Christmas is On!

Christmas Season is on! The kids and I took cookies to a couple families. We wore our santa hats and sang a Christmas song. Sweden doesn't have the carroling tradition so it felt weird when those at the second house didn't know how to respond to it, but it was still fun. (I think it goes better when Daniel is with us. So we will really go carroling another time walking around to our near neighbors.)

Next year we are planning to be in Utah for the Christmas season. We have decided that now so that we can save up and plan for it. We will try to get all my family there. Robert will be home from his mission at the beginning of the month so it is an ideal time. It has been six years since I have been home for it and if we work it right I think we will get Thanksgiving there to boot! Knowing that makes it easier to not be there this year and I also can focus on my little family even more since It will be a bit different then. The plans feel good. And I am excited for it but also glad to have this Christmas and all the wonder of being here.

It snowed on the first and every day since so the atmosphere is right as well. One thing I love about Sweden is all the Christmas curtains and tableclothes and stars etc. But I especially love the older prints, like the ones we got from Daniel's grandma. I haven't got them up yet but hope to do that tomorrow. Saturday we put up the tree and decorated it. Yesterday we found a few more ornaments and added them.

We also discovered that we now have 7 table santas! all second hand gifts. I caught  Ella playing with them like dolls. I almost told her to stop and then realized that it is part of letting Christmas be special. and who cares if a few of them don't make it. Just wait till I get batteries in the three that can sing!

The girls are constantly checking to see if any ornaments have fallen and re-decorating the lower branches.

Ella asked if I have any ornaments to put up today. She has started making paper ornaments! The candy cane in the middle is hers. She drew on pink stripes but the flash maximized the whiteness of the paper. Below is her tree. It took her a long time. A lot of cutting and taping. I am going to have to buy more tape before birthdays and christmas gifts can all be wrapped. ;)

All the kids want us too find candy canes to hang on the tree. (so they are not as common here and it is only red and white ones that you find. none with the green and definately not the pelithera of flavors in the states. Which is probably just as well. I know all the christmas candy and goodies aren't good for you, but I love it. I love making fudge and trying different variations. But maybe this year I will do more Christmas crafts since Daniel is trying to get me cut back on the sweets. We are supposed to be on a no sugar cleansing diet but we kind of crashed it lately and since we ran out of the pills with it and it is Christmas season I don't have my heart in it. We did it three months, just didn't get to the homeopath to follow up and see if we were done. Then it was Thanksgiving and we ran out and well... I don't know exactly what I should think of it now. But that isn't what this is about.)

 

Every day, the kids get a little chocolate out of an advent calander that Daniel got from his family on his mission (or first year at BYU?). We saved the plastic molds from the box ones we got after Christmas last year and I melted chocolate and used those this year. Chocolate molds are not so common here either. It makes me wish I had kept mine from before (I loved making chocolates for my friends back in my school days) but then again you can't buy all the various chocolates for melting as easy either. I don't know where to look for it and even if I did it would probably be out of my budget. So it is just as well I don't have them.

Anyway, I am stopping writing so I can actually put some pictures with this entry. Then I will give in to Adam and go to bed. (He only wants to sleep if I am with him. Sometimes we can get him to sleep a little in the bouncer in the day, but not in the evening or at night.)

how is it going with the house renovations? Read and findout

Well it has been a while since I have said much about our progress on the house. This year has been a lot more limited in progress compared to last year. I mean what can compare to all the helpers and the beautiful new roof?

But this year has had some progress as well. Mostly they are little improvements mostly for organization or functionality. Like a shelf and rod for the closet in the hall to be a functioning coat closet. A few new shelves built in in some strategic places, etc. And much of that was either made possible or inspired by the visits from Daniel's mom as she helped out when Kathryn's pregnancy impeded the regular family rutines.

