be nice to yourself!

This is so so true.
Be nice to yourself, or you might make your life more miserable than needed.
I sometimes ask myself if I'd be my own friend.
There were times when I was younger when I desperately wanted to be like someone else, just not like ME.
After meeting a man who loves me for me, and raising 7 kids, who do the same... I've slowly tought myself to be kinder to myself.  More accepting of my shortcomings.  Less judging when I mess up.  I've always been good at saying the 1st thing that comes to my mind, and as a youth I'd many times literally cry over my own impulsiveness...  Wishing I could keep the cake-hole shut for ones!!  I have leared to stay quiet and listen more, and also made sure that when I say something, it's worth saying.  But I still kick myself at times... putting my foot in the mouth would be a useful talent!
I have to embrace this "flaw" I suppose, and accept that being me is sometimes embarrasing, comical, wierd, funny, nice, impulsive and many other things.
It's the same for us all.

I like the saying
"If you are happy with who you are, you are usually less judging of others"
That is so true.
If I start by being nice to me, a bit more patient and understanding, it's easier to apply this behaviour towards others.
And truly, I've given myself many chuckles over the years, while shaking my head wondering what I was thinking.  And that's ok.  I feel that I am my own friend, it's easier that way...

Happy 2012!!!

Wow!  What happened??
I just read through my last blog that I added less than 2 weeks ago, and kaboom!!!!!
All the things we were anticipating, all the food that needed to be prepared and made, all the gifts that needed wrapping....
Done.  Over.  And out.
We are in a new year and a ton of stuff has been going on since the 21st when I last blogged.

All the food got done.  And it all turned out well.  The pumpkin pie was devine, the ham just right, the different casseroles yummy, and so on...
We celebrated Christmas with my inlaws, and we all had a nice evening together.
Singing, laughing, eating and visiting.
2 of my hubby's brothers who live in the area came by too.
Good old family time!

My dear Hubby got me a neat gift.  In his thoughtful manner, he did a bunch of research to find the perfect fitness programme for me (he knows I need to get out of the house to do things for myself, and he also knows I won't take the time to make it happen, so he got into action!!)
So... He wrote me a little letter, that of course made me all teary eyed, making me sound a lot more than I could ever take credit for to be.  With it I found a giftcard to a gym, where I can take 10 "bodybalance" classes.
Bodybalance is a combo of yoga, pilates and tai-chi!  This is SOOOO me!  I love to stretch and do those type of things, WAAY more than aerobics, as I'm very uncoordinated...
I'm excited to try it out this winter and spring! 

New Years Eve we had friends and family over at our house.
It was a loud crowd, and I think there was about 45 people here!
I loved it!
Lots of fireworks outside, lots of good food, laughter and love inside.
I felt so blessed and thankful for all this!

Well... we are enjoying another few more days of Christmas break before going back to the daily grind.
It's been such a nice break and I can't say I'm too thrilled to start getting up before it's light outside, but thankfully we are heading towards longer days, and I hope some more snow!!  We have hardly any!
Very unusual for where we live.  The temperature is hovering around freezing, which isn's so bad... It could be a LOT colder.
I'm excited to see what the new year brings.  I don't do resolutions, instead I pray that God gives me strength to meet each day with him at my side, carrying me when I feel too weak to walk on my own.
I pray that I get to have as many good days and times with my dear Hubby and our kids as possible, making new memories that will last for years to come!
Happy Blessed New Year to all of you!  I wish you all the best.

A special night

Now we've lived in our house for almost 3 months, and things are sort of falling into place.
I know where the things are in the kitchen.  At 1st you feel like a stranger in a new house, even if the things that surround you are yours, it takes some time to get used to where the new place to keep them are.  So... feeling more comfortable living here now, and not being as tired as in the beginning of the pregnancy, I wanted to have a ladies night.

My Mother in law is here for a visit from Canada, so it was a good time for her to spend a nite with some lady friends as well.
I prepped some yummy food, and sort of cleaned the house, put out a bunch of candles, flowers and napkins in bright orange colours.  I had about 20 ladies here, a nice crowd!
When the 1st ones arrived they brought along a beautful gift basket for me!  I was moved to tears as I read the card from all these new friends of mine.  I felt so blessed and thankful, not just about the thoughtful "housewarming gift", but the fact that they thought about doing this in the first place!  I also got a huge bouque of flowers (one of the ladies work at a flower shop, and she had put the arrangement together by herself).  Another lady gave me some pretty glass candleholders.  Wow, I felt spoiled! 

Moving somewhere new is always a challenge, feeling accepted and cared about is a great gift.
I feel humbled and blessed about all this, and my heart is so warm and thankful for these great new friends I'm surrounded by.
If any of you read this, Thank you!!!  I'm so very happy to have you all as a part of my life!
I hope I can be as good to you as you've been to me, you've made me feel truly welcome! :)

The Gorgeous Flowers

The Flowers and Mugs and Candleholders

These mugs are typical in Finland.  They show various "Muumin" characters (very popular here)

printed on "Arabia" china.  I can't believe we got 12 of them, as these are usually collectors items!

