Walked Stockholm

What a day!!!  It was supposed to be  a light day for me.  I was planning on taking Outdoor Fit at 9:00 and then heading home to continue cleaning and organizing my house.  I had one stop, the lighting store.  We are searching for a light over the kitchen table so my buddy "Schneider" can come back and hang it for us.  Well... plans are meant to change around here and.....

Lori and I met after drop off to head to the park for our class.  There were a few new ladies in class today, so we were able to meet more people.  The class itself is not as challenging as I would like, but the social aspect is great.  I'm meeting a lot of new people through it, so I will continue on Thursdays only.  Lori and I met a new lady today that lives in an area of Stockholm that neither of us have been to yet, Östermalm.  Through course of conversation, Lori mentioned that she was searching for a specific lightbulb that she hasn't been able to find.  Ally, our new friend, brought us to a lighting store near her house.  She then walked us around and showed us great stores, coffee houses, boutiques and designer stores (April, I took the Louis Vuitton picture just for you), and much, much more. We got an education on the health care here as well (more on that in another blog).  She told us about this amazing place called Saluhall.  The pictures are worth a thousand words for this place.  There were fresh cuts of meat, imported cheeses, restaurants, produce etc.  All of it looked amazing!  Of course I didn't have anything to carry it all back in, so I will have to return tomorrow with my new grocery cart!

Saluhall when you first enter

Saluhall from the outside

I took pictures of some things that amazed us.  Check them out....

Look at the red section of this picture.  That is a very large fish for sale.  If you look closely, the eyes are still there and it's mouth (red section) is wide open.  We were stunned that people eat this scary looking thing.

Perhaps this will be our Thanksgiving turkey.... but why is the head still on?  

After our tour of Saluhall, we decided to buy a delicious salad at one of the vendors.  We grabbed a seat nearby and began to eat.  No sooner did the fork go in my mouth, that I had a woman yelling at me in Swedish.  The puzzled look on my face along with lettuce hanging out of my mouth, clued her in that I had absolutely no idea what she was saying.  She then began yelling at me in english...saying that I was sitting at her sushi restaurant table and that I needed to move immediately.  Oops!!!  So we packed up our salad and ventured out to the streets to find a park bench.  The temperature dropped drastically.  We were sweaty from the workout and began to get really cold.  We did find an area near the water to sit and eat.  As you can see in this picture, it was not quite the enjoyable picnic in the park we were hoping for.

Did I mention that we were searching for a tea house as well as this obscure lightbulb?  Both Lori and I were craving tea.  We were still so amazed at this new area we discovered that we decided to get brave and try to find the eyebrow threading salon as well.  Off we went in a direction that we hoped was correct.  I knew as long as I was near a train stop, I could always find my way home.  :)  For the next hour we walked and walked.  We stumbled upon two more lighting stores, neither had the bulb.  We found quite a few coffee houses, but no tea.  At that point, we decided to take the train to Odenplan, Lori's stop.  She is not as familiar with the train system because she walks everywhere.  Since I have a bit of a clue, and had taken this stop yesterday to pick up Jake from a friend's house, I felt brave.  We got off the stop, walked in circles a few times, but began heading in the direction of the threading place (thanks to google maps).  After walking a few blocks, Lori seemed to think she had walked these streets before.  We kept going and before we knew it,  we hit her apartment.  I was too close not to go up and see it... so we stopped.  Awesome place!!!  She was bummed that she still hadn't found the lightbulb, so when I mentioned there was a lighting store near my house, she decided to join me on my walk home.  We live less than a mile from each other, but neither of us had a clue which way to go.  Google maps to the rescue....  before we knew it, we were crossing the bridge to Kungsholmen (my neck of the woods). She came up to see my place but at this point it was 2:00 and I had to pick up Chase at 3:20.  I showed her how to get to the lighting store and I jumped in the shower, got ready and headed to the school.  Lori found the bulb that she walked about 8 miles to find!  Still no luck on the threading place though, but we can say we visited EVERY lighting store in the entire city!!!

My original plan was to pick up the boys from school, go home, get them settled, prepare dinner and leave for Back to School Night.  Without going into detail, Steve got hung up at work so the boys were going to come to Back to School Night with me.  The school provides childcare in the library.  Now that's a brilliant idea!!!  So instead of dragging the boys (especially Chase) all the way home, to turn around and head back there 30 minutes later, I chose to let them play and then grab a snack to hold them over.  The boys wanted slushies from 7/11 and I wanted a tea (I desperately needed one today) so I headed in  the direction I thought I could find both.  We stumbled upon the 7/11 first and directly next door was the coffee house.  Instead of tea, I chose a latte (they have lactose free milk here).  Dee, Eabs and A.. can you believe I drank coffee?  Sweden is changing me slowly.  hahaah  The boys and I had a great time together.

