I've got a half-written post, a thousand "should-haves" and a million thoughts in my head right now. Not least about Dmitry's goal, and the Christmas wishes I would love to send each and every one who passes by.
While there is no time to be eloquent, I would like to share a Christmas Carol, Noggie Style. As a matter of fact, I heard it on our school's Christmas Concert. Yes, as long as there are kids involved, you tend to clap no matter what, right? Well, this time I was just blown away. School choires, let's be honest, always sound kind of amateurish. Not this time, though. My oldest kids, and their choir, just blew me away. I am happy to report that I was not alone- several of the teachers were pretty teary-eyed as well- it was great to have the sopranos, the alts, the tenors, and the lanky, skinny, spotty basses doing their bits. They did it! It was great! It sounded much like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ilTwan9A8M&feature=related
Happy Christmas! My post about Dmitry, and a lot of other stuff, will come soon. In the meantime, please enjoy our carol. And I hope you have an absolutely wonderful Christmas time!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
A Christmas chukle
The Colbert report on Norway's butter crisis.
The most hilarious thing about it? It's actually true. So I guess we had it coming!
Enjoy! I laughed my head off... :)
The most hilarious thing about it? It's actually true. So I guess we had it coming!
Enjoy! I laughed my head off... :)
Friday, December 2, 2011
Progress! Again!
Yes, Dmitry climbed over the 500 mark all by himself. Or rather, through the Passed Over Babies initiative ;-) But anyway, that is beyond great!
I very much agree with Julia's reasoning behind the giveaway. One of the things that first attracted me to Reece's Rainbow is the one I am still most ambivalent about... the photolistings. There are good things about photolistings- you are able to see the individuals behind the statistics, you somehow feel a connection, you are prompted to DO something instead of just letting it pass. And then there are some not-so-good things. An adoptive family might be tricked into projecting a personality onto a child they have never met, and run the risk of being disappointed. And worse: a bad, or nondescript, photo makes it harder for a child to "compete" with the other orphans. What I have noticed is that the kids who stand out in the sea of faces, tend to be either very cute, or very sorry. I suppose it's just natural: you look at a smiley, pretty girl and think that she shouldn't be in an institution. Or, you are shocked to see rib cages sticking out and eyes behind glasses from the 18th century, and it jolts you into action.
But the ones who are just not noticeable at all stand the hardest chance of them all. While I am beyond happy that so many children are snatched up quickly, I feel for the ones that are forever listed... and listed (yes, Brigita springs to mind, doesn't she?). And as much as I would like to thank Julia and her friend for getting the grants up, I want to thank them even more for giving these children a voice... and making us notice them. We have already seen, again and again, that the RR is a powerful community. Who knows what miracles can happen? My Dimitry had one single person donate until this giveaway... me. Now I know for a fact, by watching his total, that several others have contributed. Several people noticed him! And these "several people" have friends and blogs and colleagues and networks... ach, I can barely contain my excitement!
On a side note, the Angel Tree is growing so fast, it's unbelievable. It is still early December, and so many children already reached their goals. Last year, it was much slower. Nine children have found their families. And I suspect this is just the start of it, both for the grants and the families :)
************
It's a Frosty Friday here up north. At last!
I don't know what happened to the seasons, or to the weather... But here we are, on December 2nd., and it is the first day of frost. Last year, we'd had snow for a month and a half by this time. This year, November has been the warmest in 150 years, and it has been awfully windy and rainy. Actually, we were hit by a bad storm last weekend. I didn't bother to write about it, as the US is frequently hit by tornados much worse than our "Berit" and so Americans wouldn't be too impressed ;-) Still, there turned out to be a personal touch to it. There were some casualities, among them a film crew that were filming the 20 meter high waves for a film, only to be swept away by a rogue wave. One of them was swept back onto dry land, two young men disappeard. That's the kind of thing you read in the newspapers every day, and you think "Ouch, that's terrible" and then move on to the next page. Except one of the young men turned out to be the son of someone I know. Not personally, which would have made it a lot easier to deal with, but still close enough that I get the urge to do... something. Say something. But what do you say? What do you do? The lady in question is manager of our kindergarden. Which means I have seen her at least weekly for the last 10 years or so, but with no personal contact. And still, as a mother you do know the pain.
