The Housewife Diary.

Why the long break???

2010-09-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

I was pretty much burnt out the past spring and summer. I think work has took it's toll on me, since I didn't have the desire to do anything. But the summer was good to me, and my mom and brother visited us in Stockholm, so I was refreshed and focused again to go through the daily hustle.

I'll probably summarize the summer with some photos and captions.

But for now, I need to bury my face in a bowl full of chocolate and candy!

Pooper Scooper

2010-04-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

Perry likes to take off his diapers. At first I was very excited, because this is the first sign when a child wants to start potting training. Perry is 22 months old, so he is the perfect age to start. But of course this is Perry we are talking about. This child is a slow when it comes to talking. He can only say a handful of words yet, he chooses almost never to use them. When he does try to speak, it sounds all muttled and it is hard to recognize if you are not used to the sounds he makes. Oh yea, you tell him "No" he starts laughing and continues. If you say "come here" he starts laughing and sprints away. You start getting mad and tell him he is a bad boy... he laughs. Weird child.

Anyways, last night as I was trying to get the bath ready. The tap was on, Perry was naked, I was trying to fetch the other boys to come and get ready... and after a few minutes...I find Perry squatting on the bathroom floor, scooping his poop and smearing it with a plastic shovel. I was horrified because it was everywhere! Plus, the tub was already full with hot water, and I didn't want to waste it...so I had to carry Poopy Perry down the stairs to the guest bathroom and hose him down.

Can't wait until summer where he can be naked all the time and run outside to poop. haha!

I think Poopy Perry will be a good nickname for him.

Tired of Shovelling

2010-03-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

This winter is not only giving Sweden a bad rep, it is really freaking cold! No sunlight, snow covered everything, and all the frost and ice we have to scrape off our cars every morning...I say, it's ENOUGH!

I only have a driveway that fits 1 car, and yet I have this gigantic mountain-like snow pile in front of my door. I can't back the car out of the driveway without freaking out that I'll ram into an on-coming car. A month back I posted a pic with Elliot in front of my snow pile...and now it has doubled in size.

Please Sweden! Start having snow days...it exists and needs to be implemented here! It bad enough my husband had to sit on the commuter train for 3 hours to get to work...but when I can not drive up a hill after dropping Morgan off at school, there is a limit.

OK Spring.. ready when you are... come to me MAMA!!!!!!!

Laminate flooring.

2010-02-25T11:56:00.000-08:00

After a total of 2 hours of removing baseboards and moving the furniture in and out...it took an additional 2 hours to click in the new laminate flooring in Perry's bedroom. We found a good laminate that resembles our hardwood floors on the first floor of our house. It took us a year later to continue our flooring projects. Those hardwood floors sucked our budget dry! We figured laminate flooring is a good alternative to the real thing in the bedrooms since there isn't as much wear and tear in those rooms.

I swear those floors are hot...but boy, did my butt hurt afterwards. I was so sore that I felt like an 80 year old. I haven't had this much pain since the first week of Volleyball training of every new season. haha! Jennifer Lopez, watch out! After doing the next 3 rooms, my ass will be HOT!

One thing that is terrible about laminate flooring is the chipping in the corners of the panels. Always buy an extra box of flooring because you will have mistakes and damaged panels. Sucks I know, but that is what you get for budget flooring.

Farmville, for reals.

2010-02-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

I love my Avocados, so I am trying to grow my own little tree. I thoroughly searched the web and found the toothpick method, so I am trying it out. I have a few more pits in moist towels in a plastic bag, hoping they will grow roots and germinate.

I also got pineapples and mangoes ready to go. Will post up pics of them soon. Hopefully I will have a tropical rainforest in my living room, but I doubt it, since of the lack of sunlight during the winter here. We'll see how the little project goes.

To be continued...

Semlor

2010-02-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

How can a piece of bread with almond puree and whip cream taste so good? That is a Swedish Semla. There is a special day where we eat these little suckers, and boy...did we pig out. Apparently, in the good old days, Swedes would fast, and these little treats helped break the fasting period. Some people put them in a shallow bowl with some milk, but I haven't tried that yet. I just like the quicker way, by stuffing them in my mouth in a few bites without dropping the whip cream on my lap.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Dengjang Jigae

2010-02-17T03:57:00.000-08:00

Perry loves rice and korean food. It's so funny since he eats several portions of food. I made dengjang jigae last week and he ate just as much as I did. If anyone really knows my eating habits, they know I can eat like a freaking pig, so I was really impressed with Perry.

The rices flies across the room and he loves it! Plus he is picky about his rice. Basmati and jasmine rice is ok, but Korean rice is the best! He doesn't like how it sticks to his fingers but he can really swallow down bowls of it.

Inexpensive fun.

2010-02-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

Buy a kid a $100 toy, and after a week, they get tired of it.

Give a kid a blanket...Priceless.

My kids like to make a tent and play underneath while they are watching Disney Playhouse. It's really cute the first few minutes after the initial fighting to find the right place to hide/sit. Maybe it isn't a great idea when you stick 3 kids under one small blanket. Even worse, when Perry stands up and knocks the whole thing down. =)

I got a few good shots of the boys, so I wanted to share.

You know you're in Sweden when...

2010-02-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

...People become glad when the weather is warmer by 5 degrees.
Instead of -20 degrees, it was -5 today and people were saying how much warmer it was!
Dude! If the weather is below 0, it is still freaking cold!

I am so sick and tired of the snow. Driving to work is hell, and all the shoveling is making me so sore. We have a snow pile in front of our house that is almost as tall as I am! I swear, all I see is white, and I think I am getting cabin fever! Sooner or later Polar bears will migrate south and come to Stockholm. haha!

I long for warmer weather, although the thought of my pollen allergies is making me nervous. They have been really severe the past few years. Maybe it is aggravated by my old age!

Here is poor Elliot watching me as I shovel.

Swedish employers shun foreign grads: study - The Local

2010-01-18T05:54:00.000-08:00

Out of my frustration of finding an appropriate job for my skill level and intelligence, I stumbled upon this article in an English Swedish newspaper.
Over the past few years, I have had great difficulty in finding a Design job since the economy is very unforgiving at this moment, and also since my profession is very specialized and there are only a handful of jobs to accept.

I moved to Sweden thinking, "Hey! It is Europe, and I am really well educated, with good language skills, and heck! Everyone can speak English here." Even my in-laws were very supportive telling me it shouldn't be a problem finding a job. Alas, reality hit me, as any immigrant coming to America would find.

A. My skin is Korean, so they assume I come from Korea. I say I am American, yet everything I experienced proved otherwise.

B. I am a woman with 3 kids, so in my male dominated profession, it never goes well. I had an employer at an interview who specifically asked me if I had kids and he replied, "That's not good."

C. Everything needs to be on paper; If I were to take on another profession in Sweden, I would have to have a Swedish Education (the linked article goes into detail about that). It doesn't matter if I wanted to be a person who painted walls all day. I need a certification for that job.

Swedish employers shun foreign grads: study - The Local

Racism also plays a nice role in this wonderful equation.
Here is a perfect example.

In Sweden, when you are unemployed, you must register yourself to the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsformedlingen). There they take your credentials and appropriately help you find a job which matches your skill set. Since I have an education in the Arts, I was sent to a special division of this Employemt Service. The advisor I had, kindly reviewed my resume, and exclaimed, "You have studies many languages!" Disregarding that my Swedish is really good, my design education, and I speak fluent English, she directly points out that I can speak Korean. She told me how rare it was and how easy it would for me to go work in the tourist area of the Old Town and work at a souvenir shop for Korean tourists. I was furious! How racist can you get? I never returned again to this Agency.

In America, pride in your profession is encouraged. In Sweden, a job is a job, and just to be working and paying taxes is the main key. I believe one driven factor is that if one is working, then the government doesn't have to pay out unemployment benefits.

These articles always get me steamed up! haha.

Also, if I plan to study I would have to take Swedish A and B (High school courses) to be able to continue to a college level. These 2 course would take at least 2 years, plus what ever time it takes to get my college degree. I'll be almost 40 by the time I finished. So depressing.

*sigh*

Free Laptop.

2010-01-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Morgan's creative talents, we now own our new FREE laptop.

It's a Toshiba too.
Too bad there are manufacturing issues with the keypad.

=)

Crocheting is hip

2010-01-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Since I started working more hours and have the kids alone during the weekdays, I have been mentally tired. The day is long, there are so many mundane chores, and I needed a fun outlet. Thanks to a good friend of mine, she willingly showed me how to crochet. I always loved working with my hands, so this was a great opportunity to make some fun stuff, as well as relaxing at the same time.

Did you know I spent hours watching crocheting tutorials on Youtube??? That is when Youtube really fills a purpose, since it is hard to find someone to sit down for several hours and teach me.

