Offline...

Sadly this will be my last post for awhile, as our computer is going back to it's original owner - Stockholmstad.  Husby has a new job in the autumn and  needs to return this computer to his current school.
I am gently talking him into the fact that I need a nice new Mac to help me focus on this blog and learn how to use lots of important programmes which normal PCs don't have.  We'll see how far I get with that, but in the meantime I will do my best to post something here and there from random computers....

Anyway I am sure that everyone is busy with the very annoying Euro 2012 football, or the upcoming Olympics or planning a great holiday somewhere and won't have time to read this much!  We are off on a big adventure to Australia and Singapore in July, so I need to get into planning mode ASAP!
So enjoy yourselves and thanks for reading so far....I'll see ya soon.

Keeping the Romance Alive....

How romantic are you and your partner?  I love romance and am an old fashioned girl when it comes to all things chivalrous.  So I hit the jackpot when I met my gentleman husby in 2005!  He is really old skool and super romantic.  After only knowing him a few days he posted me a mixed CD.  Every song was one I would choose myself, so I knew he was the one.  Because we lived in different countries at the time, we would post real letters, like with a stamp! and talk on the phone as much as possible.  When I moved to Sweden 5 months after meeting him, the romance didn't stop there.  He was and is still great for posting a little card to say how much he loves me, or sticking little notes somewhere fun around the house.

Obviously when you have a child things change a little and you don't get the chance to go out as much, or are too tired to be romantic.  But I think its important to try and keep up with the cute text messages through the day or be spontaneous even on a Monday night!  We try and have what we call Friday Feast on a Friday night.

 Which is really spending money on lovely ingredients and wine and making a 3 course meal after Tilly has gone to bed.  Ban the TV (mostly) and listen to all those old songs.  Or like we did last Friday and had a late night snack with some bubbly! 

Yes it does seem that food is surrounded with our new found romance, but it's amazing the amount of energy a plate of bresaola can give you late at night :)

Cup Cake Heaven....

Another reason why I miss Dublin so much, is because of my mother's amazing cupcakes.

It's not so much that I love eating them, because actually I'm not a fan of sweet things.  But it's because they are so beautiful and I just wish I was closer so I could open a shop and sell them!

Now she has started a blog of her own - http://www.poshcakesco.blogspot.com/ -  and her first post features the adorable Tilly.  When we had Tilly's name giving ceremony, my parents were here and my mom made her lovely cakes for the party.  Everyone was blown away by just the sight of them, let alone the taste!  It was an amazing day and the guests got to take home a lovely box with a selection of cupcakes too.

Its amazing to see how much time and effort she puts in to make these cakes.  It's so precise and intricate and time consuming - and no she did not pass on this gene to me!  I hate baking!  All those exact measurements and timings are not for me!  But I urge anyone is close proximity to Greystones Supervalu to get their arse down there next Saturday and get them into ya!  Enjoy!

Our 15 minutes....

After a fun packed weekend of 40th birthday partying, I am now 'normal' enough to read my subscription of this months Swedish family magazine ' Vi Föraldra'.  And what makes it an even more interesting one, is that it features none other than the Sundkvist Family! 

It's an article about only having one child, in a society like Sweden which is not very open to this idea.  I have translated it, and hopefully you will see why we've chosen to just have our little Tilly! 
Happy reading....


"It's really not as awful to be an only child as everyone thinks"


- It would be absurd if the only option was between having zero or two children. For us it you only need to have one child, says Mikael Sundkvist, father of Matilda, 2.5 years.


Matilda has crept up on the couch with a cinnamon bun, while dad Michael and mom Tabetha offers refreshments. In their circle of acquaintances and friends, it is unusual to have only one child.


- When we say we are probably just going to raise one child, we  generally get two kinds of reactions. Either people laugh a little and say, "Yes, as you say now, but in a few years you will have more children." Or they think: "How selfish of you, it will be a shame for Matilda." We see very little acceptance. It is never someone who says, "Ok, you have chosen only one child, how wonderful," says Michael.


Michael grew up with siblings and has a good relations with his three year old younger brother.


- Actually, I ought to advocate siblings, because I have positive experiences with it. But there is no guarantee that one will be tight just because they are siblings. There is no answer, but you have to listen to your own feelings and needs. It sounds very calculating, but for us it fits in well with one child for many reasons, he says.


Tabetha and Michael expressed a lot about why they want a child and no more.


- It's not just that one child is enough, but we've been thinking a lot about this, says Michael. Our choice is based on our lives. We had children at quite an advanced age, 35 or 40 years. We are accustomed to having a lot of freedom and control. When you have children you lose that control.


- We wanted to start a family but not that our lives change so much, and still be able to give Matilda 100 percent attention, says Tabetha. We like to travel, work and have our own time. For us some of it would suffer if we had more children.


Since Tabethas relatives living in Ireland, the family go there at least twice a year. They reason that it would be difficult to travel as much as if they had more children.


Matilda has eaten up her bun. Michael suggests that they put Alfie Atkins puzzle together. He says there are more demands on the parents when there is only one child. They must be prepared to stimulate and interact with Matilda and also make sure that she often sees other children. Tabetha has a book that they've done, with pictures of everyone they know and their children.


- We must be creative and remind her of all the friends and cousins, even those who live far away, ensuring Matilda does not feel alone, she says.


Tabetha know what it means to be an only child. Her father died when she was five years old, so she grew up with her mother.


- It's really not so awful to be the only children as everyone think. You get to be extensively with adults and have many opportunities to do interesting things, she says.


- Our plan is for us to be a tight little family, who loves to do things together, says Michael.