En vecka kvar i skolan…

On 15 December, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixedLeave a comment

Det har gått en tid sen sist. En vecka kvar i skolan, en vecka kvar till lugnet lägger sig. Vissa stupade och var hemma och vilade upp sig lite den här veckan. Ett något underkokt ägg gjorde att en yngre dam svällde och fick andnöd. Hela veckan blev förstörd och nu äter vi med eftertanke och planerar minutiöst för resten av månaden. Inga råa ägg, potatis eller frukt. Eller något annat heller för den delen. Det är svältkost som gäller. Men som vanligt så känns allt bättre med en Coca-Cola. Vi har firat lucia, flera advent och allmänt firat att julen närmar sig. Det drar ihop sig. Idag har vi stressat fram några julklappsinköp i Bellevue. Det gick väl sådär. Jag satt i godan ro och drack min 3e kopp kaffe imorse när Brjann tyckte att nu far vi mot stan. Snabb påklädning och så for vi. Helt oplanerat och ogenomtänkt. Vi strövade runt och försökte spontaninköpa klappar till tonåringarna. Det gick väl sådär, ganska dåligt faktiskt. Efter en timme gick vi planlöst runt och tittade på stressade människor och konstaterade att detta var enbart dåligt. Tunnelseende och kaffetörst. Mest tunnelseende för att vi började bli så hungriga. Så då åkte vi hem och hämtade barnen och for iväg och åt lunch på det lokala haket. Och sedan spontanåkte vi till IKEA. Vi är ju så otroligt spontana när vi har tid. Anledningen till att vi hade tid var för att mitt lopp på Whidbey Island blev inställt och jag blev sysslolös en hel lördag. Helt oplanerat och ganska irriterande. Och nu är det kväll och vi har precis genomgått ett photoshoot med familjen. Johanna tar en fotoklass och har fotoläxa varje vecka. Dagens läxa var familjefoton och vi ställde ju såklart upp. Resultaten redovisas mer ingående senare när det är färdigklippt och fixat men jag ger er några oredigerade smakprov. Imorgon är det luciafirande igen, skolans avslutande vinterkalas med skridande, tomtande och fikande.

Förra veckans luciafirande på Nordic Heritage Museum. Sofia var årets lucia.

Jag, något stressad, sittande med vattenhinken om det skulle ta eld i hår eller särkar.

Thanksgiving och Advent

On 1 December, 20131 December, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, Utflykter/outings2 Comments

Det var ett tag ses sist. Vi har firat Thanksgiving, Första Advent och några dagar emellan. Minusgraderna försvann lagom till advent och man kan tro att det är vår. Gräset är grönt och luften är fuktig. Allt är egentligen som vanligt. Barnen går i skolan och efter det är dagarna fyllda av körningar norr och söder. Klättringen har tagit fart på allvar, volleyboll säsongen har startat upp långt upp i norr och allt annat rullar vidare. Det var uttagningar för årets nya lag förra helgen och det är alltid en tårfylld historia. Vår spelare fick plats precis där hon önskade men hade väl hoppats på att några fler kompisar skulle haft samma tur. I slutändan blev det bra och vi skjutsar på upp till Lynnwood-Mukliteo. Spelaren är också en övningskörare som blir allt mer varm I kläderna. Lite otur hade hon I fredags när hon körde Jeepen I godan ro så blev det akut punka, tvärplatt på bakdäcket. Men det löste hon finfint med co-captain pappa. Det byttes däck vid sidan av vägen och sedan körde de vidare.

Onsdagen var halvdag för skolbarnen så jag fick förnämligt lunchsällskap. Redmonds längsta pommes frites intogs av mig.

Självaste kalkondagen avlöpte finfint. Det blev en trevlig kväll med goda vänner på besök. Vi åt kalkon ända fram till igår, då gav vi upp. Vi lyckades nästan avverka 13 kg fågel på tre dagar.

Black Friday, den löjligt stora shopping-rea dagen, höll vi oss så långt borta från affärerna vi bara kunde. Det blev filmkväll hos oss. Morgonen inleddes med ett Turkey Blast pass på gymmet. 90 minuter, 90 personer I grupp. Svettigt, underhållande, tungt men ganska skönt efter.

