Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share! Can I get you some coffee? Or tea? Or maybe some hot lemonade? This week we’ve had normal winter temperatures of about 10F/-12C. The photo above shows the hot lemonade served to the children (in my class) at our local nature school when we visited on Wednesday. It was a lovely visit. One of my colleagues and I took two buses with the children to get to this nature school. It was a marvellous adventure for them (I teach in a part of town with low SES. Most of them do not get to have these kind of experiences.) All the 5year old children were invited to a special Christmas celebration with the animals (pigs, sheep, goats, birds, squirrels, and cows) and the mythical creatures from our folklore that lives at this farm. It was a memorable day with interactive storytelling in a beautiful nature setting, a positive experience for everyone.
How is your week? I’d say it’s been a good week. It started out very intense with an important presentation at school on Tuesday (after my regular workday.) I got up at 4am on Tuesday, and started my presentation at 6.10pm. It went OK. I had done everything I could to prepare, but was pretty tired by the time it was my turn to have my presentation. I was suppose to be on my way home by 6pm, but everyones presentations took a long time. I missed my bus home (to icy to ride my bike,) and got home really late. Which led me to skip the Christmas party at work the next day (that I was really excited about. It was a big party with a Christmas dinner and live music with famous musicians.) I didn’t want to leave my children two nights in a row. The work-week still left me with a good feeling, and it’s the weekend now 🙂 …and only a few more days until Christmas break. I’m hoping to get ten days off for Christmas, that is what I’ve asked for.
I hope your week is fabulous! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend. I’m going to try to make my own pomegranate tea, and perhaps visit my garden plot and see what it looks like now. I passed by the area where my garden is situated while taking the bus to the nature school on Wednesday. It’s a little higher up, above town, and it looked gorgeous from what I could tell sitting on the bus. Thank you Natalie for hosting the Weekend Coffee Share.
Love,
Maria
GreenDreams 
Maria, I can see that moving home to Sweden is the best decision you have made for many reasons. I’m so happy for you and you’re family. ☺️🇸🇪 I love your photos, they are all so peaceful. Vegas weather has been cool with high temps in the mid to upper 50s which is below normal. Have a lovely weekend my friend. 🍻
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Thank you so much for your kindness John. It does indeed feel very good, I’m at home. Thank you!
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And, home is where your heart is! Wonderful. ❤️😊
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Hi Maria, that nature school seems to be a lovely concept and it’s great that kids can get there and learn about nature.
I hope you’ll have a relaxing weekend. We have a cold crisp weekend here so it’ll be mostly about mostly staying indoors, doing some music practice, and perhaps preparing the house for Christmas.
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Thank you Susanne. A calm, relaxing weekend filled with music and Christmas preparation sounds absolutely perfect. My weekend’s been pretty relaxing as well (minus the walk to the garden 6,5km each way.) Have a wonderful new week!
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The nature center sounds wonderful! So glad you had a good week. I hope you get your requested time off 💜
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Thank you so much Dinah!
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The visit to the nature school sounds great. I’m sure it was a special experience for the kids. Yeah, your Tuesday sounds too long! Sorry you had to miss the party. Overall sounds like a good week 🙂 Hope you are having a great weekend and have a wonderful week ahead!
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Thank you Trent! Yes, the nature school is a wonderful project. They invite groups of children to participate in different themes, al; connected to nature and animals. My daughter and one of her friends learned about care taking of farm animals at the nature school during their fall break.
I hope your new week is fabulous! We are celebrating Lucia today.
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Ah, yes, I had forgotten about that Swedish festival. I love the images.
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I stopped going to work Christmas parties years ago, I don’t enjoy the rowdy environment that typically involves some people drinking too much and causing some kind of drama or another. My weekend involves a haircut, a Christmas lunch date with a friend, a board game with my boys and a bit of editing. Thanks for the virtual coffee, Maria. Have a great weekend.
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It sounds like a wonderful week, with a mix of nice things. Playing games with my children’s something I really enjoy. We often play games after our Sunday dinners, it’s a tradition (I secretly hope they will keep coming home for Sunday dinners fo many years to come.) Have a wonderful week!
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I have the same hope, Maria.
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Busy season for you, Maria. I hope you get the full break you asked for, so that you can wind down and enjoy Christmas with your kids.
In Truckee now, and the big snow predicted is currently rain with gusty winds. Not ideal, but it is supposed to switch to snow at the end of the day. Simply happy to have this time with my eldest. 🙂
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Yes Eliza, and I feel slightly guilty for not spending more time reading literature, and writing for the class that I’m taking now. I’m telling myself one thing at the time, and then I take the kids sledding. It truly is going to be wonderful having a few days off. We are spending Christmas at my brothers house, so that is going to be a good break from the daily routines. I figure I’ll spend the days right after Christmas intensely working at my latest school project, full of energy and joy after all that family time 🙂 Life is good.
I hope the rain turned into snow and that you are enjoying time with your son ❤
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It sure did change to snow! Two feet of it. And I’m told it snowed 6″ at home, too. It is that time of year! It was a good trip, but I am ready to head home tomorrow for a quiet holiday season under my own roof. 🙂
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Maria, The field trip to the nature school sounds great. Sorry you missed the Christmas party that you were excited about. I hope you get your requested time off to relax and enjoy the holidays with your children. Thank you for your weekend coffee share. Have a wonderful week ahead!
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Thank you so much Natalie! I do believe I will have the requested time off. Enjoy your week and this holiday season. ❤
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Hope you had a good weekend and sorry you missed the party – but you did ahve a very good excuse. My weekend is coming to a close, but it was good and included cooking, going to the cinema and picking up some Swedish food items.
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Thank you! Yes, the children always comes first. I’ll have to pay you a visit and see what kind of Swedish dish you made 🙂 Have a wonderful week!
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Oh I was just picking up things like lingonberry jam, pearl sugar and herring. I will make Janssons frestelse on Christmas Eve.
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Love the little ladders to the house
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Yes 🙂 It’s the ladder to Vättarnas house https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vættir. In this fairytale they were kind and helped the people, mostly..
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I LOVE the idea of a nature school! Especially for the kids that don’t get that kind of exposure. How fun.. Sorry you had to miss your party! Hope you got some needed rest and that you have a great week ahead.
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Me too Kathleen! In these days when many kids (my own included) spend a lot of time on their devices connecting with nature is essential, and crucial for our planets well-being. If the next generation don’t have a relationship with nature why should they consider the well-being of our planet when they make decisions? I am grateful that our town have this place. They organise many valuable activities for groups of children. My daughter spent a day of her fall beak there learning about farm animals.
Have a wonderful week!
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Hi Maria! That’s a really long day last Tuesday, but glad you got through your week even though you had to miss the Christmas party. I’m so happy I just finished Christmas shopping for my grandkids. It’s a good feeling to get that done, just need to wrap presents to bring with us as we will be heading to AZ next weekend. Thank you for the coffee!! I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! ❤️🤩
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Yes Diana! The break is well needed! I bet you are counting the hours until you get to see your precious grandkids 🙂 I am so happy for you! We are going to celebrate Lucia today. To me that is the real beginning of the holiday season.
Safe travels my friend ❤ Have a wonderful time in AZ! I also have some wrapping to do later this week. My daughter still believes in Santa, so its tricky to wrap the presents, since she believes Santa is the one giving them to her..
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Oh, a nature school sounds so fun and a great experience!!! Hoping your get those 10 days off.
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Thank you Kirstin! I did get ten days off. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
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