I went to Eko in Länna today where they had 50% off on all children's clothing. Pontus now has enough bodies, pants, shirts etc. in all kinds of sizes to last him for eternity (or hopefully at least the winter).
All in all I bought 30 items, none costing more than 30 SEK, which is a real bargain.
Now, not wanting to tease or anything (lie!), I would like to mention that to find similarly good prices Muddiz travelled all the way to Ullared with her family. Ullared lies on the other coast - Länna a mere 2 highway exits from where we live.
I think I win this round of the big bargain hunt!
July 17, 2008
Three-tiered cake stand
Look what I bought today...
It's pink, it's plastic, it's my new three-tiered cake stand from Rusta.
Now I have got a good excuse to bake cupcakes again.
It's pink, it's plastic, it's my new three-tiered cake stand from Rusta.
Now I have got a good excuse to bake cupcakes again.
Time flies when you're having fun
Has it really been 10 days since my last posting? Oops!
I guess what they say is true: Time flies when you're having fun. And I am having fun indeed.
Pontus and I are out almost every day, be it to go shopping (IKEA being a weekly favourite) or to visit friends. With our daily routines, the little day trips and the quality time we spend together at home I am really, truly enjoying my parental leave at the moment.
I have also taken the time to finish several tasks that were long overdue and it feels nice to have gotten them off my mind.
I even got around to fixing some things around the house and am currently making re-decoration plans for Pontus' room as well as mine.
Life is not super-exciting, but that's just what I need right now: summer, sun and serenity!
I guess what they say is true: Time flies when you're having fun. And I am having fun indeed.
Pontus and I are out almost every day, be it to go shopping (IKEA being a weekly favourite) or to visit friends. With our daily routines, the little day trips and the quality time we spend together at home I am really, truly enjoying my parental leave at the moment.
I have also taken the time to finish several tasks that were long overdue and it feels nice to have gotten them off my mind.
I even got around to fixing some things around the house and am currently making re-decoration plans for Pontus' room as well as mine.
Life is not super-exciting, but that's just what I need right now: summer, sun and serenity!
July 07, 2008
Going, going, gone
Today we moved Pontus' crib out of our bedroom into what will ultimately be his room. With my husband's snoring and Pontus' late-night concerts and monologues people never got a good night's rest.
I am people. Tired people.
We will test this for a couple of days now and see how it goes. Ideally everyone should be able to sleep better and with less interruptions. If not, my husband has to leave the bedroom as well.
Because I am also everyone. Seriously.
I am people. Tired people.
We will test this for a couple of days now and see how it goes. Ideally everyone should be able to sleep better and with less interruptions. If not, my husband has to leave the bedroom as well.
Because I am also everyone. Seriously.
July 06, 2008
The unsung hero
There are some things that make life so much easier when you have a little child, but not all get the attention and credit they deserve.
I would therefore like to take a chance to pay tribute to my unsung hero, the slipper sock:
It serves as a doorstop for our bedroom door, effectively preventing it from slamming shut. Be it draft or my lack of fine motor skills - the slipper sock ensures that no loud noise disturbs Pontus' sleep.
All glory to the slipper sock!
I would therefore like to take a chance to pay tribute to my unsung hero, the slipper sock:
It serves as a doorstop for our bedroom door, effectively preventing it from slamming shut. Be it draft or my lack of fine motor skills - the slipper sock ensures that no loud noise disturbs Pontus' sleep.
All glory to the slipper sock!
July 05, 2008
Grrrrrandparents
Remember my ranting about grandparents the other day?
Here is a great example of what I was talking about:
When I handed over Pontus to his grandfather on Friday he had several sets of fresh clothes with him. When I got him back on Saturday he was wearing a new body that his grandparents had bought and put on him. Unwashed. All of the clothing I had packed down was returned unused.
I always wash clothes I buy for Pontus. Always. I may be a sloppy mother otherwise, but I do not like the idea of my child wearing clothing that is potentially dirty and smells of factory. This rule applies even more so now that he puts everything into his mouth, including his sleeves.
