The Laura Blog

We arrived in Oslo on a Wednesday afternoon, a short skip and hop over from Helsinki where we had been the previous 2+ weeks. Why all these Scandinavian, Nordic cities, you ask? Because they're so dang easy (relatively) to navigate with kids. Ours were 8, 6, and 2 this time, and we're just not up for the overwhelming Romes, Barcelonas, or Parises of the world with our trio quite yet. We took a train from the airport directly to city center and walked to our hotel from there--a quick 10 minutes if you're not dragging copious amounts of luggage behind you like Matt was. I'd highly recommend Hotell Bondeheimen for accommodation. For about $230 a night, we had the ENTIRE TOP FLOOR of the hotel, including a balcony, and some of the most delicious breakfast food included (including every kind of smoked or baked salmon under the sun) to feed our family of 5. A huge bonus in an otherwise very pricey city. The location was central and we could walk to nearly everywhere we wanted to go.

After settling in, we decided to jump on a tram to the Vigeland Sculpture Park--unique and weird, for sure, featuring 212 sculptures of naked humans that REALLY got the boys giggling and yelling "butt" and "balls" about every 5 seconds. So much for culture, but otherwise, a truly beautiful walk on the most gorgeous, sunshine filled day. Right inside the park is Frogner playground which was absolutely enormous and got out the travel day wiggles from all 3. They played, played, played, until it was time to head back and figure out dinner, which we ended up eating in Aker Brygge right on the water. The views are unbeatable, and restaurants on the water all have blankets for guests to use as the evenings on the water tend to get chillier. We finally headed back to our hotel rest up and figure out our Thursday agenda.

The next day, we set out to find Europe's best cup of coffee at Tim Wendelboe, a coffee house credited for starting the coffee craze across all of Scandinavia. We stumbled across the coolest, modern playground next to a waterfall in the middle of the city on our way, which the kids STILL say was their favorite part of the trip. On this note, playgrounds are frequent, abundant, all all so unique across the entire city. They are everywhere, making walking throughout the city with kids a breeze with a playground bribe just around every corner. Tim Wendelboe was the experience I had imagined it would be, with cold brew served in a wine glass and our initial thoughts of a take-away or to-go mug quickly squashed to death. This was an *EXPERIENCE*, with every drop meant to be savored. 

Afterwards, we grabbed a quick lunch and went to watch the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace, which happens every day at 1:30pm. The kids were way more intrigued by The Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park, which contains sculptures by--and for--children. The sculpture park was established between 2016 and 2019 as the result of a nationwide competition among 5th and 6th graders, and you're able to see the drawn up submission as well as the sculpture that was brought to life as a result. August, our artist at heart, gulped it all up.

To cap off the day, we headed to Oslo's opera house, near the top of every tourist guide. This architectural masterpiece allows you to climb up the side of the building to the roof, where you're able to catch some beautiful 360 views of the city. The kids had a blast climbing and riding make shift slides down the outside of the opera house.  The views were stunning and a reminder of how Scandinavia does summer. It seemed like the whole city was out on the small beach that the opera overlooked, sun bathing, sailing, and paddle boarding. We finally wandered over to Operastranda for dinner where they have a big line up of food stands. The kids ate a pizza while we had the best fresh fish and chips of our lives as we sat and soaked up the sun. We ended the day with ice cream and the prettiest playground overlooking the sea (duh).

The next day was my BIRTHDAY (!!!) and we did it right. A must-do in Oslo is sailing the fjords, so sail the fjords we did. A little lesson on glaciers and how the water inlets were formed really peaked Oskar's interest, and it truly was fascinating, and SO BEAUTIFUL, to sail through them all. We were about ready to sell all of our things and to live in one of the cabins by the sea forever by the end of it until we learned their price tags. 

The next and final day we ventured by train to Frederikstad, which is truly like going back in time. The ride was just over an hour, making it manageable back and forth to Oslo in a day. The old city is just spilling over with charm, full of wooden buildings, quaint shops, playgrounds, and outdoor restaurants. We walked and shopped, played at a playground with roaming GOATS, and sipped some ice cold Ringnes on a cobble stone street. Highly recommend. After getting back to Oslo, we squeezed in a trip to the Munch museum. It's huge, and we could have spent hours there, but with 3 already tired kids we spent about just about 90 minutes. Enough to soak in some of his most famous works, including The Scream. The kids found yet another too-good-to-pass-up playground next to a Poke bowl restaurant, so that was pretty win-win and we all ended the night on a really happy note.

