Italian Sausages & Apple Stuffing Recipe

So I really have no idea what I'm doing half the time I'm in the kitchen.
I love cookbooks and baking books and treasure them.

Most times things turn out pretty alright in the kitchen and I very rarely burn anything. :)

 

What you need (serves about 6 people):

• 12 slices of whole wheat bread - left out to dry overnight
• 1 vegetable broth jelly blob (it's not a cube -it's a jelly blob)
• Boiled water for jelly blob - about a medium bowl worth
• 1 small onion chopped finely
• 1 medium apple chopped (I used Golden Delicious and left the skin on)
• 4 Italian Sausages (I got mine from Craig Beckley in Helsinki - fantastic product and awesome service by the way!) 
• Pepper, parsley and other favourite spices to taste
• Butter
• Duck fat to grease baking dish
• Optional:
• • Celery chopped
  • Nuts
  • Raisins
  • Dried cranberries
  • Chopped bacon (Next year I'll add this! I was super pressed for time!)
    
    What you need to do (sorry Blogger is acting up and won't let me re-align things properly!):
  • Boil sausages in water and once in awhile poke them with a sharp knife to release the fat.  Be careful of possible splattering.
  • Cut the bread slices into pieces
  • Put bread pieces into a large bowl and add chopped oinion and apples, vegetable broth.
  • Remove sausages from their casings by using a fork and knife to slice the skin open and scrape the meat out.  Crumble it up a bit and add to the stuffing mix.
  • Add spices and mix well.
  • Add melted butter.
  • If dry looking - use a spoon and add some of the juice/fat from the pot you cooked the sausages in.  Mix really well.  Don't be shy - add more - as long as it's not too soggy or swimming in fat - you're good.
  You can put in a greased dish (I used duck fat) and if it doesn't fit in your dish - like mine - then you can flatten a turkey breast and line it with stuffing then roll it up to cook in the oven.
  To flatten turkey breast - use a meat mallet.  I don't have one - so I used my marble rolling pin and place the meat between two sheets of parchment paper.
  
  In a dish - bake at 175-200*C for about 30 minutes - or until bit crisp and golden brown on top.
  
  Enjoy.
  BIMU

New Year Resolutions

I guess, like anyone else, I have NY Resolutions that I try to stick to longer than two weeks.
Also, if I write them down and publicly - surely it helps me be responsible.

It's something I start thinking and planning around November, when I should be writing out Christmas cards and knitting/crocheting/sewing.

1. Don't buy ANY yarn this year.  Originally this was supposed to be "Don't buy yarn I don't need"...I do  have a gift card that needs to be used by the end of June.  That's my only exception - and I just might use it for needles or hooks instead.  Not sure.  Anyways, that's all I'll allow myself to buy.  Or if I absolutely need it to finish a project...but I really do have too much yarn in storage...and in my bedroom...in the closet...everywhere.
1. Minor exception: I can buy yarn for others as gifts.
2. Don't shop as much for anything.  It'd be nice to see the savings account go up instead of down...right?
3. Eat healthier.  While I might not go to the gym (not worth the money if I can't guarantee the time alone), I do try and hike, take the kids out and walk the dogs etc.
4. Try at least 1 new recipe a week.  - This is the same resolution I had last year with great results.  The reason for this is because I was so tired of having the same meals on the same days, week after week.  We were able to try new things and I was able to better budget and plan meals better - and the new dishes added new flavour and variety! :)
1. This also forces SH and my kids to try new things too...they are the pickier eaters.
5. Be a calmer parent.  Easier said than done.
6. Blog & craft more.  I didn't do enough this past year - based on the number of WIP (work in progress) I have laying about...Sure I have knitting meetings every week - but I am usually spending that time entertaining A-Man and helping him use the bathroom it seems.  I also read recently that knitting an hour a day is very calming and good for your health and so on...
7. Be better organized/Clean more.   I usually remember all the appointments and birthdays and so on.  But this past Christmas I was terrible at getting cards out on time...or ordering photos.  At this point, with the kids screeching - I'm probably going to have to skip it.  Sorry folks.

I try to make them realistic.
We'll see how this goes.
BIMU

Christmas With An Autistic Champ

From the moment V-Man was born - I called him a champ. 
Now, after a filling dinner (and a new artsy-looking bathroom sink...) and conversation with my friends - I realize that he IS a champ.  He has a wonderful temperament and is just (mostly) always happy to be around my friends noted.
From an outsider's point of view - I am ashamed to say I have never noticed.  Because we're so busy chasing him down from the very top of a high chair he climbed, from pulling down clean laundry off the racks or clip-hanger thing...or from doing this or that...

Anyways, here's how our Christmas may have differed from yours:

• I don't wrap his presents.  I should note that I didn't wrap them when he was first born because honestly?  What's the point?  He's a newborn...a month and a half old and not only doesn't know what Christmas is - but also doesn't care. :)
• He's not at the age (mentally) where he cares about wrapping paper, ribbons or ripping them off in excitement.  His gifts were in plain sight on the sofa in the corner and not wrapped.  He occasionally notices the paper and wants to shred it.  That's about it.
• I try to find gifts that would tickle his senses and he'd find interesting.  Like magnets, or GAK (haven't opened it yet) and this year I got him a "rain stick"...but with this said, I also try to not take it to heart that it takes him a few days (sometimes weeks) to get interested in a gift I bought him at Christmas time.
• V-Man does not give two stinks about the latest video game, toy, gadget etc.  or Christmas itself.  Whenever he does show interest, throughout the year about some sort of toy or book that's acceptable for his age - I'll happily buy it (within reason).  We're trying to save up to buy him an iPad - as I think he can really benefit from one (with a military-style protective case of course) - but we'll see.
• We don't have a (large or real) Christmas tree.  I drew it on for the last couple of years with Crayola Window Markers.  This year, I set up the foot-tall fake tree and only put ornaments on it that aren't breakable and definitely no lights.  After breakfast, he grabbed the whole tree and presented it to SH (Super Hubby).  By 10am it was on a shelf up high in the kitchen.
• I don't decorate a lot.  I hang stockings on the 24th when the children are asleep and try to take photos of them with their new Christmas pajamas from the night before and then again on Christmas morning.  I visualize all the time and money into decorating being destroyed when he notices them eventually and decides to rip them down.
• I especially don't even tack up Christmas cards we've received - they're a personal favourite of his.  And his new thing is trying to shove things down the radiator...
• We don't have Elf on the Shelf...or advent calendars.  Can you imagine trying to explain to a child with a bottomless pit for a stomach - why he can't eat all 24 chocolate pieces in one go?  Or why the Elf -tee-hee- pooped peppermint candies in the toilet...or tried to bake etc.?  I can't either.
• I'm considering learning origami to make boxes for advent calendars next year for all 3 kids...wish me luck.
• We don't go to church for midnight mass... Well, we never did anyway.  But there have been some nice caroling events at the downtown church that I have enjoyed and heard were fun - but there's no way we could stay in a relatively quiet place for any length of time.
• We don't visit many people.  It's not that we're anti-social.  Totally not.  Just it's easier to have people come here - where the Champ feels at home and comfortable.
• It can be hard to Skype because he doesn't sit still for very long.  And our family understands. 
• Also there's the possibility of our friends having a lovely decorated home and we don't want anything damaged or flat-out destroyed...
• We avoid crowds of people or Christmas parties...It just means food and he'll usually opt for the cookies, chips and candy/chocolates...and making a mess everywhere.  And fondling people in-appropriately...Wait - is there a way to fondle stranger without offending them? Oh right - if you're a baby. V-Man is 5.
• Also, he's a runner.  So if he's not interested in something - he's gone.  Also with the boys going to different day-cares - that means only one parent gets to go to A-Man's day-care Christmas party or we just don't go at all.
• We don't travel or go anywhere exciting.  This is a downright bummer - especially where we don't have family here in Finland to cook our meal for us (I'm totally cool with cooking and deciding on a menu etc.) or in-laws to go to on the other holiday day.  So - we have stayed in our home every year.  We don't even go to Helsinki or Estonia - which isn't terribly far and doesn't require a plane.  We also don't have a car - ah well.  Maybe some day.
• So we're thrilled and love having friends come to us to share dinner and chit-chat around our table.  Seriously - it's the best fun!
• He does enjoy sledding - so we try to do that every night before bed time.
• We don't have family photos together.  I try every Christmas Eve to take a photo of the kids together on the sofa and they all scattered or aren't looking at the camera at the same time...and again Christmas morning with stockings - and it just doesn't work.
• We don't bother with Santa.  Santa is seen by kids in Finland on Christmas Eve - so the photography set up and long lines don't really happen here.  Occasionally there's Santa in the bigger grocery stores walking around and sometimes sitting down but you have to be lucky to have your own camera with you.  
• 1.  Line ups are a no-go for the Champ.
• 2.  Strange man?  He'll probably get dragged away by the Champ, who is ridiculously strong.  Or he'll get fondled by the Champ.  He wouldn't be the first man to get a nipple rub...
• 3.  In all fairness, our kids don't quite get Christmas or who Santa is - so it's not just the V-Man.  When they're older and if they have the desire and patience to wait to meet the big guy - sure.  I'll do it for them.
• If the lines will be long - then V-Man stays home.  He despises line ups and my phone battery life isn't the longest for him to watch endless Youtube - so it's just easier for him to stay at home.
• We don't expect him to sit at the table for the full any length of a meal.  It's impossible to expect that of him.  He did join us and repeatedly left and returned at his leisure and that was fine by me.  Better than trying to keep a child still who doesn't want to be there at all.  
• We want him to use a spoon or a fork - but it's okay if he eats with his fingers.  Please bear in mind, this is the child that has a sensory overload and also, as of 1.5 years ago - was the pickiest eater.  Thanks to the day-care he's at, which specializes in children with special needs, he is at least willing to try everything.  And when he likes it - nobody's plate is safe.
• He is trying to use his utensils!  He just needs heavy supervision and constant reminders to try. :)
• We haven't tried building (or baking) a gingerbread house...or men people to decorate...  It would get devoured by him and us before the decorations came out.

