Slowly but surely!

Here things are in full swing!  The last week has brought some much needed energy along for me!  I feel so "normal", it's almost scary, but it's also really nice.
After having an insane amount of things going on in the last few years, and with no signs of it slowing down in sight, I am sure happy that I feel an extra surge of strength!!
I do get occational reminders of how vulnerable I still am thou.

Last Thursday I ventured out to town.  First time in a LOOONG time that I did this by myself!  Felt really good.  I had a maternity top that I wanted to return (tags were still on), but of course I did not have a receipt.  Well, I figured, they might let me exchange it for something at least.
Well.  They didn't. 
"Sorry, if you don't have a receipt, we can't take it back!"
"But, I lost the baby, and I never had time to use it, and the tags are still on!!"
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that (she did look truly empathetic), but that's our policy!"
I felt like their policy had just given me a kick in the stomach.
I took it so hard, I was surprised.
Maybe because I told her about losing the baby.
It's a private thing after all.
I felt tears welling up, as I turned to leave the store, with my unused maternity top still in the bag in my hand...
"Bye!", she said behind me.
"Oh, yeah, bye" I said as I glanced over my shoulder.
I felt that this store had something against me.
It wasn't my fault that I had lost the baby!!

I called my Hubby, and told him how I felt.
He of course asked me not to worry about it.
No big deal if I couldn't return it.
I knew he was right, but I guess the feelings the situation had brought up, made me realize that I'm still quite sensitive.
He made sure I felt better before we hung up, and then I actually found a pair of jeans that fit me!
(I hate trying on anything in public changing rooms, and jeans are among the worst...)
This pregnancy made me gain more weight than I normally do, and now when there's no baby to nurse to help shed the pounds, the new "chub" is stubbornly stuck on me.  Argh.
Perfect timing for Christmas to show up too!  Yohoo!! (I admit to liking all the Christmas goodies WAY too much)

Well, I met up with a friend after shopping, and we went out for a late dinner.
It was really nice to just hang out and chat and eat (yummy pizza on ryebread!, and I wonder why I'm not losing weight??)

Well.  Now it's all full tilt with the Christmas gears rolling!
I can't shop or decorate or bake before the house is organized and cleaned, so I have a LOT of organizing and cleaning to do, which is fine, since I truly enjoy an organized house. (there's still a ton of stuff to go through since we moved)
With 9 people thou, I will never ever catch up to what I would like to keep as my standard.
So... yeah, we did some decorating already! (or we might not put anything out before Easter, and that would look quite wierd...)
The kids also made a batch of gingerbread cookies, so that's a start I guess.
In the end it doesn't really matter if everything is not as perfect as I'd like it to be, (trying to remember to pace myself!!), what I want is a home that feels "good".  That is cozy and warm and a good place to end a busy day.  No matter what time of the year of course, but Christmas is extra special.  It's that special feeling... This is the 1st year in this house, and things are not all done yet, but it's still "us" here.  And that's what matters.  And a clean floor of course! :)

Back to school!

1st day of school here in our town.
The 4 oldest happily hopped in the car this morning for their drive to their bilingual school. (Finnish/English)
It felt good to see them all happy and excited about going.  Excited about seeing their friends again after a busy summer. Our oldest is starting 7th grade, meaning she's going to a different school for kids grade 7 to 9.  It's smart to keep those ages separate from the rest of the world, I think (age 13 to 16), as this might be some of the hardest years in a kids life.  She'll be with all the same kids from her old class, so everything isn't new, but many things will be different, and some new subjects will be added to her schedule.  Good luck #1, you get to try everything 1st!! 

A year ago they were a lot more nervous going to a new school in a new country for the 1st time.  Now they know a lot more of the language, they have friends and things have become familiar.  My hubby stuck around for a bit when he dropped them off, to see if anyone needed help finding their way, but after a few minutes he realized he had been left in the dust as the 4 of them all went on their merry way!

Good luck to all of you!  Have a great 2nd year of school in this new country of ours...

For the 3 at home I have some plans too.  Our youngest will be at home with me for now, he's not even 2 and I can't imagine leaving him with some stranger :( but for the 2 girls, who are 5½ and almost 4, I really feel they need to learn Finnish.  And it won't come from me!!  So, we have signed them up for ½ days, alternating 2 or 3 days a week, starting in a month or so, at a daycare nearby!  They are very excited, and I'm excited for them!  1st time for both of them to do anything away from home and mom!  At their ages I bet they'll catch on fast with the language, which will make it so much easier for them to get to know new friends in various situations!  (and then they can teach me a word or two!!)  Good luck to them as well!

Hubby is keeping busy around our house, trying to get the outside done, as well as some attic stuff.  He's also working with his brothers, and they have many things going on, so he won't be bored any time soon!!
Little Guy LOVES being outside with my husband, watching him work.  How can a dad get any cooler than working with loud tools, climbing on ladders and building things with his hands? 

So what am I doing??  The same as usual.  Keeping the fort down.  Making sure everything is in order at home and at school.  I'm getting more and more boxes out of the way, and soon I can get started on the boxes that we haven't touched since moving overseas last year!  I bet a lot will end up in my donation stash, as I after a year in an apartment have come to realize how little you need to "survive"!  Of course there are many neat things I will want to keep as well, so it might be kind of fun going through it all!  A trip to IKEA is definitely a must. I need more bookshelves and cabinets in order for me to properly organize anything from outdoor clothes, games and books and art stuff as well as our nice china... What else?  I'm considering continuing Finn class in the fall, but we'll see how it fits in with our busy schedule!!

Well, I did get a new camera too btw, so soon I'll post some more pictures as well!  Tudelu till then!