This here is special.

I spotted it on Etsy weeks ago and made one brief comment to Emily about how much I adored it.  Fast forward to my birthday, and I get a little note saying that it has been ordered and will be in my hands after the winter break!

Well, today was THE DAY!  I put it on immediately and felt such happiness in knowing that my own little Cairo was being carried around my neck.  That city, as chaotic as it is, will always be loved-the-heck-out-of by me.  It's where I found two of my most favourite people.    

Thank you Gem and Steve for this beautiful gift!  XOXO

Unlucky Meets Lucky.

Unlucky:  Nory has started to take her clothes off.  Lucky:  She SOMETIMES allows you to cover her up with blankies!

Unlucky:  Today Kumari got really sick out of the blue, called me crying, and had to go home at about 7:30.

Lucky:  I got to come home from work and have a BONUS NORY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, I got to play toys, bake muffins, make a nice dinner, and do some chores with NORY BY MY SIDE!!! 

How to ENJOY traveling with a BABY? Here's what we learned this time around.....

*  The flight situation is still an interesting one for us.  We've heard parents say that they prefer overnight flights because their kids sleep most of the way.  Perhaps this will be us ONE DAY, but since Nory is LITTLE MISS CURIOUS, she doesn't seem to understand the nighttime aspect of a red-eye journey.  Although she was fantastic both there and back, Phil and I definitely had more patience during the daytime flight to Copenhagen.  For our sake, that may just be a preference in the future (if possible!). 

*  Apartment style accommodations are the way to go.  Although our first hotel was SUPERB (and Nory fell in love with the staff), the second place we stayed was more spacious and had its own kitchenette.  This made things much easier!  Nory had room to play, was more relaxed, and we were too!  We didn't have to worry about finding a microwave to sterilize bottles and a cup of tea was only a button away (rather than a cafe away!).  We could also store snacks in the mini refrigerator!  

*  It's nice if you're staying in the downtown area or near the city's attractions.  Walking distance is ideal because it allows you to pop back to the hotel for a rest/nap/snack/warm-up break.  We are lucky to be big walkers (fast ones, too!) and so staying right smack in the middle of things isn't necessary.  But staying nearby is really helpful!   

*  Sometimes, you just need to bite the bullet and pay the taxi fare.  We truly contemplated taking the train from Copenhagen to Malmo, but after packing up ALL OF OUR THINGS (ah-hem, the traveling roadshow), it was simply easier to take a taxi directly from one hotel to another.  Sometimes, time and convenience outweigh cost. 

*  Be prepared to leave really exciting things at a moment's notice.  Example:  Team Canada scores a goal to tie it up and the arena goes MENTAL.  These are the times it is best to run out with the baby and celebrate with the other mom's who've done the same!  We did our best to read off of Nory's cues and went somewhere quieter when things became overwhelming. 

*  The ERGO remains our BEST FRIEND.  Strollers can be really inconvenient in terms of sightseeing, so if you can get away with strapping your baby to you, DO IT!  Waiting for elevators, navigating uneven terrain, going in and out of shops = NO PROBLEMO with a carrier!

*  Although we prefer to carry rather than stroll, you might find yourself in a situation that requires a carseat and, in this case, a carseat/stroller combination is really handy!  If nothing else, a stroller is a great way to carry your carry-on's through the airport ;)

*  Have white noise on hand.  You never know how many screaming children will be in the room next to you.  Or how many drunko's will stroll into the hallway at 2 a.m.  Or how many fireworks will be set off in the evening/morning hours.

*  Don't plan for a jam-packed day.  One activity?  Perfect.  If you get there, GOLD STAR!  If you don't, maybe tomorrow!  AND - you still get a GOLD STAR!  

*  MOST IMPORTANTLY, RELAX!!!!!!!  Nory reads our cues like she's known us for decades and if WE are stressed out, the entire family unit is in jeopardy!   

Talk about PERFECT TIMING!

One thing I definitely miss from Canada is my lazy, could-spend-all-day-long visits to Chapters bookstore. There really is nothing like it. Getting a chai latte, reading the headlines in the magazine section, then browsing throughout the rest of the store.......it's relaxation at its finest!  The children's area has always been a particularly long stop for me, and now that we have Nory, I think my love for entertainment gossip (People, Us Weekly, In Touch) will be 100% overshadowed by this section for littles (and BIGS!). (GASP!  THIS IS A BIG DEAL, PEOPLE!)

