Tomorrow we're off. Me and W are heading to Sweden for three plus weeks. I will try to post while I'm over there but I wouldn't count on too much frequency. Also there will probably not be any Friday issues until I get back. I was going to write a couple before I left but I don't feel like it anymore. Too much packing to do.
So enjoy your July people!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Summer shots
I just thought I'd post some pictures of the cake I made for W's birthday. In Sweden we call it a marängsvisstårta. It's meringue, ice-cream, whipped cream and berries. Yummy yummy yummy!
On another note, I find it very strange that Michael Jackson (and Farrah Fawcett) died on my birthday, I guess that just means that I'll never forget.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Sixth Friday: The non-issue?
Today I don't want to talk about circumcision, testing, spanking, world new order or abortion issues. Today I want to talk about a pop culture phenomenon, "Jon & Kate plus 8".
For those of you who are not aware of who Jon and Kate or the 8 are I'll give you a short summary. If you wish to know more you can go here.
So some years ago, about 11 or so I believe a man named Jon met a woman named Kate. They fell in love and got married. Then they tried to have kids but with no luck so they had some help and finally got twin girls Mady and Cara. A few years later they wanted to add just one more child to their brood so with some more help they got pregnant again only this time instead of one baby they got 6. Three girls: Alexis, Hannah and Leah, and three boys: Aaden, Joel and Collin. The couple are fundamentalist Christians and a big reason for them to keep all six embryos is their belief. For the last couple of years we have been able to follow the family on the TLC show "Jon & Kate plus 8"
On Monday this week (the 22nd of June 2009) they filed for divorce.
Now there has been a lot of talk about the Gosselins (that's their last name BTW) lately and rumours have been swirling about infidelities and stuff. It is also very well know that Kate is somewhat of a bitch and has been picking on Jon throughout the years. She famously berated him for breathing too loudly once on the show during interviews.
The divorce had sparked a lot of debate as to why this is happening and people are either blaming Kate for being such a bitch or saying it's all Jon's fault for not communicating and for hanging out with young girls when his wife is away. It appears as though Jon is the one who was pushing for the separation even though they say it was a joint decision. Jon said on the show that he was sad for the kids but also excited about the future and he kept repeating that he's only 32 years old. There is a funny recap of the show over here if you don't feel like sitting through the whole thing.
J has told me that he would never want to swap places with Jon and that any man would feel sorry for Jon and that I speak about the Gosselins the same way I speak about Victoria Beckham (more on that later) but I think that he's missing a major point here. Jon met Kate he fell in love he married her and he wanted to have babies with her badly enough to go through whatever fertility treatment they used to get pregnant... not once but twice! You can feel sorry for Jon all you want for having her for a wife but he knew what he was getting into.
Personally I am of the belief that the divorce is sad and there are a lot of kids involved which makes it even sadder but kids need their parents to be happy and if they are unhappy together it's probably best if they try to be happy apart. I don't believe in staying together for the kids but I also don't believe that divorce is a decision to take lightly. Marriage is work and you need to try to make it work before giving it up.
Well that's my two cents. I'll come back with a follow up post on Victoria Beckham another day because W just woke up from his nap.
For those of you who are not aware of who Jon and Kate or the 8 are I'll give you a short summary. If you wish to know more you can go here.
So some years ago, about 11 or so I believe a man named Jon met a woman named Kate. They fell in love and got married. Then they tried to have kids but with no luck so they had some help and finally got twin girls Mady and Cara. A few years later they wanted to add just one more child to their brood so with some more help they got pregnant again only this time instead of one baby they got 6. Three girls: Alexis, Hannah and Leah, and three boys: Aaden, Joel and Collin. The couple are fundamentalist Christians and a big reason for them to keep all six embryos is their belief. For the last couple of years we have been able to follow the family on the TLC show "Jon & Kate plus 8"
On Monday this week (the 22nd of June 2009) they filed for divorce.
Now there has been a lot of talk about the Gosselins (that's their last name BTW) lately and rumours have been swirling about infidelities and stuff. It is also very well know that Kate is somewhat of a bitch and has been picking on Jon throughout the years. She famously berated him for breathing too loudly once on the show during interviews.