It reminds me of the fact that parenting is scary business. If I had any sense when I was young, I would never have started! Maybe it is different for you guys (I hope it is different for you guys!), but I live every day with the feeling that a disaster is lurking somewhere in the future. A son in a car crash. A daughter drinking herself silly and being raped. Dropping out of school. Unemployment. Unhappy marriages. Messy divorces. Depression. Eating disorders. Drugs. Or- if everything else is in order- something as unlikely as a rogue wave that comes along every 100 years. I look at my sleeping beauties, still so innocent, and I am scared shitless. Pardon my French ;-)
Each day has enough troubles of its own. Matthew 6:34.
I try to stick to that. And as of today, there are no worries to speak of. Still, I can't help being concerned about what the future will bring... is that a common occurrance for mothers, regardless of age, location, culture, and religion (I almost put "gender" on that list, thinking of Elton John)? Are we just programmed to be wary, opposed to the fathers, who seem to be eternal optimistics?
Apart from that, life is good. In the week ahead, we have 2-3 different appointments every afternoon (the Nobel prize goes to the orchestra manager/soccer coach/school teacher/piano teacher/ballet teacher/choir leader/scout chief who rearranges the Christmas Things to February/March/September. He or she will have my eternal gratitude, as well as the Nobel prize), but I think we will manage. Hubby has gotten a new job proposal from an American IT company, but he isn't sure yet. I am tagging along in my job, which I do love, but I'd love it even more if it was a tad more flexible.
Sorry for pouring my heart out. It happens every once in a while :)
And let's just give one more big shout for Dmitry!!
I very much agree with Julia's reasoning behind the giveaway. One of the things that first attracted me to Reece's Rainbow is the one I am still most ambivalent about... the photolistings. There are good things about photolistings- you are able to see the individuals behind the statistics, you somehow feel a connection, you are prompted to DO something instead of just letting it pass. And then there are some not-so-good things. An adoptive family might be tricked into projecting a personality onto a child they have never met, and run the risk of being disappointed. And worse: a bad, or nondescript, photo makes it harder for a child to "compete" with the other orphans. What I have noticed is that the kids who stand out in the sea of faces, tend to be either very cute, or very sorry. I suppose it's just natural: you look at a smiley, pretty girl and think that she shouldn't be in an institution. Or, you are shocked to see rib cages sticking out and eyes behind glasses from the 18th century, and it jolts you into action.
But the ones who are just not noticeable at all stand the hardest chance of them all. While I am beyond happy that so many children are snatched up quickly, I feel for the ones that are forever listed... and listed (yes, Brigita springs to mind, doesn't she?). And as much as I would like to thank Julia and her friend for getting the grants up, I want to thank them even more for giving these children a voice... and making us notice them. We have already seen, again and again, that the RR is a powerful community. Who knows what miracles can happen? My Dimitry had one single person donate until this giveaway... me. Now I know for a fact, by watching his total, that several others have contributed. Several people noticed him! And these "several people" have friends and blogs and colleagues and networks... ach, I can barely contain my excitement!
On a side note, the Angel Tree is growing so fast, it's unbelievable. It is still early December, and so many children already reached their goals. Last year, it was much slower. Nine children have found their families. And I suspect this is just the start of it, both for the grants and the families :)
************
It's a Frosty Friday here up north. At last!
