Activities – Blue Moment

Day 148: Crafts

July 14, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Home, KiaraTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Home, Kiara, LearningLeave a comment

Kiara, especially, is obsessed with crafts. We buy sellotape in bulk because – and I am not exaggerating at all – she uses five or rolls per week. She comes up with very practical and innovative designs and can surprise me with real out-of-the-box ideas – some of which really work.

Alanna does crafts when the mood strikes, but she is more interested in drawing – comics especially.

To build on this, I dug out my old sewing machine and we spent a happy few hours testing it out. Alanna made a beautiful dress for her doll. Kiara sewed a little pouch and a pillow.

I was just proud.

Day 147: Evening Ride

July 12, 2026July 12, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Espoo, Outdoors, SportTagged 365 Project, Activities, Espoo, Outdoors, Sport, SummerLeave a comment

Our electric bicycles are among the best investments Stuart and I have ever made.

We’ve done fantastic tours with the kids sitting in the back and one of us towing our luggage in a trailer. In addition to shorter trips, such as weekend in Porvoo, we’ve toured the Finnish archipelago, Åland, and Sweden – our longest tour yet. We planned it for 450km, but ended up doing 600km instead.

Now that Alanna and Kiara are riding their own bicycles, the distances are shorter and we are prioritising trips closer to home. Even so, after a long day in front of the laptop, a quick 20-25km ride still feels amazing

Day 145: Big and Small

July 11, 2026July 11, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Kiara, Outdoors, SportTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Espoo, Kiara, Outdoors, Sport, SummerLeave a comment

After work, I took the girls for a swim. The hot weather is about to turn, so felt like the thing to do.

While getting ready, Kiara fussed about her swimsuit, her hair and her swimming bag. She wanted to look cool in case she saw her friends.

When we got to Oittaa, she spotted the Angry Birds playground. Luckily, at that moment, the playground and splashing in the water still felt “cool” enough.

I wish I would convince her that there is plenty of time to be big yet.

Day 143: Tenacity

July 9, 2026July 9, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Kiara, Outdoors, SportTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Espoo, Holidays, Kiara, Outdoors, Sport, SummerLeave a comment

I admire children’s dermination to have fun once they decide they are going to have fun.

I took Kiara and Alanna to a nearby sports-focused amusement park today. The temperature climbed above 30°C and the park had practically no shade. Even so, we stayed for more than 7h and tested every climbing, jumping, pedalling, lifting, shooting, running and balancing activity available. Considering the park has more than 30 different jumping castles alone, that was no small feat.

Most of the other kids gave up, and by late afternoon only a handful of the hardiest ones were still around.

At the endof the day, we popped into a nearby supermarket, bought swimming costumes to all three of us and went for a swim. Lake water has rarely felt so good!

Day 142: The Ancient Art of Puppetry

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Helsinki, KiaraTagged Children, Alanna, Kiara, Activities, 365 Project, Helsinki, HistoryLeave a comment

Finland has fantastic museums for kids. In fact, almost all museums here have something specifically for children to do.

Helsinki City Museum is a good example with a whole section of historical play areas. And the theater section has a puppet stage.

Great stories were born this day!

Day 141: Beaching

July 7, 2026July 7, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Kiara, Outdoors, Sport, WaterTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Finland, Holidays, Kiara, Outdoors, SportLeave a comment

We are still not beach people. But Matinkylä Beach is exactly the right distance for a family bike ride on a hot day.

The kids spent about 15 min in the sea. Even though they love swimming, the salty water seems to take away half of the fun. But they did spend the next 2h climbing, running and playing.

The best thing about cycling to the beach is that 90% of the sand falls off on the way home.

Day 136: Mopo

July 2, 2026July 2, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Asikkala, Family, Kiara, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, family, Kiara, Outdoors, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Several years ago, my dad decided to get a quad bike for the summer cottage. He said it was to help with work around the yard, but none of us siblings believed him. We were convinced it is just his latest toy.

But admittedly, it has turned out to be really useful thing to have around. The yard is big, and there is a never-ending list of things to do.

The girls think it is the best toy ever. They especially love the adventure rides they take with ukki along the nearby dirt roads.

Day 132: Diving In

June 28, 2026June 29, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Asikkala, Family, Kiara, Outdoors, Stuart, WaterTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, family, Holidays, Kiara, Outdoors, Summer, Summer CottageLeave a comment

There are many truths about how warm a lake needs to be before it is warm enough for a swim.

Stuart, being South African, thinks 28-30°C sounds about right. Or 25°C with a sauna. For a Finn, that is pure folly.

I am happy with 20°C and 18°C respectfully. But then again, I do not particularly like cold water (for a Finn).

Alanna prefers warmer water too, but anything above 10°C is fine as long as it only comes up to her knees and there is a sandy patch to play in. Swimming requires 18°C or a good reason. And whether something counts as a good enough reason depends entirely on her mood. This spring, she went gor a swim when the sea was barely 13°C.

Kiara doesn’t care. As long as there is no ice on it, it looks good. Above 15 °C, she will happily swim around until she turns blue (and mummi tells her to come out).

In case you were wondering, the lake was close to 20°C.

Day 128: Just A Bit Better Food

June 24, 2026June 24, 2026Posted in Activities, Cooking, FamilyTagged 365 Project, Activities, family, Food, Summer CottageLeave a comment

According to my dad, my mum and I cook far too complicated food in the summer cottage. Then again, he considers anything more time-consuming than fried sausage or pasta too complicated. (Unless it is fish, in which case it is never too time-consuming.)

To be fair, we do occassionally go a bit overboard. Or rather, we like trying new things. And more often than not, one element doesn’t quite work out, so we end up improvising as we go.

Generally, though, we have fun.

And my dad has yet to refuse any of it.

So I would call it a win-win.

Day 127: Once You Get Soaked

June 23, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Family, Festivals, Finland, night, Outdoors, People, WaterTagged 365 Project, Activities, family, Finland, Holidays, SummerLeave a comment

I went to my first proper music festival in years – and it was pouring down for most of the day.

But once you get soaked, you do not really get wetter.

The gigs were fantastic, it stayed warm and the company – most importantly my sister, brother-in-law and parents – never let the rain get in the way of a good time.

Great day!

I did feel a little sorry for some of the bands on stage two, which was not exactly waterproof. Unbelievably, most of the equipment kept functioning even through the worst downpour.