The Laura Blog

 Dear Maren,

You’re three years old today. With each milestone we reach, all of the collective moments from the time you were born feel like they flash in front of me. What words could possibly be enough to describe you just as you are, right now? The most magical age. So full of personality and full of life. The kind of little girl that, when I was pregnant with you, I would have said, “I hope I have a daughter just like her one day”.

Your hair is long and blonde and something you’re fiercely attached to now with your new discovery and love of Disney princesses. Flashes of mischievousness or twinkles of happiness radiate from your blue eyes, and I can’t help but laugh along with you when you giggle at something you find funny. Your favorite things are playing tea-party, restaurant, building magna-tiles, reading books, and painting. You say you want to be a soccer player when you grow up, and the suggestion of a ballet class led you to calmly explain that it would make you “way too dizzy”. Your vocabulary blows anyone away, but it always has. Years ahead of your time, you’re asking me how things are spelled, point out the color "indigo", and demand to do your own homework alongside of your brothers at the end of each school day. You can count to 30, have known your alphabet for about 2 years solid, know all of your shapes and colors, and point out letters and numbers. Potty training was the easiest one day exercise of putting all the diapers away when we came home from a trip to Finland and you never had an accident and you never looked back. When you introduce yourself to anyone you spell your name out for them: “it’s  M-A-R-E-N” you say, which is impossibly adorable. You asked about the “earthquake in Ukraine”, mixing up your news stories, and jam along to Oskar’s favorite song “Renegade” by drumming out the base line. You’re braver than your brothers were and fearlessly talk to strangers, rattling off stories about school or toys or TV shows as soon as you meet them.

Your days start with the sun in a new big girl bed of which you’re incredibly proud. Still a 6am riser, but with your growing independence and your biggest brother’s exact same sleep schedule, the two of you have become two peas in a pod. Oskar and you creep your way downstairs in the mornings to wait for us to drag ourselves out of bed.  Most days you’re in school and complain about having to go but then always report that you had a good day. You play house and babies with your friends and somehow always make everyone else be the dad or the dog, demanding to be the mom in charge. You’re a strong personality with your peers, always wanting to be the boss and not always loving to share. You tell me “I’m a big strong girl”—something I hope you always feel, though it wouldn’t kill you to fork over the toys to your friends every now and then. We’re the luckiest to be in a neighborhood full of kids and being able to grow up with the little girls around you will make for the best childhood memories--running from yard to yard and playing imaginative games--the way every childhood should be. You’re still a good eater for a 3 year old and love oatmeal, mashed potatoes, salmon, carrots, and any kind of soup. You’re always willing to try something new and love to share whatever we’re eating. You love Peppa Pig and frequently tell me you’re “going on holiday” or that your pretend restaurant meals cost “6 pounds” or that you need to wear your “swimming costume” for the pool. You’re also able to rattle off Minecraft characters and know about every show your brothers watch, not to be left behind for even a second. August is on the precipice of outgrowing the things that unite you, but for now, your combined imagination and make-believe games are what I’ll look back on and remember most of all at this age. The both of you in costume or playing with your kitchen, emersed in a world far, far away, I’ll hold in my heart forever.

The last remaining trace of your baby years is the way you soothe yourself, by twirling and intertwining your fingers into my necklace while I hold you. Your two fingers on your left hand get popped into your mouth simultaneously and you’re instantly calmed—the magic my chain holds over you. You’ve demanded for your stuffed animal elephant to wear a gold necklace to bed too, an instant middle-of-the-night way to get yourself back to sleep.

This birthday is a traditionally tough one for me. Three whole years, a baby no more. It’s especially hard with our last and final; our miracle girl who completed our family. As sad as it is to have this time slip so quickly through my fingers, what an absolute joy it is to have the most brilliant and beautiful child. A healthy and vibrant girl who learns and plays and grows and is becoming a little person who continues to bring the most joy to our family. I always ask you before bed, “Do you know how much I love you?” and you tell me, “So much!”. To the moon and stars, kiddo. Happy 3^rd birthday.

