When did I get so old?

I had a Parent Meeting at Elliot's school tonight.

While sitting there in a room full of parents, listening to a 24-year-old teacher talk about HER class that MY kid is in and discussing our role as parents, it hit me... I'M ALL GROWN UP NOW! When did this happen??? Where did the time go???

It just seemed so unreal. But you know what? I loved it!

I love my life as an adult. I feel lucky to have what I have and live like I live, and I wouldn't go trade it for the world!!!

A weekend alone with all 3 kids!

I sent Mike away for the weekend to close up the camper since we won't be using it until next spring/summer now. He brought along a friend of ours and made a fishing/boys' trip out of it. Although they didn't catch any fish, I'm sure they're having fun. I know we are!

I love being alone with the kids. We have such a blast together!!! For some reason, they are SO good and helpful when it's just me home with them. Not that they're bad when Mike is home, but then they're more likely to be sneaky or try to play us off of each other. The kids were tired from school and daycare on Friday, so we just stayed in all evening. We made pizza together, then took out some snacks and watched a movie. Half way through the movie, Aiden got bored of TV so we took out some legos. Aiden and I built legos for a little bit while Olivia laid on Elliot's lap.

This morning was like any other morning. No challenges. No problems. We ate breakfast together and the boys played while I fed our little Olivia. Then I laid tons of different artsy things on the table so that Elliot and Aiden could decide which art project they wanted to work on that morning. First we made cute little animals out of styrofoam, yarn and paint. Then we drew for a little bit before we started our playdoh project. I love watching the boys be creative on their own. We had so much fun together!

After a wonderful morning around the art table, the kids decided to throw me a challenge! ;) I wanted to get them outside to get fresh air so we went to the soccer field to run around a bit. My mom stopped by to visit us so she came along to the field with us... Luckily!!! I'm not sure what happened with my kids, but nothing went right. After an hour (if that) of arguing, Olivia thought it'd be fun to join her brothers so she began crying in protest of laying in her stroller like the sweet little girl she is! Although I was frustrated and confused on the inside, I couldn't help but to laugh. I packed up the bunch and we headed home. My mom must have been in shock... I don't think she's EVER seen her grandkids like this.

The hour of arguing was exactly what the boys apparently needed because once that was out of their system, they were angels the rest of the day! I'm not sure what it was, but I still find it odd that it didn't happen until we got a visitor and it went over as soon as she left. Maybe the boys notice that when I'm alone with all three kids that it's more work for me and that they have to be kind to help me out. Is it out of respect maybe? So when there is another parent around, they hurry and take the opportunity to get the Stinker side of them out? I don't know, but I find it quite amusing.

All in all, it's been an awesome weekend with the kids so far. They did a great job getting ready for bed this evening and fell asleep without a problem. Olivia is asleep now as well so the household is quiet and peaceful... but also kind of boring. I'm not sure what to do now that everyone is asleep. Maybe Mike will surprise me and come home early so I have someone to watch a movie with? :)

Family bowling

I got off work pretty early today so we decided to take our boys out to do something fun. They've both been sick with fevers and sore throats for the past week and are finally getting back to themselves. So after being cooped up in our house, they needed to get out! The weather was crappy and I really didn't want them to get sick again, so we decided to try out bowling instead.

We all had SO much fun! Elliot did great and asked if we could do this more often. Aiden used the little helper stand, which worked perfect for him. He got really into it! It was a fun indoor activity that we'll definitely have to try again! :)

Birthday parties

What happened to good ol' birthday parties? Having friends over to play. Mom making pizza or other good food that kids love. Pop. Cake. Goodies!

Now a days, it's rare to be invited home to a kid's house for his/her birthday. So many kids are having their parties at McDonald's and various Playlands. That's fine and Elliot has a great time, but really, are we expected to spend that much on just 2 hours of playing? It's crazy! I'm all for going to these places once in a while, but those are places we reserve for rainy days.

Elliot is turning 6 years old next month so he asked the big question: "Where should I have my birthday party?" Without thinking twice, "Home" I said. I'm sticking to parties-at-home as long as I can. I love having kids' parties. I love planning a theme, having fun games, making creative food. I asked Elliot if he we could do that - plan a fun theme and everything that goes with it. He was really excited, so lets just hope it stays that way!

"Poengrenn"

Elliot is a part of a ski activity that we call "Poengrenn." It is cross-country skiing where you meet once a week for a ski meet and then you get a point for every meet you attend. At the end of the season, you'll get an award based on the amount of points you've collected. For Elliot's age group, they get an award as long as they've been to a certain number of meets. They don't take their time so it's mostly just for fun, but it's still set up as a ski competition, only it's more about just completing the trail.

Elliot LOVES it! He has his own jersey that he has to wear at every meet. They all start at the same and end at the same location, but throughtout the course, they get to choose their own route. The little kids have a shorter lap on the flat ground, while Elliot likes to ski the middle length that's more hilly. There is a longer trail for the bigger kids, but we haven't tried that one yet.

