To get to my sister's we have to take two 25 minute train rides, and then switch to a bus the last 10 minutes. We're now on our second train! It takes an hour and half to get to her house this way...and 45 minutes by car!

Hayden on the train on our way to visit my sister. He is taking it all in. This is so exciting...he loves to people watch and makes loud comments. "What's he doing?" and "Who's that? are frequently asked questions. Mamma is not as amused. She prefers the comfort of her car to the public transport system. But, I do enjoy watching his face as we putter along!

Went to the local mall today...by bus. The toddler was beside himself with excitement. "I'm going on the bus" he happily exclaimed to all his fellow passengers over and over. Of course he said it in English with a Swedish pronunciation of the word "bus". That elicited quite a few smiles in the otherwise serious public transport crowd. It was a pretty successful malltrip. Found a couple off nice things on sale. The dress code in Sweden is definetily more hip and cool than in my white middle class suburbia. Bought myself a dress/tunic and a trendy summer jacket. Hopefully it gets warm enough for me to wear it to my class reunion in a week, otherwise I guess I'll save it for home sweet home...Southern California (my paradise on earth).

Went to bed at 7 pm due to jetlag. Unfortunately it didn't last long. The little angel woke up at 10 pm. So we joined my parents in the livingroom. Watched a little TV, had some tea. Went back to bed at midnight, read some stories until the little one fell back to sleep. Now it's past 1 am and I'm wide awake. It's going to be a long night...sigh!

Jetlag

Today I woke up real early...4 am...stupid jetlag! The little angel slept to 7 am, bless his little heart. Thought I would take him out a couple of hours in the morning and then we could take a nice long nap together. So much for that idea! Of course he fell asleep in the stroller, and napped almost 2 hours. I got a good walk in though. I have to keep up the exercise or I will go crazy. Miss my pilates, so I should also try to do an exercise dvd. In the afternoon my mom and I took Hayden to the park, and then the local grocery store. He had a blast pushing the shopping cart around, but had a total meltdown when he realized he couldn't take the cart with him as we left the store. Oh joy...toddlers!

...after sleeping 9 hours straight the first night the little angel woke up...and he was dry!

Had to run to our connecting flight. Window seat again! Just boarded our next flight from Amsterdam to Stockholm. It's 4:35 am. Hayden is a trooper!

Finally we boarded. We paid extra for the comfort seats...$160 per person, but flying with a toddler one need the extra leg room. Hayden got his seat by the window. He is so excited!

Waiting at the gate for our flight. Another 2 hours to wait! Hayden can't wait to get on the plane. Don't know how he's going to make it.

Just had my hair cut! Now off to finish packing and hopefully check in online and print my boarding passes.

So, we didn't get into Ellen yesterday : ( ...oh well, at least we have guaranteed tickets for September. They offered us May, but I will be gone! Leaving on Sunday for Sweden. So relieved that the vulcano ash cloud seems to have dissipated enough that they deem airtravel safe. I'm now frantically trying to pull everything together for my trip. Still would like to have my hair cut and a pedicure before I leave. Of course I have not made an appointment. We'll see if we get to that. Now off to by some undies and small toys for the plane ride for the little one. Got to keep him occupied somehow!

Didn't get into Ellen today...: ( Got to sit in the rif raf lounge and watch the show. We were less than 10 people away from making it. But, the good thing is that we now have guaranteed tickets for September...yeah!

Standing in the standby line for Ellen...keep yor fingers crossed that we get in!

A successful shopping day at the outlets. The toddler got 3 pairs of shoes and an umbrella, mamma got one pair of heels, some black jean leggings and a coat for our Sweden trip.

Needing Shoes for the Toddler

It's supposed to rain today, so we cancelled our Wednesday hiking plans. Decided to play at one of our hiking buddies' house instead. But looking outside I don't see any rain. I see sunshine. Oh well, I guess I will take the opportunity and go find some shoes for my rather large toddler on my way to see my friend. There's StrideRite outlet fairly close to her house. StrideRite shoes are the only ones that fit my son well. He is 2 1/2 and wears size 10 1/2 wide. His buddies are all in size 8 or 9. Wish me luck. After the playdate I will drive up to Santa Barbara to see my older boy who's in UCSB. We're going to have a late lunch and catch up. I will not see him for a month since I will go to Sweden on Sunday. So today is a busy day!

