Going healthy

I follow a few blogs that I like and that inspire me.
I read them for inspiration and often I'm in awe about what these young busy moms have time to accomplish, with their hands full of kids and house chores!

I on the other hand do little projects here and there, and of course there are some crafts I do with the kids and the older kids like to play "Mad Scientist" with the younger ones.  It's not like we just "sit" here, but I can't say that I have anything exciting to share in the production department.

However.  A few weeks ago a good friend of mine emailed me about an eating challenge she started.
I've been in a flunk since Christmas, knowing that sugar needed to go, but didn't really know how to part with it.  I like simple.
If somebody tells me "Eat this amount of xyz, this many times per day!", I get it and I can do it.
I do not like "You need approx 300mg of this and 700mg of that, and blah blah blah!"
So, dear friend shared her excitement after experiencing great results.
This is not so much about losing weight, but more about "feeling good from the food that you eat!"
About nurishing the body, not just feeding it.
About whole and clean eating.  Foods with as few ingredient as possible,
Preferable ONE!

The program I decided to try out is called "Whole30".
For 30 days you challenge your body to only fuel it with things that actually give it good energy.
No more sugars (in any type or form, no honey, or maple suryp or natural sugars), No dairy, No grains, No white potates, legumes, beans, peanuts or vegetable oils.
So what do I eat??
LOTS of GOOD food!  I really thought dropping the grains would be that hardest, but it hasn't!
I eat lots and lots of fresh vegetables, some fruits (not too much, it's like my "candy"), healthy nuts and seeds, good meat (no processed stuff), eggs, fish, coconut, fresh herbs, good oils....
And it's sooo good!
I feel like I'm eating out every day.(at like a really nice restaurant)
Stir fries, soups, stews, salads.... the list goes on.
Today was my 14th day of doing this, and I don't regret one minute of it.

(I have not cheated. I have not had one bite of cookie, or candy or brownie or cake. No bread what so ever etc etc.  I tasted one piece of potatoe chip on Sunday evening, and blah, I don't miss that either!)

I pack along fruits and nuts when I'm not sure what options I'll have if we go somewhere.
When I eat according to the "plan" (very basic, even I can follow it), I stay full so much longer, that I no longer stress about getting hungry between meals.  I used to snack all the time to keep my blood sugars level.  And I did not eat unhealthy before, actually rather healthy, but when you remove ALL sugars, you truly realize how much you depend on them.

After the end of 30 days the idea is to reintroduce foods you stayed away from, to see how they truly effect you.  I know I'll keep eating like this though, more or less.  I have more energy, my rosacea has cleared up significantly (I have tried SOOO many products for it in the past, and now it's like way better than it has been in many years!), my head feels "clear" and I feel just better over all.

If you know what Paleo is, this is very similar, but a bit stricter.
The people behind "whole30" follow Paleo guidelines and have lots of Paleo recipes.

Anyway... That's my latest project!
It's pretty simple, all I have to do is choose what I put in my mouth!

Dear Me

When I first started this blog it was not with the intention to get lots of followers, but rather a place for me to spill out my thoughts on the keyboard.
When we moved here our lives were so busy and full of change, I kind of "got lost" in the mess for a while.
Writing keeps my head clear and I will have small glimpses of my life documented somewhere.
I re-read old blog posts sometimes, and it's really interesting to look back, and I often realize how I have changed or matured thanks to different events.

Today I'm mostly writing to Me.
But it's ok for you to take a peek into my head if you want!
I'm looking forward.  I think I always am.
As long as I can remember I'm a "forward thinker".
It has it's pros and cons.
They say if we get stuck in the past and dwell on what was, we become depressed.
And if we live in the future, we might worry too much and suffer from anxiety.
While when we live in the now, the here, in the moment, we are at peace.
I definitely fall in the anxiety group.
I rarely dwell on what was.  There's NO way I can change what was.
I can however in some ways effect my future.
There are choices my family and I will take that will really make an impact on the history we are about to create.
I try not to stress or worry about it, but rather try to peek over the edge, on my tippy-toes, and try to catch a glimps of tomorrow.
It's so exciting!!  I love surprises, but I am also very curious.
When I was a child and looked at an interesting picture, I'd try to see what was to the left and to the right in the picture.  If I leaned in really close...maybe I could see the things the picture didn't show??
Childish and naive, yes, but also imaginative and curious.

That's how I still am.  Wishing I could see my future.
Eager to experience tomorrow. 
Always waiting for the next thing to happen.
When I've been pregnant I've been very, very impatient.
I just want to meet that baby!!  I want to see who's "in there"!
And of course I usually go over-due...
How ironic.