Love,

Mama

My yearly favorite things list for 2022, hot off the press in February 😏. This is the stuff that REALLY sticks out thinking back on what I bought and loved last year and what I still reach for almost every day. If you're in a shopping mood, you can't go wrong with anything here. 

1. Leggings and Top: This matching set is an exact dupe for Lululemon. I'm convinced they're made by the same manufacturer and tagged differently. Buttery soft, flattering, and absolutely perfect to work out or lounge in. This is my number one for a reason.

2. Blazer: I love this blazer over a bodysuit with high waisted denim. Found a picture of my mom wearing closely the same thing in the early 90s, so how the turn tables.

3. Hair Mask: This transformed my hair over the last few months and came recommended by my fairy godfather of a hairdresser.

4. Vitamin C Capsules: I have freckles and sun spots and have noticed a serious difference with the use of this vitamin C. After lots of time researching and listening to cosmetic scientists, this product is the best you can get for a really reasonable price tag.

5. Perfume: The most addicting scent. I typically don't wear perfume, but I just can't get enough of this one.

6. Earrings: My every day go-tos, giving the illusion of a double pieced ear.

7. Lip Gloss: The best low-budget gloss that you can afford to have in all purses and middle consoles. A great nude that isn't sticky or goo-ey, but gives just the right amount of color to feel a little more put together.

8. Atomic Habits: A ground breaking book to get yourself motivated to do that thing you've been putting off for too long.

9. Clogs: So comfortable, so cute. Classics never die.

10. Hair Growth Serum: I had so much breakage of my hair around the crown of my face, and with this growth serum, I've noticed a crazy difference in just 9 weeks. The best part is that the serum doesn't make your hair oily or greasy, so I can still wash only a few times a week.

Ho ho ho! I'm almost done with Christmas shopping already and really kept it all easy and light this year. Saving for future vacations in lieu of stuff has become the name of the game in this house and I love it. This said, I did round up some of my favorite purchases from this year for myself if you're looking for some inspiration. Here we go!

One: Guys, I LIVE FOR THESE. The comfiest, coziest set of pajamas that I've ever owned, and I have higher-end pajamas as well (think LAKE). 

Two: A spendier gift but just so worth it. I finally got myself one after a promotion this year and use it all the time. Every cook should have one.

Three: My go-to favorite shoe. Easy on, easy off, and look good with anything you wear.

Four: the cutest stinking cocktail glasses. I'll be gifting these this year.

Five: The WAY I LOVE THIS PERFUME. I was influenced by Mikayla on TikTok who said that the underlying tones of mango were amazing, and the girl did not lie.

Six: the perfect red lip for winter

Seven: cutie little sherpa belt bag. I got the ivory which is sold out, but keep an eye out for restocks.

Eight: little samples of Drunk Elephant products for anyone who appreciates skin care

Nine: best quality polishes for the holidays

Ten: A hair mask that has worked wonders for my hair over the last year

Eleven: I love these earrings. The look of a double piercing with just a touch of sparkle.

Happy October, happy fall! We're all settled into our school year and sports routines and are looking forward to one of our favorite times of year. The boys have ended up "themed" for costumes since they were very little--pig and wolf, Peter Pan and Smee, Iron Man and Batman, and a plethora of Star Wars characters the last few years that I know nothing about. This year, they ended up choosing professional soccer and professional football players--synced as could be until Maren came along. NO to baseball, YES to The Little Mermaid. If you see us in ref and soccer mom outfits and uniforms with a mermaid toddling behind, #itme. 

I like to give them each a little "boo basket" mid-October with a few fun fall things tucked inside. Adding some of the finds I grabbed, below. Favorites of ours that we already have are The Witches book (an absolute must read for Halloween!), the Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza game that has become a night time ritual, and cat ears for cute sibling Halloween pictures outside in the colorful leaves. Soaking up these last few weeks of sunlight--I'll be back with Christmas updates before we know it. Until then!

1. The Witches

2. Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

3. Fake Snake

4. Cat Ears

5. Squishmallow

6. Halloween Pajamas

7. Hair Color

8. Bath Bombs

9. Halloween LEGO

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!