A wonderful day

The last couple of weeks have turned into a blur. All merged into one. I don’t even remember when one stops and the next one starts. I fill my day with tasks & goals so that my time won’t be left meaningless. The one thing I wish I had more of – time. Whilst I know my time is ending, the time of my children are just beginning, God willing. But that makes days like these so much more valuable.

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I started my day off like I always do – enjoying a homemade breakfast with my son. Around noon I jumped in the car with my daughter to drive and pick up my friend from work. We enjoyed our afternoon outside, finding a cute cafe were we could sit and chat for a while. The day only got better when we decided to buy two baskets of strawberries and then swing by at home to get my son. Norwegian summer doesn’t last very long so when the weather is good you’ll find most people at the beach, where we also ended up. Even though it took a while to get used to the cold water, it was still nice. 

A day to remember. Now I’m hoping that my daughter will fall asleep soon so that I too can catch some Zzzz. Good night.

Elizabeth

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My hospital bag – What I needed & wish I had

What I actually needed:

• A change of clothes – A definite must! I packed a nursing top, a big jeans shirt and a black long sleeveless dress and also some comfy mom pants.
• Nursing top & bra – For some this isn’t necessary but for me it’s super practical and I basically lived in my nursing top. The last day I changed and used the bra with my shirt.
• Trousers & socks – Of course this is an essential. I had 2 pairs of underwear and 3 pairs of socks which was just the perfect amount.
• Toiletry – Everything I packed here I actually needed. Toothbrush and toothpaste. Hairbrush, extra hair tie, body wash and a facial cleanser. Nipple cream was very helpful the first days and also bra pads.
• Power bank – I could’ve just taken my charger with me but I thought a power bank would be smaller to take with and more easy to use whenever I would need it.

What I wish I took with me:

• Slippers – Now I only had my sneakers with me when we came to the hospital and I totally forgot how difficult it would be to get in and out of these once given birth. I struggled multiple times to get into the shoes since it was difficult to bend over. That’s why a pair of slippers would have been perfect to roam around in.
• Baby wipes – I thought one small pack of wipes would be enough, but they hardly even lasted till the second day. As my memory failed to remind me that the hospital only had big, dry wipes that you could wet with a bit of water. Not always as optimal to use when changing a newborn.
• A magazine or book – I didn’t think my entertainment would be an issue, but when I found myself alone in the room, after flicking through the TV channels several times, I do wish I had something more to look at.
• A big hoodie – The hospital rooms were surprisingly cold and I could defiantly have used a big hoodie with a zipper in front.
• Another big button down shirt – I practically lived in the one shirt I brought with me because it was so cold and I didn’t have anything else at hand. A change of shirts would defiantly come in handy.
• More baby clothes – Since we get to borrow clothes at the hospital for the baby, I didn’t think it would be necessary to bring too much clothes for the little one. But after having an accident on the new PJ, hat and a pair of socks, I would recommend to take another hat, a body with long sleeves and a second PJ.

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Elizabeth

Chasing Likes Through Double Taps

After deleting my social media I suddenly remember how my time was spent before using it. How I used to have time to enjoy my meals without scrolling through Instagram. Or how I actually get time to read the blogs I used to love instead of just skimming through to see the pretty pictures. I found myself wasting my precious time – the time we have so little of and that goes by faster each year. At the end of the day it was neither beneficial or good for me. Whether I was posting a new picture, searching for likes and comments, waiting for my next follower. Or scrolling through to find my heart get jealous of what I couldn’t deliver through amazing photography skills or the number of likes I saw flashing in my face.

I need to start focusing on myself in the real world and not the visual concept we call social media.

No one dares to show the real side of life – only chasing likes through double taps.

 

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Elizabeth

Troisième jour à Paris

13th of March 2019 – Shopping & flying home

Our last day had come upon us. After a small breakfast we finished packing and checked out at 11.30 am. We had the whole afternoon because our flight was scheduled to 8.30 pm. We found our way out of our hotel to the nearest street and started walking. There were shops after shops and I tried to visit as many as I could. I ended up buying a black scarf and a oversized denim jacket at a Parisian shop. We also stopped to get some macrons which taste delicious.

We stopped by Zara, H&M, Mango and other high street stores before we settled for lunch at 1 pm after it started to rain. We had our last proper meal in France with success. Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to make our way back to our hotel to gather our suitcases and head to the airport.

This getaway felt surprisingly longer than only 3 days. I guess I also had someone to look forward to seeing at home which made the departure much easier.

Watch my recap of my Paris holiday here!

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Elizabeth

Deuxième jour à paris

12th of March 2019 – The Eiffel-tower, food & rain

After an almost sleepless night we finally woke up at around 7 am. I was hoping to be able to sleep in on this mini vacation but I guess my mind and body had other plans. We were well excited to finally have a great buffet breakfast awaiting us. But we were unfortunately very surprised when all we got was 1 coffee, a glas of juice, 1/2 a baguette and 3 sweet pastries with only jam and butter as toppings. Was this a normal french breakfast? Disappointed after spending a large amount of money at this hotel with a breakfast included, we had no choice but to settle with what we got.