I cheered Elliot on as he was approaching the "MÅL" (goal) sign. He was doing so good! As I ran up to congratulate him, he said "Hey mom. My buddies are over there so I just have to say something quick," and off he went. What happened to my little boy? He looked so old today. After hanging out with his buddies, he came back to me and gave me a big hug! Yay, my little boy was back! I squished him and told him how proud I was of him!

Another Poengrenn was over. We had so much fun! Elliot got another point towards the award that he's so excited for and we're already looking forward to next week!

Splish splash

It was really cold outside today so we surprised our boys by taking them to the pool.

As we pulled up, the kids were cheering and looking out their windows with big eyes. They couldn't wait to jump in the water. The parking lot wasn't that crazy (yet!), which made me really happy! Nothing is worse than swimming in an over-crowded pool.

Like always, the day became a lot more adventurous than just a fun day of swimming. It started out when Mike realized he forgot his swim trunks. He dropped us off by the door so the kids could enjoy the water for an extra half an hour while he drove home to get his bag. Aiden and Elliot ran in ahead of me. Before I managed to get out the words "Be careful," Aiden slips on the wet floor and starts to bleed from his mouth. Elliot ran to get paper while I comforted the little guy. Fifteen minutes later, we're all cleaned up and changed in our suits.

Mike eventually showed up too, so although it never goes quite as planned, we had an awesome day with our little family! <3

Everyone deserves a ME day once in a while

Being a mother of two with a full-time job and a house to take care of, I don't get a lot of time to take care of myself. Now that I finally had some time off with no kids to take care of (they were at daycare), I decided to head downtown for the day.

I called a friend of mine (Stine - the nicest, funniest girl you'll ever come across) so we decided to meet up for lunch. She brought me to a sandwich shop similar to Big Bite and Subway, only I guess it's run by students. As soon as you walked into this cute little place, you could smell the delicious bread they had. They had a bar with tons of different spreads, meats and veggies to choose from. It may not sound that exciting, but I tell ya, it was delicious! I couldn't resist but to get a coffee as well. It wasn't Starbucks or Caribou, but it hit the spot anyway.

After that, it was shopping time! Mike had given me a rule before I left home about this: I was to shop for myself and only myself. No kids' clothes. No gifts. No surprises for him. Just stuff for myself!

My mom sent me a message after I had already shopped for a couple of hours. She was in the same area so she met up with me for more shopping.

Needless to say, it was pretty nice to have a day to just focus on me for a change! But now, I miss my boys so I'm heading to daycare to see if they're ready to come home :)

Teething = interesting bedtimes

Aiden and Elliot have always been really good about going to bed. We have our routines and they're really sweet about following them. They take baths about 3-4 times per week and just wash their bodies with a washcloth on the other days. Then they brush their teeth and take their vitamins, and head downstairs. Depending on if Mike and I are both home, it varies whether we take one kid each or if one of us takes them both. When we are both home, we switch off who we read books to, but if just one of us is home, Aiden and Elliot pick out one book each that we read together.

All of our routines have been thrown out the window this week because Aiden is teething once again. Whenever he gets his new teeth, he gets fevers and is very uncomfortable. He's still smiley and sweet, but is not able to sleep what-so-ever!

Mike had to work late tonight so I was home alone with our boys. Elliot went to bed without a problem, as did Aiden to begin with. After a while, I went downstairs to check on the boys to see if they were actually sleeping! Elliot was. Aiden, however, was not in his bed! I called his name out knowing that he was hiding underneath one of the blankets somewhere. All of a sudden, he popped out of the cabinet below his changing table! He was laughing hysterically and hurried back in to scare me once again.


After a little bit of calming him down and trying to get him back into bed, I tried to go upstairs again. Five minutes later, I went downstairs to find a room with ALL of the lights on. "Look mamma. Many lights. Pretty," he said.

It's a good thing he's so damn cute because it was a loooong evening of trying to get this silly little kid back to bed.

Busy but fun day

Today has been one of those days that has been BUSY BUSY from the minute I woke up until I went to bed.

I woke up this morning at 6:15am. I had gotten all of the daycare stuff ready last night, so all I had to do today was to take the boys' lunches out of the fridge, put them in their backpacks, and bring them out to the car. Then I spent 15 minutes getting myself ready before I went downstairs to wake up Aiden and Elliot.

