Sledding

Yesterday a fresh coat of snow was falling, the temperatures were only in the low 20's and we decided it was a perfect Saturday for sledding. We drove to a really good sledding hill about a mile from the house and quickly discovered the fresh powder and saucer sleds don't mix.



After another frustrating 30 minutes, we piled back into the van and drove directly to the store and picked up these babies. They are Swedish Snowracers.

With a peanut butter and jelly in hand, I worked through lunch to assemble the snow racers.

They have steering, brakes, and are even stout enough for an adult to hop on the back as a passenger. After Janet rode down with Madeline, she said it was both a blast and an act of faith trusting that her little girl knew what she was doing.


Another nice feature is a retractable pull cord making them perfect for pulling kids up hills and along snow covered trails. I have to say that pulling two kids up a hill is a labor intensive activity.



After taking Janet and a worn out Lucy home, the older kids and I went exploring and found some great sledding hills just down the street. The area we went is a park with trails and hills galore. There were people on cross country skis, some walkers, others on horses, and a few families with kids on sleds like ours flying down any slope that could reasonably be called a sledding run.

We probably spent 4-5 hours outside sledding and look forward to many more hours this winter and beyond.

Crossing the Border To Sweden

Last Saturday some friends invited us to drive to Sweden. Basically we were making a cross border excursion to go to some mall that had a huge grocery store. Groceries and meat in particular are much, much cheaper in Sweden than in Norway.

Cruising the A6

To get to Sweden you head south on a highway called the A6. Nothing too special, just a 4 lane divided highway. The country heading south is mostly flat farmland. This time of year the fields are snow covered and smoke pours out of every chimney.  The journey to Sweden was about a 150 kilometers and took an hour and a half. Crossing over into Sweden was actually really cool. There weren't any welcome to Sweden signs or border crossings, just a big bridge over a fjord looking down on a scenic village. 

Here is some nice videography of the bridge and fjord we crossed over.

Nordby Shopping Center

This place was essentially a border mall. Personally I didn't get a chance to explore, but it seemed like a nice place.

I ended up with the kids in Djungelland for 3 hours as Janet went off to do some shopping with her friend. The kids had a blast and I for the most part enjoyed myself. While the kids played, I chased Lucy and talked to the other dad.



They definitely don't have the same rules as the US and it was more fun that way. Ball pools are a thing of the past in the US and the design of the slides is more extreme than I think they would allow in the US.

It took me five minutes to recover after going down this slide. I went down twice.



In the end we didn't really buy much since we had just gotten our order of food from Ramstein the day before. It was just a fun outing and nice to get out of Oslo and into another foreign country for the heck of it.

More About Winter Clothes

For some reason winter cloths are just cool...I mean warm...or something like that. It is awesome to be in a place where it really is so important to be dressed right for the weather and for the activity while in Norway. Also I love being able buy nice gear with Janet's approval.

Today I got an email from a collegue about both how to dress kids for the cold and a review of kids snow suits. It was interesting to see the guidance and a serious clothing review on little kids cloths. Also it is interesting to see how our kids measure up to the Norwegians.

The City of Oslo's Clothing Guidance

This is how the City of Oslo reccomends we dress kids for the cold. It is a pretty interesting guidance.

Click the link below to see.

City Of Oslo Guide to Dressing Kids for the Cold

Review of Kids Winter Suits

This is translated from a Norwegian Magazine.

Click the link below to see.

Kids Winter Snowsuit Review

Here's How We Compare - Very Well

Here is a picture of James's outfit before he is dressed. It is kind of like dressing a paper doll. You start with a little kid in basketball underwear, add wool socks, the base wool, the outer wool, the wool liner, the winter suit, a hat, waterproof boots, and Gore-tex mittens. Madeline usually substitutes the other wool layer for her school clothes.

It is fun outfitting the kids and feeling that it is not money wasted. The $400-500 it cost per kid has been worth it especially when you consider that James gets to spend up to 5 hours a day outside playing when it is 14 degrees and Madeline gets to take cross country ski leasons at school or go out with Dad ice skating when it is only 5 degrees.



As far as the parents, we have good gear, it just isn't arctic gear the same way the kids are decked out.  Maybe next year I can get a Canada Goose Expedition Parka that I see so many Norwegians wearing.

Hint...Hint...Janet....here is the link.  http://www.backcountry.com/canada-goose-expedition-down-parka-mens

Barnepark

Today, James went to his first day at Barnepark. Translated, it means “Children’s Park” and is essentially a preschool in which the only curriculum is getting as much fresh air and sunshine as possible, sunshine optional.  No matter the weather, the children are dressed appropriately and play outside on a fenced playground from 10:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon. They go inside for lunch and potty breaks.   

