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A picture (or in this case, a scan) is worth a thousand file folders...

This winter I finished a project I started in June of 2010 and posted what I thought was this innocuous little picture of what is left of my paper-based filling system–a tiny set of file drawers that fits next to my desk and is small enough to fit in a suitcase–on Facebook. It set off a lively discussion that continued right into the next morning at school drop-off and I realized that a blog post was in order. It’s a sad fact of life that expat life, no matter how amazing, is unpredictable. And moving your entire life to a new country is never easy. It’s even more difficult, however, when your filing system resembles the Library of Congress in size and complexity.

Last year I wrote about decluttering your child’s artwork and about the huge purge we did in anticipation of our international move, but now I want to focus specifically on how I moved my filing to a paperless system.

1. Choose your tool
2. Start with the present
3. Purge & scan
4. Maintenance Tips

Step 1: Choose your tool
The first step in this adventure is choosing your tools: an electronic filing system and a scanner. As an expat, my local bank, my mortgage lender, my retirement accounts, my insurance, and basically any filing-worthy paper-producing institution in my life are all located 7-10 time zones away. That means I need to be able to get to the details I need quickly and easily whether they’re on paper or stored electronically because I can’t just pop in to the local banking center and ask a question.

Because ease of access from multiple locations and search capability was important to me, and because I didn’t mind paying $5US a month for the convenience of basically unlimited uploads while I was converting my files (you can upload 40MB per month free of charge), I opted for Evernote. Evernote saves documents to your account in the cloud, and also has a mobile app, so I can access my files from any computer world-wide. In the absence of a computer, I can pull details up from anywhere there is a mobile signal. The latest version even includes a Kindle Fire app.

It is certainly not the only option. If you have any sort of storage out there in the cloud, and have access to a scanner, you can create your own virtual filing system. You could probably do it fairly easily in Gmail and then take advantage of Google’s savvy search engine for locating your documents. Other Evernote competitors include Memonic, Microsoft’s One Note and UberNote. I have not personally used any of these, but they all offer fairly detailed FAQs and demos if you have a particular reason that you don’t want to use Evernote.

I have used a combination of my camera (for odd-sized documents) and the inexpensive scanner built into my printer (an HP OfficeJet) to move my files to electronic format. Nothing fancy, just quick and easy-to-use.

Step 2: Start with the present
When I started this project, I had a five-drawer filing cabinet that was stuffed full of files, as well as several file boxes and an additional couple of cardboard boxes filled with our taxes, school transcripts, and mementos. Instead of accumulating additional filing while I was dealing with the huge back-log, I started with present day. It not only allowed me to tackle the archive in chunks as time allowed, but gave me time to familiarize myself with the tool, to think about what tags and categories I wanted for my filing.

If you’re used to shoving opened mail into a pile and then filing it away once a week (or, let’s be honest here, once a month or once a quarter!), you’ll need to do a little retraining. I will admit that I don’t always open my mail daily, but when I do, I have a decision tree:

• Do I need to do something with this (pay a bill, fill out paperwork, etc.)? If yes, do it right now. Don’t leave it for later. It will get lost in the shuffle and create clutter.
• If I don’t need to do anything with it, do I need to keep it? If yes, do it right now (see the pattern here?!).
• If I don’t need to keep it, or if I’ve scanned it in to Evernote, it goes straight in the recycling with the envelope. Clutter averted!

Remembering to keep on top of the filing is an on-going process. My desk is not always clutter-free, but it’s getting better all the time.

Step 3: Purge & scan
Step three is scanning and purging that giant back-log. My parents were of the “keep it forever” variety when it came to financial statements. I’m pretty sure my Mom has every credit card statement she’s ever gotten in her filing cabinets somewhere. When they retired to Florida and sent me their old dining room set in 2000, they sent me the original receipts for the furniture from 1985!!!!

Since we seem to move every 2-3 years, that style of filing just wasn’t going to work for me. Now, not only have I scanned in that whole backlog, but I have carefully chosen what to keep and what to dump. Here’s a sample of items I used to keep that I no longer do:

• Monthly statements from the insurance company. Now I only keep the most recent copy of the policy and recycle the rest. And by “keep,” I mean scan, upload to Evernote, and recycle.
• Credit card statements, bank statements, investment statements–I have opted for online statements when possible and have verified that I can get access to old account details on the provider’s web site if they’re needed in the future.