I don't know what happened to the seasons, or to the weather... But here we are, on December 2nd., and it is the first day of frost. Last year, we'd had snow for a month and a half by this time. This year, November has been the warmest in 150 years, and it has been awfully windy and rainy. Actually, we were hit by a bad storm last weekend. I didn't bother to write about it, as the US is frequently hit by tornados much worse than our "Berit" and so Americans wouldn't be too impressed ;-) Still, there turned out to be a personal touch to it. There were some casualities, among them a film crew that were filming the 20 meter high waves for a film, only to be swept away by a rogue wave. One of them was swept back onto dry land, two young men disappeard. That's the kind of thing you read in the newspapers every day, and you think "Ouch, that's terrible" and then move on to the next page. Except one of the young men turned out to be the son of someone I know. Not personally, which would have made it a lot easier to deal with, but still close enough that I get the urge to do... something. Say something. But what do you say? What do you do? The lady in question is manager of our kindergarden. Which means I have seen her at least weekly for the last 10 years or so, but with no personal contact. And still, as a mother you do know the pain.
It reminds me of the fact that parenting is scary business. If I had any sense when I was young, I would never have started! Maybe it is different for you guys (I hope it is different for you guys!), but I live every day with the feeling that a disaster is lurking somewhere in the future. A son in a car crash. A daughter drinking herself silly and being raped. Dropping out of school. Unemployment. Unhappy marriages. Messy divorces. Depression. Eating disorders. Drugs. Or- if everything else is in order- something as unlikely as a rogue wave that comes along every 100 years. I look at my sleeping beauties, still so innocent, and I am scared shitless. Pardon my French ;-)
Each day has enough troubles of its own. Matthew 6:34.
I try to stick to that. And as of today, there are no worries to speak of. Still, I can't help being concerned about what the future will bring... is that a common occurrance for mothers, regardless of age, location, culture, and religion (I almost put "gender" on that list, thinking of Elton John)? Are we just programmed to be wary, opposed to the fathers, who seem to be eternal optimistics?
Apart from that, life is good. In the week ahead, we have 2-3 different appointments every afternoon (the Nobel prize goes to the orchestra manager/soccer coach/school teacher/piano teacher/ballet teacher/choir leader/scout chief who rearranges the Christmas Things to February/March/September. He or she will have my eternal gratitude, as well as the Nobel prize), but I think we will manage. Hubby has gotten a new job proposal from an American IT company, but he isn't sure yet. I am tagging along in my job, which I do love, but I'd love it even more if it was a tad more flexible.
Sorry for pouring my heart out. It happens every once in a while :)
And let's just give one more big shout for Dmitry!!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Look what happened (the Passed Over Babies)!
Dmitry's grants are climbing! Hooray!
Not that I for a second doubt my little man's abilities to attrackt sponsors... but I can't say I was surprised when I learned about
THIS!
Yes, Julia is at it again, giving the Angel Tree Children who are in a particularly difficult spot a real shove. And Dmitry is one of them!
Please go have a look (if you haven't already seen it). It really is awesome, and I am so happy that Julia and her co-genius started this giveaway. Donate if you can, and be sure to spread the word! :)
Not that I for a second doubt my little man's abilities to attrackt sponsors... but I can't say I was surprised when I learned about
THIS!
Yes, Julia is at it again, giving the Angel Tree Children who are in a particularly difficult spot a real shove. And Dmitry is one of them!
Please go have a look (if you haven't already seen it). It really is awesome, and I am so happy that Julia and her co-genius started this giveaway. Donate if you can, and be sure to spread the word! :)
Monday, November 28, 2011
Black Friday in a Black Economy
A Greek, an Italian and a Portuguese went to a bar to have a few drinks.
So who was stuck with the bill?
The German, of course.
That's only one of the thousands of jokes circulating about the Euro crisis. Greece was at the brink of bancruptcy a few weeks back, and Italy and Portugal are getting dangerously close to that point of no return. In Greece, the financial sitation was subseeded by a political farce, with the prime minister resigning, then not resigning, then being forced to resign. In Italy, I guess there was some good in all the bad- they finally got rid of Silvio Berlusconi, the clown all other countries in Europe have been shaking their heads in disbelief at for years.