I usually crochet at least an hour before I sleep, while the kids are down. After that hour, Elliot always wakes up, then Perry, so it is not much time to get anything else really done.

After making lots of hats that look like ice cream cones, I successfully made 2. Now I am trying to make some doilies which is really awesome. So far I made 6. They are not perfect, but I am very proud of them. I am looking forward to using them for Tea time. So shabby chic. haha!

Next project...making potholders!

New Years 2010

2010-01-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

As tradition goes, we went to our usual friend's house for New Years to celebrate. It was a great evening with great food, great company, and even more Kids than usual. Our count was 12 children.

We have been doing this the past 6 years now, so everything is down to a science. The children ate first, and while the food was still being prepared/warmed, we went outside and lighted some fireworks. The bad part was that the weather was extremely cold so lighting the fireworks was a task, since our fingers froze.

Finally the adults got to eat, and what a fest it was! Lobster bisque/soup with homemade raisen bread and parmasan. Then we had beef fillet with mashed potatoes with an artichoke sauce and veggies. For desert we had chocolate ganache??? I forget what it is called. But it was good. =)

Anyways, it was a great party, and the perfect way to start the new year.
Hope everyone had a great one too!

Lucia

2009-12-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

The 13th of December, we celebrate Saint Lucia. I am assuming it is a Catholic tradition, but really, I do not know. It is confusing since there are Pagen and protestant traditions, but anything with a Saint, is usually Catholic. The weird part is that the Swedish Church is protestant. Anyone know?

Anyways, we have Luciatåg, meaning Lucia train. There are four figures, the Gingerbread man, Saint Lucia, Santa Claus, and a dude with a big duntz cap with a star on it, called Star Guy. haha.

Lucia bears candles, and everyone follows and they all sing Swedish Christmas songs.

It's really cute with all the kids, but the more I think of the thing, the weirder is seems.

Here are the kids, Elliot is the Gingerbread man, and Perry is Santa.

Morgan was with me watching the whole show. =)

Winter chicken.

2009-12-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

All three of my children has worn this hat in the beginning of winter. It is so ugly, that it is AWESOME. It really is a bad cruel joke that everyone thinks is cute.

I wanted to post it up since I love winter hats with pom poms, funny things that dangle and good old kitsch.

Have a good laugh, and enjoy the cold weather.

Holy COW!

2009-11-23T03:44:00.000-08:00

My in-laws annually order beef from a farm up north. It's great since the animals are treated well, and there are no weird chemicals or what not. It's pretty eco friendly. They have been doing it for decades, and now we ordered some meat for the first time. I had no idea how much we were getting. I still get confused when people talk about kilos and not pounds. So we got 2 huge boxes filled with meat. The first box had different cuts of meat, and the second was ground beef.

Now brace yourself, I am talking about a whole box of just ground beef. "What does that look like?" you ask?

Here is a pic. It's a little blurry since Perry kept on trying to jump in the box and touch it.

I was overwhelmed at the amount of meat. Still am.

Sick day Tally.

2009-11-18T09:41:00.001-08:00

In 4 weeks, the kids have been home for 3 weeks. 1 week in daycare.
I feel like November and October has just flew by and got wasted, which isn't so bad since winter in Sweden is dark and dreary.

2 weeks of the flu and 1 week with a stomach flu or some kind of food poisoning. I am exhausted and waiting for the sick season to end.

I am longing for December, so Advent can start and we can decorate. Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here, so all the stores are pimped up with Christmas items already. I am planning to sew some fun Christmas themed curtains (which I've never thought was necessary, but lots of people do it here). Christmas is a big deal here, and there is SO MUCH tradition.

I just hope no one will be sick again anytime soon, I am slowly getting grouchy with all my whining babies. haha. Need some Christmas cheer. Or a big fat Turkey.

The quest of a dry bed

2009-11-17T00:18:00.000-08:00

Day 1.

It is a disaster!

5pm Last drink of water.
8pm Peed in his lined nappy pants. LOTS
10pm Peed. (In the toilet since he refused to sleep in his bed. He knew tonight was different and couldn't sleep)
1am Peed in his Nappy pants again in bed. Kim tired and exhausted, put on pull up diapers.
8am Elliot woke up, and his diaper is wet.

Where does all the liquid come from????

Swine flu vaccine under age 3.

2009-11-17T00:10:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I went to take Perry to get his Swine flu vaccination. They offer it once a week in my town, since the supply is low and they are trying to be fair by giving it out in batches. Apparently the week before it was chaotic since people waited in line for hours to get the shot. This Sunday I thought I would be smart since there were only 500 shots, so I went to the clinic 1 hour early. To my surprise, there were hundreds of people already there. The line was so long, that it curved around the mall. Did I mention it was raining too?

I stood on line for almost an hour when someone asked me if Perry was getting vaccinated. Apparently, the information was wrong on the internet and they were not vaccinating children under 3 since they had no life saving devices if something went wrong. No one was informed and there were only families with small children there. I was pissed. They could have put up a sign.

It's almost like watching a bad movie...people are starting to panic here since there are not enough vaccine to go around and many families with children are still not vaccinated yet.

The thing that pisses me even more off, is that we already got our shot, but at the time, kids under 3 couldn't get it. Now a week later, they changed their mind. Today I read the paper and they are discussing it over, that maybe it is not safe. What the hell???

Housekeeping Tip #10: Bleeding laundry

2009-11-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

If you got a new pair of jeans, or a nice red sweater, and you don't want to waste water and energy by washing it separately. You can use salt so the color won't bleed out. In general you can use salt for all bright colored clothing, or just your regular color load.

Add it to you detergent when you put it in the washer. I use about 1-3 tablespoons depending on the size of the load.

The salt will also help clearing out the chalk in the water in your machine. Chalk build up does suck, and kills your washer... so use a little salt once in a while to keep it kicking!

Haircuts and a dry night.

2009-11-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

My little boys started to look like little shaggy hippies, so I cut their hair on Saturday night. It took me 1 hour to do all three, which is pretty good. But Perry refused to cut his hair! It came down to the fact that Kim had to hold his head and I was rushing with the buzzer trying to make the cut as even as possible. It was insane.

After I was done, I had to sweep up so much hair. I cut about 3-4 inches on each kid, so you can imagine how messy my floors were, and how long it took to clean it all up. 3 days later and I am still finding hair clippings in my kitchen.

Tonight I will attempt (AGAIN) to train Elliot to be dry throughout the whole night. He is almost 4 and is still bed wetting. Since I have 3 kids and a lack of sleep, I haven't really had the energy to force him to be dry either. So now, I have dumped that responsibility to Kim. It really is a good thing, since he comes home around Midnight from work, so he can easily dump Elliot on the toilet.

I am gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope he will be dry till Christmas. =)

How do you do it?

2009-11-13T05:08:00.001-08:00

So Perry is at daycare, he is over 1 years old, so it is time for me to work.
The job hunt is going slowly and it is really a painful process right now. It doesn't help that the economy is still bad either. I am really dreading the fact that another chapter of my life will start and I would rather avoid it as long as possible. But of course that is irrational and won't happen.

The question is "How do you do it?"
I do not understand how a woman would WANT to take up the responsibilty and work full time and have a family and a happy husband. Kudos to the women who do all 3 and make it work, but honestly, no one ever tells you this when you are growing up. All they say is have a great career, then you'll meet prince charming... and you will have a beautiful family. NO ONE ever tells you the downfalls that come with it. All the burden that lays on your shoulder as a woman. I never thought I would be so mentally and physically tired only at the age of 30.

Someone always has to be home, so it's either you work or he works. Luckily you both have day jobs...but then after work it is cook, clean, bath, laundry, homework, and what not. Don't forget the pick up and drop off from school, daycare, and other after school activities. It's like being a personal chauffeur.

Maybe it is do-able. To those of you who can do it, I applaud you. For me? I feel like in over-doing something, you lose a lot in the details, and something always falls apart. You can't have everything, something always suffers.

Halloween

2009-11-11T04:34:00.000-08:00

Halloween was fun this year. My neighborhood actually had a few houses where the kids could go and trick or treat. I was pleasantly surprised and really excited, since Halloween is a new thing here, and trick or treating hasn't established itself yet. Instead kids come knocking on our door dressed as witches on Easter (a Swedish Pagen tradition).

Of course the weather here was cold and extremely dark, but the kids got all dressed up and braved in the cold to get some free candy! It was awesome!

Not all the houses had candy so we were on the search of jack o'lanterns. If the houses had no decoration, we weren't getting squat. So the whole night was comprised of pointing, and yelling "here's a pumpkin!"

Here is Perry all dressed up. I love love love this costume!

