family – Page 3 – Blue Moment

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 126: Late Arrival

June 22, 2026June 22, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Asikkala, nightTagged 365 Project, family, Summer CottageLeave a comment

The more firmly you intend to leave early on Friday, the more likely it is you end up putting out some random fire at work.

Even when we arrive at the summer cottage too late for the girls’ bedtime, driving out on Friday is always my preference. The weekend feels longer, when you wake up at the summer cottage on Saturday.

Being able to sleep in while the grandparents entertain the kids is just an added bonus.

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 116: Pop the Cork

June 11, 2026June 11, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Europe, Family, Luxembourg, TravellingTagged 365 Project, family, Travel, WineLeave a comment

I enjoy sparkling wine in any occassion, but still it remains the drink I most associate with my mum. And, to a slightly lesser degree, to my sister.

We’ve drunk it together on many occassions over the years, but I think the connection was born in Luxembourg. Stuart and I lived there for a few years, and my entire family came for a spring visit. We spent a whole day in the Mosel wine region, walking, eating asparagus dishes and drinking wine – both sparkling and not. My mum, Noora and I bought a magnum-sized bottle to take home and top the weekend off. If I remember right, we ended up giggling a lot.

Day 115: The Last of First

June 10, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Family, Kiara, Stuart, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, family, Holidays, Kiara, Learning, Stuart, SummerLeave a comment

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.

Day 110: Summer Cottage

June 5, 2026June 5, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Asikkala, Family, Finland, Kiara, Nature, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, family, Finland, Kiara, Nature, Outdoors, Summer, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Swimming, boating, fire-cooked crepes, sauna, bbq, hammering, hand-picked wildflowers, ice cream – long days outside and never-ending bedtime giggles.

A perfect day for little people.

Day 106: Drip By Drip

May 30, 2026May 30, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Everyday objects, Family, WaterTagged 365 Project, Children, Everyday objects, family, MakroLeave a comment

People are always curious what is the hardest thing in raising twins. They expect me to describe jealousy, trouble finding own identity, or sharing (or not sharing) friends and hobbies.

No-one ever understands that the hardest thing is to stay patient in the face of stubborn insistence of getting exactly what the sister does.

Exactly.

Even when it makes no logical sense.

The biggest daily fight in our household is whose turn is it to wash teeth first. Every night!

Somehow it remains irrelevant that the other one will go 2 min later.

Day 103: The First Is The Best

May 25, 2026May 25, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Family, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, family, Finland, Food, Outdoors, SummerLeave a comment

The first ice cream of the summer!

Well, of course,we have had ice cream in the past months. Actually, in the past week. But not from an ice cream kiosk. (At least, not most of them. A mall kiosk does not quite count.) And we had not eaten any outside. (Almost none) And nothing in our T-shirts, with the sun shining.

Hard to explain why, but this was definitely the first ice cream of the summer. And it was great.

Day 94: When the cat is away, the mice get sick

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, HomeTagged 365 Project, Alanna, family, HomeLeave a comment

Stuart flew to Kenya for business today and, to no-one’s surprise, Alanna is now sick.

Luckily, she is already pretty independent. But even when I shorten my workday and work from home, she still ends up entertaining herself for most of the day.

A boring day for my little one!

Day 92: Queens of the Carousel

May 11, 2026May 11, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Family, Helsinki, Kiara, Outdoors, StuartTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, family, Helsinki, Holidays, Kiara, Outdoors, StuartLeave a comment

With a long weekend of Vappu celebrations and sun behind us, no one plans a trip to amusement park on the Sunday when the forecast promises rain.

Except us.

And it came together perfectly: the weather stayed clear, the rides were practically empty and, best of all, the girls had finally passed the next height limit, which opened up a whole host of new rides.

To use girls’ own words: ” Everything was the best!”.