The divorce had sparked a lot of debate as to why this is happening and people are either blaming Kate for being such a bitch or saying it's all Jon's fault for not communicating and for hanging out with young girls when his wife is away. It appears as though Jon is the one who was pushing for the separation even though they say it was a joint decision. Jon said on the show that he was sad for the kids but also excited about the future and he kept repeating that he's only 32 years old. There is a funny recap of the show over here if you don't feel like sitting through the whole thing.
J has told me that he would never want to swap places with Jon and that any man would feel sorry for Jon and that I speak about the Gosselins the same way I speak about Victoria Beckham (more on that later) but I think that he's missing a major point here. Jon met Kate he fell in love he married her and he wanted to have babies with her badly enough to go through whatever fertility treatment they used to get pregnant... not once but twice! You can feel sorry for Jon all you want for having her for a wife but he knew what he was getting into.
Personally I am of the belief that the divorce is sad and there are a lot of kids involved which makes it even sadder but kids need their parents to be happy and if they are unhappy together it's probably best if they try to be happy apart. I don't believe in staying together for the kids but I also don't believe that divorce is a decision to take lightly. Marriage is work and you need to try to make it work before giving it up.
Well that's my two cents. I'll come back with a follow up post on Victoria Beckham another day because W just woke up from his nap.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thank you Supernanny!
I don't know how familiar you guys are with the awesomeness that is Supernanny?! Even before I got pregnant I used to watch the show regularly and take in all the glorious advice she dishes out. This week was my first opportunity to really try one of her techniques, the never-fail sleep technique!
We moved W into his big boy bed on Tuesday like I told you before and all was well. The first night he went to bed without trouble, the second night he kind of went to bed without trouble. The third night he got out of bed like a million times. So I tried the sleep technique which basically is the first time your kid gets out of bed you say "Bedtime darling" and put him back to bed, the second time you just say "bedtime" and put him back to bed and all the times after that you say nothing and just put him back in bed. The goal being to make your child realize that getting out of bed is pointless and they should just stay put.
So first night it took me about an hour and fifteen minutes before he stopped getting out of bed, the second night it took me fifteen minutes and the third night I only had to say "bedtime darling" and he didn't get up again. Tonight he's been in bed for about half an hour and he just came up for the first time so I'll see how it goes.
Since this worked so well I am exited to try some of Supernanny's other tricks like her naughty step, but I think W has to be a little older for that one to work.
We moved W into his big boy bed on Tuesday like I told you before and all was well. The first night he went to bed without trouble, the second night he kind of went to bed without trouble. The third night he got out of bed like a million times. So I tried the sleep technique which basically is the first time your kid gets out of bed you say "Bedtime darling" and put him back to bed, the second time you just say "bedtime" and put him back to bed and all the times after that you say nothing and just put him back in bed. The goal being to make your child realize that getting out of bed is pointless and they should just stay put.
So first night it took me about an hour and fifteen minutes before he stopped getting out of bed, the second night it took me fifteen minutes and the third night I only had to say "bedtime darling" and he didn't get up again. Tonight he's been in bed for about half an hour and he just came up for the first time so I'll see how it goes.
Since this worked so well I am exited to try some of Supernanny's other tricks like her naughty step, but I think W has to be a little older for that one to work.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Fifth Friday: The spanking issue
This week I want to talk about spanking.
Wednesday I read all these gossip about Kate from "Jon & Kate plus 8" spanking one of her little girls (Leah) in public. Which got me thinking about spanking.
From my own experience my mom doesn't believe in punishment, she believes in incentives and in talking (and shouting) in order to correct bad behavior. My dad is a different story. I don't really want to talk about my dad since I am still working through issues I have with him. He never spanked me to discipline me though I can say that much.
In the two years I've been a parent I have never spanked my child and the thought to do so has never crossed my mind.
My perspective on spanking is that it's wrong. I believe the only thing you will teach your child by spanking it is to fear you and that it is OK to hit. How can you say your child is wrong when they hit someone else if you yourself hit them?
My mom has this saying that goes a little something like: When you run out of words then you resort to your fists. Basically if you are to stupid to use your words to get your opinions across then you will use your fists to do so. If your child breaks the rules or disobeys you then you need to be able to explain to your child why they should not have done what they did or why they need to listen to you.
I had a friend one with whom I had this discussion about spanking and she told me that sometimes your child is too young to understand so a slap on the wrist will teach them not to do something again. This might be true. And as a mother of a 2 year old I do understand that it's frustrating to tell your child over and over again not to touch the trash can and maybe a slap would be faster, but to me it's not worth it.
