... and some days are just not so good.
Yesterday, I fell asleep at work. Really. I don't have work like counseling all the time, a lot of time I am just there, ready for whatever comes through the door. Since the weather is warm now and many children feel happier than in winter when it's dark and cold, there are not as many disasters happening in the school anyway. So I had nothing to do at the moment and I just fell asleep. I don't think I should get paid for sleeping, so I was not happy about it. Today I felt the same tiredness coming over me, this time complete with palpitation. So I think I have the myocarditis again - or it might be coming soon (sounds like a movie commercial, right?). Whatever cures there are used in proper medicine, my home remedies are magnesium pills, lots of sleep, less stress, vitamin C and doing all the housework in balanced speed (meaning that I take quite often five minutes just to watch how kids play).
Coming to less stress - we still have no idea if WonderfulHusband will be able to keep his job in Septembr. And due to complete reorganization of the school system new teachers will not be employed during the next years - only those with many years of experience in the same school (which WonderfulHusband has not) will get jobs. Unless some teachers are old enough to go to retirement. Some, of course, are old enough, but really ... There is one job offering in the same private school where Leader Of The Pack will go. Is this the right thing for him? Anyway, we are living in uncertainity right now.
There are blessings, though - all our bills are paid, the fridge is full enough and the weather is nice so that I don't have to buy trousers for the boys until Fall! Mothers of little boys out there, how many trousers can your sons go through in a single winter? In our house, the two older boys have worn out the knees of 10 pairs or more during the last winter. I hate patches, so I just do a little cutting and sewing and never will buy any shorts again - until they grow so big that crawling around the floor, usually holding a car in hand, loses its attraction.
But now it's time for The Bedtime Story.
Blessings,
EstonianWife
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Waiting for summer
The weather is finally warm enough so that the boys have been wearing T-shirts on some days. No shorts yet, but we hope fur shorts-weather next week. The grass is growing so fast that we cannot keep up with lawn-mowing - and we have bugs that don't care about any kind of insect repellant. They just buzz around you and bite, so all work outside is extra hard. For some reason we have no small birds nesting close to our house this year - no swallows or pigeons that usually live here, so we must only wait. Usually the worst bug season ends sometime in June.
Leader Of The Pack is so through with daycare. Last week he asked twice to stay at my parents with Lillebror - he just says that things are boring in daycare. I believe that he was actually ready to go to school last year, but since all other kids go at the ripe old age of 7 and he is smaller than most 7-year-olds anyway, things would have been hard for him.
The Dreamer has started to love daycare. He runs to hug us when we go to pick him up, but sometimes he also says that he would like to stay longer (the recommended pick-up time is anytime between 3 pm and 6 pm, we usually go around 4 pm). Hopefully, next year a friend's adopted son who is just a month younger than The Dreamer will go to the same daycare group - although all parents in our daycare are nice, I often feel a bit different because we are Christians and they are not. It is not only about going to church on Sunday, it is also about letting kids watch certain TV shows (I really don't think that "Simpsons" is suitable for young children, and most shows that children get to watch are even worse), allowing computer games every day and using swear words while playing football. I have big hopes for the school where Leader Of The Pack will go - hopefully the parents there think more about what their children are exposed to.
We still don't know if WonderfulHusband can keep his job in fall or not. He is substitute for a young mother and this lady can decide to go back to work any day. She should say if she wants to work next schoolyear before this schoolyear ends, but she has not told anything to the school principal yet. We would love to take a vacation in a month but we are not sure if we can use our savings for that. Anyway, we are waiting for summer break so that we can do more building in the house (entrance hall and some emergency work in veranda) and homeschooling every day. Also, I hope that there will be lots of fruit and vegetables to harvest this year. I really love going outside and pick some chives to use in sauces. It will take at least a month until the first strawberries come, but until then there will be - I hope - radishes, rhubarb, parsley and green salads to pick. Also, for Mothers' Day I got The Fruit Tree of My Dreams - a small apricot tree! I go and talk to it every day, hoping that it makes the tree happier. :) (once, while still in high school, I talked to a cactus until it started to bloom for the very first time in its long life - so it may work) We live close to Estonia's "Winter Capital" where the coldest temperatures are measured, so keeping a tree happy could help it to survive.
Wishing you all a bug-free Sunday,
blessings,
EstonianWife
Leader Of The Pack is so through with daycare. Last week he asked twice to stay at my parents with Lillebror - he just says that things are boring in daycare. I believe that he was actually ready to go to school last year, but since all other kids go at the ripe old age of 7 and he is smaller than most 7-year-olds anyway, things would have been hard for him.