This last month also brought a big improvement for one of the worst eyesores of the house. The walls for the stairs going up to the bedrooms. With the visit from Robert and Sigrid and Sigrids determination we now have a smooth white wall there instead of the horrible torn up red, black, brown mess that was there, but didn't want to come down without special steamer tools that you can't use if kids are running around..... We love it. It is fresh, clean and light!

With all the improvements, from the beginning to now we went ahead and re-evaluated our home this last week. And now our home is worth more than our house loans!

Thank You to all our helpers! Family, friends and missionarries, our quality of life is greatly indebted to you.


We will now be able to move the renovation loan into our house loan. (thus a better interest rate) and we will take out a new renovation loan so we can continue with the bathroom and the fascade. (followed with a new re-evaluation.) Right now we are working on the details of these financial adjustments. By time we are done with the planned improvements from this new loan our house should have a better curb appeal, a functioning toilet and a shower upstairs, plus still have house loans less than 85% of the houses value.

Now we just need to set it all up and be sticklers with the details. Some of the problems we have run into with projects are related to the fact that the house is old and to try to bring it up in standard we have to solve a lot of unforseen problems. (this is why the bathroom still isn't done.) But the current plan is to use some of this loan to hire in a professional to take care of the tricky carpentry as well as the code issues of plumbing and electricity. The person we are talking with for carpentry right now is saying Marchish. So maybe by summer time we will have the next re-evaluation done.

If we can cut costs enough along the way, then our reward is a new dishwasher. That is inncentive. Really. The old dishwasher is out... and I am remembering how hard it is to wash dishes when a new baby wakes up with in two minutes of lying him down. So, not only can I look forward to crossing the hall from my room to shower, but I can also anticipate a faster and easier time doing the dishes! Oh the convenience of it all!

(Back to the baby who wakes up if I lay him down. Well, you can type, sort-of, with a little one in your arms. But my back is killing, so I think I will close this entry.)

 

I want to brag about Daniel.... Remember one of these entries mentioning how we didn't want a house with a lot of renovation needs but were led to our house anyway? Well the latest project was inspired by the upcoming addition to our family and a need to reorder kids bedrooms. I had the idea we should build a loft bed in the little portion of the room where our youngests child bed sits on the floor.




 Here is the bed that sat on the floor before. (It will be in the other room while Rebekah adjusts to a new room and then we will move her to the bottom bunk, under Ella who moves up with Isak moving out. That will happen in time to put the crib up where this bed has just moved.)

After talking through things both Daniel and I were convinced it was the most practical solution to things. A loft bed for Isak.


Guess who got to figure out all the details?
Daniel!!!
I have ideas and he has the brain for the math side of it. Then he gets to make sure he understands how to do a good solid job, price and buy materials, etc.
I am there to say its good (when he is too much of a perfectionist or our old house with no actual straight walls won't accomadate equality in measuring the dimensions....) I am also there to do the power screwing when he holds things in place or vice versa depending on which is harder. I get the easy jobs. (Lucky for us the part that needed two people and I wouldn't be able to do the other bit well due to my pregnancy his mom was here and did the second mans job.

The result is today Isak moves into Joseph's room on a loft bed his dad built (with some help) and then fitted with bedding. Hooray for Daniel and all he has done. Especially that he is going out of his comfort zone and then enjoying it! Delays frustrated him. And he looked forward to the next time he could work on it!!!!

To get ready for his new roommate, Joseph and I took an afternoon to start painting pictures on his wall. We have been talking about it for almost a year and he got brushes and paints for his birthday... in DECEMBER! So we figured we better get at it before Isak moves in. Here is what we have done so far.

This one is a window we painted looking out into space. He named all the planets on the left side. And on the wall are his race cars that he did all by himself. I think I need to update with better pictures. Then He asked me to paint him a Triceratops. He told me which of his books had the pictures and this is what I came up with. (you can see the 'window' off to the left. The dinosaur is above his tall dresser.)

When Daniel started on the bed I tried to figure out the details for a much smaller project with some help from his mom. We didn't get to far before she went home and then my second man was Daniel. What did I do? figure out how to make our entry cupboard a real closet with a shelf and a rod to hang coats on.

