Jan
27
With Matt gone and the weather rather grey, I’ve been spending more than my fair share of time on Pinterest. Most people have a board related to their dream home with photos of lovely wrap-around porches and gorgeous cozy gardens full of fairy lights and comfy chairs. But I’m kind of taken with the life …
Jan
23
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, according to Plato, that you cannot step in the same river twice due to the constantly-changing nature of the river. It’s a pretty good metaphor for expat life, especially when that expat life involves moving every 2-4 years. I think I’ve mentioned before that I lived in the same general area of a not …
Jan
22
One of the unexpected joys of living in Finland (and there are many) is Santa mania. According to This is Finland, Finns have been claiming that Santa lives in Finland since 1927. Reindeer, after all, can’t survive winter at the North Pole, but they can in Lapland! It follows that Santa’s Village, located in Rovaniemi …
Sep
24
When Gabriel was about 18 months old, I got together with a group of my friends from college. Several of us had children within a few months of each other, so there was a lot of talk that weekend about how life had changed and what we had to look forward to as our children …
Aug
30
When I went to live in France as a student in 1996, I had the choice of living on the International floor in the dorms, living with a host family, or living in an apartment with French students. At a time when I was particularly interested in asserting my independence, but still keen to immerse …
Aug
14
The kids and I arrived in Finland nine months ago almost to the day. Nine and a half months ago, then, we packed everything we owned into a 40′ shipping container and sent it off on a long journey via train, boat, and truck to our new home in Helsinki. We had decluttered enough of …
Aug
11
When we moved to Finland last fall, we made a conscious decision to live in city-center and rely on public transport. This seemed reasonable for several reasons: Gabriel’s school is just a few kilometers away, we live right by a tram stop, and we were heading into icy winter driving conditions. I congratulated myself for …
Aug
10
I’ve never been one of those moms who cried at milestones. I’ve looked forward to the first solid food, the first steps, the first loose tooth, and even the first day of school. It’s hard not to be excited when your kids are absolutely desperate to escape you and each otherover the moon at the …
Jun
09
Six months ago, in the depths of my first Finnish winter, I wrote about my experiences with Light Therapy and Seasonal Affective Disorder. At the time, with the sun barely rising above the horizon mid-day, I couldn’t imagine the same landscape with the reverse effect. Today, with the days charging toward 19 hours of daylight, …
Jun
01
I like to bake. People have been known to covet my pie and my pancakes have garnered acclaim on two continents. And then there’s my bread and my pizza dough. I mean, when it comes to baking, I know what I’m doing, right? I have conquered high-altitude baking. I unraveled the mysteries of British flour …
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