Chase chose ice cream

Jake  and I hanging out

Smitty enjoying his slushy

I"m reinforced after tonight, that the boys are in an amazing school.  I'm not sure if this is Europe, Sweden, or the International school itself, but they do education right here!  The teachers don't seem to be bogged down with an overabundance of paperwork and ridiculous testing.  Instead they are focusing on learning, planning fun and exciting lessons, and finding ways to meet the needs of all the students.  The main focus here is learning and how do each of us learn best.  They believe that each person learns differently and it is the teacher's job, along with the student, to figure out what that learning style is.  They spend the first two weeks assessing, for lack of a better word, how each individual student learns.  Once the teacher understands her students' learning styles, she can plan her lessons accordingly. Each classroom will look different in terms of activities.  Jake's teacher went into detail on some of the activities she does in her class.  I was amazed!  Like I mentioned earlier, I tend to be internally critical of my childrens' teachers... but I am so impressed by her.  I feel so blessed that all of my boys got teachers that are experienced, intuitive, flexible, and extremely sweet.  Smith's teacher is so in-tune with the student's needs.. she picked up on the fact that Smith is missing his friends and feeling a bit homesick. She told him anytime he is feeling lonely or sad, to just tell her and she will give him that extra love he needs.  She too has only been in Sweden for two weeks, and understands how he feels.  That's a great teacher!  I could go on and on about the school.. but I'll end by saying this, I've been debating on whether or not I want to go back into teaching when we return to the U.S.  I hate what has happened to education and how it is all focused on testing and money (or lack of) and how teachers are treated with no respect.. evident by the salary for one.  After being a part of this school for only two weeks, I told Steve today that I would love to teach here.  Who knows... maybe I'll be able to put Sweden on my resume one day.  :)

I'm tired from all the walking I did today, but feel great after a very productive day.  Productive because today I experienced  a new section of this city.  Each day is like an adventure.  I'm so happy that I have a group of friends here and and I'm so thankful for how they welcomed us new-comers with open arms.  

Learning the ropes

The past few days have been a mix of cleaning, straightening, organizing and shopping.  Tuesday morning I went to a coffee meeting (Swedes love their coffee) about the elementary curriculum.  Since we are new to the school, I needed to know how and what my kids would be learning this year.  I was extremely impressed by the adopted curriculum, IPC.  I will expand more on this tomorrow after I attend Back to School Night.

We finally have our apartment organized enough that I was able to focus on cleaning.  I love the windows open all day and the cross breeze that flows through our home, but the dust is ridiculous.  Now I understand why I'm one of the few people in Stockholm with my windows open.  I bought a great little vacuum that I use daily.  Besides the dust, the dirt that we track into our home is nuts also.  Hence, remove your shoes before entering a home in Sweden.   There is a lot of gravel on the playgrounds which makes for dirty, clothes, shoes, legs and feet.  The boys actually enjoy showers here (it was always an argument back in America.... they hated showering).  I can't wait to show them this when they are teenagers....

We ended our Tuesday with a new printer!  Since printing pictures is a huge project here, I'm excited to set up the printer and have the option at home.   It was too late to head home and cook dinner at this point, so we ate a really good dinner at the restaurant, Broken.  It was American food, with a Swedish menu.  The waiter was awesome and very patient with me as I asked about dairy and gluten and he led me to a delicious goat cheese salad. Yummy!!!  I've been drinking more wine here than I did back home.  This could be for a number of reasons:  1) We don't drive here, 2) My children are driving me to drink, 3) everyone drinks at all hours of the day.. it's very common to have a glass of wine with lunch, 4) My children are driving me to drink, 5) it takes the edge off of a really long day 6) My children are driving me to drink!

I am struggling a bit with with travel time.  I'm laughing because my sister Dee would struggle living here, she never calculates travel time into her schedule.  Don't get mad Dee.... we all love you just the same. So, I'm having to deal with Smith and his serious lack of urgency, and at the same time understand how time of the day plays a role as well.   Getting the boys out of the house in the morning is going fairly well.... we have our occasional meltdowns, but for the most part, we have a routine that works.  Chase's little legs don't move as quickly, so we often have to slow down so he can keep up.  Traveling solo is so much easier!

Today was a lot of fun with the girls.  Claudette, Lori and I met for lunch and Claudette was our tour guide around the shopping district.  I love European fashion.  I can't wait to start buying.  Steve, you didn't read that!  Let me see if I remember where I was today.  The mall is called the Gallerian.. and I am pretty sure it was on Regeringsgatan.  The malls here are not what we're used to in the states.  For one, there is shopping everywhere, but this location seems to have a lot of stores within.  The best part, it's attached to T-Centralen (Central Station), so when it's raining or snowing, I don't have to go outside to shop.  That's my kind of mall... no fighting the crowds in the parking lot, just jump off the train and walk directly into the store!  I also understand where it is in reference to my apartment now.  I was able to pick up a grocery cart in my travels today.  It's going to make shopping a bit easier now.  I was waiting to find one with a color I like.  Check me out with my new wheels!

Chase has been crying each morning when I drop him off at school.  This is really out of character for him.  Last year he and Natalie would jump out of the car, waving goodbye with huge smiles on their faces.  This year, it's very different.  So after school, I stayed and talked to his teacher.  She is so sweet and Chase loves her.  She said he spends his days chatting and telling her all about his school in America and talks about his friends, Jackson, Natalie, Will, Simon etc.  She mentioned that Chase is the only child in the class that speaks English.  Well... that might explain it.  She said that once he settles down, he loves it there and talks a lot.  She loves it because she has someone to talk to also.  :)

Lots of adjustments!!!!  Smith had his second practice today with is team.   He told Steve and I that he was going to quit soccer because he didn't want to play on this team.  After much prodding, we realized it was because of the language barrier.  He was feeling lost and left out.  We told him to try it one more day, if he still didn't like it, he didn't have to play.  After practice, he came home with a huge smile on his face saying how much he loved his new team and he wants to keep playing.  It was so cute!!!  Apparently, the coach made a huge effort to help Smith feel welcome and a lot of the boys were including him and helping him with the directions.   :)

Watching my kids struggle with things here has been really tough for me.  With so many nationalities together under one school roof, it requires a lot of flexibility.  There are different customs, different languages, different ways to discipline, different routines... which often pushes them out of their comfort zones.  I know this is great for them and down the road it will make them stronger, but... it's very hard to sit back and let it happen.  I want to fix it and make it perfect for them.  There are moments that they cry and ask to go back home and other times that they are smiling and saying how much they love it here.  

