Good news, but still lots left to do

Several chains of Supermarkets in Sweden (like Hemköp, Netto, City Gross) has decided to not sell endangered fish. Finally!

I just wish that they all would also take responsibility and stop selling non ecological bananas. Considering what the pesticide from non ecological banana farms does to the environment and the people living and working on and by these farms, I think that it should be a given for people to not buy or sell bananas that are not organic and fair trade marked.

Mixed emotions

It felt really strange this morning. First I drank my tea with one hand, while the other one was jiggling a breast milk pump.

Then:
Packed my bag for school. Note book, iPod, wallet, pen, calender. No diapers, tissues, or extra clothing.
Got dressed the way I wanted to. Without caring about comfort, practicalities, or nursing bras.
Left home. Without a pram, harness, or a smiling Noam looking at me.

Spent five hours away from my precious daughter, for the first time.
Missed her like crazy and couldn't stop hugging her when I got back.
But I also felt free. It was nice doing something for myself, by myself.

I guess it's a mixed feeling that is difficult to understand if you haven't been through it yourself. Or maybe not. I don't know. Anyway, after all these emotions Noam and I went to a kind of drop in kindergarden and we both got totally exhausted.

A real girl

Four year old Tove, while watching Noam's hair flowing in the bath:

"Now she looks like a REAL girl"

I guess I was never a real girl, as a kid, considering my parents always kept my hair crew cut.

It's just like the answers you often get when asking kids what the difference is between men and women. They often reply:

"Men drive cars and women clean the house"

It's sad how early our kids are brainwashed in to believing in all these kinds of differences between men/boys and women/girls.

Noam has a crush

Noam has a crush on a guy.

There I was thinking that she would be gay and that I wouldn't have to deal with teenage boys in the future, but it looks like I was wrong. Damn, would have preferred to deal with teenage girls.

Anyway, this boy that she has a crush on does not have a crush on her. He is two weeks older and he more or less ignores her when she is trying to take his clothes off, eat his socks, pull his nose, suck his hands and hit his head.

The poor girl is pulling all kinds of stunts to get his attention, but he doesn't seem impressed.

I'm sure that he soon will realise what a catch she is though.

Fever definitely gone

Noam's fever gone. Definitely gone.

She started moving and chatting with lots of energy at 6 am this morning. Why I bothered setting the alarm this morning I don't know. It's not like Noam would let me oversleep.

Todays philosophical question: Are all babies total nutcases like mine, or is she extra odd?

A peaceful day

Well, if Noam was high yesterday, she was definitely low today. The poor little thing did get a fever. Still handled it much better than I handle fever.

She just talked a bit less and a bit less loud, didn't move as much as usual, didn't demand as much stimulation as normally, and slept more than a normal day.

To sum it up, home was a bit more peaceful than usual.

A mix up at the pediatrician's?

Noam got her second set of vaccinations today. Many kids get a bit sad and ill for a day or two. Not Noam.

I'm suspecting that the nurse injected her with the wrong stuff. Because for the rest of the day Noam behaved like a happy pill with a sugar rush.

I hope she doesn't start demanding to go to the pediatrician's to get high.

About White Wine

My husband received this in a mass e-mail, and I thought it was pretty funny:

Do you have feelings of inadequacy?

Do you suffer from shyness?

Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about White Wine.

White Wine is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. White Wine can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of White Wine almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with White Wine. White Wine may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use White Wine However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic lustfulness, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.

WARNING:

The consumption of White Wine may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING:

The consumption of White Wine may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING:

The consumption of White Wine may cause you to think you can sing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING:

The consumption of White Wine may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to telephone them at four in the morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING:

The consumption of White Wine may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING:

The consumption of White Wine may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOW JUST IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD ACHIEVE WITH RED WINE!!!

Eating porridge with Aunty Frida

This is what Noam looks like when Aunty Frida is feeding her.

Hung over?

Yesterday I had a dear friend over for dinner.
The dear friend brought a nice bottle of wine.
I had half a glass of wine, for the first time in 14 months.
And today I've got the worst head ache!
Is it really possible to get hung over from half a glass of wine??
Can't be...
Must be the barometric pressure.