I don't mean for this list to come off as harsh or negative whatsoever.  This is the reality of life with an autistic/mentally challenged child in the family and just thought it might be worth sharing.
So if you have friends in similar situation as us - this is how it is and we don't mean to not visit your lovely decorated home...but it's just a wee bit safer for everyone (and their nerves) if we don't. :)
BIMU

A Hole, Flying Blueberry Pie...It Must Be Christmas

By A Hole - I mean - a single hole.  Not an a-hole.

Now that I have that out of the way - my day was pretty jam packed and I like it that way.  I do well under pressure.
Last night I decided I'd prepare the vegetables at least because we were going to have a total of 6 adults, 5 children (2 that don't eat as many as the rest) and I truly agree with my mother on one major thing:  "Guests should never feel hungry when they leave your home."
Totally.

So I dragged in the carrots from the balcony last night to only discover that they were frozen.  Crap.
I didn't know what to do and I don't know if you ever tried to peel a frozen carrot before - but it's not easy.  And the poor carrot had such a holey appearance - I felt awful!  They looked awful!
Yes, they look like mush going through your digestive system and out the back door - but it'd be nice if they looked like carrots before being chewed up...
I discussed on Facebook with friends and Google searched my heart out on what to do with thawed out carrots (I had ran them under hot water) and a friend suggested tossing them back in the freezer and if I can't peel them again (no I couldn't because they were chopped up already!) then pop them into the slow cooker.  Alright - simple enough.
While the children were asleep - I opted to set up the foot-tall fake Christmas tree and all the presents on the sofa in a corner and then went to bed.
I hadn't even wrapped all the gifts for the guests...go me.

This morning I woke up at 6:30am and decided I'll just sleep a bit more and then noticed it was almost 9am.
Our guests were aiming for 3pm...NOTHING else was ready.

Here's my menu and why I started to freak:

• Roasted boneless lamb meat
• Turkey breast (which I last minute opted to flatten then roll and fill with stuffing)
• Italian sausage and apple stuffing
• Slow cooked ginger carrots
• Mashed potatoes
• Roasted turnips
• Buttermilk tea biscuits
• Blueberry pie
• Apple pie

This wasn't even including the stuff our friends were bringing!!

• Waldorf salad (an apple salad - don't put a lot of mayo...it's so much better without that extra dallop apparently)
• Green bean and bacon salad
• Grandma's brownies (might be GREAT Grandma's)
• A picnic ham - just in case.
• Ice-cream
• Glöggi

The meat was thawed, so while the hubby made breakfast - I pulled out sausages from the freezer.
I then began to peel and chop up turnips, onion, dried bread (I left out 12 slices overnight) for stuffing, apples (2kg) and potatoes (8kg).
I tossed the frozen blueberries and a cup of sugar into a pot to sit on the stove until I was ready.
I boiled sausages, loaded dishes, un-loaded dishes, made pie dough, made tea biscuits, prepared the meat, mixed up the stuffing...made pies....debated on a dish of fudge and said nah...

3:30pm - SH is showering and opened the bathroom mirror cupboard and I hear a clunk and an "Oh shit."
Yeah - we had a crack in the bathroom sink for awhile because his glass deodorant bottle had made a crack - which has spread...and well, the plastic disinfectant fell from the top shelf and hit the crack just so.  Boom - a chunk of the sink is gone.
I e-mail my landlord in a frenzy and rush to the bathroom, plop down on the toilet to pee and have clothes in the bathroom to shower - and guess what?

DING!

Our guests have arrived...no shower.  My kitchen looks like there was a Pokémon tournament happened in there...oh no.

But the meats were in the oven with the turnip and 1 pie was baked and cooling.

Well, the lovely ladies helped me speed clean that kitchen...so thankful.

Then my friend K turned and fffffffftttt - the blueberry pie went flying.

BUT! It landed face up!  Some blueberry streaks on the floor but we wiped those out after. 

Otherwise, a fantastic dinner and I'll post the sausage stuffing recipe tonight or tomorrow! 

Time to get 2/3 kids to bed...
Hope your holidays were as awesome as they could possibly be!
BIMU

THE LIST: What You Might Have Forgotten To Get

It's almost 4pm and I thought I'd try to whip up a list for you last-minute folks (like me) who may have forgotten to hit up the local department/grocery stores before they close for tomorrow:

• Toilet Paper (and of course if you have guests - you probably get the nicer, softer stuff - right?)
• Paper Towel
• Garbage Bags, biodegradable compost bags or recyclables bags
• Bread
• Butter
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Aluminum foil and baking paper/parchment paper
• Wax paper
• Egg nog
• Apple cider
• Liquor, wine, beer etc.
• Flour, baking soda or powder, yeast
• Honey
• Tea/Coffee/milk/juice
• Cough Drops
• Chewing gum/mints
• Coffee filters
• Pads/Tampons
• Diapers and baby wipes
• Band-aids
• Pain relievers (nothing worse than a headache with the guests about to arrive in five minutes!) 
• Prescriptions
• Contacts/Contact cleansing liquid
• Laundry Soap
• Cleaning product for the household
• Dish Soap or tabs for the dishwasher
• Rubber gloves
• Sponges for cleaning
• Meat/Fish
• Veggies
• Fruit
• Desserts
• Christmas Tree
• Ornaments
• Tinsel
• Lights
• Holiday Gifts
• Gift cards
• Boxes of chocolate or candy
• Packaging for home-made gifts
• Tape
• Wrapping paper
• Ribbon
• Name Tags 
• Cards
• Air freshners
• Poop bags for dogs
• Gift for the pets
• Cat Litter
• Batteries
• Flashlight or candles (as the power often goes out when you don't expect it to...)
• Light bulbs
• Fuse (because they always burn out - like light bulbs - when shops are closed)

Hope this helps and yes, I also went to the store today!
Happy Holidays!BIMU

Learning About Finland: The Winter Holiday Edition

Here is a list of almost everything I can think of that is related to winter and Finland.
Ready?

1. It can be really cold - especially in northern Finland!
1. It can be extra dark outside when there isn't any snow - be sure to take vitamin D!
2. Make sure you wear layers.
3. Make sure you moisturize - the dryness can really damage skin and cracked skin isn't pleasant for anyone.
4. Be sure to have a reflector on your coat or bag.  At least a couple...
5. Walking a dog or cat?  Same goes for them and yes, people walk cats in Finland.
6. If there's snow on the ground or by December 1st - it's mandatory to have winter/snow tires (depends on what term you want to use) if you have a car.
2. Shops are closed on:
1. 6th of December for Finnish Independence Day (some small shops like Sale or Siwa may be opened).
2. 24th of December - Christmas Eve - by 12pm.  Buses in JKL at least, are done driving at 1pm.
3. 25th of December - Christmas Day - all day.
4. 26th of December - Boxing Day to North Americans - all day. Some smaller shops may be opened.
5. 31st of December - New Year's Eve -Fireworks are allowed to be set off from 6pm-about 2am.
6.  1st of January - New Year's Day
7. 6th of January - Epiphany - also the day where everyone tosses away their Christmas tree.  So do be careful and look up - so one doesn't fall on you.  It's much easier to toss a tree over your balcony than drag it down the stairs.
3. Christmas
1.  If you're shipping packages - do so as early as possible because the line ups can be quite long and tedious.  Bring a book for while you're waiting.
2. You can hire a Santa to come deliver presents and sing songs with your children but it can be pricey!  You can even find advertisements for "sober Santas with own vehicle"....
1. With that said, yes - children see Santa on Christmas Eve and generally presents are opened on that day too. 
3. There is even a Santa's village in Lapland! 
1. Sorry, he is not considered from the North Pole. 
4. Finnish Christmas food is typically ham (a massive roasted piece of pork), vegetable casseroles (that quite often look like baby food), glöggi (drink it warm and never heat it in a water kettle!  Or be freaky like me and drink it cold or mix some 7Up in there for a cold fizzy drink!), joulutorttu (Christmas tart - a star-shaped flaky pastry with plum jam in the center) and Christmas porridge in the morning.  If you get the almond in the Christmas porridge - it's said to be very lucky. :)
5. Santa's are usually in the bigger grocery stores and sometimes a mall - there doesn't seem to be a photography service included.  Be sure to bring your own camera or use your cell phone.
6. It's alright to get a real Christmas tree - even in apartment buildings! (In Canada there tends to be more restrictions.)
1. It's illegal to just go out and chop down a tree wherever you please.
7. Finns don't do Christmas stockings - so they might be hard to come by.  You're better off making your own or using a real sock! :)
4. New Year's Eve
1. Don't drink and drive - it's illegal here too.
2. Fireworks may be publicly set off from 6pm-2am in Finland.  Your city will have ones at midnight to welcome in the new year.  The reason for allowing them so early - is for those with children who don't want to keep their children awake so late.  Best to walk the terrified dogs beforehand if you can!
3. You may get some tin metal horse shoes....and according to Finns - you melt them in a pot of boiling water then toss them in the snow or somewhere cold and whatever shape they take determines your following year.  Friend of mine got one that looked like sperm...still hasn't had a baby and this was 3 years ago at least.