It was only 10 am so we decided to take a morning walk around the block. The sun was shining yet again to our delight and we were thrilled to see spring arriving. We were both starving after an hour so we sat down at a little cafe for an early lunch.

Back at the hotel I rested my feet before we decided to take an adventure to the Eiffel-tower – 6 km away. A mission to accomplish, especially at 7 months pregnant. We took our map as help and walked alongside the Seine. Halfway there we had to take a break and warm up since the wind was especially strong today. A coffee later we made our last effort to the infamous landmark.

A sight to see for sure – such a beautiful landmark to visit. Even though the top floor was closed that day, we enjoyed the view from below. After some admiration we found a restaurant – ‘Cafe Gustave‘ – where we enjoyed a well earned dinner before we took a taxi back to our hotel.

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Elizabeth

Premier jour à Paris

A week ago I was strolling the streets of Paris. I was finally travelling again, even though it was only for 3 days. A little getaway is always nice – no matter the length. This was also the last month for me to travel since I am in my last trimester, as we speak. So here I am, a week later with lots to share with you.

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11th of March 2019 – Notre-Dame & Crepes

My day started a little bit after 5 am, way too early for my inner clock, but since I knew I was being picked up in an hour I made my way out of the bed. I packed my last belongings and ate a bowl of fruit. Right before 7 am I was in Oslo meeting up with my mum. We were finally on our way. At the airport everything went smoothly and we awaited to arrive Paris at 11.05 am. Starving we went to a cafe at the airport in France. After a short break we found our taxi driver and arrived to our hotel at 1 pm. A cute, modern hotel called ‘Hotel Pratic‘.

We freshened up and after an 1 hour nap we wanted to explore the streets of Paris. We weren’t far from Notre-Dame so we decided to take a city map and get on our way. The sun was shinning and the wind blowing. We saw the beautiful church from outside and decided to save our 10€ for a late lunch.

We stopped at a restaurant just next to the well-known church and enjoyed our first proper french meal. Even though I had a greek salad and my mum had a hamburger. Later we made our way back to the hotel. But before the day was over we stopped at a local boutique where I was gifted a Paris mug from my mum. We also stopped by the supermarket before we got our dessert at ‘La Cedrerie du Marais‘. A lovely lady catered us with nutella crepes and a steaming hot coffee. What a great way to end our first day.

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Elizabeth

2018 Rewind

1th to 5th of January – Edinburgh, Scotland
Like most years I was eager to discover more of the world and I was happy to finally book my plane ticket to Scotland where I would visit my cousin. She’s the one person in my family that I can actually share everything with. I got driven to the airport & when I was about to say goodbye I chocked on my own tears. I was so sad to leave my son behind for the first time but at the same time I was so ready to do so. I couldn’t even give him a kiss cause I knew I would be balling my eyes out if I did. After an almost tearful goodbye and very empty flight I was in Edinburgh for the next 5 days. Blogpost here.

8th of January – Last day as a hairdresser
After a relaxing start to the new year I found myself back at work Monday the 8th. To our surprise my boss had reported the salon where I worked at to bankruptcy. Suddenly the stable job I had was out of my reach. The next morning the salon was permantly closed. I walked out the front door Monday night never to see my colleagues again. 

15th of January – Jacob’s 1st birthday
One week later my son had his first birthday. He was turning one and I decided to invite my family and best friend to the celebration. Inspired by my British holiday I tried to bake scones which turned out to taste like bread. Nevertheless we had cupcakes, banana cake, coffee and my son had a few presents. 

15th of March – Started my weekly vlogs
Being unemployed for the last weeks made me itching to do something creative. I still made my weekly videos on Youtube but I wanted to up my game. I started filming weekly vlogs. For now they’ve only lasted 30 weeks but it was a good go and maybe I’ll feel the need to start again in the future. See my first weekly vlog here. 

30th of March – Celebrated my mum’s birthday @ Latter
My mum turned yet another year older & my brother and I went out with her to a comedy club. Right in the middle of easter week and to our surprise the place was full. Some good but mostly inappropriate jokes where made and I wasn’t in my bed until the early night of the next day.

23rd of April – Started a new job
After almost 3 month of job searching, countless turn downs and a handful of interviews I finally goy my dream job. At the time all I wanted to do was work in retail & I couldn’t believe my luck when my former boss called me to congratulate me on the position. I was over the moon with a great raise, personal discounts and a great boss. I felt like this was the beginning of a new career.

17th of May – My 3rd Ramadan
Three weeks into my new job, Ramadan was yet again upon us. A time I was looking forward to but anxious to meet since this would be my first Ramadan where I would fast for 30 days. Watch my Ramadan preparation video here. 

