Happy New Year

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays...(a little belated)


My Holiday was spent between being sick in bed (Christmas Eve & day) & working... Not so much fun

But Bjørn did an awesome job of picking up the slack & made a delicious American-ish Christmas dinner while I was delirious with a fever....
(Yes, he bought another Turkey...we didn't serve the rotten one... : ) )

Santa was very kind the kiddos this year leaving the much wanted Wii...... & Wii Fitness.... (I am volunteering to be a spokeswoman for Nintendo....)

Bjørn & I have been burning off a calories after we put the kids to bed...wink wink...
(boxing & doing the HulaHoop game....)

Being sick & on heavy cold medication was probably a blessing, had I been in my right mind, I would have been very very homesick as my sisters & brother all flew home with their families ,to my mom & dad's .... : ( , there are 8 grandchildren between the ages of 10 & 4 (with another on the way...)

so Christmas at home with all of the kids is always so special..... None the less, we had a very blessed day with the kids thrilled with their gifts.

Tomorrow night we have plans to celebrate 2009 with my American girlfriend & her family...

However, Eva just threw up all over the house, so it may be a sick night home instead... (cross you fingers for us)

I just wanted to wish all of my bloggy friends all over the world a

blessed & safe 2009... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

If it smells like farts.....

Sooo, as I go down to the basement get some food out of the freezer last night...what do I stumble upon?

A bag with our Christmas dinner.... 2 turkeys & a large ham.... sitting BESIDE the freezer... completely thawed...

When Bjørn arrived home, I asked if he had taken the stuff out of the freezer? Hmm? NO... Oh, maybe he had on Saturday night.... But it was probably still OK... (I could see him calculating how much the 2 birds & pig had cost him...about $100...this is crazy expensive Norway remember...& wondering if they could be saved)

I insisted that they would have to be thrown away... yes our unfinished basement is COLD...but not the COLD... hubby did the only logical thing... he called his MOTHER.... during his conversation I hear him repeat the advice his mother gave him...

"if it smells like farts...don't eat it...." (in case you are wondering...NO I do not make this crap up.... MIL & I come from 2 VERY D I F F E R E N T worlds.....)

"if it smells like farts" I heard Bjørn say to himself as he walked back to the kitchen & proceed to SMELL the Turkey.... finally he asked me opinion.... I too gave it a sniff...
"yep, smells like farts to me...."
With a heavy heart & sigh...Bjørn acknowledged that his Christmas dinner was going to have to be thrown away... he then admitted that he wasn't sure it had been in the freezer at all...
NICE...

I doubt I will EVER ...Ever FORGET the method my MIL uses to determin if food is still good...If it smells like farts.... Boy am i glad I will be doing the cooking this year...

"Happy Little Christmas Eve" as they say here in Norway...

Yippeeee I'm BAAACK!

The computer killer is BACK! & this time I have learned my lesson...(I hope) we were able to transfer all of the important stuff (Eva's life in pictures) over to Bjørns computer... We will have to transfer them back to my laptop in order to burn them... which we will do tomorrow....(heard that before?)

I know what i will be doing during my 2 free days of Christmas, trying to set my laptop back up again....

It is sooo sad how dependent i am on my computer.... Had we not been able to save the pictures on my computer, Eva's life in pictures would be GONE..... I have maybe 20 pictures laying around the house... how scary... At least with Dane, i have boxes & boxes of photos before I went digital.


(just a warning, i do not have English spell check on this yet...so bare with me... no mean comments as i am a horrible speller... & I had a crappy week... so be nice!)

Is it Christmas already? I am sooo trying to get into the Christmas spirit, but it has yet to hit me..... It just doesn't feel like Christmas for me... there are no shopping mall Santa's.... no serious Christmas decorations, people don't even say "Merry Christmas" or Happy Holidays here.... bummer.... Oh ya, & today I didn't even need a coat.... (let me remind you... i live in NORWAY & it was like 40 degrees! can you say GLOBAL WARMING?)


I finally figured out what i really want for Christmas...
After months of dark, gloomy days... & bad lighting in my house... we finally got a nice sunny day here.... I am singing along to the radio in my car...enjoying the sun on my face... when to my HORROR... I catch a glimpse of my wild, UNTAMED, crazy, old lady eyebrows in the rear view mirror.... WTF? Who the hell, have I become? What is THAT on my chin? & how long have I been running around like this...OMG.... No wonder my husband has been so nice to me lately... I remind him of his 75 year old mother.... (did i just say that out loud?)

So I decide i want...no NEED one of those magnifying mirrors with all of the different lighting..Office, day, home etc.... (like $30 from WALMART...but we don't have WalMART soo) i went to 5 different stores... do you think they have anything like that here? Ummm ...NO. So now I am on a QUEST... I don't care where i need to go... i am determined to get a mirror with lights so I don't look like the wild woman from Borneo....

