I haven't forgotten about this place but rather life and its chaotic elements have caught up with me. Like what? Magnus has several back and side teeth coming in and is going through a terrible, "I am not going to eat a thing and I'm going to have diarrhea and you're going to like it!" phase. Needless to say my postpartum hormonal changes are not the only reasons for my hairloss. Our cat has also decided that he wants to show me how great he is at catching mice outside by bringing them in the house! As we all know cats like to play with their food before consuming it so of course these mice are still half alive... what? You figure it out - Mice running around the kitchen with two kids in the house? Yes. It's a trade off though. Our cat never shits in the house (we don't even own a litterbox) because he's more of an outdoor cat and we can go away for a couple of days without having to worry that he's starving. (Yes we leave dry food and water out, we're not completely cruel.) The move is also draining all my time an energy from anything remotely recreational. I fucking hate living out of boxes. Sometimes I want to smack Ørjan for packing up all my stuff before I even had a chance to organize it. I still haven't got my period yet which is scaring me. The past couple of days I've been slightly moody and had very light cramps so I'm hoping it'll show up any day now. Especially since I have an appointment next Friday for my IUD!

Ach. Ugh. Meh.

TO-DO

A few things on my mind lately...

TO-DO:

• Pick up H&M order from post office
• Send in Ellos online order
• Buy Ørjan's birthday gifts online(pt.1)
• Send/reply to emails
• Find wedding outfit and shoes
• Find wedding outfit for Sophie
• Sophie's passport photos
  
• Buy Susanne's wedding gift
• Organize Magnus' old clothes for May Britt
• Organize and pack away the office
• Do laundry
• Clean out fridge
  
• Empty cupboards and organize kitchen for pre-move
• Get haircut!!! (Appointment next week...)
• Upload photos and order prints for mom
• Get Sophie's passport
  

JUNE/JULY 2008 SCHEDULE:

• ##.06.08 - Moving to the new house
• 06.06.08 - Doctor's appointment (11:30)
• 10.06.08 - Meeting at the bank
• 19.06.08 - Sophie's pediatrician appointment
• 19.06.08 - Baby group
  
• 21.06.08 - Susanne's Wedding
  
• 12.07.08 - Shopping in Oslo and visiting friends
• 13.07.08 - 18.07.08 - Prague vacation!
• 19.07.08 - Passport/Canadian embassy in Oslo
• 31.07.08 - Pediatritian appointments and vaccinations for the kids

Will edit this later...

Eurovision 2008 pt.1

Last night we all stayed up and watched the first part of the semifinals for the Eurovision Song Contest of 2008. Of course we were happy when Norway was called last (but not least!) as a finalist but were sadly disappointed with some of the songs that went through. (Og du fra Mosjøen, hva synes du om i går kveld?) I'm still going to hold my final thoughts for after the competition though. I posted a couple of my favourite songs from last night via my livejournal so head over there if you're interested. (It's a locked post though... so if you want them, email me.) My favourites from last night were Norway, Israel, and San Marino.

The Eurovision Song Contest is a very big deal in our household for several reasons but mainly due to Ørjan's fanatic love for it. He has decades of recordings on VHS and still continues to pop in a tape even today. He even fills out the scores for the contestants in a special that the newspaper prints. I think it's cute, slightly irritating, but cute. That's why I've decided that I'm going to buy him the first Eurovision collector's coin as an extra surprise gift for his birthday in July. Maybe I'll even get him this year's DVD despite its price and free availability online. Since he's a coin collector as well as a stamp collector, I think it'll be an unexpected treat for him. At least I hope so.

If you have no idea what I've been writing about feel free to read up on the contest via wikipedia or the official site.

Constitution Day 2008 Photos

They're mostly photos of Magnus, but here they are: Constitution Day 2008. I think he looks adorable in his outfit which is the suit Ørjan wore for his first Constitution Day in 1975. Unfortunately Magnus isn't as big so we had to leave the blue overalls at home. Still, so cute. I think he has an Emil thing going on.

Gratulerer med den syttende mai

Happy 17th of May! I'm not going to sing Ja, vi elsker dette landet, but we will be hanging the flag and I will be making a few treats today. And it even looks like we'll be having some decent weather this year unlike the past couple of years. Maybe if it's sunny we will take the kids out for the festivities. And boo to it being on a Saturday this year.

I'll come back and edit this later with photos.

Oh, and wtf? Music woke me up at 04:30 this morning. I've never heard it this early on the 17th of May. Oh well.

Upgrade, Downgrade

It's definitely going to be a year about upgrades in our family, but luckily we've been able to find opportunities for downgrading items and services that aren't essential. Just like anyone we're on a tight budget (I'm much more strict than Ørjan when it comes to money), but we've still managed to be slightly indulgent this year, and plan to take advantage of some extra money that we have. Usually I like to hoard away money and save it for emergencies and the future, but I have a serious weaknes for lavishing and spoiling my loved ones and indulging on accessories and items for my home.

