Activities – Page 3 – Blue Moment

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 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Helsinki, History, KiaraLeave 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 139: Bedtime Disco

July 5, 2026July 7, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Home, KiaraTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Home, KiaraLeave a comment

Alanna and Kiara are at their most creative when it comes to inventing reasons to postpone bedtime. More often than not, giving in to one extra thing helps to move things along.

One of the favourite distractions is listening to “just one last song” before brushing their teeth. It’s a great and joyful idea – if you can actually stop at one.

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.

Day 123: Seaside Picnic

June 19, 2026June 19, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Family, Kiara, Outdoors, Stuart, WaterTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, family, Food, Kiara, Stuart, WineLeave a comment

Food tastes better when eaten outside.

The nearest “beach” to us is just a quick hop away. It’s a secluded little strech of sand, and you can’t get there with a car. Consequently, it is often pretty quiet.

With the weather being great, we went for a picnic on a whim. We grabbed whatever we fancied from a store and cycled to the “beach” for a few hours of games, snacks and scenery. The girls even waded to the water, but it was still way too cold for a swim.

Best night of the week.

Day 122: Finnish Baseball

June 18, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Home, Kiara, Outdoors, SportTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Espoo, Home, Kiara, Learning, Outdoors, Sport, SummerLeave a comment

As a kid, I loved Finnish baseball (pesäpallo). It’s quite different from American baseball – most notably, because you pitch the ball up, not across.

So, when I came across a set of used pesäpallo equipment for kids at some sale or another, I did not hesitate for a second.

The girls’ success rate of actually hitting the ball is still low enough that we can practice in our backyard. I do not expect that to last long.

I would still love to pick the sport back up myself, but unless you are part of a fairly serious team, you can only really play in summer. And in summer, there is so much else to do.