Drooly Days

New Beginnings

2010-10-17T20:54:00.001-07:00

Recently, we have moved back to the states. Our baby turned 2 years old. And we are settling in a new house.

It is interesting how you need to get adjusted again to the way things are in the states after being away for a while.

Here are some new things I have learned.

1. You can order on line with Papa Johns, and have your pizza delivered at a specific time.

2. Even though Target is open late, you really don't want to go when the kids are in bed.

3. You can go to any grocery store and get helium balloons. (Awesome)

5. Netflix on line is the best. There is no need for TV, or ever leaving your house for a movie.

6. Going to Costco once a week, still feels like a vacation.

7. This Halloween will be the best ever.

We are busy with dance classes, preschool, and all the other fun things to do.

Plus, I really love the Pacific Northwest in the fall.

War Update.

2010-06-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Sometime ago, I declared war on my butt. And now I have a new update. I am starting to Win. Yeah!!!

Here is what I have been doing. I have been following the South Beach Diet, and I also have been learning about Nourishing Traditions. I have found that cutting sugar out of my diet makes me feel better.

For exercise, I have been doing the Biggest Loser Workout. I really like it. It is still challenging even over two months of doing it. I have exercised around 54 days. I have also started to add some running 3 days a week. I am following this program I got from Prevention magazine.

Results that I have noticed.

I lost my Greek roll. Last year we went to Crete for 10 days. I gained this big roll around my middle that has been there since now.

I have lost around 15 pounds.

I fit in all my old clothes.

I was stronger when I added running to my program. In other words, it has been easier for me to add running. Last time I ran, I could barely run over 2 minutes at a time, and now I can run longer, and have less hip flexor pain.

I have more energy.

My future goals. I am only two weeks into my running program, but I am going to continue doing the Biggest loser DVD 3 days a week, and the other 3 days do my running program. I also do around 20 to 30 minutes of The Biggest Loser DVD after my run each time.

I am also going to watch what I eat. Now I am not 100% good like I was in the beginning, but I plan on getting that back on track here soon. Also, I feel better when I eat very few grains, and stay away from sugar.

Update

2010-04-24T23:53:00.000-07:00

Lots has happened since I last blogged.

1 My beautiful step-daughter decided she wanted to come live with us in Denmark, and finish up the school year here at the Copenhagen International School.

2. The whole family had food poisoning. This was an adventure with a one bathroom house. (I suggest no one try it on purpose.) My 4 year old thinks she will never eat Chinese food again.

3. Maddy has been busy with 2 play performances, 1 fashion show, 1 school picnic, and lots of fun times with friends like sleep overs and going to Bakken.

4. Tim was in Fargo, ND for an extra 4 days due to the volcano. He took 4 flights to get back, and we were so happy to have him home.

5. My 1 year old is ready to be a 2 year old. She also loves to dance, climb, and run around.

6. My 4 year old is so big. She is coloring so well, and loves to do puzzles and ride her bike. She is also a big helper, and she is trying to teach us Danish.

6. I have been trying to cook healthier meals. I have been learning a lot about using raw honey instead of sugar, and soaking grains before cooking them. All interesting and new things.

The weather is getting nice, and May is a beautiful month in Denmark.

Hopefully things will become more normal now, and I can get back on track with blogging.

Quote of the Day

2010-03-09T04:10:00.000-08:00

"I thought guys didn't like cats. Maybe only mean guys do."

This is the what my 4 year old said while watching Bolt.

My husband tries to train our girls to hate cats. That is because he hates cats. And he hates cats because when he was 10 years old he was attached by a cat with rabies. He then had to have rabies shots in his stomach.

I think I would hate cats too, if I went through that.

Needless to say they all still love cats.