I know they'll be well used and loved by us all.

A new friend...

School has now started it's 3rd week.  Last week I noticed how my 3rd daughter acted more angry and frustrated than usual.  Teasing and bugging her sisters, getting mad and moody over the smallest thing.  Sometimes she stomped off without any expanation at all.  Well, she's female, I know that explains a bit, but still....

On Friday evening I was pretty fed up with her behaviour, when I also remembered that rarely do kids act up like this for no appearent reason.  Everybody has their "off" days, when everything is gloomy, but this girl is usually quite smiley... Something was wrong.  I took hold of her and told her to "come here"!.  She stiffly let me hold her, and I asked how her week in school had been.  That opened the floodgates, and she went limp in my arms...   Awww!  "What's wrong?"  I asked.
She told me she had not had a good week in school.  EVRYTHING was bad. 
"Well, you just told me how you are enjoying science after all, and that your new teacher is pretty neat!"
"Yeah...."
"Have you been playing with your usual friend?"
"Nooo...."
Oh.
This friend of hers was her rock last year when we were new in the country.
Actually, so was her new friend.  Her family moved from the States just before school started a year ago, so these two had hung out like two peas in a pod.
"Well, so what's going on?, Does she have a new friend? Is she being rude to you?"
"No, she just runs away from me, and she won't talk to me..., I don't know why!!"
Ouch.
9-10 year old girls can be pretty tricky to figure out.
So instead of dwelling on her friend that isn't treating her very friendly, I asked if there are any other girls she'd like to play with. 
"Maybe"
"Who would you play with instead if you can choose?"
She told me the name of a girl, and I asked who she usually plays with.
"Nobody"
My heart took a nosedive.  Whenever I hear of a kid who plays with "nobody", it stings in my heart.
I also remembered that the girl she was talking about would always smile when I saw her.
I also remembered that this girl has a few physical disabilities that makes her look a bit "different".
I asked my daughter how she thought it would be like to grow up, going to school for many, many years, never having a good friend to hang out with.  And the reason being something that is totally out of your control...
We both agreed that it would be very, very sad.

Today my little girl is making a new friend in school.  I hope they "click" and that this could be a turning point for a lonely soul.  My daughter can teas and bug her sisters, and at times be moody, but she's also smiley and pretty, and she has a very easy time to find new friends.  I feel so fortunate that she's choosing to become friends with someone who does not have the same advantage.... Good luck girls!  I'm rooting for you!
And of course I told her not to forget her friend from last year... I hope 3 is not a crowd!!

Thankful

I'm sitting up late as usual, letting my thoughts trail in whatever directions they decide to take off.  During the day my mind is so occupied with the busyness of running this show as smoothly as possible... so it's nice to have some alonetime to think and reflect.

I don't feel that I have had enough time to reflect for a while now... like for the last 15 years??  Being a mom of 1, 2 or more kids changes your life, and my mind is most of the time cought up in the care of our 7.  We plan, we prepare, we act.  In small ways and big ways.
This last year has been so increadilby full of happenings, that I truly feel I could write a book about it!  And as I take a second to look back, I realize how good it's been, and how much I have to be thankful for.  It's so easy to take for granted all the good in life, but every now and then something reminds you of how much you have to be thankful for.
The fact that me and my whole famliy is reasonable healthy, that we are safe and happy.  How easy to take it all for granted.

This past week many, many young people lost their lives at the hands of a sick man, in Oslo, Norway.  My niece was a very short distance away from where the bomb went off in down-town Oslo.  She is unharmed and made it back to her hometown safe and sound, but severly shocked.
I'm thankful that she's OK, and also that I live in a safe country where on a regular basis I should have nothing to fear.  It's scary though how these attacks are becoming more common, also in areas of the world where you normally don't have to worry.  I pray that I will always will be prepared, and never unprepared to face whatever might come, that way I don't have to be scared or live in fear.

We are all enjoying our new house so much, and tomorrow my brother with wife and little son are coming for a visit all the way from the US westcoast!  Also our 2nd oldest daughter's BFF and her great aunt will be arriving from Michigan!!  How wonderful to have family and friends come to visit us from way over there!  I'm excited to show our house to them all, but mostly I'm excited to let them see how well we are doing and how happy we are here!  Moving across the ocean and starting all over is a huge step, and to hop on the next flight back is not an option, so being happy and content here is something we are very thankful for.

I'm looking forward to spend another year here, and to see what excitement it will bring!  My personal goal is to strengthen my Finnish!  I feel like my brain has finally landed and that I have a bit more energy to focus on the language, compared to last year when everything was new and so much needed to be done in such a short amount of time!!  Wish me luck!  and yeah... I still need to get a camera so that I can take some pictures of our house, that I can post for you all to see!  Tudelu for now!