So happy to be back! I have missed reading you all... so i will start making the rounds!

Another one bites the dust.....

Yes...another computer bites the dust... my laptop this time.... 2nd computer in 3 months...
Did I back up all of the kids videos on the laptop? Noooooooooooo... baby pictures? Noooooooooooo

Bjørn is now convinced that I am a COMPUTER KILLER..& he may be right...

I am just S I C K.....

I am not allowed to be on HIS work laptop in case i get the urge to STRIKE AGAIN...

I am sooo bummed.... hopefully Bjørn can get an IT guy from work to look at my little baby, if not I may not have a computer until after NEW YEAR.... (once again a thought which makes me SICK...) My laptop is like my left arm.... I sleep with it... (I use my earphones to listen to my HYPNOSIS thing as I drift off to sleep...down 11 lbs) Roll over as soon as the alarm goes off to check in with work, I have my life line to the US an (American telephone line) on that baby...
& of course all of my online shopping... which I was going to do this weekend for all of my nieces & nephews.... CRAP.....

So if I am am seriously MIA, you know where I am.... I hope you will wait for me.....

HAPPY HOLIDAYS.... (just in case!)

Oi! What a week...

I live.... but what a CRAZY week....
Had the (not so) crazy Christmas Party... & after 3 hours of sleep, my big meeting with the German office & a 10 hour work day... (I know now that I am no longer 20)
Will have to fill you all in, in the morning...hopefully I will be able to post a picture of the new do, although it isn't drastic...just not a BAD hair cut.. yippee, finally...
Just wanted to let y'all know I am still kicking.. : )

Friday Foto Fiesta..Once upon a time

It's Friday, It's Friday, Thank Goodness it's Friday!!! (I KNOW it isn't Friday there YET...but it is ALMOST FRIDAY here...& I am cheating a bit this week...)

YIPPEE!I'm playing Candid Carrie Friday Foto Fiesta Finish again .
So after you're done here, go over there and check out who's playing this week!!!



OK, so as you may have gathered I am in a rather POOPY MOOD... so as I pop my 2 midol & call it a night, i thought I would share one of my "HAPPY PLACES" with you...



Once upon a time...for two wonderful years, this was my home.... (not the island, but yes, this is Santorini,Greece to where I often dream about running away ...) the ship SEABOURN SPIRIT...



I LOVED this ship.... I worked my tail off, but had the BEST TIME.... I met some of my bestest friends in the whole world on this ship... I visited some of the most amazing places on this boat... I had someone cook for me & clean my cabin.... press my uniforms.... I would lay out on the Sun Deck & drink pina colada's before my afternoon shift....

& on some grey miserable Norwegian days (like today...) I would give my right arm to go back to live in my HAPPY PLACE....


Sigh...is it better to have loved & lost than to have never loved at all....
Would I go so stir crazy NOW, if I hadn't had so much fun before?

Update on today.... the old teacher at the preschool made me CRAZY AGAIN...UGH....
but the GOOD news is.... My haircut turned out GREAT... I am very happy... (I will make Dane take pictures of my "do" this weekend...) i paid 2'x's as much, but at least i don't look like HE-MAN, master of the Universe....

The girl effect...Very cool

Norwegian Mother update....

Oh thank you for the sweet comments...
I will be honest, I know as a mom, I pretty much ROCK... I am far from PERFECT... but I try to let my babies know everyday how much they are loved, & wanted... & I think MOST times I can be pretty FUN & COOL...

But some days....being a mom is hard... especially in a foreign country. really my problem is that i even give a crap what people think about me NOT being Norwegian or that I do & think different....
this teacher today...was the SAME teacher who made the comment that the
WORLD should be allowed to vote for the president of the United States..... She just BUGS me... & I try to get in & out as quick as I can when she is in the hall...

I am not sure but I am thinking she is NOT Norwegian.... I seem to detect some sort of slight accent... I will have to check that out... Like I said this morning, maybe she thinks she is HELPING me... with her "suggestions" but it just bugs me....

In other news...i made a hair appt. for tomorrow.... we all know how well it turned out LAST time... I looked like HE -MAN Master of the Universe...

I would like to get my hair cut like Jenny's...

random fact of the day: a bunch of my sorority sisters went to HS with JM & I remember the day her playboy cover came out... everyone went out to buy it... (Lord I need to get out of the house before I bore you all to death!)

This should be a pretty easy cut NO? Cross your fingers for me!

As a Norwegian mom...i suck

As a Norwegian mother I officially get an F as in FAILURE...