As usual - I'm super late getting this out and posted. 
Well, happy holidays!  I'm back to cleaning and cooking - as we're going to celebrate Christmas tomorrow with friends visiting! :)

Happy Holidays!
BIMU

Awesome Gift Ideas for a Crafter

Rushing around last minute for your holiday shopping?
Oh and you have one of those friends or family members with a birthday so close to Christmas (or actually ON Christmas) that you'd hate to leave out one or the other?
I'm sure I'm missing a lot of ideas but here's the ones I can think of!
Here's a list of awesome gifts for crafters in your life:

• Any craft:
• Organizing boxes for craft supplies
• Labels for boxes
• Notebooks 
• Magazine subscription (or e-magazine subscription) to their favourite magazine.
• Gift card or vouchers:
• Etsy
• Zibbet (similar to Etsy)
• Local craft supply or yarn shops
• Tickets to a craft exhibition or event
• Art or handcrafted item made locally or from a favourite artist.
• Baby-sitting time so if the crafter is a parent - they can actually craft! :)
• Seamstress (sewing): 
• Voucher to fix or tweak sewing machine
• Or a gift card to the local fabric shop
• A new sewing machine or serger
• Thread
• Fabric
• Patterns or books filled with patterns
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Chalk or washable/fading marker
• Pattern paper (I hear this stuff is pretty expensive - so most people use baking paper or newspaper to trace patterns.)
• Pin cushion or magnet for pins
• Pins 
• Seam ripper
• Pinking shears (they're the scissors with zig-zag edges to prevent fraying)
• Container for haberdashery
• Knitter:
• Needles 
• Interchangeables
• Circular
• Straight sets
• Double-Pointed Needles (DPNs)
• There's different materials too!
• Bamboo
• Wood
• Plastic
• Metal
• Stainless steel
• Yarn
• Or a gift card to the LYS (local yarn shop)
• Patterns - printed and put in a binder or paper-free and e-mail them to him/her.
•  Books - either full of patterns of techniques
• Knitting kit - something you could put together yourself (and also applies to a crocheter):
• Stitch markers
• Measuring tape
• Stitch holders (moreso for knitting than crocheting)
• Row counter
• Gauge and/or needle measuring tool
•  Pouch for needles/hooks for travelling 
• Pencil
• Notebook
• Small crochet hook for picking up dropped stitches
• Little toppers so stitches don't slide off the needles.
• Needle holders - come in a wide variety. 
• Crocheter (Many gift ideas are applicable from the Knitter):
• Hooks
• Tunisian crochet hooks
• Double-ended Tunisian crochet hook
• Sets
• You could buy cheap metal ones and use polymer clay and bake creative handles for them.
• Patterns, books or technique books 
• Yarn
• Gift card to a local yarn shop or online shop
• Drawing tools:
• Paints
• Cleaning products
• Sketch books
• Brushes
• Sponges
• Pastels
• Pens
• Paper
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Canvases
• Frames
• Markers
• Carrying case for portfolio work or finished pieces
• Carrying case for drawing utensils
• Refills (i.e. Copic Ciao Refills) 
• Scrapbooker:
• Paper
• Scrapbook albums
• Plastic refill cover pages (these are used to protect the individual scrapbook pages - usually 12x12 inches (30cm x 30cm) )
• Inks
• Stamps
• Washi Tape or other decorative tapes
• Gloss paint
• Crackle Paint
• Embossing folders
• Stickers
• Rub-on Transfers
• Embellishments
• Hole punch of various shapes
• Embossing powder
• Embossing heater
• Glue
• Double-sided sticky tape/squares
• Pens, markers, water-colour pencils, pencils
• Die cuts
• Gift card
• Cosmetics Maker:
• Essential oils
• Silicone molds for soap shapes
• Jars with lids for lotions/body butter
• Little tins or tubes for lip balm/salves
• Digital scale for weighing ingredients
• Gift card to purchase other ingredients
   

Enjoy and I'll try to update this every now and again! :)
BIMU

Ikea Road Trip!

I should be:

• Knitting/crocheting/sewing gifts
• Cleaning
• Organizing
• Menu planning
• Changing diapers
• Writing Christmas cards
• Paying bills

Instead - I went to Ikea today with a friend!  It was quite spur of the moment - as another friend had to postpone the trip to Ikea with her family and van - and with the holidays being in 4 days - I had to replace some cracked dining room chairs soon.

So the lovely Lise (of Lise Richardson Art)- graciously offered her driving skills to Tampere Ikea and off we went!  (I'll be interviewing her again for this blog soon...I've previously interviewed her for my old blog - but anyways!  I'm working on it!)
Please remember - last time we went to Ikea - I became a Highway Warrior Princess!

And we even packed up two kids.

I opted for M-Girl and A-Man.  Mostly because if the shopping carts aren't big enough for V-Man (without wearing a one-piece snow suit) - he won't walk the full hour we planned to be there for.  SO - as much as I would have loved to bring V-Man, especially with his odd temper at the taxi ride last Friday - it was just easier and gave everyone better peace of mind to bring the other two kids.

I have heard of the Ikea day-care for customers and wasn't sure how A-Man would feel - so we had a big lunch of meatballs and fries (the Ikea class meatballs) and dropped him off.
I had a paper to fill out, which asked the following things:

• Child's name
• Child's age (Child must be 3-7 years old I believe.)
• Child's clothing being worn
• Adult allowed to pick him up
• A box number (keep reading)
• Their phone number
• A signature from the adult promising to be available at all times (aka be in the store and have your phone on and the volume at a reasonable level to hear them calling in case of emergency)

A-Man was given a big plastic tub with a number on it and we filled it with his snow pants and coat, boots, hat, scarf and his favourite bus toy.  He was given a sticky label on his shirt with name on it and the box number.
Both of us got our hands stamped with a matching number - so they can confirm the parent's identity when the child is being picked up - and he was asked to disinfect his hands and then he was allowed inside.

I had 1 hour to shop without a running child.  (I've never used this service before - and yes, it is free to customers.)
I waited and he waited and stared at me.  Then he ran off and we bolted around the corner to ensure no screams came from the day-care - and there weren't any.

I repeat - I had 1 hour to shop without a running child.
SH asked if in future I could consider bringing V-Man and dropping him off there - but I'm not sure how they'd do with an autistic child...they did ask me what language A-Man speaks and understands...

So off we went.  We by-passed most of the furniture - as I really just needed those 3 or 4 dining room chairs (found one different than my current black Ikea chairs for half the price and just as comfortable) - and little bits and bobs.

The funniest thing was this stuffed wolf - that's well, a plush toy and you can stuff him with Grandma.
The coolest thing - probably this crank-yourself-flashlight.  A-Man hates falling asleep in the dark but hopefully this will help and thanks to little human energy - no batteries are needed.
(Links are to the Canadian Ikea site...)

I got some Christmas gifts for some of the guests coming - as I really don't have time to knit or crochet everyone something...may have to dig into my fabric stash to sew some other things I think!

Anyways, I'll try to be more productive (almost wrote "reproductive"...oh dear!) on this blog and I do have some posts lined up - they just need to be tweaked...

And I'm proud to announce that A-Man was the one that did the falling this trip - as the parking lot was quite icy!  Nobody was hurt seriously.

BIMU

My Escape Artist & Ass Fudge

Like the title of this post?
It's not to catch your attention - it's the shortest way to describe this morning.

Today is the last day of day-care/school for most kids.  This means that V-Man has 1 day left of day-care and then he can sleep in and hopefully allow us to sleep in too for the next two and a half weeks or so.
Last night he ended up waking up after 2 hours and crashed on the sofa - after his first dose of melatonin.  He slept most of the night and crawled onto our new sofa with hubby and stayed quiet for most of the night!  We have to try it for 2 weeks straight and hopefully his body accepts it - but last night was a huge step!
I, of course, was up by 3am, in preparation for being woken by screams, yells and light bulbs...but it didn't happen!

Anyway, this morning - he didn't want to go to day-care.  This has been normal for the past month.  It's gotten darker and colder outside - so of course it's nice to just stay in bed ALL day.  I agree!
But it's against his schedule system!  So this morning we wrestled him into his clothing - screams and all - and I ran downstairs with him, his backpack, his booster seat and a plate holding some prettily wrapped up fudge for the teachers.
*Cue insta-scream.

There was no way he would stay seated.  I finally got the seat belt clicked in and we closed the door and as always, I waited to see him drive away safely.
The driver didn't even close his door.  Taxi drivers here are super polite and open the door for you and help to put your groceries in the trunk if needed.  They also open the door for you if you're un-able to - once you arrive to your destination!  I just open the door myself usually and plop the booster seat and V-Man in myself.  
V-Man opted for yanking hard at his seat belt and standing up in his booster seat and screaming.
The driver looked at me and I sighed.  I apologized for wasting his time and I'll take him by bus.