Sick Kids

2010-02-01T02:42:00.000-08:00

Actually just my 4 year old. A couple of weeks ago I gave you some insight about the Danish Medical System. Well, my 4 year old started to have a cough around Thanksgiving. But we just waited it out. Sometimes it goes away. Then it did get a little better. But by the middle of December it was pretty bad again. Our doctor's office is closed around a couple of days before Christmas, and did not open until the 4th of January. On January 4th I took her to the doctor's office. I did tell her that she had a cough for around 4 weeks. Well the doctor thought she was fine because she was not running a high temperature. On the 11th I returned with my husband. We wanted to get a referral to a specialist. She has had chest problems in the past. (when she was 2 years old she had RSV) But the doctor really wanted to give her antibiotics for 5 days before doing so. Well my hubby and her got into a fight. She finally gave us a referral to the hospital. On the referral she wrote down the the father doesn't trust her medical opinion and wanted to see someone else. (Fortunately, I had my hubby with me because I would have been in tears at this point.) After waiting for almost 2 hours at the hospital the doctor came in and lectured him on not trusting the 4 year old's doctor. Finally, he asked if she was done so that she could examine our girl. Well after the doctor listened to her she decided to order a chest x-ray. She also noticed that she had a history with other problems. After the xray we found out that she had full on pneumonia. She was given 10 days of antibiotics.

We were told at the time to come back in two weeks. But they decided that it wasn't necessary for us to go back, but never told us. After two weeks we had to go back to our 1st doctor before we could go get a referral to the hospital again. Well, we had to change our 1st doctor, and we had to go the the kommune to do it. (Each area has a main center where they decide what daycare, and what doctor you should have. They also deal with trash, employment, and other neighborhood issues). It would take 14 days for the paperwork to go through.

We found out that there was a private hospital where you can pay $400 to be seen. We decided to go there to see if we could get more help. The doctor there told us it is very common for kids here to have RSV. They think that is normal especially if they are attending daycare. So now we are getting some blood work done to see if she has any allergies to things as well. We are worried about mold because our house has mold as well. (That is another thing that Danes think is normal to live with.)

Anyways, the weather has been below 38 degree F, and no were else to go because you don't want your child to get worse.

I hope everyone is staying warm and cozy, and keeping sick free.

Two New Writing Blogs

2010-01-27T05:06:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to write for a long time. I have lots and lots of ideas, but have a hard time getting them down on paper. Two new blogs I have been reading have inspired me to write more.

I hope they inspire you as well.

/jscottsavage.blogspot.com/

/travelinoma.blogspot.com/

Facebook

2010-01-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

This is to let everyone know why I am not on Facebook. 1st I love the idea of Facebook. I would love to connect with lots and lots of people. 2nd Facebook requires for me to give out to much of my information. Yes I can lie about my birthday, but it is scary to think that someone could use my information for bad. So for now, I am not on Facebook. But who knows what the future holds.

Good luck all Facebook people.

Friends

2010-01-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

One of my good friends is named Lisa Forsyth. I haven't talked to her in a while. Part of it has to do with me living in Denmark. (It is hard to keep in touch with a lot of people when you are so far away.) The other part is I think we get busy living our lives, but I know that when we do get together we would pick up right where we left. She is funny and very talented.

Anyways, one of Lisa's favorite things is Barbies. She told me she feels like she never had enough Barbies when she was little. She use to make up movies with Barbies. So whenever I see movies or videos where Barbies are the main character. I think of her.

I want to dedicate this video I found YouTube. It is Emiliana Torrini - Jungle Drum starring Barbie. I hope you enjoy.

Danish Medical System

2009-12-18T01:09:00.000-08:00

I have been here for almost 3 years, and I have to say that I am not impressed with the Danish Medical System. Here are some examples:

1- my 4 year old daughter use to through up once a month for over 1 year. I would tell our regular doctor, and she said it is normal "daycare sickness". Then when she was spitting up blood, and after hours doctor never came by and said well if she is still bad after the weekend go to your regular doctor. Needless to say she never had any tests done. She is better now, but we will never know what caused it.

2 - when I was pregnant with my 2nd daughter the midwifes were on strike. That didn't mean I should see my regular doctor more, it just meant that I had less prenatal care. Thank goodness I do not have any complications with diabetes and high blood pressure.

3- my hubby had a pretty hard bike reck. He crashed into a light pole really hard. He came home and almost passed out. I was able to get him into the emergency room. They did not take one x-ray, and sent him home with nothing. After 5 days his doctor suggested that he get an ulra sound treatment from a physical therapist. That was it. To this day you can feel a huge divitt in his leg.

My 4th story is what happened to a little boy. Here is the reference from another blogger. I refer you to her post on the subject so you can also read about her experience, and she has references to the article as well.

