I don't really know how this is possible, but our time in Boston is almost over!! Although there are so many things we experienced in Boston that I haven't had the chance to write about yet, I wanted to sit down and write my thoughts before they were gone.
Four more days we are hopping on that airplane back to Europe!! I have to admit that my time in Boston has been wonderful, but a part of me is excited to go back. Boston has been extremely welcoming, very beautiful, very fun, and of course we had the opportunity to be visited by a TON of our friends and family. Andrew and I both feel so blessed to have so many people drive/fly this long way to see us. We made lasting memories of our time with all of our friends and family.
First off, Maddy. She is SO excited to see her friends again from school, and Lina and Faye (her outside-of-school friends). Although I have done my best to keep the three of us busy during the days, I do believe we have not entirely managed to exhaust her every day as much as playschool does. She wants to learn, she wants to see everybody and hang out with her friends again. Although her school is closed for the month of July, it will be nice for her to have one full month at school before she's stuck with Charlie and I again.
Charlie doesn't seem to care whether he is in Finland or Boston. His days are basically stuck with his momma and he has that in both continents. Although some of the larger toys that didn't make the cut to come to Boston, he will be thrilled to see upon his return.
As for me, I am anxious to go back and get school started again. The last portion of my tuition for my MBA has been paid and now I just need to finish the work. Will be nice to see Gretchen and Iris again and hang out at the beach with Joanna and things of that nature. It's starting to get kinda warm here anyways, so perhaps leaving Boston in the spring is a good idea.
My morning was spent changing our address with the post office, buying last minute things to bring to Finland with us, tights for Maddy's ballet recital, and crossing off a few things on my "want" list that are so much cheaper here than in Finland.
I've also had my first experience with Craigslist. We have a few things to sell and I posted them up today. Will be nice to unload our larger items and finish up the packing this week.
One last thing I'm hoping to experience in Finland is weight loss. I feel like I have had gut rot in the USA for the past four months! Gotta get back to Finland healthy food!
Sad to leave but happy to go back "home", wherever home is. And so concludes another adventure in the Conley storybook...
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Aunt Nora and Uncle Calvin
Shortly after Penny's visit, Andrew's aunt and uncle from Caledon came to Boston to visit us. Although we don't get to see them nearly as much as we'd like, it is always a lot of fun to hang out with them. They are a very sweet couple who treasure family and always make a huge effort to see us when we are in Canada. They have been to Finland to visit us too, which is great!
They had been to Boston before but had a short list of things that they had missed, so it was great to see those places with them. Nora had purchased a book for Madison last year (before we knew we were coming to Boston) about a bunch of ducks from Boston. It was extra special to take Nora to the Boston Public Garden, where the story takes place, and take her on the swan boats, which are also mentioned in the book. They have duck statues in the park to commemorate this story.
We took them to the USS Constitution warship, we toured around Charlestown and the Bunker Hill area, climbed to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument, and toured the Mapparium, which is a stained glass version of the globe. On our last day with them, the kids and I took them to Fenway Park for a park tour, which was also very fun. And for Calvin's birthday, Andrew took Cal to a Red Sox game.
It was a lot of fun to tour around with them and the kids adore them a lot.
They had been to Boston before but had a short list of things that they had missed, so it was great to see those places with them. Nora had purchased a book for Madison last year (before we knew we were coming to Boston) about a bunch of ducks from Boston. It was extra special to take Nora to the Boston Public Garden, where the story takes place, and take her on the swan boats, which are also mentioned in the book. They have duck statues in the park to commemorate this story.
We took them to the USS Constitution warship, we toured around Charlestown and the Bunker Hill area, climbed to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument, and toured the Mapparium, which is a stained glass version of the globe. On our last day with them, the kids and I took them to Fenway Park for a park tour, which was also very fun. And for Calvin's birthday, Andrew took Cal to a Red Sox game.
It was a lot of fun to tour around with them and the kids adore them a lot.
Marathon Visit from Penny
I have previously posted about the Boston Marathon and how amazing Andrew did! It's been almost a month and although he has turned his attention to cycling training instead of his running training, I believe the events of that day are carried with us for all time.
I also mentioned that Andrew's mother was here for the big race! It was very special to have her fly here immediately after her Hawaii vacation. She was exhausted but happy to be here for Andrew, and of course the kids were thrilled to have Grandma over.
While she was here, she took us all to the circus. It was a last minute decision and turned out to be a wonderful idea! It is the Big Apple Circus, a small circus organization who travels from city to city. As they are a non-profit organization, I believe my expectations were a bit low, but was excited for Maddy to see her very first circus performance.
