Mother's Day

I had a very nice Mother's Day -- a collection of cards were part of my wake-up, papa had brought home flowers & pastries from the Swedish Royal Bakery and we spent the day among the flowers at Carlsbad's Flower Fields.

Ever since I had Peanut & Tex I've gained a new perspective on my mom, my upbringing and who I am today.

My mom raised two children mostly as a single parent which I now can imagine was an exhausting role. She did it without a family network around her since we lived in Florida far away from her connections in Finland at a time when an international phone call was only for emergencies and very special occassions.

As we all as parents must do at some point or another - I find myself channeling my mom. But, I hope more for the positive values she modeled and the self confidence she instilled.

I want Peanut & Tex to be nature lovers who feel responsible for maintaining and contributing to the Earth's well being. I always knew that I wanted my children to grow up running bare foot outdoors searching for ladybugs, snails and other creatures. I hope they grow up admiring the beauty around us and wondering about the amazing events of nature.

I want my children to respect themselves and others in their actions, words and intentions.

I want to encourage my children to be creative thinkers able to express themselves in arts, crafts, music, words and any other channel they can imagine. I hope they will believe in what they create and feel passionate about its value.

I want them to fall in love with books, stories, poems, tales, newspapers, magazines -- and the Internet as a way to discover new places, ideas and answers to their questions.

I want them to value education.

Its a long list and I could go on, but in these areas I am thankful to have a mother who has shown me how to teach these things. And, most of all, I'm thankful to her for raising me surrounded by these beliefs.

Munching our way into 2007

For New Year's Eve, we enjoyed a tasty Dutch traditional treat - the oliebollen - along with a small smörgåsbord of other delicacies and tapas-like dishes. Its sort of a traditional I'd like to keep going in our family. No one has to cook much and you get to dig into sweets & savories all evening long.

Peanut's papa was in charge of the oliebollen which we made outdoors on the grill. The dough rose nicely and was dappled with dried fruits such as raisins, apricots and cherries. Then you form balls of dough to drop into boiling oil to fry. Kinda like dough nut holes. When they come out and cool, you sprinkle a helping of powdered sugar on top and enjoy through the night.

We did manage to make it to midnight by spending an inordinate amount of time watching the World Championship of Poker on TV!! We'd never watched such a show before and somehow got pulled into the last rounds and just had to see how it turned out. Funny the things you end up doing on New Year's Eve as a toddler and expectant parent. Really, I was just impressed we were both awake at midnight ;-)

I know how it looks, but, it wasn't me!

Peanut had gotten this little gingerbread house ornament as a Christmas gift. We never discussed the fact that it was edible and hung on the tree like all the other ornaments.

One day, Peanut's papa noticed that there were tiny bites missing from the base of the house. Hmmm....

Later, we found Peanut standing very close to the gingerbread house. "Oh O!" we exclaimed "What happened to the house, peanut?"

She glances around. Spots Pooh Bear at her feet. Picks him up, holds HIS mouth up to the gingerbread house and explains "Pooh!".

ICE, choo-choo trains, kippis with Auntie Em

Auntie Em finally made her way from Denver for a short, pre-Christmas visit with us. Peanut & I picked her up at the airport and decided to start the day at the Gaylord Texan resort to look in on the ICE! show.

We arrived ahead of any crowds and so had plenty of space to shiver in the frigid air. Fortunately, the handed out complimentary parkas and blankets or else we wouldn't have lasted very long. Even with the parkas, we were all wishing for hats, scarves and gloves. Peanut got to stroll in tucked under an extra blanket. I was shocked at how cold it was - after all, they advertise its only 9C. Why that's like spring in Helsinki, I thought, no big deal.....

I wonder if there's any truth to the idea that your blood thins/thickens in response to the climate where you live? I know my body has somehow adapted because really 9C used to be light coat/spring gloves weather to me. Now, my teeth were chattering and I just wanted to get in front of a warm fireplace!

