Mother of the Millennium

Christmas is a busy time, but I don't seem to have the brain capacity to cope with all this hullabaloo. If ever there is a "Mother of the Millennium" I won't rank very high:

Saturday. I was doing the grocery shopping with Clara (our au pair, more about her later!) when it dawned on me that Risto was supposed to be at a friend's birthday party that had already started! I quickly called Timppa and asked him if he could take Risto. He was not happy about dressing up three boys and driving Risto to the party. But DH was quick and I doubt Risto even realized that he turned up late! The icing on the cake was that the birthday present was with me in the shop...

Monday. Jaakko's Christmas party at day care. I realized that he was the only one not dressed in christmasy clothes, unless you call a bright lime green t-shirt with a chameleon on it christmasy. Nor did he wear a red Christmas gnome hat like all the other kids. Plus the battery of our camera died.

Tuesday. Tuomas' Christmas party. Clean clothes, 1 point for that. But several minus points for not charging the battery of the afore mentioned camera!! That was a real shame since this time Tuomas participated in the singing and dancing and wore a costume. At the spring party he was not co-operating. And I didn't get his happy face recorded... luckily another mother promised to send me some pictures and also handed her camera to me to take some pictures myself.

Tuesday continues. I went to work after the party (I'm still here.... um... working), but forgot to turn on the sound on my mobile phone. When I finally remembered to turn it on I had several un-answered calls: one from Jaakko's day care and three from DH. Oops! Luckily DH was running errands with Clara and was close to the day care when they called him (since I didn't answer) about Jaakko having an eye infection and needing a doctor. 26 minutes (yes twenty-six!!) after DH got the call from the day care he walked out of the doctor's office with a prescription for antibiotics. TWENTY-SIX... it has to be a world record!

Now Clara, our Christmas angel i.e. au pair, is at home with Jaakko fixing dinner for us. Yesterday she cleaned the whole house, made delicious lieb-küchen (probably mis-spelled it, but German gingerbread with almonds, orange and lemon zest and oh-so-delicious!!), chocolate cookies and just helped with everything. We all love her. Jaakko calls her Kala (fish) or Kaala (since it's too difficult for him to pronounce) and Tuomas after a couple of days of calling her "the German" now manages to call her Craala. Close enough! In just the few days that she's been with us (she arrived on Friday and already at the airport took the boys in control!) she has proven to be the answer to our prayers. Great with the kids, wonderful help in the kitchen and around the house and also great company for us adults. I'm off to a rock concert with her on Wednesday!

So everything is fine!

Paris in November

I was in Paris last week on business from Tuesday to Thursday.

Just close your eyes.

Think about Paris around Christmas time.

Can you feel it?

You take the metro to your hotel, in Paris. Just keep the image of Paris behind your closed eyes. Ok? Ready to continue?

You walk to your hotel. In Paris. Christmas time (I think the end of November can be called Christmas time...)

You walk to your room. In Paris. Hear the jingle of Christmas bells?

Your draw the curtains.....

A room with a view.

I should've known that something bad would happend when I saw the view. I caught a terrible cold, I'm still wearing the same pyjamas I put on last Friday (did you really want to know that.....) and I haven't been this sick in months. Merci Paris! Well, it was nice, business-wise and leisure-wise.

Utility room, before and after

"Utility" room, before.
Utility room, after. I see a difference, a change for the better. And I just simply love it. Now, if I could only get a sewing room...... me want, me want, me want.

"Mothers of Three Sons" Club

Unfortunatel my sister won't be able to join this club, since this morning at 01:27 GMT+1 time she did something unheard of in our family. She gave birth to a

*************GIRL*******************************

"Felicia" weighed 3,7 kg and was approximately 50 cm tall. Apparently everything went well, since I spoke to my sister at 13:30 GMT+2 time and she was on her way home with her daughter!!!

Unfortunately no photos yet!