Nazism not offensive, but a boy named Maria sure is

A blog that I'm reading regularly commented on an article, in one of the Swedish newspapers, about that the rules and regulations on what you are and aren't allowed to name your child is changing. They are becoming a bit less restrictive.

This is good, I think, as you should be allowed to name your child most things, as long as it's not offensive.

But the article still amazed me though. Because what is becoming less restrictive and what is not becoming less restrictive is a bit confusing to me.

You are still not allowed to name a boy a traditional girls name, like Maria. "That could be misleading".

But, these days you ARE allowed to name your child "Nordfront" (The North Front" as most people these days are not connecting that with Nazism, and therefor it is no longer considered offensive. "Also, if you want your child to be connected with Nazism, you have the right to".

Excuse me?! Nazism is apparently okay, but naming your child something that doesn't fit with the gender norms is not!?

Pink little boys

Now it's happened twice - me calling a little boy "she" just because of him wearing pink. Not that it's a big deal, I mean, people say "he" to Noam all the time, and I don't bother correcting them. Who cares?

But the fact that the only reason I assumed that those little boys were little girls was the way they were dressed, makes me a bit embarrassed, annoyed, but also happy.

Embarrassed, because as often as I preach about the importance of killing gender roles and norms, I don't want to make mistakes like that.

Annoyed, because my mistake is not unusual, and it may seem like a minor thing, what color we chose to dress our children in, but it's a minor thing that is a part of a much bigger thing. That bigger thing is how differently boys and girls are raised and treated. That is what annoys me.

Finally I'm happy. Happy, as the fact that I've made the mistake twice, actually means that there is at least two couple of parents out there that choses to ignore that most people think girls should be dressed in pink and boys in blue.

Maybe in a few years time there will be many, many more parents like that, than there is today.

A crappy day

This day has sucked big time!

Took the bus to University to register. Which took forever as I missed the connection bus. And when I finally got to the University the office, where I was supposed to register, was closed.

Took the train back, as the busses seemed to have problems. Just to end up on a train that got stuck on a station for 15 minutes due to some problems.

When I finally got home I was supposed to get something from the freezer. But instead of opening the freezer door I opened the fridge door, above the freezer door, and slammed it straight in to my face.

Fed up I decided to go to an outdoor aerobics class, to release some stress. Of course it started to rain just in time for the class to start.

And on top of all this, I've now got a nasty headache!

My husband the fashion victim

I've realised that my husband is way more concerned about Noam's dressing than I thought.

The other day I dressed Noam in whatever I first could grab. Far from her nicest clothing, but comfortable and practical. I do not care much as my daughter is cute in whatever she wears.

I left home to do some things in town and an hour later I met up with Noam, my husband and a friend of ours at a café. Noam was then wearing something totally different.

"Did she crap on her clothing?" I asked my husband a bit discreet.

"No, I just wanted her to look cool" my husband replied.

And yesterday morning my husband dressed Noam in one of her few pinkish tops. Considering he hates pink I was a bit surprised, but I said nothing. Later, when we were going out, I realised what was going on:

"Maybe Noam should wear her All Stars today" my husband said.

Seems like my husband when he dressed Noam this morning planned her clothing to match her (still way too big) pink All Stars. That is heavy!

(On the picture above Noam is, of course, wearing her All Stars)

No longer for sale

Ok, I've decided to keep her after all. Because even though she drives me mad once in a while, she is just adorable most of the time. Don't you think?

Baby for sale

Does any one want to buy a, at the moment, grumpy child that spits from dawn til dusk. Anyone?

Christian indoctrination

When I was a kid, my favorite story was Disney's "The small one". The story is about a donkey, called "Small One", and his close relationship with a young boy. According to the boy's father "Small One" has to be sold because of old age. In the end "Small One" is sold to Joseph and Mary, to carry pregnant Mary to Bethlehem.

I watched the film this morning, for the first as a grown up. And I forced little Noam to watch it with me. The poor kid did not seem very impressed. Neither did her father.

"What kind if Christian propaganda are you brainwashing our daughter with?" he said.

"But it's a beautiful story" I said, while crying like crazy in the end of the film.

When hearing this story as a kid (had it on a cassette) I cried every time, and obviously nothing has changed. This as, in my world, carrying Jesus mother to Bethlehem doesn't seem as fun for the donkey, as playing with his dear friend, the boy.