This week has been a tough one for our family.  We lost Steve's grandma to Alzheimer's.  She was an amazing woman and we will miss her so much!  We then got sad news about Steve's dad.  We hate that we are so far away from family during these tough times and wish that we could jump on a plane and be back home in a few short hours.  Please keep Bebop in your prayers as he continues to fight his battle with cancer.  We love you Bebop and Kiki!!!!

 

And Then There Was LIGHT.....

Sunday was not a very exciting day, yet it was very busy.  My apartment is looking more and more like a home.  As a matter of fact, Smith asked today if we have any boxes left.  When I said, "NOPE", he said, "does this mean we live here now?"  I guess it does!  Thanks to a low key Sunday, I was able to get a lot done.  It started with a run.   I love running on Sunday mornings, most things are closed and there are very few people on the road.  This allows me to explore new places without the anxiety of getting lost.  I've been wanting to understand the walking route from my apartment to the school.  I only know the train route.  I knew the direction of the school and my starting point so I ventured out....  WA LA!!!  Not only did I find the boys' school, but I also stumbled upon an amazing park.  There was a huge playground, a very maintained turf soccer field, basketball courts and a skate rink.  There were paths throughout for running and walking.  I took pictures of the street names and the monument of the park so I could go home and map it.  Without my pictures.. there wasn't a chance I would find it again.

After my run, I made "Sunday Sauce" (the boys have been asking for spaghetti and meatballs since we arrived) while Steve and Jake took Smith to his first soccer practice.  Smith was very nervous but after Jake gave him a pep talk, he left with a smile.  The coach was very nice and helped Smith feel welcome.  He had a great practice and came home happy.  Both boys struggle a bit with the language barrier at practice.  I'm sure this will get better as they learn some basic Swedish words.

Our busy schedule has wiped out poor Chase.  Mommy is completely pooped at the end of the day as well.  Between the walking, carrying heavy groceries, cleaning and unpacking, there isn't any downtime.  Sunday afternoon I managed to sneak in a nap.  I haven't napped since Chase was born!  It felt GREAT!

The weekend flew by and Monday was here before I knew it.  Steve flew to Russia today and this was the first week I would be alone in our new country.  For some reason I wasn't nervous.  Poor Steve flew all the way to Russia only to find out he was not welcome in their country.  They kicked him out the minute he arrived... of course he had to sit alone in a room for over an hour (there was something wrong with his Visa) before  they actually let him leave.  So.. he's on a flight back to Sweden as we speak. In the meantime, I went to my first Outdoor Fit class today.  The class is in English and it takes place in various parks throughout Stockholm.  Each Sunday night we get an email telling us where the class will be that week.  Here's my favorite part of the story..... the park we had class in today..... Humlegården!  The same park I accidentally stumbled upon yesterday when I was running!  Yeah... I knew where I was going and didn't need detailed directions!  My friend Lori and I met at the school and walked there together.  When I arrived at the school, the middles school students were walking out for recess.  I was so impressed by how many of them were eating apples, bananas and various fruits.  The school deserves much credit for this.  They encourage healthy eating and go as far as providing the fruit for the students.  I didn't see any junk food, soda, chips etc. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure it's even allowed in the school.  Now that's walking the walk!

Class was fun.  Pernille, the owner/instructor was a great lady with a very fun and motivating personality.  She is building her business here in Stockholm and I was able to sit with her after class and discuss some options for me as an instructor.  More on that in a later blog.  After taking the class today, I realized how much I miss teaching and I'm anxious to start again.  The class was an outdoor boot camp/interval training.  It was good, but not as challenging as No Limits Circuit.  :)  Lori and I bought a nine week package.  As soon as I get my personal number, I will be able to join a gym and hopefully teach there.  I really miss Spin classes.

Well.. you are probably wondering about the title of this blog.  I met a new friend today, my handyman, Georgios.  He was here to look at the light switch in the master bedroom.  After Steve managed to get the light fixture hung, he realized the switch was broken.    Aghhhhh!!!!  So close to having light in our bedroom.  My electrician husband has not been a happy camper lately!  Back to Georgios..... I think he felt sorry for us, living in the dark for a week, so he hung all of our lights, free of charge (I think).  He even ran down to the lighting store to buy some extra parts that we didn't have, but needed.  He's a good man that Georgios!!  He's my Schneider.   Remember One Day At A Time?

My Swedish observations today.....  I've seen a lot of pregnant ladies over the course of two weeks.  Is it me, or are they all really fit and really healthy!   They look fabulous!  It makes me want to have another.  Ha ha ha.... JUST KIDDING!!!  My other observation, not as positive.... there is no radio editing here.  American music is playing in most restaurants and stores.  There are "F bombs" flying all over the place.  The best part, nobody thinks anything of it.  My kids are going to either have potty mouths after these two years, or be so desensitized to it that the word won't affect them at all.  Either way, I'm not a fan!

This morning I woke up and read my friend Janet's Caring Bridge site.  She is struggling with breast cancer and her positive attitude and outlook on life is so inspiring to me.  I laugh and cry each time I read her words.  I'm truly amazed by her strength.  She helps me put my life in perspective.  As annoying as it is to live in the dark, get lost in a strange city, not be able to read a menu, and have to move away from all of our friends and family, I realized today that I am blessed to have my health.  My problems are small and insignificant compared to what she is facing.  So Janet, thank you for that reality check today and I pray that you will continue to find peace through your battle and continue to have the strength and faith to face what you are fighting head on.

I leave you with these little faces!    I love them so much and I'm really proud of how well they are adjusting to life here in Sweden!

