and getting his fish net to reach. Toddler climbing bookcase? I realize it's not safe, and ask him to come back.

So finally I sit on the floor, press my back firmly against the wall and press my feet against the door. And the bottom gives a little and I suddenly realize if I push hard enough, the crack should be big enough for the phone. (Hooray for 90 year old houses!).

My hero Monkey got the phone one last time, I pushed and pushed and, with a lot of effort, he squeezed the phone in.

Rescued! Called husband, he called his parents (they are close by AND have a key) and he said to let Monkey search for the metal pin.

Monkey finds the metal pin, sticks it in the other handle and I finally can turn the handle. Freedom at last.

"And what was your best part of the day?" I ask my Monkey when I lay next to him in bed this evening. This is the part I love most about our bedtime routine. He sniggers and says: "When mommy was locked in the toilet!"

I'm still figuring our a form of revenge that child services would approve of.

But I'm proud of him for staying calm (mostly) and helping.

OK, you can laugh now. Nadine stuck in the loo. Very funny.

Posted at 10:27 PM

Missing Florida

So we got home Wednesday afternoon, after a good flight (kids slept all the way) and we barely have a jet lag. It's nice to be home again but we do miss being on vacation and our little Monkey really wanted to stay in Florida.

We also miss our Anna Maria cottage...

And being just a 2 minute walk away from the beach (though now, it's a 20 minute walk; not too bad either, though temperature here is a *little* colder)

And the cuteness of the cottage...

We miss trips like going to Kennedy Space Center

We miss doing crazy things, like renting a boat to go on a big lake when it's really cold out just because Monkey has been asking to do so the entire vacation.