The body he was wearing smelled so strongly of rubber and God-knows-what, I don't know how anyone could even consider putting it on a little baby.
But that was just the beginning.
As a thank you for taking care of Pontus we had offered to drive my parents-in-law out to Dalarö. They were invited to a birthday party there and my husband and I thought that it would be nice to go for a walk by the water after we dropped them off, so everybody squeezed into the car. During the ride my mother-in-law suddenly said: "Oh, I am sure you will all come inside with us to say hello to everyone.". I discreetly motioned to my husband that I was not interested in that and he replied: "No, we are just dropping you off and then we will continue on right away.". To which his mother said: "But Pontus can come in and meet everyone, what's the problem with that?". My husband made it one again very clear that we did not intend to stay and meet anyone, but would simply drop them off and leave again. Nothing more was said about it until we reached our destination.
But as soon as we came to a stop in the driveway, the following scene unfolded: While my mother-in-law got out of the car, my father-in-law, who was sitting in the backset with her, stayed put. He then opened the door on Pontus' side from the inside and remained seated until my mother-in-law had gone around the car and secured the door from the outside. And while my father-in-law got out of the car, my mother-in-law started to call for her friends to come outside to meet Pontus.
My husband and I were sitting in the car, engine running, repeatedly saying that we wanted to leave, while my mother-in-law held the door open, making it impossible for us to drive off, while more and more people appeared. Needless to say that the whole situation made us look bad, but who ever cared about that?
My mother-in-law got her way like she usually does. And she is oh so smug about it. She thinks she is clever, tricking other people into doing what she wants - for her it all seems to be a game. What she does not seem to realize is that she actually hurts others with her behaviour. She is not funny, she is simply disrespectful.
My husband agrees with me, even though he finds it hard to believe that his mother would be invidious on purpose. But no matter if she does it intentionally or not, it just can't continue. He has talked to her about this several times, but she cares as little for what he says as for what I say.
So far I have held back because I think that it is my husband's job to solve issues with his side of the family. And God knows he tried, but to no avail. So I guess it is time to take off the gloves and show my mother-in-law what I go for.
You wanna keep pushing me around? Bring it on...
Here is a great example of what I was talking about:
When I handed over Pontus to his grandfather on Friday he had several sets of fresh clothes with him. When I got him back on Saturday he was wearing a new body that his grandparents had bought and put on him. Unwashed. All of the clothing I had packed down was returned unused.
I always wash clothes I buy for Pontus. Always. I may be a sloppy mother otherwise, but I do not like the idea of my child wearing clothing that is potentially dirty and smells of factory. This rule applies even more so now that he puts everything into his mouth, including his sleeves.
The body he was wearing smelled so strongly of rubber and God-knows-what, I don't know how anyone could even consider putting it on a little baby.
But that was just the beginning.
As a thank you for taking care of Pontus we had offered to drive my parents-in-law out to Dalarö. They were invited to a birthday party there and my husband and I thought that it would be nice to go for a walk by the water after we dropped them off, so everybody squeezed into the car. During the ride my mother-in-law suddenly said: "Oh, I am sure you will all come inside with us to say hello to everyone.". I discreetly motioned to my husband that I was not interested in that and he replied: "No, we are just dropping you off and then we will continue on right away.". To which his mother said: "But Pontus can come in and meet everyone, what's the problem with that?". My husband made it one again very clear that we did not intend to stay and meet anyone, but would simply drop them off and leave again. Nothing more was said about it until we reached our destination.
But as soon as we came to a stop in the driveway, the following scene unfolded: While my mother-in-law got out of the car, my father-in-law, who was sitting in the backset with her, stayed put. He then opened the door on Pontus' side from the inside and remained seated until my mother-in-law had gone around the car and secured the door from the outside. And while my father-in-law got out of the car, my mother-in-law started to call for her friends to come outside to meet Pontus.
