Pool Fun

My sisters poolside is a favored spot for all the kids in their neighborhood, and for our kids too... Complete with pool toys, a poolside barbecue and lovely company - I must say I enjoy spending a day there as well! The best thing with a pool, though, is that the kids learn to be familiar with water - and also that they learn about water safety. Non-swimmers have to wear life jackets at all times, and the pool area is strictly off limits when no adults are present. They all accept and respect that, which is very, very important...

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One Flying Out Of The Nest...

#1Brat is going away to Denmark tomorrow, to the rock festival at Roskilde. She doesn't need a passport (we don't within the Nordic countries), which is just as well, since she's fresh out of a valid one. (Note to self: get new passport).
Mum's not fretting too much, she's going with a bunch of sturdy fellows, but hey! My baby'll be leaving home soon... This fall, she'll be going away to school, and it's all natural and all that, but she's my first, OK??? I'll be one short in this nest of mine...

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My Top Droppers

After a week or so of Entrecard on this blog, these are my top droppers:

Chica & Pumuckl - Funny Cats in Egypt
Search Engine Panel
Red Sox Mommy
The Canine Kids
Thailand Land of Smiles
GermAware
eastcoastlife
Artbeat Inspirations
Blogging Over Coffee
The Peanut Butter Blog

Thanks, all of you!

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Out Of The Woods (As It Were)

It's been raining for 3 days running, which means that we're officially out of the woods with regard to forest fires.
We're now hoping that when the weather permits it, we'll also be allowed to use our outdoor barbecue again...
We don't know what caused the fire yet, and we may never know, but there's some speculation that it was caused by a belted woodcutting machine, that would have created sparks when hitting rocks. That's how dry it was, and that's how vulnerable the forest is when it's that dry. Just one spark...

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An Interesting Place

Ever heard of Thoughts.com? Neither had I, but after taking a close look at it, I think it looks really interesting.

I guess we all know about free blogging platforms, and this is one too, but it's more than that - it's a blogging community.
Thoughts.com allows you to create a free blog or personal online journal, where you can upload photos, videos and podcasts. You can chat in the community Forums and bookmark the latest news.
For each blog post you create, you can decide if you want it to be public, private, or only viewable by your friends and family.

The interaction that takes place within the community is what makes thoughts.com different than other sites. When you start posting, you will have an instant audience. Your posts will be displayed through the site to be easily found by the community. Anyone can participate, as HTML skills are not required. Blogging is made as simple as possible, and unique, easy to use features and customization possibilities are added all the time.
You can also rate other member's posts and participate in the forums. If you're short on blogging material, you can browse the news from around the world right there on the site. When you leave a comment on another member's blog or post on your own blog, your post is published on to the web site instantly, enabling other members to read what you have to say.

I think I'll have to explore that one some more - it looks promising as a social playground too

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Summer Hobbies

Since Hubby's just switched jobs, we won't have a holiday to speak of - at least not all of us together - he just can't take the time off. So - maybe it's time to take up some summer hobbies...
Opticsplanet.com is just the place to get the gear - for anything pertaining to night vision, flashlights, rifle sights, binoculars... I have two hunters in the house, so if hubby can get the odd day off work, he and # 3 Brat could go out and do some hunting/gathering, as boys do...
As for the rest of us, while waiting for the rabbits and venison to be flung on the kitchen table, we could always get one of their Telescopes and take up starwatching. Our night skies are perhaps too light at the moment, but we'll need hobbies in the fall too.
Failing that, with a pair of binoculars each, some flashlights, a couple of tents and some sleeping bags, I can see a wonderful camping trip coming on - complete with bird watching. Hubby'll just have to miss out on that one...

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My First Ever Dropper! And Advertiser!

I've put an Entrecard widget on this blog - I've been dropping cards from my other blog since before Christmas, but this one has been Entrecard-free until now.
As of a few minutes ago, the widget is up - top left, on the sidebar.

To celebrate this momentous event, here's a tiny bit of Linky-Love to the first one to drop a card on me here: The Peanut Butter Blog, and to my very first advertiser: Virtual Millennium.