Lördagen förvann av bara farten. Jag var som vanligt och knatade med kompisarna på berget tidigt innan solen kommit upp.

Idag var det fuktigt och varmt, nästan 10 grader. Jackan åkte av och på, skorna blev lerigare och lerigare. Finfin morgon som avslutades med en kopp kaffe på Starbucks. Bra lördagsritual. Framåt kvällen dukade vi bordet igen och umgicks med några godbitar. Trevlig kväll med lite bubbel.

Och så blev det söndag… Hela helgen har passerat och det var ledigt från jobbet-skolan idag. Sovmorgon på en söndag, det är inte ofta det händer. Vi tände adventsljus och kokade lite glögg. Funderade på läxorna och tittade lite på tv. Stökade runt lite och kom på att sirapen var slut. Det blev en tur till Ballard med Sofia. Sirap, svartvinbärssaft och lite lakritspipor i korgen. Hejhej till norrmännen i affären. Vi körde vidare till U-Village och åt nudlar med slurp. När vi ändå var där promenerade vi runt lite och vips så hade hela eftermiddagen försvunnit. Och nu är det kväll och glöggen är uppdrucken och det första minijulbordet uppätet. Köttbullar, Jansson, sill och ostsmörgås till middag och en julöl till det. Nu väntar vi bara på att snön ska komma så det ska kännas som december.

I morgon är det måndag igen och då börjar vi om…

Frost

On 20 November, 201320 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, In EnglishLeave a comment

First day of winter, or is it still fall. Frost. Ice cold. Car windows needs to be defrosted, we need to find gloves and hats. No, not here. First of all, the cars are safe in the garage, I just start the seat heating and back out. But secondly, we live in Seattle. Winter is around the corner but there’s no need to dress like it is cold, right. I drove the kids to school this morning, freezing. When I stopped the car by the drop off letting the kids out I turn my head and see the one in the back seat getting out of the car. Big sweater, short jeans and flip flops. Yup, we live in Seattle. And that is proper winter shoes. And I took a deep breath…

And this is how we do it here… always singing and driving

A broken phone

On 16 November, 201316 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, In EnglishLeave a comment

Woke up 2 minutes before the alarm went off, 5.59. Had a strange dream about eating pizza and choking. My one near death experience that happened last spring I think. I had lunch with a couple of friends and a piece of prosciutto pizza got stuck in my throat. It felt like 5 minutes passed but it was probably only 15 seconds. And then life continued. Had a sore throat for a few days, that’s all. And a light version happened this summer with a tiny piece of feta and a proper Heimlich was performed and I had sore ribs for two months. And now I had a dream about it, analyze that all you psychologists out there. Scary stuff. I am probably messed up for life. Well, I turned off my alarm and slept for a few more hours. No running for me in the dark. I am saving that run for this afternoon and I will hopefully absorb some vitamin D and inhale some sunny air. And maybe I can bribe one of the kids to come along.

Do you know that it’s Christmas time? I know, I thought it was time for Thanksgiving soon but I must be wrong. We had a little emergency with one of our brand new phones yesterday and rushed in to Bellevue last night. We stopped at a red light and there it we had it… Christmas. Lights everywhere. I still get very confused this time of year. Pumpkins, scare crows and Christmas lights at the same time. We still have a couple of tomatoes outside that might turn red. I am waiting for the smell of glögg in the air, snow to cover the ground, cold, red noses. I guess we will have to hang at Costco to get the Christmas spirit. No really. Why not do one thing at the time? Let’s finish fall first. I am sure people will shop like crazy anyway, even if they have to wait a couple of weeks for Christmas music and lights. And that’s another thing. Shopping on Thanksgiving… you should be ashamed of yourselves.

One of my favorit Christmas tunes

But let’s back up a little, to the emergency with the phone. I dropped off at school at 8am and got a call from a phone number I didn’t recognize 10 minutes later. One of my kids borrowed a phone and called to say that she dropped her new phone and the screen broke into hundred pieces. Nothing like this happens, they are usually really careful with their stuff, never expect us to buy new things for them and they don’t use their phones for stupid things. But, she called and I heard that she almost cried. Her friends thought I would get angry and say that she had to save up to a new etc. My response ”shit happens, don’t worry about it”, yup you heard me right. Those exact words. And I felt happy that she called me. It’s a phone, that’s why you pay for insurance. Did she drop it on purpose? Of course not. I dropped my phone in the toilet a few months ago. Not fun and I really didn’t like spending that money to get a new one. But, focus on the important stuff. So you parents out there, do you get angry for a thing like this? A broken phone? I am just happy as long as we don’t break any bones or hearts. Focus on the important things in life.