This year's downgrades:

• Cancelled several satellite packages - Since many of packages we subcribe to include channels that we don't really watch, we decided to cancel them and look for other options. I'm not suggesting that satellite piracy is acceptable, but I will say that Canal+ stations are easy to find.
• Did not renew a few magazine subscriptions - A few home decor mags that I've been subscribing to for the past couple of years have just become too expensive, and I found that I probably only looked through them no more than twice. With an increased price and more ads than anything, I'm now saving hundreds of dollars a year by just cancelling two subscriptions.
• Online shopping - I decided that I needed to stop the impulse of online shopping. I used to see it as a necessity to buy clothes, home items, and stuff for the kids at least once every 3 months, but now I only stick to buying when there are massive sale promotions.
• Less baking - This isn't just about money, but it involves our health. I used to test out new recipes for cakes, breads, cookies, and other sweet treats every other weekend. I always look for the best possible ingredients and if a bar of baking chocolate with 70+% cocoa was costing me around $5.00, and I used 3 bars for making brownies, that turned out to be one expensive brownie! Since I also made husband my official tastetester/guinea pig, I realized I needed to stop pumping him full of sugar and cocoa and get him back on hummus and veggie lasagnes. So that's it - I only stick to baking when it's a special occasion, or company is involved.
• Mobile maddness - At one point we owned 4 mobile phones. Why? I have no idea. Now we own two with better plans, and only revert back to the old ones when it's necessary. (Switching the sim cards over due to low battery or other technical issues.)

The upgrades:

• The house - We needed a bigger house for our growing family. There's nothing more to explain.
• The kitchen - The house we're moving to already has a functional kitchen (and a dishwasher!) but we're still going to tear everything out. The cabinets are a bit old, the countertops have seen better days, and the entire kitchen is dated. It's going to cost us around Kr 40 000, but it will all be worth it in the end. We're also custom-designing this kitchen so it will suit all our needs and it will have the exact pieces that we want.
• Electronic equipment - We opted to get a more powerful wireless router due to our larger house and property. It's not like we'll be sitting on the toilet catching up on news feeds, but it would be nice to have a higher speed/rate in other rooms of the house. I'm also looking to buy a new camera. I'm leaning slightly towards a Nikon instead of a Canon this time, but with the lower prices of the model I wanted last year, I just might invest in 2 cameras!

There's alot of money being passed around and spent, but with the sacrifices and investments we're making I believe it's totally worth it.

The good news post!

A few appreciated opportunities, promotions, and gifts have landed in my lap as of lately.

• I was offered an amazing job. I won't go into much detail now but I am still grinning. If only I had the time to accept it now. Hopefully when I'm ready to return back to the working world it will still be open.
• Futureshop's photo programme is closing and are moving their clients over to the kodakgallery. As a thankyou and new welcome gift, all current customers were given 100 free 4x6 prints. Although I'm not in Canada, I thought uploading and ordering prints would be a fabulous idea. It would make a great gift for my mom to have photos of the kids (since she's missing out on them growing up) and she could also pass them along to other family members over there.
• Yet another reason why I love ThisNext: Mavens received $10.00 gift certificates for iTunes. I'm not sure whether I'll use it, but you never know.
• Sales, shopping, and steals: With a new season approaching there have been massive sales online at Ellos and H&M. Although I probably only spent $50 on myself, I have spent over $300 on clothes for the kids. Hey - when there's a sale you need to stock up! Kids grow up fast and they always need new clothes for all seasons and occasions. We've also picked up items and antiques for our new home at various second-hand shops. I will post pics later when I find the time.

Vacation is also coming up soon. I can't wait to get back to Prague in July. We love this city so much and plan on taking advantage of our time there. A week in mid-July is just what the doctor ordered. I'm also trying to fit in an extra day to visit Stockholm but it's 50-50 now. At least we'll have a couple of days in Oslo to shop, visit friends, and take in the city. I can't lie - I can't wait to go shopping. Living up here in no-man's land doesn't provide us with many options for anything. The idea of having everything at your fingertips is overwhelming but welcomed.

I haven't posted in almost two weeks. Hmmm. I suppose all the packing and cleaning (not to mention obsessive organizing) has kept me away. There are so many things I think about posting, but the updates seem less important as the days go by. I don't know, maybe I just don't have time for this anymore. I've been keeping a blog since 2001 and have always kept it public with a registered domain, but lately I feel like it's completely unnecessary. I really don't have time for much of anything these days that isn't related to the kids, food, or work. It's a shame too since I have so many ideas that flash through my mind at a constant pace. Anyhow...