Fun Family Saturday

It was an early morning for the Paynes today.  The sun is shining bright by 5:00am and my Blinkies are doing a great job of helping me sleep through it, but I can't say the same for my sweet little Chase.  He is rising with the chickens and feeling the need to come down and wake me up as well.  This morning at 5:38 he asked for breakfast.  I was chatting with my sister (Dee) last night until almost 1am so a 5:30 wake up was NOT welcomed!

Moving into a new home is never easy and there's never enough time to get everything done in one day.  The boys have been really great with this whole move so we thought we would make today a fun day for them.  Smith has been begging Steve since we arrived to put his bike together so he could ride, but bikes were not top of the priority list when we were living in the dark.  Steve surprised him this morning, so I took the boys to the park while he tackled another trip to Ikea.

We live about a mile from a park which has great bike paths for the kids, so we headed out the door with bikes, helmets and water bottles.  As you can see in this picture, Chase was cruising!  Smith spent the entire two hours riding around the park, and Jake headed over to the skate ramps and hung with all the kids there.

There goes Jake in the blue sweatshirt!

The skate park was packed with kids of all ages.  Most of them had scooters and were flying up and down the ramps.   I was extremely impressed.  Chase and Smith were fascinated as well.  Look at them exploring the ramps.  Chase actually got stuck in this one.  

Everyone here is enjoying the last few weeks of beautiful weather.  Today was a picture perfect day.  The clouds were white and fluffy, the temperature was great and and the smell of charcoal burning in the park grills was everywhere.  There were families playing together, walkers and runners exercising, bikers riding, children on the playgrounds, boats sailing, and even people sun bathing.  Personally, it's too cold for me to put a bathing suit on, but in a few years I might be soaking up the sun in 60 degree weather too.  Here are some pictures of what my day looked like.

After playing on the playground we rode down closer to the water and watched the ducks.  The boys considered jumping in but then felt the temperature of the water and decided against it.... not that I was going to let them.  :)

We were all getting hungry at this point so we headed home for food.  Mommy was in a happy mood and instead of eating lunch, we had ice cream.  At that point Steve was back with more Ikea goodies and the plan was to work around the house for the remainder of the day.  We had a great surprise when the Gavins Facetimed us and the boys were able to talk to their buddies.... then Xan (Smith's bud) Facetimed, and that was super fun!  The two of them cracked each other up for about 20 minutes.  Jake and Smith were so happy to reconnect with friends again.  Smith had a smile from ear to ear for the rest of the day.  

Steve has been working really hard building furniture and now he has the pleasure of installing lights.  As I"m writing this blog, our living room is bright.  We have been living in the dark for so long that we forgot how nice it feels to have light.  I don't think Steve realized that he would become a carpenter, electrician and computer tech (that's another story for another time) when we moved here, but he is!  And a darn good one at that!

For dinner the boys wanted to have a picnic in the park.  We decided to order a pizza for them and Steve and I would take-out food from this really cool restaurant/bar that sits directly on the grass in the park.  Our plan was flawless until we opened our pizza and they gave us someone else's order.  We then went to order take out from this restaurant and was dine-in only.  So..... we grabbed a table directly next to the grass where the boys were playing soccer.  Steve and I had a drink, ordered food for the fam, watched the boys play, and enjoyed a few minutes of quiet, alone time.  When the food arrived it was really good and at that moment we decided this would be our Friday night routine.  The boys loved it because they could run around and play and we loved it too! Did I mention there is adult bocce ball connected to the restaurant.  There were so many people dressed for a casual evening out playing.  For the next few weeks (they close for the winter months) we will be at Boulebar around 6:00pm on Friday nights.  We even got a quick game of Payne Family Soccer in before we left.  Here's a picture of it during the day.  It was a bit of a different crowd at night.

The boys cruised back home on their bikes, Chase was so wiped out that he could barely keep his eyes open in the shower.  He rode up every hill without letting us help him.  Hopefully we tired him out enough tonight with his 15 mile bike ride that he won't be waking up at 5:00.

Here's a picture of us heading back home after an amazing day and evening in the park.  As Steve put it, this was our best family day in Stockholm so far!  If you're wondering what is on Chase's head, he insisted on wearing his wool hat under his helmet. 

The boys said today that they really like living in Sweden.... I happen to agree!

IKEA!!!

When a trip to IKEA makes your day.... well, enough said.  I dropped the kids off at school at 8:30 while Steve rented a car.  We met back at our apartment around 9:00 and headed out.  We accomplished a lot these past few days in terms of unpacking and organizing our house.  Steve has been putting furniture together for one solid week.  With that, comes a lot of boxes and garbage.  If you remember in my last post, I mentioned that dumping large items is no easy task.  Steve loaded the car with tons of boxes and headed to the recycle bins a few blocks away.  There were a few more left in the apartment along with a cabinet that got damaged in the move... so we decided to take that with us and find a dumster somewhere closer to Ikea.  We needed to get to the store as soon as the doors opened because we were on a time schedule.  Claudette picked up Chase from school at 12:30 today so we could spend more time at the store.  She came to my rescue again!  Here's Steve in our new ride!

We have been contemplating whether we will need a car here and have considered shipping ours over.  Well.... after today,  I vote NO!  Beside the fact that there's no parking, and driving around the block 14 times to find a spot is not how I want to spend my free time, driving on these streets is not easy.  For one, the road names are ginormous, it took 10 minutes to read them and at that point we missed our exit.  The Swedes love a roundabout.... so while we were looking at the map on our phone, all the bikers and walkers were sprinting for their lives.  Finally, the GPS was about 10 seconds behind, so you can imagine what that looked like.  Ikea is north of the city so it was completely unfamiliar territory for me.  Steve did all the driving, especially because it was a stick shift.  We all know how well I drive those!  I was the co-pilot and not a very good one at that.  We did make it to Ikea with 20 minutes to spare so we decided to find a dumpster for the junk in the trunk.  We decided on dumpsters behind some stores that were not opening until 10.  We figured we could sneak it out quickly and nobody would be the wiser.  It worked!  My hubby the criminal!