Aiden woke up right away. He's one of those people (unlike me) who jumps out of bed with a smile on his face and excited to start the day. Every morning he runs into Elliot's room to wake him up. Elliot loves getting woken up my Aiden - much more than by us! If they have time, Aiden will jump into Elliot's bed and hand his big brother a book to read to read him. Then it's time to head upstairs to get the boys ready for their day.
I dropped the kids off at 7:30am today, that way I got to work early so that I had plenty of time for a cup of coffee before I started my day. Today, I only worked 'til 3pm. Then I did some quick shopping before I picked up the boys at daycare. Elliot had a birthday party at 5pm so while Mike made dinner for Aiden, me, and him, I helped Elliot wrap his friend's birthday gift. Elliot wanted to pick out his own clothes and I was so proud of him - he was so handsome! He even put gel in his hair so he could look cool. It was super cute! He's all grown up now :)

The party lasted until 7pm. Mike took care of Aiden and got him ready for bed, while I picked up Elliot. I like driving and picking up the kids to social events so that's why I'm always the one to do that. I like getting to know the other parents and hearing all about what they did, etc. When Mike picks up Elliot, he just gets him and comes home - then I miss out on all of the stories, etc. haha!

After the party, I helped get the kids to bed, then I stormed off to meet my friend, Kine, for a movie. We've been wanting to see Hangover for so long now and this was the only day we both could go. The movie was SO funny. I laughed so hard that I was crying! :)
Now it's almost midnight so I'm going to get some stuff ready for tomorrow and head to bed.
G'nite folks!

One on one

This weekend, Elliot spent a night at his auntie's house while Aiden stayed home with us. The boys were sad to be seperated for a night... but it was kinda cute ;)

My sister Marianne asked if Elliot wanted to stay over there since it was his turn (Aiden slept over there last time). He was super excited... until he found out Aiden wasn't going. He decided he didn't want to go either because he wanted to be with his little brother. It didn't take a lot of convincing before he remembered Marianne's plans for his visit, and he was eager to get over there. When we dropped him off, it was Aiden's turn to be sad and jealous - he wanted to stay there too. As we drove off, Aiden had big crocodile tears running down his cheek as he was waving and quietly whispering "bye bye Eyy-ee-ot." It was so sad! Yet so cute!

Our decision to seperate them for a night turned out good. Elliot had such a great time with Tante Marianne and Aiden loved getting ALL of the attention from his mamma and pappa. I love our little family, but that one-on-one time is so crucial to have once in a while as well.

My "to do" list

I just made the longest "to do" list!!! I get like this every time when I've been gone from the house for a few days... and the longer I've been gone, the longer the list usually tends to be. Does that mean I'm trying to make up for lost time or is it because I've been thinking about it the whole time while I was suppose to be vacationing? Hmm...!?

If any of you have lived with me before, you also know that making a to do list for me is more than just a paper with a long list. I have quite the system as I'm a little anal-retentive when it comes to lists and organizing. First of all, it must be seperated into categories. This to do list is about my house so the paper is divided into 3 columns: Work to be done upstairs, work to be done downstairs, and work to be done outside. Within each column, there are sub-categories, which in this case are the seperate rooms. It may sound silly but seriously, it makes it SO much easier to read and plan what I'm going to do that day. That way I can decide ahead of time which room I'd like to work in and then I can go down the list and check off the boxes as I finish each item.

Oh, I didn't mention that part. Under the sub-category, is where I have the to do lists. In front of each 'task' I make a pretty little square that I check off when I'm finished. That's my favorite part - making the check mark in the square! :) Plus it's an additional motivation for me because the list just looks better and better with more check marks.

Yes, I have issues - I know! hahaha! Now I'm curious, do any of you get as into list making?

P.S. Elliot drew a picture for his great-grandparents and since that's probably more exciting than my to do list, I'll scan that in instead :p I love his drawings! They make me so happy!!! :)

Sunday night routines

Tomorrow is a new week and therefore, a lot of stuff I need to get prepared tonight. When we pick up our boys from daycare on Fridays, I like to bring home pretty much everything we have there. I bring home all of their clothes to wash, and let me tell ya, that makes for A LOT of clothes! There there are all of the shoes: jogging shoes, sandals, and rainboots (we live in a country where the weather is absolutely unpredictable). Because we've been on vacation and Aiden's daycare has moved locations while we were away, I also had to bring his stroller home (it's a 2nd stroller we keep there all-year-round to spare us the hassle of bringing it back and forth all the time). You see, kids nap in their stroller over here... but that makes for a whole other blog so I'll have to get back to that one later.

Anywho, here's what I have to pack for each of our boys tonight:
- extra set of clothes (pants, shirt, socks)
- rainsuit and rainboots
- shorts, sandals, sunglasses, sunscreen
-a waterbottle that they bring outside and on trips
- stroller for Aiden w/ the sleeping bag that goes in it
- diapers for Aiden

In addition, I have to make their lunches, which I always do the night before cuz every minute is valuable in the morning and this just saves me that much time :)
Norwegian lunches are probably boring, at least compare to what everyone eats at daycares/schools in the States. Our lunches consist of an open-faced sandwich (or 2), a piece of fruit, and sometimes a yogurt. Exciting, eh? Not so much, but hey, it's healthy!

Ding ding! Laundry just finished so now I'm off like a herd of turtles to get Monday's stuff packed. Ta ta for now :)