Pancake day

* Feeding at 6 am, not too bad when she has slept through all night - monging on the internet until its time to get up.

* Good start with plenty of time to spare - Mina is ready, I am ready, the car is ready. We're late! What happened?!

* The investigation continues....12 tubes!! Good excuse to wolf down a bar of chocolate ; - )

* Quick look in the sale, now half the sale price. Suits my wallet and frugal lifestyle (it sucks tho)

* The idea of tasty creps and a special pancake day - what was I thinking, I would have needed all day to carry that out. Instead - a quick owen baked pancake with bacon.

The sock stays on

* Woho! Upstairs bathroom is finished - shower in a mould free, clean wet room, stepping out in to a sparkling white bathroom. No more yellow - Nice!

* 8 am is no time getting up when getting 2 kids ready for at 9 am. Eliza would have non of it. Screaming the house down Paul ended up taking Mina to nursery.

* My pressures shopping time is slipping away when I sit down for a Charlotte-style-breakfast, reads the paper and change boots. Putting on more makeup, another feed and dig out an old coat that needs tidying up before getting out of the door.

* Pinched the last place in the Yoga and Mindfulness course starting on february 1st - less than 100 kr / session. Not bad!

* Updated podcast library - now I'm gonna stay on top of news and popular culture.

* F1 Pitstop at Överby shopping centre to see if I can find new slippers for hubby. No time to look for baby hat or use my vouchers at the Maxs restaurant - ended up eating no lunch today.

* The support sock will have to be part of my outfit for a bit longer - a year to be exact. Now the investigation starts.....

* Very hungry baby - long sleeps in the day is never good, it will come back and bite you in the arse at night. No 'Person of interest' and popcorn tonight either.

Knackered end of day picture

2 month appointment

* Aj aj aj my hands!! It wont stop itching - to0 much water - too many nappy changes.

* 8.30 doctors appointment - why did I agree to such a awkward time. Both me and Eliza will have to go in our nighties, no time to get changed! She is perfect!

* Send off a few work emails.

* Quick tour to the shopping centre - time to get those eyes a bit more awake. New conceler and 2 new eye pencils.

* My turn to cook! Veggie mosaka also known as My little Pony Pie, yummy.

* Back on the home made face wipes drenched in olive oil and water (these are the same as I use for both the girls, staying clear of chemical as best I can).

End of day pic - still wearing my nightie

New approach

Not maintaining the amount of post I had hoped for, I think I need to find a different angle....

Here is a new approach to motherhood in the first few months and beyond.

* Missed children's centre - why does all the activities take place before lunch!!

*Cant live without Vanish - 2 times I have used it already and its not even lunchtime. I dont want to know what's in it but it does what it says on the tin.

* Finally snow - Mina is sledging on the drive while I do the car windows in glories sunshine.

* Quick check to see if neighbor fancy doing the sledge slope before banishing the idea and drive into town instead.

* Combining shopping and work at Deval - got a good winter hat for Mina and a free notebook for me (and some give away catalogues).

* Health is still high on the agenda. Not managed to stay clear of the sweets but regular smoothies, home made muesli and cucumber eye masks should make up for it.

* Gymnastic - Minas first lessen by her self, she'll be fine!

* The day of the tulip was last sunday but I continue on the theme - fresh flowers in the hall, could it be more inviting?

End of the day picture

Julgransplundring

Our local power station has this annual event where you after 2o days after xmas bring your tree (or in our case, more like twigs, no green left what so ever) to be recycled. They lay on loads of activities, foods games for the kids (all with an environment and recycle theme) and a guided tour of the plant. Unfortunately Mina was in a really bad mood and didn't want to go so we only dropped our tree off and went home : - (

There is nothing that sweets cant solve. Bowl for mummy and Mina

Friday the 13

WHY WHY WHY can I never leave on time! Its making me so angry and in these situations I feel like to whole world is against me (well it is friday 13), we were lucky that the health visitor called and rescheduled Eliza's appointment for this afternoon, now we could go to the children's centre without stressing too much.

