Hygge

(hooga)

Togetherness. Coziness. Unity. Trust. Connection!

That’s what that funny danish word means to me. It’s funny how this Danish Parenting thing became a thing now, but even before I knew about the word I practiced it. For me this is the most important thing for a happy family life. Here are some of the things we do together that I am passionate about that I would like to share. Maybe some of these seem interesting to you, maybe they inspire you, maybe you think they are all a bunch of bs 😂. But they work for us and they might work for you! 

I think it is true for all of us that true family time happens mostly on the weekends. Here are some ideas on how to make that time together a bit more special. 

Make your home cozier by

• Changing your lighting. Get rid of that one blinding light in the middle of your room. Dim it. Set up small warmer lamps and lights. Examples: Put fairy lights (Christmas lights) in a glass vase and put that vase on a shelf, light candles or use battery tea lights; indirect lighting is key for coziness. (I recommend ikea for small affordable lamps, batteries, candles and fairy lights).
• Put up family pictures. Have the kids paint or decorate frames. This way the children feel included in creating a cozy home for the whole family. 
• Create a black chalk board wall that you can draw on together (so easy to do and so much fun). 
• For me colors are very important. I need some colors around the house to rest my eyes on. And that doesn’t mean painting all your walls, it helps to just add colorful accents like picture frames, curtains, throw pillows, candle holders, anything you can think of. But everyone is different 😍. 

Hygge activities that WILL make your family life fuller:

• Dance party with favorite songs and snacks. Loud singing is encouraged! We have a dance party every Friday night after dinner. Some are short, some are long, but we try to always have one. We created a Spotify list of favorite dance songs which we play over a speaker or on our tv. Just think of songs you love to sing along to, introduce them to your kids and you will see: they will get excited when they hear them again! A definite go to are: the Beatles, Men at work (down under), songs from kids fav movies like let it go from frozen and how far I’ll go from moana or jungle book songs, Africa by Toto. Step up your dance party game by making it a karaoke party by hooking up a speaker and microphone to your tv, then play the karaoke versions of your favorite songs from YouTube. It is also fun to dress up for your dance party, just set up a box with costumes, glasses, wigs, hats and get it out before you start the fun.
• Watching a movie all together on the couch in Pyjamas with blankets and dimmed lights. Maybe tea or hot chocolate. 
• A hike. Yes, hygge doesn’t have to happen in your home. Go exploring together! Look for animal tracks, find new paths in a forest, make memories!! For everyone in the NY area: I have a couple of favorite magical kid friendly hiking trails in the Bear Mountain area. Let me know if you want me to send them to you!! 
• Hygge in the car: yes, driving together as a family can be very hygge!! How? Again: with music! We have made many memories blasting pop music radio stations right around the time Deapacito became popular. It is now Willa’s favorite song. The kids kept recognizing songs, then singing along and all of a sudden is was a karaoke party in our car! 
• Snuggling up in bed with a bunch of new library books. What is more exciting than new books?? 
• Building a blanket fort, decorate it with lights (fairy lights or those battery tea lights), then all hang out in it.
• Make a Memory jar: write down fun things you did together, or funny things the kids said, any memory you made together. Date and put in a jar. On Christmas or New Year’s sit together and read the notes out loud. 
• Cuddle up together and ask your kids questions. About school, about their day, about life, their dreams. Anything. And listen. Answer their questions. Have conversations. Together. 
• Listen to more music. Introduce your kids to your favorite bands. Tell them about them. (For us it started with the Beatles. Then came Pink Floyd, Rush..  It is such a JOY when they recognize these bands on the radio!!) 
• Share insight jokes 
• Bake together. This one is not a hygge thing for me personally because kids in the kitchen stress me out, but I think it could be very fun for families who enjoy the chaos of flour and kids 😂.

Hygge can be everything you enjoy doing as a family with time on your hands and no stress or rush. I think this is the most important part about the whole idea: MAKE TIME FOR BEING WITH YOUR FAMILY!! Make time for togetherness, for coziness. Don’t rush through it. Enjoy it. Don’t be distracted. Don’t argue. Listen. Have fun together! MAKE MEMORIES! Connect! And share your ideas! I would love to learn more about what makes your family time special for your family!!! 

Much love, me

PS: These are MY THOUGHTS on the hygge concept, none of this can be found in books, just fyi. There are numerous books on the subject though if you want to dive in deeper. 

• 
  

What I want

A safe world for my children to grow up in
Parents who raise their kids to be beautiful fellow humans
Hygge all the way every day
No stress
Snow days
2.2 Million Dollars
A babysitter once in a while
Harmony
Peace
of mind
Unlimited Happiness
More love for everyone
No more whining
Uninterrupted sleeps every single night
No mosquitos or ticks ever again
A vegan chef bff who wants to cook us dinner every night
A house with all my favorite people in it right next door
More parties
A full wine cellar
Another baby but without the pregnancy or sleepless nights
Horses and cows and sheep and goats
Someone to take care of my zoo

Please and thank you!

