What Runaway Horses Taught Me About Fear and Control
When twenty horses ran out of control in my backyard, I made a split-second decision to do something which taught me a lot about fear and control.
Sweden
The Mom Who Cried Wolf
The snow crunched beneath my thick soled boots. After a week without snow and temperatures that rose during the day and fell at night, the ground was covered in patchy bits of hardened snow. The top layer was icy, and a confident stride would degenerate into walking like a novice tight rope walker with both […]
Celebrating Santa Lucia in Sweden
Today is Santa Lucia and children everywhere in Sweden are honoring the faithfulness of an Italian woman and martyr, Lucia. Lucia’s Story—The real stuff The year was 283 and Lucia was born to rich noble parents. Lucia’s father died when she was just five years old and in an attempt to look after Lucia, […]
Swedish First Grade—Room to Grow
Necessary disclaimer: I understand and acknowledge that not every school in Sweden does things the same way. This is simply a little peek into what we have experienced. I’ve written in the past about my children’s experiences with Swedish preschool and with föreskoleklass so, now it’s time for an update as the fall term of first grade […]
A Visit to a Swedish Outdoor Preschool
A wooden propeller plane makes for a great climb Cold. Uncomfortable. Rugged. Rustic. Miserable. Those are the words that I would’ve used to describe a Swedish outdoor preschool before I knew any better. Preschools in Sweden are for children ages 1-6 (the year they turn 6, they head off to “big school” so some kids […]
Voting in my First Swedish Election
In this era of anti-immigrant sentiments, I find it more and more important for me to self-identify as an immigrant. Mostly, so my American friends and family start to associate my white face and educated background with the term, instead of the racial minorities that are usually painted in such a negative light by politicians […]
This Year’s Midsummer Actually Falls Mid-Summer
Midsommar is usually a bitter-sweet celebration for Swedes. The weather is just starting to warm up and it finally starts to feel like summer weather after a long May of cold, dreary rain with average temperatures in the 6-11 C (43-52 F) range. What’s worse is that every Swede you talk to has some sort of Farmer’s […]
Swedish Summer Pop Playlist 2018
Whether you dance in your car, your kitchen, or in your underwear, this playlist will help you get into the summer backyard BBQ mood. Discover some new artists and dance your heart out this summer with this Spotify playlist or YouTube playlist. Who knows? You might even pick up some new Swedish words after listening […]
Learning Through Play—First year in a Swedish School
Necessary disclaimer: I understand and acknowledge that not every school in Sweden does things the same way. This is simply a little peek into what we have experienced. “What does your typical school day look like? What do you do?” I asked my six-year-old son. He took me over to the whiteboard where laminated words with […]
Looking for trash, volunteers discover streets are super clean
Determined to “clean up the streets” a small group of volunteers in a suburb outside of Stockholm, Sweden, struggled to find trash to fill their bags. Armed with gloves, oversized trash bags, and water to stay hydrated in the hot June sun, the group wandered along the pedestrian paths searched for anything to grab using […]