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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.

Day 153: Mugs Galore

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Mugs have a mysterious ability to multiply in the cupboad. Years ago, I got tired of million different mugs cluttering the kitchen and donated everything but the matching set that goes with our plates – and, of course, my Moomin mugs. (Every Finn living abroad has at least a few).

Since then the mug situation has stayed pretty much under control. We still have the “adult set” and the Moomins. And a few that are perfect for soup. And my hot chocolate mug (perfect for wrapping both hands around). And the one a dear friend gave me. And the one my colleagues got me when I left. And a few smaller ones for the girls. And…

Day 148: Crafts

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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 139: Bedtime Disco

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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 137: Moment of Rest

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The girls stayed at the summer cottage with ukki and mummi for extra two days while Stuart and I headed home to tackle their rooms.

Years ago, I realized I can only declutter the girls’ rooms when they are away. It is virtually impossible to throw anything out – not even old socks – when they are “helping”. I never imagined how many uses an old sock could have: a sleeping bag for a doll, a cover for a toy phone, a Barbie shopping bag…

As much as I applaud their creativity and commitment to  sustainably, regular de-hoarding is necessary if we want girls to still fit in.

After 10 hours of sorting through tiny doll accessories and random drawings, a short bike to the beach felt absolutely amazing!

Day 125: Another Fork

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Work is busy at the moment. And with the girls on holiday, they tend to require quite a bit more attention in the evenings.

By the time they get to bed, I am usually ready for bed myself – and often, as tonight proved, totally out of ideas for a photo.

So, I gave up and dug out my faithful fork again. You can always take a picture of something in the kitchen.

Day 122: Finnish Baseball

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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. 

Day 91: Spring Cleaning

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We have a huge glass terrace at the back our our house. During summer, it is the most-used “room” we have. It is our dining room, living room and outside patio – all wrapped into one. In fact, it was one of the main reasons we bought the house to start with.

The glass roof is fairly flat and keeping it clean(ish) of leaves, pine needles, pollen and dust is no small task. Not that I am too pedantic about it… And a good thing too. About five minutes after completing my task, a gust of wind brought down a fresh rain of rubbish.

Oh well.

You probably noticed I am cheating a bit in my 365 challenge here. This picture was taken by Kiara, not me. I guess the ones below should be my official entries, but who cares.