The Amazing Story of Anna Helena

A Test

2016-02-26T03:08:00.001+01:00

Life is testing us.
Dropping small challenges on us, more lately than before.
I have had a fever since last night, am not really enjoying anything but rest. Then today, picking up Sophia, driving home - my gears got difficult to put in, then the car started making a squeaky noise, and then all of a sudden all just locked down, making it impossible to steer.
I might have cursed, even if the kids were in the back seat. Did it really have to happen when I was feeling bad?

Anywho, the got the car to a shop. Problem being that the Black car was in the shop for a repainting. So no car, and I had to go work.
Luckily Memo's mother could take me to the first house, and then I had to walk - great on a day with fever.
Oh well, I am back at home. Memo is bringing some take out, and I will sleep early.

Tomorrow I am scheduled to go look at a potential school for Leon for the fall. Memo went this morning and liked it.

Home Sweet Home

2016-02-25T05:30:00.000+01:00

We stayed only two weeks in Sweden, but it was like heaven to me.
I refilled my batteries and enjoyed every second of the trip.

Cousins

Visiting the Junibacken museum

Making her own Gingerbread House

Christmas Eve

Early Birthday Party

Spain 2015

2016-02-25T05:01:00.000+01:00

Here are a few pictures and a short text on our Spanish adventure.

Why Spain you might wonder? Because my dad and Bettina moved there last year, to Fuengirola.
Fun Fact, in 2005, we went on vacation to Fuengirola. I fell pretty badly one night. A different kind of trip.

Our stay was amazing, hopefully we will be able to come back soon. Sophia speaks about Spain all the time.

View from the house

Pool

View from the house in an other direction

Skipping her way through town

Day trip to Mijas

Picking rocks for the open fire

In Granada

Road Trip Photos

2016-02-25T04:15:00.000+01:00

These are pictures from our roadtrip;

1.Mexico City
2.Teuthiuacan
3.Queretaro
4.Guanajuato

Here comes Mexico City. We didn't do much. We had a crappy New Years eve dinner - who knew most restaurants (in the area where we were) were closed - all restaurants, including fast food, except for Sanborns. So we had Sanborns, not impressive.
The next day we took short walk in the morning, and then headed straight for the Pyramids.

Then Teothiuacan

Resting before climbing all the way up the Pyramid of the Sun

We look happy, but were exhausted. Both kids had had temper tantrums, we were hungry and Jet Lagged.

Moving on to Queretro

Stop over in Irapuato

Saving the best for last; Guanajuato

Almost home

Sick, and then sick again

2016-02-25T03:30:00.003+01:00

I am not sure why, but life has been a vicious circle of sickness since we got back to Mexico.

It started with Leon getting a fever, and then me getting a bad cold, then me getting food poisoning and then Leon getting RSV (I thought he might not make it, it was bAd), and then now me coming down with, what I hope, is a cold, but am fearing is the flu.

Life has been moving in 250 km/h, giving classes in the afternoons, keeping the house work up, gym (when I am not sick) and the baking business.

We also applied for a scholarship for Sophia, and it was very stressful a few days before the papers were to be handed in.

We finally got them handed in, although I am not sure they are up to standards, I do hope so though. Sadly social life suffers nowadays, not only with friends but also between Memo and I. Over the past 2-3 weeks we haven't seen much of one another. It's though, you need to start prioritising and sometimes thats not very popular.

We power through, as long as we have each other, all will be good. Stick together. Love. Forgiveness. Patience.

I am very much looking forward having a few friends over Saturday night, I don't remember last time I had time to just sit down and enjoy - even a weekend night.

I hope that my cold will be over by then.

Life is going UP

2016-01-13T06:06:00.000+01:00

Started working out again today, after my small break.

But even more importantly, got back to work - in a way.
I got myself a few new students - 11 classes more a week, and another possible 2 coming up.
If all comes through I would earn more than I used to working at the school.

It's a good feeling.

I am grateful.

Vacation break

2016-01-12T02:13:00.001+01:00

I had a few months vacation/sanity break.

We went back to Sweden, with a few weeks pit stop in Spain.
Before that I was feeling a bit down. Not really seeing any advance in our lives, etc, etc.

Now all is better. I reloaded my batteries back home and got some new classes booked in so now I will start earning a proper salary again.

Life is looking good. A few things need to be sorted out - baby sitters, taking care of the house and so on. But all will fall into place in time.

Today I will head back to the gym for the first time since a week before I left - so almost 2 months now.
I wish I could stay here underneath my blanket, but I guess paying for the whole year upfront kind forces you to get your ass there.

