New home

In case you might be wondering what happened to me, I am still around, I just started a new blog.
http://katrinnielsdottir.wordpress.com/

Fishing trip

Davíð is gone on a fishing trip for work purposes. He just got back from Germany. His friend got married. When I went to wash the clothing from the trip I saw the suitcase was empty and my first assumption was that he had forgotten every stitch of clothing he brought with him in Germany. I spent a large part of the day being angry. When he got home I asked him what he had done with all his clothing. I guess he had packed them in his bike box. So I had no reason to be mad. Lesson learned. Check the shipping box before you assume the worst. In other news:

The car made it to the 300 000 kilometer mark. Pretty amazing I think. Particularly when you consider that I live next to the sea and you know what that means? Constant salt. 1998 Toyota Corolla. Still going strong.

We took a nice family trip to the beach on one of the closest things to good weather days we get around here. It must have been 16 above. Notice we are still wearing sweaters.

While Davíð was in Germany I had to bring Leópold to work a lot. As you can see here he got a little tired sometimes. This was at nearly 11 at night. Today I am very grateful that my older kids are home to put the little guy to bed for me since I am working until midnight...

Haircut

Stefán got his -ready for school- hair cut. As usual he looks super. 

Drying weather

You know you live in iceland when you get home from work at 11 at night and the first thing you do is laundry. The weather is dry and not crazy windy and that means laundry weather. So you not only take down the dry clothing from the line but you fill it back up with wet clothing from the washer.  After all you dont want to waste a good 8 hours of drying time with an empty clothesline while you sleep.

Our newest family members

Our finches made themselves a little family.  The eggs started hatching today. They are just so cute!

Money Saver

Davíð, while looking out for our finances, wore nearly all clothing he was taking on holidays to avoid a fee for extra luggage.

Compost #1

Leópold and I build our first compost out of plastic. Then we collected all the grass we could to put in. Now we are waiting for dirt. 
Probably we will need another one since it takes so long to compost in Iceland but one is a good start. 

Day one of holidays

Today I begun my holidays from job 1. I drove the kids to the meeting point for them to take the bus to camp for a week. The kids meaning the older 2.  Leópold said hr would miss them now that they had moved in with there new parents. 
Since it was good weather I spent then afternoon hanging laundry out to dry. Got to use this sun. I also had a picnic with leópold.  We had chicken. The he went to his friends to play while I went to work at job 3 from 5 to 10. Just a little shift. Easy day. 
Looking forward to going home and helping david pack. He leaves for Germany in the morning. 
I also have a tonne of laundry to bring in off the lines.
I love summer.

busy weekend followed by a calm week

Today is Robert's, my father in law's, birthday party. I am not even going to try to guess how old he is. Last time I tried to and ended up being off by ten years. Luckily for me I guessed ten years too young so have lived to tell the tail. I wish I could remember how many years ago that was. It would give me a clue.

Davíð is out in mósó with the boys for the party while I work. Seems like I am always working these days.

I am also working tomorrow but have managed to wheel and deal my way into finishing work early tomorrow, early meaning dinner time, so I can get home in time to eat with my family.

It will be extra important to eat with them tomorrow because on Monday everyone leaves. Davíð goes to Germany for a week the wedding of a childhood friend, Kasper leaves for a special camp for teenagers and Stefán will be at the classic scouts camp. This leaves Leó and I home alone for a week.

Mom and Leó time. It is going to be great. Quality time, much needed rest and a calm environment for him to get back into routine.

I also have to get my own routine going. I start school again in a couple weeks and still have not even sorted out my book list.

Good weather

Finally we have some good weather.  To celebrate we are spending the day at Inga and Robert's place.

Away at work

I bought the kids a used desktop to help them with editing videos. Seems only right that we help them do stuff they are good at.
That being said, Kasper gave me his old laptop. It is useful to me since mine was dropped on the floor and really is useless now. This laptop is only slightly more useful. While I can read the screen it is important to not try to have to many windows open at once, or the thing crashes. Anymore then 2 windows being at least 1 too many.
So I brought my new laptop to work today. Even a beasty old slow laptop that must be plugged in at all times, seems to have a hole where the disk drive was and does not have wifi (just have to plug it into the internet) is easier to write on then my phone.
I mean I love my phone but typing emails on it is seriously annoying.
Davíð left this morning for some work thing in England. I don't know how I feel about this. Part of me is a little sad because I miss the guy, we have been working opposite shifts a lot these days and have only been able to say a quick +hi+ and +bye+ to each other. The other part of me is crazy jealous that he is going to be in a hotel room with a bathtub. I miss bathtubs. So much. It is probably just as well no one sends me on a work trip that I have to stay in a hotel with a bathtub. I wouldn't get any work done and would probably return home looking like a raisin.
Other news:

• As we speak, Cassie is on her way home from Australia
• I actually have a day off work tomorrow
• Stefán returned from his first big scouts jamboree a very happy kid
• Kasper is looking forward to spending the next long weekend with his girlfriend, her parents rented an apartment in the city and he is invited to stay with them
• Leópold and his friend Guðmunder have a playdate tomorrow. They are going to Leópolds Amma's house in the country
• We found Robert's birthday present. Sure it is a couple of weeks early but we are bringing it out to him in the morning. That's right, we got him a kitten, but don't tell him yet. 

Intense interest

These were some seriously hungery for bread horses.  I guess the gluten free diet of grass just wasn't leaving them with that satisfied feeling of a good sandwich. Luckily we arrived to save the day with a loaf of bread.

Grassless

I am finally enjoying some good weather in Iceland.  No wind. No rain.  Just sun and warmth. But as I look at the grass I am sitting on I realize this lawn seems to grow everything but grass.

Insurance against trolls.