Here is the story. A 14 month old boy had swallowed a small battery. The doctors never took an x-ray, and they thought the parents were not sure. The parents tried 11 times in 2 weeks to have someone help them. No one did. Needless to say the boy had died, and when the autopsy proved that the battery was the cause of death. The parents are Danish, so it goes to show that I am getting the typical Danish medical care, and that I am not treated worse as a foreigner.

Manna Bread

2009-12-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

Over at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven. Jen talked about her journey of going vegan. Well, I have not decided to go vegan, but I was very intrigued with the idea of eating food in its natural raw state. Plus, I like the idea of feeding my children good nutritional food. So I decided to make manna bread. Here is what mine looked like. It took me a week to sprout the wheat. I think I was trying to sprout to much, but overall it tastes great. I also made sprouted wheat bonn bonns. I cannot get mine to form into balls, but my 1 year old enjoyed it. My 4 year old did not like it, but I think she needs to learn to eat other foods. I enjoyed it and look forward to having more tomorrow. I also made almond milk. I was able to make some great shakes with bananas, and blueberries. My 1 year old thinks this tastes great. My 4 year old thought it was okay, but she did drink the small cup that I gave her. I also learned that we could use flax seed as an egg substitute. Anyways, I am having fun learning new ways to make good food.

Denmark Like and Dislike list

2009-12-03T01:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a new list from another friend of mine.

could you keep my name anonymous?

5 things I like:

-how social and nice everyone is...hyggeligt dinners, good conversation
-how green everything is in summer and spring--there are so many trees, even as you drive along highways
-in general, they are more healthy--there is less fast food, everyone gets outdoors a lot, they are more environmentally friendly
-house decor
-how everyone gets into Christmas so much

5 things I didn't like

(These were hard to think of for me!)

being away from all our family
not speaking the language--my fault! (I appreciated that they all spoke perfect English!)
I missed my garbage disposal
pickled herring

I missed not being able to run to the grocery store after 8 pm!

Learning Letters

2009-11-30T10:03:00.001-08:00

I have been worried about my 3 year old learning her letters. So I asked. Suzanne over at thejoyfulchaosreviews.blogspot.com. She was so nice and gave me some suggestions. The biggest thing was to make it into a game. She suggested using whip cream on the table, or even cherrios. Well, I decided that my 3 year old should use nail polish on paper. She loves to have her nails painted, and I have lots of nail polish sitting around. Well, I wish I would of taken pictures. She only did 3 letters, but she learned the letter "B", and she also painted it. She then wanted to write letters on paper for hours. She didn't need to paint them just write them. She now can write up to 11 letters, and she knows about 6 more than that. So I am glad to for the great advice. Thanks Suzanne

Twilight Series

2009-11-24T04:16:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of the Twilight Series. I can't wait to see New Moon. Today I saw a great article on CNN. I really enjoyed the article and agreed. It basicly says that teenagers don't need a lot of sex related media to be popular. I quite agree. That is why I enjoy Stephenie Meyer as a writer. She is able to capture all the feelings of romance without all of the sex. Romance has many different aspects. Thank you for doing a good job Stephenie. I can't wait to see what other things you write.

Denmark Like and Dislike list

2009-11-20T01:03:00.000-08:00

I have decided to ask a few of my friends who have moved from Denmark to give me a list of things they like and a list of things they dislike about Denmark. I decided to add dislikes so that you can get an idea of some of the strange things that go on here. Like small refrigerators, and having to shop 3 times a week. Also, all the stores close at 5:30 on Saturday. Or going to the store with a list of 5 things only to find 3. Lately, I have found myself staring at the shelf for something like brown rice, or a can of artichokes, or vanilla ice cream I keep staring I guess hoping those things will magically appear. I am spending like 5 minutes looking. Anyways, I am telling you this because you would never know unless I tell you, or someone shares with you their dislikes of Denmark.

I will keep the names of the people I have asked anonymous. Just know that everyone I have asked have kids, and have lived her for over 1 year.

Here is my 1st Guest.

As for your question....Five things I hated about it and five I liked? Well, I guess here goes.

Hated:

1. The people were very rude and closed off, insincere, arrogant,

2. The Ward

3 The weather

4 Having to go shopping so many times a week (I hate grocery shopping) It took too long.

5 The schooling they got at the international school, Doctors

Liked:

1 the architecture

2 the long lunches with friends and the friends that I made over there.