We ran upstairs so I could grab my bus card and coat and we had less than 5 minutes to get up a huge hill with my arms full of stuff and holding his hand - and we made it.  Mostly because the bus was 7 minutes late.  Huzzah!
This also meant that we missed our connecting bus downtown and had to wait 20 minutes.
I refused to let him see my phone or watch Youtube because I consider that to be a real treat - and by this point - I'm exhausted and he just keeps wanting to drag me to the shops and McDonald's.  Tough - they're not open at 8am.

24 minutes later - we're boarding the second bus with him screaming and trying to assume his boulder position - refusing to lift a foot onto the bus.
GREAT.
I haul him onto the bus and as I'm re-arranging my arms full of stuff so I can press my wallet on the electronic panel reader thing - he's off.
Yeah - he's running to the back door and about to jump off the damn bus like James Bond.

Thankfully it's a 7 minutes long bus ride.  He screamed for 6 and then tossed his hat at me, I bend down to pick it up (he's standing) and THEN decides to sit beside me and onto the plate of prettily wrapped fudge.

We get off the bus and cross the street - we have a 2 minutes-long walk to his day-care.  1 minute if he co-operates!
Then he opts for the boulder position.  Absolutely will not budge - as I'm clasping his hand and leaning at a 45-degree angle trying to get him to move.  Also - I don't want to drop that fudge!
Nope - not happening.  Eventually - we get there and the teachers sense my nerves are splitting in half by the handful.  They're excited about the fudge and I got a lift close to home from the speech therapist.
 
I don't mean to brag - but the V-Man and I raised a fuckton of autism awareness this morning.

BIMU

Let's Be Honest: Parenting

A mini series I'll do in my blog regarding various topics, in which I will be 100% honest and not sugar-coat anything (I rarely do but try to be as "nice as possible").
I'll do a separate one regarding raising an autistic child - because really - that's a whole other league on its own!

• Pregnancy and pushing a kid out the hoo-ha is another whole other league of its own.  Same with C-Sections (not that I've had one - but from what I've heard)!
• I love my kids and don't always tell them this everyday.  But I hope the happier moments show them that although they drive me up the flipping wall on some days - I do love them to bits and pieces.
• My home is never clean.  It wasn't before I had children and now - it's just disturbing.
• There are tampons all over my kitchen floor...not used ones - just again, my kids get into everything.
• I don't remember the last time our place was spotless with everything in place.  It could be when my husband and I were dating and living separately.  Almost 9 years ago.  Yep.
• I can't find the little Tupperware salad dressing container because my kids got in the drawers and toss out my CLEAN pots, pans and utensils everyday.  It's some sick game they have in common.  
• *Update:  It was found four days later.
• M-Girl can walk (10 months old) and pull stuff down...including the clean laundry hanging on the drying racks.  Then she tries to wrap herself up in them.  She'll probably be a fashion designer or at least craftier than me when she gets older.
• V-Man has discovered the knife block - which doesn't bother me as much it should.  The only problem is when he leaves the knives on the counter instead of putting them back.
• Regularly when I'm trying to blog or write an e-mail - I hear A-Man stirring whatever I forgot on the stove for a couple minutes. 
• I have mastered the ninja/yoga/sneak-away technique after breast-feeding a baby and needing to escape the bed without making a sound.
• "Night Life" for me is going knitting and maybe for a drink with a friend (when V-Man is at overnight care)  - ALONE.  I'm home by 9-10pm.
• Date nights are few and far between...
• We collect DVDs because we can watch them at home and pause when a kid wakes up and use subtitles and minimum volume.  Just finished season 3 of Breaking Bad!
• When 1 kid wakes up - usually all the others do too.  Unfortunately.
• None of the kids I baby-sat (not that I baby-sat a lot as a teenager) have prepared me for my own children.  
• Having 3 kids also means always having an excuse to leave a party or event early.
• I've tried to catch a full bladder of pee once from the (at the time) 4-year old V-Man.  Yeah - tried to catch as in ...WITH MY BARE HANDS.
• I take my kids out in public so I don't disturb the neighbours with my kids screaming and so I won't scream back.
• Except for purple - I have seen every colour and shade of poop and diarrhea possible.
• V-Man took a few coins and tried to shove them into the Xbox One.  
• I might kill my husband for leaving it out again, and getting mad at V-Man for climbing onto it.  I probably won't tell him about the "piggy bank" incident either.
• We're on our 2nd copy of Shrek, Shrek 2, Cars and Madagascar /Madagascar 2.
• I've had a good chunk of melt-downs since having kids that seem to worsen with pregnancy hormones or period hormones.
• It's really hard to keep a straight face when A-Man says stuff that means something else - but sound like swear words or totally different words.  I.e. : "Hei hei poop." (Good bye moon).
• It's kind of a relief having all the kids sick at once or one after another (i.e. chicken pox) - then it's done and over with.
• It's also true that I'm the last one to get sick and my body lets me crash for 1 day tops - whereas everyone else gets a few days to a week off.  I clearly need to fake it.
• I also have had my fair share of stares and lecturing grannies on the bus and in the shops and honestly - I want to punch about 90% of them in the face.  I wouldn't criticize someone to their face and child's about how to raise them - why do it to a complete stranger?!
• I'm excited for when they're a bit more independent - diaper-free, can speak clearly and help out/learn how to do things independently.  Like cooking, baking and doing more intensive crafts or hobbies.
• I'm also terrified of the teenager phase.  Absolutely dreading it.  The dating, the hormones, the broken hearts, the bullying, the attitude, the sneaking out, the rejecting of EVERYTHING...
• I look forward to sleep-overs, birthday parties (still hope the boys will enjoy having a joint party for the rest of their lives...), school trips and stuff like that.  Yep - Mama-Nerd - right here.
• Yep - even boyfriends and girlfriends over for dinner.  And watching SH grill them all.
• The idea of travelling with my kids sounds great in about 5-10 years.
• I'm pretty sure we've said "No" in various forms and languages at least 4 million times - among the three kids.  Half of that alone is for V-Man alone.
• I don't know what a weekend is anymore.
• The best part of the day has become bed time. 
• I've been crapped on, peed on, puked on and had boogers displayed to me with pride and wiped onto MY shirt.  
• This just doesn't happen with cats or dogs.
• Bonus of holidays?  Not having to get up AS early...
• We're terrible at keeping a strict schedule with the kids.

I'm sure I'll update this every now and again.
Enjoy,
BIMU

Zzzz - Oh What IS That?

Zzzz - the typical symbol of snoring...of sleep...of peace and quiet.

Something we haven't had in at least a month - at least when the V-Man is home. 
Remember my nasty doctor appointment from awhile ago?
Well, today - right before I crashed for a nap - a nurse from the overnight care called me and asked if we had seen the doctor and what her suggestions were for V-Man to sleep better at night.  Because apparently he hasn't slept a wink at overnight care these past few days! (4 hours a night...ouch.)
Oh dear...
So I told her my quick-version of the story above (in the link) and she quickly translated to the doctor that was present.  Well, it turns out this doctor is a specialized doctor.  One that actually specializes in treatment of children WITH autism and mental retardation.
She asked why I wasn't prescribed Melatonin - I explained as kindly (but as bluntly) as possible that the district doctor felt that it wasn't necessary and that pain meds would solve everything. 
Well, it didn't work. 

So I'm going today to pick up the A-Man and a new prescription of melatonin - which is in pill form and somehow we have to shove that down V-Man's throat with water an hour before bedtime.  It doesn't come in liquid form unfortunately she said - so we'll try anything to get a solid 6-8 hours of sleep...10 from him would be awesome.
I'll update as we try it out - she wants to try it for 2 weeks to see if it makes a difference and if it works - she said to keep using it.

I apologize I haven't been a frequent blogger here!  I'm swamped with a week to Christmas - loads of knitting to do and card-sending...and cleaning - I don't even want to talk about the mess my home is in currently. 
And to top it all off - little M-Girl is now my little pet cheetah  as she's caked in chicken pox but seems to be quite cheery about it all.  (No - you can't adopt her...she balances the boys out rather nicely!)

But I'll be writing up a post soon regarding my new year's resolutions.  Which I desperately need.
I'm sure I'll also be updating my Instagram on the regular as well!
Did you notice my advent calendar posts/photos on Instagram?!  My lovely and talented knitting group created me an advent calendar in a pretty shoe box and every night before bed - I treat myself with opening up a match box to see what goody I have!  It's been so amazing and exciting as I have never had one before!
I'm contemplating MAKING one for my kids next year...yeah long shot but I have a bit over 12 months to do it - right?

BIMU

PS Thankfully I was able to buy chewable melatonin!  Let's see how it goes!

Noro Virus, Chicken Pox, No Sleep & A Flu

Some cursing involved...oh do I feel so grown up now!

This past month or so - has been awful.
Ready?
About a month ago - A-Man came down with a fever and for a week straight he vomited, had a fever go up and down and pretty much had Norovirus.  We thought he was done mid-week and the day-care called as soon as the last spoon of lunch was being devoured by the little ones because A-Man displayed what chewed up lunch looked like for the rest of the class...
Then it was V-Man's turn for a week...then it was my husband's turn for about 3 days...I had half a day of sickness - vomit, diarrhea, cramps galore...it wasn't fun.  M-Girl had diarrhea for a week straight...
We had half a week of calm before the chicken pox decided to visit.