We were blown away! They did a great job and had true talent. I have never seen Maddy so focused on anything for so long before. She was literally on the edge of her seat the entire time. It was really great. A very special memory for her.
Thanks Penny.
I also mentioned that Andrew's mother was here for the big race! It was very special to have her fly here immediately after her Hawaii vacation. She was exhausted but happy to be here for Andrew, and of course the kids were thrilled to have Grandma over.
While she was here, she took us all to the circus. It was a last minute decision and turned out to be a wonderful idea! It is the Big Apple Circus, a small circus organization who travels from city to city. As they are a non-profit organization, I believe my expectations were a bit low, but was excited for Maddy to see her very first circus performance.
We were blown away! They did a great job and had true talent. I have never seen Maddy so focused on anything for so long before. She was literally on the edge of her seat the entire time. It was really great. A very special memory for her.
Thanks Penny.
Canadian Easter Adventures
Although we are still 800km away, Boston feels like "next door" to Canada when compared to Finland. It was great that all of the Conleys, including Tucker, were able to get in a car and spend Easter weekend in Canada together with our family! While Andrew could only stay the weekend, it was extra special that I got to stay in the County with the kids for an extra week and a half.
It was wonderful to spend time with my parents, siblings and nieces and nephews. They have grown so much since last September! Plus of course I had to meet my latest addition Mason who was born in January. Getting to play with all of the kids and watching them play with my kids was the highlight of our Canadian vacation. It is difficult to think about how much my kids are missing out on their cousins, but at the same time it's amazing that they can just pick up where they left off!
I could get all emotional and talk about how amazing our family is and how blessed we are to have such an incredible support system, but instead I'm just gonna shut up and post some pictures.
Canada, we love you. xoxo
It was wonderful to spend time with my parents, siblings and nieces and nephews. They have grown so much since last September! Plus of course I had to meet my latest addition Mason who was born in January. Getting to play with all of the kids and watching them play with my kids was the highlight of our Canadian vacation. It is difficult to think about how much my kids are missing out on their cousins, but at the same time it's amazing that they can just pick up where they left off!
I could get all emotional and talk about how amazing our family is and how blessed we are to have such an incredible support system, but instead I'm just gonna shut up and post some pictures.
Canada, we love you. xoxo
March Adventures in Boston
March was a busy and fun month!!! Not only did we have several sets of visitors but we explored a lot more of Boston and had some adventures!!
We had Nic and Alexia with our one year old niece Gaby come over. It was great to see them and to acquaint ourselves with the new personality of Gaby :) Now that she is walking, she is everywhere!!! She is a very busy little girl with a wonderfully active personality, but insanely adorable and has quite the dance moves already! We travelled with them to the aquarium, explored a bit of the city, and the boys took a trip to TD Gardens to watch the Boston Bruins play the Maple Leafs. It was a great visit with them, we were so blessed to have them drive all the way over to see us!
They were also here over Andrew's birthday, who turned 33. Maddy had chosen a Curious George theme for her dad and it was fun to watch how excited she was for him.
One day I decided to be brave and take the kids to the Boston Children's Museum by myself. We have an annual pass and wanted to get some more visits with it. Although I was hesitant to handle both myself at this huge museum, I had a great time with the kids! Here are a few pictures I took of them. They played really nicely together and I'm not even sure I lost them at any point!
One weekend we went to the Harvard campus and visited their Natural History Museum. Maddy is huge on dinosaurs right now and they have some really great fossils. They also have a huge animal exhibit which the kids found fascinating. It was a great family excursion!
We had Nic and Alexia with our one year old niece Gaby come over. It was great to see them and to acquaint ourselves with the new personality of Gaby :) Now that she is walking, she is everywhere!!! She is a very busy little girl with a wonderfully active personality, but insanely adorable and has quite the dance moves already! We travelled with them to the aquarium, explored a bit of the city, and the boys took a trip to TD Gardens to watch the Boston Bruins play the Maple Leafs. It was a great visit with them, we were so blessed to have them drive all the way over to see us!
Our next visitors were John and Penny. They were only here for a weekend and the time flew by! It was great to hang out with them and show them our neighbourhood. We took them to the Boston Public Gardens and had a great lunch at the Cheers bar! Was wonderful to see them in Boston and show them our new digs.
Rose and Adam came to visit us with my nephew Jack! Him and Maddy played fantastically together!!!! They both really used their imaginations to play fort games and jumping games and it was wonderful to watch them! We took them to the aquarium and spent some time just hanging out together. We wandered Brookline Village, which is an area I actually hadn't been yet. Rose and Adam spent one day doing the Freedom Trail while I watched all three kids. That was fun! Yup, definitely not having any more children, ha ha.They were also here over Andrew's birthday, who turned 33. Maddy had chosen a Curious George theme for her dad and it was fun to watch how excited she was for him.