We headed in, grabbed our carts, read our list and shopped for 3 hours.  This store was very organized.  It was easy to shop, especially because there weren't any crowds yet.  We bought more furniture for Steve to assemble along with lights (yes, we are still in the dark), bathroom accessories, and much more.  We even had time to hit the appliance store for a vacuum.  My apartment is not the cleanest right now.  As a matter of fact, today is the first day we could actually see the floor.  Smith walked down this morning and commented on how he could walk out the door without tripping on a box.  Oh... the things we learn to live with. 

As many of you know, I was able to get my Swedish phone number today.  I jumped through hoops, did magic tricks and walked 5 miles round trip, but I got it!!!  I also learned how to write my address today.  Don't laugh, they put their postal code first on the line and the apartment number comes after the street name.  It's quite confusing!  Since our mail just started arriving, I had to wait until I could see it written on an envelope before I sent it out.  I know you are all going to rush out and send me mail now... but remember, I don't know how to retrieve mail that is larger than my skinny mail slot, so don't go sending me any care packages yet.  That's next on my things to learn.  I heard you pick up your packages at the nearest grocery store.  Now that's funny!

Things are done a lot differently here in Europe.  For one, communication is not quite their strong suit.  I'm a very type A personality.  I have a very specific calendar with each childs' activities color coordinated.   I'm very punctual and I feel that I'm pretty good at multitasking.  Well, those skills are not needed here... we are just going with the flow.   Plans change as often as the wind blows and we are going with it! 

I have already met some really great people here.   I spent Thursday morning with two new girlfriends (well Claudette isn't really new).  We went for fika (tea) after drop off.  This cafe/tea house was awesome.  I love tea and I love a cozy tea house.  I can't wait to see it in the heart of winter.   Might be the only thing I'm looking forward to about winter!  We sat upstairs overlooking the city on big, comfy couch chairs.  The tea was delivered in huge mugs and we sat and talked for hours.  It was exactly what I needed..... girl time!  Here's a picture of Lori and Claudette before we got our tea. 

I am proud to announce that someone asked ME for directions today!  The reason I'm so proud, I must not have that clueless I'm a foreigner look anymore.  Here's the most exciting part.... I actually was able to give the directions. 

Today I was in the train, people watching.   I love listening to Swedes speak.  I love this language, it's very easy on the ears.  Some languages are so ugly!  This one is not, it's pretty!  Anyhow, it got me thinking about languages as a whole.  It's so amazing to think about how many different ones there are in the world and how we all communicate.  Where did these languages originate?  I do wish I spoke another language.  Everyone's English here is perfect!

There are things I'm really missing about home... for one, I miss our friends and family.  Each time I see something pretty or hear something funny or experience something unique, I wish I could share it.  I also miss my car pool girls (Judy and Meghann).  Soccer practice is becoming quite the ordeal and poor Chase is dragged around until all hours of the night.  I brought my jog stroller with me, but I'm holding off on pulling it out for him.  Once he's chauffeured around town, he will never walk again! I really miss teaching at Lifetime and working out in a gym.  I miss having my car and grocery shopping with ease.  I miss the food I'm accustomed to and not having to guess at every restaurant.  I miss tennis.  And finally, I miss my neck and spine therapist.  My body is a mess right now.  I guess I"m not used to carrying heavy things for a long distance because I am in desperate need of Dr. Pugh.  :)  Meg, tell him to jump on the plane and come for a visit.  I could use his help!

I will end with a positive because we really are enjoying ourselves here.  I love this city and I love the adventure each day brings.  I know it will only get better as we get settled and we can relax at home and enjoy our new life.  I should mention that Steve and I went out for Sushi ALONE today (lunch) and it was really nice.  In Atlanta we were very good at date night.... thanks to our fabulous babysitters that we left behind.  I REALLY MISS MY BABYSITTERS!!  :)  Sushi was great and it's only about 100 yards from our apartment. 

Tomorrow is Saturday and we all need a little down time.  The boys had a very busy week meeting new friends, getting acquainted with new teachers,  navigating a new school, and learning new routines.  Steve and I have a had a week of unpacking, cleaning, building furniture, organizing a home, learning new things and getting very little sleep.  I'm hoping tomorrow we can get out and have a little fun with the boys.  We all need it!!!

Food Food and more Food

I have a lot to say about food today, hence my title.  We are finally settled in enough for us to start eating at home and cooking again.  Tonight was taco night, Steve's specialty.  He is always in charge of making the tacos in our house.  They are quite yummy!  It was so funny when the kids said that tacos taste better in Sweden.  The shells definitely tasted different.  I checked the labels, no hydrogenated oils!!!  I believe I read somewhere that Europe doesn't allow hydrogenated oils (trans fat) in their foods.  I love this place!!!
As I mentioned yesterday, my trip to the grocery store was long, but successful.  The store I like is in the train station.  Since I ride the train 6-10 times a day, it's quite convenient.    The produce here is very different from the produce back home.  For one, it's fresh and not sprayed with every pesticide under the sun.  The size of the fruit is much smaller, telling me it has not been modified in any way.  Check out the strawberries.