The Dreamer has started to love daycare. He runs to hug us when we go to pick him up, but sometimes he also says that he would like to stay longer (the recommended pick-up time is anytime between 3 pm and 6 pm, we usually go around 4 pm). Hopefully, next year a friend's adopted son who is just a month younger than The Dreamer will go to the same daycare group - although all parents in our daycare are nice, I often feel a bit different because we are Christians and they are not. It is not only about going to church on Sunday, it is also about letting kids watch certain TV shows (I really don't think that "Simpsons" is suitable for young children, and most shows that children get to watch are even worse), allowing computer games every day and using swear words while playing football. I have big hopes for the school where Leader Of The Pack will go - hopefully the parents there think more about what their children are exposed to.
We still don't know if WonderfulHusband can keep his job in fall or not. He is substitute for a young mother and this lady can decide to go back to work any day. She should say if she wants to work next schoolyear before this schoolyear ends, but she has not told anything to the school principal yet. We would love to take a vacation in a month but we are not sure if we can use our savings for that. Anyway, we are waiting for summer break so that we can do more building in the house (entrance hall and some emergency work in veranda) and homeschooling every day. Also, I hope that there will be lots of fruit and vegetables to harvest this year. I really love going outside and pick some chives to use in sauces. It will take at least a month until the first strawberries come, but until then there will be - I hope - radishes, rhubarb, parsley and green salads to pick. Also, for Mothers' Day I got The Fruit Tree of My Dreams - a small apricot tree! I go and talk to it every day, hoping that it makes the tree happier. :) (once, while still in high school, I talked to a cactus until it started to bloom for the very first time in its long life - so it may work) We live close to Estonia's "Winter Capital" where the coldest temperatures are measured, so keeping a tree happy could help it to survive.
Wishing you all a bug-free Sunday,
blessings,
EstonianWife
Friday, May 11, 2012
And I love most ...
Today was the official end of daycare for Leader Of The Pack. He can go - and will go - until May 31th, but today they had the "Leaving for school"-party. They had prepared a play about Snow White sending Seven Dwarves to school, and then there was some singing and reciting poetry. Both our older boys (this is a mixed-ages group, so The Dreamer is in the same class) did remarkably well. Lillebror not so much - he just couldn't keep quiet.
We also got a folder with all the artworks Leader Of The Pack had done, plus some things teachers had written down about him. One sheet was a questionnary about things that Leader Of The Pack likes and dislikes. I guess it was filled by the oldest teacher who is close to 70, I think ... because Leader Of The Pack's favorite movie was written down as Astra RIX (Asterix) :D. The last question was "What do you love most?" The answer was "Mommy and Daddy".
I have no idea what will happen when he turns 13. But for now .. I think we have achieved a normal relationship. He is ours and he accepts us as his parents. Thank God for that.
We also got a folder with all the artworks Leader Of The Pack had done, plus some things teachers had written down about him. One sheet was a questionnary about things that Leader Of The Pack likes and dislikes. I guess it was filled by the oldest teacher who is close to 70, I think ... because Leader Of The Pack's favorite movie was written down as Astra RIX (Asterix) :D. The last question was "What do you love most?" The answer was "Mommy and Daddy".
I have no idea what will happen when he turns 13. But for now .. I think we have achieved a normal relationship. He is ours and he accepts us as his parents. Thank God for that.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The daughter of a hero
Sometimes I go and give lessons to younger kids at school. In the third grade there is a girl ... Lately I saw her diary being open. On April 30th there were tears and broken hearts and words "Daddy goes to Afganistan". She had told her teacher that she will try to be brave and not to cry but when they are already in the airport and Daddy goes through the security check, she will inevitably cry and cry and cry. Because she does not know if she will ever see her Daddy again. Last time everything went well, but what will happen this time?
And today I read in the newspaper that Taliban (or whatever the correct name of this organization is) is planning a massive attack on all foreign soldiers. I have no idea of M's Daddy has already arrived "down there" or not, or if this article was based on true information (you cannot believe how much false things we can read here), but I am worried about this man and his family. I fear that this sweet little girl will cry herself to sleep tonight and that her oh so smart and cool younger brother will be angry tomorrow at school - again, like he has been for the last 4 weeks. There is no proper counseling here for families who are worrying about their fathers in war, not ever for those who have lost fathers ... or sons ... or brothers. I have no idea how to help M or her brother or her Mommy. Because ... their life is no reality for me. My beloved husband is right here, on the couch, watching a documentary on TV and sipping tea. He is not a soldier, although he also works for peace. Educating people helps to prevent wars, right? M's Daddy has chosen the more direct way. He is the real hero - and in case his little girl needs someone to say kind words to her, this is all I can say.