We didn't spend any longer in the ICE show than was necessary to admire the wintery nightscapes and snap some photos.

Out we headed to explore the massive resort centered around its miniature version of the San Antonio Riverwalk and Alamo all decked out for the holidays. Naturally, Santa here is a cowboy and longhorns were more common than reindeer, but Peanut did get her first sightings of railroads and choo-choo trains. They seem to hold universal appeal to toddlers as we could barely pull her away. Only the well-placed and HUGE koi fish in the river around the restaurant tempted her to the lunch table.

Peanut had learned how to toast with the Finnish "kippis" at Thanksgiving and was quick to enjoy the toast with Auntie Em who somehow added a crazy laugh at the end, making it all the more fun!

Oh, the weather outside is delightful!

Christmas is nearly here - I'm at home, blogging! Not shopping, not cooking, not decorating and its a beautiful sunny day, not much more you could ask for.

The nesting instinct is kicking in this time around not so much as a clean and prepare the nest, but as a "craft your way to readiness". Yes, Michaels, JoAnn's and Garden Ridge have become all too regular places for me to visit. Sadly, I'm not very gifted in the crafting sense as the number of "I'll just try it again" projects around here will attest to. But, its not the final outcome that counts, it the process!!

Since Christmas arrives before Tex, my family gets to be the lucky recipient of all manner of crafted gifts. I've made braclets, picture galleries, hand-printed sweatshirts and then there was the finally abandoned attempt at a hand-painted tea tray. It really wasn't pretty and I had to buy one in the end. Some of the more successful gifts I created with photos on Snapfish. I figured what could a grandparent love more than a coffee mug with their cute granddaughter or a calendar that features more adorable pics of her every month.

Inspiration hasn't yet struck me for Tex's craft projects, but I'm sure his room will be full of them!

Santa's smaller helpers

On Saturday, Peanut's Grandy and Nana were busy at the dog park in Gulf Breeze, FL, taking pictures of Santa's four-legged helpers to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

About 100 dogs & owners stopped by to have a photo taken and printed at the rolling stand. Grandy reports all went well and there weren't even any dog fights!

They raised more than $600 during the afternoon and will be back at Shoreline Park for more photos next weekend.

'Klaas visits Dallas

'Klaas, as Peanut calls Sinterklaas the Dutch variant of Santa Claus and Joulupukki, arrived in Dallas over the weekend to celebrate his birthday which is on December 5th.

All Dutch children know that Sinterklaas (the name is a corruption of Sint Nikolaas) lives in Spain. Exactly why he does remains a mystery, but that is what all the old songs and nursery rhymes say. Whatever the case may be, in Spain he spends most of the year recording the behaviour of all children in a big red book, while his helper Black Peter stocks up on presents for next December 5th.

In the first weeks of November, Sinterklaas gets on his white horse, Peter ("Piet") swings a huge sack full of gifts over his shoulder, and the three of them board a steamship headed for the Netherlands. Around mid-November they arrive in a harbour town - a different one every year - where they are formally greeted by the Mayor and a delegation of citizens. Their parade through town is watched live on television by the whole country and marks the beginning of the "Sinterklaas season".

Here in Dallas, Sinterklaas arrived at the Dutch Barn House where the Holland-America Club of Dallas had gathered to enjoy seasonal cookies, hot chocolate and other treats. As Sinterklaas rounded the room to greet the children, his helpers - the Piets, tossed out candy coins and chocolates to the little ones. Then, everyone gathered around as Sinterklaas opened his big book to read how each child had been behaving over the year. If they were good, Sinterklaas had some gifts for them.

Peanut was excited to see 'Klaas and the Piets until it was her turn to get a bit closer. She quickly tucked her head into mama's shoulder and looked everywhere, but at 'Klaas. Not too bad for a first meeting - at least she went close and didn't cry :-)

'Klaas from the Netherlands had also dropped by our home with some gifts, chocolate letters for mama & papa. Peanut had the hang of tearing open packages so she took care of opening everyone's presents.

