First day of school

..... and they are back at school!!!

The day started with lots of excitement to see new friends, meet new teachers, wear new clothes, have new haircuts, have new school supplies... wonder how long that will last for? ;) Anyway, I am excited for them!

Happy return to school! Wishing you all a great day xox

First day of high school! PS: no more uniform!

First day of grade 1

First day of grade 4

The third child

Recently, I saw some t-shirts that are perfect for our family- OLDEST child: I make the rules; MIDDLE child:  I am the reason why we have rules and YOUNGEST child: The rules don't apply to me. How true!!

With Alexander, we kind of made up rules as we went along. As our first, we were suddenly shaken from our sense of perfect family to reality ;) Our expectations of a happy, sleeping baby were smashed by a happy, always awake baby ;)

With Nicklas, we had a definite character from day 1. Nicka has his own sense of what he thinks and what he wants. The rules that we set up from our experiences with Alexander suddenly do not work well any more..... There is no shy-boy-in-the-middle at our house ;)

Flash forward to our third: Oliver honestly thinks that rules do not apply to him. He listens only when he wants to. He eats only when he wants to. He definitely does (or, at least, tries to do) things his way. Oliver speaks his mind... and to anyone who is in listening range.

Yesterday, we went to the mall to run some errands. One thing on our to-do list (Andreas' to-do list) was to get our TV services upgraded. While we were at the shop, Oliver discovered their video game demonstrators. The whole shop got to hear about his gaming adventures and what he thought of the products. He went from complaining about having to be there with us to not wanting to leave. I am sure that the store was relieved when we finally did head out ;)  Rules definitely do not apply to him ;)

Happy Tuesday and, in our universe, the last day before back to school xox

A new toy!

Yes, Oliver, tell EVERYONE what you are seeing...

AND what you think about it!

Yes, your mother is still watching you ;)

On to the next game!

WAY too easy ;)

We're done here ;)

For sure!

Very busy weekend!

Today, I picked up Oliver (aka Captain America) from his friend's house. He got into the car and said "Mamma, it has been one very busy weekend!" Kid- you are SO right! Between 9 soccer games, 1 dinner out, a trip to the Swedish Consulate to finally get Oliver's Swedish citizenship, meetings at work, the time between Friday and Sunday has passed so quickly!
Next week: getting ready for back-to-school!

Wishing you a good start to the week xox

One busy weekend!

High school!!!!???!!!!

Yesterday, we took Alexander to pick up his schedule (for him) and pay his school fees (for me... ugh!) at his new high school. When we first went into the building, he led the way. I found myself wondering where my little guy went... who is this big, mature young man? Within 5 minutes, he started to fool around... hiding in lockers... bugging his brothers... jumping up on wall heaters.... trying to climb up walls... Oh yeah! There is my kid ;) He is still in there! ;)

Happy Wednesday xox

My big boy....

... who still likes to scare people by hiding in lockers ;)

My Google tendencies

I have kids. One thing that any mother can tell you is that you end up Googling (is that a word now?) pretty strange stuff. For example, we Google things like "How do you get a marble out of a child's nose?" For the record, this was one of my actual searches. Another one: "What do you do when your kid only eats Goldfish Crackers?" "What the h*ll is Pokemon Go?"

Today, I have another one: "Why do my kids' soccer cleats smell like cat pee?"

Apparently, I am not the only one. This is, actually, a very popular topic on discussion boards. Who knew it? AND, the majority of people who experience it DO NOT EVEN HAVE A CAT!!!! Kitties, you are OFF the hook! From my very unscientific research, apparently it comes from the sulfur in sweat... which is amplified with a wet environment.... which is amplified when your kids sweat a lot.... which is amplified with a wet environment.... which is amplified when the cat decides to pee in the shoe (just kidding... I always wondered how our super old cat could negotiate herself into the shoe). As I read, apparently, it is NOT the cat.... just the sweat... and the shoe.... even the ones that you spend a million dollars on (or it seems like they are a million dollars... and supposedly made of gold) ;)

I cannot wait until the boys finish their games this weekend. The shoes will get Lysol'd and put on the winter boot dryer. Bye-bye, cat urine smell! May it only be found in the litter box ;)

PS: for the record, my soccer cleats smell like roses... ;) Roses and cat pee ;)

Alexander's NEW cleats which, for the moment, still smell only like boy sweat....

Ahhhh.....

This morning, Andreas decided to take the boys and his parents (who arrived from Sweden last night) out for a bit of park time. Since I am actually working from home, I decided to stay here and get some writing done.... yes- both work... and my blog... ;) After they left, I couldn't figure out what was wrong... it was almost like I forgot something... something seemed out of place.... I felt a bit uneasy.... and then I realized- wow- it was QUIET! I am not used to QUIET! Now that I know this, I am starting to enjoy it and the uneasiness is disappearing..... ahhhhh.....