Where can I buy a car helmet?

On 14 November, 201314 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, In English, Utflykter/outingsLeave a comment

1/5 of the family is in Europe for a while. Home away from home, working and meeting family. A good combination. 4/5, all the ladies are home. Waiting for the weekend to come. We get more and more tired every day. This week is going slow, we don’t seem to get enough sleep even if some of us go to bed early. We better start taking some Vitamin D. I spent the evening in front of the computer trying to clear my mailbox. One of those things you wait too long to do, until it’s an overload. I found a lot of interesting stuff in there. Went through my junk folder and found a lot of stuff. Lots of groupon deals, low interest rates for house owners, different Brazilian offers (steak and wax) and custom Christmas tree ornaments. The most interesting one was Have you found the Body for you? Well, I am not sure? Can I trade it? Get something younger and leaner, and a nice tanned one would be awesome. My hair turned into a darker grey shade when the kitchen computer decided to go mute yesterday. A kitchen without Spotify is a very dull and grey kitchen. And the support crew is working in a different time zone in Amsterdam/Stockholm.

We made a spontaneous outing last night. We took a trip to the University of Washington and watched the volleyball ladies play against UCLA. UW won, 3-0. We can’t get enough of volleyball around here. The driving permit holder suggested she could drive over the bridge in rush hour. I don’t know if my heart can take three young drivers in the family. I don’t know how my parents did it? And I thought learning how to ride a bike, swim and ski were big steps in our kids life’s. Considering car helmets for all the kids.

That would make me even more popular at home. I was in such a good mood this morning, singing out loud in the car so the kids asked what the **** was wrong with me. I think it is an outlet for all the anxiety that builds up when you have teenager drivers. And a non-working Spotify account.

And how about a song on a Thursday?

Eating habits

On 11 November, 201311 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Allergier/allergies, Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, In English, Utflykter/outingsLeave a comment

When you get the chance to live in different parts of the world, you also get the opportunity to learn more about people and their habits. I read a post the other day on a blog written by a Swede living abroad who wrote about her eating habits and how these have changed since she moved. Man tar seden dit man kommer. I am happy to say that we have kept our breakfast habits. Cinnamon buns and doughnuts still feel like afternoon “fika” to us.

Food is an incredibly big part of our daily lives, not only as fuel but also as enjoyment. It is a great joy that brings people together and can give a lot of pleasure. It is relaxing to cook and eat. And I am aware that food and eating can be extremely negative and problematic for many. I enjoy cooking, not every day but when I have time and imagination. It is easy to get a bit stuck. But I am happy to see that the kids spontaneously bake and cook when they have time, without being asked.

At our house it is extremely important that we as a family eat together. To grab something on the run, instead of sitting down eating dinner is nothing that is ok to do. Food also affects the level of stress in children. And as we all know, stress affects the whole body, even the brain. We usually eat late since the kids all have evening practices. But better late and together than all five on different times.

You have a responsibility as an adult, kid’s watch you eat. If you set a good example and keep an open mind they notice that. If you are picky they get picky. And there is nothing that you fix in a day, it takes time. And I am by no means perfect, the opposite. But I like food and I actually think that I’ve managed to pass it on the kids. I am really proud of them making good choices and very rarely complaining about their food allergies.

Eating together as a family, regardless how your family is composed, is so much more than just eating. The conversation and the behavior is as important. Think about it when you have small children. I have never been a supporter of separate children’s tables, and I know my kids don’t like that either. Or how about when you feed the kids and then set the table and eat when the kids are asleep. Not very good.
Many restaurants here have children’s menus which is great for your wallet. (It also usually occupy the kids a little bit before the food arrives.) What is negative with all these children’s menus are that the food they offer is often French fries, fried chicken tenders and pizza without toppings? No wonder that many kids are a little fussy when they are not used to be served real food.