Vaccination

2009-11-04T23:40:00.000-08:00

We just got vaccinated for the Swine Flu yesterday.
It is now available for the general public. The past few weeks it was available for those in the high risk group, and in many districts, it is already out of stock.

Thank goodness for socialism in Sweden. We paid $0 for the vaccine.

Apparently, there is discussion if we all have to take the shot twice. Getting it just once might not be strong enough.

So far, the side effects that we are experiencing after 12 hours are sore arms from the area the shot was taken. Feels like I lifted way too many weights. HAHA

Swine flu???

2009-11-03T10:55:00.001-08:00

The kids have been sick the past week with:

a high 2 day fever
headaches
chills
fatigue
tiredness
loss of appetite
vomiting
diarrhea

after those symptoms got better, they were left with coughing, runny nose, and sore throats.

Power Wheels

2009-10-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

In August, I was proud to say that my 1 year old son has successfully figured out how to ride a electric powered bike. He figured out how to press the accelerate button, but the funny part was, he had to stand to get enough pressure on it. He looked like a mini professional standing while driving the power wheels. A real bad ass.

Too bad the cool was killed since I had to follow him and steer. =)

Racism, jokes, or ignorance?

2009-10-20T03:57:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday is an after school English class on the other side of town.
Since there aren't so many Koreans living in my neighborhood, we chose English as his home language, and he gets extra schooling for his home language.

We went to this school, and while I was waiting for his 45 minute class to end, I decided to play in the playground with the other two kids. It was after school hours with a teacher's aid there. In Sweden, the kids can stay after school if the parent's work. They can stay until 5pm with adult supervision.

When we got there, a small kid (maybe 7) starts yelling out "ching chong." After repeating it a few times, I was infuriated, and asked him if he was talking to me. I told him that I was speaking English to my children, but he didn't care, and continued his name calling for 30 minutes. The teacher's aid just ignored the situation. In the end I told the boy that it was not nice to say "ching chong." Of course he didn't care. The teacher's aid tried to explain (after 30 mins of name calling!) that I wasn't chinese, and I spoke English.

Does it even matter that I wasn't Chinese? It is still rude and ignorant.

Finally when the boy understood I was speaking English. He starting yelling quotes from Achmed the terrorist. "I kill you" I guess that is what Americans say???

Morgan in Kindergarten.

2009-10-19T01:52:00.000-07:00

First day of school is always exciting, but of course I was nervous and super pessimistic that things would go wrong. Morgan was really happy and eager to get to school. After the first few days, he adjusted really well. Mostly because he has been home with me and his brothers the past year, and it think it was getting to him. Finally, he was able to meet some kids his own age.

The funny thing is that he doesn't ever want to come home after school, and he is starting to pick up the school lingo...I believe they call it slang these days. HAHA. I totally wasn't expecting that. But with the good comes the bad. Morgan has started to learn how to curse. *sigh* I take it pretty seriously since my mouth is a POTTY mouth too. But I have cut back significantly. Hopefully he will learn not to do it at home (at least).

Next...birds and the bees, drugs, and what not. They grow up so fast!

Kraftskiva (Crayfish Party)

2009-10-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

August is crayfish month. It's the season to eat lots of crayfish and drink lots of snapps.

I don't really know so much about the tradition behind it, but we eat, drink, and of course sing. Swedes love to sing and drink. It's tradition to go to one of our friend's house, and this year they served really nice Swedish crayfish. They were huge and super tasty. Think almost like mini-lobsters.

Since I moved here, I am now addicted to these little suckers. I even learned to eat the whole thing (not the shell or brain part, but everything in between) thanks to my mother-in-law. I didn't, however, master her fancy way of lining up the shells in a pretty round circle. Give me another 5 years. haha.

Here are some pics of the yummy yummy food. I am drooling just thinking about it.

Daniel the Godfather.

2009-10-14T11:31:00.001-07:00

Daniel is Morgan's Godfather and Kim's best friend.
We met him at a park in Södermalm over the summer when he was visiting. We got some great shots with the kids, drank coffee and had a good time.

I was really nervous that the kids might not have a good time, but in the end they enjoyed playing with the sand and ants. However, they didn't like walking aimlessly in the city, since we didn't know where to go or do.

Poor Daniel had to carry Elliot on his shoulders in the end. But I guess that is what Godfathers are for???? :-)

Fell off the face of the Earth.

2009-10-14T11:14:00.001-07:00

Well, I didn't really but it feels like I did.
This summer was all work and not much play. Now that it settled down, I am doing so many different projects, and feel kinda lost.

All the boys are either in school or in daycare now, so I have to figure out what to do with myself. Of course I would love to be at home and take care of the house...but being poor is not an option.

Do you know that it takes me 2 freaking days to do laundry??? I work on the weekends so I missed doing laundry on Friday-Sunday. Monday and Tuesday was strictly laundry with 8 loads. Doesn't sound like much, but the machines here take over an hour to wash cold. Imagine trying to do a warm or hot load.

I am going to try to go over all the things I missed over the summer and post it up gradually. There is so much to show, and so much to tell, but right now my mind is so frazzled since it has passed 8pm.

In the Backyard.

2009-07-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

I just cut the kids' hair, and the hubby showered them down...and of course they decide to run out to the backyard half naked.

Here are some cute pics of the boys.

Wild Blueberries.

2009-07-30T09:08:00.001-07:00

Morgan and I went off into the woods to pick those blueberries we spotted the other day. Swedish blueberries are much smaller than American blueberries, and they stain really badly. I went to the hardware store and bought "berry pickers" and luckily they were on sale and dirt cheap.

Morgan actually liked picking the berries, and didn't want to stop. We got about a bucket-full; cleaned and froze them in the freezer. We plan to collect some more!!!!

Here is a pic of the berry picker.

Mushroom picking.

2009-07-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

Across the street there is a little forest area, and it is filled with wild blueberries and mushrooms. We went out today for a walk, and we ended picking mushrooms. We ended up with two buckets full with Katareller (I think they are called Chantarelle in English).

Here are some pics of our booty! =)

This amount of mushrooms cost about 200 kronor. We got them for 0. Nature is good. Minus the bugs.

Elliot Sleeps. Part 2

2009-07-28T12:49:00.001-07:00

Here is another one. He fell asleep while eating dinner. He crawled down his chair, and never made it up.

Last week he fell asleep on an amusement park ride. Apparently he was tuckered out from a long day and couldn't hold it out a little longer. haha.

Elliot Sleeps. Part 1

2009-07-03T00:21:00.001-07:00

Elliot is my little Narc.
He falls asleep everywhere and anytime.
Here is a little collage of the best bits. I should have named him Dopey or Sleepy.

Not using their bunk beds, and holding eachother's ears.

While playing/watching tv.

Falling asleep on Kim.

Almost a month.

2009-07-03T00:11:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month since I blogged last. After my brother's month long visit and Perry's birthday, things got busy. First there was Midsommer, and we had guests who slept over for the weekend. Then I ended up started working more hours over the summer. So between working and the house, I've been pretty occupied. Plus not to mention the weather here got extremely hot (swedish standards) I would say 90-95 range. Please bear in mind Swedes do not own air conditioners, since it only gets really hot like 10 days of the year. The past few days we have been using fans which ended up blowing hot air.

Adding to the hot weather, the boys play WAY too much video games. It was too hot to go outside so they spent most of the day playing PS, Wii, and Xbox. Their favorite games right now are Lego Star Wars and Beautiful Katamari. Both which I feel are awesome games.

I haven't taken any pictures since Perry's birthday, so I suppose I have to get my act together and start archiving my summer. =)

Buttermilk in Swedish.

2009-06-15T05:11:00.001-07:00

So if you read my previous post, you will see the picture of the Red Velvet cake with Marshmallow frosting I made for Perry's birthday. The recipe called for Buttermilk, but I have NO IDEA was it is called in Swedish. I don't even know if it exists here.

I used whipping cream, and the cake was dry and dense.

I am assuming it may be called filmjölk, which I thought was like a sour yoghurt.

Does anyone know??? Can anyone tell me????

I NEED to KNOW!

Perry is 1

2009-06-15T04:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Perry!

His Birthday was yesterday and we had a nice party right before my brother left back for the States. Unfortunately, it rained all week, and the party had to be indoors. But we were set on grilling some burgers, which were nice and juicy!

I've always tried to make a big deal about the boys' birthdays. But honestly, I've never had a big Korean first birthday, so sometimes I feel like my kids got cheated. All of my Korean friend's had these amazing photo albums that cost hundreds of dollars, and I am lucky just to have one photo of them that is semi professional.

I do throw them a traditional American birthday party with friends and family and LOTS of food, which is still overkill here in Sweden. (Birthdays here are really low key).