Trying to multitask. My Sweden trip is a few days a way, so I'm packing and trying to study at the same time. Not so efficient! I will bring some of my books on my trip, and hopefully I can plow through at least one. The material is good, and it's what I want to do, but there always seem to be something else yearning for my attention. Like right now, the little angel just woke up from his nap. So, I guess I'll pick the books up later!

I vaccumed and mopped all of the downstairs floors. Tomorrow I'll do the upstairs. Sometimes I wish I had a smaller house. I want to leave my house in a somewhat cleaned condition before my trip!

Hayden having a busy day...the vet's office, working in the garden and the sandbox, and finally helping mamma clean house! Atta boy!

...And as if that isn't enough they told me she needs her teeth cleaned for $468 (under anesthesia.) Anyone know someone who cleans dog teeth without anesthesia?

Just left the vet's office $299 poorer. Just what I needed a week before my Sweden trip. Thought she was having a couple of shots. Turned out they had to remove a fox tail from each ear, and do a heart worm test...gaaaaaaaawwww!

Waiting at the vet's office with Daisy and Hayden. Daisy is due for all her shots and heartworm test. Hayden's so happy that he's not getting the shots, "Daisy having shots, not Hayden" he kept saying over and over!

Busy weekend...a wine bar on Friday with hubby and friends, a progressive dinner party on Saturday, a hike on Sunday morning after only 4 hours of sleep. Then Costco in the afternoon after a 2 hour nap. Man, I need a vacation after this weekend. And did I mention I scrubbed the bathroom while the little munchkin was having his bath. Multi tasking is my middle name.

Since Hayden wouldn't nap after his play date he "helped" me in the garden. I'm so excited, my tomatoe seeds had sprouted into little plants so I transferred them into the planter. Next up is my corn, bellpeppers, sugar snap peas, and eggplant. I love it!

A couple of hiking buddies helping eachother up the hill. I so enjoy these hikes with these little guys!

I'm in the mall...by myself. No toddler attached! I feel like a kid in a candy store. I have to remind myself that I'm not shopping for me now. I'm actually shopping for family and friends in Sweden!

Staying in Shape with Pilates and Hiking

Today we're going hiking with friends. It's become quite a regular thing, but in ten days I'm leaving for Sweden, so who's going to make sure my friends keep it up? And what do I do if it rains everyday in Sweden? I have to keep up the walking too. It's amazing how hiking in the hills keep you in shape. It's not like strolling through the neighborhood. I have to have a back up plan, so I will bring a couple of Pilates DVDs. It's become my passion. I have never tried a workout that is as challenging yet easy to do anywhere because it doesn't require much room. Just a mat on the floor, a bottle of water and a dvd player unless you have all the moves memorized. And best of all, the toddler likes to lay next to me and pretend he is doing Pilates too. So when people say, "I have little kids and no baby sitter, so I can't work out" I'll say, "Invest in a good jogging stroller, throw your kids in it and explore the neighborhood and local trails, or buy some work out dvds and have fun with your kids". My toddler loves it, it's good for both of us.

Laying on the couch watching American Idol with my two "babies"! It's Elvis week, and I'm loving it!

A Busy Social Calendar for April

The weekend came and went like a flash. Guess I had too much fun! Hubby and I went to a 70's party, and we brought some really good 70's music with us. It was so much fun dressing up in this crazy retro outfit, and then dance the night away. Need more nights like that with hubby. Next up on the social calendar is a progressive dinner party next Saturday. The dessert will be at our house, and the theme is Italian. I know just what to make. Hopefully we'll end the evening in the jaccuzzi with some bubbly...

Just ordered some sushi to go from Bada...20 minute wait, but well worth it. I'm starving. I probably ordered too much, but when everything looks so good it's hard to resist. Just have to entertain this little munchkin while I wait!

...And after the beach, some pool time...Because of course the little angel slept in the car home from the beach and naturally he wouldn't nap at home. And yes, he is slathered in sun screen!

I should have my head examined. Forgot extra clothes and diapers! The boy is already wet and full of sand. But, he is having fun!

