Post 41! Yes, I'm back... For now :)

When the kids have their summer break, mommy has very little time to do anything so my blog posts will be a bit spotty this July!

So far, their vacation has been filled with playing outside, cleaning their room (that's right, they still need to pitch in), baking, farting in mommy's face when she's doing her exercises, visiting friends and running around screaming.

There are times where I think the time doesn't pass. Today is not one of those days. I look up from the Banana bread we were making and it was already past noon! I say Banana Bread but my kids tell me it's pronounced BAANAAAANAAA BLURRRRRRRD, minion style.
Their dad has been gone for about a week and a half (read as, Please, send mommy coffee and chocolate to keep me sane.) with work and is due back on Sunday. We hope.

So far the weeks has been brilliant but then again, I am Icelandic and for the national football team to win their match against England, it was a pretty good start. Now, Icelanders wait for Sunday when the team faces off with France. Whatever happens, it's going to be a great night! Of course, I'll be donning similar gear as the picture below.

Now, my kids have their time on the Ipad/Playstation and I decided to use my time to blog and write.
There's something  deeply satisfying to write about murder and mayhem while the family is home... Oh, wait, that's just me?
I kid... Mostly.

The ants have been suspiciously quiet lately... I don't trust this and it turns out I was right when yesterday I found one crawling on my calf! EEEEEEEK. I want 5000 points for not screaming but calmly flicking the bastard off and crushing it with a chair.
Ok, maybe the chair was a bit overkill but, it was handy.

There's been a lot of rain this week so the kids are restless since they can't stay outside as looooong as they want but it's looking up... ish.
I will try to post at least 2 a week but we'll have to see how that goes. I hope everyone had a great week.

Post 14. Message from the brain.

I just want to write, or live in my fantasy world.

Yep, this is the message my mind seems to want to give me these days. I have been editing a novel I hope to get published and I have been diligent in doing so daily. Of course, this means the story, the characters and dialogue are always running around in my subconscious. So, the second I get a moment to myself or am doing chores a monkey could do with his eyes closed, naturally my mind returns to the story. Should this character really say this? But if he doesn't my protagonist won't discover this, so I need him to say that. At least I can edit the way he says it and make it sound more authentic. Why is this person obsessed with a phone they think they don't have? This is where a previous edit has messed something out and I spend hours looking for a reference to said phone, only to find the character has it on her the entire time! HA!

         Many times I have been doing the dishes or vacuuming when I realize something is wrong with my plot or I forgot to bring in an element of something. I both love and hate this situation. I don't want to lose momentum or interest in my own work. But it never feels very quiet in my mind. I have trouble falling asleep because I'm busy playing out a scene which could go this way or that way. Oh, wait, let's throw in a hedgehog and see what happens!
         Add this to the craziness of being a parent, trying to work out daily and get everyone's lunches, homework and toothbrushes ready.

Today we went to Tusenfrid, an amusement park just outside of Oslo. We have a great time and they had lots of attractions for the little ones (lot's for the big ones too but I refrained from trying them since the lines were too long to leave the kids waiting.) Still managed to sneak on a coaster with my oldest, SOOOO FUN!

          I was walking around like a bad-ass Coachella going mom at the start of this trip but by the end I was loaded down with printed out pictures from various rides, rubber ducky prizes, sweaters, slushies, popcorn and buckets of candy floss, all while I watched my kids go round and round on this or that ride.
We had a blast, both adults and kids and the sun out and I actually remembered to take the sunscreen
with me to reapply! Score!!

And for my closing, I will just leave this here!

Post 10. I jinxed it!

If you saw my blog yesterday, you are awesome! Also, you will know I put away all the snow gear and clothes because it's spring, damn it!
Well....

I jinxed it! 

This was my view when I looked out my window this morning. The streets were covered in sludge and our feet were soaked  by the time we got to the kindergarten, no thanks to my youngest since she kept stomping her foot down, splashing me with extra sludge. Thankfully, I brought along extra socks. That's right, weather! I'm Icelandic, you can't fool me. 

Weather: What? Who dat be? 

(No, I don't know why the weather would sound like that.) 

        So when I got home, I'll admit, I took off the wet clothes and lay on the floor of the heated bathroom. Aaaaaaaaah! 

I seriously considered staying there today. Just put on a summer dress and pretend I was on a beach somewhere. 

        Which is what I would do when I lived and worked in Iceland. No matter how cold and windy and snowy and rainy it was outside, I would pretend I was working in Mexico or Spain, on a beach somewhere. It's my favourite happy place when the weather isn't co-operating.

I couldn't even rouse up enough energy to get my workout on. I skipped it (GASP!) today and already, I feel hideously guilty about it. I might just have to get to it tonight after the kids go to sleep. 

Yes, I'll do that. Guilt be gone!

Things are looking up already, this is the  view from my window right now. Let's hope it will last this time :)

This week the weather has been very Icelandic in nature. 

         

Have a great weekend and I will see you Monday! 

Post Nr. 6 Monday baby!

All righty then! Monday... The day most of the internet loves to hate, am I right?
Being a stay at home mom, however, this is me on Mondays

I'm also like that meme when the kids go back to school after summertime, just on crack! By crack, I mean I will manage my chores in under an hour and watch Unbreakable while eating snacks which I told my man the kids ate. YEP.

