Hello October!!

Wow!  We are past half way, and things are just going on!
We have temperatures that drop close to freezing at night (no frost yet!).
The trees are looking bare.
It rains a lot...
I am (ALMOST) looking forward to *s*n*o*w*!
I got my first "Ladies Christmas" invite!! (for American and Canadian ladies residing in Finland)
Our house has been worked on (YAY!!)
Kids are falling in to the school routine, and I stress about things I have no control over...
Like, getting the homework done, or "are they outside enough?", or "do they spend too much time on the computer?", "should they help out more...or less??", "do they get enough sleep?" and the big one: "Who invented candy anyway?"
But then I catch my breath, and take a few deep ones, and realize...
"They are fine"

Their grades are good, their Finnish is improving all the time, they get candy on Saturdays (and sometimes on other days, but NOT every day).  They get most of the homework done.  They are actually outside a lot, and they usually stick to their alotted time on the computer.
We have a routine in place and they seem healthy and happy.
But as a mom... I guess it's hard to not stress here and there.

I had some real fun btw!
Our oldest girl (14) and I went on a trip.
Just the 2 of us.
We flew up to Rovaniemi, (located right at the arctic cirlcle) where one of my sisters picked us up, and together we traveled by car to another sister who lives waaaaaaaaaay up north in Norway!
We stayed there for 4 nights.  Gabbing, laughing, eating yummy foods, snacks and sweets.
Lots of old memories, "mom" talk, future plans etc
What a great time and lots of fun!
Thanks "Sis" for having us :)
And thanks Hubby for taking such good care of the kids and house!

Before the trip my in-laws were in Finland for a few weeks.
Always nice to see them again.
We had time to have a sauna at their house. They have an old woodburning sauna outside, with no running water, so you "scoop and pour" to wash yourself! (there's a woodburning water heater as well, and you mix some of the boiling water with ice-cold in a big bowl).  LOVELY!!  The best is when the 3 youngest kids come with us and they sit in a row on the top bench, cheeks red from the heat, hair sweaty and huge smiles!
It's really dark in there too, so everything seem more intense.  The fire in the stove, the heat from the rocks, the steam when you toss water on them.  The smell and sounds.... I love it.  Little guy really loves it too, and kept splashing cold water on himself, saying "Aaah! It feels gooood!"
Yes, it does!

There you go.  A few tidbits of the latest here in Finland.