The bottom line for me is that I don't want to teach my child to hit.
If you want other opinions on this issue you can visit Babble, they have compiled different opinions on the subject.
Wednesday I read all these gossip about Kate from "Jon & Kate plus 8" spanking one of her little girls (Leah) in public. Which got me thinking about spanking.
From my own experience my mom doesn't believe in punishment, she believes in incentives and in talking (and shouting) in order to correct bad behavior. My dad is a different story. I don't really want to talk about my dad since I am still working through issues I have with him. He never spanked me to discipline me though I can say that much.
In the two years I've been a parent I have never spanked my child and the thought to do so has never crossed my mind.
My perspective on spanking is that it's wrong. I believe the only thing you will teach your child by spanking it is to fear you and that it is OK to hit. How can you say your child is wrong when they hit someone else if you yourself hit them?
My mom has this saying that goes a little something like: When you run out of words then you resort to your fists. Basically if you are to stupid to use your words to get your opinions across then you will use your fists to do so. If your child breaks the rules or disobeys you then you need to be able to explain to your child why they should not have done what they did or why they need to listen to you.
I had a friend one with whom I had this discussion about spanking and she told me that sometimes your child is too young to understand so a slap on the wrist will teach them not to do something again. This might be true. And as a mother of a 2 year old I do understand that it's frustrating to tell your child over and over again not to touch the trash can and maybe a slap would be faster, but to me it's not worth it.
The bottom line for me is that I don't want to teach my child to hit.
If you want other opinions on this issue you can visit Babble, they have compiled different opinions on the subject.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Happy second birthday W!
Lets start at the beginning.
9.40 am: This time 2 years ago I had already spent a little over five hours at the hospital and you were still not out. The contractions were hurting more and more and I was really tired. I hadn't slept at all since Saturday morning and it was now Sunday. Your dad and I were very excited and couldn't wait to see you. It would be about 4 more hours before I took the epidural and another 11 hours before you came out at 8.42 pm.
9.40 am: This time 2 years ago I had already spent a little over five hours at the hospital and you were still not out. The contractions were hurting more and more and I was really tired. I hadn't slept at all since Saturday morning and it was now Sunday. Your dad and I were very excited and couldn't wait to see you. It would be about 4 more hours before I took the epidural and another 11 hours before you came out at 8.42 pm.
If you ask your dad he will tell you that I gave up on the pushing because it hurt to much and that he has never seen me as happy as when you finally came out. When they handed you over to me I just smiled as you can see in the photo above. 17.5 hours it took to get you out but it was worth every second. Your dad cried when he saw you. I didn't think he would but he did. He was so happy and relieved everything went well.
You were so cute. You couldn't walk yet but you loved the park. We used to go every day and you would dig your toes into the sand.
We put you in the same clothes as last year for your party and we had it in the park just like last year. Your clothes are a bit tighter and shorter and I had to make you a new crown. This year you didn't want to wear it all the time like last. But this year you looked at it and said "Wild things!". You are so intelligent.
You got lots of nice gifts this year, and you love them all. I held you for a very long time last night cause I wanted to keep you close to me your last night as a one year old. You are now two years old and no longer a baby. You will always be my baby though. Last night was also your first night in your big boy bed. You went to sleep without fussing and slept all night without getting up like the big boy you are.
This morning when you woke up I went to your bed and snuggled with you for a little while then we woke your dad who got all your gifts and you got to open them in bed just like I used to do when I was young. At first you weren't sure of what to do with the wrapped gifts but once we showed you how to open it you were ripping them apart like a pro. You really loved your new Woody and Buzz cars and your Mike and Sully cars.
2.32 pm: Your grandmother sent you a t-shirt with Pippi Långstrump on it. It's a girl t-shirt but you don't mind. You love Pippi Långstrump. You wore it today. While we had breakfast at Cora and during your party when your friends Miles and Saga came over with their moms. You didn't want to eat your birthday cake though.
In the past two years you have gone from being a strong baby to a strong boy. You are intelligent, kind and funny. I have loved you since I found out I was pregnant. I loved you from the moment you were born and every day I love you more. Because every day you become better, funnier, smarter and cuter. I didn't think it was possible but you amaze me every single day.
In your short life you have done so many things that I didn't do in my first two years of life. You have travelled back and forth across the Atlantic 4 times something I didn't do until I was 22 years old.
