The best mom award

Sometimes I post stuff on facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #bestmomaward . Usually after telling the world wide web some mom failure, that happened to me. Like these:

• The time I forgot LittleL was going on a field trip and brought him to kindergarten. Then I had to put him in the car again and follow the bus. It was a great moment when I stopped the bus to pick up my kid. Yeah, super mom.
• The time I forgot to sign BigL up for a track and field competition and then lied to the officials that our plans have changed last minute and can they please let my kid take place (they could not.).
• The time I found out that BigL's sports shoes were three numbers too small and he could barely walk during PE.
• The time I took LittleL's lunch to work with me. I had two lunchboxes (mine and his), he had none.
• The time I had to transport stuff home from IKEA and just put it on the back seat next to BigL. In the first bend, it moved and hurt his eye. He had a black eye for days. (Never happened again. I now ALWAYS make sure stuff is secured!!)
• The time we forgot to buy school supplies and then had to do it on the last day of summer break. (Just FYI, school starts tommorow. I am picking up books today.)

So, somtimes, I feel like a big, fat failure as a mom. There is stuff going wrong, I forget papers or books and sometimes we hurt our children without intention. I always am so sorry and try to make up for it, but these things happen. 

They do not mean, that I don't care or love my kids. They just mean that I am human. Busy with a job and handling two kids and appointments and housework. It means, that sometimes this job is overwhelming and you just cannot keep everything in your head. It means, that maybe you forgot to pick up books, because you were busy crafting or playing with your kids. Maybe you had a bad day at work or a headache or PMS. Whatever might have lead to a mom failure, it does not say anything about how much you love your kids or how good a mom you are.

You (and me!) are doing a great job. Your kids are fed, wear warm clothes, get haircuts and get cuddles and love. You are doing everything right. Failures happen. And believe me, EVERY mom makes mistakes, forgets stuff and is NOT PERFECT. Even if some look like they do.

Have a great day! And yeah to all moms!

Love, Sanna

Found at weheartit.com

The last few days...

Summer break is over soon. BigL is going back to school on Wednesday, first grade will start on Thursday for LittleL.

We do celebrate first day of first grade over here, so I got decoration and cakes on my mind. Plus, LittleL developed some anxiety over his first days at schoo and we really try to help him with that. I do understand though. Wouldn't we all be nervous before a major change??

There are no real plans for the last two days of summer break. Apart from Wednesday evening, when the firstgraders and families will meet at church to get blessings for the coming school year. I am really looking forward to it and I can need any blessings out there.

It will not only be a change for the LittleL, but for me, too. Until summer break, LittleL was a daycare/kindergarten until 4pm. Now, I will have to pick him up at 1.30pm. This usually was the time I had with BigL for lunch, homework, learning and just spend some time together. Or me having a nap. From Thursday on, it will be the three of us. Homework with two kids. Learning with two kids. Not sure about how there will be room for naps. Oh my.

I am looking forward to this new chapter. At the same time, I am wondering how it all will work out.
The school (both schools, actually) are just down the road (with one busy street to cross) and I want LittleL to get confident and safe in traffic, so he can walk to school on his own sometime at the end of the year. It will save time, because I don't have to drive to daycare anymore. It means ten more minutes of sleep. Heaven! (Or a silent cuppa in the wee hours of morning!)

To everybody out there heading a new school year, be blessed. Have fun along the way. Be patient and successful. Work hard and be ambitious. It will be a great year!

All my love, Sanna

Letter to summer

Dear summer,

thank you so much! For being a real summer this year. For sunshine from May to August. For the warmth (and heat) and the richness of fruit and butterflies. Thank you for being wonderful during summer camp and for lots of BBQs outside. Thank you for many visits to the pool, for water slides and not using the tumble dryer for weeks. Thank you for lots of ice cream and cocktails on ice. Thank you for finishing of bottles of sunscreen and Aloe Vera. Thank you for waterbomb battles and running around without shirt (the kids!). Thank you for heating up the sea, so we could take a dip and play around the waves (we didn't do this for years!)

You were truly amazing. You lifted us up and we had lots of fun with doing all kinds of outdoor activities and hours on the sunbed.

I can hardly remember a year I felt so good to see you go. Just because I feel like we had enough sunshine to carry us around the fall and winter. But now I am looking forward to hoodies and boots and pumpkin spice everything. I am looking forward to crunchy leaves and days in the woods. I am ready.

And I cannot wait to see you again next year. 

All my love, Sanna