I’m feeling fairly good at the moment because I realize I actually have time for myself.  This week I’m only working evening shifts (with the exception of my work weekend) which gives me so much more time in the mornings.  Free mornings mean I can sleep half an hour later, I can eat breakfast with the kids before I take them to daycare (instead of me taking them early and them eating there), and I can squeeze in some housework and pilates.  It feels so good to be able to have some independent time even if it means I’m not relaxing on the sofa. It also means I can meet with Ørjan for lunch and he can fuel up before he has to return.

The weather has become frightful again as it’s been anywhere from -14°C to -22°C.  We had severe cold only a few weeks ago and then it rained.  Slush, snow, and then black ice for another week was not a treat.  Yesterday’s walk lead to a surprise when I looked down and noticed my hair had frozen.  I didn’t realize how cold it was until I looked down and it was as though someone had spray painted my hair white.  Now it’s back to the February norm and it’s manageable now that the sun has returned to the arctic circle.  I feel so human again with a little daylight/sunlight.  With so much more light the house feel more comforting and I’m back in full-gear to finish the renovations in our bedrooms.  Around December we pretty much called it quits because it was so difficult to do anywork in the dark.  (Rewiring outlets in darkness and painting without natural light is a big no-no!)

Lately I’ve been using some of my free time to research and plan our London trip.  For a while there I was feeling very negative about this trip because 1) I’ve never had the desire to visit any time soon, 2) London is insanely expensive, and 3) I know I’d be doing most of the work for planning/organizing and childcare duties.  At this point I’ve done all the research and bookings for our hotel and transportation from the airport.  Ørjan ordered tickets with an arrival time in London at 22:10!  This means that we’ve had to hire a service to drive us to the hotel with two very exhausted toddlers.  If you’ve got young children you know exactly what I’m thinking.  Sigh.  Oh well, the hard part is over.  Now the fun part of planning our daytrips are only ahead of us.  If you have any suggestions for London (or a child-friendly London) please comment!

This Sunday Magnus turns three.  We haven’t planned a party for him because we’ll combine his and Sophie’s birthday next weekend.  I should do some light baking and bring out a few gifts though because he deserves it.  Which reminds me, I came up with a menu and a baking plan for their birthday party but I cannot for the life of me find it.  I guess this means I’ll have to go through my bookmarks to find that cupcake recipe that took me days to locate.  Oh well.