What I need to work on is to be here.  Now.
To try to enjoy every day for what it is and make the best of it.
My life is truly not cut out of a picture perfect magazine.
I'm too busy preparing for tomorrow to care about taking care of today!!
I just need to get my chores done for today, then tomorrow will come a little faster.
Hmmm... as I write this I realize how absurd this is.  And kind of sadly, how TRUE, this is!!
My life has been so full of changes in the last 3 years, it's borderline ridiculous.
And here I am, waiting to turn it all upside down again.
Thinking "As soon as we are....-THEN I will sit down and enjoy today!"
A restless soul, that's who I am.
I dream about becoming grounded, rooted.
To find a place where I can settle down and stay.  And just "be".
But maybe that place is nowhere to be found if I don't find that place inside me first??
Sounds deep now...but I think I am on to something!!

Well, dear Me.  A busy spring lays ahead.
My head is spinning, and I can almost taste the excitement of all the events I will be writing about.
I'm waiting for tomorrow to come so I can write about how it went!
But I will try to stop along the way.
I will try to enjoy today a bit more.
I sometimes wish I could stop the time and keep things the way they are.
Keep the kids the way they are.
Hold them a bit longer, kiss them more often, feel their hair tickle my face, their little hands in mine.
But they belong to the future, and I will be there with them, walking beside them, watch them grow up and create our history.

Dear Me... Thanks for clearing a few things up!  I know I'm on the right track, but I'll try a bit harder to stop and smell the roses. 

Brain freeze

Hey, Happy New Year people!

I think I cought a case of "brain freeze" when I was in Sweden.
It was COLD there, let me tell yah!
My thinking process seem to be effected as a result.
Or plain lazyness?  (rather likely)
We had a very, very nice trip up to northern Sweden.
The kids were honestly as good as I could have ever asked for.
8 out of 9 cought stomach flu after a few days at my sister's.  Not cool...
And did I say it was cold??  Yeah.  It was.
But besides hugging the bathroom throne and freezing our butts off, we SOOO enjoyed our time away.
Well needed indeed.

So??  Tomorrow it's "getting-up-at-7.00-while-it's-still-pitch-dark-outside-and-get-the-kids-to-school" day.
I am not ready.  I think we should hibernate.
But, I guess we'll wing it somehow.

We've recieved a bunch of wonderful Christmas cards in the mail, many including pictures of cute, smiley kids.  Always so nice to go through them and read the letters that come with them.
Makes me so homesick for Canada and the USA...
Thank you though, all of you, for the nice cards!
Of course all my dear Finnish and Swedish friends as well :)

My sister had a baby on New Year's Day!  A little girl.  Congrats to her and her family!
My brother-in-law and his wife welcomed their 1st born, also a girl!, on Dec. 19th.
We got to see her a few days ago and she sure is sweet.
So fun news!

Looking forward we are working on our house any chance we have (well, not ME exactly, I do help a bit here and there, but I'm no "Bob the Builder" by any stretch of imagination...). Hubby has been working on our sauna, and we hope to get it ready for use soon! 
If things fall in to place this house should start to look pretty good soon, and then we'll sell it.
Hopefully.
It's like a "deja vu" of 3 years ago!  Then I had a newborn baby too though, so now it's actually easier.
But same deal.
Get house ready for sale.  Go through everything we have. (can't believe how MUCH stuff we DO have, concidering we moved 2 times in the last few years...).  This time I'll pull on my "heavy duty gloves" and really dig deep in our junk.
If we don't NEEEED it: "Asta la vista!"
I will sell some, throw some and keep some.
And well... then time will tell what's meant to be!
If God's plan is the same as ours, we hope to move overseas in about 7 months.
Back to where we came from.
7 months sound so long.
And so very short.
So much will happen in those short months.
Our life will likely change a lot...
It's exciting, stressful, sad, fun.
My head is buzzing with activity.  Pretty much paralyzing my body.
I don't know where to start with house stuff, but my head is often overseas already...
Planning, preparing, dreaming, worrying...

Well.  This post is all over the place.  I really didn't have anything earth shaking to share.
Just a bit of brain pour-out, now when it's finally thawing.
Take care in the new year, love and God bless.