There’s a lot of stuff that I think got lost in my labyrinthine filing system before that I make sure I hang on to (electronically) now:

• Receipts and warranties for large purchases
• Test results and other medical records
• Donation receipts and other tax-deductible expenses

This step is absolutely the most daunting and it’s very easy to accidentally sabotage yourself by biting off more than you can chew. I recommend breaking it down into the smallest, most manageable pieces possible so that you don’t get overwhelmed. Don’t pull out a whole drawer and try to tackle it in an afternoon. Pull out a single folder (or if your folders resemble MegaFolders with lots of smaller parcels of documents contained within them, choose a single manageable stack from a single folder and start there). Evaluate each piece based on the decision tree in Step 2. Scan in what needs to be scanned and immediately recycle the rest.

If you know there are whole folders in there that you don’t need, purge those first. It will give you a feeling of success and accomplishment that you’ll very much need when you get to the folders of endless odd-sized receipts and carbon-paper pages that you need to keep, but which won’t auto-load in your scanner’s paper tray and therefore have to be positioned by hand.

I left the entire filing mess in my unfinished basement while I was working on this project and carried a single folder up to my office at a time. By the time we moved to Finland, I had it down to two boxes of filing, which I then stowed in our guest bedroom (no huge unfinished basements in flats in downtown Helsinki!) and again, pulled out one folder at a time.

Step 4: Maintenance Tips

I got this project finished just in time because we’re moving again this summer! This time, only my tiny filing box is coming with us and it’s only about half full. I won’t need to worry about anything vital getting lost in the move because it’s all on my computer, backed up to the Cloud.

A few final tips I’d like to share. First, don’t fall into the trap of running to Acme Container USA and spending loads of money on organizers each time clutter starts to get you down. It was the fact that I needed a second filing cabinet to contain my papers that forced me to consider that there might be another way. Don’t get me wrong, there are some things that I want to keep forever in original format and a good organizational system is great for storing those types of things, but I think most people already have all the containers they need. What they need instead of more containers is less stuff! Purging not only declutters, but it saves you money that you might otherwise have spent on storage you don’t really need.

Second, don’t hold on to “stuff” out of fear or guilt. I had a whole bunch of stuff that was my mom’s that I didn’t really want to bring to Finland with me. It was hard to start the conversation, but by calling her up and asking her what I needed to keep, what I could send back to her, and what I could let go, I was able to declutter quite a lot of stuff without guilt or fear, and without accidentally getting rid of something that would have upset my mama!

And finally, the best way to declutter is not to accumulate in the first place. I love to shop, and the temptation is definitely there to buy one more adorable household item each time I venture to Ikea or Stockmann. To avoid accumulating, I’ve been trying to give everything a second look before I buy. If I love it the first time, and love it again the next time I see it, then perhaps it’s worth a purchase. If it’s gone when I come back the second time, it wasn’t meant to be.

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The kids' first Metro ride in Helsinki (October 2010). Some people spend a lifetime trying to see what my kids have seen in the past 16 months. One of the many things for which I am thankful.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, according to Plato, that you cannot step in the same river twice due to the constantly-changing nature of the river. It’s a pretty good metaphor for expat life, especially when that expat life involves moving every 2-4 years. I think I’ve mentioned before that I lived in the same general area of a not over-large suburb for the first 18 years of my life, so this constant moving thing does not come naturally to me.

But that’s not to say that I don’t embrace it. In fact, I’m starting to believe that it is the act of stepping into that river, and realizing that it’s different than it was last time, that keeps me moving forward, keeps me interested. And it’s a good thing, because even though we’ve only been in Helsinki 16 short months, we now know that in June we’ll be moving on.

This time, we’re headed to Ulm, Germany. Tucked between Munich and Stuttgart, Ulm is a university town of just over 100,000 people. I’m excited by the location (close to beloved Strasbourg and the Alps, within a day’s drive of Venice, far enough south to escape the winter dark of Northern Europe) and more than a little anxious about leaving behind the amazing friends I’ve made here in Helsinki.

