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.