Overall, I think we could have used just one more day in Oslo, as I would have loved to go to the open air museum and to have done some island hopping by ferry. The city really was a perfect one with kids, and the weather showed up for us 100%. Everyone told me to enjoy my notoriously rainy time in Norway, but not a drop was to be found while we were there. This said, if you go, make sure you pack ponchos and rain gear just in case. Next on our lists: Bergen, Norway, which looks like an absolute dream. I wanted Maren to be a little bit older and out of a stroller so we can tackle the mountains and fjords without one. Until then. 

If you're planning any travel and have any other questions about the city, shoot me a message on Instagram @thelaurablog1 and I'll get back to you! Sometimes it's easiest to talk to someone who's been there, and I think we got a really good feel for everything that Oslo holds. Ha det, for now, Norway. We will definitely see you soon!

Happy Friday and long weekend ahead! I rounded up some of my recent favorite Amazon orders for summer. My favorite finds are the exfoliating mitt (never realized what a difference one could make), the lavender nail polish, and the lip mask that I wear every night. If you're looking to keep that summer glow going, I've got you covered!

1. Exfoliating Glove

2. Loose Powder

3. Tinted Moisturizer + SPF

4. Moroccan Oil Lotion

5. Lavender Nail Polish

6. Moisturizing Lip Balm

7. Lip Mask

8. Hair Mask

Dear Oskar,

Today, you are eight. EIGHT. Growing bigger, older, and more mature every single day, and I feel like our time together and our conversations are bigger, older, and more mature too. What an incredible year of growth you’ve had this year. The pride we feel in getting a front row seat to you navigating your way through these childhood years is something only a mother could dream.

You’ve had a wonderful school year and have surrounded yourself with so many friends. You started off the year having to wear a mask due to the pandemic but were able to stop wearing one in February, also after being fully vaccinated. What a rollercoaster of a few years we’ve had, but I finally feel the worry lessening and a normal childhood returning. The way we’ve filled our home with a bunch of boys time and again really speaks to how much everybody just adores you. This is also evident any time we go anywhere because somebody always knows you and wants to talk to you. Kindness and empathy, first, always, which you’ve exuded over and above and made such a wonderful tribe of friends to navigate elementary school with. Academically, you’ve succeeded again beyond our wildest dreams, skipping an entire academic year in math and still finishing with a 99.2%. Every other subject was mastered, too, resulting in a gifted IEP and discussions about how to keep your curious and brilliant mind challenged. You’re hardest on yourself and persist until you excel. There are seriously great things ahead for you, I just know it.

Another year older and still up at 6am every single day. You tiptoe downstairs and start your day with Netflix or Nintendo, waiting for the rest of the household and world to wake up. You look so much older than you did last year, with your adult teeth all growing in and wiggly or missing teeth finally slowing down. You’re so long and lean—so long, in fact, that we all call you Oskar-long-legs because they’re always either folded up underneath you or splayed out on someone else’s chair or lap. It’s those long legs and your phenomenal speed that have made you a soccer super-star this year, scoring goal after goal and dominating every game. We absolutely love to watch you play. You’ve gained so much confidence and have been surrounded by a team of your very best friends, and I know these soccer years will go down as core memories from childhood. Big hugs after a buzzer beater to win the game or lifting up teammates when they make a big play—you’ll remember it all. You just had try-outs for a travel team, and you played your heart out to make it.

You love scary books, Minecraft, swimming, learning about North Korea, and Green Day. Quite the eclectic little soul.

Your relationship with August is also growing, changing, and evolving, and is less imaginative play now than it is physical—playing outside, swimming, wrestling—or then, coming together for favorite shows or movies, or to play a Nintendo game together. I love that you’re in back-to-back grades because your friends have become joint ones. Seeing you get on the bus together or playing with friends together at playgrounds or at our house reconfirms what I’ve known all along: you’re best friends. And as for Maren, she’s the boss in this house and we all know it. She loves nothing more than her brothers, and watching you take care of her or make her laugh is a dream. She’s also inherited your early waking hours, and watching you two snuggle up on the couch in the mornings gets me every time.

You wished for drums for your birthday and got a set so that you could start a band with August called The Rockers. You’ll start lessons later this year, another thing I know you’ll be amazing at due to your math-mindedness. Otherwise, we’re celebrating you with a big group of all of your very best friends, swimming and eating pizza, and then heading off to Finland and Norway on the day of your actual birthday. This will be your 7^th international trip, and I’m still so proud that we’ve made this work as a family of 5. We went just 6 months ago right after Christmas, so you'll get to live the winter and summer in Scandinavia within just a handful of months of each other. It’s not easy, and it’s not a vacation as much as it is an adventure, but in the end it’s always worth it.