After the brief honeymoon period of our first few weeks, moving here was hard. There was the moving with kids part, then the intense, cold darkness of our first winter in Finland, then the personal tragedy part, then the culture shock, and of course my usual and on-going cultural identity crisis. Oh, and the husband’s insane work schedule. But then there was the amazing travel, the excitement of learning about a new culture, and the joy of realizing that I will experience the kids’ amazing milestones as any happy parent would, regardless of whether I’m in Colorado, Finland, or Germany, or wherever our next adventure may lead.

Whether it was the time of year that we moved, the trips home I made last spring, or the fact that this was our first international assignment with kids, it took me a solid 9 months to settle in here in Helsinki. So it seems really unfair that we have to say goodbye so soon, even if we are totally excited about the new locale. The first few months in a new location, filling your social calendar (and one of the new friends I’ve been gushing about recently pointed out to me that my need for social interaction rivals that of Paris Hilton!!) is an act of will. Nine months in, it becomes much more organic, and I like that.

Afternoons spent exploring the city, knitting, or drinking coffee were a solitary activity for me last year. This year, I usually have company. Last year, Skype was my lifeline. This year, well…Skype is still my lifeline to family and friends back home, but I have support here as well.

It’s scary to think about stepping off a plane and setting up house in yet another country where I don’t speak the language. I mean, at this point, I haven’t even visited Ulm and Matt is already pretty much living there and coming home to visit when he can. I’m happy that I’m able to support him in this (after all, it is pretty much my primary job these days!), and the kids & I are managing well in his absence, but it does add stress that we wouldn’t have if we weren’t moving in a few short months.

So we’re moving again. I’ve got another new language to tackle. It’s a place I hadn’t expected and that is unfamiliar to me. I’ve got awesome friends that I am so sad to leave behind. There are more details involved in the move than I can possibly track. And yet, I know it’s not the same river. The move will not have the comfort that comes with familiarity even though we’ve done this before. Somehow, despite all the uncertainty, I’m feeling pretty zen. That alone proves that it ain’t the same river

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A sunrise fit for Santa himself!

One of the unexpected joys of living in Finland (and there are many) is Santa mania. According to This is Finland, Finns have been claiming that Santa lives in Finland since 1927. Reindeer, after all, can’t survive winter at the North Pole, but they can in Lapland! It follows that Santa’s Village, located in Rovaniemi right on the edge of the Arctic Circle, is a major tourist destination for those who decide to make a winter trek to Finland. Many families with children add a visit to Rovaniemi to their winter itinerary, taking the scenic overnight train north and visiting Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the elves. From what I’ve heard, it is pure magic for the children, and includes ample shopping and activities to keep adults entertained as well.

The children getting final instructions before their dog sled ride

But when flight prices to Ivalo (even further north than Rovaniemi) dipped to under $100US this fall, I couldn’t resist booking a slightly different Christmas adventure. Unlike last year, when the snow came hard and fast from mid-November onwards, and our white Christmas included nearly three feet of snow, November and December this year were gray and wet. So we were anxious for a little snow, perhaps a glimpse of the Northern Lights, and a memorable arctic adventure for my in-laws who were coming for what will likely be their first and only visit to Finland.

The Nellim Wilderness Hotel was exactly what we had in mind. After the 90 minute flight to Ivalo, a cheerful member of the hotel staff picked us and our gear up and took us the additional 50km to tiny Nellim. On the southern edge of Lake Inari, Nellim is the kind of place you only visit to get away from civilization–there are no malls, no restaurants to speak of, and certainly more reindeer than people!

They kept a constant fire going here next to the sledding hill and ice-fishing area so it was easy to warm up!

The lodge itself is made up of several buildings. The main building houses the restaurant where guests share a hearty and traditional breakfast and dinner (most lunches are eaten on-the-go during the various outings). This is not gourmet fare, and there’s no menu–you get what you get, typically meat, potatoes, soup, salad and bread at dinner and some sort of egg dish with cereals, fruit, yogurt and porridge for breakfast. This is probably not the best location for picky eaters or folks with a lot of dietary restrictions, but if you can be flexible on the food front, the excellent guided adventures more than make up for it.