Portugal is still standing, as is Spain. But the figures are redder than blood. And now, Germany, the country that is supposed to clean up (I wonder how comfortable the average German feels about this, really) has been showing small signs of weakness too. And then, you have Eastern Europe, of which a pretty big number of countries are members of the EU. There is less talk of an Eastern European crisis, but that might simply be due to the fact that their economies really hasn't gotten going... yet. So in financial matters, they were never able to reach the height required to have a spectacular downfall. I wonder if that is a good thing or a bad thing... :-/
Anyway. The Euro may survive, or it may not. I won't give a lecture on the situation in the States, because you are all more informed than me... but rest assured I count it in. There are some rather serious clouds looming on the world's financial horizon.
That's where we were, as Black Friday approached. To be honest, I didn't know there was such a day. I only became aware of it after it was featured in the papers, complete with a photo from Chicago where even trolleys had their own escalator! A fascinating phenomenon for a girl from the sticks, let me tell you!
But please don't think for a minute that I brand all Americans as hopeless spenders and consumers. We might not have Black Friday here in Oslo, and the escalators are only for people, but in December those escalators are working full speed to accomodate the hoards of people hurrying around like blind mice, doing their best to get rid of whatever is left in their credit cards. The TV commercials are like "And doesn't dad deserve something great for Christmas? What about a new TV set?" and the news anchors inform us that we reach the Shopping All Time High every bl***y year.
It makes me sick. For several reasons. One thing is that some people overspend. The newest TV set for dad? Come on, how many average Joes can afford that kind of gifts for the whole family? Year after year, as February approaches, we hear stories of families having trouble to repay what they spent on Christmas shopping. Of course we can argue that they should know better. But the Christmas shopping frenzy definitely creates a pressure to join in.
Another thing is that those who already struggle with money, are left feeling even worse at a time that's supposed to be a time for joy and happiness. Imagine being a single mother without a job, knowing that your kids will fall behind all their classmates as they count the gifts after Christmas. Maybe you even struggle to pay for proper Christmas food and a tree.
Yet another thing, for those who can afford it, is the very real risk of turning your own kids into spoilt little brats, who only care for the really fancy items and blast granny's home-made sweaters. I remember some particularly sickening Christmases when my cousins were little- how they were exhausted by the sheer amount of gifts, just ripping the paper off one after another, not being able to focus on any of them. My cousins turned out to become pretty decent human beings, but still... is this the message we want to send to our kids?
And the worst thing of all: that the true meaning of Christmas drowns completely in a sea of gifts, sweets, and luxury food. Jesus was born in a stable, in humble conditions indeed. And still he carried a gift bigger than all others. He also carried a message of love. Paradoxically, maybe the financial worries will make it easier to focus in the true meaning of Christmas?
*******
I am sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffe, and typing. Alone. ALONE! Well, not counting Vera the Dog, but she is a sleepyhead anyway. I did most of the washing and decorating this weekend, so I'll just use these two days of to potter about, fixing the calendar, sorting out stacks of paper and letters that have accumulated through yet another overloaded autumn. To have a little time by myself, both to do practical stuff that needs to be done, but also to be able to let my shoulders down a little and enjoy the Christmas preparation, is my gift to myself this year.
I hope all RR supporters are having a great Monday! And hopefully, Angel Tree will grow in leaps and bounds this coming week!! :) I pray that we see more children in the "MFFM" section too.
So who was stuck with the bill?
The German, of course.
That's only one of the thousands of jokes circulating about the Euro crisis. Greece was at the brink of bancruptcy a few weeks back, and Italy and Portugal are getting dangerously close to that point of no return. In Greece, the financial sitation was subseeded by a political farce, with the prime minister resigning, then not resigning, then being forced to resign. In Italy, I guess there was some good in all the bad- they finally got rid of Silvio Berlusconi, the clown all other countries in Europe have been shaking their heads in disbelief at for years.