I will try to find time to post some pictures from our trip.

ADHD/ADD

2015-11-06T18:10:00.001+01:00

This text was written by a Swedish girl. I translated it because I have rarely seen such good explanation of ADHD/ADD.

Now, I do not have either of them, but I live with a man that does. And I grew up with someone who has it.

It is tough, VERY tough even, to share life with someone with ADHD/ADD. I believe this text is great at helping us understand how they think, feel and act BUT I have to say that although I will, of course, be understanding to kids that have this, I feel that adults should be aware of their flaws - as all of us need to - and work on how to maybe be a better listener, or how to control your feelings better.

Enjoy the read:

I am just like you, yet so very different.

I feel the same emotions as you do, I experience the same things. Just a little bit more. When I am happy, I am ecstatic. When I am angry, I am pisses off. When I am sad, I am devastated. When somebody hurts me I feel as if though the world is collapsing. When I get a hug everything is better again, however bad everything just was.

Sometimes I take everything personal. Everything that happens seems to be against me. But since is am missing that vent in my brain then everything needs to come out another way, through the mouth.
I might sound angry. You maybe feel I am exaggerating. But since I am missing that vent that you have, everything that happens becomes very big to me.
I don't get a chance at sorting my thoughts out, weeding out the bad ones.

I am not a bad listener, if sometimes I have troubles concentrating. The dripping from the sink, a car passing by, a couple on a bench, everything that you can weed out thanks to your vent stays in my head.
I see your lips move, but, I am sorry, sometimes I cannot hear what you are saying, even if I am really trying. I am not doing it to ignore you, but because there are so many other things to listen to. And if we are in a completly quiet room I would listen to the silence and how it mixes with the thoughts in my head.
Because in there, it is never completely quiet.

Sometimes you get tired of my asking about something only to ask you again almost immediately.
No, I am not stupid, slow or an idiot. Only that the answer you gave me already disappeared among all the thoughts in my head. I, thus, need to ask again. And maybe another time so that it really gets stuck. So that I can remember.

To lay down on the couch and watch a movie doesn't often work for me. After a while it starts to crawl in my body and I loose concentration and look at everything but what is happenning on the TV screen.
It is my body telling me that I need a change. My patience is over, however good I thought the movie was.
Give my tired brain a break for 10 min and then we can continue again. My mind doesn't have the same ability as yours to process impressions and gets tired easily.

Do you get tired of my constant fiddleing with my phone, the sheets, clothes and everything else that can fit in between my fingers? It is only my way to use some of the energy I have so that I can stay focused on you.

Sometimes it might feel as if though I don't understand you and your emotions. But I understand more than I show. Because when I am feeling strong emotions my brains is taken over by them and I cannot put them into words. I am fully concentrating on keeping my body in place not to do something unwanted towards myself or others.

Do I throw things everywhere? Chaos is my way of keeping things neat. Since there is chaos in my mind all the time that is how I feel safe. That is when I feel in control.

Are you surprised that I can be mad one second and in the next one be happy? Don't, my mood is completely decided by whatever emotion is in power. And that can change fast. In my brain, everything is constantly moving. Sometimes I can't keep up.

Do I often start conflicts with others? That's because I hate inequalities and I refuse to see other people getting hurt. To butt in is my speciality. I don't do it to be a pain in your a**, but because I miss that cowardly stop button that humans usually have. I miss the ability to consider consequences and often put myself in dangerous situations to save people I like or feel for.

You might feel that I am the expert at making a fool out of myself. But, you see, I don't feel that laughing out loud, jumping in water puddles or speaking loudly is embarrasing. I do what I feel like doing in a specific moment. I don't have time to think about what other people think of me. There are too many other things that distract me.

I don't understand instructions as fast as you do. Sometimes someone can explain the same thing 10 times to me without me understanding anything. Then someone else comes along and all of a sudden I understand.
To me, it is not about what you say, but about how you say it.

Tired of me loosing my keys every time we are about to do something only to find them in my pocket?
Get used to it. My brain is so busy with the surroundings that it doesn't have time to remember where I put things. I put them away without thinking.

People with ADHD/ADD are intense. We feel more. We hate more. We are sadder. But we also love more. For when we love someone we don't only do it with our hear, but with our whole body.

When you feel that you do not have the energy to be understanding anymore - go outside. Take a break. Take a break from us, becuse we can be a handful. Something is always up with us. We are in constant motion. We are not only hyperactive and intense. We are also intelligent and creative. We think differently than you, since we do not have that vent. In order to survive we have a different way to be and act.

You need to let us.