The other buildings are a short walk (50m) away and include multi-room mini-suites and small apartments, some of which include kitchenettes, fire places, and small living rooms. Our two-room suite was very clean and warm, but again, think hunting lodge, not The Ritz, when you imagine this place.

Each day, you can choose from activities including cross-country skiing (trails leave from the grounds of the lodge and there is even a fairly good sized loop of lighted trail, which is helpful when it gets dark at 1:30pm), sledding, ice-fishing, snowmobiling, snow-shoeing, and dog-sledding. Nellim has over 70 dogs on site and driving the dog sled has to have been one of the coolest experiences of my life. If reading White Fang when you were 8 engendered even an inkling of adventurous desire, driving your own sled out on frozen Lake Inari is something to add to your bucket list!

The sledge for the children came complete with warm reindeer skins for the cold journey!

Since our party of six included two children under the age of 8 and two grandparents with slight mobility issues, we were nervous about how to balance the adventure vacation Matt & I wanted with the needs of everyone else. This is where Nellim Wilderness Hotel really shone! They were flexible and I’m pretty sure they invented tours just to accommodate our slightly special needs. They’re equipped with sledges that can be pulled behind the snowmobiles so that the children could go meet a Lappish reindeer herder  and pet a reindeer, and they’re patient enough to give even the little ones a go on the dog sleds. Skis and snowshoes are available on-site if you don’t have your own, and they had an excellent assortment of winter gear that could supplement what people who winter outside Finland have on hand.

Each night, the guides take groups out to the Russian border (which is quite close by!) to look for the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. Although the displays we witnessed were on the mild side, just seeing the entire Milky Way with virtually no light pollution was an experience. Even if you don’t want to go on the paid outings, it’s easy enough to see the lights from the grounds, especially if you walk a few hundred meters from the buildings to escape the small bit of light there.

If you want the outdoor adventure, but really can’t miss Santa’s village, you can still visit the Ivalo area. Just 35km south of Ivalo is Hotel Kakslauttanen, which boasts a Santa’s Village and Igloos as well. We didn’t visit it on this trip, but maybe next time (and yes, the kids are already asking when we can go back!).

Continue reading »]]> Thanks so much to Sara Toole Miller for nominating Terminal Verbosity for a Liebster Award! Her blog, which is all about the writer’s life, is a constant source of inspiration to me in my writing journey!

The Liebster Blog Award is given to blogs that have less than 200 followers and deserve more recognition and encouragement.There are some guidelines that have to be followed while giving or receiving the Award.

The rules for receiving the award:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favorite bloggers and keep it going!

So here are five blogs that I love, and therefore nominate for the Liebster Blog Award:

• Nicole Leonard’s Photography Blog- This woman takes amazing pictures!
• Besides sharing my love of soup, Angel at Elder of the Sweetbunns Brigadeis also living & writing about the expat life!
• Anna at Jenkki in Helsinki not only writes about life as an expat here in Helsinki, but her battle with breast cancer.
• Kellie at My So-Called Green Life is full of fun green tips.
• Christian at The 365 Kitchen is a friend and fellow foodie. Read his new blog to get an awesome recipe every single day!

Thanks again, Sara, and happy blogging everyone!

Continue reading »]]> October was a quiet month at Terminal Verbosity. Not only was I busy indulging my francophile tendencies with an amazing trip to Provence, but I was also busy planning my second novel and first National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) effort. Yes, that means that November will be kind of quiet around here as I have publicly promised to pen 50,000 words in the next 30 days.

If you want to follow my adventures, or are participating in NaNoWriMo yourself and want to be a buddy, look for TerminalVerbosity, or look me up by title: Distopian Dream Girl. Just to tantalize you a bit further, I’ll give you the first line of the novel as it stands on Day 1:

“Kiitos, kiitos, kiitos,” she mumbled under her breath. At least they had a word for thank you in Finland.

Continue reading »]]> It wasn’t until I went to link back to my Windsor post that I realized I had not, in fact, ever written it. So here it is, over a month after our return…Ed.

The stunning Round Tower, take from the Moat Garden, Windsor Castle

Traveling with elementary-aged children typically involves some negotiation and compromise between what the parents want to do and what will keep the children entertained enough to prevent complete melt-down. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the best possible solution to this dilemma–Windsor, England.