Mina's new boots

Eliza is wearing her new outfit she got from her cousins - and the old car seat came in handy after the cats had marked their territory in the other one. Grrrr

But the day is never that simple. I realized my medicine is finished and the weekend is up on us - what to do! After speaking to the hospital I checked with the chemist to see if I had any more prescriptions in my name butI didnt. I'm in trouble!

Of course I forgot to call back (baby / breastfeeding brain lets you forget EVERYTHING, so annoying). Thankfully my nice health visitor managed to help me out.

Finally at the children's centre.

It wasn't a good day for us today. Mina fell from a staple of chairs and wanted to go home and never come back...I do hope she change her mind - otherwise what are we gonna do on Mondays and Fridays??

Eliza had her first nap in her cot today, which was well overdue. No more carrying the push chair up and down the stairs (or getting the old one out for having one upstairs).

Got some really good advice as usual when we met up with the health visitor and she is even booking me in to a mindfullness course after I moan about how hard I find motherhood every time we meet.

Back at the chemist, again. This time to exchange the very expensive organic moisturizer I bought where the pump mechanism doesn't work.

Good for everyone in the family

Ps. My solution to worrying about if the baby is gonna ride down under the duvet is the very cute and useful sleeping pod. Placing the baby with its feet near the end of the cot is another safety proaction.

Another good piece of advice I got from my health visitor was that sometimes when the baby cry, hear it out for a little while before picking it up and try to comfort it. It might only express tiredness and it needs a little while to seattle. Of course if it escalates pick him/her up.

Shopping trip to Torp

I need a new foundation TODAY, I cant hold off any longer. I have said to myself that I shall start shopping more online to save money but I have checked out different websites for a better deal but there really isn't much difference in price and then there is shipping on top...

This trip turned out to be a real treat after a near real disaster.

I met up with mum at the shopping centre (not at all planed, she was in the area when I called) which I am very glad she did as I didn't have my bank card with me (which I realized when I was trying to pay for a drink).

Mina and Eliza had some money left from xmas and I was hoping to get them something in the sale.

Mum spoiled them as usual and Mina got both new trainers and a swimsuit and a rucksack for her new activities starting this eve. Eliza got some funky socks, even I got a snakey treat ;-)

Mina in her new swimsuit

Swim school starts now

baking teacakes for tomorrows fika at the children centre

Ready for my first gymnastic session (boots at such a bargain price! reduced from 399kr to 199kr and then another 50% for having a loyalty card).

It wasn't quite what we had hoped for and this gave me an idea for a business concept. This was a trail session and the group was full but she got a place in the Thursday group 5-6 year olds (lets hope there is a bit more of what it 'says on the tin' in that one).

Oh how I miss UK supermarkets

I am so happy! I can now get hold of my frugal food magazines that I love so so much.

Check out these awesome recipes from Morrison. Maybe Sainsburrys and Tesco, Waitrose has started a regular on-line magazine too??

Must investigate!

Morrisons Online-magazine

Healthy mornings

I am desperately trying to get into a healthy eating regime, my sweet tooth has still got the power over me. I am not on a diet or anything and it's not the end of the world right now as I am still breast feeding but I would like to have my eating habits under control for when I stop, and for Elizas sake. I think 6 months of solid feeding should be plenty for both of us. She has really put on weight now, there is no trace of her ever having a weight problem in the past. I wonder if she has the same withdrawal symptoms as I do....I had no sweets or biscuits yesterday, not even a small piece of dark chocolate!!

A good start to the day - full of fiber and fruit with no added sugar ;-)

served with homemade whole grain teacakes

1/2 banana

1 blood orange

lingonberry

linseeds

fiber oats

yoghurt

5 am madness

Now its all coming back to me. I do recall having a mad moment of getting up at crack of dawn when Mina was born. The whole sleep-when-the-baby-sleep business is still something that I am struggling with. I just cant let go of the things I know needs doing (sometimes even right in front of me, like a big pile of washing). Going to bed and having all these chores starring me in the face when I wake up. No, I cant deal with that. There might not be another opportunity to do these tasks for ages...its not like you can program the baby, yet.

So here I am writing when I should really be sleeping.