If you give us that chance, the opportunity to be exactly who we are, let us take all the positive in our disorder, and you will see how much we can give you. You will understand. Be proud that YOU can join us on our journey and discover the world from perspective.

Translated from: http://uppskattat.se/den-har-texten-om-adhd-ar-bland-det-basta-vi-nagonsin-last-detta-borde-alla-lasa/

Some Pictures

2015-11-06T02:31:00.001+01:00

Found on my phone
Since well, maybe January uptil just a few weeks ago

"Sleeping" together

Princess Ariel found my make-up bag

When Leon was still a fatso - a beautiful fatso

Cousins

Family

With her best Karen

Ice Skating

Last day in her old school

Sweaty?

Me 10 years ago... no a few months!

Ready for Swim Class

He LOVES that horse

Beach Bound

2015-11-06T02:22:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow we are heading beach bound - Puerto Vallarta, as usual.

It will be very nice to have a weekend to relax and get out of this city - it has been so grey and depressing here lately.

Hide and seek

2015-11-04T23:46:00.001+01:00

Sophia's favorite game right now is to play hide and seek.

Usually they play it together at home, or she makes us play it in the park.

It's fun, the first or second time.

After a while it can get a bit boring.

Lejon

2015-11-03T02:55:00.002+01:00

Lejon - which is what Sophia and I call Leon; lion in Swedish, is starting to get more and more confidence about this walking business.

I don't really want him to walk before we travel - since I am doing the trip solo, but I wouldn't dream of holding him back.

Let's see when it happens, a few weeks more it seems like, he is still missing some balance.

The dude is turning 1 next week, let's let that one sink in... ONE week. Oh my....

Running

2015-11-03T02:52:00.001+01:00

As you know I am trying to run 5k, or I actually managed to run 5k. The goal is, as I wrote before, to run a marathon together with Memo at some point in the future.

I am not sure that will ever happen.

I don't think I told you that he set a new record the other week at the GDL marathon, 42k in 3:12 min.

Isn't that amazing.

He is trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I believe he would be able to run it in 3:05 - he will be trying again in a few weeks, on Nov. 29 - yep, the day after my birthday - in Mazatlan, Mexican west coast.

He is my running idol.

Halloween Weekend

2015-11-03T02:46:00.000+01:00

We spent half of Saturday running erands and rushing things in order to be able to get to Sophia's friend Karen's party on time.

We got there late, but the girls - and boys, and adults, had a great time.

There were crafts, there were piñatas there was a trampoline.

FUN!

Sunday we had a play date planned at her friend Elena's house. Sadly Leon woke up with a fever - I suspect more teeth. Elena's amazing mother offered to have her over by herself and so Sophia was off for the first time alone to a play date.

I heared they had a great time. I am so grateful of the amazing friends and their families Sophia have.

Sophia's Costumes 2015

2015-11-02T04:14:00.000+01:00

Here comes pictures of Sophia's costumes this year.

The Pippi Longstocking one she used in School

And she was Princess Batman at her friend Karen's Halloween party

I have a few great pictures from this weekend but I need to transfer them to the computer, hopefully I will manage to get a post up later today!

Sunday Nights

2015-11-02T04:10:00.000+01:00

Sunday nights always means a new episode of Downton Abbey, who else watches that show?

We have had a weekend full of fun, and some fever (again).

I will write some posts about that tomorrow.

Show is ready to watch..

Cookies and baking

2015-10-30T03:41:00.000+01:00

The company is doing ok.

I am reluctant to put too much into it right now since we are leaving for a month and a half nov/dec.

Anywho, it's something on the side. I am not selling a crazy amount of cookies, mainly because until two days ago I hadn't done any publicity for months.

Here comes a few pictures - find us on FB and hit LIKE.

New Routine

2015-10-30T03:30:00.003+01:00

A few weeks ago I decided to try a new mind set out.

Try to be more 'active' I guess.

Now when we wake up we, get ready, make the beds etc. I take Sophia to school, come back and start picking things up, ideally cook lunch (already). Rest when the baby rests and then go pick up the big monster.
Day goes on, one of the main things that changed - except or making lunch in the morning - is that now when I see something laying around I don't say - I'll pick that up later, or, next time.

Also, we do not leave downstairs or the main bedroom without picking our stuff up.

House is cleaner, less time actually cleaning.

I used to be so messy. SO, very messy.
Maybe this is normal to most of you, but for me it didn't come naturally.

But now I got it.

Anywho, I need to find some cooking inspiration. I feel I really need a crock pot.

Sometimes I run low on time - yep - in between the kids, the house, life, and the baking business. I think a crock pot would be helpful.

Need to look into it.