The very walkable size of the town, the number of outdoor attractions, and the presence of Lego-Land make this small town just outside of London a great location to visit with children. Having spoken to many parents who shudder at the thought of losing a child in the crowds of London, I think Windsor offers a nice balance of kid-friendly activities and amazing historical sites bound to please family-members of all ages.

Where to Stay
Windsor makes for a fairly easy day-trip if you’re staying in London–there are frequent trains from Paddington Station and bus tours that stop for several hours in Windsor leave from several downtown London locations. But I suggest staying in or around the Windsor-Eton area to truly appreciate all that it has to offer.

As with many world-famous tourist towns, Windsor is not cheap–both dining out and accommodations are on the expensive side–but there are nice, child-friendly lodgings available. If you want to avoid driving (which I heartily recommend), consider:

• Budget – The Clarence Hotel is nice, child-friendly, within easy walking distance to many of Windsor’s attractions, and about the least expensive accommodations you’ll find in the area.
• Mid-range – The Royal Bourrough provides a helpful searchable database of accommodations in the area, including apartments for rent.
• Not Budget, but nice – The Christopher, Eton, is situated between the River Thames and Eton College. Eton is always quieter than bustling Windsor, and that is reflected in the higher price, but this hotel provides a nice afternoon tea, comfortable bar, and excellent breakfast, in the perfect location to walk both towns.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, as there are many options in this area, but this will get you started on your planning. Note that there a resort hotel located at Legoland is under construction and due to open March 12. Check Legoland‘s web site for more information. You can also book combined room/Legoland entry deals, often at a serious discount from regular Legoland rates, but I have to admit that I didn’t have the best of luck getting their search engine to work!

Windsor Castle

The interior courtyard of Windsor Castle provides a glimpse of all the classic elements of an ancient castle from the gorgeous stonework to the beautiful clock to the turreted towers...

Started by William the Conquerer in the 11th century, Windsor Castle remains one of my favorite castle/palaces and rivals Versailles. From the striking skyline to the tiny details in Queen Mary’s doll-house, the pieces of the castle that tourists can access (it is, after all, a working castle and QE2 is often in residence) show both the complexity and historical span of the British monarchy.

Children will love the cannon, the doll house, the guilt-work, and the amazing geometric arrangement of both weaponry and coats of arms on display in the state apartments.

Adults might appreciate seeing the tomb of King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria’s beautiful memorial to her beloved Albert in St. George’s Chapel, and can take a crack at explaining the amazing span of history represented by the castle to the little ones as they wander the grounds.

Legoland

One of the rides for younger children at Legoland Windsor

If your idea of a family holiday involves Mickey Mouse, you might be disappointed by the scale of Legoland Windsor. However, younger children who might be overwhelmed by Disney will find Legoland altogether more manageable.

For our family, the roller coaster pictured here was the children’s first. At ages 5 and 7, one child was still too small to ride the larger rides, while the older one was thrilled to go on some of the “big boy” rides that his sister was too little to enjoy.

Children under the age of three (or under the requisite 90cm) might be too small to do much, even with an accompanying parent, at LegoLand, but the park seems ideal for the 4-8 year-old set.

On the weekends, the lines for the rides are long, as you might expect at any amusement park. However, there are so many Lego-themed play grounds sprinkled throughout the park that there are plenty of things for children to do without standing in line.

I found the food to be both expensive and relatively unhealthy, and found myself wishing we’d made a trip to Marks & Spencer or Waitrose for some of their lovely prepackaged foods before we spent the day at LegoLand.

Other things to see and do

The King George Memorial is one of the many architectural beauties sprinkled throughout Windsor & Eton.

There are so many things to do in the area, and the farther afield you’re willing to go, the more you can see (London is only 20 minutes away by train!). However, here are a few things you can get to either on foot or by bus from central Windsor/Eton:

• Eton College – School of princes and nobility, this is a great guided tour during the season (April through early October), especially if you have a little girl who loved the fanfare of the Royal Wedding.
• The Savill Garden- Not only a great open area for the children to run in, but home to a truly stunning array of plants from Rhododendrons large as a house to some of most beautiful natural bulb plantings I’ve ever seen. Oh, and the roses! I could go on…
• Windsor Great Park – Start with a stroll down the Long Walk, which leaves from the east edge of the castle. If you get a chance, consider renting bikes and cycling deeper into the lovely Great Park and watch for massive herds of deer, beautiful little ponds and wooded areas, and quaint thatch-roofed villages nestled in the immense grounds.
• Windsor Guildhall – This beautiful building sits just outside the castle entrance and was built by Sir Christopher Wren.
• Frogmore House – Although it’s only open for a few short days each August, if you happen to be in Windsor during this time, Frogmore House holds a real piece of history. Not only is it a beloved holiday home of the monarchy, but it contains the royal mausoleum.

