Soon to be...

Soon he'll be four and she'll be six. I find this crazy. Time goes by so quickly! I am so thankful for these little ones. Such good kids. Sometimes I feel like we must be good parents, other times I feel like we just got lucky, other times I feel like it's all on them... they are just good peeps.

Parenting is really difficult if you want to do it just right. I least I find it difficult, especially here in Sweden. I'm a bit American in my parenting style... I guess. I feel like a real outsider most of the time but the end result is I am very very proud, of who my kids are at age four and six. American parenting? I'll save it for another post...

Tilda was in a dance recital this weekend and on Tuesday she will be modeling for a Disney project. I thought she might be shy about it all but she seems to take to the stage like a real star! Guess that means more dance classes and maybe even some theater and circus classes. Fun!

Perfect lazy weekend

Every now and then you have a weekend where everything just comes together. Perfect weather, great food, behaving kids and chores don't out weigh lazy free time! This weekend was that weekend!

Friday was super sunny, super warm and for most Swedes a day off work. Tony and I both worked but after work with no traffic holding us back we packed the car up and took off for the summer house. We spent most of our weekend in the garden. Everything is pretty much green now and some spring plants have even sprung. Where there is no flower there are new buds. Oh joy! What a great weekend!

New York (drinks + some) because w/o kids we can...

Coming back from New York can be a real downer. Thank goodness spring finally showed up here in Sweden because otherwise I'd be totally and completely depressed. Coming back from New York I always feel like 'I'm a New Yorker, what the hell am I doing here in Sweden'. But, after a week or two reality sets in and I'm back on track at work, daily life, friends, etc. I know in reality daily life in New York is much harder than an awesome vacation.

Did someone have an awesome vacation? Yes, someone did. It started the minute we got off the plane and didn't stop until we headed back to the airport. Seriously, non-stop! NON-STOP!

Late nights, amazing dinners, catch ups with old friends, great lunches, long walks, warm weather, Central Park, Chelsea Market, Brooklyn, museums, Manhattan, midday cocktails, long brunches, more amazing dinners followed by more AMAZING dinners!

Proud Mommy Moments

Let me take a moment to say how proud I am with my two munchkins! In midst of toddlerdom I sometimes forget to just stop and smell the roses. Yesterday I did.

My morning started with a parent teacher conference with Quincy's preschool. To summarize... he is a self-starter with a good sense of humor. He loves listening to stories and learning new words. His memory is game on... He has a high level of concentration when he is drawing or building and his self-confidence as well his ability to adapt to change is improving.
The thing that I loved hearing most was that while he can play rough at times and of course get mad and act out (average toddler stuff) he never acts out without being provoked. The teacher said "he stands up for himself but he's not a bully". Such a proud mommy right about now cause lets face it... you just never know.

Tilda... She had her second sleep over this weekend. What? All of a sudden she's a little teenager, inviting her friends to spend the night and stuff. It was so funny to hear her tell her friend the rules of the house.

Friend: what kind of candy are we eating for "Saturday candy"?
Tilda: we eat healthy candy from the health food section but maybe we can have some popcorn too.

Friend: I'm going to have coke with dinner.
Tilda: no you won't... we don't drink coke at my house.
Friend: my mom lets me drink coke.
Tilda: yeah but now your at my house and we have to listen to what my mom says.
Friend: ok, I'll drink milk then.

Friend: when is breakfast going to be ready?
Tilda: my mom and dad like to sleep late on the weekend.

Well trained...!!

Food... New York (obsessing)

Are we booking tables, planning daytime adventures as the two week count down approaches. Dayum straight! So far we have booked Aska (a friend owns/head chefs it), Blanca ( another friends owns/head chefs this one) and Minetta Tavern. I am excited about the first two but i honestly am looking most forward to Minetta, its so old school and has such a great NYC history. I haven't been there since I first moved to New York. Back in 1996 I was a mini regular... going maybe once a month for drinks and/or dinner... in those days I was a West Village girl, a far cry from the Harlem woman I became. Speaking of Harlem... I think we'll hit up Red Rooster for lunch but not 100% as I feel like its such a Swede thing to do when traveling to the city and that totally turns me off BUT the menu looks good so I may just be convinced.

Such a foodie! Food trucks for lunch. Ganso for an early authentic Japenese noodle dinner, Blue Ribbon for a late night snack, Shake Shack because I still haven't tried it. I could go on.

Basically I am super excited to eat in New York. I will mention though that I have been going out more and more here in Stockholm and I have been very impressed with the offerings. If your here... Go to Flying Elk. I went last week and I'm going back soon... Very soon!

4 Days: the kids & me

Tony is working all Easter break so its me and the kiddos. Today is day three of four. The weather is getting nicer so we've been out a bit but to be honest we've mostly been inside. Not doing much besides reading magazines, watching movies, playing games, dying eggs and washing and folding an endless amount of laundry. Fine by me... sometimes it's nice to stay home and chill.