H-A-double L-O-double U-double E-N spells Halloween!

Peanut's second Halloween in the US was action-packed. We had parties, pumpkin patches, costumes, pictures, decorations and the grand finale, trick-or-treating!

With Peanut's fascination for "pua-pua!" (aka, pumpkins), the pumpkin patches were the place to be. First, we went to the local Coppell patch behind the Rejoice Lutheran Church. A nice, manageable place. Peanut could dash around without getting into too much trouble.

The second pumpkin patch trip was more overwhelming. Our playgroup had a party at THE Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. (Not to be confused with the Flower Mound Pumpkin Village, located right next to the FMPP, and looking very much like the FMPP. In fact, virtually indistinguishable. These two rivals even had it out in court this year.) Peanut went just wild there. She ran in circles around the hay mazes barely glancing at the Pooh Bear cut outs or pumpkins or scarecrows. She just had to get it all in. Children, parents and strollers were all over the place. I could barely get Peanut to take a break to celebrate with her little friends! Not that it got much better on the way home - Peanut just bopped around in her car seat and then couldn't even settle down for a nap at home!

The toddler party at baby school the next day was the most subdued toddler event I'd ever seen. Just quiet little ones sitting around their table, munching on snacks and the oatmeal raisin cookies I'd made. I was one of the moms "in charge" of the event. I also brought everyone foam craft photo frames. They all got some pumpkin, ghost and Halloween sticker shapes to decorate them with.

That evening, papa got home early from work so he could finish setting up our spooky patio. We had the glowing skulls and pumpkins, spider webbing (with spiders), glowing ghoul and best of all, the fog machine to evoke that Halloween feeling. Our home owner's association hosted a block party so we strolled there first to meet the neighborhood. I surprised to see well over 50 people there enjoying pre-treat hotdogs and snacks.

By 7 pm it was dark and the sidewalks were bustling with gangs of costumed children. It was really wonderful to see so many people out! Peanut's papa was sure we were going to run out of candy - I had bought three bags + some special treats! Peanut and her friend Leo also gave trick-or-treating a go. Sort of. Peanut was just thrilled to be racing down the sidewalk in the dark. She didn't really get the candy concept unlike her friend who mastered it in no time.

I liked the chance to say hello to the neighbors we rarely see. One of them was a dad who had set up a chair on the porch for the treat seekers. Though he seemed more wrapped up in the laptop he was typing on and the cell phone close to his side.

Peanut was happy once we came back inside. She liked to see the "babies" come to our door and quickly started handing out candies.

This morning she woke up asking for the "ghoul" and his "hand". When she thought mama just wasn't getting it, she went over to the spot we had him set up in the living room and firmly patted the ground. She's going to miss the ghoul, skulls and pumpkins -- until she learns about snowmen, Santa, reindeer, elves, presents, trees.....

'Tis the season

Not that season yet, but that's no reason not to get into the spirit of things!

Fall is such a fun time in the US. First, here in Texas, the weather cools to wonderful degrees. Then, the holidays begin - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's. There's so much to look forward to. Little ones of course make it all that much more fun.

Fall in Finland was more of a time to get serious again after the frolicking of summer. It gets cooler and then cold. It gets darker and then really dark. But, I still enjoyed the opportunity to bring out the candles to warm the rooms with light and the chance to enjoy the gorgeous fall nature.

But, back to gearing up for Halloween! Our neighborhood has been steadily filling up with pumpkins, scarecrows, tombstones, spider webs and other assorted ghouls over the past month. Some more than others. Peanut's a bit afraid of the bigger contraptions saying "no, no, bye-bye" as she desparately looks to her mama & papa to take her further away.

We just went this past weekend to pick up some decor. We were virtually too late! All the shops had shelves stripped clean of their frights and were quickly making way for Christmas tree ornaments.