But Perry couldn't care less, he had a great time. He ate cake, ice cream, and ran around with the kids. He loved the present packaging, and cared less for the toys and clothes that he got.

I am glad he enjoyed the party. He was so zonked out afterwards, that he slept until 10am the next day. =)

Alliums: Purple sensations 2

2009-06-15T04:48:00.000-07:00

Collecting the Seeds.

My alliums have stopped blooming and now they are growing seed pods. I cut off the stalks and heads so I can dry them out and collect the seeds. Apparently it takes a few years for the seeds to germinate before they are mature to bloom. I'll probably end up just buying more bulbs at the floral shop, but I have to give it a shot since the seeds are free.

Here is what it looks like.

Chajang myun 2

2009-06-15T04:40:00.000-07:00

I made another batch, and froze the sauce in little freezer bags. Last week was the last week my brother was in town, so we were busy cramming all the family bonding.

Too tired to cook dinner, I decided to reheat the Chajang sauce and cook some noodles. It still tasted great, and I was so pleased. Not to mention Perry was in heaven. He loves the stuff.

Why do little kids love it so much?

Poop for Mother's day

2009-06-03T05:28:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was Mother's day in Sweden.

Morgan and Elliot made me very cute Mother's day cards at daycare, which I received right after I picked them up on Friday. They had no clue that they had to wait to give me those cards. =)

The past week I was allowed (ahem***) by my hubby to buy some flowers for my mother's day present myself at the flower shop. That is how I came to own those awesome Alliums.

Since we were going to eat dinner at his parent's house, we drove by the flower shop to buy some flowers for his mom. This is where I was able to buy/receive 20 liters of chicken manure for my Peonies. (I mentioned this before on my previous Peony post)

So that is how I got Poop for mother's day.

Oh yeah, Perry Pooped so much poor Kim had to change it for me. It required a plastic bag for the dirty diaper. Another bag for the soiled clothing. A big shower to get Perry clean. Then a wardrobe change.

I love Mother's day. =)

Perry walks!

2009-06-03T05:21:00.000-07:00

It took Perry 1 day to realize walking is fun and cool, and WHAM! he is a walking machine!

The first day instead of taking 1 or 2 steps, he braved 5 steps in front of Farmor (grandma). After that, it was a cinch. At the end of 4 days, he can walk from one end of the room to the other.

Not to mention his climbing. He is like a little monkey!!! Why are all third babies, climbers? It makes no sense. He climbs anything that he can get onto, then screams since he can't get down. It is cute, but I get so worried that he'll fall. He already has a wonky head, I am afraid it'll get even more oddly shaped. haha.

I am still trying to get a good shot of him walking but they all are either boring videos or blurry pictures. Any tips???

Officially he walked 3 weeks before his 1 year old birthday. Just for the record!

Perry with a chocolate cookie. Not poop.

Måns Zelmerlöw

2009-06-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

As I said it before Morgan loves the Melodifestivalen/Eurovision Song contest.

This year Måns Zelmerlöw was a winner for Elliot and him. We had the pleasure to go to a shopping mall's 50 anniversary, and they had Måns performing. It was great considering we didn't have to pay for an entrance fee or anything. He sang about 4 songs, and Morgan was in heaven!!!

Elliot was also fascinated. They both sang along and crushed my arms and shoulders, since I had to carry them both so they can see his head bobbing up and down. haha.

Here is a shot of the kids and their posse enjoying a cool concert. =)

Chajang myun

2009-06-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

SOOOOOO GOOD!

It is the equivalent to ordering chinese take out, but we call it the korean version of spaghetti. Black bean noodles.

Now that I live in Sweden I only get to eat these delicious noodles when I visit my family in NY. I can buy the instant noodle version, but it is relatively expensive and it is kinda annoying to travel into town to the Korean store here. I usually buy most of my korean groceries locally in the supermarket, all I have to do is stock up on some gochugaru and dengjang.

Since my brother is visiting he stashed a bunch of korean groceries in his luggage. I asked my mom for some chajang sauce and the noodles.

This weekend I attempted to make it myself, and honestly it tasted great! As close to the restaurant version as possible.

It's really sad that I only get to eat this once a year, but now since I have some imported goods, I can enjoy it a little bit more often. yay!

Did I mention how much cheaper and healthier it is to make it yourself?????

Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

2009-05-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Like this!

Here are some pics of my growing garden.

In the foreground is garlic we planted in the fall. Take a clove of garlic and plant it 3 inches deep and 6 inches wide. After the summer you can pull them out and will have a head of garlic ready to be eaten. In the background are Chives. It grows back for a few years, then you have to plant new ones.

Just planted new Dahlia bulbs. It's starting to sprout!!! Hopefully it'll bloom this summer.

Allium - Purple Sensation. Easy to plant and grow.

Pansies. Collect the seeds and grow them for next spring! Pansies last longer if you deadhead.

Parsley the kids and I planted earlier this spring. They grow back for a few years if you plant them properly in the garden. The peppermint didn't want to grow. =(

Alliums: Purple sensations

2009-05-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

I love these flowers even if they smell like onions! (I haven't noticed it)

The past year I have been lusting over those beautiful flowers. I didn't know what they were called or where to get the bulbs. Finally, after searching 3 different greenhouses, I found a few Alliums already in bloom. Now I know I have to plant the bulbs in the fall, and I can buy them online or at the greenhouse as early as August.

They remind me of Horton sees a Who, and they are tall and just gorgeous!!!

Easy to plant, and grow. No need to shelter them in the winter either! EVEN BETTER!

I am definitely going to buy some more in the fall, and I am going to try to collect the seeds from the ones I already have. It takes a few years for the seed to germinate into bulbing flowers, so we'll see if I have the patience to do it. I guess it all falls down to how expensive the bulbs are.

Peonies

2009-05-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

I love my Peonies, but they apparently don't like me.

I planted my potted peony in the garden last fall and it has grown but there are no flower heads. I know it can take several years for the peony to adjust to it's new living environment, but of course, I have no patience when it comes to that kind of stuff.

The ants had no problem finding my peony, and are anxiously crawling around the leaves hoping the buds will come soon.

I hate bugs in general, so I should have never grown an interest in gardening. I did pick up a few good tips on getting rid of the ants.

Take a bucket of cool water and add a tablespoon of dishwasher soap. Give it a swirl and give the peony a nice shower. The ants will be grossed out and stay away for a while. They'll come back in a few days, but it'll give a nice temporary result. It's kinda nice to do that when guests come, so you don't have ants crawling near your deck or what not.

If you are planning to cut your peony for an indoor arrangement, fill a bucket with warm water and gently dunk the cut peony in it to get the little ants off. Then let it slightly dry off before you take it in, so the head won't be heavy and droop.

I'll let you know if my peonies grow buds or even bloom. I'll probably throw some good manure in the mix to help it grow a little better. I heard it helps in the spring time when it is growing so fast.

If your peony ain't budding in 2 or 3 years, you probably planted it too deep. Keep the bulb 1 inch under the soil. If your old peony is started to wither or not grow, you need to divide your bulb in the fall, and get rid of the old part of the plant. You may also have root rot, so move the plant in a place with better soil drainage.

Open House at Kindergarden.

2009-05-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Morgan is going to start Kindergarten this upcoming fall. In Sweden it starts at the age of 6, one year later than the States.

I don't know what happened, but we went to the open house on Tuesday and Morgan freaked out and threw a huge temper tantrum that lasted over an hour in front of the school. Thank God I came an hour early since I thought the meeting started earlier. Morgan just screamed and whined that he didn't want to go to that school. I wasn't sure if he was just throwing a tantrum like all 6 yr old kids, or if he was scared or nervous to attend the new school. Either way, he missed about half of the introduction and finally joined the open house meeting. He then realized that it was a really fun school. Finally he had a good time there running around with the other kids.

I guess going to school can be daunting. I have another friend who's child is anxious about school. It is probably hard to tell a child that he will become a big boy or girl and go to a big school to learn new things.

Skansen

2009-05-26T01:38:00.000-07:00

Thursday we went to Skansen, which is the name of the Zoo in Stockholm.

We packed 4 huge baguettes and made sandwiches. My friend made homemade Swedish cinnamon buns which made our coffee break freaking AWESOME. When we arrived at the zoo, we started to eat our lunch and of course it rained! Luckily it was a passing rain cloud, and after the little shower, we had a full day of sunshine.

The kids had a great time, since they are old enough to understand which animal is which. Plus there is a little play area with rides, which they thought was fantastic. I think it overshadowed the zoo part. I guess the next outing with be the amusement park. They just added new attractions, and have rides that are more fun for the adults.

Oh brother!