One of my absolute favorite foods are Moules Marinière, mussels cooked in white wine, garlic, parsley and onion. I think I ate that one or two days per week when I lived in Brussels 20 years ago. With herbed fries and mayo. This Saturday we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle and I hear one of my kids order this dish in French, eating the whole thing and smiling. Awesomeness!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO

On 14 October, 201314 October, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kidsLeave a comment

Idag firar vi en 16 åring! Grattis Johanna!

Welcome Wednesday

On 9 October, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, In EnglishLeave a comment

6.30am Mornings at our house is quite eventless. We eat, watch the news and sit quiet. I heat or cook something for the lunch bags, pack them up and drink a lot of coffee. The kids eat, they all eat good breakfasts. And I don’t even have to nag. They all make their own breakfasts and they all eat different things. Brjann glides down the stairs after a while and reads emails, taking care of the first 30 minutes of work before work. After eating, all three kids crawl up in different corners of the sofas with a blanket and close their eyes listening to the news. I usually try to make conversation and asks about homework and what’s going to happen during the day and I usually get a long look or a –seriously, why do you think I stayed up until 12… to not finish my homework. So, we watch the news and try to keep the conversation to the minimum.

7.25am I get my third cup of coffee, Brjann opens his computer. All three kids jump up and runs up the stairs. Is it 7.25 already! We hear that they are all moving around upstairs, changing clothes, straightening hair, brushing teeth, changing clothes… And actually talking to each other.

7.37am Three backpacks, three gym bags, three lunch bags, three water bottles, three netbooks, three phones, one guitar, one racket, kneepads, shoes… needs to be located. Even if everything was packed or at least in the right area of the house 10 minutes ago we are now missing at least 1 pair of spandex, 1 jersey, 3 phones and 2 pairs of kneepads. And shoot, away game… need more snacks, more clothes, more… And purple game jersey, no, it’s a white day. And in 30 seconds the house is turned upside down and the whole world depends on those special pair of spandex that is still in the washing machine.

Taking deep breaths and remembering the struggles 10 years ago. Three kids, three different schools/preschools, two working parents, very cold winters, -4F/-20C, clothes, lots of clothes, skates, helmets, three kids on one bike, ice, snow…

7.38am Why can I still see netbook cords on the floor? Who forgot something? And yes, you need a water bottle. Not drinking for 9 hours will not be an option.

7.39am Two parents in a car each and often two kids but where is the third… Changing clothes? Looking for the perfect pair of boots to the perfect yoga pant? Looking for a phone?…?

7.40am We are all in the car and rolling out from the driveway.

Traffic! Where is everybody going?

Some days I drop off at both schools but it depends on Brjann’s work schedule. If he is home we usually get one school each. If I drop at both schools it’s about 40 min in the car on a good day. I dropped off at high school today, really close, maybe 3 miles away, 112 red lights, 15 left turns and most of the day’s traffic.

7.50ish am If you want some excitement in your life, drive to a school 10 minutes before the bell rings. Parents are stressed, kids are stressed and the cars can’t move fast enough. Drop off lines fills up fast, a few drivers apparently missed drivers ed and somehow you always have the sun in your eyes. It’s an ant farm. I drive up, stop the car and say something perky. Can’t help myself, cute and very uncool words pop out. –Mom, turn down the music. Everybody doesn’t have to hear that you’re listening to Justin Timberlake and JAY-Z. Empty Perrier bottles falls out as they open the doors. Embarrassing! And I take a last look at the two high schoolers walking up to the doors, disappearing in. Lovely kids! I don’t know why it chokes me up. I get the same feeling every day, when did this growing up thing happen? And the day goes on.