They are so small, and SO delicious.  I am addicted to them because they're really sweet!  The pears are also quite small, perfect size for the kids.  Smith loves pears!  Lactose free dairy is so popular here.  I guess Europeans have more lactose allergies than Americans.  I did hear that people with Italian decent have a higher chance of lactose allergy than others, that might explain my family's issues.  :)  Whatever the reason, I am thankful.  I was even able to have a glass of chocolate milk yesterday.  I haven't had chocolate milk since I was 5 years old.  I better watch out... the calories are still in.  The yogurt here has a more bitter taste than I'm used to.  With the sweet fruit and touch of granola, it's starting to grow on me.  I've heard that Swedes like sour (not spoiled) milk in their cereal.  I don't think my boys will ever go for that.
Speaking of my boys.... they are surprising me each day at lunch.  I had mentioned that the school provides a hot, catered lunch each day for the students.  All three of the boys LOVE the lunch.  Today they had sausage, potatoes, carrots, milk and salad.  It's awesome because they are not starving after school and begging me for junky carbs snacks.  The protein and fat in the food is holding them over until dinner time.  The fruit baskets at school are still a hit too.  All three ate bananas and apples throughout the day.
My final comment on the food for today....eggs.  I'm not sure why, but the eggs here have a different taste.  They are a bit creamier.  I like them, but the boys seem to always complain when I make them.  I haven't told them that I too taste a difference.  They aren't bad, just different.
After dropping the boys at school this morning, I came back for a run.  The weather once again was beautiful.  Sunny skies with a warm breeze and temps in mid 60s.  I decided to run near the water today.  My knee is really bothering me.  I'm not sure what I did to it so I thought the pretty scenery might distract me from the pain I'm in.  It worked for a while, and then the pain took over and I had to return to my "strength station" in the park.  Here are some pictures I took while running over the bridge.  Once again, the pictures don't do it justice.

I'm struggling again with the lack of friendliness here.  I like to wave and say hi to people when I pass them or if I'm sitting next to them on the train for example.  But, that is not practiced here.  Out of habit, I'll sometimes say hello, and in return I'll get nothing.  I also noticed that people don't chat with children or even smile at them.  Chase and I were coming home from school on the train today and he was in an exceptionally cute mood.  He was saying the sweetest things, smiling and carrying on conversation about his day.  I looked at the two ladies sitting next to us and they were looking at us with stone cold faces.  Usually the train is very quiet.... until we get on of course!  

My phone dilemma continues.  I still have my US number.  We bought a roaming plan for 30 days in hopes that my personal number would arrive by the end of this month, which would then allow me to get a new phone and a local number.  Since we all know that is going to take at least another four weeks AND I've already used up the minutes on my monthly plan,  I took a trip to Telenor to work out a new service plan.  Without going into detail, I bought prepaid minutes which will give me 30 days unlimited text and 600 talk minutes.  I pay, he puts the SIM card in... my phone is locked from AT&T.  So.... I am still without a phone until I get AT&t to unlock it.  Never a dull moment!!!!  

I'm realizing today that I'm not alone with all of these hiccups and bumps in the road.  There is a great network of moms that I'm getting to know.  Everyone is so helpful and very friendly.  A lot of my new friends are American, but there are quite a lot of women from other countries as well.  It has been so fun talking to them and hearing about everyone's journey and how we all ended up here in Stockholm.  There are many ways to get involved in the school and also stay busy with the various groups within this larger group.  For example, Friday mornings everyone meets for a walk around the city.  I'm looking forward to being a part of this so I can continue to meet new people and see new sites.  A few of us arrived in the same week, you can spot us a mile away, we are the moms with bags under our eyes and confusion on our faces... but we are here and making it work!  Next year at this time, we will have graduated to Swedish veterans.  

I forgot to take a picture of all three boys on the first day of school, so here's our 2nd day of school photo.  This was taken next to our building at 8:00 this morning.  The boys had a great second day, they are continuing to meet new friends, and seem to really love their teachers.  I hope I'm still writing these words in two months.  

Here are a few pictures of Chase on his cool playground at school.   This is where I drop him in the morning.  He plays until 8:30 when the teachers take him to his classroom to start the day.  

Chase seems to think our apartment is Sweden.  Today he was on the train asking when we were going back to Sweden.  The boys were trying to explain to him that Sweden is a country and we are in it everywhere we go. That conversation led them to talk about different countries they want to visit while we're in Europe.   At that moment I realized how this experience is going to expose my little three year old, seven year old and nine year old to things that many people will never experience in a lifetime....

Tuesday Aug 20th

This is my first entry where I am sitting at my computer, in my living room (with one light) typing.  My apartment is coming along, I think.... or I am just used to living in complete chaos.  Either way, I'm feeling much better.  Today was the first day of school for the boys.  I'm still figuring out "travel time". When the boys are with me (especially Chase) traveling takes a bit longer.  I allow us 45 minutes to get to school.  It actually only takes 20-25 minutes door to door, but I am allowing extra time for mishaps.   I thought I had the school route down pat.  I actually know it so well that I can give directions now and I even know where to sit on the train to avoid extra walking.  So, how did I get lost this morning, on the first day of school?  I am still not sure what I did wrong.  I'm guessing I wasn't paying full attention when I exited the train and went the opposite direction out of the station.  Which them put me on a street I had never seen before.  I must have looked completely lost, with three little boys swarming around me, that a really nice woman approached me and asked if I needed help.  Well, yes, I needed help, but since I didn't have a clue what street the school was on, let alone the address, this woman had a hard time telling me where to go.  After a bit of guessing, a call from Steve at just the perfect time, and help from Jake (didn't I tell you he would be navigating this city before me), we made it to school, with seven minutes to spare.

