American in Norway

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

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.....)

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...

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 a

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.. : )

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 la

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 h

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 pre school teachers MAKES ME CRAZY ... (I am sure this is Aunt Flo speaking here...yes, 2 x'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 w

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!) S