We had a great midsummer weekend in Switzerland. The Tour de Suisse passed through, with a finish line just below our house for the second-to-last stage. Although it was a bit of a pain that the whole village was shut down, the kids loved the energy and excitement. The whole day was spent in preparation,…

We have been working on basic literacy over the past few weeks – for both Benjamin (now a big 8) and Christopher (a week shy of 6). Having two languages makes it difficult, and half the time, I’m not sure if we are helping or hurting the boys by focusing on English. Maybe we should…

At Annika’s end-of-school celebration, one of the parents gave a speech to the children, a traditon. She had asked the kids for help with ideas of what to do if the summer gets boring or doesn’t go as planned. Each had done a drawing or written a suggestion, the best of which were distributed in…

I was at Annika’s last-day-of-school celebrations, watching her sing the national anthem (of Sweden) with confidence. I don’t know it, though I am starting to recognize the tune after so many school events. But truthfully, I don’t think she would recognize The Star Spangled Banner if she heard it…

I did it. That bad mother thing. Even though I always count to three – over and over again. I count after school, at the pool, at the beach, skiing, in the car – always to three to make sure everyone is accounted for… but still… Tuesday was a crazy day, in so many ways.…

It was Benjamin’s eighth birthday today, and Sweden’s national day. We usually take a day trip to Sandhamn since Benjamin loves it there so much and has such fond memories of our past summers there (and since he thinks the house we rented belongs to him). It usually isn’t the best of weather, though usually…