Portugal is still standing, as is Spain. But the figures are redder than blood. And now, Germany, the country that is supposed to clean up (I wonder how comfortable the average German feels about this, really) has been showing small signs of weakness too. And then, you have Eastern Europe, of which a pretty big number of countries are members of the EU. There is less talk of an Eastern European crisis, but that might simply be due to the fact that their economies really hasn't gotten going... yet. So in financial matters, they were never able to reach the height required to have a spectacular downfall. I wonder if that is a good thing or a bad thing... :-/
Anyway. The Euro may survive, or it may not. I won't give a lecture on the situation in the States, because you are all more informed than me... but rest assured I count it in. There are some rather serious clouds looming on the world's financial horizon.
That's where we were, as Black Friday approached. To be honest, I didn't know there was such a day. I only became aware of it after it was featured in the papers, complete with a photo from Chicago where even trolleys had their own escalator! A fascinating phenomenon for a girl from the sticks, let me tell you!
But please don't think for a minute that I brand all Americans as hopeless spenders and consumers. We might not have Black Friday here in Oslo, and the escalators are only for people, but in December those escalators are working full speed to accomodate the hoards of people hurrying around like blind mice, doing their best to get rid of whatever is left in their credit cards. The TV commercials are like "And doesn't dad deserve something great for Christmas? What about a new TV set?" and the news anchors inform us that we reach the Shopping All Time High every bl***y year.
It makes me sick. For several reasons. One thing is that some people overspend. The newest TV set for dad? Come on, how many average Joes can afford that kind of gifts for the whole family? Year after year, as February approaches, we hear stories of families having trouble to repay what they spent on Christmas shopping. Of course we can argue that they should know better. But the Christmas shopping frenzy definitely creates a pressure to join in.
Another thing is that those who already struggle with money, are left feeling even worse at a time that's supposed to be a time for joy and happiness. Imagine being a single mother without a job, knowing that your kids will fall behind all their classmates as they count the gifts after Christmas. Maybe you even struggle to pay for proper Christmas food and a tree.
Yet another thing, for those who can afford it, is the very real risk of turning your own kids into spoilt little brats, who only care for the really fancy items and blast granny's home-made sweaters. I remember some particularly sickening Christmases when my cousins were little- how they were exhausted by the sheer amount of gifts, just ripping the paper off one after another, not being able to focus on any of them. My cousins turned out to become pretty decent human beings, but still... is this the message we want to send to our kids?
And the worst thing of all: that the true meaning of Christmas drowns completely in a sea of gifts, sweets, and luxury food. Jesus was born in a stable, in humble conditions indeed. And still he carried a gift bigger than all others. He also carried a message of love. Paradoxically, maybe the financial worries will make it easier to focus in the true meaning of Christmas?
*******
I am sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffe, and typing. Alone. ALONE! Well, not counting Vera the Dog, but she is a sleepyhead anyway. I did most of the washing and decorating this weekend, so I'll just use these two days of to potter about, fixing the calendar, sorting out stacks of paper and letters that have accumulated through yet another overloaded autumn. To have a little time by myself, both to do practical stuff that needs to be done, but also to be able to let my shoulders down a little and enjoy the Christmas preparation, is my gift to myself this year.
I hope all RR supporters are having a great Monday! And hopefully, Angel Tree will grow in leaps and bounds this coming week!! :) I pray that we see more children in the "MFFM" section too.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Angel tree 2011 vs 2010
Hello, new Dmitry fans! *big wave*
I hope you are feeling good, and more than that: I hope that there's a lot of you out there! It would be so great, if someone took an interest in his long, cross-eyed face and his straight-outta-the-eighties sweater and got interested enough to click on his Angel Tree Warrior link. If so, you have arrived at the world's worst Christmas Warrior's blog, but at least I'm trying for an absolutely adorable little boy. Crossed eyes and all. Dimitry is precious, and he is also very, very lost. He'll be rotting away in an institution before long, and however peripheral you and I might feel, any help to get him into a family is vital to him.
