SKYNI

It has been a relatively quiet week. The kids are settling in school and adjusting to their new routine. I have been good myself, attending Swedish class and doing my homework every day.

Whilst Jonathan is trying to keep up with school, Linn on the other hand is fully enjoying her new school environment and friends.

Linn had her annual mandatory checkup this week. She is now 99 cm tall and 19 kg. She is doing ok but I was told by the nurse that Linn has problems with her ‘r’ and she needs to roll her tongue. If there are no improvements by the time she turns 5, she needs to seek help.

I myself cannot roll my tongue and make the ‘rrrrrr’ sound Maybe I should seek help together with Linn.

Mummy…can I ask you a question? How come Barbie doesn’t have to wash her hair when she takes a bath? Can you also not wash my hair when I take a bath…just like Barbie?

Please mummy please… i don’t like it!

I experienced something really wonderful today.

I was going home from school today and waiting at the bus stop with some of my schoolmates. Suddenly, I heard a very familiar voice shouting out for ‘Mummy’. It sounded just like Jonathan. I quickly looked around, I saw him waving to me at a distance 100 m across the road. It was a busy street and he was on top of an overhead bridge. Jonathan was with his school teacher on the way to the weekly swimming class and he had no idea that I was at the bus stop at that time. But he spotted me. We waved at each other from a distance and his teacher then dragged him away.

It was really sweet that he spotted me and it brought such a warm feeling in my heart.

I turned around to my schoolmates and said proudly… ‘That’s my son!’.

My dear Jonathan

We are so proud of you…you did well in your first week of school. We are really glad to see that you have started to eat some salad and glad that you have taken a strong interest in climbing. You have been really sweet to your sister as well enduring her bossing around you and trying to protect her when you know she is in trouble with us. You have no idea how happy I was to see you fully engaged in playing a boardgame with your teacher when we picked you up from school the other day. It is good.

But we really really cannot help you to look for those light sabres anymore. You must continue to work hard on listening. Maybe you got that problem from me. Haha

I know it is hard for you sometimes. Don’t give up Jon and we will never give up on you.

Love,
Mama

This is how Nicke found Linn one morning in bed

The family went to Kolmården, Stockholm’s safari last weekend. I think it could be 3 times the size of the Singapore Zoological Gardens but with perhaps fewer animals The entry ticket also costs 3 times more!!! The zoo is closed during winter time as some of the animals go into hibernation.

The animals just have more space to roam around. It was a great experience as we saw many Scandinavian animals (elk, reindeer, antelopes, deers) gorillas, the big brown bear plus the usual suspects. They used to allow cars to go around the safari but now replaced it with a cable car that allows visitors to come up close and personal with the animals. Plus many playgrounds for children to burn more energy.

Definitely worth the one hour drive out into the country side. The great thing about the zoo, from a Singaporean’s viewpoint, was that I actually spent 7 hours out there and not perspire at all. But having said that, I really miss the Singapore Zoo and am really really proud of it! Nichlas thinks that many zoos in the world are really trying to replicate our Singapore Zoological Gardens.

Kolmården definitely deserves a 5 stars rating!

The children started their new school term yesterday. Nichlas and I are really happy to see Jonathan starting official school and Linn will be attending a new daycare which is very close to Jonathan’s new school.

Jonathan is attending a special school with only 4 students and one dedicated teacher in each class. The class has 3 students with Aspergers. So we really hope that he will enjoy being in the school and be comfortable in the new enviroment.

Linn’s new daycare is an international ”daycare’ where the teachers speak to them in English but they can speak in whatever language they like. Many of the kids speak Swedish but some only speak their mother tongue Spanish, Korean, etc etc. It will be interesting . We hope that she will continue to do well in her swedish and improve her English. We noticed that she is speaking Swenglish when she says ‘Jag ska show you’.

So cheers..here’s to another school year.

Once in while I am taking over the posting and writing on this blog, mostly for publishing videos and specific photos.

This time we had 18th century gathering in an old silver mine. Linn was a princess and Jon was a knight. My mother and the children’s cousin and where dressed in traditional dress of our shire from late 19th century.

It is so quiet in the house! I can hear everything….right now, I am hearing the wind howling gently outside.

Nichlas has brought the kids to Grandma’s house for the weekend. He knows I need to spend some ‘me-time’ alone to catch up on my studies.

Part 2 of the Swedish Course has just started. I have started another course in a different school last week. So far, the teacher has given us way too much homework It is difficult to complete the homework and at the same time, look after the kids and do housework. Most of my classmates either don’t have kids, or have grownup kids who do not need 24 hours TLC. They spend alot of time in the library studying as there is a major exam at the end of the course. It is important to pass the course if I want to work in Sweden. So, this means that I really need to pull up my socks and study hard. It is extremely hard to master this language. I also find my English language skills deteriorating the more I learn Swedish. So please forgive me for the many grammatical and spellng errors in the blog.

Yesterday, I thought that I would go to town for some ‘me time’ and retail therapy. But I spent most of the time in the book shop finding the relevant textbooks to help me with the Swedish grammar. By the time I left the shop, it was a little late to do any retail therapy. Blowing 500 swedish kronor on text books is hardly my idea of retail therapy!

Right now, i better get down to my homework – write a letter to the press voicing your opinion on a topic you are passionate about… eg Stop Chid Labour, Safe the environment..drink less bottled water!

Happy birthday my darling Linn.