My husband and I were sitting in the car, engine running, repeatedly saying that we wanted to leave, while my mother-in-law held the door open, making it impossible for us to drive off, while more and more people appeared. Needless to say that the whole situation made us look bad, but who ever cared about that?
My mother-in-law got her way like she usually does. And she is oh so smug about it. She thinks she is clever, tricking other people into doing what she wants - for her it all seems to be a game. What she does not seem to realize is that she actually hurts others with her behaviour. She is not funny, she is simply disrespectful.
My husband agrees with me, even though he finds it hard to believe that his mother would be invidious on purpose. But no matter if she does it intentionally or not, it just can't continue. He has talked to her about this several times, but she cares as little for what he says as for what I say.
So far I have held back because I think that it is my husband's job to solve issues with his side of the family. And God knows he tried, but to no avail. So I guess it is time to take off the gloves and show my mother-in-law what I go for.
You wanna keep pushing me around? Bring it on...
July 04, 2008
Why I don't want a stereo with CD player in the kitchen
At home we had a stereo in the kitchen/dining room and the radio was on most of the time. That is unless my father had bought some new CDs which he insisted on playing for the whole family. And his music preferences were and are somewhat out of the ordinary. Experimental jazz, freestyle funkadelic soul and what not - if you wanted any food at all you had to put up with it. To this day it is one of my father's greatest worries that he didn't manage to instill what he would call a good taste in music in any of his children and he often makes playful threats that none of us will get to inherit his music collection. Sometimes he calls and says "Do you know *enterrandomnamehere*? Really, never heard of him? He played in the *anotherrandomname* band. Are you sure you have never heard of him? Well, then today is your lucky day, because I bought his CD for you.", after which he usually reads all of the track names to me and hums some melodies hoping that I maybe do know that artist after all. Yes, it is kind of adorable, but it is also heartbreaking.
History shouldn't repeat itself.
And that's why I don't want a stereo with CD player in the kitchen.
History shouldn't repeat itself.
And that's why I don't want a stereo with CD player in the kitchen.
"Why I..."
My husband thinks that a lot of the things he has to listen to should really go "on the blog". While I use "going on the blog" as a fixed expression to put my husband into his place after a misdeed ("That is SO going on the blog!"), what he means by it is that I should stop bothering him and start bothering you. Which is why I now created this new headline under which I will be posting bits of information that will give you a deeper insight into my troubled personality and explain the most of my quirks. Some of it might make me appear mental, but then again that wouldn't probably surprise any of you.
Maternal feelings
Up until 1-2 weeks ago I thought that the absolute worst was my almost complete lack of maternal feelings. Now I know that it is actually a lot worse when the maternal feelings finally do kick in.
For me, there was no maternal bliss after Pontus' birth. I remember lying in the delivery room, looking down at the bloody, meaty bundle on my chest and wondering what on earth I was supposed to do with that thing, a feeling that has not completely left me to this day. The first weeks at home with him were simply surreal.
Babies are tricky. They look like miniature grown-ups but they behave completely unreasonable, you can't argue with them and they don't listen, respond appropriately or cooperate, while at the same time expecting you to tend to their every need 24-7.
Babies are, in short, not people I would hang out with.
But a baby is not only the new roommate from hell, it also brings along its scary sidekick: the grandparents. I have said it before and I will say it again: becoming a grandparent does something to people. It turns perfectly functioning adults into demented nutjobs that lack any kind of common sense. Giving unwanted and often outdated or incompetent advice? Check. Ignoring you and your instructions and wishes regarding the baby? Check. Demanding all kinds of things and sending you on a guilt trip if you don't comply? Check. Making you feel unbearably akward about also being "a mother" now? Check.
Grandparents are, again, not people I would hang out with.