There is, of course, a cold weather policy in place, though it differs from what you would expect back in the states. If the temperature drops below -10°C (14°F) they start an hour later and spend one hour outside, then one hour inside, followed by another hour outside. Appropriate clothing was defined as wool thermals, wool socks, wool sweater, full body snowsuit, hat, waterproof mittens and a scarf. So it was that James, on this brisk day (3°F), bundled up and spent over 2 hours playing outside with friends, trucks and snow. For an almost 4 year old boy, he was livin’ the dream. Can’t you tell from the pictures?

Dressed and ready to go

The after picture - note the rosy cheeks

James is always a happy guy, but seriously

Lucy approved. 

We had a 3-minute drive to Maddie's school. He didn't stand a chance.

Barbies and cars with Maddie

Two Months In Norway and Time to Work

Yesterday afternoon I was drowning in work and sick as a dog when I realized January 9th is our two month anniversary in Norway. My first thought was, "has it really been two months?" My mind's response was "yes, and what a couple of months;" with the next thought being "the honeymoon is over and now the real work begins."

Yesterday, the holidays officially ended and 2013 really began. Maddie returned to school, Janet checked out a Norwegian preschool for James, and I realized the first 60 days of getting used to my job was over.

During the last two months we have dealt with an international move, busted front teeth, an ambulance ride, hospital stay in a foreign country, new school, new job, snow and ice driving, extreme sticker shock, Christmas shopping in Norway, Scandinavian snow suits, lots of snow, furnishing a house and a partridge in a pear tree.

Surprisingly or not I am happy the honeymoon is over and we have stuff to do.

At Work

My outlook at work for the next couple of months is busy.

I have to inspect my buildings and develop work plans and budgets, take care of challenging personnel issues, keep people safe and happy, manage a bunch of projects, make the embassy "green", play politics, go to Iceland, support Iceland as we plan a $30 million dollar renovation, and get myself and the facility management office ready to take over operations at the new embassy when complete.

At School

Janet has started the Mom taxi service.

Monday James starts Norwegian preschool called Barnepark. He'll get to put his orange snowsuit to good use while spending 4 hours a day outside in all weather, playing in a controlled environment. My understanding is that it is all play. There is very little structure other than sitting down for lunch. Janet was telling me that kids who still take naps just crawl into a stroller have a blanket thrown on top and sleep outside. How Norwegian!

Madeline also picks up the activity level at school. Next week she starts swimming and cross country ski classes. Outside of school she starts ballet. I may have said this before but we are really happy with the school. There are less than 15 kids in her class and she has two teachers. She has a really nice little group of classmates. She has recess 3 times per day outside and she seems to be learning a lot.

At Home

Janet and I are working our hardest to make sure our kids are loved, fed, bathed, safe, educated, and have a strong belief in Christ. The work we do in the home is definitely the most challenging and rewarding. It changes every day, yet requires tons of planning, patience and energy. Janet is definitely up to the task; I am amazed by her endurance and ability to keep things rolling along.

Janet is a pro while I often feel the amateur. The other day I was in charge of the kids and was having a tough morning. All three kids were really grumpy all morning. By about 1:00 things were getting really bad when Janet came in and asked what was wrong. After some thought, I realized I hadn't eaten anything and the kids had only eaten chocolate chips and milk. She quickly whipped together a substantive lunch and got us back on track.

I am grateful Janet keeps everything running well at home. While I always wish I was doing more, I am confident that Janet has things well in hand at home. All I need to do is walk in the door after work with my game face on and a willingness to play, read, listen, read scriptures, and tell scary cave-bowling or Todo the frog stories.

Time to Work

Yes, I realize this post is just a bunch of to-do lists, speaking of which, I need to make a to-do list. Anyway, we've been her two months and it is time to get to work. I suspect we'll have no shortage of stories to tell and pictures to share as we get to work with the business of life.

Setting Up A House in Norway

Part of the American dream is owning a place you can call your own. While we don't own a home, we are certainly enjoying the benefits of being in a home. It has taken a lot of effort and some trips to Ikea, but we have a really nice home that we really can call a home. 

I am writing this post to explain State Department housing, because family has been asking for a good tour of the house, and to share how this house has been a big blessing to live in.

About State Department Housing

The State Department has decided that to conduct it's mission abroad they need to provide housing for its foreign service officers. Some of the reasons include safety, security, the cost of housing, and facilitating smooth transitions for its personnel from country to country. They also assume that many foreign service officers already own a home and are being housed "temporarily" at the government's request.

The Result for Us

The result is that when I get off the plane in what ever country I am to serve I should have a home to live in that is appropriate for my pay grade, position, and family size.  Also in many countries (Norway not included) the houses come fully furnished with furniture from a company called Drexel Heritage.

