The week of cleaning

On Sunday we sat down and wrote up a rota on how to get a little bit more organized and try to stay on top of the cleaning so we could be more spontaneous and invite friends over without me having a panic because the flat is a shit tip.

We did really well, for 3 days but today it fell through. However, we managed to have one guest witness our tidy home : -)

Its not too bad, and tomorrow I will do a little bit of extra housework. I promise!

Swedish folkfest

I don't think Uddevalla can take any more festivities - this is the 3rd weekend in a row and the least popular by the looks of things. How can you compete with Class 1 Grand prix, last weekend and Fjordfestivalen, the week before that. I hope that next weekends activity Utomhusbion (outside cinema) will be more successfull.

Me and Mina had a quick look around and then headed over to the new city playground.

Stocking up for the weekend

It is Friday lunch time and I have an errand to the shops when I suddenly remembered that it's Friday - That means Fredagsmys as we Swedes like to call it (cosy Friday). This tradition seems to be holy in this country where hardly anyone over 25 does anything but snuggle up at home with a bottle of wine and OLW crisps (or fresh prawns when the price isn't rocketing thanks to the norwegians).

The state controlled Systembolaget (off license) have stricked opening hours but have in later years expanded their opening hours and allows us to drink even on a Sturday - you have until 2pm.

I was however pleased I remembered to pay them a visit so I could surprise Paul with a nice bottle of wine, and that is exactly what I did - a nice looking bottle of wine.

I usually dont buy wine by the design on the label but....I saw

and thought of quality.

Paul saw...

and got fag cravings....

At least I was in right section 'new world' white, who know what I would have picked up otherwise, horrible German table wine maybe? I was under a spell and mesmerized by the change. It was so stylished and modern....

I remembered when all bottles were in display cabinets. You politely tock a ticket, waited in line (for up to an hour if it was a friday) to be served by a lady who asked you for an 8 digit number out of an catalogue. She would then disappear back into the stock room to go and get your order.

It so turned out that our local Offie, is one of the most successful shops in the country (again the norwegian has somtehing to do with this too) and therefor turned into the most stylished and modern of them all. I must admit I was a little busy taking it all in, sharing with friends this new discovery so I am not sure how good this bottle of wine really is but at least we can cuddle up on the sofa and join the rest of the swedish population.

Class 1 Swedish Grand Prix weekend

First Swedish grand prix in Sweden, and it's in Uddevalla!

There were a lot of action in the first race where one boat flipped over on the first lap. Another one spun and was hit by another boat on the first lap of the restart. That was 3 out of 6 boats out of the race even before the first lap had finished. Talking about a dangerous sport.

It took some time before we actually got to the boats because there was this massive big destruction - a Circus! (as Mina calls it) No it was Axel's funfair.

This is how hooked Mina was on the whole racing thing, and this is only the small boats, the F2

Day 2

These boats are enormously large! Time to get ready for race no 2

Paul put in a great deal and saved the race again and again. Head of media, Head of IT, app developer just to mention a few rolls he mastered this weekend. He was also a wonderful husband and father who got us free passes everywhere in the race village.

Its not only mum and dad who is obsessed with the iphone.

Now - potential new user. Young teaches younger.

Skydiving one of the teams main hobby

and the flowers Mina got from one of the parachuter guy.

Food fighting

When did I last sit down and finish my meal with no interruptions (apart from sitting down for dinner after 9pm)?

When M was little she used to eat everything we ate, but now every mealtime is a fight. After spending the weekend at the summerhouse and Ms first sleep-over at Mormor and Morfar I feel I have to give up. It fills my heart with sorrow to stock up the fridge with 'children friendly' crap food. It goes against my principles but I suppose we need some sanity in this house.

The fights cant go on! So the fridge is full of food I know she will eat. That includes fish fingers, meatballs (mamma scan of course) and korv to mention a few 'healthy' meals . I suppose the food they eat at nursery is not home cocked and therefore the pallet of our children change thereafter.

I have many great children's cookbooks but when are you gonna find the time to cook all these extra meals!?

Today is a great example.

We come home at about 5 pm, she is both hungry and tired but she doesn't want to eat real food. So we argue for a while until she sits down with a ball of cereal.

So, during her cereal feast I try to sort out all other house tasks such as the washing up, but only gets half way when I have to run off for a potty run.

Anyway, I just wanted to say its not easy being a good mum all the time. Once I've got the house in order after our mini vacation (and that will take most of the weekend, I can assure you) I will do what I used to do when M was very little, I will stay up all night batch cooking. I make really good meatballs and fish fingers I can do too but as for the black pudding...NO.

And not before then, will I feel like a good mother again.