One weekend we went to the Harvard campus and visited their Natural History Museum. Maddy is huge on dinosaurs right now and they have some really great fossils. They also have a huge animal exhibit which the kids found fascinating. It was a great family excursion!
March was a fun month with lots of visitors and exploring Boston. Not always easy being home with both of the kids all the time every day but we're making the best of it!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Some Early Differences Between Boston and Finland
There have been a few things that we have noticed since living in Boston that are different than the way they are done in Finland. I am not saying that one is better than the other, as I actually find myself at a strange middle. I am North American, but I have been exposed to European cultures for the past three years. In a way, I have been Finland-ized. But of course I cannot completely let go of the 28 years of North American culture exposure I had prior to our move to Europe.
For the most part, coming to Boston has helped me realize how good our life is in Finland. No offence to Boston, as it is a beautiful city full of history and pride. Particularly in Brookline, where the neighbourhood is very friendly and warm. However, there are some things here that are different.
1. They bag your groceries here for you. I have to admit this is a point for Boston, as I am pretty sure there isn't a single grocery store in Finland which will bag your groceries. They actually ask me if I want paper or plastic. It is all very strange. And since I am not used to this, I am still not aware of the etiquette of whether I am allowed to help or not.
2. On the flip side, they double bag everything and seem extremely wasteful with their plastic bags. Of course I recycle them but it still seems like such a waste. I have tried buying their reusable bags they sell at the grocery store, but they are extremely weak and break very easily. I don't think its rocket science to make reusable bags that can ACTUALLY BE REUSED!?
3. Dressing properly. I have to say, this is a big point for Finland. The common motto in Finland is that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. If you dress properly, you can be outside and enjoy yourself no matter what Mother Nature throws at you. Middle of February we spent a day at the Childrens Museum and it happened to be a snowstorm that day. I was shocked at how many kids and adults were outside without the proper clothing. Even in April when the warmer weather was just starting to sprout, parents seemed very eager to start dressing themselves and their children in shorts and flipflops while my kids were still wearing their winter jackets. I have to ignore the thoughts that I might just be an overbearing mother and say that some people just seem a bit too eager for spring to come.
4. Lack of public nudity. The first time Maddy and I went to the public pool, the entire womens change room is surrounded by stalls. Turn the tables to Finland, where it is basically one giant room with zero stalls. Here in Boston, you can actually shower and get dressed without even a slight possibility of having a nipple slip. I would say this is a point for Finland, but one time an old woman was getting dressed in a Finnish change room and bent over her bare ass to put on her underwear right in front of my face (literally, almost hit me in my cheek with her cheek) so I think this might be a draw.
5. Food portions. Holy cow, its no wonder that North Americans are overweight. Take a typical sized meal at McDonalds in the US vs in Finland and there will be a shocking difference. The large in Finland is like a small in the US. It is gross.
6. Cash back. The grocery store and the 7/11 convenience stores offer cashback, which is wonderful when you are too busy to hit a bank machine. Plus it just counts as a normal debit card purchase so you aren't charged any special fees for using the ATMs. No waiting in Otto lineups. Point for Boston.
7. Sugar. In everything. Mostly cereals. I am not proud of this, but my kids are addicted to the North American crap food. Of course it is my fault, because Im the one who purchased the junk from the grocery store and then actually fed it to them. I am afraid of what will happen when we return to Finland, as both of the kids will be suffering from Goldfish and FrootLoops withdrawal....
8. Friendliness. I had been warned about Bostonians and how unfriendly they are. But once we got here, that rumour could not have been any less true. Everybody here has been extremely friendly towards us, even just passing you by on the street. This goes completely against Finnish culture, where you don't even make eye contact with somebody unless you know them. Makes it much more enjoyable to get up on a beautiful sunny day and have a friendly conversation with someone else who is out walking their dog, for example. One thing about Boston that I will definitely miss when we return to stark-faced Finns.
I am sure I will have more to comment after our New York City trip as well.
Kim
For the most part, coming to Boston has helped me realize how good our life is in Finland. No offence to Boston, as it is a beautiful city full of history and pride. Particularly in Brookline, where the neighbourhood is very friendly and warm. However, there are some things here that are different.
1. They bag your groceries here for you. I have to admit this is a point for Boston, as I am pretty sure there isn't a single grocery store in Finland which will bag your groceries. They actually ask me if I want paper or plastic. It is all very strange. And since I am not used to this, I am still not aware of the etiquette of whether I am allowed to help or not.
