I was celebrated today with breakfast and flower in bed, several cards made with love, and a simple cake in the evening. ❤️
And many, many messages and calls.
The present is yet to arrive.
Day 228: Birthday
Category: Traditions
Day 220: Bedtime
As said before, bedtime in our house is a long and complicated multi-step affair. But routines are good for kids, especially at bedtime. Right?
Ever since the girls were one, a bedtime story has been the best part of the routine (before that, it was the bath). For the last year or so, we have been listening to the Potter series. Regardless of anything else related to J.K. Rowling, she has an extraordinary ability to create a world that completely draws you in.
We are almost at the end. I need to find a new series.
Day 188: Back to School
First day in the second grade.
New backpacks, pencil cases, and sweaters.
I wonder how many years we are still allowed to walk the girls to school on their first day.
Day 187: Kiara’s Day
Ever since I was a kid, we have celebrated special days by waking the star of the day with a song, breakfast and presents in bed. The unintended consequence is that if the person is the first one to wake up, they need to stay in bed until they are woken up.
In case you wondered why Kiara is in bed fully clothed for her name day.
To honour the occassion, she got a few small presents – including a capybara eraser and a lip gloss I grudgingly got her after a month-long full-on campaign – and a trip to an indoor playground with Alanna and another friend for 6.5 hours.
Fun day for me.
Day 177: Perfectly Impractical
There’s something special about a summer cottage sauna. Wood-heated, with water scooped from buckets to wash, it’s wonderfully old-fashioned and impractical. It smells like… summer.
My mum wants to build a modern sauna. We all understand it would be infinitely more practical – and object to it with our last breath.
Day 176: Washing Rugs
Washing rugs on the summer cottage pier was fun as a child. Mum would throw buckets of water on my feet as I scrubbed as hard as I could. I still love the smell of Mäntysuopa (pine soap).
As we cleaned the wendy house today, the girls tried the traditional method of cleaning a rug.
Their comment was a dry, “Clearly kids in the old days had a different way of having fun”. Apparently, it was hard work.
Day 135: Muikku
Pan-fried muikku (vendace) is a Finnish delicacy. The girls and I absolutely love it. Stuart thinks it is good, but as with many good things, Finns tend to overdo it.
You can get muikku at many lakeside restaurants during the summer, and I even make it myself from time to time. But the best muikku is made by ukki in the boathouse. The boathouse is as important part of the meal than the muikku itself.
Day 133: Midsummer Moods
Finns are always surprised when the weather is good at Midsummer. Although, I could be a spoilsport and note that every single one of the five Midsummers since we moved bach has been beautiful.
Then again, I still remember the years of +9°C and rain, so I mostly let people enjoy their weather debates.
Anyway, it is hard to capture the essence of Midsummer in single picture. I cheated and made a collage. Good food, good drinks, the midnight sun, summer…
Day 129: Sausage
Despite being a foodie, even I admit that frying sausages over the fire is part of summer at the summer cottage.
Day 115: The Last of First
The last day of first grade: report cards received, flowers given to teachers. We all even survived singing Suvivirsi (you need to be a Finn to understand that).
Done.
Ten weeks of summer holiday deserve a celebratory pastry.