A-Man thankfully had it first and didn't have a fever - but we kept him home for a week from day-care and that was alright.
Now it's V-Man's turn and I'm ready to choke someone.  I'm going out of my fucking mind right now being cooped up inside for the better part of 2 weeks. 
Yes, I've had some sneaky outings like going to get groceries and one knitting meeting (had to miss last night's) - but really - I am done.
Because guess what?  M-Girl still hasn't shown signs of chicken pox and maybe that's due to the super magical powers of breast milk (which we're not doing much of but mostly at night) or because the week is still young and she's going to be my polka-dotted baby by next week.

I realize - it can be worse.  I totally do.  I could be in school right now and missing classes and notes and such.  It could be much worse than the chicken pox.  And I'm thankful that SH and I both had it as kids and the kids are really young and having it now.

I'm bitching and exhausted because V-Man's "newest" thing is to wake me up by turning on the lights before 5:30am (I consider anything before 6am pure evil - especially on a weekend) and crawling into my bed...which already houses A-Man, M-Girl and two dogs and if I'm lucky - I'm in there clinging to the edge of the bed.
A-Man manages to sleep right through this - my grumbling and cursing of my eye lids being boiled by an early light bulb being turned on...and M-Girl is like me.  Not impressed at her beauty rest being disturbed at such a wicked hour.
The first morning this happened was at 4:30....the Momster was released pretty quickly.

I even managed to squeeze in a doctor's appointment, where I decided the doctor for my district is not for me.
I've spoken to other friends that live in the area and they've all said she's "weird and un-professional" and "doesn't know what she's talking about".
I called the doctor's switch board last Monday morning because V-Man wasn't sleeping or pooping - so it was time to face the reality of him needing to visit the doctor.
Well, I luckily got an appointment that Monday afternoon and the doctor didn't take me seriously.
I told her he hasn't been sleeping at overnight care (go to bed by 8pm, awake by 11pm and staying awake until 5am the next day), his stomach is overflowing with food and he hasn't had a crap there and he has been smacking his ears - so perhaps a tube is loose?
The nurse at overnight care had written the doctor a note in the central system and she couldn't find it for whatever reason.  So of course, I'm coming off as the "overly concerned" parent.
I got a lot of phony smiles and "mm-hmm" and the attitude was clearly she didn't take me seriously.
By this point, I'm exhausted with fighting him to stay in the room and I whip out my phone, call overnight care and ask if they can tell the doctor what they had the joy of experiencing the past three days.
As she's listening, the doctor's tone takes on a different tune.  One of concern, one of seriousness, one of a doctor that actually cares.
So after she hangs up she agrees that it sounds quite serious and we attempt to get her to check his ears.
"1 tube is loose and not in position.  The other is in place but it's red inside," she advises.
"Should we schedule another surgery and get that tube replaced?" I ask - because that makes the most sense to me and obviously the tube in the fitted ear isn't working because it sounds infected if it's red inside...
"No, we'll leave it be and just give him pain killers."
So let's leave a piece of rubber/plastic/tube roll around in my kid's ear for the better sake of saving her a request for surgery...and doping my kid up on strong pain meds is the way to go.  And hope the tube falls out on its own soon.  Right...
Yes, it's been almost a year since he had the second successful surgery - and I guess they don't last as long as I thought (2 years) but still!
The first time V-Man had the tubes surgery - it wasn't successful.  Within a month we had a check-up and she determined that the tubes didn't open up properly and had come loose and he was in a great deal of pain and immediately requested a surgery to fix this.
So, now we're supposed to wait until they fall out and at the expense of everyone in this household not getting any sleep?!
Now, regarding his constipation - she prescribed two types of laxatives.  Since he's been home, he's back to his poop streaked diapers but nothing solid.  Even on the laxatives.  We're still going through 8-12 diapers a day.
When I advised her that this isn't my first time asking about his stomach and bowels - she asked if we gave him laxatives before. 
"Yes, of course - you prescribed us to.  I don't remember the amount because it's been over a year."- me clearly confused as to why she's asking me a relatively stupid question (only because his full profile is sitting electronically in front of her).
"Well, perhaps you didn't give him the right amount."
Funny enough, we followed her instructions and this has been an ongoing issue for almost a year - if not more.  For fuck's sake...
 
I've been advised to request for another doctor.  But in fact, I think I'm going to book another appointment to confirm that he needs to see a specialist regarding his bowels and stomach.  I'm not going to budge or leave her office until my son gets an appointment regarding his ears and his stomach...
I don't think I should have to ask and complain about my son's shit stained-diapers three times or more, in order to get a specialist to check his insides out.  She knows full well that this has been an on-going issue and that we have some digestive issues in the family history (SH has crohn's disease for example).  Plus it's super common in Autistic kids that their insides are a bit on the funky side.
I also suspect that she doesn't have many autistic patients like V-Man because she didn't know a place like overnight care existed. 
Alright - I'm done venting about that hideous doctor's appointment...

Oh and my body has been so go-go-go that now it's shutting down.  I'm burnt out, I'm not getting enough sleep, I have a hard touch (more like a bitch slap worth) of a flu,  and I'm trying to eat super healthy (loads of fruit and veggies etc.) and yesterday I just crashed.  The SH stayed home and I blissfully slept all day.  I woke up for a sandwich and then crashed again until it was time for A-Man to be picked up.
I made home-made chicken and veggie soup, home-made tea (boiled lemon peel and lemon segments with massive chunks of ginger root) and felt like 150 bucks.  I can't say a million entirely because I woke up with a killer headache.

I've already cancelled day-care and taxi drives for the week - so I'm trying to tough it out as best as I can.
SH went to work today - which he should - and I'm thinking that all of the chicken pox spots are now hideous little scabs...so I'm going to try and drag out my spotless M-Girl and my scabby-polka-dotted V-Man to get some grocery shopping and other stuff done.

I have two Christmas parties to organize this week (one is tomorrow night)...so you probably won't hear from me until next week...

Wish me luck.  Loads of it.
BIMU

And there goes my laundry rack full of freshly hung clothes and dry ones folded on top....my nerves...

"They Are Lost: An Honest Project"

I have a separate tab on my blog for lost items.
Things that have fallen out of pockets or back-packs or little hands and landed on the ground in Finland.
I know I'm terrible at updating that tab regularly and thought I would post it on my Instagram instead with the hashtags of "#theyarelost  #theyarelostJKL".
I don't know how far that went - but on my private Facebook account - I try to sneak the computer from my husband and update that album as much as I can. 
But this past month has been a doozy and I haven't updated anything really.
We'll talk about that later - I need to get this finished!

I should start from the beginning.
I've lived in Finland for 5 years and have always noticed and appreciated the honesty of Finns and other locals.
I walk a lot (and more recently take the bus) and am constantly amazed at the amount of mittens (both single and pairs), hats, toys and keys I find!  They're placed nicely on benches at the bus stop, on top of garbage cans, hanging from a bush or tree so a dog (or cat) won't pee on them and so they can be found.

A year and a half ago after a trip to Wales - I was so sure we lost a red rubber fleece-lined boot of A-Man's.  They were an awesome pair of boots and were well-loved and despite child #2 wearing them - were just as good as new.
Well, I was sad and tossed out the single boot we had, after weeks of looking for its mate.  Guess what?  That little red boot was tucked up high in a tree - two neighbourhoods away.  On a street I don't frequent often but anyways, there it was.
I've lost my warmest pair of mittens last year on the bus - I got those back in a day.
My friend forgot her back pack - complete with passport, wallet, money, visa on a bus - she got that back too.
My Halloween 2014 was spent searching for my bright orange wallet.  I went back to A-Man's day-care three times following the exact same route, went back hiking the same route I took the dogs, checking the police station and no luck.
I cancelled my bank cards and worried for a week.  I wrote about what it was like to lose your wallet in Finland.
Most amazing thing is that I got it back and nobody even used my freshly-loaded bus card either!  That's honesty.

Despite me not updating everything with photos I was still getting Facebook messages and text messages and yes, Whatsapp messages, with photos of lost things found from friends!  I still do!
I decided that this amazing honesty needs to be recognized and spread around!  Friends were telling me it was an awesome idea and I'm overwhelmed at how my little personal obsession of taking quick snap shots of lost things became so interesting to many!
What else can restore someone's faith in humanity - than finding their lost item, exactly as they were found?

I've found and snapped photos of:

• Wallets, keys, backpacks, tote bags
• Toys - stuffed animals, toy cars, baby rattles, soothers/dummies/pacifiers
• Gloves, hats, shirts, underwear...

The list continues to grow everyday!
So I created a Facebook group called "They Are Lost: An Honest Project".
I want anyone interested in joining me for this little adventure to join the group and share your stories of lost things you've found by posting photos into the albums!
Albums are labelled by country the item was found in.  Unfortunately not alphabetical because every time an album is updated - it gets "bumped up".
It's so easy!

1.  Take a photo of something lost you see on your walk or bike ride or bus ride - however you travel...and post it in the album where you found it (i.e. New Zealand). 
2.  Add a description to the photo - where did you find it?  What is it?  If you're bringing it to the police/local authorities/taxi-driver or bus driver - which location? 
3.  Pat yourself on the back - you're awesome.

