Category: In English

Treadmill thoughts

On By lillahjarnanIn In English, Träning/trainingLeave a comment

I have always been fascinated with people that can run forever, mile after mile. And I have my moments when I feel like that, running mile after mile and it doesn’t bother me and I start thinking of ultras and how great that would be. And then I have bad days. But it is something special with people that chooses to run on a treadmill. And I mean a longer run on a treadmill. Everybody can run 30 minutes or do an interval run indoors, that’s even enjoyable. But how do you motivate yourself to pound the same spot for hours and hours, not getting anywhere, not getting closer to the wall or the big screen in front of you. To all you treadmill runners out there – you’re special! Your minds must work in a different way than mine. I am in awe of your mental strength.

I changed my plan for the day at 4.45am this morning. I woke up and thought for a while, changed the alarm on my phone to 6.15am and turned around and tried to go back to sleep. The plan I had was to take a cycling class and then run my intervals, go home, drive kids, emails… and then go back for a Pilates class with a friend and I would still have a half day left after that. Change of plan, I decided to run for the first time in a while before the Pilates class. I have some issues with my leg and foot so I have stayed off my feet for a while and switched trail running to cycling waiting for my foot to wake up from what seems like an eternal numbness and burning nerve pain. But it felt like today was the day to run and I decided to stay inside on even ground and away from nice trails. An easy, slow 2h run. Music in my ears, water and a TV screen. How bad can it be?

Bad

I sometimes have a problem motivating myself running long outside but there are some easy tricks you can do. The easiest thing is to stay away from your house or your car so you actually have to run back. Impossible to cheat, you have to get home. And your mind usually turns around after a while and endless roads or trails gets motivating and relaxing.

There are no out and back on a treadmill. You always have 15 feet to the TV screen, 20 to the water fountain and 50 to the shower. And 3 feet to the one next to you.

The room was full of people today. Does everybody have foot issues so they have to run inside? I don’t get it?

I started slow, got past 5k and started thinking. How on earth can I do this for another +90 minutes? And how many times can the news channel cover The Golden Globe? People are coming and going. I pause and fill up my water bottle once, twice… I usually don’t even carry water if it’s not a long run on a mountain. I cover the screen since it feels like the minutes are going backwards. It is not that it is difficult or that I am out of breath, not at all. It is just plain boring.

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When I run outside I usually doze off after a mile or two, your head becomes empty and you start processing, thinking clear, and solving problems. It is great, that’s one of the best parts of running alone in the woods surrounded by trees and oxygen.

Still on the treadmill after 75 minutes and I am starting to think evil thoughts. I might just elbow that person beside me just to see if he will stay on his feet. I am covered in sweat, drinking too much water and start limping because I can’t concentrate on keeping my numb foot up. My playlist sucks. How on earth did I add Britney Spears to my list, and Swagger Wagger? This is clearly not working. I switch over to Kanye West (yes, you read it right) and I think I will survive this. 3 minutes passes. But no, I am going to cheat. I look around like everybody else heard my thoughts. Yes, I am going to cheat. Ha! And I start negotiate with myself. I’ll give it 5 more minutes, no 2… ahhh come on, 15 minutes, I need to stop on an even number. 90 minutes sounds reasonable.

And I am out of there! Foam rolling and stretching in the dark room. Showering and getting dressed and meeting up for the Pilates class. Another amazing experience, crawling on the floor, feeling graceful and flexible and without shoes and socks. Nightmare. That my friends is a huge thing. Barefoot! That’s another post, another day. And the day goes on and I can’t really believe that I cheated… I might have to go back and finish my run later today.

I need to make some kind of plan if I am going to do this again.

-Make a new playlist. No Britney, Miley and WAX! And Zac Brown Band… ehh not sure. Hoffmaestro, Pitbull and Kanye West still works, and yes, I am a little bit embarrassed to admit that.

-Working on developing amnesia. I need to forget about this experience and wake up tomorrow and really feel like running indoors. And it would be handy if I could lose the sense of time.

-Stop caring about everybody around me and overanalyze why they are not running outside. And why they don’t use deodorant or a decent sports bra. Or simply wear something that covers their behind a little bit more. And white shorts, not sure. And no!! Don’t bend over to tie your shoes!

First week of 2014

On By lillahjarnanIn Blandat/mixed, In EnglishLeave a comment

2013 was full of adventures. Good and bad, highs and lows. We had a government shutdown, wildfires, the world got a new pope, Boston Marathon bombings happened, mudslides, Paula Deen, typhoons… rain and lots of rain and twerking. Yes, twerking!! We also had lots of tournaments, climbing comps, work, trail races, triathlons, swims and other interesting things. I still don’t know or understand what the Kardashians are famous for. I am still not hooked on Pop tarts or Dr Pepper. I still think everyone should walk more and drive less. I still miss Sweden (or more the people living in Sweden). I still hope for a calmer world. I still don’t get the healthcare system. I still wake up every day and feel like going for a run. I still think that my life is great. And I still think people have a choice to do good things. And I still enjoy a good cup of coffee, too often. And I still make my kids laugh. The other day I revealed what’s my favorite song to the kids and I saw mascara down pink cheeks. Well the mascara smeared when I started singing and actually knew the lyrics. That’s the kind of things that makes me happy. Happy crying.   