I am also pleased with the results.... especially the functionality I gained.  (I guess I don't have a before picture but it was just lined with big nails in all the walls for hooks to hang stuff on. In the begining stages I also blocked up where the big crack in the corner behind the heating pipes. I am hoping mice won't be able to get in there this winter.)

The next functional improvements is more shelves in rooms. (Isak also gets a desk under his bed.) And at the end of the month plumbers will switch out the old pipes in the upstairs bathroom and we will save up to the next step. (Bathroom is the expensive project we are working on. It is getting done in stages. These other things come from immediate budgets.)

Building strong family relationships

Yesterday we splurged as a family. We were out running errands and meeting appointments. We all got hungry. I knew we had nothing quick at home and not surprisingly would have to first clean up so we could prepare the meal. My pregnant body said no way. Besides I have been having more morning sickness this last week. Food, and smells have been problematic! Same time I am moving into the second half of the pregnancy. I also had a migraine the other day which enhances the nascious feelings. My body seems to want something that it isn't getting. So fast food with dark meet sounded good. But then lots of grease did not. Well we called ahead to the pizzaria in our town as we drove towards home.
Kebab Pizza. One of those things that I have learned to get used to. Yesterday however it sounded SOOO good. And it was. I was sad that I could hardly eat a second peace. (Baby is already taking up more room and I tried to eat a little salad with it so that I would get some other vitamins too.)
While we were there I thought how I wish that we had taken my family out to try kebab pizza while they were here. Lack of transportation illness etc. hindered that. Anyway it was good to eat out with the family. But Rebekah thought it was more fun to dip napkins in water and spread the soggy bits aroung the table in front of her. We also got a Hawaii pizza. I don't really like the way they do the ham hear. And all their pizzas are thin crust. Often people will eat an entire pizza themselves. It turns out we would have been fine with just one pizza. But leftovers, means I just got to eat some for my midmorning meal. and it really tasted good again. It pushed back the nausea and filled my stomache.

After pizza Joseph went to try out a soccer practice and I went shopping. Daniel picked me and the groceries up and then we got Joseph. Rather, we waited a while for him to finish up. I think a soccer team would be good for him. It is structured interaction with other kids while using energy and helping him get beter in something he loves and teaching him team work. First thing he told us when he came back was, 'but the games are on Sunday'. I was afraid of that.

We are looking at swimming lessons for him this summer. To give him something to focus on and help him catch up with the rest of his class. That will do some of those things but not the team work and not as much interaction with other kids. I had the idea last night that maybe we need to just go through his class list and invite them over one at a time this summer maybe for an outing or maybe just here. We are also thinking to start inviting families here one at a time for ficka. Kind of like coffee break with out the coffee. Snack time. It isn't a cultural thing in the states but it is here and it takes a lot of pressure off as far as meal prep while still helping us build bridges. Also then they don't have to feel pressure for inviting our 'large' family over again for a dinner!

I don need to have some sort of structure and plan to the summer so that it is good and we need to work with Joseph on lifting his social apptitude and emotional strength more up to his age level. I need to find ways to teach all the kids this and team work here at home. He doesn't really want to work on that and doesn't want those areas to catch up to his intellect. (he is very proud of how far ahead he is in that category). And any change is met with resistance. I want some sort of an outing with the kids on a regular basis too. But I am not sure what I am or will be up too. Yet it is very important to the family now and in the future that we can learn these skills and also strengthen our relationships. I will have to explain how beans and stickers and extra minutes are part of my recent strategy, but not now.

So now I think I should get with it and take my current feeling of good health and attack the kitchen. Daniel works late tonight so I have the kids alone. He stayed up late last night trying to get bills and things in order that are practically impossible to do with the kids all around. (I crashed) He let me sleep in and got up with the kids. Now he is trying to sleep a little so he has the energy he needs at work.