As you see, I choose to take the optimistic viewpoint ;-) But I know that in reality, most visitors- if there are any- have been here before. Still, Reece's Rainbow is the place where miracles happen (indeed, families are the places miracles happen) and even though Dmitry is in a rougher spot than the tiny baby girls, someone out there might just fall in love. It only takes one person, or one couple!
I get a little philosophical about this Angel Tree thing.
Last year, I went bananas. I bought ornaments left, right and centre with money I really didn't have to spend. Still, I don't regret it one bit- we had a lovely Christmas Tree last year, with all the ornaments.
And we will have an even lovlier Christmas this year, with all the ornaments that wil be just a memory, things from the past. The ornament for Nellie. The ornament for Sonya. The ornament for Leeza. They are all home now, or will be soon!
Then again, there are disappointments, too. The ornament for Callie. The ornament for Paul J. The ornament for Dmitry. The ornament for Victoria, who just disappeared from the lists. The ornament for Brigita, who lost both her mama and her fund. The ornament for Sandra, who passed away.
Ups and downs. And I have to admit, I wonder if Dmitry will ever find his family. I have no idea, but it can't hurt to make an effort!
This year's ornament list is somewhat shorter. But here goes:
Sophia K
Nadine
Lucy
... and Dmitry of course. I'd love to buy more, but money is pretty tight these days. And to fundraise in this Amercan fashion would just never ever work here (although I have one idea. I'll tell you about it later!). So unfortunately, what I can offer for Dmitry is mere leftovers- and believe me, that doesn't amount to much.
Same thing goes for our connections in Ukraine. They need our help, and I just can't provide. That's quite a rough spot to be in- I ought to be able to this, and I ought to be able to that, and still it is not happening. I'll fill you in on this issue later, too.
Not only "later", by the way (I know I always say that)! On Monday! On Monday I will be at home, all by myself, no job and no kids, and I'll actually have the time to sit down and think for a while. This is the reward for a rotten summer holiday- lots of free time before the new year. And it is much appreciated :)
The kids are fine. Me and my oldest girl went to a Brahms concert this week and she actually enjoyed it. Tells me there is hope ;-) She also did this Opera performance (playing in the orchestra for a childrens' opera) and is due to get her first actual salary... a big thing for her! My oldest boy has been running to and from extra soccer trainings, and in the end he was duly rewarded: a place in the Talent Group, one year up. Second son does well with the oboe and the scouting, and the Hello Kitty Princess is the ballet champ. I am still mad there is no girls' team in soccer for her age group, and I am about to squeeze her into music. Whatever it takes to get her another interest apart from dancing. Yes, she loves ballet, but I am so afraid of the dancing/ballet thing when it gets serious.... not being slim enough, not being short enough, the pointy elbows, the nasty comments, the horribly ambitious parents... I shiver at the thought. It's a beautiful world, the ballet, but it is tough too. Of course she will continue to dance, she enjoys it a lot, but it would be nice if she had at least one more point of focus. Or maybe I am being overly cautious here? It wouldn't be the first time ;-)
Me and Hubby? We are doing fine, although we are so tired at times we see double :) We are worried about the project in Ukraine, but apart from that there are just the daily worries, haha!
See you on Monday!
I hope you are feeling good, and more than that: I hope that there's a lot of you out there! It would be so great, if someone took an interest in his long, cross-eyed face and his straight-outta-the-eighties sweater and got interested enough to click on his Angel Tree Warrior link. If so, you have arrived at the world's worst Christmas Warrior's blog, but at least I'm trying for an absolutely adorable little boy. Crossed eyes and all. Dimitry is precious, and he is also very, very lost. He'll be rotting away in an institution before long, and however peripheral you and I might feel, any help to get him into a family is vital to him.