Watch out though - Peanut's papa is hooking up the fog machine and lining the walk with glowing skulls and jack-o-laterns come next Tuesday!

Its a grand ole flag

We enjoyed a cool Labor Day weekend in Dallas. It even rained all day Monday! The weather showed us that it can once again become bearable and inviting outside - you could get the tiniest whiff of Fall in the air if you breathed in deeply and closed your eyes.

Papa fired up the grill and we enjoyed a tasty meal on our patio as Peanut played with her collection of cars in her sandbox. Ahhh...

Out in the front yard, there were flags planted here and there in our neighbor's yards. I was a bit confused the first time the flags appeared seemingly from nowhere and without rhyme or reason. Our immediate neighbor had one, then no flags for 5 - 6 houses and then suddenly two in row.

It turns out the flags are part of service sold by a local high school group. For a small amount each year, they will come place a flag in your yard on flag flying holidays.

In Helsinki where most of us lived in apartments, the flagging was taken care of by the building maintenance staff. I also enjoyed the days when I walked out the front door and suddenly was surprised by the flags gracing all entry ways and public poles. While I didn't always know why a certain day was a flag day, it made it a bit special -- and worthwhile of finding out as a few holidays come with a special pastry - yum :-) - like Runebergintorttu is a Finnish pastry that is seasoned with almonds and rum. There is usually raspberry jam in a sugar ring on the tart.The tart has got its name from the Finnish poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg who liked to enjoy the tart with punch according to the legend. Runeberg's tarts are available on Runeberg's birthday on 5 February.

Fourth of July

I know, i'm a bit slow this week....the fourth of July was already several days ago.

Peanut's papa was out of commission with an unfortunately timed migrane, so I took Peanut to the City of Coppell 4th of July parade alone. We met up with one of Peanut's playmates so it was still a lively affair.

The parade is scheduled for a 10 am start, but still around 10.40 that morning under an increasingly hot sun, we were wondering where they were! Luckily, we had snagged a spot under a tree for some shade. Some who planned ahead came with lawn chairs, portable sun umbrellas and coolers. Dogs were dressed in bandanas; children had empty plastic bags along to catch all the candy. Next year, we'll come later and come prepared.

Peanut loved the all the dogs, excitedly 'oof, oof'ing when she saw one she liked. The marching band, police sirens and fire trucks were all a bit too loud for her. She'd quickly snatch up her stuffed animal, squeezing tightly around his neck, and ask for 'up' into mama's arms. Thanks to the local Exchange Club, Peanut got a mini-US flag to wave around.

What I liked best about the parade was the way there was always a spectator calling out to a buddy on a float or driving a car with a Ms. Jr. West Texas pagent winner or handing out flyers who would return the greeting. It wasn't so much a parade staged for us to watch, but really for everyone to have fun and participate in.

The kids weren't the only ones picking up goodies: the Mom's Club of Coppell (there is a North and South chapter!) gave us a bag of animal crackers, the YMCA was giving away free 2 week passes, Super Suppers had a coupon for a free side dish, and one group handed out those juicy ice sticks...ahhhh!

Mixed in with the usual karate clubs, neighborhood floats, beauty pagent winners, politicians and real estate agents were cheerleaders and a surprisingly many religious themed participants.

Midsummer quietly slips by

Holidays and public celebrations really mark the passing of a year. I always feel a bit out of sync when I'm in a place that doesn't celebrate a certain day the way you expect, rather its just another Tuesday, Wednesday..... I felt this one Christmas in New Delhi - it was too warm, there was no Christmas music, no Santas or those other familiar scenes.

During our time in Finland, I added some new celebrations to my annual calendar. One familiar holiday I knew from my childhood summers was Juhannus or Midsummer, the Summer Solistice.