Hope you are also enjoying your day! Happy Friday :)

Picture of quiet ;)

Aging and the art of applying makeup

I am 46 years old and feel really good about it. This is probably the most physically trained I have been in years. I love my job. I have a wonderful family. I am thankful. Ahhh...

One thing that I cannot do anymore, though, is put on makeup. If you are above the age of 40, you understand how your eyes change. You can't see if you have glasses on. You can't see if you take them off. You can't see if you have your contacts in. You resist the bi-focals. You end up dreaming about the bi-focals ;) Anyway, I am so happy that many celebrities and fashionistas are posting instagram photos of themselves without make up on because I have given up wearing it. May I add that it is not in an effort to "free my face" but- simply- because I cannot see up close enough to put the damn stuff on. After countless mascara accidents and free form eyeliner jobs, I have decided to default into the makeup free category. You now know my secret... please keep it from the fashion police.... for once, I would like them to think that I am a part of a trend ;)

Happy day to you all! xox

Me, before makeup.

Me ,with makeup... pretty darn close ;)

Boy sleep over

Tonight, Alexander and Nicklas have friends sleeping over. Yes, here... sleep over... here... 5 boys...here.... and I am a little bit nervous due to prior experience with boy-herds ;) This particular species of boys can be most often found grazing on pizza in the kitchen environment, roaring loudly when another member of the boy-herd takes the last piece of pepperoni and enthusiastically chasing after our poor dogs. When darkness rolls in, the boy-herd moves down to the basement and participates in ritual PS4 activity. The members of this group seem confused by the notion of brushing teeth and putting pajamas on so they cause some noise and, subsequently, go back to video game action. It is now relatively silent so, perhaps, Andreas should go down for observation. I will send him down with a walkie-talkie and a big stick for protection ;) If they are lucky, we might throw some popcorn down into their basement environment later on and hope that this satisfies the boy-herd. I promise... no tranquilizer guns involved ;)

I think that an African safari hat would suit me ;)

Wish us luck... and a peaceful evening ;) If you don't hear from me in the next day or so, send a search party ;)

xox

The boy-herd, safely contained, in their exercise pen ;)

The boy-herd is down there... do I dare to bring popcorn? ;)

Reasons to like winter

Actually, I dislike winter.... not just a little bit.... but a whole lot... and if you have been reading this blog for more than 8 months, you must know this already ;) Since the weather here has been super hot lately (ie: 34C... 42C with humidity) and winter seems so distant, I figured that I would try to express a little "friendliness" towards my nemesis, so here it goes.... 10 reasons to like winter:

1) It is cosy... but this only qualifies from December 24 until January 2... and if you don't have to leave the house.... then the cosiness is over!

2) There are no bugs.

3) My glasses stay on my nose.... because they are frozen there.

4) I get to wear cute sweaters... until I get sick of them ;)

5) There are no bugs.

6) The bread on my kitchen counter doesn't get mouldy as fast as in the summer.

7) I get to play indoor soccer.

8) There are no bugs.

9) Ummm.... I am stuck....

10) Can't think of anything else.... ;)


Wishing you all a great SUMMER day ;)

OK... it looks kind of pretty.... but only in a picture..... and looks can be misleading ;)

Attack of the morning storm cloud

This week, Alexander and Nicklas are doing a soccer camp. This means early mornings (well.. for them, it is an early morning), lots of exercise, lots of exercise in the hot sun (did I mention that it will be 34C today?) and evening practices with their respective teams. Needless to say, there are some majorly crabby boys in our house this week (even if they love their camp). This morning, when Nicka woke up, he stomped down the hallway. I greeted him with a "Good morning" and he grunted at me. Every question, including what he wanted for breakfast, was met with eye rolls- which, I have to say, he is an absolute master at. When he couldn't remember where he had plugged his tablet in, he scowled and, although he said that he didn't, I am almost positive that a not-so-bad-but-bad word came out of his mouth. In order to keep the peace, I silently moved into the kitchen and started to make lunches....

Today was the attack of the morning storm cloud ;)

PS: Once he got to his camp, he started to cheer up and the cloud lifted ;)

Portrait of Nicka this morning ;)

Another 10 random facts

1. I save the best ice cream for AFTER the boys go to bed ;)

2. Why is it that the person who SITS DOWN when using the toilet (ie: me) is the one who has to clean the mess AROUND the toilet?