Oh - and if you don't know what Entrecard is, READ ALL ABOUT IT!

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A Resolution?

I've decided that there's not a thin girl inside of me waiting to come out.
I don't want to spend what's left of my life in a state of constant hunger. When they carry me out, I'm sure they'll find some sturdy lads to do the honors, and if my last thought is: "I wish I'd had cream on my strawberries" - I'll feel I've lost out...
So: No Phentermine 37.5 mg, no miracle cures, no starving sprees...
I'm going to live my life while I've got it. Lots of skinny people have heart attacks too. And cancer. As well as car accidents, aneurisms and falls from ladders. They even get hit by lightning.
We don't know, and that's just as well. It's not the years in your life - it's the life in your years...

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Back To Normal

It's raining, and it's raining hard, and we're beginning to believe that the crisis is over and done with. There have been loads of forest and other fires in Southern Norway this last week - our nearest town has lost 3 old wooden buildings in the center, and I believe that danger is still not over for a whole village that's threatened by a forest fire south west of here. I hope it's raining there too...

Here, things are getting back to normal - it's exam season, and # 1 Brat has drawn English as her oral exam. She's poring over textbooks and lamenting over Shakespeare, but she's happy she didn't draw Maths or Geography - or even Norwegian. # 3 Brat is told today whether he's having an oral exam or not, and # 2 Brat finished her practical sewing/design exam yesterday. Hers was a 3-day exam, and the first day was a bit jarred, with being evacuated and all, but she thinks she did OK.
As for the young'ones and me, we're enjoying the rain...

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Blogging Time

These last few days have been stressful for the people at home. I've been away with the little ones, and during our absence, there was a forest fire here, they were evacuated for 24 hours, the animals had to be moved, and for a while it looked like the firemen and volunteers would lose control of the fire.
As of yesterday, we're officially out of danger, and the fire is out, although the fire department is monitoring the forest floor closely.
When I got home yesterday, I walked around the property, feeling how wonderful it is to have our home intact...
So - I guess I could blog about Sector watches, furniture, garden gnomes or cruise ships as per usual, but with the smell of smoke lingering, and the very close call we had, I'd rather express gratitude towards all the people who worked 24/7 to minimize the damage.
This has been a reminder of how tiny we all are in the face of nature's ravages, be it flood, fire or earthquake.

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We Have Summer!

Last year, it rained twice - the first time for 6 weeks, and the second time for 8 weeks... This year, we're enjoying an early summer, complete with trips to the beach with the tiny tots, shorts, flip flops and sun tan lotion. We even have to water the flower beds, which was unheard of last year.
I must say, I prefer this version of the summer season.
A light breeze, sunshine and happy brats in a paddling pool... what could be better?

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Dona Nobis Pacem

Click the banner to join in - the day is young somewhere...







R. Buckminster Fuller:

Either war is obsolete or men are.

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Beautiful Fixtures - For Singles....

When we built this place, I looked at a lot of different fittings, especially for kitchens and bathrooms. Since it was a new house, I was free to choose what I wanted, and there was so many beautiful things! In the end, though, I went for the practical, sensible solutions. I did drool over some wonderful, turquoise glass sinks, but decided those weren't for 6-kid families. Have you seen what a white porcelain one looks like after a 5-year old has brushed her teeth? With a glass one, I'd be stuck in the bathroom with a sponge for the rest of my life...
By the time all the kids have moved out, we'll probably have loads of grankids by the oldest ones, so I think we'll stick with the sensible white porcelain...

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Getting Fit

I don't go to the gym. I have my own "gym" at home, where I get all the exercise I need - sometimes I even get to work on my tan at the same time.
Carrying toddlers, stacking firewood, mowing lawns, digging the garden - it never stops, really. No need for strength equipment - just get out into a field of freshly cut hay with a pitch fork, and your bi- and triceps will have the workout of their lives... Your abs too.
Don't forget your sun tan lotion...

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