I guess that's where I fail with my Christian indoctrination.

I'm happy to leave on those terms

Fredrik Ljungberg is getting 70 millions SEK for leaving West Ham.

I wish my employer would do the same: "Sandra, thanks for the time you've given us, but as we feel that you are no longer doing your job as well as you used to, we will give you 70 millions if you promise to leave straight away".

Too generous

I've been thinking. Maybe I'm a bit too generous publishing photos of Noam for free here on my blog, available for any Tom, DIck and Harry to watch.

I mean, Brad and Angelina got 90 millions SEK for the photos of their newborn babies. And as Noam obviously is cuter we should be able to get the double.

Right?

Parenting shortens your life?

They say that your life is shortened if you don't sleep enough.
I wonder then, how many years shorter does my life become from parenting?

Poop - Noam's first word

What if the first word Noam will learn to say is "poop". Wouldn't be strange considering how often that word is being used around babies.

"Oh, you pooped again!"

"What is that smell, have you pooped?"

"That is a big poop!"

"Do you need to poop?"

"Strange that you haven't pooped today."

And it goes on and on and on...

Why use the seats on the bus when there's a whole floor?

You know those seats on the bus, that you fold down to sit on, and that goes up again when you leave your seat.

Sat on one of those today, on my way home from a friends place. Got up quickly to throw a paper in the bin just a meter away, in front of me.

Then, forgot what kind of seat it was, and sat down without looking. Of course the seat had gone up as soon as I got up, so when I sat down again I ended up on the floor instead of the seat.

Just a bit embarassing.

The trolls have taken my child

Someone has swapped my baby!!

It's true! You can't tell by looking at her, because the baby I've got now looks just like my daughter. But there are a few things that made me realize that the trolls had been here and taken my baby and left a different one in her place.

My baby barely screamed. This one can scream loud!

My baby most of the time slept until eight in the morning. This one seems to think that waking up at half past five is a good idea.

My baby used to be light and easy to carry. This one is heavy!

My baby used to lye still and smile when changing her diapers. This one twists and turns so that it's impossible to get the diaper on properly.

My babies poop didn't really smell. This one's poop sure does smell.

Well, I think I will keep this child even though she has all these strange behaviors. Because even though she makes me freak more often than the one that the trolls took, she also makes me laugh much more.

"The girl in the cafe"

Watched a really good film yesterday called "The girl in the cafe". Dialogue from the movie:

"Why were you in prison?"

"I hurt a man"

"Why did you hurt a man?"

"Because he hurt a child"

"Was it your child?"

"Does it matter who's child it was?"

Women are also born with body hair

A few days ago my sister looked at my legs and said "Didn't you wax your legs recently?" And her face told me her opinion of the length of the hair on my legs.

Ok, yes, it is long. I just haven't gotten round to wax again. I will. But I wish I wouldn't. I wish I could just say "Fuck it!"

But I can't. I am too brainwashed by living 30 years in a world were it is considered okay for men to have hair everywhere, while women are supposed to have no hair, apart from on their head.

It is ridiculous. Hello! It might come as a surprise to some people, but women are also born with it!

Many people, both women and men, claim that it's disgusting when women don't shave their armpits. How can something that we are born with be considered disgusting on a woman but not on a man?! That pisses me off!

And even if I am brainwashed, and therefor shave both armpits and legs, I totally respect the ones that don't, the ones that has the courage to raise above the norms about masculinity and femininity.

Not my day

Not really my day today it seems.

Was sawing this morning. Well, maybe sawing is an overstatement. A button on my shorts was loose, and I fixed it with needle and thread. A few hours later, when I was sitting down with some friends, I felt something pinching me in my lower regions. After a while I put my hand in my shorts to find out what it was. It was a needle, hanging in a thread. I had just left it hanging there, hadn't cut the thread of after sawing this morning. How can someone be that distracted, dizzy, stupid, call it whatever you want.

Later, when I was boiling carrots and potatoes for Noam's pure, I totally forgot that I had something on the stove. When I finally remembered, the only thing left in the pot, was something black on the bottom. Hm, again, call it whatever you want.