There are no words for how much we love you and how proud we are of you, Oskar. We’re navigating the way right along side of you, and you make it so darn easy. To my insightful, inquisitive, introspective, deep thinking, analytical, blue-eyed baby boy: happy, happy birthday. You’re my favorite big kid in the whole wide world.

Love,

Mama

Adapter: Always make sure you have your phone charger and a travel adapter in your carry-on in case luggage gets lost! 

Water Bottle: This one is the perfect leak-proof water bottle that comes with a straw for my kids to drink from without spilling all over themselves. We've had good luck with security, who are generally flexible about me bringing liquids through when traveling with small kids.

Clorox Wipes: Self explanatory, but very necessary to wipe down windows, arm rests and tray tables upon boarding. I also buy travel hand sanitizers and clip one to each of the bookbags that the bigger kids carry themselves.

Battery Bank: We've experienced being stranded on the tarmac for over 4 hours before take off, and the kids' tablets were already starting to run low on battery. This bank allows all kinds of electronic devices to be plugged into it to charge while you fly.

Cozy Socks: A must have for all of us! We love to put our cozy socks on when we fly because the airplane is always freezing cold.

Passport Wallet: A necessity to fit 5 of our passports in at once while still keeping them organized. Also fits all of your money and credit cards.

Neck Pillow: I thought I had tried them all, but then my mother-in-law got me this one. Incredibly comfortable and necessary for me to TRY to rest a little bit on our red-eye over the Atlantic. 

Travel Tylenol: Important for adults + kids in case of somebody not feeling well during the extremely long travel day. We also pack kids' Melatonin for the overnight flight for them to get a little bit of sleep.

Wet Bags: Do not skip these. A change of clothes for everyone, packed in a wet bag, is a MUST. We've been burned before!

Tablet: Sure, we pack books, games, and cards, but the ultimate holy-grail are these tablets that keep them entertained the longest.

Now tell me, is there anything I'm forgetting? Are you traveling with kids this summer? I'd love to hear all about your adventures too!

Another post! As Oskar would say, "Who even am I?" I'm excited to share our renovated bathroom with you because 1) I love it, and 2) It will likely never be this clean again. This project went hand-in-hand with our downstairs mudroom project, here, because our laundry room used to be where we expanded our entry way and installed cabinetry for additional storage. So, we had to find a new home for our washer and dryer, and what better place than in an oversized guest bathroom located on our second floor? No more hauling laundry up and down stairs was an added bonus that I could absolutely get behind. The concept of laundry in a bathroom is a very European one and I'm all about it. The kids come home, throw their school clothes into the washing machine and wash their hands in one fell swoop. Or, when they jump in the shower at the end of the day, their clothes get tossed right in. We still had plenty of room for a vanity, even with the added laundry space, though smaller than before. Plus, we added an oversized tub that everybody loves. 

First, some "before" pictures of our early 80s bathroom that hadn't been touched since the house was built.

Happy Friday, friends! I put together an Easter basket guide for some fun ideas that, most importantly, aren't junk. Nothing worse than useless plastic that ends up in the garbage, am I right? All of these things are making their way into the baskets of my three, with many being repeat offenders for favorite stuffers, year after year. Most loved are Bubble Podz (all-natural, unscented pods that give you the BUBBLIEST bath ever), Natives (our live-in shoe for months March-September), swimsuits, and magic (HUGE) bubbles to play with outside. Also, peep that initial hat that I just couldn't resist a few years back. They're still in use today. 

1. Bubble Pods

2. Sprinkle Goggles

3. Initial Hat

4. Egg Chalk

5. Long Sleeved One Piece

6. Natives

7. Garden Tools

8. Paint by Sticker

9. Lemon Pajamas

10. Glasses

11. Diving Gems

12. Giant Bubble Kit

13. Swim Trunks

Dear August,

Happy birthday, sweetheart. I have such a soft spot for you, my baby boy. You’re my sensitive, empathetic, more reserved little emote and you feel all things BIG. You’re made to be a middle child, it’s true, but that doesn’t always mean it’s fair when your brother and sister demand all the things until you finally get some time yourself, which you lap up and cherish. Quality time is absolutely, 100%, your love language and there’s nothing I love more than when I get to spend some of it with you.

You started kindergarten this year, such a milestone. I was in no way ready and I held my breath that you would be after a few weird years hunkered down at home during the pandemic. You started the year off shy and reserved, slowly, carefully, peeling back your layers. We went 180 on that one, though, and now when I pick you up, I get updates on which voice you performed for the class all day or which character you played. You typically run out to hug me with a British/cowboy/robot accent, which I’ll take as a good sign (I think). You're every teacher's favorite now, and they always pull me aside to secretly tell me so. So far, you’re cruising right through academically, and even got put into an advanced reading group this period. I was so proud of you, but you were even prouder. Those moments of self-love don’t come super frequently for you because you’re always comparing, striving, and looking to your older brother, wanting to be at the same level as him on everything. The unfair burden of a younger sibling to bear.