3 the travel

4 the horse back riding

5 the streets of Copenhagen

If I had to do over again. I would wait till my kids were grown and then just go with Scott I might have had a different view of it then. To visit Copenhagen I like it but to live there I don't think I would recommend it.

Good Fairy

2009-11-16T02:27:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been overwhelmed with kids and house work. My Honey was out of town, and I was extra overwhelmed. I started to think, "Why can't I have a Good Fairy?" Like on Cinderella. I already have my Prince Charming, but boy would I love a Good Fairy to help me out. The things a Good Fairy would do would: Clean your whole house while you were sleeping, Clean all leaves in the yard while you are sleeping, Make a delicious meal to come home to while you are running around doing town getting things done. When we were kids we had Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny. I think as an adult I need something magical to look forward to as well. I really like the idea of getting extra help, and then I started to realize that I have many Good Fairies in my life. My Honey is my Good Fairy whenever he does the dishes, makes me a cake, does laundry, or puts the kids to bed. My Mother T is a great Good Fairy. She helped out with my two girls when they were born. She makes delicious food, and cleans, and laughs. She is a lot of fun.

The other day I had taken a long train ride, and I was on my way home. An elderly man started to talk to me. As usually, I had to tell him that I speak English. He then asked if he could borrow my mobile phone. His battery died, and he was trying to call his wife. He even said he would pay me. Of course, I had him use my phone, and I would not even consider having him pay me. He called his wife, and then told me I had saved his life. He was so apprieciative. He continued to thank me as I left. That day I was that man's Good Fairy. And it felt great helping someone.

I think I spend to much time feeling sorry for myself, and I feel like my mountain of responsibilities gets bigger everyday. But I realized that others need help as much as I do. Even something small goes a long way. But if you happen to be lost in the woods and a sweet little fairy helps you get out, will you please send her my way. I would love to have her give me a visit.

War Update

2009-10-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today, I have not lost any weight since last post, and have exercised a total of 5 days.

That leaves 100 more days to go!

Painted Nailes

2009-10-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

Isabella Frickadella loves to have her nails painted. If I plan things well, I can usually use it as a reward. But lately she just nags me. Well, the other day she found my nail polish, and tried to paint her own nails. I am very, very, very lucky the only mess was on her nails. But overall, she gets so much happiness in having her nails painted. I may need to tell her that I pulled the nail polish from the trash, and paint her nails.

War Update

2009-10-14T05:49:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I have lost 4 pounds, and I have exercised an additional 5 days. So now I have 105 days to go.

I went on the South Beach Diet for around 1 week. I decided to go off of it for a few days. The excuses are: I have been sick, and so have my kids. I am having a hard time exercising the past few weeks. I gained 1 pound on the strictest phase of the diet.

So now I am going to not be so strict for a few days, then get right back on it. I am going to blog about my weight until I have exercised 105 total days. We will see how things look by then. Hopefully I will get my rear in gear.

Shoes

2009-10-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Isabella calls Mary Jane shoes, "Mary James". It is really cute

Sick, sick, sick

2009-10-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

I have been sick for over 1 week. Last Sunday Isabella, came down with croup. Here in Denmark, they call it sea lion cough. I like that because her cough does sounds like a sea lion. So we have had that to deal with plus I am not 100% myself. Thank goodness for my sweet honey. He has taken care of Isabella at night. Sometimes with croup you can stop breathing, and that is pretty scary. Plus, there is a good chance Christina is going to get it as well.

Hopefully, Isabella will get well, and I can be back myself.

The Blues

2009-10-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

Today I have "the blues". I had to take my baby to the doctor's to get shots. I just hate it .My nose is stuffy. My neck is stiff. I have to clean my house. Tex pooped in the house. I need to get 45 CEC for my ACSM certification. I started a new diet, and I want chocolate. (No, I don't. Yes I do. No I don't. Yes I do.)

But lucky enough for me. My fweety sent me a very sweet email.

Sometimes a nice word from the one I love makes all the difference. I hope he comes home from work at a good time, so we can cuddle on the couch and watch season 5 of 24 Hours.

I hope you all stay away from The Blues.

War Update

2009-09-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I have gained 2 pounds since my last post 2 weeks ago. I have worked out a total of 6 days. Now I have 110 days to go. I also am down to 1 hr and 12 minutes on my walk/run. I am slowly making progress. I still have a total of 1 pound loss. Very discouraging, but I will persiver.