I wonder if I can get the kids to help. Sometimes it works. I have to think of the right approach. I will work on that when I get dressed for the day. (yep... NOt done that yet either.)

about cooking chicken Korma

I just made Cheesy Ham Stopover for dinner. We will see how well it goes over on my kids. I personally don't miss Macaroni and cheese, except for the price and ease of making it. But once in a while one wants cheesy macaroni. So this is the delux version all from scratch and with swedish cheese instead of cheddar.

I think it will go over but you never know. When we went to the states and ate at a mexican resturaunt none of them liked the food verywell. Yikes, what kinds of kids do I have? Instead of macaroni and cheese kids eat pasta with ketchup here. I haven't taken to that one either. And just as common is the swedish meatballs. That is good and so are most other swedish foods. But is is weird when my kids don't know or appreciate the most common foods in US.

On the good side, since I don't have many of the premade soups and stuff that new recipes call in the states I have to make good on old fashioned scratch cooking and my creativity. An example of this is yesterdays dinner. As opposed to todays I did not use a recipe yesterday. Instead I combined my knowledge of making sauces with my creativity and desire for a dish I learned to love in England. It is called Chicken Korma, an Indian dish. In England you could by the sauce premade for a good price. And buy Naan bread too. I actually saw Naan bread in store near the mexican and other foriegn foods. Its price for two pieces kept it out of my shoppingcart but the idea of Chicken Korma stuck and I grabbed a can of coconut milk.

So basically I took a general white sauce and used both chicken broth and coconut milk for the liquid, added seasoning, curry powder and chicken chunks. While that was cooking I decided I had to figure out if I could make Naan bread. I looked up a few recipes on line, chose one from England http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/12508/naan-bread (since that has such a strong influx of Indian food). Then I had to study it and use online converters to figure out how much of the swedish wet yeast I needed and do some more adapting due to the lack of all ingredients. Also I used the swedish trick to speed up the rising time. pop it in the oven on the lowest heat. It was actually quite easy, and the cooking time was only 3 minutes per two naans. So about 9 minutes total on the hottest temperature. That was lucky that they cook so fast since the rising time elapsed the cooking time for the sauce.
So dinner was a bit late. Daniel was so happy to have the full fancy meal he suggested that we pull out our nice dishes. So we made it a special meal. Served it with broccoli cauliflower and carrots.

Rebekah gets nonbreakable dishes, but she actually ate more of the Korma and rice than the rest of the kids. (in the background is the slowcooker I had made granola in it.)

Here Ella is holding her naan bread up she has a half piece. That is why you only cook two at a time.

Definantly a meal that we didn't mind having left overs. ;)

Looking into our family

Yesterday Daniel and I worked hard on a couple small projects. One of them was to create an expansion on our kitchen counter by the sink so we have a place to put dirty dishes. If I do a lot of baking then there is always a problem. As I am working the trays move from the highchair tray to a chair or whereever they are least in the way. Even with doing the dishes regularly it is hard. Where do the dirty dishes go while you are working? No elbow room. Well hopefully this will last us. It isn't as strong as a real counter top but as long as no kids hang on it is should work.






We also put up som long over due trimming around a door frame. Much nicer! Those two projects took longer than we expected. So besides that there was really only enough time to give the kids one round of Missionary Impossible before the dinner routine etc began. But it feels good to have that accomplished and we love working together.

This is the delicious meal Daniel made us on Thursday night. It was curry rice and fish. The white sauce went perfect with the rice, fish and the vegetables. And he served apple juice as well. Kudos to the cheff! YUM YUM! He also made dinner on Friday but that was the quicky meatballs and instant mashed potatos. Still two days in a row.... I love my hubby.

This is what I have been squeezing into my week. I have now started sewing on the back. It has been a lot of fun. I have done a variety o differnt scrap patterns figuring the quilt out as I go. This one is being made for a friend who has way more on her plate than is good. So I want her to have a little something extra to encourage her along. I hope to finish it so she gets it Tuesday. That is the day her husband goes away for another stint of work, leaving her to run her translation business and care for 4 kids alone. Hopefully he will get a good local job soon. 

