The gods marked Midsummer by sending us a spectacular storm this afternoon, complete with thunder and lightning, rain and hail.  Olof and Petra had walked to the grocery store to pick up some hamburger buns and were caught in the deluge on their way back.  At home, I had been alerted by a couple of… Read More Wet and wild

We don’t use our kids’ middle names often, which means that Tage and Petra pretty much think that their first names are all they’ve got.  If you’ll remember, Petra’s middle name is Isadora, and the following little exchange illustrates perfectly that it’s something she’s not used to hearing. Me, in a sing-song voice:  Pet-ra Is-a-do-ra,… Read More What did you call me?

This afternoon, when I came down after clearing away the lunch dishes, Tage met me at the foot of the stairs and asked, “Is there anything you wish for?” “Wish for?” I asked. “What do you mean?” “There’s a little green flower with four leaves,” he explained, “and if you find it you get a… Read More Hidden agenda

I want to like soccer, honest I do.  If nothing else, its ubiquity here in Europe would make it a good stand-in for the baseball, football, and basketball I miss watching on TV in the States.  Try as I might, however, I can’t find it anything other than mind-numbingly boring.

but really, couldn’t you just *die* from the cute?  Olof took this picture today in Skansen, where we spent the afternoon with the delightful Ally and her equally delightful children.

In just a couple of hours Olof and I will be packing up Tage, Petra, and the dogs and dropping them off at Farmor’s before heading off to the airport for our whirlwind trip to the nation’s capital.  Brynja’s coming with us, of course, and Lydia’s staying at the house with Helena for a girl’s… Read More Packing my bags

Olof was on his way out the door this morning to run to the store for some eggs when he turned and called back, suddenly, “Bring the camera, quick!” I hastened to do as bidden, and when I got out to the porch he pointed out that which he wanted photographed.  I knew at once… Read More Excitement on Skärvägen

I am just way too busy Pack Ratting to do much of anything else, including thinking up an interesting blog post. I’m not usually the sort to get caught up in online games and the like, but this one has really gotten under my skin. Maybe I’ll have stolen and vaulted enough good cards by… Read More Hooked

The weather did cooperate after all, and the sun shone on the kids’ end-of-school festivities this morning.  It was actually much colder out than the pictures show, and I was more than happy to crawl back into my warm bed for a late-morning nap as soon as we got back home.  Lydia, however, has been… Read More No more pencils, no more books

Today was Tage’s last day, ever, at the pre-school where he’s spent two years.  We’ve been making a rather big deal of it, Olof and I, but the boy himself seems more or less unmoved by the whole thing.  Me, though … I’m a mess. To think that my baby boy has gotten so big… Read More Out with the old, in with the new