I need to do better work outs, and watch my diet. I am hoping to follow the South Beach Diet here in a couple of weeks. I will post on how that goes. It's going to be hard because I can't put my girls on a diet, so I am going to have to cook two meals. That is something that is annoying to me, but it won't be forever.

Ella's Kitchen

2009-09-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my new favorite things. Ella's Kitchen It is organic baby food in a tube.
Here are some of the reason's why I like it.

1 - easy to travel wth (My 1 year old just sucks it out of the package, and she has for several months. You can also just us a spoon to squeese it on to as well.)
2 - has 12 month shelf life(that works out really great if you need to throw some in a 72 hr kit, or just leave it in your diaper bag)
3 - healthy for my kids. (the smoothies and other big kid flavors are made to be for big kids, so my 3 year old can use it too.)
4 - they taste great.

I am not sure if they sell this in the states. Only a few places sell them here in Denmark.

What are your kids eating?

What I have been up to

2009-09-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

I have been busy this past week. It was my baby's first birthday. I was busy making a crown for her, and for everyone in my mother's group. I recieved inspiration from one of my favorite blogs. Nie Nie. Those of you that know me, know I am not very creative, but I had so much fun making these crowns. I even persevered with the fact that Denmark has crappy craft stores

Finding Good Deal on Flights

2009-09-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

When we travel we spend a lot of time doing research to make sure we find good deals on flights. My Hubby does a good job finding good deals.

Here are a few of the sites that we use.

http://www.kayak.com/

http://www.skyscanner.net/

We also just get right on the airlines site to see what they have to offer. Some of the airlines that we have used in Europe have been.

Ryanair

Easyjet

Cimberair

Transavia

We have also used.

SAS

Lufthansa

United

There are many others out there, so look everywhere.

Also, be sure to collect frequent flyer miles. Many airlines group together so you can earn and redeem miles from several airlines. For example, United Airlines has a Star Alliance Program . Sometimes you will need to double check to make sure you earn miles. It may be a bit of work, but it is worth it. Several times in the states we were able to be bumped up to business class on delayed flights because we had premier status with our frequent flyer miles. This can make a big difference in a long wait and when you have children in tow. We also hope to take a fun trip to Australia with all of our miles we will earn, so take the time to learn more about different frequent flyer programs.

Good luck in your travel destinations.

War Update

2009-09-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I didn't post about how I am doing on my work out last week. My Internet was down, and I would like to post on Wednesdays.

Anyways, last week I lost "0" pounds. I was discouraged, but I am still at it, and at least I didn't gain weight. Today I have lost 1 pound. I have also cut off 5 minutes from my walk/run routine. I was hoping to be able to run the whole 4+ miles by the end of September, but now it looks like I will have to shoot for the end of October. I have added strength training two days a week. Since, last week I have exercised 7 days. So now I have 116 more days until I am in shape. At least I will be in better shape than I am now.

Today there are good things.

2009-09-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

Today it September 11, 2009. Eight years ago the United States of America was attacked by terrorists. Eight years ago I was single living with my parents, and not sure of my future.

Today I am living in Denmark. I have a wonderful husband, and 3 beautiful girls.

Today I went to pick up my 3 year old from her daycare, and she greeted me with her face painted like a dog. She has thought about having her face painted for several weeks now, and she has wanted to be painted like a dog for several days now. When we left we saw two elderly ladies who just had a great time with my darling's face. They laughed and smiled and loved her face. She was proud and happy to be a dog. Not only did her face make me, and her little sister smile, but everyone that saw her.

Eight years ago very bad things happened, and there are some very bad things in this world, but for me right now I have very wonderful happy things. I never imagined anything bringing me so much happiness as a proud 3 year old with a painted face.

I think we all need to have our face painted.

The Proposal

2009-09-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to get away from the kids for a couple of hours (thanks honey!). I went with some friends to see The Proposal. Even easy things in the US can be a challenge when you're living overseas and don't speak the languge. Like finding movie times - the best way to find movies in Copenhagen, Denmark is http://www.kino.dk/ It is all in Danish, but you can navigate with a little time. I feel it is user friendly.