And since I know my sister-in-law will read this, THANK YOU for all the material. I think 98% is from you. You have given me my best out for the winter. A break from the typical mommy homemaker job that I love, but need hobby to give me needed down time

Today after church and dinner I decided to 'paint' a couple of family portraits. I think I will put those in for the end of my blog entry. I love my family and my life. Thanks for your part in it. :)

This one is called Blomberg Family March 2012

The next one is called Blomberg Family October 2012.

Routine changes that bless our life

It has been a while since I have typed a blog entry. I had internet issues for a long time and then I just had to slowly catch up on having regular access again. Hopefully I will beging being more regular.

We have adjusted some of our family patterns and it has helped a lot. Since the dishwasher died I have made everyone do one thing to help clean up after the meals. For the kids they get to unload the top, bottom or silverwear of our dishdrainer. Sometimes they can put away the food or whipe the table, take out the compost, wipe the stove or microwave, etc. Not only are they learning how to take responsibility since they also benifit from our meal times, but it is helping me stay on top of doing things. If I want them to clear the dish drainer I have to have washed the dishes! The better I am at doing my role the smoother the more efficient their help is.

Also we have added in a 15 minute cleanup ever night. The whole family does it together. We start in one room and work at it till it is done and then move to the next. After our trip which was right after lots of sickness our house was a disaster. So the 15 minutes plus my day long efforts didn't seem to go so far. But now... Well we have cleaned the floors of 4 rooms on our main living area and then moved upstairs before the timer beeped. That was awesome. Usually it is about 3 rooms that we get done. Life feels much more manageble. That was truly inspiration. 15 minutes is about all my little kids can keep focused for and it still takes very involved parents. But then it is a family project. We all do it. And they like the results. (Even thought there is a lot of complaining sometimes. We just remind them that everyone gets to help since we are a family and it is all of our house. If they refuse anything of theirs goes to time out (to be earned back by doing a chore on a later day) and they lose out one their alone time with mom or dad just before bed. So far they  have decided to help.

We also adjusted dinner time approximately 4:30pm (they are always hungry by then). The best help for me with dinner is the crockpot. With that I get the food ready in the early part of the day when I have the most energy and then it cooks slowly and is ready when we want to eat. (I rarely want to cook at 3:30!) After dinner and their kitchen help is done, the kids get to play for about an hour. Then we do the family cleanup followed by scriptures and a snack. Run and get jammies on brush teeth and start minutes. 'Minutes' is the 10 or 11 minutes of one-on-one time that they get just before bed. As long as it is calm (and not tv related because we don't do tv/games after dinner) they get to decide. That is sacred time to them. They love it and it is good for us. When I have to do it alone I try to Rebekah 1st. followed by Ella, then Isak then Joseph. Isak and Joseph get reading time after they are in Jammies until 9:00pm. That is a privilage that they enjoy. It also helps us to maintain the calm environment we need at night. When it is both of us we try to each do two kids.

When Daniel is here the kids love to do arabic with him for their minutes. They are learing it via Rosetta Stones program. I often read something with them or work on a quiet project. Sometimes they just want to snuggle. With Rebekah it is often pointin out the cats on her bed and meowing and planing with stuffed Dogs and barking.

I am itching to start gardening but still want to sew a lot. So that is what I try to do too. Also I try to work on one of the house projects a little every day. Today Ella and I were taking tons of nails out of the wall where old style masonite wallpaper had been tacked up. We did it the other day too. About 1 or 2 more hours I think will get the upstairs hall clear of it. The biggest problem with house projects is it is hard to find ones I can do while Rebekah is awake.

Anyway, I will try to come back with more another day. I think these changes were inspired and life feels manageble. There is a little progress every day and we do things together. That is good. Daniel takes the kids outside and runs around with them while he is working up his endurance he wants to be able to run an hour with out stopping. More another time.