As you see, I choose to take the optimistic viewpoint ;-) But I know that in reality, most visitors- if there are any- have been here before. Still, Reece's Rainbow is the place where miracles happen (indeed, families are the places miracles happen) and even though Dmitry is in a rougher spot than the tiny baby girls, someone out there might just fall in love. It only takes one person, or one couple!
I get a little philosophical about this Angel Tree thing.
Last year, I went bananas. I bought ornaments left, right and centre with money I really didn't have to spend. Still, I don't regret it one bit- we had a lovely Christmas Tree last year, with all the ornaments.
And we will have an even lovlier Christmas this year, with all the ornaments that wil be just a memory, things from the past. The ornament for Nellie. The ornament for Sonya. The ornament for Leeza. They are all home now, or will be soon!
Then again, there are disappointments, too. The ornament for Callie. The ornament for Paul J. The ornament for Dmitry. The ornament for Victoria, who just disappeared from the lists. The ornament for Brigita, who lost both her mama and her fund. The ornament for Sandra, who passed away.
Ups and downs. And I have to admit, I wonder if Dmitry will ever find his family. I have no idea, but it can't hurt to make an effort!
This year's ornament list is somewhat shorter. But here goes:
Sophia K
Nadine
Lucy
... and Dmitry of course. I'd love to buy more, but money is pretty tight these days. And to fundraise in this Amercan fashion would just never ever work here (although I have one idea. I'll tell you about it later!). So unfortunately, what I can offer for Dmitry is mere leftovers- and believe me, that doesn't amount to much.
Same thing goes for our connections in Ukraine. They need our help, and I just can't provide. That's quite a rough spot to be in- I ought to be able to this, and I ought to be able to that, and still it is not happening. I'll fill you in on this issue later, too.
Not only "later", by the way (I know I always say that)! On Monday! On Monday I will be at home, all by myself, no job and no kids, and I'll actually have the time to sit down and think for a while. This is the reward for a rotten summer holiday- lots of free time before the new year. And it is much appreciated :)
The kids are fine. Me and my oldest girl went to a Brahms concert this week and she actually enjoyed it. Tells me there is hope ;-) She also did this Opera performance (playing in the orchestra for a childrens' opera) and is due to get her first actual salary... a big thing for her! My oldest boy has been running to and from extra soccer trainings, and in the end he was duly rewarded: a place in the Talent Group, one year up. Second son does well with the oboe and the scouting, and the Hello Kitty Princess is the ballet champ. I am still mad there is no girls' team in soccer for her age group, and I am about to squeeze her into music. Whatever it takes to get her another interest apart from dancing. Yes, she loves ballet, but I am so afraid of the dancing/ballet thing when it gets serious.... not being slim enough, not being short enough, the pointy elbows, the nasty comments, the horribly ambitious parents... I shiver at the thought. It's a beautiful world, the ballet, but it is tough too. Of course she will continue to dance, she enjoys it a lot, but it would be nice if she had at least one more point of focus. Or maybe I am being overly cautious here? It wouldn't be the first time ;-)
Me and Hubby? We are doing fine, although we are so tired at times we see double :) We are worried about the project in Ukraine, but apart from that there are just the daily worries, haha!
See you on Monday!
Friday, November 4, 2011
A go for Dimitry!
Wow... First visit to my Blogger account in ages.
I have to admit I'm a little bit ashamed by that, but it's a natural consequence of life over here these days. As much as I would like to be SuperHelle, the time and energy only go so far. It's like I told my husband, when I was fretting over schedules and the kids' various commitments, and he blurted out "But what about ME?"
Honey, there's nothing left for you.