Dining in Windsor/Eton

There is nothing better than a pitcher of Pimms on a warm day at the George Inn in Eton. Really. Pure bliss.

From the collection of high-end chain restaurants (and shops) in the Windsor Royal Station to the pubs that line Thames Street in Windsor and the Eton High Street, finding a good place to eat in Windsor is perhaps easier than in other more metropolitan areas in England.

We particularly enjoy The George Inn & Gilbey’s on Eton High Street, as well as Bel & The Dragon, Cafe Rouge, and The Spice Route in Windsor. For a quick meal or a picnic in one of the many parks in the area, there are several specialty food stores in the Peascod Street/Windsor Royal Station shopping area, as well as a large new Waitrose and Marks & Spencer for the usual picnic fare.

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At long last, Gabriel is the proud owner of a pocket knife! To date, he still has all 10 digits.

Another September has come and gone. I can already feel the days getting shorter and the light is definitely beginning to wane. Always a month of transition, September has been particularly difficult for me the past five years because the fourteenth of the month marks the untimely death of my father.

Although that day was particularly hard (something about hitting the five-year anniversary made this year worse than the last few for me), September also marks another major milestone in my life: the anniversary of the day I became a mother–Gabriel’s birthday. So after trying unsuccessfully to put a coherent post together on my feelings about the loss of my father for nearly three weeks, I’m going to bag the sad middle of the month and move straight on to the happy ending

I’ve already weighed in on G’s super-star birthday party, but since the craziness of the party last week, I’ve had more time to reflect on the little man himself and on the journey we’ve undertaken together.

I talked  a lot about the changes that have taken place in our lives since Lily was born in her birthday post, so I won’t repeat that chronology here. I will, however, point out how Gabriel and I are alike in some ways when it comes to the tremendous change of the overseas move. Like his mama, Gabriel styles himself as someone up for any adventure. Also like his mama, he sometimes panics once he starts to realize the full implications of  said adventure.

Early indications that our boy would love the move to Finland!

That means this past year in Helsinki has been full of ups and downs. The ups have included him learning to snow shoe and cross-country ski, and finally living somewhere that has adequate snowfall for his insatiable sledding needs. They have also included him forming friendships with people from literally all over the world.

He has also proven himself to be quite a traveler. Finally old enough to begin to appreciate museums, history, and architecture, he has seen the best of what Paris has to offer and has also seen a fair bit of Norway.

This summer he visited his first real castle (Windsor), and began to appreciate how much older things are here in Europe than they are in Colorado. Although his understanding of how old things are is imperfect (as one would likely expect from a seven-year-old), he is starting to understand more complex concepts from revolutions to evolution, and that is really a lot of fun to watch.

His reading and his ability to play more complex games like Battleship, Chinese Checkers, and chess, have really exploded this year.  And he’s unstoppable in the math department, where he constantly amazes me with his ability to add and subtract and now multiply (I swear, I didn’t teach him any of this!).

Little Dreamer...

Every time that he proves to me how mature and wise he is, he also reminds me that he’s still a little boy, and a dreamer at that. I think that makes the chaos of our day-to-day life a little challenging for him. Having both children in school five days a week means a hectic schedule, especially when we’re adding play dates, beach time, and soon, outdoor snow play to the routine.

Part of being a dreamer is that sometimes the fantasy world in your head can sometimes skew your view of reality. This manifests quite a bit on the play ground, where he often sees the play battles that boys inevitably start as a matter of life and death. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve had to take a stick from him that was being used as a weapon. Each time he explains how he is defending his base/castle/fort, protecting his sister, or, to use my own words, fighting the tyranny of the universe, and each time I remind him that playing war and actually being at war are two different things.