2009-05-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

My brother is in town for vacation!
Yay! He arrived on Monday, and the kids love the fact that he is here! They have been following him around like a sad puppy, screaming for attention. Too bad the first week he was jet-lagged and slept most of the daytime, but now he has allergies from the pollen. Apparently, the pollen is much stronger here than in NY, and I have been miserable for the past few months with, headaches, congestion, swollen throat glands, itchy/watery eyes, and even more side effects from the Claritin I was popping down like candy.

Poor thing is going through the same thing. What a vacation!
I went to the pharmacy yesterday and drugged him up real good, so hopefully he will feel better in the next few days.

Spa Weekend

2009-05-26T01:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was so nice! As part of my 30 yr old birthday party, I received a spa weekend as a present from my girlfriends.

We went to the Clarion Sign Hotel in Stockholm, and had a child free weekend.

We started out by going to Medborgerplatsen and had a nice drink, and then we walked over to the Hotel and proceeded to drink champagne in the hotel rooms. Once we were feeling nice and bubbly, we went to the roof of the hotel where they have a pool and sauna.

Luckily, the sun shined, and we drank more and more Rose wine. By the second glass I was stupid and drunk, and after the sauna, I was even more stupid and drunk. =) Everyone loves a drunk Diana, extremely silly and stupid.

We were planning to have a nice dinner, but by the time we were ready to eat we were starving! Searching for a "nicer" restaurant failed and we took the most decent place in less than 10 mins. haha.

By 10pm, all the mommies were tired. We watched the last part of the Eurovision Song contest, and passed out by midnight. Clubbing never happened, since we are too old to wait on a line and pay an entrance fee.

But it was soooo nice to sleep a whole night. Well at least a few hours in a row. I woke up at my usual 5, 6, 7am feeding times. Old habits are hard to break. =)

Action week.

2009-05-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

The past 7 days have been a blur. Last weekend I was away with my mommy girlfriends celebrating a child-free weekend. I will go into detail in my next post.

My brother is visiting me for the next month, so I've been busy entertaining and doing my daily chores. Plus, this weekend, being my working weekend, doesn't help either.

Monday is my well-loved laundry day, so hopefully I will squeeze some blogg time in between loads. So get ready to read a million different posts that occured during the past week.

Open House at daycare.

2009-05-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Today I was at the boy's daycare to look at the crafts they have done over the past 6 months. They really did a great job displays all the arts and crafts. There was also lots of pictures of the activities they have been doing the past 2 months.

It was nice to meet the other parents too, since I have just started to mingle and talk to them a bit more than the average hello. I always hate going through the motions of meeting new people, but unfortunately I put myself in that position, so I have to use my charm to make new friends all the time. haha. Hopefully I won't scare them away. I guess I can bribe them with food.

Food is love, love is food. No?

I suppose this is why I married a chef.

(The children have collected material from nature, which they painted, cut and pasted. We have chosen animals and insects from the songs and rhymes the children recognize.)

3 Dagar Feber

2009-05-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

In Swedish it is called the "3 days fever."
That is what Perry had the past 3 days. 60 hours of a super high fever that made him sleep for 48 hours straight, and only breastfed and wanted to be held. Honestly I am exhausted from his neediness, but I can't really be mad at him since it isn't his fault.

The fever finally broke today, so he has this rash on his face and torso now. It kinda looks like salami freckles? haha. Count on my to use food to describe a rash. =)

I really don't know what this is called in English. All of my kids had it before they were 1 years old. It is a common childhood virus.

Does anyone know what this is called?

This is Perry pissed off since I decided not to hold him for 2 seconds.

Yummy Berries

2009-05-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

Kim has finished digging up my area for my berries. I finally have my raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries planted. I added some herbs, and some flowers. I am waiting for the warmer weather to plant nicer flowers.

Anyways, here is what it looks like now.

I also added pics of my ugly lawn. haha. We are hoping the new grass will grow within the next few weeks. =)

Perry

2009-05-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

11 months old.

He can now babble some words. Well, sort of?

umma or mamama is mommy.

uh oh...i am assuming it is uh oh? but he says it when he wants something or is having fun?

dadada or bababa is daddy.

hey or hey hey is hello.

He waves and can use a telephone. But I really do think he is behind since Elliot was a walking and talking pro, and Morgan was really good at speaking and doing motions to songs.

Although, Perry has been singing/humming Nonni Nonni since he was 4 months old. He hums it when he is tired and wants to sleep. I guess it is because my mom sang it every night to him when we were visiting.

I should turn my kids into the Hansons. =)

Sorry the pics are blurry. The little bugger won't stay still!!! =)

Buried Treasure

2009-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Um, ok...maybe more like digging up roots?

This is Kim's project.
You see those piles of branches? They are actually roots Kim dug up.
There are a few left, and he is scratching his head, trying to figure out how to get them out.

We are also making a nice area for my berries, and flowers. I have a blueberry and two different raspberry bushes. I also have strawberries, dahlias, hydrangeas, lavender, and roses just waiting to get their roots into the ground. =)

Here is the work in progress. It's been really hard since there are roots everywhere from the huge pines trees we removed last year. *sigh*

Oddsies and Caught in the Act

2009-05-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Can someone tell me why I have a basket full of odd pairs of socks?
Where does the other sock go?
They both land in the laundry basket, the same washer.. and yet, *poof* one always disappears. I collect these odd socks hoping one day they will turn up!

This is why I never get anything done.

Rain and Weeds

2009-05-06T06:31:00.001-07:00

The past two days it has rained, hence I haven't had so much to write about. We were home for the most part.

The kids are still buggery, and they've been going to daycare in the mornings. Although I am hoping for my grass to grow a bit better because of the rain. I've been waiting it to rain, funny eh? I have so much moss growing on my lawn, that after I treated it, there are huge, brown, dryed out patches. Plus the soil we added to even out and lay new grass seeds, make my backyard look even more pitiful. haha.

My husband thinks I am psychotic, since my OCD tendencies start to shine through. I swear I was a lazy bastard back in the day, but after having kids, and having to work to get the house stay clean...my obsession of having things looking proper is ridiculous. I turn into this psychopath who rants and raves how things can't move from the place I left it.

Anyways, here is a perfect example; I went outside with a knife, and was going to pull out weeds. I thought I would start off with the big ones before they start blooming..but after 1 hour, I pulled out all of them. Yes all of them. A whole bucket full. The bizzare part is that I enjoyed doing it. So much so, that I didn't want to stop, and everytime I closed my eye I would see a weed taunting me to kill it! hahahaha

I feel sorry for my husband and what he has married into.

Renovations never end.

2009-05-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend was probably the millionth time my in-laws came and helped out with our renovations. Since they have a hitch on their car, we were able to buy baseboards, boarders for our thresholds, and some stones for our garden. Sunday was a whole day dedicated to setting up all those boarders... and we were able to get it done! Not all of them are nailed in but we got the cutting and measurements right.

So today that will be my project. Gluing and nailing down everything. But I doubt I'll get to it since I have to get my daily chores done.

Thank God the kids are at daycare for 3 hours today. Maybe I can get 2 loads of laundry done if I am lucky. =)

Valborg

2009-05-03T11:03:00.001-07:00

Thursday was Valborg, and it is the last day of April where they burn a huge fire. I thought it was done to show that Spring is really here, by burning old leaves and old tree clippings, but I was wrong. Back in the day when Witching hunting was cool, Sweden was a fellow country that burned them at the stake.

I guess the fire was kept as a tradition and the Witch burning was slowly weaned out. But it was interesting to learn how it still survived after all these years.

Now we celebrate the fire with a semi-carnival. There was traditional Swedish candy, and sometimes they have they games for the children to play.

Unfortunately for me, the flying ashes from the fire landed on Perry's expensive spring jacket and made a nice little hole. Thank God, he didn't get burned while he was napping! But I was really sad that his jacket got ruined. BLAH.

Here are some pics. We went with Morgan's best friend and her family. =)

6 years of Bliss

2009-04-29T05:32:00.000-07:00

Monday was our 6th year wedding anniversary and we both completely forgot about it!

We usually keep it low key and just try to have a kid-free lunch together or something. But this year, we forgot and did nothing. Luckily, Kim's sisters were here for dinner, so at least it wasn't a mundane evening. Plus, Kim was home for dinner. That in itself is a rare thing.

I am counting my blessings.

I am in.

2009-04-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I picked the boys up from daycare, and I bumped into a fellow mom, who I usually have a brief "hello, how are you?" conversation. I was lucky enough to be asked to come and join her and another mother for lunch at the local museum with the kids.

We chatted and asked the usual questions. I was the new subject, so they gave me a pretty thorough back around check. =) They were very pleasant and I actually found them pretty cool, so I invited them over for a BBQ this weekend. So if this party is a success, I will be IN the mommy crowd. Morgan will then have friends for play-dates, and I will have Mommy-friends to meet for coffee.