It's a gorgeous day in Malibu...not many people on the beach. Just local kids on spring break. Hayden is in heaven. Life is good!

It's a beautiful day, and we're off to the beach...the toddler and I!

Hayden having fun in the mall! Have to bribe the toddler, so mamma can then get what she wants!

...taking a little snack break by the teepee trail. It's windy and warm, but definetily worth the effort.

Tuesday Morning

Woke up in the toddler's bed at 6:45 am. Or more accurately, he woke me up!It's funny how our life is right now; last night when I came home fom Pilates my husband had put the toddler to bed and fallen asleep next to him. I waited downstairs thinking he was going to wake up and come and watch 24 with me. I waited an hour and realized that wasn't happening, so I went up in the toddler's room and told my husband it's time to go to bed. Oh well, so much for watching our favorite show together. Good thing we tivo'd it!

I may have slept an hour when the toddler woke up the first time. I crawled into his bed with the intention of just laying there until he fell back asleep. Well, two hours later I woke up feeling stiff, and went back to my bed. It didn't even take 20 minutes before the toddler came running into our room. I wanted to let my husband sleep, so I took the boy by the hand and said, "Let's go and sleep in your room together!" So, there we went, another night of choppy sleep went by, and my husband and I did not get to sleep together again.

I've had a lot of comments from so called well meaning friends who think they have the answer. They say things like "Just let him cry!" or here is another brilliant advice "Put a lock on his door!" First of all, I don't see how letting him cry lets anybody sleep. We have three girls who have work and school, and they need their sleep at night, secondly, he'll just walk out of his room and in to ours. It's not like he stays in his room and cries. And I'm sorry, but the locking his door advice is just downright cruel. There is a reason why he is waking up, and I have already discussed this with my pediatrician. There actually are kids whos brains are wired differently; they physiologically can't stay asleep for several hours. He said about 25% of kids sleep a lot less than the norm. Also, at this stage nightmares and night terrors are fairly common, so if he's scared I'm not going to ignore it. I don't believe that will remedy the situation. I believe this is a phase and that he will eventually outgrow it! So, until then, I'll have to live with the dark circles under my eyes!

These were the highlights of my weekend...

Post Easter Thoughts

So, we made it through a busy Easter weekend! On Good Friday we had an Easter egg hunt and brunch at our house with a bunch of 2 year olds and their moms, then a dinner at some friends' house. After only a few hours of sleep, Saturday came rolling in with a vengeance. Still had preps to do for Easter Sunday and our oldest 21st birthday. Got the cake ordered, made a card, had a grueling class of Pilates, did some gardening and then collapsed in front of the TV in the early evening hours. Sunday morning we had a birthday breakfast with all the kids attending...yeah...doesn't happen too often! My husband made scrambled eggs, and the 17 year old made pancakes while I organized a fruit platter. Then we dyed easter eggs which of course I forgot later and never brought out to the dinner table.

After breakfast the kids all scattered and did their own thing while hubby and I made the rest of the preps for the Easter/birthday dinner. We pretty much cooked all day, picked up the cake, and picked up toys to have the house somewhat presentable. We were to have all the kids and the birthday girl's boyfriend, and some friends of ours. It turned out that the 17 year old daughter had to work, and wasn't participating at all. The 21 year old had drama going on with friends and showed up a little late and a little stressed. Our friends who I had included because their kids were in Europe visiting grandparents, and thus they were alone, didn't show up until we had all eaten....an hour and a half after they were supposed to be at my house. We couldn't wait with dinner because the birthday girl had plans for later, and I had made my friends very well aware of that fact, and that dinner was at 4:30!

So, what did I learn from this? Stop trying to do so much for everyone else, and start getting more selfish. Why should I care so much about putting on this great birthday dinner, go out of my way to get a great cake fom a bakery on Easter Sunday, invite friends who doesn't have the decency to be on time when they specifically had been told that we were on a time frame because of the birthday girl's schedule? Bottom line, no more cooking for hours unless everyone promise they will be on time and stay throughout the evening. I hate "eat and run" events. Not my thing. Maybe it's the European in me! It's either that or I'll just order pizza!

Spending a busy day at the mall getting ready for Easter and the oldest 21st birthday. The little one is out cold and blissfully unaware of his surroundings!