The question is, what’s going to happen in 2014? My prediction… lots. The year started out pretty good. No fireworks but good friends and popping corks.

We finally got our leaking shower fixed the other day. One of those small things you need to be grateful for. We had a nice plumber over and he worked intensely for a few hours before he packed up and left. The kids shower started leaking a while ago and it’s been a long and wet story. Hopefully it’s all done for now. It’s always interesting when you have people over to work on stuff you have no clue about. I don’t even know English words for plumbing and water leaks. Same thing when we had someone over to clean the gutters. Gutters, what kind of word is that?  Nothing I learned in school. And water heater, how do you have a conversation about that in English. And garbage disposals, those are not even legal in Sweden. But, I am getting better at those things. And I think I can almost keep up with car mechanics. (That is good since I really want to buy an old Chevy truck and restore it. Only problem is that I don’t know anything about old cars.) And that is not even easy in Swedish. When I had a flat last year I managed to get the price down from $500 to $19 after threatening to have the tow truck come back and get my car. Född i farstun, not me. 6 years in the US and I still learn new things every day. That is great. We celebrated our Happy Brekkan New Year yesterday. Six years. Six years!! Can’t believe it! But I remember the day we moved like it was yesterday. And I would never do it again.

I’ve started out the new year by signing up for a new class at the gym and it is interesting to be the new person. I can’t say that I am sprinting through the exercises but I am sure I will sort it out after a few weeks. I’ve got some stuff to work on. My gym buddy and I tried another new class a few days ago, not something we would have done if it wasn’t for injuries and modifications. But new is good, right? Pilates mat. Slow, rolling spines and lots of breathing. No pushing, punching, sweating and all nice words. We hid in a dark corner and exchanged looks every once in a while. I crawled very gracefully over the floor to check the time, and it felt like it didn’t move at all. Hard to believe it only lasted for an hour. But we are going back. Working on our inner warrior, spine, breathing and all that rolling nicely with an engaged core. That might be my new thing, engage my core. We do work hard on ageing gracefully my bestest gym buddy and I. My lovely British friend.

School started with a bang for the kids. Lots of volleyball on top of homework will break even the toughest teenager. A sore body and essays to hand in, mock trials and tournaments. January is a stressful month. And we can’t wait for the next break in February. And it seems like we will have some special visitors from Sweden in February. Happy, happy.

It’s Saturday today. Long day and lots of stuff to do. Brjann and I went to the first TriTeam workout for the year. Breakfast at 6 and then group work out. I felt so disappointed. And I am so aware that that’s my problem and I can’t blame anyone else. I always have the expectation of feeling almost sick, exhausted and really tired. And that did not happen, not even close, far from. And I get the feeling of wasted time. Why did I even bother getting up early for this? Ahhhh

Got home after practice and the power was out. We didn’t have power yesterday either but it came back after 14 hours. The house was cold but everything got back to normal after a while. It was really windy and rainy again this morning and there were tree branches all over the roads when we drove to the club this morning. We got back to a really dark and cold house. Two people in the family looked really worried since it was a big game this afternoon, but the power came back a few hours before the game started. We are lucky to have the bestest friends. Hanging out, watching the game, getting food, cooking and taking a nap. And I was not the one napping. You lovely people + one dog.

After Christmas Orienteering

On By lillahjarnanIn Blandat/mixed, In English, Tävlingar/racesLeave a comment

Christmas is almost over. We’ve had a nice, lazy holiday. Lots of food and chocolate, movies and books. And it’s only a couple of days left of 2013. Time for a new year, new goals and new adventures. I will try to summarize 2013 in a couple of days, I’ve been busy doing nothing for a few weeks. Nothing has been good for all of us, nothing as in some volleyball, racquetball, running, biking, reading, eating, socializing… I got a new mtn bike before Christmas and I finally got out on a ride the other day. Nice and fast. I’ve got some work to do to get used to this BMC machine.

I survived my first orienteering competition today. I have a complicated relationship with orienteering. As a Swede you go through navigation in school. Everybody has to do orienteering in PE, endless hours out in the woods with old fashion maps and borrowed compasses. You are kind of forced to like the outdoors. I did not like it. I think it was because I did it in a big group and you lost control of the map and then you get this feeling of that you are lost. And who wants to feel lost? And how cool is it to read a map when you are in high school trying to look awesome. Not cool. We got to do a lot of cool stuff in PE back then. Cross country skiing, ice skating, track and field day, hiking. Really inspiring teachers with lots of patience. 

Orienteering is the most non glamorous sport you can imagine, but really enjoyable. Nice people, lots of fresh air and out in the middle of nowhere. And mud. And I love mud. I had a really good time today. My plan was to do the beginners course or maybe the intermediate and go safe. Who wants to fail on the first try? I ended up doing the advanced and long course together with a new friend of mine. I was really worried that I would slow him down, and I am sure I did. We ended up doing pretty well and finished without any major navigation mistakes. And I can’t wait to do it again. 