And while this may all sound funny it really isn't. I was realistic enough not to expect to live in a fluffy happy-happy world after the birth, where everybody smiles all the time and every day is better than the one before, but I hadn't anticipated to feel like the odd one out either. And it is easy to feel like that when motherhood seems to come so easy for everyone around and people are uncomfortable talking about how unhappy, overwhelmed and isolated you are.
Things got better a little more than a week ago after I met with a counselor. Not that anything she said helped (we talked past each other most of the time), but it was so good just to get it all out. After venting all the pressure that had been bulding up over the past months, I can finally focus on being the best mediocre mother a child could have and enjoying my time with Pontus. It isn't always easy, but the situation has definitely improved.
Which brings us back to the beginning of this posting: the onset of maternal feelings and how it can make life miserable.
This afternoon I dropped off Pontus at his grandparents, where he will spend the night. This is not the first time he sleeps over, but it is the first time a.o. (after onset). Last time I was just happy, happy, happy that he was gone for the night - this time I did not want to let him go. He hugged me and held on to me and I really wanted to take him with me again. Instead of enjoying my free time I sat on the couch, stuffing my mouth with gummy bears and trying to hold back the tears. And even now I could just jump in the car and go and pick him up.
So is that what it's like to be a mother? Intense love, intense despair, intense frustration, all emotions intensified - is that what it's about?
For me, there was no maternal bliss after Pontus' birth. I remember lying in the delivery room, looking down at the bloody, meaty bundle on my chest and wondering what on earth I was supposed to do with that thing, a feeling that has not completely left me to this day. The first weeks at home with him were simply surreal.
Babies are tricky. They look like miniature grown-ups but they behave completely unreasonable, you can't argue with them and they don't listen, respond appropriately or cooperate, while at the same time expecting you to tend to their every need 24-7.
Babies are, in short, not people I would hang out with.
But a baby is not only the new roommate from hell, it also brings along its scary sidekick: the grandparents. I have said it before and I will say it again: becoming a grandparent does something to people. It turns perfectly functioning adults into demented nutjobs that lack any kind of common sense. Giving unwanted and often outdated or incompetent advice? Check. Ignoring you and your instructions and wishes regarding the baby? Check. Demanding all kinds of things and sending you on a guilt trip if you don't comply? Check. Making you feel unbearably akward about also being "a mother" now? Check.
Grandparents are, again, not people I would hang out with.
And while this may all sound funny it really isn't. I was realistic enough not to expect to live in a fluffy happy-happy world after the birth, where everybody smiles all the time and every day is better than the one before, but I hadn't anticipated to feel like the odd one out either. And it is easy to feel like that when motherhood seems to come so easy for everyone around and people are uncomfortable talking about how unhappy, overwhelmed and isolated you are.
Things got better a little more than a week ago after I met with a counselor. Not that anything she said helped (we talked past each other most of the time), but it was so good just to get it all out. After venting all the pressure that had been bulding up over the past months, I can finally focus on being the best mediocre mother a child could have and enjoying my time with Pontus. It isn't always easy, but the situation has definitely improved.
Which brings us back to the beginning of this posting: the onset of maternal feelings and how it can make life miserable.
This afternoon I dropped off Pontus at his grandparents, where he will spend the night. This is not the first time he sleeps over, but it is the first time a.o. (after onset). Last time I was just happy, happy, happy that he was gone for the night - this time I did not want to let him go. He hugged me and held on to me and I really wanted to take him with me again. Instead of enjoying my free time I sat on the couch, stuffing my mouth with gummy bears and trying to hold back the tears. And even now I could just jump in the car and go and pick him up.
So is that what it's like to be a mother? Intense love, intense despair, intense frustration, all emotions intensified - is that what it's about?
July 01, 2008
Freebies
I got a box full of really cool children's books at work yesterday:
And to make sure that Pontus won't have to read alone I got a whole pile of thrillers for myself as well.
Brand-new books for free - yes, my job has its perks!
And to make sure that Pontus won't have to read alone I got a whole pile of thrillers for myself as well.
Brand-new books for free - yes, my job has its perks!
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