School night

On 18 September, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, In EnglishLeave a comment

Day 2 of curriculum nights. I really enjoy curriculum nights. Not only because you get to meet other parents but because I get to sit and listen to other teachers. I love teachers. It is interesting and I still get surprised and actually blank in my head when it comes to questions. How can people think so differently. We read the same literature and have the same intentions, to educate kids and get them ready for life and everything that involves growing up. And I realize that after 6 great years in excellent schools and with amazing teachers I still feel very Swedish. And it is not all about the language, I know English will always be my second language. It is the way we think, the way we treat children, the way we act and the way we talk. I am not saying that one country does it better than the other, it is just different, totally different. Even if I love our schools here I will never agree about the homework load our kids get. It is in my opinion completely unnecessary. As a teacher I really avoid homework but there are always parents that asks for it, strange. Why? If we want kids to learn and develop a healthy lifestyle let them be kids and let them have time to enjoy life a little bit more. 3-4 hours of homework after 7-8 hours in school (with no breaks and no time outside) is crazy. No wonder everybody has to eat Vitamin D here. I don’t think kids learn from huge amounts of homework, it comes to a point when it get to much and it’s does the opposite. School becomes negative and they focus on the stress and the fact that they don’t have enough time to finish every night. Check out the high school kids at our volleyball games, they don’t have time to watch their friends play because they are trying to squeeze in a couple of extra hours of homework when they are not playing so they don’t have to stay up after midnight. That’s how you create stressed and overworked kids and teenagers. Add on bad eating habits and not enough sleep. And don’t get me started on PE. I love PE, my kids loves PE but there sure are ways to kill the joy of moving and running. Get a stopwatch and ask kids to run a mile fast and they hate running. And grade their throws and kicks, jumps and shots and they will feel like they’re never good enough. Hopefully not for the rest of their life. And why are some sports worth so much more than others, how can you grade sports? And why do we think some sports are cooler than others? We just want our kids to move and enjoy working out. Simple.

Day 18 of no family dinners. It’s easy, high school sports = no time to eat dinner. 3 out of 5 are taking high school sports and 1 out of 5 takes middle school sports this year that means that 1 person get to do everything else that has to happen around the house every night (without sitting down). If it’s not a game night that has been happening 3 out of 5 nights, then the whole family gets involved and usually gets home around…extremely late for a child. We are on a crazy schedule and somehow I have forgot that I need to get groceries to cook dinner five days in a row. Went to the store twice today since it seems like I lost the ability to think and write notes. Who needs to eat anyway. Well, everybody gets hungry all the time and every time I am around the only question I get is what’s for dinner? The kids cooked tonight and I went to curriculum night, again. Win-win!

Välkommen höst!

On 15 September, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, Träning/training, Utflykter/outingsLeave a comment

Skolstart och regnrusk, blöta skor och fruset in till benmärgen. Idag var det höstens första skoldag för alla barn på Svenska Skolan i Seattle. Finfina barn som förväntansfulla kom till parken i Redmond för att träffa sina nya klasskompisar och fröknar. Eller var det kanske fröknarna som var mest förväntansfulla och pirriga? Det brukar vara solsken och varmt när vi intar årets första korv med bröd och går tipspromenad. I år dundrade himlen lite, gjorde lite oväsen precis när vi började. Regnet småskvätte lite men de värsta skurarna verkar ha stannat runt omkring parken. Vi klarade oss från att bli genomdränkta och satte oss i bilarna hyfsat torra. Några nya gluggar där det suttit framtänder fick jag se och nog hade nästan alla vuxit minst en decimeter över sommarlovet. Välkomna tillbaka till ett nytt år!

Det har varit en tuff vecka för skolbarnen här hemma. Inte mindre än tre bortamatcher under förra veckan och vi åkte så långt som till Whidbey Island för ett av mötena. Långa kvällar och tuffa möten. Middag har intagits framåt 10 tiden på kvällarna och läxorna har gjorts efter det. Det är ett hårt liv för highschool barnen som har många ömmande kroppsdelar efter veckan. Nya tag och ny vecka! Go Kangs!

Ett nytt år med nya äventyr har jag framför mig. Tack alla för meddelanden och hurrarop på min födelsedag igår. 365 dagar till nästa är ju en hel evighet. Kan bara meddela att jag känner mig äldre än någonsin. I fredags rullade jag runt på mina rullskidor längs vattnet när jag blev överraskad av en lös hund som var lite närgången. Jag tog ett steg åt sidan och hamnade i gruset. Där var det tvärnit och jag satte mig platt på rumpan. Och inte faller man lika mjukt på asfalt som på snö så svanskotan har fått sig en törn. På’t igen bara, jag planerar att rulla vidare nästa vecka. Jag är tacksam att vi har en mjuk soffa och mjuka kuddar hemma.