Sjóva, the insurance company we are with, seems to be offering coverage for damage done by trolls. I think I am going to have to read over our policy again.

Free range chickens

As they should be - see? No fence! It always makes smile to see the chickens roaming around free at Vidiholl. Leopold loves finding the chicken poo and accidentally stepping in it. I do not, for one minute, believe it is an accident.

Hagkaup job advert

I think they mean to say vantar þig.....

Playground trip

I took the boys to a playschool playground today. The main goal being to use up some of leópold's extra energy and getting Stefán out of his room. Looks like a success. 

Broken David

Crazy about this guy.  Also feel bad for him today. Allergies :(

Afternoon coffee

Atp tent party

While I am still at work I look forward to going home. We are hosting a bunch of people over the all tomorrow's partys music festival. Its going to be so much fun. Among our guests is a guy from Edmonton.  The same age as us even. We dont know him but it sure is a small world. Another guest is named James Robertsson.  Seriously.  My husband's name is David James Robertsson.  Well I thought it was funny.

Apptime

I finally added the blogger app to my phone.  You see, my husband dropped my laptop on the floor last month. This has seriously cut back my time online. Possibly for the best. But I have a lot of down time at work and now I feel I can start putting it to use.

Sumarnámskeið 2014 dagar 7-11

Girl Power

Since everyone else in my house is in some sort of fighting class - Kasper in boxing, Stefán, Davíð and Leó in Judo  -  I have just signed up for a Girl Power class, just to defend myself from my kids.
It is some sort of self defense class. Ill let you know how it goes next Monday when I start.
This is it - in case you want to join me,

Girl power námskeið.  30 jún -8 ágúst Iðavöllum 12

Í tilefni að því að Carla  García Jurado er á klakanum ætlar júdódeildin Sleipnir að bjóða upp á 18 tíma girl power námskeið í sjálfsvarnar íþróttinni judo og BJJ.
Námskeiðið miðar að því að kenna grunnatriði í sjálfsvörn gegn líkamlegu ofbeldi.
Þetta er einnig frábær og holl hreyfing.
Með því að taka þátt í námskeiðinu hafa þáttakendur einnig klarað JUDO 101 og BJJ 101 sem gefur þeim rétt á að æfa með keppnisliði deildarinnar.
Boðið er upp á tvo aldursflokka 12-16 ára og 17-99ára
Námskeiðið er á Mánudögum miðvikudögum og föstudögum
          yngri (12-16): 18:30-19:30
          Eldri (17-99)  19:30-20:30
          Morgun æfingar eru líka til í dæminu ef næg skráning fæst.  Þær yrðu þá frá 06:00-06:45
 Hægt er að skrá sig með því að smella á þennann hlekk  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1j-Q_uFTf9X3m0HaVbZXgvK_fgrelhhuseykeRjo6Crg/viewform   eða á mynd.
Námskeiðið kostar 5000kr (borgað í fyrsta tíma).     (Venjulegt verð er 12000kr)
Staðsetning IÐAVELLIR 12 Reykjanesbæ

spurningar varðandi námskeiðið sendist á gudmundurstefan@gmail.com

More

Here we have the video Stefán made for me for my birthday

My Birthday cake (partý in moso) made by my boys

Me and Leópold

Kasper - greyið

Just when you let your guard down

you relax, pat yourself on the back and tell yourself what a fine job you have done, raising these boys. The oldest, in his confirmation year, practically an adult.
Then you come across his video blog and the truth hits you, your shoulders slump, reality sets in.
You say to yourself "My son is a goofball"
(he is actually pretty funny)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIqr1TDmS6w 

3ds pictures from Stefán

A few years ago we went to Canada and bought a couple 3ds'. The other day we emptied to memory card from Stefán's and found a bunch of goodies. Life though the eyes of Stefán, aged 9.

A younger Kasper

I think Stefán is making fun of my makeup skills here

The magic of 3d

Stuck in the middle with you?

grainy mom

more grainy mom

I guess Stefán really knows these guys better then they know themselves

Poor Leó

No one ever leaves this guy alone

Stefán, himself

Creepy Leópold

Singing Leópold

Creepy mask that Kasper made

Grainy Einar

phishy

I got a strange looking email today, looking like it was from Facebook

Now where did I put that supermom cape?

dishes done, floors cleaned, toys put away, laundry washed, laundry dried, and put away, so the house work is done next: walk 10 km to work - time to get back in shape. work 10 hours Davíð picks me up at work, then go home and sleep by my little sweethearts (best part)

Backyard Grillapartý

The amazing weather will not be wasted by this family. Yesterday we spent the afternoon and evening in the yard, pulling weeds, water fight, building forts with sleeping bags and a family grill of stones. We love summer.

Just a little too bright for this guy

Kasper, always the funny guy

Davíð, the grill master

Little Davíð, I mean Stefán

Grill made of stones we took from our crumbling stone wall

Salmon on the grill

The Fire Truck Museum

Yesterday I made a dream come true for Leópold. I finally got him to the Fire Truck Museum in Reykjanesbær. I have actually tried to take him before but with the opening hours not listed it is kinda tricky business trying to arrive when the door is not locked. 

But yesterday we got in, and it seems to open at 1 on Sundays in case you are trying to get in yourself. 

And is costs 850 kr. for Adults, so bring your money. Leópold was free but I do not know at what age they would charged.

Here are some pictures. Some are a little blurry on account of the fact that Leópold is so full of energy you need a sport high definition action camera to get a clear shot. 

airport firetruck

he really wanted to climb up there

One ambulance in with the fire trucks

Before they were really firetrucks

More like fire trolleys for the horse to drag. 

Lights and sound from the big fire of 1915

Leópold is also a statue 

Leópolds favorite area, the spare parts