And today I read in the newspaper that Taliban (or whatever the correct name of this organization is) is planning a massive attack on all foreign soldiers. I have no idea of M's Daddy has already arrived "down there" or not, or if this article was based on true information (you cannot believe how much false things we can read here), but I am worried about this man and his family. I fear that this sweet little girl will cry herself to sleep tonight and that her oh so smart and cool younger brother will be angry tomorrow at school - again, like he has been for the last 4 weeks. There is no proper counseling here for families who are worrying about their fathers in war, not ever for those who have lost fathers ... or sons ... or brothers. I have no idea how to help M or her brother or her Mommy. Because ... their life is no reality for me. My beloved husband is right here, on the couch, watching a documentary on TV and sipping tea. He is not a soldier, although he also works for peace. Educating people helps to prevent wars, right? M's Daddy has chosen the more direct way. He is the real hero - and in case his little girl needs someone to say kind words to her, this is all I can say.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Too tired
Spring is finally here. That means gardening, gardening and more gardening. I also try to keep up homeschooling as much as possible, also there's the housework that must be done and I am still working full-time. No wonder I am too tired to blog much or - as I just noticed - too tired to seek for hosts on http://www.couchsurfing.org/ - we hope to visit Germany and Austria in the summer, but we still need some places to stay. And these people there are actually nice and ready to host people whom they have never met!
Leader Of The Pack will go to a private Catholic school. As much I would love to homeschool him, right now we have no idea how I could quit my job and become a SAHM. So he will go and we will adjust. At least, this school is Christian, so there will be lessons about Bible and religions in general (and this is actually good, too - understanding those who think differently is important in life!). Also, there will be some kind of special English - the kids will start it on their very first day and they will not speak Estonian in class. I wonder how this will go.
Until September we hope to have a nice summer and to make more repairs in the house. I am really looking forward to get a proper entrance hall, this is something we have never had in this house because the hall is just a mess and we try to pass through it quickly, wherever we go. Also we hope to get plenty of fruit and vegetables from our garden. Yesterday I planted 195 tiny leeks and today we bought a young cherry tree. I hope to sow carrots and peas next week, also pumpkins and zucchini into pots. I baked pumpkin cake today - we still have some pumpkin from last fall left! I think this is a blessing.
We are slowly adjusting to our smaller income. We lost all the foster money (because we adopted the boys officially), that meant 1/3 of our income. We keep praying for wisdom and actually, for a bigger income, too. It would be so nice to start saving for a new roof ...
Leader Of The Pack will go to a private Catholic school. As much I would love to homeschool him, right now we have no idea how I could quit my job and become a SAHM. So he will go and we will adjust. At least, this school is Christian, so there will be lessons about Bible and religions in general (and this is actually good, too - understanding those who think differently is important in life!). Also, there will be some kind of special English - the kids will start it on their very first day and they will not speak Estonian in class. I wonder how this will go.
Until September we hope to have a nice summer and to make more repairs in the house. I am really looking forward to get a proper entrance hall, this is something we have never had in this house because the hall is just a mess and we try to pass through it quickly, wherever we go. Also we hope to get plenty of fruit and vegetables from our garden. Yesterday I planted 195 tiny leeks and today we bought a young cherry tree. I hope to sow carrots and peas next week, also pumpkins and zucchini into pots. I baked pumpkin cake today - we still have some pumpkin from last fall left! I think this is a blessing.
We are slowly adjusting to our smaller income. We lost all the foster money (because we adopted the boys officially), that meant 1/3 of our income. We keep praying for wisdom and actually, for a bigger income, too. It would be so nice to start saving for a new roof ...
Saturday, April 7, 2012
The Penguin
We don't own a video camera and I never felt like we would need this. But with little kids there are moments that are just priceless and afterwards you wish that you would have kept the camera running all day - if there would be a camera.
Lillebror had talked about his wish to get a penguin for several months. "I am so little, I want to have a little penguin" - this was what we heard from him almost every day. Our usual toyshops had all kinds of teddies and all kinds of rabbits, horses and lions, but none sold penguins. So Lillebror's third birthday came and went, he got a toy train and a little book about a lost penguin with a penguin finger puppet. We thought that that's it.
A week later we needed to wait for someone at the big mall in the city. We hardly ever go to this particular place, so we had completely forgotten about one little toyshop on the top floor. Guess what they had in one corner? Lots of penguins! Then we left the mall without buying anything but the Adoption Day was coming soon ... We choose the Dark Grey Penguin.
