The Waiting Game of Real Estate

We are in quite a dilema at the moment. The notion of moving has always been there and it's burning a severely smoldered hole in the back of my head. Should we move to Canada? Should we find a bigger place in Hemnesberget? Should we try moving to the south? When we found out that I was pregnant with Sophie it was immediate chaos when it came to our current residence. Do we move or do we build out the house? Ørjan has already created several floorplans for the three rooms and is anxious to get started, but I on the otherhand have no desire to build out just yet (since the kids are so young and there's no rush) and would rather wait to see if something else comes out on the market. We live in a small place with a huge elderly demographic. (It's only a matter of time before they move to a nursing/retirement home or umm... die, right? Then I'm sure a house will go up.) There are a couple of places for sale in our town but they just haven't seemed right.

There's a house for sale (was previously owned by good friends) that we've thought about but it requires massive renovation outside (insulation and panels). The profit we'd earn from selling our current house would probably go towards that and not interior renovation or redecorating. Sigh.

PROS:

• The house is HUGE - 4 bedrooms and 3 full floors
• Located in a family/child-friendly neighbourhood
• Was recently renovated x2 (But I'd like to gut some of it... Just not my style)
• We'd be starting again - new house means redecorating and new home projects!

CONS:

• We'd be losing the gorgeous view that we already have!
• We'd no longer be in the sentrum (We don't own a car - the walk in the winter would be tougher.)
• We'd have to let go of a house we've put so much time, effort, and money into. (Then and Now)
• Our nextdoor neighbour would be one of the town's police officers (My life is not a BBC police-mystery series)

Anyhow... We still have alot more to think about. We might call the owner today and go for a quick browse to get a better feeling since looking at photos online can only give you so much.

What's Next

Now that things have calmed down and holidays are over I'm looking forward to getting a headstart on this list. My goal is to achieve and complete this list by the end of April or mid-May, but with two kids, some new projects I've insanely taken on, and all the appointments we have scheduled I wonder if I'm being too hopeful. At least I can be enthusiastic, right?

• Complete framework painting in our bedroom
• Complete shelving in kids' room
• Take passport photos/Apply for Sophie's passport
• Send carepackage to Kristin in Australia
• Reply to all mail
• Book apartment for Prague Trip 2008
• Complete proposal for cooking workshop
• Renew subscription for ROM 1.2.3
• Save/Burn photo archives
• Organize Spring/Summer wardrobe
• Send photos with thankyou cards to Canada
• Begin cardio again! (6 weeks has already passed!)
• Birth control

Hello, cupcake!

Being the last day of Easter holidays I decided to bake some cupcakes for the kids. (Magnus and neighbourhood/friends' kids) They are so good but so bad for you. 3 cups of sugar for 3 dozen chocolate cupcakes? Wowza.

I have so many left and have no idea what to do with them now. I don't want them in the house for fear of eating them! I need to start losing this baby weight now!!! Having 2 kids in 1 year did a real number on my body. There's a wedding coming up in June so I really have to find some willpower... hopefully... maybe.

Marimekko Madness

So the New York Times unleashed a sneak peak at the new clothing line being released with H&M but I'm completely disappointed. Yeah yeah, the prints are typical of Marimekko and the latest Spring and Summer trends of 2008, but I have to admit I was expecting something more... and maybe something a bit more rounded. Even the Marimekko free fabric placemats they're including with Findus ready-meals are more inspiring than the H&M line. (Bare i Sverige tror jeg...) Now I'm reading that Marimekko is making hook-ups with Avon for a beauty line? And of course it'll be featuring the trademark Unikko print. Sigh.

I guess I was just hoping for a little bit more since I am always amazed with Marimekko fabrics. Oh well.

Period.

You've got to be fucking kidding me. I just got my period.

Not even 4 weeks after giving birth and I've ovulated already! WHAT. THE. FUCK. After I gave birth to Magnus I thought it was unbelievable and slightly unfair that mine returned after just 6 weeks, but what the hell? I am breastfeeding exclusively - Why can't I just take advantage of one of its benefits? No wonder I've been so moody lately... damnit. Easter holidays are almost here (Ørjan has a week off from work) and I planned on having sex sometime during the week but it's not going to happen now. I'm bloated, moody, and menstruating. I also probably only sleep 4 hours a night and don't have time to nap during the day due to my screaming children. I can't believe Ørjan still tries to hold my hand under the covers at night. I must be a horrible mess during the day and yesterday I did yell at him when he came home for his lunch break... ugh. Very bad. I can't believe my period has led to an epiphany.

