Finger + door = nail loss

When your cell phone rings while you're at work and the display shows "daycare", you don't get a good feeling. Something close to panick would be more accurate. Last week I got one of those phone calls. "Hello, it's from Amilia's barnehage (daycare for those of you who don't speak the language of the vikings.) Uhm.... Amilia had an accident. Uhm... her finger got caught in the door..... there was quite a bit of blood..... her nail came off....." Kids and doors. Not a good combination. Every parent's fear.

My angel parents were able to pick her up right away and take her to the doctor while I hurried home from work as fast as I could. We ended up going to the hospital to do an x-ray just to make sure nothing in that tiny finger was broken. Luckily nothing was. But her finger looked so horrible it made me want to cry. Poor kid! She was so brave, though, and she really is a tough kid. She was a little worried about losing the nail, but was very fascinated with the idea of a new nail growing out.

2 days later, she got a sore throat and a fever. And 2 days after that, we headed back to the doctor because pink eye hit both her eyes. She's had a rough week. And, by the way, have you ever had to give a 4 year old 2 drops in each eye 5 times a day? Not an easy task.

Friends

Life would be empty without good friends, so that's what I'm grateful for today. Here is my list of 10 top qualities of a good friend:

1. Good listener
2. Loyalty
3. Trust
4. Honesty
5. Supportive
6. Reliable
7. Humorous
8. Forgiving
9. Respectable
10. Caring

To all my friends out there, I LOVE YOU!! I'm so grateful to call you my friend.

Faith

Today I would like to say that I'm grateful for my faith. There have been difficult times in my life, but I have felt peace in the most stressful and tumultuous situations, comfort when going through heartache, hope when everything felt hopeless, joy when feeling overwhelmed with sorrow and strength when pushing forward.

I try to build my faith for the days ahead when I will need it. I love this poem by Patrick Overton:

When you walk to the edge
of all the light you have
and take that first step
into the darkness of the unknown,
you must believe that
one of two things will happen:
There will be something solid
for you to stand upon,
or, you will be taught to fly.

Parents

Today I want to say that I am thankful for my parents. The older I get, the more I appreciate them. I am thankful for their patience, love, tolerance, support, wisdom, experience, example.... the list is never-ending! I've learned that I need my parents no matter how independent, self-sufficient and old I may be. I know I can always count on them, no matter what. If I can resemble them in my parenting abilities, even if just a small resemblance, I am a successful parent indeed.

Thankful month

With Thanksgiving coming up, I've been thinking about all the things I'm grateful for. Today I want to say I am grateful for good health. I know many people around me who are facing some challenges in regards to their health, so this is not something I take for granted. To all those who are struggling with a broken body or poor health: I am cheering for you!!!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I've thought a lot about respect lately. I've had some experiences that have made me really evaluate how I view and treat others. I found this fantastic quote by Henri Frederic Amiel: "There is no respect for others without humility in one's self." I love it! It is so easy to point your finger at other people, it's easy to criticize those that view things differently and it's easy to judge people that you disagree with. I don't mean to be preachy, but "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is very relevant in our society today.

I have no problem with people thinking differently than I. I have no problem with people sharing their views, no matter how much I may disagree. I understand that not everyone thinks like me. What makes perfect sense to me may be completely ridiculous to someone else. I appreciate our differences and respect those people that really stand up for what they believe in, no matter what that might be. I think diversity is important in order for us to develop tolerance and broaden our minds.

HOWEVER, I don't believe it's right to try to get your point across while putting someone else down. In fact, I have a huge problem with this. I don't understand why some people feel the need to disrespect, ridicule, belittle or humiliate others while trying to prove their point. I get so sick of it. I prefer to spend time with people that respect me for who I am and what I stand for. These people may have different religious views than me. They may have different political views. They may have different cultural backgrounds. And perhaps we disagree on a lot of issues. But what it comes back to is R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Strong women

I know a remarkable woman who recently lost her young son in a drowning accident. Another remarkable woman's young son was recently diagnosed with autism. Another remarkable woman's husband was diagnosed with cancer. Another remarkable woman just lost her father. Another remarkable woman struggles with depression. Another remarkable woman lost her husband at a very young age. Another remarkable woman just had a miscarriage.