From Me with Love

Hey!  I'm not sure what happened, but all of a sudden Christmas is like HERE!!
I have not done a whole lot to prep for the big holiday since we won't be at home.
Tomorrow morning we'll be stuffing our gang into our Suburban and drive.
And drive, and drive and drive.
Along dark, snow covered roads.
Watching out for reindeer as we get closer to our destination.
We'll be passing the Arctic Circle and then keep driving a few more hours.
When we finally "get there", my youngest sister and her hubby and 3, impatiently waiting, boys will greet us!

We are all looking forward to this break from everything.
Our last year has been busy.
If I wanted to I could recall many heavy moments, but I way rather cherish the moments we lived that we loved.
And there were many of those!!
Although most of the minutes of each days are "fine", meaning we have everything we need at that moment, we rarely actually appreaciate them.
We take for granted that we have a home to live in, food to eat and reasonable health to keep us going.
But THOSE are the things we SHOULD be thankful for.
Every day.
We have instead the luxury of choosing what moments and days that were MORE than that.
And somehow we measure our happiness in the number of moments we had that were AWESOME!
Or if we are a bit down, we might dwell on all the times that were sad and heavy.
And that's ok.
Real joy and happiness would not exist if we didn't know what hurt, pain and sadness felt like.
To get stuck in the sadness is what we need to be looking out for.

Looking back thou, I need to say that I am so very, very fortunate.
I have had everything I need, every day.
Our kids have been mostly happy and healthy.
There has been work, plenty of work!, and that is sure a blessing.
We have had time to savour great moments, but also spent time dreaming and wondering what our future might bring.
We have prayed for God's guidance in all those matters that we just can't figure out ourselves.
And many times we've been humbled by the things we thought we knew, but God knew different.
Sometimes for what felt the worse, but also for the better.

Lately we've heard of some major tragedies in the news, but also among people we know.
Young people have left this world for a better place.
Terrible sadness and hurt have shaken us to the core.
I can not imagine how those families are holding up, but I know that God will be there for them, if they want him to.
I was thinking that when we get too pushed down and saddened by darkness, all we can do is turn to the light.  I am thankful that I know to do that.
Some people might think I'm foolish, but I know in my heart what that light does for me.
It helps me focus on a greater goal.

I also think a lot about love.
Real love.
Out of all the things here on earth, love is THE only thing we can bring with us when we die.
Hope and Faith won't be needed anymore.
Only love.  Eternally.
I want to teach my kids to love.  Like Jesus did.  I want them to remember why we celebrate Christmas.
Because Love came to earth.
So many people hate and won't forgive.  It's like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die from it!
You only wreck yourself!!
Jesus tought us different.  He tought us forgiveness and love.
To pray for those who hate you.
So, Let your New Year be full of love and a thankful heart.
And I pray for the same for myself and my family.

                                                                  Merry Christmas and Happy Blessed New Year

My job

Today I am here to tell you about my job.
My job is my life.
I simply live for the job I hold.
It doesn't come with any really good perks, but I keep showing up, on time, every day.
I can't say I have any scheduled vacations, but on the other hand, I take as many breaks as I want.
Some days it feels like my right hand is attached to a cup of coffee.
I totally don't worry about getting fired for it - there's no one to replace me!

The people I am in charge of are of various ages.
They come and go through the day.
Some are with me all day long.
Sometimes they even follow me to the bathroom.
Not much privacy with this profession!!
But that's ok, because I can be totally free around them.
If I burp, fart or sneeze, I say excuse me, but nobody really cares either way.
If I get really mad and even yell at them, they listen, but get over my outbursts really fast.
We hug and say sorry, and never bring it up again.

Some days I feel like a REALLY bad boss.
I tell them that I feel like taking early retirement or quit!  I can't handle this any more!
Funny how they never seem to remember that the next day!
Sometimes they tell me I'm the best boss in the world, and they say they love me, give me as many hugs and kisses as I want and need.
If I cry they get really worried and concerned.
Sometimes they give me beautiful cards to make me feel better.

Every day my boss is with me too.
Actually, he watches me 24/7.
When I feel like I hit the bottom of the pit, he helps me up every time, and gives me the strength I need for every single day.  He has PROMISED to never, ever leave me.
Some times when I'm frustrated and  feel like nobody cares, nobody sees my effort or how hard I work, I remember that my boss does.
And knowing that gives me strength to continue.

I deal with teenagers and listen to their day to day struggles, fun stories and worries.
I nag at them to clean their rooms, hug them when they are sad and frustrated, and encourage them to be the best they can.
I ask them to set the goals in their lives, and remind them that their lives are theirs to live, not mine.
So learn to take responsability for your actions!
Only when you can admit that you were wrong can you learn from your experience and hopefully not make the same mistake again.