So much pressure! haha. It feels like entering High School all over again, but worse, since I represent me, my kids, and my food! hahahahahahaha

Ticks and Shots

2009-04-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

While BBQing on Monday, we found a tick in Elliot's armpit area.
We have a little "forest" area behind our backyard, and through those trees is the playground. The kids usually go through there, instead of walking by the side of the road. I am not sure if they got it there, but he managed to find trouble. Or rather, trouble finds Elliot.

Thank God Kim's sister was there, she put some olive oil on the tick and used tweezers to take it off. The wound doesn't look infected, so hopefully he won't develop lyme disease.

The day after we went to the local clinic and got the first of three vaccination shots. It was expensive (for swedes, considering health care is free); costing $30 a head. I couldn't get the shot because I am still breastfeeding, so I have to keep a sharp eye out for those ticks. It is really common here to get them.

Master Splinter 2

2009-04-29T05:14:00.000-07:00

Of course after our Splinter escapade, the following day Elliot got another splinter. But this time in his finger. This time it was less screaming, and much faster. I keep wondering how he manages to hurt himself all the time.

A few days after the fact, the splinter wound in his feet is slightly infected so I had to soak the wound in rubbing alcohol. It wasn't easy keeping him off his feet for more than an hour.

Master Splinter

2009-04-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, Master Splinter is the Ninja Turtles' mentor, and Elliot loves TNMT.
But that is besides the point. =)

Elliot managed to cause more drama and get two splinters in his left foot. I keep yelling at my kids to put on their shoes, or to the least, their crocs. But of course they choose not to listen to my plethora of wisdom, and viola! not one but two wooden splinters from the patio deck.

After 30 mins, extreme screaming that I am sure my neighbors were not too fond of, and poking Elliot with my needle, we successfully took out one splinter. There was a bit left on the other so I went to the local clinic to get it out. I got to the clinic right before it closed and they were nice enough to check it out and give me some a-topical novicane and a nice needle to get it out.

Good thing is that it didn't cost me a dime. Bad thing is that I had to go to the supermarket and get some candy to make Elliot feel better for being such a brave boy EVEN THOUGH he was bad by not listening to me in the first place.

Dandruff

2009-04-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

Elliot has dandruff! I never knew kids could get it. I don't even know too much about it since I never really had it. The pharmacy didn't help, so I went to the supermarket and bought Head & Shoulders.

Don't know if it'll work, but I suppose it will. Thank God he didn't get lice. Apparently, it is common to get it here.

Knäckebröd

2009-04-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Knäckebröd is a hard round wheat bread that is a traditional Swedish hard bread.
It's really good, esp with a nice stew or soup.

Swedes also like to be naked.

I figure I could share a little bit of Swedish culture with you all.

Here is a youtube clip from the Swedish version of Britian's Got Talent.
Swedish culture at it's finest!

All hands on Deck

2009-04-21T04:04:00.000-07:00

Today I oiled in our wooden patio. It was cold, dreary, and took a good hour or so just to put down the first coat. Hopefully it'll give the deck a nice luster, but since it is old, it'll just help it from not cracking any further.

This past weekend we received a HUGE trampoline and swing set from my hubby's aunt and uncle. The kids love it! Although I have no garden left! I need to grow new grass and re-level the lawn, but since these huge objects are in the way, I might have to wait. But knowing me, I am too darn stubborn to let a project die...so I'll probably force my hubby to dig up all those wood chips and help me level the lawn anyways. I'll have to figure out a way to keep the kids off the lawn for a week or two, and trick my hubby into "wanting to dig."

=)

Roots

2009-04-21T03:53:00.000-07:00

Last night the hubby and I watched a Swedish program called Spårlost. It is a program which help people find family members or loved ones. This particular episode helped a Korean adoptee find her birth parent's in Korea. It was really touching and we both sobbed throughout the whole program. It was touching how the family regretted giving her up and were extremely sorry for what they have done. It was very hard for her to understand that because of the cultural difference, and her not knowing that abandoning a child for adoption is taboo and extremely shameful for that child. He/she is considered low-class and never suitable for a proper family when they marry or move up in society.

Now my hubby is more interested in finding his birth parents, though it may be almost impossible since he was abandoned and has no original identity. We are looking though some networks that can help him, although it seems the best way is to apply to one of these TV shows. They even have Korean shows which help find missing people. It is really hard to decide to participate in these shows since privacy is lost and you have to set up many of the scenes for the viewing pleasure.

Well, we still love this show, and hope one day we can take our first trip to Korea together.

Housekeeping Tip #9: Windows

2009-04-18T05:14:00.000-07:00

Washing windows stink, but I do it all the time since my kids like to press their noses against it and make grease fingerprints.

I use warm water and a cloth and wash them. Then I use a good squeegy (spelling?) and scrape the dirty water off. I suppose you can use some kind of cleaner, but why do that if you can avoid it?

I bought an Ikea squeegy, and I got a bunch of streak marks...So now I am on the quest of the perfect squeegy. If I find one I'll post it up. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Pollen can suck it!

2009-04-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

I hate my spring allergies with a passion.

I use nasal spray with steroids in it plus claritin. It came to the point where I couldn't swallow at the end of the day since I ingested so much pollen during the day. I would have to take 2 aspirins for my headache, then load up on the spray and pill. I think I have been doing this for the past 3 weeks, so my body is in a real funk. There are a range of symptoms starting from nausea, fatigue, drowsiness, to real pop belly bloating. I think I am retaining water too...but apparently these can be side-effects due to the claritin. So today I didn't take any just to check, but I am still blasting spray up my nose. =)

The good part of this whole thing is that I can tease Kim by saying he made me pregnant. haha. He doesn't appreciate it at all.

Ipred Law makes me sad.

2009-04-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

The other week I went to Elgiganten (the equivalent of the American Best Buy), and to my surprise all the movies and music were really cheap. The price was down by 40%, which is amazing since the retail taxes in Sweden are really high. If a CD costs $15 in the US, then the CD will cost $22 here, maybe even more since the dollar is weak.

Anyways, I am assuming it is done because of the new Ipred law which prohibits downloading of torrents or any other file sharing application, due to all the publicity and attention the Pirate Bay has brought to those nasty copyright seekers.

I think following the law is good, however I feel it is bad when it starts to go overboard because of money issues. Sharing files are good since it actually may increase recognition to a new band or a failing B-movie, and give it great sales in the after-math. But many people are against it anyways, and some people are just overly self-righteous about persecuting Sweden and the Pirate Bay. I don't think ANYONE under the age of 40 who owns a computer and has internet has NEVER EVER in their lifetime downloaded a song, a movie clip, picture, or an article, which is copyrighted material. I believe if everyone admits this then this whole file sharing dilemna can become obsolete.

Before the age of internet, people dubbed cassette tapes, used their VCR to record and dubb movies and tv shows, and burned their friend's CD. This was acceptable. But now since the internet increases the activity at a faster rate, it is illegal.

The stupid part is that the Ipred law, lets those corporate companies investigate by themselves which IP addresses are file sharing, and they can hack into your computer for evidence without a warrant. They then monitor your computer for one month before they call you out to court, and slap a big ass fee. It doesn't even matter if you didn't download the file yourself. If your internet is unsecure and some wireless user decides to use it to download things... you will be fined.

Messed up right?

Now I can't watch my favorite TV shows in real time...I have to wait a year later since I live in Sweden. It sucks since I am in the states maybe 2 months of the year. So I start a series.. and never get to see the rest without the help of torrents. I can't even go to the NBC website to stream the show... they block out international viewers.

FEEL MY FURY !!!!

Dishwashers are dangerous!

2009-04-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

Today I turned on the dishwasher, dropped off the kids to daycare, and then ran some errands. When I got home, there was this terrible rancid burning metal/plastic/corn-like smell. I followed my nose and searched everywhere for the culprit and found that it was my dishwasher.

I opened it, and didn't see anything straight away so I emptied it out and saw at the bottom near the metal heating rod, there was a burnt plastic spatula cut in half since the rod melted it. It stunk up the whole house, so I had to open all the windows and doors, then run the machine on maybe 3 times, to get the burnt plastic smell out.

Imagine what could have happened!? My whole house could have burned while I was out. I will always check for fallen utensils now...geez...SO DANGEROUS! They should make more safety precautions, or maybe I just have a really old dishwasher. It's from '92.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!

Our Easter weekend was jammed packed with family events and work.
The weather here in Stockholm was beautiful. We had a traditional Swedish Easter dinner minus the Lamb, we were served a wonderful Salmon dish instead. I wish I took pictures of the pickled herring, mini sausages, and meatballs. But I was so hungry after work that I just dived in and ATE LIKE A MANIAC!