         Not to worry, today I worked out when I got back from the school run, I cleaned up the apartment and then got myself clean and got my butt to the store to get groceries. Once I got back home, the plan was to edit my novel and write this blog.

        I had an hour before my son was due home from school and I'll admit it, I was exhausted already. I've been home alone with the kids for over a week now and I think any stay at home parent will agree with me, the weekends are very taxing. So, for the hour I had, I sat on the couch and watched Netflix for an hour while eating lunch.

        Son came home on time and we just finished homework, where I almost got into an argument with his math project. Ended up sending a picture of it to his father, who's much better at math than I am, because I'm sure I'm right and the math is wrong. (Either way, the example didn't add up to what we needed it too.) 
        So, I am looking forward to an evening of editing, not complaining because I've set myself a goal to finish this revision next week. When it's ready, I'll start submitting it and carry on writing my other novels.
Anyone else out there, with more than one book/story they want to finish, cause I have a list of them at this point.

         Now, on the other hand, I have to start getting dinner ready since I'm trying to get the family to eat at Norwegian dinner time, but more on that later. Like tomorrow!

Toodles.

Post nr. 5. I drive to Oslo for the first time.

Today, I drove to my sister's place in Oslo. I live about 50 minutes (by car) outside of the capital and I have never driven there myself before. That's right, I make my man drive while I nod off. I mean, take care of the kids! You believe me, right?
Que awkward silence.

       Today's visit wasn't planned, not as such, but when my sister Snaps me a picture of a cake and asks me over, I'm going!!
Waited for my son to finish school and he joined me in picking up his two sisters from kindergarten early.
     
       Of course, I figured, since we weren't traveling at the height of traffic, we would be fine! I had my TomTom (GPS, which we've made to sound like Sean Connery. Mostly so I can argue with it when I feel it's not taking me to the right place. Where are you taking me, Sean?)
       Now, there's one trick to get to my sister without trouble and it is to skip a famous Interchange called.....
Sinsen!

       Many times have I been warned, do not go there! It's too crowded, too loud and too complicated!!!
So naturally, I've been told to ignore my GPS, my Sean, at one place so I can avoid going through the horrible Sinsen.
Now, here's where you need to know something about me. Something shameful and un-womanly! My sense of direction is only so-so, especially when I'm driving. I've gone this way quite a few times but I still wasn't sure exactly where to turn. (Sometimes, I can't even tell you where I park.)
       So, in my effort to avoid the dreaded Sinsen I take a different lane then the one Sean tells me too.

I ended up stuck in touch-and-go traffic heading for Göteborg! Seriously, it took me about 20 minutes just to get out of the lane and into a small district so I could turn around.
(This is not the actual photo of the traffic I got myself into but it gives you an idea. Also, image about 30 trucks in there too.)
The kids were surprisingly calm about this delay. Well, one of them fell asleep and was none the wiser. The girls complained about the lane (going the other way) was much faster than ours. I tried to explain this to them but, in their opinion, they were right, I was wrong.
        My car is not an automatic, so MAN, was my left foot tired. I learned my lesson, though, and found the right place to skip Sinsen.
Thankfully, I ended up where I was supposed to be, sans a small detour.
The cake and the company made it so worth it! Mmmmmm cake.

        The travellers came home much too late to make dinner, so mom, covered in Bubble Soap and various food products, made Pizza Sandwiches and managed a chilly dessert as well. Afterwards, my son read to my two daughters, while a proud mama listened in.
It's an hour since my son went to bed, I'm wrapped in a blanket, armed with Peanut butter (crunchy, since I am starting to believe they simply don't have smooth here in Norway) and apples about to watch a show before I pass out!

So, to you, I bid a good night :)

Post 4. Moms Assemble!

 All right, post number 4!

Yesterday I tackled the assembly of my girl's bikes. Figured, how hard can it be? (I should have known better)
       First, these boxes have been waiting for summer and since it's basically here in Norway, I decided to get cracking. I fetched the toolbox and opened them up.

Looked pretty basic, yes?

Okay, so I got it out of the box! Score! Found the manual. Double Score!
This is where things got complicated. Since the manual wasn't actually for this bike. I figured, no biggie, it's probably all the same anyway.
       Which would have been fine if the manual had actually shown me how to assemble! Seriously, why even have the damn thing?
Turns out, after googling my way through most of the Norwegian section of the manual, it only told you how to keep your bike running smoothly.
         So I figured, okay, so it's supposed to be obvious how you do this? Let's do it.
A second later, I was unwrapping the pedals and saw with them came 7 items ( a mix of screws and bolts) and I thought 7? For 2 pedals? Shouldn't it be an even number?
          Of course, I figured out soon after the pedals were simply screwed in.
That meant I actually had the mixture of screws and bolts without any clue as to what they were for.
So, like any 34-year-old mom, I got my tablet and youtube-ed the sucker!
         Thankfully, most (if not all) these kid bikes are similar in assembly and I quickly found a lovely gentleman putting a kid's bike together and I stumbled my way through.

This was the almost finished product. All I had left to do was get some air into those tires and a few adjustments according to the girls height.
Of course, they tried the bikes and within 2 minutes, the training wheels fell off!!! Oops, sorry, my bad! 
After about 10 minutes, I had them back on (properly this time!) and they love them and have barely gotten off them.

So, HA! I did it :)