Finding storybooks in English can be a bit of a challenge here.  I've lucked out at the kindergarten book fair and I've also lucked out with Amazon-imports that have been given to us as gifts (thanks EVERYONE!).  It's a real treat to receive a book, especially when you've rotated through the same few books so many times that you've not only MEMORIZED the words, but you've had to rely on making up your own to maintain any interest in the "teach your child to love literature" process.  And that's a FACT!  Phil and I do an incredible rendition of "Daddy Cuddles" and would love to present it to you in the future.  We'd have to rehearse it a few more times though.  That is until our personal lines become less hilarious and we can read with greater fluency.  Then we will be STAGE-READY!

Today was our first day back at school and we arrived to a mud pit of a parking lot (they are doing construction), along with a lack of anything technological.  Phil's gym had puddles and report cards (which are due tomorrow) couldn't be completed by anyone on staff.  BUMMER.  But all of these stresses magically disappeared upon the arrival of these book sets courtesy of "Uncle Steve":     

YIPPEE-YA-HOO!!!!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS brought back from New York!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS to jazz up our well-established rotation of good reads!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS waiting to be enjoyed and memorized within the upcoming weeks!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS!!!!! 

Thank you Uncle Steve for this wonderful, much-needed, sanity-saving present.  We were jamming to "Barnyard Dance" and talking about antonyms in "Opposites" this evening.  You're a SAVIOUR!!!

Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Turns out we have something else SERIOUSLY in common:  our love for CHRISTMAS.

Alas, as much as I'm itching to put up the tree in the fall, I am even MORE proactive about taking it down and ridding all signs of "Christmas" once the big day is over.  Post-25th, I feel this lingering sadness and hear nothing but a tiny, horrible voice that whispers "364 more days....SUCKER!"  So - we put it all away ASAP and try not to wallow in the sadness of it being over so quickly.

Next up?  VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

Sincerely,
The Holiday Gal (and her MINI-ME) xo

The most SPOILED people in the world?

Shamefully, I admit that it is likely us.  And when I tell you why that is, you're ONE HUNDRED PERCENT going to agree with me.  And then maybe roll your eyes.  And then MAYBE desire to smack us back into the reality of the homeland (ah-hem, Canada).  Prep yourself......

So we go on this trip.  (SPOILED).

The trip comes to an end.  We hop on a red eye back to Kuwait.  Nory decides to pull an all-nighter and flirt with every passenger possible instead of sleeping.  But she's still in the best mood ever.  She's as sweet as pie, smiling extra big and working her charm.  (SPOILED).  

We get home to the apartment and Nanny Kumari is here - changing bed sheets, folding clothes, etc.!  This was done WITHOUT our previously discussed "we'll call if we need you" phone call.  (SPOILED).

Phil and I make five piles of laundry, put out all the dirty bottles and then go to bed.  (SPOILED).

We all go to sleep for four MUCH-NEEDED hours (Nory included!) and wake up to ZERO PILES of dirty laundry and ZERO dirty dishes!  (SPOILED).

Insert embarrassed face HERE. 

Are we all on the same page now?  THE MOST SPOILED PEOPLE ON THE PLANET = US.  And let me tell you what else JUST HAPPENED.  Kumari came out, said "Madam, not so good you do cutting baby's nails," and then continued to show me that she did a better job of it this morning.  She then took Nory in one arm and a broom in the other and said, "let's go clean the floor!"  I'm not making this stuff up.....

Alright.  Back to "reality"???  We are HOME SWEET KUWAIT! xo

Soon to be HOME SWEET HOME!

Our flight back to Kuwait leaves tonight and we should be cozy (and perhaps really tired) in our little apartment early tomorrow morning.  Funny enough, I think we are all eager to get back.  It's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder and I think we've all come to appreciate our country of residence a bit more over the course of this vacation.  Here's why:

1)  Kuwait is SUNNY.  Mostly ALWAYS.  It's not necessarily WARM at this time of the year, but you can count on the sun to be in your corner ;)

2)  The service in Kuwait is UNBEATABLE.  I challenge you to go to a restaurant and have a bad outing.  It would be IMPOSSIBLE.  You can expect a ba-zillion people to inquire about your dining experience - including the manager or owner! 

3)  You're going to laugh at my next point, but it's the truth.  Kuwait just feels SAFER.  I don't walk around with paranoia about getting robbed, attacked, etc.  (For the record, you can leave Copenhagen out of this!  It felt safe, too!)