28th of June – Hottest summer yet
Living in the northern part of the globe it would have you believe that our summers are mild and bearable, maybe to the point where you’d say this isn’t summer weather at all. Well, this year that all changed. We had around 25-30 degrees from about May to July. Though most people couldn’t believe their luck, I was most nervous for the drought while sweeting buckets 5 minutes after I’ve left the house (almost).

24th of July – We bought our first motorcycle
A long dream of mine was to get my motorcycle licenses and when my husband joined in on that dream we made it a reality. He had passed his driver’s exam and the only logical conclusion was to buy a new MC. So we did, a Yamaha MT 03.

9th to 12th of August – Venice, Italy
I was itching for another holiday and Venice had been on my ‘to-see’ list for a good while now. So when my mum was on board with the idea and I finally found a dissent hotel – we booked our flight and were on our way. Even more hotter and humid than you can imagine but so beautiful. A lot of tourism but I’m very glad I got to check that place of my bucket list. We had absolute nothing planned that week, other than eating a lot of spagetti, pizza, drinking amazing Italian coffee and gelato. Watch my holiday video here.

3rd of October – Our 2nd positive pregnancy test
Since the mid of summer we decided to expand our family yet again and actually ‘planned’ our 2nd pregnancy. I always knew I wanted my children to be close in age so when I finally took a pregnancy test, after being 1 week late, it was the perfect time. Now I’m 18 weeks pregnant and so eager to know how our new life will look like.

26th of October – Finally got our marriage licences 
After 3 years my husband and I finally went down to city hall & legally got married by Norwegian law. We had our Nikkah on the 24th of October 2015 but I wanted to wait until I was at a better place with my family to tell them that this was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It was a Friday afternoon, my husband & son and myself went down there and 10 minutes later we were officially married by the eyes of the law. 

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Elizabeth

The beginning of a mini holiday

The last three days I’ve been away on holiday. I already miss the holiday feeling, starting with a continual breakfast where you can (almost) have anything you want for breakfast. Then my own workout room awaited me since no one else seemed to be working out in the hotel. After that there was hours of fun & adventure in the city.

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We drove down to Gothenburg on Sunday early afternoon. It took less than 4 hours as we switched on driving which was a relief. My son slept a long way down but woke up halfway there and started to get a little bit restless in the end. But for a 10 months old he did very well.

After checking in at 3 pm we went up to our room, settled in before we went out to the amusement park just around the corner. Unfortunately it was raining so heavily just as we turned the corner that we decided to go back to the hotel and call a cab. This would mean we would have to wait another 30 minutes and the park was already closing in less than 3 hours. So we made our way to our own car and drove down the street. With our luck we actually managed to take a wrong turn and a 2 minute drive turned in to 10 minutes. In the end we found a parking spot which we only payed 11 kroner (1 pound) for and with a walking distance we where at the park.

Such lovely lights and holiday feeling we got while walking through the park. We stopped to eat at a very cold restaurant but we had to fill our stomachs before we enjoyed the rest of the remaining time at the park. On our way back we stopped at a local food store before we took an early night in.

 

Elizabeth

300 days since..

I’ve just scrolled threw all of the videos I’ve taken this past year with my son. Trying to soak up every sent and smell from him as long as possible. Kissing him as soon as the opportunity arrives because I know that I have to go back to work, leaving him for X amount of hours every day. I don’t even want to think about it but I know that is the reality. I wish I could rewind and do it all over again. The light night feeds, the first smile and laugh, and even all the diaper changes. I wouldn’t mind it at all if it meant I could spend it with my first born child again.

Everyone says the time will go fast but it truly ran away from me when he turned 6 months. Until then I had some sort of grip on the time I had with him, but when he started being more mobil and communicating more, even the fact that he started eating solids made a huge difference. I didn’t have that closeness to him as I did before and now he’s walking everywhere, being so active and milk from me is no longer interesting.

I don’t know what the future holds or how our days will develop, and to be honest I’m sacred of the unknown. But to be truthful I was scared before I got my son too and it turned out pretty awesome.

Elizabeth

Midweek update

I’m starting today off with a warm cup of lemon with honey. I woke up with a little bit of a itching throat and I do not feel like getting sick now. I have to make myself breakfast soon because my stomach does get a little bit upset if I wait too long.

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Yesterday was a rainy autumn day but that didn’t stop us from going out. I got to use a new rain cover for the stroller and I came to know that I need a new rain jacket, one that is a bit bigger and longer. Something I will look for today when I’m going shopping with my mum. We walked down to our local shopping center and sat down to eat pancakes and I had one of the best frappes. The little one also got some walking shoes which will make it easier for him to practice.

Yesterday evening we all went out for pizza which was nice. It’s been a while since we’ve been out, and it was actually the first time with our son.

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Today will be one of those normal days again. I’m planning on working out, maybe doing a warm up outside and then in the evening I have some alone time with my mum. Nice little surprises like these during the week is what you need once in a while.

Elizabeth