Every couple of years we get to anticipate, imagine and eventually fill and decorate some new home. In most cases the homes are somewhat different from what we would find in the US. Take our current home for an example, it has a grass roof.

In the end the best thing for us is that we have been able move out of our cramped two bedroom apartment nearly two hours from the office in Virginia. Although I had what would have been a good salary outside the DC area, the market was such that we were struggling to get to the point where we could own a home. Also since we don't have a mortgage we will be able to save the money we would have otherwise paid on rent and a mortgage.

Our Housing Details

Here is quick rundown of the home we were assigned to live in here in Norway.

-Grass roofed duplex
-2 car garage detached garage
-3 levels
-3 bathrooms
-5 bedrooms (2 on the first floor, and 3 on the third floor)
-Walk in fridge
-Backyard
-Kitchen, living room and laundry room on second floor
-A big open downstairs and a toy room

I don't know the total square footage, but it is somewhere right around 2000 SF.

For me and I think maybe for Janet, the absolute coolest part of the house is the first floor. It has a play area, toy room, office/bike workshop, and storage room.

Toy Room Before

Here is some a couple of before pictures of the toy room. What a difference compared to the after shots.

 Toy Room After

The shelf system from Ikea is awesome and makes the room what it is.

A home for Barbie and Ikea toy shelves.

A green Ikea shag rug.

Art work by the kids.

A perfect stable of horses along with the books.

Entrance

The entrance has been this big open space that was hard to figure out, but I think we have it now.

The bench and chair were in the garage unopened. It was an awesome find.

We also found the table in the garage unopened and bought the chairs at Ikea.

Soccer in the corner and a new rug from Ikea.

Office and Bike Workshop

This room has been a long time dream for me. I just love it. It is perfect. The kids also really like it. James likes taking the tools off the wall and fixing things and Maddie likes to put her bike on the bike trainer and ride. For me it is a place to keep the stuff I've accumulated over the years.

Bookshelves

A view of my closets, storage, and bikes.

My Pride and Joy: A BH carbon fiber, Dura-Ace, Studded Snow Tire Cyclocross Commuter Bike.

Desk, Workbench, and Bike Trainer

Bookshelves and Bike Stand

The Storage Room

Once we start getting food orders from Ramstein this room will fill up. It is kind of fun to have a room dedicated for the most part to consumable items. It is the first time we have been able to attend to any sort of food storage. I guess we'll have to really get serious and start ordering some long shelf life items so that we can really do the proper thing. Also not shown in the picture is a freezer we were able to get from the embassy warehouse.

I love these Home Depot shelves.

The Kitchen

Very white. The refrigerator is a typical smallish European fridge/freezer.

The stove area isn't very functional but it works well enough.

New Year's Eve breakfast in the kitchen with an italian pandoro.

Our kitchen table and looking into the living room.

Laundry Room and Walk-in Fridge

Washer and dryer. The little cubby in the upper left side of the dryer is a
drawer that fills with water and needs to be emptied between loads.

This was a cool find and really nice to have for the holidays and I suspect once we get our Ramstein order it will be put to good use.

The Living Room

The living room was a really awkward space, and we may not be done, but for now we are happy with the results.

A reading area for the kids. Again, Ikea chairs.  The kids love the chairs and it was a wise move to get three.

We had most everything. We got the couch pillows for Christmas from my parents. Janet order the curtains from Walmart and I got the rods at Ikea.

The kids coloring table is nice but rarely used. They like the kitchen table.

We bought a number of floor lamps to supplement lighting.

The flower picture was a Christmas gift. Janet got the rug before coming.

The Bedrooms

In Virginia the bedrooms were multi-use rooms. Here they are very much for sleeping only and maybe if you are looking for some quiet moments alone. I didn't include pictures of our room because it is the final work in progress. I need to get on the Norwegian equivalent of craigslist and find some stuff to fill out our room. The website it is www.finn.no and they have a free section where people are giving away things like leather sofas and other nice stuff. 

Does this look like a boys room or what?

Dinosaurs.

This is a beautifully finished dresser that Janet worked on with the help of my mom and dad back in Virginia when they came out for a visit. This is in the girl's room.

The horses on the wall are an exact match to Madeline's blankets.

Conclusion

I respect the fact that people's hard earned tax dollars pay for the dwelling I live in and the salary I earn. I am very aware of the financial situation our nation is in and I am working my hardest to assure the money spent benefits the American people and furthers our national interest.

That said, this job was truly an answer to prayers. I could list a hundred reasons why it was exactly what both I and my family needed. The house is only a part and we are grateful for it.