I wanted to take a moment and say thank you to all you strong women out there. You are an inspiration to me and I draw strength from you. I am so grateful that you are willing to share your hardships, thoughts and feelings with the rest of us. Thank you for being an example of faith, strength and endurance.

We all have struggles, but we do not always share them with others. I have learned, though, that we can draw strength and comfort from each other, and that together we really are stronger.

Summer report

It just dawned on me that I have not posted any photos from our summer vacation this year. It was not as grand as last year's vacation (a trip to the always wonderful US of A), but it was still grand in its own way.

We made a trip westward; to Bergen to be more specific. We rented a cabin on Askøy, an island about 20 minutes outside of Bergen, for a week and had a terrific time. I don't know what people are talking about when they say it always rains in Bergen. In fact, I had bought me some good, ole rubber boots in preparation for walking the rainy streets of the capital of the west coast, but didn't wear them once. We had sun every day and the kids even went swimming in the lake by the cabin. (The water was way too cold for me. Is that a sign of age? I'm just asking.)

We went to the Aquarium, the fish market, Fløibanen, Bryggen..... all the typical tourist sights. Since, after all, we were tourists. We also visited Edvard Grieg's home, Troldhaugen, which I remember going to as a kid and which I loved even back then. He is my all time favorite composer, and I had of course given the kids a lecture on Edvard Grieg (or Edvard Krigg as Amilia likes to call him) in advance and they really enjoyed it, too. Amilia was concerned about where Edvard Krigg was now, though. She kept asking for him. And we kept trying to explain to her that he passed away many years ago, but that his music lives on. The answer wasn't good enough for her and every 2 seconds she kept asking: "But where is Edvard Krigg?" We finally took her to his grave, but even after seeing the tomb, she kept asking "But where is Edvard Krigg?" Finally I told her that he's with Jesus. She accepted that answer.



Beautiful view of Bergen.



Loving the fish market.



I wasn't lying when I said we had sun every day.



And I wasn't lying when I said the water was cold, either.



Amilia, Selina and Edvard Krigg.

My cup of tea

The movie club night was SPLENDID, if I may say so. A bunch of women watching a Jane Austen movie, with plenty of snacks available.... How can you go wrong with that?

I informed everyone about the 3 movie club rules:
1. You must love Jane Austen
2. You must drink tea (this was modified to "must *serve* tea" as there is ONE individual who is not particularly fond of tea)
3. You must not be on a diet

I'd decided that we will watch the movies in the same order Jane Austen's books were published, so we watched "Sense and Sensiblity". I love everything about that movie. It wouldn't be right to say it's my favorite Austen movie, though, because I think I will say that about all of them.

Note to self: Bring tape or staples to the next movie club night to prevent excess talking during the movie. Also, BRING A CAMERA!

Jane Austen movie club

When we lived in the States, I was in a book club. It was a wonderful book club. I read so many great books and have many great memories from our meetings. I miss my book club. And all my friends in the book club.

So, I have wanted, for some time, to do something similar here. And since I am a huge Jane Austen fan, I decided to start a Jane Austen movie club. Just to do something different. We are having our first get together tonight and I am so excited!

In preparation for the movie club, I have read a lot about Jane Austen's life and works. I've almost been obsessed with it, in fact. And I'm an even bigger fan now! She was an amazing woman! So in conjunction with the movie club, I think I will have to re-read all her books, too. An enjoyable task, indeed!