I have mentioned over and over how proud I am of the boys, but today really impressed me.  Parents have the option of walking their kids up to the classroom or just saying goodbye at the front door.  Since I have to walk Chase into his classroom each day, I had every intention of walking the other two up, at least the first week until they got their bearings.  When we entered the school, both boys wanted to walk up themselves and had a sense of confidence that made me so proud.  Off they went with a wave and a kiss.... and had a fabulous first day.  I walked Chase to his classroom not knowing that they can play on the outside playground until 8:30.  His teacher is so sweet she told Chase to come in and play in the room while she worked.  I thought for sure we would have some tears, especially since no other children were there yet, but instead,  he gave me a kiss and waved me on my way.

For the first time since I arrived in Sweden, I was kid free!  With so many things on my to-do-list,  I had to come down from my "alone time" high and get focused.  This week Chase only goes until 12:30 so time was precious.  There was a brief PTA/get acquainted with the school meeting this morning at 8:30.  After that, I headed to the tax office to drop off paperwork for our personal numbers.  I actually remembered how to get to the tax office, after only being there once.... confidence rising!

This might not be a priority on everyone's list, but for me it was.  I had to exercise today!  Running is the best way for me to get acquainted  with the city and get my heart rate up at the same time.. so I came home from the tax office and hit the streets.  I prefer to run without music so I can clear my head, take in the sites (Stockholm is a beautiful city), discover new things, and regroup.  As I was running things came back into perspective.  I ran over bridges, through parks and in and out of traffic.  It's great because I can run for as long as I want and take different routes each time.  For those of you that know me, I need to change my workout routes or routines daily or I get bored.  I stumbled across the most beautiful park.  There were rows of gardens, water falls, and clear water "pools".  I don't know what they are actually called, but they are so pretty.  There were benches full of people reading, sunning on the grass, groups having picnic lunches and people walking.  I think I found my new hangout when I want to relax and read, or just sit and regroup.    On this run, I also found a few restaurants that I want to try and the most exciting discovery was when I accidentally stumbled across the salad cafe  I have been searching for since I arrived.  It is called Mix and Go.  I ate there in May and loved it!  Claudette introduced it to me and I have been craving it ever since.  With all the craziness going on, I haven't had a chance to find it on the map.  Not only did I find it, but it's only a mile or so from our apartment.  Yippy!!!  My next big discovery, (Steve had already told me about this, but I had no clue how close it really was) the outdoor gym in the park.  About 200  yards from our front door (over a hill so you can't see it) is an outdoor area with actual gym equipment.  There are a few ellipticals, chest press, various ab machines and poles for pushups and dips.  It all sits on rubber flooring and is made for the outdoor elements.  So after my run,  I stopped there and did some strength work before heading home.  How cool is that?  I also love that exercise classes are held outdoors in the summer months.  Some actually continue throughout the winter.  I don't think I'll be that brave.  There are boot camps, Yoga classes, kick box classes and I'm sure others that I haven't seen yet.  I'm going to sign up for a package of 9 and start this week.  The class I found is a lot like  No Limits Circuit, one of the classes I taught at Lifetime.  My longterm goal is to teach classes in Stockholm, but right now I need to get settled and figure out which gym I want to join and where I want to teach.  I am also anxious to start playing tennis again.  I'm in process of finding a team, but again, need to get settled before I start that as well.

It was now time to pick up Chase.  I hopped in the shower, and hurried back to school.  My grocery store is actually in the train station, so Chase and I went shopping.  I had to stock up on some basics since my poor children have been starving in between meals. and the only choices they've had were crackers, cucumbers and possibly an apple.  I've been avoiding this task since it was one of the scariest for me.  Usually I'll go in, guess, buy random items, and come home.  Today I was determined  to take my time, (Chase was playing on my phone so that bought me time) try to read labels, buy things the kids could eat for snacks, and stock up on fresh fruits and veggies.  Confidence rising, incident #2.... I bought an entire cart worth of food.  Rookie me, thought carrying them home 1/2 mile was going to be easy.  I took a picture of my four large bags of groceries and Chase's backpack from school that I had the pleasure of carrying.  It was so heavy, but I didn't have a choice.  To make matters worse, Chase was falling apart and begging me to pick him up.  It's amazing how self centered kids are... they don't know how to be any other way I guess.

My poor baby was so wiped out from school, walking, and grocery shopping that he begged me to not pick up the boys from school.  But... that wasn't an option, so 30 minutes later, we put our shoes back on and we were back on the train.  We arrived at school in plenty of time for dismissal.  I love this school for so many reasons, but mainly because they instill a huge sense of independence in these children.  Students walk freely around the school, they go off campus for P.E. the older kids go on overnight field trips, some to other countries.  They provide baskets of fruit around the school, in classrooms and in the hallways.  The students and parents are encouraged to grab fruit whenever they are hungry.  Jake was so happy to report that he ate four bananas throughout the course of the day.  The lunch system is very interesting as well.  The lunches are catered and provided by the school.  The students eat on real dishes, metal forks, and real glasses and are able to build their own plate.  Today the main course was fish and there were a variety of sides to choose from.  All options are healthy and all food is fresh.  Jake and Smith have not stopped raving about how delicious the fish tasted.  They loved being able to fill their own milk glasses and they also loved the freedom that they were given in the lunchroom.  I love that my children will be eating a variety of fresh, healthy food each day for lunch.  I'm hoping this broadens their taste buds and opens their mind to new food.

Both boys were super excited about their new friends.  It seems to be the custom to play on the field and playground after school.  Homework is probably going to be very light.... Jake's teacher told him that if the weather is nice, their HW is to play outside.  I love that!!!  Being active and living a healthy lifestyle is stressed over and over to the parents and the students.  Both boys have P.E. for three hours a week and recess for one hour a day.  Jake has P.E. for 2 hours on Mondays and they leave campus.  He's was so excited to report, that after their two hour session, all students take showers and change back into their regular school clothes.  