We love you very much.

Big Kiss,
Mama

We are celebrating Linn’s 4th birthday this weekend. I cannot believe my little girl will be 4 years old this Monday.

We kicked off the weekend with a celebration at Nickis (similar to GoGo-Bambini) for Linn and her schoolmates. She had a lot of fun with her schoolmates. This was followed by a family celebration with Grandma, Aunties and cousins.

For Linn, I think birthdays are all about presents, candy and having fun. My little princess sure had a lot of fun.

The Chief Entertainment Officer is back from his holidays and has now organised many activities to keep us busy. The kids have been swimming in the lake and sea all week. I still haven’t mastered the courage to dip my feet into the cold freezing water. Sometimes we have to drag our kids out of the water before they turn blue!!

Yesterday, Nicke arranged a boat ride around the beautiful archipelago. It was amazing. This is how the Swedes love to spend their summers… in their small summer cottages usually by the lake or sea. These summer cottages are quite simple, some of them have no electricity and bathrooms. We visited a friend this week and they take the showers out in the open.

Nichlas asked if I am ready to live out in the nature every summer. I think most of you should know my answer.

The kids and I took the commuter train to town yesterday. Jonathan loved train rides and I can see that he really enjoyed it. Somehow, Linn thinks that the commuter train is a little faster than the underground tube. Which is strange. Maybe because she can see the train passing quickly through the different towns. She is alittle apprehensive about trains after the mini roller coaster ride in Legoland. She totally didn’t expect the speed and her face expression was priceless.

We found a great children’s library (Rum för Barn) right in the middle of the city centre. It has a great collection of children’s books, very good exhibitions, eating area of kids, childrens washrooms and even a place for kids to do art and craft. The children had a lovely time and I had a hard time dragging them out of the place.

We were waiting for the train when the kids wanted to kiss. They are going through this lips kissing phase. (they want to kiss me all the time on the lips) Jon and Linn were trying to see who can kiss Mummy more on the lips. Linn who has been watching too much TV will kiss with her head tilted to the side as she pressed her lips to mine. It looked so funny and I can see the other commuters trying not to laugh.

I used to think twice about bringing the kids out all by myself. Now, I think it is ok. But we are really glad that the Chief Entertainment Officer of the household got home last night from France.

Based on recent conversations between Linn and I, in her tone and manner.

Dear Mummy

You know you said I am naughty and I don’t listen to you. But I listened mummy. I just cannot remember. But you know Mummy, you are alittle like me, you do not listen to me too. Naughty mummy, naughty mummy. I tell you again and again that I don’t want my toys like this. But why you do that?

I am a big girl now and I can do many things myself. I do not need you to brush my teeth, shower, go with me to the toilet, pour milk and cornflakes for me for breakfast. I want to do myself. I know you get very angry when i spill milk and water all the time on the table but it’s ok mummy. Don’t worry.

You know Mummy, you ask me to choose between a Princess party or Hello Kitty party for my birthday next week. But why I cannot have a Hello Kitty Princess party? I want 2! I don’t want to choose.

and Mummy, i really want a puppy like Bawser next door. I don’t understand why you asked me who is going to look after the puppy when we go on holidays. But YOU are mummy. You can do it mummy.

Tomorrow Mummy is Saturday. I like Saturday because I get lots of candy. Can I see the candy before you give to Jonathan and me? I want to count the candy. Maybe you can give the candy to me first and I share with Jonathan?

You know, I like it very much that you read to me every night. I don’t think 4 stories is a lot. But I also want you to sleep with me because I am scared of the monsters that will look for me when I sleep. So, you must protect me. You cannot go to Jonathan because I will cry.

I know Mummy you are tired. You can go to sleep now but you have to pat me first to sleep. On my bum bum please? Thank you.

I love you mummy!
Linn

This is one of the most interesting playground I have been to and it is about 15 mins drive from where we lived.

In my desperation to ‘entertain’ the kids and burn those energy, I have been bringing them to different playgrounds. Whilst Jon tries to improve his climbing, Miss ‘Kaypoh’ (Busybody) strike a conversation with the kids and mostly ‘fathers’ of kids’.

My kids have been Barbiefied ..they want me to play these Barbie movies again and again and they even know the songs. Even Jonathan is singing and dancing with Linn!

What have I done? But I must admit that the movies are quite entertaining.

Today I brought the kids back to the apartment we lived in for 2 months when we first arrived last July. Surprisingly, Jonathan even remembered the exact apartment where we lived.

We walked around the neighbourhood and the park next to the apartment where we lived. I remembered clearly how I felt when we first arrived. I guess we are now more settled down to a certain extent with our own house now and the kids attending school. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I am ‘swedified’ as I am still very much a Singaporean at heart. Maybe the kids are more ‘swedified’ as they run naked in the park!

Linn is completely at home and she can walk up to strangers, introduce herself, ask what they are doing and have a decent conversation with them in Swedish. She is definitely not shy and I am the total opposite. Hmmmm…I wonder where she got that from.

your daughter tells you confidently in a low deep Darth Vader like voice….

‘Search your feelings, you know it’s true’

After spending a few hours with the kids in the playground, mowing the lawn, picking raspberries from the garden, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, bringing the kids out for another long walk, I am dead tired!

Another long day tomorrow.

When I did not answer to Jonathan’s shouts for me, he called out ‘Mummy, är du död?’ (Are you dead?)

!!!