One of my very favorite Swedish words is vårvinter. Directly translated, it means “spring-winter,” and it’s pretty much what it sounds like. It’s that time in between, when the seasons are starting to change. When there’s still plenty of snow, but there’s plenty of sun as well, and each day is lighter than the last.… Read More Bright

Not quite two weeks ago, Olof and I packed up the travel crib that Yrsa never slept in — not once, I swear it — and brought in the toddler bed from the garage. The idea was that maybe she’d adjust better to the idea of sleeping in her own bed if it was a… Read More Baby steps

Zombies are all the rage these days. Even my dog is getting on board. If you don’t believe me, give this a look-see. She’s got the undead look down pat, right? The one eye is obviously just glowing in the flash, but the red one really does look like that. Rest assured that she’s not… Read More Gruesome

Like many of his peers’, Tage’s interest in the violin is a direct result of Alexander Rybak’s win in 2009’s Eurovision Song Contest. For months and months afterward, his CD was in more or less constant play at our house, and when Tage was selected the following spring to start Suzuki violin lessons, he was… Read More Fairytale indeed

So you’ve probably noticed that Brynja turned five last week, an event that came as a great relief to her. Being four had weighed heavily on her the past month or so. And it’s true, five is a big deal. Some of you might remember that it was just a few days after turning five… Read More More Brynja

In the very early hours of Sunday morning, Brynja came down to our bed. That’s not so unusual, but the vomiting that started an hour or so later is, thankfully. Even so, it was a short-lived episode, and we chalked it up to “one of those things.” We discovered later in the day that she… Read More Sick house

I fear I am a disappointment to my neurologist. Actually, it’s a little exaggerated to call him “my” neurologist, considering I’ve met him only once, but it seems that he’s the guy overseeing my MS treatment these days. I went down to Umeå at the end of October for a check-up, and most of the… Read More Medicine Man