Meet Kielo

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Meet our new family member Kielo. She was born in Romania where she was unwanted in her family and even treated badly until she was lucky to be rescued by a kind lady who helps dogs like her and gives them a temporary home while finding them new suitable homes. We saw Kielo’s picture on our local rescue dog association page and knew immediately she should live with us and went through the adoption process and finally met Kielo last Saturday and brought her home. She is beautiful and playful and has a lot of personality and she fits in…

Schedules, goals, planning

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I have a love-hate relationship with planners, journals and diaries. I love the thought of notebooks, both empty and fully filled and have a real need to write down things to understand and to remember them and simply to have my thoughts in order. Also, I enjoy using photos and images as visual reminders and find them motivating and inspiring. On the other hand, it’s hard to find a journaling system or method I genuinely want to stick with and I have a history of abandoning most planners and systems I’ve ever tried. Writing anything truly personal is out of…

5 step minimalism with children

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I wrote a page for 5 step minimalism and I’m planning to write some variations of it just to show how everyone can use minimalism adapted to their own needs. There’s not only one way to live for all of us and also the concept of minimalism can vary depending on the situation. Minimalism can be a big help for many overwhelmed parents so I start with talking about 5 step minimalism with children. There’s something universal in the the way parents visualize the future. We want to see our children happy and living as healthy and balanced life as possible. We…

5 step minimalism

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I wrote my thoughts about minimalism and did a small summary of the topic with the title “5 step minimalism”. You can read the text here or just click the menu and find it there. This order feels logical to me but of course there are many options to do things and this was just mine. STEP 1: Visualize the future STEP 2: Create structure STEP 3: Clear clutter STEP 4: Keep yourself motivated STEP 5: Focus on essential

Finding balance

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My first steps on the internet were in the 90’s. For an introverted, curious person it was a fantasy world with endless possibilities, unlimited information and like-minded people and felt an opposite to the judgmental, money driven real world. I could find information and knowledge I didn’t know even existed. People were approachable and their online homes self-made but inviting and cozy. I discovered online journals and started to follow a few and ten years later finally started my first own blog. I wrote my thoughts, published them and someone actually read them. The atmosphere was generally quite warm. There…

Summer reading thoughts

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I have so many books on my reading list. I managed to read only a small part of it during the summer but some of the books I read were brilliant and really made me think – by that I mean they took me somewhere deep into my thoughts – and those are always the best ones. Oh yes I said “during the summer”. Our short northern summer is practically over. The boys are starting their schools this week and I can almost smell the autumn. Luckily I like autumn, I always look forward to it. In the beginning of…

Italy: Apulia (with gluten-free tips)

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Our trip to Apulia was lovely but it’s also good to be back home. My husband has work to do, I could see the boys were already tired after the traveling and we all missed our routines. I can’t wait to do my usual, everyday things at home. I want to cook my own food, write my blogs and just spend a few hours alone in peace and quiet. Some practical notes. First of all, I had only hand luggages for myself (the others shared a bigger suitcase) but had still packed way too much. I was mainly wearing my…

Italy: Naples

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Our long weekend in Naples is over and we are heading to Apulia this morning. Just a few days and I’m already in love with the city. I’m quite easy this way. If there’s a volcano and the place is a bit shabby I probably like it. Naples is very much like Catania that way and I like the both places. I generally enjoy Italy and the southern part is a great place to find gluten-free food (pizza, pasta, even pastries) which makes it an easy destination for my family. Unfortunately The Mount Vesuvius area was closed due to fires…

Packing for family holidays

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I would love to have a beautiful, stylish wardrobe where every item has personality and is carefully considered and preferably handmade or second hand. Unfortunately I’m not patient enough for that. I’m not willing to use the time or make an effort and usually choose an easy option: basics. Most of my clothes are very basic. Jeans, basic shirts, maybe a black dress. All my t-shirts had little holes in them and I needed something for summer so I added a few pieces to my small wardrobe. I was looking for white trousers and found a pair of white stretch…

Assumptions

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The older I get the more it disturbs me how easily people make assumptions about other people. For example, people often think I’m a certain type of a person because I like tattoos. Or that I’m stereotypically something just because of my age or gender or because I’m a mother. It’s not that way in reality, of course. The biggest effect motherhood has had on me is the tremendous love I feel in my heart. It has also effects on my actions because I want my sons to feel safe, loved and taken care of. However, it hasn’t had an…