And our favorite commercial. This is how we talk.

Keep breathing

On By lillahjarnanIn Allergier/allergies, Barnen/kids, In EnglishLeave a comment

For all of you parents out there, you know what it is like to listen to breathing in the dark. Quiet almost breathless breathing in the middle of the night. You can’t sleep because you need to hear that next breath, air drawn into the lungs and the familiar sound of a child sleeping. I don’t think I slept a full night for 7-8 years. Not because I am extremely worried, three kids in 3,5 years really makes you exhausted. I have listened a lot to kids with asthma and croups. We have done a lot of trips in the middle of the night to the ER and spent nights inhaling meds from tubes with tiny, blue lips. We have even called the ambulance a few times for scary croups that got out of control. But this is in the past, our kids are older now. But it never changes, it’s only different.

I spent last night listen to breathing again. And it breaks my heart. Life is unfair sometimes and it’s not much we can do about it. We have learned to live with food allergies. And it is easy for me to say that it is not that bad since I am the only one not having to avoid anything really. I mostly do the cooking but that’s the easy part. We spend a huge amount of money on groceries, cooking everything from scratch, baking, making sure that we know what’s in the food we eat… But it is never enough. Sofia ate a pasta dish that I cooked last week. It was a little bit of a gamble since it had a bit of cream in it but I figured since everything has been good for a while her stomach could take it. She ate a big portion and started swelling. Her face got red and blue, her lips got numb and her mouth itchy. It could have been a lot worse, she has been through a lot worse many times. I realized after thinking about it for a while that it must have been undercooked eggs that started it. She can’t eat raw eggs or not even crack them. If she gets it on her skin she swells. The next few days got a bit interesting. She got really tired and pale, and we tried to be really careful with her diet. And she got back on track. Stayed home from school one day. Stomach pains and sickness started to settle. I think it was the first time in 5 years she said she wished she didn’t have to deal with it.

I made soup and crepes last night, with ingredients that she can eat. All safe. All good. It took about 20-30 minutes before her body was covered with a red rash, itchy and hot. What now? One more thing to add on the list of food. But what? I don’t have a clue. More medicine.

She went to bed and fell asleep, getting really drowsy from the medicine. I didn’t. I started to listen again. Breathing in and out. In and out. Slow and relaxed. Trying not to wake her when I checked her face and behind her ears. It looked nasty. Listening some more. Counting hours and decided to get a few hours of sleep before my workout at 6. She was breathing.

I got back home at 7.30 and she is all packed up and ready for school. Tired and pale but determined to go to school since it is more work to do all the homework if you miss a day. We made it to the parking lot outside school and sat there for a few minutes before we turned around and went back home. She was exhausted. I talked her into going home. I want to hear her breathe. That’s what we are doing today. Just breathe.

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Reflective spray

On By lillahjarnanIn Blandat/mixed, In EnglishLeave a comment

Let me tell you about the coolest thing since sliced ​​bread. Reflective spray – in a can.
I read about this phenomenon on a Swedish blog about a month ago and felt that this was something I just wanted to try. So I ordered two cans to my parents’ house and Brjann picked up the package. And he came back from Europe in the beginning of the week and I sprayed on the same night. It works. You spray it straight on your clothes and get out into the darkness and then you are visible. You can’t see that you sprayed something on your clothes, it’s invisible.  After a few days you might need to spray some more since it fades and it disappears when you wash your clothes. Absolutely fantastic.

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Frost

On 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

Be visible

On By lillahjarnanIn In EnglishLeave a comment

I might sound like an old lady but… make sure you are visible. I usually run early in the morning with a headlight and a blinking red light fasten on my backpack. I ran a bit late today, got out around 4. An hour and a half in my run it was dark and I had no lights, nothing reflective and black clothes (except from my tights that was pink). I turned around and started to run back home, felt kind of stupid that I didn’t think of that it was getting dark early. It is your responsibility that the cars can see you. And open your eyes and unplug. It is always more safe if you can hear the traffic around you. How bad can it be to run without music in your ears?

I grew up in northern Europe. In the winter it gets dark early in the afternoon. When you walk or bike to work it is dark and when you go back home after a long day, its dark again. When we get the first snow it is like it was sent from heaven, it instantly gets lighter and brighter.

My mom always carried around reflective pieces (reflexer) shaped like stars and hearts, she still does. I don’t even know what to call them since it is impossible to find something like this here. I fastened those little pieces on every little outerwear my kids owned. In every store you can think of they sell those reflective things. They are in every shape you can imagine, cartoons, hearts, cars, animals… They are usually placed on the counter so it is easy to grab one before you pay for your other stuff. It is fastened to a little string so when you get it out from your pocket it dangles and shines when a car pass you. Really efficient.

It is your responsibility that you are visible when you run or walk outside. Wear reflective gear. And open your eyes and run against traffic. And wear clothes with colors.

A broken phone

On 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.

 

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Where can I buy a car helmet?

On 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 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!  

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