I really wanted to find an activity just for YOU this year and enrolled you in an art class on Monday evenings. You’re already so creative and imaginative and love to doodle and draw, so I thought this might just be the perfect fit. I’ll never forget your face that first day, coming home with a Mario painted canvas, running around the house chanting, “I love art! I love art!”. You’ve had 5 months worth of classes now, bringing home your masterpieces week after week. Your confidence has soared being the best at something in our house—an area that Oskar doesn’t hold a candle to. I hope your love of painting continues forever.

I also set a goal for you to learn how to ride your bike before turning 6 and getting you to be brave enough to try was a battle we fought for months and months. We worked on this together for SO LONG, until one winter day you took off across the cul de sac on your own. I feel like this will be a core memory for both of us. Something we did, and overcame, together. I’ll never forget it.

You’re starting soccer again, something you’re happy enough to tag along to. I’m curious if this will become a passion of yours. For now, it’s so fun for Maren and me to cheer for you on the sidelines. She’s your biggest fan.

Speaking of Maren, the bond you two have made this year is just absolute magic and watching her take you by the hand to play is something I wasn’t sure would happen with a 4-year age gap. She is absolutely in love with “her August”, and wants you to play on the trampoline, to snuggle up with her on the couch, or to read with her in your bed. You’re the first person she asks for and sees when picked up from school. As much as you do play alongside of and try to appease a 2-year-old, most of your time is spent with your big brother, playing Nintendo, wrestling on forts you built downstairs, or playing outside. Big kid stuff. You spend plenty of time on your own, too, and are so imaginatively invested in your LEGOs and the worlds you make up. I can often find you with a chair scooted up to a buffet in the dining room, where you’ve sprawled out your favorite sets and make up dialogues between the good guys and bad guys.

You’re a lover and a pacifist and are rarely the one to get in trouble in this house. You slip away to your room any time you’re upset until you’re ready to reappear and have even starting journaling your feelings—a cue even adults could take from you. You lost both upper and lower teeth within weeks of each other, and now have the biggest, toothless smile that is just so perfect for a newly turned 6 year old.

You love so big and so hard, and those closest to you are the most important in the entire world. You make a few close friends and hang on tight and invest all of your energy into them. They love you so much in return, and I’m certain these friendships will be ones that last a lifetime.

You are SO excited to be turning 6 and have been counting down the days for weeks now. Your birthday might just be your very favorite day of the year, and I’m happy, but sad, to see you turning one year older. The eternal struggle that is motherhood. I can’t wait to surround you with all of the Mario, Luigi, and Star Wars a 6-year-old could dream. There’s no one that deserves it more.

I love you infinitely, my forever baby boy. I’ll never forget the day you were born and looking into that beautiful face of yours for the very first time. What a joy it has been to watch you grow for 6 whole years.

Love,

Mama

Hi! Here with our long-awaited (and 99% complete!) mudroom, which has been months in the planning/designing and even longer in the waiting-on-backlogged-materials-to-finally-ship phases. Thanks supply chain. What we started with was an extremely narrow and dark hallway that was full of coats, shoes, bookbags, and soccer bags. It was also the first impression of our home, with a wall in front of your face as soon as you entered, behind which was a laundry room that was absolutely not the most functional place to have to lug dirty clothes to every day. I've added some not-so-flattering before photos, and granted, I could've probably photographed the space a little bit better, but they're not so far off from real day-to-day life. Needless to say, the space just was not working for our family of 5. 

Looking down the front hallway, entry way door past the coat closet to your left, laundry room to your right. Some cardboard had already been thrown down by the contractors that day:

 Dear Maren,

The last time I wrote you a birthday letter, we were still home, quarantining, and staying safe from COVID. We were starting to get ready to turn a page, and it finally, finally feels like we have. We’ve slowly and cautiously made our way back into the world, and it feels like such a weight lifted to be able to not worry so darn much anymore. To live an almost normal life with you as my little sidekick—never, ever far away from my leg or my hip, a mama’s girl, through and through.

Words can’t express how much happiness you bring us all. As sad as I am about you getting older, this is such an incredible age. Your speech is at an absolutely astounding level, with you rattling off paragraphs on end. Hearing you narrate your life through your words is just so fun, and we laugh 100 times a day about the things you say. Some of my favorites:

Waking up at 5am, whispering directly in my eardrum: “What do you want to do downstairs?”