I care for a diabetic child.  I remind her to take care of herself every day.
I cheer her on and try to teach her how to take care of herself.
I get sad on her behalf and sometimes discouraged, but I remind her that she's the toughest and bravest 11 year old I know.

I have younger kids to take care of as well.
They come to me with all their issues, and I try to help them trough various conflicts they encounter each day.  If they are hurt I cheer them up.  If they are happy I share in their joy.
I hug them a lot.  I laugh with them even more.

I love my job.  It's maybe the best job in the world.
I don't get paid for what I do.  You can't put a value on it, so I don't think there would be a "right" salary.
I make sure to keep everyone fed, clothed, clean and happy.
The reward I get is their love and appreaciation in return.
Many, many women look down on this job.
They think we should "expand" ourselves.
This isn't "good enough".
That's ok.  I don't mind others choosing different.

"You are just a mom!"
Yeah.  I am "just" a mom.
I don't have an education.
I don't get promotions or taps on the back.
I don't have any diplomas on my walls.
But being "just" a mom is the most rewarding job you can have.
The love you get in return, the smiles, the hugs....
I might be "just" a mom, but after all these years I have learned to appreaciate the luxury of being "just" a mom.  I don't have any stylish co-workers waiting for me.  I can bum around in boring mom clothes and forget to make my hair for a few days. 

Am I letting myself go??  I don't feel it that way.
I can choose what I eat and when I eat it, meaning I usually eat quite healthy.
I don't sit stuck in traffic knowing that I am late picking my kids up - less stress!
If there are Dr's appointments, I can always bring them without taking time off.
I KNOW the kids that I gave birth to.
I don't need to rely on a daycare lady to share my kids milestones.
I feel like a true winner in this rat race.
One day I might go back to school and "become" something when I grow up.
But for now I'm fine living this wonderful life, filled with hilarious moments, all natural and real.

Anyway... I have dishes to do, but first I think I'll have another cup of coffee :)

For the good things

I just read through some of my old blog posts.
Often when I write them I have a strong feeling about one or another thing.
Good or bad.
But within a few days of posting it, I often forget what I even wrote about so passionately!
Maybe because when I write I "dump" my brain and heart out through my fingers and on to the keybord.
Words and scentences pop up on the screen and form little glimpses from my life.

Words are so powerful.
To write can hurt or help, heal or damage.
You choose what you write, and hope that your message gets across the way you intended.
These days with so many ways to express ourselves, many people seem to totally lose all their tact.
Some use really rude or corse language on FB or similar sites.  Women who normally would never talk like that in real life!!  It's kind of disturbing and I think it's a really good way to make people lose respect for them.

Well.  Today is however not going to be a "how to write" class, just had to put in my 2 cents regarding that.

Today I want to remember the "being Thankful" thing.
Especially since many of my friends and family celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend over in the USA.
I think trying to be a grateful person, who is able to appreaciate what they have in their life and the gifts God has given them, will help anyone in their everyday life.
The saying "A bitter heart can not be thankful, and a thankful heart can not be bitter" is one of my favourites.
I use a lot of "sayings" in my everyday life, and our kids already know about many, and we can often laugh at me because I'm becoming quite predictable with them.
"You can only change yourself!"
"Don't expect anyone to do anything for you, do it yourself!"
"Be kind to each other, and help each other!"
"Remember to appreaciate what you have, because you never know what tomorrow brings!".
"Love each other, one day something might happen to one of you, and you'll really regret anything bad you did"
"Be responsible for your actions, don't blame others!"

The list goes on....

But, today I'm trying to be thankful.
Lately I've struggled with a lot of feelings, stress and emotions.
I have to remind myself that I quite likely am still feeling the effects of the msicarriage.
I really feel that I need TIME.  Time for me.
Time to just figure out what I feel about all sorts of stuff.
But when my emotions and hormones have been on a rollercoaster that lost its fun-factor several turns ago, I just want to get off of it and give my head a chance to stop spinning.
I'm not going to go in to details right now, and most likely I wouldn't be able to explain everything that's going on without sounding confusing or whiny or both.
To combat all the yukky stuff I'm going through, I try to focus on the good.

This morning I got a text from my cousin.  He and his wife and their kids are happy to announce the birth of a little girl.  A new baby sister to love and care for.
How wonderful, and how thankful I am that all went well for mom and baby.
This last year has been hard for many people I know.
Money and health problems are so common these days.
But when I see how people love and care for each other, it makes me happy and thankful.