The Proposal

This is a movie about an assistant who has a witch for a boss. She is going to get deported, so she announces that she is going to marry her assistant. He goes along because he wants a promption more than anything.

They then go to Alaska for his grandmother's 90th birthday. There they announce their engagement.

I love that Betty White played the grandmother. I think she is pretty funny. There was this great scene where she is doing an Indian dance. I did enjoy Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds as the main characters.

Overall, it was a fun & light hearted movie.

Nie Nie, and C Jane

2009-09-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to talk about two blogs.

http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

http://www.blog.cjanerun.com/

I first started to read Nie Nie last summer right after her accident, but I actually was reading her sister Courtney who was writing for her. She is the author of C Jane. She is a very good writer, and I became addicted. I also was able to learn a lot about Nie Nie. The other thing I love is that they have great faith. I too am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I also love that these two sister have much love for each other. They are very creative, and show much happiness for the basic thing in life. Sometimes we get so wrapped up on how busy we get that we don't slow down and enjoy our little kids, and our messy houses. That is why I enjoy these sites because they remind me to appreciate the little things in life. Because we have a lot of good things around us that it would be a shame to miss.

Pioneer Woman

2009-09-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today my favorite blog is

www.thepioneerwoman.com

I truely love this sight. I have been reading this sight for Several months. I love everything about it. I love her frankness, and that she keeps her personality in all that she does. I also really love her recipies. They are very good, and she takes fantasitc pictures. I feel like I cook so much better, because she explains things so well. My hubby even says that he better not meet her because he likes the recipes I have made. She has also just come out with a cook book. I am excited to get one.

War Update

2009-09-02T10:05:00.001-07:00

This is my second week of the war on my butt. I am happy to announce that I lost 2 whole pounds. I am very pleased since I was sick this last week, and I worked out 2 days last week. I also worked out 2 days this week as well.

When I took my PE class in college I learned that it takes 128 days of working out to get in shape. So I have 4 days down and 124 to go.

I also read an article through ACSM that talked about strength training and weight loss. Those who added strength training lost more weight, and were able to keep weight off for a longer amount of time. Also, it helps reduce the risk of obesity, reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, reduce risk of color cancer, reduce risk of diabetes, and reduce the risk of depression.

Well, I am really motivated to add strength training in my work out. I did do my usually run today. It still took me around 1 hr and 20 minutes. I then did 15 lunges on both legs. Then 25 squats. I should have done more, but that was hard. About a year ago I could do 50 with no problem, so I have a way to go. I also do enjoy the Jillian Micheal's DVD, so I need to get back to that as well.

Well, let's see what next week brings.

Domestic Goddess

2009-09-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

Today my favorite blog is

http://thelifeofadomesticgoddess.blogspot.com/

This is the blog of my good friend Margee. Those of us that know her, know that Margee means so many things. She is very talented. She is creative, and an artist. She has a whole art room in her barn just for her creativity. She is wise and smart, and gives good advise without feeling like she is giving you advise. She tries new things, and she really knows how to have fun. I am always learning from her, so I am glad that she started a blog. I can't wait to see what her art room looks like, and I can't wait to see what the life of a Domestic Goddess shares with us.

Girl Hair Dos

2009-08-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

My next favorite blog is

www.girlydohairstyles.com

This one has been a life savior. I had so much trouble doing Isabella's hair. She was always taking it out, or it would fall in her eyes by the end of the day. My sister-in-law always has her girls looking so nice, so she told me about this sight. I love, love, love it. Jenn does such a good job in explaining the styles. She also has a lot of other great hairstyles blogs on her blog as well. Those ladies are amazing.

I hope you all have fun with this one, if you have a little girls who's hair is in her eyes.

Sasha Spills Her Secrets

2009-08-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

This week I am going to post about some of my favorite blogs that I enjoy reading.

Today is http://sashaspills.blogspot.com/

She is actually my sister, and she is also busy working and going to school. I enjoy reading it because she is pretty funny. Her last post talked about how she lied about her age to fit in at school. Well, her partner in her class was shocked about how old she was. The reality is that she is much older. I had a pretty good laugh at that one. I think it is good to laugh several times a day.

War Update

2009-08-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well since last week, I have lost 1 pound. ( 1 point for me 0 point for my butt).