Phew

Ballett, swimming, piano lesson, parent meeting at school, church calling, socializing, mall excursion, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, home work support, dishes, making lunches, cuddling, exercising, chauffeuring, work, reading, playing, and much more. 17 hour work days (mixed with fun, hugs and kisses). I am ready for the weekend. And here's to all mothers out there: YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

Speed monster

A friend of mine recently told me that I should write more on my blog because she never finds a new entry on it anymore. I was just so happy to know that there's at least one person that checks my blog out! :)

Anywho, we went to Gøteborg (Sweden) yesterday (along with a billion other people it seemed like!) We went to Liseberg (an awesome amusement park) and although it was packed with people, it was great as always. We went with my parents, brother, sister in law, nieces and nephews and had a grand time.

Amilia seems to have no fear these days, so we decided to take her, along with Selina, on one of the bigger roller costers (Lisebergbanan.) I knew Selina would love it, but I was a little worried about Amilia. Last year, when we went to Disneyland, we took her on Space Mountain. She kept saying "I want to go home" through the whole ride and was not happy when it was over.

I tried to keep calm while waiting in the 25 minute line, but I don't know how successful I was. The ride was quite a success, though. Amilia screamed and laughed the whole way through it, and the minute we stepped off, she announced that she wanted to go again. The problem with having such brave kids, is that I have to go on all the rides, too. Yikes. It seems like the older I get, the more chicken I get, too.

Because I was so busy checking out all the rides, I completely failed to take any pictures. How sad is that? I used to be so good about taking pictures (ask my friend, Nina, about how many pictures we used to take on our vacations together). I always regret it later, too. Oh, well, I'll do better next time.

Feeling like Eeyore

A few weeks ago, I had a horrible day. No major thing caused it, just a bunch of little things, one after the other, building up over time. (Accompanied with not enough sleep.) I won't bore you with the details because they're petty, boring and not important, but the result was that I was in such a negative mood that I became overly-critical of myself. This, my friends, is a dangerous thing. Once you start thinking negative things about yourself, it feels almost as if you end up in a bottomless pit.

Sitting there in my misery, with a dark cloud hanging over my head, I tried to find some uplifting things to read. But the only thing that lead to, was that I wanted to publish a post on my blog saying: "People, I'm tired of hearing about perfect lives. I want to hear about your struggles and your weaknesses. I just want to know that you're human, too!!!!"

I sat there feeling much like George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life", feeling as if nothing I do matters. (Don't be alarmed, I was not thinking about jumping off a bridge.) I don't do enough fun and creative activities with my kids, I need to lose those extra pounds, my house isn't always spotless etc. I'm telling you it was bad. I usually have a pretty positive and optimistic outlook on life, but not that day.

How grateful I am to my husband for taking the time to listen to me. That big, crazy guy has a huge heart. He pointed out all the things we have to be grateful for and I finally realized that life really is wonderful. But sometimes it's difficult, too. And that's OK.

Horror movie

Have you ever had an experience that makes you feel as though you're part of a movie? Well, I did the other day. I was part of the cast for the Hitchcock movie "The Birds". My heart starts pounding just thinking about the experience. Maybe re-living it though this blog entry will eventually remove my newly acquired fear of birds.

I was walking to the bus stop the other morning, a quite fine morning, if you ask me. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the flowers nodding at me as I walked by. You get the idea. Quite lovely indeed. This idyllic scene was, however, interrupted quite rudely by a mad crow. He was sitting in a tree, sqreeching all kinds of profanities as I was just trying to make my way to the bus stop. Then, all of a sudden he was right above my head, flopping his evil wings. I am honestly baffled that I didn't have a heart attack right then and there. It freaked me out. Well, he set out on a quest to scare the daylights out of me and repeated the evil wing flopping right above my head again. I could swear I felt his claws touching my ringlets on top of my head. I realized that this was in fact a possessed crow out to get me. So I continued walking backwards keeping my eye on that devilish thing. Once again he flew towards me, so I started waiving my arms like some mad woman, wondering what people in my office would think if I called in sick because I was attacked by a crow. He obviously had some bone to pick with me, because he kept flying at me, but I kept fighting back. When I finally reached the top of the hill and had to cross the main road, he decided that I was probably crazier than him and just kept staring at me from the branch of a tree. I gave him the evil eye, promising that I'd be back the next morning, ready for battle. He must have taken my threat seriously because I haven't seen him since.