“Dada is going to work to take care of sick people with bananas and crackers.”

“Mama, come here and snuggle buggle!”

“A quarter? What the heck is a quarter?”

Me: Are you a beautiful little girl? You: No! I’m Maren Josefine!

Pointing at the dead fish at the seafood counter, wide eyed: “It’s baby shark.”

My heart explodes when I see you giggle, or chatter, or take your brothers by the hand to boss them around in whatever game you’d like to play with them. They’re both so patient with you and love to make you happy even when you demand everything that’s theirs, from toys to food to mama’s attention. You’re the perfect endcap to our family. Everybody’s favorite.

Your sleep is still terrible, but it’s funny how perspective changes with the last baby, and the fleeting moment that this feels like in the grand scheme of things. You’re up through the night, crying to come into our bed, and somewhere along the way we cave in and grab you and tuck you in between us where you snuggle up and eventually fall asleep. You’re off to school on most mornings and always tell me you don’t want to go and that you “cry all day”, but your teachers assure me that you’re happy and play right along with all the other boys and girls. The dramatics.  At drop off you always remind me, and your teachers, that “Mama will ALWAYS come back”—such an emphasis on the ALWAYS, and that this most certainly is a temporary situation, just so everybody knows it. You know your ABCs, your colors, and can count to about 15, and then randomly jump around to 20. You’re so interested in homework and tests and pretend to do yours along side of your brothers after school.  When I pick you up you gallop to me (literally), and jump into my arms, ready to go home.

Our biggest challenge this year has been all of the daycare germs. The constant runny noses, ear infections, quarantines, and stomach flus. We’ve been through the ringer, and none of it was even COVID. Hoping that we get a little bit of a reprieve from the worst of it as we turn the corner to spring.

You traveled to Finland over Christmas which was, by far, your biggest adventure. Aside from the jet-lag that never relented, you did so well, even with bumps in the road (like a 4hr 15 min delay on the tarmac that nearly did me in). We’re getting ready to do it all over again + a stop in Norway in just a few short months this summer, so fingers crossed that you’ll repeat your overall A+ performance.

A whole new world of play has opened up to me after two boys. You love baby dolls and to rock them, push them in strollers, or pat them to sleep. You love coloring and painting and spend so much of your time laying on your belly on the floor with a big piece of paper and a handful of markers, doodling and drawing with the pencil grip of a kindergartner. It’s truly amazing. You love climbing into my lap to read books with your favorites on repeat. Going on a Bear Hunt, The Gruffalo, and any fairy tale get gold, silver, and bronze. Above all, you love to play downstairs with your brothers, running between the trampoline and some foam climbing blocks, yelling at them to do just what you want.

You nursed until 16 months, but stopped on your own, and became disinterested enough to never ask to nurse again. You’re still such a good eater and love nothing more than salmon and mashed potatoes. We’ve slowly taken you out to restaurants, and you’re so fun to go out to eat with because you like everything. Relishing these days until the picky toddler phase inevitably begins.

Your hair is so long now and gets comments from everybody. Still so blonde and a little bit wavy, up in a ponytail every day to keep it out of your big blue eyes. You ask for a “piggy tail” when it’s down, my favorite thing. Another surprise of having a girl is your absolute tyranny over what you wear, which absolutely must be pink and must be hand selected, if we can even manage to get you dressed at all. “Pajamies” are your favorite, and you call them “comfy cozy”, flat out refusing to put clothes on most days without some serious round-table talks. 

You’re most often found on my hip with your two fingers in your mouth, holding my necklace with your other hand. My necklace is your biggest security blanket, something you reach for all throughout the day and demand for me to put back on if I ever dare take it off. Sweet and endearing unless it’s at 2am.

You’re napping for 2 hours at school but put up a heck of a fight to do the same at home, with me having to lay with you in my bed to get you to fall asleep at all. I’m toast already. You’re in your crib to sleep at 8pm after a half an hour of reading and 25 rounds of "Wheels on the Bus" and protest for 10 minutes or so by yelling at me to open the door before laying down and falling asleep on your own.

I feel so incredibly lucky that we had this chance to have you, our last baby, our daughter. Life feels so full and so complete, and watching you grow is one of the greatest gifts of my life. You’re such a vibrant, happy, smart little girl, and your ponytails and chubby cheeks will be etched in my brain and heart forever. Happy 2^nd birthday, sweetheart (even though I know you’ll tell me, “I’m not sweetheart! I’m Maren Josefine!”). We all just truly love to love you.