I have been walking and running a little over 4 miles. It took me around 1hr and 20 min. I actually, run around 8 times during that distance. My goal is to make my running longer, and not run more ofter. I also am doing my work out DVD from Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Looser. It kicks my butt, but it is what I need. I always see good result when I add strength training in my workout. We will see what next week brings.

I have Declared War

2009-08-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

I have officially declared war on my Butt! Yes you heard me right. I was doing so good in loosing the weight I had gained from being pregnant with Christina. Then I went on vacation in Europe. Now I have to loose some extra weight as well. Also, nothing is fitting me. I am so discouraged, but I will win this war. There is not room for both of us, and since I was here before my butt, my butt needs to go.

Sad News

2009-08-13T01:29:00.000-07:00

I thought my Macbook was all better, but it is not. I need to mail it back to the US. I don't know when I will get it back. I hope the laptop I am working on doesn't cause me problems as well. I may have problems with pictures, but I am going to keep on posting.

Flyve (fl-u) Away Bi

2009-08-12T04:21:00.000-07:00

This summer my 3 year old was really bugged by bugs. She loves lady bugs, and butterflies. She also loves snails and wants to bring them home, but anything else she can't stand. Especially, bees, flies, and misquotes. So often times when we are eating outside, she is spending more time shooing the flies than eating her food. She is also saying "Flyve Away Bi". Over and over again.

Let me translate. Flyve is the Danish word for flying, Away is English, and Bi is Isabella's own language. She uses that word for spiders, butterflies, flies, bees, and misquotes. She is much better at saying butterfly and spider, but she does say bi for flies and bees.

I love my Mac

2009-08-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

I love my Mac, oh yes I do, I love my Mac, it's true, oh Ma-ac I love you.

My Mac gave out on me around 2 months ago, and my Fweetie(friend and sweetheart) pie was finally able get it fixed. But he had taken my mac to the states, and then Apple had to mail it back to me. But before we were able to get it back we had left for a 3 week adventure across Europe. So now we are back, and I have my Mac.

So now I will be able to write more.

I am so happy.

Much Happening

2009-05-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of things going on.

- Selling our house.
We are in the process of selling our home in the much loved Seattle area. We love Washington state, and will probably love it forever. We don't love our house, and now we are going to sell it.

- Going to Crete.
We are going to spend 10 days in Crete. We are so excited. We are renting a house with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a private pool.

- Bringing our lovely Tween home.
My wonderful hubby is off to bring our lovely tween daughter from her mom's house. With this there is always a bit of stress. 1- I need to get the room she will be in comfortable. 2- We need to make sure sure there are some good activities lined up for her. 3- Getting use to having a tween around. (That can be challenging in on its own).

- My sweet little baby is growing up.
My little 7 month soon to be 8 months is crawling like crazy. She has two teeth, and now she is starting to pull herself up. I am very busy running around.

- My little princess is acting more like a little devil.
I love my sweet 3 year old but she has been a big handful. With in 24 hours. She has whinned in the car all the way to the airport, gotten a pearle bead stuck on her bottom baby tooth, wrote in pen all over my friends alphabet floor puzzle, peed on the bathroom floor with her clothes on at my friends house, ate a crayon, played with my jewelery, sprayed hairspray everywhere, ate a whole container of gum, went into the baby's room and woke her up, hit me, and threw a big tantrum. I think that is all. At this point I think I am suppressing anything extra that has happened.

Life is busy!

Garbage Disposal Anyone?

