"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...