The kids did a mini egg hunt, and got lots of candy. Little Perry got a hat and a pair of socks since he was too little to eat candy. He did taste a little of the cream on my cake. His mouth was wide open and ready! =)

Here are some pics of our Easter crafts.
Decoupage Eggs with feathers, the kids made.
I made the other eggs. I blew out real eggs and colored them.

Housekeeping Tip #8: Eco-friendly Drying

2009-04-14T05:06:00.000-07:00

Last week I bought these "Dryer Balls" for about $10. They are supposed to save energy, and help the environment by not using dryer sheets or fabric softners.

They worked great! But they made a lot of rattling noises the first 10 mins, since the laundry is still pretty wet.

Honestly, I liked the design so I dished out the $10. But you can use just plain old tennis balls. Preferably clean, new ones. =)

I use tennis balls to fluff up my pillows, blankets, and down jackets after I have washed them. Works like a charm. But now I have these special designed $10 "dryer balls." haha.

Yes, the design snob comes through. =)

Buying flowers.

2009-04-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the flower shop, or rather the huge flower store chain, and bought some flowers and candle accessories for my hubby's grandma. My eyes were wide open and I was slightly salivating since I LOVE buying flowers. I wanted to buy a whole bunch of flowers so I can plant them in my garden.

Then it hit me...we have to re-garden the whole backyard. Since we removed two huge pine trees, there are holes with wood chipping everywhere. I did some research, and it is going to take FOREVER to grow anything in those patches. Between the wood decay from the chipping and the roots underground, it will take years for anything to grow. The only thing that might grow are mushrooms. YUCK! Plus I want to make little areas so I can plant my flowers, so we'll probably have to set down some stone borders. More money literally out the window.

Aw well. I still like flowers and I really want our backyard to dry up so I can rake the leaves, and start getting dirty. I bought some blue violets for my windows in front of my house...but I forgot to buy the dirt. DOH! I'm going to have to do it tomorrow.

Here is a shot after we took down those trees.

No eggs!

2009-04-08T11:16:00.001-07:00

I think I searched the house high and low today to find something to snack on. I ate a delicious Mango.. but once that was gone, I was craving cookies.

For my birthday I got an AWESOME Kitchenaid. I've used it once to make a Kladdkaka, and I was so ready to make some oatmeal cookies tonight. BUT I HAD NO EGGS! I was on the verge of knocking on my neighbor's door just to borrow 1 stinking egg, but it took me over an hour to contemplate if I wanted to do that. Now I regret not doing it sooner! I WANT COOKIES!

I looked for some recipes that required no eggs.. but, it wasn't good enough for my craving.

*sigh*
tummy rumbling.

The After-math

2009-04-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my amazing Hubby, the house was spic and span before I crawled out of bed, so there was no need for cleaning after the party.

BUT, the HUGE mountain of laundry awaited me. 2 days later, I am done. =) Only one load left, plus the Ironing. YAY!

The kids are home this whole week since it is Easter vacation.
Hopefully I can keep them all occupied. We bought new bikes the past week, so trying to get them to ride them is the next step. They hate it since it takes practice and muscle power to make those bikes go further than a yard. haha. The gravel on all the streets don't help either, there is no traction.

Party weekend!

2009-04-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my Birthday bonanza, I woke up at 8am. And starting at 9am, I started cooking like a maniac!!!

I made a few different banchan (carrots, spinach, cucumbers, egg/potato salad), bindaeduk, chapchae, and bulgogi. I was going to make dumplings, but that never happened. I did manage to make some time to bake a coffee cake, but my birthday cake never made it. My sister-in-law did manage to buy a great chocolate cake at the supermarket. So all this cooking was a non-stop marathon until the guests arrived at 2pm.

Kim made a great champagne spritzer, with some h'orderves. Then the eating-fest began.
The second round of guests came at 4pm, and they were my friends with kids. Now the drinking-fest began.

We drank and ate constantly. It was great. In the end, we winded down with some Dance Dance Revolution and Sing Star on the PS2. We never got to the Wii.

I think by then we were too drunk and people had to head home because of the kids. The party ended at 11pm. With only one casualty who barfed, (not me!)

The next day I woke up fine. Went to a children's event...THEN IT HIT ME. I was then hung over at 3pm, dying to drive home. Today is Tuesday, 3 days after... and my stomach is still all messed up.

Yes... now I can officially say, "I am too old for this S!#*."

I love being 30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I will add pics tomorrow, too tired today)

Prep day!

2009-04-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is the continuation of yesterday's post regarding Spring cleaning.

Like I said, the mayhem continued today. We got up at 8am and got the kids ready to go to the English Playgroup. While we were there Kim decided to multitask, and run over to the State owned Liquor store, and buy booze for the party. We then went to Toys R us to buy two bikes. After that we went to Ikea to buy some champagne glasses, drinking glasses, dishes, curtains, and a coat rack for the party.

Finally we headed home and I assembled two bikes and helped the boys ride them for a little while. After dinner I went to the grocery store to buy the food for the party. When I got back I assembled the coat rack, then put up the new curtains. Thanks to Kim, the meat for the bulgogi was already cut, so I then proceeded to marinade that.

Now it is 10pm, and I finally get to wind down for some sleep.

Tomorrow is PARTY day. However, I am dreading it. So much to cook, plus I didn't have time to make my cake today, so I might have to do that tomorrow too. blah. If all else fails, I'll buy a ghetto cake. haha.

Housekeeping Tip #6: Easier Dusting

2009-04-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have monster sized dust balls everywhere! I MUST dust and vacuum at least once a week to maintain a low level of dust.

I read around and I haven't found any good tricks when it comes to dusting. You have to dust every week. There is just no way of getting around it.

But I found a trick to help lessen the amount of dust.

Fabric softener.

Use about 1 cap size to every 4 cups of water.
I usually just eye it.

Use a cloth and start wiping. It's more efficient that using a duster, but I use it too sometimes on the weeks where I don't need everything to be super dust free.

I've noticed a substantial difference when I used this method on electronics, and windowsills. You still have to do this every week, but you'll probably won't get as much dust as you normally would. You can gain a few days, if you decide to procrastinate.

You can also organize all the cables and wires to your electronics. Try to bundle them together or use special hardware to nail them along your baseboards. Don't do this (picture below), it will collect HUGE dust balls!

Housekeeping Tip #7: Removing Pen on Leather

2009-04-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

Ever had Pen marks on your Leather couch?

Hairspray removes it.

Spray a light coat on the pen area on the Leather. Use a cloth to gently rub away the marking in a circular motion. Don't rub too vigorously because you might get a color variation in the leather since you are basically cleaning the leather at the same time.

Use a damp cloth to remove any residue or excess.

Old pen marks may not be removable. I had pen marks that were about 1 week old, and they came out nicely. The older markings were tougher to get out.

I haven't tried this on Suede, only on a treated leather surface. If it works on suede, please let me know!

Spring Cleaning.

2009-04-02T06:19:00.001-07:00

This week was the start of Spring cleaning. The sun is shining and the weather is actually warm enough to get by with a thick sweater.

Out with the Spring clothing, and time to clean windows. That is what I did today. I even dug out our hose, and took out the kid's bikes. We actually walked home from daycare. It took a good 30 mins, but it went well. Maybe it was the popcorn they were munching on the way home. Apparently I live a 10 min walk away from a Horse Stable. There were 10 furry horses, who were ready to shed their winter coat.

Now, I am sitting here figuring out what to make for dinner as the kids eat some banana bread that I made last night. We had big bowls full of Kimchee bokumbap for lunch (not so spicy since the kids were eating it). I still have some tangsooyuk sauce left over so I guess I should finish it by frying up some more pork.

Stay tuned for the next adventure of the Crazy housewife....tomorrow is even more jam packed with things to do. Kim and I will be preparing for my Birthday-palooza this Sat. Lots of food and prep needed.

Me go CRAZZZZZZZZZY.

Elliot's Photography Part 2

2009-04-02T01:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning after we ate breakfast, Elliot found my iPhone and proceeded to take more pictures.

I think there is only 1 or 2 that are non-blurry.
But I think he has some potential here.
What do you think?

My son the Narc.

2009-04-02T00:57:00.001-07:00

Elliot is the son who sleeps anywhere. Anytime.
He is known for his sleeping while eating. He actually eats and sleeps at the same time. It's really funny because he never misses his mouth.

Well, something new happened yesterday.
He fell asleep in front of the computer. He usually goes on Youtube to check out his favorite videos. After I was cleaning up after dinner, I found him passed out.

It was so cute. =)

Good news!

2009-04-01T02:09:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
I have awesome news!
I am pregnant with my 4th! Isn't that amazing??

