stockholm weekend pics, rosendal tradgard

it was been a long, boring and tiring week of being sick.  february is known as "vabruari" in sweden - vab is what parents use to take off work to care for sick kiddos.  i'll spare you the details of what it felt like to experience my first swedish flu. i was incapable of doing anything except rest, drink tea, and watch netflix.  finally, today, i am just beginning to feel like me again although not quite 100%. 

last weekend, just before becoming too sick, stefan and i wandered over to the rosendal tradgard and i even managed to take a few pictures (kai was at the movies with a friend).  this weekend? i wasn't able to manage more than a little walk and then happy to be back home to rest some more.  

i hope these last couple of weekends have been healthy and filled with adventure for you.  i can't wait until i'm fully recovered!

a new year...

i blinked and january has passed me by.  i was busy working, volunteering, the doing of this and that.  i didn't make resolutions for the year, it's too daunting, don't you think?  but i made changes for each day that has since passed.  there's been an almost daily yoga practice going on.  i'm gentler with kai and his antics with homework (most of time).  reading has become a lovely habit.  being off the internet more than ever.  eating healthfully.  being mindful; the focusing on today, this moment rather than the whole year is such a good thing.  it's achievable.   

twenty sixteen is going to be a good year, one day at a time.  i like how it looks and feels already, worn and comfortable.

the year started with this lovely family, cozy at home - so much goodness packed into an evening:  ximena whipped up gorgeous tapas; petter made delicious cocktails; tasty salami brought back from holland; shrimp dipped in aioli; the cake, a lovely pear walnut; and we ate and drank so well, there was no more room for the olibollen!  there might have been some dancing and silliness too. and maybe even a train ride (don't ask!). the ceiling sparkled. the kiddos happy and laughing. and we walked to the bridge and saw twenty sixteen come with twinkling lights and fireworks. and so began the new year.

twenty sixteen, i  hope to fill you with more such lovely new memories.

5 / 52 weeks

kai: he has a habit of sucking in his lips when doing his homework, to me it means he's focusing and makes me happy but sometimes when those lips are sucked in, it means he's been mischievous ;-) 

graffiti knitting in stockholm

what a fun and colourful way to give joy to people.  i smile every time i come across lamp posts or trees with knitted dollies or cold statues warmed with a scarf or hat.  these bits of knitting scattered about the city brings such beauty, warming up our hearts. 

what a lovely and fun way to share one's art.  wish i could knit!

stockholm weekend pics, dining together reflection

i believe families who dine together stay together.  i believe children are all the better for it.  i believe dining together means more than sitting around the dinner table, although i strive for that evening after evening for my own little family.

of course, dining together can take place at any time of day, for 3 minutes or 45 minutes, wherever we happen to be, and whatever we happen to be eating.  

take this weekend... 

the lazy saturday morning breakfast, fried eggs with apricot jam spread rice cakes, enjoyed while sitting at the dining table.

the semla devoured at the tiny petrus cafe.

the delicious tiny chocolate cookie from drop coffee we each excitedly took a bite from while waiting for the espresso-to-go to be made.

the date night at woodstockholm eating gorgeous food and chatting with delightful strangers at the next table about life in stockhom. 

the 12 year old boy eating pizza - brought home by his parents after their early evening date night - while his parents keep him company in the living room.

the no menu 5 minute breakfast on sunday morning, each to his own devises, all gathered in the kitchen.

the stand-up sandwich lunch around the kitchen counter during a break from chores like homework and house cleaning.

the two boys standing in front of an open cupboard grabbing for the chocolate bar to each take a piece and savor it then the third family member can't resist and takes one for herself too :-)

the classic family dinner around the dining table, sharing chicken pot pie with good friends.

dining together nurtures relationships.  i know it's true for my little family but sometimes when other things interrupt, it's okay, we do the best we can. it's the being together part, sharing a meal, that's important.    

the photos above are from a little walk in the city the three of us took this weekend.  we were mesmerized by the icy reflection.

i hope you had a lovely weekend.