Christmas in Norway (posted by Simon)

Yesssss!! I thought.... Finally I will have escaped from James Bond reruns, the Queens speech (actually Ive never seen that) and the Royale Family at Christmas. No bloody brussell sprouts, that Irish christmas song that goes something about cheap lousy faggot, Christmas Cake or whatever that cow pat is that you cover in brandy butter. Wohoo, lets bring on Christmas Norwegian style!

So insert the first and most confusing thing. Christmas being on the 24TH DECEMBER.... ahem, Christmas Eve is on the 23rd. No it isnt! Christmas Day is on the 24th... No it isnt!. Well in Norway it is. The only advantage I could see to this was being the first in line for the boxing day sales as Id be there a day early but even that didnt pan out for me.

Ah a minor speedbump. Come on, enough of that, lets talk about what we are eating for Christmas Dinner. :)

Rotten Fish?

Aha, we are lost in translation. You mean raw fish right? like Sushi style?


No, its rotten fish. It actually is. And nobody is shy to admit that. So all those friends of mine that have turned their noses up at the suggestion of Sushi, consider yourselves lucky now ...!

Grow me a beard, whack on a pair of NHS glasses, I'll even be Jim Royle if it means consuming something on the right side of the best before labels. How about Sylte Simon? ... Pigs head? What? Did I mention Im Vegan?


I am of course highlighting the things that could be a little off guard :) Im always open minded to trying new things, especially food and as it turns out the Christmas Dinner was exceedingly good with Ribs being a speciality along with potatoes, sauerkraut, port crackling and Christmas Sausages ( I didnt enquire). We had a lovely chocolate Mousse and toasted with a Norwegian spirit Aquavit. Its a little like Tequila, as it also triggers the hurl reflex and goes down like a shot of battery acid. 


But the Norwegians do love to celebrate Christmas and they have traditional games, celebrations that are a joy to be part of. Theres a game where theres a pot of rice pudding with a single almond hidden within and people eat in the hope of stumbling across it and winning a mystery prize present. You also have a game where the family sits around the table and throws a dice with a 1 or a 6 throw winning you a prize from a pool of 15 or 20. THEN, after all are allocated you play for a further 10 minutes where throwing a lucky 1 or 6 will enable you to STEAL a present from someone else. Er what? Get your hands off that thief. Right, Im going home....

So after recovering my christmas mojo we get a visit from Santa. 

wait, wheres Mikio? Oh he had to pop out for a minute. 

What do you mean Im on the naughty list?

Here the gag reflex moment is captured after my Aquavit pleasant experience

Present opening with the big guy...

I had guessed a large bottle of Whisky. It was a Yoga Mat, hurrah!

Micks enjoying laughs and smiles with MorMor (grandma)

Second visit from Santa. Wheres Emine? Oh she had to pop out...

So although the cultures are different, the weather is 20 degrees colder to the skin that Im used to, Christmas is celebrated in style in Norway with extra emphasis on family visits, goodwill and compassion and festive spirit. And Im for sure that Mikio will grow up to enjoy each and every one, especially when hes at the age when his presents (i.e. playstation games) can be shared by me, I mean all... I must say I found his Fisher Price piano to be of very limited playability due to its repetitive nature.

Finally a huge belated Happy Christmas to everyone and BEST REGARDS for the new year coming up! Lets make it a year we approach with an open heart, a compassionate mind and no regrets!

A relaxing Sunday :)

I hope everyone head a lovely Sunday !

Me and Mikio head a very lovely Sunday together, we have just been home and relax and had lots of cuddles  time together. Daddy have been on work to day so, so we just decided to be home all day and do nothing. This morning started with a nice wake up in the bed with Mikio and my sister Emine, we was just laying in bed talking and kissing on Mikio. That little boy is so good in the night he sleeps through the whole night and wake up around 10am in the morning . Still now when he start to get that tooth out also , no crying at all only a happy smiling little boy. 

When we get out of the bed today was it all ready warm down in the living room and clean, daddy had do all that before he started work. so we could just turn the Tv on and  eat breakfast.      

                                               

Mmmm, here Mikio is eating breakfast :) 

Daddy and Mikio play a little before work <3 

And when daddy had go for work did me and Emine fix her hair a little , when my lovely son was playing with his toys on the floor.

Emine waiting for her hair to be finish, she was not happy that i was putting this out here but she looks cut :)  

 After the hair did i clean up a little in the house. Because its nice to have it clean and not messy. Its so nice to do that when Mikio is sleeping because then i can do a lot and get all done. And its so good that he don't wake up when i make lots of noise. 

Sleeping beauty <3   

Today is it the 4 day in the advent as we call it in Norway. That is why we put those 4 read long light on , we putting one light on every Sunday before Christmas eve. Its like that we are counting down the days to the big day, so to day is all 4 of them burning that means that its Christmas eve next Saturday.   

When he did wake up again did he play with his friends again , and then we just looked on Tv together and and lots of cuddling. its an amazing feeling to hold your baby colse  to you and just kiss him and talk to him . He understand so much now , i think also he starts to say mamma (mammy). He is saying ma ma ma its so cute, he also saying other things we do not understand and laughing a lot. I am just totally in love with him , i can not explain  how happy i am to bring him in to the world. I am the Worlds happiest mother , could not ask for a better life then i have now with my to Boys <3  

Falls in sleep in mammy's arms <3

Love you so much Handsome <3  

And when daddy come home at 19.30pm was me and mikio in the bath . Mikio  is so happy when we are having a bath together, then daddy comes and dried him and put some clothes on him. He was so happy to see his daddy coming home, just smiled to him.  Then we all was sitting down together and Mikio is taking him down , he loves to take his glasses and play with them :) 

I am taking them of daddy , you looking better then! YEES, i took them of you daddy :) 

Now we are going to bed, have a lovely night everyone ! 