Well I might as well go downstairs and make sure Mina's outdoor clothes are dry for tomorrow, no I mean today. Think they'll have a much better chance of drying in the living room under the hot air pump then in a cold bathroom.

Ps. Who needs a smartphone more than a mum? I have just been feeding and comforting for two hours and even tho I would love an ipad - single handed devices that can easily be maneuvered to avoid being puked at or browsing the net only using the thumb when rocking the push chair are priceless. Not only can you go over the next days agenda one more time (the baby brain hasnt quite recovered yet, if it ever will, so its best to write EVERYTHING down before you forget it). The smartphone is also your best friend and babysitter for your young children. With both fun games and educational apps do you no longer need to avoid certain shelfs or drag the shopping trolly backwards when you do the weekly shop to make sure that your older darling dont spot something they want. And maybe they'll even be cooperative and nice and let you glance at your shopping list from time to time.

An active day

Start afresh again...lets see how long I can go this week without eating any sweets or biscuits. I am not doing too well on the new healthy eating front but hey its ok as long as I am breast feeding, I am getting thinner and Eliza is getting bigger. Who would have thought that she wasnt getting enough milk (because I produced so much milk and my breast were about to explode there were little or no nipple at all to latch on to). You dont think producing too much milk is gonna give you such grief (I will elaborate more on this topic in another post when I am not falling asleep while typing).

Today the children's centre opened for the first time since it shut down for Christmas holiday - it was packed with overexcited kids.We all had a really nice time. Enjoying home baked bread for Fika and catching up with old school friends. Mina found a friend from her nursery group and Eliza spent most of the time in her car seat asleep.

In the evening it was time for Mina to try out the local gymnastic organization. They gave a 2 week trail period. It was kind of a football session for the very young and I think we were equally disappointed. However, Mina cheered up when I told her that we should get her a new pair of trainers. What was I thinking - turning up to a football sessions with no shoes!!!

Now when both kids are asleep I am really looking forward to sit down with my husband and a big bowl of popcorn and watch the latest episode of Sherlock. It is just brilliant!

Bit by bit and its taking its time

Its not easy getting a job finished in this house of chaos. I am really looking forward to the end of this festive season and finding a routine. It might take a few months before Eliza finds hers but at least nursery is opening again this week. Do I sound like a bad mum now? The truth is I need to get some me-time where I can organize all the paperwork and finnish the unpacking. I havent even register the birth of Eliza yet. So far she is only a number and is former known as an Aston living at our address.

I cant say I know what day of the week it is but it just feels like every day is like sunday (think I might listen to some Morrissey)

To day it took me all day to finish cutting and filing my nails. The other day I finished cleaning the upstairs toilet - it had only taken a week! It usually takes me about an hour to do a bathroom (because I am such a cleaning freak - I either do it to perfection or not at all) and one can say that I have stopped being so bloody anal about cleaning now. Hurrah for cleaning wipes! Maybe not the most eco friendly option but it gets the job done and makes it a lot easier, especially when you can only spare a few minutes here and there.

Its amazing tho how I manage to fit cocking in to the day. Now, I'm not talking about lunch and dinner. That I am blessed to have my husband doing for us (me and Mina cook our own lunches occasionally and Elizas dinner is on tap so I dont have to worry about her just yet). No I refer to the healthy smoothies and nice baking ;-)

Now I am going to enjoy a slice of my newly baked bread and maybe even read a few pages in 'How to survive the first year of motherhood' by Vicky Lovine.

Ps. Lidl sells desposable cleaning wipes really cheap and in a decent size package too.

Here is a great recipe I found on the back of a flour package - very quick n easy!

Tea cakes for breakfast.

Bake in owen for 6-8 min on 225°C

Bye bye Christmas

Its been a tough couple of days.

On thursday me and the girls went to see a friend in Gothenburg. This play date had been planed since before xmas but during the holiday we’d all been having colds and thought we’d better leave it to a later date. I was a little bit unsure of the way and as I am notoriously bad for not being able to read a map this got me in a bit of a knot. Google maps are great but doesnt always give you the best directions and I did not fancy getting lost. My other worry was that Eliza was sitting in the back seat (with a journey time of 1 hr and not being able to see to her or hear her as Mina demanded to listen to the Gummi Bears on full blast.

