Happy Preppy Sporty

First, let me introduce myself. My name is maartje, I’m a teacher from Brabant and I’m also personal assistant to Sam and Mees. Sam turned four in June and recently started primary school. Even though I’m a teacher myself, I was still a bit anxious about it! Would he make friends? Would he get to the toilet on time? Would he be able to open his lunchbox? Little insecurities that are familiar to most mothers, I would imagine.

Sam’s a real dreamer who never gets flustered. However, he’s a little insecure and needs lots of reassurance. But when it s comes to playing, he’s one of the best! (A pleasure for mum every now and then.) But then, 18 months ago, his little brother came along. Mees is exactly the opposite of Sam. He’s a little daredevil who wants to do everything for himself. He smashes all the things Sam builds and would like to go to school already. They have trouble playing together: they always want to play with the same car and end up scrapping like real brothers.

Anyone who follows me on Instagram (instagram.com/ourlittlephotodiary) knows that I have these two little rebellious acrobats at home. They look innocent enough, with their blonde locks, but they can also be infuriating. In which case, staying indoors is not an option. They have to use up their energy somehow. In the spring and summer we go to the beach and in autumn and winter we drive to the forest. Perfect places to let the children run wild ;-). 

Since I’m in education, we had our autumn half-term holiday this week. A whole week with those little monsters! I made sure to take them out every day, so they could burn off their excess energy. And weren’t we lucky with the weather? It was a joy to wander around the woods in the sunshine!

Ideally, I’d like them to look trendy but I also think it’s important for clothes to be comfortable, so they can enjoy running, climbing, clambering, rolling around and all the other things toddlers and small children do. We like hard-wearing clothes and neutral colours. Today, they’re dressed in the ‘preppy sporty’ style. I always find it hard to find the right jeans for them, which fit well, are made from a soft material and are not too stiff. But I’ve finally done it! For the first time, Sam’s jeans don’t need to be tightened by adjusting the buttons on the inside. They already fit perfectly, are the right length and are lovely and soft. The shirt provides the finishing touch to his outfit. Mees is wearing a lovely, soft jumper and trousers. When you feel the clothes, you want to put them on yourself. It’s a shame they don’t look as fashionable on adults as they do on children. It would be wonderful if we could wear these every day, ha, ha!

To be honest, I didn’t know that Noppies also made clothes for older children. I thought they were only for pregnant women and babies. Stupid, eh? I’m the kind of mother who only shops on the internet. It’s great that the Noppies webshop is so easy to navigate, using the adjustable filters! Meanwhile, my husband is annoyed that I’ve discovered that Sam and Mees can both continue wearing these clothes. He says that the only reason money doesn’t burn a hole in my pocket is because it never makes it to my pocket! Sorry, Danny. I’d be curious to know what all of you think of Sam and Max’s clothes. In the meantime... Happy shopping ;-) X Maartje

Maartje is mother to two children; Sam aged four and Max aged 18 months. Alongside her job as a teacher, she also acts as personal assistant to her two little thrill seekers, as she puts it herself. The two brothers like nothing more than to head off on adventures. Fortunately, they haven’t picked that up from a stranger, because Maartje and her husband Danny enjoy being outdoors and travel a lot. Take a quick look on Instagram @ourlittlephotodiary or find out more about Maartje's life in her blog. 

Instagram: @ourlittlephotodiary