You Are

You are

My Heart outside my body

My night sky of stars

My treasure chest of jewels

My happiness

My proudest moment

My greatest love story

You will

Grow

Learn

Conquer 

Rule 

Create

Amaze

Love

Be oh so loved 

I will

Proudly

Watch

Guide

Love

Give

Answer

Eternally

    

Love,

Mami

Home is where your hearts are

"Every house where love abides

And friendship is a guest,

Is surely home, and home sweet home

For there the heart can rest."

-   Henry Van Dyke 

HOME 💛

A home... Our home... Our favorite home as far as I can remember was here in NYC, our cute, cozy one bedroom apartment on the 9th floor in Harlem. The home with the most amazing view. The home  we brought our babies to after they were born. The home we lost our beloved Leon in. The home we grew up in. Many, many memories.


                              

                              

We outgrew our tiny little cozy cave a long time ago. Filled to the brim with strollers, toys, stuff. And we have downsized, but four people "need" a lot of stuff. And we like our stuff. Minimalists we will never be, even though I know Bill dreams of the will power 😆

Bill came home from work a while ago and took this pictures of the girls and I eating dinner. We never really had space for a real dining room table (we did in the beginning, but then kids' stuff took over) so this (and other variations with other tiny tables added for more people) is how we usually eat dinner. I was always a bit embarrassed when people were over, like 'Yeah, you might have to hold your plate while you eat.. And sit on the floor.. Because we have no space fchairs.. We have two tricycles in our living room, but no chairs..'  😜 But when I saw this picture I thought: "Oh, how cozy we look! How happy to be close together." And that's what our time here together as a family was all about: HYGGE. And what better place to be hygge in than here.

But now my friends we have finally decided (and not just decided. I mean, if you know us you know that we decided about once a year to move) to move on. And because NY is NY we can't really afford to be NYers anymore. We loved this place but life got so exhausting here once the kids arrived. NY got unsafer. Stinkier. Crazier. Everything changes when you have children and for me it became clear that raising them in this crazy city wasn't really how I wanted to do it. Sooooo we set out to find our perfect Eigenheim in our favorite area in NY: The Hudson Valley, close to our beloved Bear Mountain. About an hour away from the city. I will post an update when we have a definite update. I don't want to jinx anything :)

Until then, much love from NYC,
💜 me

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." 
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Just a little love story

  As I was waking up this morning, a child cuddled up to me, I had a thought in my head. What would I say if I was asked to tell something important about myself. I could go to the past and talk about my upbringing and how is shaped me. I could talk about my kids and what motherhood is like for me. Those experiences define me, but I would have to go to the base of everything to really express what I am about. And that base is love. It has always been about love for me. Finding love. And happiness.

  I found the love of my life, the person I would marry and have children with, when I was 21. Pretty young, right? Yes, it sounds young. But to me it felt like I had been looking for The One for a life time, which I had. I think it had been my life goal to find My One True Love since age 12. Yep. That's me. The hopeless romantic. I only had a couple of life goals at that age. I had no idea what I wanted to be, but I knew that I desperately needed to find love in my life.

  I didn't have a lot of role models when it came to happy relationships growing up. No one ever got divorced, but no one really seemed happy. No one seemed in love. There wasn't that much love anywhere if I really think about it. There was a lot of noise. And tears. Definitely not enough kissing. I always knew that that could not be what life was about.

  The question people have when they are looking for love is HOW do you really know? I have met my fair share of frogs along the way. Met some great guys, too. But you know when you know, you know? I know, it sounds like any other saying, but it is true when it comes to love. For me it was the feeling when we were together. It only took one kiss for me to know that I had arrived. That I had found him. Everything was so easy! I was myself! I was at peace! *sigh*

  The crazy thing about love is that it grows. It changes. It morphs from one form to another, constantly. What a beautiful journey! I guess you do get what you wish for, you just have to wish hard enough.

  So there you go: You read it. I guess you are a lover like me. And I hope you are surrounded by love and happiness every day of your life. You deserve it!

PS: There's also a LOT of mayhem in my life every day, but that is another story 😜


                           

Thanks for stopping by. Peace and Love, me 💕

Ode to Frida

Mein liebstes Engelchen,

Just a couple of minutes ago I found out I was pregnant with you 

(the happiest and most terrifying couple of days of my life). 

And only a few seconds ago we welcomed you into our lives. 

My little alien, staring at us from the moment you were born. 

So awake and alert. And smart. 

You already knew everything; you were born to be my teacher. 

When I met you I quickly learned 

that I knew nothing. 

Zero. 

