Working mother of three daily angst

Every day for 10 years I’ve felt limited. Three children and a working round the clock husband make me limited when

- the team at the office sets after work activities as highly prioritized to reach a great spirit and common goals.
- some daily yoga and/or a jog is the only way to get some energy.
- I’m longing for crafting – knitting, crocheting, painting, sewing.
- my messy home and garden gives me the rashes.
- there are meetings all day and I’m home with sick kids 3 weeks out of 4.
- it’s Sunday brunch time and it would be wonderful but not with a 3 year old.
- the dinner preferably should be made out of raw food.
- It would be wonderful to host a party for all old friends.
- It would be wonderful to host a party for all new friends.

But most of all it’s not the kids that limit my dreams of life - it’s working that does. I’d love my kids to grow up with some of the experiences I had as a kid. Most of all I’d love them to spend the ten weeks of summer holidays at the country house, and I’ve failed completely. We work. The kids spend most of their holidays at the daycare in school.

So I’ve tried to limit the level of responsibility at my job position, I’ve stopped my career for some time, until the kids grow older. So far this has only resulted in even less benefits - less weeks of vacations, less flexibility in time, more angst by not being able to participate either at work as much as required, nor with the kids as much as I’d like. I don’t know how to get any step closer to satisfaction.

The games from the basement are still great

I hate that we've got the basement full of cardboard containers packed with games and consoles, games from the early 80's until today. I'd love my partner to sort them all and arrange them so that the family can play them, learn some history and have fun. Instead they are only bulky.

Today something hit him and he rememberd the old PS2 including at least 200 games, when we arrived at our summerhouse. We started with fantastic Ulala in Space Channel 5. This was one of the first games that supported my ideas on what kind of games many girls like. It's that short that it is not stealing too much undeserved time. The idea to collect more hip friends saving the world is a fun story and a great alternative to visualize progression without points, levels and badges. Graphically it's colorful and it clearly embrases a pink party attitude. I had forgotten completely. I'm happy to be reminded.

Now time for Soul Calibur (my girls are still happy about the mega cool female characters though I think they could be a little more well dressed, and our boy fances Voldo for some reason...'I'm really good' he shouts out...)

CSR låter roligt, utvecklande och effektivt

SvD skriver idag om att upp emot hälften av alla chefer i kommun och landsting går i pension de kommande 10 åren och hur viktigt det blir för dessa arbetsgivare att jobba med sina varumärken för att locka kompetens.

I samma tidning intervjuas (H&M's CSR chef angående företagets hållbarhetsarbete. Jag tänker att de vänder den mest tänkbara kritik de kan få till sin fördel genom att jobba aktivt med problemen.

Jag har tidigare alltid tänkt att det inte spelar mig någon roll huruvida företagens hållbarhetsarbete främst är en strategi för att främja varumärket eller för att rädda världen - arbetet blir ju gjort och det är det viktigaste, men på sistone har jag ändrat mig. Det räcker inte att bara tala om att man arbetar för hållbarhet. Alla måste arbeta för att alla andra också ska kunna bli bättre. De måste dela med sig av kunskapen om vad de gör och hur de arbetar. Målet måste vara ett mer hållbart arbete för alla för att resultat ska uppnås.

Kommun och landsting är för mig idag lika med tråkigt, icke utvecklande och ineffektivitet. Ska de locka mig ska de skapa varumärken med ett gemensamt mål om hållbarhet på alla fronter vilket för mig låter roligt, utvecklande och effektivt.

Oppressed innocence and performance anxiety

There is always an aspect of sexuality in fashion. The first ten years of this century it was mostly about sporting as much naked skin as possible. Inspired by Big Brother and R&B divas the fashion was trickled up to give rich people a sense of youth and the same easy affirmation.

Now - as always - it's time for the contrary. As much as I trouble the consequences of imposed vulgarity, these oppressed innocent girls from this year's catwalks make me just as nervous. I don't trust them. They don't look happy. They are all Betty delineated and I expect them to stag me in my back anytime. I say they dress like this because they are supposed to, because they have high expectations on themselves to be good girls.

Hmm... maybe this is the actual purpose of this year's version... borderline housewives... dangerous women just a second from exploding...


Chanel

Chanel

Imitation

MiuMiu

Moschino Cheap and Chic

Valentino

Versace presents the Betty I like
Dare to be in focus
Jag aktar mig för jätteglada nykterister

Versace presents the Betty I like

Flipping through this month's Vogue issue my eyes stop at this John Lewis ad thinking that they made this set as a copy from a Don and Betty scene of Mad Men. But why? This are the scenes I hate. The times when I really don't want to be Betty. When she is cold and unwanted. The ad must be directed to men is my conclusion - kind of a sad connotation for the family retailer.


Only a few pages later Versace presents the Betty I like - obstinate, challenging and free spirited.

Sweden at it's best

Bo Robert Ek's Dreams of Journeys - no words needed of this Map Cabinet...

Easy traveling on Micro Samsonite

Speed and light luggage is always pros when travelling - smart thinking from Samsonite and MicroScooter.

Confidence for a great product

I don't believe in developing a concept out of pure information, without your heart in it. It might get great but not as good as it could get. On the other hand I don't believe in just letting a team make any game or product they want with hopes that it will become a hit either... unless you have unlimited resources and can afford to loose or win. This has been a little confusing to me for sometime and yesterday a friend sorted it out for me. It's about self-confidence, and I believe he is right.

If the product derrives from statistics you must feel sure of and present that this is what we know you need and will love. If the product is a product of heart and gut feelings you must tell the world that this is the coolest thing on earth, trust us, we know.

It's a little tricky to convince your boss though that you should go for your idea, because your more self confident than anyone else :-S.

Something about skulls

Don't know what it is, but skulls always fascinate me. It's as someone watches you from another world or a tale from the history. You must wonder who this once was. As a kid I always wanted to be a archeologist. I have 5 small ones in gypsum on my bedroom shelf. I stole them in a halloween party 15 years ago.

The owner of the skulladay blog obviously shares this fascination and rather impose it on everything in the surroundings, and admit it would not at all be the same thing seing a frog or an apple appearing in the leaves.

Preparing skills

Hmm... I should probably start practicing now if I want to be able to knit all these dolls for my grandkids when I grow old...
Or hire the author of the Flutterby Patch blog.

Traditional and adorable paper sculptures

It's interesting how the asian origin makes just a little more sense and story to the art - how a culture and traditions takes new forms in several aspects in these most adorable paperwork or paper sculpture from Cheong-ah Hwang alias papernoodle (buy them on Etsy)