This seems so long ago

About 3 weeks ago at home in Sweden.

The art of party-crashing in medieval Iraq

I love this book title: Selections from the art of party-crashing in medieval Iraq.

Here's an excerpt for you:

A party-crasher came to a wedding and was denied entry. He happened to know that bride’s brother was absent, so he left and got a piece of paper. He folded it up like a lette, and he sealed it (although there was nothing inside), and he addressed it “From the brother to the bride.”
He went back. “I have a note from the bride’s brother for her,” he said.
He received permission to go in and present the letter.
“We’ve never seen an address like this before,” everybody said. “It has no name on it!”
“What’s even stranger than that,” said the party-crasher, “is that there’s nothing inside – not one letter! That’s because he was in a big hurry when he wrote it.”
Everybody laughed. They knew it was a trick to get in, and they him get away with it.

Summer in New York

I've wanted the Birckenstock Gizeh for many years but was afraid of suffering pain between toes due to the leather thong. No worries people! Also, here's the answer to a question I've been asking for years too: It takes about two weeks to break them in properly but you won't be in pain meanwhile. 

Were going to a museum but stopped by a Barnes & Noble on the way. By stopped by I mean stay for 4 hours, thereby missing any chance to go to the museum at all. Still, everyone was just as happy with this decision. 

Bought the Mad about Madeline for Niki, Are you there God, it's me Margaret for Vanja and Darth Paper for Joel.

Readers who've been with me for a while understands the world collides feeling of this pic: bringing my kids to Zabar's. Did not work very well, kids were so energetic after all those calm hours in the book store, had to make them stand outside Zabar's instead of slowly walking around studying NYC delicacies. 

Another day: visited Prospect Park. Kids give this park 5 out 5 scooters.

Out of business/back in business?

Real camera pics

Vanja in her new home.

Niki (still with camp name tag).

Vanja picked the shower curtain.

Vanja in our new backyard.

Have you tried Krrb.com yet?

Just bought a couch through krrb.com .
I really believe in this. It's buy local in a working form.

www.krrb.com

When New York is just like you'd imagined it would be

NYC in summer of 1953

NYC, summer of 2013.

Have joined a gym.

It's so nice to be able to move despite heat. 

I ran on treadmill to the best playlist. Even added Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines, hate the video and the ridiculous lyrics, but the melody and the beat - LOVE IT.

It's only been a little over  two weeks, but am I starting to look more American?
Weird.

I love the new gym I joined. They even have MOVIE showings. with treadmills in front of a huge moie screen.

A JOHN DEERE GLIDER!!!!

Where can you buy such a thing? In my old college town, Springfield OH, naturally. 

Niki is working on levitation skills. 

Over and over. 

Love this, RIP Marc Simont

Even before he received the Caldecott Medal, Mr. Simont contributed valiantly to the success of another Caldecott winner, Robert McCloskey’s “Make Way for Ducklings,” published in 1941. The time was the late 1930s, and the place was Manhattan, where he and Mr. McCloskey, friends from the design academy, were roommates.

Wanting to study ducklings deeply for his book-in-progress, Mr. McCloskey acquired a flock and brought it home. For some months to come, with Mr. Simont’s sympathetic assent, the ducks lived in the bathtub of their Greenwich Village apartment.

First Brooklyn run

Went to a gym to work out and made such a European mistake. Kept running and running and was so slow in completing my 5k. I know I haven't been running for a while due to the foot surgery, but still - was I THAT out of shape? Annoying.

No.
I ran 5 miles=appx 8 kms.
No wonder that took longer than usual.

So great to be running again though, it's too hot for me to run outside in this weather.
Anders runs anyways. You can't stop him.

In top pic I'm showing my favorite sport drink: mix a little apple juice with sparkling water. So good.
Also important: whenever possible, try to pose your head positioned against lamp so lamp looks like a little hat.

Trayvon

still don't understand the acquittal at all. will never do. never ever. so wrong.

New to New York - things that are good to know.

We're waiting for delivery of a TV.
They've tried to deliver it twice to us but since we didn't get a notice of when they were coming we missed them.

Got in touch with UPS to find out what "By end of day" as stated on delivery slip really means.
Turns out it can be any time from 1pm to 7 pm, perhaps even later.

It's a fleeting world.

New to Brooklyn

First Vietnamese chicken sandwich experience.

New to Brooklyn

Have been here for a little over a week and so far have discovered the following thing about Brooklyn:
You can not go anywhere without being two steps from either yoga or cocktails.

So far have not seen a combination of the two and am thinking of introducing that to the neighborhood for all of us who are neither yoga die hards or mere drinkers.