Its such a powerful tradition in Finland; anticipated as anxiously as Christmas or New Year's Eve, it marks the real start of summer. For many it kicks off their 4 week summer holidays. Finns flee the cities for the sea and lakeshores to eat, drink, drink, drink, sauna, drink, sauna, drink, and build blazing bonfires. The one in the photo is from our summer cabin on Lake Koitere.

Its a really joyous occasion, but sadly, each year, the combination of too much alcohol and water mean the last Midsummer for too many.

This year in Dallas, I wasn't even quite sure which day Midsummer feel on. Its not printed on the calendars. No one even notices it. I feel that my summer is somehow off kilter....so, I am looking forward to a proper 4th of July celebration to set it right again.

Papa's little Peanut

We had a mellow Father's Day yesterday as Peanut was recovering from a fever. She sported special, hand-made, designer (read: mama went to Michael's and decorated) shirts all day long with messages like "Papa's Girl", "I love my dad" and "My papa rocks!". Luckily there were three shirts because by day's end she had had all off & on :-)

Peanut's papa had dreamed of a breakfast at IHOP for Father's Day. I'm not exactly sure what he expected from IHOP, but being Dutch I suspect it was something similar to the mega-pancake houses you can enjoy in the Netherlands. There you get such pannekoeken delights as cheese and bacon pancakes...ohh...so good! IHOP is not exactly that, but off we went! Unfortunately, many others had pancake plans and the guests were spilling out into the parking lot. We decided to pass and enjoyed some treats back at home.

While we were out, my dad had left us a message. He's already in Finland enjoying the summery shores of Lake Koitere near Ilomantsi where our summer cottage is. Lovely sunset, perfectly still waters, sauna heating, freshly caught perch frying....and amazing temperatures of 80F. We miss it already! He just finished his prostate cancer radiation treatments last week and was on a plane bound for 'home' as soon as humanly possible. Now we wish him a beautiful Finnish summer to help recuperate and repair his mind, body and soul.

He's also planning to film some of the surrounding wildlife for Peanut - the diving birds nesting under the sauna, the seagulls, the island mice and those soothing birches swaying in the breeze. I'm so happy that Peanut will also get many years with him to learn about the joys of nature - just like he unveiled to me and my sister.

Easter Egg 'Scramble'

Peanut had her first Texas Easter this weekend.

We went (or tried to get to) the Coppell City Easter Egg Hunt, but mama was a bit slow and so our timing was bad. The hunt was scheduled to begin at 11.00 am; we were madly looking for parking at 10 'till. All the spaces at the park and rec center were full and there were some very anxious looking parents cruising up and down the street. At one point, there were three cars trying to make the same turn - no one was giving way. I'm sure these are all polite drivers on any other day, but the Hunt was soon to start!!!

In the end, we missed the o-4 age group hunt, but fortunately some friends shared their booty with us.

We stayed around to watch the next age groups. Now, there wasn't really any 'hunting' per se since the event took place on a softball field. That's right, a field of grass with no bushes, trees, etc. A gator truck rode around the field and three men in the back shoveled out handfuls of candy and plastic eggs until the field was dotted with them. Then, a whistle blew and children trampled over one another to grab up the goodies. It took the oldest age group all of 2 - 3 minutes to clear the field :-)

Over in Finland, Easter is celebrated with a number of traditions.

Mammi (that's a with an umlaut) and pasha are the main dishes I remember. Peanut's papa was actually a mammi fan while I really enjoyed the rich, creamy pasha.

As a child, we would plant grass seeds in a small container indoors before Easter. On Easter morning, the chocolate eggs, jellybeans and little chickies would be hidden among the blades.

In many parts of the country, its still popular with children to dress up as witches (the girls at least) and take pussy willow branches decorated with feathers to your neighbors. You wish them good health for the coming year and in return, recieve some treats, somewhat in a Halloween style. In the four years, I was in Finland, we only ever had one child come by our apartment. It was the one year I had no candy!! Poor girl had to make do with some cookies I luckily had in the cabinet :-)