About life, about love, about magic. 

About being a mother. 

How wonderful it is. And hard. 

About being oh so very vulnerable.

I was invincible before I had you, you know..

It is true what they say: 

That you carry your heart outside of your body 

when your child is born. 

About fear. I have never felt fear the way I feel it now. 

Fear of losing you, 

fear of anyone hurting you, 

fear of disappointing you. 

The slightest sadness in you will break my heart in a million pieces. 

Over and over again. 

I knew nothing about being an important part of a functional family. 

I knew what not to do and went from there. 

With you by my side. 

Guiding me.

Watching you and your magical personality unfold in front of me makes me so proud. 

And even after days of utter annoyance and insanity 

I still stare at you when you are finally asleep and I tear up. 

What a privilege it is to be your mother! 

What an honor it is to have you tell me that you love me, 

that you choose me over anyone else when you need to snuggle. 

My goals in life have changed. 

I want you to be proud of me. 

I want you to always know that I am here for you. 

I want to be a great mother. 

I want to thank you for being the most perfect first child any mother could ask for. Please stay as magical and amazing as you were from the moment you were born. And don't ever be afraid to come home with bad grades, purple hair or a rockstar wannabe boyfriend. 

Mama will understand. <3 

The Perfect Day

I have to tell you all about yesterday. It was the perfect day!

I am the first to admit that I have difficulty relaxing and really being truly happy when I have huge, new things ahead of me. In this case: Summer ending, Bill going back to school, Frida starting pre k. I usually wake up early with anxiety because my head just won't turn itself off. But yesterday was different!

Right after waking up I realized that yesterday was the day we got approved for our wonderful apartment 7 years ago! I remember that day like it was yesterday. So nervous. Scared. It is hard finding a place to live in NYC with no credit and no money. But we got the call around noon while wandering around 125th Street. That feeling. I felt it. Again. So that was the special "Today is our lucky day" feeling that I carried with me all day. No wonder!

So yes, we went to OUR place for probably the last time this summer: Coney Island.

Bill took these pics on the train and I adore them:

                                   
                                   
                                   

We don't go to CI for the rides. We go for the beach. But this time I decided I needed to go in the Wonder Wheel. Bill and Willa passed so it was just Frida and Mami. We chose one of those moving cabins (because I am clearly insane) and up we went. I had my phone in hand to take pictures when the stupid thing swing forward like WHOA! I almost dropped my phone and had a near death experience, I was TERRIFIED!!!!!! I grabbed Frida fearing for our lives and shrieked with fake delight so she didn't get scared. OMG. After the first shock wore off it actually became fun. Scary, but fun. Hilarious!! Frida loved it of course.
                                   
                                 
                                 

Then we set up camp at the beach, met some fellow Germans, dug a HUGE hole, jumped over waves, found seashells and almost caught a crab. Regular beach stuff. The water was PERFECTION!!!! Probably the best I have ever seen it. It was the day between the old moon and the new moon, that might have been why. It was't too hot out and windy, it was just absolute perfection.

                                    
                         
                                                

It's tradition that we get a bracelet from one of the ladies selling them at the beach. Bill picked one for me last week when we were there that I keep making fun of because it is so hideous (the green one with turtles (cute) and a teddy bear (ugly) ), so he got me a new one (blue with red, so pretty). I will proudly wear both of them now until they fall off (that's how it's done. We save the ones that fall off.).

                                            

A ride on our favorite carousel of course:

I should also mention that the day was perfect because we have amazing children. The best kids in the world. They did not nap and were so cute and fun at the beach. No tantrums. No tears (well, Willa is still Willa, so some tantrumy tears, but very minor. I mean, the child who loves her naps more than anything did not get to nap, so it was all understandable.). I am so proud of my kids <3. We even took them out to eat dinner at Wahlburgers (my first love's restaurant) and they were troopers. The food was delicious (amazing veggie burger, heavenly mac'n cheese and I think Bill liked his food, too :) ). And to top it off: Pictures of Donnie Wahlberg EVERYWHERE. Yummmmmy (There's a 13 year old trapped somewhere inside of me).

OMG, I actually had this poster over my bed. 

Willa fell asleep 2 seconds after we put her in the stroller while Frida happily munched on snacks. The trains were crowded. The people were sweet about our huge stroller blocking parts of the train. In rush hour. Thank you New Yorkers for not yelling at us. Instead we got chatted up by beautiful souls left and right. It's times like this when I really, truly love this city.

After the kids went to bed we utilized the powers of the New Moon to change our lives. Like this:

On the day of the New Moon (any time that works for you) make a list of all things new that you want to bring into your life. There is no right or wrong way to do this. My New Moon list has covered everything from new glasses to a new home to a new point of view. 

And that was our perfect day. I wished for many more like this. Thanks Universe <3