Halloween the Rydgren way

Halloween isn't that big here in Sweden. There is not a whole lot of "trick-or-treating" going on. Only a vampire and a ghost knocked on our door this year. Even so, the kids really wanted to celebrate it, so we decided to have a Halloween dinner. Grandma Rydgren had come by earlier to give the kids some Halloween candy, and among other things there were some ugly looking spiders that served well as decorations. We even carved our very first pumpkin! Egon loved it and kept oohing at it. Of course the kids dressed up for the occasion.

Baking

The other day, when Alvin was at a friend's house, I put Ivar's reading skills to the test when I asked him to make chocolate-oatmeal balls all by himself. He read the recipe and got all the ingredients out. The only thing I had to help him with was the measurements. I was really proud of him. But of course not half as proud as he was of himself! Lovisa helped him roll the balls in coconut flakes and pearl sugar. She did a great job too!

First haircut

I had been putting it off for a long time. Egon's hair had become something of a trademark for him. But when people started asking me how old she is or what her name is, I finally accepted the fact that his long hair had to go. He is just as cute without it, of course. Now he looks like such a big boy!

This is before...


And this is after...

Out of the mouth of babes

Today at lunch, when we were blessing the food, Egon folded his little hands and uttered the first two words of prayer of his young life: "Ta-ta". That's how he says "tack tack" or "thank you". He has heard the rest of us thank Heavenly Father for the food a thousand times, and he doesn't know that many other words. But I still think it was so profound that this little person said "thank you" to his Heavenly Father. If you were only able to utter two words to Him, wouldn't they be the two? "Thank you!"

It's all about being flexible

Today was a beautiful day, sunny and not too cold. So I decided to take the kids to the lake after I picked them up from school and playschool. We stopped at our house to pick up the snack and were just about to go when Alfred, a friend from the boys' school called and asked if they wanted to play. I could tell that they really wanted to go, so I gave them their snack and off they went.


Lovisa me and Egon set off towards the lake, which is only about a 15 minute (kids)walk from our house.


When we got there, Lovisa wanted to throw some pine cones into the water. She picked a rock and sat down where the water is very shallow.


About two minutes later she had managed to slide right into the water! She got soaked from the waist down. Here she is, telling me that I really should have brought a change of clothes for her "just to be on the safe side". And here I was thinking I was on the safe side when I had her wear her rubber clothes and rubber boots...



Lovisa didn't want to miss out on the snack and I thought some warm blueberry soup would do her good. So we hurried and ate while she still didn't feel cold. As she was sitting there soaking wet eating her sandwich she said she wanted to go for a swim! "Isn't that what you just did?" I asked. "Yes, but that was with all my clothes on!!" she said. That's what she's looking so mad about in case you were wondering. After finishing our snack we hurried home.


The minute she walked in the door, she fell asleep standing up!
Maybe this wasn't my idea of a perfect picnic. But then again, what is perfect?

What a morning!

Thursday mornings are really hectic in our house. Jens works Thursdays, so he's usually gone by 5 or 5.30 am. We have to be at school before 8 am for Ivar's gym class, which is about half an hour earlier than other days. Also, Lovisa has her weekly picnic at Playschool, so I have to pack a snack for her to take with her.

Last Thursday the rain was pouring down as we left the house a little late. We ran to school and Ivar just made it to gym class. After kissing the boys good-bye, I dropped Lovisa off at Playschool. Then I thought that I would walk to the post-office to pick up a package. I figured: "How wet can it get?". Turns out I got totally soaked. At least Egon had a rain cover over the stroller.

Just as I passed by Lovisa's Playschool, on the way home, her teacher called me on the cell phone. Lovisa had gotten a bead up her nose! After several attempts they had given up trying to get it out. So I picked her up and walked home to call the doctor. Before I called I asked Lovisa to blow her nose really hard for me, and wouldn't you know it: A green bead came flying out of her nose like a projectile! Since it wasn't even 9.30, we decided to go back out into the rain and walked back to Playschool. What a way to start your day!

Going to the movies

Wednesday I took Alvin and Ivar to to see Wall-E. They had been looking forward to it for weeks and they were not disapointed. We bought a huge bowl of popcorn and some fizzy drinks - I think that was half the pleasure for the boys! Wall-E was a really cute movie! It's incredible how cute and almost human you can actually make a rusty robot! It was really thought provoking for me as an adult as well. I recommend it to those who haven't seen it yet.


The next day it was Lovisa's turn. Jens had promised to take her to see "Mamma Mu och Kråkan" or "Mamma Moo and the Crow" as they are called in English translation... They are a famous duo from the world of Swedish children's literature. It was Lovisas first time at the movies, and of course she was very excited about it!

Funny things they say

The other day Alvin was bragging about how much he has grown. He said: "I'm getting really big! Look! I've got hair on my arms and my elbows are bumpy!" It took me a little while to figure out that by "bumpy elbows" he actually meant the veins in his elbow creases...

Today Lovisa was playing with Egon and pretended that she was on the phone with someone:
"Oh, so you have a problem? You have too much candy left over? Well, I can come and help you out with that!" Where does she pick up stuff like that?

Fall, fell, fallen

The downside of anger

Before I had kids I used to look at parents getting mad at their kids in the supermarket, in the park or parking lot, wondering what on earth they were thinking. I just knew that I would never get that mad at my children. So what happened?

For the last few years I feel as if I have been angry, frustrated or irritaded all the time. Now, I know that isn't entirely true. Of course there are good days and we have some wonderful moments together, my children and I. But I know I have been angry so much more than I thought I would be. I have been so sad about that, and I have felt so much guilt. Another downside of anger is that it simply doesn't work. If anything it leads to more anger and becomes a downward spiral.

When I talked with a friend about it, she said that she felt the same way, until she realized that her children truly were a loan from Heavenly Father. That it wasn't her job to remold them into the shapes she wanted her children to have. She realized that her responsibility was rather to lead them by the hand and help make sure that their dreams and goals were taking them in the right direction. As the husband of another dear friend reminded her: "We are not here to control our children but to guide them".

How much easier motherhood becomes, when you start looking at it like that! I made a decision yesterday that I will change my behaviour around my children. I've made the same decision before, but I think I have forgotten where to turn for help. I love my children so much and my greatest wish is for them to be happy!

Cinnamon roll day

Today is cinnamon roll day here in Sweden. No joke. It has been celebrated for nine years this year. Of course this is not the only day us Swedes eat cinnamon rolls. They are enjoyed all year round. But apparently more so on this special occasion... I made a double batch of rolls, to the kids' delight! Oh, I don't mind eating a few myself...

After having been forced to finish their lunch, it was finally time to taste them. Alvin had a difficult time deciding which roll to take. He did manage to pick out one of the biggest.

I think I'll let Ivar's facial expression speak for itself.

Lovisa set her teeth in her cinnamon roll while Egon examined his for a few seconds before devouring it.