The move is keeping us incredibly busy. The new owners (which should become official by the end of next week) are always popping in asking questions and taking measurements, there is a mass of stored items that need to be given away or tossed, and we're short on boxes and large garbage bags for clothes and other items. Almost every night Ørjan is on my laptop designing our new kitchen with his IKEA programme. Despite thinking it's sweet (since the kitchen is MY room and it's his gift to me) it's also annoying having him keep me up at night with the laptop in bed. That's another thing - I barely sleep. I have so little time and my mind is so scattered during the afternoons that when I should be napping I'm making lists and organizing things that probably don't require it.

I wish I had more time to laugh a bit easier but there's so little time to enjoy moments that warrant laughter. I wonder if this is due to life, parenthood, or life as a parent. I'm happy, but just tired. At least I have nothing to complain about. I have my health, a wonderful family, and opportunities that I never thought I'd have.

We're movin' on up!

This morning I dragged us out to see the new house. Ørjan and his parents visited it for inspection last night while I watched the kids so I was very eager to see it once again. I practically nagged Ørjan out of bed early, fed and dressed the kids, and pushed us out the door despite the rainfall. Yep, I still love it. We went through every room taking measurements and notes, and I ran around photographing every inch. We have so many plans and are so eager to move in, but in all honesty, I'm still sad to be leaving this place and I dread having to pack everything. What's funny is that while we were leaving and walking down the driveway, the couple that bought our house was driving by and stopped us. Maybe it's a sign that we're meant to move on and forward.

We're both getting ahead of ourselves with the renovation planning, but it's also nice to know that Ørjan is also willing to be part of the decor of the house. We've already made lists, tagged our catalogues, and made notes of which items and which stores we'll be scouring for antiques when we visit Prague this summer. I guess we're just so excited that things are finally working out.

Iron helps us play!

You'd think I would have known better, but I suppose I was just too tired to even consider the idea. The past week has been incredibly draining and I hadn't been eating properly. Since Ørjan was working overtime and they were providing them with dinner, I didn't really see the point of making anything and stuck to soups and some frozen veg. I was also skipping my daily vitamin cocktail since my routine was off. I wasn't sleeping, was stressed out with the kids, and wasn't eating properly. On top of it all I just finished my period a couple of days ago. I already have a history of anemia due to my close pregnancies, why the hell didn't I consider it this time? I just thought it was due to the lack of sleep during the past week. Falling asleep around 12am and waking up at 7am, and tending/nursing Sophie a few times during the night seemed manageable, but this was just crazy fatigue and I couldn't understand it.

For the past three days I have been so tired that I honestly thought I might be pregnant again. The intense fatigue, the dizziness and headaches, and the abdominal pain were hints to pregnancy, but since I had just finished my period and we hadn't had sex it just didn't seem right. I was wanting to nap all day, and when I'd wake up from a nap, I'd fall back asleep. I had no energy whatsoever and was very irritable. (Bless Ørjan for having patience with me.)

Why can I be so dumb sometimes. Why do I always neglect my health to the point where I can't function? Thank god Ørjan bought some incredible iron tablets last month. I took a few of them with juice and already feel better.

It's hard to think that it's all over. When we first decided to put the house up for sale we were uncertain, but knew it had to be done. Ørjan was extremely reluctant but I gave him the favourite jeans metaphor and he soon realized it was time to move on. (I'm sure everyone has a favourite pair of clothing that they eventually wear, tear, and need to replace.) We were toying with the idea of increasing our loan to build out, but I knew if we built out, we'd lose most of our property and it might not be worth the money or effort. We have two children and need to consider what's best for them. After years of unhappiness about living in Norway I realized I was wrong. This place is great for families and we should be trying to find a home that suits our new life. He was somewhat stuck on the idea of moving to Canada but I just can't conceive living there. I loved growing up there, but life over here is much slower and values are different.

We're so lucky to be able to look out from our windows and see the mountains and fjørds. There is little to no crime here, we live our windows and doors unlocked, and the air is so crisp and clean. Summers are gorgeous with the midnight sun, the lack of humidity, and boatrides and trips to the beach are just a 10 minute walk from home. I used to think that living in such a small town was ruining my life, but now I enjoy having the comfort of closer neighbours and people that stop to say hello. (Despite the fact that everyone gossips like mad.) Anyhow... this was totally not what I was going to write about.

The new house is great. We wanted it last year but missed out, but believe it was now the right time. The couple that will be taking over our house wants to move in quickly and we have no problem with that since we're also eager to move, but I'm going to be so sad when we have to hand over the keys and everything is finalized. We put so much time, money, and effort into this place and now we're giving it away. My sadness for losing this place even trumps my happiness for our new house. Oh well. It's life.

More later.

It's Done!

It's all over. The paperwork will be going through soon.

Our house sold yesterday, and we bought a new one today. This is an incredible feeling because we got the house we wanted last year.

More later.

ps: Happy May Day.