OK, I didn't ask to be a mother in Norway, trying to be the best I can....but crap, I feel like I am always falling behind...

First let me say that one of Eva's preschool teachers MAKES ME CRAZY... (I am sure this is Aunt Flo speaking here...yes, 2x's in one month..my LUCKY family...)

In my head, I am pretty sure this teacher is TRYING to be HELPFUL....but my heart is screaming...

"BIO-TCH" "STOP trying to be helpful, pulling me aside each & every morning & letting me know where I FAIL as a mother in Norway....PLEASE..."

This lady has a comment EVERY morning... today she felt the need to pull me aside & ask why Eva didn't know "BlåFjell" ?? OK people, "BlåFjell" (Blue Mountain)is a Christmas show that they play once a year...i THINK it goes every night from the first of Dec. until Christmas.... I THINK...because I have never sat down to watch the thing.... The only thing I do know is that they market the ugly ass wool clothes for a ridiculous amount of money... $100 long underwear, $40 wool hat..... I just haven't been inclined to shell out that kind of money.

So anyway.... then I get pulled into a 15 min conversation as to why Eva doesn't know Blåfjell... I ended up apologizing that she missed the last two nights due to Dane's Christmas party, & her being over tired..... then she says to Eva..".make sure you tell your pappa that Blåfjell is on tonight 6:00".... HELLO FREAK OF NATURE... what? Do you work for Norway's Nat. broadcasting company?

Now I am irritated with myself that i even explained myself to her.... i SHOULD have said something like, We don't allow the children to watch TV...or they are only allowed to watch American TV shows like hannah Montanna (smile).... I should NOT have apologized....

Sometimes I get so tired of PRETENDING to fit in... Of trying to speak Norwegian...without an accent.. or acting like I "GET IT" when really I don't....

I think I am going to write a letting to the Norwegian Govt... & suggest that they write a manual to all mothers moving to Norway on how to be a good Norwegian Mother.... including what kinds of clothing the children MUST have...which toys we should be buying & of course which TV shows they should be watching....

SIGH... yes, it is ONE of those days...

Can you pick out the American?

Or should I say guess which "Gingerbread Man" has an American Mother?....


Yes, the other 3 children are Gingerbread Men as well..... Oh, you couldn't tell?

Hmmm... I didn't know making a Gingerbread costume = Brown sweatshirt & pants....

the Mice in the play? = GREY sweatshirt & pants.....

the sheep? off white sweatshirt & pants... (you get the picture)


All I can say it
THANK HEAVENS
I didn't have more time or i would have gone on line and bought the "Gingey" costume from Shrek & had my mother fed ex it over.... Boy could you have seen everyone's face then?

I have to say my boy was a real sport & wore the Mask & "Gum drop" buttons, like a trooper.. & stole the show...(I know I shouldn't say that...but he did... he had everyone laughing...I almost pee'd my pants...)

& the best part? For the first time in my life I felt like an OVER ACHIEVER.... (I can't wait until next years play!)

So...I don't know if I have been going on about my Christmas Party for work.... I have been TOTALLY EXCITED. Christmas Parties are CRAZY here in Norway... I read somewhere once, that Christmas Parties are the cause of 50% of divorces in Norway...(random Norwegian fact for the day...)

ANYWHO... I have been really excited as this is my FIRST big Christmas party... It is being held in Oslo, & a bunch of us got rooms to stay in the city... mamma is ready to P A R T Y... right? Ummm... NO

My boss called me today to inform me that the meeting I have been waiting for the past, ummm, 10 months, will be happening the morning AFTER the big party.... I have all of these Germans flying in... & as it is MY department...I need to be there... BASTARDS...no offence to any of my German buddies...but COME ON PEOPLE....

So now I am feeling sorry for myself... no overnight in the big city with my girls...NOOOO....

No dancing on tables...Noooo... CRAP...I was sooo looking forward to it... OK, I am still going to the party but it isn't going to be the same...Oh I will still have a few drinks, i need the liquid courage especially whilst dealing with my Swedish co workers.... (I feel, I speak ALL languages better after a few bottles of wine... um, I mean glasses)

OK so I haven't had a chance to take any pictures of the neighbors Christmas decorations... but I HAVE GOT TO send you over to my girlfriends blog...talk about an

American in Norway...she takes it to a whole' nother level EVENTRYHUS .... go check out her Norwegian Christmas... It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

i will try to be the creepy neighbor tomorrow & take pictures out on my walk... Ciao Chicas

PS... more exciting news...I got a check from Blogher today! I am actually making money from my blog! (OK enough to buy a cup of coffee in Norway, but it is a start... ) All you have to do is click on my little adds.. & cha ching...next thing you know, i have a plane ticket home!

I thought it was kindda cool...