I kept the penguin behind my back when we went to pick Lillebror up at my parents' place. He literally screamed when I showed it to him. "A PENGUIN!" Penguin, called "Pingu-Viin" (we proposed "Pingu" as the Estonian word for penguin is "pingviin" and all penguins are called Pingus, but Lillebror found it too short) was hugged and kissed a lot, it spends the nights in Lillebror's bed and gets to watch TV with him. All toys are banished from the table, otherwise the penguin would also share Lillebror's meals. Just a few seconds ago a very happy Lillebror ran to the living room, grabbed his beloved penguin from a chair (the penguin had joined us watching "Ice Age" earlier tonight) and ran back towards kids' bedroom. Before going to sleep, Lillebror will talk to Pingu-Viin. Every. Single. Night.
We don't own a video camera and usually I don't miss it, but the moment when Lillebror met his penguin is the one I would like to see again. At least, I have my memories.
Lillebror had talked about his wish to get a penguin for several months. "I am so little, I want to have a little penguin" - this was what we heard from him almost every day. Our usual toyshops had all kinds of teddies and all kinds of rabbits, horses and lions, but none sold penguins. So Lillebror's third birthday came and went, he got a toy train and a little book about a lost penguin with a penguin finger puppet. We thought that that's it.
A week later we needed to wait for someone at the big mall in the city. We hardly ever go to this particular place, so we had completely forgotten about one little toyshop on the top floor. Guess what they had in one corner? Lots of penguins! Then we left the mall without buying anything but the Adoption Day was coming soon ... We choose the Dark Grey Penguin.
I kept the penguin behind my back when we went to pick Lillebror up at my parents' place. He literally screamed when I showed it to him. "A PENGUIN!" Penguin, called "Pingu-Viin" (we proposed "Pingu" as the Estonian word for penguin is "pingviin" and all penguins are called Pingus, but Lillebror found it too short) was hugged and kissed a lot, it spends the nights in Lillebror's bed and gets to watch TV with him. All toys are banished from the table, otherwise the penguin would also share Lillebror's meals. Just a few seconds ago a very happy Lillebror ran to the living room, grabbed his beloved penguin from a chair (the penguin had joined us watching "Ice Age" earlier tonight) and ran back towards kids' bedroom. Before going to sleep, Lillebror will talk to Pingu-Viin. Every. Single. Night.
We don't own a video camera and usually I don't miss it, but the moment when Lillebror met his penguin is the one I would like to see again. At least, I have my memories.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Celebrating the eggs - or better not
Easter is not a nice word, if we think of its origin. In Estonian, Easter has even worse names - like "meat-taking holidays", "spring holidays" or the commonest and IMHO silliest - "egg holidays". If a Christian uses the correct term "resurrection holidays" (direct translate, of course), many people have no idea what is this all about.
Yes. We celebrate the eggs here. Also, the celebration of the Egg starts already on Great Friday* - since it is a free day here (and the day after Resurrection Day is not) many people have no idea that this is actually the day when the worst crime in history of humanity was committed. It's red in the calendar, so let's paint the eggs and celebrate! I think that painting eggs is actually a good craft for the kids, but not on Great Friday. Also, not on Holy Saturday. The proper time to paint eggs would be on Resurrection Day - if one wants to do it - but all kids in church bring painted eggs and give them to friends. To do that we should get up really early so that there would be enough time for the eggs to dry off. I am not a morning person and neither is WonderfulHusband. And um I sort of forgot to buy white eggs or um to be honest I made just the frugal desicion - white eggs are really expensive this week! So we better try to make Resurrection Day Cookies - nicely packed, we could give them to friends instead of eggs. I hardly ever bake with the kids, so this could be a nice thing to do together.
____
*I know that most people call it the Good Friday, but Great Friday sounds better for me - after all, the direct translation from Estonian language would be Big Friday.
Yes. We celebrate the eggs here. Also, the celebration of the Egg starts already on Great Friday* - since it is a free day here (and the day after Resurrection Day is not) many people have no idea that this is actually the day when the worst crime in history of humanity was committed. It's red in the calendar, so let's paint the eggs and celebrate! I think that painting eggs is actually a good craft for the kids, but not on Great Friday. Also, not on Holy Saturday. The proper time to paint eggs would be on Resurrection Day - if one wants to do it - but all kids in church bring painted eggs and give them to friends. To do that we should get up really early so that there would be enough time for the eggs to dry off. I am not a morning person and neither is WonderfulHusband. And um I sort of forgot to buy white eggs or um to be honest I made just the frugal desicion - white eggs are really expensive this week! So we better try to make Resurrection Day Cookies - nicely packed, we could give them to friends instead of eggs. I hardly ever bake with the kids, so this could be a nice thing to do together.
____
*I know that most people call it the Good Friday, but Great Friday sounds better for me - after all, the direct translation from Estonian language would be Big Friday.
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