Maybe something good did come from getting it this early.

Semi-sinful weekend

To sum up this weekend in one sentence: We sent Magnus to his grandma's in hopes of being able to relax and enjoy ourselves for just one night. I had originally thought that if we sent Magnus off for the weekend that we might be able to steal a few hours to ourselves since Sophie usually falls asleep after she eats. This was not the case at all! The plans were to eat a more adult dinner with slightly more gourmet flair than my usual weeknight dinners (which already can be fancy schmancy), relaxing on the sofa and indulging in chocolate truffles, and ending the evening with some... Ahem, lovin'. Of course nothing ever goes as planned. Let me explain...

I had somewhat of a quiet morning when Ørjan dropped Magnus off and also did some shopping in town. I was slightly disappointed that I couldn't go into town since I haven't been there for ages, but at least staying home with Sophie meant resting and relaxing. Instead of catching up on sleep (which I really should have done) I baked a few dozen cookies to have on hand and also to give to relatives and friends when we go visiting or have visitors. (I made chocolatechunk and triple chocolate cookies if you're interested.) When you have a new baby you always have people drop in! It wasn't so bad at all - The house was quiet, I only had Sophie to look after, and I was able to be alone and do something I enjoy: baking. Sophie fussed for a little while, but she slept for most of the morning. Around 3pm when Ørjan walked through the door things spiraled downward. From 3-9 she had terrible gas and was extremely fussy. We were seriously considering that it might be colic, but I knew that with all the vomiting and gas from both ends that her stomach must have really been bothering her. Instead of having a quiet evening together it was nothing but stress, crying, and exhaustion. The evening we had planned together wasn't going as anticipated. At least around 10pm she passed out after a final feeding and a nice long bath. The only trouble was that now both Ørjan and I were frustrated and had no energy to carry out the evening. I won't elaborate with details but we definitely exchanged some words. (We don't ever really fight, but rather have exhausting conversations that draw out alot of fears and emotions.) Already exhausted we spent over two hours talking in bed about how frustrated we were until we passed out.

At least our morning was better (this explains the title) and we managed to jump a certain hurdle - sex. It's been over a month since we last had sex and despite my pregnancy books suggesting a low sex drive after birth, this has never been the case with me. We both woke up in a much better and amorous mood, had protected sex (DEFINITELY no more babies for me this year!), and feasted on chocolate for breakfast. We also slept in an extra hour since we didn't have to attend to an oh-so-active Magnus that shakes me out of bed every morning at 8. Sex, chocolate, and sleep? As a parent that has very little time to stop and enjoy the small indulgences and pleasures of life, I can definitely say this weekend was semi-sinful.

Sexy time for exhausted parents

Lately it hasn't been so easy to hold back my short temper with Ørjan and I've been feeling extremely guilty about this. With all the extra work and lack of sleep we've been facing neither of us has had the energy or drive to even pretend like we're in the mood for... anything. Any chance we have to be intimate (this does not include sex since I don't feel ready for it just yet) is always passed up for a quick nap or household work that needs to be done. This weekend however was a different story.

Ørjan is incredibly sentimental but definitely not a romantic. Friday was a complete shock when I hesitated to follow him when he took my hand. He had just put Magnus down for a nap, Sophie was sleeping, and Ørjan took it upon himself to take me by the hand, asked me to follow him, and he guided me to the sofa in the living room where he had blankets and pillows ready and wanted me to sleep on/against him while he sat behind me. I only had time to sleep for a half an hour but it was very nice. Later in the night when we were in bed ready to pass out he said, "You know I wish we had time to do what he did today... that we had more time to cuddle." Just the fact that these words slipped from his lips made me completely melt with shock. He's not very talented at expressing his feelings, but just this small effort meant so much to me. Saturday night we spent almost two hours making out like we were the TLF boyfriend and girlfriend that you might encounter in highschool. It was wonderful despite the fact that we sacrificed sleep for intimacy or what he likes to call, "Sexy Time".

The weekend was fabulous. I doubt I need to say more.