So this is how Summer Begins

That's summer laziness, full speed ahead, to you.

The folks we made the beach home exchange with in January are coming to stay in our house while we head out to visit Farfar and the fam in Dalarna for Midsommar. The last few weeks have been full of getting finishing touches on the house... we have been there almost two years now. Which means we are essentially settled but have lots of nice details to fill in yet. You see your house differently when you have to get it ready for someone to open the kitchen drawers.

Getting the summer hammock up

Enjoying any bit of warm we get, the water balloon stash

Discovering the wonder of the garden hose

Wouldn't you know the sink faucet cracked when trying to replace a gasket the day before we left people to stay at the house. So while Swededaddy played plumber and installed a new faucet, the girls and I headed to the village pool. It was actually really nice, even though the day before I had sworn it was too freezing for me to think about swimming for another month at least.

Baby's first shot at the wading pool, she loved it!

It was an ice cream day

Finally headed out way later than expected, so we stopped at a Stuga/camp ground to over night. Sweden has these cute inexpensive cabins all over that make good spontaneous accommodations for road trips, so long as you are not traveling on a big holiday weekend when they will be prebooked. 500kr a night, and they had a restaurant that served decent food.

Last year we took the train to Dalarna, and I was looking out the windows thinking how great it would be to stop at some of the pretty lakes along the way. When this road trip turned epic, like the day trip that took three days, my wish came true. Careful what you wish for. The trip was nothing like planned, but good. Except for the all of us getting a cold part, and moving in slow motion.

Lake front camping.

Neat wood monkey bars

Sweden has lots of beaches, there is lots of waterfront on its many lakes. Great places to play with little people, as sand is always a hit and shallow water easy to manage and usually a bit warmer than the ocean. A nice way to break up a drive.

The Lake Front

Beach bums

Sticks, also always a hit

Us, on a ferry

Geraniums on the ferry

The stereotypes of a place should always be evaluated at a road side souvenir shop. As expected, Sweden is moose, trolls, vikings, and Pippi.

Oh Sweden!

Road food: smoked fish, strawberries, and shrimp.

Despite our best push, we had to face we just were still not there yet. We decided to overnight at a second stuga. SwedeDaddy and I were both feeling sick, and simply had no will to do an all night drive. This one was only 400 krs, and was bigger. You can make coffee and eat breakfast in the kitchenette before you launch again. But you have to bring your own sheets and duvet covers, which we had anyway.

Finally, day three of travel for a nine hour drive, we get there after dinner! We thought we might leave early Monday, and never left till Wednesday, and instead of getting there Wednesday night arrived Friday evening.

A three hour tour, a three hour tour.....arriving at last.

But where ever we went, there we were.

And now here we are, for two weeks, for Midsommar.

Finally free!

Yay!!!

And yep, that is a fleece suit.

Let the Midsommar Festivities begin.

Actually, I am hoping there will be just enough time for me get over my cold first.

End of School Year

at The Steiner Waldorf School

The parents gathered wildflowers to bring to school then assembled 54 wreathes of flowers for the children. Which means, of course, the wild flowers are in bloom!

We rehearsed songs, and waited for the children and teachers to return from a walk. The singing began, and the children and teachers were each crowned with a wreath.

It is a fun community building event to make wreaths with all the other parents.

The parents singing to the children with some musical accompaniment.

My favorite little flower in the field

All the sweet children

The seven year olds that will move up to the next level at school were given little bundles of things on sticks they might need for their travels, and performed this little dance for everyone.

Then we feasted at our community potluck!

I love our little school.

And good news, it seems things are going to be fine for Waldorf schools in Sweden under the proposed new education law. It is expected to change some things related to teacher training, but I have been assured not to worry about the availability of this option for the future! Yay!

We are still writing legislators and waiting to hear the outcome of the vote, though, as it will determine the fate of home schooling in Sweden.

More on Fracking:

A Blog post from Centre for European Reform

Pizza and Gas

Not that kind.