It's not a place for hate or spam or debates...it's a place to announce you lost your keys, your phone, your medical warning bracelet, your wallet, your passport, your child's favourite toy, your backpack...and hopefully - it can be a place for you to find your lost item too.

BIMU

PS If you use Instagram and post your photos of items found there - be sure to # with
#theyarelost and again with your city's abreviation - then hopefully someone may search there!

I.e: #theyarelostHK   #theyarelostJKL  #theyarelostNY #theyarelostRM
Hong Kong, Jyväskylä, New York, Rome

BIMU Reviews: Why I Hate My Windows Lumia 620

My very first smart phone, I purchased on a 2-year contract plan in April 2013.
I wasn't going for the Nokia Windows phone series - too expensive, like the iPhone in my opinion- and this would've been my third or fourth phone since moving here (either new or second-hand).
I walked into my local phone shop, Elisa, and had my eye on the affordable Samsung Galaxy Gio for about 50-60€.
Then one of the store representatives sent me to the "Windows Lady" and I thought, "Sure, I'll let her give her spiel but I'm really not interested in the phone."
I did and ended up walking out with a Windows Lumia 620 that day.

It's a good sized phone, you know when it's in your pocket and it certainly won't bend in half like it's non-related iPhone 6 (based on a few buyers).
The flash which can also double as a flash light is quite bright and I loved that my phone had a bright yellow cover so I could find it easily.

Within 6 months, my phone power button was broken.  It's the middle button on the right-hand side of the phone that allows you to power the screen on without receiving a text or phone call.
It's the only way to get that phone on or off or allow you to have the wait screen show up so you can flick it up and use your phone.
Thankfully, it was under warranty but the warranty was only good for a year.  I chose not to get extra because it's a brand new phone - why would it break?
They advised me it would take a couple of weeks to be repaired.  It took much longer than that and when it was ready, over a month had passed.
I was thrilled to have my little phone back and as I left the shop, relished in pure happiness that the power button works.

But the volume buttons didn't.  I could decrease the volume but not increase it.
What the heck?! I just waited over a month for this thing to be fixed and the line up was really long now - so I guess I'll go back the next day, since thankfully - that warranty is still in place.
It is not possible to increase or decrease the volume in the phone's settings unfortunately.
Hence my big dilemma!

I went back the next day with the slip that my phone had recently been fixed, and let the store rep fiddle with my phone only to confirm that yeah - it's broken again and no, I didn't drop it.  It didn't work before I left the shop the night before.
Within 2 weeks, I got a text message from the phone company advising me that my phone was ready.

Well, that was fast! you're probably thinking.
No don't think that because what they ended up doing was replacing my phone entirely with a new one.  They figured this was the most economical and easiest solution.
Unfortunately the warranty didn't renew itself another year.

I had a lot of trouble this past summer with regards to someone(s) hacking my e-mail account and with a Windows Live product - you need a Hotmail or Outlook account.
I wasn't able to change my e-mail, despite being able to crack into my e-mail on the computer. 
Fine - I'll check my email on a computer instead.
But this also meant I couldn't use any of the Windows Outlook features on my phone.  I couldn't use "One Note" (my grocery shopping list maker), "Word" - none of it.

But then I couldn't download any apps and got a few weird error codes (the phone is currently buried in a box somewhere in my closet).
I was also regularly kicked out of sites that were too busy for my phone to handle - okay fair enough, probably they weren't using mobile-friendly versions of the site - makes sense.

I dropped my phone once and the screen cracked and had to be replaced.  I paid a company 79€ to replace it and when I got it back - everything was fine - but I still couldn't download anything (and not for lack of space!).
I already had Instagram, Whatsapp and my Facebook app wouldn't let me delete it (clingy bugger).
So I cherished those apps with every ounce of me - except the Facebook one - because it didn't work.

Then the fun really began within the last month or two.
My Whatsapp would simply not work.  Messages I sent to friends weren't being sent.
I couldn't see my conversations - they disappeared.  I'd have to re-start my phone or completely remove my battery (after shutting it down properly) repeatedly.
My poor friends who tolerated my phone and my repeated messages of frustration - thank you.
My keyboard was funky when typing statuses and ONLY statuses on Facebook.  Despite the key being lit up and me pressing the correct button - nothing was writing properly and the predictive text didn't work either - but only for statuses.

Despite my phone settings for my images to go to a micro SD card that was installed in the phone - quite often, I'd try to take a photo and the phone would advise me that there wasn't enough space.
Again, I'd have to re-start my phone.

Oh and my volume button started acting funky again.  I could go up but not down now.  So I tried to keep it at 15/30 for a volume setting but while I thought my boys figured out how to decrease it via Youtube or something like that - it turns out that every time I re-started my phone - the volume would go back down to 13/30.
Weird eh?

Last bit - out of nowhere - V-Man's Youtube videos wouldn't play anymore.  He'd get about 5 seconds of a song and that was it.  And they worked before!  It was really a shame because this was the way I kept him calm when having to wait for food or to wait in line to pay for groceries...he was a mess and so upset!

Anyways, I'm so glad my neighbour had an old phone I could have and use.  And no, it's not part of the Lumia family.
I've converted to an iPhone 3GS - yes, an older model and I don't care.  It works.
The only tiny downside is that there isn't a flash or double camera (handy for Skype) - but I can definitely survive without those (if I were to compare or consider switching back to the Lumia 620).

The unfortunate thing about the Lumia - is that I haven't even had it for my full contract term.  It'll be two-years next April in 2015.
I'm confident my shop wouldn't fix my phone anymore because the warranty has expired already and that's the key part.

Overall - the Lumia takes fantastic photos in bright, natural lighting and the flash light was handy.
But the phone was a huge disappointment and I won't be purchasing a Nokia again (despite living in the country that has the city with this fine name).
I know I'm not the only one who has similar issues, as I recently did a search online and there are several others with the same problems.

BIMU

Shower Training & Poop

Sometimes, okay - all the time - there are things that the V-Man does that doesn't make any sense and it annoys us.
Jumping on the furniture, re-arranging furniture (yeah he's only 5) and today - banging on the bathroom door.
Not a constant pounding - but more or less opening and closing the door (read "slamming") repeatedly.
At first SH was grumpy and yelling at V-Man to stop making so much noise and to leave the door alone.
Then I had a light bulb moment.

"Maybe he needs the toilet?"

Well, the potty's in the living room - full access for A-Man and the smaller potty is slowly getting used by M-Girl (when we remember to try) and V-Man uses them both as stepping stools.
SH thought I was nuts but V-Man is able to pee in the shower - we're just so used to him using his diapers and because his bowels are acting funky for the past 6 months (at least) - he #2s at least 8 times a day.  Nothing solid and nothing large.  Just streaks of mud more or less.
Was that too much info?  Sorry - it's poop and everyone does it somehow.

So I opened the bathroom door and he immediately climbed up onto the toilet (we keep the lid down - yes, my husband does this regularly and I'll explain why later!) and stripped his diaper.
Yep - a streak of poo.
But!  The rest was dry.  So I asked if he needed to pee and to go in the shower.
He immediately dashed in there (it's a stand-alone type) and I waited.  He looked at me expectantly and I turned on a little side hose by the sink and sprayed his boy bits and pow.
He peed.

Thinking this was purely a stroke of luck and it wouldn't happen again, I tried to not get my hopes up.
About an hour later, same thing.

"BANG, BANG BANG" - he was slamming and opening the door again to the bathroom.
I rushed him in there and I gave him a little spray and again - he peed in the shower.

I know and I'm sure - this disgusts many people.
But he is 5-years old - lost all the potty-training ("Elimination Communication") we started at 5-months old due to an infection on his bottom and the pain it caused - so anything remotely close to getting him to stay in a dry diaper - is a big step and one I'm going to approach with enthusiasm.

Of course, we're going to work on getting him to sit on a potty or toilet.  It's a major life skill he needs to learn and one that we need lots of time and patience for.

My goal is to allow him to pee in the shower for a few more days, this is fantastic that he's recognizing the need to pee on his own, and then I'll be putting a potty in the shower and teaching him to sit on it.
Teaching him to poop in the potty is going to be the hardest bit - but if I can get him to at least pee in the shower, on a potty (and eventually move that out of the shower and how to use toilet paper...) - then I'd be a very proud parent.

So what seemed to be an act of annoyance - turned out to be a signal for help.
Patience is really required in this job called parenting! :)
BIMU

PS - SH took him to the bathroom and he stripped down before entering the bathroom and ran into the shower and peed again! :D

PPS:  The Toilet Lid Story
I came home from work one day to my beloved little handsome kitten.  He's just a ball of fluff and 1/4 (they're in Canada - yes 4 cats) and he was more like a dog.
He'd run to the door when he heard me coming home and we'd have a cuddle before I even took my coat off and then we'd go to the kitchen to start supper usually.
During a cuddle one afternoon, SH looks at me and says, "You probably don't want to rub your face too close to him right now."
I have my face buried into his and while he's purring away and rubbing my face with his itty-bitty pink nose - I'm quickly sniffing my cat and not smelling anything odd.
"Why?"
"He fell in the toilet before I got a chance to flush it." - him
"You didn't bathe him?!  Did you crap?!...oh gross!"
"He jumped in faster than I could flush it or put the lid down!"
Excuses....blegh!