Soon launching: the Yogatini. Or Vinyasan Tonic. Or just a classic Manhathan.

New pics.

My crew, checking out the new neighborhood.

Visiting Niki's and Joel's new school. 

School exterior. 

Future archeologists will have an easy time working out our lifestyle. 

We received a warm welcome at the new apartment.

So far, Niki seems to be adjusting the quickest to Brooklyn. 

What love looks like, to me

It's impossible to love anyone any more than I love these three. Pic 8 years old, from Joel's first summer.

Pre-view of coming attractions

Will definitely go to the movies here at Nitehawk, where they serve food and drinks during shows. Loves it. Loves it. Will this be my first reason to visit?  Or Beetlejuice?

Sarah Lilley (shown here with Vanja and Manhattan) showed us the Nitehawk location.

Ni som kom hit från Jenny Strömstedts mama-blogg

Kolla her majesty's hotness redan på college-tiden, i sopsäck.

Joel says he doesn't remember

Being a poster child for NYC since day 1.

Summer day camp

(7.55 am. Walking to soccer day camp).

"Mom, don't you think it's rough to make an 8-year old Swedish boy go to soccer camp and play for 8 hours in the scorching sun, not really understanding one word the others are saying, being the only foreigner among hundreds of kids?"

"Hmm. Yes, perhaps a bit rough. But you love soccer and I think it's as great way as any to pick up some English. The sooner you learn it, the better."

"I won't learn that fast."

"Sure you will. You've already picked up a bunch of words you didn't know before. Like snack time."

"True. Don't know how often I'll say snack time though."

"Perhaps you won't say it but it's a good term to understand."

"Maybe. Anyhow I wish we hadn't moved here. Why did we have to move here?"

"It takes some time getting used to everything new. I really think you will love it here or we would never have moved here. Do you want me to come pick you up earlier from camp. That would be no problem."

(Have arrived at the soccer field. Joel kicks around with ball, plays with other kids, looking surprisingly comfortable considering the past minutes conversation.)

"No. It's fine. I'll play all day."

---
Niki throwing tantrums all morning saying she doesn't want to go to dance day camp.

"When I grow up and have kids, I'll never force them to go to dance."

"Ok, that's for you to decide then, I'm still making you go to dance class today."

(Crying, kicking me, protesting 10 blocks on the way to dance class.)

2 blocks from dance camp:

"Mom, know how I've said all morning that I don't want to go to dance class? I've changed my mind! Now I really want to go"

"That's fantastic news! I'm so happy about this."

"Yeah, life's funny this way. First you don't want something, then you do!"

Starting one more blog

So you know how much I go on about Kerber?!?!?
Have now decided to dedicate an entire blog to the greatness of that brand.

You'll find it here.
http://itskerber.blogspot.com

It's about clothes yes, but even more about starting up a whole new life in New York.

New to New York

These are the questions a person who's just moved to New York in July asks:

It's hot. How much hotter does it get on a scale from 1-10?

How much air conditioning is required?

The look of the air conditioning is hurting my sensitive Swedish sense of aesthetics (yes, am bratty). Are there any alternatives? How effective are fans?

Will anyone who has swimmed in the Washington Square Park fountain ever be clean again?

Are the organic things sold everywhere really organic?

Why are the spaces where you're supposed to walk in the subway so narrow you almost fall down on the tracks all the time?

I love it here, is it really true that I'm here for real?

Did this ever happen to you?

Went to IKEA, bought tons of stuff, returned home, spend hours assembling the pieces then realized the set-up we had planned didn't work at all in reality.

looked into the return policy and read the following hilarious words:

"If you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, simply return the unused item in its original packaging within 90 days unless noted below." 

So now we're trying to sell stuff on craigslist instead. Need a kitchen island? You don't even have to put it together!
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/fuo/3918496950.html

Thought we were having such a great time.

Did not catch these angry stares till hours later, going through the pics in my phone. 

MUSEUM LOVER'S DREAM COME TRUE

OPEN EVERY EVERY EVERY DAY. SWOON.

And in August this opens. 

Starting over, over here

Photo op.

What makes all these parents work so hard?

Answer: Kids magically arranging themselves this way.

Adjusting. Adjusting?

Brooklyn

Have arrived in Brooklyn and things are great and confusing. Had lunch at a local Mexican place where we were given crayons and sheets of paper. Suddenly we made drawings of how we were feeling. Some looked as happy as in real life. 

Others didn't stretch their imagination too much .

And then there were those whose inner feelings did not seem to 

correspond too much with their exterior looks. 

Have caught on with the local mode of transportation.