2. On the flip side, they double bag everything and seem extremely wasteful with their plastic bags. Of course I recycle them but it still seems like such a waste. I have tried buying their reusable bags they sell at the grocery store, but they are extremely weak and break very easily. I don't think its rocket science to make reusable bags that can ACTUALLY BE REUSED!?
3. Dressing properly. I have to say, this is a big point for Finland. The common motto in Finland is that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. If you dress properly, you can be outside and enjoy yourself no matter what Mother Nature throws at you. Middle of February we spent a day at the Childrens Museum and it happened to be a snowstorm that day. I was shocked at how many kids and adults were outside without the proper clothing. Even in April when the warmer weather was just starting to sprout, parents seemed very eager to start dressing themselves and their children in shorts and flipflops while my kids were still wearing their winter jackets. I have to ignore the thoughts that I might just be an overbearing mother and say that some people just seem a bit too eager for spring to come.
4. Lack of public nudity. The first time Maddy and I went to the public pool, the entire womens change room is surrounded by stalls. Turn the tables to Finland, where it is basically one giant room with zero stalls. Here in Boston, you can actually shower and get dressed without even a slight possibility of having a nipple slip. I would say this is a point for Finland, but one time an old woman was getting dressed in a Finnish change room and bent over her bare ass to put on her underwear right in front of my face (literally, almost hit me in my cheek with her cheek) so I think this might be a draw.
5. Food portions. Holy cow, its no wonder that North Americans are overweight. Take a typical sized meal at McDonalds in the US vs in Finland and there will be a shocking difference. The large in Finland is like a small in the US. It is gross.
6. Cash back. The grocery store and the 7/11 convenience stores offer cashback, which is wonderful when you are too busy to hit a bank machine. Plus it just counts as a normal debit card purchase so you aren't charged any special fees for using the ATMs. No waiting in Otto lineups. Point for Boston.
7. Sugar. In everything. Mostly cereals. I am not proud of this, but my kids are addicted to the North American crap food. Of course it is my fault, because Im the one who purchased the junk from the grocery store and then actually fed it to them. I am afraid of what will happen when we return to Finland, as both of the kids will be suffering from Goldfish and FrootLoops withdrawal....
8. Friendliness. I had been warned about Bostonians and how unfriendly they are. But once we got here, that rumour could not have been any less true. Everybody here has been extremely friendly towards us, even just passing you by on the street. This goes completely against Finnish culture, where you don't even make eye contact with somebody unless you know them. Makes it much more enjoyable to get up on a beautiful sunny day and have a friendly conversation with someone else who is out walking their dog, for example. One thing about Boston that I will definitely miss when we return to stark-faced Finns.
I am sure I will have more to comment after our New York City trip as well.
Kim
My Little Swimmer
Unfortunately I have been falling behind on my posts. I had thought that living in Boston for four months would give me a break from school and allow me some free time to read and write. Boy, I don't know where my time is going but it certainly isn't going to this blog. It makes me sad.
One of my besties just moved to South Africa and started up a blog, which looks gorgeous. It has given me a new breath of fresh air and helped me realize how lucky I am to experience this wonderful life and that I will want to look back on these memories. So keeping my fingers crossed that we don't lose touch for long.
When we moved to Boston, Andrew and I had talked about enrolling Maddy in some programs to stay active and also to socialize. She has been going to swimming lessons and also to ballet class. Although we still have a few more classes of ballet, her last swimming lesson was today. She didn't seem too upset about it, though, as she is really beginning to miss her friends a lot and is excited that our return to Finland is approaching.
It is with great pride that I announce that Madison has completed her level one of swimming lessons! Her confidence in the water (without wearing her water wings) has improved greatly!!! And we met our good friends Mollie and Bethany there, which was an added bonus. Wish we were staying to get her into level two, but excited in a way to get packed up and head back home to Finland.
Super proud of my little swimmer!!!
One of my besties just moved to South Africa and started up a blog, which looks gorgeous. It has given me a new breath of fresh air and helped me realize how lucky I am to experience this wonderful life and that I will want to look back on these memories. So keeping my fingers crossed that we don't lose touch for long.
When we moved to Boston, Andrew and I had talked about enrolling Maddy in some programs to stay active and also to socialize. She has been going to swimming lessons and also to ballet class. Although we still have a few more classes of ballet, her last swimming lesson was today. She didn't seem too upset about it, though, as she is really beginning to miss her friends a lot and is excited that our return to Finland is approaching.
It is with great pride that I announce that Madison has completed her level one of swimming lessons! Her confidence in the water (without wearing her water wings) has improved greatly!!! And we met our good friends Mollie and Bethany there, which was an added bonus. Wish we were staying to get her into level two, but excited in a way to get packed up and head back home to Finland.
Super proud of my little swimmer!!!
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