4)  When there's not much to do, you can always count on THE AVENUES!  The mall is always open and ready for business (really special holidays included)!  And it's one HECK of a mall, too!  The best one I've ever been to, in fact :)

5)  Starbucks is everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.  And Tim Horton's might be one day too..... 

Of course, we also can't wait to return to our Kuwait family and exchange stories from our holidays.  Nory has new toys waiting to be played with and I have a cake pop maker and a crock pot to try out as well!  Basketball season is officially here and Nory's first birthday is quickly approaching!  There is much to look forward to once we get HOME.

In moments like this one, I realize that staying in Kuwait in our near future is the absolute best decision for our family.  Kuwait has been so good to us.  We've saved up for and purchased a house!  We've had a baby!  We've traveled!  We've met lifelong friends!  And if we could somehow tow the continent of North America this way, things would REALLY be swell ;)

Farewell dear SCANDINAVIA!  We liked you too.  But there just really is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!   

When in Sweden....

"Parkinson Rules" are still in effect.  In other words, if it's rainy and cold and you find some of the best movies of EVER on your hotel television, bid a confident farewell to any tourism activities and WATCH AS YOU PLEASE!  (Once stocked up on snacks and beverages, that is).

The Princess Diaries - never gets old!

High School Musical 3 - incredible performances that ALSO never get old!

Okay - so it wasn't ALL critically acclaimed films.  We also took in some Swedish hockey and American Ninja Warrior.  Alas, you get the picture:  THE HOLIDAYS RULE!  

In other REALLY IMPORTANT NEWS.....

JUAN-uary is HERE!!!!!! 

Emily and I have some t-shirt-making to do before episode one airs this week.  Yes, weekly viewing attire will be in FULL EFFECT this Bach season.

NANNY - don't forget to tune in!  You said you would watch it this time!!!!

NYE 2013

We spent it in one of the best ways I can think of:  together AND cheering on Team Canada as they played Team USA!  Canadians were MORE PRESENT THAN EVER at this game and it felt as though everyone we met was somehow related under this random roof in Malmo, Sweden.  AWESOME is a serious understatement. 

Emily brought with her tattoos to last for DAYS!!!

In the previous two games, the noise hasn't been much of an issue in terms of Nory.  She has enjoyed all of the music and game sounds without so much as a flinch.  You could spot her moving and grooving and smiling and clapping and LOVING IT.  But, for this game in particular - versus our all-time rivals, on New Year's Eve - the crowd was on the wilder side of the spectrum and so we did our best to keep a hat on her head to muffle the sound.  We had little success with this (ha!) and instead, opted to leave the arena on the three occasions where Canada scored (as you can imagine, the fans went CRAZY!).  Turns out the two other babies in our section were caught in a similar situation and a mini baby convention was formed following each goal.  It was really neat to see a two month old, a nine month old and a ten month old all together - decked out in national gear, wide-eyed and taking in all the action.  I wish I had a picture to show you! 

Chilling by the exit with her Dad.  These two did some hanging out up here where it was a TINY BIT quieter :)

Way to go TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!

We were lucky to catch another OUTSTANDING game!  Canada won 3-2 and we were on the edge of our seats for most of the time.  What more can you ask for?  The boys finished first in their group and will begin the medal round tomorrow.  We won't be here to see it but are hopeful for some live streaming once we're back in Kuwait!

The plan when we got home from the game was to have a good sleep and wake up refreshed to the Year 2014.  Turns out the Swedes take their fireworks SERIOUSLY and we heard explosions from BEFORE THE GAME until at least one in the morning (ah-hem, this is NOT conducive to sleeping).  Following this, the fireworks were less frequent but still happening until five or six this morning.  I couldn't believe it.  In fact, I don't even believe that Dubai was the city featured on CNN today.  I swear there's NO WAY they could have surpassed the firework show put on here in Malmo!  It lasted for HOURS!!!!!

Thank you Auntie Em for the special onesie!

Needless to say, we woke up exhausted this morning and feeling like we should have just partied to begin with!  Haha.  Thank goodness we had an agenda with NOTHING ON IT and we spent the day drinking tea, eating gingerbread cookies, watching tv, and doing nails.  It was lazy and PERFECT.

We hope all of you welcomed the New Year with the ones that you love!  Wishing you a joyful 2014 filled with much love and laughter!

Love,
The Parkinson's
XOXO