Out of the mouths of babes.

And then it was June. I can not believe how fast time flies. You may think that my life is quite a bore since I never post anything on my blog anymore, but you're quite wrong. It's just that there aren't enought hours in the day to get any blogging done.

I thought I'd share a cute Amilia story with you today, though. During family home evening (or family night if you're not familiar with that term), I'd used a bag of candy to illustrate a point I was trying to make during the lesson that night. We were ending the lesson part of family home evening with a prayer, and I asked Amilia if she would like to say the prayer. She started off all by herself, which I love because you never know what she will pray for. She prayed for Selina's throat to get better and then said "and I pray that the bag of candy won't be put away." How can you put the bag of candy away after that!

Is honesty always the best policy?

I've been reading a Jodi Picoult book. There is a picture of Jodi on the back of the book. Amilia saw this picture and stated that my picture was on the back of the book. I looked at the picture and could see how Amilia, at a quick glance, would think it was a picture of me. Jodi and I have one thing in common. The Hair. Other than that, we really look nothing alike. So I tried to tell Amilia that although the hair was the same, it was not me. She kept insisting that it was. (She's VERY determined....) I told her again that, no, it was Jodi, not Mommy. I was really into the novel at the time, so in order to get Amilia off my back so I could continue reading I asked her to get her crayons and then she could draw a picture of me. She liked the idea (SHOCKING in itself!) and got right on it. I looked over and noticed that she had drawn a big circle. "What's that?" I asked. "Oh, that's your big tummy." Nice. Thanks a lot! The honesty of kids.

Then there was an incident the other night that made me re-evaluate my success as a mother. I was reading a Princess magazine to her and we were really getting in to "The little mermaid." Amilia, of course, was Ariel. (I have another story about her being Ariel in the bathtub, by the way, but I'll save it for a later blog entry). I asked her who I could be. "Maybe one of the sisters?" I suggested. "No, Mommy, you're her!" she said without blinking or thinking twice, pointing to Ursula, the sea witch. Now, is that the honesty of kids? I choose to belive that it's the imagination of kids. I refuse to be compared to Ursula the sea witch! I'm a good girl, I am!

Alive and kicking.

In case you happened to stop by my blog today, I just wanted to let you know that, yes, I'm alive and kickin'. I really only have 2 excuses for not being more faithful to my poor, neglected blog.

1. Walking pneumonia. I guess this is a pretty good excuse. I was wiped out for about 4 weeks with a horrible cough, 3 rounds of anti biotics and self pity. Let's just say I was not a happy camper. Enough about that.

2. A more serious condition: Blogger's block. No inspiration or even the slightest hint of desire to post anything on here. Could be a result of the pneumonia.

So there you have it.

Get the bikini out!

Just as I anticipated, the Weather Gods felt a little threatened by my protest and sent some warmer weather my way. Yesterday when I got home from work, the temperature showed -12 C/10 F. I was tempted to get the bikini out and do a little Weather Dance in the snow. (Let it be known that I DO NOT EVER wear a bikini. But if I did, I'd definitely get it out to celebrate the change in weather.)

Note to self: It may be worth writing a letter to Santa next year. It seems that my letters are taken seriously.

PROTEST!

Dear Weather Gods,

Please accept my official, sincere and humble protest against the weather. -27 C/-16 F is cruel. Please show some mercy. I don't mind the excessive amount of snow you've sent us, but I can no longer tolerate the cold.

Although hibernating for the next 4 months sounds tempting, I'm afraid this is not a realistic option for me as I have too many people depending on me.

I know you think we're all vikings up here in the north, but the viking blood running through my veins is very diluted and, yes, I will admit that I am a wimp. Please take into consideration that I have lived many years abroad.

Just a friendly reminder; Norway is not the north pole.

Please grant my wish for milder days ahead so that I can actually enjoy all the snow.

Kind regards,

Tonje