2009-05-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Inventions from the new world.
So sometimes while living in a different country you just wonder why certain things you’ve taken for granted in your home country haven’t caught on. For example in Denmark: They do not have garbage disposals. It doesn’t matter how nice your house is, it just does not have a garbage disposal. Even the Danes who have visited the US haven’t thought about the benefits of this mechanical marvel of modern men. So what in the world do you do with the eggshells from that cake you just baked? Or my personal favorite, the plate of half chewed food your toddler spit back on the plate because they decided half way through that it didn’t taste the same as it looked? Well, you get to scrape it into your kitchen garbage, and toss it in your pathetically small outdoor can. Yes, they have pathetically small trash cans. I’m not sure if this is to encourage people to recycle more or if my landlord is just a cheapskate and ordered the ¼ trash service, but it stinks. Now as a side note: Denmark does do a great job in having you sort through your trash, and recycling. For example. You should sort your trash as so, Bottles, newspapers, cardboard, pizza boxes. But if you live in a home, you have to take these items to what I call the local dump, because there is no curbside pickup for them. The dump here is really more of a recycling distribution area. Everything you dump you can dump for free. You can even bring in old computer parts, yard waste, wood or metal pieces. I am sure they even have a place you can take big pieces of concrete too. It is a great place to unload a lot of junk. But it is easier to get to if you have a car. This could be another side note living in Denmark, but I won’t get into that just yet. Meanwhile there is no garbage disposal. After some time I ran into an article about why garbage disposals don’t exist in Europe. (I am sorry but I cannot find the article I read). Anyways, it said that a lot of countries do not like garbage disposals because it is bad for the waterways. It contaminates the water. Well the house that I live in we have little rocks that come out of our sink that goes down the drain. And it is considered normal to have lots of red water in the winter time. Something to do with the chalk in the pipes and the cold weather. This is supposed to be normal, but begs the question, if the water quality is so bad without garbage disposals, why not just let us have the disposals? So meanwhile we have no garbage disposal, a smaller trash can to throw trash into, and red water. I miss the garbage disposal. I want to have one someday again in my life.

Copyright.

2009-05-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

Everything on my blog is under copyright. That means, I will not steal anything from anyone else, and I expect people to have the courtesy of not stealing from me. If you’d like to quote me, that’s fine, just make sure you link back to the original source.

Thank you.

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

My Mother

I came to earth and was guided by a wonderful woman. She is my mother. She left her home and made a new life for herself in a different country. She can speak 3 different languages. She nurtured me and loved me and watched me grow. She has great faith, and her love of God is very great. She taught me to have faith in God. The strength of prayer and fasting. If you were to look at her, you would not know how mighty she really is. I am grateful for her strength. I hope I can become strong like her.

One day I met a very sweet man. He is loving and kind and funny. And then I met his mother. Her two arms wrapped around me, and held me close. She has great love. She is kind and funny. She became my mother. She came to me to help me when I had my babies. She wrapped her two arms around my girls and loved them. She is always there to hear my sadness, and gives me guidance and love. She too is strong and powerful. She too has great faith in God. She overcame ovarian cancer. I know she is here to help me become better, and to give me great love. I have two mothers. One who gave birth to me. Raised me, and loved me. The other is my mother through marriage. She too raises me and loves me. After all families are for eternity.

I am so blessed to have two mothers who love me so much.

Leverpostej vs Peanut butter

2009-04-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

Every now and then while living in a different country something happens where you really stick out as an American. I call them "Danish Moments". (Thanks to my friend Andria). My latest adventure happened at my 3 year old's daycare. Most days I send her to school with a peanut butter and honey sandwich. Well, I had a parent teacher conference the other day. It was just the usual 6 months evaluation you have with the teacher. I learned that my DD gets along great with other kids, has a good since of humor. So basically, she is a great fun little girl.

Then the conversation turned to how the school system is trying to encourage better eating habits. Well, I always try to send her with 2 to 3 kids of fruits and vegetables everyday. But for some reason peanut butter is considered not healthy. I have another American friend and she always sends her 3 year old with peanut butter. So then I went to the store right after and went to the deli section. I then had my little princess look at all the meats and see what she likes. She then picked out leverpostej which is pronounced leh-wer-po-st-eye. This is a dish where they take liver, herbs, salt, pepper, and onions. Yes, I did say LIVER. It is a very common dish in Denmark. In fact, it is a favorite with most of them. You can look it up on wikipedia.

I find it quite gross, and I definitely would choose peanut butter any day of the week. If it was for allergy reasons, I wouldn't feel bad about taking PB off the menu. But it's just a cultural thing.

Now she is going around saying, "I don't like peanut butter mommy." (In her best Danish accent). I hate having my kids develop likes or dislikes to food based on what people say to her.

I will still send her to school with peanut butter, but now I will only do it 2 days a week instead of 5. Maybe, I'll send it on rye bread just to change things up...

Delicious

2009-04-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

One of the first things I discovered about Denmark was strawberry pies, or jordbærtærte. It has a sugar cookie crust, with a hard chocolate covering. Then it has a sweet cream custard filling. On top with glazed strawberries.

MMM, MMM, MMM Good Stuff!!

This pie only comes out during spring time, so we make an effort to enjoy it.