*big grin*
BUT! Here I am again, setting myself up to fail once more at blogging. But there's a good reason for doing so: the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree 2011. The great Christmas Adventure! I've signed up again this year, and I hope to see my Christmas Angel reach his goal (and possibly then some), not to mention that I pray that he will be listed in the top list. If you take a look at the Angel Tree, it is divided into categories: children with $0-100, 100-500, 500-1000 and so on. And on the top, the children who are luckier than ten thousand dollars- come to think of it, luckier than a million dollars- the ones whose families found them. Oh, how I wish he would end up in that one!
So it's time to get the blog moving, if only a little bit. The button on his profile leads to my blog, so there should be at least some movement here- that's the least I can do for him.
Naturally, when the Angel Tree season came around, my first instinct was to leap out for Brigita. But no. Even though she is now allowed to keep her own grant, she is not listed. And though it is always hard to choose a child- I'll no doubt mention lots of different ones as I blog away for the Angel Tree- I had to go for my little cross-eyed sweetheart: Dimitry the man!
Please include Dimitry in your prayers. He is getting bigger, and being a boy he has a harder time in the first place, in finding a family. It's sad that I can't do more to help, but I'll do what little I can.
On a side note, even though my notes may be short and far between, it will be good to make it a habit to check out the Blogger site more often. In all honesty: I have avoided the site because I have felt so bad about not being more active, and so I have missed out on so many good news from my Blogger friends. If I have any left, that is ;-) If not, it's entirely my own fault. But even though I can't promise a rush of long, read-worthy, analytic and intelligent posts, I'll at least log in more often and read what is going on with all you guys. And THAT, my friends, will be a treat!
I hope you have a great Friday, and to quote Arnold the Terminator: I'll be back.
Now I'd better have a glass of wine and go join my attention-seeking husband in front of the telly. After all, the kids will be back tomorrow ;-) See you!
I have to admit I'm a little bit ashamed by that, but it's a natural consequence of life over here these days. As much as I would like to be SuperHelle, the time and energy only go so far. It's like I told my husband, when I was fretting over schedules and the kids' various commitments, and he blurted out "But what about ME?"
Honey, there's nothing left for you.
*big grin*
BUT! Here I am again, setting myself up to fail once more at blogging. But there's a good reason for doing so: the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree 2011. The great Christmas Adventure! I've signed up again this year, and I hope to see my Christmas Angel reach his goal (and possibly then some), not to mention that I pray that he will be listed in the top list. If you take a look at the Angel Tree, it is divided into categories: children with $0-100, 100-500, 500-1000 and so on. And on the top, the children who are luckier than ten thousand dollars- come to think of it, luckier than a million dollars- the ones whose families found them. Oh, how I wish he would end up in that one!
So it's time to get the blog moving, if only a little bit. The button on his profile leads to my blog, so there should be at least some movement here- that's the least I can do for him.
Naturally, when the Angel Tree season came around, my first instinct was to leap out for Brigita. But no. Even though she is now allowed to keep her own grant, she is not listed. And though it is always hard to choose a child- I'll no doubt mention lots of different ones as I blog away for the Angel Tree- I had to go for my little cross-eyed sweetheart: Dimitry the man!
Please include Dimitry in your prayers. He is getting bigger, and being a boy he has a harder time in the first place, in finding a family. It's sad that I can't do more to help, but I'll do what little I can.
On a side note, even though my notes may be short and far between, it will be good to make it a habit to check out the Blogger site more often. In all honesty: I have avoided the site because I have felt so bad about not being more active, and so I have missed out on so many good news from my Blogger friends. If I have any left, that is ;-) If not, it's entirely my own fault. But even though I can't promise a rush of long, read-worthy, analytic and intelligent posts, I'll at least log in more often and read what is going on with all you guys. And THAT, my friends, will be a treat!
I hope you have a great Friday, and to quote Arnold the Terminator: I'll be back.
Now I'd better have a glass of wine and go join my attention-seeking husband in front of the telly. After all, the kids will be back tomorrow ;-) See you!
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