We Went to London!

Leander and I have taken some smaller trips together over the years, but we’ve never actually had the opportunity to travel by plane anywhere, just the two of us. So for Leander’s 11th birthday this year, I booked us a trip to London.

We were going to do the Harry Potter Studio Tour, but unfortunately, that was sold out by the time I was able to book our hotel and plane tickets. So we will just have to go back I guess 😝

So where is the London vlog, you might wonder? Well, I did film a little bit during the trip but decided pretty quickly that there wasn’t going to be a vlog for this trip. The main reason for this was that I wanted the London trip to be about Leander, and for him and I to have some really good quality time together. And if I’m focusing on getting as much good content as possible for a vlog, then my mind would often be elsewhere than on being mindful of all the experiences we were having together.

So what did we do on our trip? We walked around the city a lot, sat down at cafés, ate yummy food and cakes, spent some time at Hamley’s, did a little bit of shopping, had fun in the hotel swimming pool, got to meet some wonderful people, went to the science museum and we stayed up late, eating candy in our hotel room.

But the thing that I take away from the trip that was the most wonderful, was all the time we spent talking about life and thoughts. I’ve always said that the best way to really get to know someone is to travel together with them, and I do believe that Leander and I got to know each other even better than we already did throughout this trip. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hectic everyday lifestyle, and we probably don’t take as much time as we should to actually just sit down and talk about our feelings and experiences, but while we were away, we really did get the time to do so. There was no rush for anything, and we just had a wonderful time. Even when getting soaked in the rain, or when Leander was so tired on the evening of our first day that he walked like a drunk person, we still smiled, laughed and talked so easily.

It is also so fascinating to me to experience how he’s growing up so extremely fast. And he constantly takes me by surprise when he’s wording these really profound thoughts that are running through his mind. But even though he’s getting closer and closer to becoming a teen, he still finds the joy in toys and playing, which is something that I think is so important!

And he’s so funny and entertaining my little guy!

It’s so wonderful, but also scary at the same time, to watch him finding himself and taking on the world.

Solo traveling with kids is a little different from when I do travel completely alone though. There are a lot more breaks, earlier nights, and a bit more planning. But it was such a joy, and I do hope that I get to travel more with my little man in the near future.

Not only because I think it’s an absolutely wonderful way for us to get quality time together, but also for us to personally grow through traveling together. Some of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood are the adventures I went on with my family. We didn’t have to travel far or by train, but it was something about just getting out of the comfort zone of home, and try new things and explore new places.

And that is something I wish for Leander to have plenty of; ADVENTURES!

 

London was an absolute treat, and as I’ve mentioned before; London always feels like coming home! It brought me so much joy to share that with Leander, and it was just a pleasure to watch him fall in love with the same city.

London, thank you for all the wonderful memories we got to bring back home❤️

Took this photo as we were landing at Oslo Airport Gardermoen. Fall, you sure are pretty😍

 

 

 

 

Don’t Grow Up! It’s a Trap!

Sometimes I really feel like being swept away be Peter and fly off to Neverland. To stay a playful child forever and not having to worry about grownup problems.

But whenever I find myself wishing to go, I have to remind myself that everyday life is filled with bits and pieces of Neverland. All you have to do is look for it. There might not be any faerie dust around that’ll make you fly, but how incredible is it that we can actually step inside of a massive piece a metal and fly away?!

You might not be able to live inside of a giant tree, but you could climb one, or make yourself a treehouse. Or you could travel to the most unique places and live in places that would’ve never crossed your mind!

You will not stay young forever, but you do have an option when it comes to growing up. It’s important to make grownup decisions from time to time, but that doesn’t mean that you have to stop playing! It doesn’t mean that you have to quit goofing around, dance whenever you feel like it, go for rides, get new friends, roll around in the grass (preferably with a puppy… or ten!), have sleepovers and go on adventures!

When was the last time you went for a walk and got lost for a while? When was the last time you went to a pajama party? And when was the last time you laughed so hard, you literally thought you were going to piss your pants?

If you can’t remember when, then I challenge you to do something about it!

I constantly remind myself to not take things too seriously, to play and to have fun. It’s not always easy, especially if you get yourself wrapped up in all the news. It can be hard to find things to make one smile when everyone talks about how the world is crumbling. I totally get it, and I too struggle with it from time to time. But like everything else, it becomes easier with practice. Practice and a good dose of zero fucks given at times.

Be a grownup when you have to be, but find your inner child whenever you have the opportunity to do so. Look at the world as a child discovers it. Marvel at its beauty! Be moved by sunsets and the depth of a pair of stranger’s eyes.

So today’s post is just a little reminder for you all to enjoy the life you have! You don’t know how long it’ll last or what’s going to happen tomorrow, so make the most out of today!

Have fun!

Don’t grow up! It’s a trap!

I was thinking about growing up…

Last week my son turned eight years old! EIGHT! In danger of sounding like an utter cliché: Where did time go? 

I remember it like it was yesterday that he was just a little baby without words to express himself. But now he’s rapidly growing into someone that I get to know a little more everyday. 

I catch myself thinking back to when I was eight, trying to remember my biggest worries and joys. Some are easy and others not. As I get older it seems that a lot of my childhood memories get smooshed into one and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly which memories are from what age. 

So what did I really know when I was eight? 

I knew I wanted to be a writer, and I think I already was one. I made tiny books out of coloured paper and I wrote stories and gave them to people I loved. I still write and I still love it just as much! 

I knew that I wanted to be like the grown ups, because everything seemed so easy and accessible to them. I was wrong. Now I find myself wishing I could be that kid again. Knowing how complicated it really is to live a grown up life. To climb those trees and believe fairy tales. 

I knew that by the time I would turn twenty-five I would have found Mr. Right, be married and maybe think about starting a family. I was so wrong! Things rarely go according to plan. We all learn that the hard way. 

I knew that I loved books! That love has grown and grown and grown into something so big that I find it hard to put it into words. 

So I guess I knew some things, but I was obviously clueless and naive about others, but I think that’s sort of the beauty of growing up. Finding those things that expands and take roots inside of us. Those little seeds that are inside of us as children that actually starts to grow and refuses to leave. The branches that guides us to a place that we need to be. On a journey we need to go.

But along that journey, some branches die. Some seeds never sprouts, but maybe there’s a reason for that. It might hurt (like hell) but we learn from the pain as well if we refuse to let it defeat us. 

So now I watch my little boy whenever he’s caught up in his own thoughts and I wonder just where he travels. If some of his thoughts and adventures will be the same as mine. If some of my dreams and hopes will be shared with him. 

I wonder what he knows. Sometimes I ask him, but I think he likes to keep some of it to himself just like I did. 

I hope he dreams big and even bigger than big. I hope he reaches for them. I hope his inner tree of dreams grows so big that it almost doesn’t fit him, and that he climbs it all the way to the top and sees the world differently. 

I hope he grabs hold of a good branch whenever another one dies and breaks off. And if he do falls down I hope that he climbs right back up again and sees it as nothing else than a little setback. 

I hope that his life is filled with journeys that he will never forget.

But most of all I hope to be a part of it. If not by being there, then I hope he’ll want to share them with me. Tell me the stories of his life. The joys and the sorrows. I will never know all the answers to all of his questions, but I will always try to help. I will tell him about my climb up my tree, not for the purpose of telling him which branch to go to next. He’ll have to make those decisions for himself, but maybe my stories can help him to see the warning signs of a bad branch from time to time.