Winter Sports Day

Today was a very fun day for the kids!  It was Winter Sports day at school so they had a full day of sporting activities to participate in.  Kids in grades 4-12 with previous ski experience were able to go skiing with the school about an hour outside of Stockholm  My kids do not have ski experience (well, Calvin skied for a week in the Pyrenees in France but he was in the 5th grade and never repeated the ski experience) so they had the opportunity to do other sports with their class.  Max did martial arts and ice skating.  Calvin did rock climbing and fencing.   And, Tabitha did rock climbing and bowling.  They all had a great time and came home pleasantly tired and sore.  I am sorry that I don't have any pictures of the kids but you know, I am no longer invited (or welcome) to come along on these school activities!
I joined a new exercise class this morning and worked out hard!  So, I was also tired and sore!  Whew!  It was tough but fun!  After exercising and a quick shower, I headed over to my friend, Lori's, house for another version of our "Heidi and Helene" Swedish cooking group.  This time, we made 3 different salads and blood orange preserves to serve over ice cream for dessert.  Absolutely wonderful and we once again had a fantastic time!

This week was Vänliga veckan for the Swedes.  That literally means friendly week where they are encouraged to make an effort to be friendlier!  I hear comments from my friends all the time that they do not think that the Swedes are friendly.  I really do not believe this to be true.  Just because someone does not strike up a conversation with a random stranger does not make them unfriendly in my eyes.  I also do not expect to get smiles and hellos from the 5,000 people that I pass on the street in any given day.  I see friendliness every day when a clerk in a store takes the time to smile and make small talk in English when I ask a question, or when someone goes out of their way to explain something to me when they could just expect me to figure it out on my own since I was the one who chose to be in their country!  How friendly are Americans to foreigners?  Especially in our nation's capital when they don't speak our language?  Anyway, the Swedes actually have a week about being friendlier, so they must care about how they act toward themselves and others.

Wet and cold today... Not a pretty day for outdoor pictures...

Oh, one other thing... Old fashioned ceramic fireplaces are in all the old Swedish homes.  (Not ours from some reason...)  They are no longer functional, I don't think but are often quite beautiful and interesting.  Here is a picture of the one in Lori's dining room today...