He’s still a boy who likes to spend his precious weekend mornings lounging in his pajamas (also like his mama), to the extent that he even opted out of Saturday morning football with his best pals because he didn’t want to have to get up and get out of the house early on a Saturday morning. I have to say I didn’t argue this particular point.

From peaceful infant to warrior child...

But instead, I’ll leave you with this photo of him as a newborn and say that even though he’s nearly wearing the same size shoe as I am, even though he is huge and bright and inquisitive and hyper-active, this image of his tiny self sleeping is what I see every time I look at him. And that’s not going to change in another seven years, or possibly even in seventy.

Continue reading »]]> It’s almost time for fall break and choosing this year’s destination was tough. I’m still acting like a kid in a candy store when it comes to planning holidays even though we’ve been in Finland–and therefore tantalizingly close to some of my all-time favorite places–for close to a year now. I mean, I can fly to Norway for cheaper than I used to be able to fly to Phoenix. Need I say more?

At any rate, after lots of thought and discussion, we chose to return to Provence. But I was really, really tempted to revisit Andalucía. So when I heard that a friend was heading to Spain next week with a rather open itinerary, I had to put together my visual case for visiting Andalucía. It’s been nearly ten years since we were there, but it still stands out in our minds. The food, the amazing melding of European and Muslim architecture, the beauty of the hilly terrain dotted with olive trees…Highly recommended. So here goes…

Don’t miss these highlights:

We drove a loose figure-eight around southern Spain, beginning and ending in Malaga. Our route looked something like this:

View Malaga in a larger map

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Photo from the State Library of New South Wales collection (http://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/)

When Gabriel was about 18 months old, I got together with a group of my friends from college. Several of us had children within a few months of each other, so there was a lot of talk that weekend about how life had changed and what we had to look forward to as our children grew. One friend who had older brothers told us about a recent birthday party she’d attended that involved pony rides, a cowboy, and goodie bags that cost roughly $20 a pop. We all howled about how ridiculous that was and about how we’d never, ever, ever do that.

The kids’ first few birthday parties held true to my proclamation. But that’s easy in Boulder County, where dressing up often meant pulling on the new Icebreaker or Mountain Hardware hoody and putting on the dressy jeans that weren’t frayed at the bottom from wearing them with flip-flops. Birthday parties there usually involved playing out in the back yard and oodles of home-made whole-wheat cupcakes, with a few gluten/dairy/soy/corn/nut free ones for the children with food sensitivities. Favors I offered in the past included little pots filled with dirt and basil seeds, home-made play dough, and little bouquets of natural dye-free lollipops.

Fast-forward to 2011. We live in a flat in downtown Helsinki. The weather is too damp and dreary for a park birthday party. Having all 20 children from Gabriel’s class to our house would not only be a tight fit, but likely a complete disaster involving gray hairs, glass breakage, and shouting (not just from the children). And so we’re two hours away from the birthday party I said I’d never have, at a local indoor play place, complete with Pirate-themed goody-bags (thankfully less than $20 a piece!). There are no pony rides or hired clowns/cowboys in the plans, but the event is still going to cost roughly a month’s car payment and certainly more than any of the adult parties we’ve thrown (although Matt & I are now conspiring to have one, just to see what we can do with that sort of budget!).

I think the party will be a blast–two of Gabriel’s friends had their birthday party there last month and everyone had a really good time, came home exhausted, and talked about it at school all the next week. Gabriel is so excited about turning seven this year, and has to deal with so much since his last backyard birthday party in Colorado this time last year, that we’re thrilled to celebrate it with him in style. As one last hold-out to my vow years ago, I still made chocolate cupcakes for the party.

But when I weigh the cost of today’s party against the amount of scraping I had to do to get the ground-in chocolate crumbs that even the dog was too stuffed to hoover up off my wood floors in Colorado last year, or against the excitement Gabriel felt as his friends talked up the party during school this week, I think it was well worth it.

And so, having a high-end birthday party gets added to the long list of things I swore I’d never do. You know, like I’d never leave Lyons, I’d never miss a social gathering because it conflicted with a child’s nap/bed-time, I’d never move my kids every two years, and I’d never be on the board of the PTO. There’s a reason they say never say never…