får i kål

It is the time of the year to consume heaps of cabbage and lamb! If you want to get a taste of Fall in Norway, get a big pot, put some lamb pieces (with the bone) in the bottom, layer some cut cabbage on top, then more lamb on top of that, then layer with cabbage. Sprinkle peppercorns in, pour some water (halfway up the stack you made) and cook for a few hours at a simmer until the meat pulls away from the bone. Salt to your liking.

re-use

This evening we sat outside in the sun and blew bubbles. Lots of soapy bubbles. Charlotte was beaming when she got to hold the bubble container and blow them herself. She spilled some soap when she bent over to pick up the bubble wand she dropped. I need not worry, she found a way to re-use the soap she had left. Blow a bubble, catch it, blow again, catch it, blow again...

Halloween ideas

Just a month and a half away! Loved your ideas last year. Any more suggestions this year for what the 3 of us can be?

waffle day

It is Friday. Make your own waffle day in the cafeteria. Heart-shaped waffles with strawberry or raspberry jam. Or if you are a Norwegian at heart (no pun intended) you can put some brown cheese on top instead.

Ibsen

A dive into Norwegian literature is one way to gain some intimacy with the culture. Henrik Ibsen it is. The father of modern drama, you know. I am starting off easy with A Doll's House, though he is more famous for Peer Gynt (influenced by Soren Kierkegaard). In A Doll's House he shows a gift of writing from a female's perspective, which at his time in the late 1800s was bold.

may I take your order please?

I took Charlotte out for pizza after her swimming class. We walked in the door, found her favorite seat (you'd think we go there every day, but we were only there once before and she already decided which seat was her "usual"), and the waiter came to ask us what we would like. He looked at me and then at Charlotte as he asked "what will it be tonight?" to which Charlotte excitedly replied, "pizzaaaa!!!" and she looked confused when I elaborated on her request, telling the waiter we would like a small Capri pizza and two waters. But she is getting the hang of how communication and conversation worked. We sat and talked, yes, actually talked, until the pizza came. She talked about her favorite parts of the swimming class, about the motorcycle pictures on the wall, the balloon she got from the waiter, her friends in daycare, the apple juice she was drinking, and things she saw out the window. The advice I have heard is right. Enjoy the first times when your children begin actually expressing themselves with words - it is pure entertainment and joy. So as we left the restaurant she waved to the waiter and said "tusen takk for maten!" which means thank you for the meal.

the fast lane

The fast lane here on the expressway is actually not the fast lane. The fast lane is the one furthest to the right (also known as the slow lane) because this is the lane where taxis, vehicles seating 7 or more passengers, and electric cars are found zipping by all the "regular" cars in the other two lanes who sit impatiently in the traffic jam. Counter to the American HOV lanes which are often used only during rush-hour or high traffic periods, these taxi/bus/el-car lanes are off-limits to any other vehicle at all times. Makes you think twice - maybe we should trade in for an electric car, or a 7-seater...

a little English with your Norwegian?

It is fun to hear Charlotte blending Norwegian and English these days. She seems comfortable enough with both now that she just picks whichever words she likes best and makes sentences where Norwegian is favored but English words are peppered in. Like "kjoere bil airplane." Directly translated - drive car airplane, but to her it means fly an airplane. Or she likes to sing the Postman Pat theme song and twists the line "always early out" to "always tidelig ute." And the one she uses most frequently "ha paa shoes" which means put on shoes.