In the end I ignored the google suggestion and called my friend for a different route - which was much better! Thank God I didnt need to worry about the directions any more.

Eliza slept and slept and slept which did give us loads of time to catch up, eat lunch and have fika (yes my healthy diet is a vague memory).

Eliza slept a little more on the way home and then....of course was up all night.

She didnt settle the following day either and there was a lot of crying and interrupted sleep. Friday is a bit of a blur actually. My memory is like a sieve!

Today Mina is having her first local play date! A work colleague / friend is coming over with her son who is three. After locking to cats in and sitting in mummys lap for a long time he finally came around and they played brilliantly all afternoon. I dont know what they enjoyed most playing with Barbie or trashing the gingerbread house....

Felt so nice taking down the Christmas decoration (not that we had much this year). The big tree had hardly shredded a single pine needle not even when being pulled through the back door and it had not had any water all xmas!!! We are definitely getting that kind of tree next year. Mina’s tree however, a standard pine tree, which we got under much nicer circumstances at the yearly Christmas tree party at Grötån did not have any needles left after being put into a black bin liner to save the house from being covered in pine needles. We then finished it all off with letting off a few fire works we had left from New Years Eve. Christmas going out with a bang, a new tradition!

Christmas tree party at Grötån

Ps. Creating your own CDs for various road trips is great however make sure you have a selection of them....We’ve put together a couple of CD with the theme tunes of Mina’s favorite TV shows and she is so sweet when she is singing on the top of her voice in the back seat.

If you havnt got the latest car model and do not have control of the front and rear speakers its advisable to invest in a set of portable speakers that you can plug in to the stereo or iphone. This is to stop you going crazy when they just want to listen to the same song over and over again. And so that you and your partner can have a conversation without having to shout to each other.

How to NOT having to leave the bedroom all night (and hopefully even stay in bed)

There is nothing that irritates me more than if I forget to pack any of my essentials when I am out and about. It can ruin the whole day. A bit childish I know but that just the way I am. I love being prepared for anything. I cant for example leave the house without my swiss army knife. Its the smallest version but it has proven useful almost everyday - toothpick, tweezers, nail file what more does a women need (the scissors and knife comes in pretty handy too).

So the same goes for when its time for bed. When I first came home from hospital I slept in our big comfortable bed getting up and feeding on the sofa in the bedroom 3-4 times a night, then having to go to the bathroom to do a nappy change...it was far to unpractical for my liking. I didnt like it a bit.

There was another big problem. We have to big siamese cats that sleeps in our bed and the bed is over a meeter of the ground so it would be quite a fall.

Therefore I decided I was gonna sleep in Elizas room for a little while before she got settled in her own bed (Mina didnt sleep in our bed once, this is turning into quite a different story). Eliza still hasnt slept one night in her own bed, I am still sleeping in her room and she is either sleeping in the bed with me or I am rocking the pram half the night.

But I am trying to make it a little easier by having my bedtime basket restocked every night. Below is a list of the essentials that will make your night a little more comfortable.

Basket by the bed with the following in it:

Nappies

Homemade wipes (olive oil and water wipes in a bag)

Bottom cream / nappy rash cream

Dry wipes (general usage)

Square cut out of bed protector sheet (changing mat)

2 sets of changes (preferable oncies)

Bib / flannel (to stop milk / sick from getting everywhere)

Larger towel (used when feeding laying down to stop sheets getting wet)

Blanket (covering baby while feeding and swaddle)

Breastpads

Cosy dressing gown (when you need to get out from under the duvet)

Shawl (while breast feeding)

Painkillers (sore / achie nipples / breasts)

Bottle of water

Mobile toy

Lip balm

Small bin with lid on or nappy sacks

Another sleepless night - still a domestic goddess

I never used to take Mina into bed when she was a baby. I was quite persistent on the swaddling thing and from what I remembered she used to seattle pretty well in her own moses basket. This time however its different, maybe because I got to spend some time at the hospital where they suggested sleeping with the baby in the hospital bed to give it that closeness its longing for. The dummy success turned into a little of a nightmare last night tho she kept pulling it out and then couldnt seattle without it so she ended up sleeping in my bed, which by the way is a child's bed (80 cm sofa bed which occasionally folds out as a double bed) that I now have slept on for 4 weeks. Therefore (not really designed for a grownup) it has now developed a permanent ditch in which I lie in.