I immediately dropped my cat (don't worry - I'm not very tall), disinfected my hands and face and donned on rain gear to give him a bath (the cat - not my husband) and ever since then - he's put the lid down.

** SH claims that he did it anyway before this incident but I'd like to think this more or less sealed the deal.

Learning About Finland: Move Over Helsinki!

Ah Helsinki, the capital of Finland.
Also noted as one of the "most honest cities for returning a wallet".

Well, you can move over now Helsinki - I want to put Jyväskylä on the map of honest cities.
Friday, October 31st - I lost my wallet.
I was planning to take my A-Man to day-care via bus, as we have the monthly un-limited usage cards and because he enjoys "paying" for the bus (taking my wallet and pressing it on the electronic panel) and saying "MOI!" to the driver everyday.
And he equally loves waving good-bye to the bus when we get off and telling it "HEI HEI" (good-bye) and often tells it to be a good boy.
But that particular Friday he wanted to go "bizzy".  He wanted me to bike him to day-care.
Fine - I forget what I had for dinner the night before, but I'm sure I need to lose a bit of flub anyway.  So off we go - orange wallet in the basket and down the hills.
I remembered bringing my wallet into the day-care and I don't remember bringing it out of the day-care.
So I went insane that day trying to find my wallet.  I even went back to the day-care twice to look for it and back my 30-minutes hiking route I had taken with the dogs - nothing.  I was exhausted.
But no money was taken, my residence permit wasn't inside my wallet - just a whole bunch of other stuff.
Like what? (I know you're curious).

• Library card
• Finnish ID card - extremely handy (and expensive!) so I don't have to tote around my passport.
• Pictures of my children
• Kela cards - mine and my 3 children's cards too
• Subway card and other little membership/discount cards

Well, I wrote about what to do if you lose your wallet in Finland and only posted it this morning.
I figured I'd write a proper update and perhaps clarify why Jyväskylä needs to be named a super honest city too.

I went to the library this morning and paid 2€ for a new library card.
I'll miss my blue and white one but I love going to the library and taking the kids there too.  I also enjoy borrowing their wide selection of books and movies - it's a really great library!
(OOOH! And if you have a city library card in Jyväskylä, you can use your card to get into 4 museums for free on any day of the week from the beginning of November until end of January 2015!)
So I now have the new animal-printed one.
I told the lady that I needed a new card and thankfully had 2€ in change and my passport with me.  I advised her that I lost my wallet a couple weeks ago and she confirmed that nothing had been taken out on my card and no fees were owed.  Great!
"Oh that's unfortunate you lost your wallet." - librarian
"Yeah it's my first time having to report everything missing - ever." -me
"Oh really?! It's your first time?  Oh wow that's really something!" - her
Yep it was - that or she thinks I'm much older than what I am and I'm really impressing the pants off of her.
After that, I moved on to gander around the yarn shop with a friend then meet up with another friend and gossip and have McDonald's for lunch (we're classy like that).
As friend 2 and I parted ways, she suggested that I check the police station anyways because why not?
I was planning to go to Kela afterward and replacing my Kela card (along with the kids') and thought, I have time - why not?

I walked into the police station and the same two ladies were working there and I got the same one who didn't ask me to file a police report or anything a week and a half ago.
This is going to be a waste of my time...was my initial thought.
Well!  I walked up to the lady and showed her my current wallet - which is the same model but "caramel" coloured and told her:

"I was here a week and a half ago - any chance this wallet but orange and full of stuff is here?"

She looked at me and said, "One moment."

WELL! That was promising within itself!  She didn't flat out say "no".  She even went out back and talked with someone and came back...with my little orange wallet in her hand.
My jaw smacked the desk with shock and relief!
She opened it and went through it until she found my Finnish ID card and confirmed my ID that way and I was thrilled. 

For whatever reason, I suppose we'll call it "extra safety measure", the police officer beside her questioned her in just giving me back my wallet - of course in Finnish...then the lady helping me confirmed to her that she's looking at my Finnish identification card and yep - it's really the owner of the wallet.

I was so thankful and happy - I didn't even ask where it was found or when it was brought in - because she did tell me last time that someone would call me...nobody did by the way...

Anyways, I took a gander through my wallet once I left and everything was there.
There was actually  more than I remembered:

• Tapestry needles for sewing knitted projects
• SD memory card full of photos
• More than 2€ in coins - I didn't count but it might've been closer to 3.50€-ish.
• Other bits and bobs...

This is the first time that I lost something "huge" or "extremely important" - so I'm really grateful for the stranger that found my wallet and brought it back to the police. 
I've lost mittens, my friend has lost her backpack which contained her most important documents (visa, passport etc.) on a bus in Jyväskylä...

So I vote - Jyväskylä for the "Most Likely To Get Your Stuff Returned To You City**".
Thank you so much again stranger and if you're reading this - I'd love to buy you a coffee.
More importantly, thank you Finland for allowing me to show the world how awesome of a country you are.  And I'm honoured to call Jyväskylä my home.

BIMU 

** Unless your bike isn't locked properly or your lock sucks.  Some exceptions may apply. 

Learning About Finland: Losing Your Wallet

Have you ever lost your wallet?  Well, Finland is probably the best country to lose it in.
Helsinki is listed as the "World's Most Honest City" during a dropped wallet test.

Here's some things you need to consider if your wallet is truly lost (or stolen) and immediate action should take place if you cannot find it.

1. Cancel your bank cards and credit cards or at least drop the limits for spending to 0€ if you think you'll find your wallet fairly soon.
1. It costs 10€ per card to get them replaced.
2. Check online (if you didn't stick your internet banking codes in that same wallet) if anyone's used your bank card and if there's any money un-accounted for.
3. Once they're filed as lost - you are no longer responsible for any money spent on those cards (or attempted).  If you don't file your cards as lost until later - and money has been spent without your knowledge or approval - you're more than likely still responsible.
4. You can do this individually by calling your banks or online or dialing 020333.  This is 1 number and you can list all bank cards, credit cards and other important information that was in the wallet.
2. File a police report.  
3. Re-order the following (if they were in your wallet):
1. Residence Permit - I never carry this because it's not a valid piece of identification anyway.  Unless I have to present it to the
2. ID card or drivers license
3. Kela card
4. Passport (also reach out to your embassy if this was included wit your things gone missing)
5. Bus card - if you know the card number (printed on the back of the bus card or on the receipts from the last time you re-loaded it) - the bus station can cancel your card so it cannot be used by someone else.  Then it can be confiscated if used by someone else and hopefully if that's the case, you can get it back.  If not - then you'll have to order a new one.
1. Based on JKL Linkki bus system.
6. City or university library card(s)
7. Insurance or travel insurance cards
8. Membership cards (i.e. gym)

Those are the most major items I can think of...oh I bet you're wondering where this came up and why I would blog about it eh?

Yep, 2 weeks ago (as of this Friday) I took my child to day-care and normally A-Man is cool with the bus.  But no.  He decided that Friday he had to go "bizzy".  Which apparently meant bicycle.
So we did that and between the day-care and home (a straight line) - I managed to lose my wallet.  I don't remember leaving the daycare with it but I know it went inside with me.
We've checked the flat up and down and inside-out - no wallet. 

So I went to the police station (fat load of help that did) and because it was a Friday afternoon and I squeezed in the door 5-minutes before closing time and because there was a complete jerk at the other end of the counter hawking up a hair ball or the biggest bucket of phlegm ever...and he was also screaming at the police officer...
I quickly asked her if anyone has dropped off an orange wallet - nope. 
"But my Finnish ID is in there - do I cancel it or what do I do?" -me desperate and caked in sweat as I ran from the bus stop downtown.
"If we find it - we'll call you."

Clearly she had Friday night plans that started as soon as the office was closed to the public...she didn't ask my name or offer to file a report.
Thanks a lot.

Anyways, I'll be going back today in the hopes that it's possibly there and they were terrified of the bulkiness of my wallet (lots of membership cards and crap in there) to take a peek inside...

Lesson learned?
Don't listen to the toddler.  Had I not been "bizzy" (bicycling) - I wouldn't have lost my wallet.

BIMU

This was originally started on Halloween 2014 - when I lost my wallet.
Guess what??  I got it back.  I'll do a separate post soon!

Life With Kids: Birthday Party Edition

My children are now 5, 3 and under 1 year old.
The boys have had a joint birthday party and yes, even V-Man had one at the age of 1.

When I told this to a friend (and I'm sure other people think the same) - she pointed out that the kids wouldn't remember a first birthday party.
No I imagine not.
But here's my reasons for having a birthday party.

Because of V-Man's autism and at the time we didn't know it and just thought he was just being incredibly difficult in new places or waking up anywhere that wasn't home - so having a party was a great way to bring our friends together.  We could "visit" with several people at one time and have a bit of a social life this way.  That and we had some American friends (without children) who were hoping to meet my whole family at once - so this was perfect.
Then when A-Man was born and because his birthday is two weeks prior to V-Man - it made perfect sense to have a joint birthday party.  It saves us money and time and again, we still get to see those friends all in one go.