Happy Birthday W
I love you
In your short life you have done so many things that I didn't do in my first two years of life. You have travelled back and forth across the Atlantic 4 times something I didn't do until I was 22 years old.
Happy Birthday W
I love you
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Party and big boy bed.
A couple of pictures from the party Sunday.
W in his crown with his special cupcake.
Caught in action! He's so fast the world blurs around him.
And a couple of photos from today when we built his big boy bed.
Banana and screwdriver. A real little handyman.
The finished room. We added a security rail to the bed after this photo was taken.
Monday, June 15, 2009
The day after
Yesterday we had W's big birthday bash. It was in the park like last year and I was stressing so much about the baking and the weather that I failed to sleep the night before. So tired and cranky with a million things to do I begun my day.
W didn't get much sleep either and once the extended family showed up there were just no sleeping to be had so we had chicken, veggies and Dairy Queen blizzard cake instead.
Off to the park, me and W hung out at home for an extra 45 minutes after everyone else left. Once we got there we ate and played and some friends joined us and W got some more gifts and discovered the joy of smarties.
J dressed him for the party and for some reason he put him in the exact same clothes he wore last summer for his birthday so I'll be doing side by side pictures tomorrow. Today I'm still recovering. We're also getting his new bed tomorrow because on Wednesday my one year old will officially be 2 and there will be the birthday post.
The countdown is on. 2 days til W's birthday 10 days to mine and 16 until we go to Sweden.
W didn't get much sleep either and once the extended family showed up there were just no sleeping to be had so we had chicken, veggies and Dairy Queen blizzard cake instead.
Off to the park, me and W hung out at home for an extra 45 minutes after everyone else left. Once we got there we ate and played and some friends joined us and W got some more gifts and discovered the joy of smarties.
J dressed him for the party and for some reason he put him in the exact same clothes he wore last summer for his birthday so I'll be doing side by side pictures tomorrow. Today I'm still recovering. We're also getting his new bed tomorrow because on Wednesday my one year old will officially be 2 and there will be the birthday post.
The countdown is on. 2 days til W's birthday 10 days to mine and 16 until we go to Sweden.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Forth Friday: The abortion issue
I have wanted to talk about abortion here for a while but I find it to be a bit of a sensitive issue. I am pro choice. I believe that it's very much a woman's right to chose but I don't think it's right when it's being used as a contraceptive.
Now J's mom was quite young when she had him and his sister was very young when she had her first child. Both of them received pressure from family members to have abortions but they chose not to. J feels that abortion is tricky because he was almost aborted himself and so was his godchild.
My own personal opinion is that there are so many unwanted children in this world already so why should we force women to add to that if they do not want to. Keeping abortions legal is necessary to ensure that women don't try to do it to themselves or go to back alley clinics and get botched. But I do think it should be a carefully made decision. I think if possible both parents should be involved and it should never be used as a contraceptive, it should be a last resort.
I know a lot of people feel very strongly about abortions and the people who oppose it call the fetuses children in order to make the abortion into murder and part of me understands where they are coming from. Those children would have grown up to be people I might love who knows. But what makes it right to force someone to have a child they do not want. And what about cases of rape.
I think the abortion process should maybe be a bit more difficult say you should have to do some counseling before going through with it to ensure you know what you're doing.
I am very tired right now so I am rambling a bit. I hope you will all share your opinions with me.
Now J's mom was quite young when she had him and his sister was very young when she had her first child. Both of them received pressure from family members to have abortions but they chose not to. J feels that abortion is tricky because he was almost aborted himself and so was his godchild.
My own personal opinion is that there are so many unwanted children in this world already so why should we force women to add to that if they do not want to. Keeping abortions legal is necessary to ensure that women don't try to do it to themselves or go to back alley clinics and get botched. But I do think it should be a carefully made decision. I think if possible both parents should be involved and it should never be used as a contraceptive, it should be a last resort.
I know a lot of people feel very strongly about abortions and the people who oppose it call the fetuses children in order to make the abortion into murder and part of me understands where they are coming from. Those children would have grown up to be people I might love who knows. But what makes it right to force someone to have a child they do not want. And what about cases of rape.
I think the abortion process should maybe be a bit more difficult say you should have to do some counseling before going through with it to ensure you know what you're doing.
I am very tired right now so I am rambling a bit. I hope you will all share your opinions with me.
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