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Day 245: Food For Thought

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I am extremely lucky that Stuart enjoys cooking. Even more so because he has taken over almost all the cooking during the busy work weeks.

However, sometimes (but never during those busy work weeks) I miss cooking.

As with any skill, your “touch” gets rusty when you don’t use it. I used to instinctively know how to season and flavor a dish. Now I need to measure everything and trust the recipe. Which – to be honest – typically tastes fine. But feels different.

I keep promising myself I will get back to it.

One day.

Day 241: Crackling Fire

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Fire is hypnotising.

A long time ago, I had a friend visiting from Hong Kong. She could not tear herself away from our fireplace. Living on the 32nd floor, she had never seen a real flame bigger than a candle flame.

One of the first (and best) things we did when we moved in to the house was to replace the fireplaces iron door with a bigger glass one.

All the wonder, without the smoke.

Day 234: Chores

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It’s a guaranteed rabbit hole in any conversation with fellow parents: how many chores should kids do?

We are still at a pretty basic level.  We expect the girls to clean up after themselves: to tidy their rooms (and whatever else they have scattered around the house), take their plates away, put their laundry in the basket and clean up the kitchen after making their own snacks or breakfasts.

For bigger jobs, such as raking leaves or cleaning up the garden, we expect them to pitch in for a few hours.

I think the girls are soon ready to take on more responsibility around the house. In fact, we’d probably have insisted on it already, if getting them to do their chores weren’t such an enormous chore for Stuart and me.

Day 218: Comics and Animation

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Alanna started a comic school this fall. She is beyond excited. Comics are her obsession. And more than just reading them, they are also her preferred way of expressing herself. Alanna has a very observant drawing style, and she tells a story with every image she draws.

The course also goes through the basics of animation. This has been a totally new discovery for Alanna, and it has been interesting to see how she has already learned to adjust her drawing style. Her animations are – by necessity – much simpler than her other drawings.

Where are the beginner comic book courses for adults?

Day 215: Super-Teddy

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There are a few fluffy friends that have remained the girls’ favourites throughout the years. Eddie (the teddy) is one of them. He has been Alanna’s favourite since before she learned to walk and is still a main character in whatever adventure is happening. In fact, he has travelled the world more than most adults.

The girls are not even aware that Eddie is special to Stuart and me as well. Eddie joined our household in 2012, accompanied by my engagement ring.

Special in all ways.

Day 201: Progress

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About six months after we moved to our house, a new metro station opened 700m away. Since then – over 4 years – nothing has happened in that area as the city plans have been challenged in different courts.

But we all knew that there was no scenario where a metro station this close to Helsinki would remain surrounded by forest and a few old houses. So they have now started felling the trees and tearing down the old single-family houses.

We all knew, except my girls. They are horrified that someone would destroy nature just to build houses. Why can’t they build houses where there are no trees, bunnies or squirrels?

How right they are.

Day 196: Minimalism or Less

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I am not a big admirer of minimalism. It looks great in photos, but it just feels impractical – unless you have enormous, hidden closet spaces. But is it then minimalism, or just good cleaning skills?

And while we are talking about this… I never understood the logic behind Marie Kondo. My clutter is exactly those things that bring me joy – little mementos, photos, cool kitchen gadgets, one-too-many scarves, etc. Throwing away my gardening gloves (not a big fan of gardening either) is unlikely to improve my life.

With all this said, with two 8-year-olds in the house, I could do with some less-ism.

Day 187: Kiara’s Day

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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.