I was waiting for a few months to say anything, just to make sure the little bugger is developing as he/she should!

We are sooooo excited!

Jon and Kate, here we come!

APRIL FOOLS!

Annual Diana Day.

2009-04-01T02:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone for all the warm Birthday wishes. I just turned the Big 3-0 and honestly nothing has changed.

I spent the day as usual by dropping the kids off at daycare and resuming with my daily chores. Luckily Kim was home for dinner, and we had dinner together. I made Tangsooyuk for the first time and it actually came out like the real deal. I was very pleased with myself.

Afterwards I made a few batches of Kimchee for my Birthday party this upcoming weekend. I will be cooking korean food for about 20 adults and maybe 10 kids. Big party! Good thing Kim can help me prep all those veggies. And thank God my sister bought me a mandolin for Christmas!!!!! =)

Aw well. That was the big scary day. Nothing scary. Just plain old normal.

Will let ya'll know how my party goes. Hopefully I will be rolling on the floor drunk.

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-30T01:20:00.001-07:00

I didn't get to enjoy Earth Hour as I would have liked it.
This was the weekend I had to work, so I was exhausted when I got home. My father-in-law was kind enough to come over and help out with our renovation of our floors. He added floor thresholds which were really great!

When I came home I had to stain them into a walnut color since it was a standard oak threshold. We used Danish walnut, and it really blended in nicely with the walnut flooring. The only thing that was a bit irritating was the difference in wood grain, but of course there would be a difference! It is OAK! =)

Sunday was daylight savings in Sweden, so when Earth hour came along at 8:30pm, I was POOPED and I went to bed. So officially, I participated and turned off my lights. =) Too bad I didn't get to see all the lights go off in my neighborhood. I don't think Kim did it, since he was downstairs watching a BIG soccer game.

Aw well. Hopefully it'll be better next year, then we can make a real event out of it. =)

Pets.

2009-03-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

We own two parakeets that drive me mad!

They chirp all the time and their feathers and feces are everywhere! But it is my hubby's favorite type of pet since he is allergic to anything with fur.

The kids have been wishing for a pet turtle for the past year. We've seen various pocket turtles, but I really would rather that they have a box turtle instead. When we went to the pet store on Friday, they actually had a box turtle in the store for sale! I was extremely happy and was going to buy it on the spot, until I found out that the turtle costs $300. This does not include the tank with heating lights, food, and other supplies.

I was disappointed and baffled that a turtle could cost so much.

We are still sulking.

Housekeeping Tip #5: Scratched CD/DVD

2009-03-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

You can buy a scratch remover, or you can use my friend, TOOTHPASTE.

Use a dab and polish with a soft cloth. You can polish in circular movements around the CD (like the going around the circumference from inside to out, like the disc reader would scan it.)

Take a damp cloth to remove the excess and wipe dry.

This also works on hairline scratches on glass surfaces. (I've tried this, require A LOT of elbow grease to make it work.)

Note: If your fingernail can catch in a scratch, it is too deep to repair.

Housekeeping Tip #4: Polishing Silverware.

2009-03-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

You can buy different polishes and special buffering cloths, or you can use Handy Dandy TOOTHPASTE.

Use a dab and polish with a soft cloth. It will lift the tarnish and shine like new.

Take a damp cloth to remove the excess and wipe dry.

There are other safe methods, but I like this one the best.

Housekeeping Tip #3: Removing Permanent Pen

2009-03-26T06:07:00.000-07:00

Last year, little Elliot took a nice black Sharpie permanent marker and wrote all over my iMac (the screen and white border of the screen), as well as my white keyboard and mouse. They also did it to my hubby's laptop with a blue pen. When I found this I flipped. You would never see such a manic.

WHY DO KIDS LOVE DRAWING ON THINGS????

I searched the web and tried almost everything I could find.

The best was TOOTHPASTE.

1. Take a small amount of toothpaste (plain white, not gel or a weird special kind)

2. Proceed to GENTLY (very important! it can ruin your surface and leave scratches or bleaching) rub with a sponge (yellow side) or cloth in a circular motion.

For surfaces that were not completely matt or even (ie. my keys on the keyboard) I used the scrubby side of the sponge.

This method works great for any plastic surface or glass, and it must be a non-porous surface. Otherwise, it will be unsuccessful. I did this method on my powder-coated steel desk...left a white bleached stain mark. Works great on linolium too!

I Want Good Old American OTC Drugs.

2009-03-26T02:47:00.000-07:00

So we are sick, YET again. I don't know how often I write about it, but seriously it has to stop. I think it is every other week.

We got the case of the sniffles, sneezing, coughing, and sore throat. Little Perry is like Stan on South Park and randomly barfs a tablespoon. Since he is only 9 months he thinks it is amazing... and smears the whole thing everywhere before I can catch him to wipe it down.

I am running out of my American kid's medicine, for example, tylenol cold for kids. There isn't much a selection in Sweden, so I usually stock up when I visit NY. I am down on my last few tablespoons... and I am trying to use it only in emergencies.

I miss having Sudafed. I need some Sudafed! WHY DON'T THEY SELL IT HERE! I always have to fly solo without medicine. Asprin keeps me sane so I can at least take care of the kids without passing out.

I just hope it will clear up before this weekend since I have to work.

Here is a pic of Puke Perry, haha (just realized it sounds like Luke Perry)

Housekeeping Tip #2: Oiling Indoor Furniture

2009-03-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

My kitchen table is an unfinished oak table. Every few weeks I have to oil it in with some kind of wood oil treatment. I've bought a few cans before but they cost a good $15 each can. A can can last maybe 3 months?

First of all, I like to be thrifty and use the things I have at home. It is a plus if it is a safe product for the kids.

Olive oil is great! I use it for many different things, but using it to oil down my table works wonders.

Pour the needed amount on the table and just wipe it down with a good paper towel or cloth. I use a nice yellow kitchen sponge since it is easy to clean out and it doesn't waste the oil.

Let the oil settle in over night, or at least a few hours. Then in the morning, wipe it dry with a dry paper towel.

The table will look like new.

Here is a picture of my table soaking in the olive oil.

Housekeeping Tip #1: Stainless Steel Appliances.

2009-03-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Do you own any Stainless Steel Appliances in your kitchen?

They are a hassle to polish or to wipe off. If you have kids, fingerprints will drive you crazy. Also, it can be expensive to buy any special polishes, not to mention, dangerous to the environment and to your children if ingested.

My trick is to use a little olive oil.

Use a good cloth or rag; I prefer Microfiber clothes.
Pour a dab, maybe a teaspoon size, on the cloth and wipe down the surface until it is wiped clean. If needed, add more and continue.

This will maintain the shine of the stainless steel, as well prevent any mild fingerprints. It also lessens the frequency to dust.

The Line up.

2009-03-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Today was a calm day. No major incidents or accidents.
I figured that I would do a fun test.

I find that my boys all look the same when they were young.
Can you tell which is which?

Elliot's gonna knock you out!

2009-03-23T05:03:00.000-07:00

After daycare today, I picked up Elliot and Morgan, and the thing most parents dread...happened.

I was told that Elliot punched a boy in the eye.

There is no real good response, when a teacher gives you a report like that. What do you say? Sorry? I'll talk to him? He's 3 and understands things to a degree. He knew he did something wrong, cause when I asked him if he was a good boy today at the daycare, he nodded his head "no".

Morgan explained later, that they were play fighting, and Elliot took it to the next level. He didn't know any better but he did land a nice punch in the poor boy's eye, which made him cry and want to go home immediately.

I felt awful, since there is so much one can do. Plus the guilt is crazy since the parents on the other side usually are furious. It really gives Elliot a bad reputation. He becomes the boy who hits. Morgan was the boy who bites, at that age.

Any ideas? Time outs, punishments, and explanation works to a degree, but the only thing that I noticed is that they have to grow out of that phase.

I made a "sorry" card and stuck a lollipop in it for the other boy. Elliot signed it and drew a stick figure.. hopefully it'll help make the boy feel better.

Hydrangeas Part2

2009-03-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

So as you know, I bought a hydrangea this past week. I noticed that there was some spoiled foliage at the base of the plant, and I found some mold, probably from all the dampness in the plastic packaging.

I tried to dry it up by placing it in the sunlight and removing most of the dead and moldy leaves, but the past few days my poor little guy got sadder and sadder.

I am scared that it is a fungal disease and not root rot. I hear that they won't die of fungal disease, but they will be sad for a long while. Does anyone know any good tricks to perk up the little guy?

On a side note, I think the kids trampled on my hydrangeas I planted in the front of the house. Mainly because the snow kinda hid it, and when they are playing in the snow, it is hard to notice. I hope they survive, but one really got battered. *sigh*