However I still managed to do some fantastic bake offs today. I was glad tho when my friend text me and moved back our meet up 1 hour as I find it almost impossible to be ready before lunchtime. Therefore I have now introduced a new rule to myself - I will not commit to anything before 12 noon.

Åsa here is the muffin recipe

So easy to make and perfect for a brunch or a picknick, pretty child friendly too ; )

Courgette and cheddar cheese muffins

1 dl grahams flour

1 1/2 dl self raising flour

1 1/2 rolled oats

1 1/2 tsp English mustard powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

300 g grated courgette

6 dl cheddar cheese

75 ml milk

1 egg

5 tbs veg oil

Handfull of black olives

Heat oven to 180°C

Mix all dry ingredients then add egg, milk and oil. Pour into muffin trays (silicon trays are best) and sprinkle a little cheese, courgette on top. Top off with an olive on each muffin. Place in oven and cook for 30 min.

Later that evening I had my sister and her family coming over to check out little Eliza and the new house. This was one of those days when Eliza was very cooperative and slept a lot and baking is something that Mina enjoys so it worked out pretty well.

I was going to do an experiment, a mixture between sweet and savory and swedish and english....

BLT on gingerbread sponge cake!

This was a success - even my husband liked it (he really isnt a big fan of the whole gingerbread custom all together).

I will post this recipe another time.

6 weeks - dummy success!

I found it difficult to understand couples that didnt get their baby to take the dummy, now I am a bit more understanding, but with persistent training everything is possible. Our firstborn took the dummy straight away where as this time it has been a struggle. I have bought an handful of different dummies and none of them worked. ‘Dont give up, keep trying my healthvisitor told me. And today she finally excepted it - Horrehy! This means that she can settle in my husbands arms too.

Today I managed to get two things done - taking Mina to the doctor and some shopping (that was after lunch)

Carrot pancakes

1 egg

1 dl flour

2 dl milk

dash of oil

grated carrots

(frying in butter and served with lingonberry)

1st day of 2012

As of most people I also intend to start this year with some improvements to my life. They tend to be the same every year. Eat more healthily, exercise more, be more charitable, be a better wife, spend more quality time with the children, stay in touch with friends and so on....

New on the list for this year is something I am doing for myself - having less expectations on my self, try to fulfill one task per day rather than constantly starting new projects. This blog is one of my many ongoing projects for example, started back in 2008 and not much has happened since. But I am gonna make it my mission to keep this blog alive - my promise to myself for 2012.

As I am slowly adjusting to being a mother of two, which is a whole other story than just having the one - We’re a proper family now, as my husband keeps reminding me (before we were just a couple with a child) I am juggling piles of washing (its slowly coming back to me, the never ending, growing, stained mountains of baby clothes.) Thank god we have a washing machine in the house and dont have to go down to the basement from the 8th floor every time you need to do a load. And what if there is no wash slot!! I would be even crazier than I already am.

After all my loads of washing I did finally managed to have my smoothy that I have thought after all day but not managed to squeeze in in between nappy changes and feeds.

I did also however, with some help from my husband managed to get both children clean, one in the shower and the other one in the kitchen sink.

Here is the recepie of a really refreshing smoothie. Think it would work really well with milk too, must try that next time.

Avocado smoothie

Avocado

Melon

Lime

Lemon

Natural yoghurt

Honey

Ps. Remembered today why I have so many different types of bibs, everything from tiny ‘chin support’ to full bodysuit. Well if you have a pukey baby, now is the time for the

pull-over-the-head-elasticated-towel-bib. Comes in handy both when feeding and after dinner when it all comes back up again.