Saturday 31 December 2011

Christmas snapshots

We’re at the end of 2011 and as always the year has flown by. It feels like it especially speeded up towards Christmas and most of my plans stayed exactly that - plans. No handmade presents, Cards or Christmas decorations. There’s always a next year…

Little H was under the weather since October with a fever and runny nose on and off. It peaked and was diagnosed as Mykoplasma (a type of pneumonia) on Monday the 19th of December. We went to the doctor already in October and I was more or less told that she had a common cold and that I was a hysterical first-time mum. So I waited and waited to visit the doctor again. When we finally went it was straight on Antibiotics and I felt like the worst mum ever who for weeks on end had thought that Little H only had a common cold...

Here is a snapshot of some of our pre-Christmas preparations:

Cute as a cookie
We had of course our traditional Gingerbread making Sunday together with Sergio’s Senoritas. Which was as hectic and fun as ever. Little H has three wonderful and very energetic "little sisters" in Ashley, Audrey and Adriana. Unfortunately, there were little fun and games as  Little H was sleeping with a fever most of the day. Well then me and H had to have another gingerbread baking session an other day which was just as fun, but not the same.


Blue Santa








We  also had or first Lucia celebration, as written about in the previous blog entry. Not an eye was dry. I was the proudest mum ever.
However,the success and smugness of Little H’s Lucia outfit did not last long. The next day picking her up from the nursery I was told that they were going to have a “nissefest” the next day and that all the kids were going to dress up like small Santas (without the beard). Crap. No Santa hat, no red dress, nothing near a cute little Santas helper outfit was to be found in our house. And there was no time to buy anything. So what did I do? I posted a plea for a Santa hat on Facebook and got to borrow one from one of my best friends son. It was of course blue…. - but did that matter? The next day, Little H was dressed in red and denim and had a cute blue Santa hat on her head. Pappa Kas took her proudly to the nursery only to discover that she was the only one with a blue hat. Not even any of the boys had a blue one! Double crap. All my mummy points were gone, and I am back to zero.

On the 22nd of December (a  non-fever day for H) we went to my parents house to decorate their tree. It is a tradition I do not want to be without. Even that we have our own tree at home, it is something special to come home to your parents and “help” them prepare their house for Christmas.  Little H decorated herself with glitter and small golden pebbles.She's such a girlie girl.
Pearly Queen

On Christmas Eve the house was in chaos until the bells rang at 4 pm. We were cooking, cleaning and doing the things we should have done days before, preparing franticly for our guests to come. I also had to nip out to get Pappa Kas’ Christmas present. It was not as bad as it sounds...I knew what to get, but had not had the opportunity to buy it.I promise.
Presents presents presents

A week has passed since Christmas Eve and I have had the chance to breath and relax. Reflecting upon December I can conclude that the run up to the 24th was hectic, feverish and stressful, but it was all worth it and I will do the same next year. Well, I will make a red Santa hat, I will make my own decorations, I will, I will, I will.

What is your best Christmas memory from 2011?  


I also want to say thanks for a great 2011 and Happy New Year to all of you. 
Make 2012 to the year you want it to be. I intend to! 

Tuesday 13 December 2011

St. Hanna

Wooops, sorry blogfog for weeks, I do hope that you’re not been holding your breath for me to post new updates, but on the other hand I do hope that you have missed me, Little H and our universe while we have been doing what we do – trying to live a domesticated family life.



"She looks like an angel, walks like an angel..."


Here’s today:

Norwegians are not as big on saints as Basque/Spanish Catholics, but we do have a few: St. Olav and … and … and… St. Lucia! The first a celebrated Viking king and the last an Italian martyr who died while protecting her virgin-hood (please do not quote me on this, as no research went into writing this paragraph).

The 13th of December is the day of St. Lucia, and true to tradition every child under 8 dress in a white male shirt or a fitted white sheet. They wear strings of glitter around their heads and their waists and hold an (electric) candle while walking in a procession singing in the dark.

 I had not given it much thought, just along the lines of: fat chance that Little H will ever wear Christmas decorations around her head and walk slowly and graciously holding a burning / electric candle.

But when the evening of the 12th arrived I sat by my sewing machine customizing a white, probably very flammable, angelic dress aquired for next to nothing especially for the occasion. I had also bought five meters of the glittery stuff, and after having checked with some of the other mummies I felt rather smug for my level of preparedness. I had not bought the electric candle though as I did not want to ovedo it and put the other parents to shame. Later I realized that their prioirites were better than mine as they all had candles.


used to be proper candles in my days, hence the scepticism


The morning of the Lucia breakfast at the nursery came,  and still smug, I prepared for us to get ready. Little H was ready to go, we still had 30 minutes to the kick-off, and there! - Little H stood still as a statue in her special corner for a little while, she huffed and puffed until the familiar smell forced itself through to the hall where I was standing getting ready to leave
.
After a rather speedy change of clothes for H, she, Pappa Kas and myself were sitting in the car ready to go. We had the camera, spare strings of glitter, house keys, hats, gloves and dummies. And 17 minutes before kick-off, too good to be true. And of course… it was…

The steep driveway had overnight turned into a bobsleigh lane and it was impossible even for Mr.Formula1 / Pappa Kas to drive from the house and up on the main road. We tried, he tried, I prayed, he removed snow, Little H sang and there! With 9 minutes till the start of the "parade" we were off. Of course upon arrival at the nursery there was no parking and when we entered the nursery we were definitely among the last ones there. I put her in the highly flammable but very cute dress, rolled strings of glitter around her and pushed my way into the room where all the kids were lined up to make sure that H got there on time.

It was then 08.33. Only when we were about to leave did I discover the big note from the day before saying: “please bring the kids and have them ready before 08:15 for the Lucia parade and breakfast”.

Even after reading that note I was pretty chuffed with 08.33.

Are you sure you do not want to share with your mum? ...
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