We went out to a Pizzeria in Sjöbo last night and over heard some American sounding English from the guys at the table next to us. We said hi, and asked where they are from. They said they were Canadian, working in Sjöbo every other two weeks. Doing what we inquired? Drilling for gas for Shell.

I got curious about this. Apparently Shell has been exploring southern Sweden for gas drilling, doing the first exploration last November.

Then my google reader caught my attention with this interview on NPR with Josh Fox on today's Fresh Air about his documentary GASLAND that just was recognized at The Sundance Film festival. It documents communities in the USA that have been heavily polluted by gas drilling. It shows water that can be lit on fire, and communities and environments becoming toxic in the wake of gas drilling.

Scary.

One of the things I love most about my home here in Sweden is the water, it sooo good straight out of the tap. In Florida our water smelled like chlorine and we had to buy drinking water. The source of our water is Vombsjön, a large lake that provides drinking water to all of Malmö and most of southern Sweden. It is right where Shell is drilling.

The gas is not just drilled up, it is released by a process called hydraulic fracturing or fracking, that breaks up bed rock and releases gas bubbles by injecting 5 to 7 million gallons of water into the earth in combination with diesel and numerous toxic chemicals that are industry secrets (as governments do not even have laws that require disclosure of what is being injected into the aquifer). The water in areas where fracking is practiced is effervescent, it bubbles, even in streams, and is full of toxic heavy metals like cadmium, as well as benzene, methane, propane. It does not take a mistake for these things to get into the water, it is not like an oil spill that may happen....these toxins are intrinsic to the normal process. It is guaranteed to happen. That is 5 to 7 million gallons of polluted water that has to go somewhere, and toxins directly injected into the water source. People report things like cats and horses losing all their hair after fracking starts in their areas.

From Gasland:

CAN YOU DO THIS WITH YOUR TAP WATER? from JOSHFOX on Vimeo.

I found the group Heaven or sHell is organized to oppose the drilling. Something to look into.

Here is another interview with Josh Fox on PBS with more clips from his film Gasland, which will be shown June 21st on HBO. I hope it is coming soon to Skåne.

Summer decided to Show Up for Real Last Thursday....

We finally have warm sunny days most of the time. Today is cool and rainy once again, but there is no turning back now, summer has come! It was a weekend to get out with friends at a party and BBQ, admire the flowers, tend the garden, and shop at the village loppis/ rummage sale .

This year is the first time I have lived somewhere I can grow bulb flowers. They came up so pretty!

More Tulips

Potato Patch

Apples of the Future

Apple Blossoms

Cuteness

Swinging!

Popsicle season has started!

Slurpy orange goodness

Climbing play!

Huge Loppis/ garage sale in the village this weekend, the crowd waiting to get in!

Waiting for the go signal! I had no camera once inside, or I would have photographed the large selection of spinning wheels for sale- only in Sweden!

The Road to the house for the Birthday Party

Lilacs

What a setting...

Slide!

Views

Birthday Party

Perfect Swedish Birthday Cake

Play

Blooms

Purples

Family BBQ and more Popsicles!

Summer is here!!

Please Protest the New Education Law that will Threaten Waldorf Education in Sweden and Make Home Schooling Illegal

Sorry, blogger is making all my links black today, a bug I am trying to fix, please go to links even though they are hard to see

Darn it, one of our favorite things about Sweden, public Waldorf School is under threat. And so is home schooling. Home Schooling is not very common or popular in Sweden, only 100 families do it. Right now, you can apply to your local board to get permission to home educate. Permission can be hard to get, but it is at least an option. Under the new law, home education will be illegal basically unless you kid is a child actor or something and can not make regular classes.