Good Night !  

Saturday :)

Today have me and Mikio a visit in the morning of his great-grandfather , he was coming to see us and to borrow some skis for his Christmas holiday. Mikio head a nice talk and cuddles with him , he loves to come her to meat the little man. And Mikio is always so happy and smiling all the time, he almost never cry only if he is hungry or in pain! We have the best little boy ever, its really not strange that everyone how sees him falling in love.

                                          Here do you see Mikio's great-grandparents :)
                                      I forgot to take photos of them this morning , stupid of me !  

After a nice visit , was we going to the centre to buy some more Christmas gifts .  Just me, Mikio and my mother , simon was working today so he could not come . We head  a nice look around and did get a few gifts so that is good to get them finis. Because its not many days left to the Christmas eve, today it is 7 days left. We are looking so forward to this Christmas eve with ore lovely son , that will be interesting also to see if he like the gifts. He is probably a bit to small to understand Christmas this year , but next year he will enjoy it much i think. 

He is never a problem to have with us  :) 

A happy little man shopping gifts with his mother ! 

and then a tired little boy, in till....                             

we visits daddy on his work and for a little food shopping, so happy to see his daddy :) All the people in the shop also stomping us to say have cut he is and so happy ,he also sitting there and smiling to everyone.   

Then we did go home to my parents to say hallo to his auntie Emine and grandfather. And Mikio was also happy to play on the floor with his toys. 

    

Tow happy angels <3 

So finely we did go home to make dinner and lots of cuddling on a lovely Saturdays night . to day i did make homemade  pizza to me, simon and Emine . She also come home with us , because my parents is for a dinner party with some frinds of them . So i sad that she could sleep over in our house. so we have eat a lovely pizza and Mikio and Emine head a nice bathe after the dinner. 

He loves to have a bathe that is one of his best things to do , and always with someone with him in the bathe so he can play .  

After a lovely bathe are the tow angels clean and ready for cuddling in the sofa with a nice move on the TV . 

Then a little surprise for daddy when he watching football , coffee and chocolate !   

Have a lovely Saturday every one , now we are all going to sleep soon  :)

GOOD NIGHT <3 

playing a littel before bed <3   

  

A wonderful Friday :)


Today have Me and Mikio had a good morning with no stress and a nice wake up together with lots of cuddling, and  after that we was going to a nice place close to us to eat lunch with my mother and some other.

  

Her is me and Mikio ready to be picked up <3   

when we was in the lunch place was Mikio sleeping and i could enjoy my lovely lunch, its so good food and on  Fridays its always free. Its always nice to come there to talk to all the nice people and

 eat good food and cakes.  

Here i am eating a lovely brownies, when my lovely son is having a nice sleep in his seat next to me :) 

 And this is the first thing he does when he waking up and when mummy looking on him, he is so sweet and happy little man  <3 

 A little smile again,  he loves to be hold and he also talking a lot ! 

After a nice lunch , did my mother and us go to Ikea to have a look around, its always nice to walk around in there you almost always find something you need. It was also many people there as always so we was not there for so long.

My lovely little son  with my mother <3

So when we was finish there we wend to Simon's work to do some food shopping and to pick him up . Little Mikio was sleeping in the car , he was probably tired after the Ikea trip. So when we come home we was all relaxing a little on the sofa, when i was waiting for my godfather to come for a hair cut.  

 

    Daddy and Mikio was also happy to come home to eat some chocolate together both of them love that. But i try to explain to Simon that he is still a little baby so he cant eat chocolate. 

DO YOU THINK HE IS LISTENING ?!?  

  

NO, he did just give him more , and look have happy he is for it <3 

After i cut my godfathers hair, did i start making the dinner for us. I always love to eat taco on fridays night so that was the dinner i was making , it is very easy and do not take so long time to make. 

Mmmmm , that was very good ! 

And then after the food simon started to put some light up i head buy on Ikea , pure Simon did hammered his finger. when the light was did we have a little playing time with the cute little man , i just love him so much<3

Soo CUTE <3 

Then now we are all in bad , Mikio and Daddy all ready sleeping after a long day and i am sitting her to write befor i go to sleep.

My tow angels <3

Hope everyone had a lovely day :) 

Good night <3  xxx

HELLO :)

A big hello to family, friends :)

This is our first blog, I didnt know too much about it until recently but have been impressed by what Ive seen from Rebecca and Martinas blogs and the way it can extend whats going on in your life to those who arent closeby. Having moved to Norway close to a year ago, Ive come to feel that the occasional skype call isnt enough and that to drift apart through lack of communication with all the people who have added so much positive into my life would be a great shame.

Myself and Ina, and someday Mikio will be posting blogs on here and we welcome any comments that people leave. Posts will be honestly written with no filteration.

Fohawk

Thought Id start with a few recent photos!

Mikio and tooth in action

Kenji taking a beating Notts Forest vs LA Galaxy

Mikio got his first tooth through this week :)  Mikios favourite toy has become a rubber phone cover which he spends chewing on his gums and hes begun talking lots, though no sign of mum or dad yet. Just endless rambles, think he gets that from his mothers side...

Little man is happiest when with mummy :)