3. I used to eat ketchup sandwiches when I was a kid. Now I seriously hate ketchup. Karma.

4. I have a caffeine addiction and I am not interested in getting over it.

5. I used to love Scott Baio. Now I think that he is totally annoying... and even more lately :P

6. I just turned 46 years old but, in my head, I am 27.

7. If I had the opportunity of participating in the Olympics, I would choose to either play soccer (duh!) or be a rower.

8. One of my biggest pet peeves (besides hearing people eat) is having to repeat myself... which, in my house, I do A LOT...

9. I am still looking for that PERFECT pair of jeans.... sigh!

10. I am always amazed when real, live people tell me that they read this blog. It gives me a feeling that I have to apologize ;)

Wishing you all a great day!

Here are 10 random pics:

A few days after we moved back to Canada

Pregnant with Nicka

Oliver in daycare... his first cupcake ;)

The boys in Sweden (2012)

Our goofy family shot (PEI, 2016)

Alexander and Nicklas, daycare school picture 2008. Nicka was a bit unsure about the event ;)

Alexander on the soccer field... umm.... the action is BEHIND you ;)

Goofy Alexander, age 3

Nicka, age 1.5

Nothing is better than a box (2012)

Didn't I just do that???

Does it ever happen to you that you are totally convinced that you JUST did something.... only to have to do it again? It happens to me ALL THE TIME! For example, today, I looked around our dog-fur-filled house and thought "Didn't I JUST vaccum?". You know what I mean!

Here is today's list of "Didn't I JUST do that?":

- didn't I just take the dogs out for a pee... like 5 seconds ago?
- didn't I just nicely fold ALL the laundry?
- didn't I just do the groceries?
- didn't I just buy Alexander soccer cleats that were intended for ALL summer?
- didn't I just pay all the bills?
- didn't I just say good bye to winter?
- didn't I just buy them school pants?
- didn't I just tell Oliver that we were leaving in 5 minutes?
- didn't I just ask Nicka not to pet the dogs when he is wearing his black soccer shorts and about to leave?
- didn't I just take out the garbage? Composting? Turn on the dishwasher?
- didn't I just write a blog post? (oops... it has been a few days... my bad!)

But, hey, now I am doing it again.... ;)

Happy day to you all xox

Didn't we just say good bye to winter?

Where the heck did all this laundry come from? Hmmm... Andreas didn't do it ;)

More pants?

Bigger (and brighter) soccer cleats?

Another pee?

More dust???

Happy birthday to Andreas!

Today is my husband's birthday. I look forward to this day not only because it is his birthday but also because it brings him one year closer to my age. I am 3 years older than Andreas and he teases me relentlessly about it. Big problem is that, between June 25 (my birthday) and August 5 (his birthday), we are 4 years apart and that is an even bigger reason for teasing me ;)

So, happy birthday, to my beloved husband, who is now 3 years younger than me again ;) The band and circus tent will be in the backyard when you get home ;) xox

Wishing you all a great day!

A blast from the past ;)

Fighting....boy version

Kids fight with each other. I get it. Heck, my sister and I used to fight all the time too. My boys, however, seem to have run out of  "good" things to fight about after, maybe, 3 weeks of summer break. That leaves us in week 4 of  "Really? You are fighting about THAT?". They have now started to fight over things like smashed up plastic water bottles, which boy's hermit crab digs down deeper at night (like, you know??), who left the plate in the living room (hey! You are stealing MY fights!), who left the wet towel on the outside table (again? That is MY domain!), how many followers Youtuber X has and who owns which IDENTICAL white t-shirt.

Boys! If you are going to fight, pick a good one. Get riled up over a GOOD subject! Don't steal your mother's nagging rights (I am, after all, pretty good at it myself and don't need help)! Before you pick a fight, ask yourself: is this a good one? If not, just walk away because your mother will be picking a fight with YOU.... and I will win ;)

Happy Thursday! May it be a fight-free day ;) xox

Once upon a time... when they did not fight.... as much ;)

Back to work

..... and, suddenly, I found myself standing on the train platform... on my way to work again.... At the start of the summer, I had a list of things that I wanted to get done: do some writing for work, clean every closet, clean every cupboard, get rid of a bunch of old toys, organize my clothes, sell some stuff on Ebay, de-stress (which I have realized is impossible), do some ab training and plan my upcoming courses. Did I succeed? Hmmm.... no comment ;) Despite my lack of productivity, I enjoyed my time off and realized that I must do it again sometime ;)

Happy Wednesday xox

End of holidays

Sadly, today, I took the vacation notice off my emails.... I have meetings booked this week in my agenda..... I pulled out some non-sandal shoes for work.... I answered about 50 emails and initiated another 50 more.... I am looking to get organized for my fall semester course load... Even though I am still working from home for the majority of this week, I can feel the shift to work mode. Back to reality, I guess :P

Happy Monday to you all xox