Now that we should't eat too many hot dogs and all...

Quick

2015-10-30T03:23:00.002+01:00

Life moves so incredibly fast. You look away and months have passed since you did *that*, or a year has almost passed since you had your baby boy - WHAT, yes. Leon turns 1 in a few weeks - like 2ish.

Oh my, where did time go?

Mostly into running around trying to keep things together.

But they pretty much look like angles no?

Oh, the lower angel tried to eat a cricket the other day.

I looked away - seriously a second or so - and when I look back he is sitting with a cricket in his hand, a leg hanging from his mouth and the other leg on the floor.

The cricket was still alive.

Curtain.

Halloween

2015-10-30T03:17:00.001+01:00

So... I have never been big on Halloween.
It wasn't celebrated at all when I was 'a young girl in Sweden, when everything was still in black and white'.

Sophia goes to an American School now so Halloween is huge.

Since I am a slightly controlling mother - in a nice way. She got to chose if she wanted to re-use her Pippi Longstocking costume from last year, or a doctors costume.
Why? you might ask yourself.

Sophia wanted to be Elsa, like EVERY other girl in the world - she already has the dress.
I thought, since she is still pretty easy to fool - I am sorry - she chose Pippi. Together with her teachers we have been making Pippi the coolest girl in PK-5.
How?
Well, I translated the book. Her teachers have been reading it all week.
She has brought her Pippi toys and purse to school, so now she will be the kid with the best costume in her classroom.

Yep...

As I write this I feel a bit bad not to have let her chose her own costume.
But it only lasts a few seconds.
I think she will have many more years to chose to be a Princess.

I am thinking Mary Poppins for next year.
Better start making it cool now.

Sophia was super excited that it is Christmas, since she loves Christmas.

Break

2015-10-29T16:56:00.001+01:00

I took a small break.

We were sick, there was work and even a hurricane.

Now I hope to be back. I am starting to go back to the gym - did 5k in 31 min the other day 👏 - and thus have more energy.

I have restructured our days and therefore have needed some time to adjust.

I will try to write a few posts about it.

I also don't have much motivation to write since the blogger app can't upload pictures already on the camera, I need to take them as I write and that is usually not much fun.

Of well, let me Google that.

Trying

2015-10-07T18:25:00.001+02:00

I am trying to keep up with everything, sometimes my time runs out and the the blog suffers.

This weeks started nicely.
Memo and I went to the movies and saw the Martian.
I actually liked it. I went in thinking this is one of those action movies I hate, but there was no action.
I recommend it.

Life is moving so fast right now. I am sorry for the scarce posting, I am trying to fit it in again.

Buns

2015-10-05T07:05:00.001+02:00

Sunday's are always MY day to sleep in.
That's the deal.

I take the kids Saturday mornings and Memo can do whatever he feels like - he chooses to go long distance running.
Sundays he takes the kids while I chose to charge my sleep battery.

At 10 Sophia came in and told me it was time to wake up - I already was, only enjoying the moment I had to myself, but she doesn't need to know that.

I figured Memo had to be tired since Leon whoke up at 6:30, so him and the baby took a long nap while Sophia and I made buns - cinnamon/cardamom and vanilla buns.
I can't upload a picture right now since the app doesn't let me.

The day has been calm - the whole weekend really.
Thankfully.

It's over now and tomorrow a new, better week with great opportunities start.

I give you a picture of my current view - shadows.

Have a good one, and I will try to update more often.

Want

2015-10-01T02:28:00.001+02:00

I want to write.
I am just a bit busy, have been sick - exhausted and really just overwhelmed.

Trying to have the whole familu adapt to a new schedule/ routine.
Hasn't been easy, but we are getting there.

Our days starts at 6, bath, dressed, some play time - drive to school, drop Sophia off at 7:30-40.
Go home, feed baby, play time - cleaning time, Leon naps, I rest if we had a rough night.
Prepare lunch for everyone, leave at 12:00, drop Memo's lunch off, pick up Sophia 12:30-13:00.

Some days we stay and wait for Memo, most we don't, we go straight home. Try not to have Sophia fall asleep in the car. Eat, clean up, play time, snack, make dinner, eat, clean up - Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach English class between 18:00-19:00.
Kids to bed 19:00-30
Clean up some more
Teach Swedish to Memo
21:00 - gym time
22:00 snack and shows, 00:00 bed.

The baby usually wakes up at least once a night and sometimes at 5:30 - the he eats and falls back asleep.

Repeat 5* week.

Not over

2015-09-28T14:00:00.001+02:00

I have just had a a few busy weeks
I will be back.
Hopefully this afternoon