Great day today for everyone.  We all needed a break from each other,  a chance to meet people our own age, a routine, and most of all to have fun!

Here's a picture of Chase after his first day!  I know he's just as happy here as the rest of us are.  

   

Busy Busy Busy

I was too tired yesterday to write so I'll recap both days in one.  Sunday went by too quickly.  Since Ikea was not an option today, we heard about another store, closer to our apartment, where we could buy necessities and of course lights.  We took the train a few stops, grabbed some hot dogs, watched a giant clown entertain the crowds and arrived at Clas Ohlson. 

This store reminded me of a cross between Target and Home Depot but on a much smaller scale.  We had a giant list, but only a few arms to carry it all back.  The lighting department was interesting to say the least.  It took us 15 minutes to figure out which lightbulb we needed for each fixture.  I was able to finally buy a hair dryer and of course I had to purchase a bunch of other "basic needs when you move into a new home" items as well.  The boys did not want any part of  Clas Ohlson (especially after we spent 30 minutes in the lighting department) so imagine the scene we Americans made!  Check out Steve in the train after leaving the store.  His backpack is fully loaded with goodies as well.  Don't you love the drying rack?  This might make my laundry experience a little better!

After all of this, our lighting situation is still not resolved.  I won't go into detail other than my husband has hit his breaking point.  He was not a happy camper yesterday.  At midnight he was making runs to the other apartment and also sneaking our trash into a street dumpster.  We found out today from our neighbors that the only place to dump large trash items is 20 minutes outside of the city so we broke our first Swedish law and dumped our junk in the dumpster down the street.  Jake is an accomplish.  We bribed him to help if Daddy promised to shoot some hoops after the crime.  

This morning we had to be at the school for orientation at 8:30.  Then we had an appointment at the tax office at 10:00.  We still dont have all the paperwork filed for our personal  numbers.  I have another trip there tomorrow and hopefully that will complete it.  Then we wait 4-6 weeks to receive it.  In  Sweden, you cant do much of anything without this number.  I'm trying my best  not to have a complete meltdown.  My apartment is in complete disarray!  You can't walk without  landing on clothes, boxes, shoes or toys.  Everytime I think I'm making progress, I walk into another room and see the gigantic mess.  We desperately need a trip to Ikea but unfortunately can't get there until Friday.  I can't hang anymore clothes until we buy another organizer and hangers.  I have my shoes stored in just about every room in this apartment.  The boys ate breakfast this morning and had to squeeze their little bodies into the chairs because the table was completely surrounded by suitcases. This story should sum up my day for you.... I was pouring Smith a glass of water in the kitchen, standing over an open suitcase that I was about to unload.  As I'm holding the pitcher and pouring, the lid falls off and the entire pitcher pours into the suitcase.  

Sweet Claudette sensed my stress and came to my rescue.  She gave up her first free afternoon, (Ryan started school today) came over to my apartment and helped me unload all the suitcases.  She's amazing and always willing to help.  I would be lost here without her!

Speaking of school, all three boys met their teachers and were toured around their new school today.  Here's a picture we took this morning.  The main entrance is under the flags. 

The first classroom we hit was Smith's.  His second grade teacher Ms Nallie is awesome.  She is from Toronto and super nice!  Smith is thrilled!  From there it was Jake's fourth grade classroom, where his teacher greeted us.  I can't spell or pronounce her name yet but I'm working on it.  She too was very sweet.  Being a former teacher myself, I'm very critical of my children's teachers.  My Garden Hills girls yelled at me last month when I told them that....  but I can't help it.  I have high expectations.  I am happy to report that after meeting them today, I feel really good about this school year.  Finally,  we were off to meet Chase's teachers.  He told me on the train this morning that he was NOT going to this new school because he missed his friends back home.  Well, he was true to his word.  He held on to me so tight that I couldn't get away.  Both teachers, Ms. Jeanna (pronounced Gina) and Mr. Fares were great.  They took him from me (he was hysterical crying) while I went to the parent orientation.  An hour or so later I went back to Chase's classroom to pick him up and he was practically leading the lesson.  He was answering all the questions, smiling and really enjoying himself.  When we walked out, he said, "Mommy, I love my new school".  

The weather has been perfect.  I have all my windows in the apartment open and there is a warm breeze that flows through making this chaos just a bit easier to bare.  It is kind of strange to not have any screens on the windows though.  It has become very commonplace for bees to zoom through our home and exit out another window.  Every once in a while one will get trapped inside and can't seem to figure a way out...  That's when my pink zapper ( as Chase calls it) comes out and that sucker sees the end of his life.  By the way, the pink zapper is an ordinary fly swatter. As many of you know, bugs are not my thing.  If this apartment had spiders, roaches, or beetles I would be on the next flight back home....  But bees, not a problem.

I'm really trying to stay positive through this crazy time in my life because I know there will be amazing days that lie ahead and one day I'll look back on this and have a great laugh.  So check this out, I've decided to move past the fact that my bathroom does not have an outlet.  I found a fabulous place to not only do my hair, but also set up my makeup station......  MY CLOSET.  Yes, it's the perfect place.  It's big, has giant windows, a full length mirror and..... An OUTLET!!!!  Why there's an outlet in my closet and not in my bathroom is a question I ask myself everyday....  but I'm letting it go, remember?  

I am signing off now to get some sleep because the sunlight comes in at 5am.  I bought Blinkies ( or as Steve calls them eyebras) to sleep in.  This will be the first trial.  Nighty night!