In the USA, home school is very protected as it has wide appeal across religious and cultural groups. 3% of American children are home schooled, and that is a lot of kids! People want to have a say in how their children are educated, and BE WITH THEIR KIDS. There are so many wonderful ways to learn, and families across the world are using cathedrals, libraries, and museums as their classrooms, and participating in clubs and helping the people of their communities as they teach their kids how to be a citizen of the world. Those of you reading the mommy blogs know how many beautiful, exciting, wonderful things families are doing together in the realm of home education. If only the rest of the world did too. Or the politicians making this law did at least.

I will be SO.BUMMED.OUT. if home schooling and Waldorf education are eliminated here!

Between BP ruining my whole seaside Gulf of Mexico paradise at home and Sweden wanting to eliminate Waldorf and home schooling, I am feeling grumpy.

Here is an article about Waldorf in Sweden and the Home Education Association website.

Please join us in protesting the proposed changes.

And sign this petition:

http://rohus.nu/en/?English_information

Send a quick email like this:

We Support Home Schooling and Alternative Schools. Please keep them legal! Do not pass the provisions of the the New Education law that will outlaw home schooling and alternative schools.

I am ME living in MY.HOME.LAND and I believe in/ enjoy home schooling my children and support the Waldorf Steiner approach to education. It is important to me that all the world's citizens have the freedom and option to educate children at home or in a Waldorf Steiner School. Please modify the new education act to allow for families to home educate and allow for alternative schools like Waldorf Steiner schools.

Signed ME

To these people:

School Policy spokespersons:

Left
Rossana Dinamarca
rossana.dinamarca @ riksdagen.sehttp://www.riksdagen.se/Webbnav/index.aspx?nid=1111&iid=0321885416125

The Social Democrats
Marie Granlund
marie.granlund @ riksdagen.sehttp://www.riksdagen.se/webbnav/index.aspx?nid=1111&iid=0136310791918

Green Party
Mats Pertoft
mats.pertoft @ riksdagen.se
08-7864738http://www.riksdagen.se/Webbnav/index.aspx?nid=1111&iid=0488357052317

Liberal Party

Tina Acketoft
08-7864681
E-mail: @ tina.acketoft riksdagen.sehttp://www.folkpartiet.se/acketoft

Centre Party
Sofia Larsen
sofia.larsen @ riksdagen.se
08-7864029http://www.riksdagen.se/Webbnav/index.aspx?nid=1111&iid=0287864972117
ulrika.carlsson @ riksdagen.se

Moderates
Margareta Pålsson
margareta.palsson @ riksdagen.se
08-7864553http://www.riksdagen.se/Webbnav/index.aspx?nid=1111&iid=039655712615
mats.gerdau @ riksdagen.se

Christian Democrats
Gunilla Tjernberg
gunilla.tjernberg @ riksdagen.se
08-7864376http://www.riksdagen.se/Webbnav/index.aspx?nid=1111&iid=0887345842319

And or like this:

Hello,

We Support Home Schooling and Alternative Schools. Please keep them legal! Do not pass the provisions of the the new Education law that will outlaw home schooling and alternative schools.

I am an American married to a Swede with two children. We relocated to Sweden to help with my husband's family, and one of the things that has made our life in Sweden very sweet and wonderful is the Waldorf Steiner Skola. My daughter was in a Waldorf daycare in USA, and being able to enter another one here made her transition to Sweden so much easier.

I am very sad to hear the new education act threatens alternative schools like Waldorf Steiner Schools. They are so beautiful and important.

I also have a friend that home schools, and many home schooling friends in the USA. This is a wonderful and successful way to educate children, people all over the world are enjoying being with their own children, and using the museums, libraries, and cathedrals of the world as their classrooms as they teach their own children via home education.

In Florida where I come from there is much support from the state for this type of education, including online distance computer schools with teachers available remotely for children of all grades to help families home educate.

It is the way of the future to work and school at home, and be part of your community and not just a classroom or office. It is important to me that this right, this freedom, continue to be available in Sweden.

Please modify the new education act to allow for home schooling, and alternative schools like our Steiner Waldorf School. Sweden should be moving forward to join the progress of the world, not moving backwards with this limitation on freedom.

Signed SwedeMama