It's normal that I count kids where ever we are going. One, two, three, four, five, six... Usually I'm glad if counting gives me right number.
Summers are exiting 'course right number can be everything from zero to twelve. There has been no day when I have had every single kid with me, at least they have friends with them. Except the day. No friends, only my own kids. And I started the usually counting. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... Seven? Seven!
Yep. Seven. We are waiting number seven to arrive around February. Here we go again. Oh my.
Every now and then I wonder how my babies could grow so fast. After six years, three different schools and four teachers, my oldest girl finished her elementary school. She did amazing job, found many friends and now it is her turn to move on.
Next step is clear. It's all about junior high and surviving through her teenage years. Hopefully she continues her studies just like before.
Summer is here and kids are free to play with their friends and eat lots of ice cream. One thing is certain. They will not even think about school until August.
I admit. I am very afraid to return home from every trip without kids. Sometimes it is enough to just close your eyes, sometimes not.
Our little boys are amazing. If no one tells them what to do, they will use their imagination. And result will terrify everyone.
That's only the boys room. Whole apartment was like this, covered with wheat flour. It took good six hours to clean it up and a glass of wine and darkness to get over it.
Everyone knows that I'm a little bit crazy. I've been playing role playing games for more than fifteen years. Last weekend I took five of our kids with me to a trip through those years.
Ropecon is the largest non-commercial role play festival in Europe. And it takes place in Finland. Seventeen years it has been in Espoo, Otaniemi. It has been growing and this was the last time when I had a chance to walk around paths which I have learned to love.
My story starts fifteen years ago, I was only fifteen years old, tiny teenager, afraid of anything new. I was so lost in Ropecon with the father of my four oldest kids. It takes many years to get that courage to take active part in that event.
Finally at Ropecon 2005 I found historic dancing and I've been missing it since then.
Through the years we have been sleeping in our car, eating breakfast outside the same location every year. Some of the kids have been there before, some not. Now I had the chance to show them where everything started.
We saw rock-scissors-paper- game which was kids absolute favorite.
I also had the chance to dance, and I enjoyed every second of it.
Meanwhile kids read their books
and ate lots of candy...
When kids seemed tired, I packed them back to the car and drove them home. Later that same night I went back to take part to a dancing ball, very last time at Otaniemi. Slow and sad Waltz (Two to Twirl) showed me every moment of the years gone by. It was like the Yesterday once more, and I have to walk out.
It's the end of one chapter. Next year we will start something new at the new location in Helsinki. Hopefully we will meet there!
They say, that it is like winning in lottery to be born in Finland. We have public maternity clinic system which doesn't ask if you can afford it or not.
Almost every kid in Finland is born at a hospital. Almost every mom has to stay two nights at the hospital after giving birth. Until to June 2015, mothers have a chance to check the hospital beforehand, visit there and get familiar with the environment before the actual childbirth. Those visits have been a part of our "birthing classes", usually only first timers use this option, but also those who have unusually strong fears, or those who have just moved to a new city or town.
Midwives answer our questions on those visiting tours by the way.
Number 5, two days old
Well... What we'll have after June? We will have a youtube video. Many of our hospitals have already replaced "birthing classes" with a pile of paper and youtube videos. At the same time our midwives tell the media, that new moms got no clue on newborns needs or how the pain is important part of childbirth. Oh my....
Now there is this new law also, which means that around our capital city they will shut down couple of parental units. It's also almost criminal to even think of giving birth at home and we don't have those "Midwife Centers" in Finland.
Number 6, two days old
I was just wondering, when machines replace midwives and somebody gets an idea of youtube guided birth. Once our moms gave birth at sauna without medical help... Why should the modern mom handle it with youtube, is beyond me....
I have been busy, like a little bee with an empty hive of late... Our parliament elections and everything around those. My real social life has never been more active, than as of late.
After all of this, I forgot the one basic rule. Never ever let little boys close their door.
Our girls helped me to clean this mess. Meanwhile boys were told to watch cartoons in the living room. Well, they didn't.
We maybe got this mess sorted, but I did the same mistake again. I closed the door between us. Now everything else is a total mess.
Boys room is now pretty nice tho....
Maybe I should just take the door down and burn it?
Many years ago I swore that I would never ever again take a puppy during baby-year. Never.
Oops.
Our Polar Bear is starting to look old. I have always had a dog. I bought my first German Shepherd with only 11 FIM when I was three years old. There had been only a month and a half that I had no dog with me.
Eight years ago I found these amazing Great Pyrenees. They are big and they think by themselves, and they show their love to those who love them.
So never say never. We have now a seven months old puppy and a six months old baby. Well, we will see how bad an idea this was. I hope it wasn't.