The first two years, we hosted it in our home because the weather was warm enough we could keep the dogs on the balcony.
But now that the kids are bigger and can open doors - putting the dogs in a separate bedroom doesn't cut it anymore and it's a bit of a bothersome to put the dogs on the balcony because they occasionally bark at other dogs if they see them.
So the past two years, I've been renting out a community room with a tiny kitchenette included (no stove or oven) but it does the job, has loads of furniture and space and the kids can run around like crazy for 4 hours.
That and we've befriended some people who are:

• Scared of dogs
• Allergic to dogs
• Have severe asthma when around pets or any amount of dust

So this saves us on cleaning, worrying about anyone getting sick and so on.

Last year was a Sesame Street themed party but this year I wasn't going to do any sort of theme.  Maybe Moomins - but when I went to a second-hand store and found a few Spiderman party sets (plates, napkins, treat bags, cards and cups with straws) - for 5€ a box - it seemed like the better way to go.
Then all I needed to get was a table cloth, goodies for the treat bags and of course the food!

"Aren't treat bags kind of fancy?" my friend asked.
Well, they can certainly be extravagant, but I tried to keep things within a budget and practical in the treat bags.
And sugar-free because the party has cake or ice-cream - seems silly to pump them with even more sugar!
Last year I made popcorn balls and reflectors on thick pieces of felt with googly eyes.
I also see treat bags as a little gift of thanks to both the child and parent for taking the time out of their weekend to come hang out with us and join the party.
This year, I opted for buying hard plastic reflectors, some little stamps and a little package of colourful clay/play-dough.
It gets dark in Finland and even though there's now snow on the ground, reflectors are definitely a must!

V-Man was at overnight care for the past week so we picked up him and brought him to the party for a few hours and he survived happily with a balloon and platefuls of food for the first hour.
I was freaking impressed!  But once it got to be "too much" for him - too much sounds, squealing as kids chased each other and A-Man stealing his balloon - and the fact he kept trying to leave - that's when I realized he needed a break.
He needed to be alone and I respect that.  I brought my phone and let him watch his beloved Fröbelin Palikat on Youtube and he was much calmer almost immediately.  He was able to focus on the music and tune out the noise around him.

For food - I had finger foods because the party started at 2pm - it was after lunch and before supper.  Perfect time for finger foods - (mostly) healthy and light.
Fruit, veggies, nacho dip, some chips and had cupcakes and ice-cream sundaes (we just used extra paper cups for the sundaes...
Juices, teas and coffees with hot chocolate were readily available. 

There was so much food it didn't fit in the photo.

And because gummy tarantulas were on sale after Halloween, it was a perfect cupcake topper!

I baked regular chocolate cupcakes (low-lactose) and made some vanilla butter-cream frosting.  Then I crushed some Domino cookies (the Finnish equivalent of Oreo cookies) using a food processor and then dipped each cupcake in that and squished on a gummy tarantula - ta-da!

Chocolate cupcakes!

For decorations - I just bought a bag of balloons and at first filled them with too much air - so some were popping with barely any contact.  

I was sort of hoping it would start a friend's labour as she has only a couple weeks left... ;-)

We didn't have any games because A-Man can't seem to grasp rules or be able to sit still long enough, and V-Man wouldn't be too interested either - and of course M-Girl's too young - so we just let the kids run around with the balloons and jump around and they seemed to enjoy themselves.

Also, we had a big pad of craft paper and a box of markers for the kids to colour with and they seemed to enjoy it and proudly took home their artwork. :) 

When we pick up V-Man today, we'll let the kids open their presents together.  It didn't seem fair to let Ahti open them last night because V-Man went back to overnight care after the party and I think he needed the peace and quiet after such a busy party!

We had about 10 children altogether join us yesterday.

I do realize that my children have no idea what their birthdays mean and they don't quite get the concept of Christmas or any other holiday or holiday figure (i.e. Santa, Tooth Fairy etc.) - so I'm enjoying this while I can.
Before they get a little more demanding or requesting to NOT have a party together or a party at all.

And yes, M-Girl will probably have a little birthday party herself next year when she turns 1.  But it can probably tied into with mine as our birthdays are two weeks apart as well!  That and she seemed to handle the loads of attention, balloons (yes, even when they popped) and children running around her quite well.
And considering she can pull herself up to stand and dance in one spot - and move furniture around while walking - she'll probably be able to walk around by her 1st birthday too!

While we have lots of left overs that'll last us quite some time - I remember last year using up the vegetables in a stir-fry.  So I think for lunch - that's what we'll have! :D

BIMU

Learning About Finland: Fröbelin Palikat

Not all music in Finland is heavy metal.
In fact, one very popular band here is a children's band made up of 4 men: a drummer, two guitarists and a keyboard player.
When I was starting to learn Finnish, one song we were introduced to was "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" - but the Finnish version - courtesy of Fröbelin Palikat on Youtube.
You can find their official site (Finnish only) here.
And you can find information about their band in English via Wikipedia here.

Now, never did I think about that music video until recently. 
I've mentioned before that V-Man goes to overnight care and they try to take him outside and go for nature walks, to the playgrounds and occasionally swimming and grocery shopping.  But when the weather is crummy or he has to wait a bit for his food - they'll allow him to watch a Fröbelin Palikat DVD and he seems to be quite happy, entertained and calm.
Fröbelin Palikat's music videos on Youtube have saved us from many melt-downs and tantrums while waiting to pay for groceries or the bus!!
So I began to keep an eye out at second-hand stores for their DVDs and they're really quite hard to find.  Then I tried looking in stores and same thing.
Looks like the children that do have those DVDs were holding onto them very tightly and the shops didn't have any interest in selling DVDs from an old 90's band anymore - with the likes of newer movies and American movies dubbed into Finnish becoming more and more popular.
Although, they do have a new live performances DVD out!
But then one day in Prisma, I did find some of their DVDs and I bought as many as I could with the intention of gifting them to the V-Man for Christmas and his birthday.

About a month ago, as I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed, I noticed a local shop - Kimperi - had posted a photo of a sign of the Fröbelin Palikat logo.
Excited, I translated what was going on and it turned out that FP was coming to Jyväskylä and having a concert.  Tickets were available immediately for 12€ per person (babies under the age of 12 months got free admittance) and the concert was being held in a local school's gymnasium.
And it's being held on the week of the V-Man's big 0-5.
What a perfect birthday gift for the child who wants nothing!
SH agreed with the gift idea and I got excited.  Like embarassing fan-girl excited.
I liked them on their Facebook page, and started thinking about how excited V-Man will be.

Well, we picked up V-Man from overnight care and it turns out that he's been awake since 5am this morning and not showing any signs of slowing down.
FYI it's 10:54pm and he's still wide awake.  
I bought the tickets the first day they went on sale and had them tucked safely into my new wallet (will discuss this later) and no, it's not a FP wallet. :)

Of course all three of the children decided to not take a nap today but I didn't care.  I knew with certainty, that once we got there - the kids wouldn't dream of taking a nap or throwing a fit.
I was partially right.
 
Well, the concert was held at a local school, so when you walked in (we arrived 30-minutes early) everyone was un-dressing their children and themselves from their outdoor gear and shoes and making their way into the gymnasium.  You were able to purchase tickets at the door and if you had yours already, they ripped off the stubs when you enter the gym.

There were tables at the back of the gym, opposite the stage, that offered snacks and beverages for sale - along with Fröbelin Palikat "swag" (merchandise).
I knew I wanted to get something for the kids but decided we'd make our purchases at the end of the show and focused more on getting to the front of the gym as possible.
This way, we wouldn't have to chase V-Man down and away from the stage and block other people's view.
We had an excellent spot to the side of the stage and full view and of course the kids kept inching forward during the show.
V-Man even got a special little wave and wink from the lead guitarist/singer!!
I'm such a sap I got teary-eyed and immediately sent a message to my friend...oh I'll keep the tears at bay...keep reading!

The performance was about an hour long (included one encore performance) and as soon as the show was over - everyone rushed to the back of the gym for some CDs, DVDs, hats/balaclavas/winter hats or t-shirts and while we were packing up - we noticed that many parents were quickly rushing to the stage (behind the rope).
"Hmm, let's see what's going on up here." I suggested and that's what we did.

Well, colour me surprised and in awe.
The band members of Fröbelin Palikat had fat stacks of cards with their band photo on it performing, and they each had pens in their hands.
And they each autographed above their heads in the photo for every single child or parent who wanted it.

We let A-Man run around in circles in the gym, as many other children were too - and I was carrying M-Girl and we brought V-Man to meet each member.  Of course I couldn't go completely fan-girl on them and get all teary eyed about how I thought this was super nice of them and how V-Man is autistic and loves their music to the moon and back...but we at least got something that I can put into his baby book (since he's the biggest fan) and I hope a lifelong memory for him.

This was truly a fantastic family experience for us and I honestly didn't think it would be possible to take our special guy to a "concert" anywhere - and even with the nasty tantrums afterward from A-Man - this was truly worth it.
And we picked up a couple t-shirts for the boys and a towel and were able to pay with our bank card (which surprised SH).

Dear Fröbelin Palikat:

I cannot thank you enough for performing in Jyväskylä - right before my son's 5th birthday and I wanted you to know that you made him the happiest little boy in the whole world.
Because he has severe autism - he's not the easiest child to shop for and while this was also our first concert ever in Finland - I hope you'll come back to Jyväskylä in the future because he really is your number one fan.
Sincerely,
V-Man's Mom

PS sorry he was the only kid standing during most of your "sitting down songs" and tried to get up on the stage once...