Sanne Vogel about her toddler twins and sustainable living

Image: Mark Groeneveld

The city noise used to make her happy, now Sanne Vogel is super happy when she and her twins get a basket of organic broad beans from the farmer.

“We really should have done this sooner!” Happiness explodes when Sanne Vogel talks about her new home in a village surrounded by forests and farmland. She has been feeling free as a bird ever since she moved into the house last May with friend Melchior and their toddler twins Bella and Loewy. “I enjoyed living in Amsterdam for more than twenty years, but our needs changed, Amsterdam changed, the city no longer suited us.”

Unwind

The new house is located in an oasis of tranquility. A world of difference with the apartment in the center of Amsterdam. It is a step that benefits the highly sensitive Sanne. “I am sensitive to stimuli. So living in a busy city with a job in which I have to interact with people a lot was quite a challenge. Still, even into the twins’ infancy, things went pretty well. But since they are toddlers, and so a lot of undertaking and chatting – there is always one who talks! – is that just too much stimulation for me? In Amsterdam I had to go to yin yoga at least twice a week to process those stimuli.”

“In Amsterdam I had to go to yin yoga twice a week to process the stimuli”

In her new environment, Sanne now naturally calms down. “Melchior said recently that he had never seen me so zen for so long without yoga. And that’s right. The twins also enjoy plenty of space to scooter, chalk on the sidewalk, water plants with large watering cans and watch the animals at surrounding farms. We regularly get vegetables by bike from my favorite place, an organic market garden, after which Bella and Loewy help me at home with washing carrots and shelling broad beans. I can’t make them happier – and neither can I. They also really enjoy the food they have prepared ‘themselves’ and then sit at the table with pride.”

toddler twins

Just because the kids are good eaters doesn’t mean they don’t have their difficult phases. And then times two. “Toddler twins mean stepping up. A lot has happened in recent months, everything was tightly planned: the children said goodbye to the crèche, their teachers, the house, the neighbours. Meanwhile, Melchior and I were extremely busy with the move and our work. For example, Foodies – the film in which I play the lead – premiered three days before the move, so I had many press appointments. There was simply little time for one-on-one attention and you can tell from them: they started to compete with each other. ‘My mama, no me!’ That struggle is now a thing of the past. However, they decide once a week that they do not want to sleep and would rather have a party with tents made of pillows and duvets.”

“It’s not in my nature, but I have to be strict, otherwise they will destroy my house.”

With twins, clear rules are therefore very important, Sanne notes. “If one person is not allowed to do something, the other will try it. Then I say to Loewy, “Don’t hit the table with your fork.” Then Bella looks naughty and does it too. And then laugh out loud together and smash the table top with the forks – so it’s now full of holes. Since they always find backup in each other, I have to be strict. That is not in my nature, but I have no choice: otherwise they will destroy my house!”

Also read – The teacher: ‘This is why I decided to place twins in separate classes’ >

wish for children

A sad time began in 2019 when Sanne and Melchior’s first child was stillborn. The period after that until the new pregnancy is considered by Sanne to be the most difficult of her life. When she learned that she was pregnant with twins, she felt especially relief. “After the loss of our first child, I was afraid that I might never have a child. Never mind two – which was always my wish. Preferably a boy and a girl. I was so happy.”

“After the loss of our first child, I was afraid that I might never have a child. Never mind two”

After the delivery, the mutual cooperation was established quickly. “You sometimes hear that fathers feel useless when a child arrives, but that was not the case with us. Two children in one fell swoop, then there is always something to do – besides, I couldn’t do anything myself after the caesarean section for the first few days.”

What she did do, and absolutely wanted, was to use washable nappies – after all, the most sustainable solution for the well-being of the world. “It went well in the beginning, but when I started working on major projects again after a year and a half, I couldn’t keep up: the twins eat and poop continuously. I was bummed that I had to give up, and yet: every diaper that has not been thrown away but washed makes a difference.”

Room

When her children were allowed to go to nursery for the first time at five months, Sanne received many messages on Instagram from mothers who had experienced this as a difficult moment. “I was especially relieved that I got a little space for myself. I had the feeling that I had been in quarantine for a very long time, first in my own body – because the pregnancy was extremely heavy from the start – and immediately in lockdown after the birth.

“With two children there is never a moment of peace and we were both ready for that. Finally two hands free to hold a cappuccino myself and drink it quietly, I had missed that. Moreover, we brought the twins to the nursery together, which also makes a difference emotionally: they had each other.”

Also read – Sustainable living with children: this is how you do it >

Distribution

The real lifesaver in the first year – and beyond – was Sanne’s tight schedules. “I’m chaotic by nature, so I taught myself to ‘plan’ at the age of 15 – it was the only way to make my dreams come true. I often work on several projects at the same time, depending on detailed schedules. That skill comes in handy when you’re having twins, because that’s a business in itself.”

After the maternity period, it took a while to find a suitable balance between work and private life. “My work has no structure; sometimes I spend long days on the set, then I spend months writing. I really had to find the right balance: how much can I actually work? Melchior has a permanent job, I’m a freelancer, then it happens quickly that you say: ‘I’ll take it up.’ Besides the fact that as a woman you automatically take on many tasks, I think.

“Melchior now regularly asks whether I think all our tasks are still fairly distributed”

At one point I was quite angry about that and had to explain to Melchior how many invisible tasks landed on my plate that he didn’t know about and that prevented me from getting my job done properly. He immediately picked up on that and now regularly asks if I think everything is still fairly distributed. We are very aware of the division of roles.”

Sustainability

Whoever says Sanne Vogel thinks sustainability. From an early age she makes conscious choices when it comes to food, clothing and… everything really. “When I was twelve I became a vegetarian, now I am vegan. Around the age of 22 I studied the abuses in the clothing industry and since then I buy everything as sustainably as possible, so: a lot of vintage, no fast fashion. If you combine sustainable brands with vintage clothing, it is quite affordable. I would rather save for a durable dress that I wear for a long time than buy ten Zara dresses for the same money that are out of shape after three washes. I occasionally go vintage shopping with Bella, which she loves – then she parades around in a red seventies coat and an orange necklace. Very funny.”

“I would rather save for a sustainable dress that I wear for a long time than buy ten Zara dresses for the same money that are out of shape after three washes”

Sanne also realizes that having children is not a sustainable choice at all. “The planet is very full, I understand it well when people say: ‘I am no longer bringing a child into the world.’ But I don’t feel bad about having my children. I try to approach everything as sustainably as possible, I consciously choose solar panels and put vegetable, seasonal and – as much as possible – local food on the table. Soon Mel and I will both be taking time off to potty train the twins in three days. I’m happy when we get rid of those diapers, for myself, for the children, but certainly in terms of impact on the world.”

From an early age

Each and every one of them conscious choices, which may lead their own lives. “If you make children aware from an early age of the impact you can have on the planet as an individual, they will carry this with them as adults and they can also inspire their environment with their choices. I really believe in that. Anyway, for the same money they will soon be completely done with my ideas and they will race away in their Hummer, toedeledoki ma!”

“For the same money, they will soon be racing away in their Hummer, toedeledoki ma!”

But for now, the twins are completely captivated by the beauty of nature. “At every tree they shout ‘Oooh beautiful tree!’ And ever since Loewy discovered gooseberries in the market garden, he doesn’t talk about anything else. Mel laughed recently: ‘I don’t think I heard of a gooseberry until I was 23!’”

The whole interview is in Kek Mama 10-2022.

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