Then there's my neighbour lady across the street, who in my eyes seem to live the "perfect life". Their yard is always neat, and they have 2 boys, 5 years apart, and things always seem to be in its proper place.  I get a bit of a complex living in this unfinished house, with kids running all over, toys scattred like a bomb went off.  It usually looks like no grown-ups are living in our house!!
The neighbour guy's garage is cleaner than my kitchen, while our garage is... hmmm... how do I put it??
Messy would be a nice compliment.  So let's leave it at that.

Anyway.  In a round about way I heard how this neighbour lady told someone that:
"I feel so overwhelmed with my 2 boys, and sometimes I don't know what to do, and then I look at the lady across the street coming home with her 7 kids, arms loaded with grocery bags, and she's always smiling!, I don't know how she does it!"
Hearing this brought tears to my eyes.
Often I feel so insignificant and "not enough".  There are so many things I can't do with our kids because it costs too much.
There are many things I don't have energy for, because, well, I'm just me and there are 7 of them.
I often feel like I have a bit of a complex about my life looking so "messy" and unorganized.
Our kids clothes are not matching and neat.  Our yard is all sand and construction stuff and toys.
Our house isn't finished and our cars are loud and old.

But.
When my hubby told me about what the neighbour lady said, his eyes were sparkling.
He hugged me and was so proud of me.
He said hearing those things makes him love me even more.
Our kids were so pumped too.
And even if that's just her observation about me, and she sure doesn't know the whole picture, well, I only have my observation of her, and I don't know HER whole picture either.
It's a comforting thought for us all.
We all have the little things in our lives that annoy us, and when the neighbour's grass seem greener, well, maybe ours isn't so bad after all.
I am so very thankful to have the gang I have to share my life with.
It's when you take away all the superficial layers in life, and look at what is really left, that you see the true value of what you have.
Those things can vary because our goals are different.
For me being loved for who I am is something that matters a lot.
And when all is said and done, I am.  I truly am.
And feeling so loved and appreaciated, makes it so easy to love the people around me, for who they are!
And a smile is the poor mans jewel. 
A smile is the most beautiful make-up you can wear!  It comes in a perfect size for you face, and it matches every outfit you own.

This makes me think of another saying that I really like that goes something like this:
"The smile on my face doesn't mean that my life is perfect, it means that I am thankful for what I have and that I know that God provides for me what I need every day!"
No need to worry.
Just smile and be thankful.  There are so many reasons to do that.
Even if your house isn't finished and is full of sand :)

And like our wise 13 year-old told me a while back
"Mamma, we are rich.  We really are!"
Yes honey, we really, really are...

Picture this!!

Here's a "picture perfect" post.

A little bit of everything...

Enjoy!

Above the clouds the sun is always shining!
On our way to Norway, flying from Helsinki to Rovaniemi.

My oldest (the Lapp Lady) and my sisters youngest (the reindeer)

The moms had to try it too!!  My nephew is watching us with a smile
on his face...

Beautiful Lapland.  This is in the very northern part of Finland.

Such peaceful beauty!

Cousins hanging out!  Such a sweet little boy :)

Our sweet boy turned 3 and asked for a "Tank cake"!
Well, he wasn't disappointed. 
Dad arranged one with the help of oldest daughter.

Not bad, huh?

In the morning we woke him up with a small cake and presents in bed.
Well, he wasn't too impressed with the bright candles.
"It's too sunny!!", he said.
So I blew them out for him so he could uncover his eyes :)

On October 26th we got our first snow this winter.
The following morning the "snow panthers" were busy outside!

In sharp contrast to the tank cake, stand this "Shoe Cake".
Our oldest daughter made this sweet treat for her younger sister
when she turned 11.

Happy Birthday to a You!
Her candles weren't too "sunny" btw





Happy Halloween!
A white cat, a ghost and a fairy.
We celebrated Halloween at home and I arranged a treasure hunt for
the kids after eating "Halloween shaped" nuggets and fries for dinner.

Well, that's all for now.

Pictures are so much fun to share, but I am bad at taking pictures and worse at posting them.

I always seem to mess up somehow in the process, so I avoid it, so each time I get it done I feel like

I've accomplished something huge!  My blog never look very prefessional.

It doesn't have anything "cute" or fancy about it.

So never mind the unevenly spaced pictures.  If I try to correct them I'll probably delete them.

I've never claimed to be computer savy, at least the kids in the pictures make up for the lame layout :)